Major League Baseball proclaims Joe DiMaggio as its greatest living player, a title the Yankee Clipper will proudly embrace until his death in 1999. The determination was made by sportswriters in a poll conducted to coincide with the centennial of professional baseball.
Yankee reliever Jack Aker’s string of 33 scoreless innings comes to an end as the A’s rally for three runs to top the Yankees, 6 – 5. Vida Blue, the A’s starter, receives credit for his first major league victory.
On July 29, 1968, Washington Senators shortstop Ron Hansen turns an unassisted triple play – the eighth in the game’s history and the first in 41 years. With runners on first and second, Cleveland’s Joe Azcue hits a line drive to Hansen, who makes the catch before retiring the two runners. Three days later, the…
Reds right-hander George Culver, facing 34 batters, throws a no-hitter, beating the Phillies, 6-1. Philadelphia tallies an unearned run in the second inning of the Connie Mack Stadium contest when Dick Allen reaches base on a throwing error by the third baseman, goes to second on another error on the same play, gets to third base on a groundout, and then scores on a sacrifice fly.
Pittsburgh edges Atlanta, 3 – 2, and Roberto Clemente burns Hank Aaron, sort of. Bill Mazeroski puts Pittsburgh on the board first with a 2nd-inning solo home run while Joe Torre singles and scores Atlanta’s first run, then doubles to drive in the other. Clemente, for his part, singles and scores the Bucs’ second run, then singles home the third and deciding run. Aaron has a fine day at bat (3 for 4), but not on the bases. Leading off the 7th, with the Braves down, 3 – 0, he singles but is quickly picked off by Bob Veale. Three innings before, he is burned in even more embarrassing fashion on a play which involves all three of the future Hall of Famers and Torre. Charley Feeney of the Post Gazette writes: “Hank led off the 4th with a single, but on a hit-and-run, he was decoyed by both Gene Alley and Maz, who faked fielding a phantom grounder. Aaron was standing on second when Clemente caught Torre’s fly ball and was easily doubled up.” The one time he does manage to stay on base, representing the tying run in the 8th inning, he fails to score on Torre’s double.
1967 – Bob Aspromonte drives in four as the Astros storm back to overcome the Pirates, 6-5, completing a four-game sweep. Julio Gotay, pinch-running for Aspro after his two-run double in the eighth, scores on a single by Bob Lillis for the game-winner. Larry Sherry shuts the door for winning pitcher Dave Eilers.
The Indians trade Rocky Colavito again, this time to the White Sox for OF Jim King and a player to be named later.
At Fenway Park, the Twins and Red Sox split a doubleheader. Boston wins the opener, 6 – 3, with the decision going to John Wyatt. In the nitecap, Boomer Scott thrills the crowd with an inside-the-park homer, but Tony Oliva, Harmon Killebrew, Bob Allison (2), and Ted Uhlaender all hit home runs for the Twins. Jim Perry wins, 10 – 3.
At Cincinnati, Jim Maloney strikes out 13 in the Reds’ 4 – 3 win over Houston.
The Yankees edge the White Sox, 2 – 1, on Mickey Mantle’s 14th homer in 24 games. Mick moves ahead of Lou Gehrig into 6th place on the homer list with the blast.
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