This Day In Baseball July 3

July 3, This day in baseball. Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck purchases the contract of outfielder Larry Doby. Hall of Famer Don Drysdale passes away. Cleveland Indians right-hander Luis Tiant strikes out 19 Minnesota Twins batters in 10 innings. Tony Cloninger Sets grand slam record and much more on This Day In Baseball. 

Debuts, Milestones, No Hitters, Rule Changes, Events, Birthdays, Deaths, and more on This Day In Baseball.  

Events for July 3

At Pittsburgh, Jack Chesbro beats the Beaneaters, 2 – 1; the Boston battery is Ted Lewis and Boileryard Clarke.

At Cleveland, the Naps top the Tigers, 5 – 0, in game called after six innings on account of rain. To underscore the soggy conditions, Detroit outfielder Germany Schaeferplays the last few innings wearing a raincoat over his uniform.

The Cardinals commit 17 errors in a doubleheader loss to the Reds, 10 – 2 and 13 – 7, to tie a modern major league record.

At a packed Washington Park, the Giants beat up Brooklyn, winning, 5 – 3 and 2 – 1, in a total of 23 innings. In the opener, Christy Mathewson relieves Bugs Raymond with the score knotted at 3 in the 9th. Matty shuts out the Superbas in the next six innings, and the Giants score two in the 14th off Harry McIntire for the win.

At Philadelphia, the A’s Frank Baker hits for the cycle in a 5 – 1 win over the Yankees in game two of a doubleheader.

New York Giants pitcher Rube Marquard sets a modern day record by winning his 19th consecutive game

New York Giants pitcher Rube Marquard sets a modern day record by winning his 19th consecutive game

The Giants’ Rube Marquard nips Nap Rucker, 2 – 1, to capture his 19th straight game this season. With two end-of-year wins in 1911, he has 21 in a row in regular season play. Both marks are records. On the 8th, the Cubs will beat him, but he will ultimately compile a league-leading 26 victories against 11 defeats. Today’s game is the Giants’ 16th consecutive win. Brooklyn will end the streak tomorrow.

Walter Johnson picks up a win and is given a rare rest in the 6th inning as Washington coasts to a 10 – 2 win over the Highlanders. Johnson will rack up an American Leaguerecord 16 straight wins before he is beaten.

The Giants hand Pete Alexander his third loss in the four-game series, as Jeff Tesreau wins, 4 – 2, in 11 innings. New York is now in first place by 3 1/2 games.

The Red Sox tally 15 hits off Washington’s Walter Johnson, but lose, 1 – 0, in 15 innings. This a major league frustration record for most hits in a shutout. Ray Collins takes the loss.

Chief Bender and Bob Shawkey whitewash the Yankees, 2 – 0 and 1 – 0, for an A’s sweep.

The Braves make their second trade in four days, acquiring OF Josh Devore from the Phils for IF Jack Martin.

The Browns lose to the Indians, 3 – 1. Despite walking 9, George Sisler pitches a complete game victory.

The Red Sox split with the A’s, losing the first game, 7 – 3, before taking the nitecap, 11 – 0. Jack Barry makes his first appearance for the Sox, playing the final two innings against his old mates.

After managing for five games, Honus Wagner resigns as manager. Czech born Hugo Bezdek is named as his replacement, his qualifications include being the football coach at Penn State.

Bob Meusel hits for the cycle for the second time in his career to pace the Yankees to a 12 – 1 whipping of the Athletics. Meusel and Babe Ruth go back-to-back in the 7th as Carl Mays cruises to his 22nd straight win over the Athletics.

Brooklyn 2B Milt Stock sets a modern National League record by getting four hits in his fourth consecutive game.

Milt Stock sets a National League mark by having his fourth consecutive four-hit game, going 16-for-23 during the span to compile a .696 batting average. The 31 year-old second baseman’s offensive output, which includes three singles and a triple, helps the Robins beat the Giants at Ebbets Field, 6-3.

The Cubs and Reds turn nine double plays, tying the Detroit-Washington 1925 mark. The 7 – 5 Chicago win is their seventh in a row, giving them a half-game lead over the Pirates.

1932 – With a Boston law restricting games within 1,000 feet of a church on Sundays, the first Sunday game is played at Fenway Park with the Red Sox losing to the Yankees, 13 – 2.

With a Boston law that prohibited games from being played within 1000 feet of a church on Sundays now rescinded, the first Sunday game is played at Fenway Park with the Red Sox dropping a 13-2 decision. The team played its Sunday games at Braves Field on Commonwealth Avenue until the law was changed, having played their first home contest on the Christian day of worship on April 28, 1929.

Lou Gehrig, being led from the field after being beaned and knocked unconscious during a game at Norfolk Virginia. July 3, 1934.

Lou Gehrig, being led from the field after being beaned and knocked unconscious during a game at Norfolk Virginia. July 3, 1934.

Chicago Cubs release future Hall of Fame outfielder Kiki Cuyler

Chicago Cubs release future Hall of Fame outfielder Kiki Cuyler

Giants SS Dick Bartell plays a 10-inning game with no fielding chances.

San Diego minor leaguer Ted Williams, pinch-hitting for the pitcher in the seventh inning in a game against the Angels, gets his first professional hit, a long single off the right-field fence at LA’s Wrigley Field off Glen Babler. The 17 year-old Padres player stays in the PCL contest to replace the hurler he batted for, retiring the side in order, but will be removed from the mound in the next frame when he gives up two home runs.

Cleveland’s Ben Chapman ties the modern major-league record with three triples, as Bob Feller notches his 13th victory, 4 – 2.

Johnny Mize equals a National League record with four extra-base hits – a double, a triple, and two home runs – in the Cards’ 5 – 3 win over the Cubs.

Cardinal first baseman Johnny Mize accumulates 13 total bases, hitting two home runs, a triple, and a double. The ‘Big Cat’s’ offensive output contributes to the Redbirds’ 5-3 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

At Briggs Stadium, Ben Chapman ties a major league record when he collects three triples in the team’s 4-2 victory over the hometown Tigers. The Cleveland center fielder’s trio of three-baggers will account for a third of his total for the season.

The Red Sox complete a 12-11 comeback over the A’s, scoring six times in the bottom of the ninth in the Fenway Park afternoon tilt. Boston, having trailed by seven runs after seven innings, ties the game in the final frame thanks to Ted Williams’ three-run homer, and wins with Jimmie Foxx’s walk-off round-tripper.

Larry Doby

Larry Doby Debuts and breaks color barrier in American League

The Indians purchase Larry Doby from the Newark Eagles. In two days, the twenty-two-year-old will become the first black to play in the American League.

Dick Lane, CF of Muskegon (Central League), hits five home runs in a game against Fort Wayne. Lane, who will get a trial with the Chicago White Sox in 1949, will hit only seven other home runs during the year and only 18 in a 4-year minor league career.

Giants P Monte Kennedy hits a grand slam and shuts out the Dodgers, 16 – 0.

joe DiMaggio at firstbase

Joe DiMaggio plays firstbase for only time in his career

Former Dodger pitcher Hugh Casey, 37, kills himself with a shotgun blast to the neck.

Bill DiBenedetto of the Class D Hornell Dodgers walks 21 in a 5 – 1 loss to Corning. This record number of walks breaks the 36-year-old record of Harry Harper of the Minneapolis Millers.

Giants rookie Willie Mays blasts a 13th-inning solo homer off the Phillies’ Jocko Thompson to give New York a win. It is Willie’s second extra-inning homer in two weeks: he will hit another on July 7th, against the Braves’ George Estock.

former major league pitcher Hugh Casey commits suicide by shooting himself in the neck

former major league pitcher Hugh Casey commits suicide by shooting himself in the neck

In a 14-2 victory over Brunswick, Cordele A’s third baseman Ralph Betcher goes deep for the Philadelphia farm club, accounting for the only home run the team will hit all season. ‘Froggie,’ a moniker given to the infielder because of his deep voice, records the only round-tripper in the 4,679 at-bats that the Class D team will take during the 139-game Georgia-Florida minor league season.

Pittsburgh’s right fielder Roberto Clemente pounds Dodger pitching in the opener of a twin bill split, doing most of his damage against former Montreal Royals teammate Ed Roebuck. “Eddie was celebrating his 24th bithday,” reports Jack Hernon of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, “but Roberto Clemente apparently didn’t know about it. The Buc rookie belted him for two triples, scoring the tying run on the first one in the 4th and driving home the run Ron Kline needed in the 5th.”

In their 35th home date in L.A., the transplanted Dodgers reach the one million mark in attendance. Last season, the team drew only 1,028,258 fans, playing in Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field.

Boston fires manager Pinky Higgins, replacing him tomorrow with Billy Jurges. Coach Rudy York takes over for today’s game.

After giving up a grand slam to the A’s Bob Cerv, Herb Score settles down and strikes out 14 in Cleveland’s 8 – 4 win.

Before 50,556 fans in New York, the Yankees sweep two from the Tigers, winning 7 – 6 and 6 – 2. In the opener, Ryne Duren fans Charlie Maxwell with the bases loaded and two outs in the 9th. Detroit is ahead, 2 – 1, in the night cap when Norm Cash argues at length about a call at first base, and finally gets tossed. When play resumes, Pete Burnside serves up a 3-run homer to Mickey Mantle, batting righty. The Yankees are 23-5 since June 5th and lead the American League by three games.

A day after his wedding in Chicago, Jim O’Toole pitches and loses, as the Cubs pound him for seven runs and nine hits in less than five innings. Chicago wins, 7 – 5. An unsympathetic manager Fred Hutchinson says, “It was his turn to pitch. I didn’t tell him to get married.”

The Yankees need all five home runs – 2 each by Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, plus one by Bobby Richardson – to edge the A’s, 8 – 7. Mantle’s second homer, in the 8th, is the tie breaker.

In a split with the Orioles, Minnesota SS Zoilo Versalles ties an American League mark by making five errors. The Twins win, 7 – 5, then lose, 4 – 3.

At Houston, the Reds’ John Tsitouris allows just two hits in beating Houston, 2 – 1. Cincy collects just two hits in the win, scoring the first run on Johnny Edwards’ homer and the second when Rusty Staub misses a pickoff throw from Hal Woodeshick and Pete Rose scores from first base.

Birdie Tebbetts returns to limited duty as manager of the Indians.

Pre-game horseplay between Phillies teammates Frank Thomas and Richie Allen turns serious when Thomas swings a bat at Allen. Allen recovers enough to hit a 3-run triple in the 7th and Thomas hits a pinch homer to tie the game in the 8th inning. But the Reds prevail, 10 – 8. Following the game, the Phils release Thomas, who has had a history of irritating players before the incident with Allen, and he signs with Houston.

As part of the Farmer’s Night festivities at Municipal Stadium, A’s pitcher Diego Segui rides Charlie O., the team’s mule mascot to the mound at the start of the game against the Twins. The promotion, which attracts the largest crowd in nearly two years, also features a milking contest between Kansas City first baseman Ken Harrelson and Minnesota right-hander Al Worthington as well as a greased pig competition for the fans.

Pitcher Tony Cloninger hits two grand slams and drives in nine runs, as the Braves rout the Giants at Candlestick Park, 17 – 3. Cloninger is the first National League player to slam two in a game, and the first pitcher ever, and his nine RBIs are a major-league record for pitchers, breaking Vic Raschi’s mark of 7. The National League record for pitchers was 5, held by several; the last hurler to collect five RBIs in a game was Cloninger himself, who had five on June 16th against the Mets.

Mickey Mantle hits a 1st-inning homer, and for the second time this week has hit three home runs in consecutive times at bat. New York blows a 5 – 0 lead in the 8th as the Senators storm back. Bobby Richardson homers in the 11th to give New York a 6 – 5 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Paul Casanova is on first when a sacrifice bunt moves him to second base. He overruns the bag and decides to head to third where he knocks the ball away from Tom Tresh. He then continues home where he is thrown out by a mile.

Tony Cloninger, in a 17-3 rout of the Giants, hits two grand slams in the same game and collects nine RBI’s in the Candlestick Park contest. The Braves’ pitcher is the first National League player to hit two bases-loaded home runs in the same game.

Tony Pitcher Tony Cloninger

Tony Cloninger Sets grand slam record

At the launching pad in Atlanta, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Randy Hundley homer for Chicago, and Rico Carty and Felipe Alou answer for the Braves – all in the 1st inning, a major league record. Carty adds another homer later, but Glenn Beckert’s three-run shot helps put the game out of reach. Ray Culp emerges the winner, 12 – 6.

In St. Louis the fans get boxing with their baseball in the Cards’ 7 – 3, win over the Reds. Bob Gibson pitches inside to Tony Perez in the 5th inning, and the pair exchange words after Perez flies out. Both benches empty but there is no fighting until the Reds bullpen, led by Bob Lee, show up. It takes 12 minutes before the police are needed to restore order.

Billy Williams, Ron Santo, and Randy Hundley all homer for the Cubs in the first, and Rico Carty and Felipe Alou also go deep for the Braves in the same inning in Chicago’s 12-6 victory at Atlanta Stadium. The five round-trippers at the ‘Launching Pad’ tie a major league record for home runs hit by two teams in the same inning, but the barrage marks the first time the feat occurs in the opening frame.

Cleveland Indians right-hander Luis Tiant strikes out 19 Minnesota Twins

Cleveland Indians right-hander Luis Tiant strikes out 19 Minnesota Twins

Luis Tiant registers 19 K’s in 10 innings, as Cleveland beats Minnesota, 1 – 0. Tiant sets two modern major league records – most strikeouts in a 10-inning game; and 32 strikeouts in consecutive games – and ties the modern major-league record of 41 strikeouts in three successive appearances. He will top the American League in ERA with 1.60.

Luis Tiant strikes out nineteen Twins and scatters six hits in a ten-inning 1-0 complete-game victory against Minnesota at Cleveland Stadium. ‘El Tiante’, who equals Sandy Koufax’s record for 41 strikeouts for three consecutive games, becomes the second hurler to whiff more than 18 batters in an American League contest, behind only Tom Cheney of the Senators, who recorded more when he punched out 21 Baltimore batters in a 16-inning game in 1962.

At Los Angeles, Lee May hits a 2-run homer in the 11th and the Reds beat the Dodgers, 4 – 3. For May, second in the National League to Willie McCovey (27) in dingers, it is his 23rd homer, matching his birth date and uniform number (his younger brother Carlos May will also have his birth date as his uniform number). Wayne Granger, the third Red pitcher in the 11th, stops the Dodger rally.

Clyde Wright pitches a no-hitter immediately after being inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame

Clyde Wright pitches a no-hitter immediately after being inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame

At Chicago’s Wrigley Field, Gene Alley and Roberto Clemente each hit two homers to help the visiting Bucs outlast their hosts, 16 – 14. This slugfest also numbers a game-tying, 2nd-inning grand slam by Chicago’s Billy Williams among its 8 homers and 70 total bases. Mother Nature, however, has to get a good deal of credit for the day’s offensive production; clearly, the “Windy City” has earned its sobriquet today. “It blew fourteen miles per hour toward center,” reports The Chicago Tribune, “prompting Clemente to all but apologize for his first homer.” “I just tapped the ball,” Clemente tells The Post-Gazette. “There was no way that ball should have gone out of here. The wind was blowing to left, to center, to right. Everywhere it was blowing, it was for the hitter.”

In Boston, a Carl Yastrzemski homer in the opener and an unearned run in the nitecap provide the Red Sox with 2 – 1 and 5 – 4 wins over Cleveland. In the second game, Indians reliever Dean Chance is told to remove a tiny flag pin on his cap by umpire Ed Runge in compliance with a rule prohibiting glass buttons and metal objects on uniforms because of their glare.

Mike Lum hits three homers as the Braves beat the Padres, 8 – 1, in the first game of a doubleheader. The Braves continue hitting in game two to win, 9 – 4.

In pregame ceremonies, California’s Clyde Wright is inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame for his pitching while at Carson-Newman College. He then hurls a 98-pitch no-hitteragainst Oakland, winning, 4 – 0, in one hour and 51 minutes. Reggie Jackson’s 400-foot shot to dead center in the 7th is caught.

Angels southpaw Clyde Wright no-hits the visiting A’s at Anaheim Stadium, 4-0. ‘Skeeter’ accomplishes the task in one hour and 51 minutes, needing to throw only 98 pitches.

Minnesota’s Tony Oliva hits three solo home runs during a 7 – 6 loss at Kansas City.

Brothers Gaylord Perry (Indians) and Jim Perry (Tigers) pitch against each other for the only time in their careers. Neither finishes the game, but Gaylord is charged with the 5 – 4 loss. Two Norm Cash home runs help Detroit.

After waiting three hours to begin the game due to rain, the Reds beat San Francisco at Riverfront Stadium, 6-3

After waiting three hours to begin the game due to rain, the Reds beat San Francisco at Riverfront Stadium, 6-3

Jim Perry 1961

Brothers Gaylord and Jim Perry face each other for the only time in their careers

Pitching in his major league-record 13th consecutive game for the Dodgers, Mike Marshall saves Tommy John’s 4 – 1 win over the Reds in the first game of a doubleheader. Marshall will get a rest in the second game, but will pitch in a record 106 games this year.

Fred Lynn’s second error of the game allows the Brewers to score in the 10th. The 3 – 2 win lifts the Brewers into a tie with Boston in the American League East. But Milwaukee will fall flat in August and slide to a 5th-place finish.

The Tigers’ rookie sensation Mark Fidrych shuts out the Orioles, 4 – 0, for his 8th straight victory.

On his 24th birthday, Angel Frank Tanana records his 14th straight complete game in beating the A’s, 6 – 4, and raising his record to 12-5. His overworked arm will plague him for the rest of the season, and he will wind up 15-9.

Ron Guidry scatters six hits and tosses his second consecutive shutout, a 2 – 0 Yankee win over Detroit. Roy White breaks the scoreless game with a double in the 8th inning.

In an 11 – 7 win over the Padres, Phillies 3B Mike Schmidt hits an inside-the-park homer, the second of his career. He’ll hit one more, in 1982.

On his 24th birthday, Angel left-hander Frank Tanana tosses his 14th consecutive complete game with his 6-4 victory over Oakland at Anaheim Stadium. The win improves the southpaw’s record to 12-5, but he will finish the season at only 15-9, due to a ‘tired’ arm.

At Fenway Park, Carl Yastrzemski strokes a run-scoring double in the 3rd, his 2,800th career hit, as the Sox pummel the Yankees, 9 – 5. Yaz adds two singles in Boston’s 12-hit attack, as Dennis Eckersley (9-2) tops Ed Figueroa. The win moves Boston ahead of 2nd-place Milwaukee by 7 1/2 games with New York now trailing by eight games.

The major leagues’ largest crowd in seven years (73,096) watches Wayne Garland 2-hit the Yankees, 7 – 0, at Cleveland Stadium.

Ken Landreaux ties the modern major-league record with three triples in Minnesota’s 10 – 3 win over Texas. Doug Flynn will match it in a month.

The Tulsa Drillers score three runs on a fly out in a 7 – 1 win over the Jackson Mets. With the bases loaded, Ron Gooch flies out to Archie Amerson. Amerson’s throw home to get Mike Jirschele is off-target and the ball bounces away from C Stan Hough as Jirschele and George Wright score. Jackson pitcher Tom Thurberg recovers the ball but his throw is wild as well and hits on-deck batsman Phil Klimas. Mel Barrow charges home with the third run of the play, having legged it from first base.

A County Stadium-record crowd of 55,716 watches the Brewers shut out the Red Sox, 7 – 0, to move into a first-place tie with Boston in the AL East.

The Rangers explode for 12 runs in the 15th inning of a 16 – 4 win over the A’s, setting a new major-league record for runs in a single extra inning. Reserve Bobby Jones has five hits in the game, including two doubles in the 15th. Dave Beard is the loser for Oakland, while Odell Jones is the victor.

At Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the Rangers score 12 times in the 15th inning, making it the most runs scored by a team in extra innings. Texas beats the A’s in the previously tied game, 16-4.

During “Dick Howser Day” at Royals Stadium, the former manager’s uniform number 10 is retired and the skipper is inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame.

Hitting just .212, Astros SS Dickie Thon bolts from the team. Thon has never fully recovered from a 1984 beaning that left him with blurred vision. An angry Astros General Manager Dick Wagner will put Thon on the disqualified list and he will not play for the rest of the year. Thon will become a free agent in November.

Paul Splittorff, the team’s all-time leader in victories, is inducted into the Royals’ Hall of Fame, along with late manager Dick Howser and infielder Cookie Rojas. The slender southpaw was the first player selected by the franchise to appear on its major league roster.

On ‘Dick Howser Day’ at Royals Stadium, the former manager, who died last month from brain cancer, is inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame. The club honors their late former manager (1981-86), by retiring his uniform number 10, the first digits retired in the history of the franchise.

Oakland P Gene Nelson steals a base while pinch running for Don Baylor in a 9 – 8, 16-inning win over Toronto, becoming the first American League pitcher to steal a base since John “Blue Moon” Odom in 1973. Jose Canseco’s three home runs are not quite enough, and the game is not decided until Mark McGwire connects in the 16th inning to end it. McGwire will hit another 16th-inning home run tomorrow.

Cleveland sends washout speedster Alex Cole (.206 with nine stolen bases) to the Pirates for Tony Mitchell and John Carter. For Cole, it is his fourth team in three years. He’ll vacate Pittsburgh for the Rockies after the season.

Dodgers P Pedro Astacio makes an impressive major league debut with a three-hit, 2 – 0 shutout of the Phillies in the second game of a doubleheader. Astacio fans 10 Phils while walking 4. The Dodgers also take the opener, 5 – 1, with Bob Ojeda topping Curt Schilling.

Detroit’s Cecil Fielder becomes the third player in history to homer onto the left field roof at Tiger Stadium, doing so in the Tigers’ 11 – 5 loss to the Rangers. Harmon Killebrew and Frank Howard are the only other players to accomplish the feat.

Don Drysdale

Hall of Famer Don Drysdale dies from a heart attack

Athletics P Bobby Witt hurls his third consecutive shutout, defeating the Red Sox, 10 – 0, on a six-hitter.

The Indians retire Larry Doby’s uniform number, 47 years after he broke the American League color line.

The Mets’ Rico Brogna breaks up Andy Benes’s no-hit bid with a double in the 8th inning. The Padres win, 7 – 0, as Benes fans 13 and walks only one in his one-hitter. He also drives home three runs with a double of his own.

Colorado downs Houston by a score of 15 – 10 at Coors Field. The Rockies’ attack is led by 1B Andres Galarraga, who strokes three singles, a double, and two home runs, while driving home five runs and scoring four. The victory moves Colorado one game ahead of the idle Dodgers for first place in the National League West.

The Cardinals shut out the Expos, 6 – 0, behind the combined one-hit pitching of Mike Morgan and Jeff Parrett. Wil Cordero’s single is Montreal’s only hit.

In a slugfest at Coors Field, Andres Galarraga enjoys a 6-for-6 performance at the plate when the Rockies bang out 21 hits. The first baseman’s offensive output, which includes two homers and five RBIs, contributes to Colorado’s 15-10 victory over Houston.

The Mets defeat the Phillies, 10 – 6, as rookie OF Alex Ochoa leads the way by going 5 for 5 and hitting for the cycle.

In Atlanta’s 3 – 1 win over the Expos, Montreal first baseman David Segui fractures his left thumb when pitcher Ugueth Urbina fires over to first base and hits his teammate. Henry Rodriguez takes over at 1B.

The Yankees sign Venezuelan Jackson Melian, just turned 16, to a contract for $1.6 million. His bonus is a record for Latino ball players. Melian will fail to make the majors.

The Mets trade P John Hudek to the Reds in exchange for OF Lenny Harris.

Manny Ramirez’s two home runs are Cleveland’s only hits against Kansas City pitcher Jose Rosado, but they’re enough to give the Tribe a 2 – 1 win over the Royals.

The Rockies defeat the Padres, 12 – 10, in the first game of a doubleheader, ending San Diego’s 14-game winning streak. The win also stops Colorado’s 9-game losing streak. The Rockies also take the second game, 8 – 6.

Before the game against San Francisco, Dodgers players gather in their bullpen and burn the white caps the club adopted in spring training along with other equipment. It doesn’t work as Los Angeles loses, 9 – 1, for their 6th straight loss.

The Phillies defeat the Cubs, 21 – 8, scoring eight runs in the 1st inning and seven more with two outs in the 4th. 2B Marlon Anderson gets five hits for Philadelphia, including a home run off 3B Gary Gaetti, who is forced into mound duty for Chicago.

Milwaukee defeats Pittsburgh, 9 – 4, as 3B Jeff Cirillo strokes five hits, including a double and home run, and drives home three runs.

The Red Sox beat the Twins, 11 – 8, hitting four home runs and scoring nine runs in the 4th inning.

The Marlins defeat the Mets, 2 – 0, on Derrek Lee’s two-run homer in the 9th, off Turk Wendell. Jesus Sanchez, 0-6 versus New York, is the winner. The loss ends C Mike Piazza’s streak of 15 consecutive games with an RBI, two short of the major league mark.

The White Sox outslug the Royals, 14 – 10, scoring eight runs in the 5th inning. Chicago becomes the first team since the 1984 Detroit Tigers to win 12 straight games on the road.

Rockies OF Ron Gant is traded to the A’s in exchange for OF Robin Jennings.

Pawtucket’s Izzy Alcantara makes every sports show in the country when he reacts to an inside pitch by drop-kicking Scranton/Wilkes-Barre C Jeremy Salazer and then charging the mound. Izzy’s Bruce Lee impression will earn him a seven-game suspension and get him dropped from the International League All-Star Game. The Sox will call up the slugger on September 1st.

The Braves score 8 runs in the 7th inning on their way to a 14 – 7 victory over the Phillies. Chipper Jones goes 4 for 4 in the contest and scores 5 runs.

The Padres tie a National League record, hitting four sacrifice flies in one game. The last one, lifted by shortstop D’Angelo Jimenez in the sixth inning, gives the Friars a 6-5 victory over Colorado at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium.

Indian first baseman Jim Thome, in the team’s 11-8 loss at Yankees Stadium, homers in his seventh consecutive game. The seventh-inning solo shot, off southpaw David Wells, leaves the Indians’ slugger one shy of the major league record shared by Dale Long (1956, Pirates), Don Mattingly (Yankees, 1987), and Ken Griffey, Jr. (1993, Mariners).

During the fireworks display at Pawtucket’s McCoy Stadium, two shells misfire and land in the stands. Injuries include four or five employees of the fire company with minor burns and some fans who are injured when they stumble trying to escape from the mishap.

During the fireworks display at Pawtucket’s McCoy Stadium, two shells misfire, landing in the stands. Four or five employees of the Telstar Display Fireworks suffer minor burns, and some fans are injured when they stumble trying to escape from the mishap.

Albert Pujols, the major league home run leader, hits his fourth grand slam of the year, a team record, as the Cardinals dispose of the Reds, 7 – 4. He now has 350 career dingers, becoming the third-youngest to reach the mark, after Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr.

Manny Ramirez, back from his 50-game suspension, goes 0 for 3 with a walk, but the Dodgers beat San Diego, 6 – 3. Los Angeles scores 5 runs in the 1st, taking advantage of ManRam’s walk and of two throwing errors. Hiroki Kuroda is the winner against Chad Gaudin.

The Yankees score all 11 of their runs in the 3rd inning as they defeat the Blue Jays, 11 – 3. Brett Gardner hits his first career grand slam in the outburst.

The Diamondbacks provide new manager Kirk Gibson with a vivid display of why they are in last place in the NL West, committing a team record 6 errors in a 14 – 1 loss to the Dodgers, Gibson’s first as a manager. But the most egregious error is courtesy of the winners: in the 2nd inning, Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw is caught going the wrong way on the bases. Standing at first base after an error by Tony Abreu, he goes past second base on a long drive by Rafael Furcal. Thinking CF Chris Young made the catch, he retreats to first base, only to be passed by Furcal, who correctly saw that Young dropped the ball and is running all out. Furcal is out for passing a preceding runner, losing credit for a potential triple.

Harmon Killebrew falls off the top 10 home run list as Jim Thome goes deep twice for the Twins to give Thome 574 dingers in the big leagues.

Rosters for the 2011 All-Star Game, to be played July 12th in Phoenix, AZ, are announced. Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista leads all vote-getters with 7.4 million votes, the most-ever in All-Star balloting. Left off the roster is Ichiro Suzuki, ending a streak of 10 straight appearances in the mid-summer classic.

Jose Bautista hits his 27th homer as the Blue Jays snap Cliff Lee’s streak of scoreless innings at 34 in beating the Phillies, 7 – 4. Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Eric Thames all connect off Lee in the 8th inning, after he had thrown shutouts in his three previous starts.

The Red Sox complete a three-game sweep of the Astros with a 2 – 1 win, courtesy of a 9th-inning bases-loaded walk to Kevin Youkilis, scoring pinch-hitter Drew Sutton, who had himself walked to start the inning. Josh Beckett fans 11 in 8 innings for the win.

Chipper Jones celebrates being named an All-Star in replacement of the injured Matt Kemp by going 5 for 5 with 4 RBI and 2 doubles in the Braves’ 10 – 3 win over the Cubs. The 40-year-old third baseman even steals his first base of the season.

The White Sox rout the Rangers, 19 – 2, behind the pitching of Chris Sale, who wins his 10th game of the year. The Sox score 9 runs in the 5th inning – 7 of them unearned -, capped by A.J. Pierzynski’s three-run homer.

The Brewers win a wild one, 13 – 12 over the Marlins in 10 innings. The Brewers manage to blow a 9 – 2 lead in the 7th and 8th innings, and the Marlins pull ahead on Jose Reyes’s solo homer in the top of the 10th. With two outs in the bottom of the same inning, Aramis Ramirez hits a two-run walk-off home run off embattled Marlins closer Heath Bell to give Milwaukee the win.

The Pirates move in to a surprising tie for first place with Cincinnati in the NL Central thanks to an 8 – 7 win over the Astros. Drew Sutton, playing for his third organization this year, hits a walk-off home run while Andrew McCutchen goes 3 for 4 with a homer to improve to .360, the best batting average in the majors.

Max Scherzer of the Tigers gets lucky number 13, a 6 – 2 win over the Blue Jays that improves his record to 13-0 on the year. It is the best start by a pitcher since Roger Clemens began the 1986 season 14-0.

Jeff Locke of the Pirates is not quite in the same universe, but still wins his 8th straight decision as the Bucs defeat the Phillies, 6 – 5. Locke lost his first start of the year before embarking on the streak. Andrew McCutchenreaches bases five times and scores twice for Pittsburgh.

In his final attempt to play major league baseball after being given a 100-game suspension in 2011 for taking performance-enhancing drugs, Manny Ramirez agrees to a minor league deal with the Rangers. After experiencing a lack of production due to his decreased bat speed while playing for the PCL’s Round Rock Express, the 41 year-old outfielder/DH will be released by Texas next month, effectively ending his controversial 19-year major league career with a lifetime .312 batting average.

Yasiel Puig becomes the first player to be named Player of the Month for the first month he plays in the major leagues in the 55-year history of the award. The Dodger outfielder played in 26 games in June, compiling a .436 batting average, with his 44 base hits being the second-most ever by a first-month player, only behind Joe DiMaggio’s total of 48 in 1936.

With the bases loaded and one out in the top of the 2nd inning, Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Gose hits a grounder to A’s 1B Nate Freiman. He attempts to start a double play by tagging runner Munenori Kawasaki and throwing home, but 1B umpire Vic Carapazza rules that Munenori avoided the tag and is safe, allowing C Stephen Vogt to benefit from a force out on Edwin Encarnacion at the plate. Things get odd when Blue Jays manager John Gibbons decides to challenge the call at first base, arguing his own baserunner was out, in order for Encarnacion’s run to stand. Gibbons wins the challenge, but A’s manager Bob Melvin wants to protest the game, claiming the video review rule was interpreted incorrectly, since Vogt’s failure to tag Encarnacion was a direct result of the original call. In the end, the run is inconsequential, as Oakland wins, 4 – 1, but Major League Baseball will have to reflect on whether the rule needs to be tweaked to address a similar situation in the future.

Nostalgic for the 1980s, Rays manager Joe Maddon proposes a starting line-up that goes 8-6-7-5-3-0 (for the DH spot)-9 in today’s game against the Tigers, reproducing the 1981 hit single “867-5309/Jenny” by Tommy Tutone. The line-up fails to be a hit, though, as the Rays lose, 8 – 1, to Max Scherzer. Maddon claims the line-up, which features Vince Belnome making his major league debut in the “0” slot, is inadvertent, but he embraces the coincidence as the namesake song is played in his team’s dugout.

Andrew Rector files a $10 million defamation suit in the Bronx Supreme Court against the Yankees, MLB, ESPN, and the broadcast’s play-by-play man Dan Shulman and commentator John Kruk. The 26 year-old used car salesman claims the commentary and photos of him at the April 13th nationally televised Red Sox game at Yankee Stadium showed him in a false light, damaged his reputation, and the fact that he was napping was not an issue of legitimate public concern.

Rays manager Joe Maddon, known for keeping his team loose throughout the long season by implementing fun and innovative ideas, uses Tommy Tutone’s song 867-53O9 Jenny as the inspiration for his lineup. The last-place team’s batting order against Detroit has the center fielder (8) leading off, followed by the shortstop (6), then the left fielder (7), with the third baseman (5) batting cleanup, and so on, leaving the second baseman and catcher to bat in the eighth and ninth position.

Major League Baseball celebrates military appreciation day by staging a game in Fort Bragg, NC, the nation’s largest military base. The Marlins defeat the Braves, 5 – 2 in a temporary 12,500 seat ballpark with no paid admission, as all spectators are active military members and their families. It’s the first major league game ever played in the state of North Carolina.

The first regular-season MLB game is played in North Carolina when the Marlins beat the Braves 5-4 at Fort Bragg. The contest, witnessed by 12,500 spectators made up of mostly current or former service personnel jammed into a temporary stadium constructed in a little less than four months, was staged on a military base to pay tribute to America’s Armed Forces.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reveals that Cuban-born umpire Angel Hernandez has sued Major League Baseball before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging racial discrimination that has resulted in his being passed over for prestigious postseason assignments and for promotion to the rank of crew chief. He points specifically to the appointment of Joe Torre, with whom he had run-ins when he was a manager, as MLB Vice-President for Baseball Operations in 2011 as a source of alleged poor treatment he has received.

The Rays win a wild game over the Marlins, 9 – 6. The score is tied at 4 through 15 innings when the Rays break through for 5 runs in the top of the 16th. Pitcher Vidal Nuno contributes to the rally with an RBI single, but injures his leg while running to first and has to be replaced by a pinch-runner, starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, who scores the final run. However, the Rays try to avoid using another pitcher for the bottom of the frame by calling back-up catcher Jesús Sucre to the mound. The Marlins manage to load the bases on three singles, none of them hit particularly hard, before Bryan Holaday hits a sacrifice fly. At that point Rays manager Kevin Cash has no choice but to bring in a real pitcher, Jose Alvarado, who allows another run to score on a ground out, then walks P Dan Straily, who is pinch-hitting for P Brett Graves. Cameron Maybin comes up to bat representing the tying run, but he grounds out to second to end the game, as Alvarado picks up an unusual save. At 5 hours and 31 minutes, it is the longest road game in Rays history.

2005 – Roger Clemens tosses seven shutout innings on his way to a 9-0 whitewash in Cincinnati for his 335th career win. He shrinks his ERA for the season to 1.41. Clemens adds two hits of his own including an RBI single. To top off his day, Roger is named to the All-Star team for the 11th time, his second as an Astro. Closer Brad Lidge is also named to represent Houston. Morgan Ensberg, who swats his 22nd homer, and Roy Oswalt are later added as injury replacements. 

1995 – Andres Galarraga of Colorado goes 6-for-6 with two homers and five RBIs as the Rockies take a 15-10 slugfest over Houston at Coors Field. Derek Bell and James Mouton go deep for the Astros but it’s not enough to offset the 21-hit assault of Colorado. 

1994 – Ken Caminiti slugs an inside-the-park homer while Craig Biggio and James Mouton belt the traditional kind as the Astros trap the Cubs, 12-6. Caminiti and Biggio are named to the N.L. All-Star team along with Jeff Bagwell, Doug Drabek and John Hudek(none as starters) to total a club-record five All-Stars in one season. 

1993 – Darryl Kile slams a home run and a double, as well as pitching a six-hit shutout, to subdue St. Louis, 6-0. The homer comes against Omar Olivares. Eric Anthony contributes a two-run shot while Ken Caminiti punches three hits. 

1971 – Jack Hiatt singles home Jim Wynn with the game-winner in a 4-3, 13-inning thriller over Cincinnati at the Dome. The two had also teamed up in the ninth to preserve the tie when Wynn snared a sinking liner in center field then gunned down Buddy Bradford at the plate with Hiatt supplying the tag.

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