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Today in Baseball History
August 8th
August 8th
1903 In the third inning of the 4-3 nightcap loss to New York at the Polo Grounds, Dodger starter Henry Schmidt is thrown out of the game after he throws the baseball out of the park. The Brooklyn hurler became very angry when opposing pitcher Joe McGinnity dashed home from third base while his infielders were arguing the close call at the bag.
1913 On April 25, the American Association minor league contest was stopped with the score tied 1-1 due to rain, and replayed on June 15, resulting in a 6-6 tie after nine innings when the game is stopped because of darkness. The game is started again on August 7 and after the 13th the 2-2 contest is halted once more due to darkness, but after four attempts, Minneapolis finally beats Indianapolis today, 11-2.
1915 Gavvy Cravath ties a major league mark when he hits four doubles in the Phillies' 14-7 victory over Cincinnati. The Philadelphia outfielder also establishes a franchise record when he drives in eight runs in the Redland Field's contest.
1921 Appearing as a pinch-hitter in the top of the ninth inning, Browns' second baseman Luke Stuart hits a home run in his first major league at-bat. The 29 year-old rookie infielder, who is the first American Leaguer to accomplish the feat, strokes his only career round-tripper in a 16-5 loss to Washington at Griffith Stadium off future Hall of Famer Walter Johnson.
1922 The Pirates establish a major league record by collecting 46 hits in a doubleheader sweep of the Phillies at Shibe Park. In their 7-3 win in the opener, Pittsburgh bangs out 19 hits, and the team adds another 29 safeties in their 19-8 rout in the nightcap.
1933 A series of Midsummer Classic games is proposed by William Veeck, president of the Cubs. Although the idea receives some support, it will be 64 years before a team from the American League plays a club from the National League during the regular season.
1941 In New York, Les Brown and his Orchestra record “Joltin’ Joe” for Columbia Records. The song about Yankee outfielder Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak will be played incessantly on radio stations across the country, eventually reaching number 12 on the charts.
1947 Schoolboy Rowe of the Phillies pinch hits for Johnny Sain to become the first major leaguer to appear in different All-Star games representing teams from the National League and American League. In the 1936 Mid-summer classic, the former Philadelphia A's ace threw three innings of relief against the NL stars.
1953 Southpaws ****** Ford and Bob Kuzava both blank the White Sox, 1-0 and 3-0 respectively, for a Yankee doubleheader sweep. Kuzava gives up his only hit in the ninth inning, a one-out double to Bob Boyd.
1954 Gil Hodges comes to bat three times in the eighth inning when the Dodgers score 13 runs en route to a 20-7 rout of the Reds at Ebbets Field. The first baseman will go 1-for 3 in the frame with a leadoff triple, but will be responsible for all three outs when he hits into a double play and flies out to centerfield to end the Brooklyn barrage.
1956 Robin Roberts gets his fourth victory in the past ten days when the Phillies beat New York at the Polo Grounds, 8-3. Philadelphia's shortstop Ted Kazanski becomes just the fourth player in franchise history to hit an inside-the-park grand slam.
1957 Club President Walter O'Malley makes it official, announcing the Dodgers will play in Los Angeles next season. The club’s departure from Brooklyn corresponds with the massive social shift taking place in the borough that finds many of its former residents leaving for the suburbs of Long Island.
1970 On Old Timers Day at the Stadium, the Yankees retire Casey Stengel’s uniform #37. The ‘Old Perfessor’s’ Bronx Bombers won seven World Series during his 12-year tenure with the team from 1949 to 1960.
1972 After much speculation about the future of the team, the Yankees sign a thirty-year lease to play in the 'new' Yankee Stadium beginning in 1976. After completing the Stadium's 50th-Anniversary next season, the Bronx Bombers will play their home games for the next two years at Shea Stadium while the 'House that Ruth Built' is completely remodeled.
1973 At Kauffman Stadium, Red Sox DH Orlando Cepeda collects four doubles in the team’s 9-4 win over the Royals. 'Cha Cha', who signed with Boston in January, was the first player since the inception of the new position to be added to a roster specifically as its designated hitter.
1976 In the first game of a doubleheader against Kansas City at Comiskey Park, the White Sox take the field wearing shorts. Chicago, after a 5-2 comfortable win in the opener, dons long pants for the nightcap and comes out on the short end to the Royals, 7-1.
1982 In the 9-5 Angels’ victory over the Mariners at the Kingdome, Doug DeCinces hits three home runs in a game for the second time in less than a week. The California third baseman also poked a trio of round-trippers against Minnesota six days ago.
1988 In the first scheduled night game ever at Wrigley Field the Cubs play host to the Phillies. The game does not become official as the contest is rained out in the third inning.
1989 In his major league debut, former Met farmhand Mauro Gozzo blanks the Rangers for eight innings, helping the Blue Jays go over .500 for the first time since Opening Day. Toronto will eventually win the American League East.
1997 At Busch Stadium, recently acquired Mark McGwire hits his 364th career home run on a pitch thrown by Phillies' right-hander Mark Leiter for his first National League round-tripper. The Cardinals slugging first baseman will hit a total of 220 homers in the Senior Circuit, all for the Redbirds.
1998 Twins' Paul Molitor becomes the fifth player in major league history to have at least 3,000 hits and 500 steals. With his 5-for-5 performance and the theft of his 500th base, the 41 year-old joins Ty Cobb (4,191 hits, 892 steals), Honus Wagner (3,415, 722), Eddie Collins (3,315, 744) and Lou Brock (3,023, 93
as the only players to reach this milestone.2000 In the bottom of the ninth, A's closer Jason Isringhausen throws just two pitches, and the Yankees go from losing 3-2 to winning 4-3. Bernie Williams and David Justice both hit home runs on the first pitch they see from the Oakland reliever.
2000 Cubs hurler Phil Norton becomes the 18th pitcher in major league history to give up four homers in one inning in the Dodgers' 7-5 victory at Chavez Ravine. Kevin Elster, Darren Dreifort, Gary Sheffield and Shawn Green all take the 24 year-old southpaw deep in the bottom of the fourth inning.
2000 Darren Dreifort hits two home runs and gets the win in the Dodgers’ 7-5 victory over the Cubs. The starting pitcher, who hurls 6.2 innings, goes deep in the bottom of the fourth and fifth frames.
2000 After kissing one another in the seventh inning, a female couple is abruptly asked to leave Dodger Stadium immediately and are told never to "set foot back on the premises" for "lewd behavior". The pair had planned to sue the organization, but ended up not doing so after the team apologized, promising to contribute 5,000 tickets to GLBT organizations and continue sensitivity training for all its employees.
2002 Closer John Smoltz records his 40th save in the 114th game of the Braves' schedule, making it the earliest point in a season a relief pitcher has reached that mark. Lee Smith of the Cardinals accomplished the feat in his 117th game in 1993, and the White Sox Bobby Thigpen turned the trick in 118 games en route to setting the major league record with 57 saves in 1990.
2004 At Yankee Stadium, less than an hour after the Blue Jays lose to New York for their fifth consecutive defeat, Toronto fires their manager Carlos Tosca. First base coach John Gibbons will be the interim skipper for the remainder of the season.
2006 Mark DeRosa makes two outs in one at-bat, ending the McAfee Coliseum contest in a most unlikely manner. On a 3-2 pitch, the Texas right fielder swings and misses, making the second out of the inning, but when his momentum causes him to make contact with Oakland catcher Jason Kendall, who is throwing to second trying to prevent pinch-runner Jerry Hairston Jr. from stealing a base, plate umpire Jim Joyce calls interference on the batter for the third and final out of the Rangers' 7-6 loss to the A's.
2014 Bartolo Colon joins Juan Marichal and Pedro Martinez in becoming the third hurler from the Dominican Republic to win 200 major league games. The 40 year-old portly right-hander accomplishes the feat when he goes eight innings, giving up six hits and one run, in the Mets’ 5-4 victory over Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park, 5-4.
2014 In the Braves' 7-6 victory over Washington at Turner Field, Justin and B.J. Upton both homer in the same game for the fifth time, setting the major-league record for brothers. The Atlanta teammates, who both go deep off Stephen Strasburg, surpasses the mark they previously shared with Jeremy and Jason Giambi and Vladimir and Wilton Guerrero.
