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Happy birthday to Andrew Chafin, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 1915 – Zip Zabel comes out of the Chicago Cubs bullpen with two outs in the 1st inning to face the Brooklyn Robins. Zabel wins the game in the 19th inning, 4-3, in the longest relief effort in major league history, and other stories as well.
Today in baseball history:
- 1880 – John Montgomery Ward of the Providence Grays pitches a perfect game against the Buffalo Bisons, winning 5-0. The next perfect game by a National League pitcher will not happen for 84 years, when Jim Bunning turns the trick on Father’s Day in 1964.
- 1943 – Boston Red Sox player-manager Joe Cronin inserts himself as a pinch-hitter in both games of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics – and hits three-run home runs in each at-bat, becoming the first major leaguer to pinch-hit home runs in both ends of a doubleheader.
- 1960 – Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox hits his 500th career home run against the Cleveland Indians at Cleveland Stadium. Williams’ two-run shot off Wynn Hawkins helps the Red Sox beat Cleveland, 3-1.
- 1970 – At Candlestick Park, Giants legend Willie Mays (615) and Ernie Banks of the Cubs (504) both hit home runs making it the first time two big leaguers with 500 home runs do it in the same game.
- 1971 – Don Kessinger of the Chicago Cubs goes 6 for 6, with five singles and a double, in a 7-6, 10-inning decision over the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field.
- 2009 – Ivan Rodriguez catches the 2,227th game of his career, breaking Carlton Fisk‘s record, in Houston’s 5-4, 10-inning loss to his former team, the Texas Rangers. For Texas, Omar Vizquel, the all-time leader for games played at shortstop, picks up his 2,677th hit, tying Luis Aparicio for most hits by a Venezuelan player.
Cubs Birthdays: Andrew Chafin*, Pete Elko, Zeb Terry, Phil Douglas.
Today in history:
- 1579 – English navigator Francis Drake lands on the coast of California at what becomes known as Drakes Bay, for ship repairs; claims area on behalf of Queen Elizabeth, and names it “Nova Albion.”
- 1631 – Mumtaz Mahal dies during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, then spends more than 20 years building her tomb, the Taj Mahal.
- 1775 – Battle of Bunker Hill (actually it was Breed’s Hill).
- 1837 – Charles Goodyear obtains his first rubber patent.
- 1885 – Statue of Liberty arrives in NYC aboard French ship “Isere.”
- 1954 – Rocky Marciano beats Ezzard Charles by unanimous points decision in his 3rd world heavyweight boxing title defense at Yankee Stadium, NYC.
- 1962 – US Open Men’s Golf, Oakmont CC: Jack Nicklaus wins his first major title by three strokes in an 18-hole playoff with Arnold Palmer.
- 1991 – The body of the 12th US President, Zachary Taylor, is exhumed to test how he died; rumors had persisted since his death in 1850 of arsenic poisoning – no evidence of this was found.
- 1994 – O.J. Simpson does not turn himself in on murder charges, forcing LA police to chase his Ford Bronco for hours before he eventually gives up (seen live on national TV).
- 2003 – “Moneyball”, a book about the 2003 Oakland Athletics baseball team and GM Billy Beane’s sabermetric approach, inspired by Bill James, is published.
- 2021 – US President Joe Biden signs into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act making June 19th a federal holiday commemorating emancipation.
Today in music history:
- 1957 – “So Rare” by Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra peaks at #2.
- 1965 – British rock band The Kinks arrive in NYC beginning their 1st US tour.
- 1966 – Peter Green, British blues-rock guitartist joins John Mayall’s Bluebreakers.
- 1967 – “Somebody To Love” by Jefferson Airplane peaks at #5.
- 1970 – British rock band Led Zeppelin begin their last European tour.
- 1971 – Carole King‘s album “Tapestry” goes to #1 on US album charts and stays there for 15 weeks.
- 1976 – New Wave band Blondie release their debut single “X Offender,” written by Debbie Harry and Gary Valentine.
- 1980 – Columbia Records releases Bruce Springsteen‘s fifth studio album “The River”; the 2-record set becomes a global smash, going top five in 8 countries.
- 1997 – Wynton Marsalis releases his “Blood on the Fields” album (first jazz work to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music – 1997).
- 2022 – “Running Up That Hill” single by Kate Bush goes to #1 on the UK chart; originally released in 1985, the song was featured in sci-fi television show “Stranger Things”, its record 44 year climb to the top also makes Bush (63) the oldest female artist to score a No.1.
*pictured.
