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This Day in Baseball History
July 31st

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66 Fact(s) Found
1897 John Grimes, who appeared in only three games during his one-year career with the St. Louis Brown Stockings, establishes a major league mark by hitting six batters in a nine-inning game. The post-1900 record is four hit batsmen, a dubious feat many pitchers share.
1908 After successfully swiping second at the Polo Grounds, Fred Tenney returns to first base on the next pitch because Dummy Taylor had remained at third during their attempted double steal. This time, hoping to coax a throw from the catcher to give the runner on third another opportunity to score, he steals second base for the second time in the inning, but his teammate still stays put in the Giants' 9-2 victory over the Cardinals.
1912 Ty Cobb goes 1-for-4 in Detroit's 4-1 victory over Washington at Navin Field. The Tiger outfielder's single is his 68th hit in 137 at-bats (.535) during July, the most ever collected in a single month by a major leaguer.
1930 The Yankees edge the Red Sox, 14-13, thanks to Lou Gehrig's offensive output. The 'Iron Horse' collects eight RBIs with a grand slam and two doubles in the Fenway Park contest.
1932 In front of a major league record crowd of 80,184, the Indians play their first game at Lakefront Stadium, losing to Philadelphia and Lefty Grove, 1-0. Except for the 1933 season, the Tribe, who prefer League Park, will not play a full schedule at their new colossal horseshoe home until 1947, when the ballpark is known as Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
1935 Avid Reds' fan Kitty Burke, annoyed at Ducky Medwick's retort to her heckling by telling her she couldn't get a hit if she were swinging at an elephant, grabs Babe Herman's bat as he comes to the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning, comes on to the field demanding a turn at-bat. After some consternation, Cardinal pitcher Paul Dean complies by tossing the ball underhanded to the popular local nightclub blues singer, who grounds out to the pitcher, much to the delight of the cheering crowd.
1951 The Yankees send Cliff Mapes to the Browns for Bobby Hogue, Kermit Wahl, Tom Upton, and Lou Sleater. The trade opens an outfield spot for Mickey Mantle, who is returning from a 40-game stint with the Triple-A Kansas City Blues. With Mapes's departure, the rookie takes the opportunity to wear uniform #7.
1954 At Ebbets Field, using a borrowed bat, Joe Adcock hits four home runs in one game and a double, which misses by inches of being his fifth round-tripper, in the Braves' 15-7 victory over the Dodgers. The Milwaukee first baseman's 18 total bases, collected on seven pitches, set a major league record, surpassing the mark established in 1950 by Brooklyn's Gil Hodges.
1955 The Indians obtain Sal Maglie off waivers from the Giants, who released the 38-year-old right-hander because of his ailing back. The 'Barber,' who will be used sparingly in Cleveland, will become a major cog next season in the Dodgers' National League championship after being acquired by the team in May for $100.
1959 Earl Wilson, the first black pitcher to play for the Red Sox, hurls 3⅔ innings, walking nine, but leaves the game with a 4-0 lead in the team's eventual 6-5 victory over Detroit at Briggs Stadium. The Louisiana native will post a 56-58 record along with an ERA of 4.10, primarily as a starter, during his seven seasons with Boston.
1961 Due to heavy rain, the second 1961 All-Star Game ends in a 1-1 tie at Fenway Park, with Rocky Colavito's home run accounting for the American League's only run. Jim Bunning, the American League starter, pitches three perfect innings again (he also did it in 1957), making him the only All-Star hurler to accomplish the feat twice.
1963 At Cleveland Stadium, the Indians hit four consecutive homers in an inning when Woodie Held, Pedro Ramos, Tito Francona, and Larry Brown go deep in the sixth with two outs off Paul Foytack, recently acquired by the Angels. In Cleveland's 9-5 victory over the Halos, the former Tiger right-hander becomes the first major league pitcher to allow a team to go deep in four straight at-bats in a single frame.
1965 The Orioles release 38-year-old Robin Roberts after he compiles a 5-7 record during the first four months of the season. Next week, the Astros will select the right-hander as a free agent, and the future Hall of Famer will finish the season winning five of seven decisions, posting an ERA of 1.89 for his new team.
1971 Orioles right-hander Pat Dobson wins his eighth decision of the month, blanking the Royals, 4-0. The shutout is the 12th consecutive victory for the Depew (NY) native since June 16th.
1971 In a game that sees at least one team score every inning until the ninth, the Giants beat Pittsburgh at Candlestick Park, 15-11. San Francisco's rookie first baseman Dave Kingman's seventh-inning grand slam proves to be the difference.
1972 Chicago slugger Dick Allen becomes the seventh major leaguer, the first since 1939, to hit two inside-the-park home runs in one game. The round-trippers pace the White Sox over the Twins at Metropolitan Stadium, 8-1.
1981 The fifty-day baseball strike, wiping out a third of the regular season, is settled when the owners and players agree on a pooling system to compensate free agents. The All-Star Game will end baseball's first-ever midseason work stoppage.
1982 Phillies' second baseman Manny Trillo boots Bill Buckner's grounder to end his errorless streak at 479 chances, setting a major league record. The eighth-inning miscue does not lead to a run in Philadelphia's 2-0 victory over Cubs at Veterans Stadium.
1983 The Hall of Fame inducts Orioles Gold Glover Brooks Robinson, ten-time American League All-Star infielder George Kell, and long-time Dodger skipper Walter Alston. Dominican Dandy Juan Marichal, also an inductee, becomes the first Latin American player enshrined at Cooperstown.
1989 On the same day, the Blue Jays select Lee Mazzilli off waivers from the Mets, Toronto trades reliever Jeff Musselman and pitching prospect Mike Brady for Mookie Wilson, made expendable when New York obtained Juan Samuel from Philadelphia. After a slow start, Toronto's new outfielder will play a vital role in the team's return to the postseason for the first time since 1985, batting .298 in 54 games.
1989 The Mets obtain Frank Viola, last season's American League Cy Young Award winner, from the Twins for Rick Aguilera, Tim Drummond, Kevin Tapani, Jack Savage, and David West. 'Sweet Music' hits a sour note in New York, posting a 38-32 record in 82 starts with a team failing to make the playoffs during his two-and-a-half-year tenure in the Big Apple.
1990 At County Stadium, Ranger right-hander Nolan Ryan gets his 300th victory, defeating the Brewers, 11-3. The 43-year-old from Alvin (TX) will compile 324 wins during his 27-year big league career.
1993 The A's trade ten-time All-Star Rickey Henderson to the Blue Jays for rookie right-hander Steve Karsay and a player to be named later (outfielder Jose Herrera). The midseason deal helps Toronto capture their second consecutive World Series when the 34-year-old future Hall of Famer steals 22 bases in his partial season with the Canadian team.
1995 The Mets trade former two-time Cy Young Award winner right-handed pitcher Bret Saberhagen and left-handed pitcher farmhand Dave Swanson (the player to be named later) to the Rockies for righties Juan Acevedo and Arnold Gooch.
1996 The Tigers deal first baseman Cecil Fielder to the Yankees for outfielder Ruben Sierra and minor league prospect Matt Drews. The swap marks the first time in major league history that a transaction involves players with more than 220 home runs.
1997 In a deal that will significantly impact the team's future, the Red Sox obtain Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe when they trade Heathcliff Slocumb to the Mariners. Varitek, who will become Boston's third captain in franchise history, will contribute to the club's success in the next decade, including the world championships in 2004 and 2007.
1997 The A's trade Mark McGwire to the Cardinals for Eric Ludwick, T.J. Mathews, and Blake Stein, a trio of hurlers who will combine for just 30 victories with Oakland. The Redbirds' new first baseman hits an astounding 220 home runs in the 545 games he plays with St. Louis, but the speculation of his use of PEDs taints the accomplishment.
2001 The Red Sox acquire Expos' reliever Ugueth Urbina for two minor league pitchers, Tomo Ohka and Rich Rundles. The Yankees nearly traded the hard-throwing closer earlier in the season, but a failed physical nixed the deal for the Caracas, Venezuela native.
2002 City officials approve the Red Sox's plan to sell beer outside Boston's Fenway Park on a trial basis. During the 14 games, adult beverages will be available to game ticket holders who pass through a turnstile three hours before game time to one hour after games start.
2002 The Rangers, in a 17-6 victory over the Yankees, hit six doubles in the second inning, all off Mike Mussina. New York's starting pitcher joins Hall of Famer Lefty Grove (1934 Red Sox) as only the second pitcher in major league history to allow that many two-baggers in one frame.
2003 The Expos retire number 8 as a tribute to Gary Carter, their first and only player inducted into the Hall of Fame wearing a Montreal cap. During his 12-year tenure with the team, the 'Kid' enjoyed being a National League All-Star seven times.
2003 John Smoltz becomes the fastest pitcher to record 40 saves, breaking a record he set a week later during last season. The Braves closer throws a scoreless ninth in the team's 7-4 victory over the Astros to establish the new mark.
2003 The first-place Giants make a significant move on the trading deadline, acquiring Sidney Ponson (14-6, 3.77) from the Orioles in exchange for their former first-round draft pick Kurt Ainsworth, Damian Moss, and southpaw prospect Ryan Hannaman. The 26-year-old right-hander, who will go 3-6 down the stretch for San Francisco, will join the rotation, including Jason Schmidt, Kirk Rueter, Jesse Foppert, Jerome Williams, and Jim Brower.
2004 In front of thousands of fans outside Kauffman Stadium and those viewing the ceremony inside the ballpark on the JumboTron, the Royals unveil a bronze statue of Frank White, depicting the eight-time Gold Glove second baseman sailing over the bag to complete a double play. The detailed sculpture, created by Harry Weber of St. Louis, joins those of founders Ewing and Muriel Kauffman and Hall of Fame infielder George Brett as the third statue honoring the accomplishments of individuals within the franchise.

Frank White

Photo by Bob Mendelsohn
2004 With homers in his first two at-bats off Jorge Sosa, Carlos Delgado hits his fifth home run in five consecutive at-bats off the Devil Rays' right-hander. The Blue Jay slugger's streak started last season with a round-tripper on September 10th, then extended to three when the Tampa Bay hurler gave up the first two dingers in his four-homer day on September 25th.
2004 The Red Sox complete the long-anticipated trade of Nomar Garciaparra when the shortstop goes to the Cubs as part of a four-team deal that includes the Twins and Expos. Boston acquires Orlando Cabrera (Expos) and Doug Mientkiewicz (Twins), sending Nomar and Matt Murton to Chicago, which ships Justin Jones to Minnesota for Mientkiewicz, who, along with Cubs' shortstop Alex Gonzalez, Francis Beltran, and prospect Brendan Harris, go to Beantown, who sends the trio of Gonzalez, Beltran, and Harris to Montreal for Cabrera.

(Ed. Note: Got that? - LP :-] )

2004 Ten minutes before the trading deadline, Steve Finley gives the Diamondbacks permission to deal him to the Dodgers. The trade sends the four-time Gold Glove center fielder and backstop Brent Mayne to LA for minor league catching prospect Koyie Hill, flycatcher Reggie Abercrombie, and southpaw Bill Murphy, acquired in yesterday's trade with the Marlins.
2004 A minute before the trading deadline, the Yankees deal the talented but underachieving Jose Contreras (8-5, 5.64) and $3 million to the White Sox for All-Star pitcher Esteban Loaiza (9-5, 4.86). The former Yankees hurler will post a 55-56 record during his six seasons in the Windy City, while the newest Bronx Bomber moundsman will win one of only three decisions during his two-month stint in the Big Apple.
2004 After a close call against the Katy Cowboys, the umpires ask Kacy Clemens' dad to leave the youth baseball game. League officials, calling the incident a case of mistaken identity, apologize for ejecting Roger Clemens from his son's championship game for arguing the call and spitting sunflower seeds at an umpire's leg.
2005 American Rhetoric's list of America's 50 Important Speeches in 21st-century America includes Ryne Sandberg's Hall of Fame induction remarks. The selection, compiled by Dr. Lucas, a professor in the Humanities and Professor of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and Dr. Medhurst (1952-2021), the Distinguished Professor of Rhetoric and Communication at Baylor University (TX), includes addresses by Barack Obama, Steve Jobs, and Bono.

2005 The almost-traded Manny Ramirez comes off the bench in the eighth inning and has the eventual game-winning hit against the Twins in the Red Sox's 5-4 victory at Fenway Park. The embattled Boston outfielder has caused much consternation in the Red Sox nation this week due to his refusal to play and hustle for his short-handed team.
2005 Among thousands of high-spirited Red Sox and Cubs fans, the Baseball Hall of Fame, with 48 of its members sitting on the dais, enshrines Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg. Also inducted are Padres announcer Jerry Coleman, winner of the Ford C. Frick Award, and sportswriter and broadcast analyst Peter Gammons, recipient of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award.

2005 Brothers Bengie and Jose Molina both homer in the Angels' 8-7 loss at Yankee Stadium. The Anaheim teammates go deep off southpaw Randy Johnson, a future Hall of Famer, to accomplish the feat.
2006 With the wind blowing out at Wrigley Field, Diamondbacks second baseman Orlando Hudson hits a home run from both sides of home plate. Batting left-handed, he goes deep off Mark Prior in the third inning for his first career grand slam, and then, hitting right-handed, nails a Glendon Rusch pitch for a two-run homer in the seventh, contributing to Arizona's 15-4 victory over the Cubs.
2006 The Dodgers trade infielder Cesar Izturis to the Cubs for 300-game winner Greg Maddux. The last-minute deadline deal, in which the future Hall of Famer waived his no-trade clause, allows the 40-year-old hurler to go to a contender.
2006 Carlos Beltran hits his third grand slam within a calendar month, becoming the ninth player to accomplish the feat. The New York center fielder's bases-filled homer is the Mets' sixth, tying the 1996 Expos and 1999 Indians for most by a team in a calendar month.
2007 The trading deadline prompts a busy day for the Braves when they deal eight players in three different transactions, including obtaining Mark Teixeira and southpaw reliever Ron Mahay from the Rangers for the highly touted rookie backstop Jarrod Saltalamacchia and four minor leaguers. Atlanta also gets bullpen help from the Royals and Padres, with Octavio Dotel and Royce Ring joining the team for Kyle Davies, who will now pitch for Kansas City, and Wil Ledezma and Will Startup going to San Diego.
2007 The Yankees tie a franchise record for round-trippers in a game by hitting eight home runs in a 16-3 rout of the White Sox. The Bronx Bombers' barrage, which includes two long balls by left fielder Hideki Matsui, equals the power surge of the game played in 1939 against the A's in Philadelphia's Shibe Park.
2007 Elvis Andrus and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, along with three minor league pitchers, Matt Harrison, Neftali Feliz, and Beau Jones, are traded by the Braves to the Rangers for Mark Teixeira and Ron Mahay. The trading deadline deal will help build the foundation for Texas' success in the coming seasons, with Andrus and Feliz playing essential roles on the American League champions teams in 2010 and 2011.
2008 At Yankee Stadium, a trio of Angels blast three-run home runs as the team beat the Bronx Bombers, 12-6. The homers, all hit by LA's outfielders, Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero, and Juan Rivera, account for nine of the dozen runs as the club improves its record to 68-40, the best in baseball.
2008 In a surprise trading-deadline deal, the Reds send future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. to the White Sox in exchange for right-hander Nick Masset and minor league infield prospect Danny Richar. The All-Star outfielder, who had to approve the move to Chicago, completing his final season of a nine-year contract, didn't expect Cincinnati to pick up the $16.5 million club option for 2009.
2008 In a three-team trade, the Red Sox finally accomplished the much-anticipated departure of Manny Ramirez to LA., dealing Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss to the Pirates. The Bucs send Jason Bay to the Red Sox, with the Dodgers' Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris going to Pittsburgh.
2009 In a stunning last-minute deal, the White Sox obtain Jake Peavy from the Padres for four pitching prospects: Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Dexter Carter, and Adam Russell. The 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner, currently on the disabled list, had previously refused to waive his no-trade clause to join Chicago in a similar deal proposed in May.
2009 The Marlins acquire Nick Johnson from the Nationals in exchange for left-handed pitching prospect Aaron Thompson. The 30-year-old injury-prone first baseman's ability to get on base should provide more scoring opportunities for a Florida team vying for a wild-card berth.
2010 Needing a home run to complete the sixth cycle in franchise history, Carlos Gonzalez, the leading hitter in the National League, belts a game-ending round-tripper against Cubs' closer Sean Marshall that gives the Rockies a 6-5 comeback victory. 'CarGo,' who becomes the fifth player to complete the cycle with a walk-off home run, smashes the first pitch thrown in the bottom of the ninth 462 feet into the third deck, making the monstrous shot the 29th to land there in the 11-year history of Coors Field.

2011 In a five-player deal, the Braves, hoping to add offensive punch during their run for the NL Wild Card, obtain Michael Bourn from the last-place Astros. The speedy center fielder, currently hitting .303 and having a major league-leading 39 stolen bases, gives the team its first bonafide leadoff hitter since Rafael Furcal left after the 2005 season.
2011 The Braves become only the second team in big-league history with 10,000 losses, along with the Phillies, who reached the milestone in 2007. The franchise recently collected its 10,000th victory, including the wins during its tenure in Boston and Milwaukee.
2011 Although the Blue Jays already display his uniform digits on the Level of Excellence, the team officially retires Roberto Alomar's No. 12 jersey, making the infielder the first player so honored in this manner in the franchise's 35-year history. The newly inducted member of the Hall of Fame played five seasons with Toronto, including on the back-to-back 1992-93 World Series championship teams.
2011 The Red Sox (66-40) continue their winning ways when they beat Chicago at Fenway Park, 5-3. The eventual World Champs end the month with a 20-6 record, the team's best July since 1952.
2012 With their 10-1 loss in Milwaukee, the Astros finish July with a dismal 3-24 record. Only the 1988 Orioles (April - 1-22), 1916 A's (July - 2-28), 1982 Twins (May - 3-26), and the 1943 A's (August - 3-26) have compiled worse months in baseball history.
2013 The Rangers complete a three-game sweep of the Angels when Adrian Beltre leads off the ninth inning with a home run, giving the team a 2-1 walk-off victory. Texas won each Arlington contest with a game-ending round-tripper, a feat last accomplished in 1999 when the Diamondbacks swept the Expos at the Bank One Ballpark. 
2014 On Facebook, 29-year-old Pete Frates, the former Boston College baseball captain living with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, challenges The Howard Stern Show and several friends to participate in the 'Ice Bucket Challenge.' The post will become a catalyst that sparks a call to action that celebrities will take up, Ethel Kennedy, Martha Stewart, and former Red Sox captain Jason Varitek, to raise funds and awareness of ALS, often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

2016 With the winning run on third with only one out and the team tied at 6 with the Mariners in the bottom of the 12th, Cubs skipper Jon Maddon goes to the bench, sending up poor-hitting pitcher Jon Lester to pinch-hit. The left-hander, a .051 hitter in 216 career at-bats, doesn't disappoint when he lays down a perfect squeeze bunt, giving Chicago a dramatic 7-6 walk-off victory at Wrigley Field.

2016 The Brooklyn Cyclones honor Wilmer Flores with a bobblehead commemorating his emotional roller coaster at the end of July last season. The 23-year-old Venezuelan infielder, believing the Brewers had traded for him, cried on the field, but three days later, hit a walk-off homer to lift the team, beginning a sweep over the division-leading Nationals, that will put the jubilant Mets in first place for the rest of the season.

2019 At the trading deadline, the Diamondbacks send Zack Greinke and cash to the Houston Astros for minor leaguers Seth Beer, J.B. Bukauskas, Joshua Rojas, and Corbin Martin, a rookie right-handed starter. The 2009 Cy Young Award winner, who will post an 8-1 mark for the eventual AL champs, joins the top of a very talented rotation with Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, the winner and runner-up for this season's prestigious pitcher award in the American League.
2022 James Outman becomes the eighth Dodger in franchise history to hit a home run in his first plate appearance, driving a 1-1 pitch over the right-center field wall to give the team an early 2-0 advantage. The Los Angeles 25-year-old rookie finishes the game with three hits, three RBI, and two runs scored.
66 Fact(s) Found