<< Yesterday

This Day in Baseball History
July 7th

Tomorrow>>
48 Fact(s) Found
1900 By defeating the Cubs, 11-4, Beaneaters' hurler Kid Nichols takes only nine seasons to get his 300th victory. The 30-year-old righty will amass 361 wins during his 15-year career and remain the youngest player to accomplish the feat.
1909 In a 15-3 blow-out of the Browns, the White Sox collect 12 stolen bases. The thievery at Chicago's South Side Park includes the theft of home plate three times.
1920 After he appears in 55 games, the Giants trade Benny Kauff and cash to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League for Vern Spencer. Although acquitted of the charges, the New York outfielder, slated to rejoin the team in 1921, is banished from baseball for life by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis after being implicated in a car theft ring during the offseason.
1923 Lefty O'Doul, who will become an outstanding major league hitter later in his career, gives up 13 runs in the sixth inning as the Indians rout the Red Sox, 27-3. The San Francisco native will finish his 11-year stint in the majors with a lifetime batting average of .349.
1923 The Indians become the first American League team to score a run in every inning when they rout Boston, 27-3, in the first game of a doubleheader at Cleveland's Dunn Field. The Tribe tallies nearly half their runs in the sixth frame, crossing the plate 13 times in a contest that takes only two hours and ten minutes to complete.

1931 The White Sox outlast and outslug the Browns, beating St. Louis in 12 innings, 10-8. During the Sportsman's Park contest, the five pitchers who take the mound do not record a strikeout, making it the longest game in major league history without a strike three.
1936 The Senior Circuit wins its first All-Star game, edging the American League at Braves Field in Boston, 4-3. The Junior Circuit had taken the first three contests of the Midsummer Classic.
1936 Joe DiMaggio becomes the first rookie to appear in an All-Star Game when he starts in right field and bats third for the Junior Circuit in the team's 4-3 loss to the National League at Boston's Braves Field. The 21-year-old Yankees outfielder doesn't fare well in the fourth edition of the Midsummer Classic, committing an error and making the last out of the game with a man in scoring position to finish his day 0-for-5 at the plate.
1937 With Franklin D. Roosevelt in attendance at Griffith Stadium in Washington, Yankees' first baseman Lou Gehrig drives in four runs with a home run and a double to lead the AL to an 8-3 victory over the National League in All-Star action. FDR, who tosses the ceremonial first pitch, is the first U.S. president to attend an All-Star Game.

1948 On his 42nd birthday, Negro League legend Satchel Paige signs a contract to pitch with the Indians. Though viewed by many as another publicity stunt by team owner Bill Veeck, the crafty right-hander will finish the season 6-1 for the eventual world champs.
1951 Hoot Evers strokes four singles and a double in the Tigers' 13-3 rout of the Indians. The Detroit outfielder's productive 5-for-5 day includes scoring five times in the Briggs Stadium contest.
1951 At Fenway Park, Yankee manager Casey Stengel replaces Joe DiMaggio with rookie Jackie Jensen after the Red Sox score six runs in the first frame. After the Clipper takes his position in the outfield, the skipper's decision to 'rest' his aging superstar in the second inning strains an already acrimonious relationship.
1953 The Dodgers set a major league mark for the most consecutive games with a home run by a team with at least one round-tripper in their 24 contests. Brooklyn starter Preacher Roe hits the record-breaking homer with a third-inning blast in the team's 9-5 victory over Pittsburgh at Forbes Field.
1953 The Browns, with their 6-3 loss to the Indians at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, set a major league record, losing their 20th consecutive home game. The non-winning streak dates back to June 3.
1959 At Forbes Field, Hank Aaron's eighth-inning single ties the score, and a triple hit by Willie Mays plates Aaron with the winning run in the 5-4 All-Star victory in the first of the two Midsummer Classics scheduled this season.
1964 In the only All-Star Game ever played at Shea Stadium, the National League evens the all-time series at 18 victories for each circuit by beating the AL, 7-4, with a dramatic ninth-inning rally that includes a three-run homer by Phillies slugger Johnny Callison. Home team second baseman Ron Hunt becomes the first Mets player selected as a starter in the Midsummer Classic.

1968 Throwing just nine pitches, Tom Seaver earns the only save of his 20-year major league career when the Mets beat the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium, 4-2. Tom Terrific strikes out Dick Allen on three pitches and then quickly dispatches Johnny Callison and Tony Taylor on outfield flies.
1970 Rico Carty, the National League's leading hitter, becomes the first player voted to play in the All-Star Game as a write-in candidate. The ballot, drawn up by managers and general managers before spring training, did not list the Braves outfielder's name.
1970 Lew Krausse tosses the first shutout in Brewers' history, blanking the White Sox at Milwaukee’s County Stadium, 1–0. The game’s lone run scores from second base on Joe Horlen's errant throw fielding a sacrifice bunt, plating Mike Hegan, who had doubled to lead off the seventh inning.
1971 After the first plan of placing the new inductees in a separate wing creates a storm of controversy, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn and Hall of Fame president Paul Kirk announce former Negro League players will have full membership in the Cooperstown shrine. Last month, the HOF created a committee to select players annually who played at least ten years in the Negro Leagues and were ineligible for induction into the regular Hall.
1974 The Cubs snap Buzz Capra's nine-game winning streak when the team beats the Braves at Wrigley Field, 4-3. The 26-year-old All-Star right-hander establishes a franchise mark for consecutive victories, finishing the season with a 16-8 record and posting a major league-leading ERA of 2.28.
1975 During an 8-6 loss to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, Giants outfielders Gary Thomasson, Bobby Murcer, and Chris Arnold each nail a baserunner trying to score. The rare feat last occurred in 1905 when Cubs flycatcher Jack McCarthy accomplished the feat with his three outfield assists.
1979 In the Philies' 8-6 loss to the Giants at Veterans Stadium, Mike Schmidt homers in his first three times at the plate, tying a major league mark of four straight over two games. The 29-year-old third baseman, who went deep in his final at-bat last night, will hit three more round-trippers in the next three games, equaling a National League mark of seven home runs in five games.
1982 Harold Baines hits three consecutive home runs, including a grand slam, to lead the White Sox over the Tigers, 7-0. The Chicago right fielder hits solo round-trippers leading off the fifth and seventh frames before going deep in the eighth with the bases full to seal the deal in the Comiskey Park contest.
1998 In a game remembered more for 'Glory,' a patriotic-colored Beanie Baby souvenir given to the fans, the American League beats the senior circuit, 13-8, in the thin air at Coors Field in Denver. The 21-run total surpasses the previous record set in 1954, when the AL beat the National League in Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, 11-9.

1998 Jeff Shaw becomes the first player to participate in an All-Star Game wearing a uniform for a team he hasn't yet played for when he allows three hits and a run pitching an inning for the National League squad before appearing in a regular-season game for the Dodgers. The 32-year-old closer, who posted a 1.81 ERA and 23 saves in the first half of the season for the Reds, was traded three days ago by Cincinnati to Los Angeles for Paul Konerko and Dennys Reyes.
1998 At hitter-friendly Coors Field, the American League defeats the NL, 13-8, in the highest-scoring All-Star game since its inception in 1933. The 21 runs break the mark established in the 1954 Midsummer Classic, when the AL topped the Senior Circuit, 11-9, at Cleveland Stadium.
2000 The Butte Copper Kings' John Rocker Awareness Night promotion' is a huge success when the Angel rookie-league club offers free admission to anyone belonging to a group insulted by the Atlanta reliever in his Sports Illustrated interview. The 672 fans in attendance for the Pioneer League contest, one of the team's largest crowds this season, include single moms with multiple children, people with purple hair, 'foreigners,' and people with alternative lifestyles.
2003 Shea Hillenbrand becomes the sixth player to homer in three consecutive innings, tying a big-league record. The third baseman's fourth, fifth, and sixth inning round-trippers account for half of the runs the Diamondbacks score in their 14-6 victory over Colorado at Bank One Ballpark.
2004 Blanking the Royals at the Metrodome, 12-0, Twins' hurler Kyle Lohse helps establish a club record, throwing the team's third consecutive shutout. Johan Santana (Royals, 4-0) and Brad Radke (Royals, 9-0) started the streak of 27 scoreless innings, also a franchise record.
2004 Kazuhisa Ishii tosses a one-hitter in the Dodgers' 11-0 defeat of Arizona. The 30-year-old Japanese southpaw retires the first 12 batters he faces before issuing a leadoff walk to Luis Gonzalez and a single by Shea Hillenbrand, but the left-hander proceeds to set down the next 15 D-Backs to finish his masterpiece.
2006 John Lackey retires the next 27 A's batters after leadoff batter Mark Kotsay doubles to start the bottom of the first inning on a 3-0 count and after falling behind Nick Swisher on the same count. The 3-0 Angel victory, which takes 2 hours and 1 minute to complete, also halts LA shortstop Orlando Cabrera's streak of reaching base safely in 63 consecutive games, twenty-one shy of Ted Williams' record of 84 straight games established in 1949.
2006 Travis Hafner hits his fifth grand slam of the season when he clears the bases in the second inning of the Indians' 9-0 win over Baltimore at Jacobs Field. The Cleveland DH becomes the first player in major league history to accomplish the feat before the All-Star break and surpasses the franchise record of four-baggers established in 1951 by Al Rosen.
2007 Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki records the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star Game history when he hits Chris Young's fastball into deep right-center field at San Francisco's AT&T Park. The fifth-inning blast caroms off the park's quirky configuration, getting past NL center fielder Ken Griffey Jr., allowing the American League leadoff hitter, who will be named the game's MVP, to complete his way around the bases for the historic round-tripper.
2008 After taking a nine-run lead into the sixth inning, the Mets hold on to beat the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, 10-9. The game is eerily similar to a 1992 contest, also played in Philadelphia, that caused Hall of Fame announcer Bob Murphy to remark after the final out, "they win the damn thing by a score of 10 to 9!"
2008 To reach the postseason for the first time since 1982, the Brewers trade four highly touted farm hands to the Indians to obtain CC Sabathia. Milwaukee sends last year's first-round draft pick, Matt LaPorta, minor league pitching prospects Zach Jackson and Rob Bryson, and Taylor Green (player to be named later), the team's minor league player of the year, to Cleveland for last season's American League Cy Young Award winner.
2009 Without throwing a pitch, Alan Embree is credited with the win when Colorado scores the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Nationals at Coors Field, 5-4. After entering the tied contest with two outs in the top of the frame, the Rockies reliever picks off Austin Kerns off first base (caught stealing/PO --> P-1B-SS-P) for the third out of the frame without facing a batter.
2010 With the score tied at seven in the bottom of the ninth at Coors Field, Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta makes Evan MacLane's major league debut memorable when he leads off the inning, hitting a walk-off home run off the 27-year-old rookie. The Cardinals' southpaw is the first hurler to surrender a game-winning homer to the first major league batter he faces since Padres' right-hander J.J. Trujillo accomplished the dubious deed, allowing Baltimore's Tony Batista to end a game with a round-tripper in 2002.

2010 Adam Dunn becomes the second Washington Nationals player to hit three home runs in a game and the first major leaguer to accomplish the feat at the three-year-old Nationals Park. The first baseman's offensive output, which matches Alfonso Soriano's performance in 2006, helps the home team edge San Diego, 7-6, on a hot night in the nation's capital.
2011 Trailing by four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Indians rally to beat the Blue Jays, 5-4. Travis Hefner delivers the keynote blast, whose walk-off grand slam off Luis Perez to deep right field delights the Progressive Field fans.
2011 Trying to grab the ball tossed into the stands by Josh Hamilton, Ranger fan Shannon Stone dies when he tumbles over the railing and falls 20 feet to the concrete pavement below. The 39-year-old Brownwood (TX) firefighter had attended the game with his six-year-old son, Cooper.
2011 The Cubs erase an eight-run deficit, beating Washington at Nationals Park, 10-9. The defeat of the hometown team marks the largest blown lead in franchise history for the Nats, including their tenure in Montreal as the Expos.
2012 In the bottom of the first inning at Minute Maid Park, first base umpire Sam Holbrook tosses Zack Greinke from the game. The arbitrator took exception when the Brewers starter, who had thrown only four pitches, spiked the ball after he called Jose Altuve safe on a close play in which the Milwaukee hurler covered the bag in the 6-4 loss to Houston.

2012 Bryce Harper becomes the youngest position player to make an All-Star team when he is named to replace Miami's Giancarlo Stanton, who cannot participate because of an injury. The 19-year-old Nationals outfielder, who is older than hurlers Dwight Gooden (Mets) and Bob Feller (Indians) when they played in their first Midsummer Classics, surpasses backstop Butch Wynegar (Twins) as the youngest non-pitcher to be selected.

2016 Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, with his twenty-first home run, ties the National League mark shared by Dave Kingman (Giants, 1972) and Albert Pujols (Cardinals, 2001) for the most home runs by a rookie before the All-Star break. Mark McGwire established the major league record, going deep 30 times before the Midsummer Classic while playing for the A's in 1987.
2017 Eight seconds before a 5 p.m. ET deadline, the Reds and their No. 2 overall pick, Hunter Greene, reportedly agree to a record $7.23 million bonus. The 17-year-old two-way Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks, CA) senior, a recent subject on a Sports Illustrated cover, has been selected primarily as a pitcher but will bat and play shortstop occasionally.

2017 Carlos Carrasco tosses an immaculate inning when he strikes out the side in the fifth frame on nine pitches in the Indians' 11-2 victory over the Tigers at Progressive Field. The Venezuelan right-hander is only the second pitcher in franchise history, along with Justin Masterson, who accomplished the feat in 2014.
2019 In his 89th game in the majors, Mets first baseman Pete Alfonso records his 30th home run when he goes deep off Aaron Nola in the team's 8-3 loss at Citi Field. The 24-year-old rookie's total is second only to Rudy York (1934-37) and Mark McGwire (1986-87), who went deep 31 times at the same point in their careers.
48 Fact(s) Found