October 21
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Today in Baseball History |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on October 21.
Events[edit]
- 1925 - Marv Goodwin, a former pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals who joined the Cincinnati Reds at the end of the season, is killed in a plane he is piloting. At age 34, Goodwin is the first active player to die from injuries sustained in an airplane crash. Goodwin was one of the original spitballers who was "grandfathered."
- 1934 - An All-Star team led by Babe Ruth and Connie Mack sails on a tour to Hawaii and Japan. Players with wives include Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Charlie Gehringer, Lefty Gómez, Earl Averill and Lefty O'Doul.
- 1957:
- The New York Giants, who are moving to San Francisco in 1958, purchase the Class-A San Francisco Seals team and will convince the Pacific Coast League to accept Phoenix as a new location for the Seals.
- The Washington Senators reject the initial overtures of Minneapolis, MN-St. Paul, MN cities to move the team there.
- 1958 - Pitcher Kazuhisa Inao posts his fourth consecutive win in the Japan Series to bring the Nishitetsu Lions to a dramatic victory after losing the first three games to the Yomiuri Giants.
- 1959:
- The Players Association approves two All-Star Games in 1960, to be held at Kansas City's Municipal Stadium and New York's Yankee Stadium. The players would like to have them played within four days of each other.
- Branch Rickey launches another effort to form a third major league, the Continental League. Rickey says that Buffalo, Montreal, Atlanta and Dallas-Ft. Worth are still in the running for the remaining two franchises.
- 1964 - After just 11 years in Milwaukee, the Braves' Board of Directors votes to ask the National League for permission to move to Atlanta. Milwaukee County officials sue to block the move.
- 1968:
- The newly-created Montreal Expos purchase third baseman Bob Bailey from the Dodgers.
- After two seasons with the Boston Red Sox, All-Star catcher and MVP Elston Howard announces his retirement.
- 1972 - The Cincinnati Reds send the World Series to its seventh game with an 8 - 1 victory over the Oakland Athletics in Game 6 - the only one of the Series decided by more than one run. Johnny Bench hits a home run and Bobby Tolan and Cesar Gerónimo each drive in two runs.
- 1973 - Bert Campaneris and Reggie Jackson hit two-run home runs in the 3rd inning as the Oakland Athletics defeat the New York Mets, 5 - 2, in Game 7 of the World Series, for their second straight World Championship .
- 1975 - Carlton Fisk breaks up one of the best games in World Series history with a home run in the 12th inning to give the Boston Red Sox a 7 - 6 victory against the Cincinnati Reds, forcing a seventh game to decide the winner of the 1975 World Series.
- 1976 - With a 7 - 2 victory, the Cincinnati Reds win the World Series, completing a four-game sweep of the Yankees. It is the Reds' second straight World Championship. Johnny Bench hits two home runs for five RBI. He finishes with a .533 batting average and is named Series MVP. Yankees catcher Thurman Munson has six straight singles to tie a World Series mark. Cincinnati becomes the first and only team to win a World Series using the identical batting lineup in every game of that Series, with no pinch-hitters, pinch-runners, or defensive replacements making an appearance. Cincinnati also becomes the first team ever to go through an entire League Championship Series and World Series without a defeat.
- 1980 - The Philadelphia Phillies become World Series champions for the first time in their 98-year history with a 4 - 1 triumph over the Kansas City Royals in Game 6 of the 1980 World Series.
- 1981 - At Yankee Stadium, New York shuts out the Dodgers in the World Series. Starter Tommy John and closer Goose Gossage get the credit for the four-hit, 3 - 0 victory as New York leads the Series 2-0.
- 1986 - After losing the first two World Series games at home, the New York Mets beat the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, 7 - 1, as pitcher Bob Ojeda beats his old team. Lenny Dykstra's 1st-inning home run marks the third time in history in which the Mets' lead-off hitter has homered in the initial inning of Game 3 of the World Series. The feat was also accomplished by Tommy Agee (1969) and Wayne Garrett (1973).
- 1987 - With the help of a three-run home run by the unlikely Tom Lawless, the St. Louis Cardinals even the World Series with a 7 - 2 win over the Minnesota Twins in Game 4.
- 1992 - In Game 4, the Toronto Blue Jays take a 3-1 lead in the World Series with a 2 - 1 victory over the Atlanta Braves. Pitcher Jimmy Key gets the victory and catcher Pat Borders hits a home run. It marks a record ten straight postseason games in which Toronto has hit a home run.
- 1993 - The night after Toronto wins a 15 - 14 slugfest, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling outduels Juan Guzman, 2 - 0, in Game 5 to send the World Series back to Toronto. Schilling also becomes the first Phillies pitcher to throw a shutout in the Series.
- 1995 - Atlanta beats Cleveland, 3 - 2, in Game 1 of the World Series behind star pitcher Greg Maddux. Fred McGriff homers for Atlanta, while Kenny Lofton of Cleveland becomes the first player since 1921 to steal two bases in one inning of a Series game. The two teams combine for only five hits, tying a World Series record for fewest hits by both clubs.
- 1996 - Greg Maddux of the Atlanta Braves holds the New York Yankees to six hits in eight innings and Fred McGriff drives in three runs in a 4 - 0 win in Game 2 of the World Series.
- 1997 - In a slugfest, the Florida Marlins plate seven runs in the 9th inning to outscore the Cleveland Indians, 14 - 11, and take Game 3 of the World Series. Gary Sheffield has five RBI for Florida on three hits, including a double and home run. Darren Daulton and Jim Eisenreich also homer for the Marlins, while Jim Thome connects for Cleveland.
- 1998 - The New York Yankees close out their historic season with 3 - 0 victory against the San Diego Padres, sweeping San Diego in four games to win their record 24th World Series championship. Andy Pettitte gets the victory, and Scott Brosius is named Series MVP. The Game 4 victory gives the Yankees 125 wins against 50 losses for a .714 winning percentage, the best in the majors since their Murderers' Row club of 1927, as their American League record of 114 regular-season victories are the most ever for a major league champion team.
- 2000:
- The Yankees defeat the Mets, 4 - 3, in 12 innings, in Game 1 of the World Series. The longest game in World Series history (4 hours, 51 minutes) is ended on Jose Vizcaino's single which drives home Tino Martinez. It is Vizcaino's fourth hit of the night. The Mets lead, 3 - 2, going into the 9th, but reliever Armando Benitez surrenders the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Chuck Knoblauch. The victory is the Yankees' 13th in a row in Series play for a new record. Todd Pratt of the Mets ties a Series record by being hit by pitches twice.
- Kimiyasu Kudoh reaches 94 career strikeouts in Japan Series play, a record, but his Yomiuri Giants drop Game 1 of the 2000 Japan Series to the Daiei Hawks, 5 - 3.
- 2001:
- Randy Johnson and the Arizona Diamondbacks defeat the Atlanta Braves, 3 - 2, to win the National League Championship Series and reach the World Series for the first time in their history. Arizona gets to the Series faster than any expansion team in history, doing so in the fourth year of its existence. Erubiel Durazo's pinch-hit two-run home run is the key blow. Craig Counsell is named the NLCS MVP.
- The New York Yankees take a 3-1 lead in their American League Championship Series matchup with the Seattle Mariners, defeating Seattle by a score of 3 - 1. Bret Boone's 8th-inning home run breaks a scoreless tie, but Bernie Williams hits a home run in the bottom half of the inning to tie the score. New York wins on Alfonso Soriano's two-run homer in the 9th and Mariano Rivera gets the victory in relief.
- 2003 - At Pro Player Stadium, the New York Yankees defeat the Florida Marlins, 6 - 1, in Game 3 of the World Series. Aaron Boone and Bernie Williams hit home runs for the Yankees as Mike Mussina is the winning pitcher with the help of Mariano Rivera in relief. Josh Beckett is the loser. The Yankees lead the Series, 2-1.
- 2007 - The Boston Red Sox defeat Cleveland, 11 - 2, in Game 7 of the ALCS to reach the World Series where they will face the Colorado Rockies. They had trailed Cleveland, three games to one, before mounting a comeback. Josh Beckett is the ALCS MVP after winning Games 1 and 5 of the Series. Before the game begins, Paul Byrd of the Indians acknowledges having used Human Growth Hormone for four years, creating a media frenzy. Byrd says he stopped buying it once Major League Baseball banned it and that he had a doctor's permission in order to treat a pituitary gland condition.
- 2009:
- The Phillies are returning to the World Series after beating the Dodgers, 10 - 4, in Game 5 of the NLCS at Citizens Bank Park. Seven home runs are hit in the game - four by the Phils - including two by Jayson Werth. Ryan Howard's streak of postseason games with an RBI ends at eight, but he is still selected the Series' MVP.
- Luther Hackman throws 153 pitches in a complete game 11 - 5 win for the Uni-President Lions over the Brother Elephants in Game 4 of the 2009 Taiwan Series. Tai-Chi Kuo drives in four to win Game MVP honors. Hackman becomes the second pitcher in Taiwan Series history to win four straight decisions in the Series (dating back to two wins in 2008).
- 2012 - The Giants force a Game 7 in the NLCS by beating the Cardinals, 6 - 1, behind the pitching of Ryan Vogelsong, who wins for the second time of the Series. The Giants jump on Chris Carpenter for five runs in the first two innings to quickly put the game away. Vogelsong strikes out a career-high nine batters, while Marco Scutaro is the offensive star with a two-run double in the 2nd inning.
- 2013 - Two days after losing the ALCS, Tigers manager Jim Leyland announces he is retiring after a 22-year career as a big league skipper.
- 2014 - The Giants take Game 1 of the World Series, 7 - 1, over the Royals. A two-run homer by Hunter Pence off James Shields fuels a three-run 1st inning, while Madison Bumgarner gives up only one run on three hits in seven innings. The loss ends Kansas City's streak of 11 consecutive wins in the postseason, dating back to the 1985 World Series.
- 2015:
- The Mets complete a sweep of the Cubs in the NLCS with an 8 - 3 win at Wrigley Field. They score four runs in the 1st and two in the 2nd to run away with the game, while Daniel Murphy, who is named MVP of the series, sets a new postseason record by homering in his sixth straight game.
- The Blue Jays extend the ALCS by taking Game 5, 7 - 1, at home against the Royals. Chris Colabello's solo homer in the 2nd is the only run through the first five innings as pitchers Marco Estrada and Edinson Volquez are dominant, but the Jays take advantage of Volquez's wildness to score four runs in the 6th and break the game open.
- Yomiuri Giants pitchers Shoki Kasahara and Ryuya Matsumoto are found to have bet on professional baseball games, just two weeks after fellow Yomiuri hurler Satoshi Fukuda had bet on games involving the club. It is the first gambling scandal to hit Nippon Pro Baseball in a long time.
- The Spanish Division de Honor names its 2015 All-Star team, headlined by MVP Leslie Nacar of the Tenerife Marlins, who had an ERA under 1.00 for the second straight year. He is joined by Tenerife teammates Richard Montiel (1B), Lesther Galvan (OF), Franklin Tavarez (OF), Luis Rodriguez (OF) and Deion Galvan (DH). SS Oscar Angulo and C Blake Ochoa of the Astros Valencia are picked, as well as CBS Sant Boi 2B Jesus Golindano and 3B Marc Carrillo.
- 2017:
- The Astros win Game 7 of the ALCS, 4 - 0, over the Yankees to clinch their-first ever American League pennant. Having also won one in the National League in 2005, they become the first team to have done so in both major leagues. In the game, the Astros get a great combined pitching performance by Charlie Morton, who goes the first five innings, and Lance McCullers, who pitches the last four, limiting the Yankees to just three hits. Evan Gattis and Jose Altuve hit solo homers and Brian McCann drives in two runs, as CC Sabathia is charged with the loss.
- The Borgerhout Squirrels win Belgium's First Division, taking the Belgian Series, three games to two, over the Brasschaat Braves. In the finale, Sam Boermans hits a three-run homer in the 1st and Kenny Vandenbranden goes the distance in a 6 - 2 win.
- 2018 - Two teams announce that they have hired a new manager for the 2019 season. The Angels settle on Brad Ausmus to replace long-time skipper Mike Scioscia, who retired at the end of the past season, while the Reds tab David Bell, for whom it will be a first opportunity to manage at the major league level, and who will become the fourth second-generation manager in major league history.
- 2020 - The Rays even the World Series at one win apiece with a 6 - 4 win over the Dodgers in Game 2. Thanks to a pair of homers by Brandon Lowe, the Rays take an early 5 - 0 lead, but the Dogders claw back the score, as three of their five hits in the game are home runs. However, three different Rays relievers then seal the win by combining to retire the last six Dodgers batters in order.
- 2021 - The Dodgers stay alive by winning Game 5 of the NLCS, 11 - 2, over the Braves. The Braves take a 2 - 0 lead in the 1st on a homer by Freddie Freeman against opener Joe Kelly, but it's all Dodgers after that as A.J. Pollock and Chris Taylor give them the lead with homers in the 2nd against Max Fried. Pollock will hit another one later on, and Taylor will end up with three long balls as the two combine to drive in ten of the 11 runs.
- 2022:
- The Phillies win Game 3 of the NLCS, 4 - 2, over the Padres. Kyle Schwarber leads off the bottom of the 1st with a homer off Joe Musgrove, and Jean Segura plays both the goat and the hero, as his error in the 4th leads to the first Padres run, but he then drives in two with a two-out single in the bottom of the inning - before he gets picked off first base by Musgrove. He then makes a couple of nice defensive plays later in the game to help preserve the win, staying on the positive side of the ledger.
- Two manager spots are filled as the Blue Jays remove the interim tag next to John Schneider's name by signing him to a three-year contract, while the Rangers lure Bruce Bochy out of retirement to become their next skipper. Both skippers will lead their team to the postseason next year.
- 2023 - The Phillies win Game 5 of the NLCS, 6 - 1 over the Diamondbacks, to takes a three-games-to-two lead in the series. They score twice in the top of the 1st, the second on a steal of home by Bryce Harper as part of a double steal, and never trail. Kyle Schwarber and Harper both hit tape measure homers off Zac Gallen in the 6th, and J.T. Realmuto adds a two-run shot in the 8th. Arizona's only run comes on a solo homer by Alek Thomas off Zack Wheeler, who pitches seven strong innings for the win.
Births[edit]
- 1863 - George Rooks, outfielder (d. 1935)
- 1864 - Pete Lohman, catcher (d. 1928)
- 1866 - Bill Supple, umpire (d. 1946)
- 1877 - Charlie Harris, infielder (d. 1963)
- 1878 - Charles McCafferty, umpire (d. 1945)
- 1880 - Jack Hayden, outfielder (d. 1942)
- 1884 - Bill Lelivelt, pitcher (d. 1968)
- 1885 - Gus Fisher, catcher (d. 1972)
- 1887 - Roy Corhan, infielder (d. 1958)
- 1887 - Finners Quinlan, outfielder (d. 1966)
- 1893 - Paul Fagan, minor league owner (d. 1960)
- 1893 - Dick Whitworth, minor league pitcher (d. 1980)
- 1909 - Bill Lee, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1977)
- 1913 - Mark Christman, infielder (d. 1976)
- 1916 - Bill Bevens, pitcher (d. 1991)
- 1916 - Eddie Carnett, outfielder (d. 2016)
- 1916 - Takeo Sato, NPB catcher (d. 1962)
- 1917 - Frank Papish, pitcher (d. 1965)
- 1917 - Bob Prichard, infielder (d. 1991)
- 1917 - Vic Delmore, umpire (d. 1960)
- 1918 - Ralph McCabe, pitcher (d. 1974)
- 1922 - Stan Partenheimer, pitcher (d. 1989)
- 1925 - Valmy Thomas, catcher (d. 2010)
- 1928 - Whitey Ford, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 2020)
- 1928 - Demie Mainieri, college coach (d. 2019)
- 1933 - Johnny Goryl, infielder, manager
- 1939 - Ted Uhlaender, outfielder (d. 2009)
- 1941 - Ron Davis, outfielder (d. 1992)
- 1941 - Dale Ramsburg, college coach (d. 1994)
- 1948 - Bill Russell, infielder, manager; All-Star
- 1949 - Skip James, infielder
- 1949 - Jesús Monter, minor league umpire; Salón de la Fama
- 1951 - Ron Pruitt, outfielder
- 1953 - Juan Eichelberger, pitcher
- 1954 - Keith Drumright, infielder (d. 2010)
- 1955 - Sheng-Cheng Chang, CPBL coach
- 1955 - Jerry Garvin, pitcher
- 1959 - George Bell, outfielder; All-Star
- 1959 - Ric Wilson, scout
- 1960 - Shih-Chiang Chao, CPBL manager
- 1960 - Yasuhisa Kubo, Japanese national team pitcher
- 1960 - Franklin Stubbs, infielder
- 1963 - Casey Close, agent
- 1963 - Takahide Itoh, NPB pitcher
- 1964 - Angel Gonzalez, minor league infielder
- 1965 - Kevin Garner, minor league outfielder (d. 2022)
- 1966 - Kevin Batiste, outfielder (d. 2024)
- 1967 - John Flaherty, catcher
- 1967 - Yasuyuki Kawamoto, NPB pitcher
- 1967 - Sean Ross, minor league outfielder
- 1968 - José Báez, Cuban league pitcher
- 1969 - Chuck Smith, pitcher
- 1969 - Daron Sutton, minor league pitcher; broadcaster
- 1970 - Marc Wilkins, pitcher
- 1973 - Bryan Corey, pitcher
- 1973 - Ru-Hao Liang, CPBL pitcher
- 1975 - Toby Hall, catcher
- 1975 - Gustavo Ríos, Bolivian national team manager
- 1976 - Johnny Smith, minor league infielder
- 1978 - Dicky Gonzalez, pitcher
- 1979 - Khalil Greene, infielder
- 1979 - Gabe Gross, outfielder
- 1979 - Steve Holm, catcher
- 1979 - Tim Spooneybarger, pitcher
- 1980 - Troy Cate, pitcher
- 1980 - Jon Coutlangus, pitcher
- 1980 - Tom Creighton, minor league infielder
- 1981 - Weston Burnette, minor league pitcher
- 1981 - Clint Fagan, umpire
- 1982 - Jim Henderson, pitcher
- 1983 - Francisco Caraballo, NPB outfielder
- 1983 - Casey Fien, pitcher
- 1983 - Zack Greinke, pitcher; All-Star
- 1983 - Andy Marte, infielder (d. 2017)
- 1983 - Masanori Tanaka, Japanese national team infielder
- 1984 - Danny Herrera, pitcher
- 1984 - Jose Lobaton, catcher
- 1985 - Hayato Arakaki, NPB pitcher
- 1985 - Takashi Ogino, NPB outfielder
- 1986 - Nelson Gómez, minor league infielder
- 1986 - Jamie Hayes, minor league pitcher
- 1986 - C.C. Lee, pitcher
- 1986 - Won-seok Lee, KBO infielder
- 1987 - Josh Beal, minor league pitcher
- 1987 - Justin De Fratus, pitcher
- 1987 - Sean Ochinko, minor league catcher
- 1987 - Junior Valentine, umpire
- 1988 - Shance Zou, Chinese Baseball League pitcher
- 1989 - Danny Barnes, pitcher
- 1989 - Sho Iwasaki, NPB pitcher
- 1992 - Luca Martone, minor league infielder
- 1993 - Toshiki Sakurai, NPB pitcher
- 1994 - Ben Bowden, pitcher
- 1994 - Matt Krook, pitcher
- 1994 - Jose Ruiz, pitcher
- 1994 - Daniel Jun Zhi Tam, Singaporean national team catcher
- 1994 - Tyler Viza, minor league pitcher
- 1996 - Carlos Espinal, minor league pitcher
- 1996 - Kolton Ingram, pitcher
- 1996 - Bismarck Rivera, Nicaraguan national team outfielder
- 1999 - Bo Blessie, minor league pitcher
- 2001 - August Mattsson, Elitserien pitcher-infielder
Deaths[edit]
- 1891 - Ed Daily, outfielder (b. 1862)
- 1911 - John Walsh, owner (b. 1837)
- 1912 - Charlie Waitt, outfielder (b. 1849)
- 1918 - Harry Chapman, catcher (b. 1885)
- 1923 - Biff Sheehan, outfielder (b. 1868)
- 1925 - Marv Goodwin, pitcher (b. 1891)
- 1931 - David Allen, Negro League player (b. 1858)
- 1936 - Charlie Mason, outfielder, manager (b. 1853)
- 1952 - Yutaka Ikeda, NPB manager and umpire; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1893)
- 1954 - Art Gardiner, pitcher (b. 1899)
- 1958 - Lep Long, pitcher (b. 1888)
- 1959 - Jesse Barber, outfielder (b. 1888)
- 1959 - Elmer Rieger, pitcher (b. 1889)
- 1960 - Oscar Tuero, pitcher (b. 1893)
- 1961 - Harry Gleason, infielder (b. 1875)
- 1964 - Happy Felton, actor (b. 1907)
- 1965 - Harry Kincannon, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1909)
- 1968 - Jack Killilay, pitcher (b. 1887)
- 1969 - Ray Richmond, pitcher (b. 1896)
- 1971 - William Daley, owner (b. 1892)
- 1979 - J.O. Christian, college coach (b. 1898)
- 1981 - Gene Robertson, infielder (b. 1899)
- 1981 - Hubert Wilson, pitcher (b. 1902)
- 1984 - Johnny Rigney, pitcher (b. 1914)
- 1986 - Glenn Gerdes, college coach (b. 1922)
- 1988 - Reggie Otero, infielder (b. 1915)
- 1990 - Al Gizelbach, scout (b. 1913)
- 1990 - Frank Waddey, outfielder (b. 1905)
- 1991 - Johnny Burroughs, minor league executive (b. ~1914)
- 1991 - Bobby Coombs, pitcher (b. 1908)
- 1991 - Jim Hamby, catcher (b. 1897)
- 1992 - Double Joe Dwyer, pinch hitter (b. 1903)
- 1993 - Wayne Belardi, infielder (b. 1930)
- 1993 - Gabby Kemp, infielder, manager (b. 1919)
- 1994 - Dale Ramsburg, college coach (b. 1948)
- 1995 - Vada Pinson, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1938)
- 1997 - Dolph Camilli, infielder; All-Star (b. 1907)
- 1998 - Frank Carswell, outfielder (b. 1919)
- 1998 - Phil Haugstad, pitcher (b. 1924)
- 2004 - Jim Bucher, infielder (b. 1911)
- 2006 - Erik Walker, minor league pitcher (b. 1983)
- 2008 - Jake Crawford, outfielder (b. 1928)
- 2009 - Helson Rodriguez, Puerto Rican national team outfielder (b. 1962)
- 2015 - Jim Robertson, catcher (b. 1928)
- 2017 - Chuck Churn, pitcher (b. 1930)
- 2021 - Billy Moran, infielder; All-Star (b. 1933)
- 2023 - Rob Gardner, pitcher (b. 1944)
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