This Day In Baseball July 4

Gehrig - luckiest man

 

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 July 4 in baseball history.

 

Notable Events and Chronology for July 4

The Mutuals‚ after a fine start‚ lose their fifth game in a row‚ to Eckford‚ 7-0. Only 2 hits are allowed by La “Phonney” Martin.

Chicago celebrates its return home after a 4-week eastern trip by defeating the league-leading Boston Red Stockings 17-16 before 10‚000 spectators. Pitcher George Zettlein bats in John Peters with the inning run in the 10th. Ross Barnes has 6 hits for the losers. And the end of today the Reds are (26-7); the A’s (20-9)‚ and the Mutes (15-13).

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On his birthday, Mickey Welch throws two complete game victories when Troy sweeps a doubleheader from the Bisons

In American Association action, Guy Hecker of the Louisville Eclipse pitches complete games to win both ends of a doubleheader. The Youngsville, Pennsylvania native does not walk a single batter as he beats the Brooklyn Atlantics, 5 – 4 and 8 – 2.

7/4/1892 – In the first game of a holiday double header in Chicago, the Giants catcher, Jack Boyle has hurt by a foul tip in the first inning and had to leave the game. The starting shortstop, Jack Doyle, who was batting in the number five spot took over as catcher while Abram Hardy Richardson went to short and hit in Boyle’s number seven slot. In the second game, Richardson and Doyle reversed with the former hitting fifth and the latter seventh. Apparently, they did not pick up on the switch because Doyle came up in the first with two outs and flied out. Richardson was called out since he was the proper batter. We do not know how it was pointed out the Doyle was out of order. The Colts had no reason to do it since Doyle had made an out. The umpire, Tom Lynch who had more than four years of experience might should not have acted on his own, but perhaps he did. According to the Chicago Tribune, Doyle batted first in the next inning. However, the proper batter to lead off once Richardson is ruled out is the number six hitter, Denny Lyons.

John McGraw becomes the first major leaguer to achieve a stolen base cycle when he swipes second base, third base, then home plate all during the same inning of the same game. The 26 year-old Orioles (NL) third baseman accomplishes the feat in the fourth frame of the team’s 5-4 victory over the Boston Beaneaters at Baltimore’s Union Park.

In Chicago, the Colts sweep Philadelphia, winning 10 – 4 and 5 – 4, in 12 innings. A number of fans fire pistols to celebrate the holiday but no injuries occur.

At Cincinnati, in the 3rd inning of the second game, Giants 1B Jack Doyle slugs ump Robert Emslie after being called out on a steal attempt. Fans jump from the stands as the two get into it and players finally separate the two fighters. Two policemen chase the fans back into the stands and then arrest Doyle and take him to the York Street station. He’ll be fined for the assault. The Reds lose the nitecap, 6 – 3, after winning the opener, 8 – 1.

Approximately one thousand people in the crowd of 10,000 fans attending the game at Chicago’s West Side Grounds celebrate Independence Day by firing pistols into the air. The Orphans shoot down the visiting the Philadelphia team in 12 innings, 5-4.

Jack Chesbro, the New York Highlanders spitballer, wins his 14th in a row, an American League record that will stand until Walter Johnson wins 16 straight in 1912. The A's lose both today, as the Highlanders sweep the three-game series.

Jack Chesbro, the New York Highlanders spitballer, wins his 14th in a row, an American League record that will stand until Walter Johnson wins 16 straight in 1912. The A’s lose both today, as the Highlanders sweep the three-game series.

At the Polo Grounds, the Giants sweep a doubleheader from the Phils to run their win streak to 18 games. New York wins the opener, 4 - 1, behind Dummy Taylor then take the nitecap, 11 - 3, behind Christy Mathewson. Matty leaves after seven innings, leading 11 - 1. The streak of 18 games matches one rung up by the 1885 White Stockings and the 1894 Baltimore Orioles; the record is 20 games, held by the 1884 Providence Grays.

At the Polo Grounds, the Giants sweep a doubleheader from the Phils to run their win streak to 18 games. New York wins the opener, 4 – 1, behind Dummy Taylor then take the nitecap, 11 – 3, behind Christy Mathewson. Matty leaves after seven innings, leading 11 – 1. The streak of 18 games matches one rung up by the 1885 White Stockings and the 1894 Baltimore Orioles; the record is 20 games, held by the 1884 Providence Grays.

In Pittsburgh, the Cubs and Pirates celebrate the holiday by racking up record nine triples in the afternoon end of a doubleheader. Pittsburgh has six of the triples and wins, 11 – 6. Chicago wins the morning game, 7 – 2.

The Cardinals trade INF Dave Brain to Pittsburgh for George McBride.

In an A.M.-P.M, doubleheader between Boston and Philadelphia, the A’s take the morning game, 5 – 2, using pitchers Eddie Plank, Andy Coakley and Rube Waddell on the mound to beat Jesse Tannehill. The afternoon contest proves a classic as Philadelphia’s Waddell bests Cy Young in a 20-inning marathon, when the Athletics prevail, 4 – 2. Boston outhits the A’s, 15 to 13, but the 38-year-old Young loses on an error, hit batsman and two hits. Young walks nobody in the 20 innings, while 1B Bob Unglaub records 31 putouts. Philadelphia C Ossee Schreckengost works 28 innings in one day, a major league record.

At the Baker Bowl, the Phillies split with the Giants, winning the first game, 2 – 0, as Jack Sutthoff outpitches Christy Mathewson. Sutthoff allows just three hits. Joe McGinnityearns the split in the nitecap with a 6 – 3 victory.

Bugs Raymond of the Charleston Sea Gulls (South Atlantic League), pitches the morning and afternoon games of a doubleheader, throwing a no-hitter in each game.

Rube Waddell beats Cy Young and the Americans, 4-2, when the A's score two runs in the 20th inning. Both of the future Hall of Fame hurlers go the distance in the Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds marathon.https://amzn.to/2lUkEmL

Rube Waddell beats Cy Young and the Americans, 4-2, when the A’s score two runs in the 20th inning. Both of the future Hall of Fame hurlers go the distance in the Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds marathon.https://amzn.to/2lUkEmL

The visiting Cubs and Pirates deal aces today with Chicago coming out on top in both games. Three Finger Brown beats Lefty Leifield, 1 – 0, in the lidlifter with both pitchers allowing just one hit. It is just the second double one-hitter in history, the first occurring on August 20, 1886. Lefty collects the only Buc shot while holding Chicago hitless until Jimmy Slagle’s safety in the 9th inning. Slagle scores on a sacrifice, error, and ground out. Brown will toss nine shutouts this year. In the second game, Carl Lundgren tosses another 1 – 0 shutout for Chicago, beating Vic Willis. When Brown and Leifield face off on September 6th, Brown will again allow just one hit.

Major league attendance for today’s holiday games has the American League with 75,000 and the National League at 68,000.

Lefthander Hooks Wiltse pitches a 10-inning no-hitter for the Giants over the Phillies, 1 – 0. He loses his bid for a perfect nine innings when, with two outs, he hits Phils P George McQuillan with a pitch on a 1 and 2 count. Umpire Charles Rigler calls the earlier pitch a ball, to the dismay of Hooks and the fans, who thought it a strike. Art Devlin scores the winner in the 10th after singling off McQuillan and coming around on two errors. New York wins the nitecap more easily, 9 – 3.

three fingers brown 1913

In Pittsburgh, an A.M.-P.M. doubleheader with the Cubs draws 50,000 fans. Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown wins the morning game, 2 – 0, for his 4th straight shutout. Ed Reulbach takes the afternoon affair, 9 – 3. The Cubs and Bucs play five games in three days with the Cubs winning three: Brown cops 2, tossing two shutouts – a six-hitter and a two-hitter.

In the morning game between Chicago and Detroit, Ed Walsh stops Ty Cobb’s 40-game hitting streak, as the White Sox win, 7 – 3. Cobb has hit .491 since the skein started on May 15th.

In the first game of two in Chicago, Wildfire Schulte, hits a 3rd-inning grand slam off Bobby Keefe to lead the Cubs to an 8 – 3 win over the Reds. Reggie Richter is the victor. The second game ends at 2 – 2 after ten innings.

Armando Marsans and Rafael Almeida become the first Cuban natives to appear in a major league game as they both make their debut for the Reds. Steve Bellan had played in the National Association previously and had been born in Cuba when it was a Spanish colony; if one considers the NA a major league, Bellan has a claim as the first Cuban player.

The Phillies mug the Giants, 7 – 5, literally knocking New York P Doc Crandall out of the box, when he is hit with a line drive by Red Dooin. Doc gets relief from Rube Marquard, but Pete Alexander picks up the win. Fred Luderus strokes two homers for the Quakers.

The Brooklyn Dodgers end the New York Giants’ win streak of 16 games by sweeping a doubleheader, 10 – 3 and 5 – 2. The Dodgers take the a.m. game, cuffing Christy Mathewson for five runs on five hits in three innings. Hooks Wiltse is the loser in the afternoon contest, but the Giants are still in the lead by 14 1/2 games.

Three weeks after the Tigers ask waivers on George Mullin, he pitches himself a 32nd birthday present at Detroit, a 7 – 0 no-hitter over the Browns. Mullin helps his victory with three hits and two RBIs. In the morning game, a 9 – 3 Detroit win, Ty Cobb steals second, third base and home in the 5th inning against the battery of George Baumgardner and Paul Krichell. Cobb has stolen home five times this season; this is his first swipe of home in his last eight successes that didn’t occur in the 1st inning.

Boston’s Smoky Joe Wood suffers his worst loss of the year, a 16 – 4 shellacking at the hands of the Athletics. Eddie Plank beats Wood, who will finish the year at 34-5. Wood will win his next start on July 8th, the first of 16 in a row.

Tiger pitcher George Mullin celebrates the nation’s birthday and his own by throwing a no-hitter against the St. Louis Browns. In addition to his excellent pitching, the 32 year-old also collected three hits and drove in two runs during the 7-0 victory.

Red Sox pitcher Smoky Joe Wood smokes two doubles in the 4th inning against the A’s, setting a record for pitchers.

The Robins drum the Braves, sweeping a doubleheader, 7 – 5 in 11 innings and 4 – 3 in the nitecap. The nitecap is especially hard fought: Lefty Tyler plunks Dodger SS Ollie O’Mara on the neck and when Jake Daubertcrosses the plate with the winning run in the 9th, he collides with Braves C Hank Gowdy and is knocked unconscious. Boston (26-40) is 10 1/2 games in back of New York.

At the Polo Grounds, the Giants sweep an A.M.-P.M. twinbill from the Phils, winning 5 – 4 and 3 – 0. Christy Mathewson, in winning the shutout, records his 350th victory.

Turnabout is fair play. The Pittfeds sweep a pair from Baltimore, winning 5 – 1 and 8 – 7. In the 8th inning of the opener, Pitt SS Ed Holly nabs Harvey Russell with the hidden ball trick. Baltimore’s Otto Knabe pulled it against Pittsburgh five weeks ago.

7/4/1914 – In the second game of a doubleheader at Pittsburgh, the Baltimore Terrapins of the Federal League batted out of order. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Fred Jacklitsch replaced catcher Harvey Russell after two outs were made by the Pittsburgh Rebels. He entered the game in the eighth batting spot. When the tenth inning started, the seventh place hitter was due up but Jacklitsch went to the plate and singled. However, the Rebels told the umpire of the error and the proper batter, Mickey Doolan, was called out. Jacklitsch then batted in his proper spot and grounded out to first. Pittsburgh won the game in the bottom of the tenth, 8-7.

Joe Jackson goes 3 for 5 against the Athletics. In 30 games since May 31st, he has hit 55 for 104, a .524 batting average.

Joe Jackson goes 3 for 5 against the Athletics. In 30 games since May 31st, he has hit 55 for 104, a .524 batting average.

Edd Roush sets a major league record for outfielders (later topped in the AL by Ben Chapman) by making 6 straight putouts

Edd Roush sets a major league record for outfielders (later topped in the AL by Ben Chapman) by making 6 straight putouts

7/4/1921 – In the first game of the holiday twin bill in Chicago, the Reds managed to bat in the wrong order twice in the first three innings. Pat Moran, the Reds manager, thought he had put Ivey Wingo in the number five spot, but he was eighth on the official lineup card. In the second inning, he batted fifth and struck out for the first out, so the Cubs naturally did not object. The next batter should have been the pitcher in the number nine spot, but not surprisingly, Greasy Neale, the true number five hitter, hit next and drew a walk. The Cubs protested, and after some consultation, Neale was called out although it should have been the pitcher Dolf Luque. Pat Duncan, the number six hitter in the order batted next although if the rule had been applied correctly, the lead off hitter should have come to bat. Duncan fanned for the third out. The number seven hitter correctly started the third, and he also struck out. That meant Wingo was the proper batter, but Luque hit next and singled. The Cubs again protested. Bill Klem, the home plate umpire called Luque out and ordered the lead off hitter to bat. So even a Hall of Fame ump did not understand the rule, which was not applied correctly in the second inning. This time the other ump, Bob Emslie, talked to Klem and they got it right by calling Wingo out and having Luque bat again. He again singled so he was able to get two hits, one of which did not count, in one at bat. The Reds batted in the correct order after the third.

Phils SS Heinie Sand handles 18 chances against the Giants, falling one short of Danny Richardson's record set on June 20, 1892.

Phils SS Heinie Sand handles 18 chances against the Giants, falling one short of Danny Richardson’s record set on June 20, 1892.

Herb Pennock locks up with Lefty Grove in 15 inning duel

Herb Pennock locks up with Lefty Grove in 15 inning duel

Ray Schalk resigns as White Sox manager; Lena Blackburne replaces him. Blackburne will last one year and in 1930 will start selling his Rubbing Mud from the Delaware River to the American League to use to take the shine off of baseballs. The National League will adopt it in the 1950s.

A brawl breaks out in the 3rd inning of a game between the St. Paul Saints and the Minneapolis Millers in the American Association. The Millers’ Hughie McMullen grounds out to first base, and spikes P Huck Betts, who is covering the bag. Betts replies by firing the ball at McMullen’s head in retaliation, but misses him; however, reserve infielder Sam Bohne, who is coaching at first base, enters the fray by punching Betts, and both dugoutsempty and a free-for-all ensues. Reporter George Barton describes it as “the most vicious affair ever witnessed at Nicollet Park.”

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Buzz Arlett slugs four homers in one game for the second time in the season

Dugdale Park in Seattle burns down after a 4th of July celebration. The cause is arson. Sicks Stadium will be built on the site and open in 1938.

Bill Dickey punches and breaks Carl Reynolds's jaw

Bill Dickey punches and breaks Carl Reynolds’s jaw

The Washington Senators widen their lead over the 2nd-place Yankees to 2 1/2 games with a double-bill win before 77,365 holiday fans at Yankee Stadium, 6 - 5 in 10 innings and 3 - 2.

The Washington Senators widen their lead over the 2nd-place Yankees to 2 1/2 games with a double-bill win before 77,365 holiday fans at Yankee Stadium, 6 – 5 in 10 innings and 3 – 2.

After the finish of the holiday doubleheaders by all the teams, the Giants, by winning two from the Braves at the Polo Grounds, have a clear lead. They are 3 1/2 games ahead of the Cubs and 4 1/2 in front of the Cardinals. In the American League, the race has seesawed between the Yankees and Detroit with New York only one game ahead. The improved Red Sox are 6 1/2 behind, and Washington, last year’s winner, seven back and dropping fast.

When Dodgers manager Casey Stengel comes out to the mound to remove P Boom-Boom Beck from the game in Philadelphia’s Baker Bowl, the frustrated Beck turns and fires the ball at the tin wall in right field. Dodgers OF Hack Wilson, not paying attention to the happenings, hears the ball, hurries to retrieve it, and fires a strike to second base to prevent the imaginary runner from advancing.

In a Negro National League game, Satchel Paige pitches a 4 – 0 no-hitter for the Pittsburgh Crawfords against the Homestead Grays in Pittsburgh, with only a walk and an error spoiling a perfect game. He strikes out 17. Josh Gibson is his catcher, the only time in Negro league history in which battery-mates in a no-hitter are both members of the Hall of Fame, something which has never happened in the white majors. Legend claims that Paige then drives to Chicago to shut out the Chicago American Giants, 1 – 0, in 12 innings, giving him two shutouts in two different cities in the same day, but the claim has since been disproved. The no-hitter, however, is documented.

The Cardinals move into second place with a twin win over the Cubs, but the Giants hold a 9-game lead at the season’s midpoint.

Due to his ‘wandering’ ball, Iola hurler Harold Liell, a 5′ 6 1/2″, 155-pounder with pigeon-toed feet, is called up for a tryout with the Kansas City Blues. The K.C. manager Dutch Zwilling is impressed with the young southpaw’s performance, but advises the Greeley, Kansas lad to get more experience, suggesting he play in the Ban Johnson League.

The Phillies move into Shibe Park by splitting a twin bill with the Boston Bees, losing the first game, 10-5, and winning the nightcap, 10-2. The National League franchise decided to abandoned the Baker Bowl in the middle of the season to rent the newer and more spacious home of the A's, citing the move to the ballpark, which is only five blocks away from where the team formerly played, will help cut expenses as stadium upkeep can be shared between the two clubs.

The Phillies move into Shibe Park by splitting a twin bill with the Boston Bees, losing the first game, 10-5, and winning the nightcap, 10-2. The National League franchise decided to abandoned the Baker Bowl in the middle of the season to rent the newer and more spacious home of the A’s, citing the move to the ballpark, which is only five blocks away from where the team formerly played, will help cut expenses as stadium upkeep can be shared between the two clubs.

Lou Gehrig's rumber retired at Yankee Stadium

Lou Gehrig’s rumber retired at Yankee Stadium

Boston Red Sox third baseman Jim Tabor slugs two grand slams in a 17-7 win over the Philadelphia A’s

Boston Red Sox third baseman Jim Tabor slugs two grand slams in a 17-7 win over the Philadelphia A’s

Ab Wright of Minneapolis (American Association) follows one home run in a morning game of a holiday doubleheader with four home runs and a triple – 19 total bases – against St. Paul.

In the 8th inning of an 8 – 4 Negro National League victory over the Newark Eagles at Yankee Stadium, Baltimore Elite Giants spitball ace Bill Byrd beans Eagles manager Willie Wells. Wells is carried from the field, and the incident causes him to design a batting helmet. When he steps into the batter’s box in a few days, he will be wearing a modified construction worker’s hardhat.

Baltimore's Oriole Park, erected in 1914 for the Federal League, burns down. The Orioles moves to the city's unroofed Venable Stadium. It will be used this way until a second tier is added and the ballpark is re-named "Memorial Stadium" when the St. Louis Browns move in for the 1954 season.

Baltimore’s Oriole Park, erected in 1914 for the Federal League, burns down. The Orioles moves to the city’s unroofed Venable Stadium. It will be used this way until a second tier is added and the ballpark is re-named “Memorial Stadium” when the St. Louis Browns move in for the 1954 season.

Ted Williams faces three pitchers in the 7th inning, a first in American League history

Ted Williams faces three pitchers in the 7th inning, a first in American League history

Led by Roy Campanella's first two major league homers, the host Dodgers edge the Giants, 13 - 12, in a wild game lasting 3 1/2 hours. 37 players see action, 20 by Brooklyn, as both teams score four times in the 9th.

Led by Roy Campanella’s first two major league homers, the host Dodgers edge the Giants, 13 – 12, in a wild game lasting 3 1/2 hours. 37 players see action, 20 by Brooklyn, as both teams score four times in the 9th.

Braves rookie Johnny Antonelli, 18, makes his debut in the 8th inning of a 7 – 2 loss to the Phils, giving up one run on two hits. The Phils also win game two of the doubleheader.

The Dodgers increase their lead to two games over the Cardinals by winning the twin bill from the Phillies while the Redbirds, with Max Lanier dropping his first start since reinstatement, divide with the Cubs.

Sid Gordon ties themlb record for season grand slams with four

Sid Gordon ties themlb record for season grand slams with four

Fan gets shot at Giants game

Fan gets shot at Giants game

In a wild doubleheader featuring a double ejection of manager Charlie Dressen, the first-place Dodgers sweep the Giants, winning 6 - 5 in 11 innings, and 4 - 2. The Dodgers drive out Sal Maglie in the opener after the Giants build a lead on homers by Don Mueller and Willie Mays. Brooklyn counters in the 8th with a pinch homer by Roy Campanella, a homer by Pee Wee Reese, and a tying single from Gil Hodges. Bobby Thomson's homer in the 11th puts the Giants ahead by one, but Preacher Roe wins it with a squeeze bunt. Ralph Branca wins the nitecap with homer help from Hodges and Duke Snider. Dressen is tossed in the 2nd inning of the second game for protesting pitch calls; after he takes a seat behind the dugout umpire Scotty Robb tosses him a second time. The victories put Brooklyn 6 1/2 games up.

In a wild doubleheader featuring a double ejection of manager Charlie Dressen, the first-place Dodgers sweep the Giants, winning 6 – 5 in 11 innings, and 4 – 2. The Dodgers drive out Sal Maglie in the opener after the Giants build a lead on homers by Don Mueller and Willie Mays. Brooklyn counters in the 8th with a pinch homer by Roy Campanella, a homer by Pee Wee Reese, and a tying single from Gil Hodges. Bobby Thomson’s homer in the 11th puts the Giants ahead by one, but Preacher Roe wins it with a squeeze bunt. Ralph Branca wins the nitecap with homer help from Hodges and Duke Snider. Dressen is tossed in the 2nd inning of the second game for protesting pitch calls; after he takes a seat behind the dugout umpire Scotty Robb tosses him a second time. The victories put Brooklyn 6 1/2 games up.

Indians Mike Garcia, Ray Narleski and Early Wynn (in a rare relief role) shut down the White Sox, 2 – 1, only allowing Minnie Minoso’s 9th-inning single.

George Crowe of the Redlegs goes 5 for 5 against his old Braves teammates, but Milwaukee wins, 10 - 7.

George Crowe of the Redlegs goes 5 for 5 against his old Braves teammates, but Milwaukee wins, 10 – 7.

yankee-pitcher-bob-turley-turns-in-another-one-hit-masterpiece-at-washington-a-lazy-fly-in-the-9th-by-pinch-hitter-julio-becquer-drops-in-front-of-lf-norm

Yankee pitcher Bob Turley turns in another one hit masterpiece at Washington. A lazy fly in the 9th by pinch-hitter Julio Becquer drops in front of LF Norm Siebern for the only Senator safety. SS Tony Kubek goes 8 for 10 in the doubleheader, as the Yanks sweep, 10 – 6 and 7 – 0.

Mickey Mantle’s three-run 1st-inning home run off Hal Woodeshick is the 300th of his career. Mantle becomes the 18th player to join the 300 club, but the Yankees drop a 9 – 8 decision to Washington.

At Chicago, the Giants roll to a 19 – 3 win in the first game, collecting 22 hits including a homer by Orlando Cepeda that is one of the longest in Wrigley Field history. The Cubs come back in the nitecap to win, 3 – 2, overcoming Willie Mays’s 300th homer.

Harmon Killebrew tags the longest homer in Memorial Stadium

Harmon Killebrew’s hits his only career inside-the-park homer

Before 74,246 – the largest crowd at Yankee Stadium since 1947 – the Yankees split with the Tigers, winning the opener 6 – 2, before losing 4 – 3 in 10 innings.

Johnny Antonelli returns to the Braves as the Indians sell the veteran back to where he started as an 18-year-old pitcher.

The San Francisco Giants sign Santa Clara College P Bob Garibaldi for a $150,000 bonus.

The Angels win for the 14th time in 20 games and move into first place by sweeping Washington, 4 – 2 and 4 – 1 in D.C.

Manny Jimenez, who went the entire 1963 season without a home run, hits 3, and goes 4 for 4 for Kansas City against Baltimore. The game ends in a 6 – 6 tie when halted by a special curfew so a fireworks display can take place in Baltimore.

Kansas City’s Manny Jimenez, who didn’t homer in 1963, connects for three in a 6-6 tie with the Orioles. The game is stopped by a special Baltimore curfew to permit a fireworks show to take place.

Tony C lifts Red Sox over Yankees

Tony C lifts Red Sox over Yankees

Ron Santo sets a modern-day Cubs record when he hits in his 28th straight game, as the Cubs lose the opener to the Pirates, 7 – 5. The Cubs win the nightcap 6 – 4, but Santo is held hitless. In between the first and second game of the streak, the opener of a twinbill on June 1st, Santo had no official at-bats. He received four walks and was hit by a pitch. The day before, however, he was 1 for 3, which counts as the actual start of the streak.

The Mets end a 19-game losing streak to Juan Marichal with their first win against the Dominican Dandy, 8 – 7. Marichal’s win streak started in 1962. Jack Fisher is the winning pitcher.

In Minnesota, Mudcat Grant stops the Yankees to give the Twins an 8 – 3 victory. Mickey Mantle drives in all three New York runs with two homers.

Philadelphia C Clay Dalrymple collects six walks in a 19-inning doubleheader against the Astros. The Phillies win the first, 9 – 0, and take the nightcap, 4 – 3, in 11 innings.

Opposing his younger brother, Joe, Phil Niekro goes the distance to get the victory when the Braves beat the Cubs at Atlanta Stadium, 8-3. Joining Jesse and Virgil Barnes, who face one another five times as starters in the 1920’s, the Niekros become the second pair of siblings to start in the same major league game.

The Dodgers take first place in the National League West by sweeping a doubleheader against the Braves in Los Angeles, winning 6 – 7 and 7 – 3.

At Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium, Bob Oliver becomes the first player in Royals history to hit a grand slam. The center fielder’s eighth-inning blast comes off Jim Bouton of the Pilots in an eventual 13-2 KC victory.

In the opener of a twin bill between Pittsburgh and Chicago, Roberto Clemente hits his 3rd and 4th Wrigley Field round-trippers in two games. The first blast puts Pittsburgh up, 2 – 1, in the 3rd, and the last provides the Pirates’ final two runs in the 10 – 6 win. With Clemente resting in the second game, the Cubs salvage the split, 7 – 2, behind Milt Pappas, with Pittsburgh falling half a game behind division-leading New York.

The Cards send three pinch hitters to the plate in the 8th inning and all three strike out. Steve Renko of the Expos fans 10 in the game, including Jim Beauchamp, Vic Davalillo and Leron Lee in the 8th, to give Montreal an 8 – 0 win.

Brothers Billy and Tony Conigliaro both hit home runs in the Red Sox’s 5-1 victory over the Tribe at Fenway Park. The Boston outfielders become the eighth different set of siblings to have homered in the same game, a feat which has occurred only 13 times in major league history.

Backed by a pair of homers. Mike Cuellar wins his 10th straight for the first-place O’s, beating Detroit’s Joe Coleman, 3 – 2.

Leron Lee singles in the 9th to break up Tom Seaver’s no-hitter, but the Mets shut out the Padres, 2 – 0, in the opener. Seaver strikes out 11. The Pads take the nitecap, 4 – 2, as Nate Colbert hits his 16th homer.

Denny McLain makes his National League debut in the second game of a twinbill with the Cubs, called in the 8th inning because of rain. McLain gets no decision in the 3 – 3 tie, but receives a standing ovation at the end from the crowd of 50,597. Atlanta wins the opener, 5 – 1, as Ron Reed beats Juan Pizarro. Paul Casanova’s first National League homer and Mike Lum’s three-run homer in the 7th account for four runs.

Before 45,000 Twins fans, Eddie Bane, the top collegiate pitcher this year and Minnesota’s top draft pick, makes his major league debut against the Royals. Bane pitches well for seven innings, but the Royals emerge with a 5 – 4 win, beating reliever Ray Corbin. Bane will finish the season 0-5.

The Orioles win their third come-from-behind win over the Brewers, this time scoring 10 runs in the last three innings to win, 10 – 7.

 Toby Harrah’s 3rd-inning homer is the only hit for Texas, as Bert Blyleven and the Twins win, 3 – 1.

Tim McCarver

Tim McCarver losses grand slam when he passes teammate Garry Maddox on the basepaths

The Boston Red Sox end their nine-game losing streak by walloping a major league-record – since topped – eight home runs, in beating Toronto, 9 – 6 at Fenway Park. Seven of the homers are solo shots, another record. Four home runs (by Fred Lynn, Jim Rice, Carl Yastrzemski and George Scott) come in the 8th inning. Only Scott’s is not consecutive. Lynn and Scott each hit two, while Rice, Yaz, Butch Hobson and Bernie Carbo have one apiece. The Sox’s previous high for homers was six and they won’t top that number until 1999.

In the first game of a doubleheader, Chicago outfielder Larry Biittner pitches the last 1 1/3 innings for the Cubs, striking out 3. That’s the good news. The bad news is he allows six earned runs on five hits and a walk as the Expos crush the Cubs, 19 – 3. Two of the three K’s are of the opposing pitcher, Jackie Brown, and the last is Larry Parrish, who had earlier homered on a 1-2 pitch from his former teammate. Biittner also serves up homers to Ellis Valentine and Andre Dawson, each of whom have five ribbies. Biittner is later fined $50 by the National League for throwing a “brush-back” pitch after surrendering the three home runs, but a collection is taken up to pay for his shave. Further bad news for the Cubs in the nitecap is that Bruce Sutter is knocked out for the first time this year, and a massive knot beneath his right shoulder will keep him out of the All-Star Game. The Cubs also lose that game, 7 – 6.

New York stays a game ahead of the Red Sox by edging Cleveland, 7 – 5. The Yankees get home runs from Chris Chambliss, Roy White, Lou Piniella and Graig Nettles.

After eight straight hits, Ron Cey is called out on strikes in the 9th in a 4 – 0 Dodgers win over San Francisco. Cey had five hits the day before and three straight today.

In the bottom of the sixth at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, 22 year-old Tiger phenom Mark Fidrych gets two quick ground ball outs, before giving up six runs on six consecutive hits and an intentional walk. ‘The Bird’, last year’s Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award runner-up, who has already won 6 of 8 decisions this season, appears to lose all of his effectiveness after throwing a pitch with an unusual motion, and will win only four more games before retiring in 1980 after compiling a 25-11 record before this start.

The Phillies’ Steve Carlton shuts out the Mets, 1 – 0, on a one-hitter, but the Phils manage to lose three other hurlers on the same day: Larry Christenson pulls a groin muscle, Dick Ruthven goes on the disabled list, and Randy Lerch fractures his thumb in a brawl.

Fireworks in Cincinnati as Ray Knight and Joaquin Andujar spark old flames

Fireworks in Cincinnati as Ray Knight and Joaquin Andujar spark old flames

nolan ryan

Nolan Ryan strikes out Cesar Geronimo for his 3000th career strikeout

Reggie Smith belts the 7,000th home run in Dodgers history and Don Sutton sets a team record with his 52nd career shutout in the Dodgers’ 4 – 0 victory over the Giants.

Celebrating Independence Day at Mile High Stadium in Denver, 65,666 fans watch an American Association contest and enjoy a giant fireworks display after the game. The gathering is the largest crowd in minor leaguehistory.

7/4/1982 – The Yankees were playing in Cleveland. In the first inning, they had the bases loaded and one run in when Roy Smalley batted in Graig Nettles’ place. Smalley flew out to end the inning and nothing was said by the Indians. New York won the game, 3-2.

dave righetti no hitter 1983

Dave Righetti Fires July 4th no hitter

phil niekro 300 wins

Phil Niekro strikeouts Larry Parrish for the 3,000th of his career

Jim Rice caps a 5 for 6 day with a grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Boston a walkoff 13 - 9 win over Oakland.

Jim Rice caps a 5 for 6 day with a grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Boston a walkoff 13 – 9 win over Oakland.

keith hernandez

New York Mets defeat the Atlanta Braves, 16-13, in a wild 19-inning affair at Fulton County Stadium

At Comiskey Park, with the score 1 – 1 in the bottom of the 8th, Sox OF John Cangelosi leads off with a drive to the right field corner. A fan leans out of the stands and appears to touch the ball as he tumbles onto the field. Anticipating an interference call, Yankee OF Claudell Washington slows down, while the speedy Cangelosi easily reaches third base. The umps don’t see any interference and Cangelosi remains on third, and scores on a sacrifice fly. The Sox win, 2 – 1.

With the Indians’ and Phil Niekro’s 9 – 6 win over the Tigers, the Niekro brothers pass the Perrys (Gaylord and Jim) with 530 combined victories.

Rangers P Charlie Hough strikes out four batters in the 1st inning of a 13 – 2 loss to the Yankees.

As he did yesterday, Mark McGwire belts a 16th-inning homer to give the A’s a 4 – 2 win over Cleveland. Doug Jones pitches three shutout innings for Cleveland, but gets no decision, ending his major league-record streak of 15 consecutive saves.

Kansas City releases pitcher Dan Quisenberry, whose 238 saves are the 4th most in major league history. He will sign with St. Louis next week.

National League umpire Lee Weyer, 51, dies of a heart attack after working the Cubs’ 3 – 2 win over San Francisco.

tom browning loses perfect game in 9th

Tom Browning just misses becoming the first hurler in big league history to throw two perfect games when Dickie Thon’s leadoff double in the ninth breaks up the Cincinnati southpaw’s bid for perfection

In Atlanta’s 4 – 2 win over the Cubs, Braves SS Jeff Blauser hits a two-run home run in the 1st inning to start the scoring. It is the 1,776th big league homer hit on the holiday. Brian Hunter adds a solo shot to back Charlie Leibrandt (7-3).

Montreal OF Larry Walker throws out Padres SS Tony Fernandez at first base on a one-hopper to right in the 1st inning of the Expos’ 3 – 2 win over San Diego. Fred McGriff has a solo home run off starter Chris Nabholz, with John Wetteland picking up his first win of the year.

At the Astrodome, the Jalisco Charros beat the Monterrey Industrials, 2 – 1. It is the only 20th Century Mexican League game held in a major league stadium.

1994 – Tony Eusebio gets four hits, including a double and a triple to pace a 13-6 spanking of the Cardinals. Eusebio and Andujar Cedeno drive in four runs each. Brian Williams is the easy winner. 

1995 – Craig Biggio slams two home runs and Jeff Bagwell drives in five during a 16-8 donnybrook at Colorado. Biggio scores five times, setting a club record that still stands. He also steals a base and drives in three. Derrick May and Phil Nevin contribute three hits apiece. 

The Yankees provide the fireworks, signing Darryl Strawberry; on June 24th, Yankee GM Bob Watson said five times that Strawberry “doesn’t fit.”

Giants P Shawn Estes holds the Rockies to one hit in 8 2/3 innings as San Francisco shuts out Colorado, 4 – 0. Quinton McCracken’s single is Colorado’s only hit as Estes fans 11 and walks only 2. Rod Beck comes in to record the last out.

Dodger interim General Manager Tommy Lasorda sends blue chippers Dennys Reyes and Paul Konerko to the Reds for closer Jeff Shaw. Lasorda later admits he was unaware that Shaw, under terms of the Basic Agreement, has the right to demand a trade at the end of the season.

Three White Sox pitchers combine to shut out the Red Sox, 3 – 0, on five hits. John Snyder gets the win with 7 1/3 innings. Nomar Garciaparra has two walks but his 24-game hitting streak ends.

The National Baseball Facility of Ireland, considered the main home of the Irish National baseball team, officially opens in Corkagh Demesne Park in Clondalkin, West Dublin when U.S. Ambassador Jean Kennedy throws out the ceremonial first pitch. Dodger owner Peter O’Malley played an instrumental role in the construction of the diamonds now known as the Fields of Dreams, which includes a regulation sized adult field and an international standard Little League field.

The Royals defeat the Indians, 10 – 9, as C Mike Sweeney ties an American League record by recording an RBI in his 13th straight game. Taffy Wright of the White Sox set the mark in 1941. The major league standard is 17 games, set by Oscar Grimes of the Chicago Cubs in 1922. OF Jermaine Dye brings home six of Kansas City’s runs with four hits, including a pair of homers.

The Pirates lose to the Brewers, 4 – 3, losing C Jason Kendall to a severely dislocated ankle in the process. Trying to break up Steve Woodard’s perfect game, Kendall drags a bunt in the 5th inning and hits the first base bag awkwardly, ripping the ankle bone from the joint. He will be out for the rest of the season.

The Blue Jays defeat the Devil Rays, 6 – 3, despite Jose Canseco’s 30th home run of the season. Canseco becomes the first player in history to reach the 30 mark with four different teams, having previously done so with Oakland, Texas, and Toronto. Pat Hentgen wins his 100th career game and Shawn Green reaches the 100 homer mark with a pair of long balls.

1999 – Surprising everyone by batting lefthanded against lefty Steve Avery, switch-hitter Carl Everett blasts a two-run homer to spark a 5-3 win in Cincinnati that pulls Houston into a tie for the division lead . Derek Bell also goes deep. 

Becoming only the third player in Cardinal history to homer in his first career at-bat, Keith McDonald pinch hits a home run in a 14 – 3 victory over the Reds. Eddie Morgan 1936 and Wally Moon 1954 are the other Redbirds to accomplish the feat.

In the Tigers’ 11 – 0 blowout over Tampa Bay, Shane Halter takes over the catching duties in the 8th from Detroit’s Brad Ausmus. Halter has now played every position in the majors: with the Royals, he pitched on July 17, 1998. Dave Mlicki is the winner with Dean Palmer powering a pair of home runs.

The fifty people stranded on the Ferris wheel ride at Comerica Park for two hours during the Royal-Tiger game are rescued by firefighters and emergency crews using a cherry picker and a fire truck ladder. The inconvenienced fans will receive tickets to another game, free dinner and team autographs from the Tigers.

The Brewers’ new home, Miller Park, continues to be jinxed as a parachutist breaks his ankle when he misses the opening in the retractable roof and lands on a beam several hundred feet off the ground. Another member of the Sky Knights Sports Parachute Club misses the stadium completely.

The Yankees defeat the Indians, 7 – 1. Jim Thome has his streak of consecutive games hitting a home run stopped at 7, one short of the major league record.

In a 10-3 victory over New York, the Red Sox score all their runs with the long ball, hitting a record seven home runs off the Yankees. Prior to today’s Independence Day fireworks, the Bronx Bombers had given up six homers in a game four times, including twice to Boston (1997 and 1977) and the Indians (1970).

The selection of Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., and Sammy Sosa as starters in the NL All-Stars lineup marks the first time in baseball history in which three players with 500 career home runs have appeared on the same team. The trio will appear in the starting outfield in the 75th All-Star Game in Houston’s Minute Maid Park.

Yankee owner George Steinbrenner’s 76th birthday is less than festive, when the Indians provide all of the fireworks in a 19-1 Independence Day rout over the Bronx Bombers. The victory is the Tribe’s most lopsided victory at home since the 1950 team, scoring 14 first-inning runs, beat the Philadelphia A’s at Cleveland Stadium, 21-2.

In the highest-scoring game at Coors Field since the introduction of the humidor, Colorado tops the Marlins, 18 – 17

The Cardinals drop a 2 – 1 decision to the Cubs but Albert Pujols socks his 300th career home run. At 28 years, 170 days old, he becomes the fifth youngest player to hit 300, one day ahead of Mel Ott. The younger players were Alex Rodriguez, Jimmie Foxx, Ken Griffey Jr. and Andruw Jones.

Tim Lincecum, last year’s National League Cy Young Award winner, is in his best form, beating Houston, 9 – 0, with seven scoreless innings, running his streak of scoreless innings to 23. He also scores the Giants’ first run in the 5th and is now 9-2 with a 2.23 ERA.

Adam Dunn 5th fastest to hit 300

Top vote getters 2010 All-Star Game Joe Mauer and Albert Pujols 

Torii Hunter celebrates his selection as the Angels’ sole representative in the All-Star Game they will host next week by banging out two home runs and driving in 7 runs in an 11 – 0 win over the Royals. Paul McAnulty also homers in his first major league game since 2008.

Drew Stubbs hits 3 of the Reds’ 7 home runs in a wind-aided 14 – 3 demolition of the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Four of Cincinnati’s long balls come after two outs in the eight-run 7th inning. Rookie Tyler Colvin bangs two homers of his own in a losing cause. For the Reds, 1B Joey Votto is ejected in the 1st inning for arguing balls and strikes, but his replacement, Paul Janish, goes 4 for 4 with one of the homers.

Top Blue Jays pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, acquired form the Phillies in last winter’s Roy Halladay deal, is a little closer to the big leagues after pitching a no-hitter for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the AA Eastern League, 5 – 0 over New Britain.

Harold Garcia of the Clearwater Threshers hits safely for the 37th straight game, breaking Joe Altobelli’s 59-year-old Florida State League record. Garcia’s hitting streak will end tomorrow.

Derek Jeter resumes his quest for 3,000 hits after missing three weeks with a strained calf muscle. However, the Indians’ Josh Tomlin keeps him hitless while defeating the Yankees, 6 – 3. Jeter is still six hits away from the magic number.

Travis Snider’s return to the big leagues is less heralded, but the Blue Jays outfielder has a lot more success. He bangs three doubles in his return from a stint in the minors as the Blue Jays jump all over the Red Sox’sJohn Lackey, scoring 7 runs in 2 1/3 innings on their way to a 9 – 7 win at Fenway Park.

Vance Worley must wonder what he has to do to stay with the Phillies. Today, he pitches 7 scoreless innings in beating the Marlins, 1 – 0, improving his record to 4-1, 2.21, but still gets sent down to AAA Lehigh Valley after the game. The Phils explain that the demotion may be short-lived, as Worley is expected back in Philly after the All-Star break.

Shaun Marcum becomes the first Brewer pitcher to hit a grand slam for the franchise since 1969, when Fred Talbot accomplished the feat in the inaugural season of the Seattle Pilots, a year before the team moved to Milwaukee. The 29 year-old right-hander’s first career round-tripper isn’t enough to get a victory when he earns a no-decision in the team’s 8-6 loss to Arizona.

The Phillies’ Cliff Lee finally earns his first win of the year in beating the Mets, 9 – 2. He is now 1-5 in 14 starts, and his lack of production has been one of the reasons the Phils have fallen behind the pace in the NL East.

The Astros trade veteran Carlos Lee to the Miami Marlins in return for 3B Matt Dominguez, one of the team’s top prospects, and P Rob Rasmussen.

Austin Jackson goes 4 for 5 with a two-run homer and Justin Verlander pitches seven shutout innings to pick up his 9th win as Detroit demolishes Toronto, 11 – 1. Torii Hunter has 3 RBIs and Prince Fielder adds a couple more as the Bengals’ other sluggers compensate for the absence of Miguel Cabrera, who takes a rare day off.

The Athletics pull off a blockbuster trade, acquiring starting pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel from the Cubs in return for three top prospects, SS Addison Russell, OF Billy McKinney and P Dan Straily.

Cincinnati rookie hurler Josh Smith ties a 108 year-old Reds record when he plunks Aramis Ramirez, Jean Segura, Gerardo Parra, and Carlos Gomez in the team’s 7-4 loss against Milwaukee at the Great American Ball Park. The last pitcher to hit four batters in a game was Nationals’ right-hander Livan Hernandez, who accomplished the dubious feat in 2005 against Colorado.

7/4/2016 – In the top of the first during the 11AM contest in the Nation’s Capital, Brewers’ left fielder Ryan Braun singled up the middle with two out. Nationals manager Dusty Baker spoke with HP Umpire Cory Blaser, pointing out that Jonathan Lucroy was the scheduled batter in that spot according to the lineup card. Lucroy was called out to end the inning.

Red Sox rookie LF Andrew Benintendi has a great day, collecting five hits, of which two are homers, and driving in six runs in an 11 – 4 win over the Texas Rangers. He also makes a great catch in the outfield in support of David Price’s pitching. He is the first rookie in Red Sox history to have two five-hit games in a season, having done so previously on April 23rd.

 

Todays Major League Birthdays On July 4

 

Todays Major League Debuts On July 4

 

Todays Major League Final Games On July 4

 

Major League Baseball Deaths On July 4

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