This Date in Baseball

"Funny thing, I played in the Big Leagues for 13 years -1914 through 1926- and the only thing anybody seems to remember is that once I made an unassisted triple play in a World Series. Many didn't even remember the team I was on, or the position I played, or anything. Just Wambsganss - unassisted triple play ...You think I was born the day before and died the day after." -BILL WAMBSGANSS, as quoted in The Glory of Their Times by Lawrence S. Ritter


1920 Indians' Bill Wambsganss becomes the only player in World Series history to complete an unassisted triple play as he makes a leaping catch, steps on second base and then tags the runner arriving from first base.
1920 1920 Outfielder Elmer Smith becomes the first player to hit a grand slam in World Series history as the Indians defeat the Dodgers and Burleigh Grimes, 8-1. In the same game, Bagby becomes the first pitcher to hit a home run in World Series history.
1923 In the first post season game ever played at Yankee Stadium, veteran Giants' outfielder Casey Stengel breaks a 4-4 deadlock in the top of the ninth inning with an inside-the-park home run off Joe Bush. The contest is the first World Series game to be broadcast nationally.
1924 With the score tied at 3-3 and one out in the bottom of the 12th, Senators' backstop Muddy Ruel lifts a high catchable foul pop-up which Giant catcher Hank Gowdy misses as he stumbles over his own mask. Given a second chance, Ruel then doubles and eventually scores the winning run.

1948 The largest crowd ever to attend an American League game, 86,288 fans, jam Cleveland's Municipal Stadium to witness Boston Braves' hurler Warren Spahn beat Bob Feller and the Indians, 11-5 in Game 5 of the Fall Classic.
1968 Cardinal fireballer Bob Gibson sets mark for total strikeouts (35) in a World Series, but loses the seventh and deciding game to Tigers, 4-1.
1970 Boog Powell, Ellie Hendricks and Brooks Robinson homer to power the Orioles over Reds at Riverfront Stadium in the first game of the World Series.
1973 In the fifth and deciding game, the Mets win National League pennant beating Reds, 7-2. Tom Seaver bests Jack Billingham in the Shea stadium showdown.
1982 The Brewers become the first team to overcome an 0-2 start in a best of a five-game LCS and take the American League pennant by winning the remaining three games against Angels.

1993 Frank Thomas is selected as the American League's Most Valuable player. The first baseman batted .317 with 41 home runs and knocked in 128 runs for the division-winning White Sox.
1999 Scoring more than 19 NFL teams, the Red Sox establish a major league record for most runs and biggest margin of victory in a post-season game as they rout the Indians, 23-7 to tie the 5-game series at two games a piece.
2000 In a 2-0 Seattle victory, the Mariners (9) and Yankees (13) combined for 22 strikeouts to set an ALCS record in Game 1 of the series.

2003 With six hits in six consecutive at-bats, Kenny Lofton sets an NLCS record and ties the ALCS mark. Gary Matthews (Phillies-1983), Will Clark (Giants-1989), Steve Buechele (Pirates-1991) and Javy Lopez (Braves-1996) all held the previous NL distinction with 5 consecutive hits and Paul Molitor (Blue Jays-1993) establishing the major league standard, now shared with the Cub flychaser, with reaching safely six times in six consecutive at-bats.
2005 Although the Phillies (88-74) have had three straight winning seasons and missed a chance of being the wild card by one game this season, Ed Wade is fired as the team’s general manager. Philadelphia has not played in the post-season for the 12th consecutive years, including the last eight seasons with Wade calling the shot.