July 29

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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 July 29.

Events

• 1900 - With all the National League teams in the East, and no Sunday games allowed, 100 players gather in New York City. Their demands are: release of players who are not going to be used rather than farming them out, and players to share in the purchase price when they are sold. Says veteran Hughie Jennings: "We are not out to fight the owners, but to resolve injustices in the contracts."
• 1901 - At the Polo Grounds, Boston's Kid Nichols and Christy Mathewson square off for a ten-inning shootout, with Boston prevailing, 5 - 4. Matty gives up 11 hits in bringing his record to 15-11.
• 1903:
  • Pittsburgh's Ed Doheny (12-6) jumps the team to return home because he is convinced he is being followed by detectives. The Pittsburgh Post headlines Doheny going AWOL with: "His Mind is Thought To Be Deranged." He will return on August 15th, but mental illness will indeed put a premature end to his career.
  • Cy Young goes all the way as Boston loses to the Highlanders, 15 - 14. The New Yorkers had been shut out in their two previous matches in the series. Patsy Dougherty leads the Boston offense by hitting for the cycle, but Cy gets little defense as Boston makes eight errors behind him. New York starter Jack Chesbro is lifted in the 6th for Harry Howell, while Willie Keeler has four hits to lead the Highlander offense. The game lasts 2 hours, 10 minutes.
• 1904 - Brooklyn's Jack Cronin outpitches Christy Mathewson to beat the Giants, 1 - 0. Brooklyn scores in the 1st inning when Matty walks two with two runners on base.
• 1907 - At St. Louis, the Giants edge the Cards, 4 - 3 in 11 innings. New York blows a 2 - 0 lead in the 9th when Christy Mathewson makes a wild throw to first base. A triple by Cy Seymour, sandwiched between two hits, gives the Giants a pair of runs, and Matty holds on to win.
• 1908:
  • Rube Waddell continues to haunt Connie Mack, again fanning 16 A's in a 5 - 4 win for the Browns.
  • John McFarlan of Helena (Arkansas State League) loses his perfect game when the 27th batter refuses to bat, resulting in a 9 - 0 forfeit.
  • Christy Mathewson defeats the Cardinals again, beating Harry Sallee, 1 - 0. Sallee allows four hits, but the one run scores on an error and passed ball.
• 1909 - National League president Harry Pulliam, despondent over his inability to handle the problems and controversies of the league, dies after shooting himself in his room at the New York Athletic Club yesterday. Pulliam had been suffering from a nervous breakdown.
• 1910 - White Sox OF Patsy Dougherty breaks up Detroit's Ed Summers's no-hitter. It is the fourth time in his ten-year career that the .284 hitter has ruined someone's no-hitter.
• 1911:
  • At Boston's Huntington Avenue Grounds, Joe Wood of the Red Sox whiffs twelve Browns en route to a 5 - 0 no-hitter.
  • Rube Marquard shuts out the Cards on four hits before 23,000 in St. Louis. The Giants pitcher will beat the Redbirds again on the 31st, allowing five hits.
  • In his last appearance for Cleveland, Cy Young pitches just three innings and gives up five runs in a 7 - 1 loss to Washington. After this game, Cleveland will waive the veteran to the Boston Rustlers.
• 1912 - For the first time, a National League team loses a game because of the rule that holds runners in place when a batted ball hits an umpire. A double by the Giants' Buck Herzog drives in two runs, but the ball hits umpire Garnet Bush, and the runs do not count.
• 1913 - Rube Marquard wins his ninth in a row for the Giants, beating the Cards, 2 - 1.
• 1914 - The newly-acquired Vean Gregg goes seven innings for the Red Sox before exiting, and Boston goes on to beat the host White Sox, 8 - 4, in ten innings.
• 1915 - Forty-one-year-old Pirates infielder Honus Wagner reaches Brooklyn Robins hurler Jeff Pfeffer for a grand slam in the 8th inning, helping Pittsburgh beat Brooklyn at Forbes Field, 8 - 2.
• 1919 - At Navin Field, Dutch Leonard decides to pitch around Braggo Roth with two outs in the 9th inning to face Babe Ruth. Although the Boston slugger, who has already reached the Detroit southpaw with two doubles, responds by tying an American League record with his ninth home run of the month and sixteenth of the season, the Tigers prevail, 10 - 8.
• 1921:
  • John McGraw buys OF Irish Meusel, who is hitting .353 but has been suspended by the Phillies for lackadaisical play. McGraw gives up three bench warmers and $30,000. The Giants take three from the Reds and go into the National League lead for the first time. They will fall back by seven games before coming on with a rush in September.
  • As part of Cleveland's 125th anniversary celebration, Cy Young, 54, makes a two-inning appearance on the mound in an old-timers' game. Charles Zimmer, 60, is his catcher.
• 1922:
  • At the Polo Grounds, the under-performing Pirates crack five homers and trounce the league-leading Giants, 8 - 3. Max Carey hits two and starter Wilbur Cooper another.
  • The Browns host the Red Sox and beat them, 4 - 1, behind Urban Shocker. However, both George Sisler and C Hank Severeid are injured, the latter with a split finger on a foul tip. Sisler is spiked in the 4th.
• 1928 - The Indians score eight in the 1st and nine in the 2nd in a 24 - 6 win over the Yankees at home. Johnny Hodapp of the Indians becomes the first American League player to get two hits in an inning twice in a game. He strokes two singles in both the 2nd and 6th innings of the game. The Yankees' lead shrinks from 11 1/2 games to six in one week.
• 1931 - Cleveland's Wes Ferrell shuts out Washington, 6 - 0, scattering ten hits, as the Senators leave 15 runners on base.
• 1934 - Flint Rhem comes within a lazily-fielded bunted ball to third base of pitching a no-hitter for Boston against the Dodgers. He wins, 1 - 0.
• 1936 - The football Dodgers? The Dodgers smother the Cardinals, 22 - 7, in the first game of a twinbill, then lose 5 - 4.
• 1938:
  • In a postgame radio interview with Bob Elson, Jake Powell of the Yankees will make headlines with remarks about "beating up niggers and then throwing them in jail" as part of his off-season duties as a policeman. For the statements, Judge Landis suspends Powell for ten days.
  • New York's Spud Chandler pitches 15 innings as the Yankees beat the White Sox, 7 - 3.
• 1945 - The West wins the 1945 East-West Game, 9 - 6, as Bill Williams drives in four and Archie Ware three. Verdell Mathis picks up two hits and tosses three hitless, scoreless innings for the victory. The West leads 9 - 0 after four due to poor pitching performances from Tom Glover and Bill Ricks.
• 1947 - In the second 1947 East-West Game, the West wins, 8 - 2. Artie Wilson goes 4 for 4 with a walk and four runs while Sam Jethroe drives in four in the one-sided affair.
• 1948:
  • The Red Sox rout the Tigers, 8 - 1, behind Jack Kramer's tenth straight win. Billy Goodman's grand slam, along with homers by Kramer and Bobby Doerr, pace the attack. The victory extends the Red Sox's American League lead to a half-game over the idle A's.
  • In Boston, Big Bill Voiselle pitches the first-place Braves to a 2 - 1 win over the Pirates, and collects his fifth hit of the year. Voiselle raises his average to .097, a point higher than his uniform number. Voiselle has the highest uniform number ever in the majors in honor of his South Carolina home town of Ninety Six.
  • The Giants win their third straight shutout, stopping the Reds, 5 - 0, behind Dave Koslo. Larry Jansen and Clint Hartung threw the other two shutouts. Walker Cooper's grand slam, off Ken Raffensberger, is the big blow.
• 1951:
  • Before a Yankee Stadium crowd of 70,972, the Yankees sweep the White Sox, 8 - 3 and 2 - 0. Joe DiMaggio powers two homers off Lou Kretlow in the opener, and ex-Sox Bob Kuzava outduels Saul Rogovin to win the nitecap. With yesterday's game rained out, the Sox are now 6 1/2 out of first place.
  • Against the Phillies, Cubs player-manager Phil Cavarretta earns his money by driving home three runs in a first-game win, 5 - 4, snapping the Cubs' ten-game home losing streak. His triple in the 6th off Robin Roberts ends the Cubs' scoreless inning skein of 31 innings, and the consecutive scoreless innings by Phils pitchers at 41. Cavarretta takes the bench in the second game but inserts himself as a pinch-hitter in the 7th when Roberts relieves, and hits a grand slam home run as the Cubs sweep, winning the nitecap, 8 - 6. The nitecap loss goes to Bubba Church, who put two runners on before giving way to Roberts. It is Church's first and only career loss to Chicago after nine straight wins.
  • In the first game at Cincinnati, Willie Mays steals the first of 338 bases. Then pitcher Willie Ramsdell picks him off second base. But the Giants win, 3 - 1, behind Sal Maglie. New York takes the nitecap as well, 6 - 4, as Monte Irvin (2) and Mays both swipe bases.
• 1955 - At Crosley Field, Smoky Burgess hits three home runs and drives in nine runs as the Redlegs rout the Pirates, 16 - 5. In the 4th inning, Roberto Clemente does his bit to curtail Burgess, leaping into the right center field screen to snare a line drive that has extra bases written all over it.
• 1956 - Herb Score and Hank Aguirre of the Indians sweep Baltimore, 3 - 0 and 4 - 0.
• 1958 - Ted Williams hits his 17th career grand slam, tying him for second place with Babe Ruth, and behind Lou Gehrig, who had 23. Williams also adds a three-run homer, as Boston beats Detroit, 11 - 8.
• 1961:
  • Duke Snider's pinch-hit home run and Ron Fairly's RBI hit give Los Angeles a 5 - 4 win at Pittsburgh. The Dodgers take over first place from the Reds.
  • The Giants' Orlando Cepeda hits a 1st-inning grand slam to give the Giants a 4 - 3 win over the Phils. The Phillies will lose 23 straight before another victory.
• 1962:
  • Gene Conley contacts manager Pinky Higgins by telegram, stating that he is "mostly tired," and has "other plans." He will return the next day to the Red Sox and will be fined $2,000.
  • Don Drysdale pushes his record to 19-4 as he completes a three-game Dodger sweep over the Giants, winning, 11 - 1. Frank Howard has a home run and three singles to drive home five runs. Willie Mays accounts for the only Giants run with a home run. Los Angeles now leads the Giants by four games.
• 1963 - Chicago's Joel Horlen flirts with a no-hitter against the Senators, going 8 1/3 innings before giving up a bouncing single up the middle to Chuck Hinton. One out later, Don Lock keys a 2 - 1 Washington win with a home run.
• 1966:
  • At Cincinnati, Jim Maloney strikes out 13 in the Reds' 4 - 3 win over Houston.
  • The Yankees edge the White Sox, 2 - 1, on Mickey Mantle's 14th homer in 24 games. Mick moves ahead of Lou Gehrig into sixth place on the homer list with the blast.
• 1967:
  • The Indians trade Rocky Colavito again, this time to the White Sox for OF Jim King and a player to be named later.
  • At Fenway Park, the Twins and Red Sox split a doubleheader. Boston wins the opener, 6 - 3, with the decision going to John Wyatt. In the nitecap, Boomer Scott thrills the crowd with an inside-the-park homer, but Tony Oliva, Harmon Killebrew, Bob Allison (2), and Ted Uhlaender all hit home runs for the Twins. Jim Perry wins, 10 - 3.
• 1968:
  • The Reds' George Culver throws a 6 - 1 no-hitter against the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia.
  • Pittsburgh edges Atlanta, 3 - 2, and Roberto Clemente burns Hank Aaron, sort of. Bill Mazeroski puts Pittsburgh on the board first with a 2nd-inning solo home run while Joe Torre singles and scores Atlanta's first run, then doubles to drive in the other. Clemente, for his part, singles and scores the Bucs' second run, then singles home the third and deciding run. Aaron has a fine day at bat (3 for 4), but not on the bases. Leading off the 7th, with the Braves down, 3 - 0, he singles but is quickly picked off by Bob Veale. Three innings before, he is burned in even more embarrassing fashion on a play which involves four future Hall of Famers. Charley Feeney of the Post Gazette writes: "Hank led off the 4th with a single, but on a hit-and-run, he was decoyed by both Gene Alley and Maz, who faked fielding a phantom grounder. Aaron was standing on second when Clemente caught Torre's fly ball and was easily doubled up." The one time he does manage to stay on base, representing the tying run in the 8th inning, he fails to score on Torre's double.
• 1969 - Yankee reliever Jack Aker's string of 33 scoreless innings comes to an end as the A's rally for three runs to top the Yankees, 6 - 5. Vida Blue, the A's starter, receives credit for his first major league victory.
• 1970:
  • Hank Aaron cracks two home runs and drives in five runs to lead the Braves to a 9 - 7 come-from-behind win over the visiting Cardinals. Hal King also homers to match three round trippers by St. Louis.
  • The Cubs purchase 1B/OF Joe Pepitone from the Astros. Pepitone will drive in 31 runs in his first 31 games for his new team.
• 1972:
  • Brooks Robinson hits a two-out home run in the 11th to give Baltimore a 4 - 3 win over the Indians. Frank Duffy hits his first major league home run for the Tribe and John Lowenstein hits a home run in the 9th to briefly give the Indians the lead.
  • The Padres take 17 innings but finally edge the Reds, 4 - 3, at Riverfront Stadium.
• 1973 - Wilbur Wood wins his 20th game of the season as the White Sox beat the Twins, 8 - 6.
• 1974 - Detroit hits four home runs in the 1st inning in an 8 - 2 win over the Indians. Al Kaline, Bill Freehan and Mickey Stanley hit consecutive home runs off Fritz Peterson, and Ed Brinkman adds another later in the inning, off Steve Kline.
• 1975 - Milwaukee's first two hitters - Don Money and Darrell Porter - crack homers off Red Sox pitcher Diego Segui. That's enough for Jim Colborn, who wins, 4 - 0.
• 1977 - Phil Niekro picks up his tenth win of the year, beating the Pirates, 5 - 3, for the Braves. But he has to strike out four Bucs in the 6th inning to do it. He strikes out Dave Parker and Bill Robinson, but after Al Oliver doubles, Rennie Stennett whiffs and reaches first when the ball eludes the catcher. Omar Moreno then makes the fourth K in the inning.
• 1978 - The Yankee Stadium crowd is pleasantly surprised as recently-resigned skipper Billy Martin returns to join in on the Old Timers' Day festivities. Much to their delight, the fans are informed that "Billy the Kid" will return as skipper in 1980.
• 1983 - Due to a dislocated thumb caused by a collision at home plate trying to score in the first game of a doubleheader against the Braves, Padres 1B Steve Garvey's consecutive game streak ends in the nightcap at 1,207.
• 1984 - The first two Phillies batters - Juan Samuel and Von Hayes - greet Montreal's Bill Gullickson with home runs. Hayes adds another homer and the Phils win on a two-run pinch homer by Len Matuszek in the 9th, 6 - 4.
• 1986 - Sparky Anderson, the first manager to win the World Series in each league, also becomes the first manager to win 600 games in both the National and American Leagues when his Tigers beat the Brewers, 9 - 5.
• 1987 - The Royals trade SS Buddy Biancalana to the Astros for pitching prospect Mel Stottlemyre, Jr.
• 1988:
  • The Orioles trade pitcher Mike Boddicker to the Red Sox in return for Brady Anderson and Curt Schilling. Boddicker will have two successful years with Boston while Anderson will become a productive lead-off man for Baltimore and Schilling will become one of baseball's most dominant pitchers of his era.
  • In the Cubs' 8 - 3 win over Kevin Gross and the host Phillies, Rick Sutcliffe swipes home, the first pitcher since Pascual Perez in 1984 to steal home. It comes on the front end of a double steal with Mitch Webster. Sutcliffe is the first Cubs pitcher to steal home since Hippo Vaughn in 1919.
• 1989:
  • The White Sox trade their all-time home run leader, Harold Baines, and IF Fred Manrique to the Rangers for IF Scott Fletcher, OF Sammy Sosa, and P Wilson Alvarez.
  • Oakland's formidable Rickey Henderson has no official at-bats, but scores four times on four walks and five stolen bases. It's all for naught as the Mariners swamp Oakland, 14 - 6. Randy Johnson is the winner.
• 1990 - At Detroit, the Red Sox bang out 12 doubles, setting an American League record, in a 13 - 3 win over the Tigers. Wade Boggs has three, while Tim Naehring, Jody Reed and Ellis Burks each have two. Greg Harris wins easily. The previous AL record was 11, set on July 14, 1934 by Detroit against New York. The 12 two-baggers will be tied in 1996 by Cleveland.
• 1991:
  • The Mariners hit four consecutive doubles in an inning of their 11 - 4 victory over the Orioles, falling one shy of the major league record.
  • During a game at Yankee Stadium, Oakland OF Jose Canseco is bombarded with assorted objects by unruly fans. Included among the objects are an inflatable doll, a transistor radio, and a head of cabbage. Oakland escapes with a 10 - 8 victory, and Canseco strokes a double in four at bats.
• 1993:
  • The Phils complete a three-game sweep of the Cardinals and now lead the National League East by seven games.
  • Reds P Tom Browning is arrested for possession of marijuana.
• 1995:
  • Toronto defeats Oakland in an 18 - 11 slugfest at the SkyDome. A's P John Briscoe allows two runs in the 6th inning without letting a ball leave the infield. He allows an IF hit, a walk, a hit batsman, another walk and another hit batsman.
  • Star P Osvaldo Fernandez of the Cuban national team defects as his team plays Team USA in Millington, Tennessee.
  • The Royals top the Tigers, 5 - 4, on Jon Nunnally's home run in the 16th inning, Kansas City's first extra-base hit in the game following 21 singles, including five by OF Vince Coleman. The American League record is 26 set by the Brewers in 1992. Nine players hit in the ninth slot, including winning pitcher Hipolito Pichardo, who bats twice. He is the first Royals' pitcher to go to the plate since Mark Littell in 1977, though infielder David Howard, who tossed two innings in 1994, batted while pitching.
• 1996:
  • After a mild heart attack last month, Tommy Lasorda, 68-year-old Dodger manager of twenty years, announces his retirement due to his health. Bill Russell is named as his replacement.
  • The Indians trade 2B Carlos Baerga and IF Alvaro Espinoza to the Mets in exchange for 3B Jeff Kent and SS Jose Vizcaino. Baerga, a former All-Star, is last in hitting and fielding among American League second basemen.
  • In the Reds' 2 - 1 loss to the Astros, Reds infielder Chris Sabo shatters his bat in the 2nd inning strewing pieces of cork over the field. He'll be suspended for seven games for using a corked bat.
• 1997:
  • The Mariners and Randy Johnson knuckle under to Tim Wakefield and the Red Sox, 4 - 0. Mo Vaughn's two-run homer is the big blow for Boston.
  • The Rangers ship Ken Hill, 16-10 last year, to the Angels for C Jim Leyritz and a player to be named later. Hill has struggled to a 5-8 record this season. Leyritz is insurance in case the Rangers can't sign Ivan Rodriguez, but they will ink Pudge in two days to a five-year deal worth $42 million.
  • The Blue Jays pick up veteran Mariano Duncan from the Yankees for cash and a minor leaguer.
  • The Orioles purchase veteran Harold Baines from the White Sox. Baines is hitting .305 for Chicago.
  • Pedro Martinez strikes out 13 Rockies, including Andres Galarraga four times, in Montreal's 3 - 0 win. Martinez gives up just three hits in going all the way.
• 1998:
  • The White Sox swap P Matt Karchner to the Cubs for P Jon Garland, the Cubs' first-round pick (tenth overall) in the 1997 amateur draft.
  • After 16 straight starts without a win, Devil Rays pitcher Tony Saunders gives up just five hits in 6 2/3 inning in a 6 - 0 win over Oakland. He'll end the year at 6-15.
• 1999:
  • The Athletics obtain P Omar Olivares and IF Randy Velarde from the Angels in exchange for P Elvin Nina and OFs Jeff DaVanon and Nathan Haynes.
  • Thirteen National League umpires lose their jobs as the resignations they tendered on July 14th are accepted.
• 2000:
  • The Brewers hold Bob Wickman All-Star Poster Night a day after the team trades their All-Star reliever to the Indians.
  • The White Sox trade catcher Brook Fordyce and three minor league pitchers to the Orioles for catcher Charles Johnson and DH Harold Baines.
  • The Cardinals obtain P Mike Timlin from the Orioles for 1B Chris Richard and P Mark Nussbeck.
  • Recently-acquired Mets make good first impressions as Mike Bordick goes 2 for 3, including a homer on the first pitch he sees as a Met, and Rick White pitches a scoreless inning to get the win; the other newcomer, Bubba Trammell, will homer in his first at-bat in his Mets debut tomorrow.
  • The Pirates defeat the Padres, 10 - 2, as OF Brian Giles goes 5 for 5 with a pair of doubles.
• 2001 - A career utility player who's making the most of his opportunity to play this year in place of the injured Edgardo Alfonzo, second baseman Desi Relaford makes several key contributions to a dramatic, back-and-forth, 6 - 5 nailbiter between the Mets and Phillies. After Relaford's tremendous over-the-shoulder inning-ending grab robs Philly of two runs in the 6th, he goes to even greater lengths to break the tie he's just preserved: after his one-out, 7th-inning, hit-and-run single moves Lenny Harris to third and brings up Mike Piazza, New York's number one run producer produces a tailor-made 4-6-3, inning-ending double play grounder. Long before Relaford can reach second, shortstop Jimmy Rollins receives the throw and crosses the bag, continuing on another ten to twelve feet past the bag and at least seven feet clear of the baseline before turning and making the transfer from glove to hand. As the unsuspecting shortstop winds up to throw, Relaford, his left arm dragging the baseline to which his fully-extended body is perfectly perpendicular, suddenly enters the picture, sliding/tumbling past on his way to second base. Just as Rollins is about to unload, Desi fully extends his right toe, hooks Rollins' right shin and completely turns him around. When he comes to rest, the Phillies' shortstop is facing the now unoccupied third base as its previous tenant, Lenny Harris, crosses home plate. The resulting 3 - 2 Mets lead will last exactly two batters into the next half-inning as John Franco coughs it up on Scott Rolen's no-out, two-run homer. Tsuyoshi Shinjo hits a towering, two-run homer in the 8th, but New York's Armando Benitez blows the save and Relaford must come to the rescue yet again, turning a double play to get Benitez out of further trouble, thus setting the stage for redemption in the form of Mike Piazza's walk-off home run.
• 2002:
  • The Phillies trade 27-year-old third baseman Scott Rolen along with minor league reliever Doug Nickle to the Cardinals in exchange for infielder Placido Polanco, southpaw Bud Smith and reliever Mike Timlin. Reportedly, the former Philadelphia third sacker rejected a ten-year pact estimated to be worth $140 million due to his feud with manager Larry Bowa.
  • The White Sox trade C Sandy Alomar Jr. to the Rockies. In return, Chicago gets P Enemencio Pacheco.
  • The text of the letter signed by 40 Hall of Famers and sent to baseball commissioner Bud Selig and union head Donald Fehr urges all sides "to protect the game we all love and have given so much to, we suggest you agree to a qualified mediator that will allow you to find the common ground necessary to avoid a work stoppage" is released. The former outstanding players, who include Reggie Jackson, Willie Mays and Warren Spahn, believe another work stoppage would be a terrible mistake.
• 2004 - In a 10 - 1 victory over the Expos, Eric Valent becomes the eighth player in franchise history to hit for the cycle. After singling in the 2nd, doubling in the 3rd and homering in the 5th, the Mets reserve triples in the 7th to join David Bell of the Phillies, Daryle Ward of the Pirates and Chad Moeller of the Brewers in accomplishing the feat this season.
• 2007:
  • Barry Bonds remains stuck at 754 home runs, going 1 for 4 in a loss to the Marlins. It is his last chance to tie Hank Aaron's record at a home game before a visit to Dodger Stadium. Bonds manages to get his one hit on an infield single, showing he can still run.
  • Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. are inducted into the Hall of Fame.
  • Ichiro Suzuki collects the 1,500th hit of his major league career, a single off of Lenny DiNardo. It comes in his 1,060th game. Only two players - Al Simmons (1,040) and George Sisler (1,048) - have accumulated 1,500 hits in fewer games.
  • Major League Baseball sets a single-day attendance record as 717,478 fans show up for 17 games. It easily breaks the 640,412 record set on July 3, 1999.
  • The Dutch national team tops the USA College National Team, 9 - 3. It is notable for two things: Dirk van 't Klooster plays in his 163rd game for the Netherlands, tying the record held by Marcel Joost; and it is the first visit by the Dutch team to the USA for a head-to-head series. The US took the first game of the series easily, then Dave Draijer blew a late 1 - 0 lead in the second game, which the USA won, 2 - 1. Dave Bergman tosses six shutout innings in the finale while 1B Percy Isenia drives in 3 and LF Harvey Monte raps three hits.
• 2008:
  • Ichiro Suzuki raps the 3,000th hit of his career, combining the major leagues (1,722) and Japan's Pacific League (1,278). Isao Harimoto was the only player to collect 3,000 or more hits in Nippon Pro Baseball, putting Ichiro second all-time in hits by a Japanese player in top-tier baseball leagues.
  • For the second straight season, Mark Teixeira is traded at the deadline. This time, he goes from the Braves to the Angels for young 1B Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Steve Marek.
• 2009:
  • With the July 31st trading deadline fast approaching, teams are busy dealing. The Phillies acquire 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee from Cleveland, along with OF Ben Francisco, in return for four minor league prospects: Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Jason Donald and Jason Knapp. The Pirates dismantle their middle infield by sending All-Star 2B Freddy Sanchez to the Giants for top pitching prospect Tim Alderson, and SS Jack Wilson and P Ian Snell to Seattle for SS Ronny Cedeno, C-1B Jeff Clement and three minor league pitchers - Aaron Pribanic, Brett Lorin and Nathan Adcock.
  • In a thriller in St. Louis, the Cardinals rally from a 1 - 0 deficit with two outs in the 9th against Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton. A broken-bat single by Colby Rasmus sends the game into extra innings, negating a great start by Clayton Kershaw, who pitches eight scoreless innings for Los Angeles, helped by a magnificent leaping catch by slugger Manny Ramirez at the LF fence that robs St. Louis of at least two runs in the 7th. Both teams score in the 11th, then in the 15th, Brendan Ryan leads off with a triple, and, two outs later, Albert Pujols hits a single off Jeff Weaver to end the marathon, handing Blake Hawksworth the 3 - 2 victory, his first in the big leagues.
• 2010:
  • The Orioles announce that they have hired Buck Showalter as their new manager. He will take over for interim skipper Juan Samuel on August 3rd.
  • There is a frenzy of deals in anticipation of the trading deadline. The Phillies acquire P Roy Oswalt from the Astros for P J.A. Happ and minor leaguers Anthony Gose and Jonathan Villar; the Astros then flip Gose to Toronto for another top prospect, 1B Brett Wallace. In other deals, the Rangers acquire Jorge Cantu from the Marlins for minor leaguers Evan Reed and Omar Poveda; the Twins bolster their bullpen with All-Star closer Matt Capps, pried from Washington for young C Wilson Ramos; and the Padres obtain veteran infielder Miguel Tejada from Baltimore for minor league P Wynn Pelzer.
• 2011:
  • Two hitting streaks of more than 20 games end today, and a new one is born. Boston's Dustin Pedroia goes 0 for 4 to end his streak at 25 games in a 3 - 1 loss to the White Sox. The Marlins' Emilio Bonifacio is also kept hitless in a 5 - 0 loss to the Braves, ending his streak at 26 games, the second-longest in team history. During that game, Atlanta 2B Dan Uggla hits a three-run homer to get a hit in his 20th straight game in support of Brandon Beachy's pitching.
  • The Phillies acquire All-Star RF Hunter Pence from the Astros for prospects Jarred Cosart, Jonathan Singleton and Josh Zeid and a player to be named later. They then beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 10 - 3, as Chase Utley has a triple and homer among his 3 hits and Roy Halladay picks up his 13th win.
• 2012:
  • The Astros end a 12-game losing streak, the longest in team history, with a 9 - 5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Lucas Harrell, the team's most effective starter this season, gets credit for the rare win, as the Astros were 2-25 since June 28th before winning today. Jordan Schafer has a homer and three RBI. Before the game, the Astros make their third trade in a week, sending 3B Chris Johnson to the Arizona Diamondbacks in return for two minor league OFs, Bobby Borchering and Marc Krauss.
  • Heading the opposite direction are division rivals the Reds, who win their tenth straight in defeating the Rockies, 7 - 2, behind Mat Latos. They have won 17 of their last 19, consolidating their hold on first place in the NL Central, in spite of the absence of their best player, Joey Votto.
  • Clayton Kershaw pitches a five-hit shutout against the Giants to bring the Dodgers into a tie for first place with San Francisco in the NL West.
• 2013:
  • Jason Giambi becomes the oldest player to hit a walk-off homer when he connects off Ramon Troncoso as a pinch-hitter leading off the 9th to give Cleveland a 3 - 2 win over the White Sox. The 42-year-old Giambi is a few days older than Hank Aaron was when he ended a game with a homer in 1976.
  • The Rays re-take first place in the AL East from Boston with a 2 - 1 win in a make-up game at Fenway Park. On a controversial play in the 8th, pinch-runner Daniel Nava appears to slide under the tag of catcher Jose Molina with the game-tying run, but umpire Jerry Meals thinks otherwise. Manager John Farrell is ejected for arguing the call; after the game, Meals recognizes that he was wrong.
• 2014 - The Cubs win the longest game in team history, 4 - 3, as the 16 innings take 6 hours and 27 minutes to complete, 17 minutes longer than a 21-inning game played over two days in 1982; it's also the record for a Rockies game. Catcher John Baker is pressed into mound duty in the 16th and earns the win when he scores the winning run after leading the bottom of the inning with a walk and is driven home on Starlin Castro's sacrifice fly.
• 2015:
  • It's another day of deals as the trading deadline is getting nearer. The biggest name to move is P Cole Hamels, who goes from the Phillies to the Rangers along with reliever Jake Diekman in return for P Matt Harrison and five prospects. The Dodgers land a couple of big names, as P Mat Latos and OF/1B Mike Morse come over from Miami; however, by the time this trade is finalized a day later, it will have turned into a three-team extravaganza involving 13 players. The Royals also continue their fine-tuning, sending P Joe Blanton, who is now supernumerary after the acquisition of Johnny Cueto a few days ago, to the Pirates for cash considerations.
  • Another trade almost gets consumed, as the Mets are on the verge of trading IF Wilmer Flores and P Zack Wheeler to Milwaukee for OF Carlos Gomez. The rumor of the deal sweeps through the stands at Citi Field, and Flores breaks into tears on the field as he does not want to leave a team that has grown into a contender. The trade falls through, however, and the Mets lose, 7 - 3, to San Diego in spite of three homers by Lucas Duda.
• 2016 - The Marlins and Padres pull off a big trade, as San Diego sends starting pitchers Andrew Cashner, Tayron Guerrero and Colin Rea to Miami in return for Ps Carter Capps and Jarred Cosart and prospects Josh Naylor and Luis Castillo. The latter two will turn out to be the most valuable pieces in the deal.
• 2018:
  • The Hall of Fame inducts one of the largest classes in its history before a crowd of more than 50,000 in Cooperstown, NY. Honored are Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones, Jack Morris, Jim Thome and Alan Trammell, four of them having been elected by the BBWAA and Morris and Trammell by the Veterans Committee.
  • Sean Newcomb of the Braves is one strike away from throwing a no-hitter when Chris Taylor hits a single with two outs in the 9th on Newcomb's 134th pitch of the game. He is lifted immediately afterwards but ends up a 4 - 1 winner over the Dodgers.
  • With Puerto Rico having locked up Gold at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games three days prior, the Silver and Bronze Medals are up for grabs still entering the last game. It features 12-time champion Cuba and host Colombia, whose only prior Medal in the event was a Gold back in 1946. Cuba's Freddy Asiel Alvarez, Vladimir García and Raidel Martínez hold the hosts to one run (a homer by Reynaldo Rodríguez) in a 3 - 1 victory. Colombia's Randy Consuegra, who had pitched 12 1/3 shutout innings in the Games, starts on only two days' rest and lasts only four innings, giving up two runs. Veteran Frederich Cepeda homers late while Roel Santos goes 2 for 4 with a walk and a run. It is only Cuba's second Silver, having won mostly Golds in the past, while it still marks Colombia's second-best finish ever at the Central American and Caribbean Games.
• 2019:
  • One day after their surprise acquisition of Marcus Stroman, the Mets deal with their surplus of starting pitchers by sending Jason Vargas to the Phillies in return for AA catcher Austin Bossart, who is hitting .195.
  • The Peruvian national team makes their Pan American Games debut. The 2019 Pan American Games host comes out surprisingly strong, trailing the powerful Dominican national team only 3 - 1 after six innings as Ken Ishihara keeps a lineup loaded with MLB veterans mostly in check. The bullpen is not as sharp as the final score is 10 - 3. Ángel Castro gets the win while Ronny Paulino has three runs and four RBI. In a rematch of last year's Central American and Caribbean Games Bronze/Silver Medal matchup, Colombia avenges its loss by beating Cuba, 6 - 1, behind the pitching of José Calero while Christian Correa leads the offense. In the other game today, defending champion Team Canada routs Argentina, 10 - 0, as Philippe Aumont and RJ Freure combine on a five-hitter and Tristan Pompey goes 4 for 4.
• 2021:
  • The Israeli national team makes its Olympic debut in fine form, taking defending Gold Medalist South Korea to extra innings in a 5 - 4 loss. Ryan Lavarnway homers twice and Ian Kinsler hits a solo shot for Israel, while South Korea also gets three homers, from Ji-hwan Oh, Jung-hoo Lee and Hyun-soo Kim. Israeli starter Jon Moscot is injured after facing just one batter but the bullpen does well. The winning run scores in the bottom of the 10th when Jeremy Bleich hits Eui-ji Yang with the bases loaded to force in Kun-woo Park; the win goes to Seung-hwan Oh, one of the few players remaining from the team that took Gold in Beijing in 2008.
  • The Yankees made the two biggest moves ahead of the trade deadline tomorrow, acquiring OF Joey Gallo and P Joely Rodriguez in return for four prospects in a deal with the Rangers, and 1B Anthony Rizzo from the Cubs in return for two other young players. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are also active, obtaining slugging OF Kyle Schwarber, who is currently on the injured list, from the Nationals.
• 2022:
  • Aaron Judge hits two more homers in leading the Yankees to an 11 - 5 win over the Royals. He now has 41 on the season, tying the American League record for most before the end of July held by Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx and Ken Griffey Jr. Judge will set a new record with another homer tomorrow.
  • As expected, the Reds trade their only All-Star, P Luis Castillo, sending him to Seattle in return for four prospects.
  • In the semifinals of the 2022 South American Championship, Brazilian national team veteran Marcelo Arai is one out away from a perfect game against Peru when Gustavo Landin reaches on an error. Arai gets the next out to wrap up the no-hit, no-walk gem; he will be named MVP of the Championship when Brazil takes the title tomorrow.
• 2023 - The Rangers acquire P Max Scherzer from the Mets in return for IF Luisangel Acuna, the brother of the Braves' Ronald Acuna.
• 2024 - Its another day with numerous trades in the majors, as the Dodgers are the latest team to get into the act. They engineer a three-team deal with the White Sox and Cardinals which results in three veterans leaving Chicago - Ps Erick Fedde and Michael Kopech and OF Tommy Pham; the Dodgers flip Fedde and Pham to the Cards in return for IF Tommy Edman, while the Sox end up with three prospects from L.A. for now (the deal also includes a number of players to be named later), headlined by IF Miguel Vargas. The Dodgers also obtain IF Amed Rosario from the Rays, bringing back a player they had added at last year's trading deadline. Toronto continues to shed veterans, sending DH Justin Turner to Seattle and P Yusei Kikuchi to Houston, the last deal bringing back three players including P Jake Bloss and OF Joey Loperfido who both made their debut earlier this season. Also, the Braves bring back two of the heroes of their 2021 World Series triumph, getting OF Jorge Soler and P Luke Jackson from the Giants in return for P Tyler Matzek and a prospect.

Births

• 1837 - John Lowell, umpire (d. 1915)
• 1851 - John Greason, pitcher (d. 1889)
• 1864 - Will Sawyer, pitcher (d. 1936)
• 1866 - Sam Dungan, outfielder (d. 1939)
• 1868 - George Rettger, pitcher (d. 1921)
• 1877 - Earl Moore, pitcher (d. 1961)
• 1878 - Frank Martin, infielder (d. 1942)
• 1880 - Ed Donnelly, pitcher (d. 1957)
• 1880 - Jack Meyers, catcher (d. 1971)
• 1886 - Fred Smith, infielder (d. 1961)
• 1887 - George Cutshaw, infielder (d. 1973)
• 1894 - Bill McIvor, minor league pitcher (d. 1975)
• 1895 - Dutch Stryker, pitcher (d. 1964)
• 1896 - Eugene Keeton, pitcher (d. ????)
• 1897 - Jim Hamby, catcher (d. 1991)
• 1899 - Walter Beall, pitcher (d. 1959)
• 1902 - Luther Roy, pitcher (d. 1963)
• 1911 - Roy Henshaw, pitcher (d. 1993)
• 1911 - Jack Crosswhite, minor league catcher and manager (d. 1971)
• 1914 - Cedric Tallis, general manager (d. 1991)
• 1917 - Buck Frierson, outfielder (d. 1996)
• 1920 - Joe Borich, minor league catcher and manager (d. 1995)
• 1920 - Erv Dusak, outfielder (d. 1994)
• 1921 - Jim LaMarque, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2000)
• 1926 - Don Carter, minor league pitcher-infielder (d. 2012)
• 1928 - Gene Bennett, scout (d. 2017)
• 1928 - Ken Landenberger, infielder (d. 1960)
• 1929 - Randy Cooper, minor league outfielder (d. 2014)
• 1930 - Bruce Holt, US national team player (d. 2021)
• 1932 - Jack Bordieri, minor league pitcher (d. 2009)
• 1932 - Tom Mulcahy, minor league pitcher; scout (d. 2021)
• 1934 - Felix Mantilla, infielder; All-Star
• 1937 - Bruce Cranshaw, minor league outfielder (d. 2018)
• 1938 - Medardo Nava, minor league catcher (d. 2016)
• 1938 - Don Wert, infielder; All-Star (d. 2024)
• 1939 - Akitada Niiyama, NPB pitcher (d. 2000)
• 1943 - Bill Whitby, pitcher (d. 2016)
• 1945 - Roy Foster, outfielder
• 1946 - Harvey Shank, pitcher
• 1948 - Hisashi Yamada, NPB pitcher; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
• 1951 - Dan Driessen, infielder
• 1951 - Ken Kravec, pitcher
• 1951 - Greg Minton, pitcher; All-Star
• 1951 - Gary Thomasson, outfielder
• 1956 - Jeff Jones, pitcher
• 1959 - Dave LaPoint, pitcher
• 1960 - Daryl Smith, pitcher
• 1962 - Shinji Hata, NPB outfielder
• 1962 - Randy McCament, pitcher
• 1963 - Steve Frey, pitcher
• 1963 - Tommy Gregg, outfielder
• 1963 - Scott Nichols, scout
• 1965 - Luis Alicea, infielder
• 1965 - Brian Wood, minor league pitcher
• 1966 - Scott Cepicky, minor league infielder
• 1966 - Myung-soo Lee, KBO infielder
• 1967 - Eric Stone, minor league pitcher
• 1967 - Marc Delpiano, minor league infielder
• 1967 - Saul Valenzuela, minor league pitcher
• 1969 - Mike Williams, pitcher; All-Star
• 1970 - Todd Dunn, outfielder
• 1970 - Pedro Pena, minor league pitcher
• 1970 - Steve Wojciechowski, pitcher
• 1971 - Johnny Ruffin, pitcher
• 1971 - Yuji Yoshioka, NPB infielder
• 1973 - Ken Kadokura, NPB pitcher
• 1974 - Jason Gooding, minor league pitcher
• 1975 - Seth Greisinger, pitcher
• 1975 - Joe Messman, minor league pitcher
• 1975 - Mike Munson, minor league catcher
• 1976 - Cameron Saska, drafted pitcher
• 1977 - Tomoki Hoshino, NPB pitcher
• 1978 - Mike Adams, pitcher
• 1980 - Ryan Braun, pitcher
• 1980 - Eduardo Capdevila, Argentinian national team coach
• 1981 - Glenn Fernandez, Guam national team pitcher
• 1981 - Steve Obenchain, minor league pitcher
• 1982 - Pete Maki, coach
• 1983 - Seong-gui Yoon, South Korean national team pitcher
• 1984 - Toby Basner, umpire
• 1984 - Chad Billingsley, pitcher; All-Star
• 1984 - Mark Hamilton, infielder
• 1985 - Yuan-Yi Su, CPBL infielder
• 1986 - Charlie Cutler, minor league catcher
• 1986 - Masahiko Morifuku, NPB pitcher
• 1986 - David Thomas, minor league outfielder
• 1987 - Timothy Brewer, Virgin Islands national team pitcher
• 1988 - Jeff Mottl, Great Britain national team pitcher
• 1988 - Pete Woodworth, coach
• 1989 - Eric Jokisch, pitcher
• 1989 - Chi-Wei Lin Wang, CPBL infielder
• 1989 - Brice Lorienne, Division Elite outfielder-infielder
• 1989 - Zach Petrick, minor league pitcher
• 1990 - Jacob Wilson, infielder
• 1991 - Barrett Barnes, minor league outfielder
• 1991 - Drew Cisco, minor league pitcher
• 1992 - Chris Anderson, minor league pitcher
• 1992 - Chia-Yen Cheng, CPBL pitcher
• 1993 - Alex Rubanowitz, Extraliga infielder
• 1994 - José Mendoza, minor league pitcher
• 1995 - Tyson Miller, pitcher
• 1995 - Tzu-Hao Chen, CPBL outfielder
• 1997 - Tommy Henry, pitcher
• 1998 - Sixto Sanchez, pitcher
• 1998 - Jack Suwinski, outfielder
• 1998 - Will Wagner, infielder
• 1999 - Baek-ho Kang, KBO outfielder
• 2000 - Joe Rock, minor league pitcher
• 2002 - Adam Musa, Palestinian national team pitcher

Deaths

• 1891 - Steve Matthias, infielder (b. 1860)
• 1901 - Alonzo Slote, pre-MLB player (b. 1830)
• 1909 - Harry Pulliam, executive (b. 1864)
• 1921 - Conny Doyle, outfielder (b. 1862)
• 1934 - Walt McCredie, outfielder (b. 1876)
• 1937 - Pete Fries, pitcher (b. 1857)
• 1939 - John Sowders, pitcher (b. 1866)
• 1947 - George Bausewine, pitcher (b. 1869)
• 1948 - Arnie Stone, pitcher (b. 1892)
• 1954 - Babe Borton, infielder (b. 1888)
• 1957 - Joel Parkey, minor league infielder (b. 1938/1939)
• 1957 - Tommy Thevenow, infielder (b. 1903)
• 1959 - Boileryard Clarke, catcher (b. 1868)
• 1962 - Burt Shotton, outfielder, manager (b. 1884)
• 1964 - Vean Gregg, pitcher (b. 1885)
• 1967 - Ray Kolp, pitcher (b. 1894)
• 1968 - Bill Hart, infielder (b. 1913)
• 1969 - Doug Sydnor, outfielder (b. 1919)
• 1970 - Charley Moore, infielder (b. 1884)
• 1973 - Don Fisher, pitcher (b. 1916)
• 1976 - Jesse Baker, infielder (b. 1895)
• 1976 - Elmer Myers, pitcher (b. 1894)
• 1978 - Charlie Bold, infielder (b. 1894)
• 1982 - Lute Boone, infielder (b. 1890)
• 1990 - Maceo Clark, pitcher (b. 1897)
• 1996 - Bill Jackowski, umpire (b. 1914)
• 1998 - Toshiaki Moriyasu, NPB pitcher (b. 1947)
• 2001 - Gerik Baxter, minor league pitcher (b. 1980)
• 2001 - Pete Hughes, minor league outfielder (b. 1915)
• 2003 - George Maloney, umpire (b. 1928)
• 2003 - Jim Pruett, catcher (b. 1917)
• 2006 - Ryohei Hasegawa, NPB pitcher and manager; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1930)
• 2007 - Bill Robinson, outfielder (b. 1943)
• 2008 - Dick McCleney, minor league pitcher (b. 1929)
• 2008 - Earlene Risinger, AAGPBL pitcher (b. 1927)
• 2008 - Lee Wheat, pitcher (b. 1929)
• 2014 - Dan Hagan, minor league infielder (b. 1939)
• 2017 - Urbano Lugo Sr., minor league pitcher (b. 1939)
• 2017 - Lee May, infielder; All-Star (b. 1943)
• 2018 - Umberto Calzolari, Serie A pitcher (b. 1938)
• 2020 - Mike Gillespie, college coach (b. 1940)