This Date in Baseball-Week Ahead
April 25
1901 — In the opener at Detroit’s Bennett Park, the Tigers beat Milwaukee in a great comeback. Trailing 13-4 going into the bottom of the ninth, the Tigers scored 10 runs for a 14-13 victory. Frank Dillon had four doubles.
1904 — New York pitcher Jack Chesbro recorded the first of his 41 victories on the season, an American League record that still stands.
1933 — Yankees pitcher Russ Van Atta made a spectacular debut by blanking Washington 16-0 and going 4-for-4.
1948 — Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians ties a major league record by striking out five times in a game.
1961 — Two weeks after the Boston Celtics win the NBA championship, their reserve center, Gene Conley, pitching for the Boston Red Sox, gets his first American League victory, a 6-1 win over the visiting Washington Senators.
1976 — Cubs center fielder Rick Monday rescued the American flag from two trespassers who tried to set it on fire in the outfield of Dodger Stadium. The incident happened in the fourth inning of a 5-4, 10-inning loss to Los Angeles.
1982 — Just 14 games into the season, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner fires manager Bob Lemon and replaces him with Gene Michael, the man Lemon had replaced the previous September. Michael won’t finish the season either.
1990 — At Fenway Park, gimpy-legged Bill Buckner, 41, hits an inside-the-park home run for the Boston Red Sox. It will be his only homer in this, his last, season as he will play just 22 games.
1995 — Major league baseball returned after a 257-day layoff as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Florida Marlins 8-7. Players had gone on strike the previous season.
1997 — Matt Williams hit three homers and David Justice homered twice as the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers combined to match a major league record for home runs in a nine-inning night game with 11. Cleveland hit a club-record eight in all, including three in one inning as the Indians beat the Brewers 11-4.
2001 — Rickey Henderson of the Padres set the major league walks record with his 2,063rd base on balls in San Diego’s 5-3 loss to Philadelphia.
2009 — Albert Pujols hit his second grand slam of the season and surpassed 1,000 career RBIs in St. Louis’ 8-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
2017 — Eric Thames hit his major league-leading 11th home run — his eighth against Cincinnati this season — and the Milwaukee Brewers cruised to a 9-1 victory over the Reds. In his first season with the Brewers after playing three years in South Korea, Thames capped a five-run sixth with a two-run drive off reliever Robert Stephenson. He has homered in all six games against the Reds and joined Willie Stargell as the only players in MLB history to hit eight homers in April against one team.
2017 — Trea Turner hit for the third cycle in Nationals history and drove in a career-high seven runs, helping Washington to a 15-12 win over Colorado on a frigid night.
2019 — In the NFL draft, the Arizona Cardinals select University of Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray first overall. He had been the #1 pick of the Athletics in the 2018 amateur draft, 9th overall, as an outfielder, and had signed with the A’s before giving up baseball last winter. This makes him the first player to be a first-rounder in both the NFL and MLB drafts. Murray will soon give up baseball in favor of the gridiron.
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April 26
1902 — Cleveland’s Addie Joss pitched a one-hitter in his major league debut. Joss allowed a scratch single to Jessie Burkett as the Indians beat the St. Louis Browns 3-0.
1904 — Ty Cobb, making his pro baseball debut at the age of seventeen, hits a home run and double for the Augusta Tourists in the South Atlantic League.
1905 — Jack McCarthy of the Cubs threw out three runners at the plate, each of whom became the second out of a double play. McCarthy’s defense preserved a 2-1 win over the Pirates.
1907 — Johnny Bates of the Boston Doves hit for the cycle against the Brooklyn Superbas.
1941 — The Chicago Cubs became the first major league team to install an organ at their ballpark. Roy Nelson took to the keyboard and played a pregame program.
1952 — Detroit’s Art Houtteman’s had his no-hit bid broken up on a two-out ninth-inning hit by Harry Simpson but the Tigers routed the Indians 13-0.
1961 — Roger Maris of the New York Yankees began his successful run at Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record with the first of his 61 homers, connecting in the fifth inning against Detroit right-hander Paul Foytack.
1969 — The Baseball Records Committee decides to give Babe Ruth credit for one more home run during his career for a total of 715.
1970 — Willie McCovey and Dick Dietz each hit grand slams as the San Francisco beat Montreal 11-1 in the first game of a doubleheader.
1980 — Steve Carlton of Philadelphia pitched the sixth one-hitter of his career against St. Louis for a National League record. The Phillies beat the Cardinals 7-0. Ted Simmons singled to lead off the second inning. Carlton walked one batter and struck out five.
1982 — Boston Red Sox rookie Wade Boggs collects his first major league hit when he singles against Rich Dotson of the Chicago White Sox.
1988 — New York Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez hits a pair of home runs and drives in seven runs during a 13-4 rout of the Atlanta Braves. The seven RBI give Hernandez 1,000 for his major league career.
1990 — Nolan Ryan tied Bob Feller’s major league record of 12 one-hitters as the Texas Rangers beat the Chicago White Sox 1-0. Ryan struck out 16 as he allowed only Ron Kittle’s check-swing single in the second inning.
1994 — Baltimore’s Brady Anderson has four extra-base hits in the Orioles’ 10-4 win over Oakland. Anderson’s two doubles and two homers came while leading off an inning.
1995 — The Colorado Rockies posted an 11-9 victory over the New York Mets in 14 innings, tying the NL record for innings played in a season opener.
1997 — Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs breaks the major league record for most home runs by a second baseman.
2000 — Vladimir Guerrero of the Montreal Expos hits his 100th career home run.
2006 — Mike Piazza hits his 400th career home run.
2016 — Andrew McCutchen hit three homers and drove in five runs to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies 9-4.
2019 — All eyes are turned on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who makes his major league debut with the Blue Jays.
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April 27
1909 — The Chicago White Sox win their third straight 1-0 game over St. Louis in three days.
1918 — The Brooklyn Dodgers finally win after a major league record 0-9 start, with a 5-3 victory over the New York Giants in the opening game of a doubleheader.
1929 — Brooklyn relief pitcher Clise Dudley homered on the first major league pitch he saw at Philadelphia’s Baker Bowl.
1930 — Chicago White Sox first baseman Bud Clancy had no chances in a nine-inning game against St. Louis.
1944 — Jim Tobin of the Braves pitched a no-hitter against the Dodgers in Boston, winning 2-0. He also hit a homer.
1947 — Babe Ruth Day at Yankee Stadium drew a crowd of more than 58,000 to honor the ailing great. In the game, Sid Hudson of the Washington Senators beat Spud Chandler 1-0.
1963 — Two two-sport players pitched in the fourth inning in a game at Fenway park. NBA players, Gene Conley of the Celtics and Red Sox and Dave DeBusschere of the Knicks and White Sox. The Red Sox won 9-5.
1968 — Tom Phoebus of the Orioles no-hit the Boston Red Sox 6-0 at Baltimore.
1973 — Kansas City’s Steve Busby pitched his first of two career no-hitters with a 3-0 victory over the Tigers at Detroit.
1983 — Walter Johnson’s record of 3,508 career strikeouts was eclipsed by Houston’s Nolan Ryan — a record that stood for 56 years. Ryan fanned Montreal pinch-hitter Brad Mills in the eighth inning as the Astros beat the Expos 4-2.
1994 — Scott Erickson, who allowed the most hits in the majors the previous season, pitched Minnesota’s first no-hitter in 27 years as the Twins beat Milwaukee 6-0. Last season Erickson led the majors in losses (19), hits (266) and runs (138).
1996 — Barry Bonds became the fourth major leaguer with 300 homers and 300 steals when he homered in the third inning of the San Francisco Giants’ 6-3 victory over the Florida Marlins. His father, Bobby Bonds, godfather Willie Mays, and Andre Dawson are the only other players to reach 300-300.
2000 — Chicago White Sox shortstop Jose Valentin hit for the cycle and drove in five runs in a 13-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Valentin hit the cycle in order: single, double, triple, home run.
2002 — Derek Lowe, who struggled to keep his job as a closer last season, pitched a no-hitter against Tampa Bay. Brent Abernathy was the only baserunner Lowe allowed in Boston’s 10-0 victory.
2003 — Kevin Millwood pitched a no-hitter to lead the Philadelphia Phillies over the San Francisco Giants 1-0. Millwood struck out 10 and walked three.
2004 — Chad Moeller of the Milwaukee Brewers hit for the cycle in a 9-8 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
2005 — Mark Grudzielanek hit for the cycle in his first four at-bats in St. Louis’ 6-3 victory over Milwaukee.
2009 — West Virginia State’s Bo Darby hit home runs in five consecutive at-bats over two games, including four in one contest. The sophomore outfielder homered in his first four trips to the plate against Salem International. He also connected in his final at-bat two days earlier against the University of Charleston. Darby homered twice more in the second game of the doubleheader, giving him six for the day with 14 RBIs.
2011 — Chipper Jones drives in three runs in Atlanta’s 7-0 win over San Diego, moving past Mickey Mantle on the all-time RBI list with 1,512.
2012 — Scott Hairston of the New York Mets hit for the cycle in an 18-9 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
2014 — José Abreu sets a record for most RBIs by a rookie in April when he drives in 4 runs in a 9 - 2 win over the Rays, giving him 31 ribbies for the month.
2015 — Today’s scheduled game between the Orioles and the White Sox is postponed because of violent protests in downtown Baltimore, MD, following the death of a black man in police custody a week earlier.
2016 — Trevor Story of the Rockies sets a new National League rookie mark with his 9th homer of April, breaking the record of 8 set by Albert Pujols in 2001.
2021 — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has the first three-homer game of his career and drives in 7 runs in the Blue Jays’ 9-5 win over the Nationals.
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April 28
1901 — Cleveland pitcher Bock Baker gave up a record 23 singles as the Chicago White Sox beat the Indians 13-1.
1915 — The Detroit Tigers trim the St. Louis Browns, 12 - 3, with Ty Cobb stealing home in the 3rd inning. Cobb will steal home six times this season.
1930 — The first night game in organized baseball was played in Independence, Kan. In a Western Association game, Muskogee defeated Independence 13-3.
1934 — Detroit’s Goose Goslin hit into four double plays, but the Tigers still beat Cleveland 4-1.
1956 — Cincinnati rookie Frank Robinson hit the first home run of his 586 lifetime homers in a 9-1 win over Chicago. Robinson homer came off Paul Minner in Crosley Field.
1961 — Warren Spahn, at the age of 40, no-hit the San Francisco Giants 1-0 at Milwaukee.
1966 — Cleveland’s Sonny Siebert defeated the Angels 2-1 as the Indians tie the modern major league record with its 10th straight win since opening day.
1971 — Hank Aaron connected off Gaylord Perry for his 600th career home run in the Atlanta Braves’ 10-inning, 6-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants.
1982 — Philadelphia’s Pete Rose went 5-for-5 to tie Max Carey for the NL record with nine career 5-hit games. The Phillies scored six runs in the top of the ninth to beat Los Angeles 9-3.
1985 — The New York Yankees hire Billy Martin as their manager for a fourth time. The fiery Martin, one of George Steinbrenner’s favorite managers, replaces Yogi Berra, who is fired just 16 games into the season.
1988 — The winless Baltimore Orioles set an American League record by losing their 21st straight, falling to the Minnesota Twins 4-2.
1989 — Rickey Henderson of the New York Yankees set a major league record when he led off a game with a home run for the 36th time in his career, breaking a tie with Bobby Bonds.
1999 — Colorado’s Larry Walker hit three home runs and drove in eight runs to lead the Rockies to a 9-7 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
2001 — The Seattle Mariners defeat the Chicago White Sox, 8 - 5, for their 20th win this month, setting a new major league record for April.
2001 — Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals ties the major league record for home runs in April by a rookie with 8.
2006 — Barry Bonds hits a bases-clearing double to tie Babe Ruth for third on the all-time career list with 1,356 extra-base hits.
2006 — St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hits his 13th home run in April to tie the major league record, matching the mark shared by Ken Griffey, Jr. in 1997 with Seattle and Luis Gonzalez in 2001 with Arizona.
2007 — Trevor Hoffman pitches in his 803rd game for the San Diego Padres, breaking the record for games pitched with one club.
2010 — Major League Baseball announces a number of changes to the rules that govern the All-Star Game that have been agreed with the Players’ union: the designated hitter will now be used in all games, not just those played in American League parks; a pitcher who started a game on the last Sunday before the All-Star break will not be eligible to play in the game and will be replaced on the roster, although he will still be recognized as an All-Star (this will become known as the Sunday Starter rule); rosters are expanded to 34 players, adding one position player; one of the position players will be designated as being able to re-enter the game in case of injury - catchers are already allowed to do so in those circumstances.
2011 — Ben Zobrist set a Tampa Bay record with eight RBIs, hitting a home run and two doubles as the Rays routed the Minnesota Twins 15-3 in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.
2012 — Bryce Harper makes his much-anticipated major league debut for the Nationals.
2016 — Marlins 2B Dee Gordon, the defending National League batting champion, is suspended for 80 games for testing positive for PEDs.
2019 — The Nationals do something unprecedented as three players all 21 or younger - Juan Soto, Victor Robles and Carter Kieboom - all homer against the Padres.
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