This Day In Baseball May 18

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

Events for May 18

Sadie McMahon loses a no-hitter, and the game, when Denny Lyons of the New York Giants singles in the only run in the Baltimore Orioles’ 1 – 0 loss.

Bill Joyce hits four triples to lead the New York Giants to an 11 – 5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Exposition Park. This is the last time this feat has been accomplished in major league history. Previously, George Strief of the American Association Philadelphia Athletics hit four triples in a game on June 25, 1885.

Hooks Wiltse pitches the New York Giants to a 6 – 2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. For New York, it is their 17th straight victory to run their season record to 24-3. Despite the run, the Giants stand in first place by just one game over the Chicago Cubs.

19 Tigers go on strike in protest of Cobb suspension - Tigers Field Replacement team

19 Tigers go on strike in protest of Cobb suspension – Tigers Field Replacement team

The Detroit Tigers use a team of replacement players against the Philadelphia Athletics. With 19 players on strike in protest of the recent suspension of Ty Cobb, manager Hughie Jennings recruits college players and a number of local semipro players to avoid a forfeit and fine. Detroit loses to the Athletics, 24 – 2, as pitcher Al Travers gives up all 24 runs on 26 hits.

As a replacement player, Allan Travers, a St. Joseph’s College pitcher, takes the mound for the Tigers, who are fielding an amateur team to avoid a $5,000 fine due to the team’s refusal to play the A’s in support of suspended teammate Ty Cobb. In what will be his only major league appearance, the collegiate hurler goes the distance, giving up 24 runs, 14 earned runs, 26 hits, and seven walks, but does strike out one as Philadelphia routs Detroit at Shibe Park, 24-2.

In Kansas City, Monarchs shortstop Dobie Moore’s six-and-a-half year Negro League career is ended when he is shot in the lower leg and suffers a compound fracture to his left tibia.

At the Baker Bowl, the Brooklyn Robins outslug the Philadelphia Phillies for a 20 – 16 victory in the first game of a doubleheader. Babe Herman and Johnny Frederick each have five hits for Brooklyn. The Phillies win the second game, 8 – 6. Frederick scores eight runs in the doubleheader to set a major league record for most runs scored in two games. The teams combine for a record 50 runs in a doubleheader.

5/18/1929 – In the first game of two in Boston, Braves manager Judge Fuchs moved Joe Dugan up one spot in the batting order based on his recent improved batting. Evidently the batters did not know about the change. The official lineup had Dugan hitting fifth, Earl Clark sixth and Freddie Maguire seventh. In the second inning Clark and Dugan reversed their order with Clark making an out, Dugan singling to left and Maguire making an out. The Giants said nothing here. In the third, Clark batted one spot early again and made the last out of the inning. Dugan led off the fourth with a single to left. New York’s acting manager Schalk spoke with umpire Quigley who wiped out the base hit and called the proper batter, Maguire, out. During the course of this discussion Braves coach Johnny Evers was ejected. Dugan drove in the game-winning run in the ninth inning with a sacrifice fly to beat the Giants, 5-4.

In the doubleheader played at Philadelphia’s Baker Bowl, the teams combine to score a record fifty runs when the Dodgers outlast the Phillies, 20-16, before dropping the nightcap to the home team 8-6. In the opener, Brooklyn’s Johnny Frederick crosses the plate five times, giving him the major league mark of scoring eight runs in two consecutive games.

George Pipgras tosses his third shutout of the season as the New York Yankees again support his pitching by bombing the host Boston Red Sox, 11 – 0. Babe Ruth hits an Ed Morris pitch over the right field bleachers, for one of the longest home runs ever at Fenway Park.

Babe Herman of the Brooklyn Robins hits for the cycle for the first of three times in his career, which will become a major league record. Brooklyn beats the Cincinnati Reds, 14 – 4.

The first All-Star Game is announced for July 6th at Comiskey Park. It will be played as part of the Chicago World’s Fair celebration and is sponsored by the Chicago Tribune. Fans will pick the players.

Bucky Walters of the Philadelphia Phillies shuts out the Chicago Cubs for ten innings and bats a RBI single to win the game, 1 – 0.

Brooks Robinson is born in Little Rock, Arkansas

Brooks Robinson is born in Little Rock, Arkansas

Brooks Robinson is born in Little Rock, Arkansas. The perennial Gold Glove third baseman will make his debut with the Baltimore Orioles in 1955. In 1964, Robinson will win the American League MVP Award. Six years later, his defensive brilliance will lead the Orioles to a World Series victory.

Wes Ferrell of the Washington Senators pitches and bats to defeat Detroit, 5 – 1, at Tiger Stadium. Ferrell belts a mammoth home run, while his batterymate, brother Rick Ferrell, goes hitless.

Luis Olmo of the Brooklyn Dodgers hits a triple and home run, each with the bases loaded, in the Dodgers’ 15 – 12 victory over the Chicago Cubs. No major league player has done that since. Olmo adds a double for good measure.

Reggie Jackson is born in Abington, Pennsylvania. Jackson will make his debut in 1967 with the Kansas City Athletics. He will finish his career with 563 home runs and earn election to the Hall of Fame.

Reggie Jackson is born in Wyncote, Pennsylvania

Reggie Jackson is born in Wyncote, Pennsylvania

At the Polo Grounds, Rube Walker hits a grand slam in the 6th inning for the Chicago Cubs. In the bottom of the inning, Monte Irvin also hits a grand slam for the New York Giants. It is the first time in major league history that each team hit a grand slam in the same inning. The game is called on account of rain after six innings, and the Giants win, 10 – 4.

Boston Braves catcher Walker Cooper goes 5 for 5 in a 12 – 3 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Max Surkont wins his fifth game, scattering 10 hits and giving up home runs to Ralph Kiner and Wally Westlake in the late innings.

At Fenway Park, the Cleveland Indians score 11 runs in the 5th inning to beat the Boston Red Sox, 19 – 0, and give Herb Score an easy win over Willard Nixon. The big blow in the inning is a grand slam by Vic Wertz. It is the worst shutout pasting ever by Boston and the most runs ever in a shutout for the Indians.

Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees hits home runs from both sides of the plate for the third time in his career, setting a major league record. Mantle includes a perfect 4 for 4 day, helping New York to an 8 – 7 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

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

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

Dick Williams of the Baltimore Orioles hits a 9th-inning, game-tying solo home run off Paul LaPalme of the Chicago White Sox seconds before 10:20 p.m., the curfew set so Chicago can catch a train out of Baltimore. If Williams had done anything else, the White Sox would have won. The game is later replayed from the beginning and Baltimore wins.

Cleveland Indians outfielder Carroll Hardy pinch-hits for Roger Maris and responds with his first major league home run, a three-run shot off Billy Pierce, to give Cleveland a 7 – 4 victory over the Chicago White Sox. With the Boston Red Sox, Hardy will pinch-hit for Ted Williams on September 20, 1960, and will also pinch-hit for rookie Carl Yastrzemski on May 31, 1961, making him the only player to go in for both future Hall of Famers.

On his 25th birthday, Carroll Hardy, pinch-hitting for Roger Maris, blasts a three-run home run, giving the Indians a 7-4 walk-off victory. The 11th inning round-tripper off Chicago’s Billy Pierce is the Cleveland rookie’s first major league homer.

The Indians trade southpaw Herb Score to the White Sox for Barry Latman, a right-hander who will post a 35-37 record during his four seasons with Cleveland. The Tribe’s former left-hander, whose promising career was shattered when he was struck by Gil McDougald’s line drive that broke his facial bones and injured his eye, will return to Cleveland in 1964 to begin a 34-year stint as the team’s beloved television and radio play-by-play announcer.

 Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ryne Duren posts four strikeouts in the 7th inning against the Chicago White Sox. He strikes out Minnie Miñoso, Roy Sievers, J.C. Martin, and Sammy Esposito to tie a major league record, in the 6 – 4 loss to the White Sox.

Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew hit grand slams in the 1st inning to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 14 – 3 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

Stan Musial makes an unusual request – asking for a pay cut

Stan Musial breaks Honus Wagner’s record for most hits in National League history

Frank Howard of the Washington Senators ties an American League record by hitting a home run in his sixth consecutive game. With a pair of home runs against Detroit Tigersace Mickey Lolich, Howard now has 10 homers in his last six games, also an AL record.

Bill Mazeroski of the Pittsburgh Pirates plays his 392nd straight game, setting a record for National League second basemen, in an 8 – 3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

Washington Senators slugger Frank Howard ties an American League record by homering in his sixth consecutive game

Washington Senators slugger Frank Howard ties an American League record by homering in his sixth consecutive game

Rod Carew becomes the first player in 28 years to steals second, third, and home in sequence

Rod Carew becomes the first player in 28 years to steals second, third, and home in sequence

Bill North's attacks Royals rookie reliever Doug Bird

Bill North’s attacks Royals rookie reliever Doug Bird

Dale Murphy hits three home runs with five RBI in three at bats, to pace the Atlanta Braves to a 6 – 4 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

 Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Fernando Valenzuela finally loses a game, 4 – 0, to the Philadelphia Phillies. He is now 8-1 and his earned run average increases to 0.90.

Larry Herndon of the Detroit Tigers hits three home runs in an 11 – 9 win over Oakland, and in the process becomes the 14th player in major league history to hit home runs in four consecutive plate appearances. On May 16th, he homered in his final at-bat to give the Tigers a 7 – 6 victory over Minnesota.

The Chicago White Sox beat the visiting Texas Rangers, 10 – 2, behind LaMarr Hoyt’s 13th consecutive win stretching back to 1981. Hoyt’s record at Comiskey Park is now 15-0.

At Memorial Stadium, Rich Dotson of the Chicago White Sox pitches a one-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles, but loses, 1 – 0. Baltimore’s lone hit is Dan Ford’s 8th-inning home run. Storm Davis (7 1/3 innings) and Tippy Martinez (1 1/3 innings) combine in the four-hit shutout, with Martinez taking the win.

5/18/1986: Rookie Wally Joyner of the Angels, hit a two-run homer in the second inning of a game in Detroit. The game was called because of rain in the third inning. It would have been Joyner’s sixteenth of the season.

In the bottom of the tenth inning at Fenway Park, the Red Sox score two runs on an unusual play to beat the Rangers, 6-5, thanks to George Wright’s errant throw. The right fielder throws the ball away fielding Marty Barrett’s double, after becoming confused when two Boston baserunners, both who will score on the error, slide into second at the same time, the batter and Steve Lyons from third base.

In the Oakland Athletics’ 39th game of the season, pitcher Dave Stewart breaks a major league record committing his 12th balk of the season in a 4 – 1 loss to the Red Sox. Stewart will extend the record with 16 balks during the year.

In the ‘Year of the Balk’, Dave Stewart breaks a major league record, committing his twelfth balk of the season. The A’s right-hander will extend the single-season mark to 16 thanks to the strict interpretation of umpires on a minor rule change.

Ryne Sandberg autographed Baseball Card (Chicago Cubs) 1990 Sore Scoremasters #23

Chicago Cubs Ryne Sandberg’s errorless game streak at second base comes to an end after 123 games and 584 chances

The Baltimore Orioles tie an American League record with eight consecutive singles in a seven-run 1st inning against Bobby Witt to beat the Texas Rangers, 13 – 1. The eight straight singles equal a record set by the Washington Senators against the Cleveland Indians in 1951 and matched by the Oakland Athletics against the Chicago White Sox in 1981.

Cubs’ second baseman Ryan Sandberg’s errorless game streak comes to an end after 123 games and 584 chances. Joe Morgan had held the previous record of 91 games.

Bruce Hurst of the San Diego Padres pitches a one-hit, 3 – 0 shutout against the New York Mets and Dwight Gooden. The only hit is a single by the recently-acquired Chico Walker.

Hiromi Makihara of the Yomiuri Giants pitches a perfect game in the 6 – 0 win over the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. It is the 15th perfect game in Nippon Pro Baseball history.

Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, GA opens, though the 1996 Summer Olympics are still two months away. Following the Olympics, the stadium will be partially reconstructed as Turner Field.

1998 – At Veterans Stadium, Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals hits three two-run home runs in a 10 – 8 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. It is the second time this season and fourth time in his career that McGwire has hit three home runs in a game. He also becomes the 12th player in major league history to have two three-home run games in a season.

Due to drastic payroll cuts reducing the World Champions’ effectiveness, two class-action lawsuits are filed against the Florida Marlins – one for breach of contract and the other accusing the team of false advertising.

With a 6 – 3 victory over Baltimore, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays become only the second expansion team in major league history to sweep a four-game series on the road. The 1993 Colorado Rockies, who did it against the Los Angeles Dodgers, are the other team to accomplish this feat.

Mike Blowers of the Oakland Athletics hits for the cycle and has four RBI in the Athletics’ 14 – 0 win over the Chicago White Sox. Blowers becomes only the second Oakland A’s player to accomplish the feat.

Edgar Martinez hits three home runs, tying a major league record with five homers in two games, to give the Seattle Mariners a 10 – 1 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Martinez homered twice in the opener of the series.

Luis Gonzalez of the Arizona Diamondbacks extends his hitting streak to 30 games with a two-run, 1st-inning home run in a 7 – 3 victory over the San Francisco Giants. Gonzalez, whose streak matches the longest this decade, becomes the 37th player in major league history to reach the 30 mark.

The Boston Red Sox defeat the New York Yankees, 6 – 3, in the return of Yankees manager Joe Torre after being treated for prostate cancer. Don Zimmer had managed the team in the interim.

Mark Grace hits a three-run home run in the 11th inning to give the Chicago Cubs a 4 – 1 victory over the Florida Marlins. Alex Gonzalez has all three of Florida’s hits.

After missing the team’s first 36 games, Joe Torre returns to the Yankee dugout, two months after undergoing successful surgery for prostate cancer. Prior to the 6-3 loss to the Red Sox, the 58 year-old skipper receives a two-minute standing ovation from the Fenway Park crowd when the scoreboard welcomes him back.

Mark McGwire hits three home runs and had a career-high seven RBI, leading the St. Louis Cardinals over the Philadelphia Phillies, 7 – 2, at Veterans Stadium. Curt Schilling (two) and Wayne Gomes (one) are his victims. The home runs move McGwire past Mickey Mantle into eighth place on the all-time career list with 539.

The San Diego Padres defeat the Florida Marlins, 6 – 2. Florida steals 10 bases in 10 attempts in the game, falling one shy of the modern National League record. Luis Castillo and Cliff Floyd steal three apiece, while Mark Kotsay and Preston Wilson each steal a pair.

The Texas Rangers defeat the Baltimore Orioles, 8 – 7. Frank Catalanotto has three hits for the Rangers, and extends his consecutive hit streak to a team-record 10 before making an out.

The Twins defeat the A’s, 10 – 5, as Denny Hocking has five hits, including two doubles with a home run and three RBI.

5/18/2000: Scott Sanders started the game for the Indians at Jacobs Field, having been called up from AAA. The first two Tigers batters, Luis Polonia and Gregg Jefferies, homered off Sanders and after 3 1/2 innings the Tigers led, 5-0. The game was called after a rain delay of 2:37 and Sanders was released the next day by Cleveland. He did not pitch again in the majors, so his career stats end in 1999 – because of the rainout he is not given credit for any big league time in 2000!

The Arizona Diamondbacks defeat the Chicago Cubs, 4 – 0, as Randy Johnson (five innings), Byung-Hyun Kim (three innings), and Bret Prinz (one inning) combine on a one-hitter.

After sitting through a two-hour rain delay, the Boston Red Sox defeat the Seattle Mariners, 4 – 1, behind the pitching of Pedro Martinez. Martinez strikes out the side in the 1st inning on nine pitches, the 17th time the feat has been performed since 1970. Martinez is now 10-0 with a 0.93 ERA against the Mariners.

At Fenway Park, Pedro Martinez becomes the 11th pitcher in American League history to record an immaculate inning when he strikes out the side on nine pitches in the first frame. The Red Sox right-hander fans Ichiro Suzuki, Mark McLemore, and Ruben Sierra to begin Boston’s eventual 4-1 victory over Seattle.

The Texas Rangers sweep three games at Yankee Stadium for the first time in the franchise’s 43-year existence.

Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks hurls a perfect game

Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks hurls a perfect game

At the age of 40, Randy Johnson becomes the oldest pitcher in major league history to throw a perfect game, retiring all 27 hitters to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Atlanta Braves, 2 – 0. It is the 17th perfect game in major league history and the first since David Cone of the Yankees did it against Montreal on July 18, 1999. Johnson also joins Cy Young, Jim Bunning, Hideo Nomo and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers to throw no-hitters in both leagues, and creates the longest time span between no-no’s, having first accomplished the feat against the Detroit Tigers in June of 1990.

At the age of 40, southpaw Randy Johnson becomes the oldest pitcher to throw a perfect game when the Diamondbacks beat the Braves, 2-0. The ‘Big Unit’ joins Cy Young, Jim Bunning, Hideo Nomo, and Nolan Ryan as the only hurlers to throw no-hitters in both leagues and creates the longest time span between no-no’s, having first accomplished the feat against the Tigers in June of 1990.

Matt Harrison throws the first complete game no-hitter in Frisco RoughRiders history, blanking the San Antonio Missions, 2 – 0, despite 6 walks in 7 innings in the first half of a doubleheader.

5/18/2008: In the top of the fourth, Carlos Delgado of the Mets hit the ball down the LF line in Yankee Stadium, and it was ruled a home run by 3B umpire Mike Reilly. However, the crew huddled and reversed the call. Replays showed that the ball hit the black base of the pole and thus was a home run. Mets manager Willie Randolph argued briefly. Moments later, HP umpire Bob Davidson ejected Mets bench coach Jerry Manuel, who had seen a replay and was yelling from the bench.

Returning from a strained forearm that has kept him out of action all year, the Angels’ John Lackey picks up his first win of the year in a 10 – 6 victory over Seattle. Lackey actually made his season debut three days earlier but was ejected after only two pitches for throwing at Texas lead-off hitter Ian Kinsler.

Jason Kendall goes 2 for 5 to help the Brewers beat the Cardinals, 8 – 4. He becomes the 8th player to collect 2,000 hits in the majors while playing primarily catcher.

Another day, another epic Yankees-Red Sox battle. Today, the Yankees play the game under protest, claiming the Sox did not properly signal an injury before removing pitcher Josh Beckett trailing 5 – 0 in the 5th inning, thus giving reliever Manny Delcarmen more time to warm up than warranted. For the second night in a row, the Sox come back from a five-run hole, taking a 7 – 5 lead in the 9th thanks to an error by RF Marcus Thames on Marco Scutaro’s fly ball. Jonathan Papelbon, who blew a save the previous night, allows a run in the bottom of the 9th, but strikes out Randy Winn with runners on second and third to end the game. The contest starts almost an hour late because of rain, is played in a constant drizzle, and lasts a marathon 4 hours and 9 minutes, making it the longest nine-inning game played so far this season.

Carlos Silva improves his record to 5-0 as the Cubs beat the Rockies, 6 – 2. A huge disappointment for the Seattle Mariners the last two seasons, Silva has found his old form with Chicago, forcing manager Lou Piniella to make a difficult decision: who will be bumped from the starting rotation to make room for Carlos Zambrano, set to return after an unconvincing stint in the bullpen ?

Tyler Clippard falls to 7-3 as the Nationals drop a 3 – 2 game to the Cards. He becomes the second reliever to get 10 decisions in his team’s first 40 games, following Mike Marshall by 31 years.

Five different games end in shutouts today. The most remarkable performance is a three-hitter thrown by Jake Peavy of the White Sox, making only his second appearance since undergoing shoulder surgery 10 months earlier. He wins 1 – 0 over Cleveland, with Justin Masterson being saddled with the loss in spite a solid performance of his own. Boston also wins 1 – 0, over Detroit, with Clay Buchholz getting the win, and, in another whitewash, Charlie Morton of Pittsburgh notches his second career shutout. The Mets and Mariners also win with combined shutouts.

On a wild night for baseball, four other games go into extra innings, with one game ending in a wild 15th inning. The Orioles and Yankees are tied, 1 – 1, when the Yanks score two runs off Mike Gonzalez, who is then ejected for beaning Chris Dickerson, shattering his batting helmet and sending him to the hospital. Out of pitchers, the O’s have to bring in the next day’s scheduled starter, Jeremy Guthrie, to complete the inning. Hector Noesi throws 4 scoreless innings to earn the win in his major league debut; called up by the Yanks 16 days earlier, he had yet to pitch before the marathon game forces manager Joe Girardi’s hand. Trailing 4 – 1 in the bottom of the 15th, The Orioles then put two runners on base, but Matt Wieters’ ground ball headed for right field just nips the foot of baserunner Brandon Snyder, and he is called out for interference, snuffing the O’s best chance to tie the game.

Kevin Millwood throws his first shutout in 9 years in beating the Rockies, 4 – 0, on a two-hitter. Mike Carp homers for the Mariners.

Justin Verlander makes a bid for the third no-hitter of his career, but falls two outs short, in beating Pittsburgh, 6 – 0. Josh Harrison singles in one out in the 9th against the Tigers’ ace for the Bucs’ lone hit. Verlander, who strikes out 12, is now 16-2 for his career in interleague play.

Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander misses pitching his third career no-hitter when he allows a single to Josh Harrison with one out in the top of the ninth inning. The reigning MVP and Cy Young winner completes the one-hitter, beating Pittsburgh, 6-0, in front of a very enthusiastic Friday night crowd at Detroit’s Comerica Park.

Kerry Wood ends his major league career on his terms when he strikes out the one batter he faces before walking off the mound into an embrace from his six year-old son in front of the Wrigley Field dugout. The 35 year-old much-injured Cubs’ right-hander, an All-Star as both a starter and closer, believes today’s final strikeout to be the most significant and the most memorable moment of his 14-year career.

Brandon McCarthy wins his first game since having been hit in the head by a line drive on September 5th last year. He pitches 8 scoreless innings against the Marlins to lead Arizona to a 1 – 0 win. Gerardo Parra leads off the game with a home run off Tom Koehler for the only run.

Elvis Andrus has five hits for the Rangers as they win, 7 – 2, over the Tigers. Andrus scores 3 runs, has 2 RBI and steals a base, while Mitch Moreland homers off Anibal Sanchez.

HCAW plays its 1,630th game in the Hoofdklasse, breaking the record held by Sparta/Feyenoord. They lose, 5 – 0, to the Amsterdam Pirates, as Kevin Heijstek and three relievers team on a four-hitter. Ivan Granados takes the loss.

The Pirates win for the first time in the Bronx in 54 years – since the 1960 World Series – when they beat the Yankees, 5 – 3, in the second game of a doubleheader, after losing the opener, 4 – 3. Starling Marte and Josh Harrison homer for the Bucs in the nitecap, after Mark Teixeira gets a couple of early RBIs in the opener as the Yankees hand Charlie Morton his 6th loss against no wins despite a 101 ERA+.

The Marlins go outside the box in picking a replacement for fired manager Mike Redmond, as General Manager Dan Jennings takes over as skipper. While Jennings has 31 years of professional baseball experience, it is largely as a scout and in front office roles: he has never been a coach or manager at any professional level. In his first game at the helm, the Marlins lose, 3 – 2, to the Diamondbacks in 13 innings as David Peralta drives in the winning run against demoted closer Steve Cishek.

In a marathon of a game, the Tabasco Olmecas top the Veracruz Rojo Aguilas in a 23-inning, 7-hour, 34-minute game that starts at 8:01 PM the previous night and ends at 3:35 this morning. The score is 5 – 5 after 7 innings, neither team scoring again until the 23rd in a game that begins at 96 degrees and only cools off to 80 by the time of its early-morning ending. Tabasco outfielder Christian Quintero throws out Jonathan Herrera at home in the 22nd. In the 23rd, Uriak Marquez singles off Misael Nunez (making his Mexican League debut) to score Adrian Gutierrez with the winner. Angel Araiza gets the victory with six shutout frames of relief. The game ties two others (from 1977 and 2001) as the longest in the league’s history in terms of innings.

The Astros win their 10th straight game when they defeat the Red Sox, 7 – 3, at Fenway Park in a rematch of last’ year’s ALCS. Houston chases Boston starter Hector Velazquez after just a third of an inning, as George Springer hits his first pitch of the game to deep center for a triple to open the floodgates. They score 5 runs before the inning is out, with Tyler White’s two-run double the crucial blow, and roll from there. Josh Reddick adds a solo homer as the Astros match the best start in team history at 31-15.

2002 – Jose Vizcaino slams a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth to drop the Pirates, 2-1. Octavio Dotel gets the win after Tim Redding works seven solid innings. The victory pulls the Astros back to the .500 mark for the season and into a tie for second place in the Central Division. 

1986 – Five Cubs suffer food poisoning prior to a 5-2 Chicago victory at the Astrodome. All had eaten hamburgers and bad mayo is the prime suspect. Pitcher Rick Sutcliffe is hospitalized. 

1967 – Jim Wynn ‘s first-inning homer off the left-field foul pole ignites a near riot during a 6-2 Astros win. Giants Manager Herman Franks and umpire Shag Crawford nearly come to blows as Franks insists the hit was foul. A voice in the dugout calls Crawford a “meathead” and Ollie Brown gets tossed for it, inciting another feud. Pitcher Gaylord Perry, who gave up the homer, later admits it was he who used the m-word. 

1966 – Houston sweeps the Cubs, 5-1 and 4-2, to take sole possession of second place in the NL race. Homers by Lee Maye and Rusty Staub back Dave Giusti in the opener while Robin Roberts notches his 284th career victory in the nightcap. Astros sit 2-1/2 games behind the Giants for first. 

1962 – Ken Johnson gives up a game-tying homer to Willie McCovey in the bottom of the ninth but singles home Carl Warwick in the tenth for a 3-2 victory. Norm Larker also homers for Houston.

Birthdays

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Death 

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