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This Day in Baseball History
October 26th

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41 Fact(s) Found
1911 With a seven-run seventh inning in Game 6, the A's win the World Series, coasting to an easy 13-2 victory over the Giants win the World Series. Outfielder Danny Murphy leads Philadelphia with four hits, and Chief Bender goes the distance to get the win.
1940 Tigers' slugging left fielder Hank Greenberg (.340, 41, 150) is named the American League's Most Valuable Player, with Indian hurler Bob Feller (27-11, 2.61) finishing second. Having won the award in 1935 as a first baseman, 'Hammerin' Hank' becomes the first player to win another MVP playing a different position.
1946 Westbrook Pegler, a syndicated columnist, becomes the first to question in print the off-field association of Leo Durocher with actor George Raft and others allegedly tied to gamblers. The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer's expose of the Dodgers manager will start a series of events leading to the 'Lip's' one-year suspension in 1947.
1949 The San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League, infused with some major league players, complete an 11-game trip to American-occupied Japan, drawing over half a million spectators to the games played at Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. Lefty O'Doul, the team's 52-year-old skipper, personally asked by General Douglas McArthur to organize the first post-war peacetime cultural exchanges between the two nations due to his warm relationship with the Asian country, will be enthusiastically greeted by the Japanese fans, including Emperor Hirohito and Prince Akihito.
1950 The BBWAA selects Yankee shortstop Phil Rizzuto (.324, 7, 66) as the American League MVP. The 'Scooter,' who receives 16 of 23 first-place votes, easily outpoints runner-up Boston's Billy Goodman, the first player without a regular position to receive consideration for the prestigious award.
1950 After asking him to leave the organization, Walter O'Malley succeeds Branch Rickey as president of the Dodgers. In an act to defy O'Malley, who had offered to buy Rickey's stake to become the majority owner, pays more when 'the Mahatma' offers shares to a friend for a million dollars, a deal the new president believes but can't prove, to be as "fraudulent as a four-dollar bill."
1960 After his family operated the team in Washington since his dad, Clark Griffith, took over as manager of the club in 1912, Calvin Griffith, president of the Senators, decides to move his club to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area to become the Twins. Baseball awards the District of Columbia an expansion team that will start next season to fill the void, placating the lawmakers who spoke of examining baseball's anti-trust exemption should the national pastime leave the nation's capital.
1960 In a move designed to jump ahead of the National League in the expansion race, the American League grants franchises to Washington and Los Angeles and okays the Senators' move to Minnesota. The decision to place a new team in Washington is partly political because the owners fear the nation's lawmakers, upset about losing the American League's oldest club, will threaten baseball's anti-trust exemption.
1980 Former Yankee and Tiger skipper Ralph Houk comes out of his two-year retirement to manage the Red Sox. The 'Major' will compile a 312-282 (.525) won-loss record, but his team will not make a postseason appearance during his four-year tenure in Boston.
1982 The Phillies' 37-year-old southpaw Steve Carlton (23-11, 3.10) wins the Cy Young Award for an unprecedented fourth time. In one of the worst trades in baseball history, Philadelphia swapped Rick Wise for "Lefty," also the winner of the prestigious prize hurling for Philadelphia in 1972, 1977, and 1980.
1985 In Game 6 of the World Series, Don Denkinger's controversial ninth-inning call at first base enables the Royals to beat the Cardinals, 2-1, allowing Dane Iorg to hit a two-run walk-off single. Jorge Orta is called safe but appears out when first baseman Jack Clark's throw to Todd Worrell, covering the bag, clearly beats him and extends the Fall Classic to a decisive Game 7 that Kansas City will win to capture its first World Championship.

1995 Onboard the space shuttle Columbia, Commander Ken Bowersox throws the ceremonial first pitch before Game 5 of the World Series. The ceremony, transmitted from space via satellite and shown to the Indians and Braves fans at Jacobs Field, continues with an animation sequence on the scoreboard that ends with a ball that appears to fly in and land in center field. 

1996 After two stunning defeats at home, 12-1 and 4-0 losses, to start the series, the Yankees win the next four games to clinch their first World Series since 1978 with a 3-2 victory in the Bronx over the defending World Champs Braves. The Fall Classic victory will be the first title of four in five years for the Bronx Bombers.
1997 With two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 7, Edgar Renteria singles home Craig Counsell, giving the Florida Marlins their first World Series title with a 3-2 win over the Indians. The five-year-old Marlins become the youngest expansion team to win the Fall Classic.

1998 Potential free-agent All-Star catcher Mike Piazza signs the most lucrative contract in major league history when he agrees to terms with the Mets. The seven-year deal is worth over $91 million and includes having a suite on road trips and a luxury box for Shea Stadium's home games.
1999 Chad Curtis leads off the tenth inning with his second home run of the game, giving the Yankees a dramatic 6-5 walk-off victory over the Braves and a commanding 3-0 lead in the World Series. The outfielder becomes the 11th player to end a Fall Classic game with a round-tripper when he goes deep off Atlanta reliever Mike Remlinger.
2000 Derek Jeter becomes the first player to win the All-Star Game and the World Series MVP honors in the same season. The Yankee shortstop hit .409, and his nine hits included two doubles, a triple, and a pair of home runs in the Bronx Bombers' five-game victory over the Mets in the Fall Classic.
2000 In Game 5 at Shea Stadium, the Yankees win their third consecutive World Series, the fourth title in five years, and record their 26th championship by defeating the Mets, 4-2. Luis Sojo's ninth-inning two-out, tie-breaking single off starter Al Leiter is the decisive hit.
2000 Joe Torre becomes the fifth skipper to win four World Series championships when the Bronx Bombers beat the Mets to win the Fall Classic. The future Hall of Fame skipper joins Joe McCarthy (7), Casey Stengel (7), Connie Mack (5), and Walter Alston (4), who are all enshrined in Cooperstown. 
2002 When Russ Ortiz, who is tossing a 5-0 shutout, strikes out Garret Anderson to begin the seventh inning of Game 6, the Giants appeared destined to win their first World Series since 1954. The Angels, scoring six times in the seventh and eighth innings, rally from the large deficit and stage the biggest comeback for a team facing elimination in the Fall Classic, beating the Giants, 6-5.
2003 Citing disagreements with team owner George Steinbrenner, Don Zimmer resigns as the Yankees' bench coach. 'Popeye,' a close friend of skipper Joe Torre, will be named Senior Baseball Advisor for the Devil Rays before the 2004 season begins.
2004 Curt Schilling becomes the first starting pitcher to win a World Series for three teams. In addition to his Game 2 Red Sox victory over the Cardinals, his 8-2 lifetime postseason record includes wins for the Phillies (1993) and Diamondbacks (2001).
2004 Before Game 3 of the World Series, Edgar Martinez receives the Roberto Clemente Award, an honor given to the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and the individual's contribution to his team. The Mariners designated hitter, a native of Puerto Rico, like the award's namesake, is involved in Parent Project/Muscular Dystrophy, Children's Hospital, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Big Brothers and Big Sisters.
2005 Willie Harris scores the game's only run in the eighth inning as Jermaine Dye, the series MVP, singles the pinch-hitter home, giving the White Sox a 1-0 victory over the Astros and the team its first World Championship since 1917. An American League team sweeps its National League opponent for the second consecutive year.
2005 White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen becomes the first foreign-born manager to win a World Series as the 'Wizards of Ozzie' sweep the Astros in the Fall Classic. The 41-year-old Venezuelan is also the youngest pilot to win a World Championship.
2005 Bobby Valentine becomes the first foreign manager to win the Japan Series in the 70-year history of Japanese baseball. Former Rangers and Mets skipper leads the Chiba Lotte Marines to their first league championship in 31 years when they sweep the Hanshin Tigers.
2005 Tadahito Iguchi becomes the first Japanese native to win a World Series ring when the White Sox sweep the Astros to win their first Fall Classic in 88 years. In January, the 30-year-old Fukuoka Daiei Hawks' second baseman signed with Chicago as a free agent.
2007 The MLB Players Trust and Yahoo! Sports name Dmitri Young the National League Comeback Player of the Year. The big first baseman, released by the Tigers early last season due to both on and off-the-field issues, joined the Nationals as a non-roster player and became an All-Star selection for Washington, finishing the season with a .320 batting average, the tenth best in the circuit.
2007 The MLB Players Trust and Yahoo! Sports announce the selection of Devil Rays' first baseman Carlos Pena as the American League Comeback Player of the Year. After missing most of the past two seasons and being told he wouldn't make the team this year, the first baseman set Tampa Bay's single-season records for homers, RBIs, and walks.
2008 The Hank Aaron Award, given annually to the top offensive player in each league, is presented to Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis (.312, 29, 115) and Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez (.289, 27, 111). The honor was established in 1999 to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Hall of Fame outfielder surpassing Babe Ruth's all-time home run record.
2008 In the Phillies' 10-2 rout of the Rays in Game 4 at Citizen Bank Park, right-hander Joe Blanton hits a home run, marking only the 15th time in World Series history that a pitcher has homered. Ken Holtzman was the last hurler to accomplish the feat when he went deep off Andy Messersmith in 1974.

2009 Tony La Russa agrees to a one-year contract to return for his 15th season as the Cardinals manager. The Redbirds have appeared in the postseason eight times under their 65-year-old skipper, including the 2006 World Championship.
2009 The Padres formally introduced 35-year-old Jed Hoyer as the team's new general manager. The former assistant to Boston's GM, Theo Epstein, replaces Kevin Towers, who held the position in San Diego for 14 seasons.
2009 Mark McGwire will join his former manager, Tony La Russa, on the Cardinals' bench as the team's hitting coach, replacing Hal McRae. The one-time single-season home run champ, who damaged his reputation by refusing to answer questions about steroids during a congressional hearing in 2005, had La Russa as his skipper in 15 of the 16 years he played in the major leagues in Oakland and St. Louis.
2010 The Nationals notify Jim Riggleman he will be returning as the team's manager next year. Washington finished last in the National League East for the third consecutive season but improved by ten games in the win column, finishing with 69 victories.
2013 With runners on second and third with one out, Jon Jay's grounder results in Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia easily throwing out Yadier Molina at the plate. After making the tag at home, Boston backstop Jarrod Saltalamacchia's errant throw to third base causes third baseman Will Middlebrooks to collide with Allen Craig, who had gone to third and appears out trying to score, but an infielder's interference call gives the Cardinals an unusual 5-4 walk-off victory in the first World Series game to ever end on an obstruction call.

2014 At AT&T Park, Madison Bumgarner hurls a complete game, blanking the Royals on four hits in Game 6 of the World Series, 5-0. The southpaw's victory, giving the Giants a 3-2 edge, is the first shutout thrown by a starter in the Fall Classic since Josh Beckett accomplished the feat for the Marlins at Yankee Stadium in 2003 and the first for the franchise since 1962 when Jack Sanford whitewashed New York in 1962.
2014 Cardinal rookie Oscar Taveras, who participated in seven postseason games with St. Louis earlier in the month, dies in a car accident in his native Dominican Republic. The 22-year-old outfielder, who batted .320 and slugged .516 as a minor leaguer, was considered by many to be a 'can't miss prospect.'
2016 The Cubs' 5-1 decision over the Indians at Progressive Field marks the team’s first World Series game victory since 1945. The Chicago win hands Cleveland’s skipper Terry Francona his first loss in ten Fall Classic contests.
2018 Game 3 of the World Series finally ends with Max Muncy's walk-off home run, giving the Dodgers a 3-2 victory over the Red Sox in the 18th inning. The seven-hour-and-twenty-minute Chavez Ravine contest established a new longevity record for the length of a game, tied for the longest in terms of innings, and took longer to play than the entire 1939 World Series. 

2021 In Game 1 of the Fall Classic, Jorge Soler goes deep on the game's third pitch off Astros' starter Framber Valdez, becoming the first player to hit a home run in his first plate appearance of the World Series. The 29-year-old Braves designated hitter's round-tripper gets the team off to a fast start in their 6-2 victory over Houston at Minute Maid Park. 
41 Fact(s) Found