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This Day in Baseball History
October 6th

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54 Fact(s) Found
1906 On a snowy day in Chicago's West Side Park, the visiting White Sox, known as the Hitless Wonders, edge the Cubs, 2-1, in Game 1 of the first cross-town World Series. Pale Hose starter Nick Altrock outduels future Hall of Fame right-hander Mordecai' Three Finger Brown,' going the distance en route to tossing a four-hitter over the heavily favored Northsiders.
1908 In front of nearly 30,000 enthusiastic fans at South Side Park in the season finale, the White Sox start Doc White, coming off a complete game, on only two days rest to thwart the Tigers from clinching the pennant. Chicago's efforts will fail with a 7-0 defeat to Detroit, who captures the AL flag by half a game ahead of the Cleveland Naps thanks to a rule that doesn't require a team to make up a rainout game from earlier in the season.
1923 At Braves Field, Ernie Padgett completes the first unassisted triple play in National League history. The 24-year-old Boston rookie shortstop catches Walter Holke's line drive, doubles up James Tierney at second, then tags Cliff Lee as he retreats to first base for the third out in the fourth inning of the team's 4-1 victory over the Phillies in the shortened five-inning season finale.
1923 For only the second time in major league history, two 100-loss teams face one another when the 52-100 Braves beat the 50-102 Phillies in the first game of a season-ending doubleheader, 5-4. Boston, then known as the Beaneaters, was also part of the first occurrence of this rare type of matchup when the 50-100 club played the 45-103 team from Brooklyn in 1905.
1926 In a 10-5 Game 4 victory over the Cardinals at Sportsman's Park, Yankee outfielder Babe Ruth becomes the first player to hit three home runs in a World Series game. History repeats itself when the 'Sultan of Swat' again goes deep three times against the Redbirds in St. Louis in the fourth game of the 1928 Fall Classic.
1933 Umpire Charlie Moran ejects Heinie Manush from Game 4 of the Fall Classic after calling out the Senator outfielder at first base in Washington's 2-1 extra-inning loss to the Giants at Griffith Stadium. The arbitrator takes exception when the future Hall of Famer pulls on his bow tie, letting it snap back.


1933 Goudey Baseball Card of Heinie Manush

1941 In Game 5 of the Fall Classic, Tiny Bonham goes the distance, limiting the Dodgers to four hits to give the Yankees their 12th World Championship in franchise history. In one inning during the Bronx Bombers' 3-1 victory at Ebbets Field, the New York fireballing right-hander will need just three pitches to retire the side.
1943 Cardinal batterymates and brothers Mort and Walker Cooper decide to play Game 2 of the World Series on the day their dad, Robert, dies at his home in Independence. After limiting the Yankees to six hits and winning the game, 4-3, Mort heads to Missouri while his younger brother, Walker, who has a 1-for-3 day behind the plate with an eighth-inning single, will stay with the club until the Fall Classic is over.
1945 To promote his nearby Billy Goat Tavern, William Sianis buys a ticket to Game 4 of the Fall Classic ticket for his pet goat, Murphy. The bar owner, a Greek immigrant, becomes so upset when the Wrigley Field ushers ask his four-legged guest to leave he places a curse on the team, preventing the Cubs from winning a World Series again.
1946 During Game 1 of the World Series, Whitey Kurowski is awarded home plate on a controversial obstruction call after getting tangled up with Red Sox third baseman Pinky Higgins, giving the Cardinals a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning. The Red Sox rally in the ninth to tie the score, and Rudy York's home run in the tenth gives Boston an eventual 3-2 victory over the Redbirds at Sportsman's Park.
1949 In Game 2 of the World Series, only one run scores for the second consecutive contest time, but Preacher Roe and the Dodgers win this contest at Yankee Stadium, 1-0. Gil Hodges' second-inning single drives in Jackie Robinson to even up the Fall Classic at a game apiece.
1952 At Ebbets Field, Billy Loes becomes the first pitcher in World Series history to commit a balk when the ball slips from his hand in the seventh inning of the Dodgers' 3-2 loss knots the Fall Classic at three games apiece with the Yankees. The advanced base leads to a run when Vic Raschi bounces a ground-ball single off the leg of the right-hander, who claims he lost the grounder in the sun.

(Ed. Note - Although Loes’ oft-quoted explanation of losing the ground ball in the sun has become legendary, there is some truth to his account of the play. According to his Brooklyn teammate Carl Erskine, the sun slotting through a space in the grandstand behind home plate could be blinding later in the afternoon. -LP)

1957 In Game 4, Eddie Mathews' two-run shot off Bob Grim with one out in the bottom of the tenth inning at County Stadium gives the Braves a 7-5 victory and knots the Fall Classic at two games apiece. The Milwaukee third baseman becomes the third major leaguer, joining Tommy Henrich (1949) and Dusty Rhodes (1954), to end a World Series game with a walk-off home run.
1959 The largest crowd to attend a major league game, 92,706 fans, watches a nail-biter as White Sox hurler Bob Shaw beats Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers, 1-0, in Game 5 of the Fall Classic.
1963 The Dodgers complete a four-game World Series sweep of the Yankees as Sandy Koufax wins his second game, 2-1. Frank Howard leads the offense with a home run and a single, the only two hits Whitey Ford gives up, and New York's first baseman Joe Pepitone's error (loses a thrown ball in the white-shirted crowd) leads to the decisive run in the seventh inning.
1965

"Hey, skip, bet you wish I was Jewish today, too." - DON DRYSDALE, commenting about his poor performance on the mound with manager Walt Alston after the game.

Sandy Koufax declines to pitch the first game of the World Series against the Twins because the scheduled game occurs on Yom Kippur, the most sacred of the Jewish holidays. As the Dodger southpaw attends shul and fasts on the Day of Atonement, Don Drysdale gives up seven runs in three innings in the team's 8-2 loss at Minnesota's Metropolitan Stadium.

1965 Mudcat Grant becomes the first black World Series game-winner for an American League team when the Twins take Game 1 from the Dodgers at Metropolitan Stadium, 8-2. Additionally, the 30-year-old right-hander will go deep off Howie Reed in his Game 6 victory, making him the seventh pitcher to homer in a Fall Classic game.
1966 Jim Palmer becomes the youngest player to pitch a shutout in the World Series when the 20-year-old Oriole right-hander blanks Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers, 6-0. Next month, the contest will become more memorable when Koufax surprises the baseball world by announcing his retirement, making this game his last major league appearance.
1966 In the Game 2 loss to the Orioles at Dodger Stadium, Willie Davis establishes a World Series record by committing three errors in one game. The center fielder's blunders come on two consecutive plays in the fifth inning, the first by losing a fly ball in the sun, then by dropping the next fly ball, followed by overthrowing third base.
1968 Bob Gibson, who went deep in Game 7 of last year's Fall Classic, becomes the first pitcher to hit two home runs in World Series history when he connects off Detroit's Joe Sparma leading off the fourth inning of Game 4 in the Cardinals' 10-1 rout at Tiger Stadium. Oriole southpaw Dave McNally will match the mark with round-trippers in the 1969 and 1970 series.
1978 In Game 3 of the ALCS, George Brett goes deep three times off Yankees ace Catfish Hunter. The Kansas City's third baseman solo shots in the first, third, and fifth frames aren't enough when New York beats the Royals in the Bronx ballpark, 6-5.
1980 Although the Mets finished last during his first three seasons in the dugout, the team extends manager Joe Torre's contract through the 1982 season. The future Hall of Fame skipper will compile a 286-420 (.405) record for the struggling franchise during his five seasons with the team.
1980 In the 163rd game of the season, 35-year-old knuckleballer Joe Niekro earns his 20th victory, going the distance to defeat the Dodgers, 7-1, in the winner-take-all contest for the NL West flag. With the win, the Astros capture their first title in the 19-year history of the franchise after losing a season-ending three-game series to LA (3-2, 2-1, and 4-3) that forced the one-game playoff. 

Courtesy of the Houston Astros network via
Astrosdaily.com
1981 In Game 1 of the ALDS in Kansas City, Mike Norris throws a six-hit complete game, blanking the Royals, 4-0. Oakland's appearance in the playoffs makes Billy Martin the first skipper in baseball history to manage four franchises (Twins-1969, Tigers-1972, A's-1981, and Yankees 1976-78) into postseason play.
1983 In the second game of the ALCS, Oriole hurler Mike Boddicker throws a five-hitter, beating the White Sox at Memorial Stadium, 4-0. The Baltimore right-hander, whose performance evens the series, establishes a playoff record when he strikes out 14 Chicago batters.
1984 At Jack Murphy Stadium, Steve Garvey launches the franchise's first postseason walk-off homer, a two-run shot off future Hall of Fame closer Lee Smith in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Padres a 7-5 walk-off win over the Cubs in Game 4 of the NLCS. After losing the first two contests of the best-of-five NLCS, the victory brings the series to a decisive fifth game that San Diego will win to capture the National League pennant.

1985 On the last day of the season, Yankee knuckleballer Phil Niekro becomes the 18th and oldest player in major league history to win his 300th victory when he blanks the Blue Jays 8-0. The forty-six-year and 188-days-old pitcher, who will win 318 games, also surpasses Satchel Paige (46 years, 75 days) to become the most senior pitcher to throw a big-league shutout.
1991 David Cone ties a National League mark for strikeouts as he fans 19 Phillies en route to a 7-0 victory in the season's finale. The Mets right-hander finishes the campaign with a league-leading 241 strikeouts, making it the second straight season he has led the circuit.

1991 On Fan Appreciation Day at Shea Stadium, Howard Johnson drives in a run with a seventh-inning single to finish the season with a league-leading 117 RBIs. 'HoJo' is the first switch-hitter to lead the National League in runs batted in and the first Mets player to accomplish the feat.
1991 After flying out as a pinch-hitter, Red Sox third baseman Wade Boggs completes the season hitting .332, finishing his first ten seasons with a batting average above .300. Al Simmons accomplished the feat in the first 11 seasons of his career with the A's and the White Sox from 1924-34. and Pirate outfielder Paul Waner, reaching the milestone for a dozen consecutive seasons beginning in 1926, are the only players with longer streaks than the Boston infielder, who has compiled a .345 average during the past decade.
1995 In Game 3 of the ALDS, Bernie Williams becomes the first major leaguer to hit a home run from each side of the plate in a postseason game. The Yankee outfielder's second round-tripper, an eighth-inning shot batting left-handed off Bill Risley, is tossed back onto the field by a Mariner fan unaware of the historical value of the souvenir.
1997 After taking an early four-run lead in the Jacobs Field contest, the Indians hold on for the victory, beating the defending World Champion Yankees, 4-3, in Game 5 of the ALDS. The Tribe will beat Baltimore for the AL flag but will lose their second Fall Classic in three years when the team drops Game 7 in extra innings to Florida.

2000 Reds' officials announce that Cinergy Field games will play natural grass during their final two seasons in the ballpark. The surface in Cincinnati has been artificial turf since 1970 when the ballpark debuted as Riverfront Stadium.
2000 Chief Executive Officer John Harrington puts the Red Sox up for sale. Since Jean Yawkey died in 1992, a trust bearing her name owned the team.
2001 With their 116th win, the Mariners tie the 1906 Cubs as the winningest team in major league history. Bret Boone's 37th home run of the season and the shutout pitching of five Seattle pitchers prove to be the difference in the 1-0 historic win over the Rangers.
2001 At Camden Yards, in front of a full house that includes Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, Earl Weaver, Commissioner Bud Selig, and former President Bill Clinton, Cal Ripken plays his 3,001st and final game. After a hitless night, the 41-year-old Cal watches the last out of the team's 5-1 loss to the Red Sox from the on-deck circle.
2001 With his 151st pinch hit, Lenny Harris breaks the major league mark for career pinch hits established by Manny Mota. Coming off the Met bench to bat for Rey Ordonez, he lines a 1-2 pitch off Expo starter Carl Pavano for a single to become the career leader in pinch hits.
2001 Tony Gwynn, who played his entire 20-year career with San Diego, collects his 3,141st and final hit, playing in his 2,439th game with the franchise.' Mr. Padre's last knock is a pinch-hit run-scoring double off Rockies' southpaw Gabe White in the bottom of the sixth inning in the team's 10-4 victory at Qualcomm Stadium.
2003 Defeating the A's, 5-4, the Red Sox become the seventh team to win the last three games of a best-of-five playoff series. Other clubs to overcome a 0-2 deficit include the 1981 Dodgers (Astros-NLDS), 1982 Brewers (Angels-ALCS), 1984 Padres (Cubs-NLCS), 1995 Mariners (Yankees-ALDS), 1999 Red Sox (Indians-ALDS), and the 2001 Yankees (A 's-ALDS).
2005 Reds' outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. (.301, 35, 92) and Yankee first baseman/DH Jason Giambi (.271, 32, 87) are voted the Comeback Players of the Year in their respective leagues. The fans select the award winners for the first time by voting on MLB.com.
2006 After failing to advance past the first round of the American League playoffs in their previous five postseason appearances, the A's beat the much-favored Twins, 8-3, to complete a three-game ALDS sweep. The victory, the team's tenth opportunity to win a clinching game, puts Oakland in the ALCS for the first time since 1992.
2007 In Game 2 of the ALDS at Jacobs Field, the Indians score the tying run on a wild pitch thrown by a bug-covered Joba Chamberlain. A rare infestation of insects (midges), which appeared en masse in the eighth inning, impacts the usually reliable rookie Yankees reliever, who suffers his first blown save of the season.

(Ed. Note: Joe Torre, then the Yankees’ manager, later revealed he regretted not requesting a longer pause in the game. - LP)

2007 At Wrigley Field, the Diamondbacks beat the Cubs, 5-1, to complete the three-game sweep of their National League division series. The loss for Chicago means the franchise has played for the last 99 years in the Windy City without winning a World Series championship.
2007 With their 17th win in 18 games, the Rockies beat the Phillies at Coors Field, 2-1, completing an NLDS three-game sweep of Philadelphia to advance to their first-ever National League Championship Series. The wild-card team will have to beat the Diamondbacks, their Western division foe, to win the pennant and earn a trip to the World Series.
2009 Joe Mauer wins his third batting title, becoming the first player to accomplish the feat in consecutive seasons since Nomar Garciaparra led the league in 1999-2000. The Twins catcher's .365 mark establishes a major league record for the highest batting average by a backstop.
2009 With one out in the bottom of the 12th inning in the AL Central tiebreaker, the Twins beat the Tigers, 6-5, when Alexi Casilla's single plates Carlos Gomez from second base with the winning run. The Metrodome victory finishes a remarkable comeback by Minnesota, going 17-4 in the final month to close a seven-game deficit, and completes a colossal collapse for the Tigers, becoming the first big-league team to surrender a three-game lead with only four contests to play.
2010 Rays' hurler David Price is this year's recipient of the Oklahoma Sports Museum's Warren Spahn Award, given annually to the best left-handed pitcher in the big leagues. The honor, named after the winningest southpaw in the game's history, is awarded based on a point system that evaluates performance based on wins, strikeouts, and earned run average.
2010 The Cardinals exercised their $16 million option for next season with first baseman Albert Pujols. The 30-year-old superstar, a three-time NL MVP, led the circuit with 42 home runs and 118 RBIs.
2010 At Citizens Bank Park, Phillies right-hander Roy Halladay throws the second no-hitter in postseason history when he beats the Reds, 4-0, in Game 1 of the NLDS. Don Larsen became the first hurler to accomplish the feat by throwing a perfect game in the Yankees' victory over Brooklyn in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.
2011 Robin Ventura, seen by many as a surprise choice, is hired by general manager Ken Williams as the White Sox's new manager. The former All-Star infielder, who played ten seasons in Chicago after being selected as the team's first-round pick in 1988, replaces a vocal and often-controversial Ozzie Guillen, who left the Windy City to be the Marlins' new skipper.
2012 With a year remaining on his contract, Jim Tracy resigns as the Rockies manager, a position he has held since his promotion in May of 2009 as the club's bench coach. During his four-year tenure with Colorado, the former NL Manager of the Year compiled a 294-308 record, including a 64-98 finish last season, setting a franchise mark for losses.
2012 The Orioles eliminate the two-time AL champion Rangers, 5-1, in the American League's first win-or-go-home wild-card playoff game. The victory sends the surprising Baltimore team into the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, a best-of-five division series against New York.
2012 The Indians name former Boston skipper Terry Francona, rather than Sandy Alomar Jr., who replaced Manny Acta as the interim field boss with six games remaining to be played on the schedule, to be their 42nd manager in franchise history. The 53-year-old's father, Tito, played with the Tribe from 1959 to 1964.
2020 In Game 2 of the ALDS, the Rays' pitching staff combine to fan 18 batters, becoming the first team to accomplish the feat in a nine-inning postseason game. Tampa Bay's accomplishment in their 7-5 victory over the Yankees at Petco Park surpasses the mark shared by five teams with 17 strikeouts.
54 Fact(s) Found