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This Day in Baseball History
July 1st

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54 Fact(s) Found
1859 In the first collegiate baseball game, Amherst defeats their archrival, Williams College, 73-32 (66-32 by some reports). The contest, played under Massachusetts rules (a square field with no foul territory), takes place near the corner of North Street and Maplewood Avenue in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

1902 En route to a 2-0 victory over Baltimore, left-handed hurler Rube Wadell, playing in his first game for Connie Mack's A's, faces the minimum 27 batters, striking out 13 in the Oriole Park contest. In the sixth frame, the 25-year-old Philadelphia southpaw becomes the first American League pitcher to toss an immaculate inning when he fans Billy Gilbert, Harry Howell, and Jack Cronin on nine consecutive pitches.
1903 At Chicago's South Side Park, Cy Young drives in the contest's lone run with a tenth-inning double, scoring Hobe Ferris. The shutout, his fourth consecutive complete game without allowing a run, is the Boston American right-hander's third 1-0 victory in nine days.

BaseballReference

1910 In front of a full house, the Browns spoil the White Sox debut at Comiskey Park when Barney Pelty beats Ed Walsh and the hometown team, 2-0. The new ballpark, initially called White Sox Park for three years and later renamed for White Sox founder and owner Charles Comiskey, replaces an obsolete wooden South Side Park that had served as the home for the Pale Hose since 1901.
1914 🇨🇳 Henry Kingman becomes the first person born in China to play in a major league game when he pinch-hits in the Yankees' 7-4 loss to the Senators at Griffith Stadium. The 22-year-old first baseman, born in Tientsin to missionary parents, will appear in four games, playing the field in only one contest.
1916 The 42-year and four-month-old Pirates shortstop Honus Wagner becomes the oldest player to hit an inside-the-park home when he goes deep in the fourth inning off Reds' right-hander Elmer Knetzer in the team's 2-1 victory at Cincinnati's Redland Field. The round-tripper will be the Flying Dutchman's last four-bagger of his storied career, finishing with 101, including 41 inside-the-parkers, hit during his 21-year tenure in the major leagues.
1920 Leaving Robison Field in midseason, the Cardinals play their first game as the home team at Sportsman's Park, which serves as the American League's St. Louis Browns' ballpark, bowing to the Pirates, 6-2. After signing a ten-year lease for $20,000 annually with Browns' president Phil Ball, the team moves six blocks to play its home games in a modern ballpark.
1920 At Fenway Park, Walter Johnson pitches the season's only no-hitter, defeating the Red Sox, 1-0. In the seventh inning, Bucky Harris boots Harry Hooper's grounder for an error, ruining the Big Train's bid for a perfect game, but it's the Senators' second baseman's two-out single in the bottom of the frame that drives in the game's lone run. 


Walter Johnson (1911)
Library of Congress - Benjamin K. Edwards Collection

1920 At Cincinnati's Redland Field, Reds' right-hander Fred Toney goes the distance in both ends of a twin bill, defeating the Pirates 4-1 and 5-1. The 28-year-old Nashville native's two three-hitters set the mark for the fewest hits given by a pitcher up in a doubleheader.
1934 Bill Terry leads all vote-getters in All-Star balloting, with Babe Ruth of the Yankees getting the most votes in the American League. The Giants' first baseman will also be the skipper of the National League team.
1934 St. Louis defeats Cincinnati, 8-6, in an 18-inning game that features both starting pitchers, Redbird right-hander Dizzy Dean and Reds southpaw Tony Freitas, throwing the first 17 frames for their teams in the Crosley Field contest. After the Cardinals tally two runs on three hits off Paul Derringer in the top of the final frame, the home team fails to score with the bases loaded, ending the four-hour and twenty-eight-minute marathon.
1941 The WNBT broadcast of the Dodgers' 6-4 loss to the Phillies at Ebbets Field features television's first commercial. The station, formerly known as W2XBS, airs a one-minute spot before the first pitch promoting Bulova, consisting of a static image of a watch with the company's name.
1941 In a rain-shortened nightcap against the Red Sox, Joe DiMaggio ties Wee Willie Keeler's 1897 major league record consecutive game hit streak of 44 with the help of a difficult decision by the official scorer. Red Sox third baseman Jim Tabor makes a poor throw, but the 'Yankee Clipper' is given a hit by Dan Daniel of the New York World-Telegram.
1943 Although the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League will not have an All-Star Game until 1946, two teams, one composed of South Bend Blue Sox and Rockford Peaches, and the other from the Kenosha Comets and Racine Belles, put on an exhibition game. The AAGPBL contest is the first night game ever played in the historic Chicago ballpark at Wrigley Field.
1943 To save newsprint, the Sporting News begins using a tabloid format. "The Bible of Baseball," established in 1886, became the dominant voice and major source of information for serious fans of the national pastime.
1945 Absent from the game for the longest tenure by any major leaguer, Hank Greenberg, the first player in the American League to register for the peacetime draft in 1940 in the U.S. Army, makes a dramatic return after forty-seven months, homering in his first game back from the Armed Forces. 'Hammerin Hank's round-tripper helps the first-place Tigers beat the A's at Briggs Stadium, 9-5, in front of an emotional crowd of 47,700 fans.
1950 Eddye Ford's Yankee debut is less than impressive when he gives up five runs on seven hits, walking six in 4⅔ innings of relief against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The 21-year-old lefty Queens' native, better known as Whitey, will become the winningest pitcher in franchise history, posting a 236-106 record during his 16 seasons with the team.
1951 Joining Larry Corcoran and Cy Young, Indian right-hander Bob Feller becomes the third pitcher in major league history to pitch three career no-hitters when he defeats the Tigers, 2-1. Detroit scores its run in the fourth frame on an error, a stolen base, an errant pick-off throw, and a sac fly.
1953 Mel Parnell wins his 100th career game when Boston blanks the Bronx Bombers at Yankee Stadium, 4-0. Joining Cy Young, Joe Wood, Lefty Grove, and Joe Dobson, the southpaw from New Orleans becomes the fifth Red Sox hurler in franchise history to reach the milestone.
1957 At Memorial Stadium, Orioles' pitcher George Zuverink and catcher Frank Zupo form the first 'Z' battery in major league history. Both Zees enter the Yankee Stadium contest in the tenth and final inning of the Bronx Bombers' 3-2 victory over Baltimore.
1958 At Wrigley Field, Cubs relievers trick San Francisco's outfielder Leon Wagner into looking under the bullpen bench for Tony Taylor's ball, which is in play, instead of a rain gutter 45 feet away from where the ball landed. In the meantime, the batter scurries around the bases for an inside-the-park home run when the rookie cannot find the ball.
1960 H. Gabriel Murphy's option of first refusal to buy the Senators from current owner Calvin Griffith expires. The chief minority stockholder hopes to stop the club from moving to Minneapolis/St. Paul's area to become the Twins will lose two court decisions, preventing him from keeping the team in Washington, D.C.
1962 In the second game of a doubleheader sweep of the Indians, the White Sox become the first team in major league history to record three run-scoring sacrifice flies in one inning. Cleveland's right fielder Gene Green drops two of the three fly balls hit by Juan Pizarro, Nellie Fox, and Al Smith, setting up the unprecedented occurrence.
1964 Five thousand cabbies and their families are at Yankee Stadium to celebrate 'Taxi Day' at the Bronx ballpark. Billy Bryan's 11th-inning solo home run is the decisive blow in Kansas City's 5-4 Wednesday afternoon victory.
1966 Woody Fryman faces the minimum 27 batters in the Pirates' 12-0 rout of the Mets at Shea Stadium. New York leadoff hitter Ron Hunt singled to center to start the bottom of the first inning but was tagged out trying to swipe second base.
1968 Bob Gibson's scoreless inning streak ends abruptly at 47 when a wild pitch allows Len Gabrielson to score in the first inning of the Cardinals' 5-1 victory over the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine. The Redbird right-hander, who will blank San Francisco in his next start, would have been within three innings of breaking the mark of 58 scoreless frames established in June by Don Drysdale, tonight's losing pitcher.

(Ed. Note: Gibson's streak may have reached 55 innings without allowing an earned run if the official scorer had ruled the questionable wild pitch a passed ball. - LP)

1982 With their 6-2 victory over the Orioles at Memorial Stadium, the Indians complete their first series sweep of the Birds in Baltimore in 14 years. Von Hayes' first-inning three-run homer paces the Tribe's attack, with Len Barker (9-3) picking up the victory.
1982 Mark Fidrych, attempting to return to the majors, and Dave Righetti, the AL Rookie of the Year, sent down by the Yankees to Triple-A Columbus after a slow start in his sophomore season, match up in one of the most memorable minor league games ever played. The chanting and cheering overflow crowd at McCoy Stadium, of 9,389, packed into the ballpark designed to accommodate 5,800 fans, vocally displays their support for the 'Bird' throughout the game and becomes delirious when he strikes out Butch Hobson for the final out in his improbable complete-game 7-5 victory.

1982 Considered a questionable decision due to the infielder's height, Cal Ripken is moved from third base to shortstop by Oriole manager Earl Weaver. The 6'4" future Hall of Famer takes over the job from veteran 6'1" infielder Mark Belanger, an eight-time Gold Glover.
1984 Paul Splittorff announces his retirement from baseball. The 37-year-old southpaw, who becomes an analyst on pregame and postgame shows for KMBZ radio, leaves the Royals as the all-time leader in victories/losses (166/144), innings (2,554.2), and games started (392).
1990 As Comiskey Park celebrates its 80th birthday, Yankee hurler Andy Hawkins throws a no-hitter against the White Sox but loses the game, 4-0. The right-hander is not credited with an official no-hitter because the home team doesn't need to bat in the bottom of the ninth.

1991 During a 14-7 Orioles rout of the Angels, the teams tie a major league record, slugging 11 home runs during the Memorial Stadium contest. O's starter Mike Mussina gives up all Halos' round-trippers, tying Jim Palmer's club record of giving up five homers in an outing.
1997 Collecting his 26th save in 27 chances this season, Randy Myers records the 300th save of his career when he strikes out the side in the Orioles' 4-1 win over Philadelphia at Camden Yards. The 34-year-old closer, finishing with 347 saves during his 19 years in the major leagues with six different teams, is the ninth reliever and the second southpaw in the game's history to reach the milestone.
1997 After hitting a bouncer down the Astrodome's first-base line, Tim Bogar comes all the way around to score when Manny Ramirez doesn't play the ball after it rolls to a stop under the bullpen bench. The Indians outfielder, unaware of the park's ground rules, begins signaling to the umpire that the ball is out of play as the Astros infielder circles the bases for an easy inside-the-park home run.
2000 On the country's 133rd birthday, a Canada Day pitching matchup features a pair of Canadian starters. At Montreal's Olympic Stadium, Marlins right-hander Ryan Dempster, a native of British Columbia, defeats Mike Johnson of Edmonton and the Expos, 6-5.
2000 Whitey Herzog, the winningest manager in the franchise's history with 410 victories during his five years at the helm, and Willie Wilson, a speedy outfielder who was an offensive spark plug for the team, become members of the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame. They are the 17th and 18th individuals to be honored by the club since inductions began in 1986.
2000 BARK, Baseball Aquatic Retrieval Korps, debuts at Pac Bell. Six Portuguese water dogs will be used to retrieve Splashdown home runs hit by the Giants and their opponents, which land in McCovey's Cove.
2003 After a disappointing season and a half in New York, the Mets trade Roberto Alomar with cash to the White Sox for prospect Andrew Salvo, right-hander Edwin Almonte, and southpaw Royce Ring. The 12-time Gold Glove second baseman's funk continues in the American League when the former All-Star infielder hits just .253 with Chicago.
2003 After being activated from the disabled list by the Dodgers, first baseman Fred McGriff bats cleanup and goes 2-for-4, including a double, in the team's 7-1 loss to the Padres at Chavez Ravine. The Crime Dog's trip to the DL was his first in 18 years in the big leagues.
2003 A few hours after obtaining Roberto Alomar from the Mets, the White Sox acquire outfielder Carl Everett (.274, 18, 51) from the Rangers. Texas will pick two or three players from a Chicago minor league pool, and the team will also give money to help pay part of the former outfielder's $9.15 million deal.
2003 At Pro Player Stadium, the Marlins set a franchise mark for runs scored, tying a team record with 25 hits, with Miguel Cabrera, Ivan Rodriguez, and Luis Castillo collecting four each. In the seventh inning of the team's 20-1 victory over the Braves, a photographer is airlifted to a hospital after Atlanta center fielder Darren Bragg's bat flies into the stands, seriously injuring the unidentified onlooker.
2005 After walking 2,100 miles from Camp Verde (AZ) to reach Wrigley Field, Bill Holden throws the ceremonial first pitch at the Nationals-Cubs game and leads the crowd in singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the seventh-inning stretch. Inspired by the documentary, This Old Cub, about Ron Santo, who lost his legs to diabetes, the 56-year-old school teacher with two bad knees pounded the pavement for 172 days during his Walk the Walk campaign raising $250,000 for juvenile diabetes research.
2007 During a seven-game winning streak, Mariners' manager Mike Hargrove unexpectedly resigns. A personality difference between the skipper of the second-place Seattle club and the team's superstar, Ichiro Suzuki, appears to be the real reason for the sudden departure.
2008 In the shortest nine-inning game in the history of Coors Field, Aaron Cook throws only 79 pitches in the one-hour, 58-minute contest. The right-hander's five-hitter snaps the Rockies' eight-game losing streak with the 4-0 victory over the visiting Padres.
2009 Jonathan Papelbon, in the Red Sox' 6-5 victory at Camden Yards, retires the Baltimore batters in order in the 11th inning to become the franchise's all-time leader in saves. The 28-year-old closer, surpassing Bob Stanley for the club record, has compiled 133 saves during his four years with the club.
2010 The first-place Rangers acquire catcher Bengie Molina and cash from the Giants for reliever Chris Ray and a minor league right-hander, Michael Main. Texas' acquisition of the veteran backstop fills the void created by the off-season loss of Pudge Rodriguez to Washington and the inconsistent play of Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
2010 On an interim basis, Kirk Gibson, the team's bench coach, is promoted to be the Diamondbacks' manager, replacing A.J. Hinch, who piloted the team to an 89-123 record in a little more than a full season in the dugout. In addition to letting go of their manager, the last-place team also fires general manager Josh Byrnes.
2011 In the seventh inning of a 5-0 interleague victory of the Angels in Anaheim, Dee Gordon steals second and third base and then completes the stolen base cycle by swiping home. The Dodger shortstop becomes the 40th major leaguer to accomplish the trifecta in the same frame.

2011 The Mets pay Bobby Bonilla $1,193,248.20 and will do so every July 1st through 2035 when the former player turns 72. The team's management agreed to buy out the remaining $5.9 million on the contract, opting to make annual payments of nearly $1.2 million for 25 years, including 8% interest, believing significant funds were available due to their investments with Bernie Madoff, that turned out to be a Ponzi scheme.
2013 With a moment of silence before the game at Citi Field, the Mets and Diamondbacks honor the 19 firefighters who died battling a wildfire in Yarnell, Arizona. Additionally, each team hangs a jersey with the word Yarnell stitched on the back above the number 19 in their respective dugouts.

2014 Rick Porcello becomes the fourth pitcher in Tiger history, and the first since Dizzy Trout in 1944, to throw a shutout without issuing a walk or registering a strikeout when he blanks Oakland, 3-0. The Detroit right-hander, who records 17 groundball outs and 10 in the air in his 95-pitch outing, is the first major league hurler to accomplish the rare feat since Jeff Ballard's August 21, 1989 performance for Baltimore.
2016 The Indians win their 14th consecutive game, establishing the team's longest winning streak in franchise history when they beat the Blue Jays, 2-1, in a 19-inning marathon played at Toronto's Rogers Centre. Next season, the Tribe will shatter their club mark and set an American League record with 22 consecutive victories.
2016 The first co-ed pro team in nearly 20 years takes the field when 17-year-old outfielder Kelsie Whitmore and 25-year-old pitcher Stacy Piagno play for the Sonoma Stompers against the San Rafael Pacifics in front of an enthusiastic and supportive sellout crowd at Arnold Field. The two former members of the USA women's baseball squad are the first females to play in a professional game since Ila Borders pitched for the St. Paul Saints in the independent Northern League in 1997.
2019 MLB cancels tonight's scheduled Angels' game against the Rangers after police officers find Tyler Skaggs unresponsive in the team's hotel. Authorities do not suspect suicide or foul play as the cause of the 27-year-old's left-hander death.

(Ed. Note: At the end of August, the Medical Examiner announced that an autopsy uncovered a mix of fentanyl, oxycodone, and alcohol in the southpaw's system.)

54 Fact(s) Found