At Yankee Stadium, Yogi Berra commits an error as his errorless streak of 148 games for a catcher comes to an end in a New York 7 – 6 loss to Cleveland.
Bob Stevens of the San Francisco Chronicle writes about an incident before today’s game between the Pirates and Giants: “The shivering fans in the stands took their hands out of their pockets to applaud Roberto Clemente for a small, but at the same time very large, sympathetic act. During batting practice, a little boy in the right-field stands was hit in the arm by a line drive. He then hid among the seats to have his little cry. Clemente retrieved the ball and gave it away, his thanks coming in a puddle of tears.”
In the first game of a doubleheader, Cubs reliever Elmer Singleton defeats reliever Lindy McDaniel of the Cardinals, 10 – 9. In the nightcap, McDaniel is the winner and Singleton the loser, 8 – 7.
The Phils’ Jim Hearn comes on in relief to pitch 1 1/3 innings against the Pirates. He allows two earned runs before the game is suspended with the Pirates ahead, 6 – 4. Hearn is released before the game is completed in July and will be charged with the loss two months after his retirement.
The Yanks sweep two from the Senators at Yankee Stadium, winning 6 – 3 and 3 – 2 in 10 innings. Mickey Mantle’s homer in the 3rd inning of the opener starts the Yanks scoring as they beat Chuck Stobbs. Mantle singles and scores the winning run in the 10th inning of the nitecap. Yogi Berra has a home run in the nitecap and sets a new major-league record for consecutive errorless games by a catcher with 148.
Mrs. Dorothy Rigney, her husband Johnny Rigney, and Hank Greenberg all resign their posts with the Chicago White Sox.
Pittsburgh blows out Philly, 9 – 1, with the aid of Bob Skinner’s two home runs and four RBIs. Roberto Clemente also chips in with two triples, one of them a tape-measure job that touches off the game-breaking rally.
On May 7, 1959, the largest crowd in major league history turns out for “Roy Campanella Night” at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Campanella was paralyzed in an auto accident prior to the team moving to the West Coast in 1958. The game, which draws the largest crowd ever for a baseball game, 93,103 fans with…
Charlie Maxwell of the Detroit Tigers hits four consecutive home runs in a doubleheader sweep of the New York Yankees, 4 – 2 and 8 – 2, at Briggs Stadium.
Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Hank Foiles makes a rare unassisted double play in a 2 – 1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Enjoy our free trial and start listening to games, interviews and shows! Ruth, Mantle, Aaron, and Seaver!