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This Day in Baseball History
June 23rd

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39 Fact(s) Found
1915 In his major league debut, Bruno Hass tosses a complete game but loses to the Yankees at Shibe Park, 15-7. The 24-year-old southpaw, known as Boon, issues 16 walks during the nine-inning contest, establishing a post-1900 major league record.
1917 After Red Sox starter Babe Ruth walks leadoff man Ray Morgan on four pitches, home plate umpire Brick Owens ejects him when their shouting match concerning called ball and strikes digresses into a physical confrontation. Ernie Shore comes into the contest, retiring 26 consecutive batters, with Morgan thrown out trying to steal second on the reliever's first delivery in the team's 4-0 victory over the Senators at Fenway Park, a game considered baseball's first combined no-hitter.
1930 The Dodgers get twelve consecutive hits in a 19-6 win over the Pirates at Forbes Field. Two of the dozen hits in the eight-run sixth inning include a pair of homers hit by Brooklyn outfielder Babe Herman.
1933 With his 2-for-5 performance at the plate in Washington's 7-3 victory over Chicago, Joe Cronin sets a major league record by collecting 15 hits in four consecutive games. The Senators' player-manager's recent offensive output includes two four-hit games and another with five.
1943 Due to the civil unrest in Detroit, government officials deploy 350 armed troops at Briggs Stadium during a twin bill between the Indians and hometown Tigers. The recent race riots in the Motor City have claimed 29 lives, prompting an investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee, looking for evidence of subversive and racial propaganda spread by the Axis nations.
1946 At the Polo Grounds, Eddie Waitkus and Marv Rickert hit solo back-to-back inside-the-park home runs leading off in the top of the fourth inning, knocking Nate Andrews out of the box. The Cubs lose to the Giants, 15-10, thanks to the last-place club scoring nine runs in the bottom of the frame.
1950 Luke Easter, obtained by Indians' owner Bill Veeck from the Kansas City Monarchs last season, blasts the longest home run ever hit in Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. The 34-year-old first baseman's 477-foot shot into the upper right deck will be one of two round-trippers he hits in the team's 13-4 rout of Washington.
1950 The game's eleventh round-tripper, a ninth-inning home run by Hoot Evers, gives the Tigers an eventual 10-9 victory over the Yankees. The decisive four-bagger in the Bronx sets the major league record for the most homers ever hit in a single game.
1953 The Braves sign 17-year-old Middletown (CT) high schooler Joey Jay as an amateur free agent, giving the 17-year-old bonus baby a considerable $20,000 contract. The right-hander, who will post a 99–91 record with 999 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.77 in his 13-year career, becomes the first former Little Leaguer to play in the major leagues when he holds the Phillies scoreless next month, hurling in two innings in a relief appearance at Connie Mack Stadium.
1961 During the Twins' first season in Minnesota, Sam Mele replace Cookie Lavagetto as the manager of the ninth-place team. As a coach, the Astoria (NY) native filled in as the club's skipper while Lavagetto took a seven-game leave of absence earlier in the month.
1962 Larry Doby becomes one of the first players with major league experience to sign with a Japanese team. The future Hall of Famer will play with Chunichi in the Nippon Professional Baseball League, but the former Indians' outfielder will hit only .225 for the Dragons.
1963 The Colt .45s' forty consecutive innings without scoring a run end with Howie Goss's second-inning RBI-single in an 8-1 loss to Cincinnati at Crosley Field. Houston will immediately begin another scoreless streak of 30 innings before scoring again.

boston.com BaseballReference

1963 After taking Phillies right-hander Dallas Green deep, Jimmy Piersall runs around the bases in the correct order, but backward, to celebrate his 100th career home run. The Mets' outfielder, who thought of the stunt after being disappointed by the lack of attention Duke Snider's 400th round-tripper received, will be released two days later by manager Casey Stengel.
1971 In addition to hitting two home runs and driving in three runs, Rick Wise throws only 95 pitches to 28 batters to no-hit the Reds, 4-0. The Phillies' hurler will hit two home runs in the same game again this season against San Francisco in August.
1973 Jesse Jefferson loses his shutout in his major league debut when Red Sox's third baseman Rico Petrocelli's two-out, ninth-inning solo home run ties the Fenway Park contest. However, the 24-year-old rookie right-hander will hang on to get the complete-game victory after the Orioles score a run in the tenth to beat Boston, 2-1.
1973 In a complete-game 7-2 victory over Montreal at Parc Jarry, Phillies' hurler Ken Brett hits a home run in the fourth consecutive game he pitches during June. The right-hander will end his 14-year career with ten round-trippers, 307 less than his brother George.
1977 Eddie Stanky, Frank Lucchesi's replacement when the former Ranger skipper got off to a 31-31 start, quits after being at the helm for only one game, a 10-8 victory in Minnesota. The 60-year-old 'Brat' cites homesickness for his short tenure with Texas, returning to Mobile (AL) to rejoin his family and resume his baseball coaching duties for the University of South Alabama Jaguars.
1984 In a game best remembered for Ryne Sandberg's game-tying home runs, in the ninth and tenth innings, Willie McGee hits for the cycle in Cardinal's 12-11 loss in 11 innings to the Cubs. With his triple in the second inning, a fourth-frame single, a sixth-inning home run, and an RBI double in the tenth, the St. Louis center fielder drives in six runs in the Wrigley Field contest.
1984 The Roger Maris Museum opens in the West Acres Shopping Center in Fargo (ND). Nearly 2,000 visitors are attracted to the 72-foot showcase, which features memorabilia from the slugger's 12-year big league career, including a ticket stub from the 162nd game of the 1961 season, the contest he hit his historic 61st home run.

(Ed. Note: Originally, the former Yankee outfielder declined to have a museum dedicated to his accomplishments on the field, agreeing only if the venue be accessible to the public without charging admission. - LP)

Roger Maris Museum
Roger Maris Museum by Fargo-Moorhead CVB on Flickr
licensed under CC BY NC-SA 2.0
1984 In a nationally televised game, Cubs' second baseman Ryne Sandberg hits a leadoff solo home run in the ninth off Cardinal reliever Bruce Sutter to tie the score 9-9, then hits a two-run, two-out homer in the tenth, knotting the game at 11. Chicago wins the Wrigley Field contest, 12-11, in the next frame on an RBI single by Dave Owen.
1986 Including leaving the bases full in four of the nine innings, the Braves establish a National League record, stranding 18 runners. However, enough Atlanta players cross the plate to give the team a 6-5 victory over the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
1993 At the Kingdome, Jay Buhner becomes the first player in Mariners' history to hit for the cycle. The right fielder triples in the 14th inning to complete the task, scoring the winning run in the team's 8-7 victory over the A's.
1994 Former major league first baseman Marv Throneberry, best known for appearing in Miller Lite beer commercials in the 1970s and 1980s, dies from cancer at his home in Fisherville (TN) at 60. 'Marvelous' Marv's blunders on the field, including missing first and second base while legging out a triple, symbolized the 1962 Mets, the hapless new National League franchise.
1996 The Yankees score nine sixth-inning runs en route to an 11-9 victory over the Tribe at Jacobs Field. The win marks the first time the Bronx Bombers have completed a four-game sweep of the Indians since 1964.
1996 In a 5-4 Cubs loss in San Diego, Brant Brown continues his torrid pace at the plate, collecting two hits in three at-bats at Jack Murphy Stadium. The rookie first baseman has collected 15 hits, including four home runs, in his first 34 career major league at-bats.
2000 Bret Boone drives in six runs when he hits three home runs in the Padres' 10-7 victory over Cincinnati. Ruben Rivera's three-run homer in the top of the tenth inning off Scott Williamson proves to be the difference in the Cinergy Field contest.
2003 Stealing second base at Pacific Bell Park in the 11th inning, Barry Bonds becomes the first player to hit 500 homers and steal 500 bases. Many people, including the Giants' left fielder, believe he may not only be the charter member of the 500-500 club but most likely the only member, as no one else may ever reach this plateau.

2005 Making his professional debut, Yakima Bears hurler Ryan Doherty pitches a perfect sixth and seventh, striking out three of the six batters he faces during a 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canadians. At 7'1", the right-hander from Toms River (NJ), who signed a free-agent contract with the Diamondbacks after pitching for Notre Dame, becomes the tallest pitcher in professional baseball history, surpassing six feet-11 inches Jon Rauch.
2006 White Sox starter Jose Contreras establishes a franchise mark, surpassing LaMarr Hoyt and Wilson Alvarez, winning his 16th consecutive decision when Chicago beats the Astros 7-4 in a matchup of last year's World Series rivals. The Cuban right-hander, whose previous defeat occurred on August 15th last season against the Twins, has yet to be beaten in his past 21 starts.
2006 The Mets, defeating the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre, 6-1, set a club record, winning their ninth straight decision on the road. The team had won eight decisions on a ten-game road trip, including stops in Los Angeles, Arizona, and Philadelphia.
2006 University of Washington right-hander Tim Lincecum, the Giants' #1 pick (10th overall), wins the Golden Spike Award, an honor bestowed on the country's best college baseball player. The 22-year-old Huskie, a two-time Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year, posted a 12-4 record with a 1.94 ERA, striking out a nation-high 199 batters in 125⅓ innings this season.
2007 During a Class AA Southern League contest against the Montgomery Biscuits, Mobile BayBears right-hander Matt Elliott cannot return to the mound to pitch the ninth inning when he locks himself inside a Riverwalk Stadium bathroom. The relief pitcher, who broke the lock after he angrily slammed the door, upset about giving up the tying run on a sac fly in the previous inning, will be stuck in the restroom for 47 minutes, missing the rest of the game.
2008 In an interleague contest against the Mets at Shea Stadium, Mariners' right-hander Felix Hernandez becomes the first pitcher in the 31-year history of the franchise to hit a home run. The round-tripper, which comes off fellow Venezuela ace Johan Santana, is also the first grand slam hit by an American League pitcher since Steve Dunning of the Indians homered off A's moundsman Diego Segui in 1971.

2010 In a move that surprises its players, the fourth-place Marlins (34-36) fire their manager, Fredi Gonzalez, bench coach Carlos Tosca, and hitting coach Jim Presley. Edwin Rodriguez, the skipper of the team's Triple-A affiliate in New Orleans, is named as an interim to fill the position.
2011 Upset by the management's lack of commitment about his future with the team, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman, who Davey Johnson will replace, resigns abruptly after the team beats Seattle, 1-0. Having won 11 of their last 12 games, the third-place club is 38-37 at the time of their skipper's departure.
2012 Not known for his speed, Cleveland slugger Jim Thome steals his only base of the season. The Indians' first baseman's swipe of home plate in the top of the fourth inning will prove to be the game's only run in the Tribe's 1-0 victory over Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium.

2014 Devin Mesoraco becomes the first major leaguer to hit a solo, two-run, three-run, and grand slam homer sequentially in consecutive games when he blasts a ninth-inning four-bagger in the Reds' 6-1 victory over Chicago at Wrigley Field. The backstop extends his streak to five straight games, hitting a solo shot tomorrow to accomplish the unusual feat of homering at PNC Park (solo HR), Great American Ball Park (two and three-run HRS), and Wrigley Field (grand slam).

2017 The Red Sox retire David Ortiz's uniform number 34, making Big Papi the 11th player to be honored along with Bobby Doerr (No. 1), Joe Cronin (4), Johnny Pesky (6), Carl Yastrzemski (8), Ted Williams (9), Jim Rice (14), Wade Boggs (26), Carlton Fisk (27), Pedro Martinez (45) and Jackie Robinson (42). The MVP of the 2004 ALCS and the 2013 Fall Classic played a pivotal role in the three World Series championship teams during his 14-year tenure in Boston.
2023 After completing the Reds' first cycle since 1989 with a triple in the sixth inning, Elly De La Cruz is tagged out trying to steal home with Joey Votto at the plate in the team's 11-10 slugfest with the Braves at Great American Ball Park. Before hitting the three-bagger, the 21-year-old rookie doubled in the second inning, smashed a third-inning home run to right field, and added an RBI single in the fifth frame to become the third youngest major leaguer to accomplish the feat.
39 Fact(s) Found