Today in Baseball History

[Dead Simmons]

1973....Dock Ellis walks a batter without ever throwing a pitch to him. After going 2-0 on the Atlanta left fielder Sonny Jackson, the Pirates right-hander is replaced by Ramon Hernandez, who throws two more balls to Dick Dietz, a pinch-hitter for Jackson, to complete the base-on-balls which is attributed to the Bucs' starting pitcher.

 

This oddity is interesting but can't hold a candle to the most bizarre pitching performance EVER.... by his weirdness, Dock Ellis. If you haven't seen it, check out this short cartoon feature narrated by the Dock himself. "The long, strange trip of Dock Ellis"

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/22183121/the-bobblehead-project-dock-ellis-throws-a-no-hitter-on-lsd

[reillymcshane]

Today in baseball history amazing major league catcher is born in Eustis, Florida, in 1986.

 

Happy 28th birthday to Jonathan Lucroy.

[reillymcshane]

1973....Dock Ellis walks a batter without ever throwing a pitch to him. After going 2-0 on the Atlanta left fielder Sonny Jackson, the Pirates right-hander is replaced by Ramon Hernandez, who throws two more balls to Dick Dietz, a pinch-hitter for Jackson, to complete the base-on-balls which is attributed to the Bucs' starting pitcher.

 

This oddity is interesting but can't hold a candle to the most bizarre pitching performance EVER.... by his weirdness, Dock Ellis. If you haven't seen it, check out this short cartoon feature narrated by the Dock himself. "The long, strange trip of Dock Ellis"

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/22183121/the-bobblehead-project-dock-ellis-throws-a-no-hitter-on-lsd

Just the other day ESPN ran a great Outside the Lines story about Ellis. The guy never once took the mound in the big leagues without being high.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=Dock-Ellis

[Dead Simmons]

1989.... In a 6-4 victory over the Blue Jays at County Stadium, Robin Yount’s consecutive games streak ends. The Brewers center fielder establishes a new club record playing in 276 straight contests.

 

 

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2011/0503/mlb_g_yount_576.jpg

 

1949.... Ruth Ann Steinhagen shoots Eddie Waitkus in the chest with a rifle at Chicago's Edgewater Beach Hotel. The obsessed fan, who had become infatuated with the first baseman when he played with the Cubs, apparently is upset and agitated because the All-star infielder was traded to the Phillies.

 

 

http://www.whenitwasagame.net/photos_bat_stories/waitkus_main2.jpg

http://media.tumblr.com/2c9d62c8f4f41d75db304002691a79da/tumblr_inline_mkn4401osr1qzy8r9.jpg

 

You have probably guessed that this incident was the inspiration for The Natural. This woman was truly creepy. She became obsessed with Eddie when he smiled at her from the field in a game she attended. She went so far as to procure his HS yearbook and note the name of a pretty classmate.

 

Aware that ballplayers were besieged by women, she used the yearbook name to pique Eddie's interest. When he received the note in his hotel room he could not place the name but it was very familiar. It was his curiosity that prompted his visit to her room.

 

Here's the NY Times story from 1949...http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/sports/baseball/ruth-ann-steinhagen-83-troubled-shooter-of-the-phillies-eddie-waitkus.html?_r=0

[Dead Simmons]

1961.... Eddie Gaedel, the 3' 7" Illinois native made famous by Bill Veeck, who employed him to be the Browns’ lead-off batter for one at-bat in a game played in 1951, is found dead lying in his bed with bruises on the left side of his face, most likely as the result of an assault after being followed home from a Chicago bowling alley.

 

Bob Cain, the opposing Tiger pitcher who issued a base-on-balls in the infamous stunt, is the only person from major league baseball to attend the funeral of the 36 year-old unemployed midget, whose cause of death will be determined by a coroner's inquest to be the result a heart attack.

 

http://www.honus.fr/wp-content/uploads/image/090428_Eddie%20Gaedel.jpg

 

2012 After a lengthy ten-week trial, Roger Clemens is acquitted by a jury on all charges that he obstructed and lied to Congress when he testified at a deposition during a 2008 nationally televised hearing.

 

The seven-time Cy Young winner, who won 354 games playing for the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees and Astros during his 24 years in the major leagues, contended that the success in the latter part of his career was a result of an over-the-top work ethic and not due to taking performance-enhancing drugs as widely believed.

 

http://1manstanding.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/p1_clemens.jpg

[Baldkin]

In 1927, Jack Scott of the Phillies becomes the last pitcher to start and finish both ends of a double header. Of course, this could still happen.... but I doubt it

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN192706191.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN192706192.shtml

[Dead Simmons]

It was said that Satchel Paige would start as many as 3 games a day in different towns. Hard to fathom.

[Dead Simmons]

1917.... Red Sox reliever Ernie Shore replaces an ejected Babe Ruth, who had walked the only batter he faced, and retires the next consecutive 26 batters. The only base runner is thrown out trying to steal second.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w1PooCYvBVM/UGQ4Fhws5RI/AAAAAAAAB34/EqROIZqZ0Tg/s1600/babe+ruth+quotes.jpg

The 19 year, 6"3', 190lb Babe

 

The young pitcher became enraged when the ump called his 1st 4 pitches of the game balls. His catcher joined in and both were tossed. But before he left the field Babe slapped the ump. But the new battery did a pretty fair job.

 

Shore was awarded a perfect game. He had, after all been on the mound for all 27 outs. Years later it was wiped off the record book because he actually faced only 26.

 

1971.... In addition to hitting two home runs and driving in three runs, Rick Wise throws only 95 pitches to 28 batters to no-hit the Reds, 4-0. The Phillies' hurler will again hit two home runs in the same game this season against San Francisco in August.

 

This performance greatly impressed the Cardinal brass, and when Steve Carlton requested a raise after his 20 wins in '71 old Gussie Busch refused over a $5,000 difference. The Card GM, in a panic over the prospect of losing the young lefty called Busch before midnight of the deadline and convinced him to relent.

 

But it was too late as just an hour earlier Carlton had reluctantly signed with the floundering Phillies. That 5K would not have kept the old man's yacht gassed up for two days! Of course Carlton had one of the greatest pitching seasons in the modern era, winning 27 and pulling the Phils back into contention and later their first EVER WS win.

 

Card fans are left to only dream of a combo Of Gibson and Carlton in their lackluster '70s...... Rick Wise was a complete bust.

 

http://www.goldenagebaseballcards.com/hall-of-fame/imagesbig/69T255Steve%20Carlton.jpg http://celebpictu.com/images/steve-carlton-05.jpg

[Dead Simmons]

1976....Mark 'the Bird' Fidrych amuses a “Monday Night Baseball” national television audience, talking to the baseball as he one-hits the Yankees, 5-1 in under two hours. The unsung Tigers rookie, who made the team on the final cut of spring training, will finish the season with a 19-9 record.

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/m2OwKZk07Ac/hqdefault.jpg

[Dead Simmons]

1913.... Only one baseball is used during the Reds' 9-6 win over the Cubs at Redland Field. There are no home runs or foul balls which land in the stands during the contest.

 

It's hard to validate a 101 year old "fact" viewed only by the Redland faithful, but I guess it's possible. It was after all, the bunt happy dead ball era.

 

 

1937.... In a 10-2 loss to Brooklyn, Chicago's first baseman Ripper Collins does not make a putout or assist during the nine-inning game. In other words, he could have sat Indian style on the bag for the entire game. This story would be more believable if the Cubs pitcher struck out 14 or 15 guys, but history makes no note of anything of that nature happening.

 

Even stranger is that it was the 2nd time Collins had such a game. (Two years earlier)

http://d3k2oh6evki4b7.cloudfront.net/images-006/headshots/9/95982dfa_davis.jpg

 

 

1975.... During a twin bill with the Padres, the Reds establish a major league record by playing 14 consecutive games without an error, a streak which will be extended to 15. The previous mark of 12 straight games was established by the Tigers in 1963. That big Red Machine was more than just bats.

 

[Dead Simmons]

2001... The Brewers' new home, Miller Park, continues to be jinxed as a parachutist breaks his ankle when he misses the opening in the retractable roof and lands on a beam several hundred feet off the ground. Another member of the Sky Knights Sports Parachute Club missed the stadium completely.

 

 

And 10 years later 2011.... Shaun Marcum becomes the first Brewer pitcher to hit a grand slam for the franchise since 1969 when Fred Talbot accomplished the feat in the inaugural season of the Seattle Pilots, a year before the team moved to Milwaukee. The 29 year-old right-hander's first career round-tripper isn't enough to get a victory when he earns a no-decision in the team's 8-6 loss to Arizona. Enjoy the short video:

 

[TURBO]

Love this thread DS!

[Dead Simmons]

Love this thread DS!

I'm glad somebody's reading it.

 

Slow day in baseball history. FDR became the 1st pres. to go to the ASG and this on another forgotten great:

 

1070... Rico Carty, the National League's leading hitter, becomes the first player voted to play in the All-Star Game as a write-in candidate. The Braves outfielder's name was left off the ballot that was drawn up by managers and general managers before the start of spring training.

 

 

And this: 2008.... The Brewers trade four highly touted farm hands to the Indians to obtain C. C. Sabathia. The Brew Crew sends their first-round draft pick last year, Matt LaPorta, along with minor league pitching prospects Zach Jackson and Rob Bryson, as well as Taylor Green (identified as the player to be named later), who was Milwaukee’s minor league player of the year, to Cleveland.

 

CC at his best.

Better looking, but scuffling this year to stay under 5.00 ERA.

 

I'm unfamiliar with those traded prospects. Did any of them amount to anything with the Tribe?

[young guns]

It was Brantley not Green, and hes been pretty good for them.

[Baldkin]

Love this thread DS!

I'm glad somebody's reading it.

 

Slow day in baseball history. FDR became the 1st pres. to go to the ASG and this on another forgotten great:

 

1070... Rico Carty, the National League's leading hitter, becomes the first player voted to play in the All-Star Game as a write-in candidate. The Braves outfielder's name was left off the ballot that was drawn up by managers and general managers before the start of spring training.

 

 

And this: 2008.... The Brewers trade four highly touted farm hands to the Indians to obtain C. C. Sabathia. The Brew Crew sends their first-round draft pick last year, Matt LaPorta, along with minor league pitching prospects Zach Jackson and Rob Bryson, as well as Taylor Green (identified as the player to be named later), who was Milwaukee’s minor league player of the year, to Cleveland.

 

CC at his best.

Better looking, but scuffling this year to stay under 5.00 ERA.

 

I'm unfamiliar with those traded prospects. Did any of them amount to anything with the Tribe?

 

It wasn't Taylor Green who went, it was Michael Brantley, who's having himself a fine time in Cleveland.

[Dead Simmons]

Love this thread DS!

I'm glad somebody's reading it.

 

Slow day in baseball history. FDR became the 1st pres. to go to the ASG and this on another forgotten great:

 

1070... Rico Carty, the National League's leading hitter, becomes the first player voted to play in the All-Star Game as a write-in candidate. The Braves outfielder's name was left off the ballot that was drawn up by managers and general managers before the start of spring training.

 

 

And this: 2008.... The Brewers trade four highly touted farm hands to the Indians to obtain C. C. Sabathia. The Brew Crew sends their first-round draft pick last year, Matt LaPorta, along with minor league pitching prospects Zach Jackson and Rob Bryson, as well as Taylor Green (identified as the player to be named later), who was Milwaukee’s minor league player of the year, to Cleveland.

 

CC at his best.

Better looking, but scuffling this year to stay under 5.00 ERA.

 

I'm unfamiliar with those traded prospects. Did any of them amount to anything with the Tribe?

 

It wasn't Taylor Green who went, it was Michael Brantley, who's having himself a fine time in Cleveland.

Thanks for the correction.

[Dead Simmons]

1925.... At Sportsman's Park, George Sisler becomes a one-man wrecking crew when he comes to the plate with the bases loaded in back-to-back frames in the Browns' 10-5 victory over Washington. The St. Louis first baseman drives in seven runs in two innings, tripling with the bases jammed in the third and hitting a grand slam in the fourth.

 

http://www.sikids.com/sites/default/files/multimedia/photo_gallery/0905/mlb.longest.hitting.streaks/images/george-sisler.jpg

 

Perhaps the greatest forgotten player to ever play the game. In his rookie season, as a pitcher George out dueled Walter Johnson twice. Described for decades as the perfect ball player, George was the best fielding 1st baseman in the game and battled Cobb yearly for the batting, hits and stolen base leads. In the teens it was Cobb and Sisler as the preeminent hitters, with greats like Wagner and Speaker close behind.

 

The only thing that keeps his name alive today is that every 25 or 75 years guys named Di Maggio or Ichiro breaks one of his records. Suzuki visited his grave in 2009 while in St. Louis for the ASG. The most prominent tribute to Sisler is the statue located outside of Busch III where fans stare at it and wonder who they're looking at.

[Baldkin]

Bo Knows.... All Star Games

 

Then, immediately following that half inning, with Bo leading off with a 450 foot home run, this commercial debuted:

 

[Dead Simmons]

Bo was incredible. I once saw a little video of him hopping out of a swimming pool to the deck. He was knee deep. Try it.

[Dead Simmons]

1925.... At Sportsman's Park, George Sisler becomes a one-man wrecking crew when he comes to the plate with the bases loaded in back-to-back frames in the Browns' 10-5 victory over Washington. The St. Louis first baseman drives in seven runs in two innings, tripling with the bases jammed in the third and hitting a grand slam in the fourth.

 

http://www.sikids.com/sites/default/files/multimedia/photo_gallery/0905/mlb.longest.hitting.streaks/images/george-sisler.jpg

 

Perhaps the greatest forgotten player to ever play the game. In his rookie season, as a pitcher George out dueled Walter Johnson twice. Described for decades as the perfect ball player, George was the best fielding 1st baseman in the game and battled Cobb yearly for the batting, hits and stolen base leads. In the teens it was Cobb and Sisler as the preeminent hitters, with greats like Wagner and Speaker close behind.

 

The only thing that keeps his name alive today is that every 25 or 75 years guys named Di Maggio or Ichiro breaks one of his records. Suzuki visited his grave in 2009 while in St. Louis for the ASG. The most prominent tribute to Sisler is the statue located outside of Busch III where fans stare at it and wonder who they're looking at.

 

Good read from ESPN http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?id=1882471

[Dead Simmons]

Probably the most historically significant baseball footnote is from a century ago on April 11th when Ruth played his 1st game.

[Dead Simmons]

2009.... With an 8-5 victory over Milwaukee at PNC Park, the Pirates snap their 17-game losing streak against the Brewers, the longest skid against a single opponent in 39 years. During the 1969-70 seasons, the Royals dropped 23 decisions to the Orioles to establish the major league mark.

 

1951.... In a game against the Reds with all-star hurler Ewell Blackwell on the mound, the Giants, for the first time, employ their infamous scheme for stealing catcher's signs using a telescope positioned in the centerfield clubhouse. The 'Jints' beat Cincinnati, 11-6, and New York will win 22 of the remaining 27 games at the Polo Grounds, overtaking the Dodgers to win National League pennant.

 

 

1969.... At Connie Mack Stadium during the top of the third inning of the nightcap against the Cubs, play is halted with the two teams moving silently to their respective baselines to look skyward as the Phillies' crowd is informed word has been sent from Neil Armstrong to mission control in Houston that the Eagle had landed on the moon. The game will resume after a recording of Kate Smith's rendition of "God Bless America" is played and a prayer is said for the astronauts over the loudspeaker.

 

[Dead Simmons]

1985... Due to a series of maneuvers by Mets' manager Davey Johnson and the late-game ejections of Darryl Strawberry, Ray Knight, and Kevin Mitchell (the latter two as a result of a bench-clearing brawl precipitated by Knight when he decks pinch-runner Eric Davis at third base), the Mets run out of position players.

 

The shortage of regulars leads to some interesting juggling by the New York skipper when catcher Gary Carter plays third base and a pair of relievers shift between the mound and a corner outfield position, with righty Roger McDowell playing left field when Jesse Orosco pitches to lefties and the southpaw hurler moving to right field when McDowell comes in from the outfield to face right-handed batters, with Mookie Wilson moving from corner to corner as needed.

 

[Dead Simmons]

1947.... Jake Jones hits a 60-foot triple in Boston's 4-3 victory over the Browns at Fenway Park. Umpire Cal Hubbard awards the Red Sox first baseman three bases when St. Louis hurler Fred Sanford, fearing the grounder might roll fair, throws his glove at the ball in an effort to keep it foul. Sanford gave up baseball and changed his name to Foxx and became a stand up comedian. (just kidding)

 

1966.... The Wisconsin Supreme Court overrules a lower court decision and holds that the state doesn't have the jurisdiction to keep the Braves from moving to Atlanta.

 

1998.... With a three-run blast in the sixth inning, minor leaguer Tyrone Horne completes the first and only home run cycle in a professional baseball game. The Arkansas Travelers' outfielder also slugged a two-run homer in the first inning, a grand slam in the second, as well as a solo shot in the fifth during the 13-4 victory over San Antonio.

 

Horne didn't realize that he had hit the HR cycle 'till later that night when he saw himself on Sports Center. No other hitter, at ANY level of pro ball has done it, before or since. The bat is on display in Cooperstown.

 

http://www.milb.com/images/2006/08/11/lkVRsYq4.jpg

[Dead Simmons]

1962...Don Drysdale pushes his record to 19-4 as he completes a three-game Dodger sweep over the Giants. Frank Howard has a HR and 3 singles to drive home 5 runs. Willie Mays accounts for the only Giants run with a HR.

http://d3k2oh6evki4b7.cloudfront.net/images-006/headshots/1/14c3c5f6_davis.jpg

Nineteen wins still in July is an eye popping stat, and Dodger fans are looking forward to a rare 30 win season from the big righty. But gassed, Don goes 6-5 the rest of the way to finish 25-9 to win his only Cy Young. The next season Koufax stole his teamate's thunder with a 25-5 year and Big Don, from that point on would be the second Banana.

 

A dangerous hitting pitcher, he twice hit 7 HR's in a season, and once batted .300 with a +500 slugging%. And talk about a horse! In one 5 year stretch he averaged over 300 innings pitched, not counting post-season work.