<< Yesterday

This Day in Baseball History
August 31st

Tomorrow>>
47 Fact(s) Found
1915 In the first game of a doubleheader at the Polo Grounds, Cubs' right-hander Jimmy Lavender no-hits the hometown Giants, 2-0. Next season, the 31-year-old knuckleballer will stymie New York again, tossing a one-hitter, allowing only an infield safety to Benny Kauff.
1935 Besides stroking a three-run triple, 28-year-old White Sox Vern Kennedy becomes the sixth rookie to throw a no-hitter. The right-hander's 5-0 gem against the Indians is the first hitless game thrown in Comiskey Park.
1937 Rudy York belts his 17th and 18th homers of the month, establishing a major league record that lasts until 1998 when Sammy Sosa hits 19 in June. The rookie catcher's round-trippers help the Tigers maul the Senators at Navin Field, 12-3.
1946 With two singles in the Red Sox' 4-2 victory over Philadelphia, Johnny Pesky collects 53 hits in August, the highest monthly total in franchise history. In 1950, Dom DiMaggio, a close friend of the shortstop, will tie the mark, also accomplishing the feat in August. 
1954 Closing in on the professional home run record of 69, established by Joe Hauser (Minneapolis-1938) and equaled by Bob Crues (Amarillo-1948), 32-year-old first baseman Joe Bauman blasts four home runs in the Roswell Rockets' 15-9 victory over the Wichita Falls/Sweetwater Spudders to bring his total to 68. Ponderous Bob finishes the season with 72 homers, a record that will last until Barry Bonds surpasses the mark by one round-tripper in 2001.

(Ed. Note: Ron Skrabacz, born on this date, inspired this entry. His dad was a teammate of Joe's on the 1949 Elk City Elks.)

1957 Gus Triandos, considered one of the slowest baserunners in baseball history, hits an inside-the-park home run in the Orioles' 4-1 victory against Boston at Memorial Stadium. The Baltimore backstop circles the bases when his vicious line drive off the outfield wall caroms 100 feet past left fielder Ted Williams, allowing the 27-year-old catcher to complete his improbable round-tripper standing up.
1957 Oriole minor league fireballer Steve Dalkowski strikes out 24 Bluefield players but issues 18 walks, plunks four batters, and uncorks six wild pitches. The New Britain, Connecticut native's wildness costs him the game when Kingsport loses in an Appalachian League contest, 9-8.
1959 Sandy Koufax fans 18 batters to establish a new National League record for a nine-inning game in the Dodgers' 5-2 win over San Francisco at the LA Memorial Coliseum. The left-hander's performance equals the major league mark established in 1938 by Indians fireballer Bob Feller during a 4-1 loss to Detroit.
1963 With two outs in the bottom of the ninth at Wrigley Field, Ellis Burton hits an ultimate grand slam (a walk-off bases-loaded homer when a team is down three runs) off Houston hurler Hal Woodeshick, giving the Cubs a dramatic 6-5 victory. Chicago had been trailing 5-2 before the switch-hitting center fielder hit his Sayonara Slam, the most memorable of his 17 career round-trippers.
1965 Boston's backstop Russ Nixon ties a major league mark when he hits three run-scoring sacrifice flies. The catcher's three fly-ball outs are the difference in the Red Sox's 8-5 victory over the Senators at D.C. Stadium.
1968 Elroy Face ties Senators' Walter Johnson's mark for appearances with one team when he enters a game for the 802nd time for the Pirates, replacing Steve Blass, who remains in the game in left field and returns to the mound after the reliever retires one batter to equal the record. Before the final out in Pittsburgh's 8-0 victory over the Braves, an announcement informs the crowd that Detroit has bought the Bucs' veteran right-handed record-breaker.
1969 Morganna, a well-endowed fan dressed in a mini dress, jumps onto the Atlanta Stadium field and kisses Clete Boyer on the cheek while standing in the batter's box. The Braves third baseman then promptly ends a 1-for-17 slump with an RBI single and goes on an 8-for-15 tear.
1974 In a Class A minor league contest, Mavericks' manager Frank Peters rotates his starting nine, allowing each player to take a different position on the field for every inning. The innovative strategy works as Portland posts an 8-7 victory over the Tri-Cities Ports, their Northwest League opponents.
1984 Trailing by five runs in the bottom of the ninth, the Rangers score six times to beat the Brewers, 7-6. With two runs in and two out, Milwaukee shortstop Robin Yount's error on Gary Ward's ground ball loads the bases, setting the stage for Buddy Bell's 'sayonara slam' over the left-field wall off Pete Ladd.
1985 After completing the first frame in a 6-0 loss to the Mariners at Memorial Stadium, Cal Ripken, Jr. plays his 5,153rd consecutive inning, one more than George Pinkney, who set the previous mark over six seasons from 1885 to 1890, appearing mostly in American Association contests. After being replaced for a pinch-hitter on June 4, 1982, the Baltimore shortstop played every inning to finish the season and will continue to play every inning until September 14, 1987, extending the record to 8,264.
1990 On the final day of the season, reliever Mariano Rivera starts a game of a doubleheader for the Gulf Coast Yankees, giving him enough innings to qualify for GCL's ERA title, an accomplishment that carries a contractual bonus. The Sandman responds by hurling a seven-inning no-hitter against Bradenton to finish the season with a 0.17 ERA, 0.46 WHIP, 58 strikeouts in 52 innings, and $500 richer.


1990 Diamond Cards Tampa Yankees #17
1990 Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr. become the first father and son to appear in the same major league lineup. The 40-year-old left fielder and his 20-year-old offspring score a run in the Mariners' 5-2 victory over the Royals at the Kingdome.
1990 Refusing to part with Triple-A third baseman Scott Cooper to get Larry Andersen from the Astros for the stretch run, Red Sox general manager Lou Gorman trades the Eastern League's MVP Jeff Bagwell for the right-handed relief pitcher. The University of Hartford standout will win the National League Rookie of the Year Award (1991), becoming the league's MVP in the same year Andersen, who hurled only 21 innings in 15 games during his time in Boston, retires from the Phillies (1994).
1992 The A's trade Jose Canseco to the Rangers for Ruben Sierra, Bobby Witt, and Jeff Russell and an undisclosed amount of money. Baseball's bad boy will hit 45 home runs and bat .269 during his three-year tenure in Texas.
1995 Albert Belle hits an extra-inning walk-off home run in two consecutive games when he goes deep off Jimmy Rogers in the tenth, giving the Indians a 6-4 victory over the Blue Jays at Jacobs Field. The Cleveland left fielder ended yesterday's contest in the 14th frame with a round-tripper to deep left-center field off Toronto's Tony Castillo for a 4-3 win.
1997 Braves outfielder Andruw Jones hits the club's tenth grand slam this year, breaking the National League mark for four-run round-trippers in a single season. Ironically, the team sets the record in an American League park when Atlanta defeats the Red Sox at Fenway, 7-3.
1997

In front of a crowd of 55,707, the Yankees add Don Mattingly's uniform number 23 to the list of retired numbers on the wall at Monument Park. The former Bronx Bomber first baseman, who served as team captain from 1991 to 1995, is the first Yankee to have his uniform number retired without playing in a World Series.

2000 The Red Sox trade two minor league pitchers, prospect John Curtice and their 1996 first-round pick (34th overall) Chris Reitsma, to the Reds for Dante Bichette. The 36-year-old veteran outfielder will be Boston's designated hitter, batting .287 for his new team before retiring at the end of next season.
2001 Upon learning Danny Almonte, star pitcher of the LLWS, is 14 years old, not 12 as required by the organization's rules, the Little League strips the Rolando Paulino All-Stars of all its wins. The team, which had captured the heart of the community, finished third in Williamsport, was given a parade in New York, and a pregame ceremony honored the squad at Yankee Stadium.
2001 Former major league catcher Crash Davis, 82, whose name was the inspiration for the main character of the 1988 hit movie Bull Durham, dies after a yearlong bout with cancer. In the film, which was ranked #1 as the greatest sports film of all time by Sports Illustrated, Kevin Costner portrays "Crash" as the veteran backstop of the Durham Bulls brought in to help a rookie pitcher reach the big leagues by sharing his experiences on and off the field.

2002 Losing their 13th consecutive game at Shea Stadium, the Mets complete the worst month at home in National League history. With the 1-0 loss to Randy Wolf and the Phillies, the Amazins' join the Seattle Pilots (August-1969) and the Tigers (September-1996) as teams that have not won a home game in a calendar month with at least ten games.
2004 Omar Vizquel becomes the first player in the 81-year history of Yankee Stadium to collect six hits in a game. The Indians shortstop's 6-for-7 performance, which includes four singles and two doubles, helps pace the Tribe's 22-0 dismantling of the Bronx Bombers.

2004 Equaling the largest shutout margin of victory in baseball history, the Indians rout the Yankees, 22-0. The biggest defeat in the Bronx Bombers' 101-year history matches the 1975 Pirates' record-setting performance against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
2005 On the third pitch he sees in the bigs, Jeremy Hermida becomes only the second player to hit a grand slam in his first major league at-bat. The Marlin rookie pinch-hitter joins Phillies hurler Bill Duggleby, who accomplished the same feat in 1898.
2006 With his major league-leading 49th home run, Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard establishes a new club record for home runs in a single season. Last year's Rookie of the Year's fourth-inning long ball at RFK Stadium puts him ahead of Hall Famer Michael Schmidt, who hit 48 dingers in 1980.
2006 A.J. Pierzynski's sixth-inning blast makes the White Sox the first club in major league history to hit at least 200 home runs for seven consecutive seasons. The catcher's two-run homer isn't enough as Chicago loses to the Devil Rays at Comiskey Park, 5-3.
2007 Tony La Russa becomes the winningest manager in franchise history when the Cardinals defeat Cincinnati at Busch Stadium, 8-5. The Redbird skipper surpasses Red Schoendienst, who compiled a 1,041-955 managerial record with St. Louis.
2007 After walking the leadoff hitter John Buck in the ninth to spoil his perfect game, Scott Baker retires a batter, then yields a single to pinch-hitter Mike Sweeney two outs shy of a no-hitter. The Twins' 25-year-old right-hander from Shreveport settles for a one-hitter, blanking the Royals at the Metrodome, 5-0.
2008 Greg Dobbs breaks the Phillies' 95-year-old club record for pinch hits in a season. The Californian's seventh-inning pinch-hit game-tying double, his 21st hit off the bench, breaks the mark established by Doc Miller in 1913.
2008 The Blue Jays trade David Eckstein to the Diamondbacks for minor-league pitching prospect Chad Beck. The 33-year-old infielder, who played a pivotal role for the 2002 World Champions Angels and was named the 2006 World Series MVP playing for the Cardinals, is obtained by Arizona to provide postseason leadership and experience.
2010 Jeff Francoeur is traded to the Rangers by the Mets in exchange for infielder Joaquin Arias. The rifle-armed right fielder will be a right-handed bat off the bench and a defensive replacement for the playoff-bound Texas team.
2010 At Great American Ball Park, Aroldis Chapman makes his much-anticipated major league debut, tossing a perfect eighth inning in the Reds' 8-4 victory over Milwaukee. The 22-year-old Cuban defector lives up to the hype, throwing four pitches at 100 mph or better.
2010 The Dodgers swap a player to be named (infielder Tony Abreu) to the Diamondbacks for starter Jon Garland. The 31-year-old right-hander will post a 3-2 record with a 2.72 ERA in his six late-season starts with the team before signing as a free agent with San Diego.
2011 Craig Kimbrel sets a rookie record with his 41st save when he retires the side in order in the Braves' 3-1 victory over Washington at Turner Field. The 23-year-old Atlanta closer, who will finish the season with 46, surpasses Neftali Feliz's saves record established last season with the Rangers.
2011 In a stretch-run trade with Pittsburgh, the Braves acquired Matt Diaz for a player to be named and cash considerations. The 33-year-old outfielder, who played with Atlanta for five years, left the organization after the 2010 season when he inked a two-year, $4.25 million free-agent deal with the Pirates.
2011 The Diamondbacks set a team record with their 12th consecutive victory at home when they beat Colorado at Chase Field, 4-2. The streak surpasses the mark established by the 2000 and 2003 clubs.
2012 Bob Uecker, known for his humor on and off the diamond, is honored by the Brewers in a light-hearted dedication ceremony outside Miller Park that unveils a seven-foot bronze statue of the team's popular broadcaster. The sculpture, depicting the smiling "Mr. Baseball" with his hands in his pockets, joins the likenesses of Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Robin Yount, and Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig in front of the ballpark.

Bob Uecker Statue by Doris Klinger, on Flickr
2014 In the Japanese National High School Rubber Baseball Tournament semifinals, Chukyo finally breaks the scoreless tie that had captured the nation's attention, tallying three runs in the 50th inning to beat Sotoku High School. Both starting pitchers, Chukyo's Taiga Matsui and Jukiya Ishioka of Sotoku, go the distance, throwing 709 and 689 pitches in the contest that takes four days to complete and avoiding the winner being decided with a random drawing if the tie remains after 54 innings.

(Ed. Note- A rubber ball is a softer baseball that does not rebound off the bat as quickly as a hardball, making the game safer for the players. -LP)

2014 At the waiver deadline, the White Sox trade Adam Dunn to the A's for 23-year-old minor-league pitcher Nolan Sanburn, who is 3-1 with a 3.28 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 71.1 innings hurling for Class A Stockton. Oakland hopes their new slugger, a 34-year-old two-time All-Star with 460 career homers, can provide some offensive punch for the contending team, which recently has been slumping.
2019

The Rangers retire seven-time All-Star infielder Michael Young's uniform #10. During his 12 years in the Texas lineup, the second baseman turned shortstop becomes the franchise's career leader in runs, hits, doubles, triples, and total bases.

2022 With Timmy Trumpet playing his entrance song, Narco, a five-year-old tune by the Aussie horn player and the Dutch EDM duo Blasterjaxx, Edwin Díaz jogs to the mound for the Mets, creating one of the most memorable moments in franchise history. The New York closer lives up to the hype, retiring the side in order on nine pitches to earn the save in the team’s 2-1 victory over the Dodgers at Citi Field.

47 Fact(s) Found