1972 – The first five Astro hits in San Diego are all homers – two solo shots by Doug Rader , two-run blasts by Jim Wynn and Cesar Cedeno and a round-tripper by Lee May which ties a club record. All that does is create a 7-7 tie. Wynn doubles home Cedeno in the seventh and Houston tallies six more times for a 14-7 victory. Cedeno has three hits and four RBIs. George Culver pitches 7-1/3rd innings of relief for the win.
On June 24, 1972 Culminating a long battle to reach pro baseball, Bernice Gera umpires the first game of a doubleheader between Auburn and Geneva (New York-Penn League). Several disputes take place and she ejects the Auburn manager, Nolan Campbell. Gera resigns before the second game, leaving in tears, saying resentment from the other umps was a factor in her decision. She will later work…
On June 20, 1972 – Randy Hundley caps the scoring in the 1st inning with a grand slam as the Cubs score 7, all off Don Carrithers, en route to a 15 – 8 pasting of the Giants. The first three runs come on three walks, two wild pitches and three singles. Hundley singles in another run in the 5-run 4th as the Cubs…
On June 19, 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court rules against former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood, who had sued Major League Baseball over the reserve clause after being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. The ruling upholds baseball’s antitrust exemption, which was originally granted in 1922. 1972 June 19 Curt Flood case decided the…
On June 18, 1972, colorful Oakland A’s owner Charlie Finley holds baseball’s first ever “Mustache Day.” Finley agrees to pay $300 to each of his players for growing mustaches by Father’s Day and all do except Vida Blue, who is still bitter about his recent contract negotiations with the team owner. Reggie Jackson had started…
Graig and Jim Nettles become the tenth different pair of brothers to homer in the same game when they both go deep in the Cleveland Stadium contest. Twins center fielder Jim’s solo shot in the top of the sixth inning is matched by his older brother’s blast in the bottom of the seventh in Minnesota’s 5-3 victory over the Indians.
On June 10, 1972 Hank Aaron’s grand slam helps the Atlanta Braves to a 15 – 3 rout of the Phillies. It is Aaron’s 649th home run, moving him ahead of Willie Mays into second place on the career list. It is also his 14th grand slam, tying Gil Hodges’ National League record. Aaron will now by just 65 shy of Babe Ruth’s total.
On June 6, 1972, Japanese baseball legend Sadaharu Oh belts his 500th home run. Oh will finish his career with 868 home runs, believed by some historians to be the most in professional baseball history, although complete records from the Negro leagues were not kept.
On June 4, 1972, the Dodgers’ franchise honors three of its all-time greats by retiring their uniform numbers. Sandy Koufax’s No. 32, Roy Campanella’s No. 39 and Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 are all retired during pre-game ceremonies at Dodger Stadium.
In game 2 of a doubleheader in Chicago‚ pinch hitter Dick Allen connects with 2 on and 2 out in the 9th inning and drives a Sparky Lyle pitch into the LF upper deck for a dramatic 5 – 4 White Sox win over the Yankees.
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