This Day In Baseball April 26

Nolan Ryan 4000

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 26 in baseball history.

 

Notable Events and Chronology for April 26

Rube Walberg, Connie Mack, Lefty Grove

Philadelphia’s A’s debut at Columbia Park

Addie Joss pitches a one-hit shutout in his major league debut

Addie Joss pitches a one-hit shutout in his major league debut

Ty Cobb, making his pro baseball debut at the age of seventeen, hits a home run and double for the Augusta Tourists in the South Atlantic League.

Ty Cobb, making his pro baseball debut at the age of seventeen, hits a home run and double for the Augusta Tourists in the South Atlantic League.

Jack McCarthy

Jack McCarthy records 3 Double Plays a record for outfielders

Three players hit their first career homer for the Kansas City Packers of the Federal League

Three players hit their first career homer for the Kansas City Packers of the Federal League

Lou Gehrig nickname iron horse

Lou Gehrig is ruled out for passing a runner and loses a homerun

Chicago Cubs become the first major league team to install an organ in their home ballpark

Chicago Cubs become the first major league team to install an organ in their home ballpark

Lou_Boudreau

Sketchley called out for batting out of order

Pete Gray One Armed Outfielder

Pete Gray One Armed Outfielder

New York Giants pitchers Harry Feldman and Ace Adams defect to the outlaw Mexican League.

Art Houtteman loses a no hitter with 2 out in 9th

Art Houtteman loses a no hitter with 2 out in 9th

Bob Turley pitches a one-hit shutout and strikes out 10 to lead the New York Yankees to a 5 - 0 victory

Bob Turley pitches a one-hit shutout and strikes out 10 to lead the New York Yankees to a 5 – 0 victory

4/26/1957: Cal Neeman homered in the second inning off the Cardinals’ Sam Jones in Wrigley Field. There 2 were out and 1 man on base at the time. The game was rained out.

Roberto Clemente

Don Bessent’s quick pitch vs. Roberto Clemente’s ends in a 7th-inning double, which drives the final nail in the coffin

Cincinnati Redlegs pitcher Willard Schmidt becomes the first major leaguer to be hit by a pitch twice in one inning

Cincinnati Redlegs pitcher Willard Schmidt becomes the first major leaguer to be hit by a pitch twice in one inning

In the eleventh game of the season, Roger Maris finally hits his first homer in New York’s 13-11 victory over Detroit at Tiger Stadium

Radio Broadcast New York Mets vs Pittsburgh Pirates April 26 1963

Radio Broadcast New York Mets vs Pittsburgh Pirates April 26 1963

pitcher Bob Bruce -- baseball player for the Houston Colt 45s now the Houston Astros. 1964

Bob Bruce tosses the first one-hitter in Colt 45 (Astros) history, a 2-0 blanking of the Reds

Homerun added to Ruth total – then taken away

After six tries, the defending world champion A's finally win their first series of the season on a walk off single

After six tries, the defending world champion A’s finally win their first series of the season on a walk off single

The Rangers trade Lenny Randle, who is still under suspension for his spring training altercation in which he fractured manager Frank Lucchesi’s cheekbone, to the Mets for a player to be named later (infielder Rick Auerbach) and cash. The 28 year-old second baseman will be shifted to third base by Joe Torre, the team’s new skipper who will replace Joe Frazier.

Steve Carlton "Lefty" fires 6th career one hitter

Steve Carlton “Lefty” fires 6th career one hitter

Wade Boggs collects first hit of career

Wade Boggs collects first hit of career

1986 – The game between the California Angels and Minnesota Twins is delayed for nine minutes when strong winds tear a hole in the Metrodome roof, causing suspended lights and speakers to sag toward the field. The roof is reinflated and California rallies for six runs in the 9th inning to win, 7 – 6.

keith hernandez

Keith Hernandez reaches 1000 RBI

Kevin Mitchell makes a barehanded grab of ozzie smiths fly ball

Kevin Mitchell makes a barehanded grab of ozzie smiths fly ball

Nolan Ryan 12th one hitter ties Feller

Nolan Ryan 12th one hitter ties Feller

Vince Coleman accidentally strikes Doc Gooden’s right shoulder blade with a golf club while practicing his swing in the Shea Stadium clubhouse. The right-hander is not seriously hurt, but will pitch in tomorrow’s afternoon’s game, skipping his scheduled start tonight.

1995 – A number of Major League Baseball teams open their season, reduced to 144 games because of the strike. Coors Field, the National League’s first new baseball-only park in 23 years, opens in dramatic fashion in Denver, Colorado, as Dante Bichette of the Rockies hits a three-run home run to defeat the visiting Mets in 14 innings, 11 – 9, tying the National League record for most innings played in a season opener.

In the debut of Coors Field, the Rockies defeat the Mets in 14 innings, tying the National League record for the number of innings played in a season opener. New York’s first baseman Rico Brogna collects the park’s first home run; a fourth-inning line drive off Bill Swift.

Ryne Sanberg breaks Joe morgan homerun record

Ryne Sanberg breaks Joe morgan homerun record

4/26/1997: Eric Karros of the Dodgers homered in Joe Robbie Stadium but should have had two. His other “homer” hit just above the left field scoreboard but was ruled in play; the call was that the ball hit the “teal tower” instead of above it. The blow came off Alex Fernandez.

The St. Louis Cardinals set a major league record by hitting 50 home runs in April. Homers by Rick Ankiel, Jim Edmonds and Fernando Tatis in the 7 – 0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers help to break the mark established by the 1997 Cleveland Indians with 49.

Expo outfielder Vladimir Guerrero’s 100th career home run contributes to the team’s 9-2 victory over Colorado at Olympic Stadium. The Montreal clean-up hitter’s milestone round-tripper is hit over the center field fence, leading off the eighth inning on a pitch thrown by Julian Tavarez.

Kevin Malone resigns as the general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers after 2 1/2 years in the post. Despite having the National League’s largest payroll, Los Angeles has failed to make the playoffs during his tenure.

Hideo Nomo of the Boston Red Sox just misses becoming the fifth pitcher since 1900 to hurl two no-hitters in a single season as former Gold Glove right fielder Darren Lewis just misses catching Torii Hunter’s blooper in the top of the 7th inning. The hit, which many consider a questionable call by the official scorer, is the only one given up by Nomo in the 2 – 0 victory over the Twins. Nomo pitched a no-hitter against Baltimore on April 4th. He will miss another no-hitter on May 25th against Toronto.

Odalis Perez is perfect for six innings as the Dodgers beat the Cubs, 10 – 0, at Wrigley Field, but he winds up with a one-hitter after speedy Corey Patterson beats out a bad-hop infield single leading off the 7th. Perez faces the minimum 27 batters in his first career shutout.

Colorado Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd dismisses manager Buddy Bell. The 6-16 club will now be piloted by Clint Hurdle, Colorado’s hitting coach for the past six seasons.

Not wanting to assign blame for the worst start in the history of the Rockies, GM Dan O’Dowd dismisses Buddy Bell, who managed the club for the last two seasons. Colorado names Clint Hurdle, the team’s hitting coach for the past six years, to be the franchise’s new skipper.

 Alex Rodriguez slugs his way to the best performance of his career, hitting three home runs in his first three at-bats off Angels pitcher Bartolo Colón. The Yankees win, 12 - 4, as Rodriguez becomes only the 11th player in major league history to collect 10 or more RBI in a game. He is one RBI shy of the American League record of 11 set in 1936 by Hall of Famer and former Yankee Tony Lazzeri, and two short of the major league mark of 12 shared by Jim Bottomley (1924) and Mark Whiten (1993), both of the Cardinals.

 Alex Rodriguez slugs his way to the best performance of his career, hitting three home runs in his first three at-bats off Angels pitcher Bartolo Colón. The Yankees win, 12 – 4, as Rodriguez becomes only the 11th player in major league history to collect 10 or more RBI in a game. He is one RBI shy of the American League record of 11 set in 1936 by Hall of Famer and former Yankee Tony Lazzeri, and two short of the major league mark of 12 shared by Jim Bottomley (1924) and Mark Whiten (1993), both of the Cardinals.

Mike Piazza hits his 400th career home run in San Diego’s 3 – 2 loss to Arizona at PETCO Park. Piazza is the 41st player in major league history to reach the 400-homer plateau, and one of nine active players to do it.

Kevin Mench sets a Texas Rangers record by homering in his sixth straight game, a 6 – 4, 10-inning loss to Oakland. Mench’s grand slam in the 4th inning is his second during the streak and the third of his career. He has 20 RBI this season, all in the last seven games.

Bronson Arroyo of the Cincinnati Reds strikes out eight over eight innings of one-hit ball to earn his fourth win, a 5 – 0 shutout of Washington.

At Yankee Stadium, Tampa Bay beats New York, 4 – 2, despite setting a team record by walking 14 batters. It is the first time a team walks 14 and wins the game in 10 innings or less since this day in 1993, when Philadelphia did it over 10 innings against San Francisco.

In a game which included getting a whack on the top of the head by Shawn Green’s bat, Mike Piazza becomes the 41st major leaguer to collect 400 career home runs. The Padres backstop also extended his record for most home runs by a catcher to 377.

Francisco Cordero blows his third consecutive chance to save a game when the A’s tie the game 4-4 in the ninth and then score two in the next frame to beat the Rangers, 6-4. The Dominican closer’s fifth blown save establishes a big league mark for the first month of the season and overshadows the sixth straight game that the Ranger outfielder Kevin Mench has homered, a grand slam that sets a team record.

2007 – Rookie submarine pitcher Yushi Aida gets a win for the Yomiuri Giants over the Yokohama BayStars; he joins father Teruo Aida as the first father-son duo in Nippon Pro Baseball history to both win a game.

2008 – The Dodgers top the Rockies, 11 – 3. Mark Redman allows 10 1st-inning runs but is left in the contest; such a scenario had not taken place in the major leagues for over a century. Redman throws shutout ball for the next five frames, but still takes the loss. Los Angeles sends 13 batters to the plate in the 1st, with a Matt Kemp grand slam the key blow.

Brad Penny’s 96-mph fastball is missed by Dodger batterymate Russell Martin and knocks out umpire Kerwin Danley. After the players are asked to leave the field, the home plate arbitrator, who lost consciousness briefly, is placed on a stretcher and leaves the Dodgers-Rockies game in an ambulance.

Sara Tucholsky, a Western Oregon college senior, goes deep over the centerfield fence, but suffers a torn knee ligament rounding first and is unable to continue her trip around the bases. Any assistance from her teammates will turn the three-run homer into a two-run single and an out, but just before being lifted off the field, Central Washington senior Mallory Holtman comes forward along with other opposing players to carry their injured opponent around the bases in the ultimate display of sportsmanship.

vin-scully

VIN SCULLY, delivering the commencement address at Pepperdine University

The Rangers lose 8 – 5 to the Orioles. When Omar Vizquel comes in as a defensive substitute for Texas, he becomes the third player in major league history to play shortstop at age 42, following Luke Appling (1949) and Honus Wagner (1916).

In St. Louis, birthday boy Kosuke Fukudome of the Cubs homers and drives in five runs in Chicago’s 10 – 3 win over St. Louis. The Japanese right fielder, who lost his starting job late in 2008 because of a prolonged hitting slump, is now batting .371 on the year.

Boston completes a three-game sweep with a 4 – 1 victory over the Yankees, Boston’s 10th consecutive victory. Jacoby Ellsbury pulls off a straight steal of home against Andy Pettitte in the 5th inning in the game’s key play. Justin Masterson has now won both of his starts in place of the injured Daisuke Matsuzaka.

The Red Sox win a wild 13 – 12 game over the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. Jason Varitek goes 3 for 5 with 4 RBI and Marco Scutaro is also 3 for 5, with 4 runs scored for the winners. But starter Josh Beckett cannot hold an early 5 – 0 lead and is chased after 3 innings, having given up 8 runs. Scott Schoeneweis earns his first win of the year in relief, and Jonathan Papelbon has to be summoned to pitch the 9th for the save. For the Jays, Lyle Overbay is 3 for 5 with a homer and 4 RBI, and Jose Bautista also has a homer and 4 RBI.

The Phillies sign their star first baseman Ryan Howard to a five-year contract extension worth between $125-138 million. The deal should help set the price-tag for three other first basemen who may become free agents at the end of the season, Adrian Gonzalez, Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols. However, Howard will go into rapid decline and his huge contract will prove to be an albatross for the Phils.

The Phillies sign their star first baseman Ryan Howard to a five-year contract extension worth between $125-138 million. The deal should help set the price-tag for three other first basemen who may become free agents at the end of the season, Adrian Gonzalez, Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols. However, Howard will go into rapid decline and his huge contract will prove to be an albatross for the Phils.

The Brewers pound the Pirates, 17 – 3, for their 22nd consecutive win over the Bucs at Miller Park, dating back to 2007. They have won all four of their games with Pittsburgh this year by a combined score of 53-5. Pirates OF Ryan Church comments: “There are no words to describe it. It’s embarrassing. That about sums it up.”

The 2009-2010 Cuban Serie Nacional awards are given out. Alfredo Despaigne of Granma, the batting average and home run leader, is named MVP for the second straight season.

Josh Johnson pitches a three-hitter and strikes out 12 as the Marlins beat the Padres, 10 – 1. For good measure, Johnson matches the Padres’ hit total by himself and drives in 3 runs.

The Marlins are quietly off to the best start in franchise history, moving to 15-7 with a 4 – 2 win over the Dodgers. Hanley Ramirez breaks out of a 3 for 28 slump with two hits and two runs scored while Gaby Sanchez homers in support of Chris Volstad. For Los Angeles, Andre Ethier extends his hitting streak to 23 games, the longest-ever in April, with an RBI double in the 1st; teammate James Loney comes into the game hitting .170 but goes 4 for 4 in the first four-hit game of his career.

The Cleveland Indians bang five home runs in a 9 – 4 win over the Royals. Jack Hannahan hits two of the long balls, Shin-Soo Choo has a three-run shot, and Grady Sizemore and Matt LaPorta hit the other homers. Justin Masterson is now 5-0 for the first-place Indians.

Engel Beltre, an outfielder for the Frisco Rough Riders of the AA Texas League, is caught on tape throwing a trash can into the crowd in response to heckling by fans following manager Steve Buechele’s ejection from a game in San Antonio, TX. Beltre will be handed a 15-game suspension and will also face criminal charges of disorderly conduct for his actions. Two fans are also charged for their role in the fracas, although officials are unable to identify which players also threw bats into the stands.

Pinch-hitter Brandon Allen hits a walk-off two-run homer off Los Angeles Angels closer Jordan Walden to give Tampa Bay a 4 – 3 win. Allen’s first hit of the season extends the Rays’ winning streak to five games.

In his first start since throwing a perfect game on April 21st, the White Sox’s Philip Humber comes crashing down to earth. He walks leadoff batter Mike Aviles, then yields a career-high 9 runs in 5 innings of work to be tagged with a 10 – 3 loss to the Red Sox. Kevin Youkilis hits a grand slam, while Jarrod Saltalamacchia homers twice to lead Boston. Humber breaks Catfish Hunter’s 44-year-old record of 8 runs allowed in the start after a perfect game. “This game will humble you, man,” Humber states after the shelling.

Using a home-grown starting lineup for the first time since 1971, New York beats Miami when Heath Bell walks four batters in the ninth inning, including Justin Turner’s 13-pitch at-bat that results in a game-tying bases-loaded base-on-balls, and before giving up a game-winning two-out single to the rookie Kirk Nieuwenhuis. Forty-one years ago, Gil Hodges used a lineup of all former Mets farmhands that included Ed Kranepool, Bud Harrelson, Tim Foli, Ted Martinez, Mike Jorgensen, Duffy Dyer, John Milner, and Jerry Koosman.

The injury-plagued Yankees lose two more players, but continue to win. First, catcher Francisco Cervelli breaks his right hand when hit by a foul tip off Rajai Davis’s bat on the fifth pitch of the game, then starter Ivan Nova has to leave after two innings with pain in his elbow. David Phelps steps in ably, giving one run in 4 innings and striking out 9, as the Yanks defeat the Blue Jays, 6 – 4. Cervelli’s replacement, Chris Stewart, pitches in by throwing out a pair of Jays baserunners.

Jordan Zimmermann of the Nationals pitches his first career shutout in defeating the Reds, 1 – 0, on a one-hitter. Xavier Paul’s leadoff single in the 3rd is the only safety. Yesterday, Gio Gonzalez had given up only one hit in 8 innings and combined with Rafael Soriano for another one-hitter over the Reds.

Anibal Sanchez sets a new Tigers record by striking out 17 batters in 8 innings in beating the Braves, 10 – 0. Mickey Lolich held the previous record with 16. Sanchez strikes out out the side in the 8th to set the record, but having thrown 121 pitches, is not allowed to go out in the 9th to attempt to tie the all-time record of 20.

Anibal Sanchez breaks Mickey Lolich’s franchise record of 16 strikeouts when he retires the side on strikes in the eighth inning of the Tigers’ 10-0 rout of Atlanta. In his eight innings of work, the 29 year-old Venezuelan right-hander gives up just five hits en route to his 17-strikeout performance in the Comerica Park contest.

2014 – The Swedish Elitserien is the last summer league to kick off, as usual. Stockholm BSK beats the Leksand Lumberjacks, 6 – 5, in the opener, rallying in the bottom of the 9th to win.

Takahiro Arai joins the meikyukai with his 2,000th career hit, a double off Yoshihisa Naruse. Arai is the 47th player to 2,000 hits and is the second-lowest draft pick to do so; as a 6th-round pick, only Yutaka Fukumoto (7th round) was lower. It is part of a remarkable year as the 39-year-old will win the MVP for the first time.

Chicago is on top of the baseball world today as the White Sox are the first major league team to 15 wins this year when they beat the Blue Jays, 10 – 1, behind Chris Sale’s fifth win in as many starts. They are then joined by the Cubs who improve to 15-5 with a 4 – 3 win over the Brewers. For the Cubs, it’s their best start since 1907, when they had begun the season by going 16-4 on their way to a World Series win.

Andrew McCutchen has the second three-homer game of his career to lead the Pirates to a 9 – 4 win over the Rockies. He’s only the fourth player in Bucs history with a pair of three-homer games; the others are Hall of Famers Ralph Kiner, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell.

2017 – Gift Ngoepe becomes the first major leaguer from Africa. Entering in a double switch in a 6 – 5 Pirates win over the Cubs, the South Africa native singles and walks off Jon Lester in his first two plate appearances and helps turn the game-ending double play. He is the second player to debut this week for the Pirates as the first player from his country, following Lithuania’s Dovydas Neverauskas by two days.

2018 – Boston’s Public Improvement Commission accedes to a demand spearheaded by Red Sox owner John Henry to rename Tom Yawkey Way, the street on which Fenway Park and the team’s corporate address is located. Tom Yawkey’s reputation has been badly damaged due to his central role in keeping the Red Sox from integrating until every other major league team had done so. The street will now revert to its former name, Jersey Street. The move is not without controversy, as the “Yawkey Foundations”, set up by the late owner’s estate, have provided millions to civic improvement projects in and around the city.

2019 – All eyes are turned on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who makes his major league debut with the Blue Jays against the Athletics. With his illustrious father, Vladimir Guerrero, watching from the stands, he starts the winning rally in the 9th by leading off the inning with a double off Yusmeiro Petit for his first major league hit, and is then replaced by a pinch-runner. Two outs later, Brandon Drury hits a two-run walk-off homer to give Toronto a 4 – 2 win.

4/26/2019 – In the bottom of the seventh against the Tigers, the White Sox Jose Abreu hit what appeared to be a three-run homer to left center, but it did not the clear the fence by very much, so Tim Anderson went back to first to tag up. Abreu passed by him rounding first, and was called out when the Tigers challenged the play, which becam a two-run single.

2011 – After 11 seasons as one of the top Astro hitters in history, Lance Berkman returns for the first time as a St. Louis Cardinal. Welcomed with mostly applause, Berkman rips a go-ahead double in the ninth only to see Houston bounce back for a 6-5 triumph. Bill Hall singles through the drawn-in infield for the game-winner. Brett Wallace, Berkman’s heir at first base, has three hits. Despite being last in the NL Central, the 9-14 Astros are just three games out of first. 

1998 – Former Expos Sean Berry and Moises Alou lead a 15-0 thrashing in Montreal. Alou homers and drives in five runs while Berry and Richard Hidalgo each deliver four hits. Derek Bell also belts a home run. Sean Bergman is the beneficiary as Houston tallies in six of the nine frames. 

1995 – “Play Ball” never sounded so good. The Astros open the strike-delayed season with a 10-2 victory in San Diego. Jeff Bagwell, Derek Bell and Phil Plantier start the campaign with home runs. Doug Drabek works five innings for the win. Although over 41,000 attend, baseball’s attendance plummets as resentment over the strike lingers. 

1981 – Bob Knepper tosses his second consecutive shutout, a 1-0 whitewash over Cincinnati. Denny Walling ‘s homer off Mario Soto accounts for the game’s only run. Walling also supplies a defensive gem, an over-the shoulder grab with two men aboard to thwart a Red threat. 

Todays Major League Birthdays On April 26

Todays Major League Debuts On  April 26

Todays Major League Final Games April 26

Major League Baseball Deaths On April 26

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