<< Yesterday

This Day in Baseball History
June 20th

Tomorrow>>
45 Fact(s) Found
1901 John W. Taylor goes the distance but loses when the Beaneaters defeat the Orphans at Boston's South End Grounds. The right-hander begins a remarkable streak of 187 consecutive complete games that will end in August of 1906, when he is relieved by another pitcher after amassing an incredible 1,727 innings of work, including finishing up 15 games in relief.
1912 In a slugfest, the Giants and Braves score 17 runs in the ninth inning. New York tallied seven runs in the top of the frame, but the Braves scored ten runs in the bottom of the ninth, narrowing the margin to 21-12.
1921 Babe Ruth hits his 127th home run, a tenth-inning blast off Elmer Myers to center field for the eventual winning run in the Yankees' 7-6 victory against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The homer moves the 26-year-old 'Sultan of Swat' past Sam Thompson into second place on the career list for homers, 11 dingers behind all-time leader Waterbury (CT) native and Hall of Famer Roger Connor.
1925 At Forbes Field, Max Carey becomes the first switch-hitter to hit for the cycle, helping the Bucs bash Brooklyn, 21-5. In addition to his four hits in six trips to the plate, the Pirate outfielder scores two runs and drives in four runs.


Pirates' outfielder Max Carey (1923)
Library of Congress - George Grantham Bain Collection

1950 After stroking an RBI single in the third inning, Joe DiMaggio strikes again in the seventh with another run-scoring safety to collect his 2,000th career hit. The Yankee Clipper reaches the milestone in an 8-2 victory in Cleveland, the 1,537th contest he has played in the major leagues.
1951 Bobby Avila goes 5-for-6 at the plate, collecting 15 total bases and scoring four runs in the Indians' 14-6 victory over Boston. The Tribe's second baseman's offensive output at Fenway Park includes three home runs and a double.
1956 Mickey Mantle becomes the first player to reach the Briggs Stadium’s right-centerfield bleachers since the ballpark expanded in the late 1930s. The Bronx Bomber outfielder accomplishes the feat twice, both off Tiger southpaw Billy Hoeft, contributing to the Yankees’ 7-4 victory over Detroit.
1961 The voting ends in a 'worldwide election' to settle who is better, New York's Mickey Mantle or San Francisco's Willie Mays. Inspired by Bill Hoebler, a young baseball fan from Pittsburgh, the Sport magazine's poll puts the Yankee center fielder ahead of the Giants' Say Hey Kid by more than 500 votes after tallying the seventeen pounds of postcards from all 50 states and several countries.
1961 On the day he is released, Pittsburgh names Gene Baker as the player-manager of their Class D Batavia Pirates of New York-Penn League, making him the first black manager of a minor league team with a major league affiliation. The 36-year-old former infielder pilots the floundering 18-24 club to a third-place finish, losing the league finals to the Olean Red Sox.
1963 In the Bronx, the Yankees and Mets participate in their first Mayor's Trophy Game, with former Bronx Bomber skipper Casey Stengel employing his best pitchers, Jay Hook (5) and Carl Willey (4), to defeat the reigning World Champions in the exhibition contest, 6-2. An enthusiastic crowd of 50,742, mostly National League fans, sees many of their banners supporting the expansion club confiscated upon entering The House That Ruth Built.
1967 Allowing only a second-inning double to Tommy Davis, Larry Jackson tosses a one-hitter, blanking the Mets at Connie Mack Stadium, 4-0. The win marks the right-hander's eighteenth consecutive victory over New York, starting with the first game the 1962 expansion team ever played, a streak that will end on August 14 with an 8-3 loss.
1968 In a pitching duel between future Hall of Famers, Bob Gibson beats Ferguson Jenkins and the Cubs, 1-0, thanks to Curt Flood's third-inning single plating Lou Brock, who tripled to right field with two outs. The two-hour and five-minute Busch Stadium contest is the fourth straight loss for Chicago without scoring a run, including three by 1-0 scores.


Baseball-Reference.com

1969 Paul Edmondson, who the White Sox drafted out of California State University (Northridge) in the 21st round (419th overall) of the 1965 MLB amateur entry draft, throws a two-hit, complete game in his major league debut, beating the Angels at Anaheim Stadium. The 9-1 decision will be the 26-year-old right-hander's only major league victory due to a tragic car accident that will claim his and his girlfriend's life in February. 
1973 Giants right fielder Bobby Bonds hits his 22nd career leadoff home run and his eighth this season in the team's 7-5 loss to Cincinnati at Candlestick Park. The 27-year-old Californian's first-inning shot off Reds' southpaw Don Gullett breaks the National League record for homers leading off a game, a mark he shared with Cardinal outfielder Lou Brock.
1977 The Red Sox set a major league record when the team hits their twenty-second home run in the past six games. Butch Hobson's eighth-inning solo shot off Rudy May in the team's 4-0 victory over the Orioles at Memorial Stadium establishes a new mark.
1980 Al Cowens, exacting revenge for being hit last season with a pitch thrown by Ed Farmer that fractured his jaw, takes a detour to the mound after hitting an infield grounder and tackles the White Sox reliever, landing several punches before the two are separated. Forced to skip the remainder of the series at Comiskey Park because of an arrest warrant, the Tiger right fielder will receive a seven-day suspension for his action.
1980 Five-foot-five Freddie Patek hits three home runs to help the Angels beat the Red Sox, 20-2. During his 14-year career in the big leagues with the Royals, Pirates, and Angels, the diminutive shortstop will hit 41 round-trippers, an average of four each season.
1982 At Three Rivers Stadium, in a 3-1 loss to the Pirates, Pete Rose becomes the fifth major leaguer to appear in 3000 games. The Phillies' first baseman, playing in his 523rd consecutive contest, joins Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Hank Aaron, and Carl Yastrzemski as one of only five players to reach the milestone.
1983 Yankee outfielder Bobby Murcer retires as an active player, ending his 17-year major league career with a .277 lifetime batting average and 252 home runs. The popular outfielder, who also played for the Giants and Cubs, becomes a mainstay in the broadcast booth until he succumbs to a brain tumor in 2008.
1987 After giving up home runs to Dale Murphy and Ken Griffey, Reds starter Bill Gullickson plunks Andres Thomas in the back with a pitch in the Reds' 8-6 loss at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The Braves shortstop takes exception and charges the mound, precipitating a bench-clearing brawl resulting in both initial combatants getting tossed from the game.
1991 Ivan Rodriguez becomes the youngest person to catch a major league game when he bats ninth in the Rangers' 7-3 victory over White Sox. The 19-year-old backstop, called Pudge by his teammates, nails two would-be base stealers and goes 1-for-4 with a two-run single in the ninth inning of the Comiskey Park contest.
1992 Kelly Saunders fills in for Baltimore's Rex Barney, becoming the second woman to be a public address announcer at a major league game. In 1966, Joy Hawkins McCabe, the Senators' public-relations director's daughter, became the first female PA announcer, doing one contest for Washington at DC Stadium against the White Sox.
1994 Detroit's 25 consecutive games with a home run end when they drop a 7-1 decision to the Indians at Tiger Stadium. The span tied the major league record set by the 1941 New York Yankee squad, powered by Bronx Bombers Charlie Keller, Tommy Henrich, and Joe DiMaggio.
1995 At Jacobs Field, the Indians reach the million mark in attendance on the earliest date in franchise history when 40,516 fans watch their pennant-bound team rout the Red Sox, 9-2, behind the solid performance of starter Chad Ogea. The 100-44 club will finish second in attendance in the American League, trailing only the Orioles, who draw over three million patrons at Camden Yards in the strike-shortened season.
1996 The Devil Rays get their first win in the organization's history when the Gulf Coast League affiliate beats the GCL Astros. Jose Rodriguez, an 18-year-old right-hander from Cotui in the Dominican Republic, gets the victory.
1997 Aaron Boone, respectively the son and grandson of former major leaguers Bob and Ray, is called up from the Reds' minor leagues. To make room on the roster, Cincinnati demotes his brother, Bret.
1998 At Wrigley Field, Cubs right fielder Sammy Sosa hits two home runs for the second straight day, setting a major league mark with 16 round-trippers in June. The 29-year-old Chicago slugger will extend the record when he goes deep for his 20th on the last day of the month.
1999 A rusty Troy Percival, who hasn't pitched in a week, establishes a franchise record with his 127th save for the Angels when he finishes the team's 4-2 victory in New York. The right-handed closer's less-than-stellar outing, allowing four batters to reach base and giving up a run, surpasses the team mark established by Bryan Harvey in 1992.
2001 Hitting his 38th homer of the season, Barry Bonds breaks the major league mark established by Reggie Jackson (1969) and Mark McGwire (1998) for home runs hit before the All-Star Game. However, the Giants' left fielder still has 17 games to add to the record.
2002 Luis Castillo extends his hitting streak to 34 games, breaking the 1922 record established by Rogers Hornsby for the longest hitting streak by a second baseman. The Dominican infielder's accomplishment, the 14th longest in major league history, also ties Benito Santiago's record set in 1987 for the longest established by a Latin player.
2002 A four-and-a-half-hour closed-casket public viewing takes place at Busch Stadium for Jack Buck, the 77-year-old Hall of Fame broadcaster who died from complications following lung surgery. In memory of the KMOX legend, fans leave cards, stuffed animals, photographs, and other memorabilia outside the stadium at the foot of the bronze statue depicting him at the microphone.
2003 Miguel Cabrera's first major league hit is a two-run walk-off homer in the eleventh inning of a 3-1 Marlin victory over the Devil Rays at Dolphin Stadium. The Marlins had signed the skinny 20-year-old outfielder from Maracay, Venezuela, as an amateur free agent in 1999.

2004 On Father's Day with his dad in attendance, 34-year-old Ken Griffey, Jr. blasts a sixth-inning Matt Morris fastball over the right-field wall at Busch Stadium for his 500th career home run. The Reds' center fielder becomes the twentieth major leaguer and the sixth youngest to reach the milestone.
2006 The Rockies' starter Jason Jennings and relievers Tom Martin and Brian Fuentes combine to produce the first one-hitter in franchise history. The 6-0 victory against Oakland marks the third time a Coors Field contest yields one hit or less.
2007 Connecting on a fifth-inning hanging breaking ball thrown by Cubs' hurler Jason Marquis, Sammy Sosa becomes the fifth major league player to hit 600 career home runs. The Rangers' designated hitter, who missed the entire season last year, joins Hank Aaron (755), Barry Bonds (748), Babe Ruth (714), and Willie Mays (660) in reaching the milestone.
2008 John Gibbons becomes the third manager fired in the past four days as the last-place Blue Jays fire their skipper. Cito Gaston, who piloted Toronto to a pair of world championships in 1992 and 1993, has been brought back to lead the team.
2008 Recognizing their significant contributions to the community, the Dodgers become the first sports franchise honored by the Hollywood Historic Trust and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. The team's Award of Excellence star takes its place on the Walk of Fame, which includes a constellation of real and fictional celebrities who have significantly impacted the entertainment industry.

2009 Two major league games end on walk-off wild pitches in extra innings on the same day. Jason Jennings' errant throw allows Nate Schierholtz to score the winning run for the Giants with two outs in the 11th inning to beat Texas, 2-1, and Andres Blanco comes home on Kerry Wood's miscue, giving the Cubs a 6-5 victory over the Indians in 13 innings.
2009 With their parents in attendance wearing opposing jerseys, Jeff Weaver beats his kid brother Jered when the visiting Dodgers best the Halos, 6-5, at Angel Stadium. The Northridge, California natives become the eighth set of siblings in major league history to start against one another.

2009 A.J. Burnett strikes out the side on nine pitches in the third inning in the Yankees' 2-1 loss to Florida. Josh Johnson, Chris Coghlan, and Emilio Bonifacio all strike out swinging in the Land Shark Stadium contest.
2011 The Marlins announce that Jack McKeon will be the team's interim manager, replacing Edwin Rodriguez, who resigned yesterday. The 80-year-old skipper, the second-oldest in major league history, is taking over the floundering Fish club, which has lost ten consecutive games and 18 of its last 19 after starting the season by winning 30 of its first 50 contests.
2013 Reds' third baseman Todd Frazier, a New Jersey native, has 'Woke Up This Morning,' the "Sopranos" theme song, played when he steps up to the plate against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. With the selection of the iconic tune from the HBO series, the Cincinnati infielder pays tribute to James Gandolfini, the actor best known for his role as Garden State mob boss Tony Soprano, who passed away yesterday at the age of 51.

2015 One strike away from a perfect game, Max Scherzer's bid for immortality is spoiled when he hits Jose Tabata with a pitch, a slider off the elbow that many believed the Pittsburgh outfielder purposely leaned into to get on base. The 30-year-old right-hander records the final out on the next batter to complete his first-ever no-hitter, allowing just one hit in two consecutive starts after tossing a 16-strikeout, one-hit complete game against Milwaukee in his last outing.

2015 After using Instagram during the game, the Red Sox bench third baseman Pablo Sandoval for one contest for violating the team's social media policy. The Panda had hit the "like" button while in the restroom during Boston's 7-4 loss to Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium.
2022 On Father’s Day, Jerar Encarnación becomes the seventh major leaguer to blast a grand slam for his first hit when he goes deep off Mets’ reliever Seth Lugo in the seventh inning, giving Miami a 4-1 lead at Citi Field. The 24-year-old rookie outfielder from the Dominican Republic is the second Marlin to accomplish the rare feat, joining Jeremy Hermida, who went deep with the bases full on the third pitch he saw in the bigs in 2005.
45 Fact(s) Found