This Day in Baseball History

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
September 5th

1960
At 41, Diomedes Olivo makes his major league debut, pitching in relief for the Pirates. The oldest rookie in National League history hurls two scoreless innings against Milwaukee at Forbes Field.


1969
Tom Seaver becomes the first pitcher in franchise history to win 20 games in one season when the Mets beat the Phillies at Shea Stadium, 5-1. 'Tom Terrific,' who will finish the season with a 25-7 record for the world champs, tosses a five-hit, complete game to reach the milestone.


1979
Just one defeat shy of the American League record, A's starting pitcher Matt Keough snaps his eighteen-game consecutive losing streak, including four losses at the end of last season. The 24-year-old right-hander tosses a 6-1 complete-game victory over the Brewers at the Oakland Coliseum to avoid the dubious distinction.


1989
Deion Sanders, the fifth player selected overall in the 1989 NFL Draft, hits a home run as the Bronx Bombers rout the Mariners at the Kingdome, 12-2. Five days later, in his NFL debut with the Atlanta Falcons, the Yankee rookie returns a punt 68 yards for a touchdown.


1995
When the game becomes official in the bottom of the fifth inning, Cal Ripken receives a standing ovation for over five minutes from the sellout crowd at Oriole Park at Camden Yards as he ties Yankee legend Lou Gehrig's record of 2,130 consecutive games.

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
September 6th

Baseball History September 6th - National Pastime - Baseball History

nationalpastime.com

1943
At 16 years, eight months, and five days, Carl Scheib becomes the youngest player to appear in an American League game when he tosses two-thirds of an inning in the A's 11-4 loss to New York, giving up two hits and an earned run in the ninth inning i the Shibe Park contest. The good-hitting right-handed teenager will post a 45-65 win-loss record and a .250 batting average during his 11 seasons in the major leagues.


1953
With Giants manager Leo Durocher yelling, "stick it in his ear," Ruben Gomez hits Carl Furillo, the National League's leading hitter, on the wrist by a pitch. After taking first base, the Dodgers right fielder bolts into the opposing dugout to choke 'Leo the Lip,' but in the melee, he factures the knuckle on his little finger, ending his season.


1972
Paying respect to the eleven Israeli Olympic athletes killed yesterday by terrorists in Munich, A's southpaw Ken Holtzman and first baseman Mike Epstein don black armbands on their uniforms' sleeves. The action taken by the Jewish players, affirming the importance of their faith, is well received by the club, with Reggie Jackson wearing an armband in solidarity, along with skipper Dick Williams fully supporting the symbolic gesture made by the Oakland teammates.


1976
While waiting in the on-deck circle, Steve Yeager is seriously injured when jagged pieces of Bill Russell's broken bat strikes in the throat. The 27-year-old backstop's near-fatal accident, which he amazingly recovers from to rejoin the team in three weeks, leads to the development of a protective device for catchers and umpires, sometimes referred to as a billy goat strap, which is a flap attached to the bottom of the protective face mask to prevent similar type of injuries.
(Ed. Note: The use of the throat guard is now mandatory in numerous youth and amateur baseball leagues, including Little League, and for NCAA baseball and softball teams. - LP)


1981
"I told him to quit threatening me. If he wants me to go, make the move - don't wait. I can't take it any longer" - GENE MICHAEL, speaking to the press about his relationship with George Steinbrenner.

Calling the decision the most the ''most agonizing'' he has made running the club, Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner fires Gene Michael and replaces him with Bob Lemon. The dismissal results from the former skipper's comments to the press concerning his inability to tolerate the constant threats of dismissal and his refusal to apologize for the August 28 remarks.


1982
The Pirates retire the number 8 worn by Willie Stargell, the team's all-time leader in home runs, RBIs, and extra-base hits, after spending his entire 21-year career with the Bucs. In 1988, the Hall of Fame will induct "Pops," a seven-time NL All-Star who won NLCS and World Series MVP honors in 1979, in his first year of eligibility.


1985
In a matchup of aces that lives up to its advanced billing, Dwight Gooden and Fernando Valenzuela hook up in one of the best pitchers' duels in recent memory. New York beats Los Angeles at Chavez Ravine, 2-0, thanks to Darryl Strawberry's two-run double on a day that the 20-year-old Mets right-hander strikes out ten batters, throwing nine shutout innings, while the Dodger southpaw pitches 11 innings without allowing a run.


1995
Cal Ripken breaks Lou Gehrig's consecutive game record, playing in his 2,131st straight game. When the game becomes official in the middle of the fifth inning, the new 'Iron Man' takes a victory lap around Camden Yards during the 22-minute standing ovation from the sellout crowd, including President Bill Clinton.

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1996
Eddie Murray of the Orioles becomes the 15th player in major league history to hit 500 home runs when his seventh-inning solo shot goes deep, knotting the score at 3-3 off Tiger pitcher Felipe Lira at Camden Yards. The Los Angeles native joins Hank Aaron and Willie Mays as the only players to reach this milestone and have three thousand hits.

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2000
Scott Sheldon joins Bert Campaneris (A's, 1965) and Cesar Tovar (Twins, 1968) to become the third player in baseball history to play all nine positions in a single game. With the White Sox ahead 10-0, the Ranger infielder comes into the game defensively in the bottom of the fourth inning, replacing backstop Bill Haselman, and will proceed to play in every spot on the field, including a third of an inning on the mound, where he strikes out the only batter he faces.

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[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
September 7th


1911
Cy Young loses a pitching duel to Phillies' rookie right-hander Grover Cleveland Alexander at Boston's South End Grounds, 1-0. Next month, the 44-year-old veteran Braves hurler will end his career after 22 seasons with an astonishing 511 victories, a major league record unlikely to be broken.

Career Leaders &amp Records for Wins | Baseball-Reference.com

Career W Leaders:1.Cy Young+/511/3104, 2.Walter Johnson+/417/2534, 3.Grover Alexander+/373/1982, Christy Mathewson+/373/1900, 5.Pud Galvin+/365/2788, 6.Warren Spahn+/363/2056, 7.Kid Nichols+/362/2264, 8.Greg Maddux+/355/1812, 9.Roger Clemens/354/213, 10.Tim Keefe+/34

www.baseball-reference.com

1962
With four steals in a 10-1 loss to the Pirates, Dodger Maury Wills breaks the modern National League record for stolen bases in a season with his 82nd swipe. Cincinnati's Bob Bescher established the mark in 1911, playing left field with Cincinnati.


1974
The American League suspends Graig Nettles for ten days when his bat shatters on a disallowed infield hit, releasing six super balls collected by catcher Bill Freehan. The Yankee third baseman, who said the piece of lumber was given to him by a fan in Chicago, hit a home run in his first at-bat for the game's only run in the Yankees' 1-0 victory over Detroit at Shea Stadium.


1993
In the nightcap of a doubleheader at Cincinnati, Cardinal outfielder Mark Whiten becomes the 12th player to hit four home runs in one game, helping to tie two established RBI records. With 12 RBIs in the second game, he equals the single-game mark set by Jim Bottomley in 1924, and with his ribbie in the opener, he ties a 21-year-old record established by Nate Colbert for the most RBIs (13) in a twin bill.

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2009
The Pirates become the first baseball franchise in history to post a losing record for 17 consecutive seasons when the team drops a 4-2 decision to the Cubs at PNC Park. The dubious streak, which dates back to 1993, surpasses the Phillies' skid from 1933 to 1948.