April 6

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Stats of players who were born this day
Stats of players who died on this day
Standings on this day
Permanent link to Today's Entry
Sources
Baseball Library Chronology
Today in Baseball History

Events, births and deaths that occurred on April 6.

Events

• 1871 - The Mutual club of New York leaves on the steamer General Barnes for Savannah‚ Georgia where they will start their southern tour with a game on April 10th.
• 1884 - Two days after winds have blown down the fence at Cincinnati's Union Association grounds‚ high winds destroy much of the fence at New York's Polo Grounds and at Metropolitan Park‚ new home of the Mets.
• 1889 - The Tourists arrive back in New York City having staged 28 games overseas since leaving the United States on November 18th.
• 1891 - The International League changes its name to the Eastern Association because it no longer has any Canadian clubs.
• 1898 - Pitcher Amos Rusie and OF Mike Tiernan of the Giants are on the sick list. The cold and wet weather while the team has been playing at Lakewood, NY‚ instead of Hot Springs‚ AR‚ is blamed.
• 1903 - Gordon (Mickey) Cochrane is born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Cochrane will make his major league debut in 1925, when he bats .331 for the Philadelphia Athletics. A standout defensive catcher, Cochrane will bat .320 over a 13-year career. He will gain Hall of Fame honors in 1947.
• 1928 - Playing in the Philadelphia city series between the A's and the Phillies‚ Ty Cobb makes an unassisted double play.
• 1930 - The Giants play their first night game‚ a 9 - 1 exhibition win against their Bridgeport farm team in Bridgeport‚ CT. The Giants won't play a night game at home until 1940.
• 1932 - The Albuquerque Dons (Class D Arizona-Texas League) open the season with a 43 - 15 win over the El Paso Texans.
• 1939 - A howling windstorm of 50 mph does not deter the Red Sox and Reds from playing an exhibition game in Florence‚ SC, but the weather and the rock-hard infield results in the game being called in the 9th inning when all 54 baseballs have disappeared. "Grounders were actually blown off the ground and over the outfield fences‚" observed Lou Smith in the Cincinnati Enquirer. The score is 18 - 18 when the game ends with both teams covered with grime.
• 1940 - Hankyu sets the Nippon Pro Baseball record for runs in a game, whipping Nankai 32 - 2. Takashi Nakajima bats in all but one inning and the team gets 45 baserunners on board.
• 1951 - P Bert Blyleven is born in Zeist, Netherlands. His family will move first to Canada, then to the United States while he is still a youngster. Throwing one of the best curveballs in history, he will pitch for 22 seasons, winning 287 games, throwing 60 shutouts and striking out 3,701 opponents. A member of World Champion teams in Pittsburgh in 1979 and Minnesota in 1987, he will gain election to the Hall of Fame in 2011, on his 14th try.
• 1958 - The International League votes to open its season in Havana‚ unless the political and social strife in Cuba worsens.
• 1961 - Vedie Himsl is designated as head coach of the Cubs for the first two weeks of the season.
• 1962 - On the heel of his career season in 1961, Roberto Clemente closes out spring training with a flourish. Clemente, last year's National League batting champion, leads all Pirates in the spring with six home runs, 15 RBI and a .343 average. Saving his best for last, he belts two homers into Frank D. Lawrence Stadium's distant centerfield bleachers in the final spring scrimmage.
• 1970:
  • In the last home opener at Crosley Field‚ the Reds top the Expos‚ 5 - 1‚ behind Jim Merritt. It is the first win for manager Sparky Anderson and the big league debut of David Concepcion. The Reds hit three homers in the 4th‚ when Lee May‚ Bernie Carbo and Bobby Tolan connect. It is Carbo's first major league hit. Joe Sparma takes the loss.
  • In the traditional opener in Washington, DC‚ Detroit's Mickey Lolich shuts out the Senators‚ 5 - 0. Dick Bosman is the losing pitcher.
• 1971:
  • Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants hits a home run on Opening Day, marking the start of a historic streak. Mays will hit home runs in each of the Giants' first four games, setting a major league record that will later be tied by Mark McGwire (1998), Nelson Cruz (2011) and Chris Davis (2013).
  • At Fenway Park‚ the Red Sox take their second straight Opener against the Yankees‚ winning 3 - 1. Boston's Ray Culp allows five hits in nine innings in winning over Stan Bahnsen‚ who gives up two runs in seven innings. Reggie Smith has three hits and his throw to the plate in the 8th gets the last out.
  • Before 39‚712 chilled fans in Pittsburgh‚ the Pirates win their Opener‚ 4 - 2‚ over the Phils. Dock Ellis is the winner‚ laying down three sacrifice bunts‚ and getting help with four Phillie errors.
  • Before 41‚121 at Chicago‚ Billy Williams clubs a 10th-inning homer off Bob Gibson to give the Cubs a 2 - 1 win over the Cards. Joe Torre's homer‚ off Fergie Jenkins‚ is the only Cardinal score.
  • At Houston‚ Claude Osteen allows four hits and rookie Bill Buckner's homer accounts for all the scoring as the Dodgers beat the Astros‚ 2 - 0. Don Wilson takes the loss. Osteen was 6-0 last year against Houston.
  • The Mets win their first opener ever at Shea Stadium‚ beating the Expos‚ 4 - 2‚ in five innings. Heavy rain and wind cuts the contest short. Tom Seaver is the winner over Carl Morton.
• 1972 - The first general strike in the history of the major leagues officially begins with the cancellation of Opening Day games in both leagues. The strike will be settled seven days later when the players and owners come to agreement on pension fund payments. The two sides agree not to make up the 86 missed games.
• 1973:
  • At Fenway Park, Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees becomes the first designated hitter in major league history. In his first plate appearance, Blomberg walks with the bases loaded against Luis Tiant. He will end up with one hit in three at-bats. Meanwhile, Carlton Fisk hits two home runs (one a grand slam) to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 15 - 5 victory over New York.
  • The Pittsburgh Pirates retire Roberto Clemente's uniform number 21 in a moving pre-game ceremony before 51,695 fans at Three Rivers Stadium. The 38-year-old Clemente died in a plane crash the previous New Year's Eve. The Pirates then beat St. Louis‚ 7 - 5‚ with a 9th-inning rally.
  • At Baltimore‚ Dave McNally fires a three-hitter as the Orioles roll over the Brewers‚ 10 - 0. Don Baylor has three doubles‚ a homer‚ and four RBIs‚ while Brooks Robinson bangs two homers for four RBIs.
• 1974:
  • The New York Yankees defeat the Cleveland Indians, 6 - 1, at Shea Stadium. This is the Yanks' first game of a two-year period at Shea while Yankee Stadium is being rebuilt. 12-year-old Teddy Kennedy‚ Jr.‚ flanked by his father and Mayor Abe Beame‚ tosses out the first ball. Missing from the ceremony is George Steinbrenner‚ indicted two days earlier for illegal campaign contributions. Graig Nettles' two-run homer in the 4th off the Indians' Gaylord Perry opens the scoring and the Yanks score four more times to win. Charlie Spikes scores the only Cleveland run in the 9th following a triple off starter and winner Mel Stottlemyre. Perry‚ who is warned once for an illegal pitch‚ is the loser today‚ but he will win his next 15 decisions.
  • Mike Schmidt, batting eighth in the lineup, hits a two-run homer off Tug McGraw in the 9th inning to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 5 - 4 win over the New York Mets at Veterans Stadium. It is the Mets' only Opening Day loss of the 1970s.
  • The Royals set a team record for runs‚ rolling over the Twins‚ 23 - 6. The 20th Kansas City run comes on Frank White's first major league homer.
• 1975 - The Astros purchase P Joe Niekro from the Braves.
• 1977:
  • For the second time in nine years, a new franchise makes its major league debut in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Mariners lose their first regular season game at the Kingdome to Frank Tanana and the Angels, 7 - 0. Joe Rudi is 3 for 4 with a homer and four RBIs. The loser for the M's is Diego Segui‚ who pitched in the Seattle Pilots' Opener in 1969‚ a 4 - 3 loss at Anaheim. Segui is the only player to appear for both the Pilots and the Mariners.
  • Despite a snowfall of four inches this morning‚ the Reds open against the Padres‚ winning 5 - 3. The snow‚ which stops falling at 11:30 is cleared out of the stadium a half hour before the game's start.
• 1978 - In a rain-delayed season opener in Cincinnati‚ Houston's Terry Puhl leads off with a homer against Tom Seaver‚ who allows five runs in three innings. But led by Joe Morgan's pair of two-run doubles and a homer‚ the Reds prevail‚ 11 - 9. In the bottom of the 7th‚ with Morgan on third base and George Foster on first‚ Dan Driessen strikes out and Foster is caught stealing second‚ C Joe Ferguson to SS Roger Metzger. Morgan tries to score on the play and is thrown out on the return. This is apparently the first triple play begun with a strikeout. In 1982‚ the Twins will start a triple play with a strikeout.
• 1979:
  • The Astros beat the Braves, 2 - 1. Atlanta loses the services of Rookie of the Year 3B Bob Horner for the next 32 games due to an ankle injury.
  • At Baltimore‚ manager Earl Weaver wins his 1‚000th game as a skipper‚ as the O's open with a 5 - 3 win over the White Sox. Jim Palmer allows three hits to win. Rich Dauer‚ who ended the 1978 season by driving in a run in ten straight games‚ adds another game to the streak with an infield out.
• 1982:
  • The largest crowd ever to see a baseball game in Minnesota, 52,279, turns out for the inaugural game at the brand-new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Twins rookie Gary Gaetti has four hits, including a pair of home runs, but the visiting Seattle Mariners win, 11 - 7.
  • A freak heavy spring snow storm brings sub-freezing temperatures across the northeast and midwest and causes the postponement of home openers for the Yankees, Tigers, White Sox, Brewers, Indians, Phillies and Pirates. With two games snowed out in Chicago‚ the Red Sox will return tomorrow to Winter Haven, FL.
  • The Reds sell P Mike LaCoss‚ 4-7 in 1981‚ to the Astros.
• 1989:
  • The consecutive scoreless innings streak of Los Angeles Dodgers ace Orel Hershiser comes to an end. Hershiser gives up a run in the 1st inning of a loss to the Cincinnati Reds, ending his scoreless innings streak at 59.
  • In the Royals' 3 - 2 win over the Blue Jays‚ Kansas City batters combine for just 20 at bats. This is one shy of the major league record for fewest at bats‚ which Baltimore set on September 12‚ 1964‚ versus Kansas City. Toronto allows eight walks‚ makes three double plays‚ and KC has a sacrifice and two sacrifice flies.
• 1992:
  • The Baltimore Orioles play the first game in Oriole Park at Camden Yards history. The capacity crowd of 44,568 includes US President George Bush. Baltimore defeats the Cleveland Indians, 2 - 0, behind the five-hit pitching of Rick Sutcliffe.
  • The Seattle Mariners lose to the Texas Rangers‚ 12 - 10‚ on Opening Day‚ allowing Texas to score nine runs with two outs in the 8th inning. The game draws 55‚918 to the Kingdome.
  • Toronto's Jack Morris sets a record with his 13th consecutive Opening Day start‚ as he goes all the way in defeating the Tigers‚ 4 - 2.
  • Mets reliever Jeff Innis is credited with the win over the Cardinals in New York's 4 - 2 Opening Day victory. In 1991‚ Innis became the only pitcher in baseball history to appear in at least 60 games with neither a win nor a save.
• 1993:
  • In his National League debut‚ Cubs P Jose Guzman takes a perfect game into the 8th inning against Atlanta‚ finally settling for a one-hit‚ 1 - 0 victory. Otis Nixon's single with two outs in the 9th is the Braves' only hit.
  • The Phils' Mitch Williams changes his uniform number from 28 to 99‚ the highest number in history. He picks up a save today and vows to throw at 99 mph every outing.
• 1995:
  • The Blue Jays acquire David Cone (16-5) from the Royals in exchange for infielders Chris Stynes and Anthony Medrano‚ and P David Sinnes.
  • The Braves obtain OF Marquis Grissom from the Expos in exchange for outfielders Roberto Kelly and Tony Tarasco and P Esteban Yan.
• 1996:
  • Chan Ho Park of the Los Angeles Dodgers becomes the first pitcher born in South Korea to win a major league game. Park throws six shutout innings of relief to earn the decision in a 3 - 1 win over the Chicago Cubs.
  • Padres pitching prospect Matt LaChappa‚ 20‚ suffers a massive heart attack while warming up for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. He will remain severely disabled, but the Padres will keep re-signing him year after year so that he receives proper medical coverage.
  • Warming up in the outfield before the Indians' game with Toronto‚ Albert Belle heaves a ball at photographer Tony Tomsic‚ hitting him. Belle contends that it wasn't deliberate‚ even though it was his second throw near Tomsic‚ and even though he warned the photographer not to snap his picture. The league will open an investigation in two weeks and Tomsic will file a lawsuit on December 12th. The Indians win the game‚ defeating the Blue Jays‚ 5 - 3.
  • Terry Pendleton hits a game-ending homer leading off the 10th to give Florida a 1 - 0 win over the Giants. Mark Dewey‚ in relief of starter Mark Leiter who went nine innings‚ serves up the gopher.
  • Tiger CF Melvin Nieves bangs two doubles‚ a triple and a homer as the Tigers top the A's‚ 6 - 1. Nieves was acquired from the Padres in a spring training trade.
  • The Twins hand the Orioles their first loss of the year‚ topping the O's‚ 8 - 3. Cal Ripken fumbles a grounder in the 5th inning stopping his errorless streak at 74 games.
• 1998:
  • Former All-Star pitcher John Wyatt dies from a heart attack in Omaha, Nebraska, at the age of 63. After starring in the Negro Leagues, Wyatt embarked on a nine-year career in the American League, where he saved 103 games. In perhaps his most memorable appearance, he won Game 6 of the 1967 World Series for the Boston Red Sox.
  • Houston trounces Colorado‚ 13 - 4‚ despite five hits by Rockies RF Dante Bichette. Jeff Bagwell homers and drives home three runs for the Astros.
  • The Cleveland Indians request permission from the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell shares of the team to the public. Plans are made for an initial offering of 4 million shares.
• 1999:
  • The Braves defeat the Phillies, 11 - 3‚ behind Greg Maddux. Maddux hits a homer and two-run single in Atlanta's eight-run 4th inning‚ becoming the first pitcher since Todd Stottlemyre in 1996 to get two hits in the same inning.
  • The U.S. government garnishes Denny McLain's pension in order to reimburse the pension fund from which he was convicted of laundering money. McLain was recently divorced and under the terms of the settlement‚ all of his assets went to his wife‚ including his pension‚ while McLain got all of the debts. But a federal judge overrules that and orders that all of McLain's pension benefits be used to reimburse his victims.
• 2000:
  • The Pirates defeat the Astros‚ 10 - 1‚ as OF Brian Giles goes 5 for 5‚ including two homers and a triple. Pittsburgh P Francisco Cordova does not give up a hit to Houston until one man is out in the 8th inning.
  • The Royals defeat the Blue Jays‚ 9 - 3‚ as rookie P Chad Durbin allows just one hit in six innings in his first big league start and second big league appearance. The Royals score all nine of their runs in the 6th inning.
• 2001:
  • On Opening Day at Veterans Stadium, Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning's number 14 jersey is retired. Bunning, who compiled a 224-184 record in his 17-year career pitching for the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers, joins Richie Ashburn (1), Robin Roberts (36), Steve Carlton (32) and Mike Schmidt (20) as the fifth player to have his number retired by the Phillies.
  • The Milwaukee Brewers, after a disappointing 0-4 start on the road, get into the winner's circle in front of US President George W. Bush, as they beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5 - 4, in the first game played at Miller Park. Cincinnati's Sean Casey hits the park's first home run, but Richie Sexson's home run in the 8th inning breaks a 4 - 4 deadlock, giving Milwaukee the victory.
• 2002:
  • Highly-touted Japanese pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii makes his major league debut and pitches 5 1/3 scoreless innings‚ striking out ten‚ in Los Angeles's 9 - 2 win over the Rockies. Brian Jordan backs Ishii with a grand slam to give the loss to Jason Jennings. Relief pitcher Jesse Orosco of the Dodgers scores just the third run of his four-decade major-league career. He last scored while playing for the Mets on July 22‚ 1986.
  • The White Sox roll by the Kansas City Royals‚ winning, 14 - 0. Mark Buehrle allows five hits in six innings pitched. Paul Konerko has three runs and three RBIs‚ and Magglio Ordonez has three RBIs. Trailing 9 - 0 in the 8th‚ the Royals bring in Miguel Asencio‚ the youngest pitcher in the majors. Making his major league debut‚ Asencio walks Kenny Lofton on four pitches and does the same to the next three batters. He leaves‚ having thrown 16 pitches, none of them strikes.
  • The Mets score nine runs in the 9th inning - eight off John Smoltz - to break a 2 - 2 tie and defeat the Braves‚ 11 - 2. Rey Ordonez's bases-loaded double is the big blow as the Mets have 15 at bats in the 9th. It is the most runs they've ever scored in the frame.
• 2003:
  • The White Sox score nine runs in the 8th inning to rally for a 10 - 2 win over the Tigers. Detroit becomes the first team since the 1962-1963 Mets to lose its first six games of the season in consecutive years.
  • The Pirates shut out the Phillies‚ 2 - 0‚ behind Kris Benson. Philadelphia's Jim Thome goes 0 for 4‚ ending his streak of reaching base safely in 60 straight games‚ the longest streak in the majors since Mark McGwire reached base in 62 games in a row in 1995 and 1996.
  • Alfonso Soriano and Nick Johnson hit back-to-back homers to start the game as the Yankees beat Tampa Bay‚ 10 - 5. Roger Clemens earns victory #295.
  • Shea Hillenbrand has a homer‚ two doubles‚ and six RBI to pace the Red Sox to 12 - 2 win over the Orioles. Nomar Garciaparra adds a walk‚ double‚ triple‚ and homer‚ and scores four times as the Sox jump on nemesis Rodrigo Lopez‚ 4-0 versus Boston last year.
• 2004:
  • In an on-line poll in which nearly 8,000 fans participate, Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie is selected as the title of a documentary about the 2003 season. Other choices offered by the team and the Boston Globe web sites included This Is the Year, The Ecstasy and the Agony and Always the Bridesmaid in addition to fan's wry suggestion of I Know What You Did Last Summer, I Wish I Didn't Know What You Did Last Fall.
  • Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Adrian Beltre becomes the 36th player in major league history to hit 100 home runs before the age of 25.
  • The World Champion Florida Marlins open their season with a 4 - 3 win over the Montreal Expos. The game marks the first time that two World Series MVPs oppose each other on Opening Day‚ with 2003 winner Josh Beckett going for Florida and 1997 winner Livan Hernandez on the mound for Montreal. Like Beckett, Hernandez was a member of the Marlins when he was named World Series MVP.
  • The Mets open their season with a 7 - 2 win over the Braves. SS Kazuo Matsui, making his American baseball debut, opens the game with a home run on the first pitch from Russ Ortiz‚ becoming only the 20th player in baseball history to homer on the first major league pitch he sees. Matsui adds a pair of doubles and two walks in his debut. He is the third player in Met history to homer in his first at bat‚ joining Mike Fitzgerald and Benny Ayala.
  • The Giants down the Astros‚ 7 - 5‚ as rookie P David Aardsma gets the win in his first major league appearance. With his first pitch of the game, Aardsma also replaces Hank Aaron in the top spot in baseball's all-time alphabetical listing.
• 2005 - At Citizens Bank Park, Brad Wilkerson of the Washington Nationals hits for the cycle in the franchise's first victory since moving to Washington, DC, 7 - 3 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Wilkerson also becomes the twentieth player in major league history to hit for the cycle twice.
• 2005 - Shugo Fujii, Hirotoshi Ishii and Ryota Igarashi of the Yakult Swallows combine for a Central League-record 19 strikeouts against the Chunichi Dragons. Catcher Atsuya Furuta sets the CL record of 19 putouts for a backstop.
• 2006:
  • Jimmy Rollins goes 0 for 4, snapping a 38-game hitting streak that stretched over two seasons, and the Philadelphia Phillies lose, 4 - 2, to the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. Rollins' 38-game streak ranks as the eighth-longest in major league baseball history. Rollins hit .379 (64-for-169) during his streak and fell just seven games short of the all-time record of 45 held by Willie Keeler. "Wee Willie" got a hit in the final game of the 1896 season then posted at least one safety in 44 straight games to begin 1897. Rollins joins Vada Pinson (31 games 1965-1966), Ron LeFlore (31 games 1975-1976) and Hal Morris (32 games 1996-1997) as the only players since 1960 with 30-gamers over two years.
  • Using his newly-perfected knuckleball, Texas P R.A. Dickey ties a post-1900 major league record by surrendering six homers to the Tigers in a 10 - 6 Detroit victory. The only major league pitcher to give up more homers was Charlie Sweeney of the St. Louis Maroons, who allowed seven to the Detroit Wolverines on June 12, 1886. Detroit clouts seven round-trippers in the contest, and sets a major league record with 15 homers in their first three games, breaking the mark of ten set by the 1998 Mariners. The Tigers set a team record for any three-game span, breaking the mark of 14, set in 1997.
  • Devil Rays P Mark Hendrickson hurls a complete game three-hit shutout, defeating the Orioles, 2 - 0. It is the first complete game shutout for Tampa Bay since 2003. The streak of 349 consecutive games without a complete game shutout is second in American League history behind the 1994-1996 Milwaukee Brewers (386).
  • Pedro Feliz honors three former major leaguers (including his own manager, Felipe Alou) when he drives in Barry Bonds, Moises Alou and Lance Niekro with a bases-clearing double off Jorge Sosa during the Giants' six-run 3rd against the Braves. Feliz is the first major-leaguer in the last 49 years to drive in three sons of ex-major-leaguers on the same play. Further research reveals that it is only the 11th time since 1957 that three sons of big leaguers were on base at the same time. Doing some record-setting of their own in the 6 - 4 loss, Brave battery-mates Brian McCann (C) and Sosa (P) become only the 11th such duo to hit back-to-back homers in the majors when they go yard consecutively. It is the first major league hit and homer for Sosa, who will have two more hits, both homers, this year.
• 2009:
  • In Toronto, Adam Lind drives in six runs, including a three-run homer in the 4th, as the Blue Jays defeat Detroit, 12 - 5, on opening day. Rookie Travis Snider adds a home run off Justin Verlander for the Jays, while Curtis Granderson and Brandon Inge, the latter with a three-run shot, go deep for the Tigers off winning pitcher Roy Halladay.
  • Marquee free agent signees CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira have a rough time in their debut for the New York Yankees. Sabathia gives up six runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings and Teixeira goes 0 for 4 as the Orioles defeat the Yanks, 10 - 5, at Camden Yards. Cesar Izturis hits a two-run homer and Aubrey Huff a two-run double for the Birds as Jeremy Guthrie picks up the win.
  • Emilio Bonifacio hits the first Opening Day inside-the-park home run since Carl Yastrzemski in 1968. Bonifacio goes 4 for 5 with three steals and four runs in an excellent debut with the Marlins, as they beat the Reds, 12 - 6.
  • In his return to Seattle after ten years away, Ken Griffey Jr. homers off Francisco Liriano in a 6 - 1 Mariners win over Minnesota. It is Griffey's eighth career Opening Day homer, tying Frank Robinson's record.
  • Down 4 - 2 in the 9th, the Pirates rally with two outs against Jason Motte to beat the Cardinals. With two away and one on, Adam LaRoche singles, pinch-hitter Eric Hinske doubles in a run, Brandon Moss gets plunked and Jack Wilson delivers a three-run double for the win.
  • Vladimir Guerrero drives in a run in a 3 - 0 Angels win over the A's. It is his 19th RBI on Opening Day, breaking the record he shared with Jeff Kent and Frank Robinson.
• 2010:
  • The Tampa Bay Rays open their season with a walk-off win against the Baltimore Orioles. Trailing 3 - 2 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning, the Rays rally against O's closer Mike Gonzalez. Sean Rodriguez starts the frame with a single, pinch hitter Kelly Shoppach doubles, and Jason Bartlett is walked intentionally to load the bases. Carl Crawford then sends 36,973 fans home happy with a two-run double to right field. Solo homers by Adam Jones, Luke Scott and Matt Wieters off James Shields account for all the Orioles' runs.
  • The Padres' Chris Young makes a successful comeback from shoulder surgery last year, pitching San Diego to 6 - 3 win over the Diamondbacks. Everth Cabrera drives in four runs for San Diego, as Edwin Jackson is charged with the loss in his first start for Arizona.
  • The Angels enter the Guinness Book of World Records by asking 43,510 fans to don free Hideki Matsui fleece blankets, shattering the record of 17,758 people wearing fleece blankets at an event (set during a NBA game by the Cleveland Cavaliers).
• 2011:
  • The Red Sox are now 0-5 after another loss to the Indians at Progressive Field. Holding a 3 - 2 lead, the Indians load the bases with none out against Dennys Reyes in the 6th when an unusual play occurs. Michael Brantley hits a soft line drive to third base. 3B Kevin Youkilis drops the ball, picks it up and scrambles to the base while the runners hesitate, unsure about what to do; Youkilis then guns the ball to C Jason Varitek, who steps on home plate and moves aside, thinking he has completed a double play, but forgetting that the force has been removed when Youkilis recorded the first out. Travis Buck is as surprised as anyone to learn he is not out and that his run counts. Asdrubal Cabrera then follows with a three-run homer that breaks the game open. Shin-Soo Choo had opened the scoring with a solo shot in the 1st, and Matt LaPorta makes the final score 8 - 4 with another solo homer in the 8th.
  • The Chicago Cubs place two-fifths of their starting rotation on the disabled list today as Andrew Cashner has a shoulder strain and Randy Wells is experiencing pain in his forearm. The Cubs call up Casey Coleman from the minors and will give James Russell his first major league start in the pair's absence.
  • Another of the game's top sluggers undergoes an emergency appendectomy. Less than a week after Matt Holliday, the White Sox's Adam Dunn goes under the knife, but the progress in surgical procedures means that he may only miss a handful of games.
• 2012:
  • Texas starts its defense of its American League pennant with a 3 - 2 win over the White Sox at home. Colby Lewis strikes out nine over six innings for the win, outpitching John Danks. Ian Kinsler homers for the Rangers, while Adam Dunn, coming off a year in which he hit only .159, hits his record-tying eighth Opening Day homer for the Sox.
  • Carlos Pena is the hero as the Rays defeat the Yankees, 7 - 6, on Opening Day. Pena hits a grand slam off CC Sabathia in the 1st, and gets the game-winning hit, again with the bases loaded, off Mariano Rivera. Trailing 6 - 5 heading into the bottom of the 9th at Tropicana Field, the Rays stage a rally against the great "Mo", when Desmond Jennings leads off with a single and Ben Zobrist triples him in; Rivera issues intentional passes to the next two batters to load the bases, but after striking out Sean Rodriguez, he gives up Pena's game-ending hit to the base of the right field wall.
  • Kenta Maeda throws the first Nippon Pro Baseball no-hitter in five years (since the perfect game that ended the 2007 Japan Series). The 2010 Sawamura Award winner walks two in a 2 - 0 win over the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Despite new ownership and free agent signings, Yokohama has struggled, as they have now been shut out in 29 straight innings. Giancarlo Alvarado tosses a solid outing in a loss.
• 2013:
  • The Upton brothers, playing together for the Braves, stun the Cubs. With Atlanta trailing 5 - 4, B.J. Upton leads off the bottom of the 9th with a homer off Carlos Marmol, and two batters later, Justin Upton hits a walk-off blast to give the Braves a 6 - 5 win, his second long ball of the game. They are the first pair of brothers to homer in the same inning since Billy and Cal Ripken did so for Baltimore in 1996.
  • Alex Ramirez makes history in the Yokohama BayStars' 6 - 3 win over the Yakult Swallows. In the 6th inning, he homers off Masanori Ishikawa to reach 2,000 hits in Nippon Pro Baseball. He is the first foreign player to reach that mark, earning him entry into the meikyukai. He is also the second-fastest player to 2,000 hits (1,695 games, 49 more than Tetsuharu Kawakami) and the third to reach 2,000 against a former team.
  • The Dodgers trade P Aaron Harang to the Rockies in return for C Ramon Hernandez. Colorado's motivation for the deal is purely financial: they immediately designate Harang for assignment in order to trade him elsewhere.
  • Joan Carlos Pedroso becomes the ninth Cuban player to 300 home runs since the Castro revolution. The Isla de la Juventud slugger goes deep off Jonder Martinez in a 4 - 3 loss.
  • The International League's Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders start a forest fire in a wooded area behind the outfield fence when they set off fireworks at a game at their newly-renovated ballpark.
• 2014:
  • Texas P Yu Darvish becomes the fastest starting pitcher to reach 500 strikeouts when he fans David DeJesus and Wil Myers in the 1st inning of a 3- 0 win against the Rays in his first start of the season. It took Yu only 401 2/3 innings to reach the total, beating Kerry Wood, who had needed 404 2/3 innings.
  • Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez both hit their first two homers of the season as the Dodgers defeat the Giants, 6 - 2, behind the pitching of Zack Greinke. Kemp had not hit a single homer at home during an injury-plagued 2013 campaign.
• 2015 - P Sonny Gray is sharp starting on Opening Day for the A's, as he holds the Rangers hitless until Ryan Rua leads off the 8th with a single. Oakland prevails easily, 8 - 0, and in doing so breaks a string of ten straight losses in their opening game of the season.
• 2016 - The Padres become the first team in major league history to lose their first three games of the season all by shutout. They suffer a 7 - 0 defeat at the hands of the Dodgers that completes a three-game sweep in which they were outscored, 25-0. In his first start in the majors, Japanese veteran Kenta Maeda picks up the win and also hits a homer.
• 2017:
  • Reds relief pitcher Michael Lorenzen blasts a 420-foot home run to centerfield as a pinch-hitter against the Phillies' Adam Morgan. The 6th-inning homer breaks a 4 - 4 tie and Cincinnati goes on to win, 7 - 4. Micah Owings had been the last pitcher to hit a pinch homer, back on May 10, 2009.
  • Cardinals C Yadier Molina loses a ball when it bounces in the dirt and then gets stuck to his chest protector, allowing Cubs PH Matt Szczur to reach base on a dropped third strike in the 7th inning while Molina is frantically looking around to find the disappeared spheroid. The bizarre play turns out to be instrumental, as Brett Cecil walks the next batter, Jon Jay, and Kyle Schwarber follows with a three-run homer and Chicago wins, 6 - 4.
  • Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow makes his much anticipated minor league debut with the Columbia Fireflies of the South Atlantic League and promptly blasts a home run. The jury is still out on whether the 29-year-old outfielder can make it in baseball, as he strikes out in three of his remaining four at-bats, but he is undeniably an unending source of good copy for reporters.
• 2020 - Hall of Famer Al Kaline, who was signed by the Detroit Tigers out of high school, went straight to the majors, and collected 3000 hits during his lifelong association with the team, passes away at age 85. His death will start an unprecedented parade of passings by members of the Hall of the Fame over the rest of the year.
• 2021 - A few days after withdrawing the organization of the 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta, GA, Major League Baseball identifies Denver, CO's Coors Field as the game's new site. The 2021 amateur draft will be held concurrently.

Births

• 1860 - Bob Hogan, pitcher (d. 1932)
• 1863 - Dick Johnston, outfielder (d. 1934)
• 1876 - Charlie Luskey, outfielder (d. 1962)
• 1876 - Frank Murphy, outfielder (d. 1912)
• 1880 - Fred Schock, college coach (d. ????)
• 1884 - Rudy Schwenck, pitcher (d. 1941)
• 1886 - Joe Williams, pitcher, manager; Hall of Famer (d. 1951)
• 1890 - Tom Fitzsimmons, infielder (d. 1971)
• 1890 - Marcelino Guerra, outfielder (d. ????)
• 1890 - Red Smith, infielder (d. 1966)
• 1894 - Robert Hudspeth, infielder (d. 1935)
• 1900 - Joe Wyatt, outfielder (d. 1970)
• 1903 - Mickey Cochrane, catcher, manager; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1962)
• 1906 - Benny Frey, pitcher (d. 1937)
• 1907 - Clyde Nance, minor league pitcher (d. 1929)
• 1908 - Dick Gyselman, infielder (d. 1990)
• 1908 - Ernie Lombardi, catcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1977)
• 1908 - Joe Mowry, outfielder (d. 1994)
• 1909 - Leonard Lindsay, infielder (d. 1988)
• 1914 - Dee Moore, catcher (d. 1997)
• 1918 - Paul Badgett, minor league infielder and manager (d. 2007)
• 1919 - Víctor Canales, minor league infielder and manager
• 1922 - Betty Fabac, AAGPBL infielder (d. 2008)
• 1922 - Harold Hairston, pitcher (d. 1998)
• 1924 - Tokuji Iida, NPB Hall-of-Famer (d. 2000)
• 1925 - Hal Schacker, pitcher (d. 2015)
• 1926 - Ed White, outfielder (d. 1982)
• 1927 - Jim Romano, pitcher (d. 1990)
• 1929 - Don Elston, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1995)
• 1929 - Sonny Senerchia, infielder (d. 2003)
• 1930 - Tom Venditelli, minor league infielder and manager (d. 2008)
• 1935 - Ken Toothman, minor league infielder (d. 2013)
• 1937 - Wayne Graham, infielder
• 1937 - Phil Regan, pitcher, manager; All-Star
• 1939 - Jerry Krause, scout (d. 2017)
• 1941 - Dan Neville, minor league pitcher
• 1942 - John Wojcik, outfielder
• 1943 - Marty Pattin, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2018)
• 1944 - Toshihiro Hayashi, NPB pitcher-infielder
• 1947 - Jeff Smulyan, owner
• 1951 - Bert Blyleven, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer
• 1952 - Steve Waterbury, pitcher (d. 2017)
• 1954 - Ken Clay, pitcher
• 1955 - Yoshiki Iwai, Japanese national team coach
• 1955 - Reggie Waller, minor league outfielder and manager; scout
• 1958 - Leo Sutherland, outfielder
• 1962 - Koji Akiyama, NPB outfielder
• 1962 - Cheng-Chung Chen, CPBL infielder
• 1964 - Kenny Williams, outfielder
• 1965 - Tsao-Li Sun, CPBL outfielder and coach
• 1966 - Epy Guerrero Jr., minor league infielder
• 1967 - Mike Easley, minor league infielder
• 1967 - Tommy Greene, pitcher
• 1968 - Tom Slater, coach
• 1969 - Bret Boone, infielder; All-Star
• 1969 - Mikhail Kornev, Russian national team coach
• 1970 - Marlon Abea, Nicaraguan national team catcher
• 1970 - Tim Belk, infielder
• 1971 - Lou Merloni, infielder
• 1972 - Marty Malloy, infielder
• 1974 - Danny Clyburn, outfielder (d. 2012)
• 1975 - Kevin Connacher, minor league infielder
• 1975 - Mark Seaver, minor league pitcher
• 1976 - Alex Pelaez, infielder
• 1977 - Andy Phillips, infielder
• 1977 - Orlando Suárez, minor league pitcher
• 1977 - Barry Wesson, outfielder
• 1978 - Blaine Neal, pitcher
• 1979 - Armando Camacaro, minor league catcher
• 1979 - Rommel Roja, Philippines national team catcher
• 1980 - Jim Cooney, minor league pitcher
• 1980 - Todd Pennington, minor league player
• 1980 - Brian Wright, minor league player
• 1981 - Barrett Whitney, minor league infielder
• 1983 - Clayton Carson, college coach
• 1983 - Thomas Diamond, pitcher
• 1983 - Bronson Sardinha, outfielder
• 1983 - Mark Rodrigues, minor league player
• 1984 - Alberto Bastardo, minor league pitcher
• 1985 - Israel Camacaro, minor league pitcher
• 1986 - Ryan Blair, minor league player
• 1987 - Diego França, Brazilian national team catcher
• 1987 - Anillins Martinez, minor league pitcher
• 1988 - Matt Bashore, minor league pitcher
• 1988 - Costa Kapothanasis, Greek national team pitcher
• 1988 - Jack Murphy, minor league catcher
• 1988 - Jordan Oseguera, minor league pitcher
• 1988 - Mitsuo Yoshikawa, NPB pitcher
• 1989 - Justin Bass, minor league infielder
• 1989 - Barret Loux, minor league pitcher
• 1991 - Norbert Jongerius, Hoofdklasse outfielder
• 1991 - Sang-chul Moon, KBO infielder
• 1992 - Katiria Dávila, Puerto Rican women's national team infielder-pitcher
• 1993 - Nick Howard, minor league pitcher
• 1993 - Alex McRae, pitcher
• 1994 - Ralph Garza, pitcher
• 1994 - Jesse Scholtens, pitcher
• 1995 - Bennett Sousa, pitcher
• 1996 - Stephany Suarez, Venezuelan women's national team catcher
• 1996 - Jinghao Zhu, minor league pitcher
• 1997 - Jake Alu, outfielder
• 2000 - Tae-in Won, KBO pitcher
• 2003 - Damian Goulart, Brazilian national team infielder
• 2003 - Edgar Quero, minor league catcher

Deaths

• 1908 - Jim Brown, pitcher (b. 1860)
• 1909 - Doggie Miller, catcher, manager (b. 1864)
• 1916 - Fred Mann, outfielder (b. 1858)
• 1918 - Newt Halliday, infielder (b. 1896)
• 1928 - Ed Creighton, umpire (b. 1864)
• 1928 - Ike McAuley, infielder (b. 1891)
• 1938 - J.B. Young, pitcher (b. 1857)
• 1949 - Gene Madden, pinch hitter (b. 1890)
• 1955 - Frank McQuade, owner (b. 1878)
• 1965 - Rudy Kneisch, pitcher (b. 1899)
• 1966 - Rolla Mapel, pitcher (b. 1890)
• 1973 - Ernie Smith, infielder (b. 1899)
• 1974 - Roy Wood, outfielder (b. 1892)
• 1977 - Frank Rooney, infielder (b. 1890)
• 1979 - Al Evans, catcher (b. 1916)
• 1979 - Rudy Kallio, pitcher (b. 1892)
• 1981 - Steve Mesner, infielder (b. 1918)
• 1981 - Dick Seay, infielder; All-Star (b. 1904)
• 1983 - Nelson Greene, pitcher (b. 1900)
• 1984 - Glenn Wright, infielder (b. 1901)
• 1987 - Bud Morse, infielder (b. 1904)
• 1989 - Carlos Bernier, outfielder (b. 1927)
• 1994 - Bill Ford, pitcher (b. 1915)
• 1994 - Goody Rosen, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1912)
• 1996 - Don Jameson, minor league outfielder and manager (b. 1922)
• 1997 - Jack Kent Cooke, minor league owner (b. 1912)
• 1998 - Ichiro Maehara, scout (b. 1909)
• 1998 - Dewey Soriano, minor league pitcher and executive (b. 1920)
• 1998 - John Wyatt, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1935)
• 2000 - Don Johnson, infielder; All-Star (b. 1911)
• 2000 - Stan Watts, college coach (b. 1911)
• 2002 - Tom Sunkel, pitcher (b. 1912)
• 2004 - Lou Berberet, catcher (b. 1929)
• 2004 - Ken Johnson, pitcher (b. 1923)
• 2004 - Gene Karst, writer (b. 1906)
• 2007 - Ed Bahr, pitcher (b. 1919)
• 2007 - Owen Blandino, Cuban league infielder (b. ????)
• 2007 - Hiromichi Nakamura, NPB umpire (b. 1935)
• 2008 - Leonard Cumberbatch, minor league infielder (b. ~1934)
• 2009 - Ted Downs, minor league infielder (b. 1921)
• 2010 - Bob Clear, minor league player, coach (b. 1927)
• 2017 - Bob Cerv, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1925)
• 2017 - John Joslin, minor league infielder (b. 1924)
• 2019 - Mike Sheppard, college coach (b. 1936)
• 2020 - Al Kaline, outfielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer (b. 1934)
• 2021 - Jim Bello, minor league infielder (b. 1929)
• 2021 - Bill Bryk, minor league pitcher and manager (b. 1951)
• 2021 - Dick Colpaert, pitcher (b. 1944)
• 2022 - John Ellis, infielder (b. 1948)
• 2023 - Hobie Landrith, catcher (b. 1930)