<< Yesterday

This Day in Baseball History
October 5th

Tomorrow>>
46 Fact(s) Found
1888 At Swampoodle Grounds in Washington (DC), James Francis Galvin of the Pittsburgh Alleghenys becomes baseball's first pitcher to record his 300th victory when he defeats the hometown Senators, 5-1.The 31-year-old 'Pud,' a workhorse who will win 20 games in ten of the 14 seasons he plays in the big leagues, will end his career with 361 victories.
1905 The Beaneaters suffer their 100th loss of the season when they drop the first game of a Washington Park doubleheader, 11-5, to the Superbas, a team that has already lost 103 games. It is the first occurrence in major league history that two teams with triple-digit losses have been opponents.
1906 Henry, Christy Matthew's younger brother, sets a National League record when he issues 14 base-on-balls in the Giants' 7-1 loss to the Braves. The 19-year-old's defeat in the season finale at the Polo Grounds proves to be the only decision of his brief career.
1908 Defeating Detroit, 6-1, Ed Walsh wins his 40th game, establishing a White Sox single-season mark. 'Big Ed,' a right-hander from Meriden (CT), finishes his 14-year Hall of Fame tenure with a 195-126 record and sets the all-time career ERA mark with an earned run average of 1.82.
1912 During the Highlanders' last game played at Hilltop Park, Homer Thompson appears in his first and final game in the majors. Although the New York backstop doesn't come to bat, his debut is memorable when he catches his younger brother, Tommy, making the siblings the first brothers to form a battery in American League history.
1914 In the eighth, Robins reliever Pat Ragan throws an immaculate inning when he strikes out the first three batters he faces on nine pitches. Unfortunately, the right-handed will give up five runs in the next frame, taking the loss in the team's 9-5 defeat to the Braves at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field.
1918 Eddie Grant, a captain attached to the 307th Infantry in World War l, becomes the first major leaguer killed in action in service to his country. A shell hits the former Giants' third baseman while leading a unit to rescue the Lost Battalion, a contingent of roughly 554 soldiers of the United States 77th Division isolated by the German forces after an American attack in the Argonne Forest.
1929 On the season's next-to-last day, Reds reliever Rube Ehrhardt wins his first and only start, allowing five hits and issuing one walk when he blanks the first-place Cubs at Redland Field, 9-0. The shutout, which takes 75 minutes to complete, will be the 34-year-old right-hander's final major league appearance.
1941 In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and two strikes in Game 4 of the World Series, Tommy Henrich appears struck out, ending the game, but 'Old Reliable' reaches first base on Mickey Owen's passed ball. The catcher's blunder turns a sure 4-3 Brooklyn win into a heart-breaking 7-4 loss to the Yankees.
1942 At Yankee Stadium, the Cardinals stun the baseball world by beating the defending World Champions, 2-1, to capture the World Series in five games. Rookie right-hander Johnny Beazley (21-6) goes the distance, limiting the Bronx Bombers to seven hits to post his second complete-game victory of the Fall Classic.
1947 Al Gionfriddo, inserted in left field for defensive purposes, makes one of the most memorable catches in World Series history when he robs Joe DiMaggio of an extra-base hit with two men on base in the sixth inning. The outfielder's heroics preserve an 8-5 Dodger victory in Game 6 of the Fall Classic, the 25-year-old's last game in the major leagues.
1949 Dodger right-hander Don Newcombe, becoming the first black to start a World Series contest, allows only four hits in Game 1, including Tommy Henrich's home run leading off the bottom of the ninth, giving the Yankees a 1-0 walk-off victory in the Bronx ballpark. 'Old Reliable's shot to right field, the first game-ending home run in the history of the Fall Classic, gives Allie Reynolds the complete-game win, and it is Casey Stengel's first postseason victory
1951 Mickey Mantle's season ends after severely injuring his right knee when his cleats get caught on a drainage cap in Game 2 of the World Series. Joe DiMaggio's abrupt call for Willie Mays' fly ball in center field in the Yankee Stadium contest leads many to believe that the last-minute decision contributed to the torn cartilage suffered by the 19-year-old rookie right fielder.
1953 In the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6, the Yankees win their record fifth consecutive World Series when Billy Martin singles, scoring Hank Bauer to give New York a dramatic 4-3 walk-off victory over the Dodgers. The Bronx Bombers' second baseman, named the Series MVP, bats .500 in the six contests, collecting a record-tying 12 hits to equal Babe Ruth's mark, and compiles 23 total bases, the most in Fall Classic history.
1956 U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower indicates he doesn't favor the Washington Senators shifting their franchise to another city and would like to see the District of Columbia get a new baseball stadium, a proposal the Congress has been working on for the past decade. According to Cal Griffith, who has acknowledged his willingness to stay in the nation's capital if a new stadium plan is approved, other municipalities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Louisville, have made attractive offers to attract his team.
1957 In the first World Series game ever played in Milwaukee, native son Tony Kubek hits two home runs in the 12-3 rout of the hometown Braves, putting his Bronx Bombers ahead two games to one in the Fall classic. The Yankee shortstop becomes the second rookie to hit two round-trippers in a Fall Classic game, a feat first accomplished by Charlie Keller, who blasted a pair of homers in Game 3 in 1939.
1960 At Forbes Field, Roger Maris becomes the seventh major leaguer to homer in his first World Series at-bat. The right fielder's first-inning round-tripper off Vernon Law gets the Yankees off to a good start, but the Pirates win Game 1 of the Fall Classic, 6-4.
1960 In Game 1 of the World Series, Bill Mazeroski's two-run fifth-inning home run off Jim Coates proves to be the difference when the Pirates beat the Yankees at Forbes Field, 6-4. The victory marks Pittsburgh's first Fall Classic win since 1925 when the Bucs became the World Champions by taking Game 7 from the Senators.
1963 In Game 4, Mickey Mantle ties Babe Ruth's record with his 15th World Series home run. In the seventh inning, the Yankees slugger turns around a Sandy Koufax fastball to tie the score, but the blast isn't enough to stave off the Dodgers' Fall Classic sweep of the Bronx Bombers.
1966 Reliever Moe Drabowsky ties a World Series record by striking out six consecutive batters in the Orioles' 5-2 Game 1 victory at Dodger Stadium. Brooks and Frank Robinson hit back-to-back homers in the first inning.
1977 Glenn Burke greets Dusty Baker on the dugout steps to congratulate his Dodger teammate for hitting a grand slam against the Phillies in Game 2 of the 1977 NLCS. The greeting, consisting of the two players extending their right arms above their heads and slapping their hands to make a resounding clap, is considered the first 'high five' in baseball history.
1980 The Yankees break the American League regular-season attendance record when 35,879 fans watch the team beat the Tigers, 2-1, in the season finale, bringing the final total to 2,627,417. The 1948 Indians set the mark when 2,620,627 fans turned turnstiles to watch their Tribe capture the Junior Circuit's pennant.
1980 Reaching first on a fielder's choice in the top of the seventh in the 4-0 win over the Twins, Royals' leadoff hitter Willie Wilson establishes a major league record for the most at-bats in a season with 705. The Kansas City outfielder will collect 230 hits and score 133 runs for the division-winning club.
1980 Brewers' outfielder Ben Ogilvie becomes the first non-American-born player to lead the American League in home runs. On the last day of the season, the 31-year-old Panamanian goes deep off Oakland's Rick Langford for his 41st homer, which ties Reggie Jackson for the most round-trippers in the Junior Circuit.
1980 In a duel between two 19-game winners on the last day of the season, Scott McGregor enters the 20-win circle for the first and only time when he bests Len Barker in the Orioles' 7-1 victory over the Indians. The Cleveland right-hander, who gives up six runs in five innings to finish the campaign with a 19-12 record, will never again come close to being a 20-game winner.
1991 On the next-to-last day of the season, the fourth-place Mariners whitewash the White Sox, 10-0, for their 83rd win of the campaign. The Kingdome victory assures the team of their first winning season in the 14-year history of the franchise.

(Ed. Note: All six teams in the American League's Western Division will finish the season at or above .500. - LP)

1991 Twenty-three-year-old right-hander Scott Erickson becomes a 20-game winner in his sophomore season when he hurls six scoreless innings in the Twins' 3-1 victory over the Blue Jays at the Metrodome. The Prince of Darkness, a nickname for using a black glove and wearing dark socks on the days he pitches, compiles a 20–8 record and a 3.18 ERA for the eventual World Champs.
1993 Bob Watson replaces Bill Wood as the Astros' general manager, making the former Houston player the first black GM in baseball history. Bill Lucas had performed similar duties for the Braves in the late 1970s but never officially held the title.
1999 Randy Johnson suffers his sixth consecutive loss in postseason play when the Mets beat the Diamondbacks, 8-4, in Game 1 of NLDS. Edgardo Alfonzo, who had gone deep earlier in the Bank One Ballpark contest, blasts an eventual game-winning grand slam with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, sealing the future Hall of Fame southpaw's fate.
2000 In Game 2 of the NLDS, the Mets rebound from J.T. Snow's pinch-hit three-run game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth, when Jay Payton's tenth-inning base hit drives in the eventual winning run to beat the Giants, 5-4. After giving up the devastating blow, New York closer Armando Benitez gets credit for the Pacific Bell Park victory.
2001 Arizona's Albie Lopez hurls a three-hit shutout to beat the Brewers at Miller Park, 5-0. The Diamondback victory clinches a tie for the NL West flag, and with the win, the 30-year-old right-hander avoids becoming the first 20-game loser since Brian Kingman accomplished the feat in 1980.
2001 The Seattle Mariners record their 115th victory when they beat Texas, 6-2, at Safeco Field, breaking the 1998 Yankee record for most wins in an American League season. The team will tie the 1906 Cubs for the major league record of 116 wins when they add their final victory tomorrow in the next-to-last contest of the campaign.
2001 In the longest nine-inning game in major league history, Barry Bonds breaks and then extends the mark for home runs in a season during the 4 hours and 27 minutes, 11-10 loss to the Dodgers at Pac Bell Park. The Giant outfielder connects off Dodger starter Chan Ho Park to break Mark McGwire's 1998 record of 70 and then homers again in his next at-bat to extend his record to 72.
2001 The Braves maul the Marlins, 20-3, to clinch the National League East title and become the first team in professional sports to win ten consecutive division titles. The Boston Celtics (1957-65) and Los Angeles Lakers (1982-90) won nine in a row.
2001 On the last day of the season, 38-year-old Jamie Moyer (20-6) becomes the oldest first-time 20-game winner when the Mariners beat Texas at Safeco Field, 6-2. The Seattle southpaw will also compile a 21-7 record in 2003.
2002 The Angels win a playoff series for the first time in its 42-year-old history when they beat the Yankees, 9-5, to take the ALDS 3 games to 1. The postseason appearance is the first for the Halos since 1986 when, after being a strike away in Game 5 of the ALCS from advancing to the World Series, the team lost to the Red Sox in seven games.

2005 According to his uncle and a witness, Nomar Garciaparra, the former Red Sox shortstop jumped into Boston Harbor, pulling two women in danger from the water. The two-time American League batting champ responded when he heard the splashes and cries for help in his Charlestown condominium.
2006 At Game 2 of the NLCS played at Petco Park, Padres closer Trevor Hoffman, who recently became baseball's all-time saves leader, catches the ceremonial first pitch thrown by Lee Smith, the reliever he surpassed with his 479th save. The two 'firemen' exchange autographed baseballs after the toss.
2009 The Indians, with six games left on the schedule, announce they have dismissed Eric Wedge, their manager for the past seven years. The Cleveland skipper, whose firing was no surprise, asks to remain in the dugout to manage the fifth-place Tribe for the remainder of the season.
2010 Hanshin Tigers outfielder Matt Murton breaks Ichiro's Japanese record for the most hits in a single season when he strokes his 211th hit of the year, a two-run single in a game against the Yakult Swallows. The 29-year-old former major leaguer, a 2003 first-round draft pick of the Red Sox who became part of a trade to the Cubs in a four-team deal that included Nomar Garciaparra, also played with the A's before being released by the Rockies last season.
2011 During the fifth inning of Game 4 of the NLDS against the Cardinals, a squirrel runs across home plate just as Phillies' right-hander Roy Oswalt delivers a pitch to Skip Schumaker. Umpire Angel Hernandez calls a ball, much to the chagrin of the right-hander and Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel, who believes that "no pitch" should be the call due to the distraction caused by the grey rodent, immortalized by the Redbirds fans as the "rally squirrel."

2012 In the first NL one-game winner-take-all wild-card playoff, the Cardinals beat the hometown Braves, 6-3, in a game best remembered for a disputed infield fly rule call in the eighth inning. The irate Turner Field fans show their displeasure with the umpires' decision on what appears to be a critical Redbird error on a dropped pop fly in the outfield by littering the playing field with debris, causing a 19-minute delay when the ground crew cleans up the assorted trash.

2014 The Royals complete a three-game sweep of the ALDS, beating the Angels at Kauffman Stadium, 8-3. The victory advances Kansas City to the league championship series for the first time since the team played in the postseason en route to winning a world championship in 1985.
2016 Giants southpaw Madison Bumgarner goes the distance, throwing a 3-0 shutout against the Mets in the winner-take-all National League Wild Card Game. Conor Gillaspie's three-run homer off Jeurys Familia in the top of the ninth breaks a scoreless tie, wasting a great start by Noah Syndergaard, who had matched zeros with the San Francisco postseason legend for the first seven innings of the Citi Field contest.
2020 In the ALDS, Shane McClanahan takes the mound against the Yankees, becoming the first pitcher and fifth player to make his major league debut in the postseason. The Rays' 23-year-old southpaw follows Bug Holliday (10/17/1885), Mark Kiger (10/13/2013), Adalbert Mondesi (10/30/2015), and Alex Kirilloff (9/30/2020).
2022 On the season's final day, Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman goes 3-for-4, falling one percentage point shy of capturing the National League batting crown. Jeff McNeil of the Mets, who sat out the season finale, finishes first with a .326 batting average.
46 Fact(s) Found