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This Day in Baseball History
June 15th

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32 Fact(s) Found
1925 Entering the bottom of the eighth inning trailing the Indians, 15-4, the A's cross the plate 13 times in the frame. Philadelphia will hold on to the lead in the top of the ninth to defeat Cleveland in an incredible 17-15 come-from-behind victory at Shibe Park.

1938 In the first night game played in New York City, Johnny Vander Meer pitches his second consecutive no-hitter, beating the Dodgers at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field, 6-0. Four days ago, the Reds' southpaw held the Braves hitless in a 3-0 victory at Crosley Field.
1940 In the Giants' 12-1 rout of the Pirates at the Polo Grounds, Harry Danning hits for the cycle, becoming the last player to have an inside-the-park as part of this rare feat. The Giant catcher circles the bases when the 460-foot fly ball gets stuck behind the Eddie Grant Memorial, and Pittsburgh center fielder Vince DiMaggio cannot free it in time.
1948 The Tigers play their first home game under the lights, defeating the Philadelphia A's, 4-1. Detroit played a night game at Bennett Park on September 24, 1896, but the results of George Vanderbeck's Western League team exhibition against the Reds never made it into the books as an official game.
1949 Shortly after 1 a.m., Ruth Ann Steinhagen shoots Eddie Waitkus in the chest with a rifle at Chicago's Edgewater Beach Hotel after luring him to her room with an urgent note delivered by the bellhop. The obsessed fan, who had become infatuated with the first baseman when he played in Chicago, apparently became agitated because the Cubs traded the All-Star infielder to the Phillies.
1951 The Cubs trade Andy Pfako, Johnny Schmitz, Wayne Terwilliger, and Rube Walker to the Dodgers for Bruce Edwards, Joe Hatten, Eddie Miksis, and Gene Hermanski. The deal, which prevents the coveted 'Handy Andy' from going to the rival Giants, is the first of many to be made by Buzzy Bavasi, Brooklyn's new general manager.
1952 The Cardinals, trailing 11-0 after three innings against Sal Maglie, overcome the double-digit deficit to defeat the Giants at the Polo Grounds, 14-12. The Redbirds score seven runs in the top of the fifth and another seven in the last three frames of the game to accomplish the biggest rally in National League history.
1955 After striking out against the Amarillo Gold Sox, 22-year-old Albuquerque Dukes outfielder Larry Segovia kicks a water fountain in the dugout, breaking a pipe that creates a 50-foot high cascade of water that soaks his teammates and nearby fans. The grounds crew shuts off the water, repairs the damages, and removes the puddles from the playing field, delaying the West Texas-New Mexico League contest.
1957 Red Schoendienst, who was unexpectedly traded to the Giants last season by Cardinals GM Frank Lane, is dealt a year and a day later by New York to Milwaukee for Ray Crone, Danny O'Connell, and Bobby Thomson. The nine-time All-Star, who hit .301 during his two partial seasons in the Big Apple, will play a vital role in the Braves' World Championship, leading the league with 200 hits and finishing third in the NL MVP balloting.
1958 In a move perceived as a prelude to a second deal with the Yankees, the A's trade Woodie Held and Vic Power to the Indians for southpaw Dick Tomanek, utility player Preston Ward, and right fielder Roger Maris. American League president Will Harridge warns owner Arnold Johnson, already under pressure for allowing Kansas City to become a farm club for the Bronx Bombers, not to send the outfield slugger to New York for at least 18 months.
1958 Identical twins are split up by the Pirates when Eddie O'Brien stays with Pittsburgh, but his brother Johnny, along with third baseman Gene Freese, are traded to the Cardinals for infielder Dick Schofield. Eddie, who appeared in April for the Bucs as a defensive replacement, will finish his tenure with the team that signed him as a bonus baby in 1953 without playing another game this season.

1963 At Candlestick Park, Juan Marichal no-hits Houston, 1-0, to become the first Giants hurler since Carl Hubbell accomplished the feat in 1929 and the first since the franchise moved to San Francisco to throw a no-no. The 25-year-old Dominican native outduels Colt .45s right-hander Dick Drott, who tosses a complete-game three-hitter, yielding the game's only run in the eighth inning, giving up doubles to Chuck Hiller and Jimmy Davenport. (Ed. Note: Our thanks to Richard J. Drake, who attended the game as a nine-year-old with his grandfather, for reminding us about this outstanding achievement - LP).
1964 In a six-player transaction, Chicago deals unknown outfielder Lou Brock, who will become a fixture with the Redbirds for the next fifteen years, amassing 3,023 career hits, to St. Louis for right-hander Ernie Broglio. The trade, believed to be a steal for the Cubs, will become infamous when the former 20-game winner pitches poorly for his new team, posting a 7-19 record during his brief two-and-half seasons with the team, and the 24-year-old they gave up enjoys a Hall of Fame career.
1965 At Tiger Stadium, Denny McLain enters the game in the first inning in relief and strikes out the first seven batters he faces to set a major league record. The Detroit right-hander will whiff 14 batters during his 6.2 innings as a reliever in the team's 6-5 victory over Boston.
1967 Jimmy Wynn becomes the first Astro to hit three homers in one game, becoming the first of only two Houston players to have accomplished the feat in the 34-year history of the Astrodome. In 1994, future Hall of Fame first baseman Jeff Bagwell matches the Toy Cannon's long-ball performance.
1968 The Phillies dismiss manager Gene Mauch and replaced him with Bob Skinner, the skipper of the team's farm club in San Diego. 'The Little General,' best remembered for being at the helm during the club's infamous collapse in 1964, compiled a 646-684 (.486) record during his 8+year tenure with Philadelphia.
1969 The Mets acquire Donn Clendenon from the Expos for right-hander Steve Renko, infielder Kevin Collins, and two minor league prospects. The 33-year-old first baseman, who will be named the MVP of this season's Fall Classic, plays a pivotal role in the team's world championship, both on the field and in the clubhouse.
1969 En route to setting the National League record of playing in 1,117 consecutive games, Billy Williams hobbles to the plate as a pinch-hitter at Crosley Field after fouling a pitch off his foot in yesterday's contest. The appearance marks the first time "Sweet Swingin' Billy" has not been in the starting lineup during the 878 games of the streak.
1976 In a ten-player trade between the Orioles and Yankees, both teams exchange four pitchers and a catcher. Baltimore sends moundsmen Ken Holtzman, Doyle Alexander, Jimmy Freeman, and Grant Jackson, along with backstop Elrod Hendricks to New York for hurlers Tippy Martinez, Rudy May, Scott McGregor, and Dave Pagan, and catcher Rick Dempsey.
1976 Massive flooding in the Houston metropolitan area prevents the umpiring crew from reaching the Astrodome and causes the first 'rainout' in the enclosed ballpark's history. The Pirates and Astros players, who had arrived early for practice, share their clubhouse meal on the field with the few die-hard fans who braved the elements, hoping to see a game.
1977 The Mets deal Tom Seaver, known as the Franchise, to the Reds for pitcher Pat Zachary, second baseman Doug Flynn, and minor leaguers Steve Henderson and Dan Norman. New York also trades Dave Kingman to the Angels for Bobby Valentine and a minor league player.
1983 The Cardinals trade former MVP Keith Hernandez to the Mets for a pair of right-handed hurlers, Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey. The righties will compile a 21-22 record for the Redbirds, and the Gold Glove first baseman will spend seven seasons in New York, batting .297 and playing an instrumental role in the club's World Championship in 1986.

NYT Keith Hernandez Sent To Mets For Allen, Ownbey

1992 Red Sox reliever Jeff Reardon, pitching one scoreless inning to protect a 1-0 lead, breaks Rollie Fingers' career save mark of 341. The Dalton, Massachusetts native, who will finish his 16-year major league tenure with 367 saves, will be surpassed as the all-time leader next season by Lee Smith.
1992 The NY-Penn Minor League Erie Sailors beat the Jamestown Expos in 13 innings at College Stadium, 6-5, marking the first-ever game played by a team representing the National League's new expansion team, the Florida Marlins. John Lynch, who will leave baseball to become a safety for the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos, throws the first pitch of the franchise.
1993 At the Kingdome, Ken Griffey, Jr. hits his 100th career home run, leading off the eighth inning against Billy Brewer in the Mariners' 6-1 victory over the Royals, becoming the sixth-youngest player to reach the milestone. The 23-year-old future Hall of Fame outfielder was only older than Mel Ott, Tony Conigliaro, Eddie Matthews, Johnny Bench, and Hank Aaron when he hit the century mark.
1996 With runners on first and second, in the first inning of their 6-2 victory over the Braves, the Dodgers turn their first triple play in forty-seven years. After making a running back-to-the-plate grab of Chipper Jones's popup to short left, Juan Castro throws to second baseman Delino Deshields to double up Marquis Grissom, with the ball relayed to first baseman Eric Karos to get Mark Lemke.
1999 Brewers' pitcher Jim Abbott, born without a right hand, gets the first hit in his 11-year career when he connects in the fourth inning for a rbi-single off Jon Lieber in the team's 11-4 victory over the Cubs at County Stadium. The southpaw didn't bat playing for the Angels and the Yankees due to the designated hitter rule in the American League.

1999 Baltimore's first baseman Will Clark gets his 2,000th career hit, a 10th-inning single in the team's 6-5 walk-off victory over the Royals at Camden Yards. The 35-year-old 'Thrill' will end his 15-year big league career next season with a .303 batting average, collecting 2,176 hits with the Giants, Rangers, Orioles, and Cardinals.
2003 Blue Jay rookie Reed Johnson becomes the fourth major leaguer to end a game with a walk-off homer after hitting a round-tripper to start the contest for his team. The 26-year-old right-fielder drilled Shawn Estes' 3-2 pitch over the left-centerfield fence leading off in the bottom of the first frame and then ended the 4-4 stalemate with a tenth-inning solo shot off Cubs' reliever Mark Guthrie.

2005 Joining Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor George Pataki, and team officials, George Steinbrenner announces plans for a new ballpark in the Bronx. The Yankee-financed $800-million facility, built north of the current stadium in Macombs Dam Park, will seat at least 51,800 and mirror 'The House that Ruth Built,' including limestone walls and the familiar copper frieze.
2009 Matt Dermody, a Norwalk (IA) High School senior, strikes out every South Tama High batter who steps to the plate in a game shortened to six innings due to the state's mercy rule, invoked when a team leads by ten or more runs after five frames. The 6-foot-5 recently drafted southpaw (Pirates' 26th round) will attend the University of Iowa, playing for the Hawkeyes, before signing with the Blue Jays in 2013.
2016

"I'm not trying to take anything away from Ichiro, he's had a Hall of Fame career, but the next thing you know, they'll be counting his high-school hits." - PETE ROSE, as quoted in USA Today.

Ichiro Suzuki's ninth-inning double in the Marlins' 6-3 loss to the Padres at Petco Park raises his professional hit total to 4,257, surpassing Pete Rose's all-time major league mark. The 42-year-old outfielder's total includes the 1,278 hits he collected for Orix in Japan's Pacific League.

32 Fact(s) Found