1954 – Alex Kellner of the Philadelphia Athletics allows only a single by Wayne Terwilliger in the 8th inning in a 7 – 0 shutout over the Washington Senators at Griffith Stadium.
Giants right-hander Marv Grissom blanks the Phillies at the Polo Grounds, 1-0. Whitey Lockman’s 300-foot fifth-inning home run off Robin Roberts, one of only three hits the Philadelphia hurler allows, accounts for the only score of the game.
Jackie Robinson steals second and third base, then steals home on the front end of a triple steal with Gil Hodges and Sandy Amorós in the 6th inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Brooklyn Dodgers win, 6 – 5, in 13 innings, when Robinson doubles home Junior Gilliam with the winning run.
On April 23, 1954, Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves hits the first of his 755 home runs in a 7-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Aaron’s milestone home run-a solo blast-comes against Cardinals right-hander Vic Raschi.
In the first night game at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium‚ Bob Turley has a no-hitter against Cleveland when‚ with one out in the 9th‚ Al Rosen singles and Larry Doby homers. Turley strikes out 14‚ but loses‚ 2-1.
4/21/1954: Giants Whitey Lockman hit an apparent home run to RF in Pittsburgh in the top of the fifth, but it was disallowed because time had been requested by Monte Irvin and granted by 1B umpire Bill Stewart. Irvin was the base runner at 1B.
At County Stadium, utility man Nino Escalera becomes the first black player to appear in a Cincinnati uniform. A native of Puerto Rico, Escalera pinch-hits a single in the Redlegs’ 5 – 1 loss to the Milwaukee Braves. In the 7th inning, another black rookie, Chuck Harmon, follows him, pinch-hitting for Corky Valentine and pops out. Escalera, who will bat .159 and collect 11 hits in his only major league season, will eventually become a scout for the Oakland Athletics.
On April 15, 1954, Hank Aaron collects the first hit of his major league career. The Milwaukee Braves’ rookie goes 2-for-5 in a 7-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
After a 51-year absence, big league ball returns to Baltimore as a crowd of 46,354 watch the Orioles beat the White Sox, 3 – 1, in the first game played at Memorial Stadium. Clint Courtney of the Orioles hits the first major league home run in the ballpark. A Baltimore ownership group, which includes Clarence Mills, Jim Keelty, Jerry Hoffberger and Zanvyl Krieger, bought the former St. Louis Browns and brought the franchise to the Charm City.
On April 13, 1954, future Hall of Famer Hank Aaron makes his major league debut for the Milwaukee Braves. The rookie left fielder goes 0-for-5 in a 9-8 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Another Hall of Famer, third baseman Eddie Mathews, hits a pair of home runs for the Braves. Jim Greengrass of Cincinnati hits four doubles in…
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