September 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 September 29.

Events

• 1879 - Baseball's reserve clause is born. National League owners meeting in Buffalo, NY, seeking to limit player salaries, led by Boston's Arthur Soden come to a secret agreement whereby five players on each team will be "reserved" - off-limits to all other clubs. The reserve clause will be in effect for the 1880 season. The owners tell the newspapers that they have agreed upon a uniform contract with no salary advances.
• 1907 - By pitching a 2 - 0 shutout over the Reds, Phillies freshman hurler George McQuillan has now pitched 25 scoreless innings since the beginning of his big league career, establishing a rookie record. The 22-year-old right-hander will give up a run in the 1st inning of his next start, but his mark will not be matched for 101 years until broken by A's reliever Brad Ziegler, who will extend the record to 39 1/3 innings in 2008.
• 1908:
  • Ed Walsh of the Chicago White Sox beats the Boston Red Sox twice in Boston by scores of 5 - 1 and 2 - 0. Walsh allows only seven hits and one walk against 15 strikeouts in the two games.
  • At Exposition Park, Pittsburgh blanks the Cardinals, 7 - 0. The last-place Redbirds are shut out for a record 33rd time, averaging more than one whitewash every five games.
• 1913 - The Washington Senators beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 1 - 0, to give Walter Johnson his 36th win of the year.
• 1914 - The Boston Braves clinch the pennant, completing an incredible second-half comeback that will result in their being nicknamed the "Miracle Braves".
• 1915 - The Phillies clinch their first National League pennant when Grover Cleveland Alexander tosses a one-hitter, blanking Boston at Braves Field, 5 - 0. It will take another 35 years before the franchise wins another flag.
• 1919 - Arnold Rothstein decides to finance the World Series fix. The plan calls for Nat Evans to give a $40,000 advance to Sport Sullivan to give to the players, with an additional $40,000 to be put in a safe at the Hotel Congress in Chicago, IL. Evans takes $29,000 and bets on the Cincinnati Reds, giving Chick Gandil only $10,000.
• 1920 - Babe Ruth hits his major league record 54th home run on the last day of the season. Only one other team in the American League will hit more than 44 homers.
• 1921 - Allen Sothoron establishes a major league record by not yielding a home run during the 178 innings he throws this season. The 28-year-old right-hander, who started the season with the Browns before being sent to the Red Sox for a brief stint, pitched the majority of his games with the Indians.
• 1927 - Babe Ruth ties his own home run record with #59 on the season. Ruth will break the record tomorrow.
• 1928 - The New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers combine for an American League-record 45 hits in a nine-inning game. The Tigers get 28 of the hits in a 19 - 10 win.
• 1934 - Babe Ruth hits his last homer as a Yankee. #659 for the team and #708 for his career. It comes off Syd Cohen of the Senators in Washington, DC.
• 1935:
  • In his only major league game, Pirates rookie Aubrey Epps goes 3 for 4 in the Bucs' season finale, a 9 - 6 loss to Cincinnati at Crosley Field. The 23-year-old catcher, known as "Yo-Yo", will finish his one-game big league career with the same batting average (.750) and fielding percentage when he commits two errors in eight chances.
  • Augie Galan, who makes a league-leading 748 plate appearances while playing the full 154-game schedule, ends the season without hitting into a double play. The Cubs center fielder did line into an 11th-inning triple play in the team’s 3 - 2 loss to the Reds in April at Wrigley Field.
• 1942 - Satchel Paige of the Kansas City Monarchs pitches 5 2/3 innings of hitless relief against the Washington-Homestead Grays, winning 9 - 5 in Philadelphia in the 1942 Colored World Series, finishing a four-game sweep of the Grays.
• 1943 - Vern Stephens becomes the first player to hit two extra-inning home runs in the same game. The Browns shortstop puts St. Louis ahead with a solo shot in the 11th, and after the Red Sox tie the score in the bottom of the frame he goes deep again in the 13th with the eventual winning run in his team's 4 - 3 victory at Fenway Park.
• 1945 - Paul Gillespie becomes the first of only two players in baseball history ever to hit home runs in their first and last big league at bats. The wartime Cubs reserve catcher went deep against the Giants at the Polo Grounds on September 11, 1942 and ends his career homering at the spacious Forbes Field, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• 1946 - Bob Feller establishes a major league record by striking out 348 batters in one season.
• 1947:
  • A one-game playoff is held at Los Angeles, CA's Wrigley Field to determine the Pacific Coast League champions. The Angels' Clarence Maddern breaks a scoreless tie with a grand slam off San Francisco's Jack Brewer in the bottom of the 8th, and Larry Barton adds an insurance with a solo blast. Cliff Chambers is the winner of the 5 - 0 shutout.
  • Joe McCarthy comes out of retirement, accepting the managing job of the Boston Red Sox for 1948. When asked about Ted Williams, McCarthy responds "A manager who cannot get along with a .400 hitter ought to have his head examined."
• 1951 - Don Newcombe of the Dodgers becomes the first African-American pitcher to win twenty games in a season in either the National League or American League.
• 1953 - American League owners finally get rid of Bill Veeck... for now. The AL announces that Veeck's controlling interest in the St. Louis Browns has been sold to a Baltimore, MD group headed by mayor Tom D'Alesandro. The new owners get immediate approval to move the team to Baltimore, something Veeck had sought in vain.
• 1954 - Willie Mays makes his famous running catch off the bat of Cleveland's Vic Wertz in Game 1 of the World Series. The Giants win the game, 5 - 2, in ten innings on a three-run walk-off homer by pinch-hitter Dusty Rhodes off Bob Lemon.
• 1957:
  • The New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers play their last games as New York teams. The Giants lose to the Pittsburgh Pirates at the Polo Grounds, 9 - 1, while the Dodgers lose to the Philadelphia Phillies at Shibe Park, 2 - 1.
  • Ted Williams becomes the oldest batting champ when the 39-year-old finishes the season with a .388 average.
• 1958 - Solly Hemus is traded to St. Louis by the Phillies in exchange for utility infielder Gene Freese. The 36-year-old former Redbird will become the Cardinals' player-manager for the next three seasons, compiling a 190-192 record.
• 1959 - In Game 2 of the three-game playoff, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the Milwaukee Braves in 12 innings, 6 - 5, at the Los Angeles Coliseum to clinch the National League pennant. Gil Hodges scores the winning run on Felix Mantilla's throwing error.
• 1961 - Johnny Blanchard singles in the 9th, plating Roger Maris to give the Yankees a 2 - 1 walk-off victory over the Red Sox. The super-sub, playing right field today, hit his 21st home run of the season in the 4th inning off Boston's complete-game loser Bill Monbouquette, accounting for New York's other run. Whitey Ford goes six innings for the victory to finish the season with a 25-4 record. "Slick" hurls 283 innings during the campaign without allowing a stolen base.
• 1962 - Branch Rickey, returning to the Cardinals for the second time in his long career, is given the title of senior consultant for player development. In this role, the "Mahatma" will have the power to make deals, but is asked by team owner Gussie Busch to confer with general manager Bing Devine on a regular basis.
• 1963:
  • John Paciorek of the Houston Colt .45s goes 3 for 3 in his only major league game, ending his big league career with a perfect 1.000 batting average.
  • In his last game, Stan Musial helps the Cardinals beat the Reds, 3 - 2 at Busch Stadium, getting two hits in his final three at-bats
• 1964 - Masanori Murakami becomes the first player born in Japan to win a major league game. At Candlestick Park, the 20-year-old southpaw one-hits the Colt .45's over three innings, and the Otsuki native gets the victory when Matty Alou, who hasn't homered in two years, goes deep to give the Giants a dramatic walk-off 5 - 4 win in the bottom of the 11th inning.
• 1968:
  • Ahead of Pittsburgh's Matty Alou by a slim percentage point on the last day of the season, Reds right fielder Pete Rose wins the first of his three batting titles, going 1 for 3, to keep his average at .335 while the Pirates outfielder is hitless in four trips to the plate, finishing the year with a BA of .332. Yesterday, the batting crown rivals collectively went 9 for 9 in their respective games.
  • After the A's drop a 4 - 3 decision to Minnesota, Charlie Finley fires Oakland manager Bob Kennedy on the last day of the season. The A's owner, who has dismissed eight skippers in eight years, rehires Hank Bauer, who guided the team to ninth-places finishes in 1961 and 1962, when the club played in Kansas City.
  • Carl Yastrzemski captures his second consecutive batting crown. The 29-year-old Red Sox outfielder’s .301 mark is the lowest batting average ever posted in the American League to win the title.
• 1969 - Going deep off Senators hurler Jim Shellenback, Rico Petrocelli becomes the first shortstop in American League history to hit 40 home runs in a season. The Red Sox infielder's record will stand until 1998, when Alex Rodriguez blasts 42 bombs with the Mariners.
• 1971 - Ron Hunt gets hit by a pitch from Milt Pappas. It is the 50th time this season Hunt is plunked, which at the time is considered a record, as no one is aware that Hugh Jennings had been plunked 51 times in 1896, and not 49 as was then listed.
• 1973 - Steve Carlton, who won 27 games for the cellar-dwelling Phillies last year, suffers his 20th loss of the season when Philadelphia is beaten in St. Louis, 7 - 1. "Lefty" will post a 13-20 record, along with a 3.90 ERA for the last-place team.
• 1974:
  • Lou Brock steals his 118th and last base on the final day of the season. This remains the all-time National League record.
  • Hiroshi Takahashi of the Nippon Ham Fighters becomes the first player in Nippon Pro Baseball to play all nine positions in a game. Primarily a catcher, Takahashi is a versatile player who would appear at 20+ games at every position except pitcher during his career. Takahashi takes the mound in the 9th and retires pitcher Tsuneo Nozaki on a fly before Hidetake Watanabe relieves him. It will be 26 years before another player, Akihito Igarashi, matches the feat in Japan.
• 1976 - The Los Angeles Dodgers name Tommy Lasorda as manager, replacing the retired Walter Alston. Tommy will be at the helm for the final four games of this season, then will lead the Dodgers to consecutive pennants in 1977 and 1978.
• 1977 - With a 6 - 3 victory over the Angels at Royals Stadium, Kansas City reaches the 100-win mark for the first time in the nine-year history of the franchise. The eventual American League Western Division champions will finish the regular season with 102 victories.
• 1978 - Jim Rice doubles and singles against the Toronto Blue Jays in Fenway Park. Rice is the first American Leaguer to amass 400 total bases since Joe DiMaggio in 1937.
• 1979 - Manny Mota sets a major league record with his 145th career pinch hit, a single to right field, in Los Angeles' 6 - 2 victory over Chicago at Dodger Stadium. The Dominican Republic native surpasses the all-time record set by Smoky Burgess, who collected his last hit as a pinch-hitter in 1967.
• 1983 - In game which lasts only two hours and twenty minutes, Mike Warren, in his last start of the season, no-hits the White Sox, 3 - 0, in front of 9,058 fans at the Oakland Coliseum. The 22-year-old right-hander from California, who will win only four more games in his three-year career, is the 15th rookie to throw a no-hitter.
• 1986 - Bert Blyleven surrenders three homers to the Cleveland Indians, giving him 49 on the year, breaking the major league record of 46 set by Robin Roberts in 1956. Jay Bell, in his first visit to a big league ballpark, hits the first pitch he sees in the major leagues for a home run off Blyleven, the player he was traded for last season, for the record-breaking 47th gopher ball.
• 1987 - Don Mattingly sets a major league record by hitting his sixth grand slam of the season, surpassing the mark shared by Ernie Banks (1955 Cubs) and Jim Gentile (1961 Orioles). Remarkably, the Yankees first baseman will not hit any other round-tripper with the bases loaded during his entire 14-year career.
• 1993 - George Brett plays his last game at Kauffman Stadium, and after the Royals' 3 - 2 9th-inning walk-off victory, a post-game tribute is held to honor the future Hall of Famer. At the conclusion of the ceremony, with fireworks lighting up the sky, the KC third baseman circles the stadium in a golf cart and then kneels down and kisses home plate.
• 1996:
  • Andres Galarraga of the Colorado Rockies goes 3 for 5 and drives in three runs to finish the season with exactly 150 RBIs, becoming the first player to have that many in a single season since Tommy Davis of the Dodgers had 153 in 1962.
  • Two weeks after the Rangers retire Nolan Ryan's number, the Astros follow suit and honor the "Ryan Express" by also retiring his #34. The right-handed fireballer played nine seasons for Houston, striking out a total of 1,866 batters en route to winning 106 games that included his fifth no-hitter against Los Angeles in 1981.
  • During a 4 - 1 loss at the SkyDome, Orioles center fielder Brady Anderson becomes the 14th player to hit 50 home runs in a season. The power surge comes as a surprise, given the Baltimore leadoff hitter's previous season high was only 21 round-trippers.
  • Although he is four shy of the necessary 502 plate appearances requirement, Tony Gwynn, hitting .353, is given the National League's batting crown using the Oh-fer Clause, which has been in the rule book for 30 years but never invoked before now. The addition of four mythical hitless at-bats would leave the Padres outfielder with a .349 average, still five points better than the runner-up Ellis Burks of the Rockies.
• 1998:
  • The Red Sox end a 13-game postseason losing streak, beating the Indians in Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Jacobs Field, 11 - 3. Boston first baseman Mo Vaughn homers twice and ties a LDS record with seven RBIs.
  • Kevin Brown fans 16 Astros in eight innings as he outduels Randy Johnson in Game 1 of the NLDS. Greg Vaughn's solo homer puts the Padres up by two. Bill Spiers doubles off Trevor Hoffman in the 9th and scores on a Ken Caminiti error but Carl Everett flies out to center for the final out. San Diego wins, 2 - 1.
• 1999:
  • In the second game of doubleheader with Milwaukee, the first three batters for Pittsburgh are Adrian Brown (CF), Emil Brown (LF), and Brant Brown (1B). It's brown 'n serve as far as the Brewers go, downing the Bucs, 5 - 2.
  • Doug Glanville becomes the first Phillies player to collect 200 hits in a season since Pete Rose accomplished the feat twenty years ago. The center fielder reaches the milestone with a 4th-inning three-run home run off Micah Bowie in Philadelphia's 5 - 0 victory over Chicago at Veterans Stadium.
  • Daryle Ward blasts a two-run homer and Mike Hampton picks up his 21st win in a 4 - 1 triumph over Cincinnati. Billy Wagner turns a liner into a double play for the final outs. It moves Houston back into a tie with the Reds for the division lead with three games to play.
• 2000 - Gary Sheffield ties the Dodgers franchise single-season home run record when he goes deep off Woody Williams in Los Angeles' 3 - 0 victory over San Diego at Qualcomm Stadium. The left fielder, with his career-best 43rd round tripper, now shares the team mark with Duke Snider, who established the record in 1956 when he played for Brooklyn.
• 2001:
  • Astros starter Dave Mlicki gives up homers on three consecutive pitches to Fred McGriff, Rondell White and Todd Hundley. The back-to-back-to-back homers, which come in the 1st inning with two outs, enable the Cubs to beat Houston at Wrigley Field, 6 - 2.
  • Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki gets his 234th hit of the season, breaking "Shoeless" Joe Jackson's 1911 rookie record for the most hits in a season. The historic hit also ties the 1985 major league mark for singles in a season, established by Wade Boggs with 187, playing with the Red Sox.
  • Miguel Tejada's 7th-inning grand slam makes him the 15th player in A's history to hit for the cycle. The slugging shortstop had tripled in the 1st inning, singled in the 3rd and doubled in the 6th.
• 2002 - Barry Bonds sets a new season mark for on-base percentage with a .582 OBP. The 38-year-old Giant left fielder, who became the oldest first-time winner of a batting title, hitting .370, easily surpassed the 1941 mark established by Ted Williams with a .553 OBP.
• 2004:
  • Major League Baseball officially announces that the Montreal Expos franchise will move to Washington, DC in 2005. Hours after this, the Expos play their final game in Montreal, a 9 - 1 loss to the Florida Marlins before a crowd of 31,395 at Olympic Stadium.
  • With the Braves beating the Mets, 6 - 3, Bobby Cox becomes the ninth manager in baseball history to win 2,000 games. All of the other skippers who have reached this milestone are enshrined in the Hall of Fame, with the exception of Tony LaRussa, who is still actively managing the Cardinals. Both Cox and LaRussa will eventually be inducted as well.
• 2005 - Staving off what would have been one of the worst collapses in baseball history, the White Sox clinch their first American League Central title since 2000, beating the Tigers at Comerica Park, 4 - 2. The Pale Hose had watched their 15-game lead on August 1st shrink to only a game and a half over the rampaging Indians.
• 2007:
  • One out away from clinching a playoff berth, Padres closer Trevor Hoffman gives up a game-tying pinch-hit triple to Tony Gwynn Jr., the son of a former teammate who he used to baby sit. The Padres will lose the game as well as tomorrow's season finale, resulting in a one-game playoff against Colorado, which they will also lose to miss out on the postseason.
  • During the 6th inning of a 5 - 3 loss to the Blue Jays in Toronto, Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon pulls Delmon Young out of the lineup for showing "blatant disrespect" for the game and the team by not running hard to first base. The 21-year-old outfielder responds with a profanity-laced tirade, claiming he was unfairly singled out and says he will not play in tomorrow's season finale, making it the only game in the 162-game season he will miss.
• 2008 - In Chicago, rookie Alexei Ramirez's fourth grand slam of the year leads the White Sox to an 8 - 2 win over the Tigers in a make-up game, forcing a one-game playoff with the Minnesota Twins. Gavin Floyd picks up his 17th win of the season, while Armando Galarraga, making a rare relief appearance, is the loser for the Bengals.
• 2009:
  • Adam Lind's remarkable break-out season for the Blue Jays continues, as he slams three homers in an 8 - 7 win over Boston. His shots are three of Toronto's six on the day as the Sox suffer their fifth straight loss. They still clinch the American League wild card when Texas loses, 5 - 2, to the Angels.
  • Chris Iannetta hits a two-run homer off David Weathers in the 11th inning to give Colorado a 7 - 5 win over Milwaukee. The Rockies move one game further ahead of the Braves in the National League wild card race, after Atlanta loses 5 - 4 to Florida.
• 2010 - At the Ballpark in Arlington, with the Seattle-Texas game tied, 5 - 5, with two outs in the bottom of the 9th, Nelson Cruz strikes out, apparently sending the game into extra innings. The third strike turns out to be a wild pitch, however, and when the catcher makes an errant throw to first base trying to complete the putout, Mitch Moreland, the base runner already on first, scores the winning run, giving the Rangers a 6 - 5 victory on a walk-off strikeout.
• 2012:
  • Rookie Manny Machado homers off Felix Doubront in the 7th inning to give Baltimore a 4 - 3 win over the Red Sox. With New York's 3 - 2 loss to Toronto earlier today, the two teams are now tied for first place in the AL East. Toronto's Ricky Romero gives up two 1st-inning runs, but the Jays come back to give Shawn Hill, who only a week ago was pitching for Team Canada in the 2013 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers in Germany, his first big league win in two years.
  • Michael Morse hits a grand slam in the 1st inning of Washington's game against St. Louis, but not after some confusion. His fly ball bounces off the right field back wall at Busch Stadium and back onto the field; Morse is tagged out returning to first base when the other runners stop, but a video review reverses the call. Morse then goes back to the batter's box, takes a mock swing without a bat, and completes a turn around the bases. However, the Cards score three times in the 7th and once in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game, but a two-run double by Kurt Suzuki in the 10th gives the Nats a 6 - 4 win. The Nationals' magic number to clinch a division title is down to one. They establish a franchise record with their 96th victory of the season. In 1979, playing as the Expos, representing the city of Montreal, the team won 95 games, finishing the season two games behind Pittsburgh.
• 2013:
  • On the last day of the regular season, Henderson Alvarez of the Marlins tosses a no-hitter against the Tigers, 1 - 0. The game is scoreless going into the bottom of the 9th, as Justin Verlander matches zeros with Alvarez, but Giancarlo Stanton scores a run on a wild pitch by Luke Putkonen to make the no-no official. It is only the sixth time in major league history a no-hitter has ended in walk-off fashion, and the first time it has happened in regulation innings since 1952.
  • The Indians defeat the Twins, 5 - 1, behind a strong combined pitching performance by Ubaldo Jimenez and Justin Masterson to clinch the first wild card spot in the American League. The Indians finished the season 15-2 to ensure this outcome and will host the Wild Card Game in two days. A one-game playoff will be needed to determine their opponent, however, as the Rays defeat the Blue Jays, 7 - 6, hanging on for a nail-biting win after scoring six runs and chasing starter Todd Redmond in the 1st; the Rangers then win their seventh straight, defeating the Angels, 6 - 2, to match the Rays' 91-71 record, forcing an extra game to be held.
• 2014 - One day after the end of the regular season, the Twins, who finished in last place for the third time in the last four years, fire long-time manager Ron Gardenhire after 13 seasons. For their part, the Astros announce the hiring of A.J. Hinch as their new skipper, after completing the season under interim manager Tom Lawless.
• 2015:
  • The Dodgers clinch a third consecutive NL West title thanks to a superlative performance by Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw throws a one-hitter and strikes out 13 in an 8 - 0 win over the Giants. He finally defeats his personal nemesis, Madison Bumgarner, in the fourth meeting between the two aces this year.
  • The Angels are also on a roll, as they win their seventh straight game, 8 - 1 over the Athletics, leapfrogging over Houston into the second wild card slot in the American League. Albert Pujols has three hits and Erick Aybar drives in two runs in support of Nick Tropeano's pitching.
• 2016:
  • For the first time since the 2005 season, a major league game ends in a tie as rain stops the final scheduled contest of the year between the Cubs and Pirates in the 6th inning with the score at 1 - 1. The game will not be resumed as its result has no bearing on the postseason. The rules pertaining to ties were changed in 2007 making today's situation the only one in which a tie game can now occur.
  • The Cardinals defeat the Reds , 4 - 3, on a game-ending double by Yadier Molina in the 9th. However, replays clearly show that third base umpire Scott Barry blew the call as Molina's hit bounced into the stands and should have been called an automatic double, preventing Matt Carpenter from scoring from first base. Reds manager Bryan Price takes too long to request a video review and home plate umpire Bill Miller lets the run stand; Price explains that the roar of the crowd and the noise from the celebratory fireworks made it impossible for him to hear the telephone in the dugout that instructed him to challenge the call. The game is a key one in the three-team race for the two wild card spots in the National League, but a reversal of the call is not possible.
• 2017:
  • With a two-run homer in the 2nd inning, Rockies OF Charlie Blackmon sets a new record for RBIs by a leadoff hitter with 101. The record was previously held by Darin Erstad, with 100. Blackmon adds another RBI later in the game as Colorado defeats the Dodgers, 9 - 1, to inch closer to confirming a postseason slot.
  • Draci Brno wins their 21st Extraliga title, beating the Arrows Ostrava three games to one in the Czech Series. All four games are decided in the final inning. Today, Draci Brno wins, 6 - 5, with strong efforts from Pavel Budský (3 H, 2 R, RBI) and Adam Hajtmar (3 H, R). Tomáš Juněc is 3 for 4 with a double and two RBI in a losing cause.
  • Chris Marrero hits the 100,000th homer in Nippon Pro Baseball history, taking Kakeru Narita deep in a 4 - 0 win for the Orix Buffaloes over the Chiba Lotte Marines. Teammate Takahiro Okada hits #99,999; it would have been #100,000 had Marrero not failed to touch home on a would-be homer earlier this year.
• 2018 - The Yankees set a new record for home runs in a season with #265 hit by Gleyber Torres in the 5th inning against the Red Sox. It eclipses the mark set by the 1997 Seattle Mariners, but will be topped again next season.
• 2020:
  • The 2020 Postseason begins under an unprecedented format with the first games of the four American League Wild Card Series. The Astros take advantage of a 9th-inning throwing error by SS Jorge Polanco to win in the Third Series, 4 - 1, in what is the Twins' 17th straight loss in a postseason game. In the Fourth Series, Lucas Giolito is perfect through the first six innings and three White Sox batters go deep to lead Chicago to its own 4 - 1 win, as the Athletics have now lost six straight postseason contests. In the First Series, the Rays defeat the Blue Jays, 3 - 1, thanks to a strong performance by starter Blake Snell backed up by a two-run homer by Manuel Margot. Finally, the Yankees crush the Indians, 12 - 3, in the Second Series as the vaunted duel between Gerrit Cole and Shane Bieber turns out to be a TKO for Cole, who becomes the first pitcher to have three games of 12 or more strikeouts in the postseason, while Bieber gives up seven runs in less than five innings.
  • The venerable Appalachian League, which first appeared in 1911 and was one of the few circuits to play through World War II without interruption, is no more, as MiLB announces its replacement by a summer collegiate league of the same name starting next year. This is one of the first concrete steps of the major restructuring of the minor leagues that has been rumored for over a year now, and will lead to the disappearance of dozens of minor league teams and a number of leagues as well, and the renaming of the remaining ones as they come under the full control of Major League Baseball.
• 2021 - Locked all year in a tight race for the NL West division title, the Dodgers and Giants both win tonight. The Giants win their 104th game of the season, 1 - 0, over the Diamondbacks behind Alex Wood, to set a new franchise record for wins since their move to San Francisco, CA in 1958. But the Dodgers keep pace, remaining two games back, with a spectacular 11 - 9 comeback win over the Padres, thanks to four home runs in the 8th that erase a 9 - 6 deficit. Max Muncy and A.J. Pollock open the frame with back-to-back dingers, then after one out, Cody Bellinger ties it with another solo shot. After a double by pinch-hitter Justin Turner, Mookie Betts flies out for the second out, but that brings up Corey Seager who goes deep off Nabil Crismatt to complete the turnaround. Kenley Jansen then strikes out the side to notch his 37th save and seal the win.
• 2022 - Another day, another incredible performance by Shohei Ohtani. Today, he takes a no-hitter into the 8th inning before giving up a single to Conner Capel with two outs, on his way to winning his 15th of the year, 4 - 2 over the Athletics. The Angels' two-way superstar also shines at the plate, going 2 for 4 with an RBI and extending his hitting streak to 14 games - the longest in the majors at this time.
• 2023:
  • With three days left in the season, the Giants fire manager Gabe Kapler after a recent slump has eliminated them from postseason contention. Bench coach Kai Correa takes over as interim manager.
  • The Royals' first ten batters reach base in the 1st inning, on eight hits and two walks, and score nine runs against Carlos Rodón and Matt Bowman of the Yankees, on their way to a 12 - 5 win in a rare highlight in what has been a wretched season. In the 7th inning, Bobby Witt Jr. hits his 30th homer of the year for Kansas City, becoming the third player to join the 30-30 club this season; he has two more games remaining to reach the total of 50 stolen bases for the season, but will fall short.
• 2024 - Today is supposed to be the final day of the MLB regular season, but there will need to be an extra day tacked on in the National League, as three clubs are still battling for the final two wild card spots at the end of the day. As a result, the Braves and Mets need to play a make-up doubleheader caused by Hurricane Helene wiping out two games between those teams during the past week, while the Diamondbacks, who have completed their schedule, can only watch from afar. The situation is the result of Arizona defeating the Padres, 11 - 2, to finish at 89-73, while its two rivals are at 88-72 following the Mets' 5 - 0 win over Milwaukee and the Braves' 4 - 2 loss to the Royals. The D-Backs can only advance if the twinbill ends in a sweep by one of the two teams.

Births

• 1856 - Michael E. Finn, minor league manager (d. 1935)
• 1859 - Dave Orr, infielder, manager (d. 1915)
• 1862 - Ed Morris, pitcher (d. 1937)
• 1865 - Jim Gill, infielder/outfielder (d. 1923)
• 1866 - Gus Weyhing, pitcher (d. 1955)
• 1867 - Hunkey Hines, outfielder (d. 1928)
• 1871 - Russ Hall, infielder (d. 1937)
• 1875 - Harry Steinfeldt, infielder (d. 1914)
• 1880 - Harry Lumley, outfielder, manager (d. 1938)
• 1884 - Hunky Shaw, pinch hitter (d. 1969)
• 1886 - Cy Pieh, pitcher (d. 1945)
• 1898 - Joe Matthews, pitcher (d. 1968)
• 1901 - Rabbit Benton, infielder (d. 1984)
• 1901 - Tony Rensa, catcher (d. 1987)
• 1905 - Bruce Cunningham, pitcher (d. 1984)
• 1909 - Oris Hockett, outfielder; All-Star (d. 1969)
• 1911 - Dan McGee, infielder (d. 1991)
• 1912 - Glen Stewart, infielder (d. 1997)
• 1914 - Johnny Johnson, pitcher (d. 1991)
• 1914 - Duane Kratzer, minor league player (d. 2008)
• 1917 - Eddie Feinberg, infielder (d. 1986)
• 1919 - Slim Emmerich, pitcher (d. 1998)
• 1922 - Don Wheeler, catcher (d. 2003)
• 1924 - Harold Gould, pitcher (d. 2012)
• 1924 - Ed McGhee, outfielder (d. 1986)
• 1925 - Tom Hamilton, infielder (d. 1973)
• 1927 - Bob Saulsberry, minor league outfielder (d. 2011)
• 1932 - Hans Schotel, Hoofdklasse umpire (d. 2020)
• 1935 - Bob Anderson, pitcher (d. 2015)
• 1935 - Howie Bedell, outfielder
• 1935 - Hiromu Fujii, NPB infielder
• 1936 - Hal Trosky, pitcher (d. 2012)
• 1938 - Mike McCormick, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2020)
• 1941 - Jeff James, pitcher
• 1941 - Rich Reese, infielder
• 1946 - Ned Eades, minor league catcher (d. 2004)
• 1947 - Douglas B. Lyons, author
• 1948 - Benny Looper, scout (d. 2021)
• 1949 - Steve Busby, pitcher; All-Star
• 1950 - Jim Crawford, pitcher
• 1950 - Ken Macha, infielder, manager
• 1951 - John McLaren, manager
• 1952 - Hirohisa Matsunuma, NPB pitcher
• 1953 - Warren Cromartie, outfielder
• 1953 - Gene Richards, outfielder
• 1953 - Carlos Tosca, , manager
• 1955 - Byron McLaughlin, pitcher
• 1956 - Mark Calvert, pitcher
• 1957 - Tim Flannery, infielder
• 1957 - Craig Lefferts, pitcher
• 1958 - Mark Bonner, minor league infielder (d. 1994)
• 1960 - Rob Deer, outfielder
• 1964 - Eijiro Ai, NPB pitcher
• 1967 - Dave Silvestri, infielder
• 1968 - Derek Parks, catcher
• 1970 - Gary Haught, pitcher
• 1970 - Joe Hudson, pitcher
• 1970 - Atsushi Yoshida, NPB pitcher
• 1971 - Eddy Diaz, infielder
• 1972 - Dave Doorneweerd, minor league player
• 1972 - Franklin Torres, Serie A1 pitcher
• 1973 - Miguel García, coach
• 1974 - Chris Anderson, minor league player
• 1974 - Ching-Kuo Chen, CPBL outfielder
• 1974 - Raymond Hofer, minor league infielder
• 1976 - Jermaine Clark, outfielder
• 1976 - Calvin Pickering, designated hitter
• 1977 - Heath Bell, pitcher; All-Star
• 1977 - Andy Berglund, scout
• 1977 - Jake Westbrook, pitcher; All-Star
• 1979 - Jason Ellis, minor league catcher (d. 2013)
• 1979 - Miguel Peguero, minor league player
• 1979 - Sneideer Santos, minor league outfielder
• 1979 - Joe Thurston, infielder
• 1979 - Dan Trumble, minor league outfielder
• 1980 - Juan Abad, minor league catcher
• 1980 - Miguel Asencio, pitcher
• 1980 - Dewon Day, pitcher
• 1980 - Jan Homolka, Extraliga pitcher
• 1981 - Miguel Martinez, minor league pitcher
• 1981 - Takanori Yamamoto, NPB umpire
• 1982 - Colt Griffin, minor league pitcher
• 1982 - Junichi Katayama, Japanese national team pitcher
• 1983 - John Bacon, umpire
• 1983 - Jonathan Malo, minor league infielder
• 1985 - Eduardo Paulino, minor league pitcher
• 1986 - James Simmons, minor league pitcher
• 1987 - Ryan Ortiz, minor league catcher
• 1987 - Alí Solís, catcher
• 1988 - Tyler Thornburg, pitcher
• 1989 - David Compton, minor league outfielder
• 1989 - T.J. House, pitcher
• 1989 - J.P. Ramirez, minor league outfielder
• 1989 - Alex Sambucci, Italian Baseball League infielder
• 1990 - Simon Emanuelsson, Bundesliga infielder
• 1990 - Ryosuke Yagi, NPB pitcher
• 1991 - Lukas Jahn, Bundesliga infielder
• 1991 - Branden Kline, pitcher
• 1991 - Tung-Jung Wu, CPBL infielder
• 1992 - Wei-Chih Lin, CPBL pitcher
• 1992 - Jake Reed, pitcher
• 1993 - Yu-Wei Kao, Taiwan national team infielder
• 1994 - Tom Hatch, pitcher
• 1994 - Tyler Mahle, pitcher
• 1994 - Dewen Perez, minor league pitcher
• 1995 - Miguel Gonzalez, minor league pitcher (d. 2017)
• 1995 - Terry McClure, minor league outfielder
• 1997 - David Hamilton, infielder
• 1998 - Luis Campusano, catcher
• 1999 - Naykel Cruz, minor league pitcher
• 1999 - Marcel Giraud, Bundesliga pitcher
• 2000 - Yhostin Chirinos, minor league infielder
• 2002 - Gabriel Rodriguez, minor league catcher
• 2004 - Cassandra Vigneau, French women's national team pitcher

Deaths

• 1918 - Ted Kimbro, Negro League infielder (b. 1895)
• 1920 - Mark Creegan, outfielder (b. 1864)
• 1935 - Jim Lovett, umpire (b. 1844)
• 1939 - Tom McMillan, college coach (b. 1888)
• 1941 - John Foster, writer (b. 1863)
• 1947 - Ed Walker, pitcher (b. 1874)
• 1950 - Hugh Blackburn, pitcher (b. 1887)
• 1952 - Cuppy Groeschow, minor league player and manager (b. 1878)
• 1953 - Lefty Tyler, pitcher (b. 1889)
• 1966 - Jack Rowan, pitcher (b. 1887)
• 1969 - Tommy Leach, outfielder (b. 1877)
• 1974 - Van Patrick, announcer (b. 1916)
• 1974 - By Speece, pitcher (b. 1897)
• 1975 - Casey Stengel, outfielder, manager; Hall of Famer (b. 1890)
• 1982 - Monty Stratton, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1912)
• 1988 - Tony Ordenana, infielder (b. 1918)
• 1988 - Catfish Smith, college coach (b. 1908)
• 1990 - Al McLean, pitcher (b. 1912)
• 1991 - Ed Moriarty, infielder (b. 1912)
• 1996 - Bill Herring, minor league pitcher and manager (b. 1911)
• 1999 - Arnold Earley, pitcher (b. 1933)
• 2000 - Lynn Lovenguth, pitcher (b. 1922)
• 2004 - Alphonse Dunn, infielder (b. 1911)
• 2011 - Eddie Bockman, infielder (b. 1920)
• 2012 - Al Neil, minor league outfielder (b. 1925)
• 2013 - Bob Cummins, minor league infielder (b. 1925)
• 2014 - Tracy Piehl, minor league pitcher (b. 1970)
• 2014 - George Shuba, outfielder (b. 1924)
• 2016 - Homero Díaz, Venezuelan League executive (b. ~1932)
• 2018 - Ed Martel, minor league pitcher (b. 1969)
• 2019 - Bobby Mitchell, outfielder (b. 1943)
• 2021 - Chuck Lindstrom, catcher (b. 1936)
• 2022 - Hector Lopez, outfielder (b. 1929)
• 2024 - Ozzie Virgil, infielder (b. 1932)