Today in Baseball History
August 25th
1913 Carl Weilman becomes the first major leaguer to strike out six consecutive times in a single game. The Browns hurler accomplishes the dubious feat as the losing pitcher in a 3-0 defeat to the A’s at Sportsman's Park.
1922 After a building a 25-6 early lead, thanks to scoring ten runs in the second inning and another 14 in the fourth, the Cubs need to hold on to defeat Philadelphia 26-23. The slugfest, which sets the major league mark for most tallies scored in one game and the most hits with a combined total of 51, ends with the Phillies leaving the bases loaded in the ninth.
1929 The Giants become the first team to employ a public address system when they place a microphone inside the mask of connected home plate umpire Charles Rigler. The team's effort to have the ump broadcast ball-and-strike calls to the Polo Grounds crowd doesn't work very well.
1934 Schoolboy Rowe wins his 16th consecutive game, defeating the Senators, 4-2, to tie the American League record shared by Smoky Joe Wood, Walter Johnson and Lefty Grove. The 24 year-old right-hander from Waco, Texas, who goes 3-for-4 in the contest, singles home the eventual winning run in the ninth inning in the team's 4-2 victory over the Senators at Griffith Stadium.
1936 The Braves establish a new major league record, hitting seven doubles in one inning. The two-bagger barrage occurs in the first frame of a 20-3 rout of the Cardinals at Sportsman's Park.
1946 The Yankees become the first major league team to draw over two million paying patrons at home when 42,908 fans show up at the Bronx ballpark to watch the Bombers drop a 7-2 decision to Detroit's Hal Newhouse. Today's crowd brings the season total to 2,027,087, three-quarters of a million more than the previous American League record also set by New York when the team played at the Polo Grounds in 1920.
1952 Tiger Virgil Trucks (5-14) throws the second of his two no-hitters this season, blanking the Yankees, 1-0. Phil Rizzuto's third inning at-bat is quickly scored as an error but is changed to a hit only to be reversed again in the sixth inning, making the no hitter a bit controversial.
1956 Prior to the Old Timers' Game at Yankee Stadium, shortstop Phil Rizzuto is asked to consult with general manager George Weiss and manager Casey Stengel concerning a player move necessitated by reacquiring Enos Slaughter off waivers from the A's. After making several suggestions about who should be cut from the squad, the veteran infielder is told by Weiss he is the player about to be let go.
1959 The White Sox trade minor league infielder Bob Sagers and outfielder Harry Simpson to the Pirates in exchange for first baseman Ted Kluszewski. The 34 year-old 'Big Klu', who is obtained for the team's stretch run, will hit .391 and drive in 10 runs during the World Series for the AL champs.
1967 Dean Chance throws his second no-hitter of the month, defeating the Indians 2-1 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. On August 5th, the Twins' 26 year-old right-hander hurled five perfect innings in an abbreviated game against the Red Sox.
1968 Rocky Colavito, giving up just one hit in two and a third innings of relief, is credited with a win when the Yankees beat Detroit, 6-5. The Yankees outfielder, who also homers in the game, will be the last position player to notch a major league victory until Colorado catcher Brent Mayne accomplishes the feat in 2000.
1969 Joe Niekro is traded by the Cubs, along with Gary Ross and Francisco Libran, in exchange for right-hander **** Selma. The 22 year-old never became a favorite of Chicago skipper Leo Durocher due to his insistence of throwing a knuckleball, the signature pitch that will result in 221 career victories.
1979 In a Hollywood Stars vs. the Media game played at Dodger Stadium, Robin Williams, the star of the hit television series, Mork and Mindy, a show in which he plays an alien, runs the bases backwards. The comedian explains circling the bags clockwise is very common on the Planet Ork, his character’s home in the universe.
1983 The Louisville Redbirds become the first minor league team to draw more than a million fans. A total of 1,052,438 people will watch the St. Louis AAA farm team play their American Association rivals at Cardinal Stadium, formerly known as Fairgrounds Stadium.
1985 At the age of 20 years, 9 months, 9 days, Dwight Gooden becomes the youngest 20-game winner ever when the Mets beat San Diego at Shea Stadium, 9-3. Doc is 27 days younger than former Indian hurler Bob Feller, who accomplished the feat with Cleveland in 1939.
1986 A's rookie Mark McGwire hits his first major league home run, going deep in the fifth inning off of Walt Terrell in Oakland's 8-4 victory at Tiger Stadium. The round-tripper is the first of 583 round-trippers that Big Mac will hit during his 16-year career.
1991 At Busch Stadium, Lee Smith becomes the fifth major leaguer to record his 300th save when he pitches a scoreless ninth inning to preserve the Cardinals' 5-2 victory over L.A. The Louisiana native will retire with the most saves in major league history with 478, compiled during 18 seasons with eight different teams
1992 After posting a 12-14 record during the longest scheduled road trip in big league history, the Astros return to Houston to play a home game. The twenty-six game journey to eight cities is made necessary because of the Republican National Convention being held at the Astrodome.
1995 At Veterans Stadium, Gregg Jefferies hits for the cycle when Philadelphia crushes the Dodgers, 17-4. The Phillies' first baseman, who has four RBIs and scores four runs, collects all of his extra-base hits off of LA starting pitcher Hideo Nomo.
1996 Brian Lesher becomes the first person born in Belgium to appear in a major league game. The 25 year-old from Wilrij starts in right-field and enjoys a 1-for-3 day at the plate, including a run-scoring single in the sixth inning off Andy Pettitte in the A's 6-4 victory at Yankee Stadium.
1996 A monument in center field at Yankee Stadium is dedicated to Mickey Mantle, who died of liver cancer last year. The commemorative structure, the first to be erected by the team in 47 years, joins three other monuments in the Bronx ballpark that honor the legacies of Miller Huggins‚ Babe Ruth‚ and Lou Gehrig.
2000 The Giants tie a franchise record by hitting eight doubles (Bill Mueller (2), Jeff Kent, Marvin Benard, J.T. Snow, Rich Aurilia, Felipe Crespo, and Ramon Martinez) en route to a 16-3 rout of the Phillies at Veterans Stadium. With the exception of Bobby Estalella, every San Francisco starter takes part of the 21-hit attack, including pitcher Russ Ortiz, who goes 3-for-3.
2001 Bengie Molina sets a team record by stroking nine consecutive hits. The Angel catcher is the first Anaheim player to have consecutive four-hit games since Tim Salmon accomplished the feat in 1994.
2002 Participating in a minor-league baseball promotion, a 28 year-old woman collapsed and dies after running from the outfield fence to the infield in quest of a hidden diamond. She was one of approximately 250 women hoping to find a small box containing the treasure after the game between the Orlando Rays and Jacksonville Suns.
2004 In the 21-6 rout of Kansas City at Angel Stadium, Jeff DaVanon becomes the first Anaheim player to hit for the cycle since Dave Winfield accomplished the feat for the Halos in 1991. The DH's offensive output helps the club to sweep an American League opponent in a season series for the first time in the 44-year history of the franchise.
2005 With the 6-3 Cardinals win over the Pirates at PNC Park, skipper Tony La Russa with his 2,195th career triumph moves past Sparky Anderson for third place for most victories by a big league manager. Connie Mack (3,731) and John McGraw (2,763) are first and second on the all-time managerial list for the number of major league wins.
2006 Alfonso Soriano becomes the fastest of the 40 players in major-league history to have stolen 200 bases and hit 200 home career home runs. After being walked in the third inning of the team's 7-6 victory over Atlanta at Turner Field, the 30 year-old Nationals outfielder, who started the game with 203 homers, steals second to reach the milestone.
2007 Padres rookie Craig Stansberry makes his big league debut with a seventh-inning pinch-hit single in San Diego’s 4-3 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The 25 year-old, who moved to the United States when he was an infant, is the first person born in Saudi Arabia to participate in a major league game.
2008 After being swept in a four-game series earlier in the month in L.A., the Phillies return the favor, beating the Dodgers, 5-0, to complete its own four-game sweep. It is the first time in franchise history that Philadelphia has swept the Dodgers in a four-game series at home.
2008 The Twins get 37 year-old Eddie Guardado, their former reliever from 1993-2003, from the Rangers in exchange for 21 year-old right-hander Mark Hamburger. The veteran “Everyday Eddie” will assume the setup role for Minnesota during the stretch run.
2008 Hitting a home run to lead off the game, Grady Sizemore becomes the second Indian and 14th American League member of the 30-30 club. The Cleveland outfielder joins Joe Carter (1987) as the only players in franchise history to accomplish the feat.
2008 Mike Pelfrey becomes the first Mets hurler with back-to-back complete-game victories since Bret Saberhagen accomplished the feat in 1995. With the help of a pair of Carlos Delgado three-run home runs, the 24 year-old right-hander beats the Astros, 9-1.
2009 With a 5-4 win in ten innings over the Dodgers, the Rockies move 18 games over .500 for the first time in franchise history. The wild-card leader, winning 52 of their last 74 games, the latest on a Troy Tulowitzki bases-loaded single, has cut LA's Western Division lead from 15.5 games on June 3 to just two games.
2010 The Reds blow a nine-run lead over San Francisco, but manage to tie the game in the ninth on Paul Janish’s single and get a 12-11 victory on Joey Votto’s two-out, tie-breaking hit in the 12th inning. Earlier in the day, the Braves squander the same size lead at Coors Field, but lose the game, 12-10, to the Rockies, who match their largest comeback in franchise history.
2010 Felix Hernandez collects his 1000th strikeout when he fans David Ortiz in the sixth inning of the Mariners' 4-2 victory over Boston at Safeco Field. The 24 year-old Seattle starter, the fourth youngest ever to reach the milestone, joins Randy Johnson (2,162), Jamie Moyer (1,239) and Mark Langston (1,07
as the fourth pitcher in franchise history to accomplish the feat.
2011 In a 22-9 annihilation of the A's, the Yankees become the first team to hit three grand slams in one game. Robinson Cano, Russell Martin and Curtis Granderson all go deep with the bases loaded at the Bronx ball yard.
2012 In nine-player blockbuster trade, the Dodgers obtain Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Nick Punto and cash considerations for James Loney, Allen Webster, Ivan De Jesus, Jr. and two players to be named later (Rubby De La Rosa and Jerry Sands). The deal gives the new Dodgers ownership an opportunity to show their fans they are serious about making a run for the postseason while giving an under-performing Boston team more financial flexibility in the offseason.
2013 For the first time in nearly six decades, a player homers to support his brother's effort on the mound when Jordan Danks goes deep in the fourth inning in the White Sox' 5-2 win over Texas, with his sibling, John, throwing six innings to earn the U.S. Cellular Field victory. In 1955, A's catcher Billy Shantz also homered in a game in which his battery mate was his brother Bobby.
2013 When he goes deep off KC's Ervin Santana, Bryce Harper becomes the third player in baseball history to hit 40 homers before his 21st birthday. The Washington outfielder joins Mel Ott and Tony Conigliaro, who hit 61 and 56 round-trippers, respectively, for the Giants and Red Sox, before reaching their age of majority.