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This Day in Baseball History
May 18th

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32 Fact(s) Found
1875 In front of a record crowd of 10,000 fans at the Hartford Ball Club Grounds, the visiting Boston Red Stockings (16-0) beat the Dark Blues (12-0), 10-5, in a match-up of undefeated teams. Mark Twain attends the National Association contest and offers a five-dollar reward for returning his English-made brown silk umbrella pilfered at the game by a small boy when the famous writer stood up to cheer for the hometown team.


Mark Twain (1888) - Library of Congress
Cigarette card for W. Duke, Sons & Co.
1912 As a replacement player, Allan Travers, a St. Joseph's College pitcher, takes the mound for the Tigers, fielding an amateur team to avoid a $5,000 fine due to the team's refusal to play the A's in support of suspended teammate Ty Cobb. In his only major league appearance, the collegiate hurler goes the distance, giving up 24 runs, 14 earned runs, 26 hits, and seven walks, but does strike out one as Philadelphia routs Detroit at Shibe Park, 24-2. (Ed. Note: We thank frequent contributor Mike O. for sharing that Allan Travers went on to the priesthood after his one-game appearance, becoming the only Catholic priest to have pitched in the major leagues. - LP) - LP)

1929 In a doubleheader played at Philadelphia's Baker Bowl, the Dodgers and Phillies teams combine to score a record fifty runs when the visitors outlast the home team, 20-16, before dropping an 8-6 decision in the nightcap. Brooklyn's Johnny Frederick crosses the plate five times in the opener, giving him the major league mark of scoring eight runs in two consecutive games.
1929 After two consecutive slugfests, Philadelphia beats Brooklyn, 8-6, at the Baker Bowl. The Phillies and Dodgers scored 88 runs in a four-game series, establishing a record that will last until 2019 when the Rockies and Padres tally 92 times in gravity-friendly Coors Field. 
  • May 16: PHI 7, BRO 4
  • May 17: BRO 14, PHI 13
  • May 18: BRO 20, PHI 16
  • May 18: PHI 8, BRO 6
1931 Robins' right fielder Babe Herman hits for the cycle for the first of two times this season in the team's 14-4 rout of the Reds at Ebbets Field. In 1933, as a member of the Cubs, the Glendale (CA) native will again collect a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game, joining Bob Meusel as the only major leaguers to have accomplished the rare feat three times since 1900.
1942 Night games in New York are banned for the duration of WW II, leaving fans in the dark about the status of the All-Star Game scheduled for the Polo Grounds on the evening of Monday, July 6. The prohibition of nighttime tilts, announced by NYC Police Commissioner Lewis J. Valentine, will change the starting times for 28 contests involving the Dodgers and Giants.

(Ed. Note: The first Yankee Stadium night contest will occur in 1946, seven years after the Dodgers played their first evening game at Ebbets Field. - LP)
1956 Surpassing Ripper Collins, Mickey Mantle becomes the all-time home run leader for switch hitters, belting his 136th round-tripper, a two-out homer in the top of the ninth, tying the score in the Yankees' eventual extra-inning 8-7 victory over Chicago at Comiskey Park. 'The Mick' will nearly quadruple the mark, extending the record to 536 before he retires before the 1969 season.

1958 On his 25th birthday, Carroll Hardy, pinch-hitting for Roger Maris, blasts a three-run home run, giving the Indians a 7-4 walk-off victory. The 11th-inning round-tripper off Chicago's Billy Pierce is the Cleveland rookie's first major league homer. 
1960 The Indians trade southpaw Herb Score to the White Sox for Barry Latman, a right-hander who will post a 35-37 record during his four seasons with Cleveland. The southpaw, whose promising career was shattered three seasons ago after being struck by Gil McDougald's line drive, will return to Cleveland in 1964 to begin a 34-year stint as the team's beloved television and radio play-by-play announcer.
1968 Frank Howard's second home run off Mickey Lolich in the Senators' 8-4 victory over Detroit clears the left-field roof at Tiger Stadium, a feat only previously accomplished by Twins slugger Harmon Killebrew, who did it in 1962. Hondo's monstrous shot, estimated to be over 500 feet, is his tenth home run in 20 at-bats in six games and includes collecting 17 RBIs and raising his batting average to .347. 
1969 Cesar Tovar and Rod Carew combine to set a major league record for most steals by teammates in one inning, swiping five bases against the Tigers' battery of Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan. During the third inning, Tovar, the Twins' leadoff hitter, steals third base and home, followed by Carew, who pilfers second and third base and home plate in the 8-2 loss at Metropolitan Stadium.
1973 Bill North's bat sails onto the infield when he swings and misses the first pitch thrown by Royals rookie reliever Doug Bird, who will be shocked when the A's center fielder, retrieving his bat, unexpectedly goes to the mound and begins to pummel him. The Oakland outfielder, who will be ejected, suspended for three days, and received a $100 fine for initiating the brawl, retaliated against the 23-year-old KC right-hander for an incident in a Class A game played in Waterloo (IA) three seasons earlier. 
1976 In a 5-3 victory at Tiger Stadium, Carl Yastrzemski plays in his 2,293rd game wearing a Red Sox uniform, surpassing Ted Williams' team record. The Boston legend will extend the franchise mark to 3,308 contests before retiring in 1983.
1986 In the bottom of the tenth inning at Fenway Park, the Red Sox score two runs on an unusual play to beat the Rangers, 6-5, thanks to George Wright's errant throw. The right fielder throws the ball away, fielding Marty Barrett's double, after becoming confused when two Boston baserunners, who will score on the error, slide into second at the same time, the batter and Steve Lyons from third base.
1988 In the 'Year of the Balk,' Dave Stewart breaks a major league record, committing his twelfth balk of the season. The A's right-hander will extend the single-season mark to 16 thanks to the strict interpretation of umpires on a minor rule change.
1990 En route to a 13-1 victory over the Rangers, the Orioles tie an American League record when the team collects eight consecutive singles in the seven-run first inning at Memorial Stadium. Baltimore's consecutive one-baggers off right-hander Bobby Witt equals the mark shared by the 1951 Senators and 1981 A's. 
1990 At the Astrodome, Cubs' second baseman Ryan Sandberg's errorless game streak ends after 123 games and 582 chances when his errant throw to first base trying to rob Eric Anthony of an infield single allows Ken Caminiti to advance to third. The seven-time Gold Glove second baseman surpasses the marks for the position previously established by Joe Morgan (91 games) and Manny Trillo (479 errorless plays).
1992 WQAM becomes the voice of the Marlins, signing a four-year deal as the team's flagship radio station. In Miami and southern Florida, listeners can pick up the play-by-play action of the new National League expansion team at 560 am on their radio dial. 
1998 Fans file two class-action lawsuits against the Marlins—one for breach of contract and the other accusing the team of false advertising—due to the World Champions' drastic payroll cuts. Florida will finish last in the NL East with a 54-108 record (.333), 52 games behind the division-leading Braves. 
1998 With a 6-3 victory over the Orioles, the Devil Rays become only the second expansion team in major league history to sweep an away four-game series. The 1993 Colorado Rockies, who did it against the Dodgers, is the other club to accomplish this feat.
1999 After missing the team's first 36 games, Joe Torre returns to the Yankee dugout two months after undergoing successful surgery for prostate cancer. Before the 6-3 loss to the Red Sox, the 58-year-old skipper receives a two-minute standing ovation from the Fenway Park crowd when the scoreboard welcomes him back.
1999 Diamondbacks' outfielder Luis Gonzalez homers in his first at-bat to extend his hitting streak to 30 games, establishing a franchise record. Expos' outfielder Vladimir Guerrero Montreal Expos will also enjoy a consecutive stretch this season, reaching base on hit in 31 straight contests.

2000 In a 6-2 loss to the Padres, the Marlins steal ten bases, one shy of the National League record. Luis Castillo (3), Cliff Floyd (3), Preston Wilson (2), and Mark Kotsay (2), the top four batters in the Fish lineup, are responsible for the grand theft.
2000 Mark McGwire passes Mickey Mantle on the all-time home run when he goes deep in the first inning when he hits a three-run drive off Curt Schilling for No.537, placing him in front of the Yankee legendary slugger in eighth place. 'Big Mac' adds to his total with two more round-trippers in the Cardinals' 7-2 victory over the Phillies at Veterans Stadium. 
2002 At Fenway Park, Pedro Martinez becomes the 11th pitcher in American League history to record an immaculate inning when he strikes out the side on nine pitches in the first frame. The Red Sox right-hander fans Ichiro Suzuki (swinging), Mark McLemore (looking), and Ruben Sierra (swinging) to begin Boston's eventual 4-1 victory over Seattle. 

(Ed. Note: Pedro’s nine-strike performance, the 58th in baseball history, marks only the fourth time the feat has been accomplished in the first inning.- LP)

2004 At 40, southpaw Randy Johnson becomes the oldest pitcher to throw a perfect game when the Diamondbacks beat the Braves, 2-0. The 'Big Unit' joins Cy Young, Jim Bunning, Hideo Nomo, and Nolan Ryan as the only hurlers to throw no-hitters in both leagues and creates the most extended span between no-nos, having first accomplished the feat against the Tigers in June of 1990.

2008 Marlins' second baseman Luis Castillo, who has stolen seven bases in his last two games, is one theft shy of tying a National League mark. Walt Wilmont set the record of eight pilfered bags in consecutive contests playing for the Chicago Colts (Cubs) in 1894.
2008 A pitchout and a perfect throw by Brewers catcher Jason Kendall finally catches Jacoby Ellsbury attempting to steal a bag, snapping the 24-year-old rookie's string of 25 consecutive stolen bases to start his big league career. The Red Sox outfielder is second all-time to Tim Raines, who recorded 27 straight thefts with the Expos before being caught in 1981.
2009 Jason Kendall collects his 2000th career hit when he singles in the Brewers' 8-4 victory over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The 34-year-old backstop becomes the 254th player, but only the eighth to be primarily a catcher to reach that milestone.

2012 Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander misses pitching his third career no-hitter when he allows a single to Josh Harrison with one out in the top of the ninth inning. The reigning MVP and Cy Young winner completes the one-hitter, beating Pittsburgh, 6-0, in front of a wildly enthusiastic Friday night crowd at Detroit's Comerica Park.

2012 Kerry Wood ends his major league career on his terms when he strikes out the one batter he faces before walking off the mound into an embrace from his six-year-old son in front of the Wrigley Field dugout. The 35-year-old much-injured Cubs' right-hander, an All-Star as both a starter and closer, believes today's final strikeout to be the most significant and the most memorable moment of his 14-year career.

2021 Tiger right-hander Spencer Turnbull throws the eighth no-hitter in team history and MLB's fifth no-hitter this season, beating the Mariners (Seattle's second hitless game this year) at T-Mobile Park, 5-0. In his first-career complete game, the 28-year-old strikes out nine and allows two walks in his 50th major league start.
32 Fact(s) Found