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This Day in Baseball History
October 28th

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26 Fact(s) Found
1948 On Lou Boudreau Day, held in his honor by the citizens of his hometown, Harvey (IL), the Indians' skipper tells an audience his Indians were lucky to win the recent World Series. The Cleveland player-manager cites his infielders driving in more than 400 runs and the lack of injuries to key players as reasons why his "third-place" club excelled this season.
1951 The Red Sox trade catcher Les Moss and flychaser Tom Wright to the Browns for backstop Gus Niarhos and outfielder Ken Wood. The deal will have little impact in Boston (6th place) and St. Louis (7th place) when both teams finish in the second division.
1953 Red Barber resigns as a Brooklyn Dodger broadcaster and will take the 'catbird' seat with the rival New York Yankees. The 'Old Redhead' reportedly left the team because he was upset with Brooklyn owner Walter O'Malley's refusal to support him when he failed to get a higher fee from Gillette, the sponsor of the 1953 World Series on television.
1954 Major league owners vote down the sale of the Philadelphia A's to a hometown syndicate. A week later, the Mack family sells controlling interest to Arnold Johnson, who will move the team to Kansas City.
1958 On Candlestick Point, an area where the rocks resembled candlesticks, construction begins on the Giants' new ballpark in San Francisco. The transplanted team will play games at Seals Stadium until a new ballpark on the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay is ready.
1961 Three thousand spectators witnessed the ground-breaking ceremony for the $18,000,000 Municipal Stadium in the Queen's Flushing Meadow Park. The future home of the Mets and the NFL's Titans, expected to be ready for Opening Day in 1963, will be known as Shea Stadium in honor of Bill Shea, the lawyer who helped bring back the National League to the Big Apple.
1980 The one-time Florida State baseball head coach Dick Howser replaces Billy Martin as the Yankee manager. After spending ten years as the team's third-base coach, the new skipper compiles a 103-59 record, leading the team to an AL East championship, but hands-on owner George Steinbrenner fires the independent-minded skipper after being swept by Kansas City in the playoffs.
1981 After dropping the first two games of the Fall Classic, the Dodgers defeat the Yankees, 9-2, capturing the World Championship in six games. The victory at the Bronx ballpark marks the third time this postseason that Los Angeles will come from behind to win a series, having been down 0-2 against the Astros in the five-game strike-necessitated NLDS and 1-2 behind the Expos in the NLCS five-game series.
1981 Entering Game 6 of the World Series in the fifth inning, Yankee right-hander George Frazier, relieving starter Tommy John, gives up three go-ahead runs in the team's 9-2 elimination loss to the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium. The 27-year-old reliever becomes the first pitcher to lose three games in a best-of-seven World Series and the second to drop that many decisions in any Fall Classic, joining White Sox Lefty Williams, the loser of a trio of games in the best-of-nine series played in 1919.
1988 The Padres deal Keith Moreland and Chris Brown to the Tigers for pitcher Walt Terrell, who will be traded, with a player named later [Freddie Toliver] to the Yankees in July. The midseason swap will bring Don Schulze and Mike Pagliarulo to San Diego.
1989 The A's sweep the Giants in the earthquake-delayed Fall Classic with a 9-6 victory at Candlestick Park. Right-hander Dave Stewart, named the World Series MVP, becomes the first hurler to win two games in the LCS and the World Series.
1992 The first-ever Branch Rickey Award recipient is Blue Jay outfielder/DH Dave Winfield, selected from 28 nominees, one player from each major league club. The honor, bestowed by media and Rotary Club representatives, will be given annually to the major leaguer who makes significant contributions to the community, exemplifying the service club's motto, "Service Above Self."
1995 In Game 6, Tom Glavine and Mark Wohlers combine on a one-hitter to defeat the Indians, 1-0, giving the Braves their third World Championship, the first since moving to Atlanta. David Justice's leadoff homer in the sixth inning off Jim Poole proves to be the difference.
2001 With a son named Gehrig, Curt Schilling receives the 2001 Roberto Clemente Award for his contributions to numerous charities, including ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. The Diamondback right-hander, who won the World Series opener yesterday, was selected due to his outstanding baseball skills and devoted work within the community.
2001 With his seventh-inning three-run shot off New York's Andy Pettitte, Matt Williams becomes the first player in World Series history to hit home runs with three different teams. The Diamondback third baseman homered in the Fall Classic for the Indians in 1997 and with the Giants in 1989.
2002 After being unable to get permission to talk to Lou Piniella from Seattle and deciding not to wait ten days after the World Series for the availability of Giant skipper Dusty Baker, the Mets give Art Howe a four-year, $9.4 million deal to manage the team. New York's new skipper led the A's to a pair of AL West championships (2000, 2002), with his teams winning 383 games during the last four seasons, matching Joe Torre's Yankee total.
2002 The Marlins do not renew the contract of John Routh, the 43-year-old man who has been Billy the Marlin since Florida's first game in 1993. Although 'Billy' will return next season, the Fish hires a new person to wear the 35-pound costume as the team seeks to increase the mascot's visibility by changing the character's overall role.
2002 Signing the veteran manager to a four-year contract, the Devil Rays name Lou Piniella as their team's new skipper. As compensation to sign 'Sweet Lou' away from Seattle, Tampa Bay sends their All-Star outfielder Randy Winn (.298, 14, 75) to Seattle for minor leaguer Antonio Perez.
2007 With a 4-3 win over the Rockies at Coors Field, The Red Sox, for the second time in four years, complete a four-game sweep to win the World Series. Terry Francona becomes the first manager to win his first eight games in the Fall Classic.

2007 During the middle of Game 4 of the World Series between the Red Sox and the Rockies, si.com reports Alex Rodriguez has decided to opt out of his Yankee contract. The timing of the announcement and being a no-show at the game to receive the Hank Aaron Award, which honors the most outstanding offensive performer in each league, are severely criticized by fans and the media.
2009 In Game 1, Chase Utley, en route to a record-tying five World Series homers, becomes the first left-handed batter in 81 years to hit two round-trippers off a southpaw in a Fall Classic game. After setting a record by reaching base in 26 straight postseason games with his first-inning walk, he goes deep twice off southpaw CC Sabathia in the Phillies' 6-1 victory at Yankee Stadium, matching Babe Ruth's performance in the fourth and final game of the 1928 series.

(Ed. Note: Yankee slugger Reggie Jackson established the mark when he hit five home runs against the Dodgers in the 1977 Fall Classic, including going deep three times in Game 6.- LP)

2010 Before Game 2 of the World Series at AT&T Park, Tim Wakefield receives the Roberto Clemente Award for his excellence as a ballplayer and commitment to the community. The 44-year-old Red Sox starter is actively involved with "Pitching in for Kids," a nonprofit that provides grants to improve the lives of children across New England.
2011 After being down by 10½ games on August 25 for the NL Central Division lead, the Cardinals beat the Rangers at Busch Stadium, 6-2, in Game 7 of the Fall Classic to win their eleventh world championship in franchise history. In Game 6, the Redbirds had been down to their last strike in the ninth and the tenth innings but rallied to tie the score and eventually win the game on David Freese's leadoff, walk-off home run in the 11th.

2012 At a press conference held before Game 4 at Detroit's Comerica Park, Clayton Kershaw is named the 2012 Roberto Clemente Award recipient, an honor given to a major leaguer who demonstrates the value of helping others by his action off the field. The Dodger southpaw and his wife, Ellen, founded the Kershaw Challenge, which includes its cornerstone charity, "Arise Africa," that helps the couple to build and sustain an orphanage known as "Hope's Home" in Lusaka, Zambia.
2013 In the fifth game of the World Series, Red Sox's first baseman David Ortiz ties Billy Hatcher's 1990 World Series record, reaching base in his ninth consecutive plate appearance. 'Big Papi,' the Fall Classic MVP, extends the streak that began in Game 3 with a fourth-inning single in the team's 3-1 victory over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
2021 In a tweet, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals suggests that baseball replace bullpen with arm barn, arguing that the term refers to where bulls go before slaughter. PETA believes the change would be "a home run for baseball fans, players, and animals."
26 Fact(s) Found