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This Day in Baseball History
September 18th

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46 Fact(s) Found
1866 Andrew Johnson becomes the first sitting president to witness a baseball game when he briefly attends an amateur contest on the White Lot, a field directly opposite the White House. The hometown Washington Nationals lose, 33-28, to the visiting Brooklyn Excelsiors en route to compiling 10-5 record this season.
1900 At Brooklyn's Washington Park, Deputy Sheriff O'Donnell seizes the St. Louis share of gate receipts to reimburse right-hander Gus Weyhing, recently released by the Cardinals after posting a 3-4 record in eight starts with the team. Cannonball, who will sign with the Superbas next week as a free agent, claimed he didn't receive ten days of pay.
1903 The Pirates, with their doubleheader sweep from the Beaneaters at Exposition Park, go nine games ahead of New York with eight games to play to clinch the National League pennant. In a decision made today, Pittsburgh will represent the National League in the first World Series against the upstart American League, playing Boston, who captured their circuit's flag yesterday.
1908 🇲🇽 Bob Rhoads, outdueling Frank Arellanes, the only Mexican-American playing in the majors, tosses a no-hitter, beating the Red Sox at Cleveland's League Park, 2-1. Four years ago, the Indians right-hander held Boston hitless until Chick Stahl singled with two outs in the ninth inning.
1930 The Yankees edge the Browns at Sportsman's Park in ten innings, 7-6, with New York starter Red Ruffing helping his own cause by hitting two home runs during his seven innings of work. The future Hall of Fame right-hander, who will hit .258 in 257 pinch-hitting appearances, collects 36 career home runs, 34 of them as a pitcher, finishing second to Wes Ferrell's total of 37 when he completes his 22-year tenure in the major leagues.
1931 A's southpaw Lefty Grove becomes the first pitcher since 1920 to win 30 games when he beats the White Sox, 2-1. Only two more pitchers will win as many games this century, with Dizzy Dean winning 30 for the Cardinals in 1934 and Denny McLain earning 31 victories thirty-four years later for the Tigers.
1932 In their last home games of the season, three thousand fans see their hometown Browns split a twin bill with the Yankees, dropping a 7-2 decision in the opener before winning the nightcap in ten innings, 2-1. The sixth-place American League club establishes the record for lowest yearly attendance, attracting 112,558 patrons, averaging about 1,500 fans a game at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.

1954 In front of only 6,913 fans at Detroit's Brigg Stadium, the Indians, with a 3-2 win over Detroit, clinch the American League pennant and finish eight games ahead of the Yankees, who won the AL flag the previous five seasons. The Tribe, who will set an American League record with 111 victories, will be swept in the Giants' World Series.
1959

"I’ve decided that the best man to replace Joe Gordon was Joe Gordon." - FRANK LANE, Indians GM, explaining the reason he reinstated his manger.

After Indians manager Joe Gordon says he plans to leave the team at the end of the season, general manager Frank Lane fires him four days later. After reported negotiations with Leo Durocher to take over the helm do not pan out, the Cleveland GM changes his mind and apologizes to his skipper, who decides to continue in his position.

1963 In the Polo Grounds' final game, played in front of a paltry 1,752 patrons, Jim Hickman of the Mets hits the last home run in the 52-year history of the Coogan's Bluff ballpark. The iconic stadium, which served as the home of the Giants (1911-1957), Yankees (1913-1922), and Mets (1962-63), first opened its doors on June 28, 1911.
1967 At Tiger Stadium, the Red Sox rally to move into a first-place tie with Detroit (85-66). The late-inning heroics begin with Carl Yastrzemski's home run in the ninth frame, which ties the game at 5-to-5, and will be decided with a solo homer in the tenth hit by third baseman Dalton Jones, leading to an eventual 6-5 Boston victory.
1968 After being no-hit yesterday by Giants right-hander Gaylord Perry, the Cardinal hurler Ray Washburn returns the favor by no-hitting San Francisco, 2-0, making the hitless contests on successive days a first in major league history. The 30-year-old right-hander is the fourth Redbird pitcher to throw a no-no in franchise history and the first since Lon Warneke's gem in 1941
1970 The Mets purchase Dean Chance from the Indians, but the 1964 Cy Young award winner will only compile a 0-1 record along with an ERA of 13.50 in his three games, all in relief, before being sent to Detroit, along with Bill Denehy, in an off-season trade with the Tigers. In exchange, New York obtains right-hander Jerry Robertson, who will never pitch again in a major league game.
1971 Clay Kirby goes the distance, limiting the Giants to one hit in the Padres' 2-1 victory at Candlestick Park. Willie McCovey spoils the right-hander's bid for a no-hitter when he leads off the bottom of the eighth inning with a wind-blown home run.
1975 In a 7-5 victory over Chicago at Shea Stadium, Mets slugger Dave Kingman hits his 35th homer to set a new franchise record for round-trippers in a season. Frank Thomas set the previous mark in 1962, the team's first year.
1975 Rusty Staub becomes the first Mets player in the franchise's 14-year history to drive in one hundred runs in a season. A fifth-inning two-run blast off Donnie Moore accounts for Le Grand Orange's 100th RBI, contributing to the team's 7-5 comeback victory over the Cubs at Shea Stadium.
1976 Indians player-manager Frank Robinson, in his final major league at-bat, strokes a pinch-hit single in a 4-3 loss to Baltimore at Cleveland Stadium. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer ends his 21-year playing career with a batting average of .294 and 586 home runs, at the time, the fourth-best in baseball history.
1977 In front of a sellout crowd of 51,798 at Memorial Stadium on 'Thanks Brooks Day,' Red Sox rookie Ted Cox goes 4-for-4, tying the big league mark shared by Casey Stengel, Willie McCovey, Mack Jones, and Forest Jacobs for the most hits in a major league debut. The performance is also the start of a historic two-game hitting streak by the rookie DH, who will collect two hits in his first two at-bats in tomorrow's contest to become the only big-leaguer to begin a career with six consecutive hits.
1980 In his 14th major league game, Gary Ward becomes the sixth Twins player to hit for the cycle in the team's 9-8 loss against the Brewers at County Stadium. In 2004, the left fielder's son Daryle also collects a single, double, triple, and a home run in the same game, making the pair the first father-son combination to accomplish the rare feat.
1984 With a 3-0 victory over Milwaukee, the Tigers clinch the American League East title to become only the fourth team in major league history to lead from start to finish of a season. The 1923 Giants, the 1927 Yankees, and the 1955 Dodgers also led their circuits from wire to wire.
1987 In a slugfest in which the Mets will lose 10-9 to Pittsburgh, Darryl Strawberry gets the team off to a good start when he slams a three-run home run off Brian Fischer in the top of the first inning at Three Rivers Stadium. The New York right fielder's 37th round-tripper establishes a new franchise record for homers, previously set by Dave Kingman on this date in 1975.
1992 At Three River Stadium, Barry Bonds connects his 30th home run of the season off Phillies' right-hander Terry Mulholland in the Pirates' 5-2 victory. The home run gives the Pirates outfielder his second 30/30 season, equaling a feat accomplished only by Bobby Bonds (his father), Willie Mays (his godfather), Howard Johnson, and Ron Gant.
1993 Mike Stanley, with the Yankees trailing by two runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, hits a pop fly to left field for the apparent third out to end the game; however, third-base umpire Tim Welke called time before the pitch when a fan jumped onto the Yankee Stadium field. Given a second chance, the Bronx Bomber catcher singles, followed by a Wade Boggs hit, a walk to Dion James, and a Don Mattingly single that drives in two runs to beat the Red Sox, 4-3.
1994 PBS airs Ken Burns Baseball, a nine-part documentary that explores the relationship between the sport and society using archived pictures, film footage, and a soundtrack of interviews and the music of the times. The 1995 Primetime Emmy Awards winner for Outstanding Informational Series enjoys an audience of 45 million viewers, making the 18.5-hour miniseries the most-watched program in Public Television history.
1996 In his final victory wearing a Red Sox uniform, Roger Clemens ties his record for punchouts when he strikes out 20 batters in a nine-inning game, going the distance in the team's 4-0 victory in Detroit. The 'Rocket' first achieved the feat a decade earlier against the Mariners.

1997 In a game where the Braves become the first franchise to clinch six consecutive postseason berths, the team establishes a new major league record for grand slams. In the first inning of a 10-2 rout over New York, Ryan Klesko blasts the club's twelfth four-run homer of the season, surpassing the mark set last year by both the Orioles and Mariners.
1999 Slammin' Sammy Sosa becomes the first player in major league history to hit 60 homers in a season twice when he hits a sixth-inning solo shot off right-hander Jason Bere in the Cubs' 7-4 loss to the Brewers at Wrigley Field. The 30-year-old Dominican outfielder hit 66 home runs in last season's historic home run race with Mark McGwire.
2000 In between his first and sixth-inning home runs, Vladimir Guerrero's older brother Wilton goes deep in the fourth frame of the Expos' 11-4 rout of the Marlins at Montreal's Olympic Stadium. The three home runs stroked by the siblings, who have now gone deep in the same game a record-setting four times, are all hit off Florida starter Jesus Sanchez.
2000 Indian hurler Bartolo Colon, pitching a one-hitter against the Yankees, nearly ends the longest streak in major league history of a team being held hitless by an opponent. The Bronx Bombers have not been denied a hit in a game since Hoyt Wilhelm accomplished the feat on September 9, 1958, a span of 6,637 contests.
2002 Not too fleet-of-foot, Greg Colbrunn hits an improbable triple in his last turn at-bat to complete the cycle. The Diamondbacks first baseman has five hits, including a pair of two-run homers, in the team's 10-3 victory over the Padres at Qualcomm Stadium.
2002 Major League Baseball teams celebrate the first annual "Roberto Clemente Day." Each home team's recipient of the John Hancock's Roberto Clemente Award will be recognized (with the balance given when the road team arrives home) with the national recipient, chosen from among the 30 club honorees, announced during the World Series.
2004 Japanese professional baseball players go on strike for the first time in seventy years, protesting the Nippon League's threat to merge two teams. The work action, which will last for only two days, appears to work when team owners withdraw the merger proposal.
2005 The Rangers establish a new major league record for home runs hit at home when David Dellucci, Alfonso Soriano, and Rod Barajas all go yard as Texas beats the Mariners, 8-6. The power surge gives the team 150 homers at Ameriquest Field, one more than the Rockies' output at Coors Field in 1996.
2006 Having accomplished the feat with the Indians and Phillies, White Sox DH Jim Thome becomes only the second big leaguer to hit 40 home runs with three different teams when he goes deep in an 8-2 loss to Detroit at U.S. Cellular Field. Alex Rodriguez also reached the milestone with the Mariners, Rangers, and Yankees
2006 In front of an enthusiastic Shea Stadium crowd of 46,729, the Mets capture the NL East title for the first time since 1988 by beating the Marlins, 4-0. The contest marks the team's fifth attempt to clinch the division, but a road loss in Florida and being swept in Pittsburgh brought the champagne celebration home to the Big Apple.

2006 The Dodgers, who are last in the National League in homers, hit four consecutive home runs in an inning when Jeff Kent, J.D. Drew, Russell Martin, and Marlon Anderson all go deep in the bottom of the ninth to tie the Padres, 9-9. The improbable feat, accomplished only by the 1964 Twins, 1963 Indians, and the 1961 Braves, leads to Nomar Garciaparra's walk-off two-run homer in the tenth and sole possession of first place when Los Angeles beat the Friars, 11-10.

2007 In the bottom of the ninth inning, with two outs, Todd Helton homers on a two-strike pitch thrown by Takashi Saito, giving the Diamondbacks a 9-8 walk-off victory and a three-game sweep of the Dodgers at Coors Field. The unlikely outcome marks the third of 11 consecutive wins for the eventual National League champs.

2007 Greg Maddux breaks Cy Young's major league record by getting his 13th win for the 20th consecutive season. The Padres veteran right-hander's streak of not issuing a base on balls in 59.2 innings ends when Jason Bay walks on a full count in the third inning of a 5-3 victory over the Pirates at Petco Park.
2007 Mike Mussina becomes the first American League hurler to win 10+ games in 16 consecutive seasons when New York defeats the Orioles at the Yankee Stadium, 12-0. 'Moose' joins Hall of Famers Steve Carlton (18), Warren Spahn (17), Nolan Ryan (16), Don Sutton (17), Cy Young (19), and future inductee Greg Maddux (20) as one of only seven players in baseball history to have victories in the double-digits over a similar span of years.
2010 At Citi Field, Luis Hernandez falls to the ground in obvious pain when he fouls a ball off his right foot and, after a lengthy discussion, dismisses the team trainer to resume his turn at-bat. The Mets' second baseman hits a home run on the next pitch he sees but severely limps rounding the bases, reminiscent of Kirk Gibson, barely making it home due to the broken foot that will end his season.
2010 Troy Tulowitzki, with two round-trippers in the Rockies' 12-2 rout of LA, ties a major-league record with 14 homers in a 15-game span. The Colorado slugging shortstop, who has four multi-homer games in the previous ten contests, joins Albert Belle (1995) and Barry Bonds (2001) as the third player to accomplish the feat.
2010 After finishing a victory short of the milestone twice during his distinguished career, CC Sabathia becomes a 20-game winner for the first time when the Yankees beat the Orioles 11-3. The left-hander, who leads both leagues in victories, is the fourth Bronx Bomber since 2000 to reach the plateau, adding his name to a list that includes Roger Clemens (2001), Andy Pettitte (2003), and Mike Mussina (2008).
2013 Reds' rookie Billy Hamilton gets on base five times, going 3-for-4 with two walks, two runs scored, and an RBI. The Cincinnati speedy center fielder, who stole 155 bases in the minors last season, becomes the first major leaguer since 1920 to steal four bases in his first major league start.

2013 Yadier Molina strokes his 41st double of the season in the Cardinals' 4-3 victory over Colorado, breaking the mark for two-baggers by a catcher. The St. Louis backstop, who will finish the year with 44 doubles, surpasses the record established in 1978 by Ted Simmons, who also played for the Redbirds.
2019 Bruce Bochy, finishing his 25th and final season at the helm, becomes the 11th big league manager to reach the 2,000-win plateau when the Giants rout the Red Sox, 11-3, at Fenway Park. The San Francisco skipper joins Hall of Famers Connie Mack (3,731), John McGraw (2,763), Tony La Russa (2,728), Bobby Cox (2,504), Joe Torre (2,326), Sparky Anderson (2,194), Bucky Harris (2,158), Joe McCarthy (2,125), Walter Alston (2,040) and Leo Durocher (2,008) to reach the milestone.
2022 En route to whiffing ten batters in the Braves' 5-2 victory over Philadelphia, Spencer Strider strikes out seven Phillies in 4⅓ innings to become the quickest (in terms of innings) to reach 200 strikeouts, surpassing Randy Johnson by a third of an inning who accomplish the feat in 130⅔ frames in 2001 with Diamondbacks. The 22-year-old becomes the third rookie, the first in the modern era, in franchise history to reach the plateau.

(Ed. Note: The Braves right-hander joins Kid Nichols and Bill Stemmeyer, who also struck out 200 batters in their freshman year with the team- LP)

46 Fact(s) Found