October 2

January	February
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31	1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
March	April
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31	1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
May	June
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31	1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
July	August
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31	1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
September	October
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30	1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
November	December
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30	1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
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 October 2.

Events

• 1889 - King Kelly shows up drunk and is taken by the police when he threatens umpire Jack McQuaid. Without him‚ Boston loses, 7 - 1, and falls behind New York‚ which wins, 6 - 3. Sam Thompson of the Quakers hits his 20th homer of the season. The American Association home run leader‚ Harry Stovey‚ hits 19‚ considered a greater achievement because of the bigger parks in the AA.
• 1908 - Addie Joss of the Cleveland Naps tosses a perfect game against the Chicago White Sox. The future Hall of Famer wins a 1 - 0 decision over Ed Walsh in one of the greatest pitching duels in major league history. Joss strikes out only three batters, while Walsh fans 15.
• 1916 - Grover Alexander pitches his sixteenth shutout of the season, allowing only three Boston Braves hits in a 2 - 0 triumph.
• 1919 - The Chicago White Sox lose the second game of the World Series, 4 - 2, to the Cincinnati Reds. Lefty Williams, one of eight Sox players involved in a Series-fixing scandal, walks three men in the 4th inning. After the game, he is confronted and attacked by Sox catcher Ray Schalk.
• 1920:
  • With the last two games rained out, fans get their money's worth in Pittsburgh as the Pirates and Reds, battling to determine third place, play the century's only tripleheader. Starting at noon, the Reds win the first game, 13 - 4, to clinch third place. The Reds win the second game as well, 7 - 3, with a number of players at odd positions: the Reds put catcher Ivey Wingo at 2B, with pitchers Rube Bressler, Dutch Ruether, Fritz Coumbe, and Hod Eller at field positions. The Pirates take the finale, 6 - 0, called after six innings because of darkness. The only "tribill" played this century is played in five hours. Clyde Barnhart, who made his major league debut ten days earlier, doubles in the first two games, and singles in the third, the only player to hit in all three games.
  • The Indians clinch their first American League pennant when they rout the Tigers at Navin Field, 10 - 1. Jim Bagby, who will have a 1-1 record in the Fall Classic for the eventual World Champs, notches his 31st victory of the season.
• 1921 - The Yankees close the season by beating the Red Sox, 7 - 6. Babe Ruth hits his 59th home run off Curt Fullerton.
• 1932 - The Yankees sweep the Cubs in the World Series. Tony Lazzeri hits two homers and Earle Combs adds another in the 13 - 6 laugher.
• 1936 - The Yankees even the World Series and set a Series record for runs as they demolish the Giants, 18 - 4. Lefty Gomez coasts to a six-hit win, while every member of the Yankees lineup makes a hit and scores at least one run. Tony Lazzeri hits a grand slam, the first in World Series play since 1920.
• 1938:
  • Bob Feller strikes out 18 Detroit Tigers batters, setting a single-game record that will stand until Steve Carlton breaks it in 1969.
  • Tommy Thevenow, playing in his final game of a 12-year career, establishes the longest homerless streak in major league history. The 35-year-old Pirates infielder, who hit two round-trippers during his rookie season in 1924 with the Cardinals, has since made 3,605 plate appearances without homering again.
  • Mel Ott establishes the record for the most games played before a 30th birthday with 1,739.
• 1940 - The Sullivans become the first father and son to have played in a World Series when Billy Jr. is the Tigers backstop in Game 1 of the Fall Classic at Crosley Field. The Detroit catcher's dad, Bill Sr., appeared in the postseason in 1906, playing the same position for the White Sox when he went 0-for-21 in the Hitless Wonders’ six-game triumph over the Cubs.
• 1942 - With a combination of infielders consisted mostly of shortstop Eddie Joost, second sacker Pete Suder and first baseman Ferris Fain, the A’s establish a major-league record for turning 217 double plays. The trio is the subject of a poem written by Dick Armstrong, the Athletics' publicity director, titled “Joost to Suder to Fain,” which remains popular in the folklore of the franchise.
• 1947 - The Dodgers squeak out a 9 - 8 win over the Yankees, jumping on Bobo Newsom and Vic Raschi for six runs in the 2nd inning. Yogi Berra becomes the first player to hit a pinch home run in World Series history, belting one off Brooklyn's Ralph Branca in the 7th inning.
• 1948 - Fumio Fujimura hits for the cycle, the first time this has been done in Nippon Pro Baseball annals.
• 1949 - The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox enter the last day of the season tied for first place and nearly 70,000 pack Yankee Stadium to see the finale. Vic Raschi nurses a 1 - 0 lead into the 8th against Ellis Kinder before the Yankees score four runs and go on to win the game and the pennant, 5 - 3. Jerry Coleman's three-run triple provides the winning margin. Ted Williams also loses the batting title as George Kell goes 2 for 3 in Detroit (.3429 to .3427).
• 1953 - Carl Erskine of the Brooklyn Dodgers sets a World Series record with 14 strikeouts in Game 3 at Ebbets Field against the New York Yankees. Brooklyn wins, 3 - 2, behind Erskine's six-hit pitching.
• 1954 - The Giants sweep the American League team with the best record in history, scoring four runs in the 5th for a 7 -4 win over Cleveland as Don Liddle beats Bob Lemon. The Indians had won 111 games, a record that will stand until surpassed by the 1998 Yankees.
• 1955 - Surprise Brooklyn starter rookie Roger Craig pitches six innings for the 5 - 3 win to even the World Series. Two home runs by Duke Snider and one by Sandy Amoros prove too much for the Yankees.
• 1958 - The Braves erupt for seven runs in the 1st and go on to defeat the Yankees, 13 - 5. Lew Burdette is shaky but beats New York for the fourth consecutive time in the World Series. He also chips in with a three-run home run.
• 1960 - On the final day of the season, Norm Cash singles as a pinch-hitter in the 8th inning of the Tigers' 2 - 1 loss to Kansas City at Municipal Stadium. "Stormin' Norman", a big man not known for his speed, finishes the year without having hit into a double play during his 428 plate appearances for Detroit.
• 1961 - Two days before the start of the World Series between the Reds and Yankees, the expansion Mets introduce Casey Stengel as the franchise’s first manager. The introduction takes place at the Savoy Hilton in the same room where the Bronx Bombers held a press conference at the end of last season to announce the 70-year-old Old Professor’s "mandatory retirement".
• 1962 - Just 25,321 fans are on hand at Dodger Stadium for the second game in the best-of-three playoff against the Giants. A 9th-inning sacrifice fly by Ron Fairly sends Maury Wills home with the deciding run in the Dodgers' 8 - 7 win.
• 1963 - Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers sets a World Series record by striking out 15 batters in Game 1 against the New York Yankees, beating the record set by Carl Erskine ten years ago on this day. The Dodgers win the game, 5 - 2, behind Koufax' six-hit pitching.
• 1965 - Sandy Koufax's 2 - 1 win against the Braves clinches the National League pennant for the Dodgers. With 13 strikeouts, Koufax ups his modern major league season record to 382. (Nolan Ryan will do Koufax one K better in 1973).
• 1966:
  • Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers wins his 27th game of the season and the final game of his career. Koufax's 6 - 3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies clinches the National League pennant for the Dodgers.
  • The Yankees end the season with a 2 - 0 victory over Chicago, but the team will still finish in last place, a half-game behind the Red Sox. The tenth-place Bronx Bombers, who compiled a 70-89 record, 26 1/2 games behind Baltimore, become the first club in franchise history to finish in the American League cellar since 1912.
  • On the last day of the season, Sonny Jackson establishes a major league rookie record with his 49th steal of the season, a mark that will last until Gene Richards of the Padres and Omar Moreno of the Pirates both surpass the record in 1977. The Astros shortstop will finish second in the Rookie of the Year balloting behind Tommy Helms of Cincinnati.
  • Cardinals rookie Jim Cosman, making his major league debut on the last day of the season, hurls a two-hit complete-game shutout, blanking Chicago at Busch Stadium, 2 - 0. The 23-year-old right-hander, who didn’t know of his assignment until twenty minutes before game time, makes his only start of the season, having pitched only in relief in 54 minor league appearances before today's contest.
• 1968 - In one of the most memorable World Series performances ever, Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals strikes out 17 Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series. Gibson sets the World Series record for most strikeouts in a single game, set on this day in 1963 by Sandy Koufax, and leads the Cardinals to a 4 - 0 victory over Tigers ace and Cy Young Award winner Denny McLain.
• 1969:
  • The Seattle Pilots play what will be their last game in Seattle in a 3 - 1 loss to Oakland. A crowd of 5,473 shows up.
  • Pete Rose, in the 8th inning of the Reds' 8 - 3 win at Atlanta Stadium, clinches the National League batting title when he beats out a bunt to third base for a hit in his last at-bat of the season. The day starts with the Cincinnati right fielder tied with Pirates outfielder Roberto Clemente, who goes 3 for 4 against Montreal but finishes .005 of a point behind (.3447 to .3452) the eventual all-time hits leader.
• 1972 - In the first game of a doubleheader, Montreal's Bill Stoneman no-hits the New York Mets for a 7 - 0 Expos win at Parc Jarry, the first major league no-hitter ever pitched in Canada and the second of Stoneman's career. The Mets win the second game, 2 - 1. The temperature is 53 degrees as 7,184 watch the doubleheader split.
• 1974:
  • Hank Aaron hits his final home run as a member of the Atlanta Braves, who defeat the Cincinnati Reds, 13 - 0. The homer comes off Rawly Eastwick and is Aaron's 733rd career clout, coming in his last National League at-bat. Phil Niekro pitches the shutout for his 20th win of the season.
  • Future Hall of Famer Al Kaline announces his retirement. During a 22-year career with the Detroit Tigers, Kaline compiled 3,007 hits and 399 home runs. He also batted .379 in the 1968 World Series.
  • On the last day of the season in front of a crowd of a few hundred fans, Billy Martin elects not to use a designated hitter, allowing starting pitcher Ferguson Jenkins to bat for himself. Although Fergie, en route to his 25th win of the season, gets a hit in the Texas 2 - 1 victory over the Twins at Metropolitan Stadium, the Rangers manager's refusal to use a DH prevents the position from being employed for the entire game, according to the rules.
• 1976 - In his final start of the season, rookie right-hander Mark Fidrych earns his 19th victory, beating Milwaukee at County Stadium, 5 - 1. The five-hit complete game takes only one hour and 46 minutes to play.
• 1977 - Dusty Baker homers in his final at-bat of the season during a 6 - 3 loss to the Astros. It is Baker's 30th home run of the year, enabling him to join teammates Steve Garvey (33), Reggie Smith (32) and Ron Cey (30) in making the Dodgers the first team ever to boast four 30-homer hitters in one season.
• 1978 - Bucky Dent's unlikely home run helps the New York Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox in a dramatic one-game playoff at Fenway Park. Trailing by two runs in the 7th inning, Dent smacks a three-run shot against pitcher Mike Torrez into the screen above the Green Monster. The Yankees hold on for a 5 - 4 victory en route to face the Royals in the ALCS and the Dodgers in the World Series. Following the 2010 season, a panel of experts at the MLB Network voted this game the 11th greatest game of the past fifty years.
• 1982:
  • At San Diego's Jack Murphy Stadium, recording artist Vicki Carr and 43,077 fans sing an enthusiastic rendition of "Happy Birthday" before the Padres' game with Atlanta, helping owner Ray Kroc celebrate his 80th birthday. As part of the fun the San Diego Chicken, along with Ronald McDonald, pop out of a giant cake.
  • Red Sox starter Brian Denman goes the distance, defeating Dave Righetti at Yankee Stadium, 5 - 0. The 26-year-old rookie right-hander’s six-hit shutout will be his ninth and last appearance in a major league uniform.
  • The Astros hand the Reds their 100th loss of the season, the first time they reach the mark in their storied 114-year history. Starter Frank DiPino has the honors with a 4 - 2 victory. Harry Spilman gets the key hit, a two-run single in the four-run 4th. The Astros will win tomorrow as well to finish with a 77-85 campaign, in fifth place ahead of only Cincinnati.
• 1983 - Carl Yastrzemski plays in his 3,308th and final game, hitting a single as the team's left fielder. After the Red Sox's 3 - 1 victory over Cleveland, "Yaz" takes one more "final lap" around Fenway Park and will stay to sign autographs on Yawkey Way for over an hour.
• 1984 - In a game played with replacement umpires, the Cubs clobber the Padres, 13 - 0, in Game 1 of the NLCS. Chicago hits five home runs at Wrigley Field, including one by winning pitcher Rick Sutcliffe.
• 1985:
  • Tigers first baseman Darrell Evans hits his major league-leading 40th home run of the season and becomes the first player to have a 40-homer season in each loop. Evans hit 41 homers for the Braves in 1973.
  • The Galbreath family and Warner Communications sell the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Pittsburgh Associates, a consortium of Pittsburgh officials and local businesses committed to keeping the team in the City of Bridges. At the time, New Orleans and Portland are making attractive offers to bring the franchise, which is doing poorly on and off the field, to their respective cities.
  • Commissioner Peter Ueberroth makes it clear that Seattle is in self-imposed jeopardy of losing the Mariners, citing there is no requirement for the team to stay in its present location if it is not wanted for the long term. The Commissioner is referring to the King County Council's attempt to modify an agreement based on attendance made with owner George Argyros concerning the team's ability to exercise an escape clause after the 1987 season.
• 1986:
  • Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets became the first pitcher in baseball history to strike out 200 batters in each of his first three seasons, fanning seven en route to an 8 - 2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Luis Rivera looks at a third strike for the final out in the 8th inning of the Mets' 8 - 2 victory over Montreal at Olympic Stadium.
  • Mike Scott strikes out eight Giants in a 2 - 1 Astros victory to run his season total to 306, becoming the third National League pitcher to fan 300 batters in one season. Scott loses his bid for a second consecutive no-hitter when Will Clark doubles in the 7th inning.
  • Yankee first baseman Don Mattingly establishes a new team record, collecting his 232nd hit of the season to break the 1927 mark set by Earle Combs. "Donnie Baseball" will finish the season with a league-leading 238 hits.
• 1988:
  • Minnesota's season-ending 3 - 2 win over the Angels is watched by 35,952 fans, making the Twins the first American League club ever to break three million in season attendance.
  • During the season finale, Mets manager Davey Johnson receives an enthusiastic standing ovation from the Flushing Faithful when he comes to the mound to make a pitching change at Shea Stadium. With today’s 7 - 5 win over the Cardinals, his NL Eastern Division champs secure their 100th victory of the season. Outfielder Kevin McReynolds establishes a major league record, swiping 21 bases without being caught stealing during the season. The A's Jimmy Sexton had set the record with 16 stolen bases without being thrown out in 1982.
• 1991 - The Toronto Blue Jays clinch the American League East title and become the first team in sports history to draw four million fans in one season.
• 1992 - Carlos Baerga becomes the first second baseman in American League history to hit .300 with 200 hits, 20 home runs and 100 RBI.
• 1995 - The Seattle Mariners, behind Randy Johnson's three-hitter, beat California, 9 - 1, in a one-game playoff for the American League West title.
• 1999:
  • Rick Reed strikes out 12 batters without issuing a walk, hurling a complete game three-hitter in the Mets' 7 - 0 victory over Pittsburgh at Shea Stadium. The win puts New York into a tie for the NL Wild Card with the Reds with one game left in the season.
  • Mariano Rivera, although he gives up two hits, pitches a scoreless 9th inning, earning his 45th save of the season when the Yankees beat Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field, 3 - 2. The New York closer records more saves (45) than hits allowed (43) during his 66 appearances on the mound this season.
  • Vladimir Guerrero, in Montreal's 13 - 3 rout of Philadelphia at Veterans Stadium, hits two home runs, and his brother Wilton hits one round-tripper, making it the second time in their careers the siblings have gone deep in the same game. The Expos teammates also accomplished the feat last season in Cincinnati.
  • Jose Lima wins his 21st game as he and Billy Wagner team up to blank the Dodgers, 3 - 0. The victory, combined with a Cincinnati loss in Milwaukee, clinches a tie for the NL Central title. Craig Biggio homers off Chan Ho Park then Bill Spiers adds a pinch two-run single to provide the winning margin. Wagner gets his 39th save, a team record at the time.
• 2001 - Slugging Sammy Sosa becomes the first player in baseball history to slug 60 home runs in three seasons. The Cubs outfielder connects off Lance Davis in the 1st inning of the team's 5 - 4 loss to Cincinnati at Wrigley Field to reach the milestone.
• 2002 - Alex Cabrera of the Seibu Lions hits his 55th home run, tying Sadaharu Oh and Tuffy Rhodes for the Nippon Pro Baseball record.
• 2003 - In a 6 - 4 loss to the last-place Lotte Giants in the season finale, Samsung Lions slugger Seung-yeop Lee goes deep off Jeong-min Lee in the 2nd inning. It is Seung-yeop Lee's 56th home run of the season, a new Asian record, breaking the mark shared by Sadaharu Oh, Tuffy Rhodes and Alex Cabrera.
• 2004:
  • The Montreal Expos earn the last win in the franchise's history, defeating the New York Mets, 6 - 3. Brad Wilkerson hits the Expos' final home run in the 9th inning, his 32nd of the year.
  • The Toronto Blue Jays announce the dismissals of pitching coach Gil Patterson and first-base coach Joe Breeden, effective at the end of the season.
  • Steve Finley, for the second time in his career, hits a walk-off grand slam. The center fielder’s 9th-inning bases-loaded home run in the 7 - 3 win over the Giants at Dodger Stadium clinches the NL West title for the Dodgers.
  • Much to the chagrin of manager Ron Gardenhire and his players, the Twins' game against Cleveland, tied at 5 - 5 after 11 innings, is halted because the ground crew needs time to prepare the field for a University of Minnesota football game. The suspended Metrodome contest will resume before tomorrow’s scheduled game with the home team scoring a run in the bottom of the 12th frame, giving them a 6 - 5 walk-off victory over the Tribe.
• 2005 - In a recorded message shown at the start of the game, the last regular-season game to be played at Busch Stadium, Joe Buck, unable to be in attendance due to calling an NFL game on national television, asks the crowd to honor his late father by singing the "Star-Spangled Banner" a cappella. A stirring rendition fills the ballpark when 50,000 voices join in unison, a fitting tribute to the late and beloved Cardinal broadcaster Jack Buck. In the top of the 6th inning, Ozzie Smith emerges from the gate in right field wall in an open convertible. After touring the warning track, the former Cardinal shortstop removes the digit "1", his old uniform number, which is affixed to the outfield wall, revealing a "0" to indicate the number of regular-season games still scheduled at the ballpark.
• 2006 - Chicago's Vice-President and GM Jim Hendry announces that the Cubs have declined to renew Dusty Baker's contract to return as the team's manager next season. During his four-year reign in the northside dugout, the 57-year-old skipper compiled a 322-326 record, including a 66-96 campaign last season.
• 2009:
  • B.J. Upton is the first player in Tampa Bay history to hit for the cycle. He goes 5 for 5 with 6 RBI in the Rays' 13 - 4 victory over the Yankees. CC Sabathia takes the loss in his bid to become the majors' first 20-game winner this year.
  • Delmon Young hits his first career grand slam to lead the Twins to a 10 - 7 win over Kansas City. Jeff Manship earns his first major league win for Minnesota. Meanwhile, Jake Peavy gives up only two hits in eight innings when the White Sox beat Detroit, 8 - 0, reducing the Tigers' lead over the Twins in the AL Central to just one game.
• 2010:
  • The Hoboken Pioneers win their fourth Belgian First Division title and second in a row by sweeping the K. Deurne Spartans in three games in the Belgian Series, taking the finale, 13 - 1.
  • The Rays use most of their pitching staff in recording a 4 - 0 shutout over the Royals. The eight pitchers used is a major league record for a nine-inning shutout. Andy Sonnanstine is the starter, but leaves after giving up five hits and loading the bases with one out in the 3rd. Chad Qualls gets out of the jam and picks up the victory with two-thirds of an inning of work. The Rays then use a different pitcher for each of the remaining six innings, with the exception of the 6th, when Grant Balfour relieves Jake McGee with two outs and stays on to pitch the 7th. Matt Joyce drives in two runs and Carl Crawford hits a solo homer for Tampa Bay.
• 2011:
  • The Cardinals even their NLDS with the Phillies at one game apiece with a 5 - 4 win at Citizens Bank Park. They fall 4 - 0 against Cliff Lee as Chris Carpenter is chased after three innings, but come back for five runs against the ace lefthander. The Cards' bullpen holds the Phillies to one hit over the last six innings to preserve the win.
  • The Tigers get a dominant outing by Max Scherzer to beat the Yankees, 5 - 3, and even their ALDS at one game each. Scherzer does not allow a hit until the 6th inning, while Miguel Cabrera puts the Tigers ahead with a two-run homer off Freddy Garcia in the 1st inning. Closer Jose Valverde struggles a bit in the 9th, giving up a home run to Nick Swisher and a triple to Jorge Posada, but ends the game with the tying run on base.
  • The Brewers take a 2-0 lead in their NLDS battle with the Diamondbacks with a 9 - 4 win at home. Both starters struggle, as Zack Greinke gives up three homers for the Brewers, while Daniel Hudson is tagged for five runs in 5 1/3 innings. The Brew Crew scores five runs in the 6th to put the game away, the scoring starting on Jonathan Lucroy's squeeze bunt. Ryan Braun leads the attack with a 3-for-4 game including a two-run homer off Hudson in the 1st. Takashi Saito is the winner in relief.
• 2012:
  • On the penultimate day of the regular season, the Yankees maintain their one-game lead over the Orioles in the AL East when Raul Ibanez homers off Boston's Andrew Miller in the bottom of the 12th inning to give New York a 4 - 3 win. Earlier, the Orioles had defeated the Rays, 1 - 0, when Chris Davis homered for the sixth straight game, tying a club record, with a solo shot off James Shields in the 4th inning. Shields sets a Tampa Bay franchise record by striking out 15 opponents in the loss.
  • The Cardinals back into a wild card slot in the National League after losing 3 - 1 to the Reds, but seeing the Dodgers also lose, 3 - 2, to the Giants.
  • The Athletics tie the Rangers for the AL West lead with a 3 - 1 win over Texas for their fifth straight victory. Oakland trailed the Rangers by 13 games on June 30th, but now have a chance to win the division outright as the two teams face each other one final time tomorrow.
  • Seven years after being beaned on the first pitch he saw in his only career plate appearance, derailing a promising career, Adam Greenberg gets a chance to bat again in the major leagues. The Miami Marlins send him up to pinch-hit in the 6th inning against the Mets' R.A. Dickey. He strikes out on three pitches from the knuckleballer, but the crowd cheers wildly as his story of perseverance has made him a hero to many.
  • The Astros top the Cubs in the first match-up of 100-loss teams since 1962. Bud Norris and four relievers hold Chicago to four hits (two by Starlin Castro) in the contest of sad-sack clubs.
• 2013 - The Rays shut out the Indians, 4 - 0, in the American League Wild Card Game, behind the pitching of Alex Cobb, a solo homer by Delmon Young and a two-run double by Desmond Jennings.
• 2014:
  • The Orioles take Game 1 of their ALDS, 12 - 3, over the Tigers. The game is close until the O's score eight times in the bottom of the 8th to run away with the score, but before that, Nelson Cruz opens the score with a two-run homer off Max Scherzer in the bottom of the 1st, and J.J. Hardy hits a solo shot off Scherzer in the 7th to make it 4 - 2. Chris Tillman is the winner.
  • The Royals win again in extra innings, defeating the Angels, 3 - 2, on Mike Moustakas' homer off Fernando Salas in the top of the 11th in Game 1 of the other ALDS. Both Angels runs come off homers against Kansas City starter Jason Vargas, one by Chris Iannetta in the 3rd and the other by David Freese in the 5th. Danny Duffy, the Royals' seventh pitcher, is the winner, while Greg Holland gets the save.
  • Diegomar Markwell pitches his fourth Holland Series complete game, tying the career record held by Rob Cordemans. Markwell fans 12 and scatters 7 hits in a 3 - 1 win for DOOR Neptunus over the Amsterdam Pirates to pull to two games to one in the Series. Kevin Heijstek, the Game 1 star for Amsterdam, gives up three runs and six hits in the first two innings.
• 2015 - Eric Thames of the NC Dinos steals his 40th base to become the first 40-40 player in the history of the Korea Baseball Organization.
• 2016:
  • There are still three postseason slots to be attributed when all 15 games start simultaneously at 3:00 pm ET on the final day of the major league season. The Orioles are the first to clinch a wild card spot, defeating the Yankees, 5 - 2, behind a pair of homers by Matt Wieters. Next, the Giants defeat the Dodgers, 7 - 1, in the last game behind the mike for legendary broadcaster Vin Scully and they clinch the second NL wild card slot. The Tigers are then eliminated when they lose, 1 - 0, to the Braves. Finally, the Blue Jays hang on for a 2 - 1 win over the Red Sox that makes them the host of the Wild Card Game while the Red Sox lose home field advantage to the Indians in the Division Series. Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez takes a no-hitter into the 7th in winning his 15th of the year and claims the AL ERA title in the process.
  • The Mainz Athletics win their second Bundesliga title, beating the Regensburg Legionäre, three games to one. In Game 4 today, Lucas Dickman and Mike Larson each drive in a pair of runs in a 5 - 2 victory. Eric Massingham gets the victory over Clayton Voechting.
• 2017 - Sri Lanka makes its debut in an Asian Championship. In day one action of the 2017 Asian Championship, they fall, 18 - 0, to defending champion South Korea as Sung-han Kim shuts them out, allowing only two hits (to Akalanka Ranasinghe and Krishna Hapurachchi) to beat Ruwan Kumara Sampath. The team will fare better in some of its remaining games, beating Hong Kong and battling the Philippines before falling late.
• 2018:
  • The Twins fire manager Paul Molitor, just one year after winning the AL Manager of the Year Award.
  • The Rockies defeat the Cubs, 2 - 1, in 13 innings in the Wild Card Game. After scoring off Jon Lester in the 1st, the Rockies' bats go quiet, while the Cubs tie it with two outs in the 8th when Javier Baez doubles off Adam Ottavino, scoring pinch-runner Terrance Gore. However, the Cubs, whose bats have gone stone cold of late, waste a number of other chances. Tony Wolters, the Rockies' third catcher of the game, drives in Trevor Story with a two-out single off Kyle Hendricks in the 13th for the go-ahead run, and Scott Oberg preserves the win as Colorado will continue its travels, moving to Milwaukee, WI for Game 1 of the NLDS, its fourth city in four games.
• 2019 - The Rays defeat the Athletics, 5 -1, in the American League Wild Card Game, as all five of their runs come via the long ball. Yandy Diaz leads off the game with a homer off Sean Manaea and Avisail Garcia adds a two-run shot the next inning before Diaz's second tater of the game chases Manaea in the 3rd. Tommy Pham adds an insurance run with another long ball in the 5th. Charlie Morton allows plenty of baserunners but only one unearned run in five innings to receive credit for the win.
• 2020:
  • The National League Wild Card Series are complete as the Marlins eliminate the Cubs with a 2 - 0 win in Game 2 of the Third Series thanks to a homer by Garrett Cooper off Yu Darvish in the 7th that breaks a scoreless tie. In the Second Series, nine Padres pitchers combine to shut out the Cardinals, who had scored 16 runs in the first two games, 4 - 0, to advance to the Division Series.
  • Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, who spent his entire career with the Cardinals, whose 1.12 ERA in 1967 remains an iconic number, and who was only the second man to record 3,000 strikeouts, passes away from pancreatic cancer at 84.
  • The Amsterdam Pirates get their first no-hitter. It is also the first no-hitter in the Hoofdklasse playoffs (there had been one once before in the playdowns). 45-year-old legend Rob Cordemans goes five hitless innings and Nick Veltkamp and Matz Schutte close it out in a 10 - 0 mercy rule win over HCAW. Delano Selassa goes 4 for 4 and snares a line drive to keep the no-hit bid alive.
• 2021:
  • Today is the penultimate day of the major league season, and at the end of play four teams are still vying for the two wild card spots in the American League. Following a 12 - 2 loss to the Rays, the Yankees are at 91-70, tied with the Red Sox, who defeat the Nationals, 5 - 3. Just one game behind at 90-71 are the Blue Jays, 10 - 2 winners over the Orioles, and the Mariners who conclude the day with a 6 - 4 win over the Angels. All sorts of scenarios are in play for the final day, including a possible unprecedented four-way tie.
  • The Amsterdam Pirates begin the 2021 Holland Series with a 2 - 0 win over Neptunus as former major leaguer Shairon Martis pitches a three-hit gem and Sicnarf Loopstok doubles in Denzel Richardson with the winner. The game is played in a constant downpour.
• 2022:
  • In the last undecided division race in the majors. the Braves complete a three-game sweep of the Mets at home with a 5 - 3 win, to take a two-game lead in the NL East. Dansby Swanson and Matt Olson both homer in all three games to lead the Braves. Both teams have already clinched a spot in the postseason, but the final three games could still determine which of them earns a first-round bye.
  • The Durham Bulls win their third Triple-A National Championship, beating the Reno Aces, 10 - 6, at Las Vegas Ballpark in Las Vegas, NV. Bligh Madris goes 4 for 5 with two doubles and four RBI to win Game MVP.
• 2023:
  • One day after the end of another disappointing season, the Angels decline to pick up the option on manager Phil Nevin's contract, ending his tenure at the helm.
  • Yoshihisa Hirano of the Orix Buffaloes saves his 29th game of 2023, his 250th save between NPB and MLB. He is the fourth hurler to 250, following Kazuhiro Sasaki, Shingo Takatsu and Hitoki Iwase. That earns him entry into the meikyukai.

Births

• 1853 - Mike Dorgan, outfielder, manager (d. 1909)
• 1854 - Clarence Dow, outfielder (d. 1893)
• 1855 - Jack Allen, infielder (d. 1915)
• 1855 - Bob Blakiston, outfielder (d. 1918)
• 1869 - Scott Stratton, pitcher (d. 1939)
• 1873 - Charlie Krause, infielder (d. 1948)
• 1877 - Ernie Diehl, outfielder (d. 1958)
• 1878 - Jim McGinley, pitcher (d. 1961)
• 1880 - Jim Miller, infielder (d. 1937)
• 1882 - Ed Barry, pitcher (d. 1920)
• 1891 - Eddie Murphy, outfielder (d. 1969)
• 1895 - Lemuel Hawkins, infielder (d. 1934)
• 1896 - Sid Womack, catcher (d. 1958)
• 1904 - Tom Angley, catcher (d. 1952)
• 1907 - Elbert Williams, pitcher (d. 1972)
• 1908 - Ray Lucas, pitcher (d. 1969)
• 1911 - Rex Bowen, scout (d. 2004)
• 1913 - Gene Benson, outfielder; All-Star (d. 1999)
• 1913 - Masayori Shimura, broadcaster; Japanese Hall of Fame (d. 2007)
• 1919 - Joe Buzas, infielder (d. 2003)
• 1920 - Joe Burt Scott, outfielder (d. 2013)
• 1920 - Spec Shea, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2002)
• 1921 - Nobuo Oshima, NPB pitcher (d. 2005)
• 1921 - Ralph Weigel, catcher (d. 1992)
• 1922 - Jim Gladd, catcher (d. 1977)
• 1924 - Frank Bowa, minor league infielder (d. 1979)
• 1924 - Bill Serena, infielder (d. 1996)
• 1924 - Ching-Te Yeh, Taiwan national team infielder (d. 1987)
• 1928 - Ángel Scull, minor league outfielder (d. 2005)
• 1930 - John Gabler, pitcher (d. 2009)
• 1930 - Jim Heise, pitcher (d. 2011)
• 1932 - Maury Wills, infielder, manager; All-Star (d. 2022)
• 1934 - Earl Wilson, pitcher (d. 2005)
• 1938 - Miguel de la Hoz, infielder (d. 2023)
• 1938 - Paul Solberg, college coach (d. 2017)
• 1939 - Paul Doyle, pitcher (d. 2020)
• 1941 - Jackie Autry, owner
• 1943 - Paul Dicken, pinch hitter
• 1946 - Fumio Narita, NPB pitcher
• 1946 - Bob Robertson, infielder
• 1948 - Mitsuo Inaba, NPB pitcher (d. 2012)
• 1949 - Greg Pryor, infielder
• 1951 - Bob Coluccio, outfielder
• 1952 - Terry Cornutt, pitcher
• 1953 - Kevin Kobel, pitcher
• 1954 - Takanori Okamura, NPB outfielder
• 1956 - Jeff Doyle, infielder
• 1957 - Andre Robertson, infielder
• 1959 - Dave Beard, pitcher
• 1960 - Ernest Riles, infielder
• 1961 - Doug Ames, agent
• 1964 - Randy Byers, outfielder
• 1964 - Chris Ritter, minor league pitcher
• 1964 - Hector Villanueva, catcher
• 1966 - Scott Neill, minor league pitcher
• 1968 - Greg Gibson, umpire
• 1969 - Alan Newman, pitcher
• 1969 - Matt Walbeck, catcher
• 1970 - Eddie Guardado, pitcher; All-Star
• 1971 - Rafael Carmona, pitcher (d. 2021)
• 1972 - Trey Moore, pitcher
• 1973 - Wilmy Caceres, minor league infielder
• 1973 - Scott Schoeneweis, pitcher
• 1974 - Brian Knight, umpire
• 1974 - Doug Nickle, pitcher
• 1976 - Victor Santos, pitcher
• 1977 - Brian Adams, minor league pitcher
• 1979 - Jose Morban, infielder
• 1981 - Marino Salas, pitcher
• 1981 - Ben Thurmond, minor league pitcher
• 1984 - Oswaldo Navarro, infielder
• 1984 - Matt Reynolds, pitcher
• 1985 - Mike Elkerson, minor league outfielder
• 1985 - Chris Paterson, minor league manager
• 1986 - Ramón Flores, minor league outfielder
• 1986 - Ismel Jiménez, Cuban league pitcher
• 1987 - Stephen King, minor league infielder
• 1987 - Rafael Lopez, catcher
• 1988 - Yannapat Arpornsiri, Thai national team outfielder
• 1988 - Muhammad Ahsan Baig, Pakistani national team outfielder
• 1988 - Francisco Jimenez, minor league pitcher
• 1988 - Ryan Juarez, minor league pitcher
• 1988 - Jin-ho Jung, KBO outfielder
• 1988 - A.J. Kirby-Jones, minor league infielder
• 1989 - Ryan Dull, pitcher
• 1989 - Aaron Hicks, outfielder
• 1989 - Jesus Iguel, Northern Mariana Islands national team infielder
• 1989 - Alan Izaguirre, minor league umpire
• 1989 - Tyler Olson, pitcher
• 1989 - Chad Smith, pitcher
• 1991 - Cam Bedrosian, pitcher
• 1991 - Noel Cuevas, outfielder
• 1991 - Jason Hursh, pitcher
• 1991 - Yuki Naoi, Japanese women's national team catcher
• 1992 - Yasuaki Yamasaki, NPB pitcher
• 1993 - Yapson Gómez, minor league pitcher
• 1993 - Lance McCullers Jr., pitcher; All-Star
• 1994 - Jarret DeHart, coach
• 1994 - Josh Hart, minor league outfielder
• 1995 - Alex Lange, pitcher
• 1995 - Emailin Montilla, NPB pitcher
• 1995 - Kyle Wright, pitcher
• 1996 - Oliver Ortega, pitcher
• 1996 - Jhonny Santos, minor league outfielder
• 1998 - Eric Ma, Argentinian national team pitcher
• 2001 - Po-Yu Chen, minor league pitcher
• 2001 - Ryan Moore, French national team infielder
• 2002 - Artem Logvinov, Russian national team infielder

Deaths

• 1878 - Lewis Meacham, umpire (b. 1846)
• 1910 - Sandy McDougal, pitcher (b. 1874)
• 1915 - Tommy Beals, outfielder (b. 1850)
• 1918 - George McManus, manager (b. 1846)
• 1920 - Walter Hackett, infielder (b. 1857)
• 1921 - Ed Carfrey, infielder (b. 1863)
• 1926 - Art Sunday, outfielder (b. 1862)
• 1927 - John Carl, catcher (b. 1854)
• 1929 - Buck Hopkins, outfielder (b. 1883)
• 1931 - George Bradley, pitcher (b. 1852)
• 1933 - Mike McGeary, infielder (b. 1850)
• 1937 - Walt Burnham, minor league manager (b. 1860)
• 1944 - Dick Robertson, pitcher (b. 1891)
• 1947 - Charles Adams, owner (b. 1876)
• 1947 - Billy Hulen, infielder (b. 1870)
• 1947 - Jim Kane, infielder (b. 1881)
• 1949 - Frank Schulte, outfielder (b. 1882)
• 1951 - James McGeehan, minor league manager (b. 1877)
• 1957 - Andy Harris, infielder, manager (b. 1896)
• 1958 - Bill Forman, pitcher (b. 1886)
• 1960 - Jim Busby, infielder (b. 1900)
• 1960 - Mike Kilroy, pitcher (b. 1869)
• 1962 - Earl Yingling, pitcher (b. 1888)
• 1963 - Eddie Bacon, pitcher (b. 1895)
• 1963 - Cy Perkins, catcher, manager (b. 1896)
• 1966 - Jumbo Brown, pitcher (b. 1907)
• 1967 - Orville Armbrust, pitcher (b. 1910)
• 1967 - Toby Greene, college coach (b. 1899)
• 1967 - Jackie Price, infielder (b. 1912)
• 1967 - Bull Wagner, pitcher (b. 1887)
• 1969 - Danny O'Connell, infielder (b. 1929)
• 1970 - George Mohart, pitcher (b. 1892)
• 1975 - Charlie Emig, pitcher (b. 1875)
• 1976 - Walt Calhoun, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1911)
• 1990 - Heinie Schuble, infielder (b. 1906)
• 1990 - Hiroyuki Watanabe, NPB outfielder (b. 1921)
• 1996 - Tom Hafey, infielder (b. 1913)
• 1996 - Les Tietje, pitcher (b. 1911)
• 1999 - Frank Duncan, pitcher (b. 1920)
• 2005 - Bud Black, pitcher (b. 1932)
• 2005 - Pat Kelly, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1944)
• 2006 - Al Heist, outfielder (b. 1927)
• 2006 - Clyde Vollmer, outfielder (b. 1921)
• 2009 - Benny Felder, infielder (b. 1926)
• 2009 - Max Limonick, minor league pitcher (b. 1986)
• 2010 - Ruby Heafner, AAGPBL catcher (b. 1924)
• 2010 - Max Peterson, minor league pitcher (b. 1921)
• 2011 - Roy North, minor league pitcher (b. 1958)
• 2011 - John Romonosky, pitcher (b. 1929)
• 2012 - Fernando Diaz, Guam national team player (b. 1959)
• 2015 - Hal Schacker, pitcher (b. 1925)
• 2017 - Solly Hemus, infielder, manager (b. 1923)
• 2018 - Tomehiro Kaneda, NPB pitcher (b. 1946)
• 2018 - Obed Plascencia, minor league infielder-outfielder and manager (b. 1944)
• 2019 - Cecil Butler, pitcher (b. 1937)
• 2020 - Bob Gibson, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer (b. 1935)
• 2020 - Ron Perranoski, pitcher (b. 1936)
• 2021 - Chuck Hartenstein, pitcher (b. 1942)
• 2021 - Dave Roberts, infielder (b. 1933)
• 2023 - Casey Cox, pitcher (b. 1941)