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This Day in Baseball History
August 3rd

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45 Fact(s) Found
1906 Senator right-hander Tom Hughes becomes the first pitcher to post a 1-0 victory in an extra-inning game with his home run. Long Tom's solo shot off Fred Glade in the top of the tenth frame proves to be the difference in the team's victory over the Browns at Sportsman's Park.
1914 In the seventh inning of the Yankees' 4-1 loss to Detroit at the Polo Grounds, Bronx Bomber backstop Les Nunamaker has three assists to become the first catcher to accomplish the feat since 1887. The 25-year-old guns down Sam Crawford and Bobby Veach trying to steal and picks off Hugh High off second base in the frame, marking the only time a backstop has three assists in the same inning this century.
1933 A's southpaw Lefty Grove limits New York to five hits, going the distance in Philadelphia's 7-0 victory at Yankee Stadium. The left-hander's shutout marks the first time that the Bronx Bombers have not scored a run a game since August 2, 1931, a span of 309 games.
1940 During the Reds' road trip in Boston, backup catcher Willard Hershberger is found dead in his room after taking his life at the Copley Plaza Hotel. Having talked with his fragile player for hours after the game, Cincinnati skipper Bill McKechnie thought he had consoled the worn-out backstop, who was distraught about leaving runners on base in every at-bat with his 0-for-5 performance at the plate.
1948 Negro League legend Satchel Paige makes his first major league start, hurling seven innings, leading the Indians over the Senators, 5-3. Before today's game, the future Hall of Famer made eight appearances in relief, compiling a 1-1 record for the Tribe.
1957 Pirates manager Bobby Bragan hears he has been fired on the radio and replaced by Philadelphia third-base coach Danny Murtaugh. Pittsburgh general manager Joe L. Brown leaked news of the hiring before informing his disposed skipper. 
1959 For the first time in major league history, a second All-Star Game occurs in the same season, when the American League beats the Senior Circuit, 5-3. White Sox second baseman Nellie Fox's single drives in New York's Tony Kubek with the decisive run in the top of the seventh inning of the Los Angeles Coliseum contest.
1959 In the third inning of the second All-Star Game this summer, Yogi Berra's two-run home run off Dodgers right-hander Don Drysdale at the LA Memorial Coliseum proves to be the difference in the American League's 5-3 victory over the Senior Circuit. The home run will be the last hit by a Bronx Bomber in a Midsummer Classic game for 41 years until Derek Jeter goes deep in 2001.
1961 In the largest shutout score in a National League night game, the Pirates beat the Cardinals at Sportsman's Park, 19-0. Harvey Haddix throws a four-hit complete game for the Bucs in a game that takes only two hours and thirty-six minutes to play.
1962 With his sixth home run in three consecutive games, Frank Thomas ties a National League record when he goes deep off Cincinnati's Joey Jay in the bottom of the seventh inning of a Mets 8-6 loss at the Polo Grounds. The right-handed slugger, who equaled the mark with a pair of round-trippers in each game, will add another homer to his club-leading total in tomorrow's contest.
1967 Charlie Finley fires his manager Alvin Dark after the two disagree over the owner's handling of player discipline. 'Charlie O' had fined and suspended Lew Krausse, Jr. for the pitcher's reported rowdy behavior on a team flight, prompting the team's first baseman Ken Harrelson, who will also be released, to call the A's owner a menace to the sport.
1967 The Red Sox obtain catcher Elston Howard from the Yankees for cash and two players to be named later, with pitchers Peter Magrini and Ron Klimkowski being sent to New York to complete the trade. The 38-year-old backstop will hit only .147 for his new team, but his veteran presence will contribute to Boston capturing the American League pennant.
1967 The Braves set a club mark by hitting seven home runs in a 10-3 victory over the Cubs, thanks to Tito Francona, Joe Torre (2), Clete Boyer (2), Denis Menke, and Hank Aaron all contributing to the record. Atlanta's round-trippers come during the first five frames of the Wrigley Field contest, and all are solo shots, except for Boyer's two-run blast in the third inning.
1967

"The pennant should be decided in the traditional manner."- WARREN GILES, National League President.

A joint meeting in Chicago, foreseen as a formality, becomes a four-hour fierce debate when American League and National League owners strongly disagree on implementing divisional play for next season. The AL owners unanimously agree to the plan, but the Senior Circuit brass makes it clear they will oppose any effort by the American League to implement the change by itself, citing the scenario that an AL division winner could be a fourth-place club could play a pennant winner in the World Series.

1969 Rich Reese's pinch-hit grand slam in the seventh inning helps the Twins beat the Orioles and Dave McNally at Metropolitan Stadium, 5-2. The defeat is the southpaw's first loss of the season, ending his fifteen-game winning streak.
1975 Denny Doyle, acquired from California in June for a player to be named (Chuck Ross) later and cash, extends his hitting streak to 22 games with a first-inning home run in the Red Sox's 6-4 victory over Detroit at Fenway Park. The usually light-hitting infielder will bat .310 for Boston after playing a pivotal role in Boston's successful pennant drive.
1978 In a 5-4 victory against the Dodgers at Candlestick Park, Giants' first baseman Willie McCovey hits his 504th home run off Don Sutton, establishing him as the National League all-time left-handed home run leader. Southpaw swinger Eddie Mathews had previously led the NL, collecting 503 round-trippers playing for the Braves and Astros, with another nine for Detroit in the American League at the end of his 17-year career.
1979 At Yankee Stadium, over 51,000 mourners attend a memorial service for Thurman Munson. The Bronx Bombers' captain died yesterday, piloting a plane that crashed 1,000 feet short of the runway at Akron-Canton Airport.

1979 The Yankees purchase Lenny Randle from Pittsburgh to fill the roster spot of Thurman Munson, who died in a plane crash yesterday. The 31-year-old former Pirates utility outfielder and designated hitter will appear in only 20 games for the Bronx Bombers, with Jerry Narron replacing the Captain as the team's backstop.
1982 Frank White hits for the cycle for the second time in his career. The second baseman completes the feat with a two-out triple in the ninth inning, giving Kansas City a 6-5 walk-off victory over Detroit at Royals Stadium.
1982

At the players' request, the Angels retire their first number in franchise history, honoring Gene Autry with the #26 to commemorate the team's first owner as the 26th man on the club's roster. The 'Singing Cowboy,' well-known for his roles in Hollywood westerns, acquired the American League expansion club in 1960, owning it for 38 years until he died in 1998.

1986 First-ballot inductee Giant first baseman Willie McCovey, the BBWAA's only choice, is enshrined in the Hall of Fame, along with the Veterans Committee's selections of Red Sox second baseman Bobby Doerr and the late Ernie Lombardi, a catcher best known for his playing days with the Reds and Giants. Pirates announcer Bob Prince and Cincinnati beat writer Earl Lawson, respectively, accept the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcast excellence and the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions
1987 Home plate umpire Tim Tschida throws out Joe Niekro after discovering an emery board on the Twins' starting pitcher. The 42-year-old knuckleballer will receive an automatic ten-day suspension from the American League for defacing the ball.

1987 After his ejection in the bottom of the 12th inning for arguing a close call at first, the Columbia Mets manager Butch Hobson yanks the base out of the ground and brings it into the clubhouse in protest. The bounced skipper is convinced to return the stolen property to the field because the team has only one set of bases, but only after he sprays the bag orange to make it easier to see for the umpire. 
1989 In an 18-2 rout of the Astros, the Reds set a major league record for the most hits in the first inning, with 16 when they score 14 runs in the Riverfront Stadium contest. The 38-minute half-inning features 12 singles, three doubles, and a Ken Griffey, Jr. home run.

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1995 Making his first start for the Rockies since being acquired from the Mets, Brett Saberhagen gives up 13 hits and walks three batters but gets the win in the team's 9-4 victory over the Dodgers. The sellout crowd gives their new hurler an enthusiastic standing ovation when he departs with one out in the seventh inning.
1997 Jeromy Burnitz, coming off the bench in the Brewers' 6-5 loss to Seattle at County Stadium, homers as a pinch-hitter for the second consecutive time, tying an American League record. The major league mark for consecutive pinch-hit appearances with a home run is three, shared by Lee Lacy (Dodgers - May 2, 6, and 17, 1978) and Del Unser (Phillies - June 30, July 5, and 10, 1979).
1998 In the eighth inning of the Astros' 11-3 loss to Florida, C.J. Nitkowski hits three consecutive batters, becoming only the third hurler to accomplish this rare feat in major league history since 1900. The Houston southpaw shares the dubious distinction with two other hurlers who also spent time in Columbus (OH) as minor leaguers, Dock Ellis (1974 Pirates) and Wilbur Wood (1977 White Sox). 
1998 In the team's 14-1 loss to the Yankees at Network Associates Coliseum, A's starter Mike Oquist gives up fourteen earned runs, becoming the first pitcher to give up that many runs in an appearance since 1977 when Bill Travers accomplished the dubious feat hurling for the Brewers. The 30-year-old right-hander, giving up 16 hits to the 32 batters he faces in five innings, sets a franchise record for runs allowed, staying in the game to save the bullpen for tomorrow's doubleheader against the Bronx Bombers.
2000 After looking at the artists' renderings of the newly proposed enlarged Fenway Park that includes a monstrous 3,000-car garage, Diane White suggests the Red Sox, New England's team, relocate to Hartford, Connecticut. The Boston Globe columnist believes the gigantic ballpark complex will dominate the quaint neighborhood, riling against the "bunch of rich and powerful guys" who will ask for taxpayer assistance to fund their "multi-million-dollar playground."
2000 The independent Western Baseball League expels Kevin Mitchell of the Sonoma County Crushers for the rest of the season for punching the owner of an opposing team. The former National League MVP allegedly hit Solano Steelheads owner Bruce Portner, who had come on the field after a brawl caused by a pitch thrown behind Mitchell had ended.
2002 Darin Erstad agrees to a four-year contract extension worth $32 million to stay in Anaheim through 2006. The Angels' center fielder joins Troy Glaus, Garret Anderson, and Tim Salmon as one of the key players the organization has signed at least through the 2004 season.
2002 In just the first four innings, Edgar Martinez ties the major league record for sacrifice flies in a game with three. The Mariners' designated hitter becomes the 11th player in history to accomplish the feat, doing it in his first three at-bats in Seattle's 12-4 victory over the Indians.
2004 In a game where Cardinal first baseman Albert Pujols becomes the first player in history to hit at least 30 homers in each of his first four big-league seasons, Tony Batista goes deep twice, knotting the score with a two-run blast in the ninth and hitting a grand slam in the 12th. The Expos' third baseman's 199th and 200th career blasts help Montreal beat St. Louis in extra innings, 10-6.
2006 The home run ball hit by Barry Bonds to pass Babe Ruth for second place on the all-time career list fetches $220,100 during a ten-day eBay auction. The money that will go to Andrew Morbitzer, the fan who caught #715, is much less than the $800,000 dished out in 2004 for the ball the Giants' left fielder hit for his 700th career homer.
2008 Francisco Liriano, sent down to the minors after a 0-3 start in April while attempting to come back from Tommy John surgery, blanked the Indians for six innings in his return to the Twins' rotation. The right-hander's performance propels Minnesota into first place in the American League Central with the eventual 6-2 victory over the Tribe and a White Sox loss.
2010 Alex Herrnberger bats for two different teams in two other cities on the same day, pinch-hitting a ninth-inning double in the Reno Ace's loss against the Rainiers. Then, after the game in Tacoma, he takes a 30-minute plane flight to Yakima (WA) to play in the Bears game, where the Diamondbacks' minor leaguer pinch-hits again, popping out in the short-season affiliate's 8-0 win over the Eugene Emeralds. 
2011 The Jamestown (New York) Jammers wear special game jerseys during their NY-Penn League game against Tri-City to commemorate Lucy Ball's 100th birthday and in conjunction with the Festival of Comedy being held in her honor in Jamestown this week. The uniforms, featuring Lucy and Desi on the front and the event logo on the back, will be autographed by the players and auctioned to benefit the Lucy-Desi Center.

2011 After driving in the winning run yesterday, Jacoby Ellsbury, who never had a walk-off hit, does it in consecutive contests when he blasts a two-out ninth-inning homer, giving the Red Sox another dramatic victory over Cleveland. The center fielder becomes the first Red Sox player with game-ending hits on consecutive days in the regular season since Butch Hobson accomplished the feat in 1978.

2012 The Upton brothers go deep, each recording their 100th career homer hours apart in different ballparks when Diamondback outfielder Justin goes yard at Citizens Bank Park, and his older sibling B.J. hits a Tropicana Field round-tripper for the Rays. On July 20, the Norfolk (VA) siblings also hit their 99th homer on the same day. 

2013 Max Scherzer becomes the third pitcher in the last 44 years to begin the season with a 16-1 record when the Tigers beat the White Sox, 3-0, at Comerica Park. Detroit's 29-year-old right-hander joins Roger Clemens (2001 Yankees) and Dave McNally (1966 Orioles) in getting off to a historically fast start. 
2013 The first-place Dodgers set a franchise record, winning their 13th consecutive game on the road with their 3-0 victory over the Cubs in Chicago. The Giants established the National League mark in 1916 when the team won 17 straight games away from the Polo Grounds.
2015 Mike Hessman breaks the minor league home run record with the 433rd round-tripper of his nearly 19-year career, a grand slam against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the Mudhens' 10-8 extra-inning International League (AAA) loss at Toledo's Fifth Third Field. The 37-year-old first baseman, who played parts of five seasons with the Braves, Tigers, and Mets, surpasses Buzz Arlett, who established the mark in 1936 while playing for the Minneapolis Millers.

2015 Adrian Beltre becomes the fourth player in baseball history to hit for the cycle three times and the first to accomplish the feat since 1933 when Babe Herman collected a single, double, triple, and a home run for the Cubs. The Rangers' third baseman, also joins Bob Meusel (1928) and John Reilly (1890), completed the task with a fifth-inning home run in the team's 12-9 victory over Houston.

2024 In LA's 10-0 rout of the A's at Oakland Coliseum, Shohei Ohtani, after swiping the second of his three stolen bags, becomes the third Dodger to register a 30-30 season, joining Matt Kemp (2011) and Raul Mondesi (1997 and 1999). The 30-year-old Japanese superstar reaches the milestone by stealing second base in the ninth and then adds his 31st, taking third on a double steal later in the inning.
45 Fact(s) Found