At Wrigley Field, Ron Santo records his 2,000th career hit, a 3-run home run off Ron Bryant. Santo’s hit, driving in his 1,200th run, is the margin of victory as the Cubs top the Giants, 10 – 9.
Leo Durocher, formerly of the Cubs, replaces Harry Walker as manager of the Astros. It is only the second time someone has managed two National League teams in the same season. The first was in 1948, when Durocher piloted the Dodgers and the Giants.
1972 – In second place and desperate to catch up with the blazing Cincinnati Reds, the Astros fire manager Harry Walker, naming 67-year-old Leo “The Lip” Durocher as his replacement. Walker has a 355-353 record in Houston. In his final game with the Astros, Houston drops a 4-3 decision to the Montreal, featuring the 200th homer of Jim Wynn’s career . Coach Salty Parker is interim manager for one game before Leo takes the reigns. Durocher, who had earlier left the Cubs in mid-season, skippers a 16-15 finish to the season.
1972 – Phillie Ken Reynolds ties a dubious National League record with his 12th straight losing decision from the start of the season after dropping a 6 – 1 decision to the Reds. Reynolds is knocked out in the 4th and loses to Don Gullett.
Kansas City’s Roger Nelson shuts out the Red Sox, 3 – 0. Ben Oglivie’s single in the 8th is the only hit off Nelson.
Chicago’s Dick Allen becomes the 4th major league player (Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, and Alex Johnson are the others) to hit one into the CF bleachers in Comiskey Park when he connects off New York’s Lindy McDaniel. The 2-run homer in the 7th ices the 5 – 2 win for the Sox. This year, all the Chicago Wednesday games are in the afternoon, and Harry Caray announces them while sitting in the CF bleachers. Allen’s drive misses Caray by just a few rows.
Jim Beauchamp hits a home run and drives in all the Mets’ runs in a 4 – 2 win over the Astros. Yesterday, Beauchamp celebrated his birthday with a pair of home runs as the Mets beat the Astros by the same score.
Pirate pitcher Nelson Briles one-hits the Giants, and outduels Juan Marichal, 1 – 0. Ken Henderson is the Giants’ only baserunner, singling in the 7th.
In a complete-game effort at Veterans Stadium, Steve Carlton’s consecutive-victory streak ends at 15 when the Phillies drop a 2-1 decision to Atlanta and Phil Niekro, who also goes the distance. Dusty Baker, who started the 11th inning rally with a two-out double, scores the eventual winning run on Mike Lum’s broken bat flare over the shortstop’s head.
On his birthday, Jim Beauchamp of the New York Mets hits his first two home runs of the season. The second one comes in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Houston Astros.
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