This Day In Baseball April 21

Fergie Jenkins Chicago Cubs (2)

The history of sports is both vast and rich, thanks to the existence of so many different events and the longevity associated with them. With so much history to cull through, We offer the opportunity to look back and see what memorable things happened or milestones were reached on April 21 in baseball history.

 

Notable Events and Chronology for April 21

1880 – George Wright turns down the Providence Grays’ final contract offer. Since the club has turned down an offer from the Worcester Ruby Legs, Providence will not allow any other club to negotiate with Wright. He will sit out the entire season (except for one game), becoming the first player victimized by the reserve system.

1887 – Joe McCarthy is born in Philadelphia. McCarthy will become the first manager to win pennants with both National and American League teams, and will win nine league titles overall and seven World Series championships. He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977.

1898 – At the Baker Bowl, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Bill Duggleby hits a grand slam in his first major league at-bat. In 1968, Bobby Bonds of the San Francisco Giants will hit one in his first game in his third at-bat, against the Dodgers, but Duggleby’s feat will not be matched until August 31, 2005, when Jeremy Hermida of the Florida Marlins goes yard with the bases full against the Cardinals.

At Schorling’s Park on Chicago’s south side, the White Sox, as a minor league team, play their first game in franchise history, losing to Milwaukee, 5-4. The small wooden ballpark located at 39th and Princeton, also known as Southside Park, will continue to be the Windy City home for the team when they join the American League next season.

Ed Willett spoils the team's debut in League Park, blanking Cleveland, 5-0

Ed Willett spoils the team’s debut in League Park, blanking Cleveland, 5-0

The New York Giants and New York Highlanders stage an exhibition game to benefit survivors of the RMS Titanic

The New York Giants and New York Highlanders stage an exhibition game to benefit survivors of the RMS Titanic

Smartest pitcher Ty Cobb ever faced?

Smartest pitcher Ty Cobb ever faced?

1929 - At Wrigley Field before 45,000, the Cubs top the Cardinals, 4 - 0, with Guy Bush winning over Willie Mitchell. Rogers Hornsby is 4 for 4 with two doubles, but he will go 1 for 13 in his next three games.

1929 – At Wrigley Field before 45,000, the Cubs top the Cardinals, 4 – 0, with Guy Bush winning over Willie Mitchell. Rogers Hornsby is 4 for 4 with two doubles, but he will go 1 for 13 in his next three games.

4/21/1929: Frank Sigafoos hit a ball into the stands for Detroit in St. Louis. However, the umpire had called a balk on the pitch and the home run was nullified. Detroit won the game, 16-9. Sigafoos finished his career with no home runs in 134 at bats.

Mickey Cochrane 9th inning slam leads A's over Yankees

Mickey Cochrane 9th inning slam leads A’s over Yankees

Washington Senators catcher Moe Berg sets an American League record by playing in his 117th consecutive game without an error

 Washington Senators catcher Moe Berg sets an American League record by playing in his 117th consecutive game without an error

1943 – The St. Louis Browns win their seventh consecutive Opening Day game in front of a reduced crowd of 4,000 fans due to war-time travel restrictions. Al Hollingsworth shuts out the Chicago White Sox, 3 – 0.

After hitting just one home run in his last 297 games, Mike Kreevich hits two round-trippers in the Browns’ 5-3 victory over Chicago at Sportsman’s Park. The 35 year-old right fielder will finish the season with five homers for the eventual American League champs.

1946 – Frankie Hayes of the Cleveland Indians plays the last of his 312 consecutive games as a catcher. He started his streak on October 12, 1943, while playing for the St. Louis Browns.

Led by Gus Bell, who belts a home run, three doubles and a single, the Pirates defeat Cincinnati, 7 – 5, at Crosley Field.

At Griffith Stadium, Gil Coan of the Washington Senators collects two triples in the 6th inning. The Senators score seven runs in the frame, but that’s it as they lose to the Yankees, 8 – 7. Tom Ferrick is the winning pitcher.

4/21/1954: Giants Whitey Lockman hit an apparent home run to RF in Pittsburgh in the top of the fifth, but it was disallowed because time had been requested by Monte Irvin and granted by 1B umpire Bill Stewart. Irvin was the base runner at 1B.

In the first night game at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium‚ Bob Turley has a no-hitter against Cleveland when‚ with one out in the 9th‚ Al Rosen singles and Larry Doby homers. Turley strikes out 14‚ but loses‚ 2-1.

Brooklyn Dodgers beat Robin Roberts and the Philadelphia Phillies for their 10th consecutive victory

Brooklyn Dodgers beat Robin Roberts and the Philadelphia Phillies for their 10th consecutive victory

Hoak sparks new rules about interferance

Hoak sparks new rules about interferance

Power failure stops a major league game for the first time in history.

1958 - Frank House of the Kansas City Athletics scores two runs as a pinch hitter in an eight-run 8th inning, as the Athletics trim the Cleveland Indians, 9 - 4. House's feat is just only the sixth occurrence in major league history.

1958 – Frank House of the Kansas City Athletics scores two runs as a pinch hitter in an eight-run 8th inning, as the Athletics trim the Cleveland Indians, 9 – 4. House’s feat is just only the sixth occurrence in major league history.

Don Demeter of the Dodgers hits three home runs, including the game winner in the 11th inning, in a 9 - 7 victory against the Giants at the Los Angeles Coliseum. One of his homers is an inside-the-park home run, as he drives in six runs.

Don Demeter of the Dodgers hits three home runs, including the game winner in the 11th inning, in a 9 – 7 victory against the Giants at the Los Angeles Coliseum. One of his homers is an inside-the-park home run, as he drives in six runs.

At Wrigley Field, Stan Musial breaks up Glen Hobbie's no-hitter with a two-out seventh-inning double.

At Wrigley Field, Stan Musial breaks up Glen Hobbie’s no-hitter with a two-out seventh-inning double.

The Twins play their first home game, losing to the 'new' expansion Washington Senators at Metropolitan Stadium

The Twins play their first home game, losing to the ‘new’ expansion Washington Senators at Metropolitan Stadium

Carty homers twice, in same at bat

Milwaukee Braves at New York Mets Game 1 Full Radio Broadcast

Milwaukee Braves at New York Mets Game 1 Full Radio Broadcast

Chicago Cubs make one of the best trades in franchise history, acquiring future Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins

Chicago Cubs make one of the best trades in franchise history, acquiring future Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins

1967 – After 737 consecutive games, the Dodgers are rained out for the first time since moving to Los Angeles. The St. Louis Cardinals were scheduled.

4/21/1967: Tony Oliva of Minnesota lost a home run due to a base running blunder. Playing in Detroit in the third inning, Cesar Tovar was the runner at first base. Oliva hit the ball out of the park off Denny McLain, but then passed Tovar between first and second. He was credited with a single and one RBI for scoring Tovar.

1968 – Roberto Clemente comes within a hair’s breadth of hitting inside-the-park home runs in consecutive innings. Ironically, his 4th-inning home run is basically a single plus the kind of bounce that typically plagues “in-” rather than “out-” fielders in Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field. The Sporting News’ Les Biederman elaborates: “He hit a ‘single’ to right-center off Lindy McDaniel but as Ty Cline set himself, the ball took a big bounce over his head and rolled to the wall. Clemente circled the bases standing up.” This fluke four-bagger provides a stark contrast to the previous inning’s bomb: “His 3rd-inning triple landed on top of the batting cage at the 457-foot sign on the center field wall, a tremendous blast… Clemente said he didn’t turn on the gas because he was the leadoff batter and figured if he could get as far as third base, it would be fine. ‘With nobody out, I didn’t want to take a chance,’ he added. ‘When I turned second base and saw Alex Grammas give me the green light, I kept going. It had to be a perfect relay to get me.'”

4/21/1970: The Dodgers were in Montreal to play the Expos at Jarry Park in an afternoon contest. Willie Crawford smacked a three-run homer for Los Angeles in the first inning. Adolfo Phillips hit a homer in the bottom of the first and another in the third. Andy Kosko added a homer for LA in the third. These four round-trippers were lost when the game was called after a 70-minute rain delay in the bottom of the third with the Dodgers ahead, 7-3.

Willie Stargell hits three home runs, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 10 - 2 victory over the Atlanta Braves

Willie Stargell hits three home runs, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 10 – 2 victory over the Atlanta Braves

Washington Senators slugger Frank Howard ties an American League record by homering in his sixth consecutive game

Texas Rangers play first home game

1977 Seattle Mariners

1977 Seattle Mariners

1978 – A Hollywood ending helps Houston subdue the Dodgers, 8-6. With two on against Ken Forsch in the bottom of the ninth, Ron Cey lines to Bob Watson who steps on first to double off Reggie Smith. Watson spins and throws to Roger Metzger at second who beats Bill Russell to the bag to complete the game-ending triple play. Joe Ferguson’s three-run homer in the eighth had given the Astros their lead.

The Atlanta Braves beat the Cincinnati Reds, 4 – 3, for their 13th straight victory to begin the season.

1984 – In only his second start since August 1982, Montreal Expos pitcher David Palmer throws five perfect innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 4 – 0 victory stopped by rain.

1987 – The Milwaukee Brewers’ 13-game winning streak from the start of the season ends with a 7 – 1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Milwaukee’s 13-0 start tied the major league record set by the the Atlanta Braves in 1982.

1987 – Red-hot Billy Hatcher marks his ninth consecutive multi-hit game and 11th in the 14 games he’s played.. His 28th hit of the season (a .475 average) keys a four-run ninth-inning comeback that shocks Atlanta, 7-6. His hitting streak would end at 16 games. 

The Reds beat the Braves at Riverfront Stadium, 8-1, for their ninth consecutive victory since Opening Day. The eventual World Champions’ winning streak is the best start in club history.

ANDRE DAWSON Chicago Cubs SIGNED 8x10 Photo

In the greatest extra-inning comeback in major league history, the Pittsburgh Pirates score six runs in the bottom of the 11th inning to erase a five-run Cubs lead

Eddie Murray breaks Mickey Mantle record by hitting home runs from both sides of the plate in a game for the 11th time

Eddie Murray breaks Mickey Mantle record by hitting home runs from both sides of the plate in a game for the 11th time

Brady Anderson leads off the 1st inning with a home run for the fourth straight game for the Baltimore Orioles. The Texas Rangers overcome that homer, beating the Orioles, 9 - 6.

Brady Anderson leads off the 1st inning with a home run for the fourth straight game for the Baltimore Orioles. The Texas Rangers overcome that homer, beating the Orioles, 9 – 6.

Jeff Bagwell bashes three home runs at Wrigley Field and drives in six to drop the Cubs, 10-3. Bagwell passes Jim Wynn’s mark for the most homers in franchise history. 

2000 – The Anaheim Angels down the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 9 – 6. Mo Vaughn and Tim Salmon hit back-to-back home runs for Anaheim in the 4th inning, then repeat the feat in the 9th. Troy Glaus also homers in those same two innings, marking the first time in major league history that three players homer in the same inning twice in the same game. The three players with two home runs in the game ties another major league record.

The Arizona Diamondbacks trounce the Colorado Rockies, 7 – 1, as Randy Johnson strikes out 17 batters in becoming the first pitcher this year to win five games. It is the sixth time Johnson has fanned 17 or more in a game.

Rafael Furcal hits three triples to tie the modern major league record as the Atlanta Braves defeat the Florida Marlins, 4 – 2. The last player to accomplish the feat was Lance Johnson of the Chicago White Sox in 1995. The last time a Braves player hit three three-baggers in one contest was on June 13, 1956 when Danny O’Connell accomplished the feat.

Jose Rijo

Making his first appearance in almost seven years, Jose Rijo allows one unearned run in five innings as the Cincinnati Reds defeat the Chicago Cubs, 5 – 3. It is Rijo’s first win since July 13, 1995.

Morgan Ensberg of the Houston Astros homers in his franchise-record sixth straight game, hitting a two-run shot to lead Houston over Pittsburgh, 3 – 2.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee, last year’s National League batting champion and a two-time Gold Glove winner, will be sidelined at least two months with two broken bones above his right wrist. His glove hand was bent backward in a collision with Rafael Furcal of the Dodgers on April 19th.

At Rogers Centre, Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox hits two home runs in the 12-inning, 7 – 6 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Ramirez’s first homer is his 200th with the Red Sox and 436th for his career. He also hit 236 homers with the Cleveland Indians, becoming the fourth major leaguer to hit 200 homers with two different teams, after Jimmie Foxx, Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro.

Alfonso Soriano hits three home runs and matches his career high with five RBI to lead the Washington Nationals to a 7 – 3 victory over John Smoltz and the Atlanta Braves at RFK Stadium.

Kansas City names the Kauffman Stadium Press Box after Hall of Fame writer and former Royals board member, Joe McGuff. The 1984 J.G. Taylor Spink Award Winner died in February at the age of 79, after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

The Cleveland Indians turn double plays in six straight innings in disposing of the Kansas City Royals, 8 – 7. Aaron Laffey is the beneficiary of this sparkling defensive performance, helped by Grady Sizemore’s three-run homer in the 4th inning. Kansas City rallies for 4 runs in the 8th, until Jensen Lewis forces Miguel Olivo to hit into the club-record-tying sixth twin killing of the night. Kerry Wood allows a two-run homer to David DeJesus in the 9th, but still picks up the save.

Andy Pettitte picks up the win and Mariano Rivera gets the save when New York defeats Oakland, 5 – 3, in the first night game played at New Yankee Stadium. It is the 57th time that Rivera has saved a Pettitte win, tying the Oakland Athletics duo of Bob Welch and Dennis Eckersley of the late 1980s and early 1990s for the highest total in major league history.

The Dodgers let their bats do the talking in pounding the Reds, 14 – 6, in Cincinnati. Los Angeles bangs out 18 hits, with Rafael Furcal leading the way with a 3 for 5 performance; Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier add homers for the benefit of Hiroki Kuroda. Reds pitcher Aaron Harang benefits from a rare reversal of a call by the umpiring crew in the 4th. Batting with the bases loaded and 2 outs, he hits a low liner to Ethier in right field. Ethier traps the ball, but first base umpire Tim McClelland declares a catch and the inning over. After protests from manager Dusty Baker and first base coach Billy Hatcher, the umpires confer and reverse the call, giving Harang an RBI single that ties the game 4 – 4 at that point.

Roy Halladay continues to be outstanding for the Phillies. Today, he pitches his first shutout in the National League, disposing of the Braves, 2 – 0. He is now 4-0, 0.82 for the season.

Philip Hughes of the Yankees justifies the decision to return him to the starting rotation, pitching a no-hitter for 7 innings before Eric Chavez of the Athletics bounces a ground ball towards the mound to open the 8th. The ball hits Hughes’s left forearm and lands for a single in front of the pitcher. The Yankees win the game, 3 – 1.

Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association come to an agreement on paying pensions for major league players active from 1947 to 1979 who failed to qualify for benefits at the time. Until 1979, players needed to have completed four full years of major league service to qualify for a pension, leaving hundreds short. Since 1980, benefits accrue from the first day a player spends in the majors. 904 players will receive payments thanks to the agreement.

Chad Huffman has a career day with the Columbus Clippers in a 19 – 3 rout of the Louisville Bats in the International League. Huffman belts three homers and drives in 10 runs in the contest, setting a team record for runs driven in in a game; he drives in at least one run in each of his six plate appearances, including a bases-loaded walk, a run-scoring ground ball out and a single off Johnny Cueto. On a rehabilitation assignment from the Reds, Cueto is the starter and loser, giving up 8 runs in 1 2/3 innings, but the three homers come off three different relievers who succeed him on the mound.

With no sense of history, the Red Sox continue to have a highly embarassing week while celebrating Fenway Park’s centenary. Today, they take a 9 – 0 lead over the Yankees, only to collapse totally, coughing up 15 unanswered runs to lose the game. 14 of the runs come courtesy of a bullpen that has been horrendous since the season started. With his team trailing 9 – 1 in the 7th, Nick Swisher gets the Bronx Bombers rolling with a grand slam off Vicente Padilla; Mark Teixeira adds a three-run shot before the inning ends. But that only serves to set up a nightmarish 8th inning, during which three other relievers give up 7 more runs as manager Bobby Valentine is booed heartily every time he comes out of the dugout to make a pitching change. With two-thirds of their starting outfield on the disabled list, the reeling Sox make a trade after the game, acquiring CF Marlon Byrd from the Cubs in return for P Michael Bowden and a player to be named later.

Philip Humber of the Chicago White Sox throws a perfect game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field, a 4 - 0 victory for the ChiSox.

Philip Humber of the Chicago White Sox throws a perfect game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field, a 4 – 0 victory for the ChiSox.

Colby Rasmus hits a pair of homers to help Drew Hutchison register a 9 – 5 win for the Blue Jays in his major league debut against the Royals. For Kansas City, it is a 9th straight loss.

Phillip Humber’s first major league complete game is baseball’s twenty-first perfect game when he retires all 27 Mariners he faces in the White Sox’ 4-0 victory at Safeco Field. The 29 year-old right-hander, who had Tommy John surgery in 2005, is the third Pale Hose pitcher to accomplish perfection, joining Mark Buehrle (2009 vs Tampa Bay) and Charles Robertson (1932 vs Detroit).

2014 – Two days after being acquired in a trade from the Mets, 1B Ike Davis hits a grand slam off the Reds’ Mike Leake in the 4th, although it takes Neil Walker’s run-scoring single in the 9th to end the game and give the Pirates a 6 – 5 win. Davis had earlier hit a slam for New York on April 5th, making him the first player to hit one with two different teams in the month of April.

2015 – It’s a wild and crazy game between the Reds and Brewers at Miller Park as the two teams combine for 26 runs and 7 homers, three of them grand slams, as the Reds prevail, 16 – 10. It is just the fourth game in major league history to witness three bases-loaded homers; they are hit by Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier of Cincinnati, and Elian Herrera of Milwaukee. Ironically, both teams were in deep offensive slumps before the game.

Celebrating the 150th anniversary year of their first meeting, Wesleyan and Yale, the Connecticut schools believed to have played the first college baseball contest using the rules which resemble today’s game, meet at New Haven’s Yale Field. The Bulldogs, unlike their 39-13 rout in 1865, only beat their Middletown rivals, 7-3, improving their record in the intercollegiate series to 62-18-2.

2016 – Jake Arrieta throws the first no-hitter of the year in the major leagues as the Cubs defeat the Reds, 16 – 0. It is the highest-scoring no-hitter since Pud Galvin won one by a score of 18 – 0 back on August 4, 1884. Kris Bryant homers twice, including a grand slam, to lead the offence. For Arrieta, who is now 4-0, 0.87 in four starts this year, it is his second career no-hitter.

2017 – On an off-day in Denver, CO, Giants ace Madison Bumgarner injures his left shoulder in a dirt bike accident and lands on the disabled list for the first time of his career.

Facing the Boston Red Sox, who are a scorching 17-2 heading into the game, Sean Manaea of the Athletics pitches the first no-hitter of the season, winning 3 – 0. He strikes out 10 while walking 2 in his first career complete game.

2019 – Rangers slugger Joey Gallo ends a bizarre streak when he drives in a run on a sacrifice fly in the 4th inning, as part of a wild 11 – 10 win over the Astros. Gallo had gone 1,145 at-bats in his career without recording a sac fly, the longest such streak since it was introduced as an official statistic in 1954. In the game, Shelby Miller records his first win in over two years.

 

Todays Major League Birthdays On April 21

Todays Major League Debuts On  April 21

Todays Major League Final Games April 21

 

Major League Baseball Deaths On April 21

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