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Happy birthday to Marc Pisciotta, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 1984 – The Cubs sweep a pair from the visiting Mets, winning 8-6 and 8-4. Rick Sutcliffe (9-1) beats Ron Darling (10-5) in the opener, benefiting from a six-run fifth inning. Keith Moreland hits a three-run home run and Ron Cey a two-run shot in the fourth. A five-run fourth in the second game propels Chicago to the win for reliever Tim Stoddard. Lee Smith notches his 25th
save, and other stories as well.
Today in baseball history:
- 1907 – Senator hurler Walter Johnson wins his first major league game beating the Naps, 7-2. The “Big Train” will tally 416 victories during his 21-year career.
- 1915 – In Chicago, the White Sox top the Senators, 6-2. Relieving for losing pitcher Jim Shaw is future Hall of Famer Sam Rice, who will pitch only eight more times before going to the outfield for two decades. Playing RF in the game for Washington is Walter Johnson, filling in for the injured Danny Moeller.
- 1915 – At Fenway Park, Smoky Joe Wood fires a one-hitter, beating Cleveland, 2-0. Bill Wambsganss‘ single is the only Cleveland hit. For Wood, it is his fifth one-hitter, and the third over regulation distance.
- 1929 – For the second game in a row, Babe Ruth hits a grand slam home run as the Yanks roll to a 13-1 win over the A’s in the lidlifter. Mickey Cochrane homers in his one at bat for the A’s only run.
- 1999 – For the second consecutive day, a major leaguer gets his 3000th career hit as Wade Boggs homers in the 6th off the Indians’ Chris Haney. The Devil Rays’ third baseman, who is the first player to reach the milestone with a home run, rounds the bases pointing skyward blowing a kiss in memory of his mom and gets down on his knees to kiss home plate. Tony Gwynn also collected hit No. 3,000 yeaterday.
- 2001 – Passing the mark of 68, established Christy Mathewson (with the Giants in 1913) and Randy Jones (with the Padres in 1976), Braves right-hander Greg Maddux sets the National League record for consecutive innings without allowing a walk as he pitches six innings without giving up a base on balls to extend the new record to 70.1 innings.
- 2010 – For the first time since May, the major leagues’ all-time save leader, Trevor Hoffman, gets the ball in a save situation. He disposes of the Astros in order on eight pitches to preserve a 5-2 Brewers win for his 597th career save. Hoffman blew five of his first ten save opportunities this year to earn relegation to the outer reaches of the Brewers’ bullpen.
- 2016 – Ichiro Suzuki of the Marlins becomes the 30th member of the 3,000 hit club with a seventh-inning triple off Chris Rusin of the Rockies in a 10-7 Marlins win. What makes it more remarkable is that Ichiro did not collect his first major league hit until he was 27. He is only the second player to reach the milestone with a triple, after Paul Molitor, and the hit comes on the day when the last player to join the club before him, Alex Rodriguez, announced his retirement.
Today in Cubs history:
- 1906 – On John McGraw‘s orders, umpire James Johnstone is refused admittance to the Polo Grounds, and the ump, standing outside the ballpark, forfeits the match to the Cubs. McGraw insists the game go on with a player from each team umpiring. McGraw picks reserve Sammy Strang, but Cubs manager Frank Chance refuses to go along, pointing out the game has already been forfeited. National League President Harry Pulliam will uphold Johnstone’s decision the next day.
- 1911 – The match-up between Three Finger Brown and Christy Mathewson is something less than a pitching duel as Chicago bangs out ten hits, including two singles, a double and a triple by Joe Tinker. Tinker also adds a steal of home. The Giants collect 13 hits, but Chicago wins the game, 8-6.
- 1963 – At Chicago, Sandy Koufax locks horns for the second time this year with Dick Ellsworth, a battle that ends in a 1-1 draw. Koufax is removed with one out in the 10th inning, while Ellsworth is replaced after the 10th. The Dodgers go on to win, 3-1, over the Cubs with neither starter getting a decision.
- 2001 – Home plate umpire Angel Hernandez ejects Steve “Mongo” McMichael from Wrigley Field as the former Chicago Bears football player is about to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch. McMichael, presently a pro wrestler, tells the crowd over the P.A. system “he’ll have a talk with the ump” concerning a close call made by Hernandez earlier in the game and then boos and blows a kiss toward the ump.
- 2004 – Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux enters the history books with his 300th career win in Chicago’s 8-4 triumph over San Francisco at SBC Park.
Cubs Birthdays: Marc Pisciotta*, Don Larsen, Adonis Terry. Also notable: Bill McKechnie HOF,
Today in history:
- 1420 – Construction begins on the dome of Florence Cathedral, designed by Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi.
- 1606 – Possible first performance of Shakespeare‘s tragedy “Macbeth” takes place in the Great Hall at Hampton Court Palace for King James I.
- 1782 – Commander of the Continental Army, George Washington, creates two Honorary Badges of Distinction and a Badge of Military Merit (now the Purple Heart). First time military awards are presented to common soldiers.
- 1882 – Hatfields of southwest West Virginia and McCoys of eastern Kentucky feud, with 100 wounded or dead.
- 1969 – Fantasy Records releases “Green River”, the third studio album by the American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, featuring the title track and “Bad Moon Rising”, and “Lodi”.
- 2016 – United States men’s 4 × 100 m freestyle relay team wins the final in 3:09.92 at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, earning Michael Phelps his record 19th Olympic gold medal.
- 2021 – As part of the winning American 4 × 400 m relay team in Tokyo, Allyson Felix takes her total to 11 Olympic medals and becomes the most decorated female Olympian in track and field history.
- 2021 – Kevin Durant, with 29 points, leads the USA to his third and the team’s fourth consecutive Olympic men’s basketball gold medal with an 87-82 win over France in Tokyo.
*pictured.
