This Day In Baseball August 4

Recapping events that took place in the baseball world on this day

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 4 in baseball history.

Classic Games and Video Accounts of Historic Moments

 

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Notable Events and Chronology for August 4

At Detroit’s Recreation Park, Bison hurler Pud Galvin throws the most lopsided no-hitter in baseball history when the team beats the Wolverines, 18-0. The victory is the second career no-hitter for the 27 year-old Buffalo right-hander, who also held the Worcester Worcesters hitless in 1880.

Tim Hurst fires a beer bottle back at the fans

Tim Hurst fires a beer bottle back at the fans

The Cardinals blow a 4 – 1 lead to the Giants, but come back against reliever Christy Mathewson, pitching his 3rd straight game in relief, to take another lead, 8 – 7 in the 7th. St. Louis wins, 9 – 8, with John McGraw scoring the winning run in the 8th, handing Matty his first career decision. Matty will go 0-3 as a Giant before returning to Norfolk.

Cincinnati and Pittsburgh players are clocked while running from home plate to first base. The fastest time for the 90-foot sprint is three seconds flat, by Pirates OF Ginger Beaumont.

The Highlanders field a unique battery: Doc Newton pitching and Mike “Doc” Powers catching, but only Powers is a physician. The Highlanders beat St. Louis, 7 – 3.

At Boston, Harvard Eddie Grant makes his major league debut, collecting three hits for Cleveland. But Boston wins, 7 – 5. Grant will go hitless tomorrow in an 8 – 4 loss to Cy Young, and be sent down to the minors. He’ll resurface with the Phillies in 1907.

The Giants slow the Chicago express, stopping the Cubs, 7 – 4, behind Christy Mathewson and Hooks Wiltse. New York is just 4 1/2 games behind Chicago, but the Cubs will go 50-8 from August 1 to outdistance the pack.

The Giants take two from Cincinnati, winning 4 – 3 in 12 innings, and 4 – 1. Christy Mathewson wins both, relieving Joe McGinnity in the 9th inning of the opener and tossing nine innings in the nitecap; Andy Coakley loses both. New York moves into 2nd place, five percentage points behind the Pirates. Despite the two losses, it is a relief for the Reds to score runs. Cincy had endured four straight shutout losses: 5 – 0 on July 30; 3 – 0 on the 31st; 6 – 0 on the 1st and 3rd.

In Brooklyn, the last-place Cardinals blank the Brooklyn Superbas (Dodgers), 3-0. The entire Washington Park contest is played with just one ball.

Umpire Tim Hurst instigates a riot by spitting in the face of  Eddie Collins

Umpire Tim Hurst instigates a riot by spitting in the face of  Eddie Collins

The Athletics’ Jack Coombs and Chicago’s Ed Walsh duel 16 innings to a 0 – 0 tie.

Lee Tannehill of the White Sox, the only SS to execute two unassisted double plays in one season, makes both of them in the same game versus Washington. Walter Johnson still wins 1 – 0 for the Senators in the first game of a doubleheader. In the second game, Germany Schaefer famously steals first base for the Senators. In the bottom of the 9th, with Clyde Milan on third base, he steals second in an attempt to draw a throw, in order to allow Milan to score. When that fails, he leads off second, and breaks towards first base on the next pitch, making it safely, and then, whil Sox manager Hugh Duffy is out arguing the call, he attempts to steal again. This time, Milan breaks for home and the White Sox throw him out to end the inning. The rules will be changed to prevent players from running the bases backwards in order to confuse the defence or make a mockery of the game, although backwards progress will still be allowed in case of genuine baserunning mistakes.

Red Sox owner Joseph Lannin offers the use of Fenway Park to Braves owner James Gaffney. With the Braves making a run for the pennant, Gaffney will take up the offer.

On a cold and damp day in St. Louis, the Giants sweep the Cardinals. In the opener, New York pounds Red Ames and Christy Mathewson coasts to a 10 – 0 lead after six innings, but the Cards come back to make it close, losing 11 – 9. Jeff Tesreau saves Matty’s 6th win of the year. New York takes the nitecap, 7 – 0.

The Browns’ Eddie Plank allows two hits and tops young Babe Ruth to give the Browns a 6 – 1 win over the first-place Red Sox. For the hot St. Louis Browns, it is their 14th win in a row, but the streak still leaves them in 7th place.

In Chicago, Billy Southworth leads the Braves to a 13 – 5 scalping of the Cubs by belting three doubles and home run. Mule Watson coasts to the win over Percy Jones.

The Cards pass New York and move into first again, as the Cubs score a 3 – 2 win over the Giants.

8/4/1922: Ray Powell of the Braves hit an inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the ninth inning but the inning was wiped out when they could not finish. The rain made play impossible and the game reverted back to the end of the eighth inning with the Pirates winning, 3-0.

Every player in each team’s lineup has at least one putout in the Indians-Yankees game.

Stanford star fullback Ernie Nevers pitches his first complete game for the Browns, beating the A's, 3 - 1. Nevers will be 6-12 in his brief baseball career, but he will win a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame playing with the Duluth Eskimos and Chicago Cardinals (1926-1931).

Stanford star fullback Ernie Nevers pitches his first complete game for the Browns, beating the A’s, 3 – 1. Nevers will be 6-12 in his brief baseball career, but he will win a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame playing with the Duluth Eskimos and Chicago Cardinals (1926-1931).

At Baltimore’s Maryland Park, Joe Strong of the Baltimore Black Sox beats Hilldale in an Eastern Colored League game, 2 – 1, pitching an 11-inning no-hitter. It is the longest no-hitter in Negro Leagues history.

A visiting team from Stanford University led by Harry Wolter plays the Australian national team in front of 15,000 spectators at the Agricultural Ground in Sydney, New South Wales. This marks the first time the national team has played an opponent from outside the country.

In front of 55,000 fans at Yankee Stadium, the Indians tally nine runs with two outs in the ninth inning to rout the Bronx Bombers in the nightcap, 14-6. The Tribe’s comeback is assisted by two New York errors, including a miscue by Mark Koenig on a ground ball to short that would have ended the game.

At Philadelphia, Lefty Grove helps himself to his 17th win by belting a 3-run homer in the 2nd. Al Simmons adds two triples and a 2-run homer as the A’s beat Boston, 13 – 4.

At Detroit, Charlie Gehringer hits a homer to center field with the bases loaded in the 12th inning to give the Tigers a 7 – 3 win over Chicago. It is Gehringer’s 4th hit and 2nd homer as he drives in six runs, and Gehringer’s 2nd 12th-inning homer in a month: he hit one against Cleveland on July 4.

The Reds finally score, but lose to the Cubs, 4 – 2, in the first of two. Guy Bush beats Larry Benton. Chicago takes the nitecap, 7 – 3, behind Les Sweetland as Jack Ogden is pinned with the loss. Rookie OF Vince Barton has five hits in the two games, including a pair of homers in game 2.

Pittsburgh’s Heinie Meine gives up three Cardinal runs in the 6th inning, halting a scoreless streak by Buc hurlers at 45 innings. The Pirates’ streak includes shutouts over New York and Cincy in four consecutive games. The Cards win today, 7 – 1.

New York Yankees catcher Bill Dickey returns to the lineup after serving a one-month suspension

New York Yankees catcher Bill Dickey returns to the lineup after serving a one-month suspension

Phillies P Reggie Grabowski surrenders 11 hits in the ninth inning of the second game against the Giants for a modern National League record. Eleven runs score in the inning, as New York wins, 21 – 4.

Walter Johnson (46-48) resigns as manager of the Indians and will be replaced by Steve O’Neill (36-23). The Tribe has dropped 23 of its last 32 decisions.

The Cardinals regain first place, beating the Cubs, 6 – 1, and dropping them to second place.

Joe Medwick again ties the major-league record with four extra-base hits in a game. It is the third time he has performed the feat.

Mike Kreevich of the Chicago White Sox equals the major league record by grounding into four successive double plays against the Washington Senators.

In Boston, the two teams dedicate the game in memory of Willard Hershberger, then Frank McCormick drives in six runs to lead the Reds to a 12 – 9 win over the Bees after Bucky Walters loses the opener, his third straight defeat.

Jimmie Foxx, who started as a catcher in 1925, is behind the plate for the Red Sox to catch a 7 – 3 win for long-time teammate Lefty Grove. Foxx cracks his 24th home run to start the Sox on an 8-game skein in which they will hit 20 homers.

Mickey Owens becomes the first catcher to handle three foul pop ups in one frame. The Brooklyn backstop's third inning defense contributes to the Dodgers' 11-6 victory over New York at Ebbets Field.

Mickey Owens becomes the first catcher to handle three foul pop ups in one frame. The Brooklyn backstop’s third inning defense contributes to the Dodgers’ 11-6 victory over New York at Ebbets Field.

The Giants-Dodgers game ends in a 1 – 1 tie as Pee Wee Reese’s grand slam in the top of the 9th is wiped out. As was the case the day before, the game is called because of the government’s 9:14 curfew on lights. It is the last twilight game played at the Polo Grounds. The Dodgers have held the National League lead for 144 days. Their margin over the Cardinals is 10 games. From now until the season’s end, Brooklyn will win 17, lose 18.

Braves pitcher Jim Tobin clubs his 6th homer of the year, tying the National League record for homers by a pitcher, but he loses to the Phils, 4 – 2.

pee wee reese

Pee Wee Reese loses a grandslam due to war time dim-out

Two remarkable debut pitching performances by Senators’ rookies makes the 15 – 4 loss to Boston a most memorable contest. The game which features Tom McBride tying a major league record by driving in six runs with a bases-loaded double and triple during the Red Sox’s 12-run fourth inning, sees Joe Cleary, the last major leaguer to be born in Ireland, give up seven runs on five hits and three walks in his only big league appearance to finish with a career ERA of 189.00. In mop-up work, World War II veteran Bert Shepard, with an amputated leg as a result of being wounded in combat, hurls 5 1/3 innings, giving up just one run on three hits in his only major league appearance.

Pirate catcher Bill Salkeld is 5 for 5, including hitting for the cycle, and drives in all five runs in a 6-5 loss

Pirate catcher Bill Salkeld is 5 for 5, including hitting for the cycle, and drives in all five runs in a 6-5 loss

In St. Louis, the Browns spot the Red Sox six runs in the first inning, then come back with seven of their own in the bottom of the frame. St. Louis scores two in the 9th off reliever Ellis Kinder to win, 9 – 8.

Ernie Harwell brooklyn dodgers

Ernie Harwell, filling in for Red Barber, who is recovering from a bleeding ulcer, calls his first major league game as the Dodgers beat the Cubs at Ebbets Field, 5-4. To obtain the future Hall of Fame broadcaster, Brooklyn general manager Branch Rickey trades minor league catcher Cliff Daper to the Atlanta Crackers.

Yankees hurler Vic Raschi sets the record for RBI by a pitcher with seven, as the Yanks roll over Detroit, 15 – 0. Raschi singles in two in the 2nd, doubles home three in the 3rd, and singles home the last two in the 8th. His teammates fill his locker with bats after the game.

8/4/1954 – In the top of the second in the game in Pittsburgh, the Reds batted out of order as Roy McMillan, the number eight hitter, batted instead of Ed Bailey in the number seven spot. He made an out to end the inning, so the Pirates did not say anything. Bailey came up to lead off the top of third when the proper hitter would have been the Reds pitcher. Bailey made an out, so again the Pirates kept quiet. The Reds discovered the mistake, and in the fifth and later the two batted in the correct order.

Ernie Banks hits three home runs in a game for the first of four times in his career when the Cubs outslug the Pirates, 11-10 at Wrigley Field.

Ernie Banks hits three home runs in a game for the first of four times in his career when the Cubs outslug the Pirates, 11-10 at Wrigley Field.

Washington defeats Detroit, 4 – 3, as the Senators’ Roy Sievers hits his 30th home run, his sixth homer in six games, to tie an American League record held by Ken Williams and Lou Gehrig.

Roberto Clemente beats Juan Pizarro once again; Clemente’s 9th-inning, 400-footer puts Pittsburgh ahead of first-place Milwaukee, 4 – 3. In so doing, he not only brings last year’s cellar dwellers to within six games of first place, but also foils his fellow Puerto Rican yet again. Red Thisted of the Milwaukee Sentinel reports: “The sleepy engagement dragged along in the later innings with neither team making a move until Clemente laid into a Pizarro pitch in the final frame and rode the ball over the left centerfield wire.”

Believing that Chicago's Jim Brewer is throwing at him, Reds 2B Billy Martin throws his bat toward the mound. Then, he advances to retrieve it from Brewer, who has picked it up. The two exchange words and Martin launches a hard overhand right that fractures the orbital bone of Brewer's right eye. Both benches empty and Martin continues swinging, decking Frank Thomas. Brewer requires surgery and will be out of action for a month. The Cubs win, 5 - 3, on Ernie Banks' homer. Martin will be fined $500 for the punch and Brewer and the Cubs will sue the combative infielder on August 22 for $1,000,000. Years later, when the courts award Brewer $100,000, Martin's comment will be, "How can they ever collect it? I haven't got that kind of money,"

Believing that Chicago’s Jim Brewer is throwing at him, Reds 2B Billy Martin throws his bat toward the mound. Then, he advances to retrieve it from Brewer, who has picked it up. The two exchange words and Martin launches a hard overhand right that fractures the orbital bone of Brewer’s right eye. Both benches empty and Martin continues swinging, decking Frank Thomas. Brewer requires surgery and will be out of action for a month. The Cubs win, 5 – 3, on Ernie Banks’ homer. Martin will be fined $500 for the punch and Brewer and the Cubs will sue the combative infielder on August 22 for $1,000,000. Years later, when the courts award Brewer $100,000, Martin’s comment will be, “How can they ever collect it? I haven’t got that kind of money,”

At Candlestick Park, Warren Spahn wins his 299th game, 2 – 1, over the Giants. He gets a bit of help from Hank Aaron who leads off the 7th and 9th with homers off Mike McCormick. The Giants only score is an Orlando Cepeda homer in the 5th.

With a little help from George Altman, the Cubs’ Bob Anderson outpitches Sandy Koufax, and beats the Dodgers, 4 – 2. Altman hits two homers off Koufax, the first time anyone has done that off the Dodgers lefty.

After a doubleheader loss to the Mets, 9 – 1 and 3 – 2 in 13 innings at the Polo Grounds, Reds manager Fred Hutchinson stays in the dugout instead of joining his players in the clubhouse. He then calls the clubhouse and tells the players to be out of there in 15 minutes. They do. Hutch has tickets for Zero Mostel’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, but doesn’t use them.

At Visalia (California League) Visalia’s William Dawson sets a league record, striking out 21 Reno batters. Visalia wins, 7 – 4.

At County Stadium, Roger Craig suffers his 20th loss of the season when the Mets lose to Milwaukee, 2-1. The defeat is the right-hander’s 18th consecutive setback, tying Cliff Curtis’ National League mark set in 1910 with the Braves, and one loss shy of A’s Jack Nabors’ 1916 major league record.

With the Yankees trailing Baltimore, 10-9, in the nightcap of a twin bill, Mickey Mantle, after missing two months of the season with a broken foot, makes a dramatic return to the lineup as a pinch hitter when he homers to deep left field in the bottom of the seventh inning off George Brunet to tie the score. The crowd of nearly 40,000 fans goes wild as the ‘Mick’ hobbles around the bases in the Bronx Bombers’ eventual 11-10 walk-off win, a victory made possible by Yogi Berra’s two-out walk-off round-tripper in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Fred Hutchinson returns to manage the Reds. They respond by sweeping a pair, 5 – 2 and 4 – 2, from the Braves.

A’s starter John O’Donoghue gives up his 3rd homer to Mickey Mantle this year, but that’s all he allows, as Kansas City tops visiting New York, 5 – 1.

Roy Hofheinz buys R.E. “Bob” Smith’s remaining shares of the Houston Sports Association to take control of the Astros. Due to a rift between them, the former co-owner had made the offer thinking the ‘Judge’ couldn’t put the funds together.

1965 – The rift between owners Roy Hofheinz and R.E. “Bob” Smith reaches its climax when Hofheinz buys out Smith’s remaining shares of the Houston Sports Association. Smith dared the Judge to do it, thinking he couldn’t come up with the funds but Hofheinz put the money together, breaking Smith’s heart. On the field, the road-weary Astros lose in St. Louis, 9-4.

Pinch-hit home runs by Mets John Stephenson and Ron Swoboda make the difference in New York’s 8 – 6 defeat of the Giants at Shea Stadium.

John Fetzer, president of the major league television committee, announces a $50 million, 3-year deal with NBC to televise the World Series, All-Star Game, and 28 weekly telecasts.

In pre-game ceremonies at Busch Stadium honoring him, Stan Musial is joined by his 1941 Cardinals teammates. A 10-foot bronze statue of Musial is unveiled at one of the Stadium entrances. The crowd of 47,445 then watch as Bob Gibson battles the Cubs for 12 innings before Chicago’s Lee Elia singles home the winning run in the 13th. The Cubs win, 6 – 5.

The Red Sox top the Angels, 5 – 1, on the strength of Ken Harrelson’s grand slam.

The Yankees, once again, honor their aging superstar when the team hosts the second of three Mickey Mantle Days at the ballpark in the Bronx. Prior to the game, over 2000 young fans paid tribute to the future Hall of Fame outfielder by parading across the field with homemade banners expressing their admiration for the living legend.

A ten-foot bronze statue of Stan Musial is unveiled at Busch Stadium, after the Cardinals’ 6-5 extra-inning loss to Chicago in front of a capacity crowd. In a pregame ceremony honoring ‘Stan the Man’, the seven-time NL batting champ is joined by his 1941 teammates. “Here stands baseball’s perfect warrior. Here stands baseball’s perfect knight.” – Inscription on Stan Musial’s statue from a quote attributed to former baseball commissioner Ford Frick.

“Here stands baseball’s perfect warrior. Here stands baseball’s perfect knight.” – Inscription on Stan Musial’s statue from a quote attributed to former baseball commissioner Ford Frick.A ten-foot bronze statue of Stan Musial is unveiled at Busch Stadium, after the Cardinals’ 6-5 extra-inning loss to Chicago in front of a capacity crowd. In a pregame ceremony honoring ‘Stan the Man’, the seven-time NL batting champ is joined by his 1941 teammates.

The Reds win another squeaker, this time 1 – 0 over the Mets at Crosley Field. Jim Maloney (5-2) allows two hits and beats Jerry Koosman.

In San Diego, the Reds stomp the Padres, 12 – 1.

Bob Gibson wins his 200th game, a 7 – 2 victory over the Giants at St. Louis.

In a Texas League contest, Tommy Walker hurls a 15-inning no-hitter, beating the Albuquerque Dukes, 1-0. The Dallas-Fort Worth Spur right-hander faces only 47 batters during the minor league game, two over the minimum.

Luis Aparicio returns after a 6-week layoff with a broken finger and drives in a run as the Red Sox win, 2 – 0 over Baltimore. Marty Pattin allows two hits in beating Pat Dobson.

The Angels beat the Royals, 4 – 3, in 10 innings. Vada Pinson shows the way home with five hits and three RBIs.

Bobby Murcer’s grand slam in the 7th clinches the Yankees’ 9 – 4 win over the Brewers. Murcer also scores twice on walks.

1972 – Lee May tags Juan Marichal for two solo homers while Johnny Edwards adds another during a 6-1 triumph at San Francisco. Jerry Reuss and Fred Gladding share shutout honors with Gladding contributing a sacrifice fly for the game’s final run as well as earning the save. 

Lindy McDaniel of the New York Yankees turns in one of the best relief stints in history

John Briggs of the Brewers goes 6 for 6 in a 9 – 4 win over the Indians. Jim Colborn (14-7) is the winner.

In an outstanding relief performance, Yankee Lindy McDaniel comes to the rescue of Fritz Peterson, who exits with a muscle pull in the 2nd inning, and allows just one run in 13 innings to earn a 3 – 2 victory over the Tigers. Horace Clarke’s home run is the game winner.

At Cleveland Stadium, Brewer left fielder John Briggs enjoys a 6-for-6 day at the plate in the team’s 9-4 triumph over the Tribe. The Milwaukee leadoff batter strokes two doubles and four singles, scoring two runs, but doesn’t record any RBIs.

At Fenway Park, 35,866 are on hand to watch the Orioles topple the Red Sox, 12 – 8. Despite the offense, Boston’s Denny Doyle has his 22-game hitting streak stopped.

Baltimore and Mike Flanagan hand Ron Guidry his 2nd loss of the year, stopping the Yankees, 2 – 1.

During a 6 – 2 loss to the Astros, Braves knuckleballer Phil Niekro sets modern major league records with four wild pitches in one inning (the 5th) and six in one game.

At the Kingdome, the Mariners’ Ruppert Jones hits a foul ball that sticks in the speaker above the first base dugout. But the Athletics amass 11 fair hits to beat the Mariners, 5 – 3. Dwayne Murphy is 3 for 3 with a triple and a homer.

1979 – Houston sweeps the Braves, 4-3 and 6-2, to move five games ahead of second-place Cincinnati. Atlanta knuckleballer Phil Niekro ties major league marks with four wild pitches in one inning and six for the game. The Astros also set a team record for a nine-inning game by stranding 16 runners in the opener. 

The Seattle Mariners fire manager Darrell Johnson and replace him with Maury Wills

The Reds score eight runs in the 7th en route to an 11 – 2 win over the San Diego Padres.

Nolan Ryan Dave Winfield Fight

Dave Winfield squares off vs Nolan Ryan

Joel Young Blood becomes first player to get two hits for different teams in same day

Joel Young Blood becomes first player to get two hits for different teams in same day

dave winfield kills seagull

While warming up before the 5th inning of the Yankees’ 3 – 1 win over the Blue Jays at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium, New York OF Dave Winfield accidentally kills a seagull with a thrown ball. After the game, Winfield is brought to the Ontario Provincial Police station on charges of cruelty to animals and is forced to post a $500 bond before being released. The charges will be dropped the following day.

In a 9-2 Giants rout of the Astros, Jeffrey Leonard collects five hits. The cleanup slugger gets all singles and, therefore, is unable to demonstrate his one-flap-down home run trot in front of the Houston fans at the Astrodome.

Tom Seaver 300 win with Chicago White Sox

Tom Seaver wins his 300th game in New York

At Chicago, Dwight Gooden wins his club-record 11th straight game as the New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs, 4 – 1. Gooden triggers a 3-run third inning with a double.

ROD CAREW COLLECTS HIS 3000TH HIT

ROD CAREW COLLECTS HIS 3000TH HIT

White Sox pitcher Jose DeLeon (2-0) beats Boston’s Roger Clemens (17-4) for the second time in five days, 1 – 0 at Fenway Park. DeLeon and the White Sox also won 7 – 2 on July 30.

In the fourth matchup of 300-game winners since 1900, Angels’ hurler Don Sutton (317) allows four hits in six innings to beat Steve Carlton (328) and the Twins, 12-3. The 645 combined victories is the largest number of wins ever accumulated by pitchers starting the same major league game.

Seattle’s John Rabb is suspended indefinitely for “failing to comply with the major league drug testing program.”

Dave Stieb retires the first 26 batters he faces before giving up two hits in a 2 - 1 win over the Yankees. The previous September, the Toronto Blue Jays' hard luck hurler lost back-to-back no-hit bids with two outs in the ninth inning.

Dave Stieb retires the first 26 batters he faces before giving up two hits in a 2 – 1 win over the Yankees. The previous September, the Toronto Blue Jays’ hard luck hurler lost back-to-back no-hit bids with two outs in the ninth inning.

The Braves trade Dale Murphy to the Phillies for Jeff Parrett, Jim Vatcher, and Victor Rosario. The move enables the youngster David Justice to return to right field and win the Rookie-of-the-Year Award.

1991 – Craig Biggio singles home Gerald Young in the tenth for a 2-1 triumph over Los Angeles, sweeping the series and winning their seventh straight. The last-place Astros also turn their second triple play of the season when Mike Simms snares a fly to right by Alfredo Griffin and guns down Mike Sharperson who tried to advance to third. Ken Caminiti fires to Andujar Cedeno to get Stan Javier who was trailing the play. 

At an auction, actor Charlie Sheen pays $93,500 for the “Mookie Ball” which went through Bill Buckner’s legs, capping the miraculous Met comeback in the sixth game of the Fall Classic in 1986. Arthur Richman, the team’s traveling secretary, who was given the ball that night by right field umpire Ed Montague, gives the all the proceeds to charity.

OF Tony Gwynn of the Padres gets six hits in San Diego’s 11 – 10 win over the Giants. It is the 4th time this season he has five or more hits in a game, tying a major league record set by Willie Keeler in 1897, and equaled by Ty Cobb and Stan Musial.

White Sox 3B Robin Ventura charges Nolan Ryan after a pitch hits him in the 3rd inning. Ryan gets Ventura in a headlock and throws six punches. Ventura is suspended two games for his actions, while Ryan is not disciplined.

White Sox 3B Robin Ventura charges Nolan Ryan after a pitch hits him in the 3rd inning. Ryan gets Ventura in a headlock and throws six punches. Ventura is suspended two games for his actions, while Ryan is not disciplined.

Seattle defeats California, 4 – 2, as Rich Gossage notches the win in relief. It is Gossage’s 1,000th major league appearance on the mound, making him the 3rd pitcher to ever reach that milestone. Only Hoyt Wilhelm(1,070) and Kent Tekulve (1,050) have gotten into more games as pitchers.

In Anaheim, Goose Gossage makes his 1000th major league appearance, retiring Tim Salmon on a pop-up in the seventh inning of an eventual 4-2 Angels loss to the Mariners. The future Hall of Fame reliever will end his 22-year career playing in 1002 games with seven different teams.

Fan favorite Kent Hrbek announces his retirement effective at the end of the season. The Twins first baseman, who played his entire 14-year career in Minnesota, ranks near the top in virtually every team offensive category.

1995 – Houston sweeps a twinbill at Pittsburgh, 6-5 and 5-4. James Mouton singles home Orlando Miller in the ninth to win the opener while Derek Bell caps a 5-for-9 day with a home run and a double to pace the Astros in the nightcap. 

The Braves end their 17-game 20-day road trip, with a 6 – 4 win over the Dodgers. The extended road stay is caused by the Atlanta-based Olympics.

Jim Bunning Earl Weaver Ned Hanlon

Jim Bunning, Earl Weaver, Bill Foster, and Ned Hanlon are inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame.

At Anaheim, Jose Valentin, Dave Nilsson, and Jeromy Burnitz homer in the 4th inning, all off Ken Hill, as Milwaukee beats Anaheim, 5 – 2, for its 10th victory in 12 games. The loss drops Anaheim into a tie for first place in the AL West with the idle Seattle Mariners.

Manny Ramirez homers and drives in four runs, and Jim Thome hits his 30th homer as the Indians beat Detroit, 7 – 2. Charles Nagy improves to 12-4 lifetime against the Tigers, his most wins against any club. Thome is the first Cleveland lefthanded hitter to hit 30 homers in successive seasons since Hal Trosky in 1936-1937. Scott Sanders (3-9), making his fourth start since being traded to Detroit from Seattle, is the loser. He has lost all three of his decisions in a Tigers uniform.

Kevin Tapani finally makes his Cubs debut, limiting Atlanta to five hits over seven plus innings, as the Cubs win, 3 – 1. Tapani (1-0) signed to a three-year, $11 million deal with the Cubs after winning 13 games for the White Sox last season, had surgery April 4 to remove scar tissue in his right index finger.

At Shea Stadium, the Mets top the Cards, 4 – 2, in a rain-interupted game. Rick Reed (10-4) wins his 6th straight, beating Manny Aybar, making his major league debut. Lance Johnson has a pair of RBI triples. Completing an unusual major league-minor league sweep, the Pittsfield Mets top the New Jersey Cardinals (NY-Penn League), 8 – 4, in the earlier 9-inning game.

The Twins beat the Blue Jays, 9 – 3, as Brad Radke ties a team record with his 12th straight win. Greg Colbrunn’s pinch-hit grand slam off Chris Carpenter is the big blow. Radke is only the 3rd pitcher since 1950 to win 12 consecutive starts. Bob Gibson of St. Louis did it in 1968 and Pat Dobson did it with Baltimore in 1971.

Darryl Strawberry’s pinch-hit grand slam is the big blow in the Yankees’ 9-run ninth inning to come from behind to defeat the A’s, 10 – 5 in the second game of a doubleheader. It is Strawberry’s second pinch-hit slam of the season, setting a new American League record. It also matches the National League mark held by his former manager Davey Johnson and Mike Ivie, both set in 1978. New York also wins the first game of the twinbill, 10 – 4.

The Orioles’ Mike Mussina carries a no-hitter into the 8th before allowing a double to Frank Catalanotto. Broadcasting the game is the long-time voice of the Detroit Tigers, Ernie Harwell. Ernie is celebrating his golden anniversary, starting as an announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers on this date in 1948.

Pittsburgh 1B Kevin Young goes 4 for 4, with four runs scored and four RBIs, to lead the Pirates to a 13 – 5 mauling of the Rockies. Three of Young’s hits are doubles.

The Mariners send veteran Butch Huskey to the Boston Red Sox for AAA pitcher Robert Ramsay.

Prior to a game with the Royals, with his team in the midst of a slump, Angels’ batting coach Rod Carew suggests the club use a single bat through the starting lineup as a way of loosening up the players. When leadoff hitter Orlando Palmeiro strikes out in bottom half of the first inning, he drops the bat for the next hitter to use. Umpire Tim Tschida sees this as an act of defiance and ejects Palmeiro from the game. Anaheim manager Terry Collins eventually convinces Tschida that Palmeiro wasn’t trying to show him up, and the umpire changes his decision and allows him to stay in the game. The Angels go on to defeat the Royals, 4 – 3.

In an effort to break out of a team slump which has resulted in 15 losses in 19 decisions, all nine Angel batters use Jim Edmonds’ bat the first time through the order. The center fielder’s lumber yields dramatic results when the Halos go 4-for-8 with one walk in the first inning, including Bengie Molina’s first career hit, an RBI double, in LA’s 4-3 win over Kansas City at Edison Field.

The Blue Jays obtain OF Dave Martinez from the Rangers for a player to be named later. Martinez becomes the 9th major leaguer to play for four teams in a season. The last to do so was Dave Kingman, in 1977: before him, the four-in-one players were Frank Huelsman, 1904; Willis Hudlin, 1940; Paul Lehner, 1951; Ted Gray, 1955; Wes Covington, 1961; and Mike Kilkenny, 1972.

The Padres obtain SS Desi Relaford from the Phillies in exchange for a player to be named.

Joining Dave Kingman, Frank Huelsman, Willis Hudlin, Paul Lehner, Wes Covington, Ted Gray, and Mike Kilkenny, Dave Martinez ties a major league record as he appears for his fourth team in a season. In the past four months, the veteran outfielder/first baseman has played for the Devil Rays, Cubs, Rangers, and now the Blue Jays.

With 32 home games remaining, the Astros, who moved from the pitcher-friendly Astrodome to homer-haven Enron Field this season, set a franchise-record by already hitting 83 homers at home this season.

In a 4 – 2 Mets win at Arizona, Mark Grace ends the game with a ground ball single, which hits pinch runner David Dellucci for the last out as Dellucci is charged with interference. It’s the D-backs 7th loss in nine games.

Braves’ 1B Wes Helms drives home a career-high seven runs with a triple and a pair of home runs as Atlanta defeats Milwaukee, 14 – 2. Helms had been hitless in his previous 18 at bats coming in to the game.

The Athletics defeat Detroit, 4 – 0, as Cory Lidle, Ricardo Rincon, Chad Bradford, and Billy Koch combine on the one-hit shutout. Tiger OF Wendell Magee’s single is the only Detroit safety.

The Braves edge the Cardinals, 2 – 1, as Damian Moss and John Smoltz combine on a one-hitter. Mike Matheny’s single is the only St. Louis hit.

Cincinnati defeats San Diego, 15 – 10, as LF Russell Branyan slugs three home runs and drives home five runs for the Reds.

Major League Baseball announces a five-year deal, which will generate more than $500 million in revenue, for apparel and headwear global licensing rights. The seven companies involved in the deal include Majestic Athletic, New Era Cap, Twins Enterprises, Nike USA, Dynasty Apparel Industries, Drew Pearson International, and VF Imagewear.

Continuing a tradition over a half a century old, the Cardinals announce their new ballpark, scheduled to open in 2006, will also be known as Busch Stadium. In 1953, a month after Anheuser-Busch purchased the Cardinals, the brewery bought Sportsman’s Park, renaming it Busch Stadium, and then kept the name in its new downtown stadium, which opened in 1966, calling the facility Busch Memorial Stadium.

Mike Matheny’s major league errorless streak behind the plate ends when his errant throw allows the runners to advance to second and third base on an infield single. The Cardinals’ catcher hadn’t committed an error since August 2, 2002, a span of 252 games.

After the team goes into a free fall from first place, the Orioles fire manager Lee Mazzilli (129-140) and replace him with bench coach Sam Perlozzo on an interim basis. Currently suffering an eight-game losing streak, the Birds have dropped 16 of their last 18 games.

In the Phillies’ 5-3 victory over the Mets, Chase Utley’s hitting streak ends at 35 consecutive games. Philadelphia’s second baseman, who goes 0-for-5, has the fourth longest stretch in National League history.

At age 95, Elden Auker, the last living pitcher to face Babe Ruth, dies of congestive heart failure. The author of Sleeper Cars and Flannel Uniforms, which he wrote when he was ninety, started his major league career in 1931 by striking out Babe Ruth and getting Lou Gehrig to pop out.

In the Phillies’ 5-3 victory over the Mets, Chase Utley’s hitting streak ends at 35 consecutive games. Philadelphia’s second baseman, who goes 0-for-5, has the fourth longest stretch in National League history.

Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th homer

Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th homer

Barry Bonds hit his 755th homer to tie Hank Aaron as the all-time leader in that category

Barry Bonds hit his 755th homer to tie Hank Aaron as the all-time leader in that category

At the start of the rain delay during the Astros and Cubs game at Wrigley Field, fans are advised to take cover in the concourse due to a tornado warning being issued by the National Weather Service for downtown Chicago. The game resumes in 2 hours, 45 minutes, but approximately an hour later more thunder and lightning and another 39-minute stoppage cause the contest to be called in the bottom of the eighth, with Houston credited with a 2-0 rain-shortened victory.

During a Brewers’ 6-3 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park, first baseman Prince Fielder confronts starting pitcher Manny Parra in the dugout, shoving the hurler twice after an angry exchange of words. The Milwaukee hurler had taken a no-hitter into the fifth, but gave up six runs on four hits and four walks before leaving the game for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning.

The Mariners stun the Twins with a 10-run seventh inning, coming back from a 6-0 deficit in an eventual 11-6 victory at Safeco Field. With six runs driven in, Raul Ibanez, who hits a grand slam and a two-run single in the frame, establishes a club record for RBIs in one inning, one more than Ken Griffey Jr.’s mark set in 1999.

Yusmeiro Petit takes a no-hitter into the 8th inning, before combining with Leonel Rosales on a one-hitter for a 6 – 0 Diamondbacks win over Pittsburgh. The win snaps a personal seven-game losing streak for Petit and is the longest outing of his career so far.

Albert Pujols ends a brief slump with two home runs, including a 10th-inning grand slam, as the Cardinals beat the Mets, 12 – 7. The extra-inning blast comes after Mark DeRosa is plunked by Sean Green with the bases loaded to drive in the go-ahead run; it ties Ernie Banks’s National League record of 5 slams in a season, set in 1955, and is his League-leading 36th homer of the year.

Vicente Padilla throws a two-hit shutout as the Dodgers beat the Padres, 9 – 0. Padilla uses mainly slow breaking balls, including his version of the eephus pitch, to mystify San Diego’s batters, keeping them hitless until one out in the 7th. But it’s not all good news for the Dodgers: before the game, C Russell Martin is placed on the disabled list because of a torn musle in his right hip and will be out for the remainder of the year.

Alex Rodriguez eclipses Babe Ruth in becoming the youngest major leaguer to hit 600 career home runs

The Phillies obtain Mike Sweeney from the Mariners for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The deal is necessitated for Philadelphia when their All-Star first baseman Ryan Howard is put on the disabled list with a severely sprained ankle.

The Cubs complete a four-game sweep of the Pirates with a 7 – 6 win in Pittsburgh, as Carlos Pena, Geovany Soto and Blake DeWitt homer to send the Bucs to their 7th straight defeat. Pirates starter James McDonaldgives up 4 runs in 7 innings and drives in 3 himself, exiting the game with a 6 – 4 lead, but the Cubs rally for three runs in the 8th off four relievers, three of whom fail to record an out.

Cliff Lee pitches his 5th shutout of the year in a 3 – 0 Phillies defeat of San Francisco that may well be a preview of the postseason. The Phillies have now won 7 in a row and have pulled to an 8 1/2 game lead in the NL East.

Mike Baxter sets a team record and ties a National League mark when he walks five times in a nine-inning game in the Mets’ 6-4 victory over San Diego at Petco Park. Only five of the 25 pitches thrown to the New York right fielder were strikes, with thirteen of the final 14 being out of the strike zone.

The Braves win their 10th straight, 4 – 1 over Philadelphia behind rookie Alex Wood, to extend their lead in the NL East to 12 1/2 games. It is the Braves’ second ten-game winning streak this season.

With the Tigers having a very disappointing season, owner Mike Ilitch fires General Manager Dave Dombrowski after 14 seasons, replacing him with Al Avila, the father of catcher Alex Avila.

Bartolo Colon becomes the first pitcher in the history of the Subway Series to record a victory as a member of both New York clubs when the visiting Mets beats the Bronx Bombers, 4-1. In 2011, Big Bart, in his only season with the Yankees, pitched six strong innings of shutout ball to earn a 5-2 victory over the Big Apple rivals at Citi Field.

Jaime Garcia becomes the first pitcher to make three straight appearances as a starter for three different teams since 1895 when Gus Weyhing started consecutive games for the Phillies, Pirates, and Louisville Colonels. The 31 year-old southpaw has been traded twice July 24, taking the mound for the Braves, Twins, and Yankees in a span of 15 days.

Podcast - July 29 - August 4

Podcast – July 29 – August 4

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Luke Easter was a star whose Major League career started later than it should have. He was a 36 year old rookie whose best years were in the Negro Leagues. Joining the Indians full time in 1950, he was a star, slugging first basemen hitting 85 homers from 1950 to 1952 with over 100 RBI in '50 and '51.

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