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This Day in Baseball History
July 29th

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49 Fact(s) Found
1908 Rube Waddell fans sixteen of his former teammates when the Browns defeat the A's at Sportsman's Park, 5-4. During the off-season, a frustrated Connie Mack, Philadelphia's owner/ manager, traded his talented but free-spirit hurler to St. Louis.
1911 In the first game of a twin bill at Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds, Red Sox right-hander Joe Wood whiffs twelve Browns en route to a 5-0 no-hitter. 'Smokey,' a nickname coined due to his blazing fastball, throws the fifth hitless game in franchise history and the last accomplished in the Boston ballpark.
1911 The Giants establish a franchise mark with nine stolen bases in the team's 8-0 rout of the Redbirds at Robison Field in St. Louis. Eight different New York players contribute to the record, with seven of the nine bags pilfered off Cardinals backstop Jack Bliss.
1915 Pirates' third baseman Honus Wagner reaches Robins hurler Jeff Pfeffer for a grand slam in the eighth inning, helping Pittsburgh beat Brooklyn at Forbes Field, 8-2. The inside-the-park round-tripper makes the 41-year-old infielder the oldest player to hit a home run with the bases full, a record that will last until 1985.
1919 At Navin Field, Dutch Leonard decides to pitch around Bob Roth with two outs in the ninth inning to face Babe Ruth. Although the Boston slugger, who has already reached the Detroit southpaw with two doubles, responds by tying an American League record with his ninth homer of the month and sixteenth of the season, the Tigers prevail, 10-8.
1928 The Indians follow their eight-run first inning with nine more tallies in the next frame of their 24-6 rout of the Yankees at Dunn Field. The Tribe's third baseman Johnny Hodapp collects two singles in the second and sixth frames.
1938 On the WGN's White Sox pregame radio show, Yankee outfielder Jake Powel responds to a Bob Elson question concerning his offseason employment as a Dayton, Ohio policeman, quips, "I crack n*****s on the head." Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis downplays the incident, describing the ballplayer's comments as acting not "intentionally, but carelessly," and will suspend the reserve flychaser for ten days.
1944 Annabelle Lee, the aunt of future major leaguer Bill Lee, pitches the first of five perfect games in the 12-year history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The Minneapolis Millerettes southpaw knuckleballer, who will toss a no-hitter for the Fort Wayne Daisies precisely one year from this date, doesn't allow any batters to reach first base in the 18-0 rout of the Kenosha (WI) Comets.
1955 Smoky Burgess hits three home runs and drives in nine runs in the Reds' 16-5 rout of Pittsburgh at Crosley Field. In addition to his grand slam and pair of two-run round-trippers, the Cincinnati catcher also collects a run-scoring single.
1968 At Connie Mack Stadium, Reds' right-hander George Culver faces 34 batters, throws a no-hitter, and beats the Phillies, 6-1. Philadelphia tallies an unearned run in the second inning when Dick Allen reaches base on a throwing error by the third baseman, goes to second on another miscue on the same play, and gets to third base on a groundout before scoring on a sacrifice fly.
1969 Eighteen years after his last game, Major League Baseball proclaims Joe DiMaggio as its greatest living player, a title the Yankee Clipper would proudly embrace until he died in 1999. Sportswriters determined the controversial nickname, considering Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron are among many worthy candidates, in a poll to coincide with professional baseball's centennial.
1978 The Yankee Stadium crowd is pleasantly surprised as recently resigned manager Billy Martin returns to join in on the Old Timers' Day festivities. Much to their delight, the fans respond with a seven-minute standing ovation when informed 'Billy the Kid' will return as the team's skipper in 1980.

1983 Due to a dislocated thumb suffered in a collision at home plate in an attempt to score in the first game of the Padres' doubleheader against Atlanta, first baseman Steve Garvey's consecutive game streak ends in the nightcap at 1,207. At the time, the span is the third-longest in major league history without missing a game.

1986 Sparky Anderson, the first manager to win the World Series in each league, also becomes the first to win 600 games in both the National and American Leagues when Detroit beats the Brewers, 9-5. The future Hall of Fame skipper finishes with a 2194-1834 (.545) record during his 26 years with Reds and Tigers, capturing five Pennants and three World Series.
1988 The Orioles deal pitcher Mike Boddicker to the Red Sox for Brady Anderson and Curt Schilling. Boddicker will have two successful years with Boston, and Anderson will become a productive leadoff hitter for Baltimore, with Schilling becoming one of baseball's most dominant pitchers of his era.
1988 After home plate umpire Mike Reilly doesn't grant his request for a time-out, Bo Jackson recovers to hit a home run despite not being set in the batter's box when the pitch is delivered. The Royals left fielder's fourth-inning three-run poke off Jeff Ballard contributes to Kansas City's 6-3 victory over Baltimore at Memorial Stadium.

1989 The White Sox trade left fielder Fred Manrique and franchise home run leader Harold Baines to the Rangers for outfielders Scott Fletcher, Sammy Sosa, and southpaw Wilson Alvarez. Three seasons later, the Pale Hose will send Slammin' Sammy to the Cubs, where the Dominican slugger will hit 545 home runs during his 13-year stay with their crosstown rivals.
1989 During a Veterans Stadium pregame ceremony, the Phillies retire Lefty's jersey #32 on Steve Carlton Night, which features the future Hall of Famer receiving a ring with his uniform digits in diamonds and a trip around the world for his family. After being traded from the Cardinals in 1972, the left-hander posted 241 wins (1st in franchise history), compiled 3,031 strikeouts (1st), and threw 39 shutouts (2nd) during his 15-year tenure with the team.
1989 Rickey Henderson steals five bases and scores four runs without getting an official time at-bat. The improbable offensive output occurs when the A's leadoff hitter is issued four bases-on-balls by Randy Johnson, the winner in the M's 14-6 victory at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
1996 After a mild heart attack last month, Tommy Lasorda, the 68-year-old Dodger manager, announces his retirement due to his health. The future Hall of Fame skipper was named the National League Manager of the Year in 1983 and 1988, leading Los Angeles to four pennants and two World Series championships during his 21 seasons at the helm.
1996 Chris Sabo will be suspended for seven games, losing approximately $70,000 in salary, and the Reds will be fined $25,000 due to his use of a doctored bat in today's 2-1 loss to Houston at Cinergy Field. The Cincinnati third baseman will claim the bat, which was hollowed out and filled with pieces of rubber balls, wasn't his but one of three offered to him by the batboy after he had broken his bat during a plate appearance in the second inning.
1996 The Mets deal Jeff Kent and Jose Vizcaino to the Indians for Carlos Baerga and Alvaro Espinoza. The trade, one of the worst in franchise history, will be a bust when Baerga hits only .267 in three non-productive seasons in the Big Apple, and Kent goes on to win an MVP award and posts Hall of Fame numbers for a second baseman during his 17-year tenure in the major leagues.
1998 Jon Garland, the Cubs' first-round draft pick last season, is traded in a deadline deal for White Sox reliever Matt Karchner, who will struggle with a 5.14 ERA in 29 appearances for the crosstown rivals. The Pale Hose's rookie right-hander will spend his first eight seasons with the South Siders, compiling a 92-81 (.532) record and an ERA of 4.41 for his new team.
2000 The Brewers hold Bob Wickman All-Star Poster Night a day after the team trades him along with Jason Bere and Steve Woodard to the Indians for a player to be named later (Marco Scutaro), Kane Davis, Paul Rigdon, and Richie Sexson. The Brew Crew distributes 30,000 pictures of their former closer, a member of the team for the past five seasons, on a night they are routed by the Rockies, 10-2, with Rigdon, one of the players in the trade, allowing four runs on seven hits over five innings in his Milwaukee debut.

2000 Recently acquired from Baltimore, the new Mets make a good first impression. Mike Bordick goes 2-for-3, including a home run on the first pitch he sees with the team, Rick White pitches a scoreless inning to get the win, and the other newcomer, Bubba Trammell, will homer in his first at-bat in his Met debut tomorrow.
2000 The White Sox trade catcher Brook Fordyce and three minor league pitchers to the Orioles for backstop Charles Johnson and designated hitter Harold Baines. The deal brings Baines, who will retire after playing a part-time role with the team for two seasons, back to Chicago, where he played a dozen of the most productive years of his 22-year tenure in the major leagues.
2000 With two outs in the ninth inning at Olympic Stadium, Eddie Taubensee knots the score at 3-3 with his game-tying home run off Expos starting pitcher Javier Vazquez. The Reds catcher then homers again in the 11th off Julio Santana for the game-winner in Cincinnati's 4-3 win over Montreal.
2001 Texas rookie Craig Monroe homers in his first major league game, going deep in his second at-bat off Joe Kennedy. The 24-year-old right fielder's fifth-inning blast contributes to the Rangers' 2-0 victory over the Devil Rays at The Ballpark in Arlington.
2002

"To protect the game we all love and have given so much to, we suggest you agree to a qualified mediator that will allow you to find the common ground necessary to avoid a work stoppage." - TEXT FROM 40 HALL OF FAMERS, sent to Bud Selig and Donald Fehr.

A letter signed by 40 Hall of Famers and sent to baseball commissioner Bud Selig and union head Donald Fehr urges all sides 'to protect the game we all love and have given so much to, we suggest you agree to a qualified mediator that will allow you to find the common ground necessary to avoid a work stoppage" is released. The former outstanding players, including Reggie Jackson, Willie Mays, and Warren Spahn, believe another work stoppage in baseball would be a terrible mistake.

2002 After playing the annual Hall of Fame exhibition game in Cooperstown, the White Sox and Rockies announce a trade that sends veteran catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. to Colorado, with class A minor-league right-hander Enemencio Pacheco going to Chicago.
2002 The Phillies trade 27-year-old third baseman Scott Rolen and minor league reliever Doug Nickle to the Cardinals in exchange for infielder Placido Polanco, southpaw Bud Smith, and reliever Mike Timlin. The former Philadelphia third sacker reportedly rejected a ten-year pact estimated to be worth $140 million due to his feud with manager Larry Bowa.
2003 Bill Mueller becomes the first switch-hitter to blast two grand slams in the same game, batting both left and right-handed. Not known for his power, the Red Sox third baseman, batting eighth in the Boston lineup, also goes deep in the third inning, collecting 9 RBIs in the team's 14-7 victory over the Rangers at The Ballpark in Arlington.

2004 In a 10-1 victory over the Expos, Eric Valent becomes the eighth player in franchise history to complete the cycle. After singling in the second, doubling in the third, and homering in the fifth, the Mets' utility player triples in the seventh to join Phillies David Bell, Pirates Daryle Ward, and Chad Moeller of the Brewers to accomplish the feat this season.

2006 With a 19-6 rout of the Yankees at the Stadium, the Devil Rays tie a franchise record for runs. Batting last, Tampa Bay third baseman Tomas Perez adds to the barrage with four doubles, equaling the major league mark for two-baggers hit in one game.
2006 Julio Franco becomes the oldest player to pinch run when he takes Carlos Delgado's place on the basepaths after a pitch hits the Mets' infielder in the fourth inning. The 47-year-old pinch-runner, who will stay in the game to play first, steals second base and advances to third on the catcher's error in the Mets' 11-4 win over Atlanta at Turner Field.
2008 With a tip of his helmet, Ichiro Suzuki acknowledges the Rangers fans' ovation for his achievement of reaching 3,000 hits in professional baseball. The 34-year-old Mariners outfielder had collected 1,278 hits with the Orix Blue Wave in Japan's Pacific League, and his first-inning single off Texas right-hander Luis Mendoza was his 1,722nd hit with Seattle during eight seasons with the team.

2008 In a 4-1 win over the Marlins at Dolphin Stadium, Mets' third baseman David Wright scores in his 13th consecutive game, establishing a new franchise record. Teammate Carlos Beltran had set the previous team mark in 2006.
2008 In a surprising pre-deadline trade, the banged-up Braves and the first-place Angels exchange first basemen. Atlanta sends switch-hitting slugger Mark Teixeira, acquired from Texas last July in a seven-player deal that included backstop Jarrod Saltalamacchia, to Los Angeles for Casey Kotchman and minor league pitching prospect Steve Marek.
2009 In an attempt to upgrade their starting rotation, the first-place Phillies obtain Cliff Lee from the Indians. The defending World champs also get outfielder Ben Francisco in the deal, trade pitching prospects Carlos Carrasco and Jason Knapp, infielder Jason Donald, and catcher Lou Marson to get last season's AL Cy Young Award Winner.
2009 The Pirates spend a busy day on the trading block, sending 2006 batting champ Freddy Sanchez to the Giants for 20-year-old former first-round draft pick Tim Alderson, a right-hander with excellent control. The Bucs also deal shortstop Jack Wilson and pitcher Ian Snell to the Mariners for shortstop Ronny Cedeno and four minor leaguers, including triple-A catcher-first baseman Jeff Clement.
2009 The Royals play an entire game without registering a single defensive assist for the first time in franchise history in their 7-3 loss to Baltimore at Camden Yards. During Kansas City's eight innings in the field, the team records 24 outs via nine strikeouts, 13 flyouts, and two unassisted groundouts handled by first baseman Billy Butler.
2010 After Roy Oswalt approves a trade from the Astros to the Phillies, Philadelphia sends J.A. Happ, outfielder Anthony Gose, and shortstop Jonathan Villar to Houston for the three-time All-Star hurler and a considerable amount of cash. The 32-year-old right-hander compiled a respectable 3.24 ERA but posted only a 6-12 record due to a severe lack of run support.
2010 The front-running Padres trade Double-A right-hander Wynn Pelzer to the Orioles to obtain veteran infielder Miguel Tejada. San Diego hopes the 36-year-old former American League Most Valuable Player can help the potential playoff team, both on the field and at the plate, with his 14 years of experience in the major leagues.
2010 The Orioles hire 54-year-old Buck Showalter to become the club's 19th skipper. The two-time American League Manager of the Year (1994 Yankees and 2004 Rangers) takes over a team with the worst record in the major leagues at 31-70, guiding Baltimore 11 games over .500 in the remaining 57 games of the season after taking the reins on August 2.
2010 The Twins acquire Matt Capps (3-3, 2.74 ERA, 26/30 saves) and $500,000 from the Nationals for highly touted catching prospect Wilson Ramos and southpaw minor leaguer Joe Testa. Minnesota will use Washington's only All-Star as its closer, filling a void created during spring training when Joe Nathan underwent Tommy John surgery.
2011 The Phillies acquire Hunter Pence from the last-place Astros for a trio of highly-touted minor leaguers, Jarred Cosart, Jon Singleton, and Josh Zeid. The 28-year-old right-fielder joins Philadelphia with a .309 average, 11 homers, and 62 RBIs.
2013 Jason Giambi (42 years, six months, 22 days) becomes the oldest major leaguer to stroke a walk-off homer, pinch-hitting a two-run blast off Ramon Troncoso in the Indians' 3-2 come-from-behind victory over the White Sox at Progressive Field. Hank Aaron (42 years, five months, seven days) previously held the distinction with his game-winning round-tripper against Texas on July 11th, 1976.
2014 In the longest game (by time) in Cubs' history, John Baker becomes the first position player to earn a victory since Orioles' first baseman Chris Davis accomplished the feat in 2012. In the six-hour and 27-minute marathon played at Wrigley Field, the backup catcher tosses a scoreless 16th inning and then scores the winning run in the bottom of the frame, giving Chicago a 4-3 victory over Colorado.
2016 The Nationals accomplish the first 3-3-5 triple play in major league history when, with the bases loaded, Brandon Crawford lines out to first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who steps on the bag for the second out before throwing to third baseman Anthony Rendon to catch Denard Span for the third out. Washington's eighth-inning triple killing, the team's first since moving from Montreal twelve years ago, contributes to the first-place club's 4-2 victory over the Giants at AT&T Park.

49 Fact(s) Found