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This Day in Baseball History
September 5th

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48 Fact(s) Found
1908 Superbas southpaw Nap Rucker strikes out 14 Doves en route to tossing a no-hitter in the team's 6-0 victory over Boston at Washington Park. The only runners to get on base off the talented left-handed redhead result from three Brooklyn errors.
1914 En route to tossing a 9-0 shutout against the Toronto Maple Leafs, 19-year-old Babe Ruth of the AAA Providence Grays hits the first home run in his professional career at Hanlan's Point Stadium. Jerry Amernic, the author of Gift of the Bambino, promotes the Lake Ontario's Toronto Islands site, near the city's mainland, as a historical landmark.
1918 At Comiskey Park, Red Sox southpaw Babe Ruth the Red Sox six-hits the Cubs in the World Series's opening game, 1-0. The Fall Classic game, which started earlier than usual due to World War I, is played at the White Sox home field rather than Weeghman Park (renamed Wrigley Field in 1926) due to the larger seating capacity.
1921 Walter Johnson, in an 11-inning complete-game losing effort against Philadelphia, fans seven A's batters to surpass Cy Young's major league mark of 2,803 career strikeouts. In 1927, the 'Big Train' will finish his 21-year tenure with the Senators with 3,509 punch outs, a record which will last for 62 seasons until Nolan Ryan surpasses the mark in 1983.
1921 Elmer Smith establishes a major league record, collecting seven straight extra-base hits over two days. The 28-year-old Indian outfielder from Sandusky (OH) bangs out four home runs and three doubles during the streak.
1935 Cardinal rookie center fielder Terry Moore has a perfect 6-for-6 day at the plate, collecting five singles and a double. The 23-year-old leadoff man has nearly a third of the Redbirds' 19 hits in the team's 15-3 rout against Boston at Sportsman's Park.
1938 Dodger catcher Babe Phelps breaks a bone in his throwing hand for the third time this season. Although the injuries will limit his playing time to only 66 games and 208 at-bats this season, the southpaw-swinging backstop, who will hit .308, is selected to be a National League All-Star for the first of the three consecutive seasons he'll play in the Midsummer Classic.
1954 Playing in the Class C Longhorn League, Joe Bauman of the Roswell Rockets hits three home runs to give him 72 for the season. Although the 32-year-old slugging minor league first baseman never made it to the majors, his home run total stood as a record in professional baseball until it was broken with 73 dingers by Giants outfielder Barry Bonds in 2001.
1954 Reds' slugger Ted Kluszewski goes deep off Warren Spahn in an eventual 9-7 victory over the Braves in the nightcap of a twin bill. The homer, the first baseman's 44th overall, is the 34th round-tripper he has hit at Crosley Field, making it the most ever hit in one season by a National Leaguer in the same ballpark until Sammy Sosa eclipses the mark in 1998 at Wrigley Field.
1954 Hank Aaron, batting .280 with 13 home runs and 69 RBIs, breaks his ankle sliding into third base in the eighth inning of the Braves’ 9-7 victory over the Redlegs at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field. Ironically, the 20-year-old rookie became a starting outfielder for the team when Bobby Thomson’s sustained a broken ankle in a spring training game in March.
1955 Dodger right-hander Don Newcombe hits his seventh homer of the season to set a National League record for a pitcher, breaking the previous mark of six shared by Hal Schumacher (Giants, 1934) and Jim Tobin (Braves, 1942). Additionally, Brooklyn's 11-4 win over the Phillies in the Ebbets Field contest marks the second of three seasons Newk records 20 or more victories for the team in a season.
1959 In the third inning of the Senators' 14-2 rout of Boston, Jim Lemon belts two home runs off Bill Monbouquette and Earl Wilson. The outfielder's pair of round-trippers accounts for six of the ten runs scored in the frame.
1960 At the age of 41, Diomedes Olivo makes his major league debut, pitching in relief for the Pirates. The oldest rookie in National League history hurls two scoreless innings against Milwaukee at Forbes Field.
1969 Tom Seaver becomes the first pitcher in franchise history to win 20 games in one season when the Mets beat the Phillies at Shea Stadium, 5-1. 'Tom Terrific,' who will finish the season with a 25-7 record for the world champs, tosses a five-hit, complete game to reach the milestone.
1971 In his major league debut, J.R. Richard throws a complete game in the Astros' 5-3 victory over the Giants at Candlestick Park. In his first major league appearance, the 21-year-old right-handed fireballer strikes out a major-league rookie record 15 batters.
1976 Reds' infielder Joe Morgan becomes the first second baseman in 26 years to drive in 100 runs when his third-inning single off Dick Ruthven plates Pete Rose and Ken Griffey in the team's 6-4 victory in Atlanta. The last second-sacker to reach the plateau was Bobby Doerr, who accomplished the feat in 1950 with the Red Sox.
1976 Phillies right-hander Larry Christenson's two home runs prove to be the difference in his 3 - 1 victory over the Mets at Shea Stadium. New York starter Mickey Lolich, who gives both homers to the opposing pitcher, is tagged with the loss.
1977 The Indians' first "I Hate the Yankees Hankee" promotion proves to be quite successful when the team sweeps a twin bill from Bronx Bombers, 4-3 and 5-4, in front of 28,184 enthusiastic patrons at Cleveland Stadium. The Tribe had lost their six games with New York this season.
1978 On a night the Dodgers and Angels are scheduled to play at home on the same date, which is a rare occurrence, each team has their game rained out, another oddity in Los Angeles. The next time both clubs experience washed outs in home contests on the same day in the City of Angels will take place late in the 1986 season.
1979 Just one defeat shy of the American League record, A's starting pitcher Matt Keough snaps his eighteen-game consecutive losing streak, including four losses at the end of last season. To avoid the dubious distinction, the 24-year-old right-hander tosses a 6-1 complete-game victory over the Brewers at the Oakland Coliseum.
1980 George Bamberger (235-180, .556) announces he will step down as the Brewers skipper after tomorrow's game after spending 2+ seasons with Milwaukee. 'Bambi,' who will return in 1985 after a two-year stint with the Mets, is replaced in the dugout by Buck Rodgers.
1989 Deion Sanders, the fifth player selected overall in the 1989 NFL Draft, hits a home run as the Bronx Bombers rout the Mariners at the Kingdome, 12-2. Five days later, in his NFL debut with the Atlanta Falcons, the Yankee rookie returns a punt 68 yards for a touchdown.
1995 When the game becomes official in the bottom of the fifth inning, Cal Ripken receives a standing ovation for over five minutes from the sellout crowd at Oriole Park at Camden Yards as he ties Yankee legend Lou Gehrig's record of 2,130 consecutive games.
1998 Giant rookie Armando Rios hits home runs for his first two major league hits. Expos third baseman Shane Andrews accomplished the same feat on April 27 and 28 in 1995.
1998 Mark McGwire becomes the third and quickest player in major league history to hit 60 home runs in a season. 'Big Mac' accomplishes the feat in 141 games, compared to Babe Ruth (154) and Roger Maris (159).
1998 Barry Bonds sets a new National League mark, reaching base in 15 consecutive plate appearances. The Giants outfielder's five singles, two doubles, two homers, and six walks during the streak break Dodger Pedro Guerrero's mark of 14, established in 1983.
1999 By hitting five home runs in a 9-7 victory over the Phillies, the Reds establish a major league record, homering 14 times in two games. Yesterday, Cincinnati set a National League record by hitting nine homers in their 22-3 rout of the Phillies.
1999 In the 6000th regular-season game in franchise history, the Mets score all their runs in the fifth inning to beat Colorado at Shea Stadium, 6-2. The victory brings New York's overall record to 2826-3166 (.472) with eight ties, but the team falls just one game shy of breaking even in their last 1000 games.
2001 Curt Shilling tosses eight innings of five-hit ball at Pac Bell Park to beat San Francisco, 7-2. The 34-year-old right-hander, who attended high school in Arizona, becomes the first 20-game winner in the three-year history of the Diamondbacks.
2003 Mike Maroth becomes the first hurler since 1980 to lose 20 games in a season when the Tigers blow a 5-2 lead in an 8-6 Blue Jays victory at the Skydome. Former A's pitcher Brian Kingman, who accomplished the infamous feat 23 years ago, is in the 19th row at the Skydome with a voodoo doll to remain the last 20-game loser.
2003 Todd Zeile extends his major league record when he homers for his eleventh team in the Expos' 6-2 victory over Florida at Puerto Rico's Hiram Bithorn stadium. The third baseman's first round-tripper with the club is a three-run shot off Mark Redman that puts Montreal ahead in the bottom of the sixth inning, 3-1.
2006 In Pittsfield, a Park Square ceremony celebrates the anniversary of the signing of an ordinance that banned baseball from being played in the park. The 1791 bylaw, passed to protect the Massachusetts town's new meeting house's windows, is believed to be the earliest written reference to baseball.
2007 In a 10-2 rout of the Mariners at the Stadium, Alex Rodriguez becomes the fourth player in Yankees history to homer twice in one inning. Before the game, the limping third baseman went to the hospital to examine a sore right ankle and needed to talk his way into the lineup upon returning to the ballpark.
2007 Reds' infielder Brandon Phillips goes deep for the 28th time this season, surpassing Joe Morgan's team record for home runs by a second baseman. The Big Red Machine's second sacker hit 27 homers in 1976, the season the Hall of Famer won his second consecutive MVP award.
2007 Unknown at the time, Bob Sheppard works his last game at Yankee Stadium, a task he has performed over 4,500 times since becoming the team's P.A. announcer in 1951. Longtime substitute Jim Hall and Paul Olden, who will fill the position when the team moves to the new ballpark, replace 96-year-old 'Voice of God'.
2007 Due to his outstanding commitment to rebuilding the historic fields of West Tampa Little League, Carl Crawford is named the Devil Rays recipient of the 2007 Roberto Clemente Award. The Tampa Bay outfielder is one of 30 Major League Club nominees for the national award presented by Chevrolet, given to the ballplayer who has outstanding skills and a passion for community involvement.
2007 Giants left fielder Barry Bonds homers for the last time in his career when he lines a Ubaldo Jimenez 99-mph fastball to left-center field in the team's 5-3 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field. The 43-year-old All-Time home run leader ends his controversial 22-year tenure in the major leagues with 762 round-trippers, seven more than runner-up Hank Aaron.

2009 In the seventh inning of the Pirates' 2-1 loss to St. Louis at PNC Park, Ross Ohlendorf strikes out the side on nine pitches, becoming only the 41st pitcher in major league history to accomplish the feat. Kevin Greene, Julio Lugo, and Jason LaRue, the 27-year-old right-hander's victims during his immaculate inning, are all retired at first base after swinging at pitches in the dirt.

2010 Bill Mazeroski looks on as four Pirates teammates unveil a 14-foot, 2,000-pound statue commemorating his walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. The work includes an actual section of the left-center field wall, which the second baseman homered over at the 406 mark off Yankee hurler Ralph Terry in the Pirates' 10-9 victory.

Bill Mazeroski and the SuperMoon
2010 Sixty-three-year-old Bill Lee allows only two runs and five hits in 5.1 innings in his start for Brockton against Worcester in a Can-Am League contest played at Campanelli Stadium. In his first pro ball game since the Expos released him in 1982, the former Red Sox southpaw, known as the Spaceman, becomes the oldest pitcher to earn a professional baseball victory when the Rox beat Tornadoes, 7-3.
2010 The game's final out in the Twins' 6-5 victory over the Rangers results from Alfonso Marquez's interference call on third base coach Dave Anderson. The umpire ruled the coach tapped hands with Michael Young before the runner stopped and scrambled back to the bag.

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2011 Craig Counsell pinch hits a ninth-inning single against Houston reliever Enerio Del Rosario to snap an 0-for-45 hitless streak. The Brewers' veteran infielder's first hit since June 10 leaves him tied with Bill Bergen (1909) and Dave Campbell (1973) for the longest drought by a position player without a hit.
2014 In his first and only start of the season, Masahiro Yamamoto becomes Japan's oldest winning pitcher, tossing five scoreless innings in the Chunichi Dragons' 6-0 victory over Hanshin at the Nagoya Dome. At the age of 49 years, 25 days, the southpaw screwballer surpasses Shinji Hamazak, who was credited with a win with Hankyu in 1950 when he was 48 years and four months old, 125 days younger than Jamie Moyer, the oldest professional player to win a game, accomplishing the feat with the Rockies in 2012.
2014 The Rangers, declining to comment on the nature of the matter, announce that Ron Washington has resigned as the team's manager to attend to a personal and off-field matter. The 62-year-old skipper, who Tim Bogar will replace through the end of the season on an interim basis, ends his eight-season tenure with Texas with a 664-611 win-loss record, leading the club to three playoff appearances and two trips to the World Series.
2015 Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon, extending his streak to 22 consecutive scoreless innings, shuts out Miami, 6-0. The 42-year-old Dominican hurler’s performance will be best remembered for his behind-the-back flip, throwing out Justin Bour in the sixth inning of the Marlins Park contest.
2019 At LeLacheur Park, Yusniel Padron-Artiles, the Red Sox's 22nd-round pick last season, strikes out 12 straight batters in the Lowell Spinners' 2-1, walk-off win over the Batavia Muckdogs in the New York-Penn League semifinal series. The 21-year-old Cuban native, who pitched six scoreless innings of one-hit ball in relief, breaks both a major league and minor league record for whiffing consecutive batters, surpassing a big-league mark of 10 established by Mets' right-hander Tom Seaver in 1970.

(Ed. Note: Brewers' Corbin Burnes and Phillies' Aaron Nola both equaled Seaver's mark in 2021)
2019 After toiling in the minor and independent leagues for years, Brian Moran makes his big-league debut, appearing in relief in the fourth inning of the Marlins' 10-7 victory over the Pirates at PNC Park. The 30-year-old southpaw, credited with the win, strikes out his brother, Colin, looking on a full-count slider, marking the first time since 1900 that a pitcher faces a sibling in his first appearance.
2020 In Anaheim, Mike Trout hits his 300th career home run in the Angels' 10-9 win over the Astros off Brandon Bielak. The Millville Meteor's milestone round-tripper breaks the franchise's all-time home run record, a mark previously established by Tim Salmon in 2006.
48 Fact(s) Found