⚾ On This Day in MLB History ⚾

mjp28

June 1. A look ahead into June. 1943 the "eephus" pitch was born

1917 - Hank Gowdy of the Boston Braves became the first major leaguer to enlist in World War I. Gowdy will also serve in World War II.
1925 - Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees pinch-hits for Pee Wee Wanninger, beginning his streak of playing in 2,130 consecutive games. The next day, first baseman Wally Pipp shows up with the after-effects of a concussion, and Gehrig takes over.
1943 - Rip Sewell of the Pittsburgh Pirates patents his "eephus" or "blooper ball" pitch, which travels as high as 25 feet above the ground before dropping into the strike zone. Sewell will use the pitch on his way to a 20-win campaign.

1954 - Montreal Royals outfielder Roberto Clemente is discovered by Pirates scout Clyde Sukeforth. Clemente is the Brooklyn Dodgers' five-tool farmhand. Sukeforth is not primarily a scout but rather the Pirates' pitching coach on special assignment in Richmond to scout newly-demoted Dodger hurler Joe Black. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the first thing Sukeforth sees is Clemente. From this moment forward, despite Dodger GM Buzzie Bavasi's desperate manoeuvering, his prize prospect is lost. As Sukeforth himself will later tell Les Biederman of The Sporting News: "I saw Clemente and forgot all about Black. I arrived at the Richmond ball park just in time to see the pre-game workout. I saw Clemente throwing from the outfield and I couldn't take my eyes off him. Later in the game he was used as a pinch-hitter and I liked his swing. I started asking questions and learned he was a bonus player and would be eligible for the draft. Since the Pirates had first choice, I knew this would be our man. In fact, I told manager Max Macon to take good care of 'our boy' and see that he didn't get hurt."
2001 - At Yankee Stadium, ★ Cleveland defeats New York, in just five and a half innings, when the game is called because of rain with Cleveland ahead, 7 - 2. In a rarity, Cleveland starter C.C. Sabathia earns a win despite pitching only four innings. Relief pitcher Ricardo Rincón gets the save for retiring the side in the fifth inning. The rules state that in a five-inning game, a starter need not go the full five innings to earn a victory. There have just been five other cases since 1978 to match Sabathia's feat.

2016: - ★ Indians OF Marlon Byrd is suspended for 162 games following the second positive test for PEDs of his career. At 39, it marks the end of the former All-Star's career.

2021: - The Olympic hopes end for three countries. Puerto Rico falls, 7 - 6, in 10 innings to Nicaragua in the Americas Olympic Qualifier, as Benjamín Alegría doubles twice, scores twice and drives in a run while Norman St. Clair and Berman Espinoza turn in six shutout innings of relief. Venezuela walks it off to eliminate Colombia as Diego Rincones breaks a 2 - 2 tie in the bottom of the 9th with a solo shot off Carlos Ocampo. Canada eliminates Cuba (missing the Olympics for its first time as a medal event), 6 - 5, as John Axford (now working as an announcer) saves it for Dustin Molleken to overcome three runs by Roel Santos. In the other game, ★ Team USA locks up a spot in the semifinals with an 8 - 6 win over the Dominican national team, Luke Williams hitting a big two-run triple. Nicaragua and the Dominicans will play tomorrow for the last semifinal spot to join the US, Canada and Venezuela.

mjp28

June 3. Oh those oldies and in 1888......

1888 - The poem Casey at the Bat is first printed in the San Francisco Examiner under the pen name "Phin". Its author will later be revealed to be Ernest Lawrence Thayer.
1902 - St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Mike O'Neill hits the first pinch grand slam ever in the majors, against the Boston Beaneaters. He also becomes the first pitcher in the National League to hit a grand slam in the 20th century.
1907 - Stoney McGlynn of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches both games in a doubleheade against the Cincinnati Reds, winning a 1 - 0 five-hitter in the opener. The Reds win the nitecap, 5 - 1.
1932 - Lou Gehrig hits four consecutive home runs and narrowly misses a fifth, and Tony Lazzeri hits for the cycle as the Yankees beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 20 - 13. The Yankees set a major league record for total bases with 50 and both teams set a still-standing record for extra bases with 41.

1957 - Forbes Field's vast centerfield expanse provides the setting for one of Willie Mays' greatest catches coming at the expense of his young friend, admirer, protégé and rival, Roberto Clemente. Clemente hits a ball that seems headed towards a light tower in left center. The New York Times's Roscoe McGowen recounts what happens next: "In the 1st inning, with two Pirates on base and one out, Roberto Clemente whacked a terrific drive toward the screen surrounding the light tower in left center field, more than 440 feet from home plate. Willie astonished the players, as well as the fans, by leaping high against the screen and making a glove-twisting catch. Most observers thought the ball had bounced off the screen." Clemente then almost compounds his misfortune the following inning: "Clemente got into the catching act in the Giants' 2nd inning. Going almost to the wall for Daryl Spencer's long drive, Roberto saw the ball bounce out of his glove as he was making one of his 'basket catches.' But he snared the ball before it could drop to the ground."

1995 - Pedro Martinez of the Montreal Expos pitches nine perfect innings against San Diego before giving up a leadoff double to Bip Roberts in the 10th inning of the Expos' 1 - 0 win. Martinez becomes the second pitcher in history, after Harvey Haddix, to have a perfect game broken up in extra innings.

2003: - Sammy Sosa is ejected in the 1st inning of Cubs' 3 - 2 victory over Tampa Bay after umpires find cork in his shattered bat.. I remembered that.

2016: - The Marlins get some unwanted publicity when they are the first to announce the death of boxing great Muhammad Ali on the Marlins Park scoreboard at the end of tonight's game against the Mets. Team President David Samson had heard the news from a person close to Ali, but had not realized the family had not made the news public when he calls on the scoreboard operators to pay tribute. Oooops.

And finally not one Cleveland Indians highlight today or as Harry Doyle would say.....not one goddam highlight, ahhh don't worry nobody's watching anyway. .

Births

1863 - Woody Wagenhorst, infielder (d. 1946)
1977 - Travis Hafner, designated hitter

mjp28

June 4. A lot of things going on today.

1952: - Billy Goodman of the Red Sox goes 5 for 5 in a 13 - 11 slugfest with Cleveland. The Indians' Larry Doby hits for the cycle.

1958: - After 32 scoreless innings, the Chicago White Sox score in the 3rd, and go on to win 7 - 4 over the first-place New York Yankees. Billy Pierce is the winner, despite giving up a moon shot to Mickey Mantle that lands in the left-center field bleachers. The drive is measured at 478 feet.

1960 - Detroit's Chico Fernandez strokes a 10th-inning triple against Cleveland‚ and then swipes home for the final run in a 7 - 4 win. Rocky Colavito breaks out of his slump with a solo homer in the 4th and a two-run shot in the 10th‚ off Dick Stigman.
1967 - Cleveland sends Gary Bell to Boston for OF Don Demeter and 1B Tony Horton. Bell‚ a 16-game winner last year‚ is 1-5 this season‚ but he'll win 12 games for Boston during their pennant drive.
★ 1974 - At Cleveland Municipal Stadium, the Cleveland Indians forfeit to the Texas Rangers after numerous fans run onto the field and engage each other and the players. One factor leading to the series of incidents is the evening's "10-cent beer night" promotion, which enabled fans to purchase an unrestricted number of concession beers in increments of six. ★
1992 - Carl Stotz‚ creator of Little League Baseball‚ dies at age 82 in Williamsport‚ Pennsylvania.
1997 - For the second straight night‚ Rafael Palmeiro knocks in the winning run to beat the stumbling New Yorkers‚ as the Orioles whip the Yankees‚ 9 - 7. The Yanks had tied the game at 7 apiece on Charlie Hayes' pinch grand slam. The O's Chris Hoiles has two RBIs and Cal Ripken‚ showing no effects from signing (a major-league record?) 2200 copies of his new book after last night's game‚ hits a homer. Ripken did not get through with the autographing until 3:01 a.m. The Orioles extend their winning streak to seven games and move 9 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Yankees in the AL East.
2014 - Baseball mourns the death of a true baseball lifer, Don Zimmer, who passes away at 83. A former infielder whose marriage was celebrated at home plate on a minor league diamond, Zimmer also coached and managed for many years. As a senior adviser to the Tampa Bay Rays, he was still listed as a member of the coaching staff and was never away from the game he loved.

mjp28

June 5.

1916 - In Cleveland, Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox shuts out the Indians, 5 - 0, on five hits, and has now thrown 24 straight scoreless innings. He is 2 for 3 at the plate.
1936 - Lou Gehrig plays in his 1,700th consecutive game, as the Yankees beat the Indians, 4 - 3.
1954 - Boston Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams catches pneumonia, sidelining him for three weeks.
1989 - The Toronto SkyDome opens, but the Blue Jays lose 5 - 3 to the Milwaukee Brewers. Baseball's newest and most modern stadium features a $100 million fully retractable roof, a hotel, the world's largest video display board, and a Hard Rock Cafe.
2001: - The Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers, 4 - 3, in 18 innings on Shea Hillenbrand's home run over the Green Monster. Tim Wakefield, with a scoreless inning, is the winner. Boston DH Manny Ramirez receives four intentional walks, tying the American League mark set by Roger Maris, on May 22, 1962. Maris did it in a 12-inning game. The major league record is five, set by Andre Dawson, in a 16-inning game, on May 22, 1990.
2021: - Team USA locks up a spot in the Tokyo Olympics, the 5th team to qualify, by winning the Americas Olympic Qualifier, sweeping all five games. In the decisive finale, they beat Venezuela, 4 - 2, David Robertson saving Edwin Jackson's win over Aníbal Sánchez. Todd Frazier is the star of the day, going 4-for-4 with a double, homer, steal, two runs and two RBI, while Eric Filia's two-run shot puts the US ahead for good. Venezuela still has a reasonable shot at Tokyo as they move to the Final Olympic Qualifier alongside Australia, the Netherlands and the Dominican Republic.

mjp28

June 7. Some "unusual " things on this day.

1894: - Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jack Taylor throws a two-hit shutout to defeat the ★ Cleveland Spiders, 6 - 0, and to push Pittsburgh ahead of Cleveland into third place.

1911: - After two years on the vaudeville circuit with his wife Mabel Hite, and occasional sojourns to jail for drunkenness and assault, Turkey Mike Donlin is reinstated by the National Commission as he rejoins the Giants. Donlin doesn't play today, but Pirates pitchers have the Giants hitting the ball on the ground all day. The Pirates have 55 total chances on a record 28 assists and 27 putouts, but seven errors help the Giants to a 9 - 4 win. Meanwhile, John McGraw's willingness to put up with Donlin ceases after 12 games, and the .333 lifetime hitter is traded to the last-place Boston Rustlers.

1933: - ★ Cleveland Indians general manager Billy Evans fires manager Roger Peckinpaugh and hires Walter Johnson to take over. Bibb Falk manages for one game until Johnson arrives.

1938 - At Fenway Park, umpire Bill McGowan, who had tossed Johnny Allen on Opening Day, orders the ★ Cleveland Indians pitcher to cut off part of a shirt sleeve which is dangling as he pitches, distracting the batter. Allen refuses and walks off the mound. He is fined $250 by Cleveland manager Oscar Vitt, who makes a pitching change to avoid a forfeit. Cleveland wins the game, 7 - 5, as team owner Alva Bradley hurries to the Boston Red Sox and buys the shirt for $250. The shirt is then displayed at Higbee's Department Store - owned by Bradley's brother, and later makes its way to the Hall of Fame museum in Cooperstown.
1982: - Steve Garvey plays in his 1,000th consecutive game. His streak is the fifth longest in major league history.

1986 - In the annual June draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates make Jeff King, the Sporting News College Player of the Year, their first choice. ★ Greg Swindell is the next pick, by the ★ Cleveland Indians. Neither will sign for six weeks but Swindell will be in the major leagues after just three starts in the minors. Then, the San Francisco Giants select Matt Williams with the third pick. After being skipped over because scouts are convinced the Heisman Trophy winner is headed to the NFL, Bo Jackson is taken in the fourth round by the Kansas City Royals.

1997: - On Dog Day (canine attendance 425) at Comiskey Park, it takes the Chicago White Sox 4 hours 19 minutes to finally edge the Baltimore Orioles, 1 - 0, in 11 innings on Harold Baines' one-out single off Randy Myers.

2002: - Cincinnati obtains 3B/OF Russell Branyan from ★ Cleveland in exchange for minor league 1B Ben Broussard.

2013 - ★ Indians closer Chris Perez and his wife Melanie are charged with possession after police discover marijuana in suspicious packages mailed to the couple's house. When asked by police, Perez leads them to his personal stash, stored in a couple of Mason jars in the house's basement. Perez is expected to be given a fine by judicial authorities and ordered to undergo a treatment program by Major League Baseball.

Births.

1933 - Herb Score, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2008) and great Cleveland Indians radio announcer.

mjp28

June 8. Slow day.

1909 - Clarence "Cack" Henley of the San Francisco Seals (Pacific Coast League) throws the longest complete game shutout in professional baseball history. Henley throws ★24 scoreless innings against the Oakland Oaks before finally winning, 1 - 0.
1920 - Edd Roush of the Cincinnati Reds falls asleep in center field during a long argument in the infield. Heinie Groh goes out to wake him, but the chief umpire ejects Roush for delaying the game.
1935 - Lou Gehrig collides with Carl Reynolds on a play at first base and leaves the game with arm and shoulder injuries. His consecutive games streak is preserved, in part, by a rainout of the next day's game and an open date.
1969 - The New York Yankees' uniform number 7 is retired on Mickey Mantle Day. A crowd of 60,096 comes to Yankee Stadium to honor Mantle and watches New York sweep the Chicago White Sox, 3 - 1 and 11 - 2.
2020 - MLB owners present their counter-proposal to get the season started. They propose playing 76 games, with a postseason involving 16 teams, drop the proposed sliding scale for reducing salaries - although they still seek further cuts -, and also propose dropping all forms of compensation for signing free agents. The ball is now back in the MLBPA's court.

Deaths.

1982 - Satchel Paige, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer (b. 1906)

mjp28

June 9.

1883 - Philadelphia's National League team receives permission to charge 25¢ for admission‚ instead of 50¢‚ to allow them to compete with their popular cross-town rivals‚ the American Association-leading Athletics. Philadelphia's attendance quadruples for the rest of the season.

1900 - A forerunner of today's players' union is organized in New York. Three delegates from each National League team launch the Players Protective Association and elect Chief Zimmer president. Former player Harry Taylor‚ of Buffalo‚ is the attorney. Their goal is to negotiate contracts and rules changes.

1909: - Benjamin Shibe, of Bala, Pennsylvania, obtains a patent for a cork-center baseball. Spalding will license the idea and manufacture a ball based on his design.

- 1913 - The Red Sox finally stop ★ Cleveland's Cy Falkenberg‚ who was 10-0 going into today's game. The Sox win‚ 4 - 1.
1914 - At the Baker Bowl, Honus Wagner joins Cap Anson as the only members of the 3000 hit club. It comes in Wagner's 2,332nd game. ★ Nap Lajoie will join the club in September. Later calculations will put the date of Wagner's historic hit on June 30th or July 4th, given discrepancies in 19th century record-keeping.
1927: - Walter Johnson (1-2) loses his second game in a row as the ★ Indians pound him, 7 - 1‚ knocking him out in 5 innings. Johnson allows 6 hits and strikes out 2.

1960 - George Strickland's 2-run homer in the 6th is the winning margin in ★ Cleveland's 3 - 2 win over the Red Sox. With the Orioles losing a pair to Detroit‚ Cleveland stretches its American League lead to 1 1/2 games. After the game‚ the Red Sox send outfielder Gene Stephens to the Orioles for OF Willie Tasby.

2010 - Justin Masterson pitches a two-hit shutout over his former team when the ★ Indians beat up on the Red Sox, 11 - 0. Most of the offensive damage takes place against two relievers recently called up from the minors, Boof Bonser and Joe Nelson. Travis Hafner belts a grand slam against Nelson in the 8th, when Cleveland scores 8 runs to put the game away.

2014 - Lonnie Chisenhall of the ★ Indians hits three homers, collects two other hits and drives in 9 runs in a 17 - 7 rout of the Rangers. He is only the fourth player to achieve this particular combination, and the first since Fred Lynn on June 18, 1975. His 9 RBIs tie a franchise record.

mjp28

June 10.

1868 - In Buffalo‚ the Atlantics are defeated by the Niagaras and pitcher Atwater‚ 19 - 15. The Niagaras jump to a 9 - 0 lead‚ then fall behind before rallying to win.
1875 - The finest game ever played in Keokuk‚ Iowa sees the Westerns battle the Boston Reds before losing‚ 6 - 4. A crowd of 300 is on hand. When the Reds get their share of the gate receipts - $13 - they elect to forfeit tomorrow's match and head back to Chicago. A few more events like this and the short-lived Keokuk club packs it in June 16th
1891 - ★ Cleveland Spiders C Chief Zimmer makes 6 errors‚ and the opposing Brooklyns steal 10 bases. The Bridegrooms win by only 9 - 8 though.
1921 - Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees hits his 120th career home run off ★ Cleveland Indians pitcher Jim Bagby in the 3rd inning. At the time, he is considered the new all-time leader, as this tops Gavvy Cravath's total of 119. In fact, unknown to everyone because of the lack of reliable statistics, 19th century slugger Roger Connor is the true leader, with 138. Ruth will pass him on July 19th to become the real all-time leader. The Indians win, 8 - 6.
1959 - The ★ Cleveland Indians' Rocky Colavito hits four consecutive home runs at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. Billy Martin and Minnie Miñoso also homer in Cleveland's 11 - 8 victory over the Orioles.
1960: - In New York‚ Mickey Mantle cracks his third homer in three days to ruin a good relief effort by ★ Cleveland's Dick Stigman. The 8th-inning solo shot gives New York a 4 - 3 win.
1966: - Sonny Siebert pitches a no-hitter against the Washington Senators and Leon Wagner homers off loser Phil Ortega as first-place ★ Cleveland wins, 2 - 0.

mjp28

June 11.

1873 - The largest crowd of the year‚ 10‚000‚ jams the grounds at 25th and Jefferson to see the Athletics play the Philadelphias. The Philadelphias score 5 runs in the 7th to win, 7 - 5.

1916 - In the 7th inning against the A's‚ Cleveland's Guy Morton ties a major league record by striking out 4 batters. Cleveland wins‚ 7 - 2.
1917 - The Reds edge Brooklyn‚ 3 - 2‚ helped by an inside-the-park homer by Greasy Neale. He'll hit another on June 21st.
In New York‚ Babe Ruth clouts two consecutive home runs (numbers 19 and 20) off Garland Buckeye‚ but in his next time up Ruth is set upon by Cleveland C Luke Sewell who demands that the umpires inspect the Bambino's bat. The umps find nothing illegal‚ but the crowd of 30‚000 cheer the Babe‚ who strikes out. Tony Lazzeri adds a homer and New York wins‚ 6 - 4. George Burns is 3 for 3 with 2 doubles for the Tribe.
1940 -
In Boston‚ the Red Sox chase Bob Feller‚ 9 - 2‚ on homers by Ted Williams and Joe Cronin. Williams adds a triple‚ while Lou Finney has four hits including a pair of doubles. During the game‚ Tribe manager Oscar Vitt openly criticizes Feller‚ saying "Look at him. He's supposed to be my ace. How am I supposed to win a pennant with that kind of pitching." The Boston win keeps the Sox a game ahead of Detroit and Cleveland.
1946 - The Red Sox clip the Indians‚ 10 - 5, behind pitcher Bob Klinger. The Sox have now won 12 in a row.
1947 - Mel Ott makes his last appearance as a player when he pinch hits for pitcher Ken Trinkle in New York's 8 - 7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The future Hall of Famer pops to short.
1948- The Indians hold on to beat the Yankees‚ 10 - 8‚ as reliever Bob Feller fans Sherm Lollar with the bases full to end the game. Joe DiMaggio had led off the 9th with a homer. Game highlights include Yogi Berra getting tossed by Cal Hubbard and young Bobby Brown being replaced at 2B in the 8th by George Stirnweiss‚ a move that will remain permanent for the season. Lou Boudreau ends a Tribe rally in the 7th by striking out - his first K in 42 games. The game - interrupted by rain and a fans' missile barrage - ends at 12:20 a.m.
1992 - Baseball owners vote 25-1 to allow the purchase of the Seattle Mariners by a group headed by Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi of Japan. It signals the first non-North American ownership of a major league team.
2001 - Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy fires Cam Bonifay. Seven losing seasons and several ill-fated free-agent signings do in the long-time general manager. New GM Dave Littlefield will start July 13th and wholesale housecleaning will start soon thereafter.

mjp28

OK. June 12. Oh those rowdy old-timers.

1884 - Dissatisfied with umpire Jack Brennan's calls, hundreds of fans storm the field at Oriole Park in an American Association game between the Orioles and Louisville Eclipse. One man wielding a large revolver threatens to shoot Brennan if he makes any more bad calls. Police have to be called in to clear the mob, and after the game, which ends in a 4 - 4 tie, Brennan is slugged to the ground by a fan and has to be taken to the Orioles clubhouse, then to OF Jim Clinton's home for his own protection, before being whisked out of town on the first train.

1939 - The Hall of Fame is officially dedicated at Cooperstown, New York. The greatest-ever gathering of members and future inductees of the Hall of Fame accept their plaques: Grover Alexander, Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins, Walter Johnson, Nap Lajoie, Connie Mack, Babe Ruth, George Sisler, Tris Speaker, Honus Wagner and Cy Young.
1969 - Roberto Clemente's tape-measure two-run blast ties the game at 3-all after six, en route to a come-from-behind 4 - 3 Pirate win over Houston. "Clemente's homer – his second in two nights – was a prodigious wallop of some 430 feet that landed about 12 rows up in the steps to the right of the service ramp in center field. In addition to loosening a few boards and frightening small children, it also tied the score at 3-all. Matty Alou was aboard with a walk when Jim Ray tried to fling one pitch too many past the dangerous Clemente. Clemente saw the ball good and he sped up his swing and timed the connection perfectly. Jim Wynn, in center, gave token pursuit of the eighth blast this year off the 34-year-old Puerto Rican hero's bat. But he'd have needed a ladder to reach the blast which soared far over Wynn's head."........
.......The Astros wisely do not afford Clemente the opportunity to beat them; his 8th-inning at-bat with 2 outs, the go-ahead run in scoring position and first base open yields the predictable free pass. Ironically, in the 9th, the game's goat thus far, shortstop Freddie Patek comes up with 2 outs, the go-ahead run in scoring position and first base open; his two-run error had put Pitt in in an early 3 - 1 hole. But manager Larry Shepard, apparently no devotee of the "Hollywood ending", bats Carl Taylor in his stead. Taylor singles for the 4 - 3 lead and Jim Bunning retires the Astros in order in the bottom of the frame, when Wynn hits a fly ball that sends left fielder Jose Pagan to the fence for the final out.
1957 - Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals plays in his 823rd game for a new National League record consecutive game streak. The mark beats Gus Suhr's old record. Cardinals hurler Larry Jackson beats the Philadelphia Phillies, 4 - 0, to improve his record to 8-2. He has now beaten every National League team this season.
1981 - Thirteen games are canceled in the major leagues due to the players' strike.
2007: - Justin Verlander throws the sixth no-hitter in Detroit Tigers history. Hitting 100 mph on the radar gun in the 9th inning, he shuts down the Brewers with 12 strikeouts, walking four. Magglio Ordonez makes a sliding catch on a shot by Corey Hart in the 7th to keep hope alive and later catches the final out of the contest. It is Detroit's first no-hitter in 23 years, the second no-hitter of the season and the first ever at Comerica Park. Bill Hall is never retired despite batting three times against Verlander, drawing walks every time up.

2017 - Royce Lewis, a high school shortstop from California, is selected first overall by the Twins in the 2017 amateur draft. The Reds follow by picking Hunter Greene, who gained national publicity by hitting 102 mph on the radar gun at age 17. The Padres then choose P MacKenzie Gore, making it three high school players selected at the top of the draft, a first since 1990.
2018 - Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera suffers a season-ending injury when he tears a biceps tendon while swinging at pitch in the 3rd inning of a game against the Twins. He had already missed all but one game of May with a hamstring injury.

mjp28

June 14. Slow day.

1933 - Lou Gehrig's consecutive game streak stays intact, even though he and Yankees manager Joe McCarthy are thrown out of a game. McCarthy is suspended for three games but not Gehrig, whose streak, now at 1,249, continues.

1969 - Reggie Jackson of the Oakland Athletics collects 10 RBI with two home runs, a double and two singles against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. In the 8th inning, Jackson drives in three runs with a single when he easily could have made second base. Oakland wins, 21 - 7.
1974 - At Anaheim Stadium, Nolan Ryan strikes out 19 Boston Red Sox batters in 13 innings , including Cecil Cooper six consecutive times, to help the California Angels to a 4 - 3 victory in 15 innings. Barry Raziano is the winner in two innings of relief and Luis Tiant takes the loss in 14 1/3 innings, after Denny Doyle doubles home Mickey Rivers with the winning run.
1978 - Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds has two hits in a 3 - 1 triumph over the Chicago Cubs to start a 44-game hitting streak.
2011: - Justin Verlander comes within 5 outs of pitching his second no-hitter of the season in leading the Tigers into first place in the AL Central with a 4 - 0 win over ★ Cleveland. He strikes out 12 in pitching a two-hit shutout, with Orlando Cabrera's 8th-inning single the first safety of the night against his overwhelming stuff.

2017 - A gunman opens fire on a Republican congressional baseball team holding an early-morning practice in Alexandria, VA. Louisiana Representative Steve Scalise is among the five persons wounded in the attack, being shot in the hip. Capitol Police officers at the practice return fire and quickly apprehend the shooter, who is mortally wounded in the exchange. The team was preparing for its annual charity game against members of the Democratic party scheduled for later in the week.

mjp28

June 15. The premier of Lou Gehrig.

1923 - Lou Gehrig makes his Major League debut with the New York Yankees as a pinch hitter.
1925 - The Philadelphia Athletics go into the bottom of the 8th inning trailing, 15 - 4, and score 13 runs to defeat the ★ Cleveland Indians, 17 - 15.
1928 - Ty Cobb of the Philadelphia Athletics steals home for the 54th and final time in his 24-year career to extend his major league record. It comes in the 8th inning against the ★ Cleveland Indians. The Athletics beat Cleveland, 12 - 5, as Lefty Grove is the winning pitcher.

1993 - In a small but necessary first step, Minor League Baseball bans the use of smokeless tobacco on the field, in dugouts and on any mode of transportation used by its teams, with violators subjected to fines and ejection. It will take until 2016 for Major League Baseball to adopt a similar measure as part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
1997 - In one of the more surprising developments of the first weekend of interleague play, the Baltimore Orioles complete a sweep of the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field, on Lenny Webster's 10th-inning home run off Mark Wohlers. One byproduct of interleague play that isn't a surprise is the increase at the turnstiles. Attendance is up nearly 10,000 per game for the weekend, and the Seattle Mariners average 52,074 for their four interleague games in the Kingdome.

2020 - The impasse over the resumption of the MLB season gets deeper, as Commissioner Rob Manfred now states that there may not be a season at all. It was expected that he would decree a 50-game season, as allowed by the March 26th agreement between the MLBPA and owners, but he is now reluctant to do so.

TexasAg1969

Yesterday in MLB history - I watched the Astros game yesterday and they made history. There is a thing in baseball that is normally rarer than a no hitter. It's called an Immaculate Inning. What happens is the pitcher is able to strike out all 3 batters in the inning with only 3 pitches each, all strikes and no balls and no walks. There have been only 106 such innings in all the history of major league baseball. So you can see it is even more rare than no hitters. But the Astros pitchers had two such innings, each one thrown by two different pitchers in the same game. That is where they made history because that has never happened before in the history of MLB.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34097896/houston-astros-luis-garcia-phil-maton-first-recorded-history-throw-immaculate-innings-one-game

FairHooker11

@texasag1969 said:

Yesterday in MLB history - I watched the Astros game yesterday and they made history. There is a thing in baseball that is normally rarer than a no hitter. It's called an Immaculate Inning. What happens is the pitcher is able to strike out all 3 batters in the inning with only 3 pitches each, all strikes and no balls and no walks. There have been only 106 such innings in all the history of major league baseball. So you can see it is even more rare than no hitters. But the Astros pitchers had two such innings, each one thrown by two different pitchers in the same game. That is where they made history because that has never happened before in the history of MLB.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34097896/houston-astros-luis-garcia-phil-maton-first-recorded-history-throw-immaculate-innings-one-game

good - so now that the cheaters got another "accolade"

may the tide now change and leave the astros as a fortuneless hack club and falling into the AL west basement.

mjp28

June 16. And oh those rowdy old-timers, again.

1887 - A huge brawl breaks out in the 9th inning of a game between the Browns and Orioles in Baltimore, MD when Curt Welch bowls over Orioles 2B Bill Greenwood in the 9th inning with the score tied, 8 - 8. Thousands of spectators run on to the field, clamoring for Welch's arrest - or worse. Police have to intervene, and the game is called. Welch is whisked away to safety while Browns pitcher Dave Foutz, a Baltimore native, speaks to the crowd to calm them slightly. However, another mob gathers at the train station, preventing Welch from leaving town. He will be forced to attend a court hearing the next day, where Greenwood pleads in his favor, stating that the play was nothing out of the ordinary in a baseball context, although some of the Orioles' fans would like to see criminal charges laid. Wisely, the Browns will keep Welch out of the next day's game to ease tensions.

1909 - Jim Thorpe makes his baseball pitching debut for the Rocky Mount Railroaders (Eastern Carolina League) with a 4 - 2 win over the Raleigh Red Birds. It is the professional play in this year that will later cause him to lose his Olympic gold medals won in the 1912 Olympics (thus violating the amateur status rules). In 1983, thirty years after his death, his medals will be restored by the International Olympic Committee.
1940 - A disgruntled group of ★ Cleveland Indians players petition owner Alva Bradley to fire team manager Oscar Vitt. Bradley turns down the players' request, but eventually watches the team lose its hold on first place during the final weeks of the regular season. The Indians players will be derided as "cry-babies" for their initiative.
1951 - Andy Strong, an outfielder for the Crowley Millers, is killed by a lightning strike in the 6th inning of a game with the Alexandria Aces. The game had been halted in the 5th inning due to rain but conditions were clear when play resumed.

1962 - An injured Mickey Mantle returns after a one-month layoff and hits a dramatic three-run pinch home run in the top of the 8th inning. Although Mantle's blast gives the Yankees a 9 - 7 lead, ★ Cleveland comes back to score a run in the bottom of the 8th and wins the game in the 9th, 10 - 9, on a two-run homer by Jerry Kindall.

2014 - Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, winner of eight National League batting titles, passes away from cancer of the salivary gland at 54, likely a result of his long-time use of smokeless tobacco. He spent his entire 20-season major league career with the San Diego Padres and is the only player to have been a member of their two World Series teams, in 1984 and 1998.

2016 - ★ Victor Martinez connects for three homers to lead the Tigers to a 10 - 4 win over the Royals. The Tigers hit six homers in all, with Nick Castellanos, James McCann and Miguel Cabrera adding the other long balls. However, it's not all good news for Detroit as OF J.D. Martinez breaks his elbow running into the fence while chasing a ball in the right-field corner and will be out for a long stretch.

2019 - An authentic Babe Ruth New York Yankees jersey from 1928-30 sets a record for a piece of baseball memorabilia as it sells for $5.64 million at auction.

TexasAg1969

@fairhooker11 said:

good - so now that the cheaters got another "accolade"

may the tide now change and leave the astros as a fortuneless hack club and falling into the AL west basement.

Ya might want them to wait until after the weekend before they start losing. The have the Whitesox in town for a 3 gamer starting tomorrow. Those guys are only 2.5 games behind Cleveland in the standings.

mjp28

June 17.

1915 - Zip Zabel comes out of the Chicago Cubs bullpen with two outs in the 1st inning to face the Brooklyn Robins. Zabel wins the game in the 19th inning, 4 - 3, in the longest relief effort in major league history. Brooklyn starter Jeff Pfeffer goes the distance, scattering 15 hits as he labors 18 1/3 innings, only to lose on a throwing error by second baseman George Cutshaw.
1916 - The Chicago White Sox pound Babe Ruth with 12 hits in eight innings, including three by Shoeless Joe Jackson, to beat the visiting Boston Red Sox, 5 - 0. The loss drops Boston into sixth place.
1960 - Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox hits his 500th career home run against the ★ Cleveland Indians at ★ Cleveland Stadium. Williams' two-run shot off Wynn Hawkins helps the Red Sox beat Cleveland, 3 - 1. Williams becomes the fourth player in major league history to hit 500 home runs, joining Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, and Mel Ott.

1967 - A nine-hour and five-minute doubleheader between the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Athletics sets a major league record for the longest ever. The first game includes a rain delay, and the second goes 19 innings before a Dave Duncan home run gives the Athletics a 6 - 5 victory. Detroit wins the opener, 7 - 6.

1993: - Baseball owners vote overwhelmingly, 26-2, in favor of expanding the postseason for the first time since 1969. The new system, which is set to begin in 1994, will double the number of teams that qualify to eight by realigning each league into three divisions, with two teams qualifying as wild cards. The 1994 strike will delay its implementation by one year, however.
- San Francisco Giants outfielder Darren Lewis sets a major league record by playing his 243rd consecutive game without committing an error. It is also the most ever by any outfielder at the start of his career.
- 1993 - Carlos Baerga of the ★ Cleveland Indians hits three home runs in a 9 - 5 loss to the Detroit Tigers. Detroit hits five home runs of their own, including a pair each by Travis Fryman and Dan Gladden. Baerga, Fryman and Gladden also tie an American League record for three players with two or more home runs in a nine-inning game.

Births.

1955 - Joe Charboneau, outfielder

Deaths.

1984 - Jim Hegan, catcher; All-Star (b. 1920)

mjp28

June 19. Baseball in 1846 ?

1846 - At the Elysian Fields in Hoboken, NJ, the New York Ball Club defeats the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club, 23 - 1 (some sources say 21 - 1). Alexander Cartwright serves as the umpire, which is curious, as Cartwright is one of the Knickerbockers' best players.
1903 - Lou Gehrig is born in New York City. Gehrig will make his major league debut with the New York Yankees in 1923. He will become the Yankees' everyday first baseman, replacing Wally Pipp and set a record for the longest consecutive games played streak while combining with Babe Ruth to form one of the greatest run-producing tandems of all time.
1955: - Ted Williams, held hitless for three straight games, blasts a pair of towering home runs as the Red Sox overpower ★ Cleveland, 11 - 8. The Associated Press reports: "Williams leaned into a fastball by rookie fireballer ★ Herb Score for a 450-foot drive into the dead centerfield blea hers in the 5th inning to end a hitless string at ten official times at bat. In the 8th inning, he connected again for a 430-foot drive into the right field stands off the veteran ★ Bob Feller."

1973: - Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds and Willie Davis of the Los Angeles Dodgers both collect their 2,000th hits. It is a single for Rose against the San Francisco Giants and a home run for Davis against the Atlanta Braves.

1977: - The ★ Cleveland Indians fire Frank Robinson, the first black manager in major league history, and replace him with coach Jeff Torborg.

2001 - Ellis Burks of the ★ Cleveland Indians hits three home runs in a 10 - 9 loss to Minnesota.

2019 - One day after fouling a bunted ball in his face during batting practice and breaking his nose, Max Scherzer takes the mound for the Nationals against the Phillies sporting a prominent black eye. He still stymies the opposition with 7 scoreless innings in a 2 - 0 win. "Trust me, this thing looks a lot worse than it actually feels," he explains to journalists.

Births.

1903 - Lou Gehrig, infielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1941)
1950 - Duane Kuiper, infielder

mjp28

June 21. Some ★ famous and unusual names. Uecher ?

1900 - Brooklyn rallies for five runs in the 9th to beat Philadelphia, 8 - 6, and take over first place. They will hold the lead for the rest of the season. Despite the win, Brooklyn is averaging only 1,100 fans per game and a concerned National League president Nick Young floats the idea of the franchise moving to Washington, DC.
1903 - In a Sunday match in Canton, Ohio, Boston outslugs ★ Cleveland to win, 12 - 7. Buck Freeman is 5 for 6, including the cycle, with six RBIs, while ★ Nap Lajoie is 3 for 5 for Cleveland.

1939 - The New York Yankees announce Lou Gehrig's retirement, based on the report that he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The 36-year-old star will remain with the team as captain.

1950: - Joe DiMaggio gets his 2,000th hit, a 7th-inning single off the ★ Indians' Marino Pieretti, as the Yanks win, 8 - 2. DiMaggio joins Luke Appling and Wally Moses as the only active players with 2,000 or more hits. Eddie Lopat is the winning pitcher, running his record against ★ Cleveland to 25-6.

1966: -★ Satchel Paige makes his final professional pitching appearance, going the first two innings for the Peninsula Grays (Carolina League) against the Greensboro Yankees. Satch gives up two runs. Peninsula's regular catcher, Johnny Bench, takes the night off.

1967 - ★- Bob Uecker of the Atlanta Braves hits a grand slam for the only time in his career. It comes in the 3rd inning off Ron Herbel of the San Francisco Giants in a 9 - 2 Braves win at Candlestick Park.
1970 - ★ Cleveland wins the first game against Detroit, 2 - 1, but Detroit's Cesar Gutierrez then goes 7 for 7 with six singles and a double to tie a record set in 1892, in a 12-inning, 9 - 8 nitecap win. Mickey Stanley's home run wins it for the Tigers. Gutierrez, wearing #7, starts the game hitting .218, and was 0 for 18 before today. Gutierrez will collect just seven hits in all of 1971, and 128 hits for his career.
1971 - ★ Indians slugger Ken Harrelson announces his retirement from baseball to join the pro golf tour. ?
1986: - ★ Bo Jackson, college football's Heisman Trophy winner in 1985 and the first pick (by Tampa Bay) in the NFL draft, stuns observers nationwide by signing with the Kansas City Royals instead.

1997 - ★ Manny Ramirez has 6 RBIs, four on a grand slam, to lead the host ★ Cleveland Indians to a 13 - 4 win over the New York Yankees and Andy Pettitte.

1998 - ★ Cleveland Indians lefty Bartolo Colon coasts to a 11 - 0 shutout over the New York Yankees.

2008 - In a 7 - 2 ★ Cleveland win over the Dodgers, C.C. Sabathia homers off Chan-ho Park. It is ★ Sabathia's second home run the first time an American League pitcher has hit that many since the DH had been instituted. After the game, ★ Sabathia's career batting line in 42 plate appearances is an impressive .300/.317/.475 for a 107 OPS+. Wow, a DH ?

2012 - Remember him ? The ★ Cleveland Indians give up on former top ★ prospect Beau Mills, a first-round pick in the 2007 amateur draft, when they send him to the Cincinnati Reds for cash considerations. Mills is hitting only .197 as the first baseman for AAA Columbus, and is being demoted to AA Pensacola by the Reds.

mjp28

June 22.. Honus, Ty, Babe and the business of baseball.

1902 - ★ Cleveland plays its third straight Sunday game in a minor league park, this time in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Cleveland beats Washington, 6 - 4, behind ★ Addie Joss. <-- Also a great story by Matt Underwood.
1908 - Honus Wagner gets hit No. 2,000 in the 8th against Jake Weimer of the Reds, who wins 4 - 0 over the Pirates. Wagner makes an error when he is struck on the finger in the 1st inning.
1912 - Ty Cobb gets pinch hit for in an unusual scenario. With two outs in the 9th, and the Tigers down 11 - 3, Cobb is nowhere to be found, and George Mullin substitutes and flies out to end the game. It turns out Cobb is in the clubhouse showering.
1916 - Babe Ruth almost duplicates teammate Rube Foster's no-hitter, allowing just three singles, two by Frank Gilhooley, in beating the Yankees, 1 - 0. The game takes one hour, 18 minutes.
1934 - Detroit takes over first place, beating Washington, 11 - 3, dislodging the Yankees who lose, 4 - 1, to ★ Cleveland.
1934 - Bill Terry and Joe Cronin, managers of the 1933 pennant winners, are named to head the All-Star teams, establishing a precedent that is still followed.

1946 - Bill Veeck heads a syndicate which purchases the ★ Cleveland Indians. This launches Veeck on a long career as a lively promoter at the major league level, having already achieved success in the minors.
1996: - ★ In Cleveland, Ruben Sierra homers from both sides of the plate as the Yankees beat the Indians, 11 - 9. One of Sierra's home runs comes in the nine-run 6th inning. ★ Albert Belle, back from a two-game suspension, is 3 for 5 with a homer, and Eddie Murray adds his 488th home run for the Tribe. The game takes 4:10.

2010 - The sale of the Texas Rangers by Tom Hicks to a group headed by Chuck Greenberg is not proceeding smoothly. Although announced in January, it is now before a Federal Bankruptcy Court. Judge Michael Lynn issues a ruling today that creditors are adversely affected by a plan to pay them $75 million and are entitled to vote on it. The sale could fall through if the creditors veto the deal, valued at $575 million overall; at issue is the treatment of $525 million in loans on which Hicks's ownership group defaulted last year.

2015 - ESPN reveals it has obtained a copy of a notebook belonging to Pete Rose which contains evidence of regular betting on baseball games during the 1986 season. The notebook was seized during a police raid on one of Rose's associates in 1989, after Rose was banned from baseball by Commissioner Bart Giamatti, and had been under court-ordered seal since. Its content corroborate the contents of the Dowd Report, which led to Rose's suspension, and make it even less likely that current Commissioner Rob Manfred will reverse it, as Rose has pleaded for him to do.

2020 - MLB owners agree unanimously on a plan for a 60-game season beginning around July 24th - if everyone signs off on health and safety protocols.