<< Yesterday

This Day in Baseball History
August 2nd

Tomorrow>>
43 Fact(s) Found
1881 With his team already ahead in the eighth inning, 5-0, White Stockings (Cubs) outfielder Abner Dalrymple becomes the first player walked intentionally with the bases loaded. Buffalo Bisons' right-hander Jack Lynch gives up the run-producing free pass in an eventual 11-2 Chicago victory.
1906 The White Sox, with their 3-0 victory over Boston at Chicago's South Side Park, begin an American League record 19-game winning streak. In this century, the 'Hitless Wonders' streak will be equaled only by the 1947 Yankees.
1907 The Senators' 19-year-old rookie right-hander Walter Johnson makes his major league debut, losing to the Tigers, 3-2. Ty Cobb gets the first hit off of the future Hall of Famer with a bunt single, who will finish with a 417-279 (.599) record while compiling an ERA of 2.17 during his 21-year big-league tenure, all with Washington.
1919 Fred Luderus, playing in his 479th straight contest since June 2, 1916, breaks Eddie Collins's consecutive game record. The Phillies' first baseman will extend his major league mark to 533 before the streak ends in the 1920 season opener.
1921 With the jurors lifting the men onto their shoulders, the jury acquits the eight White Sox players accused of throwing the 1919 World Series. The next day, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banishes all the 'innocent' defendants from playing professional baseball, stating that the overwhelming evidence clearly shows the Black Sox fixed the games with gamblers.

1922 Ken Williams homers in his sixth straight game, setting an American League record. The left fielder's round-tripper isn't enough to prevent the Browns from bowing to the A's at Sportsman's Park, 8-4.
1931 In a contest played at a National League ballpark, the Red Sox shut out the Yankees at Braves Field, 1-0. The next time the Bronx Bombers fail to score in a game will be another two years and a day, spanning a major league record of 308 contests.
1932 Cubs GM Bill Veeck, Sr. announces Charlie Grimm will take over for Rogers Hornsby, who was fired today as the skipper of the second-place club. The popular 'Jolly Cholly,' who inherits the job partly due to his predecessor's indebtedness to his players to cover gambling debts, starts by winning 20 of 25 games as the team's player-manager and will lead the team to the National League pennant this season.
1933 In the eighth inning of a 16-3 rout over the Yankees in New York, A's catcher Mickey Cochrane doubles to right field, completing the second career cycle. The Philadelphia backstop also accomplished the rare feat last season.
1936 At Comiskey Park, the White Sox overcome deficits of 9-1 in the fifth and 11-3 in the seventh inning to defeat the Red Sox in extra innings, 12-11. With two outs in the 12th inning, Jack Hayes's single plates Larry Rosenthal, who had doubled earlier in the frame, giving the Pale Hose an incredible come-from-behind victory in the second game of their twin bill sweep over Boston.
1938

"When you hit the way I do, they can throw a red ball, a green ball, or a fancy dress ball, even, and it doesn't make any difference. I can miss any and all kinds." - LEO DUROCHER , Dodger shortstop joking about his hitting prowess regardless of the ball's color.

Bright yellow baseballs designed by New York color engineer Frederick Rah, who believes the visibility of the dandelion-hue sphere will help players avoid getting hit by a pitch, are used in the first game of a doubleheader. The one-game experiment draws mixed reactions, and the Dodgers complete their sweep of the twin bill from the Cardinals, 6-2 and 9-3, using the traditional white ball in the nightcap.

1939 In the ninth inning of New York's 7-2 loss to Detroit, Joe DiMaggio makes one of the most memorable catches in Yankee Stadium history when he grabs a Hank Greenberg drive 455 feet from home plate. The 24-year-old center fielder, who seldom displays emotion, is so thrilled with the amazing catch he enthusiastically heads toward the dugout, forgetting there is still a man on base with only two outs, a rare mental error by the 'Yankee Clipper.'
1959 In the ninth inning of a 5-4 loss to Boston at Detroit's Briggs Stadium, Jim Bunning, tossing a frame in relief, strikes out three batters on nine pitches, sending Sammy White, Jim Mahoney, and Ike Delock back to the dugout with bats in their hands. The Tiger right-hander has only become the tenth pitcher in major league history to accomplish the feat.
1959 Bill Bruton hits a three-run triple in both the first and the sixth inning of the nightcap of a twin bill at County Stadium. The Braves center fielder's pair of three-baggers with the bases loaded contributes to the team's 11-5 victory over St. Louis.
1970 At Memorial Stadium, the Orioles score five times in the first inning and hold on to beat the Royals, 10-8. The win marks Baltimore's 23rd consecutive victory against Kansas City over two years, setting a major league record.
1970 Three runs down, entering the ninth inning, the Phillies score four times in the bottom of the frame without recording an out in their unlikely 7-6 victory over the Giants. Tony Taylor ends the Connie Mack Stadium contest with a walk-off grand slam off Mike Davison.
1970 The Royals sign Frank White as an amateur free agent after he attends a team tryout camp. The 19-year-old infielder, one of the few successful graduates from the Baseball Academy the team operated in the early 1970s, will play his entire 18-year career in Kansas City, having his number retired by the franchise in 1995.
1972 Woody Fryman is selected off waivers by the Tigers from the Phillies. The 32-year-old southpaw, who posted a 4-10 record before being released by Philadelphia, will post ten victories in 13 decisions for Detroit, helping his new team win a division title.
1973 Mets outfielder Cleon Jones becomes the first player in franchise history to collect 1,000 hits when he doubles off Jim Rooker in the team's 5-1 victory over the Pirates at Shea Stadium. The Mobile (AL) native will add another 196 hits before being traded in 1975 to the White Sox.
1979 Thurman Munson dies when the Cessna Citation I/SP jet he is learning to fly clips a tree and crashes 1,000 feet short of the runway at Akron-Canton Regional Airport. The 32-year-old Yankee catcher took lessons over two years to get home more easily on off days to be with his family in Ohio.
1981 The Hall of Fame inducts Cardinal ace right-hander Bob Gibson, ten-time All-Star first baseman Johnny Mize (Cardinals/Giants, Yankees), and Negro League pioneer Rube Foster. The BBWAA selected the right-hander in the first year of his eligibility, with Mize and Foster getting the Veterans Committee's nod.
1981 As a recipient of the Ford C. Frick award for his "major contributions" to baseball" as a broadcaster, Ernie Harwell becomes the fifth honoree inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Tigers' play-by-play announcer, who describes himself as a 'tongue-tied kid from Georgia,' is overcome with joy as he shares his heartfelt appreciation for the game with the Cooperstown crowd.

1982 During a ceremony held in Cooperstown, NY, the United States Postal Service unveils a 20-cent stamp commemorating baseball great Jackie Robinson as part of its annual Black Heritage series. The Dodger infielder becomes the first individual baseball player depicted on a U.S. postage stamp.

1982 Jackie Robinson stamp
1985 With the score knotted at 3-3 at Yankee Stadium, White Sox backstop Carlton Fisk tags two Yankees out at home plate during the same play. The unusual 8-6-2-2 double play results when runners on first and second attempt to score on a double, but outfielder Luis Salazar's perfect throw to shortstop Ozzie Guillen, who relays a strike to the plate, and the Chicago catcher tags out both Bobby Meacham and a sliding Larry Berra.

1987 On a day the temperature exceeds 102 degrees, Kevin Seitzer has a sizzling day at the plate, going 6-for-6 and driving in seven runs. The Kansas City rookie third baseman's offensive output, which includes a pair of homers, paces the team to a 13-5 victory over the Red Sox at Royals Stadium.

Facebook Share Your Thoughts on Facebook

1987 Eric Davis becomes the seventh and earliest player to join the 30-30 club when he hits a walk-off home run leading off the bottom of the eleventh off Jeff Robinson in the Reds' 5-4 victory over the Giants at Riverfront Stadium. The achievement marks the first time anyone had accomplished the feat with nearly two months remaining in the season.
1993 A crowd, with many fans chanting, "U.S.A., U.S.A.," during the team's batting practice, becomes obnoxious and unruly at the Yankees' 4-0 loss to the Blue Jays in New York. After rudely booing the Canadian national anthem at the beginning of the game, the bad behavior continues when some fans throw bottles from the right-field bleachers onto the field toward Toronto outfielder Joe Carter.
1995 Longtime coach Jimmie Reese, whose 23 years in an Angels uniform equal the longest in club history, is inducted into the Angels' Hall of Fame. The former roommate of Babe Ruth began his career as a batboy for the Pacific Coast League's Los Angeles Angels in 1917.
1998 The Cuban national team extends its winning streak at the World Baseball Championships, which began in 1986, to 41 games. The team's latest victory, a 7-1 defeat of South Korea in the final round, brings the island nation its twenty-second gold medal.
2002 Commissioner Bud Selig fines Jim Bowden for the comments the Reds general manager made to reporters before yesterday's contest against the Dodgers when he compared a baseball strike to the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Quickly realizing such an analogy was inappropriate and insensitive, the Cincinnati GM apologizes after the game.
2007 After giving up eight runs in the top of the second inning, the Yankees storm back in the bottom of the frame to tie the score with eight tallies of their own in an eventual 13-9 loss to the White Sox in New York. The combined offensive onslaught marks only the second time in major league history that each team scored eight or more runs in the same inning.
2008 In the first game after the Manny Ramirez trade to the Dodgers, the Fenway Faithful enthusiastically welcome Jason Bay, the player replacing the Boston icon. The former Pirates outfielder doesn't disappoint, tripling and scoring the winning run in the 12th inning of the Red Sox's 2-1 victory over the A's.
2009 Melky Cabrera completes a cycle with a ninth-inning triple during an 8-5 victory in Chicago to become the first Yankee in 14 years to accomplish the feat. Tony Fernandez had been the last Bronx Bomber to collect a single, double, triple, and a home run in the same game with his four hits against Oakland on September 3rd, 1995.

2010 The Brewers and Corey Hart agree to a $26.5 million, three-year contract extension, keeping the All-Star outfielder in Milwaukee through the 2013 season. The 28-year-old fly chaser had an unproductive 2009 season and poor spring training and had been the subject of recent trade rumors.
2010 Washington backstop Ivan Rodriguez becomes the fifth player to collect 300 home runs while catching when he goes deep off Rodrigo Lopez, leading off the second inning of the Nationals' 3-1 victory in Arizona. Pudge joins Hall of Famers Mike Piazza, Carlton Fisk, Johnny Bench, and Yogi Berra as the only catchers in baseball history to reach the plateau while playing behind the dish.
2011 Mark Teixeira homers from both sides of the plate for the 12th time to set a new major league record during the Yankees' rain-shortened 6-0 victory in Chicago. The New York slugging first baseman surpasses switch-hitters Eddie Murray and Chili Davis, who went yard from both sides of the dish 11 times during their careers.
2011 After intentionally throwing a pitch at Alex Avila two days ago, Jered Weaver, who will appeal the ruling, is suspended for six games and fined an undisclosed amount of money. The Angels right-hander threw the seventh-inning pitch over the Tigers catcher's head after being annoyed by Carlos Guillen, the previous Detroit batter who stayed at home plate to admire his home run before starting to trot around the bases.

2013 Two days after his 21st birthday, Jose Fernandez establishes a franchise rookie record, striking out 14 batters in the Miami 10-0 victory over Cleveland in Marlins Park. The Miami right-hander becomes the first pitcher with at least 13 strikeouts in consecutive games since Randy Johnson accomplished the feat in 2004.
2014 The Tigers scored all eight innings they came to bat in their 11-5 victory over Colorado at Comerica Park. Detroit, which also accomplished the feat in 1912, becomes the first team not to have a zero in their line score since the Yankees tallied a run in every frame against Toronto in 2006.

2014

"Jim Thome's journey to become a member of the elite six hundred home run club is a story built on consistency, dependability, professionalism, power and character." - Inscription on Jim Thome's statue at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

The Indians unveil a statue near Heritage Park at Progressive Field honoring Jim Thome, the team's all-time career home run leader (337), who spent 13 seasons with Cleveland. The location of the eight-foot bronze sculpture marks where the longest homer ever hit in Progressive Field landed, a 511-foot blast launched in 1999 by the Tribe's first baseman/DH.

Pointing the Way

'Pointing the Way' is posted on Flickr by Will Bryan

Facebook Share Your Thoughts on Facebook

2016 Astros rookie Joe Musgrove makes his first major league appearance, coming in relief of injured starter Lance McCullers. The 23-year-old right-hander has an impressive debut when he completes the game, striking out eight and yielding just a single in his 4.1 innings of work in Houston's 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays at Minute Maid Park.
2020 For the first time in major league history, teams play a doubleheader consisting of two seven-inning games when the Reds sweep the Tigers at Comerica Park, 4-3 and 4-0. The shortened twin bills, enabling teams to put less strain on their rosters and reducing contact between players in the clubhouse, resulted from the recent disruptions in the schedule due to the pandemic.
2020 Entering the game in the top of the third inning, Tigers' southpaw Tyler Alexander fans the first nine Reds he faces in the team's 4-3 loss at Comerica Park. The 26-year-old reliever's feat ties the American League record for consecutive strikeouts established in 2012 by Doug Fister, starting for Detroit against the Royals.
43 Fact(s) Found