Mike Epstein

Oakland A’s hit five solo home runs in a 5-1 victory over the Washington Senators

ByThis Day in Baseball

On June 16, 1971, The Oakland Athletics hit five solo home runs in a 5 – 1 victory over the Washington Senators. Powerful first baseman Mike Epstein bangs out home runs in his first two at-bats, giving him homers in four straight at-bats over two games. Joe Rudi also adds a pair and Dave Duncan…

One night after beating the Astros with his glove, Roberto Clemente does it with his bat. The Pittsburgh superstar blasts a two-run homer to right field in the 7th inning, snapping a 4 – 4 deadlock and lifting the National League East leaders to a 6 – 4 triumph. The late splurge enables Dock Ellis to make it through the night, surviving a four-run 6th, into which he’d carried a no-hitter. Roberto’s blast, off one of his old favorite bats, comes against Wade Blasingame after Gene Clines’ one-out single; it takes the shape of a line drive to right that keeps rising past Cesar Cedeno, who had first thought he could make the catch before helplessly watching it sail way over his outstretched glove.

ByThis Day in Baseball

One night after beating the Astros with his glove, Roberto Clemente does it with his bat. The Pittsburgh superstar blasts a two-run homer to right field in the 7th inning, snapping a 4 – 4 deadlock and lifting the National League East leaders to a 6 – 4 triumph. The late splurge enables Dock Ellis to make it through the night, surviving a four-run 6th, into which he’d carried a no-hitter. Roberto’s blast, off one of his old favorite bats, comes against Wade Blasingame after Gene Clines’ one-out single; it takes the shape of a line drive to right that keeps rising past Cesar Cedeno, who had first thought he could make the catch before helplessly watching it sail way over his outstretched glove.

“If they ever want to rate the 10 greatest catches of all time,” One of the top 10 catches of all time – Roberto Clemente’s fantastic catch of Bob Watson’s line drive in Houston’s Astrodome 

“If they ever want to rate the 10 greatest catches of all time,” One of the top 10 catches of all time – Roberto Clemente’s fantastic catch of Bob Watson’s line drive in Houston’s Astrodome 

ByThis Day in Baseball

1971 – “If they ever want to rate the 10 greatest catches of all time,” maintains The Sporting News’s correspondent and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports editor Charley Feeney, “Roberto Clemente’s fantastic catch of Bob Watson’s line drive in Houston’s Astrodome will have to be among them.” Most of the 16,307 fans give Clemente a standing ovation for his feat, which deprives Watson of a home run in the 8th inning. It would have put the Astros ahead, 2 – 1. Instead, Steve Blass holds on to a 1 – 0 lead and the Bucs will score twice more for a 3 – 0 win. Joe Morgan is on first base with two out when Watson hits his vicious liner toward the right field corner. Clemente, going full speed, races toward the wall and, in one sudden move, makes a twisting leap for a one-handed grab, back to the plate, just before the ball would have hit above the yellow line on the wall, in home run territory. When Clemente comes down, his body hits the wall and he suffers a bruised left ankle and his left elbow also is swollen. Blood spills from a gash on the left knee. Clemente slumps on both knees, back to the infield. The Houston fans stand up and cheer. A second standing ovation will precede Clemente’s at-bat in the top of the 9th. On the preceding play, Clemente made a skidding shoestring catch of Cesar Cedeno’s Texas Leaguer, then threw perfectly to second base while on his knees to prevent Morgan from advancing.

Alex Johnson accuses his Angel teammate Chico Ruiz of waving a gun at him in the clubhouse while the game is being played, an eventual 5-2 loss to Washington at Anaheim Stadium. Although Ruiz denies the incident and the club finds no evidence of a gun, Johnson, not known for his diplomacy, adamantly claims he was threatened with a firearm by the infielder during an argument they had after being used as pinch-hitters in the contest.

ByTom

On June 13 1971, Alex Johnson accuses his Angel teammate Chico Ruiz of waving a gun at him in the clubhouse while the game is being played, an eventual 5-2 loss to Washington at Anaheim Stadium. Although Ruiz denies the incident and the club finds no evidence of a gun, Johnson, not known for his…

Danny Goodwin is chosen as the first player in the June draft and turns down a reported $50‚000 offer from the White Sox to attend Southern University

Danny Goodwin is chosen as the first player in the June draft and turns down a reported $50‚000 offer from the White Sox to attend Southern University

ByThis Day in Baseball

June 8, 1971 – Danny Goodwin is chosen as the first player in the June draft and turns down a reported $50‚000 offer from the White Sox to attend Southern University. He will be chosen number one again in 1975. The Sox fail to sign 10 of their 14 picks. The Padres select P Jay…

At Municipal Stadium, Paul Splittorff earns his first major league victory when Kansas City defeats the visiting Senators, 4-2. In 1969, the 23 year-old left-hander became the first player signed by the Royals to appear on the expansion team’s major-league roster.

ByTom

At Municipal Stadium, Paul Splittorff earns his first major league victory when Kansas City defeats the visiting Senators, 4-2. In 1969, the 23 year-old left-hander became the first player signed by the Royals to appear on the expansion team’s major-league roster.

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1971 – Houston erupts for ten runs in the fourth inning as they pound the Giants, 18-4. Cesar Cedeno and Bob Watson both rap two hits in the inning. Cedeno drives in four for the day on a pair of two-run doubles. Larry Dierker picks up his 12th win and is named to the N.L. All-Star team but declines to appear due to a sore elbow. 

ByThis Day in Baseball

1971 – Houston erupts for ten runs in the fourth inning as they pound the Giants, 18-4. Cesar Cedeno and Bob Watson both rap two hits in the inning. Cedeno drives in four for the day on a pair of two-run doubles. Larry Dierker picks up his 12th win and is named to the N.L. All-Star team but declines to appear due to a sore elbow. 

All youngsters attending the Yankee game are given a youth-sized Bobby Murcer model wooden Hillerich & Bradsby Louisville Slugger during the team’s annual Bat Day promotion. When the young fans begin banging their bats in unison during the late innings of the Bronx Bombers’ 5-2 victory over Kansas City, pieces of concrete begin to fall into lower levels of the stadium, a harbinger that the Bronx ballpark may be in serious need of repair.

ByTom

All youngsters attending the Yankee game are given a youth-sized Bobby Murcer model wooden Hillerich & Bradsby Louisville Slugger during the team’s annual Bat Day promotion. When the young fans begin banging their bats in unison during the late innings of the Bronx Bombers’ 5-2 victory over Kansas City, pieces of concrete begin to fall into lower levels of the stadium, a harbinger that the Bronx ballpark may be in serious need of repair.

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6/6/1971: In the top of the 4th inning of the scheduled second game, Tiger Gates Brown homered off of the While Sox Joel Horlen. The game was called after it was hit following a 35 minute rain delay. After about an hour the sun was shining, and the Tigers were quite upset the umpires called the game so quickly.

ByTom

6/6/1971: In the top of the 4th inning of the scheduled second game, Tiger Gates Brown homered off of the While Sox Joel Horlen. The game was called after it was hit following a 35 minute rain delay. After about an hour the sun was shining, and the Tigers were quite upset the umpires called the game so quickly.