May 29

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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 May 29.

Events

• 1880 - With George Wright in its lineup‚ Boston upsets Chicago, 11 - 10. Wright scores two runs and fields flawlessly‚ but will play no more games because of protests from Providence‚ which still has him "reserved." The loss snaps Chicago's win streak of 13‚ which they will top in a little more than a month (June 2-July 8).
• 1882 - In yet another exciting game‚ Buffalo counters four Cleveland 9th-inning runs with two of their own to win, 9 - 8.
• 1884:
  • Taking advantage of a ground rule change which scores balls hit over Chicago's inviting 180-foot LF fence at Lake Front Park as home runs (instead of doubles)‚ five players hit round-trippers in the White Stockings' National League home opener against Detroit‚ winning 15 - 5. Chicago will hit 142 homers - last year they hit 13 - during the 112-game season (more than 90 percent of them at home) to set a record that will last until the 1927 New York Yankees. The rule change appears to be unilaterally made by Cap Anson‚ and the other league owners will squawk to no avail. But the league will set a minimum distance of 210 feet for an outfield fence after the season.
  • Ed Morris (Columbus AA) no-hits Pittsburgh, 5 - 0‚ allowing only one walk.
• 1886 - The Athletics try to slow the Browns down by loading the base paths with sand. St. Louis captain Charles Comiskey refuses to play and even helps the grounds crew remove the sand. The Browns win the two games, 18 - 1 and 11 - 3, with a total of 14 stolen bases.
• 1892 - A benefit exhibition game for Hub Collins‚ who died of typhoid fever on May 21st‚ is played at Brooklyn's Eastern Park. The game between Collins' Brooklyn Grooms and the St. Louis Browns raises $2804.90 for Collins' widow.
• 1893 - New York pitcher Mark "Fido" Baldwin wins a three-hit shutout by driving in the game's lone run to slip by Cincinnati.
• 1894:
  • Washington breaks its 17-game losing streak by whipping Louisville, 12 - 2.
  • Pittsburgh moves past Cleveland into first place by edging Baltimore, 3 - 2, as the Spiders‚ held to three hits by Jouett Meekin‚ lose to New York, 2 - 0.
• 1895 - The Boston Herald box score credits Jake Beckley with a three-run homer to give Pittsburgh an 8 - 6 win over Washington. Under the rules of the era‚ which do not allow a team batting in the bottom of the last inning to win by more than one run‚ Beckley should be credited only with a triple, making the score 7 - 6. Apparently the rule is not strictly enforced.
• 1896:
  • Baltimore leaps past Cincinnati in the National League race with a 4 - 1 defeat of the Reds.
  • Washington P Charlie "Silver" King makes his first major league appearance since 1893 a success‚ as he wins a six-hitter over Pittsburgh‚ 11 - 6. Bill Joyce helps by hitting for the cycle.
• 1900 - The Brooklyn team is notified by a Brooklyn building inspector that the center field bleachers at Washington Park are unsafe. They are removed.
• 1905 - Brooklyn Superbas right-hander Elmer Stricklett throws a "mystery pitch" - believed to be a spitball - during a game against the New York Giants. Some historians regard the 5' 6" Stricklett is the first pitcher to throw a spitball in a major league game.
• 1916 - Christy Mathewson pitches a 3 - 0 shutout over the Boston Braves, leading the New York Giants to their 17th consecutive victory, all on the road. In spite of their impressive winning streak, the Giants will finish second to the Brooklyn Robins in the National League pennant race.
• 1920
  • The Senators take two from the A's‚ winning 11 - 5 and 5 - 0. Walter Johnson plunks the first two batters‚ then easily beats the gun-shy Philadelphia lineup to win the nitecap. Val Picinich has a homer‚ off Roy Moore‚ in the Nats' four-run 4th.
  • The first-place Cubs make it six straight wins‚ beating the Cards, 8 - 5‚ in a game in which base stealing determines the outcome. For Chicago‚ a double steal by Charlie Hollocher and Dode Paskert helps‚ while the Cards drive Claude Hendrix from the mound in the 8th inning‚ then end the rally when Doc Lavan swipes third base‚ already occupied by teammate Jack Fournier.
• 1921
  • At Redland Field‚ Pittsburgh's Clyde Barnhart hits a 9th-inning line drive down the right field line that gets lost in the tarp in front of the grandstand. By the time RF Pat Duncan finds the ball‚ Barnhart scores his first major league homer, inside-the-park, to tie the match at 2 - 2. Eppa Rixey gives up the homer but holds on for a 4 - 3‚ 13-inning victory. It is the only homer Rixey will allow in 301 innings pitched‚ and just one of two homers Reds pitchers will allow at home this season. Except for this‚ Rixey would have set the record for post-dead ball pitchers‚ a record that Allen Sothoron will post this year in fewer innings.
  • The American League-leading Indians complete a sweep of the four games with the Browns by winning‚ 11 - 9‚ behind George Uhle. Cleveland totals 15 hits in eight innings against Urban Shocker. In all four wins the Tribe score in double figures. Jack Graney and Ken Williams each hit two homers‚ and Elmer Smith clubs one.
• 1922:
  • The United States Supreme Court finds that baseball is primarily a sport and not a business in its ruling on the Federal Baseball Club v. National League case. In using this argument, the court rules that baseball is not subject to antitrust laws nor to standard interstate commerce regulations.
  • The Browns top Detroit‚ 9 - 6‚ paced by Ken Williams' grand slam in the 3rd inning. Harry Heilmann and Ty Cobb get into an argument with the umpires and will be suspended‚ missing tomorrow's twinbill.
  • Against Philadelphia‚ the Yankees plate seven runs in the 7th to beat the Athletics‚ 7 - 4. Carl Mays is the winner‚ notching his 20th straight victory over the A's.
  • In the 9th inning at Ebbets Field, pinch-hitter Clarence Mitchell, batting for starter Leon Cadore, hits a two-run homer, but the Dodgers come up short, losing to Boston, 5 - 4. Mitchell's blast is the first pinch homer by a Dodgers pitcher.
• 1927 - In a loosely played game at Yankee Stadium‚ the Yanks swamp the Red Sox‚ 15 - 7‚ scoring seven runs in the 8th inning. Babe Ruth propels his 13th homer‚ off Danny MacFayden‚ while Johnny Grabowski is 4 for 4 with a walk. Dutch Ruether is ineffective‚ serving up gopher balls to the Bosox's Grover Hartley in the 2nd and Fred Haney in the 3rd. The Sox give it back in the 4th with three walks‚ two errors‚ a single by Bob Meusel and a double by Mark Koenig‚ to make four runs. Ted Wingfield‚ pitching two-thirds of the 4th‚ takes the loss.
• 1928:
  • At Ebbets Field‚ Bill Terry hits for the cycle to lead the Giants to a 12 - 5 win over Brooklyn.
  • At Yankee Stadium‚ the Yankees sweep a pair from Washington‚ 3 - 2 and 12 - 3. Leo Durocher's bases-loaded triple in the opener gives George Pipgras (8-1) the win. Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth both slug a pair of homers in the nitecap: Lou hits his ninth in the 3rd‚ off Washington starter Milt Gaston‚ then Ruth and Gehrig hit back-to-back dingers in the 4th off Lloyd Brown. Ruth adds his 18th off Brown in the 7th. Earle Combs also homers.
  • The Reds lose another star when CF Ethan Allen is beaned and breaks his cheek in an exhibition game in Buffalo.
• 1929:
  • The Pirates take over first place from the Cubs with their eighth straight win‚ a 7 - 2 whipping of visiting Chicago. Rookie Steve Swetonic‚ who holds the Cubs scoreless for seven frames‚ is the winner.
  • Detroit's George Uhle notches his ninth consecutive win of the year‚ beating the Browns‚ 7 - 6. Marty McManus has three hits‚ including a home run and double for the Tigers.
• 1930 - The Cubs' scheduled game with the Reds is postponed due to the sudden death of Chicago pitcher Hal Carlson.
• 1932 - The Red Sox split a pair with the visiting A's‚ winning, 6 - 4, before losing, 3 - 0. It is the Sox's last Sunday game at Braves Field. With the lifting of the ban against playing Sunday ball at Fenway Park (because of a nearby church)‚ the Sox will play a Sunday game there July 3rd.
• 1934:
  • The Yankees purchase — some would say rent — spitballer Burleigh Grimes from the Pittsburgh Pirates. After ten appearances with the Yankees, the Yanks will release Grimes and the Pirates will reobtain him.
  • At St. Louis, Ray Pepper has five hits, including two homers, and drives in five runs to lead the Browns to a 12 - 7 win over Detroit. Pepper will knock in 101 runs this year, but his career total will be just 170 RBIs; he is the only player in history to have a 100-RBI season without reaching 200 for his career. Four other homers are hit today — two by Detroit — but George Blaeholder goes the distance for the win.
• 1936:
  • In the second 15 - 0 shutout in a week‚ New York's Al Smith is the beneficiary of the hitting as he closes down the Bees. Smith will toss four shutouts this year‚ tops in the National League. Smith gives up a Texas Leaguer by Hal Lee in the 8th and a ground single in the 9th.
  • On tour in the US‚ Japan's Waseda University nine loses to the University of Chicago‚ 18 - 16‚ as the two teams combine for 34 hits and 17 errors. Waseda scores nine runs in the top of the 9th and Chicago answers with five. Waseda will win tomorrow's rematch‚ 10 - 5‚ as pitcher Wakahara allows ten hits but strikes out 17.
• 1937 - In a Class A Western League game between the Des Moines Demons and the Cedar Rapids Raiders‚ both teams wear polo helmets as head protectors.
• 1939 - The Cubs get Claude Passeau from the Phillies for Kirby Higbe‚ Joe Marty‚ Ray Harrell and $50‚000.
• 1941:
  • The Cards nip the Reds, 10 - 9, for their tenth straight win. The last five are one-run victories. The Reds almost pull the game out‚ scoring three in the 9th‚ but Marty Marion snags a line drive off the bat of Ernie Lombardi and doubles up Ernie Koy at second base.
  • Ted Williams is 3 for 5 and scores a pair in the Red Sox's 6 - 4 win over the A's. Ted will score two or more runs for the next seven games, giving him eight such games in a row.
  • Despite scoring five runs in the top of the 6th‚ the Yanks and Senators tie, 2 - 2, in a game called after five innings, wiping out the incomplete inning. Joe DiMaggio has a hit and a strikeout‚ just his third this year.
• 1942 - New York's Lefty Gomez‚ self-described as the worst-hitting pitcher in baseball‚ bangs out four hits in pitching a four-hit‚ 16 - 1 victory over Washington. They are his last major league hits. Buddy Hassett adds four hits as well.
• 1946 - Boo Ferriss shuts out the A's‚ 2 - 0‚ as the Boston Red Sox start another win streak.
• 1948 - Richie Ashburn hits his first major league homer‚ a leadoff inside-the-park home run‚ off Thornton Lee's third pitch. It runs Ashburn's hitting streak to 18 games but it's the Phils' only run‚ as the Giants win‚ 7 - 1. Bill Rigney leads off the 1st‚ 3rd‚ and 5th innings with hits‚ while Sid Gordon adds a three-run homer in the 5th. Lee is a complete-game winner over another ex-American League hurler‚ Walt Dubiel.
• 1949 - After 44 games and 285 errorless chances‚ 2B Red Schoendienst of the Cardinals errs twice against the Pirates. His last error was on September 15‚ 1948. Elmer Riddle wins‚ 4 - 2‚ over the Cards' Harry Brecheen.
• 1950:
  • White Sox P Howie Judson‚ loser of 15 straight games - 14 last year and one this year - breaks his string of reverses with a 12 - 8 relief win over the Browns.
  • The Pueblo Dodgers of the Western League announce that their players will don shorts during the summer.
• 1951:
  • The Indians sign high school star Billy Joe Davidson for a reported $150‚000‚ eclipsing the $100‚000 the Pirates paid to Paul Pettit in 1949. Several teams sought the services of the tall lefty‚ alleged to be the best Indians prospect since Bob Feller.
  • Indians hurler Bob Lemon one-hits the Tigers, 2 - 1. The only Bengal hit is Vic Wertz's home run.
• 1952:
  • Boston's Maury McDermott faces 27 batters and fires a one-hitter to beat the visiting Senators‚ 1 - 0. Mel Hoderlein's 4th-inning single is the only hit, and he is erased on the basepaths. Maury walks one batter who is also doubled up. The Senators leave no runners on base today and combined with the two they left on base on the 27th set a new major league low for fewest in two consecutive games. It will be matched in both leagues.
  • The Giants' Willie Mays enters the army. Although Mays is hitting just .236‚ the Giants are 2 1/2 games in first place. They will lose eight of their next ten games.
  • Meanwhile‚ the Giants lose a shot at another young Birmingham player as Braves scout Dewey Griggs signs Henry Aaron to a contract. The Indianapolis Clowns receive telegram offers from both clubs‚ and Aaron‚ thinking he'll have a better chance to make the team‚ prefers the Braves.
• 1953 - 3B Bob Elliott lines a double in the Browns' six-run 11th inning‚ as they beat the Tigers, 11 - 5. For Elliot it is his 2‚000th major league hit. Harry Brecheen (1-6) wins his first of the year.
• 1954 - Before a record Milwaukee crowd of 40‚001‚ the Cardinals beat the Braves, 13 - 7‚ snapping the Braves' ten-game win streak.
• 1955 - Larry Doby of the Indians hits the first major league homer over the outer wall in Kansas City's Municipal Stadium‚ an estimated 500-foot clout in the 6th. The Indians win, 4 - 2, behind Herb Score‚ who is replaced in the 9th after singles by C Wilmer Shantz and PH Enos Slaughter. Wilmer's brother Bobby Shantz is the loser.
• 1956:
  • For the second time in two years‚ Gus Bell of the Redlegs hits three homers - all consecutive - going 5 for 5 in a 10 - 4 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Bell drives in seven runs. Brooks Lawrence coasts to his sixth straight win.
  • Dodgers P Don Newcombe beats the Pirates, 10 - 1, and blanks Dale Long in four at-bats‚ stopping his home run streak. Newk has a three-run double off Ron Kline in the 2nd to help clinch his seventh win.
  • At Yankee Stadium‚ Mickey Mantle's walk in the 7th is the first baserunner against Willard Nixon‚ and Mantle's two-out 9th inning homer deprives the Boston righty of a shutout. Boston beats the Yankees, 7 - 3.
• 1957:
  • Tough-talking New York Mayor Robert Wagner says he plans to confer with the Giants and Dodgers about their proposed move to California‚ but that the city will not be "blackjacked" into anything. In related news, four Pacific Coast League teams may seek as much as $6.7 million in indemnities if both the Los Angeles Angels and the San Francisco Seals withdraw from the league as a result of the rumored move.
  • At Washington‚ Camilo Pascual gives up two solo homers‚ to Mickey Mantle and Hank Bauer‚ but the Senators win, 6 - 2. Pascual will groove 43 gopher balls this year.
• 1959 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his White House staff attend a game. He gets slugger Harmon Killebrew's autograph on a home run ball for his grandson David‚ as Washington defeats the Red Sox, 7 - 6. The Killer will bang 15 homers in May.
• 1961 - At Fenway Park‚ Ike Delock outduels Whitey Ford to beat the Yankees‚ 2 - 1. New York's scoring is Mickey Mantle's first homer in two weeks.
• 1962:
  • Ernie Banks makes a spectacular return from his May 25th beaning with three homers and a double against the Braves at Wrigley Field. Three teammates hit home runs‚ but the Cubs lose to the Braves‚ 11 - 9. Amado Samuel hits his first major league homer and Joe Torre and Joe Adcock also connect. The Cubs outhit the Braves‚ 15 - 8‚ but an Andre Rodgers error in the 3rd opens the way for six unearned runs.
  • The Angels get P Don Lee from the Twins for Jim Donohue. Lee‚ 3-3 with the Twins‚ will go 8-8 with Los Angeles.
• 1964 - The Reds and Dodgers play 17 innings before the game is a called at 2 - 2. All four runs come in the 12th inning. National League rules state that no inning may start after 12:50 a.m.
• 1965:
  • OF Harvey Kuenn‚ P Bob Hendley and C Ed Bailey are traded from the Giants to the Cubs for C Dick Bertell and 1B/OF Len Gabrielson.
  • Orioles club president Joe Iglehart sells his 32 percent holding in the club to National Brewing Company President Jerry Hoffberger and club treasurer Zanvyl Krieger. He is forced to do so as a major shareholder and executive with CBS, which bought the rival New York Yankees a few months ago, placing him in a conflict of interest.
  • Mickey Lolich's ten-inning win is Detroit's second straight two-hit, 1 - 0, win against Cleveland.
  • Dick Allen cranks a 529-foot home run over the left CF roof at Connie Mack Stadium in the 1st inning off Chicago's Larry Jackson. The Phils win, 4 - 2.
  • Lou Johnson hits two home runs to back Don Drysdale's pitching and give the Dodgers a 5 - 3 win over the Braves.
• 1966:
  • Ron Santo's 10th-inning homer gives the Cubs a 3 - 2 win over Atlanta. The day before‚ he beat the Braves with a three-run‚ 12th-inning homer in an 8 - 5 win.
  • Washington Senators centerfielder Don Lock hits a three-run homer in the 1st inning against the Boston Red Sox and righthander Phil Ortega makes it stand for a 3 - 2 win. Ortega strikes out seven batters in a row.
• 1967 - Orioles 1B Mike Epstein and P Frank Bertaina are traded to the Senators for P Pete Richert.
• 1968 - The defending World Champion St. Louis Cardinals continue to struggle, losing their 11th out of 13, 2 - 1, to Juan Marichal and the Giants. In the past two weeks, they have virtually traded places with today's opponent, falling from first place on May 15th, 3 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco, to three games behind today (actually in fourth place behind Philly and Atlanta as well). From this point forward, however, the Cards will catch fire; by August 1st, a 2 - 1 win will give them 49 victories out of their last 64 games and leave them 15 games ahead of their nearest National League competitor.
• 1969 - With the Braves drubbing the Mets, 12 - 0‚ manager Lum Harris lifts Hank Aaron for another Lum - Mike Lum. Lum hits a pinch double off Al Jackson and takes over in LF as the Braves coast to a 15 - 3 win. It is the third time in his career that Aaron has been lifted for a pinch-hitter.
• 1970
  • The Orioles' Mike Cuellar strikes out four batters consecutively in the 4th inning of a 2 - 0 win over California. He allows four hits and Boog Powell supplies the offense with a two-run homer.
  • The Reds strand 16 runners in the first eight innings against the visiting Expos‚ but win‚ 6 - 4‚ on Bobby Tolan's 9th-inning homer. The Expos have never won a game at Crosley Field.
• 1971:
  • The Mets feature firepower as Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver combine to strike out 26‚ tying the Mets' own major league record set on September 9‚ 1970, in a doubleheader sweep of the Padres. Seaver wins the opener‚ 5 - 1‚ with ten K's and Ryan cops the nitecap‚ 2 - 1. Mets batters strike out 15 times: the 41 strikeouts ties the major league record.
  • In a great trade for Cincinnati‚ the Giants ship OF George Foster to the Reds for SS Frank Duffy and P Vern Geishert.
• 1972 - Morris (Moe) Berg dies in Belleville, New Jersey, at the age of 70. In addition to playing 15 years in the major leagues, the multitalented Berg also gained distinction as an attorney, linguist, mathematician, and most curiously, as an American secret agent during World War II.
• 1974 - The visiting Mets lose to the Reds‚ 3 - 2‚ when Tony Perez clubs a 10th-inning homer off Jon Matlack.
• 1976:
  • Houston Astros pitcher Joe Niekro hits the only home run of his 22-year major league career. Strangely enough, Niekro enjoys his feat against his brother, Phil, the ace pitcher of the Atlanta Braves. With his unexpected home run, Joe leads the Astros to a 4 - 3 victory over Atlanta.
  • The Reds score three runs in the 9th to edge the Dodgers‚ 6 - 5. Ken Griffey's two-run triple ties the game‚ and Joe Morgan's single wins it.
• 1977:
  • Johnny Bench's 1st-inning grand slam off Rick Rhoden jump starts the Reds to a 8 - 1 win over the Dodgers.
  • Larry Parrish is 5 for 5‚ including three homers‚ with five RBIs and five runs scored to lead the Expos to a 14 - 4 win over the Cardinals. Del Unser also homers for Montreal.
• 1979 - Former Indians 1B Luke Easter‚ working as a bank guard in Cleveland‚ is shot to death in a holdup.
• 1980:
  • Dodger Bob Welch faces the minimum 27 batters in a 3 - 0 one-hitter against the Braves. The lone Atlanta baserunner is Larvell Blanks‚ who singles in the 4th inning and is erased on a double play.
  • Johnny Bench hits three home runs off Randy Jones in Cincinnati's 5 - 3 win over San Diego. It is the third three-homer game of his career.
• 1981:
  • A's manager Billy Martin flies into a rage and heaves two handfuls of dirt on home plate umpire Terry Cooney's back after being ejected for arguing ball and strike calls. He will be suspended by American League president Lee MacPhail for seven days.
  • Montreal trades OF Ellis Valentine to the Mets for P Jeff Reardon and OF Dan Norman. Valentine will play just 159 games for the Mets‚ while Reardon will blossom into one of baseball's best relievers.
• 1982:
  • The Indians beat the White Sox, 5 - 2‚ handing pitcher LaMarr Hoyt his first loss of the season. Hoyt had started the season 9-0 and had won 14 consecutive decisions since last August 27th.
  • At Minnesota‚ the Yanks put runners on first base (Graig Nettles) and second base (Bobby Murcer) with no outs. When Roy Smalley strikes out on a wide 3-2 pitch from Terry Felton‚ Murcer attempts to steal third base. But Sal Butera's throw beats him so badly he retreats to second, only to find Nettles there. Gary Gaetti tags Murcer who is standing safely alone on the base‚ and then throws to Kent Hrbek to catch Nettles heading back to first. Murcer then tries for third and Hrbek's throw to Felton, covering the bag, completes the triple play. Alas‚ Felton‚ 0-8 coming into the game gets a no-decision‚ and will lose another five to finish his career with an 0-16 record for his career.
• 1983 - Dodgers pitcher Steve Howe is readmitted to a drug treatment center after suffering a relapse of the cocaine problem for which he had sought treatment after last season. Howe has not allowed an earned run in his 14 appearances this season.
• 1984 - The Braves overcome a 4 - 0 deficit to beat the Cubs‚ 7 - 4‚ but lose 3B Bob Horner‚ who breaks his wrist diving for a ball and who will be sidelined for the rest of the season. Horner broke the same wrist last year and missed the final 43 games.
• 1987:
  • Pete O'Brien drives in four runs and scores five to lead the Texas Rangers to a 16 - 5 win over Kansas City. Bo Jackson has a pair of homers for the losers.
  • In the Tigers' 15 - 7 win over the Twins‚ the two teams combine for eight homers. Tom Brookens has a grand slam for the winners while Mark Salas‚ who enters the game in the 7th, has five RBIs on two homers for the Twins.
• 1989 - Phillies 3B Mike Schmidt‚ 39‚ retires. The future Hall of Famer is seventh on the all-time home run list with 548‚ but is hitting just .203 this season. He will still get elected to the All-Star team‚ but will decline the invitation.
• 1990:
  • Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics becomes the American League's all-time stolen base king. In swiping third base against the Toronto Blue Jays, Henderson steals his 893rd base to surpass the long-standing record set by Ty Cobb.
  • With the team struggling (20-22)‚ the Mets fire manager Davey Johnson‚ whose six-year winning percentage was .593. Coach Bud Harrelson replaces him and the Mets will win 20 of their next 23 games before cooling down.
• 1991 - Don Schulze of the Orix BlueWave becomes the first Pacific League pitcher to hit a home run since the inception of the DH. He goes deep against Motoyuki Akahori.
• 1992 - Tim Raines of the Chicago White Sox collects his 700th major league career stolen base.
• 1993 - Texas Rangers outfielder Jose Canseco, who three days earlier had a ball hit by Carlos Martinez bounce off his head for a home run, voluntarily pitches an inning in a 15 - 1 blowout loss to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. He hurts his arm in the effort, and as a result, will undergo season-ending elbow surgery from his ill-advised outing.
• 1994 - The Braves trade OF Deion Sanders to the Reds in exchange for OF Roberto Kelly and minor league P Roger Etheridge.
• 1995 - Marlins P Chris Hammond hits a grand slam in Florida's 9 - 7 win over the Astros. He is the first pitcher to connect for a home run with the bases full since 1986. Marlins 3B Terry Pendleton gets five hits in the game‚ including a double and triple.
• 1996 - John Smoltz (11-1) allows four hits in topping the Cubs‚ 2 - 0‚ in Atlanta. Smoltz strikes out 13 to raise his National League-leading total to 97.
• 1997:
  • The Yankees finally agree to terms with Japanese pitcher Hideki Irabu‚ signing the fireballer to a four-year contract worth $12.8 million. The deal includes a signing bonus of $8.5 million.
  • In Florida‚ Rockies OF Ellis Burks hits a two-run double to cap a three-run rally in the 9th inning and help Colorado beat Florida‚ 6 - 5. Colorado trails, 4 - 0, in the 6th‚ before Larry Walker‚ Andres Galarraga‚ and Dante Bichette hit consecutive homers off Alex Fernandez.
  • In Toronto‚ Tino Martinez hits his 20th homer - his third in three games - and David Cone strikes out 12 to lead New York over Toronto‚ 4 - 0. Jeff Nelson strikes out three Jays in relief. Martinez raises his RBI total to 56 with a single in the 1st off Woody Williams (1-5) and a solo shot in the 3rd.
• 1999:
  • The Padres score eight runs in the 3rd inning on the way to a 12 - 3 win over the Brewers.
  • Arizona's Byung-Hyun Kim, 20-year-old Korean‚ makes his major league debut against the Mets. Relieving in the 9th‚ he strikes out Mike Piazza to end the game and preserve the 8 - 7 win.
• 2000:
  • Oakland Athletics second baseman Randy Velarde turns an unassisted triple play, just the 11th in major league history, on a line drive hit by Shane Spencer of the New York Yankees. With runners on first and second base running with the pitch, Velarde tags Jorge Posada as he nears second base, then touches the base to retire Tino Martinez. In 1995 spring training, while with the Yankees, Velarde turned an unassisted triple play against the Dodgers.
  • The Dodgers defeat the Mets‚ 4 - 1. Mets SS Rey Ordoñez breaks his left forearm on a tag play in the 1st inning and will be out for the rest of the season. His arm hits the helmet of a sliding F.P. Santangelo. The Mets will fill in with various bodies for two months before renting Mike Bordick from the Orioles.
• 2001 - The Diamondbacks defeat the Giants‚ 1 - 0, in 18 innings, with the game lasting 5 hours and 53 minutes. Erubiel Durazo throws out a runner at home in the 17th‚ then drives in Steve Finley with a double in the 18th. The loss goes to Ryan Vogelsong‚ making his major league debut. Vogelsong almost redeems himself with a double in his first at bat in the 18th. The two teams combine for 139 plate appearances and their 14 pitchers throw a total of 503 pitches (301 strikes and 202 balls).
• 2002:
  • In an article in Sports Illustrated, former National League MVP Ken Caminiti claims that about 50 percent of current major league players use some form of steroids.
  • 25-year-old minor leaguer Joe Bauldree dies in his sleep. The former Atlanta farmhand‚ a pitcher for the independent Allentown Ambassadors‚ had a history of irregular heart beat.
• 2003:
  • The Rockies outscore the visiting Dodgers‚ 12 - 5‚ behind Todd Helton's three home runs and Ron Belliard's five hits. Helton adds a single as he bats in six runs.
  • The Red Sox‚ in need of a closer‚ trade Shea Hillenbrand to the Diamondbacks for Byung-Hyun Kim. The Diamondbacks were reportedly not eager to swap the 24-year-old South Korean. Hillenbrand was almost traded last winter to the Expos for Bartolo Colon.
• 2005 - Tuffy Rhodes is ejected from a Nippon Pro Baseball game for the ninth time in his career, breaking the record held by Masaichi Kaneda.
• 2006 - Albert Pujols hits his 25th home run of the season, a three-run blast, in the St. Louis Cardinals' 3 - 1 victory over the Houston Astros. Pujols becomes the third-fastest big-leaguer to 25 homers, reaching it in 51 games. Barry Bonds required 47 games in 2001 and Mark McGwire needed 50 in 1998. Pujols also increases his major league lead to 64 runs batted in.
• 2009 - On the road, the Yankees top the Indians, 3 - 1. Mariano Rivera saves an Andy Pettitte win for the 58th time, setting a new record for a duo of pitchers; the old mark had been held by Dennis Eckersley and Bob Welch.
• 2010:
  • Roy Halladay pitches the 20th perfect game in Major League history, striking out 11 in the process, as the Phillies defeat the Florida Marlins, 1 - 0. Following Dallas Braden's perfect game earlier in the month, it is the first time that two perfect games are pitched in the same season in 130 years. Lee Richmond and John Montgomery Ward had both pitched perfect games five days apart in 1880.
  • Top Giants prospect Buster Posey makes his season debut, getting three hits and three RBI in a 12 - 1 win over Arizona, on his way to winning the Rookie of the Year Award. Eli Whiteside and Juan Uribe hit long balls for San Francisco.
  • The University of Southern Indiana wins the Division II College World Series with a 6 - 4 upset of #1 seed UC San Diego in the finale. It is the school's first national title.
  • Eri Yoshida, the first Japanese female player to appear in a male professional baseball league, makes her US debut. She tosses a scoreless 1st inning for the Chico Outlaws of the Golden Baseball League and leaves after giving up four runs in three innings; she also singles in a run in her club's 8 - 6 win.
• 2011:
  • The Diamondbacks unexpectedly find themselves in first place in the NL West after beating Houston, 4 - 2, completing a three-game sweep. It is the D-Backs' 14th win in their last 16 games, but manager Kirk Gibson is not there to enjoy it, having been ejected in the 4th inning for arguing a balk call against starter Josh Collmenter. Losing pitcher J.A. Happ hits his first major league homer for the Astros.
  • The South torches the North, 11 - 1, in the Mexican League All-Star Game at Parque Francisco I. Madero. Starter and losing pitcher Andrés Meza and 11 relievers fail to stop the South, as Rubén Rivera (the MVP), Erick Rodriguez and Doug Clark all go deep. Francisco Campos gets the win, as the North is held to six hits.
• 2012:
  • Ciego de Ávila wins its first Cuban Serie Nacional title, beating the twelve-time champion Industriales, four games to one, in the finals. Game 5 goes 11 innings before Ciego de Ávila emerges with a 4 - 3 win. Yoelvis Fiss drives in three runs for the winners, while Yander Guevara works 10 1/3 innings and Ricardo Bordón drives in the winner. Yoandri Urgellés hits a two-run homer for the losing side.
  • With the Red Sox and Blue Jays both winning today, all five teams in both the AL East and NL East are now above .500. It is the first time this has happened since June 23, 1995, when the NL West and AL West both had all of their four teams above .500 simultaneously.
  • The Rangers sign free agent pitcher Roy Oswalt, who has been inactive so far this year, for the remainder of the season for $5 million. Ironically, the signing comes on the day his former team, the Phillies, place their ace Roy Halladay on the disabled list, but the Phils' renewed interest in Oswalt's services comes too late.
  • Jeremy Hefner homers for his first career hit and wins his first game in the majors, beating the Phillies, 6 - 3. No pitcher had gotten his first homer and first win in the same game in ten years, since Dennis Tankersley had done it. Tankersley never got another homer or win, though.
  • The Cubs beat the Padres, 5 - 3, with James Russell getting the save. He joins father Jeff Russell as the fourth father-son duo to both save a game in the majors.
• 2013:
  • Ryan Zimmerman hits three homers in a losing cause as the Nationals bow out to the Orioles, 9 - 6. Eight homers are hit overall as the ball flies out of Camden Yards. Things start off well for the Nats, with Zimmerman homering in his first three at-bats for a 6 - 3 lead, but in the 7th, Jordan Zimmermann serves up a two-run homer to Steve Pearce and reliever Tyler Clippard allows a two-run homer to Chris Davis, his second of the game, as the O's score six times by the end of the inning. Zimmermann falls to 8-3 as Steve Johnson wins for the first time this year.
  • Another player has a three-homer game today, but this time in a winning cause. Switch-hitting C Dioner Navarro connects twice as a lefty and once as a righty at Wrigley Field in leading the Cubs to a 9 - 3 win over the White Sox.
• 2014:
  • Josh Collmenter faces the minimum 27 batters in spite of allowing three hits in recording his first career complete game and shutout as the Diamondbacks defeat the Reds, 4 - 0. All three Reds baserunners are erased on double plays, including Brayan Pena, who is tagged out at third in trying to advance on a fly out after hitting a double.
  • The Blue Jays' nine-game winning streak is snapped by an 8 - 6, ten-inning loss to the Kansas City Royals, but Edwin Encarnacion continues to set homer records. By hitting a pair of long balls, he claims the all-time Blue Jays record for homers in a month with 16, passing Jose Bautista, and ties Mickey Mantle for the American League record for most homers in May. He is only the third player to have five multiple-homer games in a month, following Harmon Killebrew in May of 1959 and Albert Belle in September of 1995. The Jays come within an out of extending their streak to ten games, as they lead, 6 - 5, with two outs in the 9th, when pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson ties the game, taking advantage of SS Jose Reyes's errant throw to first base on a ground ball. The Royals then score twice against Todd Redmond in the 10th to win the game.
• 2015 - Lewis-Clark State College wins the NAIA College World Series, its 17th NAIA title but first in seven years. They top St. Thomas University, 10 - 7, in the finale, rallying from a 7 - 1 deficit. Cameron Pongs allows only one hit in 4 2/3 relief innings and Max Whitt's bases-loaded single drives in the winner in the 8th.
• 2016:
  • Stephen Strasburg of the Nationals improves to 9-0 on the year with a 10 - 2 win over the Cardinals, powered by a pinch-hit grand slam off the bat of Jayson Werth and a two-run homer by Wilson Ramos. Strasburg sets a new franchise record for most wins to start the year by a starting pitcher, besting the eight recorded by Pedro Martinez to start off his Cy Young Award-winning 1997 campaign. He also has 12 straight wins dating back to the previous September, which ties the franchise record shared by Dennis Martinez (1989) and Livan Hernandez (2005).
  • For the first time in over a century, the Yankees win a game in spite of being limited to only one hit. Starlin Castro hits a two-run homer off Jake Odorizzi of the Rays in the 7th inning, and it is enough to procure a 2 - 1 win. The last time the Yankees had won a game while collecting a single hit was on July 10, 1914, when Charlie Mullen had the only safety in the second game of a doubleheader against Cleveland, shortened to six innings by darkness.
• 2017:
  • A big fracas erupts in the 8th inning of a game between the Nationals and Giants. With Washington leading 3 - 0, Hunter Strickland plunks Bryce Harper on the hip with a 98 mph fastball, angering the young superstar who charges the mound, triggering a bench-clearing brawl. Not many punches land, but an angry Strickland has to be dragged off the field by three teammates. The Nats claim the pitch is in retaliation for an incident during the 2014 Division Series, when Harper homered twice off Strickland and the two exchanged words; they had not faced one another since then. Harper will receive a four-game suspension and Strickland one of six games for their part in the incident. Nats player Mike Morse suffers a concussion during the melee, ending his career.
  • The Blue Jays tee off against the Reds, with a 17 - 2 beatdown that features a 23-hit barrage. Russell Martin hits a two-run homer off Lisalverto Bonilla in the 2nd, Troy Tulowitzki adds a grand slam off Robert Stephenson in the 3rd while Justin Smoak hits a three-run shot in the 4th. Ezequiel Carrera and Devon Travis both collect four hits as everyone in Toronto's line-up pitches in in support of Marcus Stroman. Both Stephenson and fellow reliever Jake Buchanan allow ten hits, something unseen since 1929.
• 2019 - The Astros, off to a great start, place SS Carlos Correa on the injured list after he suffers a broken rib during a massage at home. Already missing 2B José Altuve and OF George Springer, the Astros may find it hard to maintain their torrid pace with Correa expected to miss four to six weeks.
• 2021:
  • The Twins' Josh Donaldson scores the two millionth run in major league history on an automatic double by teammate Nelson Cruz in the 1st inning of their game against the Royals. Contrary to the millionth run, which was the subject of a big sponsorship campaign and a lot of hoopla before it was scored by Bob Watson in 1975, the run-up to this milestone was barely mentioned and the run itself is treated mainly as a curiosity.
  • Braves OF Marcell Ozuna is arrested at his home in Sandy Springs, GA on charges of domestic violence after he is found by police battering his wife and attempting to strangle her. He is on the injured list at the time. He will not return this season, missing the Braves' run to a World Series title, and will be suspended a further 20 games at the start of the 2022 season, but will escape criminal charges.
• 2023:
  • Marcus Stroman pitches a one-hitter in the Cubs' 1 - 0 victory over the Rays. Wander Franco leads off the 7th with a single for Tampa's only hit.
  • Josh Staumont and Mike Mayers are perfect through the first seven innings before Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras lead off the 8th with back-to-back singles. They are the only two baserunners for the Cardinals in a 7 - 0 loss as Mayers befuddles his former team for six innings after Staumont gets the first three outs as the opener for the Royals. Taylor Clarke and Amir Garrett complete the day's work by getting three outs each without allowing anything after the two singles given up by Mayers, who receives credit for the win.

Births

• 1869 - Marty Honan, catcher (d. 1908)
• 1875 - Dave Fultz, outfielder (d. 1959)
• 1885 - Jack Lively, pitcher (d. 1967)
• 1899 - Hal Elliott, pitcher (d. 1963)
• 1899 - Art Reinhart, pitcher (d. 1946)
• 1901 - Jim Stroner, infielder (d. 1975)
• 1903 - Bob Hope, owner (d. 2003)
• 1907 - Phil Gallivan, pitcher (d. 1969)
• 1910 - George McQuinn, infielder; All-Star (d. 1978)
• 1915 - Vance Dinges, infielder (d. 1990)
• 1915 - Kotaro Mori, NPB pitcher (d. 1966)
• 1917 - Bill Burich, infielder (d. 2009)
• 1917 - Jim Missouri, pitcher (d. 1989)
• 1917 - Loel Passe, announcer (d. 1997)
• 1919 - Al Brancato, infielder (d. 2012)
• 1919 - Arnold Heft, minor league pitcher (d. 2014)
• 1920 - Sammy Haynes, catcher (d. 1997)
• 1922 - Fred Tschudin, minor league catcher (d. 1952)
• 1922 - John Williams, infielder (d. 1973)
• 1924 - Pepper Davis, AAGPBL catcher (d. 2013)
• 1925 - Francis Essic, minor league player and manager (d. 2018)
• 1926 - Gene Manzer, minor league pitcher (d. 2009)
• 1927 - Ken Guettler, minor league outfielder (d. 1977)
• 1927 - Peter Konyar, minor league infielder (d. 1995)
• 1928 - Joe Camacho, coach (d. 2018)
• 1928 - Willard Schmidt, pitcher (d. 2007)
• 1929 - Richard Ackermann, minor league infielder (d. 2014)
• 1929 - Roberto Vargas, pitcher (d. 2014)
• 1931 - John Baumgartner, infielder
• 1936 - Fred White, announcer (d. 2013)
• 1936 - Dale Willis, pitcher (d. 2021)
• 1938 - Fay Vincent, commissioner
• 1941 - John Kennedy, infielder (d. 2018)
• 1942 - Akira Takahashi, NPB pitcher (d. 2006)
• 1943 - Felipe Leal, minor league pitcher and manager (d. 2010)
• 1945 - Clyde Mashore, outfielder (d. 2016)
• 1945 - Blue Moon Odom, pitcher; All-Star
• 1945 - Yoshiro Sotokoba, NPB pitcher; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
• 1946 - Dyar Miller, pitcher
• 1946 - Yutaka Ohashi, NPB infielder
• 1952 - Fred Holdsworth, pitcher
• 1953 - Mike Dupree, pitcher
• 1957 - Satoru Kakizono, NPB umpire
• 1958 - Jamie Allen, infielder
• 1958 - Giraldo González, Cuban league infielder and manager (d. 2021)
• 1958 - Kevin Richards, minor league pitcher
• 1958 - Mike Stenhouse, outfielder
• 1959 - Gerry Groninger, minor league catcher and manager
• 1960 - Anthony Tiliakos, First Division catcher
• 1962 - Eric Davis, outfielder; All-Star
• 1963 - Atsunori Itoh, NPB pitcher
• 1964 - Grady Hall, minor league pitcher
• 1964 - Doug Kovash, college coach
• 1965 - Roberto De Franceschi, Italian Baseball League outfielder
• 1965 - Charlie Hayes, infielder
• 1965 - Isao Koda, NPB pitcher
• 1966 - Gabriel Pierre, Cuban league infielder
• 1967 - Bill Risley, pitcher
• 1968 - Brian Griffiths, minor league pitcher
• 1969 - Toby Borland, pitcher
• 1969 - Kenji Morozumi, NPB outfielder
• 1973 - Dmitry Lukin, Russian national team infielder
• 1973 - Trever Miller, pitcher
• 1974 - Jerrod Wong, minor league outfielder
• 1975 - Cirilo Cruz, minor league infielder
• 1975 - Sean Spencer, pitcher
• 1976 - Jerry Hairston, infielder
• 1977 - Kent Karlsson, Elitserien pitcher
• 1977 - Ryan Lentz, minor league infielder
• 1977 - Chris Olean, minor league pitcher
• 1977 - Jeffrey Verbij, Hoofdklasse infielder
• 1979 - John Rheinecker, pitcher (d. 2017)
• 1980 - Cha Seung Baek, pitcher
• 1980 - James Sanders, Bundesliga pitcher
• 1982 - Tae-kyun Kim, NPB infielder
• 1982 - Matt Macri, infielder
• 1983 - Tae-soo Cho, KBO pitcher
• 1983 - Sébastien Hervé, Division Elite infielder
• 1983 - Akifumi Takahashi, NPB pitcher
• 1984 - Jose Camarena, minor league catcher
• 1984 - Garrison Campfield, minor league pitcher
• 1984 - Danny Hayden, college coach
• 1984 - Bradley Merritt, Extraliga pitcher
• 1987 - Henry Henry, minor league infielder
• 1988 - Robert Brooks, minor league player
• 1988 - Keisuke Matsushima, Japanese national team outfielder
• 1988 - Darling Read, minor league outfielder
• 1989 - Oswal Báez, Venezuelan national team player
• 1989 - Angel Antonio Cuan, minor league pitcher
• 1989 - Cameron Lamb, minor league pitcher
• 1989 - Alon Leichman, coach
• 1990 - Joe Biagini, pitcher
• 1990 - Leonardo Heras, minor league outfielder
• 1990 - Hsiao-Yi Kao, CPBL outfielder
• 1990 - Kevin Kuntz, minor league infielder
• 1990 - Tyler Pill, pitcher
• 1990 - Trevor Rosenthal, pitcher; All-Star
• 1991 - Taisuke Kondo, NPB pitcher
• 1991 - Steven Matz, pitcher
• 1991 - Melanie Newman, broadcaster
• 1991 - Nick Wittgren, pitcher
• 1992 - D.J. Snelten, pitcher
• 1992 - Terrell Joyce, minor league outfielder
• 1993 - Gerald Chin, minor league infielder
• 1994 - Robbie Perkins, minor league catcher
• 1994 - Ka'ai Tom, outfielder
• 1995 - Harold Arauz, minor league pitcher
• 1995 - Conner Menez, pitcher
• 1995 - Michael Santos, minor league pitcher
• 1995 - Chia-Wen Shen, Taiwanese women's national team outfielder
• 1995 - Zack Short, infielder
• 1996 - Bobby Bradley, infielder
• 1997 - Tyler Nevin, infielder
• 1998 - Brenan Hanifee, pitcher
• 1998 - Shogo Sakakura, NPB catcher and infielder
• 1999 - Patrick Bailey, catcher
• 2001 - Leo Bristow, Swedish national team pitcher
• 2001 - Luis De Ávila, minor league pitcher
• 2002 - Paul Skenes, minor league pitcher
• 2005 - Nathan Laot, French Division I pitcher

Deaths

• 1876 - Tom Miller, catcher (b. 1850)
• 1910 - Bill Hassamaer, outfielder (b. 1864)
• 1932 - Frank Lobert, infielder (b. 1883)
• 1939 - Bill McCarthy, pitcher (b. 1882)
• 1943 - Pat Wright, infielder (b. 1865)
• 1949 - Doc Scanlan, pitcher (b. 1881)
• 1952 - Doc Lavan, infielder (b. 1890)
• 1955 - Ray Brown, pitcher (b. 1889)
• 1959 - Dutch Ussat, infielder (b. 1904)
• 1961 - Charlie Carroll, college coach (b. 1890)
• 1963 - Fred Herbert, pitcher (b. 1887)
• 1964 - Eli Cates, pitcher (b. 1877)
• 1965 - Mike McNally, infielder (b. 1892)
• 1966 - Hippo Vaughn, pitcher (b. 1888)
• 1972 - Moe Berg, catcher (b. 1902)
• 1978 - Carl Reynolds, outfielder (b. 1903)
• 1982 - Erv Palica, pitcher (b. 1928)
• 1985 - Billy Zitzmann, outfielder (b. 1895)
• 1987 - Jack Sheehan, infielder (b. 1893)
• 1989 - Julio Báez, pitcher (b. 1918)
• 1992 - Robert Rucker, minor league infielder and manager (b. 1924)
• 1993 - Alex Kampouris, infielder (b. 1912)
• 1998 - Manuel Alarcón, Cuban league pitcher (b. 1941)
• 2002 - Joe Bauldree, minor league pitcher (b. 1977)
• 2002 - Sam Page, pitcher (b. 1916)
• 2008 - Steve Vrablik, scout (b. 1919)
• 2010 - Jeriome Robertson, pitcher (b. 1977)
• 2016 - Bob Schroeder, umpire (b. 1926)
• 2018 - Ray Barker, infielder (b. 1936)
• 2020 - Hank Mason, pitcher (b. 1931)