This Date in Baseball

"The designated hitter rule is like letting someone else take Wilt Chamberlain's free throws." -RICK WISE, Major league pitcher (1964-82)


1884 New York Gotham pitcher Mickey Welch strikes out the first nine Cleveland Blues hitters to face him establishing a major league record.
1926 Emil Lessen pitches and wins two complete games against the Red Sox, 6-1 and 5-1. The Indians' pitcher does not strike out any batters during his doubleheader sweep.
1932 Due to the anticipation of an eclipse, the Red Sox complete a game several days earlier than scheduled with the Indians and beat the Tribe in 11 innings, 4-3. Three days later, Fenway goes dark for twenty minutes during the solar event.
1951 The Pirates end the Giants' 16-game winning streak defeating New York, 2-0. Due to the consecutive victories, Leo Durocher and his club were able to narrow the Dodgers lead from 13.5 to six games.
1971 Phillies' pitcher Rick Wise hits two home runs, including a grand slam, en route to his 7-3 defeat of the Giants. Five weeks earlier, Wise also hit two round-trippers against Reds and no-hit the team on the same day, 4-0.

1977 Steve Garvey hits three doubles and two home runs (including a grand slam) in five at-bats as the Los Angeles routs the Cardinals, 11-0. In hi five at bats, the Dodger first baseman compiles 14 total bases.
1977 In a game the Orioles win, 6-1, Angel hurler Nolan Ryan strikes 11 batters to reach the 300 strikeout season mark for the fifth time in his career.
1990 Ryne Sandberg homers to become the first second baseman to hit 30 home runs in consecutive seasons as the Cubs beat the Astros, 5-2.
1992 In a 22-2 rout, the Blue Jays pitching staff yields 31 hits, which 22 are singles, to help the Brewers set an American League record.
2000 The players' association has exercised its option to extend the collective bargaining agreement ensuring labor peace through October 31, 2001. The expected move comes as no surprise as the players appear to be happy with the November 1996 deal, but the owners have expressed concerns the present CBA has widened the talent gap between the high and low-revenue markets due to escalating salaries.

2001 Alex Rodriguez becomes the ninth player, and the second shortstop, in major league history to hit 40 home runs in four consecutive seasons. The first shortstop to reach the plateau was Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, who accomplished the feat from 1957-60 for the Cubs.
2003 Jose Reyes becomes the youngest player in major league history to hit a home run from each side of the plate. The 20-year old shortstop accounts for all the Mets runs, hitting a solo shot left off Mike Hampton in fifth inning and a two-run dinger lefty off Trey Hodges in the ninth, as New York beats the Braves, 3-1.

2005 Down three runs in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Hawaii stages an improbable comeback tying the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the sixth inning to force only the third extra-inning championship game, and the first since 1971. The Ewa Beach bunch beats the Caribbean champs, 7-6, as catcher Michael Memea hits a walk off homer in the bottom of the 7th inning.