Today In Baseball History: May

May 22nd:

1902: Hall of Famer Al Simmons is born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1922: Construction begins on Yankee Stadium.

1942: Ted Williams is sworn into the U.S. Navy. He will remain with the Red Sox until called into active duty.

1962: In the Yankees 2-1, 12 inning win over the Angels, Roger Maris sets a M.L. record by being intentionally walked four times.

1975: Hall of Famer Lefty Grove dies at age 75.

1977: The Red Sox and Brewers tie the M.L. record by combining to hit 11 home runs in Boston's 14-10 win. The Red Sox hit six with the Brewers five.

1981: The Twins fire manager Johnny Goryl and replace him with minor league skipper Billy Gardner.

1985: In the Reds 7-4 loss to the Cubs, Pete Rose scores his 2,108th run, breaking the N.L. record.

1990: During the Cubs 2-1, 16 inning win over the Reds, Andre Dawson is intentionally walked five times, setting a new M.L. record.

1992: Felipe Alou replaces Tom Runnells as Expos manager.

1998: Just days after being acquired by the Marlins, Mike Piazza is traded to the Mets for Preston Wilson, Geoff Goetz, and Ed Yarnell.

2002: The A's trade Jeremy Giambi to the Phillies for John Mabry.

2003: Arturo Moreno purchases the World Series Champion Angels from Disney for $184 million.
 
May 23rd:

1890: In the Giants 17-10 win over the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, the two teams set a N.L. record with 17 combined stolen bases.

1924: The Senators Walter Johnson ties an A.L. record with six straight strikeouts (14 total) in a 4-0 win over the White Sox.

1935: The first scheduled night game in Cincinnati between the Phillies and Reds is rained out.

1970: The Giants fire manager Clyde King and replace him with Charlie Fox.

1984: With a 4-2 victory over the Angels, the Tigers tie an A.L. record with 16 straight wins on the road.

1991: The Phillies Tommy Greene pitches a no-hitter in a 2-0 win over the Expos.

2002: The Dodgers Shawn Green becomes the 14th player in M.L. history to hit four home runs in one game.
 
May 24th:

1909: The Cardinals, after being defeated by the Giants Christy Mathewson a record 24 straight times, finally defeat him and New York 3-1.

1935: At Cincinnati's Crosley Field, 25,000 fans are in attendance at the first night game in M.L. history. The hometown Reds defeat the Phillies 2-1. During a pregame ceremony, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pushes a button at The White House to turn the lights on.

1936: In the Yankees 25-2 win over the A's, Tony Lazzeri becomes the first player in M.L. history to hit two grand slams in the same game.

1964: A new M.L. record is set when seven teams who played are shutout. The teams scoring no runs were the Yankees, Twins, White Sox, Mets, Cardinals, Pirates, and Phillies.

1973: In the Mets 7-3, 19 inning win over the Dodgers, the teams combine to set a new N.L. record by hitting into nine double plays.

1984: With a 5-1 win over the Angels, the Tigers break the A.L. and tie the M.L. record with 17 straight road wins.

1994: In a 4-0 loss to the Phillies, the Cardinals set a new M.L. record by stranding 16 runners on base.

1995: In a 5-2 win over the Orioles, the A's Dennis Eckersley becomes the sixth reliever to record 300 saves.

1998: Florida State's Matt Diaz hits four home runs and drives in seven runs in a 23-2 win over Oklahoma in NCAA Regional play.

2011: The Blue Jays Jo Jo Reyes ties the M.L. record by going 28 straight starts without recording a win. He left the game after three innings and trailing the Yankees 5-0.
 
May 25th:

1922: After being called out trying to stretch a single into a double, Babe Ruth throws dirt into the umpire's eye. He then goes after a heckler in the stands, then goes on top of the dugout roof and calls the crowd "yellow". Those actions cause Ruth to be suspended a game, fined $200, and his title of captain stripped.

1923: Ty Cobb scores his 1,741st career run, breaking the record held by Honus Wagner.

1935: Playing for the Boston Braves, Babe Ruth hits the final three home runs of his career at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field.

1937: Mickey Cochrane's career abruptly ends when he is hit by a fastball from Bump Hadley. The Tigers player/manager, after being near death, spends six weeks in the hospital. He would return only as manager.

1951: Willie Mays makes his M.L. debut, going 0-5, but makes two great defensive plays in the Giants 8-5 win against the Phillies.

1953: In the Braves 10-3 win over the Reds, the Braves Max Surkont sets a M.L. record by striking out eight straight batters.

1981: Carl Yastrzemski joins Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, and Hank Aaron as the only players in M.L. history to appear in 3,000 games.

1982: Fergie Jenkins records his 3,000th strikeout.

1983: In the third inning of a 6-0 loss to the Pirates, the Braves Jim Bibby (4) and Jim Winn (3) combine to tie a M.L. record by issuing seven straight walks.

2002: In the second inning against the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks Randy Johnson strikes out Brian Jordan to record his 3,509th strikeout, passing Walter Johnson for seventh on the all time list.

2011: The Yankees Mariano Rivera becomes the first pitcher in M.L. history to appear in 1,000 games for the same team.
 
May 26th:

1925: Ty Cobb becomes the first player in M.L. history to collect 1,000 extra base hits.

1947: A M.L. attendance record crowd of 74,747 fans at Yankee Stadium watch the Yankees beat the Red Sox 9-3.

1956: Hall of Famer Al Simmons dies at age 54.

1993: The Indians Carols Martinez hits a fly ball that hits off the top of Jose Canseco's head and goes over the wall for a home run. It turns out to make a difference as the Indians beat the Rangers 7-6.
 
May 27th:

1928: The Braves purchase George Sisler from the Senators for $7,500 after he passed waivers.

1937: Working two relief innings in the Giants 3-2 victory over the Reds, Carl Hubbell records his 24th straight win.

1968: Hall of Famer Frank Thomas is born in Columbus, Georgia.

1968: The National League announces expansion teams to be located in Montreal and San Diego.

1993: Dale Murphy announces his retirement.

2006: Curt Schilling records his 200th victory in the Red Sox 6-4 win over the Devil Rays.
 
May 28th:

1930: Grover Cleveland Alexander makes his final career appearance, pitching in relief in the Phillies 5-1 loss to the Braves. He finishes his career with a 373-208 record.

1951: After starting his M.L. career 0-12, Willie Mays records his first hit; a 450 foot home run off Warren Spahn.

1957: Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley and the Giants Horace Stoneham are given permission by the National League to negotiate deals with cities on the West Coast.

1968: The American League votes to split into two divisions. They also voted to reduce their schedule to 156 games, but would later reconsider and stay at 162.

1986: In a 6-3 loss to the Rangers, the White Sox Joe Cowley sets a M.L. record by striking out the first seven batters he faces.

1995: In the White Sox 14-12 win over the Tigers, the two teams set a M.L. record by combining to hit 12 home runs.

2001: The Marlins fire manager John Boles. Hall of Famer Tony Perez replaces him on an interim basis.

2003: The Braves become just the second team in M.L. history to start a game with three straight home runs, as Rafael Furcal, Mark DeRosa, and Gary Sheffield all take the Reds Jeff Austin deep in the bottom of the first. The only other team to do so was the Padres on their home opener in 1987 (Marvell Wynn, Tony Gwynn, John Kruk).

2004: In the Yankees 7-5 win over the Devil Rays, Marino Rivera records his 300th save.

2006: Barry Bonds hits his 715th career home run, passing Babe Ruth for second on the all time list.
 
May 29th:

1922: The Supreme Court rules that baseball is a sport and not a business. The ruling exempts baseball teams from antitrust laws and interstate commerce rules.

1962: Buck O'Neill accepts a coaching role with the Cubs, becoming the first black coach in M.L. history.

1976: In a matchup pitting brothers against each other, Joe Niekro leads the Astros to a 4-1 win over Phil and the Braves. Joe Niekro also homered off Phil, the only home run of his 22-year career.

1981: The Mets trade Jeff Reardon and Dan Norman to the Expos for Ellis Valentine.

1989: Mike Schmidt announces his retirement.

1990: The Mets fire manager Davey Johnson and replace him with third base coach Bud Harrelson.

1994: The Braves trade Deion Sanders to the Reds for Roberto Kelly and minor league pitcher Roger Ethridge, who never appeared in a major league game.

2003: The Red Sox trade third baseman Shea Hillenbrand to the Diamondbacks for reliever Byung-Hyun Kim.

2010: The Phillies Roy Halladay pitches a perfect game in a 1-0 win over the Marlins.
 
May 30th:

1894: In the second of a doubleheader, Bob Lowe of the Boston Beaneaters becomes the first player in M.L. history to hit four home runs in a game in a 20-11 win over the Reds.

1913: The Red Sox Harry Hooper becomes the first player in M.L. history to start both games of a doubleheader with a home run.

1925: Between games of a doubleheader against the Pirates, second baseman Rogers Hornsby takes over as manager for Branch Rickey.

1935: Playing for the Braves, Babe Ruth makes his final M.L. appearance, going hitless in a first inning at bat.

1943: With a game between teams from Rockford, Illinois and Racine, Wisconsin, The All American Girls Professional Baseball League begins its 12 season run. The league would be the inspiration for the move "A League of Their Own".

1970: Using computerized punch cards, the fans once again start selecting the All-Star teams.

1977: The Indians Dennis Eckersley pitches a no-hitter in a 1-0 win over the Angels.

1982: Cal Ripken Jr. goes 0-2 in a 6-0 Orioles loss to the Blue Jays. It marked the beginning of his record streak of 2,632 consecutive games played.

1986: Barry Bonds makes his M.L. debut, going 0-5 in the Pirates 6-4 loss to the Dodgers.

2003: The Braves tie a N.L. record by hitting 55 home runs in a calendar month.
 
May 31st:

1914: The White Sox Joseph Benz pitches a no-hitter in a 6-1 win over the Naps. Three errors in the fourth inning allows Cleveland to score their run.

1937: The Dodgers beat the Giants 10-3, ending Carl Hubbell's 24-game winning streak.

1938: Lou Gehrig plays in his 2,000th straight game.

1964: A doubleheader nightcap between the Giants and Mets takes seven hours and 23 minutes and took 23 innings to play. Gaylord Perry pitched ten relief innings and get the win as the Giants take an 8-6 victory.

1966: The Cubs Ron Sants breaks the N.L. record by playing in his 364th straight game at third base.

1991: The Mets trade Tim Teufel to the Padres for Garry Templeton.

2001: The Expos fire Felipe Alou, the winningest manager in team history, and replace him with Jeff Torborg.

2005: The Royals name Buddy Bell manager.
 
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