August 20

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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 20.

Events

• 1900 - In the Reds' 15 - 7 pasting of St. Louis, Cy Young is knocked out of the box for the second consecutive game. This is a first in his career. Young will finish 32 of his 35 starts in compiling a 19-19 record.
• 1901:
  • Umpire Bob Emslie becomes ill before the second game of the Superbas-Phils twin bill and Phils P Al Orth and Superbas C Jim McGuire fill in for him. However, it is a close game, and Orth is needed as a pinch hitter in the 9th. Doc White then becomes the second umpire as Orth hits a single and scores a run. Brooklyn holds on for a 3 - 2 win.
  • At Boston, Cy Young pitches a 6 - 0 shutout over visiting Milwaukee.
• 1903:
  • The National League-leading Pirates set an NL mark for inept fielding, making six errors in the 1st inning, giving the Giants seven runs toward a 13 - 7 win in the first of two games. Christy Mathewson, with relief in the 6th inning, coasts to his 23rd win. Deacon Phillippe wins the nightcap, 4 - 1, for the Pirates to keep the Giants five games back.
  • At Chicago, Boston's Buck Freeman is the first to hit a ball over the RF scoreboard, but the Americans lose to the White Sox, 9 - 5.
• 1904 - In a rain-shortened game in Pittsburgh, the Giants win, 3 - 0, Christy Mathewson allows just three hits.
• 1908:
  • New York tops the Reds, 2 - 0, as Christy Mathewson hurls an eight-hit shutout. The Reds' Andy Coakley allows just four Giant safeties in the loss. For Matty, it is his 25th win. The Giants will sweep three games from the Reds, with the only negative being Fred Snodgrass sustaining a broken thumb. The rookie catcher, who played just six games, will return next year to play mostly in the outfield.
  • Brooklyn collects 15 safeties off three Pirates pitchers and Harry McIntire allows just four Buc hits for the win.
• 1912 - In Washington, Walter Johnson wins his American League-record 15th straight, downing Cleveland, 4 - 2. Big Train is topped in the nightcap when Washington hurler Carl Cashion tosses a six-inning no-hitter, winning, 2 - 0. The only baserunners reach on two errors by SS George McBride. Johnson's effort takes one hour and 55 minutes, while Cashion's six innings finish in just 65 minutes; the game is called to allow Cleveland to catch a train to Boston. Cashion will win only 11 other games in his major league career.
• 1915:
  • The Giants purchase the contract of George Kelly from Victoria for $1200. Kelly is the nephew of Bill Lange, 1890s star of the Chicago Nationals.
  • The White Sox obtain Joe Jackson from Cleveland in exchange for OF Braggo Roth, OF Larry Chappell, P Ed Klepfer, and $31,500. Roth will lead the American League in homers this year with 7.
• 1916 - Giants 1B Fred Merkle is traded to Brooklyn for C Lew McCarty. Brooklyn needs help because regular 1B Jake Daubert is hurt.
• 1919 - Wichita Jobbers OF Joe Wilhoit (Western League) fails to get a hit, ending a 69-game streak in which he collected 155 hits in 299 at bats for a .505 batting average. The previous record was 49 by the Oakland Oaks's Jack Ness (Pacific Coast League) in 1915.
• 1922 - The A's jump to a 5 - 0 lead over the Browns, and hold on for a 7 - 6 win.
• 1923 - A four-piece bat used by Babe Ruth is banned by American League president Ban Johnson because of the glue used on it. A protest is made against the Browns' Ken Williams for using a bat with a wooden plug in it. Johnson rules that all bats must be one piece with nothing added except tape extending to 18 inches up the handle.
• 1926 - The Giants lose their fifth in six games, 6 - 2 in St. Louis. Frankie Frisch misses a sign that costs a run. After the game, berated by John McGraw in front of the team, Frisch buys a ticket to New York and leaves the team. Fined $500, McGraw's favorite, and heir apparent, is through with the Giants.
• 1928 - Art Shires of the White Sox strokes four hits, including a triple, in his major-league debut.
• 1931:
  • Tony Freitas, who will win 342 minor league games, is let out of jail to pitch for Sacramento (Pacific Coast League). He wins, and then returns to finish a five-day sentence for speeding.
  • At St. Louis, Lou Gehrig hits his 33rd homer in the 4th to tie Babe Ruth for the major league lead, but the Babe answers in the 9th with his 34th, a grand slam over the RF roof, to give the Yanks a 7 - 3 win over the Browns. Lefty Gomez almost has New York's first shutout of the season, but he weakens in the 9th.
• 1933 - Powered by Turkey Stearnes' 41st home run, the Chicago American Giants (Negro Leagues) defeat the Nashville Elite Giants in a twin bill for their 28th consecutive victory.
• 1934 - Judge Landis rules against Dizzy Dean. The Cards end his suspension, imposed for not joining the team for an exhibition game in Detroit, MI earlier this month, and Dean returns to the team to avoid further loss in salary.
• 1938:
  • At Union Terminal Tower, Frankie Pytlak and Hank Helf, catchers for the Indians, establish record for catching baseballs dropped from a high altitude. The balls fall an estimated 708 feet and travel an average speed of 140 mph during their 52-floor descent from Cleveland's enduring landmark, the second-tallest building in the world.
  • Lou Gehrig hits a 1st-inning grand slam, the 23rd and last of his career, setting a record that will last until Alex Rodriguez breaks it in 2013. It comes off Buck Ross in an 11 - 3 victory over the A's.
• 1940:
  • In the second of two games, Wally Moses steals home in the 10th inning to give the A's the victory over the White Sox.
  • The Reds score three runs in the 9th - two coming home on a single by Frank McCormick - to defeat the Giants, 3 - 2.
• 1941 - Larry MacPhail stages a fashion show before a Ladies Day crowd at Ebbets Field. Such promotions, as well as the Dodgers' pennant race, will push the home gate to over one million fans.
• 1945:
  • Detroit's Hal Newhouser shuts out the A's, 4 - 0, for his 20th win of the year. Hank Greenberg has his 15-game hitting streak stopped, but Roy Cullenbine and Doc Cramer add home runs.
  • Washington stops Cleveland twice as Marino Pieretti wins, 7 - 0, and Alex Carrasquel follows with a 6 - 0 shutout.
  • At the age of 17, SS Tommy Brown of the Brooklyn Dodgers is the youngest player to hit a major league home run. Brown belts his homer off Pirates southpaw Preacher Roe into the upper LF section at Ebbets Field. Seven Dodger errors make it easy for Pittsburgh to win, 11 - 1.
• 1946:
  • Prior to the start of the game against the Senators in Washington, using the U.S. Army's Sky Screen Chronograph, Bob Feller's fastball is clocked at 98.6 miles-per-hour, breaking Yankee hurler Atley Donald's 1939 speed record of 94.7 mph.
  • The Pirates vote on whether to accept the Guild as their bargaining agent. The vote is 15-3 against, with 10 abstentions.
• 1947 - The Boston Braves hit a million in attendance for the first time in their history and the fans get their money's worth in the 34-hit slugfest. The Pirates notch 20 to outslug the Braves, 16 - 10. Jim Russell, with a triple, double and three singles, and Jimmy Bloodworth, with four singles, lead the Buc shots.
• 1948 - The largest crowd (78,382) ever to attend a night game sees Satchel Paige become the fourth consecutive Indian to throw a shutout. The ageless wonder joins Gene Bearden, Sam Zoldak and Bob Lemon in blanking the opposition.
• 1950 - In the 1950 East-West Game, a record four future major leaguers make pitching appearances, throwing 10 of the 18 innings. The West wins, 5 - 3, behind 3 hits, a run, 2 RBI and two steals by Jesse Douglas. In a losing cause, Junior Gilliam homers - he will become the only player to hit homers in both an East-West Game and All-Star Game.
• 1952 - The Bradford Phillies and the Batavia Clippers of the Pony League play the first double no-hit game in league history. The Clippers win on a walk, sacrifice, wild pitch, and sacrifice fly. Jim Mitchell loses while Frank Etchberger wins.
• 1954:
  • The Cards hit into six double plays against the Redlegs to tie the National League record. The Redlegs win, 3 - 2.
  • OF Gene Woodling of the Yanks crashes into the wall, breaking a thumb. He is lost for the season.
• 1957:
  • Yankee Bob Turley pitches a two-hitter against Kansas City, but loses, 1 - 0.
  • Using a new slow delivery, 35-year-old Bob Keegan of the White Sox pitches a 6 - 0 no-hitter over Washington, walking just 2. Chuck Stobbs loses his 16th game en route to a league-leading 20 losses. The Sox lose the first game, 5 - 4, but pick up a half game on New York.
• 1959 - The A's Bob Cerv hits three home runs in an 11 - 10 loss to Boston. The Sox outhit the A's, 16-13. Reliever Earl Wilson drives in three runs and earns his first major league victory.
• 1960 - Ted Williams draws the 2,000th walk of his career in the Red Sox's split of a twi-night doubleheader with Baltimore. Williams joins Babe Ruth as the only batters to collect 2,000 walks. The Splendid Splinter also clouts home runs number 514 and 515 in the first game, an 8 - 6 Boston win. The O's win the nightcap, 6 - 0, but drop into third place, two games behind the first-place Yankees.
• 1961:
  • At Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, both Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris homer in the twinbill sweep, 6 - 0 and 5 - 2. Mantle's 1st-inning three-run homer, and Maris's in the 3rd inning, make it easy for Ralph Terry. It is Maris' 49th homer and Mantle's 46th. Both long balls come in the first game as Terry pitches a four-hitter. In the nightcap, Bill Skowron hits his 21st in the 2nd inning.
  • The Tigers remain three games behind New York by sweeping a pair from the visiting Red Sox, 6 - 1 and 7 - 6.
  • The Cubs and Pirates tie a National League record by playing their third straight extra-inning game. The Cubs take this one, 1 - 0. Chicago wins two of the three 11-inning games.
  • In the second game of a doubleheader, the Phillies snap a 23-game losing streak by beating the Braves, 7 - 4. The victory establishes a new record for most consecutive losses by a major league team.
• 1962 - At Crosley Field, Frank Robinson connects for a grand slam in the 10th inning as the Reds defeat the Dodgers, 7 - 3.
• 1963:
  • For the second time in two weeks, Don Blasingame is the only thing between the Senators and a no-hitter. Blasingame's single off the A's Moe Drabowsky is the only hit for the Nats in a 9 - 0 first game loss. The A's complete the sweep with a 7 - 5 victory in the second game. Dave Wickersham is the winner.
  • Mets 22-year-old rookie Grover Powell beats the Phils with a 4 - 0 shutout in his first major league start. In his next start he'll be hit on the cheek by a line drive off the bat of Pittsburgh's Donn Clendenon and will never win another game.
• 1964:
  • On the New York team bus following a 5 - 0 White Sox win, Phil Linz begins to play "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on his harmonica. Manager Yogi Berra orders Linz to stop, then slaps the instrument out of his hands when he continues playing. The incident is reported as indicating dissension on the club and Berra's lack of control, as well as the level of Linz's humor.
  • Orioles LF Boog Powell fractures his right wrist in a collision with the outfield fence in Baltimore's loss at Boston. He will be sidelined until September 5th.
• 1965:
  • Eddie Mathews hits his 28th home run as the Braves win, 4 - 3, at Pittsburgh. The duo of Mathews and Hank Aaron, from 1954 to this year, becomes the top home run tandem in major league history, passing the Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig total of 772 home runs while playing together for the New York Yankees.
  • Detroit All-Star SS Dick McAuliffe is lost for the season with a broken bone in his left hand suffered diving into first base, as the third-place Tigers sweep a doubleheader at Boston. The Tigers win, 2 - 0 and 3 - 2.
• 1966:
  • Birdie Tebbetts (66-57) resigns as manager of the Indians. George Strickland is named interim boss.
  • Gaylord Perry is the first 20-game winner of the year, pitching the Giants into first place with a 6 - 1 win against the Braves.
• 1967:
  • At Fenway Park, Red Sox Reggie Smith joins the ranks of Mickey Mantle, Pete Rose, and others by hitting home runs left- and righthanded in a game with California.
  • Within 24 hours, Alvin Dark (52-69) is fired, rehired, and fired again as manager of the A's. Luke Appling becomes interim manager.
• 1969 - With an 8 - 5 win at Philadelphia, the Dodgers take first place in the National League West by a half game.
• 1971 - Ferguson Jenkins wins his 20th, beating Houston, 3 - 2. The win pulls the Cubs to 4 1/2 behind Pittsburgh. But following two losses to Houston, Leo Durocher and the players will square off in a clubhouse meeting on the 23rd. Durocher accuses Ron Santo of demanding that the team give him a day, and the third sacker has to be restrained from going after Leo. Leo will finally lip an "I quit," but stay on through the season in a frosty relationship with the team.
• 1972:
  • Striking out 14, Don Wilson pitches the Astros to a 3 - 1 win over the Phils. Greg Luzinski accounts for the lone Quaker run with a homer. Still without a win this year, Ken Reynolds absorbs his 11th loss.
  • The Angels score nine runs in the 4th inning but Detroit counters with eight runs in the 6th to win the wild affair, 11 - 9. Aurelio Rodriguez touches off the comeback with a double and ends the scoring with another extra base hit, a three-run homer. In between are six singles and a sac fly.
• 1973 - In New York, the Reds score five runs in the 16th to beat the Mets, 8 - 3. Each team scores in the 13th.
• 1974:
  • Davey Lopes sets an L.A. Dodgers record when he totals 15 bases against the Cubs in an 18 - 8 drubbing of the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Lopes has three home runs, a double and single in the Dodgers' 24-hit attack. The Dodgers total 48 bases in the game, a team record.
  • Nolan Ryan of the California Angels whiffs 19 Tigers in a 1 - 0, 11-inning loss to the Tigers. It is the third time the "Ryan Express" has struck out 19 batters in one game this season. Ryan throws a ball clocked at 100.9 miles per hour, making it the fastest pitch ever thrown in major league baseball.
• 1976 - Winning 8 - 1 over the Pirates, the Dodgers reach two million in attendance. The Phils will match that tomorrow and the Reds will hit the mark on the 22nd.
• 1978 - At Shea Stadium, Dodger Blue becomes black and blue as pitcher Don Sutton and first baseman Steve Garvey begin fighting in the clubhouse prior to their 5 - 4 victory over the Mets.
• 1980:
  • George Brett pushes his average to .406 with a 3 for 3 outing in a 5 - 3 win over Texas.
  • The Giants beat the Mets, 2 - 1, but lose Jack Clark for a month after a Mark Bomback pitch breaks a bone in his left hand.
  • Tom Brookens, the Tigers' number 8 hitter, goes 5 for 5 with a triple and a home run and also starts a triple play in an 8 - 6 win over Milwaukee.
  • Cleveland's Dan Spillner, who entered the game with a 5.45 ERA, is two outs from a no-hitter when White Sox rookie Leo Sutherland singles. Spillner settles for a 3 - 0 one-hitter.
  • Pittsburgh's Omar Moreno steals his 70th base of the season, becoming the first player this century with three consecutive 70-steal seasons. The fleet outfielder swiped 71 in 1978, 77 in 1979, and will finish this season with a career-high 96. Pittsburgh loses to Houston, 5 - 1.
• 1982:
  • Padres rookie Alan Wiggins is suspended for one month by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn as a result of his July 21st arrest for cocaine possession.
  • In Atlanta, the Braves top the Mets, 6 - 4, as Brett Butler makes his debut for the Braves. Butler has a single and RBI.
• 1983 - Pittsburgh's Jose DeLeon takes a no-hitter into the 7th inning for the third time this season, but Cincinnati's Dan Driessen doubles with two out to spoil the gem. DeLeon finishes with 13 strikeouts in a 4 - 0 two-hitter.
• 1984 - The Giants trade veteran 1B Al Oliver, whom they acquired from Montreal in February, and pitcher Renie Martin to the Phillies for P George Riley and minor leaguer Kelly Downs.
• 1985 - Mets phenom Doc Gooden strikes out 16 Giants in a 3 - 0 victory over San Francisco becoming the first National League pitcher to strike out 200 or more batters in each of his first two seasons.
• 1986:
  • Tigers Walt Terrell is one out away from a no-hitter when Wally Joyner doubles. Terrell settles for a one-hit 3 - 0 win over the Angels.
  • Dave Winfield hits his 300th homer in a losing cause as the Yanks fall to Seattle, 5 - 2. Mike Trujillo wins his first game for Seattle.
  • Philadelphia's Don Carman pitches a perfect game until Bob Brenly doubles leading off the 9th, and Carman ends up combining with Steve Bedrosian for a 10-inning 1 - 0 win over the Giants. Juan Samuel's home run in the top of the 10th provides the game's only run.
• 1987 - Pittsburgh unloads another veteran pitcher, trading Rick Reuschel to the Giants for pitchers Jeff Robinson and Scott Medvin.
• 1988 - Forty-year-old Dave Concepcion steals home to help the Reds defeat the Cardinals, 6 - 2.
• 1989:
  • Howard Johnson hits his 30th home run of the season in the Mets' 5 - 4 loss to the Dodgers and joins Bobby Bonds and Willie Mays as the only players to achieve 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in two different seasons.
  • For the third time in his career, Kevin Bass homers from each side of the plate in a game, as the Astros double the Cubs, 8 - 4, winning again in the 9th. Bass's second homer of the game is a grand slam with one out in the 9th off Mitch Williams. Danny Darwin (11-3) is the winner.
• 1991 - Dickie Thon's two-out, two-run homer in the 9th gives the Phils a 6 - 5 win over the Pirates. The Phillies had gone 346 games since winning in the 9th: tomorrow, they'll win again in the 9th, and on the following night, win in the 10th.
• 1992 - Blue Jays P David Wells allows 13 runs, all earned, in 4 1/3 innings in Toronto's 16 - 3 loss to Milwaukee.
• 1993 - The Indians trade OF Glenallen Hill to the Cubs for OF Candy Maldonado.
• 1995 - Setting a major league record, Indian Jose Mesa picks up his 37th save in as many opportunities as Cleveland beats the Brewers, 8 - 5.
• 1996:
  • In the Cubs' 8 - 1 win over Florida, Sammy Sosa picks up his 100th RBI the hard way when he is hit by a Mark Hutton pitch with the bases loaded in the 1st inning. The pitch breaks Sosa's wrist and the slugger won't play again this season, stopping his streak of consecutive games played at 304.
  • Rangers SS Kevin Elster drops a throw, ending Texas's errorless streak at an American League record-tying 15 games. The Indians defeat the Rangers, 10 - 4, behind their powerful middle of the lineup: Manny Ramirez hits a grand slam, Albert Belle has a homer and two triples, and Jim Thome homers.
  • Ken Caminiti has a grand slam and six RBIs to lead the Padres to a 7 - 4 win over the Expos. Starter Scott Sanders (6-4) pitches 6 2/3 innings of no-hit ball before Darrin Fletcher singles.
• 1997:
  • The Twins trade OF Roberto Kelly to the Mariners for a player to be named.
  • The Red Sox sweep two from the A's, winning 7 - 5 and 5 - 4 in 13 innings. In the nitecap the A's collect one hit in the last 10 innings against five Sox pitchers. Nomar Garciaparra has hits in both games to set an American League rookie record of 22 straight games.
  • It's an easy day at the office for the Reds as they record no assists in a 5 - 3 loss to the Rockies (14 flies, 12 Ks and one unassisted grounder). This has happened just once before in the National League, by the Mets against the Phillies on June 25, 1989.
• 1998:
  • The Phillies split a doubleheader with the Diamondbacks, winning the first game, 11 - 1, and losing the second, 12 - 9. Philadelphia 3B Scott Rolen drives in nine runs in the twinbill.
  • At Shea Stadium, Cardinal first baseman Mark McGwire becomes the first player in major league history to hit 50 home runs in three consecutive seasons. Mac's 7th-inning solo shot helps to defeat the Mets, 2 - 0.
• 1999:
  • Colorado GM Bob Gebhard announces his resignation.
  • Houston defeats Florida, 6 - 4, in 16 innings, despite blowing a 4 - 0 lead, striking out 17 times, and stranding 20 runners. Astros 1B Jeff Bagwell walks six times to tie a major league mark held by Jimmie Foxx and Andre Thornton.
  • The Giants defeat the Brewers, 10 - 3, as Ramon Martinez, Barry Bonds, and Ellis Burks hit homers.
• 1999 - Diamondbacks P Todd Stottlemyre makes his first start since tearing the rotator cuff in his right arm on May 17th. Stottlemyre, who eschewed surgery in favor of a strengthening program, gives up seven hits to the Pirates in 4 2/3 innings, including a pair of homers by Brian Giles. He will go 2-1 the rest of the year.
• 2000:
  • The winningest pitcher in franchise history is honored by the Yankees during Whitey Ford Day ceremonies at Yankee Stadium. The crafty lefty holds the team record for victories (236), innings pitched (3,170 1/3), strikeouts (1,956) and shutouts (45).
  • The Indians defeat the Mariners, 12 - 4, in a game delayed by a rogue squirrel. The loss is the seventh in a row in which Seattle has surrendered at least nine runs, tying a 99-year-old major-league record set by the New York Giants on September 3-6, 1901. The Giants lost seven in a row allowing 10+ runs in each.
• 2001:
  • The Reds defeat the Cardinals, 5 - 4, on Ken Griffey, Jr.'s 11th-inning inside-the-park home run. The "run-off home run" breaks the Cardinals' 11-game winning streak. The Cards, who also won ten in a row in May, are the first team since the 1978 Pirates to post a pair of double-digit win streaks in the same season.
  • Kerry Wood has an MRI that comes out clean, but the Cubs ace will miss a month with tendinitis in his shoulder.
• 2002:
  • The Pirates shut out the Cardinals, 8 - 0, on a combined one-hitter hurled by Kris Benson (7 innings), Brian Boehringer (1), and Al Reyes (1). Kerry Robinson's one-out single in the 1st inning is St. Louis' only safety.
  • A judge issues a temporary restraining order preventing the sale of Barry Bonds' 600th career home run ball hit into the Pacific Bell Park stands on August 9th. Jay Arsenault, who allegedly promised friends after being given a game ticket to split any monetary gains if he caught the historic baseball, has been ordered to appear in court for hearing on September 5th along with the prized souvenir.
• 2005:
  • Using the equivalent of a 98-mile-per-hour major league fastball, 12-year-old Kalen Pimentel ties a Little League World Series record for strikeouts in a six-inning game. The 12-year old from Rancho Buena Vista strikes out 18 Owensboro batters (all of the recorded outs) as his team coasts to 7 - 2 victory in the pool play of the tournament.
  • Losing to the A's at Oakland's McAfee Coliseum, 4 - 0, the Royals establish a franchise record losing their 19th consecutive game and tie the club's mark by dropping their 12th straight road game. The 38-82 squad needs two more defeats to match the American League record of 21 losses accomplished by the 1988 Orioles, and four more will tie the major league mark of 23 endured by 1961 Phillies.
• 2008:
  • South Korea finishes the round-robin phase of the 2008 Olympics with a 7-0 record. Won-sam Jang pitches an eight-inning, four-hit shutout in the 10 - 0 mercy rule win over the Netherlands and Alexander Smit. Dae-ho Lee and Taek-keun Lee homer and Yong-kyu Lee goes 4 for 4.
  • Cuba routs the Chinese national team, 17 - 1, as the host Chinese finish last at 1-6; Cuba goes 6-1 in the preliminary phase. Nine Cubans score and leadoff man Giorvis Duvergel hits a grand slam, one of three Cubans to go deep.
  • Taiwan beats Canada, 6 - 5, in 12 innings, to edge the Canadians for fifth in the Beijing Games. Chih-Sheng Lin and Che-Hsuan Lin both hit two-run homers and Fu-Te Ni gets a win after losing his first two decisions in the Olympics. All of Canada's five losses in Beijing have been by a single run.
  • In a match-up of the third and fourth place teams, Japan loses, 4 - 2, in 11 innings to Team USA. When the game is played by baseball rules, it is an exciting pitching duel for 10 innings, as neither team scores. Under the IBAF's new rule for extra innings, the game becomes a high-scoring affair in the 11th. For the second time in Beijing, Japanese relief star Hitoki Iwase takes a loss.
  • The World Umpires Association and Major League Baseball sign an agreement allowing the use of instant replay, with hopes that it will be in place by next August. WUA president John Hirschbeck says he told his members it would be a tool to help make sure they got the calls correct.
  • Former big leaguer Hideki Irabu is arrested after allegedly attacking a restaurant manager in Osaka. Irabu had drunk about 20 jugs of beer prior to the 3 AM attack.
• 2009:
  • The Houston Astros beat the Florida Marlins, 4 - 1, allowing only 4 hits, thus ending the Marlins' 15-game streak of at least 10 hits every game, the first streak of that length since the 1937 St. Louis Browns set the record with 18 consecutive such games. Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez retires 15 consecutive batters in getting the win.
  • Julio Borbon continues his hot hitting for the Rangers, banging his first career homer in a 3 for 5 night in which he drives in 3. He raises his average to .536 since his recall from AAA Oklahoma City earlier this month. The Rangers easily beat Minnesota, 11 - 1.
• 2010:
  • C Ronny Paulino of the Florida Marlins is suspended for 50 games for violating Major League Baseball's PED policy. Paulino claims that he took a dietary supplement that, unbeknownst to him, contained a banned substance.
  • The Blue Jays crush the Red Sox at Fenway Park, collecting 20 hits in a 16 - 2 victory. Lyle Overbay hits two homers and has a career-high 7 RBI, John Buck gets 4 hits, John McDonald has 3 hits and a homer and José Bautista also goes long in support of Brett Cecil's pitching. Jon Lester gives up 9 runs in only 2 innings to be saddled with the loss. The Red Sox get more bad news as they put 2B Dustin Pedroia back on the disabled list after playing only two games since being reactivated from a fractured foot.
  • In spite of the Blue Jays' hitting barrage, it's still a year for pitchers in the major leagues. Among today's great performers are Armando Galarraga of Detroit, who gives up no runs on 3 hits in 7 innings in a 6 - 0 win, his first game against the Indians since his almost-perfect game of June 2nd; the Phillies' Roy Halladay also pitches seven scoreless innings, improving his record to 16-8, in a 1 - 0 win over Washington; Felix Hernandez stymies the Yankees in New York, leading the Mariners to a 6 - 0 win with 8 scoreless innings in which he strikes out 11; C.J. Wilson of the Rangers goes 8 2/3 innings and strikes out 12 before getting help from Neftali Feliz in a 2 - 0 win over Baltimore; and Anibal Sanchez goes seven innings for Florida in a 9 - 0 blanking of Houston.
• 2011:
  • The Angels win a wild game over the Orioles, 9 - 8, in 12 innings. The Angels score three runs in the bottom of the 12th inning after the Orioles score two in the top of the frame. The Halos rally against O's closer Kevin Gregg, as Erick Aybar singles and Mike Trout is hit by a pitch; a first run scores on 3B Josh Bell's throwing error fielding Hank Conger's bunt, then Peter Bourjos is safe on an infield hit that loads the bases. Alberto Callaspo walks to tie the game, and with Troy Patton now on the mound, Bobby Abreu hits a sacrifice fly to center for the walk-off win.
  • Dan Uggla homers twice and drives in 3 runs as the Braves top the Diamondbacks, 8 - 1. Freddie Freeman also homers in support of Brandon Beachy.
  • After a stint with the AAA Toledo Mud Hens and exactly one month after having been designated for assignment, Brandon Inge is back in the Tigers' line-up. He homers in his first at-bat and doubles in a run his next time up as Detroit defeats Cleveland, 10 - 1, increasing its lead in the AL Central to 3 games.
• 2012:
  • The Athletics acquire shortstop Stephen Drew from the Diamondbacks in return for minor league infielder Sean Jamieson.
  • The Marlins collect a season-best 20 hits in defeating Arizona, 12 - 3. They tie a club record with 9 runs in the 4th inning, when they roll out half of their hits. Giancarlo Stanton hits a pair of homers for the Fish, and Jose Reyes and John Buck have four hits each. Reyes' hits includes 3 doubles, while Buck homers, as does Justin Ruggiano, for a team that has struggled finding its offense all season. Mark Buehrle gets the win over Joe Saunders.
• 2014 - Major League Baseball upholds a protest filed by the Giants over their rain-shortened 2 - 0 loss to the Cubs on August 19th. The game was called after 4 1/2 innings, but the Giants successfully argue that the Cubs did not properly deploy the tarp at Wrigley Field, dumping accumulated rainwater on the infield and preventing the game from resuming when the rain abated after a few minutes. The game will resume tomorrow in the bottom of the 5th inning, prior to the regularly scheduled game between the two teams. This is the first successful protest in 28 years. When the game resumes, the Cubs will be able to hold on for a 2 - 1 win.
• 2015:
  • A couple of pitchers throw one-hitters today. Alfredo Simon of the Tigers allows only a 5th-inning double to Rougned Odor in shutting out the Rangers, 4 - 0, his first career shutout and complete game. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay's Chris Archer does the same, recording 11 strikeouts in the process, in shutting out the Astros, 1 - 0. His only blemish also comes in the 5th on a single by Colby Rasmus. It's the first complete game by a Rays pitcher in 154 games, the last having come courtesy of Drew Smyly on August 22, 2014.
  • Having been forced to use P Madison Bumgarner as a pinch-hitter in key situations the last of couple of days because they are short of position players, the Giants make a move by trading for OF Marlon Byrd from the Reds for AA P Stephen Johnson.
  • Yasuaki Yamasaki saves Kenta Ishida's 2 - 1 win over the Yakult Swallows, fanning two of three batters he faces. The Yokohama BayStars closer registers his 31st save, breaking Tsuyoshi Yoda's 25-year-old record for rookies in Nippon Pro Baseball. He will finish the year with 37.
• 2017 - In the first Little League Classic played in Williamsport, PA to mark the holding there of the 2017 Little League World Series, the host Pirates defeat the Cardinals, 6 - 3, as Josh Bell homers and drives in 4 runs. Most of the crowd at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field, home of the Class A Williamsport Crosscutters, is composed of the players involved in the international tournament as well as their families and other accompanying adults. The game will become an annual fixture.
• 2018 - Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen returns to the mound after missing two weeks because of an irregular heartbeat, but he allows a pair of 9th-inning homers to Jedd Gyorko and Matt Carpenter as Los Angeles loses 5 - 3 to St. Louis with the two clubs in a tight race for a wild card spot.
• 2019:
  • By defeating the Blue Jays, 16 - 3, Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers notches win #166 to pass Sandy Koufax for most by a lefthander in franchise history. Things starts off on the wrong foot as he gives up a homer to the first batter of the game, Bo Bichette, but he then settles down to pitch 6 innings, as a second homer by Bichette is negated by five by the Dodgers, including a two-run blast by Will Smith, and by Cody Bellinger's 100th RBI of the year.
  • Unipolsai Bologna wins its 12th Serie A1 title and second in a row, but it is the first time the team won both the Serie A1 and the European Cup in the same year. They sweep the best-of-five finals from T&A San Marino, taking Game 3 of the 2019 Italian Series, 4 - 0, behind 12 whiffs in 8 innings of four-hit ball from Series MVP Raúl Rivero. Andy Paz homers off Fernando Baez for the game-winner and Bologna tacks on 3 in the 8th off Carlos Quevedo and Alessandro Maestri.
• 2021 - The Arrows Ostrava win their third Extraliga title in four years, beating Draci Brno 3 games to 1. In Game 4, Jakub Malik drives in four and Alec Lemmon gets the 8 - 3 win over Radim Chroust. Pabel Manzanero doubles, homers and scores a pair for Brno.

Births

• 1829 - John Hauck, owner (d. 1896)
• 1848 - Jim Carleton, infielder (d. 1910)
• 1855 - George Fisher, infielder (d. 1937)
• 1855 - Dave Pierson, catcher (d. 1922)
• 1857 - George Baker, catcher (d. 1915)
• 1869 - Frank Bonner, infielder (d. 1905)
• 1869 - Robert Gibson, pitcher (d. 1949)
• 1873 - Bill Carpenter, umpire (d. 1952)
• 1878 - Isaac Nutter, Negro League executive (d. 1959)
• 1880 - Bull Smith, outfielder (d. 1928)
• 1881 - Ed McLane, outfielder (d. 1975)
• 1881 - Forrest More, pitcher (d. 1968)
• 1882 - John McCloskey, pitcher (d. 1919)
• 1886 - Gene Woodburn, pitcher (d. 1961)
• 1887 - Ross Reynolds, pitcher (d. 1970)
• 1888 - Frank Brannon, minor league catcher and manager (d. 1927)
• 1890 - Chubby Snyder, catcher (d. 1954)
• 1891 - Ed Hovlik, pitcher (d. 1955)
• 1892 - Eddie Mullaney, coach (d. 1964)
• 1893 - Edward McLaughlin, umpire (d. 1965)
• 1895 - Pete Schneider, pitcher (d. 1957)
• 1902 - Pepper Daniels, catcher (d. 1978)
• 1906 - Ed Crowley, infielder (d. 1970)
• 1906 - Lee Riley, outfielder (d. 1970)
• 1907 - Beau Bell, outfielder; All-Star (d. 1977)
• 1907 - Bill Crouch, pitcher (d. 1980)
• 1907 - Art Garibaldi, infielder (d. 1967)
• 1908 - Al Lopez, catcher, manager; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 2005)
• 1909 - Sig Jakucki, pitcher (d. 1979)
• 1913 - Eddie Popowski, manager (d. 2001)
• 1914 - R.T. Walker, pitcher (d. ????)
• 1916 - Kiyohiko Shite, NPB outfielder
• 1919 - Bernardo López, minor league catcher and manager
• 1921 - Armando Vázquez, infielder (d. 2008)
• 1922 - Stuart Williams, minor league infielder and manager (d. 1996)
• 1924 - George Zuverink, pitcher (d. 2014)
• 1925 - Larry Miggins, outfielder (d. 2023)
• 1936 - Cliff Cook, infielder
• 1942 - Fred Norman, pitcher
• 1943 - Hal Kurtz, pitcher
• 1944 - Graig Nettles, infielder; All-Star
• 1952 - Bobby Cuellar, pitcher
• 1952 - Lance Rautzhan, pitcher (d. 2016)
• 1953 - Dan Dumoulin, pitcher
• 1953 - Amado Zamora, Cuban league outfielder
• 1956 - Joel Finch, pitcher
• 1957 - De Wayne Buice, pitcher
• 1957 - Yasumitsu Shibata, NPB pitcher (d. 2022)
• 1959 - Rob Meates, Australian national team player
• 1960 - Tom Brunansky, outfielder; All-Star
• 1960 - Michael Falk, Swedish national team outfielder
• 1960 - Mark Langston, pitcher; All-Star
• 1960 - Ed Wojna, pitcher
• 1963 - Brad Arnsberg, pitcher
• 1963 - Jose Cecena, pitcher
• 1963 - Kal Daniels, outfielder
• 1963 - Israel Sanchez, pitcher
• 1964 - Julian Gonzalez, minor league pitcher
• 1966 - John Leonard, Canadian national team infielder
• 1966 - Takamasa Matsui, NPB catcher
• 1967 - Andy Benes, pitcher; All-Star
• 1968 - Kevin Rogers, pitcher
• 1969 - Hsieh-Chin Chang, CPBL infielder
• 1969 - Mark Holzemer, pitcher
• 1969 - Shaun Hrabar, minor league outfielder
• 1971 - Chris Clapinski, infielder
• 1971 - Matt Deggs, college coach
• 1971 - Wen-Lung Feng, CPBL catcher
• 1972 - Mike Porzio, pitcher
• 1972 - Meng-Che Tsai, TML pitcher
• 1973 - Jun Hagiwara, NPB pitcher
• 1973 - Todd Helton, infielder; All-Star, Hall of Fame
• 1973 - Magnus Jansson, Swedish national team catcher
• 1973 - Jose Paniagua, pitcher
• 1974 - Derek Lee, minor league pitcher
• 1975 - Oscar Hirschkorn, college coach
• 1975 - David Leander, Elitserien utility player
• 1975 - David Sunesson, Elitserien outfielder
• 1976 - Gene Kingsale, outfielder
• 1977 - Josh Pearce, pitcher
• 1977 - Aaron Taylor, pitcher
• 1978 - Chris Schroder, pitcher
• 1978 - Hsien-Ming Tian, CPBL pitcher
• 1978 - T.J. Tucker, pitcher
• 1979 - José Amador, minor league infielder
• 1979 - Franklyn Gracesqui, pitcher
• 1979 - Anthony Massimino, Serie A1 pitcher
• 1979 - Michael Schneider, minor league catcher
• 1979 - Cory Sullivan, outfielder
• 1981 - Joel Crump, minor league pitcher (d. 2008)
• 1981 - Edmer Del Socorro, Philippines national team infielder
• 1982 - Yi Feng, Chinese national team catcher
• 1982 - Enyelbert Soto, NPB pitcher
• 1983 - Lance Broadway, pitcher
• 1983 - A.C. Grable, minor league infielder (d. 2011)
• 1983 - Kyung-sun Kim, KBO pitcher
• 1984 - Isaias Garcia, minor league infielder
• 1984 - Nick Green, minor league pitcher
• 1984 - Jamie Hoffmann, outfielder
• 1985 - Rafael Cruz, minor league pitcher
• 1985 - Blake DeWitt, infielder
• 1985 - Matt Hague, infielder
• 1985 - Yong-eui Kim, KBO infielder
• 1985 - Ching-Lung Lo, minor league pitcher
• 1987 - Ricky Daal, Hoofdklasse infielder
• 1987 - Motoshi Oshiro, Japanese national team pitcher
• 1989 - Taylor Cole, pitcher
• 1989 - Boone Whiting, minor league pitcher
• 1990 - Dan Fiorito, minor league infielder and manager
• 1990 - Jason Kanzler, coach
• 1991 - Aram Kushigian, French Division I catcher
• 1992 - José Mayorga, minor league catcher
• 1992 - Papat Yoosamran, Thai national team infielder
• 1993 - Katherine Fals, Cuban women's national team outfielder
• 1994 - Mattia Mercuri, minor league infielder
• 1994 - Jung-Hung Sen, CPBL pitcher
• 1994 - Edison Valerio, Division de Honor infielder
• 1995 - Brian Miller, outfielder
• 1995 - Justin Williams, outfielder
• 1995 - Ezequiel Zabaleta, minor league pitcher
• 1996 - Nate Pearson, pitcher
• 1996 - Daniel Rodríguez, minor league pitcher
• 1997 - Roibert Decena, Spanish Baseball League outfielder
• 1997 - Kyran Weemaels, First Division pitcher
• 1998 - Karlo Kos, Croatian national team pitcher
• 1998 - Jung-hoo Lee, outfielder
• 1999 - José Mordock, Panamanian national team outfielder
• 1999 - Chihiro Sumida, NPB pitcher
• 2000 - Caleb Cali, minor league infielder/outfielder
• 2002 - Aaron Sheng Rong Toh, Singaporean national team outfielder

Deaths

• 1886 - Dick Blaisdell, pitcher (b. 1862)
• 1916 - Robert Stafford, minor league infielder and manager (b. 1872)
• 1926 - Cal McVey, infielder, manager (b. 1850)
• 1935 - Dent Sawyer, umpire (b. 1850)
• 1942 - John McCarthy, pitcher (b. 1867)
• 1944 - Bob Gilks, outfielder (b. 1864)
• 1947 - Dobie Moore, infielder (b. 1896)
• 1948 - Walter Blair, catcher, manager (b. 1883)
• 1949 - Merritt Corbett, minor league outfielder-catcher (b. 1893)
• 1950 - Ed Austin, umpire (b. 1865)
• 1950 - Ed Zmich, pitcher (b. 1884)
• 1952 - Red Owens, infielder (b. 1874)
• 1952 - Ned Pettigrew, pinch hitter (b. 1881)
• 1960 - George Perring, infielder (b. 1884)
• 1975 - Daniel Canónico, Venezuelan national team pitcher (b. 1916)
• 1975 - Jake Miller, pitcher (b. 1898)
• 1980 - Al Hermann, infielder (b. 1899)
• 1982 - Hank Johnson, pitcher (b. 1906)
• 1985 - Clarence Fieber, pitcher (b. 1913)
• 1995 - Bill Kennedy, pitcher (b. 1918)
• 1995 - Von McDaniel, pitcher (b. 1939)
• 1998 - Gene Host, pitcher (b. 1933)
• 1998 - Fred Sington, outfielder (b. 1910)
• 2004 - Lou Bekeza, minor league player and manager (b. 1917)
• 2004 - Willie Patterson, Negro League infielder (b. 1919)
• 2005 - Hyung-sik Park, South Korean national team player (b. 1929)
• 2008 - Joe Lubas, Serie A1 player and coach; Italian Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1926)
• 2010 - Eduardo López, Nicaraguan national team infielder (b. 1928)
• 2011 - Ben Abadie, minor league player, college coach (b. 1921)
• 2011 - Chal Port, minor league pitcher; college coach (b. 1931)
• 2013 - George Silvey, scout (b. ~1911)
• 2014 - Lynn McKinney, minor league pitcher (b. 1950)
• 2018 - Doc Edwards, catcher, manager (b. 1936)
• 2022 - Bill Haller, umpire (b. 1935)
• 2023 - Jerry Turner, outfielder (b. 1954)