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This Day in Baseball History
September 11th

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55 Fact(s) Found
1886 At Washington's Swampoodle Grounds, backstop Connie Mack makes his major league debut when the Nationals, in a rare victory, edge the Philadelphia Quakers, 4-3. As a manager, the journeyman catcher posts the most big-league wins and losses, compiling a 3731-3948 (.486) record with the Pirates and A's during his 53-year managerial career.
1886 Roger Connor becomes the first and only player to hit a ball out of the original Polo Grounds (110th Street and Fifth Avenue). The Giants' first baseman receives a $500 gold watch from stockbrokers and others to honor his accomplishment.
1902 In the bottom of the 11th inning, John Malarkey hits a game-ending homer off St. Louis right-hander Mike O'Neill to give the Beaneaters a 4-3 win in the first game of a twin bill at Boston's South End Grounds. Malarkey becomes the first pitcher in baseball history to earn a victory by hitting a walk-off home run.
1912 Eddie Collins steals six bases when Philadelphia beats the Tigers at Detroit's Navin Field. 9-7. The A's second baseman swipes six bags again in September, ending the season with 66 stolen bases, second behind Clyde Milan's league-leading 88.
1915 Eddie Plank of the Federal League's St. Louis Terriers records his 300th victory when he defeats the Newark Peppers 12-5. The future Hall of Famer (1946) is the ninth player and first southpaw to reach this milestone.
1918 In the earliest conclusion of the Fall Classic, Boston's Carl Mays three-hits the Cubs 2-1, with the Red Sox winning the World Series in six games. Baseball shortened the regular season by a month to meet many major leaguers' obligation to leave their team after being drafted into the military to serve in World War I.
1923 At Yankee Stadium, Red Sox hurler Howard Ehmke misses being the first pitcher to throw consecutive no-hitters, tossing a one-hitter in the team's 3-0 victory against New York. The only safety given up by the 29-year-old right-hander is a first-inning infield hit to lead-off batter Whitey Witt, a grounder misplayed by Boston's third baseman Howard Shanks that is ruled a single by the official scorer.
1928 Yankee shortstop Mark Koenig's routine catch of A's pinch-hitter Ty Cobb's pop fly behind third base will mark the last time the 'Georgia Peach' swings a bat in the big leagues. The aging 41-year-old, the all-time hits leader, will announce his retirement six days later, ending a 24-year Hall of Fame career.
1938 Free admission and giveaways of small bats and bags of peanuts highlight Lefty O'Doul Day at Seals Stadium for youngsters under 14. Between games of the PCL doubleheader against the Oakland Oaks, the kids will have an opportunity to scramble for autographed balls thrown by the San Francisco Seals players.
1942 Paul Gillespie homers in his first major league at-bat, hitting a solo shot off Harry Feldman in the second inning of the Cubs' 4-3 loss to New York at the Polo Grounds. The Chicago reserve catcher will become the first of only two players in baseball history, along with John Miller (1966-1969), to hit a home run in their first and last big-league at-bats when he blasts a round-tripper in his final plate appearance in 1945.
1947 Ralph Branca becomes the youngest pitcher to win twenty games in the National League. The 21-year-old Dodger right-hander, who finishes the season with 21 victories, reaches the plateau in his third attempt when Brooklyn beats the Cardinals at Sportsman's Park, 4-3.
1948 For the 16th consecutive season, the Phillies will have a losing season when the team loses its 78th game of the year, dropping a 13-2 decision to the Braves at Shibe Park. The drought began in 1933 and will be the longest in big-league history until the Pirates suffer through twenty downtrodden years from 1993 to 2012.
1954 New York first baseman Whitey Lockman pinch-hits a grand slam off Cincinnati right-hander Howie Judson. The seventh-inning four-run round-tripper propels the first-place Giants to an eventual 7-5 victory over the Reds at the Polo Grounds.
1955 After working the count full with two outs in the ninth, Del Crandall hits a grand slam, giving the Braves a dramatic 5-4 walk-off victory over Philadelphia. Milwaukee had entered the final frame at County Stadium behind 4-0 before the backstop abruptly ended the game with his 'ultimate grand slam.'
1955 In his first and only major league appearance, Fred Van Dusen, entering the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning for the Phillies, is hit by a pitch thrown by Humberto Robinson of the Braves. The 18-year-old bonus baby's career ends with an on-base percentage of 1.000 but without a batting average.
1956 Frank Robinson ties Wally Berger's 1930 National League rookie record for home runs with his 38th in the Reds' 11-5 victory over the Giants at the Polo Grounds. Mark McGwire (1989 Cardinals, 49), Aaron Judge (2017 Yankees, 52), and Pete Alonso (2019 Mets, 53) will extend the major league mark for freshman homers.
1959 At Memorial Stadium, two twenty-year-old Oriole hurlers throw complete-game shutouts in a twin bill sweep against the White Sox. Jack Fischer wins the opener 3-0, and Jerry Walker pitches 16 innings, beating the Pale Hose in the nightcap, 1-0.
1959 Dodger Chuck Churn, the winner of only three major league career games, ends Elroy Face's consecutive-victory streak at 22 with a 5-4 decision over the Pirates. The 31-year-old All-Star reliever finishes the season with an 18-1 (.947) record for the fourth-place Bucs.
1964 At Milwaukee's County Stadium, Braves' southpaw Denny Lemaster throws a one-hitter, beating the Reds and Jim Maloney, who gives up only two hits, 1-0. The only run of the two-hour and six-minute contest scores on a sac fly by Felipe Alou, plating Gene Oliver in the bottom of the eighth inning.
1966 In his debut, Nolan Ryan whiffs the first batter he faces, making Braves pitcher Pat Jarvis the first strikeout victim the right-hander will claim during a 27-year Hall of Fame career. The 19-year-old Mets right-hander fans three batters during his two-inning Shea Stadium relief stint en route to a major league mark of 5,714 career strikeouts.
1966 In his first major league at-bat, John Miller hits a round-tripper off Lee Stange in the second inning of the Yankees' 4-2 victory over Boston at Fenway Park. The 22-year-old outfielder, whose total of 10 hits in his 32 big-league games includes two home runs, becomes the second player, joining Paul Gillespie, to hit a homer in his first and last plate appearance, going deep as a pinch-hitter for the Dodgers in his final turn at-bat in 1969.
1968 Tying a dubious major league record, Cubs right-hander Ferguson Jenkins loses his fifth 1-0 decision of the season when the Mets and Jim McAndrew beat Chicago with a lone run at Wrigley Field. The Canadian-born hurler will finish the season with a 20-15 record but is 20-6 in games where his team scores a run.
1969 Implementing an innovation he conceived, team owner Ewing Kauffman announced plans to start the Kansas City Royals Baseball Academy. Syd Thrift, presently a scout, will be named the program's director, designed to develop gifted athletes into major-league-ready ballplayers for the organization.
1974 In a game that will feature a record 202 batters, the Cardinals defeat the Mets in the seven-hour and four-minute Shea Stadium contest, 4-3, with Hank Webb taking the loss after making an errant pickoff throw in the top of the 25th inning that leads to the eventual winning run. Redbird Ken Reitz's two-strike, two-out home run tied the game in the top of the ninth, making the extra innings necessary.
1975 Not satisfied with the Yankees' offer, the White Sox withdraw their waivers on Tom Seaver, blocking New York's attempt to obtain the future Hall of Fame right-hander. The Bronx Bombers, 1½ games behind the Blue Jays and in need of pitching, also showed interest in the 13-10 hurler because the acquisition would help win the daily battle for media coverage in the Big Apple with the crosstown Mets, the team that considers the 40-year-old right-hander the 'Franchise.'
1979 The Expos beat the Cubs at Olympic Stadium, 8-6, for their 82nd win of the campaign. The victory ensures Montreal a winning season for the first in the 11-year history of the franchise.
1985 At Riverfront Stadium in front of 47,237 hometown fans, Reds' player-manager Pete Rose collects his 4,192nd career hit to pass Ty Cobb, who had his last at-bat 57 years ago on this date, to become the all-time major league hit leader. Padres right-hander Eric Show gives up the historic hit, a first-inning single to left field, in Cincinnati's eventual 2-0 victory over San Diego.

1987 With his 30th stolen base, Mets third baseman Howard Johnson becomes the first National League infielder to become a 30-30 club member. The other players in the Senior Circuit to have 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the same season are outfielders Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Bobby Bonds, Dale Murphy, and Eric Davis.
1987 In the opening game of a critical series against the Mets at Shea Stadium, Terry Pendleton hits a ninth-inning game-tying home run in the Cardinals' eventual 6-4 overtime victory with two outs and two strikes. The Redbird's third basemen's dramatic long ball smashes the car windshield of New York starter Ron Darling, who pitched one-hit ball before leaving in the top of the seventh due to spraining his thumb fielding Vince Coleman's bunt in the last inning.
1991 Three Atlanta hurlers pitch the first combined no-hitter in National League history. Kent Mercker, Mark Wohlers, and Alejandro Pena join forces to hold the opposing batters hitless in the Braves' 1-0 victory over the Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium.
1995 Yankees starter Jack McDowell throws exactly three pitches in the ninth inning, recording the final three outs of his 4-0 shutout of the Tribe at Jacobs Field. 'Black Jack' retires Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, and Paul Sorrento on line drives to the outfield on the first pitch thrown to each batter.
1996 Having hit a home run off right-hander Francisco Cordova earlier in the game, Ken Caminiti goes deep in the bottom of the seventh inning off southpaw Matt Ruebel, making it the fourth time this season he has homered from both sides of the plate in a game. The Padres' third baseman breaks his own major league record, which he established last year when he accomplished the feat three times.
1997 In a 9-5 Mets victory over the Expos at Shea Stadium, slow-footed John Olerud legs out an eighth-inning three-run triple to center field off Steve Kline, completing the first of two career cycles. The 29-year-old New York first baseman becomes the seventh player in the franchise's 33-year history to accomplish the feat.

1998 Dropping an 8-2 decision against division-leading Atlanta, the Marlins lose their 100th game of the season, becoming the first team from being World Series champions to having triple digits defeats the next season. Florida, which has never had 100 defeats during its six-year existence, will compile a 54-108 (.333) record to finish last in the five-team National League East.
1998 Kevin Malone is named the Dodgers' general manager, replacing Tommy Lasorda, who becomes the team's senior vice president. The "new sheriff in town" tenure in Los Angeles features high-profile players signing huge contracts, including Kevin Brown's seven-year deal that made the right-hander the first $100 million man in baseball.
1999 Facing just one batter, Doug Jones records his 300th career save when he gets the final out in the A's 5-4 win over Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field. The 42-year-old right-handed reliever, the 11th closer to reach the milestone, will retire at the end of next season with 303 saves.
1999 At the Metrodome, Twins' southpaw Eric Milton throws a no-hitter against the visiting Angels, 7-0, the fourth since the team moved to Minnesota from Washington, D.C., in 1961. The 24-year-old retires the side in order in seven of the nine innings en route to his 13-strikeout gem.
2001 In the wake of terrorist attacks on New York City's World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Major League Baseball cancels all games for security reasons and the deep mourning of the senseless loss of lives. Yankee officials also order the evacuation of their Bronx ballpark as a precautionary measure.
2002 Yankee legends Whitey Ford and Phil Rizzuto unveil a monument dedicated to the September 11th terrorist attacks victims. The team also has a ceremonial tree planting in Monument Park in honor of the heroes and victims of last year's horrific events.
2004 The 36,887 Bank One Ballpark fans, hoping to see Barry Bonds hit his 699th and perhaps 700th career homer, watch the Giant left fielder reach a different milestone. The San Francisco slugger receives three base on balls from Diamondback pitchers to break his own record and become the first major leaguer to walk over 200 times in a single season.
2006 Cody Ross ties two team records with three home runs and seven RBIs in the Marlins' 16-5 rout of the Mets. The Florida right fielder drives in all his runs in the Dolphin Stadium contest with a pair of two-run homers and a three-run round-tripper.
2006 Frank Thomas goes yard in his sixth straight game, setting an A's franchise record. The Big Hurt's 36th home run, which comes off Twins' starter Carlos Silva, is nearly caught by center fielder Torii Hunter.
2008 Jack Cust whiffs in his first two plate appearances and K's again in the eighth inning to bring his strikeout total this season to 176. The A's outfielder/DH breaks the franchise record previously held by Jose Canseco, who fanned 175 times in 1986.
2008 With his sixth-inning double in the 3-2 loss to the Cubs, Cardinals' first baseman Albert Pujols becomes only the third player in history to drive in 100 runs during his first eight major league seasons. The two other big leaguers to reach the plateau are Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams, who also accomplished the feat for eight seasons from 1939-42, 46-49, and starting in 1924, fly-chaser Al Simmons did it for 11 years playing for the A's (9) and the White Sox (2). 
2009 A small boy races to the pitcher's mound and grabs a baseball intended for Tigers reliever Brandon Lyon Before starting the eighth inning at Comerica Park. The youngster is helped back into the stands and can keep the ball after a discussion between the boy's uncle and the stadium security guards reveals that the six-year-old had misunderstood a suggestion to go to the railing and get a ball from one of the Blue Jays players.
2009 With an opposite-field single in the third inning of a 10-4 loss to Baltimore on a rainy New York night, Derek Jeter becomes the all-time team leader in hits for the historic franchise. The safety gives the Yankees captain 2,722 hits, one more than legendary Lou Gehrig, another 35-year-old team captain, who had held the record for over 70 years.

2010 With MLB's permission, Pete Rose goes on the Great American Ball Park field to celebrate his record-breaking hit that passed Ty Cobb, making him the all-time leader. Joined by former teammates Tony Perez and Cesar Geronimo, the banished player receives a trophy from Reds' owner Bob Castellini, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the historic 4,192nd hit.
2010 Jim Thome connects for career homer No. 587 to pass Hall of Famer Frank Robinson for eighth place on the all-time career list. The Twins DH's historic round-tripper, which he blasts in the top of the twelfth inning at Progressive Field, is the lone run in Minnesota's 1-0 victory over Cleveland.
2010 For the 10th consecutive campaign, starting with his rookie year, Albert Pujols drives in 100 or more runs. Only Al Simmons, with 11, has more seasons with 100 RBIs to start a career than the Cardinals' first baseman.
2011 Major League Baseball denies the Mets' request to wear caps honoring police, firefighters, and other first responders for their September 11th game against Chicago. The hats donned during the pregame ceremony in remembrance of the tragic event will be autographed and sold on Mets.com, with the proceeds given to charities by the team's foundation.
2013 At Marlins Park, benches clear when Brian McCann confronts Jose Fernandez as the Miami starting pitcher crosses home plate after hitting his first career home run. The Braves backstop and third baseman Chris Johnson take exception to the 21-year-old rookie right-hander admiring the home run from the batter's box, then glaring into the Atlanta dugout rounding the bases.

2015 In the bottom of the eighth inning against the Royals, the Orioles score ten runs in the span of eight batters off three relievers before making an out in a barrage that includes grand slams by Nolan Reimold and Steve Clevenger. Baltimore becomes the first team to hit two bases-loaded homers in one inning twice, having accomplished the rare feat in a 13-11 loss to the Rangers at Memorial Stadium in 1986.
2015 When Mariners reliever Tony Zych makes his major league debut in an 11-8 victory over the A's, he displaces outfielder Dutch Zwilling, who held the distinction for more than a century of being listed last in baseball's all-time alphabetical roll call. Another Seattle reliever, David Aardsma, ranks first in the ABCs of baseball, replacing Hank Aaron at the top of the list in his 2004 major league debut with the Giants.
2019 🇵🇪 Jesús Luzardo becomes the first player born in Peru to appear in a major league when he gives up no runs and just one hit, pitching three innings in relief in the A's 5-3 victory over the Astros at Minute Maid Park. The 21-year-old right-hander, whose impressive debut season will include striking out 16 batters in 12 innings, was born in Lima, the nation's capital, but his parents moved to South Florida after his first birthday.
2020 At Tropicana Field, the Rays use a lineup that features nine true left-handers, marking the first time a batting order of all southpaw swingers start a major league game in the modern era, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Although a few teams had played games when all nine hitters batted from the left-hand side of the plate, none of the players in Tampa Bay's 11-1 victory were switch-hitters.
55 Fact(s) Found