At Cleveland, the A’s Rick Langford gives up six hits and six runs in the 1st inning, including a grand slam to Andre Thornton and a solo by Ron Hassey. He then allows just one hit over the next eight innings, and the A’s come back to win, 8 – 6.
Commissioner Bowie Kuhn slaps Padres owner Ray Kroc with a $100,000 fine for tampering, following remarks Kroc made about potential free agents Joe Morgan and Graig Nettles.
Rickey Henderson swipes three bases in the A’s 8-6 victory over the Indians at Cleveland Stadium. At the age of 20 years 241 days old, the rookie outfielder becomes the youngest player to accomplish the feat.
1979 – In a 7 – 2 win over the visiting Expos, Johnny Bench belts his 325th homer, the most ever by a player in a Reds uniform. The previous club record of 324 was held by Frank Robinson.
1979 – A bizarre ending comes to Pete Falcone’s 5-0 shutout of Houston. Jeff Leonard gets three turns at bat. He flies out to right for the final out but an umpire had called time before the pitch. Three pitches later, Leonard singles while Met first baseman Ed Kranepool is sitting in the clubhouse. Finally, with Kranepool back on the field, Leonard flies out again. Houston wins the protest but Jose Cruz finishes it the next day, grounding out with Leonard on first.
1979 – The Mets win a protested game against the Astros, 5 – 0. With two outs in the 9th inning, Houston’s Jeffrey Leonard flies to CF to apparently end the game. Umpire Doug Harvey rules that time had been called, and orders Leonard back to the plate. He then singles to left. The Mets were without a first baseman, however, so the umps order Leonard to bat once more. He flies to LF to end the game.
In a 6-5 victory at Veterans Stadium, Giants’ first baseman Willie McCovey hits his 505th home run off Larry Christenson, establishing him as the National League all-time left-handed home run leader. Southpaw swinger Eddie Mathews had previously led the NL, collecting 504 round-trippers playing for the Braves and Astros, adding another nine for Detroit in the American League at the end of his 17-year career.
The Yankees sell Ray Burris (1-3) to the Mets.
After six straight wins, the 3rd-place Brewers lose to Texas, 7 – 3. But the 49,172 fans give Milwaukee a new season record. They’ll finish in 2nd place with a team record 1,918,343 in attendance.
The Royals release George Scott, who will sign with the Yankees on August 26th.