4/23/1927 – The St. Louis Browns defeated the Tigers, 15-10, on a cold day in Detroit. In the top of the third frame, Fred Schulte was called out for batting out of turn. No further details are known.
On WMAQ, Hal Totten, a Chicago Daily News play-by-play reporter, does a play-by-play radio report of the 12-1 Cubs’ victory over the Cardinals. It will be the first broadcast of every Cub and White Sox home game of the season, marking the first time a team’s games have been on the airwaves on a regular basis.
Warren Spahn is born in Buffalo, New York. The future Hall of Fame southpaw, a mainstay with the Braves in the 1950’s, is named after Warren Harding, a right-hander who was recently sworn in as the president of the United States.
Senator right-hander Walter Johnson records his fifth Opening Day shutout, beating the A’s at Griffith Stadium, 1-0. The Philadelphia starter Scott Perry matches zeros with the ‘Big Train’ for a dozen frames until pinch-runner Mike Menosky scores the decisive run for Washington with one out in the bottom of the 13th inning.
1919 – Anticipating a poor season at the gate, the major leagues open a reduced 140-game season. Despite the lack of close races, attendance remains high all year and every club will show a profit.
An estimated crowd of 21,000, about 2,000 of whom stand and watch in a cordoned-off outfield section, brave a chilly wind off the lake to witness the Chicago Whales of the Federal League host the Kansas City Packers in their home opener at the new Weeghman Park. It is the first major league game in the new ballpark, which will later be renamed Wrigley Field. After two innings of play, Packers starting pitcher George Howard “Murphy” Johnson is served with an injunction by his former club, the Cincinnati Reds, from whom he had jumped a few days earlier. Johnson is forced to leave the game. The Whales win, 9 – 1.
At Huntington Avenue Grounds, Boston Red Sox centerfielder Tris Speaker pulls off his second unassisted double play, the gem occurring in the 2nd inning against the Philadelphia Athletics. Speaker snares a low line drive and beats baserunner Harry Davis back to second base. The game goes 11 innings with the Athletics prevailing, 5 – 3. Eddie Plank is the starter and winner over Eddie Cicotte.
In his major league debut, Luis Castro plays second base for Connie Mack’s Philadelphia’s A’s in an 8-1 victory over the Orioles at Oriole Park. The 25 year-old Medellin native is the first and last player from Colombia to appear in the big leagues until Orlando Ramrez broke in with the Angels in 1974.
Behind the pitching of Harry Howell, the New York Highlanders win their first major league game, 7 – 2, over the Washington Senators.
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