Today In Baseball History: May

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 1st:

1901: In a 19-9 loss to the White Sox, the Tigers commit an A.L. record 12 errors. Ten were committed by the infield.

1906: The Phillies Johnny Lush pitches a no-hitter in a 6-0 win over the Dodgers.

1920: In a win over the Red Sox, Babe Ruth hits his first home run as a Yankee.

1924: The White Sox Bill Barrett steals home twice against the Indians.

1925: The A's Jimmie Foxx makes his M.L. debut, getting a pinch-single against the Senators.

1926: At age 19, Satchel Paige makes his Negro League debut, pitching for Chattanooga in a 5-4 win over Birmingham.

1951: Mickey Mantle hits his first M.L. home run.

1969: The Astros Don Wilson pitches a no-hitter in a 4-0 win over the Reds. The day before, the Astros were no-hit by the Reds.

1991: Nolan Ryan strikes out 16 while pitching a no-hitter in a 3-0 win over the Blue Jays.

1991: Rickey Henderson steals his 939rd career base, breaking Lou Brock's all time record.

1992: Rickey Henderson becomes the first in M.L. history to reach 1,000 career stolen bases.

2002: The Padres Trevor Hoffman sets a M.L. record for saves with one team with 321.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 2nd:

1909: For a N.L. record fourth time, Honus Wagner steals his way around the bases, doing so in the first inning against the Cubs.

1917: The Cubs Hippo Vaughn and the Reds Fred Toney both have no-hitters after nine innings. In the top of the tenth with one out, the Cubs Jim Thorpe hits a swinging bunt that Vaughn fields, but catcher can't field it and Larry Kopf slides home. Toney sets the Cubs down in the bottom half and has the fourth ten inning no-hitter.

1939: For the good of the team, Lou Gehrig voluntarily takes himself out of the lineup, ending his consecutive games played streak at 2,130 games.

1949: Don Newcombe, in his first M.L. starts, pitches a shutout in a 3-0 win over the Reds.

1954: In a doubleheader against the Giants, the Cardinals Stan Musial hits five home runs.

1988: Commissioner Bart Giamatti suspends Reds manager Pete Rose 30 games after he shoved manager Dave Pallone on April 30th. It's the toughest penalty handed to a manager for an on-field incident.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 3rd:

1938: Lefty Grove leads the Red Sox to a 4-3, 10 inning win over the Tigers. It's the first of a record 20 straight home wins. His next loss at Fenway Park would be May 12, 1941.

1975: Pete Rose is moved from left field to third base, allowing a spot for utility outfielder George Foster. For the next four years, Foster averages 36 homers and 117 RBIs, while also helping the Reds to two World Series titles.

1979: Bobby Bonds becomes the second player after Willie Mays to have 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases.

1980: Willie McCovey hits the last of his 521 career home runs. He retires on June 6th.

1980: In defeating the Orioles 3-2, the Rangers Fergie Jenkins becomes the fourth pitcher to win 100 games in both leagues. He won 149 N.L. games with the Phillies and Cubs.

1992: At age 25, the Orioles Gregg Olson becomes the youngest in M.L. history to record 100 saves.

1995: David Bell makes his M.L. debut with the Indians. His debut makes the Bells the second three-generation family in M.L. history (the Boone's were the first) along with his father Buddy and grandfather Gus. Four days after David's debut, Gus Bell would pass away.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 4th:

1943: Commissioner Ford Frick introduces the revised balata ball, which was 50 percent lighter than the 1942 ball. When introduced on May 9th, six homers are hit in four doubleheaders. In the prior 72 games, nine home runs were hit.

1966: Willie Mays breaks Mel Ott's N.L. record by hitting his 512th home run.

1975: In the second inning of the first game of a doubleheader against the Giants, the Astros Bob Watson scores what was calculated as the one millionth run in MLB history. The first run was scored on April 22, 1876 by Philadelphia's Wes Fisler.

1980: The White Sox Mike Squires becomes the first left hander to catch in a M.L. game since Dale Long in 1958.

1981: The Yankees Ron Davis strikes out the last eight batters in a 4-2 win over the Angels. That ties Nolan Ryan's record for consecutive strikeouts and also sets a new record for relief pitchers.

1982: Twins rookie Jim Eisenreich, who suffered from Tourette's Syndrome, takes himself out of the game in the against the Red Sox, after he is taunted by the crowd and his nervous twitching becomes uncontrollable. He was hospitalized on May 9th, then makes several unsuccessful comeback attempts before retiring in 1984. After finding an effective treatment, he returns to the Major Leagues with the Royals in 1987.

1996: The Rangers Roger Pavlik pitches a one-hitter, a night after his teammate Ken Hill did the same. The Rangers became the first team to pitch back to back one-hitters since the Senators in 1917.

1997: The Tigers Willie Blair suffers a broken jaw after being struck by a liner hit by Julio Franco. Blair, at age 31, would return and finish the season with 16 wins, doubling his prior career best.

Happy Birthday:
Eddie Perez (Born in 1968.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 5th:

1904: Cy Young of the Boston Pilgrims pitches his second no-hitter in a 3-0 perfect game win over the A's. It was part of a record 24 straight hitless innings and another record 45 shutout innings in a row (since broken).

1925: In a 14-8 Tigers won over the Browns, Ty Cobb goes 6-6, including three home runs.

1949: Former Tigers infielder Charlie Gehringer is voted to the Hall of Fame. Two days later, the Old-Timers committee votes Kid Nichols and Three-Finger Brown.

1962: The Angels Bo Belinsky pitches a no-hitter in a 2-0 win over the Orioles.

1975: The A's released Herb Washington, who was used as a pinch-runner. Washington played 105 M.L. games without batting, fielding, or pitching. He stole 31 bases and had 33 stolen bases.

1978: Pete Rose records his 3,000th career hit.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 6th:

1915: While pitching for the Red Sox, Babe Ruth got three hits, including his first M.L. home run off the Yankees Jack Warhop.

1917: The Browns Bob Groom pitches a no-hitter in a 3-0 win over the White Sox.

1931: Willie Mays is born in Westfield, Alabama.

1953: The Browns Bobo Holloman, in his first M.L. start, pitches a no-hitter in a 6-0 win over the A's. It was his only career complete game.

1982: The Mariners Gaylord Perry becomes the 15th pitcher in M.L. history to win 300 games in a 7-3 victory over the Yankees.

1994: In a 10-1 win over the Pirates, Anthony Young ends his 29-game losing streak as a starter. It was his first win in over two years.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 7th:

1917: Babe Ruth pitches a two-hitter and drives in the only run with a sacrifice fly as he leads the Red Sox to a 1-0 win over Walter Johnson and the Senators.

1922: The Giants Jesse Barnes pitches a no-hitter in a 6-0 win over the Phillies. It was the only no-hitter pitched that season.

1957: Indians pitcher Herb Score is hit in the eye by a line drive. He misses the rest of the season.

1959: Paralyzed former Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella is honored at the Los Angeles Coliseum before an exhibition game against the Yankees. 93,103 fans attended the ceremonies and the game that followed.

1960: Dodgers catcher Norm Sherry hits a home run off his brother Larry in the 11th inning to beat the Phillies 3-2.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 8th:

1906: A's manager Connie Mack puts Alvin "Chief" Bender in the sixth inning against the Pilgrims because of injuries. Bender would hit two inside-the-park home runs.

1907: The Braves Big Jeff Pfeffer pitches a no-hitter in a 6-0 win over the Reds.

1929: The Giants Carl Hubbell pitches a no-hitter against the Pirates. He's the first lefty to do so in 13 years.

1946: The Red Sox Johnny Pesky becomes the first in A.L. history to score six runs in a game.

1966: The Cardinals lose to the Giants 10-5 in the last game at old Busch Stadium.

1968: The A's Catfish Hunter pitches a perfect game in a 4-0 win over the Twins.

1984: In a 4-0 win over the Angels, the Twins Kirby Puckett singles four times in his M.L. debut.

1998: The Cardinals Mark McGwire hits his 400th career home run.

2001: Randy Johnson joins Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood as the only pitchers to strikeout 20 hitters in nine innings.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 9th:

1944: After missing Spring Training and much of the early season due to illness, Joe McCarthy returns as Yankees manager.

1960: Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn is born in Los Angeles, California.

1984: The White Sox defeat the Brewers 7-6 in and A.L record 25 innings. The game was suspended the previous day after 17 innings. The game lasted eight hours and six minutes, setting the M.L. record.

1987: The Orioles Eddie Murray homers from both sides of the plate for the second straight game, marking the first time that had happened in M.L. history.

1988: The A's win their 14th straight game, beating the Tigers 3-1. It's the longest streak in the majors since 1977.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 10th:

1959: The Phillies Jim Hearn allows two earned runs before the game is suspended with the Pirates leading 6-4. Hearn is released before the game is completed in July. Hearn is charged with the loss two months after retiring.

1967: Off of the Phillies Jim Bunning, Hank Aaron hits the only inside-the-park home run of his career,

1970: The Braves Hoyt Wilhelm becomes the first pitcher in M.L. history to appear in 1,000 games.

1981: The Expos Charlie Lea pitches a no-hitter in a 4-0 win over the Giants.

1989: After being no-hit for eight innings by the Mariners Mark Langston, the Blue Jays score three in the ninth to win the game. It's the third time during the 1989 season the Blue Jays broke up a no-hitter in the ninth inning.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 11th:

1897: In a 6-3 loss to the Orioles, Senators catcher Charles "Duke" Farrell sets a M.L. record by throwing out eight potential base stealers.

1959: Yogi Berra's streak of consecutive games without an error ends at 148.

1963: The Dodgers Sandy Koufax pitches a no-hitter against the Giants.

1972: The Giants trade Willie Mays to the Mets for Charlie Williams and cash.

1977: With the team in a 16-game losing streak, Braves owner Ted Turner takes over as the field manager. The Braves lost 2-1. N.L. president Chub Feeney relieves Turner of his duties, citing a rule stating a manger cannot have a financial interest in their team.

1980: The Phillies Pete Rose steals second, third, and home in one inning, becomes the first to do so since Jackie Robinson in 1954.

1984: With an 8-2 win over the Angels, the Tigers improve to 26-4, making it the best record after 30 games in M.L. history.

1996: The Marlins Al Leiter pitches the first no-hitter in team history.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 12th:

1925: Yogi Berra is born in St. Louis, Missouri.

1926: Walter Johnson defeats the Browns 7-4 for his 400th career win.

1958: Willie Mays hits the first grand slam in San Francisco Giants history.

1966: The Cardinals gets a 12-inning 4-3 win over the Braves in the first game at the new Busch Stadium.

1970: In a 4-3 win over the Braves, the Cubs Ernie Banks becomes the eighth player in M.L. history to hit 500 home runs. It also was his 1,600th career RBI. In the same game, the Braves Rico Carty extends his hitting streak to 30 games.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 13th:

1911: In a 19-5 win over the Cardinals, the Giants score 13 runs in the first inning, including setting a M.L. record by scoring ten before the first out was recorded.

1942: Braves pitcher Jim Tobin hits three straight home runs in a 3-2 win over the Cubs. He is the only pitcher to do so.

1958: The Cardinals Stan Musial records his 3,000th career hit.

1967: Mickey Mantle records his 500th home run.

1980: In a 15-4 win over the Mets, the Reds Ray Knight hits two runs, including a grand slam, in the fifth inning.

1982: The Cubs win their 8,000th game in franchise history.

1989: The Twins Kirby Puckett becomes the 35th player in M.L. history to hit four doubles in a game.

1993: The Royals George Brett hits his 300th career home run. He joins Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, Carl Yastrzemski, Willie Mays, and Al Kaline as the only players with 300 homers and 3,000 hits in M.L. history.

1998: The Atlanta Braves set a N.L. record and tie the M.L. mark by hitting a home run in 25 straight games.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 14th:

1886: Player-manager for the Browns, Charles Comiskey, runs into Red 2nd baseman Bill McPhee, preventing a double play and helping them win 2-1. Despite the anger from Reds fans, the American Association allows the play.

1913: The Senators Walter Johnson sees his then record 56 inning scoreless streak end.

1920: With a 9-8 victory over the Tigers, Walter Johnson wins his 300th game.

1972: Willie Mays homers in his first game with the Mets, helping them beat his former Giants team 5-4.

1988: The Cardinals Jose Oquendo becomes the first non-pitcher to get a decision in 20 years, taking a loss against the Braves. In the 19th inning, Ken Griffey hits a two run double to give the Braves a 7-5 win.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 15th:

1894: After a fight between Boston's Tommy Tucker and Baltimore's John McGraw in the third inning, a fire is set in the right field seats in Boston's South End Grounds.

1912: In New York, Ty Cobb charges into the stands and attacks fan Claude Lueker, who was heckling him. The Tigers and other fans get involved and Cobb gets indefinitely suspended by A.L. President Ban Johnson.

1941: Joe DiMaggio's single off the White Sox Eddie Smith starts his record 56-game hitting streak.

1953: Hall of Famer George Brett is born in Glen Dale, West Virginia.

1960: Two days after his trade from the Phillies, the Cubs Don Cardwell pitches a no-hitter in a 4-0 win over the Cardinals. It was the first time the Cardinals since May 11, 1919.

1967: John Smoltz is born in Detroit, Michigan.

1973: The Angels Nolan Ryan strikes out 12 and pitches his first career no-hitter in a 3-0 win over the Royals.

1981: The Indians Len Barker pitches the ninth perfect game of the century in a 3-0 win over the Blue Jays.

1989: Jimy Williams is fired as Blue Jays manager and is replaced by Cito Gaston.

1991: The Red Sox beat the White Sox 9-6 in a game that took four hours and 11 minutes to play, the slowest nine-inning game to date in M.L. history.

1998: The Marlins and Dodgers make a trade involving seven players who combined contracts were worth $98 million. The Marlins traded Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Charles Johnson and Jim Eisenreich to the Dodgers in exchange for Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile. The Marlins, who won the World Series seven months earlier, had now traded a dozen high priced players from that roster.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 16th:

1932: The Yankees tie the record along with the Cleveland in 1903 and Boston in 1906 by pitching their fourth straight shutout.

1939: The Indians defeat the A's at Shibe Park in ten innings 8-3. It was the first night game in A.L. history.

1954: Ted Williams returns to action after a broken collarbone suffered in Spring Training. In a doubleheader against the Tigers, he went 8-9 with two home runs and seven RBIs.

1957: On Billy Martin's 29th birthday, the Yankees are involved in a fight at Manhattan's Copacabana Club. The fight results in $5,500 in fines and Martin eventually being traded to Kansas City. Though he denies it, the fight allegedly started when Hank Bauer hit one of the club's patrons.

1967: A $13 million bond issue to build a new stadium in Philadelphia is approved by voters.

1979: The sale of the Astros to John J. McMullen from the Ford Motor Credit Company is approved by the N.L. owners.

1987: The Brewers lose to the Royals 13-0. It was their tenth loss in a row after starting the season 18-2. They earned the nickname "Team Streak".

1997: The Marlins beat the Pirates 3-1 in Jim Leyland's return to Pittsburgh. Leyland managed the Pirates for 11 seasons.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 17th:

1915: The Dodgers George "Zip" Zabel went into the game against the Cubs with two outs in the first inning and goes the rest in a 4-3, 19 inning win. It was the longest relief appearance in M.L. history.

1925: Tris Speaker records his 3,000th hit.

1939: Princeton defeats Columbia 2-1 in the first ever game televised. Bill Stern announced the game on W2XBS to a handfull of fans in New York. In a review the next day, the New York Times says "It is difficult to see how this sort of thing can catch the public fancy".

1941: Philadelphia and the State of Pennsylvania declare Connie Mack Day at Shibe Park, honoring the A's manager.

1970: In the second of a doubleheader, Hank Aaron records his 3,000th hit and 570th home run. He becomes the ninth player in M.L. history with 3,000 hits, and the first of those with 500 home runs.

1973: While trying to climb a wall to rob Dick Green of a home run, the Angels Bobby Valentine catches his spike in it and break his leg. The injury ruins his playing career.

1978: The Dodgers Lee Lacy sets a M.L. record with his third straight home run as a pinch hitter.

1979: At Wrigley Field, the Phillies defeat the Cubs 23-22 in ten innings. For the Cubs, Dave Kingman hits three homers and collects six RBIs while teammate Bill Buckner hits a grand slam and drove in seven. The Phillies Mike Schmidt hit two homers, including the game-winner in the tenth inning. The two teams combined for 11 home runs, tying the M.L. record.

1992: Gary Carter joins Bob Boone and Carlton Fisk as the only to play catcher in 2,000 games.

1998: In a 4-0 win over the Twins, the Yankees David Wells pitches the 13th perfect game in modern M.L. history. It's the first pitched by a Yankee since Don Larsen in the 1956 World Series. In addition, Wells set an A.L. record by retiring 37 batters in a row.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 18th:

1912: Tiger players strike to protest Ty Cobb's suspension. Avoiding a fine and a forfeit, Detroit manager Hughie Jennings hires college players and others who had played. The Tigers lost to the A's 24-2. Joe Travers gave up all 24 runs.

1957: The Orioles Dick Williams hits a game-tying homer in the ninth inning a few seconds before 10:20 PM, which was a curfew set for the White Sox could catch a train out of Baltimore. The White Sox would have won if Williams did anything else. The game would have to be replayed, which was won by the Orioles.

1962: In a 14-3 win over the Indians, the Twins Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew hit first inning grand slams.

1968: The Senators Frank Howard hits his tenth home run in a span of six games in an 8-4 win over the Tigers.

1990: In a 13-1 win over the Angels, the Orioles tied an A.L. record by hitting eight straight singles in a seven run first inning.

1999: The Diamondbacks Luis Gonzalez extends his hitting streak to 30 games, becoming the 37th player in M.L. history to have such a streak.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 19th:

1910: Cy Young wins his 500th game.

1933: For the only time in their careers, brothers Rick and Wes Ferrell homer in the same game. Rick's home run came off brother Wes.

1960: In his first game with the Giants, Juan Marichal pitches a one-hitter in a 2-0 win over the Phillies.

1981: After giving up a leadoff single to the Braves Terry Harper, the Pirates Jim Bibby retires the next 27 batters in a 5-0 win. Bibby also doubled twice.

1998: The Cardinals Mark McGwire homers three times against the Phillies. It was his second three-homer game of the season and fourth of his career. He became the 12th player in M.L. history to have two three-homer games in a season.

[CrimsonCowboy]

May 20th:

1941: The White Sox Taffy Wright sets an A.L. record by driving in a run in 13 straight games.

1945: In a Browns doubleheader sweep of the Yankees, one-arm outfielder Pete Gray was the star of the day. In the first game, had three hits along with two RBIs and scored the winning run in the nightcap.

1946: The Cubs Claude Passeau commits his first error since September 21, 1941, ending his record errorless streak for pitchers at 273 straight chances.

1983: Steve Carlton passes Walter Johnson for second on the all-time strikeout list. He's second only to Nolan Ryan, who broke Johnson's record earlier in the season.

1984: In a 5-4 victory over the Twins, the Red Sox Roger Clemens records his first M.L. victory.

1991: The Red Sox Jeff Reardon records his 300th save.