This Date in Baseball-Week Ahead
May 2
1917 — Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds and Hippo Vaughn of the Chicago Cubs pitched a double no-hitter for nine innings, but the Reds won 1-0 on two hits in the 10th. Jim Thorpe drove in the winning run.
1923 — Walter Johnson recorded his first shutout of the season and the 100th of his major league record 113 career shutouts as the Washington Senators defeated the New York Yankees 3-0. Yankees shortstop Everett Scott received a medal from the American League for playing in his 1,000th consecutive game.
1927 — Babe Ruth becomes the highest-paid player in major league history when the Yankees announce he will earn $70,000 per season for the next three years.
1939 — Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees did not play against the Detroit Tigers at Briggs Stadium, ending at 2,130 his streak of consecutive games. Gehrig never played again. Babe Dahlgren took his place at first base. The Yankees didn’t miss his bat, however, beating the Tigers 22-2.
1954 — Stan Musial hit five home runs in a doubleheader split with the New York Giants at St. Louis. The Cardinals won the first game 10-6 but lost the second 9-7. His fifth home run, off Hoyt Wilhelm, went over the roof in right center.
1959 — Frank Robinson of Cincinnati hit for the cycle and drove in five runs to lead the Reds to a 16-4 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
1964 — The Minnesota Twins became the third team in major league history to hit four consecutive home runs in an inning. Tony Oliva, Bob Allison and Jimmie Hall connected off Dan Pfister and Harmon Killebrew went deep off Vern Handrahan in the top of the 11th inning for a 7-3 win at Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium.
1992 — The highest-paid player tag now belongs to Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs. The All-Star second baseman signs a four-year contract extension worth $7.1 million per season.
2000 — Atlanta became the first NL team in 49 years to win 15 straight games by defeating Los Angeles 5-3.
2002 — Mike Cameron hit four homers and came close to a record-setting fifth in leading the Seattle Mariners to a 15-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox. He became the 13th major leaguer to homer four times in a game. Cameron connected in his first four at-bats in just five innings. He joined Bret Boone as the first teammates to hit two home runs in the same inning. They connected back-to-back twice in a 10-run first.
2005 — Thirty-two years after his death, Jackie Robinson receives the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, the highest honor Congress can bestow.
2005 — Jim Edmonds hit a three-run homer off closer Danny Graves, and John Mabry added a two-run shot that completed the greatest ninth-inning comeback in St. Louis Cardinals history. The Cardinals sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the top of the ninth to beat Cincinnati 10-9.
2006 — Bret Boone retires at the New York Mets training camp, the culmination of a swift decline for a player who was one of baseball’s best second basemen only a few years ago.
2012 — Jered Weaver pitched the second no-hitter in the majors in less than two weeks, completely overmatching Minnesota and leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 9-0 win over the Twins. The Twins never came close to getting a hit against Weaver, who struck out nine and walked one.
2013 — The 2013 World Baseball Classic gets under way with three games played in the Far East. In the opener, Taiwan exceeds its performance in the 2009 tournament with a 4 - 1 win over Australia, thanks to six scoreless innings by starting P Chien-Ming Wang and a homer by Cheng-Min Peng. Taiwan had to win a qualifying pool to enter this year’s event after exiting without a single win four years ago. In the other Pool B game, the Netherlands upset 2009 finalists South Korea with a 5 - 0 shutout. Ps Diegomar Markwell and Orlando Yntema combine for seven scoreless frames, while the Dutch hitters scratch a handful of runs with singles and some good fundamental baseball. OF Roger Bernadina drives in a pair of runs. Japan survives a scare in the Pool A opener at home, overcoming a 3 - 2 deficit against upstarts Brazil, who are playing in the World Baseball Classic for the first time, with a three-run outburst in the 8th to win, 5 - 3. Injured Japanese captain Shinnosuke Abe, pinch-hitting with the bases loaded and the score tied, drives a bullet up the middle on which 2B Felipe Burin makes a diving stop, but he is only able to get the runner at second base, allowing the go-ahead run to score. Leonardo Reginatto goes 3 for 4 with a pair of RBIs to lead Brazil’s attack.
2018 — One of the biggest stories in spring training this year has been the presence of NFL quarterback Russell Wilson at the Yankees’ camp.
2019 — The Phillies introduce their new marquee player in free agent OF Bryce Harper, just signed to a record-breaking 13-year deal worth $330 million.
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May 3
1927 — Brooklyn’s Jesse Barnes defeated his brother Virgil Barnes for a 7-6 victory over the New York Giants. It was the first matchup of pitching brothers in major league history.
1936 — Joe DiMaggio made his major league debut for the New York Yankees and had three hits in a 14-5 victory over the St. Louis Browns.
1951 — Rookie Gil McDougald of New York drove in six runs in one inning to tie a major league record as the Yankees beat the St. Louis Browns 17-3 at Sportsman’s Park. McDougald had a two-run triple and a grand slam in an 11-run ninth inning.
1959 — Detroit’s Charlie Maxwell hit four consecutive homers in a doubleheader sweep of the New York Yankees, 4-2 and 8-2, at Briggs Stadium.
1963 — Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds hits his first major league home run off St. Louis Cardinals ace Ernie Broglio.
1975 — Cincinnati Reds manager Sparky Anderson decides to switch Pete Rose from left field to third base.
1979 — Cleveland’s Bobby Bonds hit the 300th home run of his career against Moose Haas in a 6-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Bonds, with 413 stolen bases at the time, became the second player to have 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases, joining Willie Mays.
1980 — Ferguson Jenkins of the Texas Rangers became the fourth pitcher in major league history to win 100 or more games in each league. Jenkins beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 at Arlington Stadium. Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Gaylord Perry also reached the milestone.
1980 — Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants hits his 521st and final career home run against Scott Sanderson of the Montreal Expos, helping the Giants to a 3-2 win. His shot ties him with Ted Williams on the all-time list. McCovey will enter the Hall of Fame in 1986.
1992 — Baltimore closer Gregg Olson, age 25, became the youngest pitcher in major league history to record 100 saves.
1994 — Philadelphia reliever Andy Carter made his major league debut and was ejected from the game after hitting two of three San Diego Padres batters he faced.
1998 — Dan Wilson of the Seattle Mariners hits the first inside-the-park grand slam in the franchise’s history.
1999 — Boston’s Creighton Gubanich hit a grand slam for his first major league hit in a 12-11, 10-inning loss to Oakland. Gubanich became the fourth player to accomplish the feat and the first since Seattle’s Orlando Mercado did it Sept. 19, 1982. Bill Duggleby (1898 - Phillies) and Bobby Bonds (1968 - Giants) were the others.
1999 — Jeff Kent of the San Francisco Giants went 5-for-5 and hit for the cycle in a 9-8 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
2001 — Johnny Oates resigns as the Texas Rangers manager and will be replaced by the team’s third base coach Jerry Narron. A poor start of 11-17 due to a lack of pitching, and owner Tom Hicks’s high expectations after signing prized free agent Alex Rodriguez, had led to speculation the Texas skipper would soon be fired.
2009 — Carl Crawford tied a modern major league record with six stolen bases to help Tampa Bay beat Boston 5-3. Crawford was 4-for-4 with an RBI and became the fourth player to swipe six bases in a game, joining Eddie Collins (twice), Otis Nixon, and Eric Young.
2011 — Francisco Liriano pitched the major leagues’ first no-hitter of the season, throwing his first career complete game in Minnesota’s 1-0 victory over Chicago. Liriano walked six and struck out two. Liriano, the reigning AL comeback player of the year, was backed by Jason Kubel’s fourth-inning homer.
2012 — The great Mariano Rivera, baseball’s all-time save leader, suffers a torn ligament in his right knee while shagging fly balls during batting practice before the Yankees’ game with the Royals.
2015 — Owners of the worst record in the major leagues at 7-18, the Brewers fire manager Ron Roenicke. He will be replaced tomorrow by Craig Counsell, who has been inactive after retiring as a player following the 2011 season.
2018 — The Mariners announce that they have released 44-year-old OF Ichiro Suzuki, who is hitting .205 with no extra-base hits in 15 games and that he will stay on as a special assistant to the Chairman.
2022 — In Houston’s 4 - 0 win over the Mariners, Dusty Baker becomes the 12th manager in history to reach the 2,000-win mark.
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May 4
1869 — Henry Chadwick published his first annual baseball handbook. The book eventually evolved into Spalding’s Official Baseball Guide.
1869 — The Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first all-professional team, played its first regular season game and beat the Great Westerns of Cincinnati 45-9.
1871 — The Fort Wayne Kekiongas beat the Cleveland Forest Citys, 2-0, in the first game played in the National Association. In the 127 games during the 1871 season, there were a total of four shutouts.
1910 — The Browns and Cardinals played home games in St. Louis, and President Taft, not wanting to offend either club, saw parts of each game at Robinson Field and Sportsman’s Park.
1931 — In an effort to put less strain on his leg, Babe Ruth plays first base as Lou Gehrig moves to right field.
1939 — Boston rookie Ted Williams became the first player to hit a home run that cleared the right field seats at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. It was his first at-bat at Detroit. The Red Sox edged the Tigers 7-6.
1944 — Blacks were allowed to buy grandstand seats for the first time in St. Louis history. St. Louis was the last of the major league clubs to integrate seating. Negroes had been restricted to the bleachers.
1963 — Bob Shaw of the Milwaukee Braves sets a major league record by committing five balks.
1966 — Willie Mays broke the National League record with the 512th home run of his career in a 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Candlestick Park. Mays passed another Giant, breaking the mark established by Mel Ott in 1946.
1969 — The Houston Astros set an NL record by turning seven double plays against the San Francisco Giants. First baseman Curt Blefary participated in all seven.
1975 — Bob Watson of the Houston Astros, sensing baseball history, raced around the bases on Milt May’s home run and crossed the plate at Candlestick Park in time to score major league baseball’s 1 millionth run, seconds ahead of Dave Concepcion of Cincinnati.
1980 — Chicago White Sox first baseman Mike Squires caught the final inning of an 11-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. He was the first left-handed catcher to play in major league baseball since Dale Long in 1958.
1981 — New York Yankees relief pitcher Ron Davis strikes out eight consecutive batters in a 4 - 2 victory over the California Angels at Anaheim Stadium, tying an American League record set by Nolan Ryan.
1987 — Candy Maldonado hit for the cycle to help the San Francisco Giants overcome a six-run deficit and beat the St. Louis Cardinals 10-7.
1991 — Chris James drove in nine runs with two homers and two singles, breaking Cleveland’s club record for RBIs and leading the Indians to a 20-6 victory over the Oakland Athletics.
1996 — The Texas Rangers became the first American League team in 79 years to pitch consecutive one-hitters as Roger Pavlik held Detroit to a fifth-inning home run in a 3-1 win. Ken Hill one-hit Detroit on May 3, retiring the last 26 batters he faced.
2001 — Raul Mondesi of the Blue Jays went 4-for-4, with two homers, two doubles and six RBIs, leading Toronto to an 8-3 victory over Seattle.
2002 — Barry Bonds hits his 400th home run with the San Francisco Giants.
2015 — Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach Brook Jacoby was suspended 14 games for his postgame conduct toward the umpire crew assigned to the April 29 game at Boston. Jacoby was accused of pinning umpire Doug Eddings against a wall in a dugout tunnel at Fenway Park, putting his forearms up near the ump’s neck following Toronto’s loss.
2018 — Dodger Rookie Walker Buehler and a trio of Los Angeles relievers combined for the franchise’s 23rd no-hitter in a 4-0 victory over the San Diego Padres in the opener of a neutral-site series at Monterrey, Mexico. In just his third start in the majors, Buehler went six innings before Tony Cingrani, Yimi Garcia and Adam Liberatore closed it out.
2018 — Los Angeles Angels slugger Albert Pujols got his 3,000th hit, reaching the mark with a broken-bat single in a 5-0 win against Seattle. Pujols joined Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Alex Rodriguez as the only players in baseball history with 3,000 hits and 600 homers.
2021 — The minor leagues start their season, after having been on hiatus since September of 2019 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. In the interim, the governing structure, Minor League Baseball, has been thoroughly reorganized and in effect replaced by the Professional Development League.
2022 — By pitching 7 innings of one-hit ball, Adam Wainwright gets credit for a 10 - 0 win by the Cardinals over the Royals. It is the 202nd time that the battery of Wainwright and C Yadier Molina have combined on a win, tying the all-time record set by Warren Spahn and Del Crandall of the Boston and Milwaukee Braves.
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May 5
1904 — Cy Young of the Red Sox pitched a perfect game against the Philadelphia Athletics, beating Rube Waddell 3-0. Having pitched nine hitless innings in two previous efforts, he ran his string of hitless innings to 18.
1917 — Ernie Koob of the St. Louis Browns pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox for a 1-0 win in St. Louis.
1925 — Manager Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers hit three homers, a double and two singles against the St. Louis Browns.
1925 — Shortstop Everett Scott of the New York Yankees was benched, ending his streak of 1,307 consecutive games played that started while playing for the Boston Red Sox. Scott, who gave way to Pee Wee Wanninger, had the longest playing streak before Lou Gehrig.
1933 — Pepper Martin of the St. Louis Cardinals hit for the cycle and scored four runs in a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
1939 — Sam Chapman of the Philadelphia Athletics hit for the cycle in a 10-5 win over the St. Louis Browns. Chapman completed the cycle with a single in the ninth.
1955 — Brooklyn Dodgers rookie Tom Lasorda makes his first major league start as he he throws three wild pitches in one inning, tying a major league record. After his pitching career, Lasorda will enjoy far more success as a Hall of Fame manager.
1962 — Bo Belinsky of the Los Angeles Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles 2-0 with a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium. Belinsky struck out nine and walked four.
1975 — The Oakland Athletics release pinch runner Herb Washington, ending his unusual major league career. Curiously, Washington played in 105 major league games without batting, pitching, or fielding. He collected 31 stolen bases and scored 33 runs.
1978 — Pete Rose became the youngest and 14th player with 3,000 hits when he singled against Montreal’s Steve Rogers at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium.
1980 — National League president Chub Feeney suspended Pittsburgh’s Bill Madlock for 15 days and fined him $5,000 for shoving his glove in the face of home plate umpire Gerry Crawford.
1999 — Colorado became the first team in 35 years and the third this century to score in every inning in a 13-6 win over the Chicago Cubs. The last time a team scored in all nine innings was also at Wrigley Field, when St. Louis beat the Cubs on Sept. 13, 1964.
2000 — St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire hits the longest home run in the 30-year history of Cinergy Field, but the 473-foot shot is not enough as Ken Griffey, Jr.’s home run leads the Cincinnati Reds past St. Louis, 3-2.
2003 — Matt Stairs of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits a home run off Houston Astros pitcher Wade Miller which is estimated at 461 feet, making it the longest in the history of Minute Maid Park.
2004 — Mike Piazza set a major league mark for homers as a catcher, hitting No. 352, in the New York Mets’ 8-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
2004 — Roger Clemens of the Houston Astros moves past Steve Carlton for second place on the career strikeout list with his 4,137th in Houston’s 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
2006 — At Citizens Bank Park, Omar Vizquel of the San Francisco Giants plays his 2,302nd game at shortstop, catching Cal Ripken, Jr. for third-most all time. Vizquel is now behind Hall of Famers Luis Aparicio (2,581) and Ozzie Smith (2,511). He will eventually pass both.
2015 — Bartolo Colon became the first pitcher in at least 100 years to beat the same opponent with seven different teams, stopping Baltimore once again and leading the New York Mets to a 3-2 win over the Orioles.
2018 — In pitching a perfect 9th inning in a 6 - 5 win against the Rangers, Craig Kimbrel of the Red Sox becomes the 29th man to record 300 saves. He is the youngest to reach the mark at 29 (Francisco Rodriguez was 31) and has needed the fewest games, 494 (Mariano Rivera had done so in 537 games) and save opportunities (330, compared to 335 for Joe Nathan) to do so.
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