1988 – Jose Canseco belts two home runs in the A’s 6 – 2 win over Seattle to become the first player to hit 30 or more home runs in each of his first three major league seasons.
John Franco establishes the major league record for the most saves in the month when he records the final two outs in Cincinnati’s 2-0 victory over San Diego at Jack Murphy Stadium. The Reds’ reliever, who retires future Hall of Famers Roberto Alomar and Tony Gwynn to record his 13th save in June, betters the mark he had shared with Sparky Lyle, Bruce Sutter, and Bob Stanley.
July 29, 1988 The Orioles trade pitcher Mike Boddicker to the Red Sox in return for Brady Anderson and Curt Schilling. Boddicker will have two successful years with Boston while Anderson will become a productive lead-off man for Baltimore and Schilling will become one of baseball’s most dominant pitchers of his era.@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiTGVhcm4gTW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgdGVhbXMsIHBsYXllcnMsIGJhbGwgcGFya3MgYW5kIGV2ZW50cyB0aGF0IGhhcHBlbmVkIG9uIHRoaXMgZGF0ZSBpbiBoaXN0b3J5IC0gLSAtIC0gLSAtIC0gIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6InBvc3RfdGFnIn19@
After his request for time-out isn’t granted by the home plate umpire Mike Reilly, Bo Jackson recovers in time to hit a home run despite not being set in the batter box when the pitch is delivered. The Royals left fielder’s fourth-inning three-run poke off Jeff Ballard contributes to Kansas City’s 6-3 victory over Baltimore at Memorial Stadium.
In the Cubs’ 8 – 3 win over Kevin Gross and the host Phillies, Rick Sutcliffe swipes home, the first pitcher since Pascual Perez in 1984 to steal home. It comes on the front end of a double steal with Mitch Webster. Sutcliffe is the first Cubs pitcher to steal home since Hippo Vaughn in 1919.
Tommy John becomes the first pitcher to commit three errors on one play when he (1) bobbles Jeffrey Leonard’s grounder, and then, in an effort to recover, (2) throws the ball down the right field line that Dave Winfield retrieves and fires home, where the Yankee left-hander cuts it off, (3) relaying the throw wildly…
The Cubs test their $5 million lighting system prior to their historic first night game at Wrigley Field scheduled for August 8th against the Phillies. Six banks of lights on 33-foot steel towers along the first-base and third-base baselines illuminate the field during the charity event in which players take batting practice and participate in a home run derby.
July 24, 1988 In a tribute held at Shea Stadium, Tom Seaver (41) becomes only the third Met to have his uniform number retired. In addition to managers Casey Stengel (37) and Gil Hodges (14), the future Hall of Fame right-hander, who compiled a 198-124 record (.615) during a dozen seasons with the Amazins, becomes…
1988 – A wild pitch by Bruce Ruffin plates Craig Reynolds with the winning run in the ninth as Houston upends the Phillies, 7-6. Two runs down in the eighth, the Astros rally on a pinch homer by Louie Meadows, a pinch triple by Terry Puhl and a sacrifice fly by Gerald Young. Dave Smith wins in relief.
Red Sox veteran Jim Rice is suspended for three games by the club for shoving manager Joe Morgan. Rice was angered when Morgan replaced him with pinch hitter Spike Owen in the 8th inning of Boston’s eventual 9 – 7 win over Minnesota.
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