The following are the events that happened world-wide throughout the sport of baseball.
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1800s[]
1900s[]
- 1903 - Due to Sunday restrictions in Cleveland, a major league game is played in Columbus, Ohio with the 'hometown' Cleveland Naps defeating the New York Highlanders, 9–2.
1910s[]
- 1910:
- Cy Young won the 500th game of his career as the Cleveland Indians beat the Washington Senators, 5–4, in 11 innings.
- The Boston Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6–3. for the first time in 26 tries.
1920s[]
1930s[]
- 1933 - For the first time in major league history, brothers on opposite teams hit home runs in the same game. Boston Red Sox catcher Rick Ferrell homered off his brother Wes Ferrell in the second inning, but the Cleveland Indians pitcher returned the favor as he homered in the third on a pitch called by his sibling. It was the only time that the Ferrell brothers homered in the same game.
1940s[]
- 1942 - Paul Waner of the Boston Braves collected his 3,000th career hit off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Rip Sewell in a 7–6, 11-inning loss to the Pirates.
1950s[]
- 1956 - At Forbes Field, Dale Long of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit a ninth-inning home run in a 7–4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Long will hit home runs in each of his next seven games, establishing a major league record for home runs in consecutive games.
- 1959 - At Memorial Stadium, Baltimore Orioles pitcher Billy O’Dell hit a weird 120-foot home run against the Chicago White Sox. His shot hit the foul line and bounced over the head of right fielder Al Smith, allowing O’Dell to circle the bases. Thanks to O’Dell’s two-run, inside-the-park home run, the Orioles won the game, 2–1. Billy Pierce was the loser.
1960s[]
- 1960 - In a spectacular major league debut, Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants pitched no-hit ball against the Philadelphia Phillies until Clay Dalrymple pinch-hit a two-out single in the seventh inning. Marichal finished with 12 strikeouts and a one-hit 2–0 shutout, becoming the first National League pitcher since 1900 to debut with a one-hitter.
- 1962 - Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals became the National League career hits leader. The 41-year-old had a ninth-inning single for his 3,431st hit and moved past Honus Wagner. St. Louis beat the Dodgers, 8–1.
- 1963 - Bill Bruton of the Detroit Tigers tied a major league record by collecting four doubles in one game. Curiously, Bruton will total only 21 doubles on the season.
- 1964 - St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ernie Broglio threw a major league record-tying three wild pitches in one inning. In an interesting twist, the Cardinals, who lose to the Chicago Cubs, 7–4, will trade Broglio to the Cubs later in the season. The deal will net St. Louis future Hall of Fame outfielder Lou Brock.
- 1968 - After hitting 10 home runs in six consecutive games, establishing a new major league record, Frank Howard of the new Washington Senators was stopped by Detroit Tigers pitcher Earl Wilson, who defeat the Senators 5–4.
1970s[]
- 1970:
- The lawsuit filed by former St. Louis Cardinals All-Star Curt Flood against Major League Baseball began its hearing in federal court. Judge Irving Ben Cooper presided over the case, which will result in the upholding of baseball’s reserve clause.
- Ray Schalk died in Chicago, Illinois, at the age of 77. An excellent defensive catcher, Schalk played in the 1917 and 1919 World Series for the Chicago White Sox. In 1955, he gained induction into the Hall of Fame.
- 1979 - After a bitter six-week strike, the major league umpires returned to work. During the work stoppage, the men in blue were replaced by amateur arbiters.
1980s[]
- 1981 - At Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jim Bibby narrowly missed a perfect game when he gave up a leadoff single to Terry Harper of the Atlanta Braves, then retired the next 27 batters for a 5–0 one-hitter. Bibby helped himself hitting two doubles with one run and one RBI. Phil Niekro was the loser. In 1973, Bibby pitched a no-hitter for the Texas Rangers against the Oakland Athletics.
1990s[]
- 1998 - At Veterans Stadium, Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals hit three two-run home runs in a 10–8 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the second time this season and fourth time in his career McGwire hit three home runs in a game. He also became the 12th player in major league history to have two three-home run games in a season.
2000s[]
- 2000 - Jason Kendall hit for the cycle and had a career-high five RBI, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 13–1 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals. Kendall hit a two-run home run in the first inning, an RBI single in the second, a double in the third and a two-run triple in the eighth. Kendall also became the first Pirate ever to hit for the cycle at Three Rivers Stadium.
- 2001 - Reversing their original decision, MLB official statistician, the Elias Sports Bureau, will now list Randy Johnson's 20 strikeouts as tying a record. Although the game went extra innings, Johnson's nine-inning performance will be noted along with the Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood 20 strikeouts outings in the 2002 record book.
- 2002 - Chicago Cubs first baseman Fred McGriff hit a two-run home run at Miller Park to tie Ellis Burks' record of homering in 40 different major league parks. The Cubs defeated the Brewers, 4–3, in 11 innings.
- 2004:
- 45-year-old Julio Franco broke his own record for the oldest player in major league history to bat a pinch-hit home run. Franco, who had a pinch-hit homer two weeks earlier against San Diego, hit a two-out, two-run homer to tie the game at 4–4 in the eighth inning. Despite Franco’s effort, the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Atlanta Braves, 6–4, in 11 innings.
- Brad Thompson broke a 97-year-old minor league record set in 1907 by Irvin Wilhelm by hurling 57 consecutive scoreless innings. Thompson set the mark pitching in the Southern League for the Tennessee Smokies, a Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. He felt just two innings short of the professional mark of 59 established by Orel Hershiser in 1988.
- 2006:
- Melvin Mora signed a three-year extension with the Baltimore Orioles that will keep him with the club through the 2009 season. The new deal is worth a guaranteed $25 million and includes an option for a fourth year.
- In interleague play, David Wright won the first Subway Series game of the year between two New York City teams when he hit a two-out, RBI single off Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Mets a thrilling 7–6 victory over the Yankees
- 2008:
- Jon Lester pitches a no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals, winning 7-0 at Fenway Park.
Births[]
- 1928 - Gil McDougald, All-Star infielder
- 1929 - Curt Simmons, All-Star pitcher
- 1954 - Rick Cerone, catcher
- 1955 - Ed Whitson, All-Star pitcher
- 1956 - Eric Show, pitcher (d. 1994)
- 1956 - Luis Salazar, infielder/outfielder
- 1967 - Turk Wendell, pitcher
- 1972 - Scott McClain, infielder
- 1975 - Josh Paul, catcher
- 1977 - Brandon Inge, catcher
Deaths[]
- 1894 - Bill Mountjoy, pitcher (b. 1858)
- 1941 - Joe Gedeon, infielder (b. 1893)
- 1953 - Sam Leever, pitcher (b. 1871)
- 1969 - Jim Tobin, All-Star pitcher (b. 1912)
- 1970 - Ray Schalk, Hall of Fame catcher and manager (b. 1892)
- 1993 - Oscar Grimes, All-Star infielder (b. 1915)
- 1996 - Johnny Berardino, infielder (b. 1917)
- 2001 - Joe Lovitto, outfielder (b. 1951)