Despite being in first place in the National League East, the Phillies fire manager Pat Corrales because the team is “not playing up to its potential.” GM Paul Owens will manage the club instead. In Owens’ first game, the Phils drop a 9 – 2 decision as the Astros shell Steve Carlton. It’s Lefty’s 11th loss of the year and drops the Phils into a tie for 2nd place with the Pirates. Owens will be successful in steering the Phils to a division title, however. Read More July 18, 1983
Graig Nettles and Dion James each hit grand slams to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 12 – 4 rout of the Houston Astros. It is the first time since July 3, 1966 (when pitcher Tony Cloninger did it by himself), that the Braves have hit two grand slams in one game. Read More May 2, 1987
Starters for the 2015 All-Star Game, which will be played in Cincinnati, OH, are announced. Early fears of a complete sweep of American League starting berths as a result of ballot stuffing by Royals fans are allayed, but they still manage to get four players elected. The leading vote-getter is Toronto 3B Josh Donaldson, who gathers over 14 million votes, thanks to a late patriotic surge coming from north of the border. In the National League, Nationals OF Bryce Harper leads all players with 13,8 million votes, almost double the highest total ever recorded by a member of the senior circuit. Read More July 5, 2015