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This Day in Baseball History
June 28th

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41 Fact(s) Found
1907 Branch Rickey is behind the plate when the Senators steal 13 bases in the Highlanders' 16-5 loss to the Senators at Hilltop Park. Although the New York catcher is not a terrific player, 'the Mahatma' will become one of the premier baseball administrators in the history of the game.
1910 At Cincinnati's Palace of the Fans, Joe Tinker steals home twice, becoming the first major leaguer to accomplish the feat in the same game. The Cubs shortstop's thievery helps Chicago beat the Reds, 11-1.


Cubs shortstop Joe Tinker (1909-1911)
Library of Congress - Benjamin K. Edwards Collection.

1911 After playing home games at the Highlanders' Hilltop Park for six weeks, the Giants returned to the Polo Grounds with a 3-0 victory over Boston. Their home, devastated by an April fire, will use temporary wooden bleachers before the renovated steel and concrete structure opens next season.
1913 Due to the relocation of the Covington (KY) Blue Sox franchise to Kansas City, organized baseball declares war on the new independent Federal League. The City of Fountains is considered the territory of the American Association.
1918 After moving up to the mound for a possible cutoff play, White Sox backstop Ray Schalk continues to second base, taking a throw from first baseman Chick Gandil to double up Browns Ray Demmitt, who failed to retouch second base, attempting to get back to first. The play makes the future Hall of Famer the first catcher to make a putout at every bag, a feat not accomplished again until 1964 when Johnny Roseboro tags Willie Mays out in a rundown play when the outfielder tries to steal second.
1919 Red Sox right-hander Carl Mays, before his July trade to today’s opponents, hurls two complete games in a doubleheader, beating the Yankees, 2-0, in the first game and losing the nightcap, 4-1, at the Polo Grounds. The 26-year-old submariner accomplished the same feat last season on August 30 when he beat the A's, 12–0 and 4–1, in a twin bill played at Fenway Park.
1939 In a twin bill sweep at Shibe Park, the Yankees set the major league record for home runs in a game and two consecutive games when the team hit eight homers in the opener and another five in the nightcap on their way to sweeping the A's, 23-2 and 10-0. In the first game of the twin bill, the Bronx Bombers collect 53 total bases to establish an American League record.
1939 At Shibe Park, Lou Gehrig receives a tremendous standing ovation from the Philadelphia crowd when he brings out the lineup card to the umpires before the second game of a twin bill. A's manager Connie Mack, who rarely leaves the dugout, goes to home plate to shake the terminally ill Yankee captain's hand.
1941 White Sox rookie Don Kolloway hits two home runs and a single in the team's 6-4 victory over the Indians at Cleveland Stadium. The 22-year-old second baseman also steals four bases, including second, third, and home, in the ninth inning to add an insurance run for Chicago.
1949 Joe DiMaggio returns to the lineup after missing the first 69 games of the season due to an ailing heel, which required an operation for bone spurs. The Yankee Clipper will go 5-for-11 (.455), connecting for four homers and driving nine runs in the team's three-game sweep against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
1959 In another innovative promotion stage by team owner Bill Veeck, the White Sox host a three-ring circus that features acrobats, sword swallowers, and elephants between games of a Sunday doubleheader. The Pale Sox players don't clown around, sweeping the Yankees in the Comiskey Park twin bill, 9-2 and 4-2.
1959 In a 6-0 loss to the Giants, Wally Post becomes the first major leaguer to throw out two runners from the outfield in one inning. In the bottom of the first, the Phillies' outfielder nails Orlando Cepeda at second base and then starts a 9-6-3 double play on Daryl Spencer's fly ball to right field.
1969 After ending an 11-game losing streak in their previous contest, the expansion Padres are the victims of a 19-0 shutout for the second time this season when Dodgers right-hander Don Drysdale equals the National League record for the largest margin of victory in a shutout. Los Angeles scores more than half of their runs in the third inning, crossing the plate ten times.
1970 In the final two games at Forbes Field, the Pirates sweep a doubleheader from the Cubs, 3-2 and 4-1, to gain a first-place tie with the Mets. After returning from their 18-day road trip, the team will play at Three Rivers Stadium, abandoning the old Pittsburgh ballpark that served as the Bucs' home since 1909.
1973 White Sox's first baseman Dick Allen fractures his left leg after colliding with Angels' baserunner Mike Epstein at the bag. The Chicago slugger, hitting .310 with 16 homers at the time, will miss most of the season, and his team, which has only one game out of first place, will finish 17 games behind Oakland, the AL West Division winners.
1974

"He thinks he's in a sales convention dealing with a bunch of short-order cooks. That's not the way to go about getting a winner. Somebody ought to sit him down and straighten him out." - DOUG RADER, Astros third baseman's comments concerning Ray Kroc's ownership style of the Padres.

Padres president Buzzie Bavasi, inspired by disparaging remarks made by Astro third baseman Doug Rader about Ray Kroc, team owner and the board chairman of McDonald's, stages a Short-Order Cooks' Night, giving fans wearing a chef's hat free admission. The Houston captain, who compared Kroc's management of the Friars to a sales convention of short-order cooks, joins in on the fun by wearing a chef's hat and an apron and carrying a skillet and spatula when he brings the lineup card to home plate. (Ed. Note: Frequent contributor Gary R. shared this interesting and ironic detail about the entry; the game ends with a flyout to John Grubb. -LP)

1976 At Tiger Stadium, Mark Fidrych, known as the 'Bird,' amuses a Monday Night Baseball national TV audience, talking to the baseball when he one-hits the Yankees, 5-1. The unsung Detroit rookie, who made the team on the final cut of spring training, will finish the season with a 19-9 record.

1979 The Giants trade Bill Madlock, Lenny Randle, and Dave Roberts to the Pirates for hurlers Ed Whitson, Fred Breining, and Al Holland. The 'Mad Dog' will play a pivotal role for Pittsburgh this season, batting .328 in 88 games for the World Champion Bucs.
1984 Red Sox Dwight Evans completes the 15th cycle in franchise history, becoming only the fourth major league player to accomplish the feat with a walk-off home run. The 32-year-old Gold Glove right fielder's game-ending three-run blast in the 11th inning off Mariner reliever Ed Nunez gives Boston a dramatic 9-6 victory at Fenway Park.

(Ed. Note - Ken Boyer [1961 Cardinals], CĂ©sar Tovar [1972 Twins], and George Brett [1979 Royals] also completed a cycle with a walk-off home run. -LP)
1986 Indian knuckleballer Phil Niekro and Angels right-hander Don Sutton become the first 300-game winners to start against one another in this century. Both future Hall of Famers pitch into the seventh inning, but neither gets the decision in the Halos' 9-3 victory over the Tribe at Anaheim Stadium.
1987 In a seven-game day, American League batters combined to hit a record 28 home runs. The A's contribute five round-trippers to the new mark when Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, known as the Bash Brothers, each go deep twice, with teammate Reggie Jackson adding another in the team's 10-0 rout of Cleveland.
1989 In an area known as Camden Yards, the razing of structures on the 85-acre parcel of land begins to make room for the Orioles' new ballpark in downtown Baltimore. The fan-friendly baseball-only facility, which debuts in 1992, sets the standard for all new ballparks to be built in the future as teams try to copy the "retro" look done so successfully by the HOK architectural firm.
1991 In the Reds' 8-5 victory over Houston at Riverfront Stadium, Barry Larkin hits three consecutive home runs to join Ernie Banks (1955 Cubs) and Freddie Patek (1980 Angels) as the only shortstops to go deep three times in a game. The trio of round-trippers also gives the future Hall of Famer a major league record-tying five homers over a two-game span.
1994 In the Giants' 7-4 loss at Dodger Stadium, Matt Williams becomes the second National Leaguer to hit 28 home runs before July, tying the mark established in 1971 by Willie Stargell. The San Francisco third baseman will finish the strike-shortened season with a league-leading 43 round-trippers, losing a legitimate opportunity to break Babe Ruth's mark of 60 when the season prematurely ends on August 11.
1999 Twenty-five-year-old shortstop Damian Jackson swipes five bags, including stealing home in the sixth inning, in the Padres' 8-7 victory at Qualcomm Stadium, establishing the modern-day rookie record for stolen bases. In 2009, Rockies freshman Dexter Fowler equals the mark in a contest that also involves San Diego.
2000 After giving up 11 runs in the first four innings, the Rockies storm back to beat San Francisco, 17-13. Colorado third baseman Jeff Cirillo hits three homers, doubles, drives in six runs, and scores five times in the Coors Field slugfest.
2000 In less than six seasons, the Rockies draw their 20 millionth fan to one ballpark faster than any other team in major league history. Colorado eclipses the Dodgers' mark of needing nine years in two stadiums to reach the milestone.
2001 After twenty seasons in San Diego, Padre outfielder Tony Gwynn announces he'll retire at the end of the season. The future Hall of Famer has the highest lifetime batting average (.338) among all active players.
2004 With his seventh-inning triple in the Phillies' 14-6 win over Montreal at Citizens Bank Park, David Bell becomes the eighth player in franchise history and the first since Gregg Jefferies in 1995 to hit for the cycle. The Philadelphia third baseman joins his grandfather Gus Bell (1951) as the only grandson and grandfather combination to have accomplished the feat.
2006 The last-place Pirates set a franchise record with their 13th consecutive defeat, dropping a 4-3 decision to White Sox at PNC Park. Pie Traynor's 1939 Bucs had held the dubious mark, losing a dozen in a row during their 68-85 sixth-place finish in the National League.
2006 In his worst outing as a Met during two seasons with the team, the Red Sox rout Pedro Martinez in his return to Boston when the Mets drop a 10-2 decision. The Fenway crowd, who chanted, "Pedro! Pedro!" before the game, showed their appreciation of the Dominican's history as a Red Sox player with a standing ovation during yesterday's video tribute, highlighting the right-hander's achievements with Boston.
2007 With the third of his five hits in the Astros' 8-5 victory over Colorado at Minute Maid Park, Craig Biggio collects his 3000th hit to become the 27th major leaguer to reach the plateau and the ninth player to accomplish the feat playing for one team. The hustling Houston second baseman reaches the milestone in the seventh inning with a single off Aaron Cook, trying to stretch the historic hit into a double.

2007 Frank Thomas hits a three-run homer off Twins hurler Carlos Silva in the first inning of the Blue Jays' 8-5 loss at the Metrodome to become the 21st major leaguer to hit 500 home runs. The 'Big Hurt,' who has hit 50 homers (10%) against the Twins, also hit the first home run of his career in Minnesota in 1990.
2008 In Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers, without the benefit of a hit for the entire game, defeat the Angels, 1-0. Due to the home team not batting in the ninth inning, the combined losing effort of Halo hurlers Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo does not officially count as a no-hitter.
2009 Mariano Rivera joins Trevor Hoffman as the second pitcher to record 500 major league saves. The right-handed reliever, who also registers his first RBI of his 15-year career when his ninth-inning base-on-balls forces in a run, reaches the milestone by getting the last four outs in the Yankees' 4-2 win over the Mets at Citi Field.
2010 In a scene reminiscent of Dave Dravecky breaking his arm throwing a ball to a batter in 1989, Tiger reliever Joel Zumaya crumbles to his knees in extreme pain after releasing a pitch in a game against Minnesota at Target Field. The hard-throwing right-hander will miss the remainder of the season, but the prognosis for next season is optimistic because there is no ligament damage to his elbow.
2010 The Cubs place Carlos Zambrano, suspended for three games for his recent tirade against teammate Derrek Lee, on the restricted list. Doctors, mutually selected by Major League Baseball and the players' union, will evaluate the excitable right-hander after his first-inning meltdown in the visitors' dugout after surrendering four runs to the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.
2010 The Cubs honor Ron Santo for his 50 years in baseball, giving the former third baseman and current WGN radio analyst a "Santo 50" white flag autographed by the players and a photo of the Wrigley Field marquee with the message, "Thank you, Ron, for 50 great years." The seventy-year-old will also throw out the ceremonial first pitch and sings "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch.

2011 After playing 299 games without a grand slam, the Mets hit two bases-full homers in seven at-bats during their 14-3 rout of Detroit at Comerica Park. Jason Bay breaks the nearly two-year drought with a fourth-inning round-tripper, and Carlos Beltran goes deep six batters later in the fifth frame.

2012 During an on-field ceremony before the game against Arizona at Turner Field, the Braves honor Chipper Jones, who was officially inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame earlier in the day. Joining Hank Aaron (44), Warren Spahn (21), Eddie Mathews (44), Phil Niekro (35), Dale Murphy (3), Greg Maddux (31), Tom Glavine (47), John Smoltz (29), and Bobby Cox (6), 40-year-old Atlanta third baseman becomes the tenth person to have his number retired by the franchise with the unveiling of his jersey #10 on the outfield wall.
2015 Steven Matz, who goes 3-for-3 at the plate, becomes the first pitcher to drive in four runs in his major league debut, delivering a two-run double in his first at-bat and then driving in another pair with a sixth-inning single. The Mets' 24-year-old rookie right-hander from Stony Brook, NY, gives up five hits and two runs in 7.2 innings en route to earning his first victory when the Mets beat Cincinnati at Citi Field, 7-2.
41 Fact(s) Found