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This Day in Baseball History
April 26th

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30 Fact(s) Found
1901 After two days of rain at Philadelphia's Columbia Park, 10,547 fans witness Connie Mack's A's make their American League debut losing to the Senators, 5-1.
1902 In his major league debut, Cleveland Bronchos hurler, Addie Joss pitches a one-hitter beating the hometown Browns, 3-0.
1904 Ty Cobb, making his pro baseball debut at the age of seventeen, homers and doubles for Agusta in the South Atlantic League.
1905 Jack McCarthy becomes the first and only major league outfielder to throw out three runners trying to score in one game. All of the 36-year old flychaser's assists result in a double play and helps the Cubs to beat Pittsburgh at Exposition Park, 2-1.
1931 At Washington’s Griffith Stadium, a walk to Lyn Lary is followed by a Lou Gehrig home run, a smash which clears the fence, but bounces back into the hands of center fielder Harry Rice. The base runner Lary thinks the ball has been caught on the fly for the third out returning to the dugout without crossing home plate, and the ‘Iron Horse’, running with head down, is ruled out for passing a runner in front of him costing the Yankees a possible win (they lost by two runs), the 1931 home run crown (tied Ruth with 46) and two RBIs to add to his record setting 184 for the season.
1941 Wrigley Field becomes the first ballpark to employ an organ to entertain fans. Roy Nelson's pregame serenade doesn't help the Cubs as they fall to Max Lanier and the Cardinals, 4-2.
1946 Giant pitchers Harry Feldman and Ace Adams defect to the Mexican League.
1957 Making his first big league start, Don Cardwell hurls a four-hitter blanking the Giants at Connie Mack Stadium, 5-0. The Phillies rookie pitcher will compile a 102-138 (.425) pitching for five teams during his 14 year career.
1959 Yomiuri Giant Sadaharu Oh hits the first of his homers in Japan.
1959 At Crosley Field, Willard Schmidt becomes the first major leaguer to be hit by a pitch twice in one inning. The Reds hurler is the third inning target of Bob Rush and Lew Burdette as Cincinnati beats the Braves, 11-10.
1961 In eleventh game of the season, Roger Maris finally hits his first homer in New York's 13-11 victory of Detroit at Tiger Stadium. The fifth inning blast off Paul Foytack begins the Yankee right fielder's historic quest of the single season home run record.
1962 Catcher Harry Chiti is traded to the Mets from the Indians for a player to be named later. In June, New York sends the backstop to Cleveland to complete the deal.
1980 Defeating the Cardinals, 2-0, Phillie fireballer Steve Carlton pitches his sixth career one-hitter establishing a National League record.
1982 Gene Michaels becomes the Yankee manager for the second time.
1988 Mets' first baseman Keith Hernandez hits two home runs and drives in seven runs to reach 1000 RBI milestone.
1990 Striking out 16 batters, Ranger hurler Nolan Ryan ties Bob Feller's major league record of 12 one-hitters beating the White Sox,1-0. The only hit allowed is Ron Kittle's second inning check-swing single to right field.
1995 Coors Field makes it debut as the Rockies defeat the Mets in 14 innings, 11-9. The length of the game ties the National League record for the- number of innings played in a season opener.
1997 In the Cubs' 7-6 win over Pirates at Wrigley Field, Ryne Sandberg hits his 267 career home run as a second baseman breaking Joe Morgan’s record for the most homers at that position. The mark will not be broken again until 2004 Jeff Kent of the Astros records his 278th dinger as a second sacker.
2000 Expo outfielder Vladimir Guerrero's 100th career home run helps Montreal beat Colorado, 9-2.
2000 The St. Louis Cardinals set a major league record by hitting 50 home runs in April. Homers by pitcher Rick Ankiel, Jim Edmonds and Fernando Tatis in the 7-0 victory over the Brewers help to break the mark established by the 1997 Indians with 49.
2001 Hideo Nomo just misses becoming the fifth pitcher since 1900 to hurl two no-hitters in a single season as former Gold Glove right fielder Darren Lewis just misses catching Torii Hunter's blooper in the top of the seventh inning. The hit, which many consider a questionable call by the scorer, is the only hit given up by the Red Sox right-hander in the 2-0 victory over the Twins.
2001 After 2 1/2-years in the post, Kevin Malone resigns as the general manager of the Dodgers. Despite having the league's largest payroll, Los Angeles has failed to make the playoffs during his tenure.
2002 Not wanting to assign blame for the worst start in the team's history, Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd dismisses manager Buddy Bell. The 6-16 club will now be piloted by Clint Hurdle, Colorado's hitting coach for the past six years.
2005 With three home runs during his first three trips to the plate, Alex Rodriguez becomes only the 11th major league player to bat in 10 or more runs in a game. The highest paid player in baseball history is one RBI shy of the American League record of 11 set by fellow Yankee Tony Lazzeri in 1936 and two short of the major league mark of 12 shared by Jim Bottomley (1924) and Mark Whiten (1993) of the Cardinals.
2006 In a game which included getting a whack on the top of the head by Shawn Green's bat, Mike Piazza becomes the 41st major leaguer to collect 400 career home runs. The Padres backstop also extended his record for most home runs by a catcher to 377.
2006 At the age of 47, Julio Franco becomes the second oldest player to steal a base. In 1909, Arlie Latham, who played two games at second base for the Giants swiped a sack at the age 49.
2006 Francisco Cordero blows his third consecutive chance to save a game as the A's tie the game 4-4 in the ninth and then score two in the next frame to beat the Rangers, 6-4. The Dominican closer's fifth blown save establishes a big league mark for the first month of the season, and overshadows Kevin Mench's grand slam which makes it the sixth straight game the outfielder has hit a homer which also sets a team record.
2008 Brad Penny's 96-mph fastball is missed by Dodger battery mate Russell Martin and knocks out umpire Kerwin Danley. After the players are asked to leave the field, the home plate arbitrator, who lost consciousness briefly, is placed on a stretcher and leaves the Dodgers-Rockies game in an ambulance.
2008 Sara Tucholsky, a Western Oregon college senior, goes deep over the centerfield fence, but suffers a torn knee ligament rounding first and is unable to continue her trip around the bases. Any assistance from her team while she is an active runner will turn the three-run homer into a two-run single and an out, but just as she is about to be removed from the field, Central Washington senior Mallory Holtman comes forward along with other opposing players to carry the injured opponent around the bases in the ultimate display of sportsmanship.
2008 On Ralph Kiner Day, Alhambra dedicates a bronze statue in honor of its native son for his "accomplishments and contributions to the game of professional baseball and sports broadcasting". The former Pirates slugger, a member of the Hall of Fame, spent his youth in the California city and graduated from its local high school in 1940.

bronze statue of Ralph Kiner

30 Fact(s) Found