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This Day in Dodgers History
April 8th

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7 Fact(s) Found
1966 Thanks to the Monsanto chemical company's experimental nylon playing surface, the Astros and Dodgers play baseball's first game on synthetic grass. The original plan to play all-dirt field, necessitated by the need to paint the Astrodome's glass panes to reduce the glare, which prevented natural grass from growing, is alleviated by the use of 'AstroTurf.'
1974 Braves outfielder Hank Aaron passes Babe Ruth as the all-time home run leader with his 715th, going deep in the fourth inning off Dodger hurler Al Downing in Atlanta's home opener. 'Hammerin' Hank' equaled the Bambino's mark on Opening Day in Cincinnati.

1994 Kent Mercker, throwing his first major league complete game, no-hits the Dodgers, 6-0 at Chavez Ravine. The Braves left-hander was one of the three Atlanta pitchers, along with Mark Wohlers and Alejandro Pena, to throw a combined no-no against the Padres in 1991.
1994 🇰🇷Chan Ho Park becomes the first Korean to play in the major leagues when he makes his pitching debut at Chavez Ravine. In one inning of work, the 21-year-old Kongju City native gives up two runs on one hit, walking two and striking out two batters in the Dodgers' 6-0 loss to Atlanta.
2008 On the last Opening Day in the Queens' ballpark, the Mets unveil a disc with William Shea's name, honoring the namesake of their stadium. The New York attorney played an instrumental role in bringing the National League back to the Big Apple following the Giants and Dodgers' departure after the 1957 season.

2015 Adrian Gonzalez becomes the first major league player to hit five home runs in the first three games of the season when he goes deep three times in the Dodgers' 7-4 victory over San Diego at Chavez Ravine. The Los Angeles first baseman joins Carl Furillo (1955) and Jimmy Wynn (1974) as the only players in franchise history to have homered in the first three games of a campaign.
2019 Chris Davis breaks the record for the longest hitless streak in major league history at 0-for-47, surpassing Eugenio Velez's dubious mark with the Giants and Dodgers in 2010-11. The Baltimore fans, who had begun regularly booing the Orioles outfielder with the $161 million fully guaranteed contract, were very supportive when he lined out to deep left field in the fifth inning in the game against the A's to take his place in baseball infamy.


7 Fact(s) Found