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1998 – Former Expos Sean Berry and Moises Alou lead a 15-0 thrashing in Montreal. Alou homers and drives in five runs while Berry and Richard Hidalgo each deliver four hits. Derek Bell also belts a home run. Sean Bergman is the beneficiary as Houston tallies in six of the nine frames. 

ByTom

1998 – Former Expos Sean Berry and Moises Alou lead a 15-0 thrashing in Montreal. Alou homers and drives in five runs while Berry and Richard Hidalgo each deliver four hits. Derek Bell also belts a home run. Sean Bergman is the beneficiary as Houston tallies in six of the nine frames. 

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1995 – “Play Ball” never sounded so good. The Astros open the strike-delayed season with a 10-2 victory in San Diego. Jeff Bagwell, Derek Bell and Phil Plantier start the campaign with home runs. Doug Drabek works five innings for the win. Although over 41,000 attend, baseball’s attendance plummets as resentment over the strike lingers. 

ByTom

1995 – “Play Ball” never sounded so good. The Astros open the strike-delayed season with a 10-2 victory in San Diego. Jeff Bagwell, Derek Bell and Phil Plantier start the campaign with home runs. Doug Drabek works five innings for the win. Although over 41,000 attend, baseball’s attendance plummets as resentment over the strike lingers. 

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1981 – Bob Knepper tosses his second consecutive shutout, a 1-0 whitewash over Cincinnati. Denny Walling ‘s homer off Mario Soto accounts for the game’s only run. Walling also supplies a defensive gem, an over-the shoulder grab with two men aboard to thwart a Red threat. 

ByThis Day in Baseball

1981 – Bob Knepper tosses his second consecutive shutout, a 1-0 whitewash over Cincinnati. Denny Walling ‘s homer off Mario Soto accounts for the game’s only run. Walling also supplies a defensive gem, an over-the shoulder grab with two men aboard to thwart a Red threat. 

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2011 – After 11 seasons as one of the top Astro hitters in history, Lance Berkman returns for the first time as a St. Louis Cardinal. Welcomed with mostly applause, Berkman rips a go-ahead double in the ninth only to see Houston bounce back for a 6-5 triumph. Bill Hall singles through the drawn-in infield for the game-winner. Brett Wallace, Berkman’s heir at first base, has three hits. Despite being last in the NL Central, the 9-14 Astros are just three games out of first. 

ByTom

2011 – After 11 seasons as one of the top Astro hitters in history, Lance Berkman returns for the first time as a St. Louis Cardinal. Welcomed with mostly applause, Berkman rips a go-ahead double in the ninth only to see Houston bounce back for a 6-5 triumph. Bill Hall singles through the drawn-in infield for the game-winner. Brett Wallace, Berkman’s heir at first base, has three hits. Despite being last in the NL Central, the 9-14 Astros are just three games out of first. 

2019 – All eyes are turned on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who makes his major league debut with the Blue Jays against the Athletics. With his illustrious father, Vladimir Guerrero, watching from the stands, he starts the winning rally in the 9th by leading off the inning with a double off Yusmeiro Petit for his first major league hit, and is then replaced by a pinch-runner. Two outs later, Brandon Drury hits a two-run walk-off homer to give Toronto a 4 – 2 win.

ByTom

2019 – All eyes are turned on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who makes his major league debut with the Blue Jays against the Athletics. With his illustrious father, Vladimir Guerrero, watching from the stands, he starts the winning rally in the 9th by leading off the inning with a double off Yusmeiro Petit for his first major league hit, and is then replaced by a pinch-runner. Two outs later, Brandon Drury hits a two-run walk-off homer to give Toronto a 4 – 2 win.

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4/26/2019 – In the bottom of the seventh against the Tigers, the White Sox Jose Abreu hit what appeared to be a three-run homer to left center, but it did not the clear the fence by very much, so Tim Anderson went back to first to tag up. Abreu passed by him rounding first, and was called out when the Tigers challenged the play, which becam a two-run single.

ByTom

4/26/2019 – In the bottom of the seventh against the Tigers, the White Sox Jose Abreu hit what appeared to be a three-run homer to left center, but it did not the clear the fence by very much, so Tim Anderson went back to first to tag up. Abreu passed by him rounding first, and was called out when the Tigers challenged the play, which becam a two-run single.

2018 – Boston’s Public Improvement Commission accedes to a demand spearheaded by Red Sox owner John Henry to rename Tom Yawkey Way, the street on which Fenway Park and the team’s corporate address is located. Tom Yawkey’s reputation has been badly damaged due to his central role in keeping the Red Sox from integrating until every other major league team had done so. The street will now revert to its former name, Jersey Street. The move is not without controversy, as the “Yawkey Foundations”, set up by the late owner’s estate, have provided millions to civic improvement projects in and around the city.

ByTom

2018 – Boston’s Public Improvement Commission accedes to a demand spearheaded by Red Sox owner John Henry to rename Tom Yawkey Way, the street on which Fenway Park and the team’s corporate address is located. Tom Yawkey’s reputation has been badly damaged due to his central role in keeping the Red Sox from integrating until every other major league team had done so. The street will now revert to its former name, Jersey Street. The move is not without controversy, as the “Yawkey Foundations”, set up by the late owner’s estate, have provided millions to civic improvement projects in and around the city.

2017 – Gift Ngoepe becomes the first major leaguer from Africa. Entering in a double switch in a 6 – 5 Pirates win over the Cubs, the South Africa native singles and walks off Jon Lester in his first two plate appearances and helps turn the game-ending double play. He is the second player to debut this week for the Pirates as the first player from his country, following Lithuania’s Dovydas Neverauskas by two days.

ByTom

2017 – Gift Ngoepe becomes the first major leaguer from Africa. Entering in a double switch in a 6 – 5 Pirates win over the Cubs, the South Africa native singles and walks off Jon Lester in his first two plate appearances and helps turn the game-ending double play. He is the second player to debut this week for the Pirates as the first player from his country, following Lithuania’s Dovydas Neverauskas by two days.

Chicago is on top of the baseball world today as the White Sox are the first major league team to 15 wins this year when they beat the Blue Jays, 10 – 1, behind Chris Sale’s fifth win in as many starts. They are then joined by the Cubs who improve to 15-5 with a 4 – 3 win over the Brewers. For the Cubs, it’s their best start since 1907, when they had begun the season by going 16-4 on their way to a World Series win.

ByTom

Chicago is on top of the baseball world today as the White Sox are the first major league team to 15 wins this year when they beat the Blue Jays, 10 – 1, behind Chris Sale’s fifth win in as many starts. They are then joined by the Cubs who improve to 15-5 with a 4 – 3 win over the Brewers. For the Cubs, it’s their best start since 1907, when they had begun the season by going 16-4 on their way to a World Series win.

Takahiro Arai joins the meikyukai with his 2,000th career hit, a double off Yoshihisa Naruse. Arai is the 47th player to 2,000 hits and is the second-lowest draft pick to do so; as a 6th-round pick, only Yutaka Fukumoto (7th round) was lower. It is part of a remarkable year as the 39-year-old will win the MVP for the first time.

ByTom

Takahiro Arai joins the meikyukai with his 2,000th career hit, a double off Yoshihisa Naruse. Arai is the 47th player to 2,000 hits and is the second-lowest draft pick to do so; as a 6th-round pick, only Yutaka Fukumoto (7th round) was lower. It is part of a remarkable year as the 39-year-old will win the MVP for the first time.