On June 18, 1909, The Cincinnati Reds experimented with night baseball at the Palace of the Fans in a game between two amateur teams before a crowd of 3,000. The lighting system of the invention of George Cahill, who owned a floodlight manufacturing firm in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Reds president Garry Herrmann was intrigued by the idea…
1909 – Jim Thorpe makes his baseball pitching debut for the Rocky Mount Railroaders (Eastern Carolina League) with a 4 – 2 win over the Raleigh Red Birds. It is the professional play in this year that will later cause him to lose his Olympic gold medals won in the 1912 Olympics (thus violating the amateur status rules). In 1983, thirty years after his death, his medals will be restored by the International Olympic Committee.
On June 11, 1909 At the West Side Grounds‚ Boston wins over Chicago‚ 4 – 2‚ for their only win against the Cubs this year. Rookie Kirby “Red” Whitewalks in a run but at the plate drives in two Doves with a triple. Boston will go 1-21 against the Cubs and 1-20 versus the Pirates.
On June 10, 1909 George Mullin’s winning streak reaches 11 with a 2 – 1 win over New York. On the 15th‚ he will finally lose to the Athletics, 5 – 4.
Cack Henley completes the longest complete-game shutout in baseball history, blanking his opponents over 24 innings in the Seals’ 1-0 victory over the Oakland Oaks and Jimmy Wiggs, who also goes the distance during the extra-inning marathon at San Francisco’s Recreation Park. The future Pacific Coast League Hall of Famer’s two-dozen scoreless frames ties three other hurlers for the most thrown by a PCL pitcher in one game.
Enjoy our free trial and start listening to games, interviews and shows! Ruth, Mantle, Aaron, and Seaver!