Filmed in December 1959, “Home Run Derby” was a groundbreaking weekly television series that pitted baseball’s top sluggers against one another in head-to-head battles for long ball supremacy. The show took place at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles (home of the Pacific Coast League’s Angels), chosen because of its near-symmetrical dimensions. Unlike modern derbies, hitters…
For the third straight year, fans turn out in droves at Stade Olympique in Montreal, QC for the first of two exhibition games by the Toronto Blue Jays against the Boston Red Sox. Over 52,000 pack the stadium to see former Montreal Expos greats Pedro Martinez and Tim Raines throw the ceremonial first pitch. Boston wins the game, 4 – 2, in 10 innings, on Ryan LaMarre’s two-out, two-run double off Pat McCoy.
2015 – Actor Will Ferrell pulls off a bizarre and hilarious stunt to drum up support for cancer survivors, as he suits up for ten different teams and takes part in five different games (all of them for both teams) during Cactus League play today. He plays all nine positions as well as designated hitter and even puts in some time as a third base coach, while being rushed from game to game. He retires the only batter he faces as a pitcher for the Dodgers, but for some reason all the teams he plays for decide to cut or trade him, once for a couple of hot dogs, after each of his brief appearances. He uses a police escort and a helicopter to ferry him from ballpark to ballpark, wearing uniform number 19 at every stop. “I’m a five-tool guy”, the comic actor explains. The strange adventure will be the subject of a television special to be broadcast on HBO during the season.
In the opener of a scheduled three-game exhibition series in Taiwan, the Dodgers are defeated by an All-Star squad from the Chinese Professional League (CPBL) at Taipei’s Tienmu Baseball Stadium, 5-3. The road trip is the team’s second journey to the Chinese island, having finished with one win and two losses during a trio of spring training games in 1993.
2008 – The Dodgers celebrate the 50th anniversary of their move to Los Angeles, CA by playing an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox in their original home, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. A crowd of 115,300 is present, the largest ever assembled at a baseball game anywhere. The previous record of 93,103 had been set in the Dodgers’ second season in L.A., for an exhibition game against the New York Yankees in honor of paralyzed catcher Roy Campanella on May 7, 1959.
A sold-out Joe Robbie Stadium plays host to the Yankees and the Orioles exhibition game, which draws 67,654 fans, a spring training attendance record. The two-day series between the AL East rivals is part of South Florida’s efforts to be awarded a National League expansion team.
September 2, 1982. It is from the Pearson cup game between the Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays was played at Exhibition Stadium, Andre Dawson slides into thirdbase during the 7-3 Montreal victory over Toronto. 23,000 fans came out to see the contest. Overall before officially interleague play started the teams played 8 times…
On July 19, 1982, the first Cracker Jack Old-Timer’s Classic is played in front of 29,000 enthusiastic fans at Washington’s RFK Stadium, the American League beats the NL in the first-ever Old-timer’s All-Star Classic, 7-2. Warren Spahn gives up a leadoff homer, over the shortened left-field fence, to 75 year-old Luke Appling, a Hall of…
1982 – J.R. Richard tosses one inning in an exhibition game against Toronto. It would be his last appearance as an Astro after suffering a stroke in 1980. Richard gives up no runs and no hits but walks the bases full in the 3-2 victory.
1977 – Houston bombs the Rangers in a 16-6 exhibition win in Oklahoma City. Willie Crawford drives in five runs but the moment nobody forgets is when Bob Watson doubles into a double play. Texas catcher Bill Fahey tags out both Enos Cabell and Jose Cruz at the plate.
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