On January 30 1978 — Former pitcher Addie Joss and former executive Larry MacPhail are voted into the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.
The Tigers lose Al Benton‚ who has 5 wins and 3 shutouts‚ when he is hit on the ankle in the 4th frame by a line drive off the bat of Bobby Estalella. The A’s score 4 in the 5th to win‚ 7 – 2. There is great confusion in the 2nd inning, when Irv Hall and George Kell bat out of turn for the A’s: Kell, batting 6th in the lineup card handed to umpire Eddie Rommel, comes up in place of Hall, who is batting 5th. He strikes out, so Tigers manager Steve O’Neill does not point out the mistake, validating Kell’s at-bat. But Hall then steps to the plate when the 7th hitter, 1B Dick Siebert, should have followed Kell. Hall singles, O’Neill appeals, and Rommel calls him out to end the inning. However, no one can then agree on who is to lead off the 3rd (if the rule had been properly applied, Siebert would have been the one called out to end the 2nd and number 8 hitter Frankie Hayes should have been next up). Rommel decides that Kell should be next. Both managers protest the decision, although no one seems to be sure who should have been the proper batter. When American League President Will Harridgerules on the protest filed by O’Neill (who claims, wrongly, that Siebert should have led off the 3rd), he dismisses the protest – but for the wrong reasons – indicating that he is just as confused as everyone else. The perplexing rule will be clarified in 1957.
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May 24, 1945
