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This Day in Baseball History
May 31st

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40 Fact(s) Found
1869 The first rainout involving a professional baseball team occurs when heavy rain postpones the Red Stockings' tune-up game against the Antioch Nine, a Yellow Springs (OH) college team. Aaron B. Champion, the owner of Cincinnati, had been a student at the school in the 1850s.
1914 At Comiskey Park, three fourth-inning White Sox errors ruin the shutout, but Joseph Benz still no-hits the Naps (Indians), 6-1. The right-hander known as 'Blitzen' will take only one hour and 45 minutes to accomplish the deed.
1927 Although it will be another 42 years before the next one, an unassisted triple play is made for the second consecutive day in the major leagues when John Neun accomplishes the rare feat in the ninth inning, saving the Tigers' 1-0 victory. The first baseman catches Homer Summa's line drive, tags Charlie Jamieson, the runner on first, and then beats Glenn Myatt to second base, making it the first time the last three outs of a game result from a solo triple killing.
1937 In Game 1 of a Memorial Day doubleheader, Carl Hubbell's consecutive-game winning streak, compiled over two seasons, ends at 24 when the Dodgers, led by Babe Phelps' 5-for-6 performance, defeat the Giants at the Polo Grounds, 10-3. 'King Carl' is honored between games when Babe Ruth presents the southpaw with the 1936 National League's MVP Award.
1938 Lou Gehrig plays in his 2000th consecutive game, collecting an RBI single in the Yankees' 12-5 victory over Boston in the Bronx ballpark. The 34-year-old first baseman will play in another 130 straight games before amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) shortens his Hall of Fame career.
1941 Chuck Aleno establishes the longest hitting streak to start a career when he extends his string to 17 games with a single and a triple in the Reds' 5-2 victory over St. Louis at Crosley Field. The 24-year-old third baseman, hitting .485, begins the record run with four consecutive multi-hit games.
1944 At Briggs Stadium, Al Unser, whose son Del will play in the major leagues, hits a pinch-hit grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Tigers a 6-2 walk-off victory over New York. The game-winning round-tripper will be the second baseman's only home run this season.
1948 Tommy Lasorda, best known as the Dodgers' Hall of Fame skipper, strikes out 25 batters and collects the game-winning hit when the Schenectady Blue Jays defeat the Amsterdam Rugmakers, 6-5, in 15 innings. The promising southpaw, who goes the distance in the CanAm minor-league contest played in McNearney Stadium, believes he probably threw more than 300 pitches during the game.
1949 Charley Lupica announces from a twenty-foot platform atop a flagpole that he will remain on the perch until the Indians are eliminated from the race or win another pennant. Although the local grocery store owner abandons his post in late September with the Tribe in fourth place, Cleveland owner Bill Veeck will reward the loyal fan with a souvenir 50-foot flagpole and a brand-new car.

1961 Carroll Hardy, batting for Carl Yastrzemski, bunts for a single in the eighth inning of Boston's 7-6 loss to the Yankees. The outfielder will be the only player to pinch-hit for Red Sox legends Captain Carl and Ted Williams.
1964 In the nightcap of a doubleheader at Shea Stadium, Gaylord Perry pitches ten extra-inning frames in relief, winning when the Giants beat the Mets in the longest game played to a decision in baseball history, 8-6. The future Hall of Famer reportedly threw his first spitball in a major league game during the 23-inning, seven-hour, and 23-minute marathon.
1964 The Mets execute an unusual 6-6-3 triple play in the 14th frame of a 23-inning 8-6 loss to the Giants when shortstop Roy McMillan snares Orlando Cepeda's line drive, tags second base to double off Jesus Alou and then throws to first, catching Willie Mays off base for the third out. The play is the team's second triple-killing in the franchise's brief history, pulling one off against the Dodgers in 1962, the team's inaugural season.
1965 In the Dodgers' 6-1 nightcap loss to the visiting Reds, an all-switch-hitting infield appears in a big-league game for the first time in history. The team fields Wes Parker at first base, Jim Lefebvre at second, Maury Wills at shortstop, and Jim Gilliam, who stays in the game and plays third base after pinch-hitting in the second inning.
1966 In a 14-5 thrashing of the Twins at Metropolitan Stadium, Orioles first baseman Boog Powell scores from second on a wild pitch. The 6' 4", 240-pound infielder, not known for his speed, will be thrown out in four attempts to steal a base this season.
1966 Ron Santo establishes a National League record when he appears in his 364th consecutive game at third base. The Cubs infielder's streak, which started on April 19, 1964, will end at 390 contests after Jack Fisher fractures his cheek with a pitch.
1968 Don Drysdale's shutout streak stays intact when home plate umpire Harry Wendelstedt rules that Dick Dietz, hit by a pitch, did not attempt to get out of the way of the right-hander's delivery with the bases loaded in the ninth inning. The Giants catcher finishes the at-bat by popping up, and the next two batters also make outs to give 'Big D" his fifth straight shutout, tying a major league established by White Sox hurler Doc White in 1904.
1975 The Astros establish a team record by scoring twelve runs in the eighth inning of a 15-3 rout of Philadelphia. As a pinch-hitter during the frame, Cliff Johnson doubles and hits a home run, but his round-tripper does not count as a pinch-hit since he batted earlier in the inning.
1975 For the fifth time in his career, Cesar Tovar gets his team's lone hit when he breaks up Catfish Hunter's bid for a no-hitter with a sixth-inning single in the Rangers' 6-0 loss to the Yankees. The Texas DH also accomplished the feat against Barry Moore (1967 Senators), Dave McNally (1969 Orioles), Mike Cuellar (1969 Orioles), and Dick Bosman (1970 Senators).
1976 In his final start, after basically forcing the Twins to trade him, Bert Blyleven is serenaded by fans with a "Bye, Bye, Blyleven" chant. In 1985, the Twins reacquire the unpopular right-hander, who will help the team win a World Series two seasons later before becoming a very popular broadcaster in the Twin Cities after his retirement.
1976 After an error sets up a six-run rally for the Padres in the eighth inning, Ted Turner, the new Atlanta owner, invites the 2,994 fans watching the Braves lose to San Diego, 10-7, to return the next night as his guests.
1979 In his major league debut, Pat Underwood blanks the Blue Jays for 8.1 innings, earning the victory when the Tigers beat Toronto, 1-0, thanks to Jerry Morales' eighth-inning solo home run. The 22-year-old rookie's mound opponent is his older brother, Tom, now winless in seven decisions, who goes the distance in the Exhibition Stadium contest.
1980 Ken Landreaux's 31-game hitting streak ends when he goes hitless in four at-bats in Minnesota's 11-1 loss to Baltimore at Metropolitan Stadium. The 33-year-old outfielder's accomplishment, the longest span in the American League since Dom DiMaggio's 34 for the Red Sox in 1949, establishes the record for the most consecutive games with a hit in Twins history.
1980 Gary Carter hits the second of his two career inside-the-park home runs, and an inning later, the Expos catcher adds an out-of-the-park homer. The pair of two-run shots is to no avail when Montreal drops the Busch Stadium contest to the Redbirds, 8-6.
1991 The Mets and Padres swap middle infielders, with second baseman Tim Teufel going to San Diego in exchange for shortstop Garry Templeton, who will retire at the end of the season. The Friars' new keystone sacker will hit .232 during his two-plus seasons with the club.
1997 Ila Borders becomes the first woman to play in a minor league game. The St. Paul Saints reliever gives up three runs to Sioux Falls without recording an out but redeems herself the next day by striking out the side.
1999 After consulting a TV monitor in the dugout, Frank Pulli becomes the first umpire to use instant replay to make a call, changing Cliff Floyd's fifth-inning home run to a ground-rule double in the Marlins' 5-2 loss to the Cardinals. After the Pro Player Stadium contest, the National League officials clearly state that using technology to reverse the call should not have occurred.
2000 At Bank One Ballpark, Cardinals' slugger Mark McGwire hits a fly ball snagged by Diamondback's center fielder Steve Finley (1), who relays the ball to home to get Placido Polanco out trying to score (2), with backstop Damian Miller continuing the play by firing the ball to third base where shortstop Tony Womack tags out Edgar Renteria advancing from second (3). The 8*-2*-6* play in the fifth inning of the team's 6-2 victory over the Redbirds marks Arizona's first triple play in franchise history.

2001 For the first time in over a year since Pedro Martinez scoffed at the 'Curse,' the Red Sox finally beat the Yankees in their eighth attempt. The right-hander was 7-1 when he said, "Wake up the damn Bambino and have me face him -- Maybe I'll drill him in the ass," but after the comment, he makes seven winless starts, marking the first time he did not earn a win in seven starts since his first seven major league appearances as a rookie.
2001 After 25 years in the organization, manager Felipe Alou, 66, is fired by the Expos and replaced by Jeff Torborg, an old friend of Jeffrey Loria, the team's owner. The former Montreal skipper is the winningest manager in franchise history, compiling a 691-717 record during his nine-year tenure.
2001 The Padres pound the Mets, 18-6, setting a new scoring record for Petco Park. The team's total of tallies surpasses the previous mark set in the 17-2 victory over Atlanta in the home opener played in April.
2004 Sister Susanna Helms wins $10,000 from U.S. Bank and WLW when Barry Larkin and Sean Casey hit back-to-back home runs in Cincinnati's 9-7 victory over the Marlins at Pro Player Stadium. The nun will donate the cash she won in the Reds' radio promotion when the team hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning to the Sisters of Saint Francis in Oldenburg (IN) to help the order meet expenses.
2005 Buddy Bell, who formerly piloted the Tigers (1996-98) and the Rockies (2000-2002), becomes the first Kansas City manager in 19 years with previous experience hired as the team's skipper. With the worst record in baseball, the Royals will respond by sweeping a three-game series with the Yankees.
2006 After a slow start, the Royals replace general manager Allard Baird with former Braves assistant Dayton Moore. During his seven-year tenure, the club compiled a 381-576 record, including one winning season and three 100-loss campaigns.
2006 The Astros announced Roger Clemens is coming out of retirement to pitch for the remainder of the season after coming to terms with the right-hander on a deal worth $22,000,022 (#22 is his uniform number), prorated approximately to $12.25 million due to his midseason start. The 43-year-old right-hander will finish the season with a 7–6 record, a 2.30 ERA, and a 1.04 WHIP, averaging just under six innings per start, including never pitching into the eighth.
2007 In a crisp, one-hour, fifty-minute contest at Rogers Centre, the Blue Jays beat Chicago, 2-0. Roy Halladay becomes the quickest pitcher in franchise history to record 100 victories, needing just 200 starts to reach the milestone.
2008 In front of many visiting Red Sox fans at Camden Yards, Manny Ramirez becomes the 24th and 12th-youngest major leaguer to hit 500 career home runs. The historic ball, thrown in the seventh inning by Orioles right-hander Chad Bradford, is caught in the stands by Damon Woo, who presents the Boston slugger with the ball after the game.

2009 Carlos Pena becomes the first player to hit a ball into the "A" ring, the highest catwalk at Tropicana Field. The Rays' first baseman's 190-foot pop fly, considered in play, is caught off the rebound by Jose Mijares, but the Twins' left-hander has to roll onto his stomach to hold onto the ball for the out.

2012 At Coors Field, Carlos Gonzalez sets a franchise record and becomes the 22nd major league to hit a home run in his fourth straight at-bat. The Rockies outfielder's first-frame three-run homer off Houston pitcher Bud Norris comes on the heels of CarGo's three round-trippers in the fifth, sixth, and eighth innings of yesterday's contest.

2012 With their 6-2 victory, the Brewers beat the Dodgers for the fourth consecutive day, making the Brew Crew the first visiting team to sweep a four-game series at Chavez Ravine since the Rockies accomplished the feat in August of 1993. The victories also mark the franchise's first sweep of the LA team.
2015 Derek Fisher, the Astros' 2014 first-round draft pick, dramatically makes his California League debut, hitting a solo home run and two grand slams in his first three at-bats for the Lancaster Jethawks, Houston's Class-A Advanced affiliate. The former Virginia Calavier outfielder establishes a new league mark when he clears the bases in the seventh inning with a bases-loaded double to raise his RBI total to 12 in the team's 16-3 victory.
40 Fact(s) Found