1966, American League MVP and Triple Crown winner Frank Robinson led Baltimore to the first World Series title in franchise history with a sweep over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dodger lefty Sandy Koufax led the majors with 27 wins, a 1.73 ERA, and 317 strikeouts to earn the Cy Young award for the third time in four years despite pitching the entire season in extreme pain. The painful arthritic condition in his pitching arm would force Koufax to retire after the season while still in his prime. Pirates OF Roberto Clemente won the NL MVP award with a .317, 29 HR, 119 RBI season while winning his sixth consecutive Gold Glove award. White Sox CF Tommie Agee (.273, 22 HR, 86 RBI, 44 SB) won the Rookie of the Year award in the Junior Circuit.\n\nMilestones and Moments from 1966:\nTed Williams and Casey Stengel became Hall of Famers in 1966…Koufax and fellow Dodger Don Drysdale staged a holdout for 1 million dollars combined during Spring Training. They ended up signing at the end of March for just over $100,000 each…The Milwaukee Braves moved south to Atlanta for the 1966 season.

Awards and More

World Series – Baltimore Orioles AL over Los Angeles Dodgers NL 4 games to 0

World Series MVP – Frank Robinson
Babe Ruth Award – Frank Robinson

Awards – 
Major League Cy Young Award Sandy Koufax 

MVP Awards –

NL Roberto Clemente

AL Frank Robinson

Major League Rookie of The Year –
NL Rookie of The Year – Tommy Helms AL Rookie of The Year – Tommy Agee

All-Star Game – July 12th – N.L. 2 over A.L. 1 (10), played at Busch Stadium II (NL)
AL Starter D. McLain NL Starter S. Koufax+ MVP Brooks Robinson

1966 Season on YOUTUBE CHANNEL – relive your favorite memories from 1966

on Full Radio Broadcasts | Interviews  | WORLD SERIES Highlights | PODCAST

The stories that shapped the year:

Sort bySearch Days, Events, Players Title (A - Z)Date (Newest)

June 6, 1965

Jim Palmer squares off against California Angels

December 9, 1965

Cincinnati Reds trade outfielder Frank Robinson to the Baltimore Orioles

January 6, 1966

The Astros deal outfielder Johnny Weekly and cash to the Mets for pitcher Gary Kroll. The righthander would see just ten games with Houston.

January 14, 1966

1966 – The Cleveland Indians trade outfielder Lou Clinton to the New York Yankees for catcher Doc Edwards, who won’t play again in the majors until 1970, with the Philadelphia Phillies.

January 20, 1966

The Baseball Writers Association of America elects former Boston Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams to the Hall of Fame

January 25, 1966

New York Yankees shortstop Tony Kubek announces his retirement due to a serious back problem

January 27, 1966

Judge Robert Cannon of Wisconsin is named a full-time administrator of the Players’ Association at a $50,000 salary.

January 27, 1966

Wisconsin State Circuit Court Judge Elmer W. Roller rules that the Braves must stay in Milwaukee or else the National League must promise Wisconsin an expansion team for the 1966 season.

February 20, 1966

The American League officially announces the hiring of Emmett Ashford, who will become the first black umpire in major league history.

February 24, 1966

Atlanta Braves sign Tom Seaver to a bonus contract worth $50,000

February 28, 1966

Refusing to report to spring training, Dodger pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale begin their joint holdout

March 2, 1966

Commissioner Spike Eckert voids the contract recently signed by collegiate star Tom Seaver

March 5, 1966

Marvin Miller is named the executive director of the Major League Players Association

March 8, 1966

Veterans Committee waives one of its election rules and selects manager Casey Stengel as the newest member of the Hall of Fame

March 10, 1966

The Orioles trade minor league outfielder Lou Piniella to the Indians for reserve catcher Camilo Carreon

March 10, 1966

Dick Allen back in Camp

March 14, 1966

Roberto Clemente’s three-run, 450-foot home run powers the Pirates to their fourth straight exhibition victory. Clemente’s blast follows 8th-inning singles by Manny Mota and Gene Alley and, judging from its epic dimensions, the early indications are that manager Harry Walker’s call for increased power and run production from his already-raking right fielder has not fallen on deaf ears. And just in case these indications are somehow too subtle or ambiguous, Clemente will amplify them by about 50 feet on March 24th.

March 17, 1966

Pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale play hardball when negotiating with the Los Angeles Dodgers

March 19, 1966

1966 – Players with the Astros and Dodgers are flown from Florida to Houston to test the new artificial surface. Balls bounce too high in the infield and engineers add more sand under the rug to make it behave more like natural grass. 

March 19, 1966

Demolition of Wrigley Field. Photo dated: March 19, 1966.

March 21, 1966

In a spring training game in Houston’s Astrodome, the Dodgers and Astros become the first major league teams to play on artificial grass

March 24, 1966

1966 – Roberto Clemente’s prodigious pre-season blast beats the still mediocre Mets, proving that his March 14th moon shot was no mirage. This has to make Harry Walker one happy camper, as the Pirate skipper had called for increased power numbers before the exhibition season began. According to UPI, “Clemente hit a tape-measure home run, estimated at 500 feet, over the center-field fence to crack the 5 – 5 tie in the 8th.” Thirty-some-odd years later, this vicious shot remains vividly etched in its victim’s consciousness. Darrell Sutherland recalls: “I threw a fastball a foot inside and he hit it on a dead line. It was still going up as it went over the center field fence.”

March 25, 1966

1966 – For the second straight day, fans at Fort Myers’ Terry Park are treated to a tie-breaking, game-winning 500-foot homer. Unfortunately, unlike yesterday’s Met-killing clout (courtesy of Roberto Clemente), today’s bomb benefits the visiting Washington Senators, thanks to their very large left fielder, Frank Howard.

March 30, 1966

Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers end their dual holdout

April 3, 1966

New York Mets sign Tom Seaver to first contract

April 4, 1966

On the nationally-televised Hullabaloo, a program which showcases rock and roll groups, host Soupy Sales is joined by his two sons, Tony and Hunt, to perform Meet the Mets, with the unlikely tune also accompanied by the show’s go-go dancers halfway through the song. The Sales’ children were on the program as guests musicians, featuring their rock and roll band, Tony and the Tigers.

April 4, 1966

A tornado rips through the Astros’ spring training home in Cocoa, FL

April 5, 1966

Don Larsen, the last active major leaguer who played for the Browns, is released by the Orioles

April 8, 1966

At the Astrodome, the Astros and Dodgers play baseball’s first game on synthetic grass. Thanks to the Monsanto chemical company, who proposed using an experimental playing surface of nylon grass, the plan to play on an all-dirt field, necessitated by the need to paint the dome’s glass panes to reduce the glare which prevented natural grass from growing, was alleviated by the use of ‘AstroTurf.’

April 11, 1966

Emmett Ashford umpires his first MLB game April 11 1965

April 12, 1966

Before a crowd of 50,671 at Fulton County Stadium, the Braves play their first game in Atlanta after moving from Milwaukee. Joe Torre hits two home runs for the Braves, but Willie Stargell spoils the occasion with a two-run homer in the 13th inning to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 3 – 2 victory.

April 12, 1966

On Opening Day, Jim Lonborg’s 13th-inning balk plates Bob Johnson with the deciding run in Baltimore’s 5-4 victory. The Red Sox reliever miscue on the mound occurs with two outs and the bases loaded at Fenway Park.

April 13, 1966

At Fenway Park, Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson hit back-to-back home runs in the 1st inning off Dave Morehead, to lead the Baltimore Orioles to an 8 – 1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Jim Palmer pitches a five-hit complete game and helps himself by hitting a homer in the 2nd.

April 18, 1966

The first major league game on artificial turf is played in the Astrodome – Don Sutton Picks up his first career win

April 19, 1966

The California Angels play their first game at Anaheim Stadium. Rick Reichardt of the Angels hits the first home run in the new ballpark, but California loses the game, 3 – 1, to the Chicago White Sox.

April 20, 1966

Hank Aaron hits his 399th and 400th home runs to lead the Atlanta Braves to a victory, 8 – 1

April 21, 1966

Chicago Cubs make one of the best trades in franchise history, acquiring future Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins

April 22, 1966

The Braves win their first game in Atlanta by beating the Mets, 8 – 4.

April 22, 1966

Dave Giusti surrenders eight hits but walks away with a 2-0 shutout against the Giants.

April 23, 1966

Chicago Cubs rookie Ferguson Jenkins hits his first major league home run, off Don Sutton and shuts out the Dodgers to win, 2 – 0

April 24, 1966

Braves win 18th straight at home

April 24, 1966

Willie Mays Pulls even with Mel Ott

April 28, 1966

Indians win 10th straight

April 28, 1966

Roberto Clemente’s clutch… base on balls? The notoriously wild swinger works out a walk when it matters – in the 9th inning, with the Bucs down by one, two outs, bases empty, no balls, two strikes, up against a pitcher, Ted Abernathy, who’s always had Clemente’s number. The Sporting News’s Les Biederman reports: “Abernathy had Clemente no balls and two strikes, but apparently the Pirate slugger worried the Cub reliever and he grew too careful. He threw three balls and then Clemente put on a dazzling display of bat control. Abernathy threw eight straight strikes and Clemente fouled off every pitch, seven to right field. Then he drew a walk and Willie Stargell, who always hits Abernathy, hit him again.” After fouling off a 3-2 pitch of his own, Stargell falls short by a foot or two of ending the game with one swing, but his line drive off the centerfield wall brings home Clemente with the tying run en route to an extra-inning Pirate win.

April 29, 1966

A dropped third strike keys a 5-4 win over the Braves.

April 30, 1966

1966 – California Angels outfielder Rick Reichardt hits two home runs in the 8th inning to help California beat the Boston Red Sox, 16 – 9.

May 1, 1966

In the course of Pittsburgh’s 8 – 0 shellacking of the lowly New York Mets, in which the latter’s total of 4 hits is equaled by Roberto Clemente, the Pirate right fielder hits one ball, leading off the 4th, that the young Ron Swoboda, playing left field for the Mets that day, will recall, some thirty years later, as “the hardest ball I ever saw hit.” Bucs beat writer Les Biederman concurs: “The first hit by Clemente was one to remember. It started out on a line toward the right-center fence and came within inches of clearing the wall at the 436-foot sign. It bounced off the wall right back into rookie Billy Murphy’s hands.” “The ball got there so fast, and bounced back to Murphy so hard,” notes Dick Young of the New York Daily News, “that the speedy Roberto got only two bases.” “But,” adds Biederman, “the blast caused a rumble through the stands and no doubt unnerved Jack Fisher.”

May 3, 1966

1966 – Joe Morgan homers and drives in three to pace the Astros past the Cubs, 10-2. Dave Giusti is the complete-game winner, assisted by three Chicago errors that provide five unearned runs. Sonny Jackson adds three hits and a stolen base.

May 4, 1966

Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants establishes a new National League record for most career home runs

May 5, 1966

1966 – “13” is not an unlucky number when the Astros trip the Cubs, 4-3, in 13 innings. Jim Wynn singles home Joe Morgan for Houston’s 13th win of the season. Dick Farrell and Bill Faul, who both wear 13 on their backs, are the starters but it’s Frank Carpinwho gets the victory.

May 7, 1966

Yankees replace Johnny Keane after 20 games

May 8, 1966

San Francisco Giants trade future Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Ray Sadecki

May 8, 1966

Orioles’ outfielder Frank Robinson becomes the first (and only) player to hit a home run completely out of Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium

May 8, 1966

The last game is played at Busch Stadium, known for most of its existence as Sportsman’s Park. The 64 year-old ballpark, which served as the home field for the American League’s Browns until the franchise moved to Baltimore in 1954, was also the home for the Cardinals from 1920 until today’s final contest, a 10-5 loss to San Francisco.

May 9, 1966

At Minneapolis, the Yankees (6-20) edge the Twins, 3 – 2. Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, and Joe Pepitone, with the game-winner in the 9th inning, hit homers for New York.

May 12, 1966

Lou Brock hits a walk off single in extra innings as Cardinals open new Busch Stadium

May 13, 1966

1966 – Dick Farrell and Claude Raymond combine for a one-hitter in Philadelphia. The Astros only manage three hits themselves but the last is a ninth-inning blast by Jim Wynn off Chris Short that hits the roof of Connie Mack Stadium for a 1-0 victory.

May 14, 1966

Roberto Clemente’s sixth and final career home run off Sandy Koufax is another no-doubter. It comes during Koufax’s final season, the net result being one less shutout for Sandy and one more moon shot for Clemente. There was “only Bob Clemente’s 9th-inning home run spoiling Sandy’s bid for his 36th career shutout,” writes Frank Finch of the Los Angeles Times. “One of the few people who wasn’t fooled by Sandy’s slants was Clemente, who at .325 is making a strong bid for his third consecutive league batting crown. ‘I’m hitting the ball good,’ said the temperamental Pirate star. ‘I feel strong.’ He certainly looked robust when he tied into an outside pitch and sent it into the upper deck in right field. Ron Fairly didn’t even move, it was so solidly hit.”

May 15, 1966

 Rocky Mount Leafs teammates Dick Drago and Darrell Clark each pitch 7-inning no-hitters against the Greensboro Yankees, Drago winning 5 – 0 in the opener. His roommate Clark wins, 2 – 0, in the nightcap.

May 16, 1966

Bob Swift is named Detroit’s acting manager when Chuck Dressen suffers a heart attack, his second in two years. In August, the 67 year-old recovering Tiger skipper will die as a result of being stricken with a kidney infection.

May 18, 1966

1966 – Houston sweeps the Cubs, 5-1 and 4-2, to take sole possession of second place in the NL race. Homers by Lee Maye and Rusty Staub back Dave Giusti in the opener while Robin Roberts notches his 284th career victory in the nightcap. Astros sit 2-1/2 games behind the Giants for first. 

May 25, 1966

1966 – Dave Nicholson goes four-for-four with a home run while John Bateman goes three-for-three with a homer and a triple as the Astros club the Mets, 7-1. Larry Dierker strikes out eight and hurls a complete-game five-hitter. Houston moves to 2-1/2 games back of the Giants in second place, the closest they would be to the top of the standings this deep into the season until 1972.

May 29, 1966

Ron Santo’s 10th-inning homer gives the Cubs a 3 – 2 win over Atlanta. The day before‚ he beat the Braves with a three-run‚ 12th-inning homer in an 8 – 5 win.

May 29, 1966

Washington Senators centerfielder Don Lock hits a three-run homer in the 1st inning against the Boston Red Sox and righthander Phil Ortega makes it stand for a 3 – 2 win. Ortega strikes out 7 batters in a row.

May 29, 1966

1966 – Jim Gentile drills a homer off Elroy Face in the eleventh inning to drop Pittsburgh, 3-2. John Bateman had earlier gone deep off Vern Law to send the game into overtime. Claude Raymond picks up the win.

May 31, 1966

Ron Santo establishes a National League record when he appears in his 364th consecutive game at third base

June 1, 1966

Ron Santo, who will go on to establish a modern-day Cubs mark by hitting in 28 consecutive games, goes hitless the day after the streak begins, but his run at the record stays intact. The Cubs’ infielder receives four walks and is hit by a pitch in his five plate appearances, keeping his one-game streak alive in the team’s 4-3 loss to Philadelphia at Connie Mack Stadium.

June 2, 1966

1966 – Houston produces nine hits, including eight consecutive singles, in the 12th inning to subdue the Reds, 11-4. The inning starts as a 3-3 tie when Bob Aspromonte singles off Jack Baldschun. Base knocks by Rusty Staub, Ron Brand, Jim Gentile, Joe Morgan, Sonny Jackson, Jim Wynn and Dave Nicholson follow. Staub later doubles in the frame. Claude Raymond survives a bases-loaded scare for the victory. 

June 4, 1966

Jim Gosger hits a game-ending 3-run homer in the 16th off Dooley Womack to give the Red Sox a 6 – 3 win over the visiting Yankees.

June 5, 1966

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Leo Cardenas hits four home runs in a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs

June 5, 1966

Willie Stargell caps a streak going 9-9 over 2 games

June 7, 1966

Having tied a major league record with four strikeouts in one inning (the 4th), Cardinals ace Bob Gibson runs out of gas in the 8th as the Pirates nick him for 11 hits and five runs in 7+ innings, en route to a 9 – 1 rout. Pirates right fielder Roberto Clemente caps the decisive eight-run rally with a homer. Clemente is also the instigator of the uprising, leading off the 8th with a single, then scoring the tie-breaking run, at which point it’s still a pitcher’s duel. By the time the inning ends, however, his three-run blast to right field will have furnished the game’s less artistic final score.

June 7, 1966

The New York Mets, picking first in the June free-agent draft, pass up Arizona State outfielder Reggie Jackson to select catcher Steve Chilcott. Chilcott will retire after six years in the minors and will be the first number-one pick to never play in the major leagues. The Kansas City Athletics take Jackson with the second pick.

June 7, 1966

The A’s select future Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson in the first round (2nd pick) of the amateur draft. The Mets, with the first overall pick, choose Steve Chilcott, a high school catcher who will never play a day in the major league.

June 7, 1966

New York Mets bypass Arizona State star and future Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson

June 9, 1966

Minnesota Twins become the first team in American League history to belt five home runs in one inning.

June 10, 1966

San Francisco sells P Bob Shaw to the Mets.

June 10, 1966

The Yankees and Athletics make a trade with New York acquiring P Fred Talbot and C Billy Bryan in exchange for pitchers Bill Stafford and Gil Blanco‚ and promising OF Roger Repoz.

June 10, 1966

In his big league debut, Dick Rusteck pitches a four-hit masterpiece, blanking the Reds at Shea Stadium, 4-0. The 24 year-old rookie southpaw will pitch in seven more games, including two more starts, without ever winning another major league contest, finishing his career with a 1-2 record and a 3.00 ERA.

June 10, 1966

Sonny Siebert fires no hitter

June 11, 1966

Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs ties a modern day record by hitting three triples

June 12, 1966

1966 – Astros pitcher Dave Giusti tosses a complete game for an 8-4 victory over the Cubs. Giusti also goes 3-for-3 at the plate, including a double. John Bateman belts a two-run homer, Rusty Staub gets a two-run inside-the-park homer and Dave Nicholson adds a three-run shot.

June 13, 1966

After demanding more playing time, Jerry Adair is traded by the Orioles, along with minor leaguer John Riddle, to the White Sox for right-hander Eddie Fisher. The former Baltimore infielder will miss an opportunity to play in the World Series this season with the Birds, but will participate in the Fall Classic with Boston in 1967.

June 13, 1966

6/13/1966: The Red Sox played the Indians in Cleveland and three home runs were lost to the rain. Boston’s George Scott hit a three-run clout in the first inning, while both Jose Azcue and Leon Wagner of the Indians hit four-baggers. Azcue’s came in the third and Wagner’s in the fourth inning as a pinch hitter.

June 14, 1966

1966 – The Miami Marlins and St. Petersburg Cardinals play the longest game in organized baseball history up to that point, needing 29 innings for Miami to prevail, 4 – 3. The game ends in the early hours of June 15th, after 6 hours and 59 minutes. It remains the longest game ever played without interruption, and only the longest game in baseball history, begun on April 18, 1981 but completed a number of weeks later, has gone more innings since.

June 14, 1966

19-year-old Larry Dierker outduels Hall-of-Famer Sandy Koufax for a 3-0 whitewash of the Dodgers

June 21, 1966

Satchel Paige makes his final professional pitching appearance, going the first two innings for the Peninsula Grays (Carolina League) against the Greensboro Yankees. Satch gives up two runs. Peninsula’s regular catcher, Johnny Bench, takes the night off.

June 21, 1966

In the first game of a twinbill, there are two on and two outs in the 9th inning when Frank Robinson makes a spectacular catch against New York’s Roy White, diving into the stands over the short right field fence and disappearing from view. He emerges with the ball and it is ruled a catch, preserving a 7 – 5 Baltimore victory, rather than 8 – 7 defeat.

June 22, 1966

The Astros set a home attendance mark which stands for 22 years, as 50,908 fans watch Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers down Houston, 5-2

June 25, 1966

A batting-practice line-drive by Lee Maye strikes Joe Morgan, breaking his kneecap and forcing him to miss 40 games

June 26, 1966

Ron Santo is struck by a pitch halting his consecutive game streak – but not the hitting streak

June 26, 1966

Sandy Koufax (13-2) matches his National League record of seven consecutive strikeouts in consecutive 9-inning appearances on his way to a 2 – 1 win in Atlanta.

June 26, 1966

The Major League Executive Council decides that both the American League and National League will play 162-game schedules in 1969 and operate two 6-team divisions each.

June 28, 1966

At Fenway Park, the last-place Red Sox cash in five Yankee errors to top the visitors, 5 – 3. All of New York’s scoring comes from Mickey Mantle, who blasts a two-run homer in the 1st and an opposite field homer on the LF screen in the 8th.

June 28, 1966

Joe Morgan becomes the first Astro named to start in an All-Star Game

June 29, 1966

At Fenway Park, Mickey Mantle opens the scoring in the 1st inning with a 3-run shot, then sandwiches a homer between round trippers by Bobby Richardson and Joe Pepitone in the 3rd inning in New York’s 6 – 5 win. The consecutive trifecta was last done for the Yankees in 1947, when Charlie Keller, Joe DiMaggio and Johnny Lindell connected. Richardson is 5 for 5 in the game. Mantle’s two homers today, his 37th and 38th at Fenway, will be his last in Boston, and tie him with Babe Ruth for most homers by a Sox opponent.

July 1, 1966

At Washington, Mickey Mantle homers in the 1st inning off Phil Ortega, as New York edges the Senators, 8 – 6. Mick scores another run when Joe Pepitone cracks a two-run homer.

July 2, 1966

Frank Howard, Don Lock and Ken McMullen hit consecutive home runs with two outs in the 6th inning, and Mike McCormick pitches a complete game, as Washington defeats a winless Whitey Ford and the Yankees, 10 – 4. McCormick gives up five hits including a Mickey Mantle homer, his 14th, in the 9th.

July 3, 1966

Mickey Mantle hits a 1st-inning homer, and for the second time this week has hit three home runs in consecutive times at bat. New York blows a 5 – 0 lead in the 8th as the Senators storm back. Bobby Richardson homers in the 11th to give New York a 6 – 5 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Paul Casanova is on first when a sacrifice bunt moves him to second base. He overruns the bag and decides to head to third where he knocks the ball away from Tom Tresh. He then continues home where he is thrown out by a mile.

July 3, 1966

Tony Cloninger Sets grand slam record

July 4, 1966

Ron Santo sets a modern-day Cubs record when he hits in his 28th straight game, as the Cubs lose the opener to the Pirates, 7 – 5. The Cubs win the nightcap 6 – 4, but Santo is held hitless. In between the first and second game of the streak, the opener of a twinbill on June 1st, Santo had no official at-bats. He received four walks and was hit by a pitch. The day before, however, he was 1 for 3, which counts as the actual start of the streak.

July 5, 1966

The Cubs give up on Ernie Broglio releasing him outright to Tacoma (Pacific Coast League).

July 6, 1966

The Red Sox sweep a pair from the Yankees, with reliever Don McMahon picking up both wins. He pitches 1 2/3 inning in the opener and another two innings in game 2. The only other pitcher to win a doubleheader from the Yankees was the Browns’ Dave Davenport in 1916, who threw two complete game victories.

July 6, 1966

Bogg Powell drives in 11 vs A’s in Double Header

July 7, 1966

1966 – After playing half the season with an artificial turf infield and a spray-painted dead grass outfield, the Astros depart for twelve days while the grounds crew rips up the sod and replaces the outfield with Astroturf. The last chunk of green dirt is boxed and shipped to Chicago’s Leo Durocher, a vocal critic of the new surface.

July 8, 1966

In New York, the Senators win the opener, 7 – 6, then blow a four-run lead in the nitecap to lose, 7 – 5. Mickey Mantle is 5 for 8 in the doubleheader, including a homer in each game. The second homer, off Jim Hannan, is a 461-foot sky shot over the monuments into the CF bleachers. Mick follows with a sure double in the 5th but tears a hamstring muscle rounding first and will be sidelined for two weeks.

July 10, 1966

George Smith clouts a 10th-inning grand slam to give the Red Sox a 10 – 6 victory over the White Sox.

July 10, 1966

1966 – Mike Cuellar slams the door in the eighth with the bases loaded and nobody out to preserve a 6-5 triumph in St. Louis. Rusty Staub bashes two home runs and drives in four while Bob Lillis singles home the game-winner. It’s a sweltering 104 degrees as the Great Plains bake in a killer heatwave. Cuellar induces a double play grounder from infielder Jimy Williams to end the contest – one of the 14 big league games in Williams’ playing career. 

July 12, 1966

St. Louis hosts a hot midsummer All-Star classic. Maury Wills’ 10th-inning single scores Tim McCarver, as the National League wins, 2 – 1

July 13, 1966

Manager Don Heffner (37-46) is fired by the Reds and replaced by coach Dave Bristol.

July 14, 1966

Interim Detroit Tigers skipper Bob Swift is hospitalized, and 3B coach Frank Skaff takes over.

July 16, 1966

Horace Clarke hits his second career home run, a tenth-inning grand slam, giving the Yankees an eventual 9-5 win over the A’s at Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium. The New York shortstop’s first-ever round-tripper was also hit with the bases full last season.

July 17, 1966

At Forbes Field, Pittsburgh regains the National League lead by beating San Francisco twice, 7 – 4 and 7 – 1. In each game, the Giants take an early 1 – 0 lead. In the opener, that dream dies quickly: 1st-inning singles by Matty Alou, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell, plus a sacrifice fly from Jose Pagan, transfer the one-run margin from West to East and the Bucs never look back. In the nightcap, however, Pittsburgh’s narrow deficit persists until a 4th-inning RBI triple off the right-field wall from Clemente, who then proceeds to untie the game — in the words of Giants beat writer Bob Stevens — “with an audacious piece of baserunning against a Giant defense that had the infield pulled in” (its particulars roughly presaging those of Eric Hosmer’s pivotal 2015 World Series Game Five dash). Stevens continues: “Pagan grounded to Jim Ray Hart at third. Jim Ray feinted Roberto back toward the base, then let loose with the cross-diamond throw. In the meantime, Clemente streaked home, scoring standing up as Willie McCovey’s frantic throw to catcher Tom Haller crashed against the stands.” Pittsburgh’s first bit of breathing room is provided the following inning by future New York Yankees GM Gene Michael (in for injured starting SS Gene Alley), who gets an RBI double in his first major league at-bat.

July 17, 1966

Billy Williams becomes 5th Cub to hit for the Cycle

July 18, 1966

Powell has the hit of the night

July 19, 1966

At Chicago, Cub Byron Browne strikes out five times against Reds starter Jim Maloney. The Reds finally win, 3 – 2, in 18 innings, with Joe Nuxhall victorious over Fergie Jenkins. Don Pavletich belts a homer in the 18th inning off Jenkins. In tomorrow’s Reds win over the Cubs, Browne will strike out another three times to set a National League record for two games on his way to leading the NL in strikeouts with 143.

July 19, 1966

In the first major league game to be played totally on artificial turf, Houston beats Philadelphia at the Astrodome, 8-2. Prior to this contest, the outfield consisted of painted dirt with only the infield covered with the new material created by Monsanto Company, dubbed Astroturf.

July 19, 1966

In his final at-bat in the major leagues, Cardinals starter Tracy Stallard grounds out to short in the Redbirds’ 10-9 victory over Atlanta. During his seven-year tenure, the right-hander, best known for giving up Roger Maris’s 61st home run, sets a major league record by failing to get a base-on-balls in his 247 appearances at the plate.

July 21, 1966

1966 – Minnesota P Jim Merritt beats the Senators, 1 – 0, and ties an American League record with seven straight strikeouts.

July 22, 1966

1966 – Clay Dalrymple breaks up a no-hitter bid by Giants hurler Gaylord Perry with an 8th-inning single. It is the second time the Phillies catcher has spoiled a no-hit bid in the 8th inning at Candlestick Park, as he collected the only hit in Juan Marichal’s debut in 1960. Perry sets a San Francisco record with 15 strikeouts in the 4 – 1 win. The Giants are two percentage points behind the first-place Pirates.

July 22, 1966

The Mets left fielder learns he is a new dad when the Dodger Stadium scoreboard relays the message, “Congratulations, Ron Swoboda. Your new son is born tomorrow morning”. Cecilia Swoboda gave birth to Chipper, the couple’s first child, at 1:05 am eastern standard time, making it the next day on the West Coast.

July 22, 1966

Lew Burdette earned his 200th career victory

July 23, 1966

At Yankee Stadium, the Yanks celebrate Old-Timers’ Day but lose to the Angels, 7 – 6, despite a grand slam from Mickey Mantle. The slam, off Marcelino Lopez, is Mickey’s 9th. He ties Babe Ruth – not in home runs, but in games played as a Yankee.

July 23, 1966

Bob Allison of the Twins suffers a broken left hand when hit by a Jim Lonborg pitch during Minnesota’s 10 – 4 win over the Red Sox.

July 24, 1966

1966 – The Yankees beat the Angels, 9 – 1, in the first game of a doubleheader, and Mickey Mantle hits his second homer in two days. The round-tripper, his 493rd, ties him with Lou Gehrig for 6th place on the all-time list.

July 25, 1966

Casey Stengel and Ted Williams are inducted into the Hall of Fame. Both men make memorable speeches in Cooperstown

July 26, 1966

 Catfish Hunter, Kansas City’s top winner, undergoes an appendectomy.

July 27, 1966

Sandy Koufax and Jim Bunning duel for 11 innings recording double digit strikeouts

July 27, 1966

Six weeks after the team plays their first game in the Peach State, the Wisconsin Supreme Court overrules a lower court decision by a narrow vote of 4-3, ruling that the state doesn’t have the jurisdiction to keep the Braves from moving to Atlanta. Due to the close vote, the state of Wisconsin decides to appeal the majority’s decision to the United States Supreme Court.

July 28, 1966

1966 – Rick Reichardt, California’s young hitting star, is sidelined with a kidney ailment. He will have a kidney removed in two weeks.

July 29, 1966

At Cincinnati, Jim Maloney strikes out 13 in the Reds’ 4 – 3 win over Houston.

July 29, 1966

Mantle moves ahead of Lou Gehrig into 6th place on the homer list

July 30, 1966

The Twins’ Dave Boswell allows just a 7th-inning single to Russ Snyder in beating the Orioles, 7 – 0.

July 30, 1966

Chicago’s Gary Peters shuts down the Yankees, 6 – 0, facing just 29 batters. The efficient Peters uses just 75 pitches.

July 30, 1966

In the fifth season of the franchise’s existence, the Mets experience their first winning month when they beat Chicago at Shea Stadium, 6-3. With another victory tomorrow, the Amazins will finish July with an 18-14 record.

August 1, 1966

Dick Allen hits walk off inside park hr when Jimmy Wynn crashes into the wall.

August 2, 1966

Ozzie Virgil drives in three runs and Juan Marichal, making his first relief appearance of the year, picks up his 17th win, as the Giants edge the Mets, 5 – 4. The win moves the Giants (63-44) back ahead of the Dodgersand Pirates by a game.

August 4, 1966

Pinch-hit home runs by Mets John Stephenson and Ron Swoboda make the difference in New York’s 8 – 6 defeat of the Giants at Shea Stadium.

August 7, 1966

Lee Bales gets off to a shaky major league start, striking out four times, as the Braves beat the Phillies, 3 – 0. Bales equals the National League record first set by Billy Sunday (May 22, 1883) for most initial-game K’s.

August 8, 1966

The Reds beat the Giants‚ 10 – 6‚ and Cincy OF Tommy Harper stretches his hitting streak to 24 games.

August 8, 1966

The Red Sox-Cleveland game at Fenway Park is stopped four times because of fog. The Red Sox eventually win‚ 3 – 1.

August 9, 1966

1966 – The Braves fire Bobby Bragan (52-59) and install coach Billy Hitchcock as their new manager. In today’s game, 52,270 watch as Felipe Alou hits a leadoff home run off Sandy Koufax. The Dodgers tie it, but Eddie Mathews adds a 9th-inning solo home run to beat the Dodgers’ ace, 2 – 1.

August 9, 1966

1966 – John Bateman notices his catcher’s mitt is gone from Wrigley Field. Bob Aspromonte and Nate Colbert have also had their gloves stolen. Bateman gets his revenge by smashing two home runs in an 8-5 triumph. Dave Giusti surrenders four home runs but Houston rallies with five runs in the ninth. Carroll Sembera gets his first big league win. 

August 10, 1966

1966 – Chuck Dressen dies of a heart attack in Detroit, at age 67. He had managed the Tigers earlier in the season.

August 10, 1966

Detroit Tigers manager Chuck Dressen dies at the age of 67

August 11, 1966

At Wrigley Field‚ the Cubs down Houston‚ 9 – 8‚ in 11 innings. The Cubs are led by C Randy Hundley who hits for the cycle and drives in 3 runs. Houston is ahead 8 – 5 at the end of 7 innings in the nitecap when the game is suspended on account of darkness. It will be completed on August 26th‚ with Houston winning‚ 9 – 8.

August 11, 1966

It is déjà vu all over again‚ as Frank Robinson makes another game-saving catch against the Yankees. Robby dives into the stands to rob Clete Boyer of an 11th-inning homer‚ preserving a 6 – 5 Orioles’ win. Robby did it two months earlier.

August 11, 1966

1966 – Lee Maye goes 5-for-5 and Bob Aspromonte belts a grand slam but it’s not enough to stop the Cubs, 9-8, in eleven. Darkness suspends the second game of the twinbill with Houston up, 8-5. Maye gets his sixth straight hit in the nightcap. The Cubs agree to finish the game during an upcoming trip to Houston.

August 12, 1966

In Los Angeles‚ Ken Holtzman and the Cubs edge the Dodgers’ Don Sutton‚ 2 – 1. The Cubs will hand Sutton another loss in two days‚ beating him in the nitecap of two‚ 12 – 10, in 10 innings.

August 12, 1966

Willie Mays hits a game-ending home run to give Juan Marichal and the Giants a 1 – 0 win over Houston. Mike Cuellar serves up the 9th-inning homer.

August 12, 1966

The Spartanburg Phillies extend their winning streak to 25 games with a doubleheader sweep of the Lexington Giants. The Greenville Mets will stop the streak tomorrow.

August 12, 1966

Art Shamsky hits 3 homeruns in game after entering in 8th

August 13, 1966

Restaurateur Vernon Stouffer buys a controlling interest in the Cleveland Indians.

August 13, 1966

1966 – Dave Giusti allows a second-inning single to Cap Peterson and nothing more as he outduels San Francisco’s ace Juan Marichal, 3-0 . Giusti walks none and strikes out four while facing 28 batters. Ron Davis rips his first big league homer while Sonny Jackson swipes his 37th base, setting a new NL rookie mark. 

August 14, 1966

The Yanks sweep two from the Indians, winning the nitecap, 6 – 4. The Indians help in the second game by making six errors in one inning, one short of the record. Mickey Mantle helps with a homer off lefty Jack Kralick, but he’ll sit the next 12 days after reinjuring his knee.

August 14, 1966

Art Shamsky hits his 4th consecutive home run, tying the major league record, but the Reds lose again to the Pirates, 4 – 2. Shamsky had not played the day before, and did not come in today until the 7th inning when his two-run homer puts the Reds up, 2 – 1. The homer streak will end tomorrow in Los Angeles, when he delivers a pinch single against Bob Miller.

August 16, 1966

Willie Mays hits his 534th career home run ties him with Jimmie Foxx for most career home runs hit by a right-handed batter

August 17, 1966

For the second successive day, the Orioles score five runs in the 9th to defeat the Red Sox. Today the score is 8 – 4; yesterday, it was 6 – 4.

August 17, 1966

Giants slugger Willie Mays passes ‘Double X’ with his 535th homer and Giants walk off with a Win

August 18, 1966

1966 – Pittsburgh 3B Jose Pagan ties the modern National League record for errors in an inning with 3, but Pittsburgh coasts to a 9 – 3 win over the Mets.

August 19, 1966

After guiding the club to fourteen victories in their first fifteen games, Birdie Tebbetts, who will remain in the organization, resigns as the manager of the Indians. George Strickland will take over the third-place Cleveland team with a 66-57 record.

August 20, 1966

Birdie Tebbetts (66-57) resigns as manager of the Indians. George Strickland is named interim boss.

August 20, 1966

Gaylord Perry is the first 20-game winner of the year, pitching the Giants into first place with a 6 – 1 win against the Braves.

August 21, 1966

1966 – Houston’s Dave Giusti does it all today as he blanks to Reds, 11 – 0, and drives in six runs on two bases-loaded doubles.

August 21, 1966

1966 – Little boys dream of a day like Dave Giusti has. Giusti slaps two bases-loaded doubles, as well as hurling a six-hit shutout, in blanking the Reds, 11-0. The pitcher’s six RBIs stand as a club record for 23 years. The win completes a four-game sweep of Cincinnati.

August 22, 1966

All-Star slugger Frank Robinson is saved from drowning by rookie backstop Andy Etchebarren

August 25, 1966

The owners approve a 55 percent raise in contributions to the players’ pension fund. It will come from television, World Series, and All-Star Game money. Some money will also go to pay the salary of the Players’ Association executive director.

August 25, 1966

Whitey Ford (2-5) undergoes surgery for a circulatory problem in his left shoulder.

August 26, 1966

With Baltimore trailing Boston, 2 – 0 in the 9th inning, Vic Roznovsky and Boog Powell sting Lee Stange with back-to-back pinch-hit home runs to tie the game. This is just the 3rd time in history that back-to-back pinch home runs have occurred. Baltimore wins in the 12th, 3 – 2.

August 26, 1966

Against the Dodgers, Giants fireballer Bobby Bolin ties a major-league record by fanning the first five batters in the game. But the Dodgers win the game, 4 – 0.

August 26, 1966

Mickey Mantle pinch hit clout delivers a walk off win for Yankees

August 26, 1966

Angry Cub Manager Leo Durocher rips the dugout phone off the wall and throws it onto the Astrodome field

August 27, 1966

1966 – At Dodger Stadium, Juan Marichal outduels Don Drysdale to give the Giants a 4 – 2 win.

August 29, 1966

Detroit’s Denny McLain tosses 229 pitches, gives up eight hits, walks nine and strikes out 11 Orioles to record his 16th victory.

August 29, 1966

Beatles play their final concert at Candlestick Park

August 29, 1966

Robin Roberts becomes the first and only pitcher to beat the Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta Braves

August 30, 1966

1966 – Pete Rose becomes the 12th player in major league history to hit home runs left- and righthanded in one game, as the Reds win 6 – 4 over the Cards.

August 30, 1966

Sandy Koufax, in his final decision facing the Mets, lasts only two innings, losing to Bob Friend at Shea Stadium, 10-4. The Dodgers Hall of Fame southpaw has compiled a 17-2 record against the lowly expansion team since their inception in 1962.

August 31, 1966

1966 – Yankees 2B Bobby Richardson, 31, announces his retirement.

September 1, 1966

Tim McCarver’s third-inning triple, his 13th and final one of the season, plates Orlando Cepeda in the Cardinals’ 7-4 victory over Atlanta at Busch Stadium. The 22 year-old Memphis, TN native will become the first backstop to ever lead the National or American League in three-baggers.

September 1, 1966

Tim McCarver’s third-inning triple, his 13th and final one of the season, plates Orlando Cepeda in the Cardinals’ 7-4 victory over Atlanta at Busch Stadium. The 22 year-old Memphis, TN native will become the first backstop to ever lead the National or American League in three-baggers.

September 2, 1966

Phillies ace Jim Bunning continues his whammy over the Mets by shutting them out, 6 – 0. It’s Bunning’s 8th complete game in as many starts against them, and his 5th shutout. The Mets have scored a total of four runs off Bunning.

September 2, 1966

The Pirates behind Bob Veale take over 1st place by topping Fergie Jenkins and the Cubs, 7 – 5, on Roberto Clemente’s opposite-field upper deck home run. Besides being his 2000th career hit, Clemente’s homer is his 23rd this season, tying his career high (he’ll end with 29), and gives him 101 RBI for the year, the first time he’s topped 100. “Like his first hit in the big leagues and also Hit 1,000,” writes Les Biederman in The Sporting News, “this one came at Forbes Field… In the 5th inning, Clemente batted with runners on first and second, one out and the Pirates leading, 1 – 0. Jenkins threw a fastball and Clemente blasted it on a line into the upper deck in right field.”

September 3, 1966

1966 – Charlie Vaughan, 18-year-old Braves pitcher, beats the Astros, 12 – 2, for his first and only major league win. Vaughan will make one other major league appearance, in relief, in 1969.

September 4, 1966

Los Angeles Dodgers become the first team in major league history to draw over two millions fans

September 4, 1966

Chris Short shuts out the Mets, 5 – 0, the 5th complete game win in a row for the Phillies’ pitchers.

September 6, 1966

1966 – The Giants pepper Don Drysdale for 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings and beat the Dodgers‚ 6 – 0. Ray Sadecki fires the shutout.

September 8, 1966

1The Red Sox fire manager Billy Herman (64-82) and Pete Runnels is named interim pilot

September 10, 1966

1966 – Cardinal P Dick Hughes tops the Pirates on Tim McCarver’s bases-loaded hit off the RF wall. Pittsburgh falls a game in back of the Dodgers.

September 11, 1966

In his first major league at-bat, John Miller homers off Lee Stange in the second inning of the Yankees’ 4-2 victory over Boston at Fenway Park. The 22 year-old left fielder, whose total of 10 hits in his 32-game career will include just two round-trippers, will become the only player to hit home runs in his first and last major league plate appearance when he goes deep as a pinch-hitter for the Dodgers in his final turn at bat in 1966.

September 11, 1966

Los Angeles regains first place, winning 4 – 0 and 1 – 0 behind Sandy Koufax and Larry Miller while Houston suffers its 3rd and 4th consecutive shutouts against the Dodgers.

September 11, 1966

Nolan Ryan makes his major league debut with the New York Mets

September 12, 1966

1966 – Ron Perranoski of the Dodgers fans the first six batters he faces and earns a 3 – 2 win over the Mets and Tug McGraw. With the help of 2B Ron Hunt, Mets rookie SS Bud Harrelson picks off Lou Johnson with the hidden ball trick in the 6th.

September 15, 1966

Seven pitchers are used by Al Dark’s A’s in an 11-inning, 1 – 0 shutout of the Indians. Kansas City wins its 7th straight game.

September 15, 1966

Tom Phoebus of Baltimore begins his ML career with a 2 – 0 shutout of the Angels.

September 15, 1966

Don Drysdale (10-16) gives up two home runs in the 9th, to Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell, with two outs, but holds on to give the Dodgers a 5 – 3 win over Pittsburgh. The Dodgers now lead the Bucs by 2 1/2 games. The Bucs and Dodgers will split the next two games.

September 16, 1966

Bob Gibson notches his 20th victory of the season when he goes the distance to beat Chicago at Wrigley Field, 3-1. The Cardinal right-hander will become the first pitcher in more than forty years to have consecutive 20-win seasons for a second-division team.

September 16, 1966

Willie McCovey hits a 500-foot home run, judged the longest ever at Candlestick Park

September 16, 1966

1966 – Sonny Jackson goes 5-for-5 and Chuck Harrison belts a grand slam as the Astros break nemesis Chris Short and the Phillies, 6-4. Mike Cuellar tosses his sixth straight complete game.

September 17, 1966

1966 – Cleveland pitchers set an American League record by fanning 19 batters in the first nine innings of a 10-inning, 6 – 2 win at Detroit.

September 17, 1966

At Yankee Stadium, New York celebrates Bobby Richardson Day in honor of their All-Star second baseman, who is retiring at the end of the season. After deciding to leave the playing field in his prime to spend more time with his family, the 31 year-old infielder will return to the game in 1970 to become the head baseball coach at the University of South Carolina, where he will compile a 221-92-1 record with the Gamecocks.

September 18, 1966

Kansas City and Washington battle with Washington winning, 1 – 0, behind Phil Ortega. Blue Moon Odom blanks the Senators for 8 1/3 innings to run the A’s scoreless string to 45 1/3 innings. The American League record of 47 was set by Cleveland in 1948.

September 18, 1966

The Twins beat the Yankees, 5 – 3, in 10 innings, on Bob Allison’s pinch three-run homer, sending the Yankees to the cellar in the American League. In his last plate appearance of the year, Mickey Mantle whiffs and becomes the first player to strike out 1,500 times in his career.

September 18, 1966

1966 – 19-year-old Nolan Ryan of Alvin pitches for the New York Mets at the Dome. He strikes out the side in his one inning of work. He also surrenders two walks and four hits as the Astros plate four runs. Houston wins, 9-2. In the nightcap of the doubleheader, another Met rookie, Tug McGraw, is lit for four early runs as the Astros hold on to sweep it, 6-5.

September 19, 1966

Dan Topping sells his 10 percent stock interest in the Yankees to CBS and resigns as club president. CBS executive Mike Burke succeeds him.

September 19, 1966

Don Drysdale stops the Phils, 6 – 1, for a needed Dodgers win.

September 20, 1966

The Mets’ 3-0 victory over Houston, their 63rd win, assures the team will lose less than a hundred games in a season for the first time in the five-year history of the franchise. The Amazins’, who will finish the campaign in ninth place with a 66-95 record, averaged 113 losses a season during their first four years in the National League.

September 20, 1966

In his second major league game, Tom Phoebus hurls his second straight shutout in the Orioles’ 4-0 victory over the A’s. In his major league debut five days ago, the 24 year-old right-handed rookie also blanked the Angels, earning a 2-0 complete-game victory at Memorial Stadium.

September 21, 1966

The smallest crowd in the 46 year-old history of Chicago’s Wrigley Field watches the Cubs beat Cincinnati, 9-3. The 530 fans in attendance at the ballpark for the Wednesday afternoon contest see Billy Williams and Adolfo Phillips go deep in a game that takes only two hours and twenty-four minutes to complete.

September 22, 1966

smallest crowd in the history of Yankee Stadium

September 22, 1966

The Orioles clinched their first pennant representing Baltimore when Jim Palmer goes the distance, beating Lew Krausse and the A’s at Municipal Stadium, 6-1. The franchise’s last flag was raised in St. Louis in 1944 when the team was known as the Browns.

September 22, 1966

End of a dynasty

September 23, 1966

Reds ace Jim Maloney strikes out 13 in a 7 – 0 win over the Mets

September 23, 1966

The Dodgers’ Don Drysdale pitches his third complete game in a row, shutting out the Cubs.

September 24, 1966

1966 – Roberto Clemente’s two-run, tie-breaking, tape measure home run caps a five-run 7th inning that hands the second-place Bucs an 8 – 6 decision over Atlanta and pulls them to within 2 games of Los Angeles. The Associated Press reports: “Clemente hammered his game-winning home run off reliever Jay Ritchie, a tremendous 440-foot drive over the right-center field fence.”

September 25, 1966

The Mets, for the first time in the five-year history of the franchise, will not end their season in last place. The Amazins, who will finish ahead of the Cubs, clinch ninth place by beating Cincinnati at Crosley Field, 8-4.

September 25, 1966

1966 – In a matchup of Jewish pitchers, the Cubs’ Ken Holtzman outduels Sandy Koufax to win, 2 – 1. The Dodgers go hitless over the first eight innings. Holtzman, who spent much of the season in military service, will finish the year at 9-0, the first pitcher since Howie Krist (10-0) in 1940 to win that many without a loss.

September 27, 1966

1966 – At St. Louis, the Dodgers win as Don Drysdale pitches his second shutout in a row, beating the Cardinals.

September 28, 1966

At Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Larry Jaster throws a four-hitter, blanking Don Sutton and the Dodgers, 2-0. It’s the southpaw’s fifth shutout against LA this season, equaling a post-1900 major league mark held by the Senators’ Tom Hughes (against the Indians in 1905) and Grover Cleveland Alexander of the Phillies (against the Reds in 1916).

September 28, 1966

1966 – By eking out a sweep of this evening’s twin bill against Philadelphia, the hard-pressed Pirates pull to within 1 1/2 games of the league-leading Dodgers with three games left to play, thus freezing Los Angeles’s magic number at 3. In the opener, Steve Blass outduels ex-Buc Jim Bunning, 2 – 1. In the nightcap, Bob Veale outlasts Larry Jackson, 4 – 2, with Roberto Clemente driving in the game-winner with a two-out, 8th-inning RBI double to deep left center. He then scores the insurance run on ex-teammate Dick Groat’s throwing error.

September 30, 1966

At Comiskey Park in the top of the ninth inning, Roger Maris, in his last at-bat as a Yankee, slams a two-run home run as a pinch-hitter, putting the club ahead of the White Sox, 5-4. As the slugger contemplates retirement, the former two-time American League MVP is stunned and embarrassed when New York trades him in the off-season to the Cardinals for utility player Charley Smith.

September 30, 1966

1966 – 20-year-old Larry Dierker takes a perfect game into the ninth inning against the Mets but he loses it all, 1-0. A double by Eddie Bressoud and an infield hit by Ron Hunt break up the gem.

October 2, 1966

Sandy Koufax wins the final game of his career

October 2, 1966

The Yankees end the season with a 2-0 victory over Chicago, but the team will still finish in last place, a half-game behind the Red Sox. The tenth-place Bronx Bombers, who compiled a 70-89 record, 26.5 games behind Baltimore, become the first club in franchise history to finish in the American League cellar since 1912.

October 2, 1966

On the last day of the season, Sonny Jackson establishes a major league rookie record with his 49th steal of the season, a mark that will last until Gene Richard (Padres) and Omar Moreno (Pirates) both surpass the record in 1977. The Astros shortstop will finish second in the Rookie of the Year balloting behind Tommy Helms of Cincinnati.

October 2, 1966

Cardinals rookie Jim Cosman, making his major league debut on the last day of the season, hurls a two-hit complete-game shutout, blanking Chicago at Busch Stadium, 2-0. The 23 year-old right-hander, who didn’t know of his assignment until twenty minutes before game time, makes his only start of the season, having pitched only in relief in 54 minor league appearances before today’s contest.

October 3, 1966

Tigers GM James Campbell announces former Reds and Phillies skipper Mayo Smith will replace the late Chuck Dressen, the team’s manager who died in August following a heart attack. Bob Swift, a Detroit coach who had been named to fill the position on an interim basis, was unable to complete season, after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

October 5, 1966

Moe Drabowsky strikesout 11 in relief as Orioles take game 1 vs Dodgers

October 5, 1966

Luis Aparicio & Maury Wills

October 6, 1966

Jim Palmer becomes the youngest pitcher to throw a shutout in the World Series

October 8, 1966

The Orioles managed only three hits off Claude Osteen, but Paul Blair’s fifth-inning 430-foot home run proves to be the difference as Baltimore beats the Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series, 1-0. Wally Bunker throws a six-hitter to get the victory in the first Fall Classic game ever played in Baltimore.

October 9, 1966

Dave McNally of the Baltimore Orioles wraps up a brilliant pitching display, and a World Championship, with a four-hit 1 – 0 victory

October 17, 1966

The Tigers lose the second of the two skippers who managed the team this season when 51 year-old Bob Swift succumbs to lung cancer

October 17, 1966

The Cubs beat the Reds‚ 6 – 4‚ as Ron Santo hits 2 homers and a single. Deron Johnson makes a great catch to rob Santo of a 4th hit.

November 1, 1966

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax becomes the first three-time winner of the Cy Young Award

November 2, 1966

Orlando Merced is born in Hato Rey, PR. The outfielder-first baseman had been a thorn in Houston’s side during several seasons with the Pirates. Merced spends three seasons in Houston (2001-2003) as a reserve, batting .262 with 15 home runs.

November 4, 1966

Maury Wills leaves the Los Angeles Dodgers club touring in Japan, complaining that his injured right knee needs immediate treatment

November 8, 1966

Triple Crown winner Frank Robinson is the unanimous choice for the 1966 American League MVP. He becomes the first major league player to win the award in both leagues

November 12, 1966

1966 – The Los Angeles Dodgers complete an 18-game tour of Japan with a 9-8-1 record, the most losses ever for a major league club touring the Far East.

November 16, 1966

Roberto Clemente wins the 1966 National League MVP

November 16, 1966

The Dodgers finish their tour of Japan with the worst results ever compiled by an American big league team. Los Angeles loses the last four games of the trip, returning to the West Coast with a mediocre 9-8-1 record against their Japanese opponents.

November 18, 1966

Los Angeles Dodgers pitching ace Sandy Koufax announces his retirement

November 18, 1966

The Mets name Wes Westrum as the team’s second manager in the franchise’s brief history, replacing the legendary Casey Stengel who compiled a 175-404 (.302) record during his 3+ years with the expansion team. The new skipper had taken over the club’s reins after the ‘Old Perfessor’ had fractured his hip in July.

November 23, 1966

Tommie Agee is voted American League Rookie of the Year

November 25, 1966

Cincinnati Reds infielder Tommy Helms is voted National League Rookie of the Year.

November 25, 1966

1966 – Sonny Jackson is runner-up for N.L. Rookie of the Year honors. The 21-year-old shortstop bats .292 and steals 49 bases. The award goes to Cincinnati infielder Tommy Helms. 

November 28, 1966

The Pittsburgh Pirates purchase P Juan Pizarro from the Chicago White Sox, completing a deal that sends P Wilbur Wood to Chicago

November 28, 1966

Astros draft pitcher Bo Belinsky from the Phillies organization in the winter supplemental draft and pitcher Pat House from the Braves.

November 29, 1966

New York Yankees trade slick-fielding third baseman Clete Boyer to the Atlanta Braves for outfielder Bill Robinson and pitcher “Chi Chi” Olivo

November 29, 1966

A circuit court jury in Chicago, IL awards Jim Brewer damages stemming from his 1960 on-field fight with Billy Martin.

November 29, 1966

New York Mets acquire two-time batting Champ Tommy Davis

December 1, 1966

Maury Wills to the Pittsburgh Pirates

December 1, 1966

The Ecuadorian national team defends its title with a 4-3 win over Brazil in the 1966 South American Championship; they will not win another in the next 50 years. Eloy Guerrero drives in Ramón Sotomayor with the winning run.

December 2, 1966

Dean Chance traded to Twins in 5 player deal

December 3, 1966

Camilo Pascual is traded by the Minnesota Twins, along with IF Bernie Allen, to the Washington Senators for P Ron Kline.

December 5, 1966

Bill DeWitt sells the Cincinnati Reds to a group of Cincinnati investors for an estimated $7 million.

December 7, 1966

1966 – The Cubs trade P Dick Ellsworth to the Phils for P Ray Culp and cash.

December 8, 1966

The Yankees trade two-time MVP Roger Maris to the Cardinals for third baseman Charley Smith. The former Bronx Bomber outfielder will play a key role in the Redbirds’ World Championship next season and will help the club win another pennant the following year, while New York’s newest infielder will hit only .224 during his two-year tenure in New York.

December 10, 1966

1966 – The Yankees send Pedro Ramos the Phils for P Joe Verbanic.

December 12, 1966

The U.S. Supreme Court, by a vote of 4 to 3, refuses to review Wisconsin’s suit to block the Braves’ move to Atlanta. The team originally announced its intention to move to the Peach State for the 1965 season, but the injunction filed by the state in Wisconsin forced the club to stay put in Milwaukee for one final year.

December 13, 1966

1966 – The Washington Senators trade Mike McCormick to the Giants for Bob Priddy and Cap Peterson. The newly-acquired San Francisco hurler will win the Cy Young Award next season.

December 14, 1966

1966 – The St. Louis Cardinals send OF Walt Williams and P Don Dennis to the Chicago White Sox for C John Romano and P Lee White.

December 20, 1966

1966 – The Yankees acquire SS Dick Howser from Cleveland for minor leaguer Gil Downs and cash.

December 31, 1966

Houston Astros acquire Eddie Mathews from the Atlanta Braves in 5 player trade

October 19, 2019

1966 – Andy Mota is born in Santo Domingo, DR. A September call-up during the 1991 season, the second baseman bats .189 in 27 games. His father Manny Mota was with the Houston franchise in the spring of 1963 but was traded before the regular season began.