| << Yesterday | This Day in Dodgers History |
Tomorrow>> |
10 Fact(s) Found
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 | 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 | 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. |
| 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.
|
| 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. |
10 Fact(s) Found