August 1

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Stats of players who were born this day
Stats of players who died on this day
Standings on this day
Permanent link to Today's Entry
Sources
Baseball Library Chronology
Today in Baseball History

Events, births and deaths that occurred on August 1.

Events

• 1901 - Kid Nichols, in relief, and Christy Mathewson face each other for the second time in three days, with Matty winning this outing. Nichols relieves in the 7th with the score, 5 - 5, but New York scores four runs to take a 9 - 5 lead. Boston retaliates with three runs to put Matty on the ropes, but he escapes with a 9 - 8 win.
• 1903:
  • The Giants, losers of 11 of 13 games, get a big boost today as Iron Joe McGinnity asks to pitch both ends of a doubleheader. He lives up to his name, winning both from Boston, 4 - 1 and 5 - 2, giving up just six hits in each game. Five Giants (some sources say eight) are nicked by pitches in the two games, while the two teams combine to plunk six (or 11).
  • Rube Waddell no-hits the Highlanders, except for Kid Elberfeld, who has four singles. These, plus a lavish six walks, down the A's, 3 - 2. Waddell observes afterward, "If I would have walked him four times, I would have pitched a no-hitter."
• 1904 - Pittsburgh Pirate hurler Charlie Case gives up 11 hits but shuts out Chicago, 4 - 0.
• 1905:
  • Cubs manager Frank Selee resigns and is replaced by Frank Chance, who is elected manager in a narrow vote among the players. Selee, suffering from tuberculosis, had not been making road trips, and Chance has been serving as road manager. Selee, who fashioned the team that will dominate the second half of the decade, retires to Colorado. The visiting Phillies overcome a 5 - 0 deficit to down Chicago, 7 - 6, in 11 innings.
  • The Giants win their 12th in a row, and 11th straight against Cincinnati, 10 - 5. The Pirates will end the streak at 13 on August 3rd, but the Giants will win the pennant easily, nine games ahead of Pittsburgh.
  • Cleveland "loans" catcher Jay Clarke to Detroit. He'll be returned to Cleveland on August 11th. He's the third catcher this year to be sold, then returned to his original team.
• 1906 - After pitching 10 2/3 innings of no-hit ball, Harry McIntire yields a single to Pirates second baseman Claude Ritchey. The Superbas and McIntire lose the game in the 13th on an unearned run, 1 - 0.
• 1907 - The Red Sox collect 23 hits in defeating Cleveland, 14 - 1.
• 1911 - The Giants sell Turkey Mike Donlin to the Rustlers. Boston will swap him in February.
• 1912:
  • Rube Marquard is fined $25 by the National Commission for pitching an inning in a semipro game in Port Chester, NY, on a day off.
  • Heinie Zimmerman has two hits in the Cubs' win over Brooklyn to raise his average over .400. Bill Sweeney will briefly pass Zim in mid-August before the Cubs star regains the batting lead for good.
• 1913 - At Chicago, the Giants win, 5 - 2, on a controversial call in the 8th inning. Art Fletcher is called safe at second base by umpire Bill Byron on an steal attempt, prompting a shower of abuse from the crowd. Moments later, Fletcher scores the go-ahead run on a triple by Jack Meyers off Bert Humphries. The beneficiary of the offense is Christy Mathewson, who wins his 20th game, the 11th straight season he's topped the mark.
• 1914 - The Miracle Braves edge the Cardinals, 4 - 3, in ten innings to reach the .500 mark (45-45) for the first time this year.
• 1915 - The Cubs beat the Phillies, 2 - 1. When OF Possum Whitted misses a shoestring catch on a line drive by Heinie Zimmerman, Zim circles the bases for a homer to beat Grover Cleveland Alexander.
• 1917 - The Reds purchase Sherry Magee from the Boston Braves.
• 1918 - Pittsburgh and Boston play a record 20 scoreless innings; the Pirates win, 2 - 0, in 21. Art Nehf goes all the way for Boston.
• 1921 - At Boston, Red Sox pitcher Joe Bush fires a one-hitter, beating the Browns, 2 - 0. George Sisler's single is the lone Brownie hit.
• 1923 - Stepping in against the Indians' Sherry Smith in the 9th inning, Babe Ruth starts off batting righthanded. After taking a strike, he switches to the left side and hits his 25th homer of the season. The Indians still win, 5 - 3. The Babe will again bat righty four days later.
• 1924 - Dazzy Vance strikes out seven consecutive batters to establish a major league record as the Brooklyn Robins defeat the Cubs, 4 - 0.
• 1925 - The Yankees buy Tony Lazzeri from the Pacific Coast League for spring delivery. Lazzeri will hit 60 home runs with 222 RBI at Salt Lake City and earn the nickname "Poosh-em-up" from his legion of Italian admirers.
• 1928 - Babe Ruth hits home run No. 42 and is four weeks ahead of his 1927 pace.
• 1929 - Grover Cleveland Alexander wins his 372nd game to tie Christy Mathewson's National League record for wins (the record has since been amended to 373 wins). The Cards top the Robins, 5 - 2.
• 1932 - The Indians drop another 1 - 0 game to the A's at Municipal Stadium, as Rube Walberg beats Wes Ferrell.
• 1933 - Carl Hubbell holds the Braves scoreless through five innings to break by one inning Ed Reulbach's National League record for consecutive scoreless innings, set in 1908. The Braves score twice in the 6th, though, and the Giants lose, 3 - 1, as the streak is stopped at 45 innings.
• 1937:
  • Hank Leiber pinch-hits for the Giants, his first appearance since early May, following his hospitalization as a result of a Bob Feller beaning in spring training.
  • Lou Gehrig hits for the cycle against the Browns, as the Yankees win, 14 - 5. It is the second time he has performed this feat in his career.
• 1939 - Al Munro Elias, founder of the Elias Sports Bureau and for many years the official statistician of the National League and International League, dies in New York City at age 67.
• 1941 - Yankees southpaw Lefty Gomez breaks the major league mark for walks in a shutout by issuing 11 walks in a 9 - 0 victory over the Browns.
• 1942 - The Dodgers (71-29) top Johnny Schmitz of the Cubs, 9 - 6, to stretch their lead to nine games over St. Louis.
• 1943:
  • Player losses to the military have taken some of the competition out of Cards-Brooklyn confrontations, but the brawling doesn't stop. A duster aimed at Stan Musial by Dodger P Les Webber clears both benches.
  • The West finally stops the East, 2 - 1, in the 1943 East-West Game after five straight East-West Game losses. A record 51,723 fans turn out at Comiskey Park. Satchel Paige, Gread McKinnis and Theolic Smith toss 8 2/3 shutout innings for the West before a Buck Leonard homer. Two more East batters reach before Porter Moss relieves and gets Vic Harris to end it.
• 1945:
  • At the Polo Grounds, Mel Ott hits his historic 500th career home run off Braves hurler Johnny Hutchings as the Giants beat Boston, 9 - 2. Master Melvin is the third major leaguer to reach this career milestone.
  • Irv Hall is credited with a single as his line drive winds up inside Dutch Leonard's pants after it hits the Senators righthander in the stomach. The Washington starter may have lost the Philadelphia A's shortstop's batted ball, but he gets the win as Washington beats Philadelphia in the Griffith Stadium contest, 2 - 1.
• 1948 - At Cleveland, the Tribe sweep a pair from the Red Sox, 12 - 2 and 6 - 1, to move into second place in the American League. Bob Lemon coasts to his 14th win in the opener, beating Ellis Kinder. Larry Doby drives in four runs. Cleveland RF Hank Edwards dislocates his shoulder crashing into the fence making a spectacular catch of Stan Spence's home run bid. Sam Zoldak wins the nightcap. The Sox drop from first to fourth place with the double loss; Cleveland, New York and Boston are each a game back of the A's.
• 1950:
  • The Dodgers complete a suspended game of June 24th with the Pirates, by scoring two more runs in the 8th to post a 21 - 12 win, outhitting the Pirates, 25 to 8. Preacher Roe is the winner over Bill Werle. 12 extra-base hits are made by the two teams, including five homers. Jackie Robinson hits his second career grand slam as the Dodgers score seven runs in both the 3rd and 8th innings. In the regular contest, Erv Palica gives the Brooks a 3 - 1 win.
  • Acting on the suggestion of team President Johnny Burroughs, the last-place St. Petersburg Saints players elect their own manager. Their choice, by a near unanimous vote to succeed Jim Pruett, who resigned, is recently acquired RF Roxie Humberson. He is the team's fourth manager this season.
• 1951:
  • The Cubs' Eddie Miksis lines a ball to Willie Mays in CF, which caroms off his head for a double, as the Cubs nip the Giants, 3 - 2. Cal McLish wins over Larry Jansen. The Giants come back in the second game behind the shutout pitching of Al Corwin to top the Cubs, 2 - 0. Bob Kelly is the losing pitcher, while Corwin wins his first major league game.
  • At Pittsburgh, the Dodgers take a 7 - 2 lead against Murry Dickson, then make two hits off four relievers and lose, 12 - 9. The Pirates score four in the 4th and four more in the 8th, including Ralph Kiner's 27th homer, to win and snap the Dodgers' victory streak at ten games.
  • Yoshiyuki Iwamoto of the Shochiku Robins has the first four-homer game in Nippon Pro Baseball history. He adds a double for 18 total bases.
  • Congressman Emanuel Celler denies the accusation that his committee wants a third major league. He states that some changes with regard to territorial rights will have to be made.
• 1953:
  • Warren Spahn of the Braves allows just an infield hit to Richie Ashburn in the 4th in beating Philadelphia, 5 - 0. It is Spahn's 31st career shutout.
  • Ben Flowers of the Boston Red Sox sets a major-league record with eight consecutive games pitched in relief, a mark that will later be surpassed.
• 1954:
  • The Dodgers' Clem Labine beans Joe Adcock in the 4th. Though he is wearing a batting helmet, Adcock is taken out of the game as a precautionary measure. His helmet apparently saves him from a serious injury. He will appear in the starting line-up the next day. Gene Conley reciprocates by knocking down Jackie Robinson in the 6th. Robinson ends up scrapping with Eddie Mathews. The Braves win, 10 - 5, their 10th win in a row, as Conley runs his record to 10-5.
  • The 55-game hitting streak of Waco (Big State League) OF Roman Mejias ends. He batted .435 during the streak (97 for 223).
• 1957:
  • Gil Hodges hits his 13th career grand slam to establish a new National League record. This is the last grand slam in the history of the Brooklyn Dodgers franchise.
  • Former major-league OF Glen Gorbous of Omaha breaks Don Grate's record toss with a heave of 445 feet, 10 inches before a home game.
• 1959 - P Bob Purkey of the Reds hits a grand slam off John Buzhardt of the Cubs and wins, 12 - 3. Purkey allows six hits. Glen Hobbie takes the loss.
• 1962
  • Drawing a combined 32 bases on balls in a doubleheader, the Tigers (20) and A's (12) tie an American League record. The Tigers sweep, winning the opener, 6 - 5, with three runs in the 9th, then taking the nightcap, 9 - 1, behind Howie Koplitz's (1-0) complete game effort.
  • Nothing less than Bill Monbouquette's no-hitter is necessary to defeat Early Wynn and the White Sox, 1 - 0. The Red Sox pitcher improves his record to 9-10.
• 1963 - Ellis Burton becomes the eighth player to hit home runs left- and righthanded in the same game, helping the Cubs bury the Braves, 10 - 2.
• 1966 - Houston's Jim Wynn suffers a fractured left wrist, hand and elbow after slamming into the CF fence at Philadelphia. Done for the season, the Toy Cannon will still lead the Astros with 18 home runs. Houston also loses, 6 - 5.
• 1968:
  • Against the Red Sox, Stan Bahnsen strikes out 12 batters, the most ever by a Yankee rookie, in posting his first major league shutout, 1 - 0. His mark will last 30 years until "El Duque" Hernandez K's 13 batters. A safe bunt by Tom Tresh, a steal and a single by Bill Robinson accounts for the only run off Dave Morehead.
  • Tonight's 2 - 1 win over Philly gives the Cardinals their 24th victory in 30 decisions (49-15 since May 29th), putting them 35 games over .500 and 15 games up on second-place Atlanta. Though they'll pretty much tread water from this point on (three games under .500 the rest of the way), no one else catches fire either; their lead will not fall below double digits until well after they clinch on September 15th. The Phillies' only run against Steve Carlton is the result of Johnny Callison's home run.
• 1969 - Dick Williams pulls Carl Yastrzemski from the Boston lineup after one at-bat and fines him $500 for "dogging it." Jim Lonborg allows just three hits over eight innings, but the A's rally in the 9th for three runs and beat the Sox, 4 - 3.
• 1970:
  • After trailing 4 - 2, the Reds score four in the 8th to defeat the Cubs, 6 - 4. Johnny Bench and Ty Cline each drive in two runs in the 8th.
  • Willie Stargell's three doubles and two home runs power the Pirates over the Braves, 20 - 10.
• 1971:
  • After homering yesterday off Dave Giusti, rookie Dave Kingman, in his second major league game, clouts two homers for the Giants to help sweep a pair from the first-place Pirates, 11 - 7 and 8 - 3. Willie McCovey adds a three-run homer and Willie Mays a bases-loaded double. Willie Stargell has a pair of homers for the Pirates to go over the 100 RBI mark.
  • Having two runners on base after scoring three times in the 12th, the Cards file a protest against the Phillies for failing to get the field in playing condition after two rain delays, one 31 minutes and the other 49 minutes. The Phils say their Zamboni broke down and the score reverts to a 3 - 3, 11-inning tie.
• 1972:
  • Trailing by several runs in a game threatened by rain, Billy Martin has his Detroit Tigers employ stalling tactics while the opposing Milwaukee Brewers try to speed up the game. The game lasts six innings, with Del Crandall's Brewers winning, 6 - 0. Umpire Frank Umont recommends a fine of $1,000 for both managers.
  • Nate Colbert ties one major-league record with five home runs, and sets another with 13 RBI, as the Padres take a doubleheader from the Braves, 9 - 0 and 11 - 7. At age 8, on May 2, 1954, Colbert had been at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis to witness Stan Musial hitting five home runs in a doubleheader.
• 1973 - Thurman Munson and Carlton Fisk brawl at Fenway Park. With a 2 - 2 score in the top of the 9th, Munson, attempting to score from third on a missed bunt by Gene Michael, crashes into Fisk and they both come up swinging. Boston wins, 3 - 2, in the bottom of the inning.
• 1974:
  • With the Cards (54-50) toppling the Pirates, 5 - 2, in 11 innings, the Phils beat the visiting Expos to remain tied for 1st in the NL East. Del Unser's three-run homer is the big blow in support of Wayne Twitchell's sixth win in nine decisions. Ron Fairly has a homer, his 11th, for the Expos.
  • Detroit's Woodie Fryman stops Milwaukee, 2 - 0, giving up just one hit, a 7th-inning single to Bobby Mitchell.
• 1977 - Giants first baseman Willie McCovey establishes a new National League record by hitting his 18th career grand slam.
• 1978 - The Braves trounce the Reds, 16 - 4, and stop Pete Rose's National League-record hitting streak at 44 games. Larry McWilliams and Gene Garber are the Atlanta pitchers. Rose goes 0 for 4, striking out in the 9th inning to end the game. Rose's streak is the second longest in major league history. He went 70 for 182 during the skein, an average of .385.
• 1979:
  • Following the Yankees' 9 - 1 win over the White Sox, members of the New York club create a minor scandal by autographing the bare behind of a young woman who boards the team bus outside Comiskey Park.
  • In an eight-player deal, the Rangers send OF Oscar Gamble, minor leaguer Amos Lewis (a 1st round pick in the 1978 draft) and two players to be named to the Yankees and finally acquire OF Mickey Rivers and three players to be named. Rivers had been traded to the Rangers in June but the deal fell through. Both of the players to be named with Gamble will make the majors: Gene Nelson and Ray Fontenot, something that can't be said for the three unnamed to Texas.
• 1982 - Hank Aaron, the holder of the career home run (755) and RBI record (2,297); Frank Robinson, the first player to win the MVP Award in both leagues and the first black manager in the majors; Travis Jackson, an outstanding offensive and defensive shortstop for the Giants during the 1920s; and former commissioner Happy Chandler, who provided leadership in breaking baseball's color line, are inducted in the Hall of Fame.
• 1983:
  • Minnesota pitcher Rick Lysander gives up 11 hits to Oakland, but still shuts out the A's, 7 - 0.
  • Joe Carter of the Chicago Cubs gets his first major league hit - a single off Steve Carlton of the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium. The Phillies win, 2 - 1, as Carlton strikes out 12 Cubs batters.
• 1985:
  • Vince Coleman steals two bases in the 1st inning of the Cardinals' 9 - 8 loss to the Cubs to run his season total to 74, breaking the major league rookie record of 72 set the previous season by Juan Samuel. A squeeze bunt by Larry Bowa with the bases full in the 14th scores the winning run. Bowa had earlier tripled with the sacks full. The game takes five hours and three minutes to end.
  • The Indians trade veteran P Bert Blyleven to the Twins for OF Jim Weaver, P Curt Wardle and SS Jay Bell.
• 1986 - Twins hurler Bert Blyleven becomes the tenth major leaguer to record 3,000 strikeouts as he two-hits the A's, 10 - 1, exactly one year after Minnesota had acquired him.
• 1987 - Andre Dawson hits three home runs, his 29th, 30th and 31st, and drives in all five Chicago runs as the Cubs beat the Phillies, 5 - 3.
• 1989 - Behind the pitching of Sid Fernandez, the Mets blank the Cardinals, 11 - 0. Kevin McReynolds paces the offense by hitting for the cycle.
• 1993:
  • The Stockton Ports of the California League defeat the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, 25 - 7, setting league records in the process for hits (29) and team at-bats (56).
  • Royals owner Ewing Kauffman dies at age 76 of bone cancer.
  • The Memphis Chicks of the Southern League rout the Nashville Xpress, 25 - 5, setting league records for runs and hits (32) in a game. Jeff Garber is 5 for 6 with a league-record eight RBIs.
  • Reggie Jackson is inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame.
  • During the Orioles' 2 - 1 loss to the Red Sox, Baltimore's Glenn Davis is knocked unconscious by a foul ball lined off the bat of Jeffrey Hammonds into the Orioles' dugout. Davis, who is recovering from a broken jaw, does not sustain any further damage.
• 1994:
  • Hostilities between the owners and players heat up. The owners withhold $7.8 million they are obligated to pay the players' pension and benefit plans.
  • Baltimore's Cal Ripken becomes the second player in history to appear in 2,000 consecutive games, as the Orioles shut out the Twins, 1 - 0, behind Arthur Rhodes, who was recalled from Triple-A Rochester just yesterday. Ripken goes hitless in four at bats. Cal's streak will go on hold at 2,009 when the strike commences.
• 1996:
  • In the Olympics, Japan beats the U.S. team, 11 - 2 to qualify to play Cuba for the gold medal. Japan pounds Kris Benson for eight hits and five runs in four innings. Starter Masanori Sugiura scatters six hits in 5 2/3 innings for the win. Takeo Kawamura allows no hits in finishing.
  • The Red Sox put Jose Canseco on the disabled list for back surgery. With Kevin Mitchell and Canseco gone from the outfield, the Sox defense will improve and so will their record. But they lose today, 9 - 4, to the Royals, as Roger Clemens (4-11) is tagged for seven runs in six innings.
  • The Mets make a team-record seven errors in handing a 13 - 9 win to the Pirates. The Bucs get seven unearned runs.
• 1998:
  • In a 5 - 4 loss to the Diamondbacks, Brewers RHP Bronswell Patrick hits a 5th-inning home run, off Felix Rodriguez. It's the first homer by a Milwaukee pitcher since Skip Lockwood connected off Detroit's Joe Niekro on August 11, 1971, back when they were an American League team in pre-DH days.
  • Paced by Jose Canseco's seventh homer in 11 games, the Blue Jays edge the Twins, 10 - 9. Todd Walker is 3 for 4 to raise his average to .350. Pat Hentgen gives up four runs in six innings, but it is good enough to win his 11th in 12 decisions against Minnesota. The Twins nipped him, 2 - 1, on May 15, 1996, his only loss.
  • The longest hitting streak in Angels history, 28 games, ends as Garret Anderson goes hitless in four at-bats in a 11 - 3 defeat to the Red Sox.
  • By homering from both sides of the plate for the third time this season, Tiger switch-hitter Tony Clark sets an American League record as Detroit defeats the Devil Rays, 8 - 0.
  • Recalling the old Negro League teams represented in their respective cities, the Cardinal-Brave game features throwback uniforms of the 1928 St. Louis Stars and the 1940 Atlanta Black Crackers.
  • The Royals steal eight bases, including four swipes by infielder Jose Offerman, to tie a team record for swipes during a 9 - 5 victory over the Orioles.
• 1999 - The Rangers score eight runs in the 3rd inning and go on to defeat the Royals, 12 - 5. The Texas attack is led by C Ivan Rodriguez, who strokes five hits, including a home run, and drives in four runs.
• 2000:
  • The Orioles defeat the Twins, 10 - 0, as Mike Mussina hurls the third one-hitter of his career, while striking out 15 batters. Ron Coomer's single with two outs in the 7th inning is Minnesota's only hit.
  • The Mariners defeat the Red Sox, 5 - 4, in 19 innings. OF Mike Cameron's home run leading off the 19th is the deciding score.
  • The Astros defeat the Marlins, 4 - 3. Houston 2B Craig Biggio suffers torn ligaments in his left knee while completing a double play, and will miss the rest of the season.
• 2001:
  • For the 33rd time in the team's history, the Tigers turn a triple play as Mariner Mark McLemore lines out to second baseman Damion Easley, who throws to shortstop Deivi Cruz to double up Tom Lampkin. Cruz then relays the ball to first baseman Shane Halter, catching Ichiro Suzuki off first to complete Detroit's first triple killing since July 3, 1992, when the victim was also Seattle.
  • The Mets defeat the Astros, 8 - 2, in ten innings. New York scores six runs in the 10th, the most ever in that frame for a Mets club, with Edgardo Alfonzo's three-run home run the big blow.
• 2002:
  • A.J. Burnett fires his fourth shutout of the year, beating the Cardinals, 4 - 0, on four hits. The high point for St. Louis is a 6th-inning triple play (9-6-3), just the 11th in history started by a right fielder. With runners on first and second base, J.D. Drew snags Eric Owens' line drive and throws to SS Edgar Renteria who steps on second base and relays to first baseman Tino Martinez. Jay Buhner was the last right fielder to start a triple play, accomplishing the feat for the 1992 Seattle Mariners.
  • The Rangers clobber the Red Sox, 19 - 7, as Texas OF Carl Everett hits a pair of home runs and drives home seven runs against his former teammates.
• 2003 - The Giants acquire Orioles righty Sidney Ponson (14-6, 3.77) for hurlers Kurt Ainsworth, Damian Moss and Ryan Hannaman.
• 2005:
  • Rafael Palmeiro becomes the highest-profile player to be suspended for violating Major League Baseball's steroids policy. The Orioles first baseman, who denies knowingly taking any banned substances, stated this spring to the House Government Reform Committee that published allegations by Jose Canseco of his steroids use were "absolutely false" and had considered suing his former teammate over the accusation.
  • During an interview on MLB.com, Barry Bonds admits his injured right knee will most likely keep him from playing this season. The 41-year-old Giants slugger needs 12 home runs to pass Babe Ruth (714) and 54 to go ahead of Hank Aaron (755) to become the all-time home run leader. Bonds will return for a few games in September and will break Aaron's record in 2007.
  • Joe Garagiola Jr., the first and only general manager in Diamondback history, announces he will be leaving Arizona to take a job with the commissioner's office. The son of the former Cardinal catcher and national broadcaster Joe Garagiola will become the senior vice president of baseball operations of Major League Baseball, beginning on August 15th.
• 2007:
  • Brandon Phillips steals both second and third base on the same pitch thanks to an extreme shift employed by the Nationals against Adam Dunn.
  • Two players trying for record home runs remain stalled. Barry Bonds goes 0 for 3 with a walk in a loss to the Dodgers to remain one homer behind Hank Aaron; Bonds is now 0 for his last 19. Meanwhile, Alex Rodriguez goes 0 for 4 to extend his hitless streak to 21, tying his career worst. He remains stuck at 499 circuit clouts.
• 2008 - In the second Nippon Pro Baseball All-Star Game of the year, the Central League gets revenge with an 11 - 6 win. Yoshihisa Naruse allows an All-Star Game record eight runs and 11 hits in two innings. Masahiro Araki goes 3 for 4 with three RBI and is named MVP. Seiichi Uchikawa goes 4 for 5.
• 2009:
  • Rookie Andrew McCutchen homers three times and drives in six runs to lead the new-look Pirates to an 11 - 6 win over Washington. Pittsburgh has traded away six regulars over the last week and won their first two games since the deals. McCutchen is the first Pirate rookie ever to go deep three times in a contest.
  • Recently-acquired Matt Holliday continues his hot hitting for the Cards, banging two solo homers in a 3 - 1 win over Houston. Holliday is hitting .606 since being acquired from Oakland on July 25th.
  • The Oakland Athletics retire Rickey Henderson's uniform number 24, to mark his recent induction into the Hall of Fame. Rickey says that he is "very, very humbled".
• 2010:
  • The Italian national team wins its first European Championship since 1997, beating rival the Netherlands, 8 - 4, in the Gold Medal game. Reliever Justin Cicatello gets the win with five shutout innings while third baseman Giuseppe Mazzanti doubles, homers and drives home three to wrap up a MVP performance in the 2010 European Championship.
  • It's a day of strong pitching performances in the major leagues. In St. Petersburg, Tampa Bay's James Shields keeps the Yankees off the scoreboard for seven innings in a 3 - 0 win that brings the Rays within a game of the AL East leaders. Matt Cain of the Giants needs 124 pitches to go through 7 2/3 innings, but he registers his first career win over the Dodgers, 2 - 0, to complete a three-game sweep. Finally, Francisco Liriano gives up only two hits and strikes out 11 in seven innings in the Twins' 4 - 0 victory over Seattle.
  • The Red Sox pull out a thrilling victory over the Tigers after blowing a three-run lead in the 9th inning. Jed Lowrie leads off the bottom of the 9th with an infield single and Eric Patterson walks before Marco Scutaro drops a bunt towards rookie pitcher Robbie Weinhardt; his throw to first base is off target, allowing pinch runner Darnell McDonald to score the winning run in the 4 - 3 win. Jonathan Papelbon is the winner, in spite of spoiling a great performance by starter Clay Buchholz, who held the Tigers scoreless for eight innings.
  • Taiwan wins its second Gold Medal ever at a World Junior Championship, beating Australia, 8 - 4, in the finale of the 2010 World Junior Championship. Australia's Silver marks its best finish ever, while Cuba tops Canada in the Bronze Medal game. Tourney MVP Tzu-Wei Lin hits a three-run homer and drives in four.
• 2011:
  • CC Sabathia wins his major league-leading 16th game in the Yankees' 3 - 2 defeat of the White Sox. The big lefthander is 9-1 over his last ten starts.
  • Asdrubal Cabrera hits a pair of two-run homers in Cleveland's 9 - 6 win over Boston. His second long ball, in the 8th inning, is originally ruled a single until the decision is overturned by instant replay. Travis Hafner for the Indians and Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Carl Crawford for the the Red Sox also homer in a high-scoring game typical of Fenway Park.
• 2012 - The Rangers rally from six runs down to win at home after losing the first two games of their series with the Angels, who are breathing down their necks in the AL West. Trailing 7 - 1 in the 5th, the Rangers manage to force extra innings thanks to Ian Kinsler's home run in the bottom of the 9th, only to see the Halos score three more in the top of the 10th, as a two-run homer by Albert Pujols, who has back-to-back two-homer games, and a solo shot by Chris Iannetta apparently put the game away. But Texas is not dead: Nelson Cruz leads off the bottom of the 10th with a homer off Ernesto Frieri, then Michael Young reaches on Andrew Romine's error and David Murphy draws a walk. Jason Isringhausen comes in to pitch, but allows a single to Mike Napoli that loads the bases with none out; Mitch Moreland singles in a second run, and after one out, Elvis Andrus ends the game with a two-run single. The win extends the Rangers' lead over Los Angeles to four games, with Oakland another half game behind.
• 2013 - Trailing 7 - 2, the Red Sox score six runs in the 9th inning to defeat Seattle, 8 - 7, for their 11th walk-off win of the season. The Sox had also won their previous game in walk-off fashion only a few hours earlier, on a 15th-inning hit that ends a game started on July 31st but whose outcome is not decided until the small hours of today.
• 2015 - A nine-year-old bat boy is killed when he is struck in the head by a follow-through swing while standing near the on-deck circle at the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, KS. The death occurs even though the boy is wearing a helmet and is immediately administered first aid by the home plate umpire, a trained paramedic.
• 2016:
  • The trading deadline is pushed back by one day because the traditional date of July 31st falls on a Sunday this year, and teams take full advantage of the extra 24 hours as they conclude 18 trades today, involving a total of 49 players. Among the most active teams are the Rangers, who acquire C Jonathan Lucroy and P Jeremy Jeffress from Milwaukee and OF Carlos Beltran from the Yankees, giving up five prospects in return. Milwaukee also sends RP Will Smith to the Giants, who acquire P Matt Moore from Tampa Bay in a separate deal. The Dodgers land P Rich Hill and OF Josh Reddick from Oakland and P Jesse Chavez from Toronto, the latter in return for P Mike Bolsinger. Toronto also swaps P Drew Hutchison with Pittsburgh to land P Francisco Liriano, and obtains P Scott Feldman from Houston. The Mets are also active, acquiring OF Jay Bruce from Cincinnati and repatriating P Jon Niese from Pittsburgh, while the Cubs land P Joe Smith from the Angels.
  • OF Max Kepler hits three home runs and drives in six runs in Minnesota's 12 - 6 win over the Indians; he also singles in the 9th. After starting the season in the minors, Kepler leads all American League rookies in homers (14) and RBIs (44). For Cleveland, P Danny Salazar has the shortest outing of his career and will need to undergo an MRI on his elbow.
  • Danny Duffy takes a no-hitter into the 8th inning and strikes out a Royals franchise record 16 batters in a 3 - 0 win over the Rays. Desmond Jennings breaks his bid for immortality with a lead-off double in the 8th. Kelvin Herrera pitches the 9th to complete the combined one-hit shutout.
• 2017:
  • It's a wild and crazy game between two teams fighting for the lead in their respective divisions at Fenway Park. Cleveland jumps to an early 5 - 0 lead against Chris Sale, but Boston comes right back, chasing Carlos Carrasco in the 2nd. In the 5th, Indians CF Austin Jackson robs Hanley Ramirez of a homer by jumping over the center field fence, catching the ball, and tumbling into the bullpen while holding on to the ball all the way; the catch is so spectacular that the Fenway faithful can't help but give him a huge ovation. In the 6th, Eduardo Nunez clears the bases with a double off Andrew Miller against the Green Monster, putting Boston ahead, 9 - 7, but Cleveland claws back. Carlos Santana greets newly-acquired reliever Addison Reed with a lead-off homer in the 8th, and in the 9th, Francisco Lindor homers off closer Craig Kimbrel to tie the game. A rattled Kimbrel then loads the bases with two outs before throwing a wild pitch that puts the Indians ahead, 10 - 9. But Cody Allen blows a lead in turn, as rookie Rafael Devers beats out a bouncer to third, Mitch Moreland reaches on a dropped third strike with two outs, and Christian Vazquez ends the game by blasting a pitch into the stands for a 12 - 10 win.
  • Evan Longoria hits for the cycle, becoming the second player in team history to pull off the feat, as the Rays defeat the Astros, 6 - 4. It takes a video review to confirm that he slid safely into second base in the 9th for the missing double that completes the quartet of hits.
• 2018 - The surprising Athletics move into a tie for the second wild card spot in the American League by defeating the Blue Jays, 8 - 3, completing a season sweep of their seven games with the Jays. The A's are 30-10 since June 16th and have made up 11 games on the Mariners during that span. Sean Manaea records his tenth win of the year.
• 2019 - MLB hands out a bevy of suspensions following one of the most violent on-field brawls in recent years which occurred on July 30th in a game between the Reds and Pirates. The longest suspensions go to Pirates pitcher Keone Kela who gets ten games for starting the whole fracas by throwing at the head of Derek Dietrich, and to Reds P Amir Garrett, who distinguished himself by taking wild swings at opponents, who gets eight. Cincinnati manager David Bell will be out for six games after returning to the field following a prior ejection to take part in the fisticuffs, and OF Yasiel Puig who gets three games after joining in the fight in spite of having been traded shortly beforehand. Others being punished include Pirates manager Clint Hurdle and players José Osuna, Kyle Crick and Jared Hughes. A number of other players escape with only fines. There had already been a total of nine ejections during the game itself.
• 2021:
  • In the first elimination game of the 2020 Olympics (played one year after they had been originally scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), two teams meet that had begun their Olympic careers 0-2. Israel routs Mexico, 12 - 5, as Danny Valencia has three runs and three RBI and Nick Rickles also drives in three.
  • The Dominican national team blows a 3 - 1 lead in the 9th inning for the second time in these Olympics, as South Korea scores three in the bottom of the inning, capped by Hyun-soo Kim's single off Luis Castillo to score Jung-hoo Lee. Seung-hwan Oh improves to 3-0 in his Olympic career. Juan Francisco's two-run homer is the big hit for the losing team.
• 2022 - A trading deadline period that has so far been staid suddenly gets hot with a number of big names changing teams. The Padres cause a surprise by trading for Brewers closer Josh Hader in return for their own closer, Taylor Rogers, P Dinelson Lamet and two others, and the Brewers also get reliever Matt Bush from Texas. The Yankees acquire SP Frankie Montas and reliever Lou Trivino from Oakland, giving up four prospects. The Astros make a couple of deals, obtaining OF/1B Trey Mancini from Baltimore and C Christian Vazquez from Boston, giving up OF Jose Siri in the process, who ends up with the Rays. The White Sox also make moves, getting reliever Jake Diekman from Boston for C Reese McGuire, and OF Tommy Pham from Cincinnati, while St. Louis gets P José Quintana from Pittsburgh for two prospects.
• 2023:
  • The Astros swing the biggest deal before today's trading deadline, repatriating ace starter Justin Verlander from the Mets in return for two prospects. In the game that follows the announcement, they then defeat Cleveland, 2 - 0, behind a masterful effort by Framber Valdéz who pitches a complete game no-hitter, facing the minimum 27 batters (the only baserunner, who reaches via walk, is erased in a double play) and needing just 93 pitches to achieve the feat. Martin Maldonado is behind the dish for a no-hitter for the third time, second most ever, but his first by a single pitcher, while the last Astros pitcher to achieve the feat by himself had been Verlander, back in 2019.
  • In other deals, the Blue Jays, fearing that SS Bo Bichette may need to miss time due to a knee injury he incurred yesterday, acquire Paul DeJong from the Cardinals, the third deal between the two teams in a ten-day span. The Orioles obtain SP Jack Flaherty from the Cards, giving up three players in exchange, and the Phillies get Michael Lorenzen from the Tigers. A number of other deals are completed, but one that isn't attracts a lot of attention as Detroit's Eduardo Rodriguez exercises his no-trade clause to veto a trade that would have sent him to the Dodgers.
• 2024:
  • Japan loses a Women's Baseball World Cup game, ending a 12-year run and a 39-game winning streak. Having begun the 2023-2024 Women's Baseball World Cup 9-0, they already had locked up a spot with Team USA (also 9-0) in Saturday's finale. Jillian Albayati hits a 3-run homer off 3-time Cup MVP Ayami Sato to put the US ahead; Japan rallies to tie it and force extra innings. The US wins, 4-3, with Meggie Meidlinger going 1-2-3 to close it out.
  • Mexico, playing in their first Women's Baseball World Cup, is headed to the Bronze Medal Game after a 3-2 win over Venezuela. Marlen Lagunes' sacrifice fly in extra innings brings in the winning run and Flor Valerio saves it for Rosa del Castillo.

Births

• 1841 - George Sleeman, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1926)
• 1865 - Ed Gastfield, catcher (d. 1899)
• 1865 - Frank Grant, Negro League infielder; Hall of Fame (d. 1937)
• 1867 - Bill Swarback, pitcher (d. 1949)
• 1872 - Clay Fauver, pitcher (d. 1942)
• 1875 - Harry Croft, outfielder (d. 1933)
• 1875 - Wiley Davis, pitcher (d. 1942)
• 1881 - Tom Walker, pitcher (d. 1944)
• 1882 - George Wright, Negro League infielder (d. ????)
• 1890 - Slim Love, pitcher (d. 1942)
• 1891 - Bob Emmerich, outfielder (d. 1948)
• 1892 - Roy Sanders, pitcher (d. 1950)
• 1895 - Clem Llewellyn, pitcher (d. 1969)
• 1897 - Bill Swansboro, minor league infielder (d. 1964)
• 1899 - Joe Shaute, pitcher (d. 1970)
• 1902 - Howard Freigau, infielder (d. 1932)
• 1903 - Tom D'Alesandro, owner (d. 1987)
• 1906 - Frank Bushey, pitcher (d. 1972)
• 1909 - Horace Heist, college coach (d. 1991)
• 1915 - Bruno Beneck, Italian executive; Italian Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 2003)
• 1916 - Pep Rambert, pitcher (d. 1974)
• 1916 - Floyd Stromme, pitcher (d. 1993)
• 1917 - Chet Johnson, pitcher (d. 1983)
• 1917 - George Sisler Jr., minor league executive (d. 2006)
• 1920 - Tom Ravashiere, umpire (d. 1999)
• 1921 - Ray Hamrick, infielder (d. 2009)
• 1923 - George Bamberger, pitcher, manager (d. 2004)
• 1925 - Bobby Balcena, outfielder (d. 1990)
• 1926 - Erma Keyes, AAGPBL outfielder (d. 1999)
• 1933 - A.J. Jackson, Negro League pitcher
• 1933 - Masaichi Kaneda, NPB pitcher; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 2019)
• 1936 - Gerald Thomas, minor league pitcher
• 1939 - Pedro Treto Cisneros, minor league Executive; Salon de la Fama (d. 2013)
• 1943 - Jackie Warner, outfielder
• 1944 - Thomas Frondorf, minor league pitcher
• 1945 - Masayoshi Higashida, NPB outfielder (d. 2016)
• 1945 - Toru Ogawa, NPB infielder
• 1947 - Ming-Yung Hsieh, Taiwan national team outfielder and manager; Taiwan Baseball Hall of Fame
• 1947 - Tony Muser, infielder, manager
• 1948 - Tommy Smith, outfielder
• 1948 - Mike Nunn, minor league catcher
• 1950 - Jui-Cheng Lin, Taiwan national team infielder
• 1950 - Milt May, catcher
• 1950 - Wayne Tyrone, infielder
• 1951 - Pete Mackanin, infielder, manager
• 1952 - Greg Gross, outfielder
• 1952 - Serge Touchette, writer
• 1954 - Alan Albury, Australian national team pitcher
• 1954 - Roger Miller, pitcher (d. 1993)
• 1955 - Hideo Furuya, NPB infielder
• 1956 - Yukio Takemoto, NPB pitcher
• 1957 - Myron White, outfielder (d. 2018)
• 1960 - Dave Anderson, infielder
• 1960 - Takayuki Matsushima, Japanese national team pitcher
• 1960 - Tsunemi Tsuda, NPB pitcher; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1993)
• 1961 - Todd Demeter, minor league 1B/OF
• 1961 - Gary Miller-Jones, minor league infielder
• 1962 - Scott Anderson, pitcher
• 1962 - Scott Groot, scout
• 1962 - Hsi-Hua Hsu, CPBL infielder
• 1964 - Michael Bosco, minor league infielder
• 1967 - Jeff Braley, minor league pitcher
• 1967 - Gregg Jefferies, infielder; All-Star
• 1967 - Steve Renko III, minor league pitcher
• 1967 - Kuei-Chang Tseng, CPBL outfielder
• 1968 - Brian Bohanon, pitcher
• 1968 - Shigetoshi Hasegawa, pitcher; All-Star
• 1968 - Darrin Hursey, minor league pitcher
• 1969 - Mike Bard, minor league infielder
• 1969 - Kevin Jarvis, pitcher
• 1969 - Brent Knackert, pitcher
• 1971 - Travis Driskill, pitcher
• 1971 - Robert George, South African national team pitcher
• 1972 - Freddy Garcia, infielder
• 1973 - Won-bae Jung, South Korean national team coach
• 1973 - John McAninch, minor league infielder
• 1973 - Rolando Viera, minor league pitcher
• 1974 - Justin Baughman, infielder
• 1974 - Ted Persell, drafted outfielder (d. 2013)
• 1975 - Jimmy Hamilton, minor league pitcher
• 1976 - Kevin Joseph, pitcher
• 1977 - Dimitrios Chatzikyriakos, Greek national team pitcher
• 1978 - Hisao Arakane, NPB outfielder
• 1978 - Hideki Nagasaka, minor league pitcher
• 1978 - Tim Olson, infielder
• 1979 - Ryan Carter, minor league pitcher
• 1979 - Audo Vicente, minor league infielder and manager
• 1979 - Rutger Zwaal, Hoofdklasse pitcher
• 1980 - Tomislav Ćurković, Croatian national team outfielder
• 1980 - Shigeki Nakano, Japanese national team catcher
• 1980 - Chin-Tien Shih, CPBL infielder
• 1980 - Jon-Mark Sprowl, minor league catcher
• 1983 - Ryan Roberson, minor league infielder
• 1984 - Irait Chirino, Cuban League outfielder
• 1984 - Iraklys Chirino, Cuban League outfielder
• 1984 - Jonny Cordoba, minor league pitcher
• 1984 - Shaun Cumberland, minor league outfielder
• 1984 - Brandon Kintzler, pitcher; All-Star
• 1984 - Travis Mortimore, minor league pitcher
• 1985 - Adam Jones, outfielder; All-Star
• 1985 - Cole Kimball, pitcher
• 1987 - Myles Schroder, minor league utility man
• 1987 - Drew Storen, pitcher
• 1988 - Aaron Dunsmore, minor league outfielder
• 1988 - Roenis Elias, pitcher
• 1989 - Madison Bumgarner, pitcher; All-Star
• 1989 - Nick Ramirez, pitcher
• 1990 - Aledmis Díaz, infielder; All-Star
• 1990 - Kennys Vargas, infielder
• 1991 - Cody Dent, minor league infielder/outfielder
• 1992 - Kevin Comer, minor league pitcher
• 1993 - Calten Daal, minor league infielder
• 1994 - Dylan Lee, pitcher
• 1995 - Kota Futaki, NPB pitcher
• 1995 - Callan Pearce, minor league pitcher
• 1995 - Amy Trask, British women's national team infielder
• 1995 - Seiji Uebayashi, NPB outfielder
• 1995 - T.J. Zeuch, pitcher
• 1996 - Jordan Guerrero, minor league pitcher
• 1997 - Kyeong-min Kim, South Korean national team infielder
• 1999 - Mitchell Edwards, minor league catcher
• 1999 - Benjamin Sarmiento, Philippines national team infielder
• 1999 - Garrett Wade, drafted pitcher
• 2000 - Dylan DeLucia, minor league pitcher
• 2000 - Dominic Keegan, minor league catcher
• 2000 - Fabián Pertuz, Colombian national team infielder
• 2001 - Ezequiel Tovar, infielder
• 2001 - Javier Wong, Ecuadorian national team pitcher
• 2002 - Camilo Rivera, Chilean national team pitcher
• 2002 - Kennedy Torres, Philippines national team pitcher

Deaths

• 1897 - Jake Seymour, pitcher (b. 1854)
• 1898 - Charlie Hackett, manager (b. 1855)
• 1903 - Charlie Bohn, pitcher/outfielder (b. 1856)
• 1914 - Gid Gardner, outfielder (b. 1859)
• 1914 - Con Murphy, pitcher (b. 1863)
• 1920 - John Beardsley, umpire (b. 1841)
• 1920 - Frank Norton, infielder/outfielder (b. 1845)
• 1932 - Haddie Gill, pitcher (b. 1899)
• 1936 - Joseph Herr, infielder (b. 1865)
• 1938 - Tug Thompson, outfielder (b. 1856)
• 1939 - Al Munro Elias, statistician (b. 1872)
• 1946 - Bert Sincock, pitcher (b. 1887)
• 1951 - Harry Curtis, catcher (b. 1883)
• 1952 - Phil Douglas, pitcher (b. 1890)
• 1958 - Ike Boone, outfielder (b. 1897)
• 1963 - Cy Lingle, minor league catcher (b. 1895)
• 1966 - Hank Gowdy, catcher, manager (b. 1889)
• 1974 - Tom Kirk, pinch hitter (b. 1927)
• 1980 - Bill McKinley, umpire (b. 1910)
• 1989 - Don Heffner, infielder, manager (b. 1911)
• 1991 - Chris Short, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1937)
• 1993 - Ewing Kauffman, owner (b. 1916)
• 1994 - Bernie James, infielder (b. 1905)
• 1996 - Barney Serrell, infielder; All-Star (b. 1920)
• 1997 - Cleo Petty, college coach (b. ~1914)
• 1997 - Gene Richardson, pitcher (b. 1928)
• 2002 - Yoshihiro Ito, Japanese national team coach (b. 1945)
• 2002 - Jack Tighe, manager (b. 1913)
• 2005 - John Alevizos, general manager (b. 1919)
• 2005 - Milt Nielsen, outfielder (b. 1925)
• 2007 - Pete Naktenis, pitcher (b. 1914)
• 2008 - John Simmons, outfielder (b. 1924)
• 2011 - Joe Caffie, outfielder (b. 1931)
• 2011 - Alex Pitko, outfielder (b. 1914)
• 2012 - Don Erickson, pitcher (b. 1931)
• 2013 - Babe Martin, outfielder (b. 1920)
• 2015 - Hank Izquierdo, catcher (b. 1931)
• 2018 - Manny Guerra, scout (b. 1930)
• 2019 - Minoru Kamata, NPB infielder (b. 1939)