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Happy birthday to Esmailin Caridad, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 2016 – In the first World Series game played at Wrigley Field in 71 years, the Indians eke out a 1-0 victory over the Cubs in Game 3 of the 2016 World Series. Pinch-runner Michael Martinez scores the only run in the seventh when he is driven in from third base by pinch-hitter Coco Crisp‘s single. Cody Allen ends the game by striking out Ben Zobrist with two runners
in scoring position, and other stories as well.
Today in baseball history:
- 1968 – Future Hall of Famer Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals wins his first Cy Young Award. Gibson is a unanimous choice after dominating hitters with a 22-9 record and an ERA of 1.12 during the “Year of the Pitcher.”
- 1981 – Behind the solid pitching of Burt Hooton, the Los Angeles Dodgers complete a World Series comeback, defeating the New York Yankees, 9-2, in Game 6. The Dodgers had trailed the Series two games to none before bouncing back to win four straight games. Pedro Guerrero drives in five runs for Los Angeles, who avenge two six-game World Series defeats to the Yankees in 1977 and 1978. It is the third time this postseason Los Angeles comes from behind to win a series: they were 0-2 behind Houston in the NLDS and 1-2 behind the Expos in the NLCS. Guerrero, Ron Cey and Steve Yeager share the Series MVP Award.
- 1989 – The Oakland Athletics complete a sweep in the World Series with a 9-6 win over the San Francisco Giants. Rickey Henderson‘s home run supports starter and winner Mike Moore. Dave Stewart is named Series MVP after winning the first and third game of the Series, which was interrupted by the Loma Prieta earthquake.
- 1995 – The Braves win their first World Series since moving to Atlanta with a 1-0 shutout of Cleveland in Game 6. Pitchers Tom Glavine and Mark Wohlers combine on a one-hitter and David Justice hits a home run in the sixth inning for the only run. Jim Poole is the losing pitcher.
- 2001 – In the World Series, Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches a three-hit shutout to defeat the Yankees, 4-0, taking a 2-0 advantage in the Series. Matt Williams becomes the first player in World Series history to hit home runs with three different teams. He homered in the Fall Classic for the Indians in 1997 and the Giants in 1989, prior to doing so for Arizona today.
- 2007 – The Red Sox win their second Championship of the decade, with their sweep of the Rockies in the 2007 World Series. Colorado had won 21 of 22 games entering the Series before falling flat. They lose Game 4 by a 4-3 score, thanks to 5.2 scoreless innings from Jon Lester. Mike Lowell is named World Series MVP.
- 2009 – The Philadelphia Phillies win Game 1 of the World Series, 6-1, over the New York Yankees, as Cliff Lee outpitches CC Sabathia in a duel of former Cy Young Award winners. Chase Utley hits a pair of homers. It is the latest starting date in the history of the Fall Classic.
- 2010 – In Game 2 of the 2010 World Series, the Giants rout the Rangers, 9-0, but the score is only 1-0 in the seventh when Texas starter C.J. Wilson leaves with a blister on his finger. Matt Cain and two relievers combine on a four-hit shutout. Texas has allowed 20 runs in the first two World Series games in franchise history, setting a major league record.
- 2011 – The St. Louis Cardinals win the 11th title of their history by defeating the Texas Rangers, 6-2, in Game 7 of the World Series. Texas takes a two-run lead in the top of the 1st, but Series MVP David Freese ties the score with a two-run double in the bottom of the inning. Chris Carpenter then keeps the Rangers from adding to their score, while Allen Craig hits a third-inning homer off Matt Harrison. The Cards add two runs without getting a hit in the 5th and, typically, St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa uses four relievers to get the last nine outs. It is an unlikely title for a team that was 10.5 games out on August 25th and twice was down to its last strike in Game 6.
- 2012 – The Giants complete a sweep of the Tigers in the World Series with a 4-3, 10-inning win in Game 4. Miguel Cabrera, Delmon Young and Buster Posey all homer as the two teams are tied, 3-3, after nine innings, then Marco Scutaro drives in Ryan Theriot for the winning run in the top of the 10th. Sergio Romo ends the game by striking out Cabrera, picking up his third save. It is the Giants’ second Championship in three years. Pablo Sandoval, author of a three-homer performance in Game 1, is named World Series MVP.
- 2013 – The Red Sox take a three-games-to-two lead in the World Series with a 3-1 win over the Cardinals. David Ortiz continues to be unstoppable at the plate, getting three more hits to increase his average for the Series to .733, while back-up C David Ross has the big blow, a tie-breaking ground rule double in the seventh. Jon Lester prevails over Adam Wainwright for the second time.
- 2018 – The Red Sox win their ninth Championship and fourth since 2004 by defeating the Dodgers, 5-1, in Game 5 of the World Series. David Price pitches seven strong innings after allowing a lead-off homer to David Freese, but not before Boston had taken a 2-0 lead on a homer by Steve Pearce off Clayton Kershaw. Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez and Pearce all hit solo shots later in the game to put the score out of reach, while Joe Kelly and Chris Sale combine to strike out the last six Dodgers batters in order. Pearce is named winner of the World Series Most Valuable Player Award.
- 2023 – The Diamondbacks tie up the World Series with a 9-1 win over the Rangers in Game 2. Merrill Kelly pitches seven excellent innings but the game is close until Arizona scores seven runs over the final three innings. Gabriel Moreno opens the scoring with the game’s lone homer, while Tommy Pham has four of the D-Backs’ 16 hits. Ketel Marte sets a new record by extending his postseason hitting streak to 18 games, breaking a four-way tie.
- 2024 – The Dodgers take a three-games-to-none lead in the World Series by beating the Yankees, 4-2, in Game 3 played at New Yankee Stadium. Freddie Freeman homers with one on in the first inning off Clarke Schmidt — a record-tying fifth consecutive World Series game in which he has gone deep, going back to 2021, and the Dodgers add a couple more runs before Alex Verdugo hits a two-run bomb of his own in the bottom of the 9th – but it is too little, too late.
Cubs Birthdays: Jake Woodford, Justin Hancock, Esmailin Caridad*, Larry Casian, Lenny Harris, Luis Márquez, George Hennessey, Percy Jones, Bill McCabe, Ed McDonald.
Today in history:
- 1793 – Eli Whitney applies for a patent for his cotton gin machine, used to pull cotton fibers from the seed.
- 1831 – British scientist Michael Faraday demonstrates his dynamo invention, an electric generator.
- 1886 – The Statue of Liberty is dedicated by President Grover Cleveland and is celebrated with the first confetti (ticker tape) parade in New York City.
- 1900 – Summer (Modern) Olympic Games in Paris end after five months; no opening or closing ceremonies are held.
- 1904 – St. Louis police try a new investigative method, fingerprints.
- 1954 – Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to Ernest Hemingway.
- 1962 – NY Giants quarterback Y. A. Tittle passes for seven touchdowns vs. Washington in a 49-34 win.
- 1965 – The Gateway Arch, 630 ft (192 m) tall, is completed in St. Louis, Missouri.
- 1978 – Bobby Orr scores his last career NHL goal against Detroit Red Wings
*pictured.
