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This Day in Baseball History
August 12th

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26 Fact(s) Found
1921 Despite giving up 12 hits, Phillies hurler George Smith pitches a shutout beating the Braves, 4-0
1948 The Indians set a major league record when 14 different players get a hit in the 26-3 rout the Browns. The Tribe finish with a total of 29 hits.
1964 At Yankee Stadium, Mickey Mantle goes deep from each side of the plate in the same game helping rookie picher Mel Stottlemyre win his big league debut. The 'Mick' has homered batting both left-handed and right-handed in the same game ten times, a major league record.
1965 At Candlestick Park, right fielder Jesus Alou homers in the sixth inning. Two innings later, another Giants' outfielder playing right field, also named Alou, goes deep with Jesus’ older brother, Matty, hitting the decisive dinger in the Giants' 4-3 victory over Pittsburgh.
1966 In a game which featured a total of 11 home runs, Reds' Art Shamsky, who came in as a defensive replacement, hits three round-trippers in a 14-11, 13-inning loss to the Pirates at Crosley Field. Cincinnati new left fielder's eighth inning home run put the team ahead and his 10th and 11th inning shots, equaling the major league mark for round trippers hit in extra innings, tied the game.
1969 Ed Kranepool becomes Mets all-time home run leader for the young franchise when he goes deep off Don Wilson in the fourth inning of the team's 8-7 loss to Houston at the Astrodome. The 24 year-old first baseman passes Jim Hickman, who had 60 round-trippers for the Amazins from 1962-66.
1974 En route to a 4-2 victory over Boston, Angels' right-hander Nolan Ryan strikes out a major league record 19 batters. It will be the second of three 19-K performances for the fireballer this season.
1976 The Directors of the new American League franchise in Toronto announce the team will known as the Blue Jays. The selection is made from a list of ten names presented by a 14-member jury that garnered their nominations from the 4,000 suggestions and 30,000 entries submitted in a "Name the Team" contest held by the club.
1980 At Tiger Stadium, 48,361 fans witness the return of an injury-plagued Mark Fidrych. In what will become his last real attempt at a comeback, the 'Bird' loses to Red Sox, 5-2.
1984 Former Dodgers Don Drysdale and Pee Wee Reese along with Twins slugger Harmon Killebrew, American League hurler Rick Ferrell, and perennial all-star shortstop Luis Aparicio are inducted into the Hall of Fame.
1984 When the first pitch of the game, thrown by Braves’ hurler Pascual Perez, hits Padres’ leadoff hitter Alan Wiggins, the stage is set for a literal ‘slugfest’. The benches empty for the first fight of the game in the second inning when Ed Whitson throws behind the Atlanta’s starter head, and the altercation will be followed by more brawls in the fifth, eighth and ninth innings with San Diego continuing to use Perez for target practice every time the pitcher steps to the plate.
1987 At Veterans Stadium, Juan Samuel hits a lead-off triple to right field off Rick Sutcliffe in the Phillies' 13-7 victory over Chicago. The Philadelphia second baseman's three-bagger makes him the first player to reach double digits in doubles, triples, home runs, and stolen bases during his first four seasons in the major leagues.
1988 The Red Sox beat the Tigers 9-4 for their 23rd consecutive win at Fenway Park establishing a new major league record [the streak will end after one more home victory]. The 1931 Philadelphia Athletics had previously set the league mark with 22 straight home victories.
1990 The White Sox-Rangers game is finally postponed after a seven and one-half hour rain delay.
1994 The MLB Players' Association members go on strike, the work stoppage will lead to the cancellation of the World Series and a delayed opening of next season.
1997 In tribute to Rex Barney, who died of cancer today, the Orioles play their game against Oakland at Camden Yards without a public address announcer. The team's beloved PA announcer, who became well-known for such phrases as "Give that fan a contract!" after a patron caught a foul ball on the fly and for saying "Thank youuuuu" to the fans at the end game, had entertained Baltimore patrons for 24 years.
2000 Tim Raines is inducted into the Expos' Hall of Fame. The 21-year veteran outfielder, who is fifth on the all-time career steals list with 807, broke in with Montreal in 1979 and made the National League All-Star team from 1981-1987.
2000 At Shea Stadium, the Giants get two unusual runs in the fourth inning as the Mets outfielder Benny Agbayani catches what he thinks is the third out and gives the ball to a kid in the stands. The mental lapse of not knowing there was only one out in the frame allows both runners on base to score, but the Mets will prevail beating San Francisco, 3-2.
2001 When Braves' manager Bobby Cox orders an intentional walk to Steve Finley, Greg Maddux's National League record of consecutive innings without giving up a base on balls ends at 72 1-3. The major league record is 84 1-3 innings set in 1962 by A's hurler Bill Fischer.
2007 Retiring 41 consecutive batters, Bobby Jenks breaks David Wells’s American League record (38) and ties the major league mark established by Jim Barr of the Giants, who retired 41 straight batters in 1972. The White Sox closer reached the record book by pitching a perfect ninth inning against the Mariners.
2007 The Astros honor Craig Biggio with a pre-game ceremony for reaching 3,000 hits and his 20-year tenure with the team. The scrappy second baseman, who announced last month he will retire at the end of the season, adds to the special day by homering in the fifth inning of Houston’s 6-4 victory over the Brewers.
2008 On the day he would have celebrated his 69th birthday, Skip Caray's public tribute is attended by over a thousand fans at Turner Field. Known for his witty and sometimes sarcastic style, the Braves' longtime nationally acclaimed broadcaster, who started broadcasting games for Atlanta in 1976, died on August 3.
2008 After the Red Sox tally ten times in the first inning powered with a pair of three-run homers by David Ortiz, the Rangers rally back and take a 15-14 lead with eight runs in the fifth and five in the sixth. Kevin Youkilis's eighth-inning three-run homer over Fenway Park’s Green Monster gives Boston an eventual 19-17 victory, with the slugfest's 36 runs tying an American League record. 
2010 Milwaukee's Casey McGehee's last hit, a seventh-inning single, during his 4-for-4 performance in the team's 8-4 victory over Arizona at Miller Park establishes a franchise record. The Brewer infielder's ninth consecutive hit breaks the club mark set by teammate Ryan Braun in 2008, but is three shy of the major league record of 12 accomplished by Pinky Higgins (1938) and Walt Dropo (1952).
2010 Major League Baseball suspends Cincinnati pitcher Johnny Cueto, who kicked at players with his spikes when he was pushed against the backstop during a recent brawl with the Cardinals, for seven games for his "violent and aggressive actions". Managers Tony La Russa and Dusty Baker are suspended two games with fines being handed out to Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips and pitcher Russ Springer and Redbird backstop Yadier Molina and right-hander Chris Carpenter.
2011 It's V-Day for Detroit when the Tigers' 4-3 victory in Cleveland snaps a 13-game losing streak at Progressive Field. The team avoids being swept by the Tribe thanks to starter's Justin Verlander 100th career win and Jose Valverde's 33rd consecutive save, breaking a team record established in 1984 by Guillermo Hernandez.
26 Fact(s) Found