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This Day in Baseball History
April 27th

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50 Fact(s) Found
1901 In the second game of the franchise's history, Senator infielder Billy Clingman hits the team's first home run. The 33-year-old switch-hitting shortstop blasts a two-run homer off A's southpaw Wiley Piatt in the top of the fifth inning of Washington's 11-5 victory over Philadelphia at Columbia Park.
1909 The White Sox, scoring just three runs during the three-game series, sweep St. Louis. Chicago blanks the Browns by identical 1-0 scores in all three South Side Park contests.
1918 Brooklyn wins their first game of the season when they defeat the Giants at Ebbets Field, 5-3. The Robins' 0-9 losing streak establishes a major league record for the longest start at the beginning of a campaign without winning a contest.
1929 At the Baker Bowl, Clise Dudley becomes the first player to hit a home run on the first major league pitch thrown to him. The Brooklyn relief pitcher will hit three home runs in his four-year career.
1930 Bud Clancy, playing first base during the entire nine-inning game, never touches the ball while in play. The first sacker's lack of work didn't hurt the White Sox when the team beat the Browns at Sportsman's Park, 2-1.
1932 The National League fines Cardinal manager Gabby Street for violating the circuit's policy prohibiting talking to spectators. The Redbird skipper's nickname suggests he might be a chatterbox, but he insists the moniker stems from his overuse of the word Gabby, a term used in the South when addressing a black male whose name is unknown.
1944 Jim Tobin, using his newly discovered knuckleball, tosses the first of his two no-hitters of the season, defeating Brooklyn, 2-0. The Boston right-hander, who will also throw a shortened five-frame unofficial no-no in June, helps his cause with a solo home run in the eighth inning of the Braves Field contest.
1947 A crowd of 58,000 attending Babe Ruth Day at Yankee Stadium to honor the ailing legend hears the 'Bambino' promote baseball as "the best game in the world." After the moving ceremony, the fans witness a pitching duel when the 6'4" Senator right-hander Sid Hudson, who scores the only run in the game, edges Spud Chandler, 1-0.

1947 The largest crowd in the history of Crosley Field enjoys watching the Reds sweep a doubleheader from Pittsburgh, 6-1 and 2-1. The 36,691 fans in attendance will not call their friends from the ballpark with the good news because of removing payphones to thwart betting on the contests.
1961 The expansion Angels play their first home game, bowing to the Twins at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, 4-2. In his last visit to a ballpark, the 74-year-old baseball legend Ty Cobb throws out the ceremonial first pitch.
1963 Red Sox right-hander Gene Conley and White Sox hurler Dave DeBusschere, who both played in the NBA in the offseason, make a relief appearance during the fourth inning of the Red Sox's 9-5 victory over the White Sox at Fenway Park. Conley, now with the Knicks as a power guard, is the only person to have played on World Championship teams in baseball (1957 Braves) and basketball (1959–61, Celtics), and DeBusschere, currently employed by the Pistons, will be inducted as a player into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.

1968 After almost being scratched due to a sore throat, Tom Phoebus no-hits the visiting Red Sox, 6-0, after the 1:23 rain delay at the start of the game. The Orioles' starter also leads the offense, going 2-for-4 at the plate, scoring and driving in a run in the Memorial Stadium contest.
1971 Braves outfielder Hank Aaron joins Babe Ruth and Willie Mays as the only major league player to hit 600 career home runs. Hammerin' Hank's historic homer, a 350-foot drive over the left-field wall, comes off Gaylord Perry in the third inning of a 6-5 ten-inning loss to the Giants at Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium.

1972 After 11 games into the new season, the Padres dismiss the only manager the team has ever known when they replace Preston Gomez with third base coach Don Zimmer. The former skipper compiled a 180-316 (.363) record in his three-plus years in San Diego, and the expansion team never finished higher than last place in the NL West.
1973 Kansas City's starter Steve Busby becomes the 13th rookie to throw a no-hitter, beating Detroit, 3-0, at Tiger Stadium. The 22-year-old right-hander's gem is the first-ever no-hit game thrown by a Royals pitcher, and the former UCLA hurler will pitch the second no-hitter in franchise history next season.
1973 Braves hurler Pat Dobson three-hits the Mets to beat Tom Seaver, who also gives up only three hits, 2-0. The Atlanta Fulton County Stadium contest takes one hour and 37 minutes to complete, making it the quickest game ever played in Mets history.
1977 The Cardinals snap a three-game losing streak, routing the Cubs at Wrigley Field, 20-3. Redbirds' shortstop Garry Templeton crosses home plate five times, which is a team record.
1981 Fernandomania continues to explode at Chavez Ravine when Dodger rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela pitches his fourth shutout in five starts. The 20-year-old Mexican southpaw, batting over .400, beats the Giants, 5-0, and lowers his ERA to a microscopic 0.20.

1982 Reggie Jackson, who left the Bronx when the team decided not to renew his contract, returns to Yankee Stadium as an Angel and delights the New York crowd when he hits a long home run, contributing to California's 3-1 rain-shortened victory over the home team. The fans show their displeasure about losing Mr. October to free agency by chanting, "Steinbrenner Sucks," as Jackson rounded the bases while the Yankee owner stands defiantly in his box.

1983 Nolan Ryan becomes the first of three major leaguers this season to break Walter Johnson's 56-year-old record when he notches his 3,509th career strikeout, whiffing pinch-hitter Brad Mills in the eighth inning of the Astros' 4-2 victory at Olympic Stadium. The 36-year-old fireballer's feat will also be accomplished by Steve Carlton and Gaylord Perry, respectively, in May and August.

(Ed. Some websites, including the Baseball Hall of Fame, ESPN, and Baseball-Reference.com, differ from the official MLB stats, crediting the Washington Senator legend with 3,509 career strikeouts, an extra strikeout recorded in his rookie season accounting for the difference. - LP)
1983 Teammates Fred Lynn and Daryl Sconiers hit grand slams, helping California rout the Tigers, 13-3. The pair of Anaheim Stadium round-trippers mark the first time two Angels have hit bases-loaded homers in the same game.
1988 Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt's single breaks up Nolan Ryan's no-hitter with one out in the ninth at the Astrodome. Philadelphia will knot the score at 2-2 in the frame, but Houston will prevail, scoring a run in the tenth to hold on to the victory.
1990 At Jack Murphy Stadium, Pirates infielder Wally Backman becomes the first National Leaguer to get six hits in one game since Rennie Stennett, also playing for the Bucs, accomplished the feat with seven in 1975. The third baseman will see his batting average rise 114 points, from .281 to .395, when he collects five singles and a double to help Pittsburgh sink San Diego, 9-4.
1993 Tim Wakefield throws 172 pitches in ten innings of work in the Pirates' 6-2 victory over the Braves. The Pittsburgh knuckleballer has compiled the highest single-game pitch count since the official tabulation of the statistics, beginning in 1988.
1994 Scott Erickson, who allowed the most hits in the majors last season, pitches the Twins' first no-hitter in 27 years, beating the Brewers at the Metrodome, 6-0. In 1967, Dean Chance no-hit the Indians, but the right-hander allowed a run in Minnesota's 2-1 victory in the nightcap of the twin bill at Cleveland Stadium.
1996 Barry Bonds joins his father and godfather, becoming only the fourth major leaguer to hit 300 homers and swipe 300 bases as he homers for the Giants in a 6-3 victory over the Marlins. Bobby Bonds, Willie Mays, and Andre Dawson are the only other 300-300 players.
2000 After participating in two brawls at Comiskey Park five days ago, MLB suspends sixteen Tigers and White Sox players for 82 games, making it the most severe punishment for a bench-clearing incident. Both managers, Phil Garner and Jerry Manuel, also receive an eight-game suspension each.
2000 Former Brewer Jose Valentin hits for the cycle, helping his new team, the Chicago White Sox, defeat the Orioles, 13-4. In Milwaukee, Valentin's home for the past eight seasons, a player is awarded a Harley-Davidson motorcycle for hitting for the cycle.

(Ed. Note: In precisely one month, he'll miss being the first American League player to complete the cycle twice in one season by not getting a single. -LP)

2002 Derek Lowe becomes the first pitcher to throw a no-hit game at Boston's Fenway Park since Dave Morehead accomplished the feat against the Indians in 1965. Facing 28 batters, the former Red Sox closer throws only 97 pitches in the 10-0 rout of the Devil Rays.
2003 Needing only 108 pitches, Kevin Millwood becomes the ninth pitcher in Phillies' history to throw a no-hitter when he keeps the NL-West leading Giants hitless. In 1991, Tommy Greene threw the franchise's last no-no before Millwood's 1-0 masterpiece.
2003 Ozzy, the male osprey of a breeding pair that lived for years on Jackie Robinson Ballpark's left-field light pole, dies at the Audubon Birds of Prey Center after being hit with a thrown baseball that was trying to knock him off a perch he shared with his mate Harriet and their brood of chicks. Class A Daytona Cubs hurler Jae Kuk Ryu was charged with a second-degree misdemeanor by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for harming a protected bird.
2003 The Marlins, on the strength of three homers in the frame, score five times in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game against the Cardinals at six runs apiece. The Fish will lose the Pro Player Stadium contest, 7-6, in 20 innings, making it the longest game in franchise history.
2004 At Dodger Stadium, Mike Piazza ties Carlton Fisk for the most career homers by a catcher as he hits Hideo Nomo's sixth-inning pitch into the stands for his 351st round-tripper as a backstop. The homer, his 362nd overall, moves the Mets' star past Yankees' Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio on the all-time list.
2004 At Milwaukee's Miller Park, Chad Moeller becomes the fifth Brewer and the first to hit for the cycle at home. In the 9-8 victory over the Reds, the backup catcher facing Cory Lidle homers in the second inning, doubles in the fourth, triples in the fifth, and then singles in the seventh off reliever Ryan Wagner to complete the feat in front of 8,918 enthusiastic fans.
2005 At Busch Stadium, St. Louis' second baseman Mark Grudzielanek becomes the 16th Cardinal to hit for the cycle and the third to accomplish the rare hitting event at home. The last Redbird to achieve the feat was in 1996 by John Mabry.
2005 Pirates closer Jose Mesa becomes the 19th pitcher in major league history to collect his 300th save when the team beats the Astros at Pittsburg's PNC Park, 2-0. The 39-year-old right-handed reliever reaches the milestone en route to compiling 322 career saves, retiring the side in order in the top of the ninth inning.
2007 On the night his three sons throw the ceremonial first pitch, Trevor Hoffman cannot hold on to a two-run lead when the Dodgers score three in the ninth and eventually beat the Padres, 6-5. It's 'Trevor Time Desk Clock Night, with the usually reliable Padres closer blowing the save for the second consecutive game, thanks to some shady defense.
2008 At Progressive Field, the longest current consecutive-game streak in the big leagues ends at 382 when Grady Sizemore does not appear in Cleveland's 1-0 loss to the Yankees due to a sprained right ankle sustained yesterday. The center fielder's streak is the most by an Indian player since Toby Harrah played in 473 straight contests from 1979 to 1983.
2008 In a move that cost the team over $11 million, the Pirates release Matt Morris after the pitcher lasts only 1.2 innings against the Phillies in his previous start. The 33-year-old right-hander had compiled an 0-4 record with a 9.67 ERA in his five outings with Pittsburgh this season.
2008 By beating the Padres, 2-1, the Diamondbacks break their franchise mark for wins in April, having already won 17 games this month. Brandon Webb, who outduels Jake Peavy, becomes just the third hurler in major league history, joining teammate Randy Johnson (2000, 2002) and Dave Stewart (A's - 1988) to post six victories before the start of May.
2008 Giving up eight runs in three innings in the 10-1 loss to the Reds, Barry Zito joins Mike Maroth (Tigers - 2003) and Dave Stewart (Rangers - 1984) as only the third pitcher in baseball history to lose six games in April. The battered $126 million Giants hurler, who hasn't missed a start in his eight-year career, will be demoted to the San Francisco bullpen.
2009 Dexter Fowler ties the modern-day rookie mark with five stolen bases in the Rockies' 12-7 win over the Padres at Coors Field. On June 28, 1999, San Diego freshman shortstop Damian Jackson swiped five bags at Qualcomm Stadium to establish the mark in a game also involving Colorado.
2009 West Virginia State's Bo Darby homers in his first four plate appearances against Salem International, giving him round-trippers in 5 consecutive at-bats over two games, including the home run in his final at-bat two days ago against the University of Charleston. The Yellow Jackets' sophomore outfielder will go deep twice more in the second game of the twin bill to finish the day with six four-baggers and 14 RBIs.
2010 With the help of a five-run ninth inning fueled by Ryan Doumit's grand slam and Ronny Cedeno's solo shot off Trevor Hoffman, the Pirates snap a 22-game losing streak in Milwaukee with a 7-3 comeback victory over the Brewers at Miller Park. The Brew Crew's hometown hex over the Bucs was the longest-held by one team over another since the Browns/Orioles lost 27 consecutive contests to the Indians in Cleveland from 1952 to 1954.
2010 David Wright, with an RBI single to right field off Ramon Troncoso in the fifth inning of New York's 10-5 victory over L.A. at Citi Field, becomes the eighth and quickest player to accumulate 1,000 hits in a Mets uniform. The 27-year-old third baseman surpasses Mike Piazza's mark of 935 games to reach the milestone, accomplishing the feat in his 868th career contest with the club.
2010 The suddenly streaking Mets win their sixth consecutive game with a doubleheader sweep of the Dodgers at Citi Field, 4-0 and 10-5. The victories mark the first time since August 28, 1971, that the club has taken both ends of a twin bill from the Chavez Ravine club.
2012 Yankee right-hander Ivan Nova fails to tie the franchise mark of 16 consecutive wins established last season by Roger Clemens when he doesn't get a decision in the team's 7-6 victory over Detroit. The 26-year-old hurler, who moved ahead of Whitey Ford (1961) and Steve Sundra (1938-39) in his last start, gives up six earned runs on 11 hits in his 5.1 innings of work in New York's walk-off win in the Bronx ballpark.
2012 Mets left fielder Scott Hairston becomes the tenth player in franchise history to hit for the cycle with his sixth-inning double, plating Rueben Tejada and David Wright. The outfielder's four hits, which drive in four runs, aren't enough when Colorado routs New York, scoring 11 times in the fifth, in the Coors Field's contest, 18-9.

2013 Matt Moore (5-0) becomes the first pitcher in franchise history to win five games in April when the Rays beat Chicago at U.S. Cellular Field, 10-4. The 23-year-old southpaw starter hurls six strong innings, allowing just a run and three hits while striking out nine Pale Hose batters.
2014 Jose Abreu extends the rookie record, a mark he previously shared with Albert Pujols, for the most runs batted in during April. The 27-year-old White Sox DH ends the day with 31 RBIs after hitting a two-run homer and a two-run single in the team's 9-2 victory over Tampa Bay at U.S. Cellular Field.
50 Fact(s) Found