September 29
From BR Bullpen
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| Stats of players who died on this day | |
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| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on September 29.
Events[edit]
- 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.
- 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 fifteen strikeouts in the two games.
- 1913 - The Washington Senators beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 1 - 0, to give Walter Johnson his 36th win of the year.
- 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.
- 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 as a Yankee and #708 of his career comes off Syd Cohen in Washington, DC.
- 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.
- 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."
- 1952 - Stan Musial makes his major league pitching debut. Harvey Haddix moves to right field, Hal Rice shifts to center, and Musial pitches to Frank Baumholtz. After Baumholtz grounds out to third, everyone returns to their positions.
- 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 been trying in vain to get approved.
- 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 10 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 1974:
- Lou Brock steals his 118th and last base on the final day of the season.
- 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 catcher 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 5th 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.
- 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. Their magic number to clinch a division title is down to 1.
- 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 6th 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 7th 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 7th 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 3 games to 1 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.
- 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 6 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 7 runs in less than 5 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.
Births[edit]
- 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
- 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
- 1971 - Eddy Diaz, infielder
- 1972 - Dave Doorneweerd, minor league player
- 1972 - Franklin Torres, Serie A1 pitcher
- 1974 - Chris Anderson, minor league player
- 1974 - Raymond Hofer, minor league infielder
- 1976 - Jermaine Clark, outfielder
- 1976 - Calvin Pickering, designated hitter
- 1977 - Heath Bell, pitcher; All-Star
- 1977 - Andy Berglund, Extraliga manager
- 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 - 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 - Alex Sambucci, Italian Baseball League infielder
- 1990 - Simon Emanuelsson, Bundesliga infielder
- 1991 - Lukas Jahn, Bundesliga infielder
- 1991 - Branden Kline, pitcher
- 1992 - Jake Reed, pitcher
- 1994 - Tom Hatch, pitcher
- 1994 - Tyler Mahle, pitcher
- 1994 - Dewen Perez, minor league pitcher
- 1995 - Miguel Gonzalez, minor league pitcher (d. 2017)
- 1998 - Luis Campusano, catcher
Deaths[edit]
- 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)
- 1999 - Arnold Earley, pitcher (b. 1933)
- 2000 - Lynn Lovenguth, pitcher (b. 1922)
- 2004 - Alphonse Dunn, infielder (b. 1911)
- 2009 - Humberto Robinson, pitcher (b. 1930)
- 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)
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