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This Day in Baseball History
July 24th

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48 Fact(s) Found
1909 At Washington Park, the Superbas sweep a twin bill from the visiting Cardinals with identical 1-0 scores. Brooklyn's southpaw Nap Rucker whiffs 16 Redbirds in one of the contests en route to finishing second in the NL with 200 strikeouts.
1911 At League Park, the Naps host a charity game that features nine future Hall of Famers to benefit the family of their late right-handed ace Addie Joss, who died unexpectedly in April, two days after his 31st birthday from bacterial meningitis. Cleveland loses the contest, 5-2, to an 'All-Star' team consisting of players from the other seven American League teams, managed by Senators' skipper Jimmy McAleer.

(Ed. Note: Future Hall of Famer George Sisler, an 18-year-old from nearby Akron (OH), attended the game with his uncle. -LP)
1911 The Giants establish a club mark at the Palace of the Fans in Cincinnati, hitting four triples in one game. The three-baggers, including two by Hall of Fame hurler Rube Marquard, one from Larry Doyle and Chief Meyers, and nine other hits, enable New York to beat the Reds, 8-3.
1926 For the second time this season, Lou Gehrig swipes home on the front end of a double steal with Babe Ruth as the trailing runner. The Yankees' first baseman will steal 102 bases during his career, with 15 thefts being of home plate.
1931 For the second time in ten days, Babe Herman hits for the cycle. The Dodger outfielder joins "Long John" Reilly and Bob Meusel as one of only three 'tricyclists' to have collected a single, double, triple, and home run in one game three times.
1933 A pair of bandits send Dizzy Dean a gift as a goodwill gesture after he walked into the robbery at a St. Louis drug store last week. The thieves sent him six neckties after having the Cardinal right-hander line up with the other innocent bystanders because they have nothing against him personally.
1933 Gabby Street, who led St. Louis to National League pennants in 1930 and 1931, is fired midseason by the Cardinals after the team gets off to a 46-45 start. Frank Frisch, the Redbirds' second baseman, is named the fifth-place club's player-manager before a 10-1 exhibition rout of the Quincy Warriors of the Mississippi Valley League in Illinois.
1948 Five Duluth minor league club teammates die during a Northern League road trip, with another 19 hurt in a bus-truck crash near St. Paul. The injured include future major league manager Mel McGaha and Elmer Schoendienst, brother of Cardinals' infielder Red.
1948 Six days after hitting four homers in one game, White Sox outfielder Pat Seerey again makes the record book, becoming the first major leaguer to strike out seven times in a doubleheader.
1949 In the opener of a twin bill at Griffith Stadium, Indians' hurler Bob Lemon helps his cause by hitting two home runs, solo shots in the seventh and eighth innings, in a 7-5 victory over the Senators. Cleveland completes the sweep when Gene Beardon goes the distance in the Tribe's 5-2 win in the nightcap.
1951

"That was the finest catch I have ever seen, and the finest I ever expect to see" - BRANCH RICKEY, commenting as the Pirates GM on a catch made by Willie Mays at Forbes Field,

At cavernous Forbes Field, Willie Mays, unable to reach across his body to make a catch with his glove of Rocky Nelson's sinking 457-foot blast to deep center, sticks out his bare right hand and grabs the ball on a full gallop to make the incredible final out of the inning. During the game, Venerable Branch Rickey, Pittsburgh's general manager, sends a note to the New York dugout to tell the 20-year-old rookie Giants' outfielder, "That was the finest catch I have ever seen, and the finest I ever expect to see."
1956 Under cloudy skies, former first baseman/outfielder Hank Greenberg and infielder Joe Cronin, respectively, serving as general managers for the Tigers and Red Sox, are inducted into the Hall of Fame, with more than 8,500 fans attending the impressive ceremony. The former Detroit slugger becomes the first Jewish player enshrined in Cooperstown.
1961 Inclement conditions at Yankee Stadium postpone a home run derby featuring Bronx Bombers Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle vs. Giants sluggers Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda. The 'Mick' will be the only scheduled participant to homer in the contest when his second-inning round-tripper, a 450-foot blast off Bob Bolin that lands in the bleachers, accounts for New York's only run.
1961 In a midseason exhibition at Yankee Stadium in front of 47,346 fans on a stormy night, the San Francisco Giants beat their former crosstown rivals, 4-1. Mickey Mantle's homer accounts for the only Bronx Bombers run, and Willie Mays, cheered by the fans enthusiastically throughout the entire evening, has two RBIs for the visiting 'Jints.'
1962 Cookie Lavagetto, filling in for manager Casey Stengel, brings in southpaw Bob G. Miller, not to be confused with Bob L. Miller, also on the team, to face Braves backstop Del Crandall to start the bottom of the 12th inning. The only ball the 27-year-old reliever throws is hit over the left-field wall at County Stadium, resulting in one pitch, one hit, one run, and one loss for the southpaw, convinced by the team to come out of retirement, needing only 18 more days to qualify for the pension plan.
1965 Unbeknownst to him, Mets skipper Casey Stengel, who compiled a managerial record of 1,905-1,842 with the Dodgers, Braves, Yankees, and Mets, manages his final baseball game, a 5-1 loss to Philadelphia at Shea Stadium. After leaving a party after midnight at Toots Shor's, the 75-year-old 'Old Perfesser' loses his balance, fracturing his left hip, resulting in his unexpected retirement from the sport.
1967 The Tigers cancel tonight's scheduled game against the Orioles due to the civil unrest in Detroit. The two remaining games of the series shift to Baltimore, with tomorrow's contest in the Charm City rained out during the second inning.
1968 Chicago reliever Hoyt Wilhelm breaks Cy Young's record when he makes his 907th career appearance, pitching a third of an inning in which he gives up a run on two hits to be on the short side of the team's 3-2 loss to Oakland. The 45-year-old knuckleballer, who will retire in 1972 after pitching in 1,070 games, will finish his 21-year major league career with a 143-122 (.540) won-loss record and 228 saves, hurling for the Giants, Cardinals, Indians, Orioles, White Sox, Angels, Braves, Cubs, and Dodgers.
1970 Tommie Agee steals home with two outs in the bottom of the tenth inning, giving the Mets a 2-1 walk-off victory over the Dodgers at Shea Stadium. After reaching on a fielder's choice, the New York center fielder steals second and advances to third on a wild pitch before scoring the winning run with his theft of home plate.

NYT Mets Top Dodgers as Agee Steals Home in the 10th

1970 At Three Rivers Stadium, the Pirates stage Roberto Clemente Night at their new ballpark, showering their right fielder with gifts, including a scroll containing 300,000 signatures from the people of Puerto Rico. During an emotional pregame, at his request, the Pittsburgh Children's Hospital acquires a donation of several thousand dollars to assist disabled youngsters.
1973 Although not selected, Willie Mays appears in his last All-Star Game thanks to Commissioner Bowie Kuhn increasing the player limit so the 'Say Hey Kid' could participate in the Midsummer Classic. Bobby Bonds, a Giants teammate of Mays, homers and doubles in the National League's 7-1 victory over the AL at Royals Stadium in Kansas City.
1974 Whitey Lockman becomes the team's director of player development and will be replaced as the Cubs manager by third base coach Jim Marshall. During his three-year stint in the dugout, the Lowell, North Carolina native compiled a 157-162 (.492) record.
1977 After Mets' right fielder Bruce Boisclair drops his two-out foul pop-up, Davey Lopes responds with a game-ending three-run home run off Bob Apodaca. The LA second baseman's ninth-inning dramatics provide the Dodgers with a 5-3 win, spoiling Nino Espinosa's opportunity for a complete-game victory, needing just one more out before his departure.
1978 After sharing with two reporters last night that George Steinbrenner was a crook and Reggie Jackson was a liar, a tearful Billy Martin (52-42) announces his resignation as the Yankee manager in a Minnesota hotel lobby. Bob Lemon, recently fired by the White Sox, becomes the Bronx Bombers' skipper, guiding the team to 48 victories in the remaining 68 games en route to a World Championship.
1979 Going deep off A's hurler Mike Morgan at Fenway Park, Red Sox's first baseman Carl Yastrzemski becomes the 18th major leaguer and seventh in the American League to hit 400 home runs. 'Captain Carl' will end his 23-year career with 452 homers.
1988 In a tribute held at a sold-out Shea Stadium, Tom Seaver (41) becomes only the third Met to have his uniform number retired. In addition to managers Casey Stengel (37) and Gil Hodges (14), the future Hall of Fame right-hander, who compiled a 198-124 record (.615) during a dozen seasons with the Amazins, becomes the first player to be honored by the franchise in this manner.

1993 Following the game at Dodger Stadium, Vince Coleman tosses an M-80 from a car, resulting in reported injuries to three fans in the Chavez Ravine parking lot, including an 11-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl. The Mets' player was a passenger in the 1991 Jeep Cherokee driven by LA outfielder Eric Davis, acknowledging Coleman flipped the firecracker out of his vehicle as a 'joke,' but not into a crowd of people.
1993 In a 5-4 loss to the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, Mets right-hander Anthony Young extends his record losing streak to 27 games. The latest defeat results from the hard-luck hurler walking Dave Hansen in with the winning run with two outs in the 10th inning.
1995 The Red Sox trade outfielder Mark Whiten to Philadelphia for first baseman Dave Hollins, who will play only five games for Boston. 'Hard Hittin' Mike Whiten will hit .254, appearing in 120 contests over two seasons for the 'Fightin' Phils.'
1999 The Red Sox blast seven home runs, one shy of the club record, in an 11-4 rout of Detroit at Tiger Stadium. Boston right fielder Trot Nixon contributes to the offensive onslaught with three home runs and five RBIs.

(Ed. Note: On July 4, 1977, the Red Sox hit eight home runs, including seven solo shots in a 9-6 loss to the Blue Jays at Fenway Park. - LP)

1999 The Yankees rout the Indians 21-1 for their team's largest margin of victory in 46 years. The Bronx Bombers' designated hitter Chili Davis goes 5-for-6, collecting six RBIs in the late Saturday afternoon contest played at the Bronx ballpark.


BaseballReference
2000 Ivan Rodriguez (.347, 27, 83) breaks his thumb when it is struck by Mo Vaughn's bat swinging on a third strike when the American League MVP attempts to throw out a runner stealing second base. The Texas Rangers' All-Star catcher will miss the rest of the season.
2004 During the third inning at Warner Park, the approximately 5000 fans attending the minor league contest between the Wisconsin Woodchucks and the hometown Madison Mallards set an American record for most people brushing their teeth simultaneously. Next season, in another Northern League promotion, Winnipeg sets the Canadian record for the most simultaneous tooth brushing by fans in a game against Calgary.
2004 The Red Sox-Yankee rivalry adds another episode after Boston's starter Bronson Arroyo hits last night's hero, Alex Rodriguez, with a pitch. As A-Rod stares at the mound on his way to first, Boston's catcher Jason Varitek, after a verbal exchange, pushes his glove into the All-Star third baseman's face, initiating a bench-clearing brawl between the divisional foes.
2007 At a press conference, an emotional Craig Biggio announces he will retire after this season, bringing his 20-year-old career as the longest-tenured player in Astro history to an end. The newest member of the 3,000-hit organization, the only player in All-Star history to appear in the game as a catcher and a second baseman, played a significant role in Houston's four division titles and the team's only National League pennant.
2009 On the day he is traded by the A's to the Cardinals for prospects Brett Wallace, Clayton Mortensen, and Shane Peterson, Matt Holliday collects four hits, drives in a run, and steals a base in his debut with St. Louis. Having hurried from New York, where his former team was continuing a series with the Yankees, the outfielder had to borrow a glove and shoes from his new teammates before the Redbirds' 8-1 victory at Citizens Bank Park.
2010 After 18 consecutive losses in Cleveland, the Rays finally beat the hometown Indians for the first time in nearly five years. With the 6-3 victory over the Tribe, Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon snaps a 0-21 personal losing streak as the visiting manager, beginning when he was California's interim skipper in 1996.
2011 Former Blue Jays, Orioles, Mariners, and Phillies GM Pat Gillick, a lifetime .300 hitter Roberto Alomar, and Bert Blyleven, ninth on the all-time list with 60 shutouts, are inducted into the Hall of Fame. Gillick won two World Series rings (1992-93) in Toronto with Alomar as his second baseman, and Blyleven helped the Twins capture the 1987 Fall Classic and played for the Pirates team that won it all in 1979.
2011 Losing 12-8 at Fenway Park, the Mariners establish a new team-worst losing streak with their 15th straight defeat. The contest features a milestone for Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield when catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia holds on to a foul tip to end the sixth inning, giving the knuckleballer his 2,000th strikeout, a mark only Roger Clemens has accomplished in franchise history.

2012 Jordany Valdespin sets a new Mets single-season record when he hits his fifth pinch-hit home run of the team's 5-2 loss to the Nationals at Citi Field. The 24-year-old ties Cliff Johnson (Astros, 1974) for the second-highest single-season total ever recorded by a rookie, trailing only Craig Wilson, a freshman with the Pirates in 2001 when he tied Dave Hansen's major-league mark for pinch-homers with seven.
2014 While singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch, Andy Milovich, the 45-year-old vice president and general manager of the Class-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans, is given a prostate exam in the TicketReturn.com Field press box. The first 1,000 men attending the Carolina League contest against the Winston-Salem Dash received a promotional foam rubber finger.
2015 Receiving a standing ovation from the Citi Field crowd, Michael Conforto, the Mets' first-round pick (10th overall) last year, becomes the 1,000th player in Mets history when he makes his major league debut, going 0-3 in the team's 7-2 loss to the Dodgers at Citi Field. Tomorrow, the 22-year-old rookie left fielder will enjoy a 4-for-4 day at the plate, collecting three singles and a double en route to scoring four runs.

2019 During the team's 14-8 rout of the Pirates at PNC Park, the Cardinals tie a major league record by banging out eight extra-base hits in one inning, equaling a mark previously established by four other clubs. The Redbirds' barrage in the nine-run second fame included five doubles (Kolten Wong [2], Paul DeJong, Yairo Munoz, Dexter Fowler) and three home runs (Paul DeJong, Andrew Knizner, Paul Goldschmidt).
2019 Stevie Wilkerson becomes the first position player in MLB history to record a save when the Orioles beat the Angels in Anaheim, 10-8. The Baltimore center fielder pitches a perfect bottom half of the 16th inning after Jonathan Villar's two-out, two-run home run in the top of the frame gave the team the lead.
2020 The new extra innings rule, which puts a runner at second base to start each extra half-inning, comes into play for the first time on Opening Day when Shohei Ohtani, who made the last out in the top of the ninth, becomes the base runner to begin the tenth frame. The Halos fail to score, losing to the A's, 7-3, when Matt Olson hits a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the frame.
2020 For only the second time in baseball history, all four starting infielders are the sons of former major leaguers, when shortstop Bo Bichette (Dante), second baseman Cavan Biggio (Craig), first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Vladimir), and third baseman Travis Shaw (Jeff) top the order for the Blue Jays on Opening Day. In 2012, the Dodgers' lineup featured an infield consisting of third baseman Ivan DeJesus Jr. (Ivan), second baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. (Jerry), shortstop Dee Gordon (Tom), and first baseman Scott Van Slyke (Andy), with outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. (Tony) patrolling center field.
2020 Cardinals backstop Yadier Molina establishes the mark for most consecutive Opening Day starts by a catcher, playing his 16th successive lid-lifter in the team's 5-4 victory over the Pirates at Busch Stadium. The 38-year-old nine-time Gold Glover surpasses the streak set by Hall of Famers Ray Schalk (White Sox, 1913-27) and Bill Dickey (Yankees, 1930-43, 1946), who missed two seasons due to serving in the military during World War II.
2022 David Ortiz becomes the only designated hitter to enter Cooperstown in his first year of eligibility. Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso, Gil Hodges, Bud Fowler, and Buck O'Neil join the Red Sox legend as members of the Hall of Fame.
48 Fact(s) Found