1974 – St. Louis beats Pittsburgh, 2 – 1, in 13 innings. It is the 6th straight win for the Cardinals and the 6th straight loss for the Pirates, turning the Bucs’ 3 1/2 game lead in the National League East to a 2 1/2 game margin for the Cards.
On a bright, sunny day at Fenway Park, Rico Petrocelli is struck behind the left ear, below the helmet, when he loses Jim Slaton’s pitch due to the blinding glare off the outfield bleachers. The beaning, which causes inner ear damage, results in the third baseman missing the rest of the season and will hasten his early retirement prior to the start of the 1977 season at the age of 33.
Gaylord Perry goes the distance for his 20th victory when he beats Baltimore and Ross Grimsley at Memorial Stadium, 1-0. The right-hander, who will finish the season with a 21-13 record, will be the last Indian pitcher in the twentieth century to win twenty games.
Graig Nettles homers for the Yankees in the first inning, and brother Jim Nettles homers for the Tigers in the 2nd. This is the second time that the two brothers have homered in the same game for different teams, having done it on June 11, 1972, when Graig was with Cleveland and Jim with Minnesota. Graig’s team wins, 10 – 7.
In Los Angeles, the Reds defeat the Dodgers, 4 – 2, to pull to within 1 1/2 games of the National League West lead. That’s as close as they’ll come as they lose six of their next eight games.
With 16 games remaining, the enigmatic Dick Allen of the White Sox announces he is quitting the team. His 32 home runs, the last of which was hit August 16th, will still be enough to lead the American League.
The Phillies set a National League record by using 27 players during a 17-inning, 7 – 3, loss to the Cardinals. The Cards had set the record two days earlier.
In Atlanta, Johnny Bench drives in all six runs as the Reds win, 6 – 2.
The Reds sweep a pair from the Braves and the two teams combine for a major-league record three grand slams. Cesar Geronimo hits one in the 2nd inning of game 1, as does the Braves’ Darrell Evans. The Braves hang on for a 9 – 6 win, then take game two by a 6 – 2 score. Johnny Bench hits the 3rd grand slam of the day in game 2. Bench will finish the year with 129 RBIs to top the National League, and his 315 total bases will lead the league. He is the only catcher in major league history to lead a league in TB (Bench caught 137 games, played 3B in 36 games and 1B in 5).
Mike Schmidt hits an eighth inning three-run bomb, his 36th home run and final one this season, off Jerry Reuss in Philadelphia’s 6-4 comeback victory over the Pirates at Veterans Stadium. The 24 year-old third baseman becomes the first Phillies player to lead the league in home runs since Chuck Klein hit 28 round-trippers in 1933.
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