As a pinch hitter, Gates Brown has two walk-off hits in Detroit’s twin bill sweep of the Red Sox at Tiger Stadium. His pinch home run off Lee Stange in the 14th inning ends the opener, 5-4, and the nightcap is decided when he comes off the bench in the ninth and singles to right off Sparky Lyle, scoring Mickey Stanley, giving the team from the Motor City a 6-5 victory.
Satchel Paige‚ 62 years or so old‚ and needing 158 days on a major league payroll to qualify for a pension‚ is signed by the Braves. He will not pitch a regular-season game for Atlanta and will become a coach on September 30th and stay for another year.
1968 – Doug Rader goes 5-for-5 and Norm Miller drives in five as Houston crushes Pittsburgh, 16-3, in the opener of a twinbill at Forbes Field. Rader smashes a two-run homer in the nightcap for his seventh straight hit and sixth RBI of the day but the Bucs rally to take the nightcap, 7-4.
1968 – On Old Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium, the Twins stop the Yankees, 3 – 2. New York’s only scores are two solo shots by Mickey Mantle off Jim Merritt. It is the Mick’s 46th two-homer game.
1968 – California pitchers plunk Baltimore batters three times in the 7th inning at Memorial Stadium, tying the American League record for hit batsmen in one inning. Baltimore wins, 3 – 0.
august 8, 1968 In a true pitcher’s duel, Philadelphia’s Rick Wise and Bill Singer of Los Angeles traded complete games. A solo home run to lead off the ninth inning by Richie Allen was the difference in the Phillies’ 1-0 victory at Dodger Stadium. Wise (8-8) was masterful in twirling a one-hitter. He set the…
The Cubs trip the Braves‚ 4 – 0‚ behind Bill Hands‚ with relief help from Phil Regan. Umpire Chris Pelekoudas goes to the mound to inspect the cap and glove of the Cubs’ Regan. When the game continues, Pelekoudas accuses Regan of three illegal pitches, nullifying a fly out‚ a strikeout‚ and changing a strike to a ball. Wrigley fans toss garbage on the field. Leo Durocher‚ Randy Hundley‚ and Al Spangler get tossed as well. National League president Warren Giles, after a special hearing‚ says umps should have better evidence before calling pitches illegal.
Jarry Park is grudgingly approved by Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau for interim use by the Montreal Expos. Montreal officials tell National League President Warren Giles that a new stadium will be ready by 1972. In fact, the Expos will play their home games at tiny Jarry Park until the end of the 1976 season.
1968 – A hard slide by Doug Rader into third base on a triple knocks out New York third baseman Kevin Collins and ignites a brawl. Houston police enter the fray. The donnybrook climaxes hostility that began when Mets outfielder Tommy Agee spiked Joe Morgan while sliding into second base. Amazingly, Rader stays in the contest and scores the eventual game-winner on a sacrifice fly by Dick Simpson. Larry Dierker bests Tom Seaver in the 4-3 victory.
In his major league debut, A’s Joe Keough hits a home run in his first at-bat. The rookie goes deep off Lindy McDaniel as a pinch-hitter in the eighth, tying the score at 3-to-3 in Oakland’s eventual 4-3 extra inning victory at Yankee Stadium.
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