On August 14, 1999, popular Hall of Fame shortstop Harold “Pee Wee” Reese dies from lung cancer at the age of 81. An eight-time All-Star, Reese captained the Brooklyn Dodger teams of the 1950s. He helped lead Brooklyn to seven National League pennants, in addition to the Dodgers’ only World Championship in 1955. Reese also…
The U.S. Postal Service issues a Jackie Robinson stamp as part of their “Celebrate the Century” program. Robinson was selected to represent the 1940s, the second ballplayer chosen. Babe Ruth, last May, represented the 1920s.
On April 15, 1997, commissioner Bud Selig announces that Major League Baseball will retire uniform #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson. The decision comes on the 50th anniversary of Robinson’s historic debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Players who are currently wearing the number are allowed to continue to do so until they retire.
Peter O’Malley donates the Brooklyn Dodgers’ 1955 World Championship banner to the borough in which it was won, saying, “The flag belongs in Brooklyn.”
On June 26, 1993, Hall of Famer Roy Campanella dies from a heart attack at the age of 71. Campanella won three MVP awards with the Brooklyn Dodgers over a 10-year career that was cut short by a paralyzing car accident.
On March 10, 1983, the Veterans Committee announces the election of Walter Alston and George Kell to the Hall of Fame. Alston managed the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers to four World Series championships, while always working under one-year contracts. Kell, a standout third baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, batted over .300 nine times, was…
1975 – In Las Vegas, Nevada, the late Roberto Clemente joins Roy Campanella and twelve other sports figures, living and dead, as this year’s inductees in the Black Athletes’ Hall of Fame.
On March 11, 1972, Hall of Fame outfielder Zach Wheat dies in Sedalia, Missouri, at the age of 83. A .317 lifetime batter, Wheat starred for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He batted a league-leading .335 in 1918 and possessed one of the most accurate throwing arms among outfielders. As of 2020 he is the franchise all time…
Roberto Clemente’s fifth career home run off Sandy Koufax is a game-tying, bases-empty blast of epic proportions; following immediately upon the heels of a collective Piratesmeltdown transforming a three-run lead into a one-run deficit, “Koufax was bombed for one of the longest home runs in Forbes Field annals,” writes Dodgers beat writer Frank Finch. “Señor Clemente touched off a moon shot that struck high on a light tower in center field, some 450 feet from the plate. Had it missed the tower, it certainly would have sailed at least 500 feet. It was No. 5 for the ex-Dodger chattel, and tied the score at 4 – 4.”
Dodger coach Leo Durocher suffers a near-fatal allergic reaction to a penicillin injection while in the clubhouse at the Polo Grounds before a game. An emergency intravenous injection of adrenaline saves his life.