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Today in Baseball History
July 20th
1906 At St. Louis, Brooklyn hurler Mal Eason no-hits the Cardinals, 2-0. The 'Kid' was the losing pitcher when Johnny Lush pitched a no-hitter against the Superbas (Dodgers) in May.
1926 A's outfielder Al Simmons establishes an American League record by playing in 394 consecutive games to start a career. Hideki Matsui, who will start in 518 consecutive games after signing as a Japanese free agent with the Yankees, will surpass the Hall of Famer's mark in 2005.
1944 Browns' hurler Nels Potter is banned for ten days, becoming the first pitcher ever to be suspended for throwing a spitball. The spitball, shineball, and emeryball were outlawed by the major league's Joint Rules Committee in 1920, which allowed the seventeen pitchers using the doctored pitches at the time to keep throwing the banned pitches legally until they retired.
1949 Larry Doby is thrown out trying to steal home with no outs with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning in a 7-3 loss to the Yankees at Cleveland Stadium. Tribe manager Lou Boudreau will fine his center fielder for the failed attempt to steal home and for taking several other unnecessary chances recently.
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 catchers' 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.
1958 During the first game of a doubleheader, Tiger right-hander Jim Bunning no-hits the Red Sox, 3-0. The future Hall of Famer and U.S. Senator will become the first modern-day pitcher to toss a hitless game in both leagues when he throws a perfect game against the Mets in 1964, and once again Mets broadcaster Bob Murphy will be behind the mike doing the play-by-play as he is today for Boston.
1965 Yankees' pitcher Mel Stottlemyre hits an inside the park grand slam against the Red Sox. The fifth-inning shot to deep center field proves to be the difference in the 23 year-old right-hander's 6-3 complete-game victory at Yankee Stadium.
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.
1970 Twenty-six year-old right-hander Bill Singer pitches the first Dodger no-hitter since Sandy Koufax's departure when he keeps the Philadelphia batters hitless in a 5-0 victory at Chavez Ravine. The 'Singer Throwing Machine', who spent 52 days on the disabled list earlier in the season recuperating from hepatitis, posts a 5-0 record along with a 1.84 ERA in July, and will be named NL Player of the Month.
1973 The Yankees sweep a doubleheader from the White Sox with Wilbur Wood taking the loss in both games. After not making it out of the first inning in the opener, the knuckleballer also starts and loses the nightcap.
1974 Trailing the A's, 9-8, in the bottom of the ninth, the Indians get runners to second and third with nobody out. Rollie Fingers retires George Hendrick and Charlie Spikes, but with first base still open manager Al Dark elects to pitch to John Ellis, who promptly lines a single to center to win the game.
1976 Hank Aaron hit his last big league homer off Angels' hurler **** Drago en route to a 6-2 Brewers' win. The round tripper is 'Hammerin' Hank's' 755th and establishes the all-time major league record for career home runs.
1976 In his 13th start of the season, Tiger rookie Mark Fidrych throws his 12th complete game, a streak that includes three 11-inning contests. The 21 year-old right-hander gives up 10 hits, defeating Minnesota at Metropolitan Stadium, 8-3.
1984 Toronto establishes a team record for runs scored in an inning when eleven players cross the plate at the Kingdome in the ninth inning. The Blue Jays' barrage in the final frame leads to an eventual 12-7 victory over Seattle.
1987 Don Mattingly ties a major league mark when he is credited with 22 putouts in the Yankees' 7-1 victory in the Metrodome. 'Donnie Baseball' matches the one-game record established in 1906 by Hal Chase, another Bronx Bomber first sacker
2004 At Wrigley Field, Albert Pujols goes 5-for-5, including three home runs and five RBIs, as the Cardinals beat their Central Division rivals Cubs, 11-8. The Redbird first baseman's first three-homer career game helps St. Louis to erase a six run deficit.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb6olxr1wkQ
2006 In a 26 inning New York-Penn League game which takes 6 hours, 40 minutes to complete at KeySpan Park in Coney Island, the Oneonta Tigers outlast the hometown Brooklyn Cyclones, 6-1. Mark Wright, a reserve outfielder, is the losing pitcher in the third longest game by innings in professional baseball history.
2006 Trying to keep their 14 straight postseason appearances streak intact, the Braves trade Class A catcher Max Ramirez to the Indians for Bob Wickman. Atlanta, winning 12 of 16 to get back into the wild-card race, is hoping the veteran 37 year-old closer can help solve the team's late inning woes, which includes the bullpen blowing half of this season's 40 save opportunities.
2008 With a five-run ninth inning rally at Chase Field, the Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks, 6-5, and move into a flat-footed tie (48-50) with Arizona for first place in National League West. Andre Ethier has the key hit in the comeback victory, a go-ahead triple off the center-field wall, as D-Back closer Brandon Lyon, pitching in his third consecutive game, couldn’t hold three-run lead.
2008 Surpassing John Smoltz’s effort for the 2003 Braves by ten games, Francisco Rodriguez becomes the quickest reliever ever to reach 40 saves. The Angels closer strikes out the side in the ninth of a 5-3 come-from-behind victory of the Red Sox, completing a sweep of the reigning World Series champions.
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.
2009 After trailing 12-2, Oakland comes back to beat the Twins, 14-13, making it the first time the A's have come back from a ten-run deficit since being down by twelve runs in 1925 when the team, then known as Philadelphia Athletics, beat the Indians, 17-15. The 3 hours, 32 minutes slugfest ends with Michael Cuddyer being called out at home plate on a very controversial call after trying to score on a wild pitch.
2011 Leading off the sixth inning in Oakland's 7-5 victory in Detroit, Hideki Matsui hits his 500th career home run. The Japanese native went yard 332 times for the Yomiuri Giants before collecting another 168 round-trippers since 2003 playing with the Yankees, Angels and A's.
2012 After trailing the Nationals by nine runs after five innings of play, the Braves take the lead, 10-9, when the team plates two runs in the top of ninth. Washington will knot the score in the bottom the frame on Danny Espinosa’s home run, but Atlanta will complete its amazing comeback with an unanswered run in the eleventh inning.
2013 At Miller Park in a game against Miami, the Brewers wear throwback jerseys to honor the Milwaukee Bears, a Negro League team that played in Brew Town during the 1923 season. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke has a wardrobe malfunction when the letter u on his uniform is misplaced, spelling out Milwakuee.
2013 A surprise sixth contender participates in the Presidents Race when Sharknado, a character from the SyFy original movie about sharks being brought on land by a waterspout, ambushes George, Tom, Teddy, and Bill in the for Nationals Park dash. Although Sharknado successfully blows past four of his competitors, Abe, with the wind to his back, secures a first-place finish.
July 20th
1906 At St. Louis, Brooklyn hurler Mal Eason no-hits the Cardinals, 2-0. The 'Kid' was the losing pitcher when Johnny Lush pitched a no-hitter against the Superbas (Dodgers) in May.
1926 A's outfielder Al Simmons establishes an American League record by playing in 394 consecutive games to start a career. Hideki Matsui, who will start in 518 consecutive games after signing as a Japanese free agent with the Yankees, will surpass the Hall of Famer's mark in 2005.
1944 Browns' hurler Nels Potter is banned for ten days, becoming the first pitcher ever to be suspended for throwing a spitball. The spitball, shineball, and emeryball were outlawed by the major league's Joint Rules Committee in 1920, which allowed the seventeen pitchers using the doctored pitches at the time to keep throwing the banned pitches legally until they retired.
1949 Larry Doby is thrown out trying to steal home with no outs with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning in a 7-3 loss to the Yankees at Cleveland Stadium. Tribe manager Lou Boudreau will fine his center fielder for the failed attempt to steal home and for taking several other unnecessary chances recently.
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 catchers' 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.
1958 During the first game of a doubleheader, Tiger right-hander Jim Bunning no-hits the Red Sox, 3-0. The future Hall of Famer and U.S. Senator will become the first modern-day pitcher to toss a hitless game in both leagues when he throws a perfect game against the Mets in 1964, and once again Mets broadcaster Bob Murphy will be behind the mike doing the play-by-play as he is today for Boston.
1965 Yankees' pitcher Mel Stottlemyre hits an inside the park grand slam against the Red Sox. The fifth-inning shot to deep center field proves to be the difference in the 23 year-old right-hander's 6-3 complete-game victory at Yankee Stadium.
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.
1970 Twenty-six year-old right-hander Bill Singer pitches the first Dodger no-hitter since Sandy Koufax's departure when he keeps the Philadelphia batters hitless in a 5-0 victory at Chavez Ravine. The 'Singer Throwing Machine', who spent 52 days on the disabled list earlier in the season recuperating from hepatitis, posts a 5-0 record along with a 1.84 ERA in July, and will be named NL Player of the Month.
1973 The Yankees sweep a doubleheader from the White Sox with Wilbur Wood taking the loss in both games. After not making it out of the first inning in the opener, the knuckleballer also starts and loses the nightcap.
1974 Trailing the A's, 9-8, in the bottom of the ninth, the Indians get runners to second and third with nobody out. Rollie Fingers retires George Hendrick and Charlie Spikes, but with first base still open manager Al Dark elects to pitch to John Ellis, who promptly lines a single to center to win the game.
1976 Hank Aaron hit his last big league homer off Angels' hurler **** Drago en route to a 6-2 Brewers' win. The round tripper is 'Hammerin' Hank's' 755th and establishes the all-time major league record for career home runs.
1976 In his 13th start of the season, Tiger rookie Mark Fidrych throws his 12th complete game, a streak that includes three 11-inning contests. The 21 year-old right-hander gives up 10 hits, defeating Minnesota at Metropolitan Stadium, 8-3.
1984 Toronto establishes a team record for runs scored in an inning when eleven players cross the plate at the Kingdome in the ninth inning. The Blue Jays' barrage in the final frame leads to an eventual 12-7 victory over Seattle.
1987 Don Mattingly ties a major league mark when he is credited with 22 putouts in the Yankees' 7-1 victory in the Metrodome. 'Donnie Baseball' matches the one-game record established in 1906 by Hal Chase, another Bronx Bomber first sacker
2004 At Wrigley Field, Albert Pujols goes 5-for-5, including three home runs and five RBIs, as the Cardinals beat their Central Division rivals Cubs, 11-8. The Redbird first baseman's first three-homer career game helps St. Louis to erase a six run deficit.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb6olxr1wkQ
2006 In a 26 inning New York-Penn League game which takes 6 hours, 40 minutes to complete at KeySpan Park in Coney Island, the Oneonta Tigers outlast the hometown Brooklyn Cyclones, 6-1. Mark Wright, a reserve outfielder, is the losing pitcher in the third longest game by innings in professional baseball history.
2006 Trying to keep their 14 straight postseason appearances streak intact, the Braves trade Class A catcher Max Ramirez to the Indians for Bob Wickman. Atlanta, winning 12 of 16 to get back into the wild-card race, is hoping the veteran 37 year-old closer can help solve the team's late inning woes, which includes the bullpen blowing half of this season's 40 save opportunities.
2008 With a five-run ninth inning rally at Chase Field, the Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks, 6-5, and move into a flat-footed tie (48-50) with Arizona for first place in National League West. Andre Ethier has the key hit in the comeback victory, a go-ahead triple off the center-field wall, as D-Back closer Brandon Lyon, pitching in his third consecutive game, couldn’t hold three-run lead.
2008 Surpassing John Smoltz’s effort for the 2003 Braves by ten games, Francisco Rodriguez becomes the quickest reliever ever to reach 40 saves. The Angels closer strikes out the side in the ninth of a 5-3 come-from-behind victory of the Red Sox, completing a sweep of the reigning World Series champions.
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.
2009 After trailing 12-2, Oakland comes back to beat the Twins, 14-13, making it the first time the A's have come back from a ten-run deficit since being down by twelve runs in 1925 when the team, then known as Philadelphia Athletics, beat the Indians, 17-15. The 3 hours, 32 minutes slugfest ends with Michael Cuddyer being called out at home plate on a very controversial call after trying to score on a wild pitch.
2011 Leading off the sixth inning in Oakland's 7-5 victory in Detroit, Hideki Matsui hits his 500th career home run. The Japanese native went yard 332 times for the Yomiuri Giants before collecting another 168 round-trippers since 2003 playing with the Yankees, Angels and A's.
2012 After trailing the Nationals by nine runs after five innings of play, the Braves take the lead, 10-9, when the team plates two runs in the top of ninth. Washington will knot the score in the bottom the frame on Danny Espinosa’s home run, but Atlanta will complete its amazing comeback with an unanswered run in the eleventh inning.
2013 At Miller Park in a game against Miami, the Brewers wear throwback jerseys to honor the Milwaukee Bears, a Negro League team that played in Brew Town during the 1923 season. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke has a wardrobe malfunction when the letter u on his uniform is misplaced, spelling out Milwakuee.
2013 A surprise sixth contender participates in the Presidents Race when Sharknado, a character from the SyFy original movie about sharks being brought on land by a waterspout, ambushes George, Tom, Teddy, and Bill in the for Nationals Park dash. Although Sharknado successfully blows past four of his competitors, Abe, with the wind to his back, secures a first-place finish.
Hank Aaron hit his 755th home run on this day. I forget how beast Albert Pujols was in 2000s.
