July 26
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Today in Baseball History |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on July 26.
Events[edit]
- 1900 - Gus Weyhing is released by the Cardinals but does not get the ten days' pay he is entitled to. He gets a deputy sheriff to seize the St. Louis share of the gate at Brooklyn, but it comes to less than the $100 he's claiming. Weyhing will pitch briefly in 1901 before calling it quits, the last gloveless pitcher in the majors.
- 1911:
- Christy Mathewson wins his 21st straight game against the Cincinnati Reds, 5 - 3. He replaces Hooks Wiltse in the 8th and his single in the 9th scores a run to help win it.
- The league-leading Phils are dealt a blow when catcher-manager Red Dooin suffers a broken leg in a collision at home plate with Cards runner Rebel Oakes.
- 1912 - In an accommodation to the Wall Street crowd, the Giants open their home stand with a 3:45 game against the Cubs. But the Cubs score three in the 8th off Christy Mathewson to win, 4 - 2.
- 1914 - Boston rookie Ernie Shore stops the Naps in Cleveland, 4 - 1.
- 1915 - Honus Wagner drives in both runs to beat Christy Mathewson, 2 - 1. The Pirates lose the nitecap when the Giants' Jeff Tesreau tosses a five-hitter to win, 3 - 0.
- 1916:
- Tigers favorite Harry Heilmann gets an appreciative hand from the crowd for having dived into the Detroit River last night to save a woman from drowning.
- The Reds, behind pitcher Pete Schneider, top the Giants at the Polo Grounds, 4 - 2, beating up on the newly re-acquired Slim Sallee.
- 1922:
- Nip Winters no-hits the Indianapolis ABCs, pitching the Bacharach Giants to a 7 - 1 victory in an NNL associate game.
- In several pregame fights between Yankee teammates, Bob Meusel and Wally Schang duke it out in the dugout. Then Babe Ruth and Wally Pipp take a turn. The players then turn on the Browns, beating them, 11 - 6. Ruth bangs two homers, Pipp adds another, and Schang chips in with a two-run triple.
- 1927 - Max Carey, who played 17 years with the Pirates before he was dismissed, returns to Pittsburgh in a Robins uniform and makes a clean steal of home in the 6th inning. It is his 33rd and last steal of home, a National League record.
- 1928:
- Detroit rookie righthander Vic Sorrell and the Yankees' Waite Hoyt are locked in a 1 - 1 tie after 11. Twelve hits and two walks in the 12th score 11 New York runs in the biggest extra-inning storm ever.
- At Navin Field in Detroit, Bob Meusel again hits for the cycle. The Yankees outfielder becomes the first big leaguer to accomplish the feat for a third time during his career.
- The Phils buy left-handed-hitting OF Chuck Klein from the Fort Wayne Chiefs.
- 1930 - Phils pitchers continue their consistently dismal performance, giving up five home runs to the Cubs in a 16 - 2 pasting. Hack Wilson has three of the homers, while Gabby Hartnett and winning pitcher Pat Malone add the other two.
- 1931 - The Yankees split a doubleheader with the White Sox, taking the second game, 22 - 5, with nine batters scoring two or more runs each.
- 1933:
- Rogers Hornsby swaps St. Louis uniforms, leaving the Cards to manage the Browns.
- The 61-game hitting streak of the San Francisco Seals' 18-year-old rookie, Joe DiMaggio, is stopped by Ed Walsh, Jr. of the Oakland Oaks.
- Yankee Lou Gehrig is thrown out of the second game in a doubleheader against Boston. Had it been the first game, his consecutive game streak would have ended.
- 1935 - An unusual double play occurs when a line drive hit by Yankee Jesse Hill bounces off Senator pitcher Ed Linke's head in the air to catcher Jack Redmond who throws to second to double off runner Ben Chapman. Linke will be hospitalized for two days.
- 1936:
- Umpire Bill Summers is forced out the game after he is hit in the groin by a pop bottle thrown from an unruly crowd of 50,000 at Comiskey Park. The crowd is upset with an out call at first base on Rip Radcliff in the 8th inning of the nitecap. Judge Landis, on hand to watch the game, offers a $5,000 reward over the public address system for the culprit, but only draws more boos. The deluge of pop bottles finally abates when Jimmy Dykes pleads through the field amplifier. The Yanks sweep a pair from the Sox, winning, 12 - 3 and 11 - 8, in 11 innings. Lou Gehrig hits his 29th homer with two aboard to start New York's scoring in the opener. Joe DiMaggio and Tony Lazzeri add round trippers to make it easy for Johnny Broaca. Sugar Cain is the losing pitcher. In the nitecap, Gehrig adds another homer, while Zeke Bonura homers and drives home four runs for the Sox. DiMaggio has one hit, a triple. The sweep increases New York's lead to 9 1/2 games.
- The Giants score three runs in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Reds, 5 - 4. Helping the victory is a 4th-inning triple play started when LF Hank Leiber makes a brilliant catch near the left centerfield wall.
- The Tigers strand 14 runners and lose to Boston and Wes Ferrell, 10 - 3. The Tigers have 13 hits, including those of Goose Goslin who goes 3 for 3. Jimmie Foxx hits his 28th homer of the year in Boston's five-run 8th, then hits another in the 9th, to pin the loss on Elden Auker.
- Before a paid attendance of 41,596 in Boston, the largest crowd in the National League since 1930, the Cards and Bees split. The Bees take the opener, 4 - 3, on Wally Berger's two-run homer in the 8th inning off Jesse Haines. The nitecap is knotted at 2 - 2 in the 7th, when the Cards unload five runs. Joe Medwick leads off the frame with a homer, Johnny Mize doubles, and Virgil Davis homers to knock out Ben Cantwell. After two more reach base, Dizzy Dean drives them both home to ensure his 16th win of the year. Dean has a run-scoring triple in the 3rd as well.
- 1937 - Mickey Cochrane resumes command of the Detroit Tigers as a bench manager.
- 1940 - New York P Spud Chandler beats the White Sox with his bat, knocking in six runs with a single and two home runs, one a grand slam off Pete Appleton. The six RBI ties the American League record held by Appleton, George Uhle and Wes Ferrell.
- 1942 - Clyde McCullough hits three consecutive home runs, but the Chicago Cubs lose, 4 - 3, to the Philadelphia Phillies.
- 1943 - After singling and scoring the tying run in the 9th, ex-Pirate Arky Vaughan launches a 10th-inning, game-winning grand slam inside-the-park home run off the base of Forbes Field's left-center light tower more than 440 feet from home plate, thus preventing the Pirates from wresting second place from his current team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. The other Dodger home run in the game is not only hit inside-the-park, courtesy of Luis Olmo, but hits the same light tower.
- 1946 - Monty Stratton, who lost a leg in a hunting accident in 1938, wins his 14th game for the Sherman Twins of the East Texas League. He will finish with 18 victories for the second-division team.
- 1948:
- Leo Durocher makes his first appearance at Ebbets Field since taking over the Giants, but a turnaway crowd is disappointed as the Dodgers lose, 13 - 4. Preacher Roe is the losing pitcher while Sheldon Jones takes the victory.
- Babe Ruth makes his final public appearance at the New York premiere of The Babe Ruth Story. The Sultan of Swat will die in three weeks' time.
- 1949 - Wally Moses gets his 2,000th hit, off Joe Ostrowski of the Browns.
- 1950 - Brooklyn beats the Cardinals, 7 - 5, as the Dodgers' Jim Russell switch-hits home runs, making him the first switch-hitter in history to do it more than once. Stan Musial hits in his 30th straight game, the longest hitting streak of the decade. He is en route to a .346 batting average for the season and his fourth batting title. The Cards, currently 1 1/2 games behind Brooklyn, will begin a slow and steady descent to fifth place.
- 1951 - At Fenway Park, Clyde Vollmer knocks in six runs on three homers to lead the Red Sox to a 13 - 10 win over the White Sox.
- 1954 - Brooklyn defeats Giant stalwart Sal Maglie in Ebbets Field, roughing him up for six runs on 11 hits. Since coming into the National League in 1945, the "Barber" had recorded ten straight victories in the Brooklyn ballpark.
- 1957 - Jim Bunning of the Tigers two-hits New York, 3 - 2, but one of the hits is Mickey Mantle's ninth left-handed home run, the 200th homer of his career.
- 1960 - After 38 consecutive scoreless innings over four games, the Phils push over a run in the 6th inning against the Cubs, and go on to win, 4 - 3. Philadelphia was coming off three straight shutouts at the hands of the Dodgers.
- 1961:
- At Milwaukee, the Reds muscle three runs in the 8th inning to beat the Braves, 3 - 2. Gus Bell rings a pinch homer and Frank Robinson clubs a two-run homer for the Reds.
- Johnny Blanchard ties a major-league record by hitting his third and fourth home runs in four at bats over three games. He drives in four of the Yankee runs in a 5 - 2 victory over the White Sox at Yankee Stadium. New York manages just six hits but four are homers, including one by Mickey Mantle following Blanchard's 1st-inning clout. Blanchard will end the year with 21 homers in 243 at bats, the first player in history to hit 20 or more in fewer than 250 at bats.
- 1962:
- In New York pitcher Gene Conley and infielder Pumpsie Green of the Red Sox mysteriously disappear after a 13 - 3 loss to the Yankees. They leave the team bus in traffic to use a rest room and fail to return. Conley decides he wants to fly to Israel, and goes to the airport, but is refused a ticket because he does not have a visa. Conley was the loser in the game, pitching 2 2/3 inning, and walking in two of the eight earned runs allowed. Pumpsie did not play. Jim Bouton is the winner, shutting out the Hubmen for six innings.
- Warren Spahn hits his 31st career homer, off Craig Anderson, setting a National League record for pitchers, in a 6 - 1 Braves win. The Mets suffer their 11th straight loss.
- 1964:
- LF Tony Conigliaro suffers a broken arm in a 6 - 1 Boston win at Cleveland.
- The Braves sweep the Mets in a doubleheader at Shea Stadium, but Atlanta uses 11 pitchers to do it. The Mets also use 11 pitchers, a two-team record, as the Braves win, 11 - 7 and 15 - 10. Both wins go to Chi-Chi Olivo who toils just 2 2/3 innings.
- In Philadelphia, the first-place Phils drop a doubleheader to St. Louis and two lefty pitchers. Rookie Gordie Richardson tops the Phils, 6 - 1, in his first major league start, then Ray Sadecki beats them, 4 - 1, in the nitecap.
- 1966 - Catfish Hunter, Kansas City's top winner, undergoes an appendectomy.
- 1967:
- At Yankee Stadium, the Yankees play their second 18-inning game of the season, losing this one, 3 - 2, to Minnesota. Rod Carew walks, steals second base, continues to third on the catcher's errant throw, and scores on Rich Rollins' single. Al Worthington wins over Thad Tillotson in 4:20.
- With a National League-record-tying four run-scoring sacrifice flies in one game, New York wins an 11 - 5 decision at San Francisco.
- 1968 - Leaving with a strained knee after five innings of pitching, Earl Wilson of the Tigers earns a 4 - 1 win in the opener of three games with the Orioles. Rookie Daryl Patterson provides spectacular relief coming in with the bases loaded in the 6th and striking out the side. Boog Powell's homer in the 8th is the only tally for the O's. The win increases the Tigers' lead over the O's to 6 1/2 games.
- 1970:
- Boog Powell drives in six runs to lead the Orioles to an 11 - 1 win over the Twins. Boog hits a single and homer, both with the sacks full, and takes over the American League lead in ribbies with 86. Dave McNally loses his shutout on a homer by P Jim Perry.
- Johnny Bench of the Reds and Orlando Cepeda of the Braves each collect three consecutive homers and seven RBIs during respective games with the Cardinals and Cubs. Bench hits all three off Steve Carlton and adds a single in the Reds' 12 - 5 win over the Cards. Bench now has 33 homers and 95 RBIs to lead the majors. Cepeda collects his seven RBIs in the Braves' 8 - 3 win over the Cubs in the first game. His first two are solo shots, and the third follows an intentional walk to Hank Aaron to load the bases. His last RBI comes on a single in the 9th. In the nitecap of the twinbill, Cepeda has three hits but the Cubs win, 7 - 6. Glenn Beckert, 2 for 3 in the opener, raps five straight hits in the second game to lead Chicago.
- 1973 - In the first of two at Riverfront Stadium, the Reds beat the Braves, 5 - 3. Despite a homer and four singles by Pete Rose in the nitecap, the Reds lose, 6 - 4.
- 1975 - Bill Madlock goes 6 for 6 during the Cubs' 10-inning, 9 - 8, loss to the Mets.
- 1976 - For the second consecutive game, Cincinnati's Pete Rose hits a leadoff homer, this one his club-record 693rd extra-base hit. Rose jump starts the Reds to a 9 - 3 win over the visiting Giants.
- 1977:
- The Yankees open their final series with Baltimore by tying the O's at 4 - 4 on a Cliff Johnson two-run pinch homer in the 9th. Reggie Jackson then leads off the 10th with a solo home run to win.
- Padres rookie Gene Richards ties the National League record with six hits in an extra-inning contest.
- 1978:
- Johnny Bench hits his 300th career home run, off Nino Espinosa, and Pete Rose hits in his 39th straight game, but the Reds bow to the Mets, 12 - 3.
- The Giants' Jack Clark has his hitting streak stopped at 26 games during a 2 - 1 loss to the Cardinals.
- 1980 - Orioles ace Steve Stone tops Mike Caldwell and the Brewers, 4 - 1, for his 14th straight win.
- 1984:
- Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces that free agent pitcher Vida Blue will be suspended for the remainder of the season as a result of his conviction on cocaine possession charges last November.
- San Diego's Tony Gwynn goes 3 for 4 in an 8 - 2 win over Cincinnati to raise his batting average to .362, best in the majors. Gwynn will finish the season at .351 to win his first National League batting title.
- In a 5 - 4 win over the Pirates, Expo Pete Rose singles for the 3,052nd time tying him with Ty Cobb on the all-time career list.
- 1985:
- Tommy John, making his first appearance since being released by California on June 5th, scatters four hits over six innings as the A's defeat the Brewers, 7 - 3. John is now 3-4.
- Wade Boggs goes 0 for 3 in Boston's 6 - 2 win over Seattle to halt his hitting streak at 28 games, the longest in the major leagues since 1980.
- In a 10 - 0 blanking of the Cubs, Los Angeles's Pedro Guerrero is 2 for 2 to complete an on-base streak of 14, setting a National League record. The streak, which began on July 23rd includes two singles, three doubles, two homers, six walks, and a hit by pitch. He'll be 1 for 3 tomorrow. Jerry Reuss scatters seven hits in the shutout and is backed by three homers, including a grand slam by Mike Marshall, a three-run shot by Greg Brock and a two-run homer by Guerrero.
- 1987:
- Paul Molitor ties a major-league record by stealing second base, third base, and home in the 1st inning of Milwaukee's 7 - 4 win over the A's. Molitor is hitting .348.
- Catfish Hunter, Billy Williams, and Ray Dandridge are inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
- 1991:
- Cincinnati 3B Chris Sabo pushes an autograph seeker into a window in Busch Stadium following a 5 - 1 loss to the Cardinals.
- Against the Dodgers, Montreal's Mark Gardner pitches a no-hitter for nine innings before Lenny Harris beats out an infield single in the 10th. The Dodgers get two more hits, including an RBI single by Darryl Strawberry, to plate the only run of the contest. After a two-out walk in the 1st to Eddie Murray, Gardner retires 19 in a row. The Expos manage only two hits themselves against the combined efforts of Orel Hershiser, Kevin Gross, and Jay Howell. Gardner is the 11th pitcher to lose a no-hitter after nine innings; the last being Jim Maloney, on June 14, 1965, and the first pitcher to hurl nine no-hit innings against the Dodgers since Johnny Vander Meer, in 1938.
- 1992:
- Nolan Ryan strikes out his 100th batter, reaching that mark for a record 23rd year in a row. He subdues the Orioles, 6 - 2, and passes Phil Niekro as number 12 on the all-time win list with 319. Juan Gonzalez helps with a 450-foot homer to center field, the longest yet at Camden Yards.
- California's Von Hayes collects three ribbies on a bases-loaded single. Rene Gonzales scores from first base on the two-out single as the Angels beat the Tigers, 4 - 3. Hayes' is the second three-RBI single this year.
- 1993:
- The Padres trade pitchers Bruce Hurst and Greg Harris to the Rockies in exchange for C Brad Ausmus and pitchers Doug Bochtler and Andy Ashby.
- Outfielder Tom Brunansky of the Brewers ends the Red Sox's ten-game win streak with a two-run, two-out home run in the bottom of the 9th for a 3 - 2 win. The dinger comes off Jeff Russell in relief of Roger Clemens.
- 1996:
- In a battle of aces, the Twins' Brad Radke tops Roger Clemens, 5 - 1. The Red Sox ace is now 4-10.
- The Cubs defeat the Rockies, 17 - 4, as catcher Tyler Houston leads the way with a single, double, homer, and six RBIs. Sammy Sosa has his National League-leading 34th homer.
- In a trade of catchers, the Astros trade Rick Wilkins to the Giants in exchange for popular Kirt Manwaring and cash.
- Following a two-homer, five-RBI game on the 25th, Albert Belle goes 4 for 5 with a three-run homer to lead the Indians to a 14 - 9 drubbing of the Orioles. There are seven homers hit in the game.
- The Yankees unload a 21-hit barrage and bat around twice to whip the Royals, 15 - 1. This is the most hits New York has collected in nine innings since August 25, 1984, when they had 23 against Seattle. Jimmy Key is the easy winner, giving up three hits in seven innings. Pat Kelly, who had been out the whole season after undergoing surgery, makes his debut and promptly injures a hamstring.
- 1998:
- Don Sutton and Larry Doby are inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Lee MacPhail, George Davis and Joe Rogan. MacPhail joins his dad, Larry MacPhail, to become the first father and son duo to be enshrined at Cooperstown.
- Trevor Hoffman fails to set a big league record with 42 consecutive saves as Astros outfielder Moises Alou goes deep on the first pitch thrown by the Padres' closer. The 9th-inning homer ties the game, but San Diego prevails and beats Houston in the 10th, 5 - 4.
- Boston defeats Toronto by a score of 6 - 3. Jose Canseco's 8th-inning home run accounts for the Blue Jays' first run. It is the 380th home run of Canseco's career, making him the all-time leader among players born outside of the United States. Orlando Cepeda and Tony Perez had been the co-leaders with 379.
- With his 44th homer, Mark McGwire surpasses Johnny Mize as the all-time Cardinal single-season home run leader.
- 1999:
- The Diamondbacks bring up Mexican star Erubiel Durazo, 25, to replace slumping 1B Travis Lee. Durazo, whose contract was purchased from the Monterrey Sultans last December after he hit .350, tore up the minors (AA El Paso Diablos, .403, 14 home run in 64 games; AAA Tucson Sidewinders, .407, 10 home run, 30 G). He'll do the same in the National League hitting .329, with 11 homers, in 52 games.
- Major League umpires file suit in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, PA for the right to withdraw their mass resignations. So far, 14 of the 56 umps who "resigned" have withdrawn their resignations. Resignations from nine of the American League umps are accepted by the league.
- 2000:
- The Blue Jays defeat the Indians, 8 - 1, as David Wells wins his major league-leading 16th game. Bartolo Colon takes the loss for Cleveland, despite striking out the first six batters to face him to tie Bob Feller's team record.
- The Phillies send their number one starter, Curt Schilling, to Arizona for 1B/OF Travis Lee and Ps Omar Daal, Vicente Padilla and Nelson Figueroa.
- The Dodgers re-obtain oft-injured pitcher Ismael Valdes from the Cubs for minor leaguers Jamie Arnold and Jorge Piedra. The Dodgers swapped Valdes to the Cubs last year. Piedra was a top prospect in 1998, hitting .383 at Great Falls, while reaching base in 54 straight games.
- 2001:
- Rookie pitcher Chris George, 21, becomes the first lefthander to start for Kansas City in 239 games. He loses to the Mariners, 4 - 0. The winner is Joel Pineiro, who allows one hit in six innings to win his first major league decision.
- The White Sox send pitcher James Baldwin to the Dodgers for three minor leaguers, P Onan Masaoka and Gary Majewski, and OF Jeff Barry.
- 2002 - Carl Everett becomes the first Ranger to hit two home runs in one inning. The Texas designated hitter homers twice in the nine-run 7th inning during the 12 - 4 rout of visiting Oakland.
- 2005 - After waiting through a 2-hour 43-minutes rain delay in Atlanta to start the game, Greg Maddux becomes the 13th pitcher in history to register 3,000 strikeouts. Taking an inside fastball in the top of the 3rd inning, Omar Vizquel of the Giants becomes the historic victim of the crafty 39-year old Braves right-hander.
- 2007:
- John Lannan has a rough major league debut, being ejected in the 5th inning by Hunter Wendelstedt after hitting Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in back-to-back appearances. Utley, among the National League leaders in doubles (1st), runs (2nd), total bases (2nd) and OPS (5th), is diagnosed with a broken right hand after the game. To make up for his absence, Philadelphia will trade for Tadahito Iguchi tomorrow.
- Jose Mesa becomes the 11th pitcher in major league history to appear in 1,000 games. This is a rough one as he allows a three-run game-losing home run to Jesus Flores.
- 2008:
- The Pirates send .330-hitting Xavier Nady and interim closer Damaso Marte to the Yankees for Ps Ross Ohlendorf, Daniel McCutchen and Jeff Karstens and injured OF prospect José Tabata. The Pirates are in desperate need of pitching depth with injuries to Phil Dumatrait and Matt Capps, the struggles of Ian Snell, Matt Morris and Tom Gorzelanny, ineffective call-ups Yoslan Herrera and John Van Benschoten, and an empty minor league cupboard, while the Yankees need help for the pennant run, being in third place in the AL East. Nady is considered unlikely to re-sign with Pittsburgh.
- The Dodgers, dissatisfied with young third basemen Blake DeWitt and Andy LaRoche, pick up Casey Blake from the Indians for Carlos Santana and Jonathan Meloan. Cleveland then acquires former World Series star Anthony Reyes from the Cardinals for Luis Perdomo.
- Garret Anderson becomes the first player in Angels franchise history to score 1,000 runs. Los Angeles tops the Orioles, 11 - 6. The big star of the day is Torii Hunter, in his second day back from bereavement leave. Hunter homers twice, singles once, walks twice, scores four and drives in five to lead the charge.
- 2009:
- Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice and Joe Gordon are inducted into the Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Cooperstown, NY. Gordon is the first player to be voted in by the Veterans Committee since its rules were reformulated following the controversial election of Bill Mazeroski in 2001.
- With a 5 - 2 win over the Reds, the Cubs move into first place in the tight NL Central race. Rich Harden, who had not won at Wrigley Field since August 24th last year, is the winner.
- The White team beats the Red, 6 - 5, in the CPBL All-Star Game. Chih-Sheng Lin, fresh off a home run derby title, hits a three-run homer off Ko-Chien Lin to pick up MVP honors. Wei-Lun Pan gets the win.
- 2010:
- Matt Garza pitches the first no-hitter in the history of the Tampa Bay Rays franchise, blanking the Tigers, 5 - 0. He is helped by a great over-the-shoulder catch by Ben Zobrist in the 3rd inning. The only baserunner is Brennan Boesch, who draws a 2nd-inning walk but is erased in a double play. Matt Joyce hits a 6th-inning grand slam for the Rays, the first hit allowed by Detroit's Max Scherzer. Tampa Bay had been no-hit twice this season - by Dallas Braden and Edwin Jackson - and has now featured in three of this year's five no-nos.
- Joe Mauer goes 5 for 5 and drives in seven runs as the Twins rout Zack Greinke and the Royals, 19 - 1. Danny Valencia also has a night to remember, going 4 for 4 and hitting a grand slam for his first major league homer.
- 2011:
- The Braves beat the Pirates, 4 - 3, in 19 innings in a game that ends on a very controversial play. After 6 hours and 39 minutes of play at Turner Field, Braves P Scott Proctor grounds to Pirates 3B Pedro Alvarez; Julio Lugo takes off from third base and Alvarez's throw to C Michael McKenry easily beats him to the plate, however umpire Jerry Meals calls him safe with the winning run. Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle argues vociferously, and even though television replays show that Lugo was tagged out, the run is allowed to stand. Daniel McCutchen is the unlucky loser, in spite of giving up only that run in 5 1/3 innings as neither team scores after the 3rd inning until the deciding run. It is the longest game by time in both teams' history. Immediately after the game, the Pirates launch a formal complaint about the disputed call to the Commissioner's office. Tomorrow, both Meals and MLB Vice-President Joe Torre will acknowledge that the call was wrong, but that it will not be reversed. The tough loss marks the beginning of the end for the Bucs, who have been playing above .500 and battling for first place in the NL Central: on July 29th, they will start an 11-game losing streak and tumble well out of contention.
- The Reds trade LF Jonny Gomes to Washington for two minor leaguers, P Chris Manno and OF Bill Rhinehart. The move opens a spot in the line-up for top prospect Yonder Alonso.
- The Mariners lose their 17th straight game, beaten 4 - 1 by the Yankees and CC Sabathia. Sabathia fans 14 and allows only one hit.
- Two players extend their hitting streaks into interesting territory today. Emilio Bonifacio of the Marlins reaches 24 games with a single off Jordan Zimmermann in his team's 11 - 2 win at Washington, and Boston's newly clean-shaven Dustin Pedroia extends his streak to 23 games with a 4-for-5 night against the Royals as the Red Sox come out on top in a slugfest, 13 - 9.
- Justin Germano throws the fifth perfect game in the history of the International League. Germano pitches the gem for the Columbus Clippers against the Syracuse Chiefs.
- 2012:
- Matt Harvey strikes out 11 Diamondback hitters in his major league debut, beating the Mets franchise record of nine held by Tom Seaver and Bill Denehy; it is the most in a debut since Stephen Strasburg fanned 14 for the Nationals two years ago. Harvey allows no runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings, before leaving because of pitch count issues; for good measure, he also goes 2 for 2 at the plate, with a double off Wade Miley for his first major league hit. He gets credit for the Mets' 3 - 1 win at Chase Field.
- Not to be outdone, Pittsburgh's Starling Marte homers on the first pitch of the game in his big league debut (only the third Pirate ever to do so), going yard against Houston's Dallas Keuchel. Pittsburgh goes on to a 5 - 3 win as A.J. Burnett improves to 12-3. Marte adds another hit before the night is through.
- 2013:
- The Yankees repatriate OF Alfonso Soriano from the Cubs, in return for minor league P Corey Black. Soriano plays DH and bats clean-up in tonight's game against the Rays, but goes 0-for-5 as the Yankees lose, 10 - 6. Tampa Bay's win, combined with Boston's loss to the Orioles, puts the Rays in first place in the AL East for the first time since April 6th.
- The Phillies sign Cuban pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, who defected to Mexico earlier this year, to a six-year contract worth $60 million.
- Tadahito Iguchi becomes the fourth new member of the meikyukai this season, taking Masahiro Tanaka deep for his 2,000th hit in MLB and NPB combined. Iguchi is only the fifth player to get 2,000 hits between the two leagues, following Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Kazuo Matsui and Norihiro Nakamura.
- 2014:
- The Hall of Fame announces a change in voting rules, as players will now be able to stay on the BBWAA ballot for a maximum of ten and not 15 years, as long as they meet the minimum five percent threshold. The move is designed to prevent the ballot from becoming overly crowded because of players tainted by steroids staying on the ballot for years on end with no realistic chance of election, but drawing votes away from more legitimate candidates. However, a number of inductees with an untainted record have had to wait over ten years for election in recent years, such as Jim Rice, Bert Blyleven or Andre Dawson, making it likely that the rule change will have the effect of also squeezing out some worthy candidates.
- The Giants acquire P Jake Peavy from the Red Sox in return for minor leaguers Heath Hembree and Edwin Escobar, in a clear indication that Boston has given up any hope of defending last year's Championship title.
- 2015:
- Four players, all elected by the BBWAA, are inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY as the Class of 2015: pitchers Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz, all elected on their first presence on the ballot, and 2B Craig Biggio. Martinez steals the show by dancing on stage and entertaining the large contingent of visitors from the Dominican Republic who have come to witness his induction.
- The Gold Medal game in the women's portion of the 2015 Pan American Games is held. It is the first Pan American Games to include women's baseball. The women's Gold, like the men's, comes down to the USA and host Canada. In a reverse of the men's field, the USA beats Canada 11 - 3. Stacy Piagno gets the win in relief, while Vanessa Riopel takes the loss. Sarah Hudek and Anna Kimbrell each drive in three, Samantha Cobb scores three runs and Jenna Marston raps three hits for the historic US win.
- The Royals acquire Reds pitching ace Johnny Cueto in a trade for three pitching prospects, Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed. Cueto will prove key to the Royals winning their first World Series title in three decades.
- 2016 - The Blue Jays acquire OF Melvin Upton from San Diego for P Hansel Rodriguez. The Jays also sent embattled reliever Drew Storen to the Mariners in return for Joaquin Benoit, who has also been struggling badly of late.
- 2017:
- The Marlins defeat the Rangers, 22 - 10, to set a franchise record for runs; the 32 combined runs are also the most in a game this season. Dee Gordon starts off the game with a homer off Yu Darvish, who gives up ten runs in less than four innings, while Christian Yelich goes 4 for 5 with a homer and three doubles. For Texas, Adrian Beltre homers and hits two doubles to move with four hits of the 3,000 mark, but he is ejected by umpire Gerry Davis in the 8th for dragging the large plastic mat marking the on-deck circle closer to home plate; his manager, Jeff Banister, is also tossed for coming to his defence.
- The Royals, who have been among the hottest teams in the majors since May, also put up a big score, defeating Detroit, 16 - 2, for their eighth straight win. Eric Hosmer leads the charge with five hits including a grand slam; he has six RBIs and scores four times.
- 2018:
- The Phillies tie a team record by hitting seven homers in a 9 - 4 win over the Reds. Rhys Hoskins, Maikel Franco and Nick Williams all hit two homers, and Carlos Santana adds another long ball as the Phils have won five of seven since the All-Star Game and have built a lead of 2 1/2 games over the second-place Braves in the NL East.
- A number of trades take place with the deadline approaching. The Rangers send P Cole Hamels to the Cubs in return for two prospects and a player to be named later. The Braves repatriate reliever Jonny Venters from the Rays in exchange for international bonus money, and the Yankees add P J.A. Happ from the Blue Jays, sending IF Brandon Drury and OF Billy McKinney in return.
- With three days still to play, Puerto Rico locks up Gold at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games; it is their third Gold, tying the Dominican Republic for second behind Cuba's 12. Trailing host Colombia 1 - 0 after seven innings, Puerto Rico improves to 5-0 as Ozzie Martínez singles off Ernesto Frieri to score pinch-runner Brian Ortiz in the 8th (Ortiz had run for Wilfredo Rodríguez-Chevere). Randy Ruiz drives in Martínez with the winner. Adalberto Flores and Fernando Cruz pitch very well for Puerto Rico. No other team is better than 3-2 and Puerto Rico has already beaten both 3-2 teams (Colombia and Cuba).
- 2020 - It's only the end of the opening week-end of this year's delayed MLB season, but already there is no unbeaten - or winless - team left. For the first time since 1954, when there were only half as many teams, no team has started the year 3-0.
- 2022
- A ribbon-cutting ceremony is held for the opening of the Jackie Robinson Museum in Manhattan, in the presence of Jackie Robinson's widow, Rachel Robinson, recently turned 100, his children David and Sharon, and various celebrities. The museum, whose opening was delayed by three years, aims to teach new generations about Robinson's pioneering role in the integration of Major League Baseball and in the fight for justice and equality.
- The Pacific League wins the first 2022 NPB All-Star Game with the first sayonara homer in an NPB All-Star Game in 36 years, when Kotaro Kiyomiya goes deep off Masato Morishita to break a 2 - 2 tie.
- 2023:
- With the trading deadline approaching, teams start making moves. The Angels show that they are buyers by acquiring Ps Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez from the White Sox for two prospects, while on the other side of L.A., the Dodgers deal P Noah Syndergaard to the Guardians for SS Amed Rosario.
- MLB owners extend the contract of Commissioner Rob Manfred through the 2028 season.
- 2024 - With the trading deadline only a few days away, a number of deals take place today. The Mariners acquire OF Randy Arozarena from the Rays in return for two prospects, as well as P Yimi Garcia from the Blue Jays for two minor leagers, but also send P Ryne Stanek to the Mets in return for a prospect. In other deals, the Orioles make two moves, first sending OF Austin Hays to the Phillies in return for P Seranthony Dominguez and OF Cristian Pache in a rare deal between first-place teams, and also acquire P Zach Eflin from the Rays for three prospects. Finally, the Red Sox acquire veteran P James Paxton, recently designated for assignment by the Dodgers in spite of having a good year, in return for a low-level prospect.
Births[edit]
- 1850 - Tricky Nichols, pitcher (d. 1897)
- 1852 - George Fields, infielder (d. 1933)
- 1852 - Jake Knodell, catcher (d. 1887)
- 1854 - Phil Powers, catcher; umpire (d. 1914)
- 1864 - John Cuff, catcher (d. 1916)
- 1864 - Bill Hassamaer, outfielder (d. 1910)
- 1876 - Sam Breadon, owner (d. 1949)
- 1878 - Joe Green, outfielder, manager and owner (d. 1962)
- 1879 - John Butler, catcher (d. 1950)
- 1880 - Jack Fox, outfielder (d. 1923)
- 1881 - Gerry Shea, catcher (d. 1964)
- 1884 - Tom Crooke, infielder (d. 1929)
- 1884 - Otto McIvor, outfielder (d. 1954)
- 1885 - Roy Castleton, pitcher (d. 1967)
- 1886 - Roy Witherup, pitcher (d. 1941)
- 1892 - Sam Jones, pitcher (d. 1966)
- 1892 - Brick Eldred, minor league outfielder (d. 1976)
- 1894 - Larry Woodall, catcher (d. 1963)
- 1897 - Chick Bowen, outfielder (d. 1948)
- 1897 - Paul Gallico, writer (d. 1976)
- 1901 - Doc Gautreau, infielder (d. 1970)
- 1904 - Bill Dreesen, infielder (d. 1971)
- 1905 - Sam Leslie, infielder (d. 1979)
- 1905 - Alex Radcliff, infielder; All-Star (d. 1981)
- 1909 - Harry Kincannon, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1965)
- 1913 - Rogers Pierre, pitcher (d. 1996)
- 1914 - Ellis Kinder, pitcher (d. 1968)
- 1914 - Chummy McNeil, British national team infielder and manager (d. 1997)
- 1914 - Carlos Navas, Nicaraguan national team infielder and manager
- 1915 - Mel Deutsch, pitcher (d. 2001)
- 1917 - Jimmy Bloodworth, infielder (d. 2002)
- 1918 - Lee Anthony, minor league pitcher (d. 2010)
- 1920 - Eddie Bockman, infielder (d. 2011)
- 1920 - Sibby Sisti, infielder (d. 2006)
- 1921 - Tom Saffell, outfielder (d. 2012)
- 1922 - Hoyt Wilhelm, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 2002)
- 1923 - Leo Thomas, infielder (d. 2001)
- 1924 - Milt Welch, catcher (d. 2019)
- 1925 - Jackie Mayo, outfielder (d. 2014)
- 1926 - Bobby Herrera, pitcher (d. 2007)
- 1926 - Guillermo Valencia, Colombian national team manager (d. 2016)
- 1927 - Bill Miller, pitcher (d. 2003)
- 1928 - Shigeru Makino, NPB infielder; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1984)
- 1930 - Glenn Mickens, pitcher (d. 2019)
- 1932 - Dick Brodowski, pitcher (d. 2019)
- 1933 - Norm Siebern, infielder; All-Star (d. 2015)
- 1933 - Yoshio Yoshida, NPB player and manager; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
- 1935 - Buddy Gilbert, outfielder
- 1935 - Lou Jackson, outfielder (d. 1969)
- 1937 - Pete Ward, infielder (d. 2022)
- 1938 - Pedro Sierra, minor league pitcher
- 1941 - Carroll Sembera, pitcher (d. 2005)
- 1942 - Jose Martinez, infielder (d. 2014)
- 1943 - Steve Coley, minor league outfielder (d. 2014)
- 1945 - Ken Kaiser, umpire (d. 2017)
- 1947 - Hiromu Matsuoka, NPB pitcher
- 1948 - John Knox, infielder
- 1949 - David W. Vincent, author (d. 2017)
- 1956 - Randy Davis, college coach (d. 2022)
- 1957 - Rick O'Keeffe, minor league pitcher
- 1958 - Marty Bystrom, pitcher
- 1959 - Yukihiko Yamaoki, NPB pitcher
- 1962 - Jody Reed, infielder
- 1963 - Shinichi Furukawa, NPB outfielder
- 1964 - Jose Bautista, pitcher
- 1965 - Greg Hamilton, Canadian national team coach
- 1968 - Mike Mohler, pitcher
- 1969 - Greg Colbrunn, infielder
- 1969 - Tracy Sanders, minor league outfielder
- 1970 - Martín Aleman, Nicaraguan national team catcher
- 1971 - Jason Adams, minor league outfielder
- 1971 - Jesus Hernandez, minor league pitcher
- 1975 - Kevin Barker, infielder
- 1976 - Brian Mazone, minor league pitcher
- 1976 - Kevin Olsen, pitcher
- 1977 - Joaquin Benoit, pitcher
- 1977 - Yousuke Shinomiya, Japanese national team infielder
- 1978 - Raily Legito, minor league infielder
- 1980 - Jason Botts, outfielder
- 1980 - Gregor Klinc, Bundesliga pitcher-outfielder
- 1980 - Kentaro Miyazawa, Japanese national team infielder
- 1980 - Juan Orellana, Guatemalan national team infielder
- 1981 - Brian Almeida, minor league pitcher
- 1982 - Raina Hunter, French women's national team outfielder
- 1982 - Brandon Taylor, minor league infielder
- 1982 - Chuang-Hsun Tu, CPBL catcher
- 1983 - Willie Vasquez, minor league infielder
- 1984 - Kevin Jepsen, pitcher
- 1984 - Dae-woo Kim, KBO pitcher
- 1984 - Zdeněk Kocman, Extraliga pitcher
- 1984 - Brandon Morrow, pitcher
- 1984 - Yunior Paumier, Cuban league infielder
- 1985 - Adam DiMichele, drafted pitcher
- 1985 - Mat Gamel, infielder
- 1986 - Tatsuya Sato, NPB pitcher
- 1986 - Chris Treibt, minor league pitcher and manager
- 1987 - Alex Burnett, pitcher
- 1987 - Vidal Nuno, pitcher
- 1988 - Kai-Wen Cheng, NPB pitcher
- 1989 - Alexander Morales, minor league player
~ 1989 - Ross Steedley, college coach
- 1991 - Cristhian Adames, infielder
- 1991 - Brandon Brennan, pitcher
- 1991 - Yukari Isozaki, Japanese women's national team pitcher
- 1991 - Ryne Stanek, pitcher
- 1991 - LeVon Washington, minor league outfielder
- 1992 - Paul Fry, pitcher
- 1993 - Wes Benjamin, pitcher
- 1993 - Gio Brusa, minor league outfielder
- 1993 - Victor Draijer, Hoofdklasse outfielder
- 1993 - Ryan O'Hearn, outfielder
- 1993 - Jefry Rodriguez, pitcher
- 1995 - Paul Campbell, pitcher
- 1999 - Ji-hwan Bae, infielder
- 1999 - Gavin Williams, pitcher
- 2000 - Tyler Black, infielder
- 2000 - Andersen Lim, Indonesian national team catcher
- 2002 - Kyle Karros, minor league infielder
- 2003 - Chih-Chi Lai, CPBL pitcher
Deaths[edit]
- 1903 - Bill Nusz, outfielder (b. 1859)
- 1911 - John Radcliffe, infielder (b. 1848)
- 1915 - Charlie Reising, outfielder; umpire (b. 1861)
- 1922 - George Cuppy, pitcher (b. 1869)
- 1930 - Tommy Madden, outfielder (b. 1883)
- 1931 - Ben Ellis, infielder (b. 1870)
- 1935 - Bill Wittrock, pitcher (b. 1870)
- 1938 - Carlos Royer, Negro League pitcher (b. 1874)
- 1943 - Tom Gettinger, outfielder (b. 1868)
- 1944 - Kentaro Ito, NPB outfielder-infielder (b. 1916)
- 1948 - Homer Davidson, catcher (b. 1884)
- 1949 - Clyde Nelson, infielder; All-Star (b. 1921)
- 1952 - Joe Safford, minor league outfielder (b. 1878)
- 1956 - Dad Clark, infielder (b. 1873)
- 1956 - Wes Griffin, scout (b. 1894)
- 1958 - Walter Bernhardt, pitcher (b. 1893)
- 1959 - Otis Miller, infielder (b. 1901)
- 1964 - Harry Smith, pitcher (b. 1889)
- 1966 - Elmer Yoter, infielder (b. 1900)
- 1968 - Joe Kernan, minor league infielder and manager (b. 1889)
- 1971 - Nobori Inoue, commissioner; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1885)
- 1971 - Chick Lathers, infielder (b. 1888)
- 1974 - George Barr, umpire (b. 1897)
- 1974 - Vernon Stouffer, owner (b. 1901)
- 1979 - Bill DeKoning, catcher (b. 1918)
- 1986 - Webb Schultz, pitcher (b. 1898)
- 1988 - Al Flair, infielder (b. 1916)
- 1994 - Roland Gladu, infielder (b. 1911)
- 1994 - Herm Holshouser, pitcher (b. 1907)
- 1996 - Masumi Isegawa, NPB catcher (b. 1921)
- 1996 - Francis Plouf, minor league infielder (b. 1913)
- 2004 - Ruben Gomez, pitcher (b. 1927)
- 2007 - Ray Kirchoff, minor league pitcher (b. 1929)
- 2010 - Jake Jacobs, outfielder (b. 1937)
- 2013 - Bob Savage, pitcher (b. 1921)
- 2014 - Ed Strichek, minor league pitcher (b. 1935)
- 2017 - John Herbold, college coach (b. 1929)
- 2017 - Lyle Smith, college coach (b. 1916)
- 2022 - Inez Voyce, AAGPBL infielder (b. 1924)
- 2022 - Skip Wilson, college coach (b. 1929)
- 2023 - Tom Harrison, pitcher (b. 1945)
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