April 28
From BR Bullpen
| Stats of players who were born this day | |
| Stats of players who died on this day | |
| Standings on this day | |
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| Baseball Library Chronology | |
| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on April 28.
Events[edit]
- 1901 - Cleveland Blues pitcher Bock Baker gives up a record 23 singles as the Chicago White Sox beat Cleveland, 13 - 1.
- 1906 - It's the only time two player-managers steal home on the same day, though not in the same game. Chicago Cubs pilot Frank Chance steals in the 9th inning to give Chicago a 1 - 0 win over the Cincinnati Reds, and Fred Clarke matches him in the Pittsburgh Pirates' 10 - 1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
- 1911 - In Philadelphia, Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators picks up his first win of the year, edging the visiting Philadelphia Athletics, 2 - 1. Frank Baker hits a solo home run off Johnson, the first home run over the fence the Washington ace has allowed; there have been two inside-the-park homers hit off Johnson.
- 1915 - The Detroit Tigers trim the St. Louis Browns, 12 - 3, with Ty Cobb stealing home in the 3rd inning. Cobb will steal home six times this season.
- 1929 - The Boston Red Sox lose to the Philadelphia Athletics, 7 - 3, in their first-ever Sunday home game. Due to Fenway Park's proximity to a church, the game is played at Boston's Commonwealth Park.
- 1930 - The first night game in the history of Organized Baseball is played in Independence, Kansas. The Muskogee Chiefs defeat the Independence Producers, 13 - 3, in a battle of Western Association rivals.
- 1934 - Goose Goslin of the Detroit Tigers hits into four double plays, but Detroit still beats the Cleveland Indians, 4 - 1.
- 1949 - A New York Giants fan charges Leo Durocher with assault after the Giants lose, 15 - 2, to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Commissioner Happy Chandler suspends Durocher, who is absolved on May 3rd. Chandler criticizes teams for lax security that allows fans on the field.
- 1952 - The St. Louis Browns become the first major league organization to loan or sell players to a team outside of the United States when they "lend" two African-American minor league players, infielder John Britton and pitcher Jimmy Newberry, to the Hankyu Braves of the Japanese Pacific League. Abe Saperstein, owner and coach of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters, negotiated this special example in lend-lease for both sides.
- 1954 - Alex Kellner of the Philadelphia Athletics allows only a single by Wayne Terwilliger in the 8th inning in a 7 - 0 shutout over the Washington Senators at Griffith Stadium.
- 1956 - Cincinnati Redlegs rookie Frank Robinson hits the first of his 586 lifetime home runs at Crosley Field. The 20-year-old Robinson connects against Paul Minner of the Chicago Cubs, helping the Redlegs to a 9 - 1 victory. Cincinnati's Wally Post hits four home runs in a doubleheader sweep for the Redlegs.
- 1961 - 40-year-old Warren Spahn becomes the second oldest man to pitch a no-hitter in major league history. The Milwaukee Braves' ace masters the San Francisco Giants, 1 - 0, for his 290th career win, second no-hitter and 52nd shutout. Spahn strikes out nine batters and walks only two. Hank Aaron drives in the game's lone run with a single in the 1st inning off loser Sad Sam Jones.
- 1962 - Frank Thomas, Charlie Neal and Gil Hodges hit consecutive home runs in the 6th inning to lead the expansion New York Mets to an 8 - 6 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The victory is a rare occurrence for the Mets - one of only 40 during their inaugural season.
- 1963 - Hall of Fame umpire Tom Connolly dies in Natick, Massachusetts, at the age of 90. Connolly served as an umpire for 34 years, working in both the American and National Leagues. Connolly once went ten consecutive seasons without ejecting a player from a game. He was elected to Cooperstown in 1953.
- 1964 - Barry Larkin is born in Cincinnati, OH. The shortstop will play his entire 19-year career with his hometown Cincinnati Reds, lead the team to a World Championship in 1990, and win an MVP Award in 1995 before gaining election to the Hall of Fame in 2012.
- 1966:
- Roberto Clemente's clutch... base on balls? The notoriously wild swinger works out a walk when it matters – in the 9th inning, with the Bucs down by one, two outs, bases empty, no balls, two strikes, up against a pitcher, Ted Abernathy, who's always had Clemente's number. Abernathy throws eight straight strikes and Clemente fouls off every pitch, seven to right field before drawing a walk. Willie Stargell then hits a line drive off the centerfield wall to bring home Clemente with the tying run, en route to an extra-inning Pirate win.
- The Cleveland Indians tie a modern day major league record by winning their tenth consecutive game since Opening Day. Sonny Siebert, a 16-game winner in 1965, defeats the California Angels, 2 - 1.
- 1982 - Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies goes 5 for 5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, tying Max Carey for the most five-hit games in National League history. Rose's latest five-hit performance helps the Phillies to a 9 - 3 win.
- 1985 - The New York Yankees hire Billy Martin as their manager for a fourth time. The fiery Martin, one of George Steinbrenner's favorite managers, replaces Yogi Berra, who is fired just 16 games into the season.
- 1988 - The winless Baltimore Orioles set an American League record by losing their 21st game in a row, falling to the Minnesota Twins, 4 - 2.
- 1989 - Rickey Henderson of the New York Yankees sets a major league record when he leads off a game with a home run for the 36th time in his career, breaking a tie with Bobby Bonds.
- 1998:
- Texas Rangers right fielder Juan Gonzalez hits a two-run home run in Texas's 7 - 2 win at Minnesota. The blast gives Gonzalez 35 RBI in April, which sets an all-time major-league record.
- Hideo Nomo goes deep, becoming the first Japanese player in Major League Baseball history to sock a home run. The victim is Jose Mercedes.
- 1999 - Larry Walker of the Colorado Rockies hits three home runs and collects eight RBI to lead the Rockies to a 9 - 7 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
- 2000 - Chris Holt pitches a one-hit shutout leading the Houston Astros to a 7 - 0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Ronnie Belliard's single is the only Milwaukee hit.
- 2001:
- The Seattle Mariners defeat the Chicago White Sox, 8 - 5, for their 20th win this month, setting a new major league record for April. Closer Kazuhiro Sasaki sets a new record for saves in April with his 13th.
- Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals ties the major league record for home runs in April by a rookie with eight, but St. Louis falls to the Mets, 6 - 5, in 11 innings.
- Geoff Jenkins hits three home runs and drives in six runs to lead the Brewers in an 8 - 4 victory over Montreal.
- Chang-Heng Hsieh of the Uni-President Lions wins his 100th and last game in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. He becomes the first pitcher in the top Taiwanese league to reach triple digits in victories.
- 2006:
- Barry Bonds hits a bases-clearing double to tie Babe Ruth for third on the all-time career list with 1,356 extra-base hits. Bonds also singles in a run for his fourth RBI, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 10 - 2.
- St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hits his 13th home run in April to tie the major league record, matching the mark shared by Ken Griffey, Jr. in 1997 with Seattle and Luis Gonzalez in 2001 with Arizona.
- Kevin Mench of the Texas Rangers homers in his seventh straight game, moving within one game of the major league record of eight shared by Dale Long, Don Mattingly and Ken Griffey, Jr.. Mench also becomes the first right-handed batter to homer in seven straight games, joining lefties Jim Thome, Mattingly, Long and Griffey.
- Striking minor league umpires reach a tentative agreement with management on a six-year contract and could be back at work next week if the deal is ratified.
- 2007 - Trevor Hoffman pitches in his 803rd game for the San Diego Padres, breaking the record for games pitched with one club. The prior record had been shared by Walter Johnson and Elroy Face.
- 2009 - Trevor Hoffman adds another save to his all-time leading total when he picks up number 555 in pitching a scoreless 9th inning in Milwaukee's 6 - 5 win over Pittsburgh. It is the Brewers' 14th straight win over Pittsburgh, dating back to 2007. This is Hoffman's first save for the Brewers; he picked up two as a rookie for the Florida Marlins in 1993, and the 552 others came with the San Diego Padres.
- 2010:
- Major League Baseball announces a number of changes to the rules that govern the All-Star Game that have been agreed with the Players' union: the designated hitter will now be used in all games, not just those played in American League parks; a pitcher who started a game on the last Sunday before the All-Star break will not be eligible to play in the game and will be replaced on the roster, although he will still be recognized as an All-Star (this will become known as the Sunday Starter rule); rosters are expanded to 34 players, adding one position player; one of the position players will be designated as being able to re-enter the game in case of injury - catchers are already allowed to do so in those circumstances.
- The all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman of the Milwaukee Brewers, continues to struggle this year. He blows a save for the second consecutive day in a 6 - 5, 14-inning loss to the Pirates by giving up a game-tying 9th-inning home run to Ryan Doumit, one day after giving up a grand slam to Doumit. Hoffman has already blown four save opportunities this year, as many as in all of 2009, and has an ERA of 13.00 with six homers allowed.
- 3B Luke Hughes of the Minnesota Twins homers in his first major league at-bat off the Tigers' Max Scherzer in the 3rd inning of an 11 - 6 loss. The Australian is the fifth Twin to accomplish the feat, but the first since Andre David in 1984. The Tigers trail 6 - 1 in the 4th and then score ten unanswered runs. The key play occurs when Denard Span drops a fly ball hit by Johnny Damon in a six-run 6th inning.
- Chris Tillman of the International League's Norfolk Tides pitches the first no-hitter of the year in the minor leagues. He blanks the Gwinnett Braves, 6 - 0, issuing just one walk and striking out six. It is the second no-hitter in team history; Dave Telgheder pulled the trick on May 15, 1992.
- 2011 - Ben Zobrist has the best day of his career as he drives in ten runs in a doubleheader sweep of the Twins by the Rays, 15 - 3 and 6 - 1. Zobrist goes 7 for 10 with two homers and three doubles in the two games; his eight RBI in the opener are a team record. Zobrist finishes with 18 RBI in a five-game period, the best by any AL player since Reggie Jackson in 1969. The injury-racked Twins feature a depleted line-up, with emergency starter Anthony Swarzak losing the nightcap and LF Rene Tosoni making his major league debut and getting two hits in the first game.
- 2012:
- Bryce Harper makes his much-anticipated major league debut for the Nationals, but it's the Dodgers' Matt Kemp who steals the show, leading off the 10th inning with a walk-off homer off Tom Gorzelanny to give Los Angeles a 4 - 3 win. The 19-year-old Harper, the youngest player in the majors, hits a double in the 7th and then a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 9th, but Washington's bullpen blows a 3 - 1 lead, when Henry Rodriguez throws three wild pitches and gives up two runs to send the game into extra innings. Harper will go on to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
- Atsunori Inaba joins the meikyukai. In a 3 - 3 Nippon Ham Fighters tie, he singles in a run off Kelvin Jimenez in the 1st for his 2,000th career hit.
- 2013:
- The Pirates take the NL Central lead behind rookie Jeff Locke, who gives up only three hits and no runs over seven innings, beating the Cardinals, 9 - 0. It is Pittsburgh's 15th win in April, their best total since 1992. C Russell Martin hits a pair of homers to back up Locke's pitching, while Clint Hurdle celebrates his 700th win as a big league manager.
- Another rookie, Reds starter Tony Cingrani, has a big day, collecting 11 strikeouts, including four in the 4th inning, in six scoreless innings. He also gets his first career hit - a single off Ross Detwiler in the 2nd - as Cincinnati defeats the Nationals, 5 - 2. The four-strikeout inning is made possible when leadoff hitter Denard Span reaches first base on a dropped third strike by C Corky Miller.
- The Yankees complete a four-game sweep of Toronto with a 3 - 2 win at home. All four wins are come-from-behind, today's being highlighted by a two-run homer by Lyle Overbay in the 7th. Jays ace R.A. Dickey, still complaining of a stiff neck and back, falls to 2-4 on the year and will undergo an MRI to find the source of the persisting discomfort.
- 2015:
- While rioting continues in Baltimore, MD, the Orioles once again cancel today's game against the White Sox, and in an unprecedented move, decide that tomorrow's will be played without any spectators present. A week-end series against the Rays will be moved to St. Petersburg, FL, with the O's playing as the home team.
- The Nationals come back from eight runs down to defeat the Braves, 13 - 12. Dan Uggla is at the center of things against his former team as he drives in five runs, including a three-run homer in the 9th. It is the biggest comeback in Nationals history, and the first time they have won a game in which they have allowed 11 or more runs.
- 2016 - Marlins 2B Dee Gordon, the defending National League batting champion, is suspended for 80 games for testing positive for PEDs. He is the third major leaguer to be handed such a suspension since the start of the season, following Chris Colabello and Daniel Stumpf.
- 2017 - Trailing 9 - 1 against the Orioles in the 6th, the Yankees mount a tremendous comeback to pull off a 14 - 11 win. Matt Holliday ends the game with a three-run walk-off homer off Jayson Aquino in the 10th, the eighth long ball of the game. The Yankees had tied the score in the 9th on Starlin Castro's two-run blast off Brad Brach. Each team hits a grand slam, with Mark Trumbo doing so for the O's and Jacoby Ellsbury for the Yanks. For his part, Aaron Judge goes deep twice for New York, while Manny Machado and Welington Castillo reply for Baltimore. The two teams are now tied for the lead in the AL East at 14-7, but Baltimore will quickly sink in the standings to finish in last place.
- 2018 - By defeating the Blue Jays, 7 - 4, Bartolo Colon records a victory for his 11th different team, the Rangers. That ties the all-time record he now shares with three other pitching nomads: LaTroy Hawkins, Mike Morgan and Ron Villone.
- 2019
- The Nationals do something unprecedented as three players all 21 or younger - Juan Soto, Victor Robles and Carter Kieboom - all homer against the Padres. However, it's a seasoned veteran, Matt Adams, who decides the game with a homer in the 11th inning that gives Washington a 7 - 6 win.
- The White Sox become just the seventh team to record 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game as Reynaldo Lopez and three relievers combine in the effort. Lopez fans 14 in six innings in the 4 - 1 win over the Tigers, and his three successors on the mound, Jace Fry, Kelvin Herrera and Alex Colome, each strike out two batters in one inning of work.
Births[edit]
- 1849 - Frederick Berger, umpire (d. ????)
- 1861 - Alex Gardner, catcher (d. 1926)
- 1870 - Bill Hawke, pitcher (d. 1902)
- 1875 - Walt Woods, pitcher (d. 1951)
- 1883 - Harry Gaspar, pitcher (d. 1940)
- 1884 - Walt Thomas, infielder (d. 1950)
- 1886 - Charlie Conway, outfielder (d. 1968)
- 1890 - Frank Scanlan, pitcher (d. 1969)
- 1893 - Robert Young, minor league infielder and manager (d. 1945)
- 1899 - Frank McGee, infielder (d. 1934)
- 1899 - Jack Mealey, minor league catcher and manager (d. 1971)
- 1899 - Frank Warfield, infielder, manager (d. 1932)
- 1902 - Red Lucas, pitcher (d. 1986)
- 1903 - Fred Schemanske, pitcher (d. 1960)
- 1909 - Frank Ray, outfielder (d. 1963)
- 1912 - Ben Catchings, minor league infielder (d. 2000)
- 1916 - Mike Chartak, outfielder (d. 1967)
- 1918 - Charlie Metro, outfielder, manager (d. 2011)
- 1920 - Red Treadway, outfielder (d. 1994)
- 1925 - Cuddles Marshall, pitcher (d. 2007)
- 1928 - Rinty Monahan, pitcher (d. 2003)
- 1929 - Floyd Lasser, US national team infielder (d. 2007)
- 1930 - Hank Paskiewicz, minor league infielder and manager (d. 2022)
- 1930 - Tom Sturdivant, pitcher (d. 2009)
- 1931 - Tex Dargiewicz, minor league outfielder (d. 2011)
- 1934 - Jackie Brandt, outfielder; All-Star
- 1935 - Bob Botz, pitcher
- 1935 - Pedro Ramos, pitcher; All-Star
- 1936 - Toshio Naka, NPB outfielder and manager (d. 2023)
- 1937 - Kenichi Ryu, NPB pitcher
- 1947 - Lute Barnes, infielder
- 1948 - Pablo Torrealba, pitcher
- 1950 - Jorge Roque, outfielder
- 1950 - Pat Tatom, minor league pitcher
- 1953 - Jim Buckner, minor league outfielder
- 1955 - Mike Ongarato, minor league outfielder
- 1955 - Dewey Robinson, pitcher
- 1959 - Mike Pill, minor league pitcher
- 1960 - Tom Browning, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2022)
- 1960 - John Cerutti, pitcher (d. 2004)
- 1960 - Mark Ryal, outfielder
- 1961 - Min-ho Kim, KBO infielder
- 1962 - Tony Blasucci, minor league pitcher (d. 2014)
- 1962 - Hirofumi Kono, NPB pitcher
- 1962 - Russ Morman, infielder
- 1962 - Luis Quinones, infielder
- 1963 - Jung-il Ryu, KBO infielder and manager
- 1964 - Barry Larkin, infielder; All-Star, Hall of Fame
- 1964 - Eric Nolte, pitcher
- 1966 - Jim Poole, pitcher (d. 2023)
- 1968 - Mark Sweeney, minor league pitcher
- 1969 - Robert Mendonca, minor league infielder
- 1969 - Jimmy Myers, pitcher
- 1970 - Joe Biasucci, minor league infielder
- 1970 - Bill Hurst, pitcher
- 1973 - Rafael Orellano, NPB pitcher
- 1974 - Nate Espy, minor league infielder
- 1975 - Dave Concepcion, Jr., minor league infielder
- 1975 - Akira Otsuka, NPB outfielder
- 1975 - Jordan Zimmerman, pitcher
- 1976 - Carlos Alvarez, minor league player
- 1976 - Andrew Tinnish, scout
- 1977 - Sonder Encarnacion, minor league infielder and manager
- 1977 - José Luis Larrinaga, Cuban league pitcher
- 1977 - Jorge Sosa, pitcher
- 1979 - Sean Douglass, pitcher
- 1979 - Ryokan Kobayashi, CPBL and minor league pitcher
- 1979 - Fumiaki Takahashi, Japanese national team infielder
- 1980 - Brett Wayne, minor league pitcher and infielder
- 1981 - Yoslan Herrera, pitcher
- 1981 - Shawn Hill, pitcher
- 1981 - Ricardo Rodriguez, minor league pitcher and infielder
- 1981 - Chad Santos, infielder
- 1982 - Tripper Johnson, minor league infielder
- 1982 - Jim Miller, pitcher
- 1983 - David Freese, infielder; All-Star
- 1984 - Pedro Lopez, infielder
- 1984 - Romulo Sanchez, pitcher
- 1985 - Michael Finocchi, minor league player
- 1985 - John Gaub, pitcher
- 1985 - Chanatip Thongbai, Thai national team pitcher
- 1985 - Lew Williams, umpire
- 1986 - Dillon Gee, pitcher
- 1986 - Peter Larson, minor league pitcher
- 1986 - Danny Moskos, pitcher
- 1987 - Tomáš Biskorovajny, Extraliga outfielder
- 1989 - Arquimedes Nieto, minor league pitcher
- 1990 - Itaru Hashimoto, NPB outfielder
- 1992 - Mark Blackmar, minor league pitcher
- 1992 - Jhonny Polanco, minor league pitcher
- 1993 - Matt Beaty, infielder
- 1993 - Matt Chapman, infielder; All-Star
- 1993 - Kyle Keller, pitcher
- 1994 - Wasim Akram, Pakistani national team outfielder
- 1994 - Ben Braymer, pitcher
- 1994 - Álvaro Croker, Guatemalan national team infielder
- 1994 - Thomas Pannone, pitcher
- 1995 - Robyn Clara, Hoofdklasse pitcher
- 1995 - Brett Martin, pitcher
- 1996 - Aaron Leasher, minor league pitcher
- 1997 - Shane McClanahan, pitcher; All-Star
- 1997 - Robbie Price, minor league coach
- 1997 - Wasan Sorahong, Thai national team infielder
- 1999 - Brett Holtz, Extraliga infielder
- 2000 - Alek Thomas, outfielder
- 2001 - Anthony Volpe, infielder
- 2003 - Edgardo Villegas, Puerto Rican national team outfielder
Deaths[edit]
- 1900 - Walter Plock, outfielder (b. 1869)
- 1904 - Marvin Hawley, pitcher (b. 1875)
- 1912 - Josh Bunce, outfielder; umpire (b. 1847)
- 1919 - Charlie Ahearn, catcher (b. 1858)
- 1922 - Barney McFadden, pitcher (b. 1875)
- 1928 - Harry Berthrong, outfielder (b. 1844)
- 1931 - Mike Mattimore, outfielder (b. 1858)
- 1934 - Bobby Rothermel, infielder (b. 1870)
- 1935 - Swede Carlstrom, infielder (b. 1886)
- 1935 - Dewey McDougal, pitcher (b. 1871)
- 1940 - Henry Cote, catcher (b. 1864)
- 1943 - Dennis Berran, outfielder (b. 1887)
- 1949 - Clay Touchstone, pitcher (b. 1903)
- 1955 - Felix Chouinard, outfielder (b. 1887)
- 1961 - Tom Connolly, umpire; Hall of Fame (b. 1870)
- 1961 - Curtis Ricks, pitcher (b. 1893)
- 1968 - Albert Briscoe, minor league infielder and manager (b. 1896)
- 1969 - Joe Burg, infielder (b. 1882)
- 1973 - Ernie Manning, pitcher (b. 1890)
- 1976 - Cicero Weaver, minor league pitcher (b. 1902)
- 1977 - Al Smith, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1907)
- 1978 - Art Doll, pitcher (b. 1913)
- 1980 - Bob Porterfield, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1923)
- 1986 - Pat Seerey, outfielder (b. 1923)
- 1994 - Andrew Dravecky, minor league catcher (b. 1923)
- 1995 - Peaches Davis, pitcher (b. 1905)
- 1995 - Gus Polidor, infielder (b. 1961)
- 1996 - Johnny Bucha, catcher (b. 1925)
- 1996 - Al Hollingsworth, pitcher (b. 1908)
- 2000 - Jack Merson, infielder (b. 1922)
- 2004 - Floyd Giebell, pitcher (b. 1909)
- 2005 - Pancho Herrera, infielder (b. 1934)
- 2006 - Steve Howe, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1958)
- 2007 - Archie Wilson, outfielder (b. 1923)
- 2009 - Elmer Dashiell, minor league pitcher (b. 1926)
- 2013 - Teruo Owaki, NPB pitcher (b. 1930)
- 2013 - Ovidio Soza, Nicaraguan national team infielder (b. 1927)
- 2014 - Jack Ramsay, college coach (b. 1925)
- 2016 - Joe Durham, outfielder (b. 1931)
- 2016 - Rolando Hernández, Cuban league manager (b. ????)
- 2017 - Luis Olmo, outfielder (b. 1919)
- 2018 - Lee Howard, pitcher (b. 1923)
- 2018 - Amaury Ochart, Puerto Rican national team coach (b. ~1941)
- 2019 - Karol Kwak, minor league outfielder (b. 1930)
- 2019 - Barry Latman, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1936)
- 2020 - Ed Napoleon, coach (b. 1937)
- 2021 - Salvador Colorado, minor league pitcher; Salon de la Fama (b. 1950)
- 2022 - Barry Carter, minor league infielder (b. 1947)
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