On May 25, 1960, At Busch Stadium, George “Big Daddy” Crowe’s two-out ninth-inning pinch-hit home run to deep right field gives the Cardinals a 5-3 walk-off victory over against Don McMahon of the Milwaukee Braves. The round-tripper is “Big George’s” major league leading 11th career homer coming off the bench, breaking the mark he shared…
Bypassing the customary Willie Mays-Roberto Clemente on-field rivalry, Willie plays directly to Roberto’s constituents as he makes his bid for the Nobel Peace Prize. Bob Stevens of the San Francisco Chronicle explains: “The second largest crowd in Forbes Field history, 35,797 booing partisan fans, saw cool Willie Mays stop a free-for-all in the opening game. Even in the lair of the Pirates and despite their double defeat, Mays was the hero of the hour. In the middle of a player melee precipitated by a recurrence of a beanball feud that first broke out when Pittsburgh visited San Francisco, Willie tackled a near-berserk Orlando Cepeda to keep him from causing havoc with a bat.” The mêlée stems from a May 7th meeting between the teams and culminates in today’s 5th inning free-for-all with Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh charging P Ruben Gomez and being fended off by the Giant headhunter, now taking his turn at bat. Understandably concerned is Gomez’s fellow Puerto Rican. Stevens continues: “Among the first to his Puerto Rican countryman’s aid was 200-pounder Cepeda, eyes flashing and fists swinging at anything in sight in his lunge to get at Murtaugh. Unable to reach his immediate objective, Cepeda broke free from the milling athletes and picked up the lead-filled bat the batters swing to loosen up before going to the plate. He barely got a hand on it when from nowhere came Mays, head down and charging as hard as he could. Willie slammed into his first baseman, flattened him and pinned him until other players could help restrain the maddened Cepeda in his quest for blood. With Orlando subdued, the abortive riot broke up and Murtaugh was sent to the showers. No Giants were tossed from the contest, even though many people figured that they started the war May 7 in San Francisco when Curt Raydon and Marv Grissom began head-hunting. Mays was given a tremendous hand by the filled stands…”
3B Tommy Brown of the Nashville Vols sets a probable Organized Baseball record when he reaches base for the 20th consecutive time. He has ten hits and ten walks during the streak.
5/25/1955: Pittsburgh’s Gene Freese rounded the bases while the Dodger outfield tried to track down his hit at Forbes Field. It came off Billy Loes in the second with no one on and was rained out.
On May 25, 1953 –At County Stadium – “The Ball Behaved”– said Max Surkont, veteran Milwaukee Braves’ righthander, controlled the ball for a new modern major league strikeout record when he fanned eight Cincinnati Redlegs in a row as the Braves won, 10-3, he put down 13 reds in total. It was sixth victory for…
Ralph Kiner hits the 300th home run of his career, off Al Corwin of the New York Giants at Forbes Field. Kiner is the 12th player to reach the mark.
At Shibe Park, the much-heralded Giant rookie Willie Mays makes his major league debut against the Phillies. The 20 year-old outfielder, who hit .477 in 35 games with the Minneapolis Millers before being called up, goes hitless in five trips to the plate, but makes two outstanding defensive plays to contribute to New York’s 8-5 victory.
On May 25, 1950, Philadelphia Phillies rookie pitcher Bob Miller shut out the Pittsburgh Pirates on eight hits for his third straight victory of the season. Phillies coach Benny Bengough spoke to the Associated Press after the game about his young hurler: “… He hasn’t any trick deliveries but he can hit a dime with…
ON May 25, 1941 – In a 10-3 victory over New York at Yankee Stadium, Red Sox left fielder Ted Williams goes 4-for-5 to raise his batting average to over .400 for the first time this season. The ‘Splendid Splinter’ will finish the campaign batting .406.
On May 25, 1937, the playing career of Mickey Cochrane comes to an end when he is hit in the right temple by Yankee hurler Bump Hadley beans him with a 3-1 inside fastball. Near-death at first, the Tiger catcher/manager will spend six weeks in the hospital and will return to the team only as…
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