1969 – Doug Rader belts a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth off Luis Peraza to beat the Phillies, 6-2. Don Wilson strikes out 13 and goes the distance for the victory. Denis Menke also homers.
1968 – San Diego and Montreal are awarded NL expansion teams for 1969 and Dallasites are quick to blame Houston’s Judge Roy Hofheinz for the snub. Montreal doesn’t even have a minor league team at the time. One Dallas paper prints a picture of the judge with a bullseye over it. The Astros celebrate by clubbing the Dodgers, 10-1. Dallas-Ft. Worth would get the old Washington Senators team in 1972. Elsewhere, Jeff Bagwell is born in Boston, MA. He owns many records for the Astros, including the career marks for home runs and runs batted in.
On May 27, 1968, two future Hall of Famers are born in different cities. Jeff Bagwell is born in Boston, Massachusetts, while Frank Thomas enters the world in Columbus, Georgia. Thomas will make his major league debut in 1990, and Bagwell will follow suit in 1991.
Major League Baseball expands outside the confines of the United States as the National League announces expansion for the first time in seven years, awarding franchises to Montreal as well as San Diego, to begin play next season.
Roberto Clemente’s longest clout? Not nearly. His longest out? Could be. In the 8th inning, with a runner on second and two men out, with the Pirates down by two, Clemente tees off and delivers what is quite possibly the longest out of his career, a missile headed for the deepest reaches of Forbes Field. Collared by the Phillies’ Tony Gonzalez near the flag pole, this 450-foot blast is called by Clemente, in a conversation with Les Biederman of The Sporting News, one of the hardest balls he’s ever hit.
May 27, 1962 – Stan Musial of the Cardinals is safe at second base in the third inning at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Braves shortstop Roy McMillan fielded Julian Javier’s ground ball and threw to second baseman Denis Menke. Menke was charged with an error and both runners were safe. The Braves won the…
On May 27, 1959, National League President Warren Giles rules that the final score of the near perfect game thrown by the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Harvey Haddix should be 1-0, and not 3-0. Giles says that when Joe Adcock passed Hank Aaron on the bases after hitting a home run, both runners should have been called…
In the first five innings of a 16-0 Red Sox rout of the Senators, Norm Zauchin drives in ten runs. Boston’s 26 year-old first baseman accomplishes the feat with home runs in the first, second, and fifth frames along with a fourth-inning double.
A large ad appears in the Minnesota Sunday Times asking the local fans for their continued support of the Millers despite the promotion of the team’s phenom to the major leagues. Giants owner Horace Stoneham explains Willie Mays’ performance, compiling a .477 batting average while hitting safely in 33 of 35 games, has warranted the young outfielder’s move to the Polo Grounds in New York.
The outlaw Mexican League scuttles its competition, Mexico’s only league entry in organized baseball. There are now 43 minor leagues for 1946. No other minor leagues will fold this year.
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