On May 12, 1970, Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs becomes the ninth player to join the 500-home run club. It is also his 1,600th career RBI., The future Hall of Famer connects against Atlanta Braves right-hander Pat Jarvis, driving a pitch into the left-field bleachers at Wrigley Field. The ball, after it bounces back…
1970 – In this first (and last?) “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial All-Star Baseball Classic”, solo home runs by Ron Fairly of Montreal and Ron Santo of the Chicago Cubs, plus a three-run 8th-inning brings the East a 5 – 1 victory over the West. A crowd of 31,694 watches the charity game in Dodger Stadium. Proceeds go to the late Dr. King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference and a memorial center planned for Atlanta. For this initial charity game, former New York Yankees great Joe DiMaggio manages the East, and ex-Dodger Roy Campanella, confined to a wheelchair since a 1958 auto accident, directs the fortunes of the West. Jim “Mudcat” Grant of Oakland sings the National Anthem in the pre-game program, and then becomes the victim of a four-hit uprising in the 8th inning that insures the outcome. Al Kaline of Detroit beats out an infield hit to open the frame and moves to second as Tommie Agee drives Hank Aaron to the left field wall. Kaline races home on Lou Brock’s double to left. Brock scores on Roberto Clemente’s double and Clemente comes home on Ken McMullen’s single.
1969 – The Cubs take a 1 – 0 lead into the 3rd inning against the Phils when, with a 3 – 2 count on Dick Allen and runners on first and second, pitcher Dick Selma unexpectedly throws to third base instead of to home. The throws sails over the head of a surprised Ron Santo and the Phils’ Tony Taylor scores the tying run. Selma and Santo had practiced the move in spring training, but had never used it during the season. The Phils go on to win again over Chicago.
At Wrigley Field, Ken Holtzman no-hits the Braves, 3-0, with Ron Santo’s first inning homer off Phil Niekro providing all of the Cubs’ runs. The no-hitter is the fifth of the season, and the first since 1923 in which no strikeouts are recorded, when Sad Sam Jones accomplished the feat with the Yankees.
The New York Mets rough up Fergie Jenkins for three home runs, including Al Weis’s second in two days, to beat the Chicago Cubs, 9 – 5. The Cubs now lead New York by 3 1/2 games. At the end of the game Tom Seaver jumps out of the dugout and clicks his heels several times, mocking Ron Santo’s gesture of the day before. The Mets will win tomorrow as well.
At Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs top the New York Mets, 1 – 0, to give Bill Hands (11-7) the win over Tom Seaver (14-4). Billy Williams singles home the winner, boosting the Cubs lead to 5 1/2 games. After the last out, Ron Santo jumps up and clicks his heels, igniting a roar from the crowd. The Mets think it’s bush.
With three runs in the 9th inning, the Mets beat the Cubs, 4 – 3, cutting Chicago’s lead in the National League East to four games. Ron Santo rips into CF Don Young for two misplays in the outfield. Santo will apologize tomorrow for criticizing Young, who left early and doesn’t take the team bus. Santo will get booed in his first game back at Wrigley Field.
Billy Williams, Ron Santo, and Randy Hundley all homer for the Cubs in the first, and Rico Carty and Felipe Alou also go deep for the Braves in the same inning in Chicago’s 12-6 victory at Atlanta Stadium. The five round-trippers at the ‘Launching Pad’ tie a major league record for home runs hit by two teams in the same inning, but the barrage marks the first time the feat occurs in the opening frame.
The Cubs beat the Reds‚ 6 – 4‚ as Ron Santo hits 2 homers and a single. Deron Johnson makes a great catch to rob Santo of a 4th hit.
Ron Santo sets a modern-day Cubs record when he hits in his 28th straight game, as the Cubs lose the opener to the Pirates, 7 – 5. The Cubs win the nightcap 6 – 4, but Santo is held hitless. In between the first and second game of the streak, the opener of a twinbill on June 1st, Santo had no official at-bats. He received four walks and was hit by a pitch. The day before, however, he was 1 for 3, which counts as the actual start of the streak.
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