April 4 This Day In Baseball

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The history of sports is both vast and rich, thanks to the existence of so many different events and the longevity associated with them. With so much history to cull through, We offer the opportunity to look back and see what memorable things happened or milestones were reached on April 4 in baseball history.

 

 

Notable Events and Chronology for April 4

Providence Grays sold fifteen cent tickets to a centerfield section called the “bull pen.”

Hugh Chalmers introduces the concept of a MVP

Hugh Chalmers introduces the concept of a MVP

The Phillies trade infielder Bert Niehoff (.255, 2, 42) and send cash to the Cardinals for rookie right-hander Mule Watson. Niehoff will play just one more season before retiring, while Watson will pitch two seasons with Philadelphia, posting a 7-11 record, before being traded to the Braves.

A's manager Connie Mack, who is 84 years old, challenges Clark Griffith, the 78 year-old owner of the Senators, to a foot race from third base to home plate.

A’s manager Connie Mack, who is 84 years old, challenges Clark Griffith, the 78 year-old owner of the Senators, to a foot race from third base to home plate.

On the nationally-televised Hullabaloo, a program which showcases rock and roll groups, host Soupy Sales is joined by his two sons, Tony and Hunt, to perform Meet the Mets, with the unlikely tune also accompanied by the show’s go-go dancers halfway through the song. The Sales’ children were on the program as guests musicians, featuring their rock and roll band, Tony and the Tigers.

A tornado rips through the Astros’ spring training home in Cocoa, FL

MLB suspends play due to today’s assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King

Jackie Robinson on Dr. Martin Luther King

Jackie Robinson on Dr. Martin Luther King

Hank Aaron 714

Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth for All Time Homerun Record

Mike Easler Pittsburgh

Pirates acquire Mike Easler

Houston bombs the Rangers in a 16-6 exhibition win in Oklahoma City.

The Expos reveal their new mascot named Souki, an odd looking character wearing an Expos uniform below a giant baseball head that has antennae. The Mr. Met-like figure, whose rights sells for fifty dollars, will be released after one season, after proving to be unpopular with the fans due to his strange looks and quirky behavior.

J.R. Richard makes his last apparence

George Bell smacks 3 homeruns on opening day

George Bell smacks 3 homeruns on opening day

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Mets clout 6 homeruns on opening day

Yankees' Tommy John.

On Opening Day, Tommy John ties a record by playing in 26 seasons. The Yankee veteran hurler beats the Twins, 4-2, for his 287th win, putting him 19th overall in career wins.

Barbara Bush, wife of the 41st president of the United States becomes the first First Lady to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a major league game. George’s spouse and the mother of George W., the managing general partner of the Rangers, does the honors on Opening Day at Arlington Stadium before Texas’ 4-0 victory over Detroit.

1993 – At Camden Yards, William Jefferson Clinton becomes the first U.S. President to throw the first pitch of the season from the pitcher’s mound.

Tuffy Rhodes hits 3 straight on opening day

Tuffy Rhodes hits 3 straight on opening day

A total of 56,706 fans attend Opening Day, making it the largest crowd ever at new Yankee Stadium. The Bronx Bombers do not disappoint the throng when Jimmy Key beats Kevin Brown and the Rangers, 5-3.

Jacobs Field

Cleveland Indians inaugurate Jacobs Field with a 4-3 victory

Mitch Williams walks the bases full then surrenders two 12th-inning runs in the season opener against Montreal

Mark McGwire

Mark McGwire hits a home run in his fourth consecutive game to start the season to tie the mark set by Willie Mays 

Opening Day starts in Mexico, making it the first time baseball’s first pitch comes outside the U.S. or Canada when the Rockies defeat the National League’s defending champs Padres, 8-2. Darryl Kile goes 6.2 innings to get the win in the Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey contest.

early wynn cleveland

Hall of Famer and 300 game winner Early Wynn dies at the age of 79 from complications caused by a stroke

At Safeco Field, Darren Lewis plays right field in Boston’s 2-0 victory over Seattle. The 32 year-old outfielder is the 13th different Red Sox player to start in that position on Opening Day for the past thirteen years.

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Hideo Nomo – no hits Orioles in Red Sox debut

For the first time since June 7, 1995, the Indians do not have a sellout crowd at Jacobs Field. The streak of 455 games of consecutive full houses, a major league record, will be broken by the Boston Red Sox in 2008.

Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs hits his 500th career home run off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Scott Sullivan 

Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs hits his 500th career home run off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Scott Sullivan 

The Coneheads stage a reunion at Shea Stadium as David Cone returns to the mound after taking a year off and hurls an impressive five innings of shutout ball in the Mets’ 4-0 victory over the Expos. In memory of one of the founders of this unique idea which started in 1988, the group hangs a banner featuring a picture of Scott Saber, who was killed during the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, smiling in his Conehead.

Brad Ausmus slugs a grand slam homer in the first inning and a solo shot in the 12th to carry the Astros over St. Louis

Opening Day highlights include the Baltimore Orioles’ Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro who become the first pair of teammates to have at least 500 career home runs apiece. Sosa opens the season with 574 career HR and Palmeiro 551.

Detroit Tigers designated hitter Dmitri Young hits three home runs to lead his team to an 11 – 2 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

Mark Buehrle yields two hits in eight shutout innings and Shingo Takatsu works a perfect 9th inning as the Chicago White Sox defeat the Cleveland Indians, 1 – 0, in a game that takes only an hour and 51 minutes to complete.

Brad Wilkerson has the honor of being the first batter in Washington Nationals history, and he promptly responds with the first hit for his team. Nevertheless, Kenny Lofton hits a three-run homer and Jon Lieber pitches 5 2/3 effective innings, leading the home team Philadelphia Phillies to an 8 – 4 victory over the Nationals.

The Padres are rained out at home for the first time since May 12, 1998, a span of 635 consecutive home games played, mostly played at Qualcomm Stadium. The postponement, just the 16th rainout in the franchise’s 38-year history, is the first washout at the club’s new home, Petco Park, which opened two seasons ago.

Kansas City voters approve a $250 million proposal to renovate Kauffman Stadium. The facelift of the 35 year-old home of the Royals will include the addition of dugout suites, new clubhouses, an exclusive restaurant, and the replacement of the orange seats throughout the stadium with new blue ones.

Tuffy Rhodes becomes the first non-Japanese player in Nippon Pro Baseball history to drive in a thousand runs. Only two of the 28 players who have reached the milestone have accomplished the feat in fewer games.

Carried by his momentum trying to avoid the pitch, Astros catcher J.R. Towles does a handstand at home plate after getting hit above the knee during the second inning in Houston’s 4-3 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. In his next at-bat, the backstop hits a two-run homer, a feat he accomplishes standing on his feet.

Before their home opener, the Blue Jays announce reaching agreements with outfielder Alex Rios (.297, 24, 85) and second baseman Aaron Hill (.291, 17, 78). The 26 year-old Toronto fly-catcher will earn nearly $70 million over the next seven years, the second richest deal in franchise history, and the club’s newly signed infielder, also 26, inks a four-year contract worth $12 million.

With fans chanting “Robbie, Robbie” before the home opener against Boston, the Blue Jays honor Roberto Alomar by inducting their former All-Star second baseman into Toronto’s Level of Excellence. After the playing a video montage of his career highlights in a darkened Rogers Centre, the dramatic pregame ceremony continues when a spotlight shines on second base revealing the honoree.

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox stage a classic battle to open the major league season at Fenway Park, with the Red Sox winning, 9 – 7, after trailing 5 – 1 and 7 – 5. Jorge Posada and Curtis Granderson hit back-to-back homers in the 2nd and Brett Gardner steals home as the Yanks build an early lead against Josh Beckett, but a homer by Dustin Pedroia and three extra-base hits by Kevin Youkilis highlight the Sox’s comeback. Chan Ho Park takes the loss in his Yankee debut, while Hideki Okajima is the winner.

Rangers RF Nelson Cruz ties a mark set by Willie Mays in 1971 and Mark McGwire in 1998 by becoming the third player to homer in his team’s first four games to start the season. SS Elvis Andrus joins in the fun, ending a 705 at-bat home run drought dating back to 2009 when he connects in the 1st inning. Texas defeats Seattle, 6 – 4, to move to 4-0 on the year. For the Mariners, Erik Bedard is the loser in his first major league start since undergoing shoulder surgery on August 14, 2009.

The Orioles are also 4-0 after beating the Tigers, 5 – 1, in their home opener at Camden Yards. Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver throws the ceremonial first pitch, then Jake Arrieta takes over with six strong innings, the fourth straight outstanding performance by an Oriole starting pitcher. Brian Roberts hits a three-run homer off Rick Porcello to put the Birds ahead to stay.

2012 – The Miami Marlins inaugurate a new name and a new ballpark, Marlins Park, but lose, 4 – 1, to the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of the National League season. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali delivers the ceremonial first pitch. Kyle Lohse dowses the home fans’ enthusiasm by holding the Marlins hitless until the 7th to earn the win, while World Series hero David Freese drives in two runs with a single in the top of the 1st.

Joey Votto and the Reds agree to the longest guaranteed contract in major league history, a $251.5 million, 12-year deal. The dollar amount, second only to A-Rod’s $275 million and $252 million pacts with the Rangers and Yankees, easily surpasses Ken Griffey Jr.’s $116.5 million, nine-year signing in 2000 as the richest in franchise history.

The Rangers sign SS Elvis Andrus to an eight-year contract extension thast will pay him $120 million through 2022, continuing a recent trend of teams signing their star players over the long term in order to ensure cost certainty.

The Tigers bring back maligned closer Jose Valverde with a minor league contract, as neither of their back-up plans going into the season – rookie Bruce Rondon and a closer-by-committee led by Phil Coke – seems to be working.

The Yankees record their first win of the season by turning to their storied past. Andy Pettitte picks up the win and Mariano Rivera gets the save in his first appearance following a serious knee injury that almost ended his career as they defeat the Red Sox, 4 – 2. It is Rivera’s record 19th season as a Yankee, although Derek Jeter will join him when he is activated form the disabled list later this season.

P Masahiro Tanaka makes his much anticipated debut for the Yankees, defeating Toronto, 7 – 3, in front of dozens of Japanese journalists on hand for the occasion. Tanaka gives up a homer to the first batter he faces, Melky Cabrera, but then settles down to pitch 7 solid innings. 1B Mark Teixeira has to leave the game in the 2nd inning with a hamstring injury, a flashback to last year’s plague of pinstripe injuries.

CF Charlie Blackmon ties a Rockies team record by going 6 for 6 and also drives in 5 runs in a 12 – 2 win over the Diamondbacks. Arizona 1B Paul Goldschmidt extends his hitting streak, dating back to last season, to 26 games, but at 1-6, his team is off to the worst start in its history, tied with the expansion 1998 edition.

Charlie Blackmon ties a team record established by Andres Galarraga in 1995, collecting six hits in the Rockies’ 12-2 rout of Arizona in the team’s home opener at Coors Field. The 27 year-old platoon outfielder is the first major leaguer to collect three doubles, two singles, and a home run in a major league game.

SS Trevor Story becomes the first player to hit two homers in his debut on Opening Day as the Rockies spoil Zack Greinke’s first start in a Diamondbacks uniform. Greinke allows 7 runs, the most for him in four years, and three homers, something he had not done since 2009. Story is also the first National Leaguer to hit a pair of homers in his debut game; four players have done so in the American League.

The Dodgers hand the Padres the worst Opening Day shutout loss since at least 1913

At the opposite end of the scale, the Rangers manage just one hit against Felix Hernandez and the Mariners, but three walks and two errors, combined with Prince Fielder’s bloop single, lead to three runs in the 5th inning and a 3 – 2 win for Cole Hamels, negating a pair of solo homers by Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager.

Former C Mike Sandlock, the Oldest Living MLB Player, passes away at the age of 100.

Although he limits the Rangers to just one hit, Mariner right-hander Felix Hernandez loses for the first time on Opening Day, snapping a streak of six victories to start his team’s season. Seattle had the opportunity to become the first franchise in modern baseball history to win ten consecutive season openers, but sloppy defense allows three runs in the fifth inning of the club’s 3-2 defeat to Texas at Globe Life Park.

Stephen Piscotty has a painful run around the bases

MLB premiers on facebook watch

Trevor Bauer pulled with no no after 7

Gil Hodges was born in Princeton, Indiana.

Gil Hodges was born in Princeton, Indiana.

Todays Major League Birthdays On April 4

Todays Major League Debuts On  April 4

Major League Baseball Debuts – To see all the Famous Debuts in baseball history check out the famous debut page

 

Todays Major League Final Games April 4

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Major League Baseball – Famous LASTS! Check them all out here!

Major League Baseball Deaths On April 4

 

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