This Day In Baseball August 15

vida blue

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 August 15 in baseball history.

Things you don’t want to miss:

  • On August 15th, 1971 – Vida Blue raised his record to 22-4 as the A’s beat the Yankees, 6 – 4. Blue masterfully scattered 10 hits and scored the tie breaking run on a wild pitch. He would finish the season at 24-8, with a 1.82 ERA earning him not only the American League Cy Young Award, but also the American League MVP.
  • On August 15th, 1977 In a 2 – 1 win over Kansas City, Boston’s Jim Rice hits a 3rd-inning double and became the first Boston player since Ted Williams in 1939 to hit 20 homers, 20 doubles and 10 triples in a season. Between Williams and Rice, only Charlie “King Kong” Keller in 1946, DiMaggio twice in ’48 and 50, and Mickey Mantle accomplished the feat.
  • On August 15th, 1996 Frank Thomas hits three homers for the White Sox, becoming the ChiSox career home run leader, but Boston wins 9-8. Thomas hits his first two off Tim Wakefield, giving him 214 bombs to pass Carlton Fisk who caught for both the White and Red Sox during his career.
  • August 15th, 1916 – At Fenway Park in a battle of titans, Boston’s Babe Ruth outduels Nationals’ ace Walter Johnson, winning 1-0 in 13 innings. Ruth is now 3-0 in his meetings with Johnson.
  • August 15th, 1955, Mickey Mantle homers from both sides of the plate in the same game for the second time in his career, tying the major-league mark. The Yanks beat the Orioles 12 – 6 in game two and sweep the doubleheader to move back into first.
  • August 15th, 1962 – Pinch-hit home runs by the Mets’ Choo Choo Coleman in the 6th and Jim Hickman in the 8th tie the major-league record for pinch home runs by one club in one game. The Mets still lose to the Phils, 8 – 7. Three years later to the day, Max Alvis and Leon Wagner also hit pinch hit homers for Cleveland in a 6-4 win over Minnesota.

 

Notable Events and Chronology for August 15

Athletics manager Lon Knight is fired and temporarily replaced by 1B Harry Stovey; former Athletics manager Charlie Mason is eventually hired as his replacement.

Guy Hecker

Pitcher Guy Hecker has one of the greatest days ever – at the plate – in the second game of a doubleheader between Louisville and Baltimore in the American Association. In 7 at-bats, he hits three singles and three homers, accumulating 15 total bases. He scores a record 7 runs, as he reaches base on an error in his other at-bat. Louisville wins easily, 22 – 5.

The Cleveland Spiders defeat the Boston Beaneaters, 19 – 8, behind a great hitting performance by Larry Twitchell, who goes 6-for-6 with a walk. He hits for the cycle and accumulates a then-record 16 total bases, thanks to a single, a double, three triples and a homer and scores 5 runs. Kid Madden pitches the whole game for Boston, surrendering 27 hits, but Twitchell also takes the mound, relieving Jersey Bakely in the 2nd inning after he has started the frame with four walks and a hit batsman. He then goes back to playing left field in the 3rd and Henry Gruber finishes the game on the mound.

rube waddell

The A’s Rube Waddell is the whole show today as he hurls a five-inning no-hitter over the Browns. The A’s are ahead, 2 – 0, when the rain starts pouring after the A’s bat in the 5th. Waddell strikes out nine batters, and three more bounce out to Waddell. The one runner reaches on Rube’s error.

August 9, 1918 - Reds manager Christy Mathewson (photo) suspects Hal Chase of taking bribes to fix games, and suspends him "for indifferent play." Chase will be reinstated and play for the Giants in 1919.

At the Polo Grounds, Hooks Wiltse edges the Reds for a 4 – 3 Giants win. Christy Mathewson preserves the win with a scoreless 9th.

Chief Bender wins his 11th straight for the Athletics, 4 - 2, over Cleveland, to tighten the pennant race with the Tigers. The Chief is helped by right fielder Socks Seybold who pulls off an unassisted double play. He'll pull off another on September 10th against Boston.

Chief Bender wins his 11th straight for the Athletics, 4 – 2, over Cleveland, to tighten the pennant race with the Tigers. The Chief is helped by right fielder Socks Seybold who pulls off an unassisted double play. He’ll pull off another on September 10th against Boston.

Three fingers brown

Chicago coasts to a 14 – 0 pasting of Brooklyn. Three Finger Brown allows 11 hits in the shutout.

In the battle for 2nd place in the National League, the Pirates and Giants split two, each by 2 – 1 scores. In the opener, Lefty Leifield and Christy Mathewson match goose eggs for 10 innings, before the Pirates push across two runs on a two-run double by Fred Clarke. The Giants score in the bottom of the 11th but come up short.

1911 – Cy Young, 3-4 at Cleveland, is given his release. He returns to Boston and signs with the National League’s Rustlers, where he will close out the year 4-5, and his pitching days with a 511-315 record, 750 complete games and 7,356 innings pitched.

Guy Zinn, New York outfielder, steals home twice in a 5 - 4 win at Detroit; this will add to last-place New York's major-league record of 18 steals of home for the year.

Guy Zinn, New York outfielder, steals home twice in a 5 – 4 win at Detroit; this will add to last-place New York’s major-league record of 18 steals of home for the year.

At the Polo Grounds, 32,000 watch as Lefty Tyler and Christy Mathewson throw goose eggs for nine innings. In the 10th, Red Smith singles and Hank Gowdy triples him home. Matty then wild pitches Gowdy home for 2 - 0 lead. New York loads the bases in the 10th with no outs, but Tyler slams the door with no Giants scoring. The Braves now trail by 3 1/2.

At the Polo Grounds, 32,000 watch as Lefty Tyler and Christy Mathewson throw goose eggs for nine innings. In the 10th, Red Smith singles and Hank Gowdy triples him home. Matty then wild pitches Gowdy home for 2 – 0 lead. New York loads the bases in the 10th with no outs, but Tyler slams the door with no Giants scoring. The Braves now trail by 3 1/2.

Jake Daubert

Brooklyn’s Jake Daubert sets a National League record with four sacrifices in one game. The first baseman’s efforts aren’t enough when the Dodgers drop an 8-7 decision to Philadelphia at Ebbets Field.

Hub Perdue of the Cardinals picks up a win with 2 1/3 innings of relief in the opener with the Giants, then pitches another seven innings of relief in the nitecap to win his second game of the day.

George sisler

The Browns’ George Sisler pitches a complete game against the Indians, losing, 1 – 0, to Guy Morton.

Babe Ruth pitching final game

Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox and Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators engage in a memorable pitching duel

George-sisler-browns

A major-league record streak of 10 straight hits by the Browns’ George Sisler is stopped by Detroit in the 4th inning, but he goes 2 for 3 with a two-run homer in the 6th. The Browns win, 3 – 2.

In a game between Chicago and Boston, 35 singles are hit – 21 by the White Sox, 14 by the Red Sox – an American League record. Chicago wins the hit parade, 19 – 11.

1923 – Senators southpaw George Mogridge becomes the only hurler to steal home in extra innings when he scores an insurance run in the 12th in a 5 – 1 win over the White Sox.

1925 - Little Dickie Kerr, the southpaw who won two games for the White Sox in the 1919 World Series, makes his first major league appearance since 1921. He has been playing semipro ball rather than accept Charles Comiskey's salary offer. When he relieves Red Faber in the 3rd inning against the Tigers, play is stopped while admirers present him with a floral horseshoe. In two innings, he gives up three hits and walks two. The White Sox go on to win, 12 - 5.

1925 – Little Dickie Kerr, the southpaw who won two games for the White Sox in the 1919 World Series, makes his first major league appearance since 1921. He has been playing semipro ball rather than accept Charles Comiskey’s salary offer. When he relieves Red Faber in the 3rd inning against the Tigers, play is stopped while admirers present him with a floral horseshoe. In two innings, he gives up three hits and walks two. The White Sox go on to win, 12 – 5.

1926 – The Braves are at Ebbets Field with Brooklyn’s Hank DeBerry on third base, Dazzy Vance on second, and Chick Fewster on first. Babe Herman drives the ball against the right field wall, and DeBerry scores. Vance holds up, then rounds third headed for home. Fewster stops at third base. The RF throws home and traps Vance, who heads back to third. Herman slides into the base as Fewster steps off. Herman is out for passing a baserunner. Fewster, thinking he’s out, too, walks off with Babe, and gets tagged out. Vance, still on third base, later admits it was his fault, but Herman, who doubles into a double play, gets the blame.

1927 – Leading 1 – 0 and one out from a complete game no-hitter over the Memphis Red Sox, Chicago American Giants pitcher Webster McDonald allows an unearned run to score on errors, tying the game at 1 – 1 in a Negro National League game. McDonald loses the no-hitter in the 10th when he surrenders a single, and he loses the game, 2 – 1, when the Red Sox score in the 11th on back-to-back doubles. McDonald’s near-classic just misses being part of the only back-to-back no-hitters in Negro Leagues history, as teammate Willie Powell had no-hit the Red Sox the day before.

4/15/1930: Babe Ruth hit a ball headed for the right-centerfield stands in Philadelphia. It struck a loud speaker horn and bounced back into the playing field. The umpires ruled it a double. The drive came off Lefty Grove in the third inning with one man on base.

1931 – Lefty Grove wins his 15th straight, beating the Indians, 4 – 3.

1935 – Phillies 3B Johnny Vergez starts four double plays to equal the major-league record set by Pie Traynor.

Chicago ace Claude Passeau tosses a five-hitter and doesn’t allow a runner past first base after the 1st inning as he beats the Reds, 1 – 0. Paul Derringer takes the loss.

Dodger SS Pee Wee Reese fractures his heel bone sliding into second base and is out for the rest of the season.

1941 – Because of rain, the game between the Red Sox and the Senators is stopped in the 8th inning, with Washington leading, 6 – 3. After a 40-minute wait the game is called. But because of Washington’s failure to cover the field in case play is resumed, Boston manager Joe Cronin protests the game. The protest is upheld by league president Will Harridgeand the forfeit goes to Boston.

With two outs and two strikes in the last of the 9th, Dolph Camilli hits a two-run homer to give the Dodgers a 5 - 4 win over the Braves. With the homer, his 20th, Camilli takes over the National League lead.

With two outs and two strikes in the last of the 9th, Dolph Camilli hits a two-run homer to give the Dodgers a 5 – 4 win over the Braves. With the homer, his 20th, Camilli takes over the National League lead.

Despite Bill Nicholson hitting three homers, two doubles and a single, the Cubs lose two games to the Pirates, 8 – 5 and 8 – 7, the nitecap in 11 innings.

At Fenway Park the Sox sweep a pair from the Senators, winning each by one run. In the opening 2 – 1 win, Ted Williams’ two-run homer backs Tex Hughson’s 9th straight win and 15th overall. The 7 – 6 nitecap win goes to Broadway Charlie Wagner, whose last six wins, since June 7th, have all been by one run, including a pair of 1 – 0 wins. Lou Finney drives in the tying and winning runs with a triple.

Umpire Ernie Stewart is canned by American League President Will Harridge for “disloyalty.” Stewart had complained about the pay and taken his case to Commissioner Happy Chandler. Bill McGowan is the top-paid umpire in the league at $9,000.

The Cubs rack up 19 hits, including two homers by Paul Gillespie, one with the bases full, to swamp the Dodgers, 20 - 6. Chicago scores eight in the 4th inning with the first eight batters reaching base before an out is recorded. Hank Borowy coasts to the win.

The Cubs rack up 19 hits, including two homers by Paul Gillespie, one with the bases full, to swamp the Dodgers, 20 – 6. Chicago scores eight in the 4th inning with the first eight batters reaching base before an out is recorded. Hank Borowy coasts to the win.

Happy Chandler

Commissioner Happy Chandler negotiates a contract to have Gillette become the sponsor of the World Series, replacing Ford Motor Compan

1946 – In the first 1946 East-West Game, the East wins, 6 – 3. It is the first East-West Game since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in organized baseball (he has yet to make his debut in the major leagues). Howard Easterling gets three hits and Barney Brown tosses three perfect innings.

In the first of two at Philadelphia, Ken Heintzelman tosses a one-hitter to beat the Giants, 8 – 1. The only hit is Whitey Lockman’s 7th-inning triple. The Phils take the nitecap, 7 – 5, as Ed Heusser pitches five innings of relief to win. Larry Jansen and Clint Hartung take the losses.

Before 72,468 – the largest crowd of the season at Yankee Stadium – the A’s sweep a pair from the Yanks by 5 – 3 scores and regain second place in the American League. The A’s win the opener in 10 innings after Joe DiMaggio ties the score with his 20th homer of the year. Joe D also triples home a run in the extra frame but Lou Brissie preserves the win for Carl Scheib. The A’s total 20 hits in the two games, including a triple and double by Sam Chapman. New York is now in 4th place, five games back.

1949 - Reports of clubhouse troubles trail the Braves all season. Owner Lou Perini prevails on manager Billy Southworth to take a leave of absence. The team spurts briefly under Johnny Cooney but will finish under .500 in fourth place. Braves players vote Southworth only a half-share of last year's Series earnings but Happy Chandler restores the full share.

1949 – Reports of clubhouse troubles trail the Braves all season. Owner Lou Perini prevails on manager Billy Southworth to take a leave of absence. The team spurts briefly under Johnny Cooney but will finish under .500 in fourth place. Braves players vote Southworth only a half-share of last year’s Series earnings but Happy Chandler restores the full share.

The Red Sox defeat the Athletics, 8 – 3 and 9 – 4, to begin a streak in which they reel off 27 of 30, propelling themselves back into the pennant race. Walt Dropo is hospitalized, however, after being beaned by the A’s Hank Wyse.

In a late-developing barn burner between bottom feeders, the last place Bucs waste one of the longest home runs of Ralph Kiner’s career by blowing a 9th-inning lead to the next-to-last Reds, giving up 6 runs in the top of the frame. However, displaying great resilience, they come all the way back, scoring six and winning, 10 – 9, as Clyde McCullough lines one off pitcher John Hetki to score Wally Westlake with the game-ending tally. The Post-Gazette’s Jack Hernon recalls fondly the game’s initial eight innings: “It was a good game to watch for eight innings as Ralph Kiner gave Bill Werle a 4 – 2 lead over Ewell Blackwell with a two-run homer in the 5th inning. The ball left the field slightly to the left of the light tower near dead center field and carried far into Schenley Park. It was one of Kiner’s longest homers.” Researcher Bill Jenkinson places it at 480 feet.

Al Rosen belts a 1st-inning grand slam to jump start the Indians to a 9 – 4 win over the Browns, their 13th in a row. For Rosen, it is his fourth slam of the year, just the 9th player to accomplish the feat. Ned Garver gives up seven runs in the 1st inning in losing to Early Wynn.

At Crosley Field, the Reds’ Ken Raffensberger tops the Cubs, 1 – 0, on Ted Kluszewski’s home run in the 4th off Cal McLish.

Willie Mays makes a miraculous play in the 8th

Willie Mays makes a miraculous play in the 8th

Dick Marlowe of the Buffalo Bisons pitches the second perfect game in the history of the International League, against Baltimore.

Phil Cavarretta signs his 1953 contract as manager of the Cubs.

1953 - 3B Ransom Jackson of the Cubs grounds into 3 double plays against the Braves as the Cubs lose, 2 - 0. Jackson ties a National League record, later eclipsed by Joe Torre.

1953 – 3B Ransom Jackson of the Cubs grounds into 3 double plays against the Braves as the Cubs lose, 2 – 0. Jackson ties a National League record, later eclipsed by Joe Torre.

The Orioles lose their 27th consecutive game as the visiting team in Cleveland with a 3-1 nightcap loss to the Indians. The record losing streak on the road against one opponent started on August 13, 1952 when the franchise played as the St. Louis Browns.

Gil Hodges hits 200th Homerun

Gil Hodges hits 200th Homerun

Warren Spahn hits a home run and has now homered in every National League stadium

Warren Spahn hits a home run and has now homered in every National League stadium

Mickey Mantle ties a major league mark by switch-hitting home runs for the second time in his career.

Mickey Mantle ties a major league mark by switch-hitting home runs for the second time in his career.

August 15, 1956 - The Dodgers and Giants draw 26,385 for a night-game record at Jersey City. A Willie Mays (photo) home run is the only scoring as Johnny Antonelli shuts out the Dodgers, 1 - 0.

1956 – The Dodgers and Giants draw 26,385 for a night-game record at Jersey City. A Willie Mays home run is the only scoring as Johnny Antonelli shuts out the Dodgers, 1 – 0.

Frank Robinson and Eddie Mathews exchange punches after Robbie slides in hard at third base in the 7th inning

Frank Robinson and Eddie Mathews exchange punches after Robbie slides in hard at third base

Behind Art Ditmar’s five-hitter and Mickey Mantle’s two home runs, off Jerry Walker and Hoyt Wilhelm, New York cops a 4 – 3 win and first place in the American League. The second home run comes after C Clint Courtneydrops a Mantle foul pop-up. Baltimore’s loss is only its second in the last 15 games. Baltimore and Chicago now trail the Yankees by a half-game.

Roger Maris hits his 46th homer, off Chicago’s Juan Pizarro, for New York’s only run in a 2 – 1 loss to the visiting White Sox.

Frank Malzone is 5 for 5 with a pair of homers in the Red Sox’s 8 – 0 shellacking of the Indians. Gene Conley throws the shutout and hits a homer. Jackie Jensen and Carroll Hardy hit back-to-back home runs in the 5th.

At Los Angeles, the 2nd-place Reds’ Joey Jay (17-7) gives up three singles and two runs in the 1st and just three hits after that in subduing the first-place Dodgers, 5 – 2. Losing pitcher Sandy Koufax (13-8) almost adds another hit but is thrown out at first base by RF Frank Robinson. Announcer Vin Scully says, “Sandy forgot to run.”

Pinch-hit home runs by the Mets’ Choo Choo Coleman  and Jim Hickman tie the major-league record for pinch home runs by one club in one game

In the first game of a Polo Grounds doubleheader, Don Demeter hits home runs off two different pitchers named Bob Miller. The outfielder’s third inning round-tripper off Mets’ right-handed starter Robert Lane Miller, and his homer in the ninth off southpaw Robert Gerald Miller both contribute to the Phillies’ 9-3 victory over the Amazin’s.

Mayor Richard Daley declares "Ernie Banks Day" in Chicago and 26,000 fans cheer the Cubs' slugger. Banks then goes hitless as Pittsburgh wins, 5 - 4.

Mayor Richard Daley declares “Ernie Banks Day” in Chicago and 26,000 fans cheer the Cubs’ slugger. Banks then goes hitless as Pittsburgh wins, 5 – 4.

Ken McMullen ties a major league record by starting four double plays in one game

San Francisco Giants celebrate “Masanori Murakami Day” at Candlestick Park

Washington 3B Ken McMullen ties an American League record by starting four double plays in a 4 – 2 win, as the Senators complete a three-game sweep of Baltimore.

In the nightcap of a Cleveland Stadium doubleheader, Indians pinch-hitter Max Alvis hits a two-run homer in the ninth to knot the score at 3-3, and two innings later, Leon Wagner, also pinch hitting, blasts a two-run round-tripper to beat the Twins, 6-4. The two pinch-hit home runs in one game tie a major league record.

The Beatles play at Shea

The Beatles play at Shea

1968 – At Oakland, the Yanks edge the A’s, 4 – 3. Blue Moon Odom gives up a triple to Tom Tresh, a walk, then serves up a three-run homer to Mickey Mantle for the difference.

1969 – Don Sutton (15-11) opens a 9-game eastern swing for Los Angeles with a 9 – 2 win at Montreal. The Dodgers remain two games behind the first-place Reds. Montreal reliever Roy Face makes his final major league appearance, a record 657th consecutive relief effort.

1970 – In a 5 – 4 Reds win over the Phillies, Lee May drives in all the runs for Cincinnati. His second homer in the bottom of the 9th ties the game and his single in the 14th wins it. Pete Rose is 0-for-7 with five straight K’s. The Phils’ Billy Champion is the losing pitcher, but all is not lost for him: Champion picks up a Pacific Coast League win today as Eugene completes a suspended game in which he is the victor.

With the bases loaded and one gone in the bottom of the ninth with a 2-1 lead, Tom Seaver strikes out Bob Tillman for the apparent second out, but Jerry Grote’s passed ball allows Tony Gonzalez to score the tying run for the Braves. In his effort to cut down the runner at home, the Mets catcher overthrows Seaver, who is covering the plate, bringing in Rico Carty home from third base with the winning tally giving Atlanta a stunning 3-2 victory, thanks to the two runs being scored on a called third strike.

1970 – Don Wilson hurls a 16-hitter during a 7-3 victory in Montreal. That’s no typo. Wilson caps a five-run first inning with an RBI single and this lead lets him stay in the game as he dodges Montreal’s bullets all day. Fred Gladding is summoned to get the final out after Wilson allows three straight hits with two out in the ninth.

1971 – Vida Blue raises his record to 22-4 as the A’s beat the Yankees, 6 – 4. Blue scatters 10 hits and scores the tie-breaking run on a wild pitch.

1973 – In Pittsburgh, Reds ace Jack Billingham wins, 1 – 0, notching his 7th shutout of the year. This ties the club record set by Hod Eller back in 1919.

earl weaver

Earl Weaver is ejected twice by umpire Ron Luciano during a doubleheader

Frank Tanana pitches an 8 – 0 shutout as the Angels hand the Tigers their 19th straight loss.

1976 – On Bud Harrelson’s wedding day, he scores the only run as the Mets nip the Reds, 1 – 0. He gets married a few hours after the game.

 Jim Rice  becomes the first Boston player since Ted Williams in 1939 to hit 20 homers, 20 doubles and 10 triples in a season

 Jim Rice  becomes the first Boston player since Ted Williams in 1939 to hit 20 homers, 20 doubles and 10 triples in a season

Mike Torrez throws his 5th straight complete game, a 6 – 2 win over the White Sox. New York is now just 4 1/2 games in back of Boston.

1977 – Art Howe’s first-inning grand slam keys a six-run first inning on Houston’s way to a 15-3 laugher in Atlanta. Rob Sperring and J.R. Richard also launch bombs before the Astros wait through a rain delay with a 15-0 lead. Sperring gets four hits. Dan Larsontosses four innings of relief for the “save”. 

Oakland A’s trade veteran slugger Willie Horton to the Toronto Blue Jays for another aging hitting star, Rico Carty

The Phils drop their 4th in a row, losing to the Dodgers, 5 – 2. The loss cuts the Phils’ lead to two games as the Cubs beat the Reds and Tom Seaver in an afternoon contest. After Reggie Smith had driven in the game-winner the previous two nights, it is Steve Garvey’s turn. His triple in the 8th off Tug McGraw with the bases loaded breaks a 2 – 2 tie.

Eddie Murray steals home in 12th to give Baltimore a 2-1 win over Chicago

Eddie Murray steals home in 12th to give Baltimore a 2-1 win over Chicago

1980 – Oakland’s Rick Langford (13-9) defeats the Mariners, 11 – 3, for his 17th consecutive complete game, the most in the majors since Robin Roberts’ 20 in a row in 1953.

The Astros win in 20innings on rare error by the Wizard

1982 – En route to a 8 – 0 win at Fenway Park over Baltimore, the Red Sox pick up three intentional walks in the 8th inning, tying the American League record.

1983 – The Braves’ Bob Horner, who is hitting .303 with 20 home runs and 68 RBI, breaks his right wrist sliding into second base during a 4 – 0 loss to the Padres and will be sidelined for the rest of the season. In Atlanta, the injury is widely attributed to the “Chief Noc-A-Homa Jinx,” which seems to strike whenever the Braves remove their mascot’s outfield teepee in order to sell more tickets.

The Tigers beat the Angels increasing lead to nine games

Dave Dravecky suffers a broken vs the Montreal Expos

Dave Dravecky suffers a broken vs the Montreal Expos

The Rangers’ Charlie Hough pitches his second career one-hitter and gets his second career one-hit loss, as he loses, 2 – 0, to Seattle. Hough walks 5, balks, and throws a wild pitch, while the Rangers collect 13 hits but no runs, one hit shy of the major-league record while being shut out.

The Phillies’ Terry Mulholland spins the major leagues’ 8th no-hitter of the season

Mark McGwire of the Oakland Athletics becomes the first major league player to hit 30 or more home runs in each of his first four seasons.

Mark McGwire of the Oakland Athletics becomes the first major league player to hit 30 or more home runs in each of his first four seasons.

 Yankees 1B Don Mattingly is benched and fined $250 for refusing to cut his shoulder-length hair, but the Yankees still beat Kansas City, 5 - 1. He will get a haircut two days later, and the hair will eventually be auctioned off for $3,000 to benefit a children's charity. Mattingly is not alone; Steve Farr, Matt Nokes, and Pascual Perez have all been told their hair length violates club policy. Mel Hall, who wears his hair in a small ponytail before and after games, is warned his appearance is "borderline."

 Yankees 1B Don Mattingly is benched and fined $250 for refusing to cut his shoulder-length hair, but the Yankees still beat Kansas City, 5 – 1. He will get a haircut two days later, and the hair will eventually be auctioned off for $3,000 to benefit a children’s charity. Mattingly is not alone; Steve Farr, Matt Nokes, and Pascual Perez have all been told their hair length violates club policy. Mel Hall, who wears his hair in a small ponytail before and after games, is warned his appearance is “borderline.”

Expos P Mark Gardner becomes the first National League pitcher since 1954 to hit three batters in a single inning, as he plunks the Cardinals’ Ray Lankford, Andres Galarraga and Luis Alicea. The Cardinals win, 6 – 4.

Texas P Bobby Witt walks 10 Tigers in 4 2/3 innings, as Detroit strolls past the Rangers, 10 – 3. No one has walked this many in this few innings: Randy Johnson walked 10 on May 1st of this year and Witt passed 10 on September 1, 1990.

The Twins trade 3B Mike Pagliarulo to the Orioles for P Erik Schullstrom.

Twins’ OF Kirby Puckett gets five hits, including a pair of two-run home runs, in Minnesota’s 12 – 5 win over Oakland.

nolan ryan

Nolan Ryan wins the 324th and last victory of his 27-year career

1995 – Cincinnati OF Reggie Sanders hits three home runs to lead the Reds to an 11 – 3 victory over the Rockies. He drives home four runs with his blasts which help the Reds increase their lead in the National League Centraldivision to seven games over Houston.

Although he is hitting .287 and has 26 stolen bases in 75 games for KC, Vince Coleman is designated for assignment by the Royals. The Mariners acquire the 33 year-old fleet outfielder and will compile a 26-14 record with their new leadoff hitter, a key factor for Seattle in capturing the American League Wild Card.

Mickey Mantle sets the record by hitting HR's from both sides of the plate for 3rd time in his short career

Bob Costas, delivers the eulogy at Mickey Mantle’s funeral

The Orioles score 15 runs over the final three innings on the way to an 18 – 5 win over the Athletics. Baltimore slugs five homers, including a pair by Chris Hoiles.

P Bobby Seay, the top pick of the Chicago White Sox in the June draft, is declared a free agent after the team failed to tender him a formal contract within 15 days of the draft, a violation of major league rules. Seay is the first player in the 32-year history of the draft to be declared a free agent in the summer he was selected; three more draftees – Travis Lee, John Patterson and Matt White – will also benefit from the ruling and sign lucrative contracts as a result.

Larry Walker, out two months with a broken collarbone, makes his first start for the Rockies, but it doesn’t help as they lose for the 10th straight time at Joe Robbie Stadium, 7 – 6. The Marlins score three in the 8th to win. Gary Sheffield belts his 34th homer for the Fish.

frank thomas 3 homerun game

Frank Thomas hits three homers for the White Sox, becoming the Sox career home run leader

The 1st-place Braves top Curt Schilling and the Phils, 8 – 5. Terrell Wade wins his 4th against no losses and collects his first major league hit. Marquis Grissom extends his hitting streak to 20 games with a single and double.

Mark McGwire cracks a two-run homer in the 9th to tie the game for St. Louis and Delino DeShields hits a leadoff homer in the 12th as the Cards edge the Braves, 3 – 2. For McGwire, who also walks four times, it is his 4th homer in four games.

The Orioles and Mariners split a day-night twinbill, the O’s taking the opener, 4 – 3 and the M’s the nitecap, 8 – 3. Randy Johnson drops the first game, despite striking out 13 batters; he has now struck out 32 in two games to tie Luis Tiant (1968), Nolan Ryan (1974) and Dwight Gooden (1984).

Los Angeles’s Mike Remlinger pitches six strong innings and belts a three-run double to beat the Reds, 5 – 3. Before the game, the Dodgers retire Tom Lasorda’s uniform number 2, the 9th number retired by the franchise.

There are seven extra-inning games out of 14 games played today, matching a mark set in 1918.

Toronto’s Roger Clemens strikes out 15 but gets a no-decision, as the Anaheim Angels win, 6 – 3.

In the Reds-Expos game, two pairs of brothers face each other, and three out of four go deep. Vladimir Guerrero and Wilton Guerrero homer for the Expos while Bret Boone hits a solo shot for the Reds. Aaron Boonefollows with a strikeout, but the Reds win, 6 – 4.

The Angels defeat the Tigers, 10 – 2, as Chuck Finley becomes the first pitcher in history to strike out four batters in an inning twice in his career. Finley previously fanned four Yankees in Anaheim’s game with the New Yorkers on May 12th. Both instances occurred in the 1st inning.

The Mets defeat the Giants, 12 – 5, behind Kenny Rogers’ complete game victory. It is the first complete game of the year for the Mets, who have gone 139 consecutive games without a complete game. They fall one short of the major-league record of 140 set by the Angels earlier this season.

Club owner Ted Turner and Dale Murphy, who won the National League Most Valuable Player award in back-to-back seasons in 1981 and 1982, are inducted into the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame, joining Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Phil Niekro, and Warren Spahn. The popular Gold Glove and Silver Slugger outfielder spent 15 seasons with Atlanta, batting .268 and hitting 371 home runs for the team.

Club owner Ted Turner and Dale Murphy, who won the National League Most Valuable Player award in back-to-back seasons in 1981 and 1982, are inducted into the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame, joining Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Phil Niekro, and Warren Spahn. The popular Gold Glove and Silver Slugger outfielder spent 15 seasons with Atlanta, batting .268 and hitting 371 home runs for the team.

OF Shawn Green hits three home runs and drives home seven runs to pace the Dodgers to a 13 – 1 victory over the Expos.

The Tigers defeat the Angels, 5 – 1, as Detroit OF Roger Cedeno leads the team with five hits.

The Cardinals defeat the Reds, 8 – 4, for their 7th straight win. St. Louis 1B Mark McGwire singles in the 5th inning, marking his first hit other than a home run in 72 at bats. McGwire’s last 11 hits had been homers, a run unprecedented in the last 25 years. Cleveland’s Albert Belle had eight straight hits for home runs in 1995.

The Mets lose their 5th straight game, falling to the Padres by a score of 2 – 1. San Diego’s Trevor Hoffman gets the save, becoming the 14th pitcher in history to reach the milestone of 300 saves. He also ties John Wetteland as the second-fastest to reach the mark.

The Yankees top the Royals, 7 – 5, as Bernie Williams gets five hits, including a double.

The Mets trade P Shawn Estes to the Reds for minor leaguers Pedro Feliciano and Elvin Andujar, and two players to be named.

Down 4-2 in the ninth, the Astros rally for three runs to nip the Expos, 5-4. Jason Lane and Orlando Palmeiro deliver RBI singles. Carlos Beltran delivers a two-run homer in the first. With a record of 57-60, Houston is 19-1/2 games in back of St. Louis and six games behind wild card leaders Chicago and San Francisco. The ninth-inning rally sparks a two-month run unmatched in franchise history. 

Randy Winn becomes the twenty-first player in Giants history to hit for the cycle. The fleet flychaser, obtained from the Mariners two weeks ago, singles in the first, homers in the third, doubles in the fourth, and completes the feat with a triple in the sixth inning.

Felix Hernandez becomes the first teenager to strike out at least 10 batters since Dwight ‘Doc’ Gooden accomplished the feat with the Mets in May of 1984. The 18 year-old Mariner rookie righty K’s 11 batters as the Mariners maul the Royals, 11-3.

Joining Jim Hickman (1965), Dave Kingman (1978), Caudell Washington (1980), Darryl Strawberry (1985), Gary Carter (1985), and Edgardo Alfonzo (1999), Jose Reyes, in an 11-4 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, becomes the seventh Mets player to hit three homers in a game. Like all his predecessors, his trifecta is accomplished on the road.

In a contest which takes five-hours, 21 minutes to complete, the Diamondbacks beat the Rockies at Coors Field, 2-1. The 18-inning game ties the D-Back franchise record for the most innings played in a game, and also the longest in Colorado history for both frames played and time of game.

The Dodgers, with their 4-0 blanking of the Marlins, win their sixth consecutive game and 17th in the last 18 contests. The stretch is the team’s best run since the Brooklyn Superbas went 20-1 in 1899.

2007 – Yankees slugger Shelley Duncan hits a dramatic three-run homer with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the game, but the Orioles rally with 3 runs of their own in the 10th off Mariano Rivera to win, 6 – 3.

The Devil Rays have come to terms with their first overall selection in the June first-year player draft, left-handed pitcher David Price. The Vanderbilt University (11-1, 2.63) southpaw signs a six-year major league contract which could be worth as much as $11.25 million if the college junior sticks in the bigs for the length of the deal.

Buster Posey, the fifth overall pick in the June amateur draft, gets the largest up-front bonus in major league history when he agrees to a $6.2 million signing deal with the Giants. The highly touted catcher gets slightly more than infielders Tim Beckham (first pick/shortstop), who receives $6.15 million from the Rays, and Pedro Alvarez (second pick/third baseman), who gets $6 million from the Pirates.

Julio Borbon collects four hits and four stolen bases, out of a team record 8 steals, as the Rangers beat Boston, 7 – 2. Elvis Andrus swipes three bases and Ian Kinsler one in what is the second time Boston has allowed 8 stolen bases to an opponent this year.

Closer Brad Lidge’s difficult season continues, after his heroics of 2008. He commits two errors on one play and pick up his 8th blown save of the year in a 4 – 3 Phillies loss to the surging Atlanta Braves.

Kazuo Matsui beats out an infield single in Milwaukee for his 2,000th career hit

Kevin Slowey of the Twins pitches 7 no-hit innings against the Oakland A’s, but is taken out of the game having reached his pitch count limit. Slowey skipped his last start because of elbow tendinitis and manager Ron Gardenhire is being careful with him. The Target Field crowd boos when Jon Rauch comes out to start the 8th, and the second batter Rauch faces, Cliff Pennington, breaks up the no-hit bid with a double. The Twins still come out ahead, 4 – 2, thanks to a three-run homer by Jim Thome in the 7th.

Albert Pujols becomes the first player to hit 30 homers in his first 10 seasons with a 1st-inning shot off Ryan Dempster of the Cubs, but the Cardinals lose, 9 – 7, in spite of scoring 5 runs in the 9th. Pujols has also hit over .300 and driven in over 100 runs each season he has played so far, and is on pace to reach those totals once again. Meanwhile, the Reds complete a three-game sweep of the Marlins with a 2 – 0 win and retake first place by a game over the Cards in the NL Central.

The Minnesota Twins trade OF Delmon Young to the Detroit Tigers for Class A pitcher Cole Nelson and a player to be named later.

Jim Thome becomes the 8th player to reach 600 home runs

Jim Thome becomes the 8th player to reach 600 home runs

The Brewers turn the sixth triple play in team history in the 2nd inning of their 3 – 0 win over the Dodgers. With two on and none out, James Loney hits a ground ball up the middle that 2B Josh Wilson ranges to his right to field, and then flips to SS Yuniesky Betancourt with his glove for the first out. Betancourt throws to 1B Prince Fielder for the second out. Prince then sees Matt Kemp trying to score from third base and fires to C George Kottaras who tags out Kemp to end the inning. “You find weird ways to win when you’re hot”, comments winning pitcher Randy Wolf after the game.

With 23 of 33 first round picks in the 2011 amateur draft still unsigned when the last day to sign drafted players begins, there is a flurry of signings today. Both the top and second picks in the draft, Gerrit Cole and Danny Hultzen, accept deals. Cole gets $8 million from the Pirates in what becomes the largest minor league contract in history, and Hultzen agrees to $8.5 million from the Mariners and a major league contract. When the dust settles, only Tyler Beede, picked 21st by Toronto, has failed to sign.

At Petco Park, Jason Isringhausen becomes the 23rd major league pitcher to record 300 career saves when the Mets defeat San Diego in 10 innings, 5-4. The 38 year-old right-handed closer is the third pitcher, along with John Franco (1996) and Billy Wagner (2006), to achieve his 300th save wearing a Mets uniform.

Felix Hernandez tosses the first perfect game in Seattle Mariners history

All-Star OF Melky Cabrera of the Giants receives a 50-game suspension for testing positive for PEDS

2013 – At the quarterly owners meeting held in Cooperstown, NY, Commissioner Bud Selig announces a plan to expand video review, which is now limited to home runs, significantly. Under the proposal, a manager will have the right to request up to three reviews per game – one in the first six innings and two in the last three – and will not otherwise be allowed to argue such “reviewable” calls. A number of decisions will remain non-reviewable, however. The plan still needs to be fleshed out, in particular by defining which calls are reviewable and which are not, before being submitted for formal approval at the next winter meetings. The Player’s Union and Umpires Association will also need to agree to the changes.

A proposal that would dramatically increase the number of plays that can be reviewed during a game is presented at the quarterly Owners Meetings by a committee consisting of Braves president John Schuerholz and former major league skippers Joe Torre and Tony La Russa. The rule change, which will be formally voted on by the owners in November, will allow a manager to inform an umpire that he wants to initiate a play review, with challenges being permitted once in the first six innings and twice more from the seventh through the end of the game, without any provision to cover the possibility of an obviously missed call late in the game when all of a team’s challenges have been used.

The Tampa Bay Rays shut out the Yankees, 5 – 0, behind Alex Cobb, to reach the .500 mark at 62-62. What is remarkable is that they were 18 games below .500 on June 10th, making them only the fourth team in history to return to parity from such a deficit. The 1899 Louisville Colonels were 22 games below before reaching .500 for the all-time record.

Mo’ne Davis of Philadelphia, PA strikes out eight in a two-hitter to beat Nashville, TN, 4 – 0, in the 2014 Little League World Series. She is the first girl to throw a shutout at a Little League World Series. Sports Illustrated will make her the first Little Leaguer to appear on its cover as a result.

2015 – The Red Sox put up a football score in defeating the Mariners, 22 – 10, at Fenway Park. The two teams combine for 7 homers and 39 hits. The Red Sox chase Felix Hernandez with 10 runs in 2 1/3 innings, then both teams go wild in their last two turns at bat, with 7 runs for Boston and 8 for Seattle. Jackie Bradley has a game for the ages, with 3 doubles, 2 homers, 5 runs and 7 RBIs, while Blake Swihart has 4 hits, 4 runs and 3 RBIs and Xander Bogaerts also has 4 hits. Lost in all the scoring, Boston starter Wade Miley has a solid game, giving up only 2 runs in 7 innings to earn the win. The Sox are the first big league team to have 15 runs and 20 hits in back-to-back games since they had done so in 1950, while the Mariners allow the most runs in team history.

2018 – Jose Urena of the Marlins decides that the only way to stop Ronald Acuna, who has led off his last three games with a homer and has homered in five straight, is to hit him with his first pitch of the game. He plunks the Braves’ 20-year-old budding superstar on the elbow, prompting a bench-clearing brawl. Urena is immediately ejected, as is Braves manager Brian Snitker. Most commentators call for exemplary punishment for a stupid gesture that even manager Don Mattingly refuses to defend. The Braves go on to win again, 5 – 2, but Acuna has to leave in the 2nd inning with a bad bruise. Urena will be suspended six games and fined an undisclosed amount for his antics.

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Curt Flood Goes to Washington – Podcast Season 3, Episode 3

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