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This Day in Baseball History
July 8th

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44 Fact(s) Found
1912 At Chicago's West Side Grounds, the Cubs stop Giants southpaw Rube Marquard's consecutive winning streak at 19 when they defeat New York, 7-2. The future Hall of Famer will finish the season with a league-leading 26 victories for the eventual NL champs.
1918 At Fenway Park, Babe Ruth's shot over the fence, a triple due to the prevailing rules, plates Amos Strunk, giving the Red Sox's 1-0 victory over the Indians. The Boston left fielder, playing in 95 games this season, finishes tied A's outfielder with Tillie Walker for the American League title with 11 homers.
1935 The American League's winning streak reaches three as the Junior Circuit beats the NL in All-Star action at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, 4-1. The new rule that no pitcher can throw more than three innings unless the game goes extra innings is due to Yankee southpaw Lefty Gomez pitching six outstanding innings in the Midsummer Classic.
1939 A wall of Japanese beetles forms in front of the home dugout before the first game of a doubleheader with the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Removing 5,000 insects doesn't prevent the problem from returning later in the month.
1941 Thanks to a dramatic two-out, bottom of the ninth inning, three-run home run by Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams, the American League All-Stars beat the NL in Detroit, 7-5. The "Splendid Splinter's" dramatic drive on a 1-1 pitch thrown by Claude Passeau off the right-field press box makes the Briggs Stadium contest the first Midsummer Classic decided in the final inning.
1947 At Wrigley Field, Yankee right-hander Spec Shea becomes the first rookie to win an All-Star Game when the Junior Circuit edges the National League, 2-1. The 26-year-old 'Naugatuck Nugget' relieves AL starter Hal Newhouse of the Tigers, giving up three hits and one run while pitching the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings.
1949 Hank Thompson, who broke into the majors as a member of the St. Louis Browns twelve days after Larry Doby's American League debut with the Indians in 1947, became the first African-American to play for the Giants. When the former Kansas City Monarchs' standout pops up to second base facing Dodger right-hander Don Newcombe, it marks the first time a pitcher-batter confrontation occurs between black players in the major leagues.

(Ed. Note: Ironically, Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in 1947, catches Thompson's infield pop-up. - LP)

1950 In the bottom of the ninth inning at Forbes Field, Jack Phillips, pinch-hitting for Murry Dickson, erases a three-run deficit with a walk-off grand slam off Harry Brecheen. The 28-year-old utility infielder, who will go deep only nine times in 892 major league at-bats, gives the Pirates a dramatic 7-6 victory over the Cardinals.
1952 At Philadelphia's Shibe Park, the home of the Phillies and A's, the hometown National League squeaks by the Junior Circuit in a shortened five-inning All-Star contest, 3-2. The game marks the first Midsummer Classic called early due to rain since the two leagues' inaugural meeting in 1933.
1956 In an 11-1 rout of the Pirates at the Polo Grounds, the Giants go deep for a franchise-record seven home runs. Willie Mays, Daryl Spencer, and Wes Westrum each connect for a pair, and Hank Thompson adds another.
1958 At Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, in a contest that features no extra-base hits (13 singles), the American League edges the Senior Circuit, 4-3. Giants hurler Billy O'Dell pitched a perfect final three innings of the Silver Anniversary of the All-Star Game.
1959 During the All-Star break, the Reds dismiss manager Mayo Smith (35-45), replacing him with Fred Hutchinson (39-35), the skipper of the Seattle Rainiers, the team's PCL farm. 'Hutch,' who will become a mainstay in the Cincinnati dugout, is the team's fourth manager in less than a year.
1962 With Stan Musial's three home runs, the Cardinals soundly defeat the Mets at the Polo Grounds, 15-1. 'The Man,' at 41, becomes the oldest major leaguer ever to accomplish the feat, misses another opportunity to bat in the ninth inning after being replaced in the previous frame by pinch-runner Bobby Gene Smith.
1965 At Milwaukee's County Stadium, Joe Morgan sets an Astros record by going 6-for-6. The 21-year-old rookie second baseman's stellar performance, which includes two home runs and a double, doesn't stop the Braves from beating Houston, 9-8.
1969 At Shea Stadium, Cubs' centerfielder Don Young is criticized by teammate Ron Santo for his two misplays, helping the Mets score three ninth-inning runs in a 4-3 walk-off loss that cuts Chicago's division lead to four games over the surging New York team. The emotional third baseman, soundly booed by the hometown fans in his first game back at Wrigley Field, will apologize for his remarks tomorrow.
1970 Jim Ray Hart completes the cycle and becomes the first player in fifty-nine years to have six RBIs in one inning when he hits a three-run homer and a three-run triple in the Giants' 13-0 rout of Atlanta. The San Francisco third baseman had already stroked a double in the second and added a single in the third before his three-base hit and round-tripper in the fifth frame.
1973 Bob Watson's hard slide into second base to break up a double play fractures Tim Foli's jaw. When the Houston outfielder returns to left field, the Expos fans at Jarry Park begin hurling debris to show their displeasure about his treatment of their popular shortstop.
1973

"Can you imagine a damn team that has to cheat to beat us?"- WHITEY HERZOG, Ranger manager lamenting about Milwaukee stealing signs from his 29-53 Texas team.

After losing 17-2 yesterday and dropping a doubleheader today at County Stadium, Ranger skipper Whitey Herzog accuses Bernie Brewer of cheating. The very-animated Texas skipper contends the mascot uses white-gloved costumed hands to relay signs from his center-field chalet, clapping once for a curve and twice for a fastball.

1974 Oakland outfielder Claudell Washington, making his first start in the major leagues, strokes a single in the tenth inning to give the A's a 4-3 victory over the Indians. The 19-year-old rookie's walk-off hit spoils Gaylord Perry's attempt to get a record-tying 16th consecutive victory this season.
1976 Twenty-six-year-old southpaw Randy Jones, en route to a 22-14 record, posts the most victories at the All-Star break in National League history, winning his 16th game of the season in the Padres' 6-3 defeat of the Cubs at Wrigley Field. In the second half of the season, the eventual Cy Young Award winner's good fortune runs out when he loses seven games by a run, including two 1-0 losses.
1977 A bench-clearing brawl erupts at Three River Stadium when Pirates right-hander Bruce Kison hits Mike Schmidt in the back with a pitch, resulting in a dislocated finger for the Phillies' third baseman. Bucs' first baseman Willie Stargell, attempting to break up the fight, suffers a pinched nerve in his left elbow, limiting his playing time for the remainder of the season to only eight games.
1979 The Mets announce the selection of Mettle as the name for the team's new mascot mule. Dolores Mapps of Mercerville, N.J., who submitted the winning entry, believes the moniker captures the team's "spirit, ardor, stamina, and courage, all of which the Mets have in abundance."

1987 🇭🇳 Gerald Young becomes the first player from Honduras to appear in the majors. In his big league debut, the 22-year-old Tela native plays center field and leads off for the Astros, going 0-for-4 in a 1-0 loss to the Expos at the Astrodome.
1989 In a pregame ceremony at Royals Stadium, hurler Dennis Leonard and outfielder/DH Hal McRae become the seventh and eighth inductees of the team's Hall of Fame. The right-hander finished his career leading the franchise in complete games (103), shutouts (23), and second in wins (144), and McRae, a three-time All-Star, served as the club's skipper from 1991 to 1994, posting a 286-277 (.508) record.
1990 En route to becoming the only player to win a batting title in three different decades, George Brett begins a 16-game hitting streak when he grounds a single to right field off Steve Searcy in the Royals' 10-4 loss to Detroit at Tiger Stadium. During the span, which lasts until July 26, the Kansas City third baseman hits .470 (31 for 66), four homers, one triple, 13 doubles, and 14 RBIs.

(Ed. Note: George Brett considered retirement due to his slow start, with a .256 average at the beginning of July, but his manager, John Wathan, and a former teammate, John Wathan, encouraged him to complete the season. - LP)
1994 Red Sox shortstop John Valentin snares Marc Newfield's sixth-inning line drive, steps on second retiring Mike Blowers, and then tags the runner coming from first, Kevin Mitchell, to turn an unassisted triple play. After completing the rare triple killing, a feat that has occurred only ten times in major league history, the infielder begins a three-homer outburst by Boston in the bottom of the frame, helping the team defeat the Mariners at Fenway Park, 4-3.

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1995 After the team matches 1st and 16th inning runs with the Padres, Houston scores in the bottom of the 17th frame for a 3-2 walk-off victory. Craig Biggio singles off Brian Williams to score Doug Brocail, who becomes the winning pitcher in the Astrodome contest when he steps on home plate.
1997 At Cleveland's Jacobs Field, Royals' reliever Jose Rosado picks up the win when the American League beats the Senior Circuit, 3-1. Before the ALers scored two go-ahead runs in the bottom of the seventh, the Kansas City southpaw blew the save opportunity, giving up a lead-off home run to Javy Lopez in the top of the frame, knotting the score at 1-1.
1997 Sandy Alomar, Jr., helping to snap the National League's three-game winning streak, belts a seventh-inning two-run home run to lead the Junior Circuit to a 3-1 All-Star Game victory in front of an enthusiastic hometown crowd at Jacobs Field. The 31-year-old Indian catcher, amid a 30-game hitting streak, is named the Midsummer Classic's Most Valuable Player.
2000 The Yankees sweep their crosstown rivals in the first double-ballpark doubleheader since 1903 with identical 4-2 scores in an afternoon tilt at Shea and an evening contest at Yankee Stadium. Highlights include Mike Piazza, beaned by Roger Clemens, going to the hospital, Dwight Gooden getting his first win in Flushing Meadows since 1994, and an obstruction call on Mets' first baseman Todd Zeile causing the team to play the first game under protest.

2000 When Jose Cruz Jr. hits his 20th round-tripper in a 6-3 win over the Expos, the Blue Jays become the first team in major league history to have four batters to hit twenty or more homers before the All-Star break. The 26-year-old Toronto outfielder joins teammates Tony Batista, Carlos Delgado, and Raul Mondesi in reaching the milestone.
2002 The Charleston Riverdogs, the Class A minor league affiliate of the Devil Rays, padlock the gates of Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park and hold a party outside the ballpark to set the record for the lowest attendance at a professional baseball game. When the 'Nobody Night' contest becomes official in the fifth inning with the audience recorded as zero, patrons enter through the gates to watch the South Atlantic League contest against the Columbus RedStixx.


Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park by Matthew & Rebecca Preslar
Ballpark Adventures
2003 Indians' southpaw Billy Traber one-hits the Yankees, retiring 27 of 28 batters, including 21 in a row, after allowing John Flaherty to reach first base with a single in the third inning. The 4-0 blanking of the Bronx Bombers is the 23-year-old rookie's first complete game.
2005 In Singapore, the International Olympic Committee votes on approving the 28 current summer Olympic events scheduled for the 2012 Summer Games in London. The planned activities do not include baseball and softball, marking the first time the IOC has eliminated existing sports since the dropping of polo in 1936.
2005 In the team's 7-6 defeat to the Rangers, Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay suffers a broken leg after being hit by a Kevin Mench third-inning line drive. 'Doc,' slated to be the American League starter in the All-Star Game to be played in Detroit this week, will miss the rest of the season.
2008 The Cubs bolster their pitching staff, obtaining starter Rich Harden and reliever Chad Gaudin from the A's in exchange for right-hander Sean Gallagher, second baseman/outfielder Eric Patterson, outfielder Matt Murton, and minor league backstop prospect Josh Donaldson. Chicago's dealing may be in anticipation of the Brewers' trade rumors of getting Indians' ace, CC Sabathia.
2010 Ubaldo Jimenez, with the Rockies' 4-3 victory over St. Louis, became the first pitcher in ten years to record 15 wins before the All-Star break. The Colorado right-hander, who has compiled a 15-1 mark, is the first hurler to reach the plateau since David Wells posted a 15-2 record with the Blue Jays in 2000.
2010 Using an online ballot, fans select Nick Swisher of the Yankees and Reds' first baseman Joey Votto to fill the last two roster spots in this year's All-Star Game. The New York outfielder, who has edged Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis for the final AL spot, used his Twitter account to campaign for votes and to thank his fans for their support.
2012 In Kansas City, George Brett's U.S. team easily defeats the World Club, managed by Bernie Williams, 17-5, in the Futures Game. The contest, played annually as part of the Mid-Summer Classic festivities, features future All-Stars Wil Myers, Francisco Lindor, Christian Yelich, Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Nolan Arenado, Nolan Arenado, Nick Castellanos, Zach Wheeler, and Gerrit Cole.
2014 The Mets beat Atlanta to win its 4,000th game since starting as an expansion team in 1962. Rookie right-hander Jacob deGrom, who strikes out 11 batters in seven shutout innings in the team's 8-3 win at Citi Field, records the milestone victory.
2019 In the decisive final round of the Home Run Derby at Progressive Field, Pete Alonso, hitting 23 home runs in his last at-bats, edges out fellow first-year player Vladimir Guerrero of the Rangers by one homer. The New York first baseman becomes the first Mets player to win the competition outright (Darryl Strawberry shared the title with Wally Joyner in 1986) and the second rookie to win the event, joining Yankee freshman Aaron Judge, who won in 2017.

2021 In his second career plate appearance, Padres reliever Daniel Camarena hits a grand slam against one of the top pitchers in baseball, Max Scherzer. The 28-year-old rookie's fourth-inning bases-full home run contributes to San Diego's nine-run comeback, ending in a 9-8 walk-off victory over the Nationals at Petco Park.
2022 With one out and runners on first and third, Tampa Bay's Matt Wisler commits the first walk-off balk in franchise history, giving the Reds a 2-1 tenth-inning victory at Cinergy Field. Pinch-runner Mark Kolozsvary, who had entered the game for ghost runner Mike Moustakas, scores the winning run when home plate umpire Edwin Moscoso and second base ump Lance Barrett determined the Rays' reliever flinched before his delivery.
2023 At Comerica Park, Matt Manning (6⅔), Jason Foley (1⅓), and closer Alex Lange combine to throw a no-hitter in the Tigers' 2-0 victory over the Blue Jays. The no-no is the ninth in franchise history but the first thrown in a contest by multiple hurlers.
44 Fact(s) Found