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This Day in Baseball History
June 5th

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53 Fact(s) Found
1900 Pirates' first baseman Duff Cooley has only two putouts in a 6-5 loss to the Phillies at the Baker Bowl. The left-handed swinging Texan patrols mainly in the outfield but plays all positions, becoming one of baseball's first utility players.
1920 Citing the abolition of the spitball as the reason for the dramatic increase of home runs, Tom Shibe denies the baseballs are livelier this season. The A's vice president is also a member of the company which makes the baseballs.
1930 The Indians score nine runs in the first inning en route to a 17-7 victory over Boston. The Tribe bangs out 25 hits, with every starter collecting at least two hits, except for shortstop Carl Lind, who contributes a single in the League Park contest.
1939 Tigers right-hander Tommy Bridges limits the Yankees to just four hits, blanking the Bronx Bombers, 3-0. The shutout will mark the only time an opponent whitewashes New York this season.
1948 In a 6-5 victory at Chicago's Wrigley Field, Phillies' outfielder Richie Ashburn extends his consecutive hitting streak to 23 games, tying the major league rookie record. 'Whitey' establishes a 20th-century mark, which will be matched this season by Alvin Dark, an infielder with the Braves.
1949 Commissioner Happy Chandler lifts the five-year ban placed on players who jumped to the Mexican League due to the players' plan to sue for reinstatement on the grounds of an antitrust violation, a challenge the owners do not want to defend due to the existing reserve clause. Lou Klein, who left the first-place Cardinals two months into the 1946 season to play with Vera Cruz, will be the first exile to return to the major leagues when he singles and scores as a pinch-hitter in the Redbirds' victory over Brooklyn at Sportsman's Park on June 16th.
1949 In a game put on pause by rain and fans, Boston drops into second place when the team loses to the Cardinals, 8-1, at Braves Field. After an hour and 23-minute stoppage of play after the second inning due to heavy showers, seven fans refuse to leave the field, adding to the delay until the umpires threaten to forfeit the game to St. Louis.
1959 Pittsburgh's slugging first baseman Dick Stuart hits a 457-foot homer over the Forbes Field center field wall, making the blast the longest home run in the 50-year history of the ballpark. Dr. Strangeglove's home run comes in the first inning off Glenn Hobbie in the Pirates' 10-5 loss to Chicago.
1961 Robin Roberts, who will finish his career playing with three other clubs, wins his last game with the Phillies, beating the Giants at Candlestick Park, 3-2. The future Hall of Famer's lone victory this season, a complete-game six-hitter, is his 234th win for Philadelphia, the most by a right-hander in franchise history.
1966

"It's supposed to be fun. The man says 'play ball,' not 'work ball,' you know." - WILLIE STARGELL, Pirates' legend reflecting on his love of the game.

In the Pirates' 10-5 victory over Houston at Forbes Field, Willie Stargell enjoys a 5-for-5 day that includes two home runs and a double. The Pittsburgh first baseman's performance gives him nine consecutive hits in two days.

1973 The Rangers, bypassing future Hall of Famers Dave Winfield and Robin Yount, select Westchester High School (Houston, TX) pitching phenom David Clyde in the first round (1st pick) of the amateur draft. The 18-year-old senior, who posted an 18-0 record with fourteen shutouts and five no-hitters, will be pressed into immediate service as a starting pitcher for Texas, winning only seven games in 25 decisions during his three seasons with the Lone Star State team.
1974 Oakland outfielder Reggie Jackson, tired of being picked on by Billy North, tackles his A's teammate in the Tiger Stadium clubhouse, starting a nasty fight, resulting in costly injuries. In addition to Jackson injuring his shoulder, Ray Fosse, attempting to separate the brawlers, crushes a disc in the catcher's neck that virtually ends his season.
1975 The Angels select Danny Goodwin as their first overall pick, making the 21 year old left-handed hitting catcher the only player in the history of the free-agent draft to be the country's top choice for a second time. The Sporting News College Player of the Year, also the Number 1 pick four years ago when the White Sox chose him out of Peoria Central High School (IL), signs for a major league record $150,000 with the Halos.
1977 On Old-Timers' Day, the Dodgers retire former manager Walter Alston's uniform number 24. 'Smokey' compiles a 2040-1613 (.558) record en route to seven pennants that results in four World Championships during his 23 years in the dugout.
1979 Willie Horton becomes the 43rd major league player to hit 300 career home runs. The 36-year-old Mariner outfielder will end his 18-year career with 325 round-trippers.
1981 Moving ahead of Early Wynn, Nolan Ryan becomes the all-time walk leader (1,777) when he throws ball four twice in his 3-0 victory over the Mets. The Astros' right-handed flame thrower will end his 27-year career with 2,795 bases on balls, nearly a thousand more than Steve Carlton, second on the career list for issuing free passes.
1982 Cal Ripken's span of 8,243 consecutive innings begins with the Orioles' 3-1 victory over Minnesota at the Metrodome. The infielder's record streak, which will last for 904 games, ends when he is lifted in the eighth inning for a pinch-runner during an 18-3 September loss to the Blue Jays in 1987.
1985 Retiring the last 16 Angels, Orioles hurler Dennis Martinez tosses a one-hitter, beating California at Memorial Stadium, 4-0. Jerry Narron's third-inning single spoils the no-hit bid as 'El Presidente' notches his 100th career victory.
1986 Casey Candaele makes his major league debut, pinch-hitting for the Expos in a 7-3 loss to Philadelphia at Olympic Stadium. With this appearance, the versatile utility man and his mom, Helen Callaghan, a former left-handed center fielder in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, become the only mother and son to play professional baseball.
1987 Before the Mets-Pirates game at Shea Stadium, SpiderMan marries Mary Jane Watson. In attendance at the wedding ceremony, presided over by Marvel Comics president Stan Lee, are Spidey's friends Captain America and the Hulk and his enemies, Doctor Doom and the Green Goblin.
1989 At SkyDome, the Blue Jays drop a 5-3 decision to the Brewers in the inaugural game played at their new home. Toronto's first baseman Fred McGriff hits the first home run, a two-run shot in the second inning, in the multi-purpose stadium with a retractable roof.

1989 The Mets select University of Arizona catcher Alan Zinter in the first round of the amateur draft, the 24th overall pick. The Wildcats' backstop will play his first major league game 13 years later, making his debut with the Astros as a 34-year-old, grounding out as a pinch-hitter for Nelson Cruz in the team's 7-1 loss to the Brewers at Miller Park in 2002.
1992 At Three Rivers Stadium, Mets' first baseman Eddie Murray drives in two runs, passing Yankee legend Mickey Mantle [1,509] as the all-time RBI leader among switch-hitters.
1997 In a 14-6 rout of the Tigers in Detroit, Alex Rodriguez becomes the first Mariner to hit for the cycle in a nine-inning game. Jay Buhner accomplished the feat with a 14th-inning triple at the Kingdome in 1993.
1997 The South Atlantic League's RiverDogs announce a Father's Day promotion, which features the opportunity for fans 21 or older, male or female, to register in a drawing for one guy to receive a free vasectomy. The Rays' Class A affiliate snips the Joseph P. Riley Jr. Ballpark event in the bud after receiving several complaints from fans, including Bishop David Thompson, a season-ticket holder and head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston, and Monsignor Sam R. Miglarese, the diocese's vicar-general.
2000 The Marlins select 16-year-old Adrian Gonzalez as their first overall pick in the first-year player draft. The first baseman, a student at Eastlake High School in Bonita, California, comes to terms with Florida on the same day.
2001 Mike Hampton throws 7â…” innings, giving up nine hits, earning his eighth victory in ten decisions when the Rockies beat the Astros at Coors Field, 9-4. The 28-year-old southpaw helps his cause with home runs in the fifth and sixth innings, both off Houston starter Wade Miller.
2001 The Mets draft Hickory High School (Chesapeake, VA) standout David Wright in the first round of the amateur draft, the 38th pick overall. The 18-year-old shortstop signs with New York a week later and will become the face of the franchise before his premature retirement in 2018 due to spinal stenosis.
2001 In the Red Sox's 4-3 victory, an 18-inning Fenway Park contest that lasts 5 hours, 52 minutes, the Tigers intentionally walk Manny Ramirez four times, tying an American League record. Yankee outfielder Roger Maris was passed intentionally four times by the Los Angeles Angels in 1962.
2001 By homering in his team's 57th game, Barry Bonds becomes the fastest player to hit 30 home runs. Babe Ruth needed 63 games to reach the same mark in 1928.
2002 The Houston-based fruit juice subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company renames Astros Field as Minute Maid Park after acquiring the naming rights to the ballpark for 28 years at an estimated price of $170 million. The stadium's original name, Enron Field, was dropped in February when the team regained the naming rights by making a deal to pay the debtors of the bankrupt energy corporation the sum of $2.1 million.
2002 Rangers' designated hitter Juan Gonzalez becomes the 34th major leaguer and the first from Puerto Rico to hit 400 career home runs. Juan Gone's milestone round-tripper comes off Anaheim hurler Jarrod Washburn's first pitch in the second inning during a 7-5 extra-inning loss to the Angels.
2002 Barry Bonds passes Frank Robinson to become fourth on the all-time career home run list when he belts his 587th home run. The historic grand slam, believed to be one of the longest homers ever hit in the 34-year history of the ballpark now called Qualcomm Stadium, puts the Giants' left fielder, the single-season home run record holder, with 73, precisely 73 behind Willie Mays' 660 round-trippers for third place.
2003 In the second game of a doubleheader loss to the Brewers, Mets southpaw John Franco pitches an inning of relief to become the eighth pitcher to make a thousand career appearances. The last time Milwaukee swept a twin bill on the road occurred eleven seasons ago when the Brewers of the American League beat the Royals twice on July 5th, 2002, 8-7 and 5-3.
2003 Tony Clark changes his number from 00 to 52. The Mets' reserve player wanted to give the team's mascot, Mr. Met, his identity back, as he and the likable baseball-headed character shared double-digit ought.
2005 For the first time since 1933, a big-league team representing Washington, DC finds itself in first place at this point of the season when the Nationals take the top spot in the National League East. With the team playing so well, the recently transplanted Nats need only 32 games to attract 1,056,642 fans to RFK Stadium, breaking the District's attendance mark of 1,027,216 in 1946 by the original Senators at Griffith Stadium.
2006 Reds' slugger Ken Griffey Jr., who has homered in every existing ballpark, hits a round-tripper in his forty-third ballpark to tie the major league record of Fred McGriff. Junior goes deep twice in the new Busch Stadium, including a ninth-inning three-run game-winner off Jason Isringhausen in Cincinnati's 8-7 victory over the Redbirds.
2008 In a televised game at Fenway Park against the Rays, NESN cameras catch Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis fighting in the dugout. The altercation between the Red Sox teammates results from Manny taking exception to Youkilis' demonstrative behavior after the third baseman returns to the bench after striking out.
2008 Joining Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray, Chipper Jones becomes the third switch-hitter in major league history to hit 400 career home runs. The Braves' third baseman milestone homer is just one of the four hits he contributes to Atlanta's 7-5 comeback win over Florida.
2008 At Nationals Park, Mark Worrell becomes the eighth player in Cardinals history to hit a home run in his first big-league at-bat. The rookie reliever, who also pitched two scoreless innings, hit his monstrous three-run blast on a 3-2 pitch from Washington's Tim Redding in the sixth inning of a 10-9 St. Louis loss.
2008 Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp takes exception getting hit in the hip by Rays' starter James Shields, showing his displeasure by charging the mound, igniting a bench-clearing brawl resulting in the ejections of the three players and the suspension of eight players. In yesterday's game, Rays skipper Joe Maddon accused Crisp of intentionally injuring his second baseman Akinori Iwamura on a stolen base attempt.
2008 With the third overall pick, the Royals select American Heritage High School (Plantation, FL) senior Eric Hosmer in the first round of the amateur draft. The slugging first baseman, chosen after infielders Tim Beckham (Rays) and Pedro Alvarez (Pirates), will receive $6 million for signing with Kansas City, the largest bonus given to a draftee in franchise history.
2009 John Schuerholz publicly apologizes to Tom Glavine for the club's handling of the southpaw's release. The Braves' president, who chose not to give the future Hall of Famer a million-dollar bonus by adding him to the 25-man roster, doesn't regret the decision, but for how "it was portrayed and explained" to the veteran pitcher.
2009 Twitter reaches a settlement with Tony La Russa, who claimed an unauthorized page on the site that used his name caused emotional distress by mocking his DUI charge and minimizing the loss of two players who had died in recent seasons. The Cardinals' manager drops his lawsuit when the social network agreed to pay legal fees and donate to his Animal Rescue Foundation.
2009 Alex Rios apologizes for shouting profanities, an incident caught on video when he left a Blue Jays' charity event. After appearing to ignore a youngster's request for an autograph, the Toronto right fielder shouts an epithet when he hears an older man comment, "The way you played today, Alex, you should be lucky somebody wants your autograph."
2009 Just hours before its scheduled demise, Tiger Stadium is saved from complete demolition when Wayne County Circuit Judge Isidore Torres stops crews from tearing down what's left of the ballpark at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues. The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy requested a temporary restraining order, giving the nonprofit group additional time to raise money to preserve and redevelop the historic ballpark.
2011 Albert Pujols beats the Cubs for the second consecutive day with a dramatic, extra-inning, walk-off home run when he takes a Rodrigo Lopez pitch deep over the left-center field fence, giving the Cardinals a 3-2 victory in 10 innings. Stan Musial is the only other Redbird player to have also accomplished the feat.
2012 On the 11th anniversary of being drafted by the Mets, David Wright becomes the franchise's all-time run-scorer when he crosses the plate for the 736th time after homering in the team's 7-6 loss in Washington. New York's 29-year-old third baseman is already the franchise career leader in doubles, total bases, RBIs, and extra-base hits.
2012 The Royals pick Alfredo Escalera-Maldonado in the draft, making the 17-year and 114-day old the youngest player ever selected. The 6' 1", 180-pound outfielder/third baseman, a National Honor Society student at the Pendleton School in Florida, is an unexpected eighth pick by Kansas City.
2013 The White Sox score five times in the top of the 14th inning, but the Mariners knot the score in the bottom of the frame thanks to Kyle Seager's two-out, two-strike bases-loaded round-tripper. The third baseman's homer, the first game-tying, extra-inning grand slam in major league history, isn't enough when Chicago beats Seattle, 7-5, in the 16-inning Safeco Field contest that takes 5 hours 42 minutes to complete.
2015 Pat Venditte becomes the first full-time switch-pitcher in the modern era when he tosses two scoreless frames in Oakland's 4-2 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The A's ambidextrous reliever faces the minimum six batters in his two innings, allowing a single to Hanley Ramirez before getting an inning-ending double play in the seventh, and then proceeds to pitch a perfect eighth.
2015 In the team's five-run 10th inning, The Biloxi Shuckers bat around, ending their season-long, 54-game road trip with a 6-2 victory over the Barons at Birmingham's Regions Field. The Brewers' Double-A affiliate, who moved from Huntsville to the Mississippi city in the offseason, had to play the first two months on the road because MGM Park, their new home, wasn't completed at the start of the season.
2021 With the players' unprecedented unanimous support, the Giants become the first team to embrace the LGBTQ+ community fully, showing their support by wearing Pride-themed uniforms and caps in their 4-3 victory over the Nationals at Oracle Park. The rainbow-hued logo worn on San Francisco's caps and jersey sleeves includes 11 colors representing BIPOC and trans members of the LGBTQ+ community.

53 Fact(s) Found