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This Day in Baseball History
September 27th

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80 Fact(s) Found
1877 With their 19th victory in the last 20 games, the Red Caps, aka the Red Stockings, clinch the National League pennant, beating the Hartford Dark Blues, 13-2. James 'Deacon' White, the league's leading hitter, paces Boston's attack with a 4-for-4 performance.
1898 Reds' first baseman Jake Beckley handles a record 22 chances, making 21 putouts and one assist without committing any errors. The Cincinnati infielder's defensive abilities contribute to the home team's 9-2 victory over the Cleveland Spiders League Park.
1904 Cleveland Naps' hurler Bob Rhoads holds Boston hitless until Chick Stahl singles with two outs in the ninth. In four years, the right-hander will become the first pitcher to no-hit the Red Sox.
1905 Boston Pilgrim hurler Bill Dinneen pitches the season's fourth no-hitter, beating the White Sox, 2-0. The right-hander, who will become an American League ump 17 days after he retires in 1909, is the only person in major league history ever to pitch a no-hitter and call one as an umpire.
1914 Nap Lajoie joins Cap Anson and Honus Wagner as the only major leaguers to record 3,000 career hits, doubling off off Marty McHale in the Indians' 5-3 victory over New York at League Park. The Cleveland infielder will end his 21-year Hall of Fame career in 1916 with 3,243 hits.
1919 In a complete-game effort at Shibe Park, Yankee right-hander Bob Shawkey establishes a franchise record when he strikes out 15 batters in a 9-2 victory over Philadelphia. In 1978, Ron Guidry will fan 18 batters, breaking the 59-year-old record, also shared by Whitey Ford, who had tied the mark in 1959 in a 14-inning game against Washington.
1920 An article in the Philadelphia North American quotes local gambler Bill Maharg saying he and former major league pitcher Billy Burns offered eight White Sox players $100,000 to throw the 1919 World Series. The team will become infamously known as the Black Sox.
1920 At Chicago's Comiskey Park, 33-year-old Joe Jackson's sixth-inning double off Tiger hurler Hooks Dauss breaks a scoreless tie, putting the White Sox ahead, 2-0. 'Shoeless' Joe's game-winning hit is the last of his 13-year career when he indefinitely suspended for the rest of the season due to the investigation of the 1919 World Series fix.
1928 Lefty Grove is the first pitcher to strike out the side on nine pitches for the second time in his career. Last month, the A's southpaw also accomplished the feat, becoming the only hurler to do it twice in one season.
1928 At the Polo Grounds, the Giants unveil bronze tablets in memory of two former players, Christy Mathewson and Ross Youngs. The future Hall of Famers were much-beloved and respected by their manager, John McGraw, a tyrant known to be critical to his ballplayers in the dugout.
1930 In a 13-8 victory over the Reds at Wrigley Field, Hack Wilson hits two home runs, establishing a new National League mark for homers. The Cub outfielder's total of 56 for the season will stand until Mark McGwire breaks the record in 1998.
1931 Nick Altrock becomes the first player to appear in major league games in five decades. The 54-year-old former left-hander accomplishes the feat as a pinch-hitter when he walks before being picked off at first base in the Senators' 4-2 loss to Boston at Griffith Stadium.
1935 The Cubs clinch their 14th National League pennant when the team beats the second-place Cardinals in the first game of a doubleheader sweep at Sportsman's Park, 6-2. The victory marks Chicago’s 20th consecutive win, a streak extended to the National League record of 21 with a 5-3 triumph in the nightcap.
1936 Replacing Johnny Mize, tossed by an ump for arguing, Cardinal rookie first baseman Walter Alston makes an error in handling two chances and strikes out in his only major league at-bat. However, 'Smokey' will win seven pennants and four World Series in his 23-year Hall of Fame career as Dodger manager from 1954 to 1976.
1938 In Detroit's 10-2 rout of St. Louis in the nightcap of a twin bill, Hank Greenberg hits two home runs, both off Bill Cox, to extend his major league-leading total to 58. The pair of round-trippers gives the Tiger first baseman 39 at Briggs Stadium, establishing a major league record for the most round-trippers hit at home in one season.
1938 An ailing Lou Gehrig hits his 493rd and final major league home run off Senators' right-hander Dutch Leonard. On the same date 15 years earlier, the Yankee first baseman had gone deep off Bill Piercy at Fenway Park for his first career home run.
1940 On the last day of the season at Cleveland Stadium, some Indian fans shower the field with fruit and vegetables, delaying the game against the Tigers. The visitors' bullpen proves not to be a safe haven when an unruly fan drops a basket of green tomatoes on Birdie Tebbetts' head.
1940 The Tigers clinch the American League pennant, beating the Indians, 2-0. Rookie right-hander Floyd Gieball gets his second and final big league win to seal the deal.
1942 On the last day of the regular season, the Cardinals clinch the National League pennant as sore-armed hurler Ernie White throws a five-hit complete-game, beating the Cubs in the first game of a twin bill, 9-2. The Redbirds also win the nightcap to finish the season with 11 victories in their final 12 games.
1946 In Detroit's Briggs Stadium, Indian fireballer Bob Feller ties Rube Waddell's major league mark with his 343rd K of the season. Future research, however, will show the future Hall of Famer had struck out 349 in 1904.
1951 Bill Sharman, recently called up from Fort Worth, is one of 15 Dodgers ejected by umpire Frank Dascoli for bench jockeying after a close call at home plate. The future basketball Hall of Famer will never play in the big leagues, and thus, he will become the first player ejected from a major league game without ever appearing in one.
1952 After striking out in the first inning, Boston third baseman Eddie Matthews becomes the first National League rookie to hit three home runs in a game. The 20-year-old freshman’s round-trippers in the third, sixth, and eighth innings contribute to the Braves’ 11-3 victory over the Dodgers at Ebbets Field.
1952 In the Braves' 11-3 rout in Brooklyn, Eddie Mathews becomes the first rookie to hit three home runs in a game. The 20-year-old first baseman's offensive output helps the team break a ten-game losing streak in a game that will become the last victory for the National League franchise representing the city of Boston.
1953 In a fitting finale that draws only 3,174 fans at Sportsman's Park, St. Louis plays their last game as the Browns, losing their 100th game of the season, an 11-inning, 2-1 loss to Chicago. Next season, the team will move to Baltimore and become the Orioles.
1954 The first episode of NBC's The first episode of NBC's Tonight Show, featuring Steve Allen as the host, announcer Gene Rayburn, and bandleader Skitch Henderson, airs nationally for the first time. Giants center fielder Willie Mays, the NL's leader in batting and eventual MVP of the circuit, appears as one of the first guests on the 90-minute innovative broadcast that will become a staple of late-night television., featuring Steve Allen as the host along with announcer Gene Rayburn and bandleader Skitch Henderson, airs nationally for the first time. Giants center fielder Willie Mays, the NL's leader in batting and eventual MVP of the circuit, appears as one of the first guests on the 90-minute innovative broadcast that will become a staple of late-night television.
1959 In addition to being thrown out trying to steal a base, Phillies' second baseman Sparky Anderson goes 0-for-3 in a 5-2 loss to Milwaukee at County Stadium. The season finale marks the end of the 25-year-old infielder's playing career, but the future Hall of Fame manager's participation in 152 contests will establish a record for the most games ever played by someone who spent only one year in the major leagues.
1960 Ryne Duren makes his first start in two years memorable when he strikes out the first five batters he faces in the Yankees' 5-1 victory over Washington. The feat ties a modern major league record shared by Lefty Gomez (Yankees), Dazzy Vance (Dodgers), and Walter Johnson (Senators).
1961 In front of only 1,717 fans at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, Bob Sprout appears in his only major league game. The Angels starter, who once struck out 22 batters in a seven-inning no-hitter in the minor leagues, starts against the Senators, allowing four hits and two runs in four innings, and has no role in the decision of his team's 8-6 victory over Washington.
1961 Sandy Koufax breaks the National League mark for strikeouts in a season, surpassing Christy Mathewson's mark of 267 established in 1903. Unlike the turmoil caused by commissioner Ford Frick's mandate of having to hit 61 homers by the 154th game in the extended 162-game schedule to break the single-season standard, the Dodgers southpaw's 268th punch-out, occurring in the 151st game of the season, compared to the 142-game sked played early in the century raises no controversy.
1963 At Colt Stadium, Houston's skipper Harry Craft starts an all-rookie team that includes future stars like Joe Morgan, Rusty Staub, Jimmy Wynn, and Jerry Grote. The Colt .45s freshman team, whose average age is 19-years and four months old, loses to the Mets, 10-3, with 17-year-old starting pitcher Jay Dahl making his only major league appearance.
1964 The Philadelphia Inquirer stops its current practice of printing the Phillies magic number, citing the countdown digit has lost its significance in the National League race. The fading Phils, which had a 6.5 game lead just six days ago, now clings to a half-game margin, and the team will need to beat the contenders they will face in five of the six remaining games to clinch the once 'certain' pennant.
1964 The Houston Colt .45's play their final game in Colt Stadium, the team's home ballpark since joining the National League in 1962. The future Astros beat the Dodgers, 1-0, in the 12th inning when Jimmy Wynn's single plates Bob Aspromonte.
1967 Jim Bunning ties a National League record, suffering his fifth 1-0 defeat of the season. The hard-luck Phillies right-hander loses to the Astros when, after two quick outs in the 11th, Rusty Staub doubles and scores on Chuck Harrison's single.
1967 Ferguson Jenkins posts the first of his six 20-game win seasons when the Cubs beat the Reds at Crosley Field, 4-1. The Canadian right-hander will lead the American League with 25 victories after Chicago deals the future Hall of Famer to the Rangers in 1974.
1973 Nolan Ryan surpasses Sandy Koufax's major league mark for strikeouts in a season when he throws three fastballs past Rich Reese, the last batter of the game, for his 383rd of the year. The Angels' right-hander, who finishes the year with 21 wins, whiffs 16 batters in 11 innings en route to a complete-game 5-4 victory over Minnesota at Anaheim Stadium.
1983 Mookie Wilson becomes the Mets' all-time career stolen-base leader when he swipes second base in the fifth inning of a 4-3 win against Pittsburgh at Three Rivers Stadium. The New York center fielder will add to his franchise-breaking total of 140 in the same frame when he takes third base on the front end of a double steal with Darryl Strawberry.
1989 After Gregg Jeffries grounds out to second base to end the Mets' disappointing season, he charges the mound and wrestles Phillies' reliever Roger McDowell to the ground. The fight, which sparks a season-ending bench-clearing brawl, is apparently ignited by the Phillies' reliever when he says something to his former New York teammate, who is running to first, but the rookie infielder will claim his anger resulted from a brushback pitch thrown a few days earlier by the Philadelphia pitcher.
1989 The Bay area fans have a good day when the Giants and A's clinch their divisions. Oakland wins the American League West with a 5-0 victory over the Rangers, and San Francisco backs into the National League West title when the second-place Padres lose in extra innings to the Reds, 2-1.
1992 Randy Johnson ties Ron Guidry's American League mark for strikeouts in a game for left-handers. The Mariners southpaw fans 18 batters in eight innings of work in the team's 3-2 loss to Texas at Arlington Stadium.
1992 Gary Carter doubles deep to right field in the seventh inning in his last major league at-bat, driving in Larry Walker with the lone run in the Expos' 1-0 victory over the Cubs. The Montreal fans show appreciation for one of the most beloved and talented players in franchise history with a long and loud standing ovation, causing the Kid to make two curtain calls to acknowledge the enthusiastic crowd when removed from the game.

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1992 The Twins win their 523rd game with Tom Kelly as their manager when the team beats the Royals at the Metrodome, 4-0. The victory makes the Minnesota native the winningest skipper in team history, surpassing the standard set by Sam Mele from 1961 to 1967.
1993 Cubs' reliever Randy Myers tosses a perfect ninth inning to become the first National League pitcher to record 50 saves in a season when the team beats the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, 7-3. The 30-year-old southpaw closer, best known for being one of the Reds' Nasty Boys, will finish the season with a major-league-leading 53 saves.
1993 Bo Jackson's three-run home run is the difference in Chicago's 4-2 win over Seattle. The victory enables the White Sox to clinch their first American League West title in ten years.
1993 Mike Piazza, who broke the major league rookie record for home runs by a catcher earlier in the month, sets another mark for round-trippers when he hits his 34th, surpassing the previous L.A. Dodger mark shared by Steve Garvey (1977) and Pedro Guerrero (1985). Duke Snider established the franchise record with 43 homers playing with Brooklyn in 1956.
1993 With a 2-0 victory over the Brewers in Milwaukee's County Stadium, the Blue Jays clinch their third consecutive American League East title. Toronto will beat the Phillies in six games, capturing their second straight World Series.
1996 Mark Wohlers sets a Braves record with his 39th save of the season. The right-handed reliever is less than perfect, throwing two wild pitches to give up a ninth-inning run, but hangs on to preserve Atlanta's 6-4 victory over the Expos at Montreal's Olympic Stadium.
1996 Baseball suspends Roberto Alomar for five games for spitting in the face of home plate umpire John Hirschbeck. After appealing the decision, the Oriole second baseman plays the next day, helping Baltimore clinch the wild card.
1996 In a 12-3 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field, Giants left fielder Barry Bonds swipes his 40th base to become only the second player in major league history to have 40 homers and 40 stolen bases in the same season. Jose Canseco became the 40-40 club's charter member in 1988, playing for the A's.
1998 In the season finale, Mark McGwire ends the historic season by hitting his 69th and 70th home runs in the Cardinals' 6-3 win over the Expos. Big Mac's #70, which he strokes his last at-bat off Expos' rookie Carl Pavano of Southington, Connecticut, also establishes a National League record for round-trippers hit at home with his 38th Busch Stadium blast.

1998 On the last day of the season, Detroit pinch-hitter Bobby Higginson homers with two outs off of Blue Jay Roy Halladay to spoil the 21-year-old rookie's bid for a no-hitter. The right-hander from Colorado comes within one out of throwing a no-no in his second major league start in the Blue Jays' 2-1 victory over the Tigers at the SkyDome.
1998 The 1998 Yankees win their seventh straight game to end the season with a .704 winning percentage. The Bronx Bombers (114-48) become the first team since the 1954 Indians (111-43) to play over .700 ball for the entire season.
1998 In the Reds' 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh, two sets of brothers appear in the same lineup for the first time in major league history. Stephen Larkin plays first base, Bret Boone covers second, Barry Larkin is the shortstop, and Aaron Boone plays third, making up the all-brother infield.
1998 Padres' reliever Trevor Hoffman ties the National League saves record as he gets three straight outs in a 3-2 victory over Arizona. His 53rd save (out of 54 chances) matches the standard set by current teammate Randy Myers, who did it for the Cubs in 1993.
1998 Greg Vaughn's eighth-inning two-run round-tripper is the difference in the Padres' 3-2 victory over Arizona at Bank One Ballpark. With his 50th home run, the San Diego left fielder joins Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Ken Griffey, Jr. in reaching the milestone, marking the first time four players have accomplished the feat in the same season.
1999 Gabe Kapler takes the field donning a numberless uniform during the last game at Tiger Stadium, with the other players in the starting lineup wearing uniform numbers corresponding to the fan-selected All-Time Detroit Tigers team members. The center fielder's back is blank as a tribute to Ty Cobb, who never wore a number.
1999 In the Tiger Stadium finale, Detroit catcher Robert Fick hits the last round-tripper, a grand slam, in the home team's 8-2 victory over the Royals. The contest marks the 6,873rd and final major league game played at the historic 87-year-old park on the corner of Trumbull and Michigan.
2000 The United States Olympic team, managed by former Dodger skipper Tommy Lasorda, stuns the world, beating the much-favored Cuban team to win its first gold medal in its national pastime. Ben Sheets ends Cuba's 21-game Olympic winning streak with a 4-0 shutout.

2000 Darin Erstad breaks the major league record for RBIs in a season by a leadoff batter. The Angels' outfielder collects his 99th RBI in a 9-7 loss to the A's, surpassing Nomar Garciaparra's total of 98 batting first for the Red Sox in 1997.
2001 In the first game at Wrigley Field since the September 11 terrorist attacks, Sammy Sosa proudly carries an American flag out to right field while making his customary pregame dash to his position to salute the bleacher fans, much to the delight of the Northside crowd. Later in the game, after hitting his 59th home run, the native of the Dominican Republic rounds the bases, displaying the flag again, waving the Stars and Stripes when crossing the plate and coming out of the dugout for a curtain call.

2002 In his first full season as a closer, John Smoltz, preserving a Braves' 3-1 victory over the Mets, converts his 54th save to establish a new National League mark. Randy Myers (Cubs - 1993) and Trevor Hoffman (Padres - 1998) had previously shared the record.
2002 At Cleveland's Jacobs Field, first baseman Jim Thome establishes a new single-season Indian home run record by hitting his 51st homer. Albert Belle hit 50 for the Tribe in 1995.
2003 At Veterans Stadium, Javy Lopez hit his 42nd home to break the major league record for home runs hit by a catcher. In 1996, Mets' backstop Todd Hundley hit 41 to surpass Roy Campanella's 1953 mark.
2003 Cubs' slugger Sammy Sosa blasts his 40th home run to establish a National League record by reaching the plateau for the sixth consecutive season, surpassing Ralph Kiner and Duke Snider. The Chicago right fielder needs another 40-homer season to equal Babe Ruth's major league mark, set from 1926 to 1932.
2003 With a startling rally, the Tigers avoid equaling the modern major league record of 120 losses set by the expansion 1962 Amazin' Mets. It takes one of the biggest comebacks in franchise history when Detroit beats the Twins on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth after trailing by eight runs, 9-8.
2005 The Braves back into their 14th straight division flag with the Mets beating the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, 3-2. The record streak started in 1991 when Atlanta played in the NL West.
2005 Jimmy Rollins extends his hitting streak to 32 games with a seventh-inning single off Mets reliever Juan Padilla. The Philadelphia shortstop breaks the 106-year-old Phillies record, surpassing Ed Delahanty, who hit safely in 31 consecutive games in 1899.
2006 Anibal Sanchez (10-3) tosses five innings, winning Florida's 7-2 victory over the Reds. The 22-year-old right-hander, along with Scott Olsen (12-9), Josh Johnson (12-7), and Ricky Nolasco (11-10), make the Marlins the first team in major league history to have four rookie pitchers win ten or more games.
2006 Accomplishing the milestone in only 77 gates, the Yankees surpass the four million in attendance for the second consecutive year. The Bronx Bombers join the 1991-93 Blue Jays as the only teams in baseball history to reach that mark in more than one season.
2007 Ryan Hanigan becomes the first person born in Washington, D. C. to play in the major leagues. The 27-year-old Reds rookie doubles off Brewers' ace Ben Sheets in his first big-league at-bat.
2007 In addition to pitching 6.1 innings of scoreless ball, Micah Owings goes 4-for-4 with three doubles and three RBIs in the Diamondbacks' 8-0 victory over the Pirates at PNC Park. The 24-year-old right-hander, who will collect the Silver Slugger award for his offensive prowess, is the first pitcher since Whitey Ford (Yankees - 1963) to have two four-hit games in one season.
2009 The Blue Jays appoint Paul Beeston for a three-year term as president and CEO of the team and the Rogers Centre, the home of the Toronto franchise. In October of 2008, the former MLB president took the interim position, replacing Paul Godfrey.
2010

"It's a tough situation for us. A lot of the visiting teams come in and wonder where are all the fans. It's actually a little bit embarrassing for us. We're one game away from clinching a postseason spot." - EVAN LONGORIA,Rays' third baseman, commenting on the team's low attendance.

With an opportunity to see their team clinch a postseason berth, only 12,446 fans attend the Rays game against Baltimore at Tropicana Field. Inspired by third baseman Evan Longoria's criticism of the low attendance figures, the club will make 20,000 free tickets available in the series finale to get more 'energy' into the domed ballpark.

2010 The Phillies capture their fourth consecutive NL East title when they beat Washington, 8-0, behind Roy Halladay's two-hit complete game. Unlike the previous seasons, when the Fightin' Phils' trademark was the big bats in the lineup, this year's squad excelled due to a strong starting rotation that included Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt, in addition to Halladay.
2011 After giving up five runs in the top of the tenth inning, the Diamondbacks score six times in the bottom of the frame in an amazing 7-6 come-from-behind victory over the Dodgers. Arizona infielder Ryan Roberts delivers the decisive blow in the Chase Field contest, a walk-off grand slam with two outs.
2012 In the Tigers' 5-4 victory over Kansas City at Comerica Park, Doug Fister establishes a new American League record when he strikes out nine consecutive batters, one shy of Tom Seaver's major league mark. Detroit's 6-foot-8 right-hander whiffs the last batter in the fourth frame, striking out the side in the next two innings, and continues the streak until Salvador Perez, his first victim, grounds out to the shortstop on a 1-2 pitch to end the seventh inning.

2012 With New York's 6-5 victory over Pittsburgh at Citi Field, R. A. Dickey becomes a 20-game winner, the first Mets hurler in 22 years to accomplish the feat. The 37-year-old knuckleballer is the sixth pitcher in the 50-year history of the franchise to reach the milestone, along with Tom Seaver (1969, 1971, 1972, and 1975), Jerry Koosman (1976), David Cone (1988), and Frank Viola (1990).
2012 Fernando Rodney sets a franchise record when he notches his 46th save of the season, throwing a scoreless ninth inning in the Rays' 3-2 victory over Chicago at U.S. Cellular Field. The 35-year-old right-handed closer surpasses the team mark established in 2010 by Rafael Soriano.
2015 With Houston's 4-2 victory over the Rangers, Dallas Keuchel becomes the first pitcher to win every start at his home park in a single season, going 15-0 at Minute Maid Park. The 27-year-old southpaw finishes the campaign with a 20-8 record and a 2.48 ERA for the second-place Astros.
2019 At Angel Stadium, Will Harris becomes the first Astro hurler to throw an immaculate inning since Brandon Backe accomplished the feat on April 14, 2004. In the bottom of the eighth inning in the team's 4-0 victory over the Halos, the right-hander reliever retires the only three batters he faces on nine pitches, getting Kaleb Cowart, Matt Thais, and Michael Hermosillo to all strike out swinging.
2020 Yankees' second baseman DJ LeMahieu becomes the first player to capture the batting title in both leagues, finishing the Covid-shorten season with a .364 BA to lead the American League. Four seasons ago, the 32-year-old infielder, while playing for the Rockies, batted .348 to take the Senior Circuit crown.
80 Fact(s) Found