June 23

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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 June 23.

Events

• 1903 - The Boston Americans take - and hold - the American League lead. They will finish 14 1/2 games ahead of the Philadelphia Athletics.
• 1904 - The first-place Giants run their win streak to eight games, beating Boston, 6 - 2. Christy Mathewson allows nine hits, strikes out nine, and drives in two runs with a 6th-inning single.
• 1906:
  • At the Polo Grounds, the Giants whip the Phils, 5 - 0, in a match that takes one hour, 20 minutes. Christy Mathewson allows six hits in outpitching Lew Richie.
  • The Browns' Harry Howell allows 11 hits in shutting out Cleveland, 9 - 0.
• 1908 - The Doves and Giants split a doubleheader at the Polo Grounds, with the Giants taking the opener, 6 - 3, and Boston winning the nitecap, 9 - 7. Christy Mathewson preserves Joe McGinnity's win in the first game, pitching a perfect 9th inning; in the nitecap, he relieves Luther Taylor in the 9th with the score 7 - 7, but the Braves score twice for the win. Fred Merkle cracks his first major league homer, against Patsy Flaherty, in the nitecap.
• 1909 - At the Polo Grounds, Christy Mathewson wins a doubleheader against Boston. Matty relieves Rube Marquard in the opener with the score tied 4 - 4 in the 9th. After shutting down Boston, the Giants score a run for the 5 - 4 win. Matty then coasts in the nitecap to an 11 - 1 win. Mathewson leaves after two innings with a 4 - 1 lead, and Doc Crandall operates the rest of the way. The official scorer awards the game to Christy.
• 1910 - Giants 3B Art Devlin and two teammates are jailed for attacking a Washington Park fan who had been verbally abusing them during an 8 - 2 triumph over the Superbas.
• 1915:
  • For the fifth time this month, and sixth time this year, Ty Cobb steals home, doing it in a 4 - 2 Tiger win over the St. Louis Browns. Cobb scores another run when Sam Crawford hits back to Browns P Grover Lowdermilk, who somersaults after catching the grounder and sits on the mound holding the ball. Cobb scores all the way from second base on the play.
• 1915:
  • Philadelphia Athletics lefty Bruno Haas makes his debut against New York a memorable one as he walks a record 16 batters, and throws three wild pitches. He goes all the way in a 15 - 7 loss, his only major league decision. Haas breaks the American League record of 15 walks, set by Boardwalk Brown and ties Bill George's major league record. Haas will pitch in just five more games before ending up in the NFL as a halfback for Akron.
• 1916:
  • Ernie Shore blanks the A's, 1 - 0, the third straight shutout for Red Sox pitchers.
  • Chicago pitcher Tom Seaton provides the edge by stealing home in the 6th inning to help beat the Reds, 2 - 1. The second game at Wrigley Field is postponed.
  • Pitching for San Francisco, Skeeter Fanning fires his second Pacific Coast League no-hitter in three years, beating Vernon, 4 - 1. Fanning no-hit Portland on October 25, 1914.
• 1917 - In the first of two games at Boston, Babe Ruth starts for the Red Sox and walks the leadoff man, griping to plate umpire Brick Owens after each pitch. On ball four, Ruth plants a right to the umpire's head, and is ejected. Ernie Shore comes in to pitch. Ray Morgan is then caught stealing, and Shore retires all 26 men he faces in a 4 - 0 win, getting credit in the books for a perfect game (the ruling will later be changed, giving the two pitchers a combined no-hitter, but no perfect game). Boston's Dutch Leonard then beats Walter Johnson, 5 - 0, in the nitecap. Ruth is suspended for his actions, a ban that will last nine days. He also is fined $100.
• 1919:
  • White Sox CF Happy Felsch handles a record-tying 12 chances in a nine-inning game. Only Harry Bay of Cleveland in 1904 has ever been so busy.
  • Red Sox 1B Stuffy McInnis makes his first error of the year after handling 526 chances flawlessly.
• 1927:
  • With the help of a 3rd-inning triple play, the Tigers down the White Sox, 6 - 5, in 11 innings. Ted Lyons loses again, to reliever Earl Whitehill.
  • At Boston, Lou Gehrig leads New York to an 11 - 4 victory by hitting three home runs, a first at Fenway Park. Gehrig hits a two-run homer in the 2nd, and solo shots in the 6th and 8th, off Danny MacFayden. He adds a single to his total as Dutch Ruether coasts to the win.
• 1930:
  • With two outs in the 6th inning, Brooklyn makes ten hits in succession against Pittsburgh to equal the major league record. The Robins begin the 7th inning with two more after the 6th inning ends with a runner tagged out at the plate. They win, 19 - 6. Babe Herman hits two home runs during the streak.
  • Hack Wilson hits for the cycle with two singles, a double, triple, and homer, and drives in six as the Cubs whip the Phils, 21 - 8, at Wrigley Field.
• 1932:
  • Goose Goslin of the St. Louis Browns hits three home runs in a game for the third time.
  • Waite Hoyt signs with the Giants.
  • Lou Gehrig plays his 1,103rd successive game in a New York uniform, equaling Joe Sewell's record with one team (Cleveland).
• 1933:
  • The Senators take over first place, winning their third in a row over the White Sox while the Yankees break even in St. Louis. Joe Cronin leads the way with his fifth consecutive multi-hit game. With his two hits today matching his output on the 18th, and 13 hits in the three games of the 19th, 21st and 22nd, Cronin sets the record for most hits in three games (13) as well as four games (15).
  • In a doubleheader split with the Braves, Tex Carleton pitches the Cards to a 12 - 0 win in the first game. The Braves' Bob Brown ties the National League balk mark with two; Adrian Zabala will top it in 1949. Boston wins the nitecap, 2 - 1.
  • The Cubs sweep with the Phillies, winning the opener, 9 - 5, on Harvey Hendrick's pinch grand slam in the 10th inning. It is the second pinch grand slam in major league history and the second for the Cubs in three years. Chicago takes the nitecap, 3 - 1.
• 1934 - The Cards beat the Dodgers, 5 - 4, with the win originally credited to Bill Hallahan, who relieves in the 6th inning and gives up a run. In the bottom half, the Cards score five runs, and Dizzy Dean comes in and shuts out Brooklyn in the last three innings. The official scorer refers the decision on the winning pitcher to National League president John Heydler, who gives it to Dean, eventually making his 30-win season possible. Heydler's telegram reads in part: "Dean pitched great ball during three innings to protect one-run lead and is winner. Hallahan pitched one inning rather poorly and did not stand to lose the game even had he continued."
• 1935:
  • At Chicago, the White and Red Sox divide a pair, the Pale Hose winning the opener, 4 - 2, then losing, 8 - 2. Ted Lyons takes the opener, beating Wes Ferrell, then Boston hands John Whitehead his fifth straight defeat. Whitehead had started his major league career with eight straight wins.
  • The Senators capitalize on 11 walks to defeat the Tigers, 12 - 7. Hank Greenberg makes it close with a 9th-inning grand slam off Bump Hadley.
  • Alabama Pitts, the celebrated ex-convict, makes his debut with Albany in a twinbill with Syracuse. He has two hits and makes two spectacular catches in CF in the opener, then goes hitless in the nitecap. Manager Johnny Evers enthuses, "I tell you he's a sure shot for the big leagues." Alas, Pitts will only play in the minor leagues.
  • The league-leading Yanks (37-22) lose their third in a row, dropping a 6 - 5 decision to the second-place Indians. Red Rolfe's error in the 8th allows the Tribe to tie and Lefty Gomez lets loose two wild pitches in a row in the 9th to allow Joe Vosmik to get to third base. Ab Wright's single brings home the winner. Mel Harder, in relief in the 9th, wins his 11th.
  • The Giants' Fred Fitzsimmons picks up his fourth victory of the year, stopping the Cubs on 11 hits and winning, 8 - 0. All of Freddie's victories have been shutouts.
• 1938 - The Cubs sweep two at home against the Giants, winning, 7 - 4 and 3 - 1. Bill Lee is the victor in the opener, topping Harry Gumbert, while Dizzy Dean bests Hal Schumacher in the second game.
• 1940:
  • In Cleveland, 56,659 watch the Indians split with Boston. Cleveland wins the opener, 4 - 1, for their eighth win in a row, then Boston wins the nitecap, 2 - 0, on two Jim Tabor home runs. In the first game, Ted Williams and Doc Cramer collide chasing a fly ball. Williams is knocked unconscious and the ball goes for an inside-the-park home run.
  • With 52,657 in attendance at the Polo Grounds, the Giants' Billy Jurges is hit on the head by a pitch thrown by Bucky Walters of the Reds. He leaves the field on a stretcher. A shaken Walters then allows two runs and is lifted. The Giants have a 4 - 2 lead with two out in the 9th, but the Reds score five runs on six hits to win, 7 - 4. Cincy takes the second game, 2 - 0. Jurges will stay in the hospital six days and the Giants will go 39-61 and tailspin from second place to sixth after his injury.
  • Bobo Newsom wins his ninth in a row, stopping the Yankees on four hits. The Tigers move to a game and a half in back of the first-place Indians.
• 1944 - The Dodgers' Ed Head tosses a two-hitter against the Phillies as Philadelphia infielder Charlie Letchas accounts for both Phillies hits.
• 1946 - Eddie Waitkus and Marv Rickert of the Chicago Cubs hit back-to-back, inside-the-park home runs in the 4th inning, but the team loses, 15 - 10, to the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds.
• 1950:
  • Luke Easter has his second consecutive two-homer day to lead the Indians to a 13 - 4 trouncing of the Senators. Easter had two yesterday in a win over New York. Al Rosen adds a single, double, and triple to back Bob Lemon's pitching.
  • Coach Bibb Falk of the University of Texas leads his team to their second consecutive NCAA baseball title.
  • Red Sox manager Joe McCarthy resigns and Steve O'Neill takes over.
  • Eleven home runs - a major league record - drive in all the runs scored in a 10 - 9 Tiger win over the Yankees before 51,000 Detroit fans. Detroit has four home runs in the 4th inning as Dizzy Trout, Jerry Priddy, Vic Wertz and Hoot Evers connect. Pitcher Trout's home run, off Tommy Byrne, is his second lifetime grand slam. Evers hits another home run, an inside-the-park two-run game winner in the 9th off Joe Page to win it. For New York, Hank Bauer connects for two homers, including one in the 4th inning. Joe DiMaggio, Jerry Coleman, Yogi Berra and pinch hitter Tommy Henrich also belt round trippers. It is the first time that nine different players connect for homers in a game.
  • Jose Aguiar, pitching for the Newport Canners in the Mountain States League, records a 7 - 0 no-hit win versus the Big Stone Gap Rebels. Newport will then be no-hit by Tom Dunovant of the Harlan Smokies, losing 7 - 0, the very next night. Aguiar will throw another no-hitter on August 19th versus the Morristown Red Sox yet finish the season with a pedestrian 12-15 record and a 4.92 ERA.
• 1951 - Don Newcombe gives up a 1st-inning single to Ralph Kiner in beating the Bucs on a one-hitter, 13 - 1. The Dodgers jump on Bill Werle and successors for 16 hits, including homers by Carl Furillo and Rocky Bridges.
• 1954:
  • Harvey Haddix of the Cardinals yields a run to the Pirates after 37 scoreless innings, winning, 7 - 1.
  • Dodger lefty Johnny Podres undergoes an appendectomy after being knocked out in three straight starts.
  • The Red Sox pull a triple play but still lose to Baltimore in a 17-inning game that sets a new American League record for time consumed (4:58) and ties an major-league mark, set seven weeks earlier, for players used (42).
• 1956 - Hal Jeffcoat of the Cincinnati Reds hits Dodger SS Don Zimmer in the face with a pitch, breaking his cheekbone. This is the second time that Zimmer suffers an injury that nearly ends his career, and he is out for the season. The Dodgers win, 7 - 6.
• 1957:
  • Oriole Hal Brown blanks the Tigers, 6 - 0, to start a string of four shutouts for the O's staff.
  • Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi of Japan, wearing a Yankees cap, is one of 63,787 fans at Yankee Stadium to see New York split with Chicago, winning the first, 9 - 2, and dropping the second game, 4 - 3. Mickey Mantle goes 6 for 9 as the Yankees maintain their 1 1/2 game lead over Chicago. Mantle is leading the American League in hitting and homers and is one behind the Senators' Roy Sievers in RBIs.
• 1958:
  • Carl Willey of the Braves pitches a 7 - 0 shutout against the Giants in his first major league start. Another noted starter is Joe Adcock, playing LF for the first time since 1952, who climbs the fence to snag a ball. Willey gives up six hits, including Willie Mays's 1,000th career hit. Willey is relieved by Don McMahon who becomes the first pitcher to be driven to the mound, when a motor scooter with a sidecar delivers him from the bullpen.
  • The White Sox bring former Cubbie Turk Lown back to Chicago, buying him from the Redlegs. Lown will prove a valuable addition, going 9-2 for the Sox in 1959. Tomorrow, the Redlegs will buy White Sox 1B Walt Dropo.
• 1959:
  • The Yankees ride two-run homers from Mickey Mantle, Hank Bauer and Gil McDougald to a 10 - 2 win over Kansas City.
  • The perceived excessive payments of $650,000 to $1,000,000 for Candlestick Park become an issue in Mayor George Christopher's bid for reelection in San Francisco.
• 1960 - The Braves acquire Alvin Dark from the Phils for infielder Joe Morgan (the future manager, not the Hall of Famer) and cash. The cash they keep; Morgan they will sell to the Indians in August.
• 1961:
  • Cookie Lavagetto (4-6) is fired as manager of the Twins. Sam Mele again takes control of the club.
  • At home, the Cards win, 10 - 5, over the Giants. With two home runs, Stan Musial passes Lou Gehrig on the all-time list for extra-base hits. Babe Ruth remains first.
  • Ernie Banks voluntarily takes the bench as a sore knee brings his 717 consecutive games played streak to an end. The streak started August 26, 1956. The Banks-less Cubs still win, 5 - 3, over the Braves at Wrigley Field. Joe Adcock, who applied the hidden ball trick last August 31st to George Altman, nabs another Cub, Billy Williams, in the 8th.
  • Down 9 - 0, then 11 - 2, the Phillies score 4 in the 8th and 6 in the 9th to top the Pirates, 12 - 11, at Pittsburgh.
  • Louisville's Howie Bedell's 43-game hitting streak ends against Dallas-Fort Worth. Bedell ties the record of Eddie Marshall for the American Association's longest hitting streak.
• 1962:
  • Mickey Mantle returns to the Yankee lineup and homers against Paul Foytack. But it is not enough as Detroit wins, 5 - 4.
  • Larry Doby, retired from the Cleveland Indians, signs on with the Chunichi Dragons. His season batting average will be a mediocre .225.
• 1963:
  • A major league fielding record is set by Boston's 1B Dick Stuart as "Dr. Strange Glove" handles three 1st-inning grounders and tosses to P Bob Heffner for putouts each time. Stuart's teammates and Fenway Park fans give him a standing ovation. The Yankees beat the Sox, 8 - 0. Heffner is just the second pitcher to have three putouts in an inning: Boston's Jim Bagby (1940) is the other. Rick Reuschel in 1975 will be the next.
  • Dropping a 4 - 0 shutout to Bob Purkey in the first of two games at Cincinnati, the Colt .45s tie a major-league record with their fourth straight shutout loss. Houston finally breaks a 40-inning scoreless drought in the 2nd inning of the nightcap, but still loses, 8 - 1.
  • Much to the dismay of Phillies pitcher Dallas Green and commissioner Ford Frick, Mets outfielder Jimmy Piersall runs around the bases backward to celebrate his 100th career home run. The Mets will hand Jimmy his walking papers in a few days.
• 1964:
  • In the nitecap of a doubleheader, Len Gabrielson's 6th-inning single is the only hit the Cubs manage off the Phils' Ray Culp, who wins, 9 - 0.
  • Charlie Lau ties a major-league record with two pinch hits in the 8th inning of Baltimore's 9 - 8 win over the Yankees. The O's, losing, score seven runs in the inning after two are out. Yanks manager Yogi Berra is criticized by some of his players for lifting starter Rollie Sheldon, who was leading 7 - 2, having allowed just two solo shots by Boog Powell. Rookie reliever Pete Mikkelsen cannot hold the lead as the O's move into first place.
• 1968:
  • Cleveland's Luis Tiant tosses his fifth shutout in six games, topping the Tigers, 3 - 0, on nine strikeouts.
  • At Crosley Field, the Reds tip the Cubs, 9 - 8, when Don Pavletich hits a two-out, two-run double in the 9th inning.
• 1969 - The Reds' Jim Merritt allows two hits in shutting out the visiting Padres, 5 - 0.
• 1971:
  • Rick Wise hits two home runs and drives in three runs as he faces only 28 batters and no-hits the Reds, 4 - 0 on 95 pitches. He goes deep against Ross Grimsley and Clay Carroll. Pete Rose is retired as the final out. The Phillies' hurler will again hit two home runs in same game this season on August 28th.
  • The Padres' Bob Miller wins a pair from Houston, relieving in the 9th and pitching four innings in the opener, and then pitching two more innings in the nitecap. The Pads win, 3 - 2 and 4 - 3.
• 1972 - Following up a two-hitter against the Pirates in his previous start, San Diego's Steve Arlin allows just one hit in beating San Francisco, 4 - 1. Garry Maddox triples in the 2nd inning for the lone hit. Nate Colbert's three-run homer, off Sam McDowell, is the deciding blow.
• 1973:
  • Newly-acquired Fred Norman almost picks up his third shutout in three starts for the Reds, but gives up a two-out 9th-inning homer to Ron Cey. The Reds still beat the Dodgers, 4 - 1.
  • Phillies P Ken Brett beats the Expos, 7 - 2, and hits a home run for a major league-record fourth consecutive game by a pitcher. He hit home runs on June 9th, 13th, and 18th: he will total ten for his career. Don Drysdale (1958) and Wes Ferrell (1933) shared the previous record of three straight games with a homer.
  • In his major league debut, Orioles P Jesse Jefferson loses his shutout when Red Sox SS Rico Petrocelli lofts a Fenway Park homer with two out in the 9th. Baltimore pushes over a run in the 10th to give Jefferson a ten-inning, 2 - 1 victory.
• 1974 - Los Angeles Dodgers closer Mike Marshall completes a sweep of the Giants, winning today, 4 - 3. Marshall was the winner in yesterday's 3 - 2 win, and also on the 21st in another 4 - 3 victory. Not till California's Chuck McElroy, in 1996, will another pitcher sweep a series.
• 1976 - The Dodgers trade P Mike Marshall to the Braves for P Elias Sosa and IF Lee Lacy.
• 1977 - At Baltimore, Boston wins its seventh game in a row, defeating the Orioles, 7 - 3. Butch Hobson's homer gives the Sox a major-league record 30 homers in nine games.
• 1978:
  • At Veterans Stadium, the Phils whip the Cubs twice by 6 - 1 scores to take over first place in the National League East, a spot they will hold for the rest of the season.
  • Rubio Malone of the Elizabethton Twins (Appalachian League) no-hits Johnson City, 8 - 1. Twenty-six days later, Malone will no-hit Bluefield, 6 - 0.
  • In Cleveland's 8 - 3 win over visiting Toronto, the Jays C Brian Milner, 18, is 1 for 4 in his major league debut. He is the youngest player to start in the American League since Ed Kirkpatrick, 17, in 1962; Alex Rodriguez, in 1994, will be next youngest.
• 1981 - Dave Koza drives in Marty Barrett with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 33rd inning, giving Pawtucket a 3 - 2 win over Rochester and ending the longest game in professional baseball history. The game had been suspended after 32 innings and eight hours, seven minutes of play on April 19th, but the continuation takes only 18 minutes to complete. Bob Ojeda pitches one inning to earn the win. Future major league stars Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken Jr. go a combined 6 for 25.
• 1984 - At Wrigley Field, in game that will be known as "the Sandberg game", the Cubs' Ryne Sandberg goes 5 for 6 with game-tying home runs off Cardinals relief ace Bruce Sutter in both the 9th and 10th innings. He drives in seven runs to lead Chicago to a 12 - 11 win in 11 innings. It is the first time Sutter has given up two home runs to the same batter in the same game. Dave Owen's bases-loaded single wins it. Willie McGee hits for the cycle and drives in six runs in a losing cause.
• 1986:
  • The Braves tie the National League record for a nine-inning game by leaving 18 runners on base in a 6 - 5 win over the Dodgers.
  • The Phillies set a club record with 11 doubles, and Juan Samuel hits a pair of three-run home runs in a 19 - 1 drubbing of the Cubs at Veterans Stadium.
  • Mike LaCoss pitches a three-hitter and belts his first major league home run, off position player Dane Iorg, as the Giants pound the Padres, 18 - 1. Tying a record, 14 Giants get hits and 13 come around to score in the game. In his next at-bat, on June 29th, LaCoss will belt the second and last homer of what will be a 14-year career. That homer will be served up by Tom Browning of the Reds. Iorg gives up four runs in his inning, but does strike out CF Randy Kutcher.
• 1988:
  • George Steinbrenner fires Billy Martin for the fifth time, replacing him with Lou Piniella. In 1985, Piniella was fired and replaced by Martin. In 1987, Martin was fired and replaced by Piniella. New York's 40-28 record is the fourth best in the big leagues, but the Yankees have just completed a 2-7 road trip.
  • Despite lead-off home runs by Baltimore's Ken Gerhart and Fred Lynn, off Jim Clancy, Toronto wins, 5 - 2. This is the second time in his career Clancy has started a game this way.
• 1992 - Led by Harold Baines, who has a double and a homer, Oakland scores ten runs in the 3rd inning en route to a 12 - 2 win over Seattle. Jose Canseco also homers to make it an easy win for Joe Slusarski.
• 1993:
  • The Padres trade P Tim Scott to the Expos in exchange for IF-OF Archi Cianfrocco.
  • Toronto 1B John Olerud has his 26-game hitting streak snapped in the Blue Jays' 4 - 3 loss to the Yankees.
  • Seattle OF Jay Buhner hits for the cycle in the Mariners' 8 - 7, 14-inning win over the Athletics. He is the first Mariner player to ever hit for the cycle.
• 1994:
  • A brawl during a Class A Florida State League game between the Charlotte Rangers and the West Palm Beach Expos results in a record $4,425 in fines, and 44 suspensions. With both benches and bullpens emptying, the only players who escape without fines or suspensions are either in the clubhouse or not at the game.
  • The Reds defeat the Giants, 7 - 5, in a contest which sees San Francisco P Pat Gomez throw three consecutive wild pitches in the 8th inning. Gomez's next pitch, like the three previous ones, bounces in the dirt, but C Kirt Manwaring is able to block it, preventing Gomez from becoming just the third pitcher ever to throw four wild pitches in an inning.
  • Oakland P Bobby Witt narrowly misses hurling a perfect game, defeating Kansas City on a 4 - 0 one-hitter. Umpire Gary Cederstrom calls Greg Gagne safe on a close play at first in the 6th inning, for the Royals' only hit, but TV replays show that Gagne was out. The play goes 1B Troy Neel to Witt covering. Witt fans 14 and does not walk a batter in his masterpiece.
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee fails to approve antitrust legislation by a vote of 10-7. According to Donald Fehr, executive director of the Major League Players Association, the action leaves the players with little choice but to strike.
• 1995 - Marvelous Marv Throneberry, known best by his antics as an original Met, dies from cancer at age 60.
• 1996 - The Yankees complete a four-game sweep of the Indians in Cleveland for the first time since 1964.
• 1997:
  • In Cleveland, Matt Lawton has four hits and Brad Radke wins his fourth straight start as the Twins top Cleveland, 7 - 2. Pat Meares has a two-run homer for the Twins. For Cleveland, Sandy Alomar Jr. extends his hitting streak to 22 games with a single and Jim Thome accounts for all the scoring with two solo homers.
  • Steve Finley cracks three homers and Wally Joyner adds two more as the visiting Padres beat the San Francisco Giants, 11 - 6. Jim Bruske gets his first major league win allowing three hits in five scoreless innings of relief.
  • In Detroit, Yankee righty David Cone strikes out 16, his highest total in six years, and Cecil Fielder hits a three-run homer as New York wins, 5 - 2. Cone, who had shoulder surgery to repair an aneurysm on May 10, 1996, allows four hits, including homers by Bob Hamelin and Damion Easley, in eight innings.
• 1998:
  • The Athletics acquire IF-OF Bip Roberts from the Tigers in exchange for a player to be named.
  • Texas scores 11 runs in the 5th inning of its game against Arizona and goes on to a 16 - 5 victory. Roberto Kelly and Ivan Rodriguez each get four of the Rangers' 19 hits.
  • The Braves trade P Alan Embree to the Diamondbacks in exchange for P Russ Springer.
• 2000:
  • The A's defeat the Royals, 10 - 6, for their ninth straight win. Randy Velarde, Jason Giambi and Ben Grieve hit consecutive homers for Oakland in the 2nd inning.
  • The Padres bash the Reds, 10 - 7, in 10 innings. Bret Boone slugs three home runs and drives home six runs against his former Cincinnati teammates.
  • The Mets roll over the Pirates, 12 - 2, scoring nine runs in the 3rd inning.
• 2001:
  • The Yankees attempt to shore up their bullpen by getting P Jay Witasick from the Padres for infield prospect D'Angelo Jimenez. The Yanks' first choice, Expos P Ugueth Urbina, failed a physical exam and will end up with the Red Sox instead.
  • At Fenway Park, Manny Ramirez hits two homers totaling 964 feet, but he also leaves the bases loaded twice and the Blue Jays come back on the Red Sox, 9 - 6. Manny's shots are 463 feet and 501 feet, the latter banging the net around the Coke bottle in left. It's measured at 501 feet, a suspicious one foot short of Ted Williams' 502-foot homer for the Fenway record.
  • The Astros acquire P Dave Mlicki from the Tigers for P Jose Lima and cash.
• 2003 - Stealing second base at Pacific Bell Park in the 11th inning, Barry Bonds becomes the first player to hit 500 home runs and steal 500 bases in his career. The Giants' left fielder may not only be the charter member of the 500-500 club, many believe, including him, he will most likely be its only member, as no one else may ever reach this plateau.
• 2005 - Making his professional debut, Yakima Bears hurler Ryan Doherty pitches a perfect 6th and 7th, striking out three of the six batters he faces, during a 3 - 2 loss to the Vancouver Canadians. At 7' 1" , the right-hander from Toms River, New Jersey, who signed a free agent contract with Arizona after pitching for Notre Dame, becomes the tallest pitcher in professional baseball history, surpassing Jon Rauch who stands a mere 6' 11". A year later, another 7' 1" pitcher, Loek van Mil, will make his US debut after having pitched in the top Dutch league in 2005.
• 2007:
  • Brad Correll homers four times in a game for the Lancaster JetHawks in a 16 - 4 rout of the High Desert Mavericks. He ties the California League record, set 35 days ago by teammate Aaron Bates.
  • Fausto Álvarez hits three home runs in a game to tie the Hoofdklasse record. The Amsterdam Pirates player-batting coach is the oldest to do so, though, as he is 46 years of age at the time.
• 2008 - Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners hits a 2nd-inning grand slam off Johan Santana of the New York Mets in a 5 - 2 victory. He is the first American League pitcher to hit a grand slam since Steve Dunning did so on May 11, 1971.
• 2009 - Chase Utley homers and drives in four runs as Philadelphia crushes Tampa Bay, 10 - 1, in a rematch of last year's World Series. Ryan Howard is back in the Phils' line-up after a bout of sinusitis over the previous days put an end to his major league leading 343 consecutive games played streak. The Phillies score six runs in the 1st on their way to building a ten-run lead against rookie starter David Price. 46-year-old Jamie Moyer picks up the 251st win of his career.
• 2010:
  • The Marlins fire manager Fredi Gonzalez and two coaches, naming AAA New Orleans manager Edwin Rodriguez to replace him, although rumors are that owner Jeffrey Loria wants to convince former New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine to take over the team. The move comes with Florida in fourth place in the NL East, but with a respectable 34-36 record. Loria explains that he wants to give the team a new impulsion.
  • Even when he loses, Nationals super-rookie Stephen Strasburg is almost untouchable. The Royals only score one run and strike out nine times in six innings, but still hand him his first career loss, 1 - 0, behind Brian Bannister's outstanding start. Strasburg collects his first hit and now has 41 strikeouts against only five walks in his first four starts.
  • He may have missed the season's first month, but the Mariners' ace, Cliff Lee, is still baffling hitters. He picks up is his fourth complete game of the season in defeating the Cubs, 8 - 1, also earning his sixth consecutive win and lowering his American League-leading ERA to 2.39. Michael Saunders homers and drives in four runs in support of Lee's pitching.
• 2011:
  • The Washington Nationals win another game, completing a three-game sweep of the Mariners with a 1 - 0 victory. Nats starter Jason Marquis takes a no-hitter into the 6th, which is broken up by his opponent Michael Pineda's first major league hit. The only run scores in the bottom of the 9th off Chris Ray, thanks to a single by Michael Morse, a bunt single by Danny Espinosa, followed by another bunt by Ivan Rodriguez which loads the bases as 1B Adam Kennedy unwisely attempts to cut down pinch-runner Brian Bixler at third base instead of settling for the sure out. Jerry Hairston then forces out Bixler at home on a hard-hit grounder to short, but Jayson Nix follows with a game-ending sacrifice fly, scoring Espinosa. Following the game, in a stunning turn of events, Washington manager Jim Riggleman hands in his resignation. He justifies his decision by GM Mike Rizzo's refusal to negotiate an extension of his contract for 2012. Bench coach John McLaren takes over as interim manager with the team one game above .500, its best record since 2005, the result of having won 11 of its last 12 games. Rizzo expresses his disappointment at the turn of events, stating: "I was always taught that one of the cardinal rules of baseball was that no individual can put his interests before those of the team."
  • It's not always easy being (furry and) green. The Phillie Phanatic, making a special appearance at a Lehigh Valley IronPigs game in Allentown, PA, is struck by a foul ball while entertaining the fans from the top of the first-base dugout in the 3rd inning. He is taken to hospital but released shortly afterwards. Tom Burgoyne, the man inside the costume, suffers only a bruise above the eye.
• 2012:
  • Jim Thome hits a walk-off homer off Tampa Bay's Jake McGee in the bottom of the 9th to give the Phillies a 7 - 6 win. It is Thome's 609th career homer, tying him with Sammy Sosa for seventh place on the all-time list, and the 13th in walk-off fashion, the most in history; five players have hit 12, and all are Hall of Famers: Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Frank Robinson and Babe Ruth. The 900th win of manager Charlie Manuel's career moves the Phillies out of last place in the NL East. Earlier in the 9th inning, Jonathan Papelbon had blown a 6 - 4 lead for his first blown save of the season, but Thome's blast makes him the winner.
  • The Blue Jays and Marlins are tied at 1 after eight innings, when the Jays erupt for six runs in the top of the 9th. Edwin Encarnacion leads off the inning with a solo homer off Steve Cishek and Colby Rasmus later hits a grand slam as Toronto ends up with a 7 - 1 win that puts Miami in last place in the NL East.
• 2013:
  • The Blue Jays keep on winning, recording their 11th straight in defeating the Orioles, 13 - 5, matching a team record from 1987 and 1998. Ryan Flaherty hits two homers in a losing cause as prize off-season acquisition Josh Johnson finally picks up his first win as a Jay.
  • The Pirates are also playing well, completing a three-game sweep of the Angels on the road with a dramatic comeback in the top of the 9th. Trailing 6 - 3, they tie the game against closer Ernesto Frieri, with a two-out pinch double by Russell Martin being the key blow, then add four runs in the top of the 10th. Travis Snider is the hero, as he hits a bases-loaded single that ends up scoring three runs when LF J.B. Shuck lets the ball get past him all the way to the wall. Leading 10 - 6, closer Jason Grilli, who has been almost perfect so far this year, gives up three runs, but strikes out Mike Trout with the tying and winning runs in scoring position, as the Bucs hold on for a 10 - 9 win.
• 2017 - With a four-run rally in the 9th, the Royals come back to defeat the Blue Jays, 5 - 4. It is their tenth win in their last 12 games and brings them back to .500 for the first time since April. They had been 0-29 when trailing after eight innings until Whit Merrifield caps the rally with a two-run double.
• 2019:
  • Tensions boil over in the clubhouse of the struggling Mets after a 5 - 3 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field as manager Mickey Callaway accuses Newsday beat reporter Tim Healey of antagonizing people. The exchange quickly degenerates as P Jason Vargas also gets involved and threatens to knock out the journalist while Callaway shouts for him to leave the clubhouse, using choice profanities.
  • For the third straight game, the Dodgers win on a walk-off homer­, and for the third straight game, it's a rookie who hits the winning blow. After Matt Beaty and Alex Verdugo, it is Will Smith's turn to play the hero as he launches a three-run pinch homer in the bottom of the 9th for a 6 - 3 win over the Rockies.
• 2020 - Following protracted negotiations there is now agreement to start an abbreviated 60-game season on July 23rd or 24th after the Players Association ratifies the proposed safety protocols. Players are to report to their team's home city on July 1st to resume "spring" training.
• 2021 - At the Final Olympic Qualifier, Venezuela beats the Netherlands, 9 - 3. Alexi Amarista goes 2-for-2 with three walks, a sacrifice fly and two runs as their leadoff sparkplug, while Sharlon Schoop's two-run homer represents most of the Dutch attack.
• 2023:
  • With three infielders on the injured list, the Angels trade for veteran Eduardo Escobar from the Mets, giving up two top pitching prospects in return, Coleman Crow and Landon Marceaux.
  • The Reds extend their winning streak to 12 games with an 11 - 10 win over the Braves at home. Two players shine brightly in the victory: 21-year-old rookie Elly De La Cruz who becomes the first Reds player to hit for the cycle since Eric Davis in 1989, and 39-year-old Joey Votto, who homers twice in just his fourth game back after being out ten months following shoulder surgery last year.
• 2024 - Two days after making his big league debut, Blue Jays infielder Orelvis Martinez is handed an 80-game suspension for violating MLB's drug policy.

Births

• 1850 - George Bird, outfielder (d. 1940)
• 1861 - Henry Jackson, infielder (d. 1932)
• 1874 - Charles Mears, umpire (d. 1942)
• 1875 - Jerry Nops, pitcher (d. 1937)
• 1877 - Jack Hardy, catcher (d. 1921)
• 1884 - Dick Egan, infielder (d. 1947)
• 1886 - Johnny Priest, infielder (d. 1979)
• 1890 - Bill Calhoun, infielder (d. 1955)
• 1890 - Harry Williams, infielder (d. 1963)
• 1891 - Al Clauss, pitcher (d. 1952)
• 1892 - Abel Kiviat, USA national team infielder (d. 1991)
• 1894 - Hook Mylin, college coach (d. 1975)
• 1894 - George Weiss, General Manager; Hall of Famer (d. 1972)
• 1895 - Jack Smith, outfielder (d. 1972)
• 1898 - Fred Boyd, outfielder (d. 1923)
• 1900 - Bill Harris, pitcher (d. 1965)
• 1902 - Leon Pettit, pitcher (d. 1974)
• 1904 - Edwin Dimes, outfielder (d. 1999)
• 1906 - Ray Foley, pinch hitter (d. 1980)
• 1907 - Buddy Burbage, outfielder (d. 1989)
• 1907 - Dusty Cooke, outfielder, manager (d. 1987)
• 1908 - Spencer Davis, infielder (d. 1981)
• 1910 - Bill Perrin, pitcher (d. 1974)
• 1912 - Gene Ford, pitcher (d. 1970)
• 1912 - Zenón Ochoa, minor league infielder and manager (d. 2010)
• 1913 - Bill Cox, pitcher (d. 1988)
• 1915 - Johnny Humphries, pitcher (d. 1965)
• 1915 - Aaron Robinson, catcher; All-Star (d. 1966)
• 1916 - Shosei Go, NPB outfielder; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1987)
• 1916 - Ken Jungels, pitcher (d. 1975)
• 1917 - Bubba Floyd, infielder (d. 2000)
• 1917 - Joe Grugan, college coach (d. 1979)
• 1917 - Jack Sanford, infielder (d. 2005)
• 1920 - Deacon Donahue, pitcher (d. 2008)
• 1920 - Toshimichi Kunieda, NPB infielder (d. 2011)
• 1921 - Ed Redys, coach (d. 2009)
• 1923 - Ulysses Hollimon, Negro League pitcher (d. 2023)
• 1924 - Harry Schaeffer, pitcher (d. 2008)
• 1925 - Dom Moselle, college coach (d. 2010)
• 1926 - Bill Brightwell, minor league pitcher and manager (d. 2015)
• 1928 - Jean Cione, AAGPBL pitcher (d. 2010)
• 1930 - Edmundo Roberts, minor league pitcher (d. 2014)
• 1931 - Doris Cook, AAGPBL outfielder and pitcher
• 1931 - Karl Spooner, pitcher (d. 1984)
• 1933 - Dave Bristol, manager
• 1935 - Jesse White, minor league outfielder
• 1937 - Tom Haller, catcher; All-Star (d. 2004)
• 1937 - Mario Mazzei, Serie A1 infielder
• 1939 - Lorencito Fernandez, infielder (d. 2020)
• 1946 - Takashi Yoshida, NPB catcher
• 1949 - Dave Goltz, pitcher
• 1951 - Kao-I Lin, Chinese Taipei national team outfielder
• 1952 - Duane Espy, coach
• 1956 - Jin-ho Jeong, KBO infielder
• 1956 - Tony Johnson, outfielder
• 1958 - Marty Barrett, infielder
• 1960 - Jim Deshaies, pitcher
• 1960 - John Rabb, catcher
• 1962 - Chris Beasley, pitcher
• 1964 - Kenji Furukubo, NPB catcher
• 1965 - Mike Walker, pitcher
• 1967 - Hensley Meulens, outfielder
• 1967 - Tomio Watanabe, NPB pitcher
• 1967 - Mark Willoughby, scout
• 1968 - Joel Binarao, Philippines national team outfielder
• 1968 - Kwang-hoe Kang, KBO outfielder
• 1968 - Byung-joo Kim, KBO umpire
• 1968 - Koo-hong Song, KBO infielder
• 1969 - Andreas Becker, Bundesliga player
• 1969 - Kevin Graber, minor league player and manager
• 1970 - Josh Byrnes, general manager
• 1970 - Juan Castillo, pitcher
• 1971 - Katsuhiro Maeda, NPB and minor league pitcher
• 1972 - Sung-chul Kim, KBO umpire
• 1973 - Stephen Smith, minor league player
• 1974 - Mark Hendrickson, pitcher
• 1974 - Chieh Hsu, CPBL umpire
• 1976 - Gabriele Ermini, Italian Baseball League outfielder
• 1977 - Scott Comer, minor league pitcher
• 1978 - Chad Durham, minor league infielder
• 1980 - Robby Deevers, minor league outfielder
• 1980 - Miguel Rizo, minor league pitcher
• 1981 - Jake Whitesides, minor league outfielder
• 1982 - Matt Daley, pitcher
• 1982 - Argelis Perez, minor league infielder
• 1983 - Jon Byrne, umpire
• 1983 - Sean Gamble, minor league outfielder
• 1985 - Derek David, minor league outfielder
• 1987 - Šimon Kudernatsch, Bundesliga infielder
• 1987 - Xing Niu, China Baseball League infielder
• 1987 - Jose Pena, minor league pitcher
• 1988 - Deivis Goatache, minor league pitcher
• 1989 - Po-Kai Lai, CPBL pitcher
• 1989 - Deck McGuire, pitcher
• 1989 - Owen Ozanich, Serie A1 pitcher
• 1990 - Wong-jun Ko, KBO pitcher
• 1991 - Johannes Krumm, Bundesliga pitcher-infielder
• 1992 - Dai-An Lin, CPBL catcher
• 1993 - Tim Anderson, infielder; All-Star
• 1993 - Carlos Garmendia, drafted infielder
• 1993 - Hobie Harris, pitcher
• 1993 - Fabian Hirnschal, Austrian national team pitcher
• 1994 - Dewald De Klerk, New Zealand national team catcher
• 1994 - Shohei Morishita, Japanese national team infielder
• 1994 - Rui-Sheng Wu, CPBL infielder
• 1995 - Gordon Chun-Ming Chau, Hong Kong national team pitcher
• 1995 - Jorge Mateo, infielder
• 1995 - John Valente, minor league infielder
• 1996 - Jakob Goldfarb, minor league outfielder
• 1996 - Ariel Serrano, minor league outfielder
• 2000 - Shinya Matsuyama, NPB pitcher
• 2001 - Jake Bloss, pitcher
• 2001 - Bin Wang, China Baseball League infielder
• 2003 - Alex Euceda, Honduran national team infielder
• 2004 - César Cerón, Salvadoran national team infielder

Deaths

• 1894 - Jimmy Say, infielder (b. 1862)
• 1898 - William Rexter, outfielder (b. 1850)
• 1902 - Ted Firth, pitcher (b. 1855)
• 1908 - Bill Traffley, catcher (b. 1859)
• 1911 - John O'Rourke, outfielder (b. 1849)
• 1921 - Charlie Hall, outfielder (b. 1863)
• 1924 - Shorty Gallagher, outfielder (b. 1872)
• 1928 - Malachi Kittridge, catcher, manager (b. 1869)
• 1931 - Clarence Cross, infielder (b. 1856)
• 1941 - Bill Nelson, pitcher (b. 1863)
• 1947 - Toshio Kurosawa, NPB outfielder (b. 1914)
• 1949 - John Godar, outfielder (b. 1864)
• 1954 - Roy Massey, outfielder (b. 1890)
• 1958 - George Boehler, pitcher (b. 1893)
• 1961 - Connie Day, infielder (b. 1897)
• 1964 - Tadao Ichioka, NPB executive; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1891)
• 1967 - Al Bashang, outfielder (b. 1888)
• 1967 - Tookie Gilbert, infielder (b. 1929)
• 1970 - Ross Reynolds, pitcher (b. 1887)
• 1972 - Tom Long, outfielder (b. 1890)
• 1973 - Cliff Aberson, outfielder (b. 1921)
• 1974 - Al Boucher, infielder (b. 1881)
• 1975 - Marty Callaghan, outfielder (b. 1900)
• 1976 - Lon Warneke, pitcher, umpire; All-Star (b. 1909)
• 1977 - Fred Corcoran, agent (b. 1905)
• 1983 - Jimmie Newberry, pitcher (b. 1919)
• 1984 - Kiyoshi Yamada, NPB infielder (b. 1921)
• 1985 - Alf Anderson, infielder (b. 1914)
• 1989 - Rick Anderson, pitcher (b. 1953)
• 1993 - Dave Mays, outfielder (b. 1910)
• 1994 - Joe Dobson, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1917)
• 1994 - Marv Throneberry, infielder (b. 1933)
• 1999 - Bert Haas, infielder; All-Star (b. 1914)
• 1999 - Don Herman, minor league pitcher (b. 1930)
• 1999 - Nobuyuki Hikiji, NPB infielder (b. 1930)
• 2000 - Bob Tillman, catcher (b. 1937)
• 2003 - Max Manning, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1918)
• 2003 - Bob Smith, pitcher (b. 1927)
• 2006 - Leo Wells, infielder (b. 1917)
• 2007 - Rod Beck, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1968)
• 2009 - Jack Bordieri, minor league pitcher (b. 1932)
• 2013 - Mike Cook, minor league pitcher (b. 1947)
• 2018 - Joe Belak, US national team player (b. 1934)
• 2018 - Donald Hall, author (b. 1928)
• 2019 - Vince Costello, minor league infielder (b. 1932)
• 2022 - Leo Posada, outfielder (b. 1934)
• 2024 - Stephen Powers, minor league pitcher (b. ~1953)