1980 – 1989

 

•1980

JANUARY

9th  Al Kaline and Duke Snider are elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA. Kaline is the 10th player to be elected in his first year of eligibility, while Snider is making his 11th appearance on the ballot.

24th  Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon head a group of investors which purchases the New York Mets for a reported $21.1 million, the highest price paid to date for a ML baseball franchise. Doubleday, whose publishing company supplied 80 percent of the purchase price, will serve as chairman of the board, while Wilpon, a former teammate of Sandy Koufax’s at Brooklyn’s Lafayette High School, will be president and chief operating officer.

28th Henry Aaron refuses an award from Commissioner Bowie Kuhn honoring him for hitting his 715th home run. Aaron charges that baseball’s treatment of retired black ballplayers falls far short of what is needed.

31st  Joe Morgan, a 2-time NL MVP for the Cincinnati Reds, signs as a free agent with the Houston Astros, his first team.

FEBRUARY

12th  The AL’s offer to buy out the remaining 8 years of the Oakland A’s lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires, effectively blocking the sale of the club from Charlie Finley to oil man Marvin Davis. Davis had planned to move the club to Denver, but the Oakland Coliseum Board, backed by the city council, refused the league’s $4 million offer.

15th  The San Diego Padres trade 41-year-old pitcher Gaylord Perry and a pair of minor leaguers to the Texas Rangers for 1B Willie Montanez.

16th  Brewers coach Harvey Kuenn has his right leg amputated below the knee after 4 operations to remove a blood clot.

17th  While taping separate interviews at KNBC-TV studios in Burbank, CA, Giants coach Jim Lefebvre and Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda trade punches after a brief argument, leaving Lasorda with a bloody lip. Lefebvre had been a Dodger coach in 1979 until he was fired by Lasorda.

20th  Just 4 months after being fired by the Yankees for the 2nd time, Billy Martin signs a 2-year contract to manage the Oakland A’s.

MARCH

6th  Brewers manager George Bamberger suffers a heart attack at the club’s Sun City, AZ, training camp. Coach Buck Rodgers is named interim manager for Bamberger, who will undergo quintuple coronary bypass surgery on March 26th and will not return to the dugout until June 6th.

8th  Rangers owner Brad Corbett agrees to sell the club to a group of investors headed by Fort Worth businessman Eddie Chiles.

      While waiting for the team bus outside his hotel during the Cleveland Indians 3-game exhibition series against the Mexico City Reds, rookie OF Joe Charboneau is stabbed by a crazed fan wielding a ballpoint pen. The pen penetrates one inch and strikes a rib, sidelining Charboneau for 4 days, but he will recover to win the AL Rookie of the Year award.

10th  The National Labor Relations Board rules in favor of the umpires’ union in its dispute with the National League. The union had demanded that the NL release its umpire evaluations, particularly those of the “scabs” who were retained after filling in for striking umpires in 1979.

12th  Slugger Chuck Klein and former Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Yawkey is the first club owner selected who never served as a player, manager, or general manager.

31st  The Expos trade 1B-OF Rusty Staub to the Rangers for IF Chris Smith and OF LaRue Washington.

APRIL

1st  After failing to come up with a new collective bargaining agreement with the owners, the Executive Board of the Players’ Association votes unanimously to cancel the 92 remaining exhibition games and to strike on May 22nd if a deal has not been reached by then. During spring training, the players had voted 971-1 in favor of a strike. The lone dissenter was Kansas City’s Jerry Terrell, who voted no for religious reasons.

9th  The Reds Tom Seaver is scratched from his Opening Day start against the Braves because of the flu, and his replacement, Frank Pastore, tosses a 3-hit shutout. Braves P Phil Niekro is on the short end of the 9–0 decision. George Foster knocks a 2-run double off Niekro in the first inning, and receives credit for the first game-winning RBI, a newly created ML stat that will survive till the end of the 1988 season.

      Seattle’s Ted Cox has the AL’s first game-winning ribbie when he hits a 2-run double off Toronto’s Dave Lemancyck in the 3rd inning as the M’s take a 4–2.  The Mariners win 8–6, the victory going to Mike Parrott who pitches 6 1/3 innings. Parrott will on the DL for 3 weeks in May after getting hit in the groin by a line drive. He will hobble to the end of the year with a 1–16 record and today’s win will be his lone ML victory of 1980. For the second season in a row, Toronto’s John Mayberry opens with 4 hits, including 2 home runs. The Blue Jays dropped their Opener last year as well.

10th  In front of a crowd of 53,313, Sixto Lezcano hits 2 homers—a 2-run shot in the 4th—off Dennis Eckersley—and a grand slam with 2 outs in the 9th inning, to give Milwaukee a 9–5 win over Boston and Dick Drago. Lezcano also opened the 1978 season with a grand slam, the only player to do it twice in Openers.  The game features 7 homers, including Yaz and Hobson going deep in the 9th off Slaton. The 7 homers ties the mark for most in an opener.

      At Arlington Stadium, Jon Matlack and the Yankees Ron Guidry both pitch shutout ball for 9 innings before being lifted. In the 12th, Goose Gossage relieves with Mickey Rivers on 3rd and Richie Zisk at the plate. His first pitch is wild allowing Rivers to score the games on run. Gossage also lost the ’78 Opener when Zisk took him deep in the 9th.  Each team manages just 4 hits in the contest with Bob Watson and Bob Sundberg each collecting three of them.

      The Orioles win their season opener, 5–3, over the White Sox. Jim Palmer outpitches Steve Trout.

      Minnesota outlasts Oakland, 9–7, in 12 innings. Rick Sofield hits his first ML homer, a 3-run shot in the 12th, and Roy Smalley adds another in the frame—both off Steve McCatty. Sofield has 3 hits and 3 runs in the game but will end his ML career in 1981 with a .207 average. He’ll switch to football and become the starting quarterback for the University of South Carolina in 1983.

11th  Giants 3B Darrell Evans makes 3 errors in the 7th inning of a 5–3 loss to the Padres. This ties the NL record for errors by a 3B in one inning.

12th  In his first game in the NL since 1971, Astros pitcher Nolan Ryan hits his first career home run, a 3-run shot off the Dodgers Don Sutton. Ryan leaves the game with a 5–4 lead, but Los Angeles wins 6–5 in 17 innings.

      Milwaukee bombs the Red Sox, 18–1, as they score 9 runs in the second inning.  Eight of the runs come on two grand slams, Cecil Cooper’s knocking out starter Mike Torrez and Don Money ringing his up against Chuck Rainey.  This is the 4th time in ML history that 2 grand slams have been hit in one inning.

      “The Mad Hungarian” Al Hrabosky has got to be really steamed as he serves up a 2-out, 2-strike, 2-run gopher to the Reds Davey Concepcion. The Reds win, 4–3 over the Braves in Atlanta.

13th  In his first ML start, Cincinnati’s Charlie Leibrandt shuts out the Braves, 5–0, at Riverfront.

      The Majors see the first Q battery in history, when KC reliever Dan Quisenberry, with Jamie Quirk behind the plate, faces the Tigers. The Tigers win, 3–2.

14th  The Reds trip the Giants, 6–5 when Dave Collins rips a bases-loaded triple in the bottom of the 9th.

15th  Before a crowd of 50,244, the Orioles’ biggest Opening Day crowd, Jim Palmer stops the Royals 12–2.

      The White Sox edge the Yankees, 4–3, in 14 innings, scoring the unearned run off Jim Kaat. Wrothan is the winner with 4.2 innings of work.  The 2 teams strand 25 base runners.

16th  Oakland’s Matt Keough matches last season’s victory total with his 2nd win in as many starts, 6–1 over Seattle. Keough was 2-17 in 1979.

17thThe Reds beat the Braves, 4–1 for their 8th win in a row, a club record for a start.

      Rick Bosetti breaks up a scoreless pitching duel between Paul Mirabella and Larry Sorenson by hitting a game-ending homer in the 9th off Sorenson. Toronto wins, 1-0 over Milwaukee.

18th  The winless Braves shut out the undefeated Reds, 5–0, behind Rick Matula’s 5-hitter. Cincinnati had opened the season with 8 consecutive wins, the best start in club history.

19th  Houston’s J. R. Richard fires a one-hitter against the Dodgers, striking out 12 in a 2–0 victory. Reggie Smith’s infield roller in the 4th inning is LA’s lone hit.

      At Wrigley, the Cubs spot the Mets a 7-0 lead, then hoist 5 homers to win, 12-9. DeJesus, Martin and Lezcano hit solo shots and Dave Kingman hits a grand slam and a 2-run homer to drive in 6 runs.

 20thIn a 6–1 win over California in game 1, Oakland’s Rickey Henderson’s 0-for-1 with 4 walks and a stolen base. Angels pitcher Alfredo Martinez debuts in the 3rd and walks Dwayne Murphy to force in a run. He then picks Murphy off. Marty Keough is the winning pitcher. Henderson steals home in the nightcap, an 8-2 Oakland win as Steve McCatty tosses a complete game.

      At Detroit, Milt Wilcox fires a one-hit, 8–0, shutout over the Kansas City Royals.  Jerry Martin’s single is the only KC hit. Vida Blue takes the loss.

21stGeorge Foster has a HR and 4 singles to lead the visiting Reds to a 6–5 win over the Astros.

22nd  In a classic Wrigley Field slugfest, the Cubs beat the Cardinals 16–12 on Barry Foote’s 2-out grand slam in the bottom of the 9th. Foote drives in 8 runs overall with 4 hits and 2 home runs, and teammate Ivan DeJesus hits for the cycle to help Chicago rally from a 12–5 deficit.

      At the Vet, Mike Schmidt hits a grand slam and a 2-run homer and Greg Luzinski adds a 3-run homer as the Phillies overwhelm the Mets, 14-8.

23rd  Angels P Bruce Kison settles for a one-hitter when Minnesota’s Ken Landreaux rips a double with one out in the 9th inning of California’s 17–0 romp. It is the 2nd time in a year that Kison has lost a no-hitter with one out in the 9th. For Landreaux, the hit marks the beginning of a 31-game hitting streak. The loser today is Terry Felton.

25th  Larry Parrish belts 3 home runs and drives in all 7 of the Expos’ runs in an 11-inning 8–7 loss to the Braves.

      Making his first appearance in Minnesota since his fight with a marshmallow salesman there last fall, A’s manager Billy Martin has to be restrained by umpires from attacking a fan who was pelting him with marshmallows during the Twins’ 10–3 victory.

26th  Steve Carlton of the Phillies sets the modern NL record with his 6th career one-hitter, a 7–0 shutout of former team the Cardinals. Carlton will go 6–0 against St. Louis this year, the last pitcher this century to win 6 games in a season against one team.

27th  The Twins score 10 runs in the first inning on their way to a 20–11 thrashing of the A’s. Minnesota starter Geoff Zahn can’t hold the 10–0 lead, allowing 8 runs in 41⁄3innings, and Doug Corbett picks up the win in relief.

29th  The Brewers smash 7 home runs in a 14–1 rout of the Indians. Ben Oglivie and Sal Bando lead the way with 2 apiece.

30th  Kansas City’s Larry Gura pitches a one-hitter against the Blue Jays for his 3rd shutout in 5 starts, surrendering only a 7th-inning double to Damaso Garcia. Losing pitcher Jesse Jefferson holds the Royals hitless for 6 2⁄3 innings in the 3–0 loss.

      J. R. Richard tops Reds vet Tom Seaver, 5–1, to move Houston into 1st place. Richard will lose his next 3 starts.

MAY

1st  Pittsburgh’s Bill “Mad Dog” Madlock is fined $5,000 and suspended 15 games by NL president Chub Feeney for poking umpire Jerry Crawford in the face with his glove after being called out on strikes with the bases loaded. Madlock appeals and remains in uniform, but finally withdraws the appeal and begins serving the suspension on June 6th, after disgruntled NL umpires threaten to eject him from every game he tries to play in.

      Pete Falcone ties the modern ML record by striking out the first 6 batters of the game, but his Mets lose to the Phillies 2–1. Falcone finishes with 8 strikeouts in 7 innings.

2nd  Paced by Lenny Randle’s double and homer in the inning, the Cubs score 8 runs in the 12th to beat the Reds, 12–4. Bruce Sutter picks up the easy win over Tom Hume.

3rd  Rangers pitcher Ferguson Jenkins defeats the Orioles 3–2 to become only the 4th pitcher to win 100 games in each league. He won 149 games for the Phillies and Cubs before joining the AL in 1974. The other 3 pitchers are Bunning, Gaylord Perry, and Cy Young.

      In a 3–2 win over Montreal, Giants 1B Willie McCovey hits his 521st and final career home run off Scott Sanderson, tying him with Ted Williams on the all-time list. The future Hall of Famer and four-decade player will retire on June 6th.

      In a 5–3 win over Detroit, two Oakland runners successfully steal home. Wayne Gross and Dwayne Murphy are the thieves. Murphy will steal home again May 28.

4th  Royals catcher Darrell Porter, returning to the starting lineup after spending 6 weeks in alcohol and drug rehabilitation, drives in 3 runs in Kansas City’s 5–3 win over Boston.

      Toronto’s Otto Velez ties an AL record with 4 home runs in a doubleheader sweep of Cleveland at Exhibition Park. The Jays win 9–8 and 7–2. Velez homers 3 times in the opener, including a grand slam in the first inning and a game winner in the bottom of the 10th, and finishes the day with 10 RBI. Otto’s clouts come with the bases empty, one on, two on and the slam.

      White Sox 1B Mike Squires catches the final inning of an 11–1 loss to the Brewers, becoming the first lefthander to catch in the majors since Dale Long in 1958.

At Riverfront Stadium, the Reds beat the Cubs, 3-2 in game 1, then win the second when Junior Kennedy’s grand slam gives the Reds a 5–4 decision.  The two losses give the Cubs a split of the series, and leaves them in second place by 1.5 games.

6th  At Shea the Reds take a 7–0 lead in the 3rd inning, only to see the Mets tie the game at 10–10. In the 14th. Harry Spilman hits a -2 run double and the Reds escape with a 12–10 victory.

7th  Kansas City collects 9 consecutive hits (one shy of the AL record set by Boston in 1901) in an 8-run 4th inning, and goes on to defeat Texas 12–5.

11th In a 7–3 win over the Reds, Philadelphia’s Pete Rose, 39-years old, steals 2B, 3B, and home in one inning. It is the fifth time since 1928 that this has been accomplished: The last National Leaguer to pull this feat was Jackie Robinson in 1954. Dusty Baker will do it in 1984.

12thThe Dodgers edge the Cubs 2-1 as Don Sutton (3-0) is the winner.  Rudy Law scores a run and has 4 stolen bases for LA.

13th  Ray Knight breaks out of an 0-for-15 slump by homering twice in the 8-run 5th inning of a 15–4 win over the Mets. One is a grand slam. He is the first Red ever to hit 2 home runs in one inning.

      Fred Lynn hits for the cycle as the Red Sox beat the Twins, 10–5.

14th  The Royals pitching staff issues 14 walks in a 16–3 loss to the Yankees, as the Yanks outhit KC by one, 12-11. Reliever Larry Christenson is the main culprit, walking 7 batters in just 12⁄3innings, while recording no strikeouts. Infielder Jerry Terrell makes his second career pitching appearance, pitching the last inning and giving up no runs and a walk. Bobby Brown scores 4 runs for New York.

      Making his first appearance of the year, Angels catcher Dave Skaggs has 3 hits, including a homer off Wayne Garland, to drive in 5 runs as the Angels sink the Indians, 13-7. For Skaggs, it is his third and last ML homer: the other two were hit off Rick Wise.

17th  Darrell Evans grand slam, off Bob Sykes, accounts for the Giants scoring as they beat the Cardinals, 4-2. Blue Moon Odom improves to 5-2.

22nd  In Toronto, Joe Lefebvre debuts and homers off Dave Stieb in New York’s 5-run 7th. The Yankees win over the Jays, 5-1. Lefebvre will homer tomorrow to tie an AL record for most homers in a player’s first 2 games. It will be tied again in a week.

23rd  Five hours after the midnight deadline passes, the players and owners avert a strike by announcing a new 4-year basic agreement. The new deal raises the minimum salary from $21,000 to $30,000 and increases the clubs’ contributions to the players’ pension fund, but the major issue of free-agent compensation remains unresolved.

      Ferguson Jenkins of the Rangers wins his 250th career game, a 3–1 two-hitter versus Oakland.

24th  The Reds Frank Pastore shuts out the Expos, 2–0, on 2 hits.

25th  Barry Evans cracks a grand slam, off Pedro Borbon, in the top of the 9th to ice an 11-5 San Diego win over the Cardinals.

26th  At Riverfront, Jerry Reuss (6-0), on his way to NL Comeback Player of the Year, allows 4 hits in the opener as he shuts out the Reds, 4-0. The Reds earn a split with the Dodgers in game 2 when George Foster hits a grand slam off reliever Joe Beckwith. Cincinnati wins, 5-4.

27th In the 3rd inning at Riverfront Stadium, Don Sutton serves up consecutive homers to Ken Griffey, George Foster, and Dan Driessen. The homer outage is good for 5 runs in the Reds 6–1 win over the Dodgers.

      In a trade that helps both teams, the Tigers send Jason Thompson to California for Al Cowens.

28thIn Oakland’s 6–3 win over Kansas City, Dwayne Murphy and Rickey Henderson steal home in the first inning, tying a ML record. It was last done in the AL by Minnesota, May 18, 1969: In the NL the last time was the Cardinals, September 19, 1925.

      The Cubs-Montreal match is suspended after 10 innings with the teams tied at 3 each. It will be completed August 8.

29th  Dodger Bob Welch faces the minimum 27 batters in a 3–0 one-hitter near-perfect game against the Braves. The lone Atlanta base runner is Larvell Blanks, who singles in the 4th inning and is erased on a double play.

      Johnny Bench hits 3 home runs off Randy Jones in Cincinnati’s 5–3 win over San Diego. It is the 3rd 3-HR game of his career.

30th  John Hiller, 37, who recovered from a 1971 heart attack to become one of baseball’s best relievers, retires. His 545 games pitched are the most in Tiger history. The Tigers hit 5 HRs in trouncing California 12–1.

31st  Ken Landreaux goes 0-for-4 in Minnesota’s 11–1 loss to the Orioles Scott McGregor, ending his hitting streak at 31 consecutive games. It is the longest streak in the AL since Dom DiMaggio’s 34-game streak in 1949.

      The Boston Red Sox hit 6 home runs—4 in the 4th inning, including 3 in succession (Tony Perez, Carlton Fisk, Butch Hobson)—but lose to the Brewers 19–8. Dave Stapleton has a pair of homers for the Red Sox, the first Sox player with two homers in his first two games: this ties an AL mark tied last week. Paul Molitor leads a 22-hit attack by having 4 hits, including a 3-run homer, and 4 RBIs, as eight Milwaukee hitters have 2 or more safeties.

JUNE

1st  The Cleveland Indians tie a ML record with 4 sacrifice flies (Ron Hassey, Dave Rosello, Gary Alexander, and Dell Alston) in an 8–7 loss to the Mariners. Seattle adds one more, tying the 2-team single-game record of 5.

      The Pirates increase their NL East lead to 2 games by beating the visiting Mets, 13-3. The Bucs break the game open with a 7-run 5th, highlited by Dale Berra’s grand slam. Berra has 3 hits, including a single and double, and drives in 5 runs.

2ndDon Robinson and the Pittsburgh Pirates whip the Phillies, 9-3.  Robinson scores a run and has 2 RBIs. Omar Moreno scores a pair of runs and steals 4 bases.

3rd  Oakland makes it close when Dave Revering, Mitchell Page, and Tony Armas all homer in the 9th inning against Cleveland, but the Indians hold on for a 6–4 win.

      The New York Mets select 18-year-old Darryl Strawberry from Los Angeles’s Crenshaw High School with the first pick in the annual June free-agent draft. The Blue Jays then pick SS Garry Harris. Lefty Ken Dayley (Braves) is the 3rd pick, pitcher Mike King (A’s) 4th, Jeff Pyburn (Padres) 5th, and Darnell Coles (M’s) 6th.  The Reds pick Danny Tartabull on the 3rd round and Eric Davis on the 8th. On the 16th round, the Twins take Jim Eisenreich while the Red Sox pick Oil Can Boyd. On the 4th round of the secondary phase draft on June 5, the Rangers find gold with Tom Henke.

4thThe Yankees, with no picks in rounds one and two, select 18-year-old Billy Cannon Jr. with their 3rd round pick.  After protests from at least 2 other teams, Bowie Kuhn rules that all the teams but the Yankees had been misled by a telegram sent by Bill Cannon, Sr., saying his son was going to play football.  A special draft (excluding the Yanks) in August is won by the Indians, who offer the young gun $275,000. But Cannon elects to play football at Texas A&M. Following in the footsteps of his Heisman dad, Cannon will be the number 1 pick of the Cowboys in 1984, but a neck injury curtails his career.

6th  Minnesota’s Geoff Zahn one-hits the Blue Jays 5–0, allowing only a John Mayberry single with 2 out in the 7th.

      Cardinals manager Ken Boyer is fired between games of a doubleheader loss to the Expos; he will be replaced the following day by Whitey Herzog, who led the Kansas City Royals to 3 consecutive AL West titles from 1976-78. St. Louis has the worst record in the major leagues (18-34).

      On “Welcome back, Bambi” Night in Milwaukee, the Brewers give their manager George Bamberger an 8–4 win over the Tigers. Bamberger suffered a heart attack in spring training and coach Buck Rodgers managed the team for the first 46 games. Bambi will retire on September 7 and Rodgers will again take over. Milwaukee is in 2nd place, 3 1/2 games in back of New York.

7thYankee pitcher Tommy John post his 200th victory, a two-hit, 1–0 win over Seattle.

8thAt Montreal, the Expos sweep a pair from St. Louis, winning 6-4 and 9-4.  Andre Dawson has 5 hits in game 2. Bobby Bonds has no at bats and 4 walks in the opener for the Cards, and then walks twice in game 2 to tie an NL mark for walks in a doubleheader.

9th  At Cincinnati, three rain delays and a 4-run 9th for the Reds adds up to a 6–6 tie with the Padres.  The game is called at 2:30 a.m.

11th  Houston’s J. R. Richard pitches his 3rd consecutive shutout, winning 3–0 versus the Cubs.

      In a 7–4 win over the Phillies, San Francisco rookie Rich Murray hits his first ML homerun, off Randy Lerch.  Rich will hit three more and, combined with his brother Eddie’s career total of 504, will place them number two on the list of brother combos. Five Murray brothers play pro ball.

      At Shea, Mike Jorgensen connects for a 2-out walkoff grand slam in the 11th to give the Mets a 6-2 win over the Dodgers. Rick Sutcliffe (1-3) serves up the salami.

12th  Mike Easler hits for the cycle to lead Pittsburgh to a 10–6 win over Cincinnati.

      Former Brewers outfielder Danny Thomas, 29, hangs himself in a jail cell in Mobile, Alabama. Thomas, who was charged with raping a 12-year-old girl less than two weeks ago, played for Milwaukee in 1976 and 1977 and, in 1979, played in the short-lived Inter-American League. He hit .274 for the Brewers but his promising career was curtailed in part because his religion did not allow him to play from sundown Friday to Sundown Saturday, which often involved missing two games a week.

13th  Pete Rose goes 4-for-5 to move past Honus Wagner into 5th place on the all-time hit list with 3,431. Philadelphia starts the game with 7 consecutive hits—5 off starter and loser Randy Jones—and goes on to beat San Diego 9–6. Dick Ruthvan is the winner.

      Vida Blue pitches the Giants to a 3–1 win over the Mets, and Milt May hits franchise homer # 9,000 for the Giants. Monte Ward hit homer #1 in 1883, and #8,000 was hit by Bobby Bonds on September 4, 1971.

14th At Wrigley, the Cubs play 2. In an Old Timers ceremony, the 1945 Tigers top the 1945 Cubs, 4–1, in a two-inning “replay” of their World Series. In the regular game, the Cubs beat the Braves, 10–5.

15th  Cleveland’s Jorge Orta goes 6-for-6 (5 singles and a double) in a 14–5 rout of the Twins, tying the AL record for hits in a 9-inning game.

17th Complaining of arm tiredness, Houston’s J. R. Richard exits after pitching 5 innings against the Cubs.  He is the winner, 7–1, but he will not pitch for 11 days.

18th At Wrigley, Dennis Lamp and Bruce Sutter combine on a 7-0 whitewash of the Reds. Jerry Martin’s grand slam in the 5-run 7th provides a cushion.

20th  Leonard Smith, the man who killed Angels outfielder Lyman Bostock with a shotgun blast on September 23, 1978, but was later acquitted of the crime by reason of insanity, is released from Logansport State Hospital and allowed to return to his home in Gary, IN, because psychiatrists say he is no longer mentally ill.

      Fred Patek, At 5 foot 4 inches one of the smallest players of his era, hits 3 home runs and a double in California’s 20–2 rout of the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Patek will end the year with 5 homers.

      White Sox reliever Ed Farmer swears he will take criminal action against Detroit’s Al Cowens following an on-field brawl in Chicago. Cowens hit a grounder to SS, and then charged the mound instead of running to 1B. The action stemmed from an incident a year earlier when a Farmer pitch shattered Cowens’ jaw.  AL prexy Lee MacPhail will suspend Cowens for 7 games. The Tigers win 5–3 in 11 innings.

22nd  Claudell Washington hits his first 3 NL home runs to lead the Mets to a 9–6 win at Los Angeles and snap a 7-game losing streak.

25th  Five Cleveland pitchers issue 14 walks, including 5 with the bases loaded, in a 13–3 loss to Detroit.

      Ray Knight belts a grand slam and collects 5 ribbies to pace the Reds to a 15-3 whipping of the Astros.

26th  Commissioner Bowie Kuhn voids the Yankees’ drafting of highly touted high school shortstop Billy Cannon, Jr. Four teams had complained that Billy Cannon, Sr., college football’s Heisman Trophy winner in 1959, misled them with telegrams saying that his son would go to college, in the hopes that he would then be drafted by the Yankees. In a special draft, the Indians will pick Cannon but he chooses to attend Texas A & M instead. The young Cannon will be drafted number one by the Dallas Cowboys in 1984.

27th  The Dodgers Jerry Reuss pitches an 8–0 no-hitter against the Giants at Candlestick Park. Reuss, who strikes out only 2 but doesn’t walk a batter, is deprived of a perfect game when SS Bill Russell throws wildly to 1B on Jack Clark’s easy grounder in the first inning. Dusty Baker and Steve Garvey belt homeruns.

      It is 109 degrees in Arlington as Texas pitcher Gaylord Perry stops the Twins, 5-0, on 4 hits.  Three of the hits are by Roy Smalley.  For Perry it is his 52^ndcareer shutout and he does it with 82 pitches, giving up no walks.

28th J. R. Richard again leaves after just 3 /13 innings against Cincinnati in an 8–5 loss. In 16 starts, the Houston star has now left early 3 times with a sore back, 3 times with a sore shoulder, and 3 times with a weak forearm.

30th At Montreal, the Phillies do all their scoring in the 4th as they whip the Expos, 7-5.  Pete Rose homers and Keith Moreland hits a grand slam, both off Bill Gullickson.

JULY

2nd  Chicago’s Ross Baumgarten allows only a 7th-inning single to Rod Carew en route to a one-hit 1–0 shutout of the Angels. Baumgarten will finish the season 2-12.

3rd  The ML’s largest crowd in 7 years (73,096) watches Wayne Garland 2-hit the Yankees 7–0 at Cleveland Stadium.

      Ken Landreaux ties the modern ML record with 3 triples in Minnesota’s 10–3 win over Texas. Doug Flynn will match it also in a month.

      Danny Thomas, 29, hangs himself in jail in Mobile while awaiting trial on charges of raping a 12-year-old.  Thomas, who played with the Brewers in 1976-77, announced in spring training of ’77 that he was a convert to the World Wide Church of God and would not play on Friday nights or Saturday afternoons.

4th  Nolan Ryan fans the Reds Cesar Geronimo to become the 4th pitcher ever to reach 3,000 career strikeouts. Ironically, Geronimo was also Bob Gibson’s 3,000th career strikeout victim 6 years earlier. Despite the milestone, Ryan allows 6 runs in 4 1⁄3 innings and Houston loses, 8–1.

      George Hendrick hits a game-ending homer in the 10th off Kevin Saucier of the Phils to give the Cards a 1-0 win.

5th  Reds pitcher Bruce Berenyi makes his ML debut and the Astros welcome him with a 6-run first inning. Mario Soto relieves and pitches 8 2/3 inning of shutout ball, allowing just 3 hits. The Reds rally to win, 8–6.

6th  Steve Carlton (14-4) becomes the major leagues’ lefthanded strikeout king, fanning 7 Cardinals in an 8–3 Phillies win to bring his career total to 2,836. Mickey Lolich had held the record with 2,832.

      Ed Halicki junks his way to a 2-0 Angels win over the Brewers, giving up an infield single in the 1st and a bloop double in the 9th.

      Cub relief pitchers hold the Pirates hitless for 12.2 innings but it goes for naught in a 5–4 20 inning loss. Cliff Johnson’s 2-out homer in the 9th off Blyleven tied it for Chicago, but Omar Moreno’s RBI single in the 20th is the game winner. Jim Bibby (11–1) takes the win with 3 scoreless innings pitched, but loses a probably start in the AS game.

8th  At Dodger Stadium., the 51st All-Star game features J.R. Richard (10–4) and Steve Stone (12–3) are starters, with Richard going just two innings because of various back and shoulder problems he’s been having. The NL battles back to wins its 9th consecutive All-Star Game 4–2, pinning the loss on Dodger defector Tommie Johns.  Reds outfielder Ken Griffey goes 2-for-3 with a solo HR to win the game’s MVP Award.

11th  The Dodgers sell knuckleballer Charlie Hough to the Rangers for an undisclosed sum. Hough played every year of the 70’s with the Dodgers, and will play every year of the 80’s with the Rangers. He is the only player in history to play back to back decades with two teams.

12th  At Cincinnati, the Giants and Reds combine for 6 homers as San Francisco prevails, 10-7. George Foster hits both of the Reds dingers, and adds a pair of singles to drive in 5 runs.

      At Montreal, the Cubs and Expos split a doubleheader.  Montreal wins game 1, 10-2, and Chicago rebounds in game 2 to win, 8-6. Cliff Johnson drills a grand slam in the second game.

13th  The Padres edge the Dodgers, 3-2, scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 15th after the Dodgers had scored in the top of the inning. Gene Richards scores the winner after stealing his 4th bases of the game.

14th After fanning the side in the 2nd inning, J. R. Richard leaves after retiring the 1st batter in the 4th.  The Houston pitcher complained of nausea, and the next day, Houston will place him on the 21-day DL. The Astros lose today, 2–0, to Atlanta’s Phil Niekro.

15thIn an 11–7 Reds win over Montreal, Johnny Bench belts homer #314 as a catcher, and #347 overall.  The round tripper comes off David Palmer.

16th  Despite much speculation that he is simply malingering, the Astros place star pitcher J. R. Richard on the 21-day disabled list with a mystery arm problem. The 6 foot 8 inch righthander is 10-4 with a 1.89 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 114 innings, but has removed himself from 10 games this year complaining of fatigue and a “dead arm.” On July 23rd, Richard will check into a hospital for a series of physical and psychological tests to determine the cause of his “erratic” behavior.

      The California Supreme Court rules that Ted Giannoulas, better known as the man inside the San Diego Chicken suit, can appear publicly in chicken suits similar to the one that brought him fame, but not bearing the call letters of San Diego’s KGB radio station. The station had fired Giannoulas when he began appearing publicly in the suit without permission, and claimed it had all rights to the costume, which was first used as a promotional device in 1975.

18th  For the second time in 2 weeks a player breaks up a scoreless game in the 10th with a game-ending homer. It is Boston’s Dave Stapleton’s turn today as he homers off Minnesota’s Roger Erickson to give starter Mike Torrez the win.

      At St. Louis, catcher Milt May hits a dramatic grand slam in the top of the 9th to put the Giants up, 8-7. Al Holland pitches a shutout inning for the win.

21st  In Atlanta, Gary Carter connects for a 1st-inning grand slam and then hits a 2-run homer in the 7th as the Expos overcome four homers from the Braves to win, 8-6. The win leaves the Expos n a virtual tie for 1st place in the NL East.

22nd  Atlanta’s Bob Horner belts 2 home runs in a 7–5 win over the Expos, giving him 15 homers in his last 23 games and 13 in the month of July, just 2 short of the ML record shared by Hank Greenberg, Joe DiMaggio, and Joe Adcock. Horner will hit one more home run in July, and finish the season with a career-high 35.

24th  Hours after signing a new 5-year contract that will boost his salary to $1 million per year, Kansas City’s George Brett goes 2-for-4 in a 12–4 win over Chicago to raise his batting average to .379. The Royals lead 2nd-place Texas by 11 games in the AL West.

25th  The Cubs fire manager Preston Gomez and replace him with Joey Amalfitano. Chicago is 38-52, last in the NL East.

      In the first game of a doubleheader split with the Braves, Mike Schmidt hits his 25th and 26th home runs of the season to pass Del Ennis as the Phillies’ all-time HR leader with 261. The Phils win, 5–4, then fall, 3–0, to Tommy Boggs.

26th  Backed by three homers, Orioles’ ace Steve Stone (16-3) tops Mike Caldwell and the Brewers, 4–1, for his 14th straight win. Baltimore is in 4th place in the AL East, a half game out of second and 9 games in back of the Yankees.

27th  The Cubs and Dodgers battle for 12-innings before the Dodgers prevail, 3–2. Rudy Law singles, steals 2B, advances to 3B on the overthrow, and scores on a sac fly. There are no walks in the game, a NL record for an extra inning contest.

      The Athletics and the Tigers split a pair at Tiger Stadium, with Detroit taking the opener, 4-2, then losing 4-0.  Marty Keough allows 2 hits in game 2 and Rickey Henderson steals 4 bases for the first time in his career.

28th  At Montreal, the Expos beat the Reds, 5–4, with Fred Norman getting the win over Mario Soto. Ron LeFlore of the Expos steals his 62nd base in the 7th inning and the Montreal scoreboard notes that the first stolen base was 115 years earlier. As LeFlore stands off base reading the message, he is tagged out.

30th  Attempting to throw for the first time since being hospitalized for tests last week, J. R. Richard suffers a stroke and is rushed to Houston’s Methodist Hospital for emergency surgery to remove a life-threatening blood clot in his neck. He will never pitch in the major leagues again.

31st  The Rangers beat the Orioles 7–4, snapping pitcher Steve Stone’s 14-game winning streak. Stone is 2 shy of the AL record of 16 consecutive wins.

      In the third Pearson Cup competition, the host Expos beat the Blue Jays, 3-1, at Olympic Stadium.

AUGUST

3rd  Al Kaline, Duke Snider, Chuck Klein, and Tom Yawkey are inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

      In a 6–4 win over Texas, Boston’s Tom Burgmeier finishes the last inning in RF. He’s the first Red Sox pitcher to play a position since Mike Ryba caught in 3 games in 1942.

4th  The Seattle Mariners fire manager Darrell Johnson and replace him with Maury Wills, who becomes the 3rd black manager in ML history. Seattle had lost 9 games in a row and 20 of 24 since the All-Star break.

      The Reds score 8 runs in the 7th en route to a 11–2 win over the San Diego Padres.

5th  Expos manager Dick Williams wins his 1,000th career game 11–5 over the Mets, at Olympic Stadium. He is 3rd in wins among active managers behind Gene Mauch and Earl Weaver. The Expos overcome the offense of Doug Flynn, who ties the modern ML record with 3 triples.  It was last done in the NL by Ernie Banks, in 1966.

      After George Brett hits a three-run homer in the 4th off Milt Wilcox, the Detroit pitcher knocks him down twice with pitches in the 6th. Brett charges the mound after flying out and a bench-clearing melee erupts. Brett is ejected and his replacement Dave Chalk doubles in the three-run 8th off of Wilcox.  The Royals win, 6-3.

8th  In the completion of a May 28th game, suspended in the 10th with the score tied at 3 apiece, the Cubs beat Montreal, 7-3, when Cliff Johnson clubs a walkoff grand slam in the 14th. Johnson was acquired from Cleveland in June. Johnson’s homer in the regularly scheduled game accounts for the Cubs scoring as they lose, 5-2. Ron LeFlore has a pair of runs and 4 stolen bases.   The Expos score all 4 runs on sacrifice flies, the first team to do so since 1954 (when sac flies became an official record. It won’t be tied this century.

      At Riverfront, Johnny Bench connects for an 8th inning grand slam as the Reds climb back from to beat the Dodgers, 8-5.        

10th  Steve McCatty becomes the 4th A’s starter to pitch a 14-inning complete game this season, losing 2–1 to Seattle despite pitching a 6-hitter. Teammates Matt Keough (on May 17th), Mike Norris (June 11th), and Rick Langford (July 20th) have also pitched 14-inning complete games for manager Billy Martin, who will later be widely criticized for ruining their arms through overwork.

11th  Reggie Jackson hits his 400th career home run, off Chicago’s Britt Burns, in the 3rd inning of a 3–1 Yankees victory. It’s Reggie 31st homer of the year.

12th  Tiger Stadium is packed with 48,361 fans to see Mark Fidrych’s return to the big leagues, a 5–4 loss to the Red Sox. The 1976 AL Rookie of the Year will go 2-3 with a 5.73 ERA in what will be his final attempt to come back from injury, and his last ML season.

       Yankee Stadium, Yankee CF Ruppert Jones breaks a 4-4 tie with a game-ending grand slam, off Ed Farmer, to beat the White Sox, 8-4. Thirty eight years ago today, Yankee Charlie Keller also won a 8-4 game with a 9th inning grand slam.

13th  The Yankees trade righty Ken Clay and a player to be named later to the Rangers for 41-year-old pitcher Gaylord Perry.

14th  Jack Clark’s 3rd inning grand slam is the difference as the Giants beat the Braves, 5-1. Bob Horner has a homer off Alan Hergesheimer to account for Atlanta’s run.

15th  Oakland’s Rick Langford (13-9) defeats the Mariners 11–3 for his 17th consecutive complete game, the most in the majors since Robin Roberts’ 20 in a row in 1953.

      At San Diego, the Padres and the Astros each plate a run in the first 4 innings, then nothing till the 20th when the Astros score 2 on no hits and 2 errors.  Eric Rasmussen (2-9) is the hard-luck loser with 4 innings of work, while Dave Smith (3-5) goes 5 innings in the win.  Juan Eichelberger tosses 6 shutout innings and strikes out in his 2 plate appearances. He has now struck out 15 straight times to set a ML record (since tied by Mike Thurman in 1998). Sandy Koufax had the old record of 12 straight K’s.

17th  George Brett goes 4-for-4 with 5 RBI in an 8–3 Kansas City win, raising his batting average to .401 and extending his hitting streak to 29 consecutive games.

      Al Oliver belts 4 home runs—one in the opener and 3 in the nightcap—as the Rangers sweep a doubleheader from the Tigers, 9–3 and 12–6. He is the second AL player to hit 4 home runs in a doubleheader this season. Al also adds a double and triple in the opener and his 21 total bases for the two games ties the AL mark of Jimmie Foxx’s. The 6 extra base hits ties the AL mark as well.

      At Candlestick, Dale Murphy has a double and grand slam to drive in 5 runs as the Braves top the Giants, 8-2.  Doyle Alexander (11-6) goes the distance for the win.

18th  In a game called after 6 1/2 innings because of rain, the Cardinals defeat the Reds, 10–1, behind Ken Forsch. Forsch helps in the 5th, getting all 3 outs on grounders back to him. Ted Simmons is 4-for-4 with 4 runs and a pair of homers, including one in the Cards’ 8-run 2nd inning. Keith Smith provides little help in the frame making all 3 outs, hitting into a 4-6-3 DP, and then 8 men later ending the inning with a strikeout.

19th  Jon Matlack holds George Brett hitless, snapping his hitting streak at 30 consecutive games, but Kansas City rallies for 3 runs in the 9th to beat Texas 4–3. Brett batted .467 during the streak and knocked in 42 runs.

      Baltimore’s Steve Stone becomes the first 20-game winner in the major leagues this season, holding the Angels hitless for 7 1⁄3 innings on the way to a 5–2 victory.

In New York’s 3–1 win at Seattle, Bob Watson is 3-for-3 including a homer and a double, the latter off the left CF speaker at the Dome in the 2nd inning. It’s is retrieved by 3B Stein.

20th  Cleveland’s Dan Spillner, who entered the game with a 5.45 ERA, is 2 outs from a no-hitter when White Sox rookie Leo Sutherland singles. Spillner settles for a 3–0 one-hitter.

      Pittsburgh’s Omar Moreno steals his 70th base of the season, becoming the first player this century with 3 consecutive 70-steal seasons. The fleet outfielder swiped 71 in 1978, 77 in 1979, and will finish 1980 with a career-high 96. Pittsburgh loses to Houston, 5–1.

      George Brett pushes his average to .406 with a 3-for-3 outing in a 5–3 win over Texas.

      Tom Brookens, the Tigers’ number-8 hitter, goes 5-for-5 with a triple and a home run and also starts a triple play in an 8–6 win over Milwaukee.

      The Giants beat the Mets, 2–1, but lose Jack Clark for a month after a Mark Bombeck pitch breaks a bone in his left hand.

21st  Rob Wilfong’s 1st inning single is the only hit off Jack Morris. The Tiger ace beats the Twins, 4–2.

22nd  Admitting that he can no longer compete financially in baseball’s inflated economy, colorful owner Bill Veeck agrees to sell the Chicago White Sox to Youngstown, Ohio, shopping-mall magnate Eddie DeBartolo, Sr. for a reported $20 million. The sale will fall through, however, when AL owners twice fail to give Veeck the 10 votes needed for approval.

      Fred Norman and the Expos stop the Padres, 6-2. Rodney Scott garners 4 stolen bases, and is caught once.  He’s the second Expo in two weeks to steal 4 bases.

23rd  A’s owner Charlie Finley sells the club for $12.7 million to the Haas family of San Francisco, owners of the Levi Strauss clothing empire, thus keeping the team in Oakland.

24th  Twins manager Gene Mauch resigns following a 3–2 loss to the Tigers. He will be replaced by John Goryl.

      Nolan Ryan holds the Cubs to 2 hits in 9 innings to give the Astros their 10th straight victory, 2–1, winning over Bill Caudill. Jose Cruz homers. During the streak, the Houston bull pen has thrown 37 2/3 shut out innings.

      The Red Sox pound Rick Hunnycutt for 9 runs in 2+ innings as they outscore the Mariners, 10-7.  Boston amasses 13 hits and a double steal, with catcher Allanson on the front end in the victory, which goes to Bill Campbell (3-0). The M’s Dan Meyer has a pair of homers off starter Mike Torrez.

25th  At Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium, Rangers P Ferguson Jenkins is arrested for possession of illegal drugs after customs officials discover an estimated $500 worth of cocaine, marijuana, and hashish in his suitcase. The arrest stuns the entire country, where Jenkins, a Canadian citizen, is considered a national hero.

26thIt takes 20 innings but the 8–6 Padres prevail over the Mets, 8-6, at Shea. Jerry Mumphrey’s 5th hit, and his third extra base hit, drives in the second run in the 18th. There are 10 intentional walks handed out by both teams, one shy of a record set in 1956.

      The first place Astros score 6 runs in the 5th inning to beat the Cardinals, 8-2.  Cesar Cedeno belts a grand slam in the big frame.  Joe Niekro goes the distance to improve to 14-11.

27th  Phillies Steve Carlton (20-7) becomes the first NL pitcher to win 20 games this season, combining with Tug McGraw to beat the Dodgers, 4–3. Carlton will win an NL-high 24 games, while pitching 304 innings, the last ML pitcher to throw more than 300 innings in a season.

      Pitcher and coach Hub Kittle becomes the oldest man to play in an organized baseball game when he starts for Springfield (American Association) against Iowa at the age of 63 years and 6 months.  Kittle retires the side in the first inning, then tosses one pitch to retire a batter in the 2nd frame before exiting.

28th  The Orioles collect a club-record 26 hits in defeating the visiting Angels, 13-8.  Murray, Dauer and Roenicke each have 4 hits, as the Birds total 8 doubles (3 by Roenicke), another club record, and 9 hits (also an O’s mark) in the 4th inning.  Dan Ford’s homer off Jim Palmer is the only dinger hit.

29th  The Cardinals promote manager Whitey Herzog to general manager, replacing John Claiborne, who was fired on August 18th. Red Schoendienst will serve as interim field manager, but on October 24th the Cardinals announce that Herzog will return as manager in 1981 while retaining his GM duties.

      Behind George Foster’s 6 RBIs, the Reds overcome a 5–0 deficit to beat the Pirates 8–7 in Pittsburgh.

30th Houston veteran Vern Ruhle improves his record to 8–3 by shutting out the Cubs.

31st  In Cleveland, Reliever Ed Farmer picks up two saves as the White Sox sweep a doubleheader from the Indians.  Chicago rallies for 8 runs in the last 2 innings of the opener to win, 10–8, then does it again in the nightcap score 4 in the last 2 innings to win, 8–7.

SEPTEMBER

1st  Tigers OF Al Cowens and White Sox reliever Ed Farmer publicly end their long-running feud by shaking hands at home plate prior to Chicago’s 11–3 win at Tiger Stadium. The feud began in 1979 when Farmer broke Cowens’ jaw with a pitch, and flared again this June 20th when Cowens hit a ground ball off Farmer and attacked the pitcher instead of running to 1B. Cowens was suspended for 7 games and a warrant was issued for his arrest in Illinois, forcing him to skip last week’s Tigers-White Sox series in Chicago. Farmer agreed to drop the charges in exchange for a handshake, and the 2 players brought out the lineup cards before today’s game.

5th  Insisting his decision is not health-related, George Bamberger announces that he will step down as the Brewers manager following tomorrow’s game against Texas. He will be replaced by Buck Rodgers.

6th Houston sweeps 2 from the Cardinals, winning 9–5 and 6–4, to move 2 games behind LA, the NL West leaders. Jose Cruz hits a grand slam in the 3rd inning in game 2 to put the Astros up. 

      Montreal’s Scott Sanderson (14-8) and Bill Lee combine to shut out the Giants, 9-0.  Tim Wallach signals he’s for real when he homers on his first ML at bat.

7th  The Oakland A’s pitch their ML-record 78th complete game of the season as Steve McCatty beats the Orioles 5–2.

8th  Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspends Ferguson Jenkins indefinitely as a result of his August 25th drug arrest in Toronto. On September 22nd, the suspension will be overturned by arbitrator Raymond Goetz, the first time ever a commissioner’s decision is overruled by an arbitrator.

9th  Reds fireballer Mario Soto strikes out 15 Braves in a 7–1 Reds win in Atlanta.

       In Oakland, Mitchell Page has a pair of homers to lead the A’s to a 6-3 win over Texas.  Mickey Rivers has 2 hits to extend his consecutive game hitting streak to 24 games and Al Oliver has 2 hits to extend his streak to 20 games. They are the last pair of teammates this century to have 20 game hitting streaks: both will go hitless tomorrow against A’s ace Mike Norris. Rivers will hit .333 this year, with an OBA just 20 points higher.

10th  Expos 21-year-old P Bill Gullickson strikes out 18 Cubs in a 4–2 win at Olympic Stadium, setting a ML record for rookies and falling one short of the all-time record for strikeouts in a 9-inning game. The win keeps Montreal one-half game ahead of Philadelphia in the NL East.

      Houston moves into a 1st place tie with the Dodgers in the NL West by beating Los Angeles, 6–5.

      The Phillies Marty Bystrom makes his first ML start and beats the Mets, 5–0.

11th  In a 6–5 win over the Cubs, Montreal’s Ron LeFlore steals his 91st base of the season and Rodney Scott steals his 58th, breaking the ML record for stolen bases by teammates in one season. Lou Brock and Bake McBride set the record with the 1974 Cardinals.

      Houston takes over sole possession of 1st place from the Dodgers in the NL West by again beating Los Angeles, 6–5.

      Mitchell Page has a pair of homers to back Rick Langford’s pitching as the A’s top the visiting Royals, 9-5. The hard-working Langford allows 14 hits in pitching his 22nd consecutive complete game, a post-1950 record. Marichal is second on the list with 16. Langford will throw 28 complete games this year and pitch 290 innings, both AL highs.

12th  At the Vet, the Cardinals take a pair from the Phillies to put them two games behind the Expos in the NL East race.  The Birds take the opener, 7-4,with the help of a 5th-inning grand slam by Leon Durham, then follow that up with an 11-inning, 5-0, whitewash.  Al Olmstead pitches into the 10th and John Littlefield faces 7 batters for the win. The Birds plate their 5 runs with 4 hits.

13th  At Boston, the Yankees keep their hold on 1st place with a 4–3 victory over the Red Sox, scoring all their runs in the 4th. Tommy John wins his 21st.  Willie Randolph helps in the 6th with a neat 4-2 double play, stepping on 2B for a force and throwing home to catch Jim Rice.

14th  Eddie Murray hits 3 HRs, but Baltimore loses to Toronto 4–3 in 13 innings to fall 5 games behind the first-place Yankees in the AL East.

      In a 10–7 win over the Cubs, Lee Mazzilli homers to break a drought for Mets.  (as noted by Tom Ruane) It is the first homer in 175.2 innings going back to August 26 when Claudell Washington homered. This will be the longest drought for the rest of the century. The Mets also had droughts of 134.1 inning (4/15-5/3) and 117.1 inning (5/6- 5/24).

17th  After surrendering a 2-run home run to Rusty Staub, Rick Langford is removed with 2 outs in the 9th inning of Oakland’s 6–4 win over Texas, ending his consecutive complete-game streak at 22.

      The Royals become the first team to clinch a division title, as Dennis Leonard shuts out the Angels 5–0 in the first game of a doubleheader.

      The Reds Mario Soto stops Houston, 7–0, beating Joe Niekro, who gives up a grand slam to Ray Knight. Houston and Los Angeles are tied for 1st (82-62) with 17 games left on the schedule.

18th  Willie Wilson steals 2B and 3B in the 2nd inning of Kansas City’s 5–2 win over the Angels, giving him an AL-record 28 consecutive stolen bases without being caught. Ron LeFlore had set the previous record in 1978.

      At Milwaukee, the Twins lose 9–8 to the Brewers, wasting Gary Ward’s hitting for the cycle.

      In a game suspended yesterday with 2 out in the 10th, the Blue Jays complete a 4-run outburst when play is resumed when Roy Howell lines an inside-the-park homer good for 2 runs. Down by 4 runs, the Yankees score 4 runs to tie it at 7-7, then win it in the 13th on Bucky Dent’s RBI-double.  The two teams use 10 pinch hitters in the game, tying the AL record. The Jays then win the regularly scheduled game, 2-1, on Luis Leal’s 2-hitter. Tommy John (21-8) takes the loss. The 4 runs in the top and the bottom of an extra inning is a first going back to 1915.

19th  The Reds light up Jerry Reuss  (17-6) for 8 runs in 2 innings, en route to a 10–7 win over the Dodgers. Reuss serves up a grand slam to Johnny Bench, the 9th slam off him this year, a NL record. Garvey and Cey solo for the Dodgers.

      At Busch the NL-leading Expos drop a heartbreaker to the Cardinals, losing 9-8.  Gary Carter hits a grand slam for Montreal, but the Birds respond by scoring 5 runs in the 7th to tie.  The Expos score in the top of the 9th and St. Louis wins it in the bottom of the frame George Hendrick’s hits a 2-run double.

20th  George Brett goes 0-for-4 in a 9–0 loss to the A’s dropping his average below .400 for good. He is now hitting .396 and will finish the season at .390.

      California’s Tony Armas does it all hitting 2 doubles, 2 HRs to drive in 5 RBIs in a 6–4 win over Texas. Armas also has an intentional walk, and steals 3rd.

21st  In a 9-3 victory at Royals Stadium, the A’s Wayne Gross belts a pair of homers and drives in 5 runs. For the second time this season, Rickey Henderson steals 4 bases in a game. He’s not through.

22nd  The Phillies move back into first place in the NL East with a 3–2 10-inning win over the Cardinals. Montreal drops to 2nd place by a half-game by losing to Pittsburgh. The Phils Steve Carlton and the Birds Pete Vuckovich each pitch 9 innings of 2-run ball, but Lefty gets the win when Keith Moreland knocks in Larry Bowa in the 10th. For Carlton (22-8) it is his 6th win of the year against St. Louis.

24th  The Braves, with 24,897 watching, beat the Astros 4–2 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, pushing the Braves over the one million attendance mark for the season. The 11 other NL teams have already reached that milestone, making this the first season ever in which all the teams in one league have done so.

25th  San Diego’s Jerry Mumphrey steals his 50th base of the season in a 5–3 loss to the Reds, making the Padres the first team in major-league history to have 3 players with 50 steals in the same season—Mumphrey, Ozzie Smith, and Gene Richards.

      In a 6–4 loss to the White Sox, Oakland’s Brian Kingman (7-20) loses his 20th game. Kingman will finish 8–20, the last 20-game loser of the century and the first to pitch for a winning team (Oakland will be 83-79) since Dolf Luque.

      Dramatics in Seattle, as the Mariners beat Texas, 7-6, in 11 innings.  Willie Horton hits the last homer of his career to tie the match at 4 each in the bottom of the 9th, then Texas goes ahead when Pat Putnam connects for a 2-run homer in the 11th.  Dave Edler then laces a 2-out, 3-run double to give the M’s the 7-6 win.

      Ted Sizemore drives in 6 runs with a single, solo, and slam as the Cardinals stop the hits Pirates, 10-2.

26thJohn Mayberry clubs a 5th-inning homer off Dennis Eckersley for Toronto’s only hit in a 3-1 loss to the visiting Red Sox.  It is the second time this season that Mayberry has provided the Jays’ only hit.

27thThe Oakland A’s defeat the visiting Brewers, 7-4, behind Rick Langford’s 19th win.  For the second time in a week, Rickey Henderson steals 4 bases. He’s now got 96.

29th  In the race for the NL East title, the Phillies remain one-half game behind Montreal by scoring 3 times in the bottom of the 15th inning to beat the Cubs 6–5. Earlier in the day, the Expos defeated the Cardinals 5–2 on pinch hitter John Tamargo’s 3-run home run in the bottom of the 9th.

30th  A’s OF Rickey Henderson sets the AL single-season stolen base record with his 97th in a 5–1 win over the White Sox, breaking Ty Cobb’s record of 96 set in 1915. Henderson will finish the season with 100 stolen bases.

      After Seattle goes ahead 6-5 in the 14th, George Brett hits a 3-run homer, his 24th,  to give Kansas City the 7-5 victory. Brett will finish the season with 24 homers and 22 strikeouts: only Barry Bonds in 2004 will have fewer strikeouts than homers (minimum 10 homers) since 1959. The loss goes to Mike Parrott (1-15) while Quisenberry (12-7) nails the win.  The aptly named Rick Honeycutt will earn an ejection in the 3rd  inning for cutting the ball.

      The smallest crowd in Shea Stadium history (1,754) watches the Mets beat the Pirates, 3–2.

      In a 12–9 Cleveland win over the Yankees, the Tribe’s Ron Hassey has a double and HR in the 8-run 2nd inning. There are 4 homers in the game, including Reggie Jackson’s 38th.

      Dodger rookie Fernando Valenzuela wins his first ML game, beating the Giants, 4–1. Pedro Guerrero has a HR.

OCTOBER

1st  Steve Carlton  (24-9) fires a two hitter and the Phils beat the Cubs, 5–0.  Mike Vail’s leadoff single in the 8th is the first hit off Carlton. Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski hit back-to-back homers in the 6th, off Dennis Lamp, as the Phils remain a half-game out of first place. With his complete game, Carlton reaches 304 innings pitched, the last pitcher to top 300 innings in a season.

      The first place Expos top the Cards, 8–0, as Steve Palmer strikes out 10 in the win.

Batting 9th, Milwaukee’s Charlie Moore hits for the cycle to lead the Brewers to a 10–7 win over the Angels.

      In a battle of also rans, the Reds top the Padres, 2–1, when George Foster hits a 2-run homer in the 9th with no outs. Tom Seaver goes 8 innings, allowing 3 hits, 2 to Ozzie Smith.  Smith finishes with 4 assists in the game and 4 in the next 3 games will set a ML record with 621 for the season, topping Glenn Wright’s 1924 mark of 601.

      Enrique Romo saves the win for Jim Bibby with 4 innings of relief and an 8th-inning grand slam to ice the game. It is Romo’s lone ML homer. The Pirates win, 10-5, over the Mets at Shea.

      Don Zimmer is fired as manager of the Boston Red Sox. Johnny Pesky will finish the season as interim manager. He’ll go 1-4.

2nd  The Phillies move into a first-place tie with the Expos by beating Chicago 4–2. The 2 clubs will close out the season with 3 games in Montreal starting tomorrow.

3rd In Los Angeles, Houston opens a final 3-game series to determine the winner in the NL West. The Dodgers, behind by 3 games, tie the opening game 2–2 in the 9th, and win it in the 10th on a Joe Ferguson solo HR.

      San Diego crushes the Giants, 12-0, as Steve Mura (8-7) records his first career shutout. The Giants have gone 15 consecutive home games without a home run.

4th  Mike Schmidt’s 2-run home run in the top of the 11th inning gives Philadelphia a 6–4 win over Montreal, clinching the NL East title for the Phillies. The home run is Schmidt’s 48th of the season, breaking Eddie Mathews’s single-season record for third basemen set in 1953.

      The Yankees clinch their 4th AL East title in 5 seasons, beating Detroit 5–2 in the first game of a doubleheader. Reggie Jackson hits his 41st home run of the season and will share the AL home run crown with Milwaukee’s Ben Oglivie.

      In a 17–1 rout of the Twins, Kansas City’s Willie Wilson becomes the first ML player ever to be credited with 700 at-bats in one season. Wilson will post 705 at bats, the highest this century. He also sets the AL record for singles in a season with 184, eclipsing the mark Sam Rice set in 1925. Wilson also becomes only the 2nd player in history to collect 100 hits from each side of the plate, matching the feat accomplished by Garry Templeton in 1979. The loss ends Minnesota’s club-record 12-game winning streak.

      The Dodgers break a 1–1 tie on a 4th inning HR from Steve Garvey to beat the Astros 2–1. Loser Nolan Ryan goes 11–10, while Jerry Reuss wins his 18th. Houston now leads by 1 game with 1 to play.

      In Oakland’s 4-0 victory over the Brewers, Rickey Henderson swipes two bases to reach 100 stolen bases on the year. Bob Lacey twirls the shutout in his first ML start. He’ll make one more start, in 1984, and last 3+ innings. Lacey’s feat is the 94^thcomplete game for Martin’s A’s, the  highest total in the majors since the 1941 White Sox (as noted by historian J.G. Preston).

      LaMarr Hoyt (9-3) of the White Sox stops California, 4-2, but the big attraction is DH Minnie Minoso, 57 (or 54, according to his autobiography). Facing Frank Tanana for the 2nd time in 5 years, Minnie goes 0-for-2.  Minoso’s appearance, thanks to Bill Veeck, puts him with Nick Altrock as a 5-decade man in the ML.  His next appearance will be for another Veeck team, St. Paul, in 1993.

      Boston collects 22 hits but still loses to visiting Toronto, 7–6 in 17 innings. The Jays have 17 hits, including a game-tying 9th inning 2-run HR by Lloyd Moseby, off Bob Stanley. Stanley also gives up the game-winning hit to Dane Iorg in the 17th.

5th  Capping an improbable comeback, the Dodgers beat the Astros for the 3rd day in a row to force a one-game playoff for the NL West title. Ron Cey hits a 2-run HR in the 8th to win the game, 4–3. Los Angeles trailed Houston by 3 games with 3 games left in the season, and won all 3 by a single run.

      On the final day of the regular season, Seattle’s Mike Parrott surrenders an RBI double to the Rangers Johnny Grubb in the bottom of the 9th to lose, 3–2. The loss is Parrott’s 16th in a row since winning on Opening Day.

      John Castino’s lead off single is the only hit for the Twins, who lose 4–0 to KC’s Paul Splittorff. Rich Gale finishes for KC.

      At County Stadium, the Brewers get solo homers in the 8^thand 9^thinnings, then win it in the 15^th, 5-4, over the A’s. Rick Langford goes 10 innings for Oakland. Langford’s streak of 22 complete games ended on September 17, but he and the A’s staff have 94 complete games for the year, the most since Detroit in 1946.

      At Riverfront Stadium, the Reds edge to Braves, 1-0, as Joe Price allows 3 hits in 8 inning. Dave Collins has 3 of the Reds 5 hits and drives in the run. Phil Niekro is the hard-luck loser, taking his 18^thloss. For the fourth year in a row Niekro leads the NL in losses, a record unmatched in the league. 

      Jerry Coleman is fired as manager of the last-place San Diego Padres. He will return to the club’s broadcasting booth, where he had spent the previous 8 seasons, and will be replaced by former Senators slugger Frank Howard.

      At Montreal, Jerry White hits a 3-run walkoff homer in the 10th as Montreal comes back to beat the Phillies, 8-7. It takes him three weeks to do it, but Phils rookie Bob Dernier ties the NL mark of consecutive hits (4) to start a career. He hit safely his first 2 at bats today, to go with pinch singles on September 14th and 30th.  In his last game, Tim McCarver has 2 RBIs on a double for the Phils. McCarver closes out his career as a four-decade man, having played his first game in 1959.

6th  The Astros finally win, whipping the Dodgers 7–1 in a one-game playoff at Dodger Stadium. Art Howe drives in 4 runs with a HR and 2 singles and Joe Niekro wins his 20th game of the season to put Houston in the post-season for the first time since entering the major leagues in 1962.

7th  Phillies stars shine in the NLCS opener. Steve Carlton and Tug McGraw hold the Astros to one run, and Greg Luzinski cracks a 2-run homer. Final score is 3–1.

8th  Knotted in the 10th inning, Houston explodes for 4 runs. Philley gets one back, but it’s not enough as they lose 7–4.

      Kansas City coasts in the first ALCS game, downing post-season rivals the Yankees 7–2.

9th  KC wins again, but this time they have to tag out Yankee Willie Randolph at the plate to end the game 3–2.

10th  A scoreless pitchers’ duel in Houston ends in the bottom of the 11th inning on Joe Morgan’s leadoff triple and Denny Walling’s sacrifice fly. Houston is up 2 games to one, but the win is costly as Cesar Cedeno injures an ankle.

      George Brett puts Kansas City into its first World Series by belting a 3-run HR off the Yankees Rich Gossage in the 7th inning, giving the Royals a 4–2 win and a 3-game sweep of the LCS. It’s sweet revenge for 3 ALCS losses to the Bombers.

11th  In one of the most exciting and controversial games in playoff history, the Phillies tie the NLCS at 2 games apiece with a 10-inning 5–3 win over the Astros. In the 4th inning, Houston is deprived of an apparent triple play when the umpires rule that pitcher Vern Ruhle had trapped Garry Maddox’s soft line drive. In the 6th, Houston loses a run when Gary Woods leaves the base early on Luis Pujol’s would-be sacrifice fly.

12th  The Phillies capture their first NL title since 1950 with a 10-inning 8–7 win over the Astros in the 5th and final game of the NLCS. Each of the last 4 games was decided in extra innings.  The Phils, down by 3 runs to Nolan Ryan in the 8th, rally, winning on Garry Maddox’s double in the 10th.

14th  Philadelphia pitcher Bob Walk becomes the first rookie to start a World Series opener since Joe Black in 1952, and the Phillies rally from a 4–0 deficit to beat the Royals 7–6. Kansas City’s Willie Aikens hits a pair of homers, becoming only the 3rd player to do so in his first WS game. Bake McBride homers for the Phils.

15th  George Brett is forced out of game 2 of the World Series in the 6th inning with a severe case of hemorrhoids, and Philadelphia wins 6–4 to take a 2-0 lead. Brett will undergo surgery tomorrow and return for game 3. Mike Schmidt’s RBI keys a 4-run rally in the 8th off ace Dan Quisenberry.

17th  Willie Aikens cracks his 1st ML triple drives in Willie Wilson in the 10th inning to give the Royals a 4–3 win in game 3 of the World Series. Quissenberry, with 2 1/3 innings of relief work, is the winner over McGraw. The Phils still lead the series, 2–1.

      The Reds trade P Jay Howell to the Cubs for C Mike O’Berry. Howell will play 15 seasons while O’Berry will not ripen with any of the 6 teams he backstops for.

18th  Willie Aikens slugs 2 more home runs to lead the Royals to a 5–3 win and even the World Series at 2-2.

19th  A 9th-inning rally for 2 runs against Dan Quisenberry gives game 5 to the Phils by a 4–3 margin. Del Unser hits a pinch double in the frame to drive in Schmidt with the tying run and Manny Trillo then delivers a single for the game-winner.

21st  The Phillies win the first World Championship in their 98-year history by beating the Royals 4–1 in game 6 of the World Series. Philadelphia’s Mike Schmidt is named MVP, hitting .381 with 2 home runs and 7 RBI, while KC’s Willie Wilson is the goat, striking out a record 12 times (including the final out of the series with the bases loaded) and hitting only .154.

26th  In a shocking announcement, Astros owner John McMullen fires president and GM Tal Smith, replacing him with Al Rosen, former GM of the Yankees. Smith will soon be named ML Executive of the Year. The move prompts a rebellion among the Astros 20 limited owners (who together own over 60 percent of the club), and on November 24th McMullen will give up his sole authority to run the club, accepting a position on the club’s newly formed executive committee instead.

      Ralph Houk, who managed the Yankees and Tigers for 16 years before retiring in 1978, is named manager of the Red Sox.

NOVEMBER

4th  Steve Carlton joins Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver, and Jim Palmer as the only pitchers to win 3 Cy Young Awards, garnering 23 of 24 first-place votes to take NL honors. Carlton was 24-9 with a 2.34 ERA and led the NL with 286 strikeouts.

      Forty-year-old Sadaharu Oh, professional baseball’s all-time home run king with 868 in 22 seasons in Japan, retires.

6th  Mariners GM Lou Gorman, who had been with the club since its inception, resigns to become vice president of the New York Mets.

12th  Baltimore’s Steve Stone, who led the AL in wins with a 25-7 record, edges Oakland’s Mike Norris for the AL Cy Young Award.

      Don Zimmer is named manager of the Texas Rangers, becoming the 10th manager in the club’s 9-year history.

14th  Free-agent OF Claudell Washington signs a 5-year contract with the Atlanta Braves.

18th  Despite having missed 45 games with injuries, George Brett is named AL MVP. The 27-year-old third sacker’s .390 average was the highest in the ML since Ted Williams’ .406 in 1941. He added 24 home runs and 118 RBI to lead Kansas City to its first AL pennant.

      Hold the mustard. The Yankees trade catcher Brad Gulden and cash to Seattle for infielder Larry Milbourne and a player to be named. That player will turn out to be Gulden, who Seattle will ship back to the Yanks on May 18, 1981.

21st  Ending weeks of speculation that he would be fired despite having led the Yankees to 103 wins last season, manager Dick Howser “resigns” and is immediately replaced by GM Gene Michael.

26th  Mike Schmidt is a unanimous choice as NL MVP. The slugging 3B hit .286 with career highs of 48 home runs and 121 RBI.

      Outfielder Ron LeFlore, who hit .257 with 97 stolen bases for the Expos last season, signs as a free agent with the Chicago White Sox.

 

DECEMBER

1st  Dodgers pitcher Steve Howe wins the NL Rookie of the Year Award, edging the Expos Bill Gullickson and the Phillies Lonnie Smith. Howe was 7-9 with a 2.65 ERA and 17 saves.

3rd  Don Sutton, 35, the winningest pitcher in Los Angeles Dodgers’ history, signs a 4-year contract with the Houston Astros. Sutton was 13-5 in 1980 with a league-leading 2.21 ERA.

      Indians outfielder “Super Joe” Charboneau, who hit .289 with 23 HR and 87 RBI, is named AL Rookie of the Year.

8th  The Cardinals and Padres complete the first major trade at the annual winter meetings in Dallas, TX. Reliever Rollie Fingers, who won 11 games and saved 23 for San Diego in 1980, and 24-year-old catcher Terry Kennedy, who hit .254 for St. Louis, are the keys in the 11-player swap.

9th  Giants manager Dave Bristol is fired.

      The Cubs trade reliever Bruce Sutter, the 1979 NL Cy Young Award winner, to the Cardinals for 3B Ken Reitz, OF-1B Leon Durham, and a player to be named (Ty Waller). Sutter was the NL leader in saves in the past two seasons and will do so for the Cards in the next two campaigns.

      The Pirates trade P Bert Blyleven and C Manny Sanguillen to the Indians for P Bob Owchinko, P Victor Cruz, C Gary Alexander, and minor league P Rafael Vasquez. Blyleven had quit the team for ten days because he did not like the way manager Chuck Tanner was handling him. Tanner blasts him for his selfishness, calling him “Cryleven.”

10th  The Red Sox trade SS Rick Burleson and 3B Butch Hobson to the Angels for 3B Carney Lansford, CF Rick Miller, and P Mark Clear.

12th  The Cardinals make their 3rd major trade, sending the recently acquired Rollie Fingers, C Ted Simmons, and P Pete Vuckovich to the Brewers in exchange for P Lary Sorensen, OF Sixto Lezcano, and minor leaguers OF David Green and P Dave LaPoint. Fingers and Vuckovich will win the AL Cy Young Award for the Brewers in 1981 and 1982, respectively.

13th  The Cubs send Mike Vail to the Reds in exchange for Hector Cruz.

15th  Outfielder Dave Winfield becomes the highest-paid player in baseball when he signs a 10-year, $15 million contract with the New York Yankees.

18th  Ferguson Jenkins is convicted on cocaine possession charges in a Canadian court, but has the verdict immediately erased by Judge Gerald Young because of his years of “exemplary” conduct.

23rd  The Orioles sign free agent OF Jim Dwyer.

•1981

JANU­­ARY

2ndAt Ponce, (Puerto Rican League) Santurce beats Ponce, 11–4. Ponce’s Rickey Henderson steals his 41st and 42nd bases, breaking the old league record of 41 set by Carlos Bernier in the 1949-50 season. Henderson will finish the season with 44 stolen bases.

5thThe Yankees release Jim Nettles, brother of Yankee third baseman Graig. Jim will appear in a game for Oakland.

      The Mets sign vet Dave Roberts, but will release him in May.

7thThe Reds are the last team to enter the free agent market signing their first free-agent, OF Larry Biittner. Biittner will prove a bust and be released after the 1982 season.

12th  Gaylord Perry, 42, signs a one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves.

13th  In the amateur free-agent draft, the Mets take Randy Milligan in the first round, while John Kruk, Oddibe McDowell and Mike Sharpeson are selected but don’t sign. Sixth-round selections Billy Hatcher signs with the Cubs in May and third rounder Mike Felder signs with the Brewers.

14th  Frank Robinson is named manager of the San Francisco Giants.

15th  In his first year of eligibility, former Cardinals P Bob Gibson is the only person elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA. Players falling short of the 301 votes needed for election include Don Drysdale (243), Gil Hodges (241), Harmon Killebrew (239), Hoyt Wilhelm (238), and Juan Marichal (233).

      The Expos sell Ken Macha to Toronto.

21st  The Reds trade 4-time Gold Glove winner Cesar Geronimo to the Royals for minor league IF German Barranca.

23rd  Faced with the possibility of losing star OF Fred Lynn to free agency because of a front-office blunder, the Red Sox trade Lynn and P Steve Renko to the Angels for pitchers Frank Tanana and Jim Dorsey and OF Joe Rudi. The Players’ Association contends that Lynn and C Carlton Fisk are free agents because the Red Sox failed to mail their new contracts by the deadline provided for in the Basic Agreement. Lynn signs a 4-year deal with the Angels and agrees to drop his case. Fisk’s case will go to arbitration.

29th  AL owners approve the sales of 2 franchises, the White Sox to Skokie real estate executive Jerry Reinsdorf and TV exec Eddie Einhorn for $20 million, and 80 percent of the Mariners to George Argyros for $10.4 million. Bill Veeck, the seller of the White Sox, had tried to sell the team five months ago to Ohio millionaire Edward DeBartolo, but the league turned the sale down, ostensibly on the grounds that DeBartolo also owned some race tracks.

FEBRUARY

4th  In a good move, the White Sox sign infielder Bill Almon.

9th  Joe Morgan, 37, signs a one-year contract with the Giants.

12th  Arbitrator Raymond Goetz supports the Players’ Association and declares Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk a free agent on the grounds that the club mailed his 1981 contract 2 days after the December 20th deadline.

17th  The Cubs sign free agent Jerry Morales, who hit .254 for the Mets last year.

23rd  The Pirates sign veteran Luis Tiant, who will go 2-5 for the Bucs.

25th  The Executive Board of the Players’ Association votes unanimously to strike on May 29th if the issue of free-agent compensation remains unresolved.  That deadline will be extended briefly, however, when the Players’ Association’s unfair labor practices complaint is heard by the National Labor Relations Board.

28th  The Mets trade OF Steve Henderson and an estimated $100,000 to the Cubs for slugger Dave Kingman, who led the NL with 48 HRs in 1979.

MARCH

3rd  The Cardinals sign Steve Braun who will have 5 solid seasons in St. Louis.

7th  The Braves trade OF Jeff Burroughs to the Mariners for P Carlos Diaz.

8th  The Cubs sign former Cub Mick Kelleher, only to sell him to the Tigers in three weeks.

9th  Free agent Carlton Fisk agrees to a contract with the Chicago White Sox.

11th  Johnny Mize and Rube Foster are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Mize hit .312 with 359 HRs in 15 ML seasons for the Cardinals and Giants, while Foster was a star Negro League pitcher, manager, and Negro League organizer in the first quarter of the 20th century.

13th  The Angels sign Rick Burleson to a 6-year, $4.2 million contract, making him the highest-paid SS in baseball history. Burleson was entering the last year of a 4-year contract that paid him $125,000 per year.

18th  The White Sox sign free agent Carlton Fisk.

19th  Blue Jays 3B and All-American basketball player Danny Ainge drives the length of the court for a lay-up with 2 seconds to play, giving Brigham Young University a 51–50 upset victory over 7th-ranked Notre Dame in the NCAA East Regional semifinals. Ainge will hit .187 in 86 games for Toronto this season, retire, then sign to play for the NBA Boston Celtics.

22nd  Orioles manager Earl Weaver is suspended for 3 days by AL president Lee MacPhail for removing his club from the field and forfeiting a spring training game to the Royals. It is the 4th career suspension for Weaver, who was upset that the umpires did not provide him with an official batting order after Kansas City made numerous substitutions.

25th  The Braves trade OF Gary Matthews to the Phillies for P Bob Walk.

28th  The White Sox and Cubs swap pitchers, with Ken Kravec going to North side and Dennis Lamp to the South. Lamp’s ML career will stay lit for another 11 years.

30th  The Twins trade OF Ken Landreaux to the Dodgers for OF-3B Mickey Hatcher, minor-leaguer Kelly Snider, and P Matt Reeves.

The Phillies sell OF Greg Luzinski to the White Sox, who will use him as a full-time DH.

31stKansas City trades Marvell Wynne and John Skinner to the New York Mets for Juan Berenguer.

      The New York Yankees trade Ruppert Jones, Joe Lefebvre, Tim Lollar and Chris Welsh to San Diego Padres in exchange for Jerry Mumphrey and John Pacella.

APRIL

1stHouston trades P Ken Forsch to the Angels for INF Dickie Thon. Forsch was 78-81 in 11 seasons with Houston. He’ll win 35 games in 3 seasons in the AL before arm problems curtail his effectiveness. Thon will be the NL All star shortstop in 1983.

      The Angels trade Jason Thompson to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Ed Ott and Mickey Mahler.

5th  Whoops. The Pittsburgh Pirates trade minor-league pitcher Dave Dravecky to the San Diego Padres in exchange for minor-leaguer Bobby D. Mitchell.

9th  Pressed into service on Opening Day when scheduled starter Jerry Reuss pulls a calf muscle, Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela shuts out the Astros, 2–0, on 5 hits in his first ML start.

      Pitcher Rick Reuschel loses his 4th Opener in a row for the Cubs, losing to the Mets, 2–0. With relief help, Pat Zachary is the winner.

      Before 55,123 at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees gun down the Rangers, 10–3.  Bucky Dent and Bobby Murcer hit homers, with Randolph following Murcer’s blow with a triple. Dave Winfield, in his New York debut, has two hits and two walks, and Tommy John scatters 7 hits in 8 innings to win over Jon Matlack.

10th  In his first game for the White Sox, Carlton Fisk belts a 3-run home run in the 8th inning to lead Chicago to a 5–3 win over his former Red Sox teammates at Fenway Park.

11th  After 15 seasons as a Dodger, Don Sutton makes his debut with the Astros and is pounded by his former club for 6 runs in 4 innings. Los Angeles wins 7–4.

12th  The Giants overcome a 3rd-inning grand slam by San Diego’s Randy Bass by tying the game on a 9th-inning pinch homer by Darrell Evans and winning in the 14th on Mike Ivie’s 4th hit of the game. Fred Breining wins the 7-6 contest with 2 shutout innings.

14th  At San Diego, Reds P Bruce Berenyi fires a 2-hitters to beat the Pads, 4–0.

16th  On their way to Texas, the New York Yankees make a stop in Nashville to play an exhibition game against their minor league affiliate, the Sounds. The Yanks win, 10–1, in front of a standing room only crowd of 17,318 fans.

17th  After winning their first 8 games of the season on the road, the Oakland A’s pound Seattle 16–1 in their home opener before a crowd of 50,256. Tony Armas has a pair of homers and 5 RBIs while Cliff Johnson has 4 hits and 4 runs and 3 RBIs.

18th  Reds pitcher Tom Seaver strikes out Keith Hernandez in the 4th inning of a 10–4 loss to the Cardinals, becoming the 5th pitcher in ML history with 3,000 career strikeouts.

      The Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings (International League) play 32 innings before suspending play at 4:07 a.m. on April 19th with the score tied 2–2. The game is already the longest in professional baseball history, surpassing a 29-inning Florida State League contest in 1966, and will be resumed on June 23rd.

19th  In the first game of a doubleheader the Oakland A’s set the ML record for consecutive wins at the start of the season, running their record to 11-0 with a 6–1 win over Seattle. The record will fall in 1987. The Mariners win the nightcap 3–2 on Richie Zisk’s solo home run in the 8th inning.

21st  During the White Sox 2–1 win over the visiting Orioles, O’s pitcher Dennis Martinez is injured when he’s hit by a bottle tossed by a fan. The Sox win in the 9th on Bernazard’s RBI single. The win goes to Britt Burns, who allows 4 hits and an unearned run.

      Tim Raines has 4 hits and 4 stolen bases to pace the Expos to a 10-3 win over the visiting Phillies

22nd  Dodgers rookie Fernando Valenzuela tosses his 3rd shutout in 4 starts, strikes out 11, and drives in the game’s only run with a single in a 1–0 win over Houston’s Don Sutton (0-3).

23rd The White Sox sweep the O’s, pounding Baltimore for 26 hits in the opener and scoring in each of the 1st six innings to win 18–5.  Almon and Lemon each have 4 hits as 9 Sox have multi-hit games. Bernazard has Chicago’s only HR, while Singleton hits a pair for the O’s. The Sox take the nightcap, 5–3.

25th  Mariners manager Maury Wills is suspended for 2 games after ordering Seattle’s grounds crew to enlarge the batter’s boxes by one foot prior to its game with Oakland. The A’s had been complaining that Seattle’s Tom Paciorek frequently stepped out of the box while hitting.

26th  Oakland runs its record to 17-1 with a 9–4 win over the Mariners.

27th  “Fernandomania” hits fever pitch at Dodger Stadium as a sellout crowd watches the 20-year-old rookie pitch his 4th shutout in 5 starts 5–0 versus the Giants. Valenzuela is 5-0 with a 0.20 ERA and is batting .438.

      The Cubs trade C Barry Foote to the Yankees for minor leaguer Tom Filer and cash. Foote was 0-for-22 with the Cubs this year.

28th  Ken Singleton’s consecutive-hit streak is snapped at 10 when he grounds into a double play off Chicago’s Rich Dotson in the Orioles’ 8–6 loss. Singleton singles and homers in his first 2 at bats after going 4-for-4 in each of the previous 2 games.

29th  Philadelphia’s Steve Carlton strikes out the side (Tim Raines, Jerry Manuel, and Tim Wallach) in the first inning of a 6–2 win over the Expos to become the first lefthander in ML history (and 6th pitcher overall) to record 3,000 career strikeouts.

      The Cubs score 5 times with 2 out in the bottom of the 8th to beat St. Louis, 6–1, and snap a 12-game losing streak. The Cardinals had won 8 in a row.

      Toronto scores 5 times in the top of the 14th to beat the Brewers, 5–0. The Jays outhit the Brewers, 13–3.

      Don’t mess with Texas. Bobby Darwin fires a one-hitter as Texas shuts out the Red Sox, 5-0.  Rick Miller’s single in the 6^this the lone hit. It is the third shutout in a row for Texas as they sweep the three-game set with the visiting Hubmen. Boston’s only extra base hit in the series came in game 1, when Rice doubled.

      Dave Concepcion belts 2 homers and 2 singles to drive in 6 runs as the Reds beat the visiting Padres, 8–5.

30th  The Reds edge the Padres, 4-3, despite the efforts of Joe Lefebvre, who comes off the bench to hit a pinch homer, then adds a 2-run homer in the 9th.  He is the first Padre to accomplish the feat.

MAY

1st  Frank White’s 4th-inning sacrifice fly off Steve Comer ends the Rangers’ consecutive-scoreless-inning streak at 39, and Kansas City goes on to a 4–0 win. Texas pitchers had tossed 4 consecutive shutouts, one shy of the AL record.

3rd  The Blue Jays end a 19-game losing streak at Memorial Stadium, beating the Orioles 4–2. It is their first win in Baltimore since July, 1978.

      At Montreal, the Dodgers score 5 times in the 10th to beat the Expos, 6-1.  The win goes to Fernando Valenzuela (6-0) who pitches the first 9 innings, allowing a run in the 8th.  It stops his consecutive scoreless inning streak at 36.

4th  Yankee reliever Ron Davis strikes out the last 8 batters of the game in a 4–2 win over the Angels, tying Nolan Ryan’s AL record (done twice) for consecutive strikeouts and setting a new record for consecutive strikeouts by a reliever.

      In the battle of the Cruz brothers, Astro Jose Cruz launches a 3-run missile in the 1st inning of Chicago’s Mike Krukow, while brother Hector answers with a solo shot off Joaquin Andujar in the 6th inning.  The Astros edge the Cubs 5–4.

6th  Mariners manager Maury Wills is fired and replaced by Rene Lachemann. Seattle was 6-18, the worst start in the club’s 5-year history. In Lachemann’s first game, Seattle pounds Milwaukee 12–1 and pitcher Mike Parrott snaps his personal 18-game losing streak, one shy of the AL record.

      Cleveland’s Bert Blyleven holds Toronto hitless for 8 innings before Lloyd Moseby doubles to lead off the 9th, and Blyleven settles for a 4–1 two-hitter.

8th  Oakland’s Steve McCatty beats the Brewers, 2–0. Dwayne Murphy supplies a solo HR and Dave McKay swipes home for the other score. McKay also stole home last September.

      In Montreal, the Giants shade the Expos, 4-3, despite 4 stolen bases by Tim Raines.

9th  Tom Paciorek hits his 2nd game-winning, bottom-of-the-9th HR in as many games, a 3-run blow giving the Mariners a 6–5 win over the Yankees. The previous night, Paciorek led off the 9th with a solo homer to give Seattle a 3–2 win over the Yankees.

      Batting leadoff, Bill North hits a grand slam and drives in 6 runs as the Giants beat the visiting Expos, 8-2. Vida Blue (3-2) is the winner.

      Oakland scores 2 runs in the bottom of the 12th, plating the winner on a wild pitch by Randy Lerch, to edge the Brewers, 6-5. Gorman Thomas has 4 hits for the Brewers, including a pair of homers, while Dave Revering and Mike Heath collect 4 hits each for the A’s. Tony Armas strikes out 5 times for Oakland.

10th  Montreal’s Charlie Lea, a native of France, no-hits the Giants 4–0, walking 4 and striking out 8 in the 2nd game of a doubleheader. It is the first no-hitter at Olympic Stadium, which opened for baseball in 1977.

11th  Boston’s Rick Miller goes 5-for-5 with a ML-record-tying 4 doubles in a 7–6 win over Toronto.

13th  At Comiskey Park, Jorge Orta hits a solo homer in the top of the 16th as the Indians down the White Sox, 4-3. Joe Charbonneau has 4 hits, including a double and triple.

14th  The largest Dodger Stadium crowd in 7 years (53,906) watches Fernando Valenzuela run his record to 8-0 with a 3–2 win over the Expos.

15th  The Indians Len Barker pitches the 9th perfect game in 20th century ML history 3–0 over the Blue Jays before just 7,290 fans on a rainy night in Cleveland. Last year’s AL strikeout leader, Barker fans 11.

16th  Houston’s Craig Reynolds ties the modern ML record with 3 triples in a 6–1 win over the Cubs. He will lead the NL with 12.

17th  Despite amassing 17 hits, including Carney Lansford’s 5-for-5, the Red Sox fall to Kansas City, 5-4.

18th  Fernando Valenzuela finally loses, 4–0, to the Phillies. His ERA “rises” to 0.90. Fernando allows just 3 hits in 7 innings, one a home run to Schmidt. Marty Bystrom is the winning pitcher.

19th  Pirates Jim Bibby throws a near no-hitter, giving up a leadoff single to the Braves Terry Harper in the first inning, then retiring the next 27 batters for a one-hit 5–0 victory.

      In a barn burner at Busch, the Cardinals spot the Astros a 7-2 lead through 4 innings, then roar back to win, 15-12. The Birds get 3 hits and 4 RBIs from their first two hitters, Garry Templeton and Tony Scott, as they amass 18 hits, 2 more than the Astros. Catcher Luis Pujols as 2 RBIs, a triple and a front-end steal of home for Houston. It is his only ML steal.

20th  At Wrigley, Reds reliever Doug Bair does it himself, hitting a 3-run homer in the 9th inning to beat the Cubs, 10–7.  The homer, off Dick Tidrow, is Bair’s only ML dinger.

21st  In what is billed as the greatest college pitching duel ever takes place in the first round of the NCAA as Yale’s Ron Darling and St. John’s Frank Viola match zeroes through 11 innings. Darling allows no hits while striking out 16. In the 12th, St. John’s Steve Scafa hits an opposite field scratch single, then steals 2B and 3B. The next batter reaches on an error and, when he tries to steal 2B, Scafa breaks for home scoring the only run. St. John’s wins, 1–0.

22nd  Coach Billy Gardner replaces the fired John Goryl as manager of the Twins. Minnesota (11-25) had lost 8 consecutive games, but shuts out Kansas City 7–0 in Gardner’s managerial debut.

      With Rick Waits on the mound in the 6th, the Yankees Bucky Dent hits into a triple play. But the Yankees win, 3–2, with the margin a 2-run HR by Dave Winfield. The win goes to Dave Righetti (1-0).

23rd  Minnesota and Kansas City go 14 innings without scoring before Willie Wilson’s RBI single in the 15th ends it, 1–0. Paul Splittorff goes 11 innings while Scott Erickson goes 9.1 innings.

24th  At Houston, Vida Blue and the Giants stop the Astros, 2-1. Art Howe has a single for Houston to extend his hitting streak to 23 consecutive games.

25th  Texas utility man Bill Stein drives in the winning run with a pinch single in the bottom of the 9th inning of a 4–3 win over Minnesota. It is Stein’s 7th consecutive pinch hit, a new AL record.

      Carl Yastrzemski plays in his 3,000th ML game, scoring the winning run in Boston’s 8–7 triumph over Cleveland. Yaz joins Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, and Hank Aaron as the only major leaguers to appear in 3,000 games.

      In the last regularly scheduled Memorial Day doubleheader this century, the Mariners sweep a pair from the Royals, winning 7–1 and 5–2. Rookie Brian Allard goes the distance to win the opener and he’s supported by Gary Gray’s third two-homer game in 10 days.

      Dave Kingman bunts in the first inning, then hits a grand slam in the 2nd as the Mets roll over the Phils, 13-3. Greg Harris posts his first ML win.

27th  Angel 3B Doug DeCinces hits a pair of home runs for the 3rd time in 6 games to lead California to a 6–5 win over the Yankees. DeCinces also homered twice against Detroit on May 23rd and against the Yankees on May 25th. He had no homers this year prior to the streak.

      With Kansas ahead 7–4 over the Mariners, Amos Otis taps a dribbler down the 3B line in the 6th inning.  Mariner 3B Lenny Randle gets down on all fours as the ball rolls along the line, finally going foul.  Royals manager Whitey Herzog protests that Randle was blowing the ball foul, while the third baseman argues he was merely pleading with it. Ump Larry McCoy rules in favor of Herzog and Otis gets a hit.  Otis doesn’t score but the Royals win, 8–5.

      At Fenway, 8 Sox players collect 2 hits apiece as the Red Sox down the Indians, 10-6. The Sox score 6 in the 4th off Bert Blyleven (6-2), who gets exasperated at the calls of home plate ump Greg Kosc and throws seven straight batting practice fastballs, resulting in 7 straight hits, before Dave Garcia lifts him. Rick Miller has a 3-run homer after tripling earlier off the big Dutchman. Jim Rice has a pair of solo homers in the 8th and 9th innings.

28th  Let’s break two. At Wrigley the Cubs Steve Henderson singles in the 4th inning against the Pirates and then is almost picked off by a throw from catcher Tony Pena.  In diving back to the bag, Henderson breaks his right hand, but stays in the game.  An inning later, he hits a two-out two-run homer to left field. But Eddie Solomon goes the distance for the 9-4 Pittsburgh win. Henderson will be out of action until August 11.

      Angels manager Jim Fregosi, who led the club to a 22-25 record, 71⁄2 games off the pace in the AL West, becomes the 3rd AL skipper to be fired this month. He is replaced by Gene Mauch.

29th  A’s manager Billy Martin flies into a rage and heaves 2 handfuls of dirt on home plate umpire Terry Cooney’s back after being ejected for arguing ball and strike calls. He will be suspended by AL president Lee MacPhail for 7 days.

      Montreal trades OF Ellis Valentine to the Mets for P Jeff Reardon, OF Dan Norman, and a player to be named. Valentine will play just 159 games for the Mets, while Reardon will blossom into one of baseball’s best relievers.

31st  Playing before their 10th consecutive home sellout, the Dodgers pound the Reds 16–4 and raise their season attendance to 1,026,725 in 22 dates. It is the earliest any team has cracked the one million attendance barrier.

      At Philadelphia, Steve Carlton runs his record to 8–0 with a 6–1 win over the Cardinals. For Carlton, it is his 10th win in a row over the Birds going back to May 1979.

JUNE

2nd  Highlighted by Jerry Martin’s grand slam, the Giants score 9 runs in the 4th against the Reds, which is enough to overcome Ron Oester’s grand slam in the 5th.  San Francisco wins, 15–7.

3rd  Royals C Jerry Grote hits a grand slam (his first home run since 1976) and goes 3-for-4 with a club-record 7 RBI to lead Kansas City to a 12–9 win over Seattle. Grote had returned from a 2-year retirement to win a spot with the Royals as a free agent during spring training.

      The Angels put on an exhibition at Exhibition Stadium, topping the Blue Jays 17-6. Hitting stars include Rick Burleson, who goes 5-for-5 and 3 RBI, Dan Ford, who drives in 4 runs, and Brian Downing with a 3-run homer. Geoff Zahn (6-6) allows 12 hits in the win.

4thThe Cubs purchase Bobby Bonds from Texas and in his first game for the Cubs, Bonds trips on a seam in the field carpet at Three Rivers Stadium and breaks a bone in his right hand. He goes on the 21-day DL. The Pirates win, 5–4, in the 10th when Lacy triples and Berra singles him in.

5th  Houston’s Nolan Ryan passes Early Wynn as baseball’s all-time walk leader, walking 2 batters in a 3–0 win over the Mets to raise his total to 1,777. Ryan also fans 10 batters while pitching a 5-hitter.

6th The Cubs score 4 runs in the 4th inning, 3 on a pinch HR from Mike Tyson, to knock rookie phenom Fernando Valenzuela out of the game. The Cubs are victorious over the Dodgers 11–5 at Wrigley.

7th  Andre Dawson’s 4th inning single is Montreal’s only hit off Bruce Berenyi as the Reds win, 2–0, at Riverfront.

      In a great pickup for St. Louis, Houston Astros trades Joaquin Andujar to the Cardinals for Tony Scott. Andujar will win two games in the 1982 WS and win 21 and 20 in 1984 and 1985 respectively.

8th  The Angels use a 6-run 8th to defeat the Indians, 10–2. Fred Lynn provides little help making all 3 outs in the inning. He leads off with a fly out and ends the scoring with a DP.

      The Seattle Mariners take Oral Roberts University righthander Mike Moore with the first pick overall in the annual amateur draft. Moore will prove a reliable ML starter, winning 161 games, the most ever by a number 1 pick. The Cubs take Wichita State’s Joe Carter with the 2nd pick while the Angels take Dick Schofield, son of a former major leaguer, with the 3rd pick. The Mets take Terry Blocker with the 4th and Toronto takes Matt Williams with the #5. San Diego selects Kevin McReynolds with #6 and use their 3rd round pick to take San Diego State outfielder Tony Gwynn. Later in the day the San Diego Clippers will select Gwynn in the 10th round of the NBA draft. The Yankees use their first round pick to take Stanford QB John Elway while the Ranger pick Yale’s Ron Darling with #9. Darling is the 4th Ivy Leaguer to be picked in the 1st round. The Braves fare worst in the draft as their #1 pick Jay Roberts will never hit above .208 in the minors, and no other picks make it to the Bigs. The Reds select high school catcher Lanell Cuver as their top pick, but do better on the 4th round, picking Paul O’Neill. The Dodgers select Sid Bream in the 2nd round and Sid Fernandez in the 3rd. The Yankees sign Fred McGriff, drafted in the 9th round. Len Dykstra goes to the Mets in the 13th round

      The Reds swap 1B Harry Spilman to Houston for Rafael Landestoy.

10th  Phillies 1B Pete Rose singles off Nolan Ryan in the first inning to tie Stan Musial as the NL’s all-time hit leader with 3,630, then strikes out in his next 3 at bats. Rose’s single is the only hit off Ryan until the 8th inning, when Philadelphia scores 5 times for a 5–4 win over Houston.

11th  The White Sox beat the Yankees 3–2, handing pitcher Doug Bird his first loss since August 16, 1978. The journeyman righthander had won 12 consecutive decisions.

      In St. Louis, the Cardinals beat Fernando Valenzuela 2–1, but the Dodgers still are a half-game in front of Cincinnati a day before the players’ strike begins.

      The Reds (35-21) win their 7th straight, topping the Mets, 2–1, in New York. For the Reds it is their 7th straight win and pulls them to a half game behind the Dodgers.

12th  At 12:30 a.m., after meeting with the owners for most of the previous day, players’ union chief Marvin Miller announces, “We have accomplished nothing. The strike is on,” thus beginning the longest labor action to date in American sports history. By the time the season resumes on August 10th, 706 games (38 percent of the ML schedule) will have been canceled.

      The New York Yankees trade Doug Bird, $400,000 and a player to be named (Mike Griffin) to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Rick Reuschel. Reuschel will go 4-4 with New York, will miss the ’82 season because of a torn rotator cuff, and sign with the Cubs in 1983.

16th  Cubs owner Bill Wrigley announces his plan to sell the team to the Tribune Company for $20.5 million.  The sale will end 65 years of the Wrigley family ownership of the team. According to newspaper reports interim GM Herman Franks, player rep Tim Blackwell and Pirates president Dan Galbreath were all taken by surprise.

23rd  Dave Koza scores Marty Barrett with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 33rd inning, giving Pawtucket a 3–2 win over Rochester and ending the longest game in professional baseball history. The game had been suspended April 19th after 32 innings and 8 hours, 7 minutes of play, but the continuation took only 18 minutes to complete. Bob Ojeda pitches one inning to earn the win. Future ML stars Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken go a combined 6-for-25.

JULY

8th  In 6-4 Salem win over Eugene (Northwest League) Salem has three stolen bases on one play with only two runners on base. (as noted by Kevin Saldana). With 2 outs in the fourth inning, James Randall on 1B starts to steal 2B with teammate Lonnie Garza on 3B. Garza heads for the plate when the throw goes to 2B. The return throw to the plate is too late to catch Garza, and Randall keeps running, beating a close play at 3B. He later scores on a passed ball.

 

31st  Fifty days after the strike began, the players and owners finally hammer out an agreement that features a complicated pooling system for free-agent compensation. Free agents will be classified according to their statistics, with teams losing “Type A” players entitled to select one player from the available compensation pool. Each team will be allowed to withhold 26 players from the pool, while a maximum of 5 clubs can agree not to sign any Type A free agents and therefore not have to contribute to the pool at all.

AUGUST

1stThe Reds begin a week-long training regimen at the University of Michigan. The team will work out on Ray Fisher Field, named after the ML pitcher, now 93, who threw for the Reds in 1919-20.

 

6th  As a result of the nearly 2-month interruption in play because of the strike the ML owners elect to split the 1981 season into 2 halves, with the first-place teams from each half in each division (or a wild-card team if the same club wins both halves) meeting in a best-of-five divisional playoff series.  The last time the major leagues played a split season was 1892. The A’s, Yankees, Phillies, and Dodgers suddenly find themselves guaranteed playoff spots as first-half champions.

      NL owners agree to the $20.5 million sale of the Cubs to the Tribune Company. In three weeks, Cubs stockholders—led by Bill Wrigley’s with 81 percent—will approve the sale.

7th  At Anaheim, the Angels beat the Reds, 3–0, in an exhibition tune-up for the season.

9th  Expos C Gary Carter hits a pair of solo home runs and Phillies 3B Mike Schmidt adds a 2-run shot in the 8th off Rollie Fingers to give the NL a 5–4 win in the All-Star Game. It is the NL’s 10th win in a row and 17th in the last 18 games.

10th  After a 2-month wait, Pete Rose finally breaks Stan Musial’s NL hit record, singling off Mark Littell in Philadelphia’s 7–3 loss to St. Louis. Rose now has 3,631 career hits. A crowd of 60,561 cheers his 8th inning hit.

      Seattle’s Julio Cruz is caught stealing by California’s Ed Ott on a pitchout, ending his consecutive stolen base streak at 32. Cruz tied the AL record set by Willie Wilson.

The Dodgers re-open the season with a 4–0 victory over the Reds.

11th  The Brewers remain undefeated in the second half, sweeping a pair from host Cleveland, 6-5 and 6-1. Cecil Cooper is 5-for-5 in game 2, including a pair of homers.

14th  Mike Schmidt hits his 300th career home run off Mike Scott as Philadelphia beats the Mets 8–4.

      Mariners OF Jeff Burroughs hits 3 home runs and drives in 6 runs in a 13–3 win over the Twins, giving Seattle a split of a doubleheader. The Twins win the opener, 6-1.

15th  At Wrigley, the Cubs push across an unearned run in the 15th and defeat the Pirates, 4-3. Omar Moreno and Tim Foli have 4 hits for the Bucs.

16th  Eddie Murray bangs a pair of homers, including a grand slam, to drive in 6 runs for the Orioles, but the Birds come up short, losing to the White Sox, 8-7, in 10 innings.

19th  Bobby Grich has 3 hits, including a homer, in the Angels 6-3 victory over the Orioles.  Grich has hit safely in 21 straight games, a streak that began on May 21st. Grich missed eight weeks of action in June, July and early August due to injury.           

     The New York Yankees trade Pat Tabler to the Cubs in exchange for two players to be named later. Next year New York will receive Bill Caudill (April 1, 1982), whom the Yankees will trade to Seattle, and Jay Howell (August 2, 1982), who ill have productive years, mostly after leaving the Yanks.

      Al Woods drives in 3 runs and Lloyd Moseby knocks in 6 as the Blue Jays whip the Royals, 9-4.

20th  At the Kingdome, Mike “The Human Rain Delay” Hargrove singles in the 14th and scores the winning run as Cleveland edges Seattle, 6-5. Hargrove totals four walks in the game.

21stAt Anaheim, the Angles trounce the Indians, 12-2, as Rod Carew has 5 hits and Dan Ford has 4. Ford has a pair of doubles and a homer to drive in 5 runs. Ken Forsch (10-5) goes 9 innings, walking 3 and striking out zero.

     In a Pioneer League game at Helena, Lethbridge’s Sid Fernandez strikes out 21 Phillies batters. El Sid wins, 6–0.

      Alexandria Dukes (Carolina League) shortstop Angel Rodriguez, 20, is suspended from organized baseball for deliberately tipping off opposing Hispanic players as to which pitches were coming.

24th  In his first ML game, Kent Hrbek homers in the 12th inning to give the Twins a 3–2 win over the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The 21-year-old 1B grew up in Bloomington, MN, less than a mile from Metropolitan Stadium, and jumped directly to his hometown club from Class-A Visalia (California League), where he was hitting .380 with 27 HRs and 112 RBI.

      The Reds top the visiting Mets, 2–0, behind Bruce Berenyi’s 2-hitter.

25th  Chicago’s Dennis Lamp loses his no-hitter when the Brewers Robin Yount leads off the 9th inning with a bloop double. Lamp settles for a one-hit 5–1 win.

      Gary Carter clubs a grand slam and drives in 6 runs as the Expos spoil the Reds visit to Montreal, winning, 9-1.

26th  Cards SS Garry Templeton is suspended indefinitely and fined $5,000 by manager-GM Whitey Herzog after making obscene gestures to the crowd following his ejection in the 3rd inning of a 9–4 win over the Giants. He will return to the lineup on September 15th, but he won’t stay a Cardinal for long.

      Ron Cey has 5 hits and Steve Garvey drives in 5 runs as the Dodgers smoke the Pirates, 16-6. Mike Scioscia has 3 doubles, 3 runs and 3 RBIs as the Dodgers maintain their lead in the NL West.

27th  Behind a combined one-hitter by Ray Burris and Jeff Reardon, Montreal rolls to a 12-0 win over the visiting Reds. Ken Griffey has the lone hit for Cincy, while Terry Francona has 2 hits and 3 RBI for the Expos.

28th  Tim Laudner becomes the 2nd Twins player in 4 days to homer in his first ML game, a 6–0 win over the Tigers. In the race for the 2nd half winner, the Tigers (11–7) now lead the Twins by 1/2 game in the AL East.

Cleveland’s John Denny  shuts out Seattle, 1–0.

29th  Phillies farmhand Jeff Stone steals his 121st base of the season for Spartanburg (South Atlantic League), breaking the all-time professional record set last season by Alan Wiggins. Stone will finish the season with 122 SBs, a record that will not last through 1982.

30th  The Chicago White Sox trade Ivan Mesa, Ronnie Perry, cash and a player to be named (Randy Johnson. No, not that one) to the Twins in exchange for veteran Jerry Koosman.

31st  Royals manager Jim Frey is fired and replaced by Dick Howser, whose Yankees lost to Frey’s Royals in last season’s AL Championship Series. Kansas City was 10-10 in the 2nd half of the season, 30-40 overall.

SEPTEMBER

2nd  The Indians John Denny stops Oakland, 2–0, for his 2nd straight shutout.

3rd  At Candlestick, Doyle Alexander gives up 2 hits to the Cubs and the Giants pound out 15 to win, 12-0. The Cubs are 4.5 games out in the NL East; the Giants are 1.5 in back in the NL West.

4th  In the conclusion of the longest game in Fenway Park history, the Mariners beat the Red Sox 8–7 in 20 innings on Joe Simpson’s run-scoring triple. The game began yesterday, on September 3rd, but was suspended after 19 innings. Seattle totals 24 hits, one more than the Sox. Jerry Remy is the hit leader going 6-for-10, while Dwight Evans walks four times for the second time this season. The regularly scheduled game goes to the Mariners, 5-2, with Julio Cruz hitting a 3-run homer.

      Mario Soto allows one hit, a single by Chris Chambliss, and the Reds shut out the visiting Braves, 3-0. The game is enlivened by a bench clearing melee after Paul Householder collides with Braves catcher Paul Owen at home plate and losing pitcher Tommy Boggs goes after Householder (who was 3-for-3 off Boggs).

5th  Milwaukee’s Jim Slaton pitches a no-hitter for 8 innings, then is knocked out of the box in the 9th without retiring a batter. Two singles and a HR cut the Brewers’ lead to 5–3, but Rollie Fingers retires the final 3 batters for his 22nd save.

6th  Despite having won the first-half pennant, Yankee manager Gene Michael is replaced by Bob Lemon, who managed the club in 1978-79. The Yankees are only 2 games above .500 in the 2nd half of the season.

      The Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela shuts out the Cardinals, 5–0, to tie a record of 7 shutouts by a NL rookie.  He shares the record with Irv “Cy the Second” Young (1905), Grover Alexander (1911), and Jerry Koosman (1968).

John Denny beats California, 2–0. It is the Indian hurler’s 3rd straight shutout.

7th  Dave Magadan is named MVP as West Tampa, FL, defeats Richmond, VA, 6–4 to win the American Legion World Series. Magadan was 11-for-24 at the plate and also pitched a complete-game win over Omaha.

8th  Houston’s Cesar Cedeno is fined $5,000 but not suspended after attacking a fan during the Astros 3–2 loss to the Braves. Witnesses said that 3 men in the box seats had been loudly berating Cedeno’s wife and making remarks about the 1973 incident in which he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the accidental shooting death of a young woman in the Dominican Republic.

      Citing his “lack of communication” with the players, the Expos fire manager Dick Williams and replace him with Jim Fanning, who has been an executive with the club since it joined the NL in 1969.

10th  At Baltimore, the Indians stop the Orioles, 4-1, behind John Denny (8-4). Denny exits in the 8th after allowing a run, his first ending a consecutive scoreless inning streak of 34.2 innings.

      The Reds send Doug Bair to the Cards for P Joe Edelen and 2B Neil Fiala.

11th  Ron Oester clips a 10th inning homer to give the Reds a 3–2 win over the visiting Dodgers.

12th  Red Sox rookie Bob Ojeda no-hits the Yankees for 8 innings at Yankee Stadium before Rick Cerone and Dave Winfield lead off the 9th with back-to-back doubles. Reliever Mark Clear preserves a 2–1 win.

      Julio Gonzalez hits a two-run walkoff homer in bottom of the 13th off veteran Mike Marshall to give the Cardinals a 4-2 victory over the Mets.  It is the second of three straight 4-2 wins for St. Louis over New York.

17th  Fernando Valenzuela sets the NL rookie record with his 8th shutout of the season, a 2–0 three-hitter versus the Braves. He ties the ML mark of Russ Ford (1910) and Reb Russell (1913).

18th The Brewers top the Orioles 5–1 to move into 1st place in the AL East by a half game.

      At Comiskey, Dwayne Murphy’s 9th-inning grand slam caps the Athletics 10-5 win over the White Sox. Murphy drives in 5. Tony Armas has a bases-loaded triple for the A’s.  The White Sox cap the season for announcer Jimmy Piersall, suspending him for the last two weeks for his on-air remark of calling baseball wives “horny broads.” Piersall will say “If my remarks offended anyone, I’m sorry.”  The Sox will fire Piersall during the 1983 season for being too critical of the team.

19thReds reliever Joe Edelen allows just one hit in 6 innings of shutout relief as the Reds down the Dodgers, 7–3.  Dodger 2B Jack Perconte ties the ML record with 12 assists.

20thTwins rookie Gary Gaetti homers in his first ML at bat, off Charlie Hough (2–1) but Texas beats the Twins, 4–3.

21st  Steve Carlton fans 12 Expos in 10 innings to break Bob Gibson’s NL strikeout record (Carlton now has 3,128), but the Phillies lose to the Expos 1–0 in 17 innings. Montreal’s Bryn Smith retires just one batter, but picks up his first ML victory.

23rd  Dennis Martinez (14-4) earns a win for Baltimore when Jim Dwyer hits a game-ending homerun off Dan Petry of Detroit in the 9th inningto break up a scoreless tie.

25th  The Phils drub the Cubs, 9–2, behind Mike Schmidt and Gary Matthews. Matthews drives in 5 runs while Schmidt adds his 11th homer in his last 12 games at Wrigley.  He has hit 33 there.

26th  Nolan Ryan no-hits the Dodgers 5–0 to become the only ML pitcher to toss 5 career no-hitters. Ryan had shared the record of 4 with Dodger great Sandy Koufax, but had not pitched a no-hitter since June 1, 1975. The 34-year-old Ryan strikes out 11 and retires the last 19 batters in a row while lowering his league-leading ERA to 1.74.

27th  In the first game of a doubleheader with Chicago, Oakland ties an AL record with 8 straight singles in the bottom of the first inning, but blows its 5–0 lead and loses 9–5. The White Sox take the nightcap, 10–3.

30th  In the last ML game at Minnesota’s Metropolitan Stadium, Kansas City clinches at least a tie for the AL West 2nd-half title with a 5–2 win over the Twins. Next season, the Twins will play in the brand-new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis.

OCTOBER

1stNeeding a win to go into first place in the NL West, the Reds lose to Nolan Ryan and the Astros, 8–1. Houston wins two out of 3 with the Reds to finish first by 1.5 games.

3rd  In Cincinnati, Bob Horner homers twice and scores the winning run on Ron Oester’s 8th-inning throwing error to give the Braves a 4–3 win over the Reds and give the Astros the 2nd-half title in the NL West. Cincinnati, which lost the first-half title to the Dodgers by one-half game, will finish with the best overall record (66-42) in the major leagues, but will not make the playoffs.

      The Mets lose 5–4 to the Expos, though New York’s Mike Cubbage hits an 8th inning home run, off Jeff Reardon.  It is Cubbage’s last ML at bat.

Bob Johnson of Texas hits a game-ending homer in the 9th off the Angel’s Angel Moreno to give Texas a 1-0 win.

      The Brewers (since 1970) and Expos (1969) clinch their first-ever post-season appearances. Milwaukee beats Detroit, 2–1, to wrap up the 2nd-half title in the AL East, while Montreal edges New York, 5–4, to win the NL East’s 2nd playoff spot.

4th  With one game remaining in the season, the Mets fire manager Joe Torre and his entire coaching staff. The team finishes 41-62.

      The Reds Mario Soto fires a one-hitter, beating the Braves, 3–0. The only Atlanta hit is a 2nd inning single by Chris Chambliss.

      Lonnie Smith singles to lead off the game for the Phils to extend his hitting streak to 23 straight games. He’s lifted and the Phils go on to edge the Cubs, 2-1.

      Jerry Hairston hits a grand slam in the 8th inning, then drives in the winning run in Chicago’s 4-run 9th inning to cap a wild 13-12 White Sox victory over the Twins. Hairston ends with 6 RBIs.  Dewey Robinson (1-0) is the winning pitcher in his final ML game.

5th  Kansas City shuts out Cleveland 9–0 in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader to clinch the 2nd-half title in the AL West. The 2nd game is canceled as irrelevant.

6th  In the National League Western Division playoff opener, Nolan Ryan pitches the Astros to a 3–1 win over LA.

      Oakland coasts past KC to a 4–0 victory behind the 4-hit complete-game shutout of Mike Norris in the opening game of the American League Western Division playoff.

7th  The Expos down Philley 3–1 in game one of the National League Eastern Division playoff.

      Ron Davis and Goose Gossage provide a 1-2 relief punch that Milwaukee cannot survive, losing to the Yankees 5–3 in the opening game of the American League Eastern Division playoff.

      Houston pitching continues to sparkle as 3 pitchers combine to shut out the Dodgers for 11 innings, resulting in a 1–0 Astro victory, and putting Houston up 2 games to none in the-best-of-5 series.

Another series of excellent pitching: the A’s Steve McCatty goes the distance in a 2–1            win over the Royals.

      Atlanta fires manager Bobby Cox. Eight days later, Cox will sign a one-year contract to manage the Toronto Blue Jays.

8th  Philley loses to the Expos by an identical 3–1 score, putting them in the hole 2 games to none.

      Dave Righetti and Davis and Gossage in relief are too much for the Brewers as they are shut out 3–0. All the Yankee scoring comes on HRs by Reggie Jackson and Lou Piniella.

9th  The Phillies bats wake up, collecting 13 hits in a 6–2 win over Montreal. Montreal chips in with 4 errors.

      Facing elimination, the Dodgers get the pitching this time and down Houston 6–1.

       Brewers, also facing elimination, beat the Yanks in the 8th inning 5–3 on Paul Molitor’s solo home run. Ted Simmons clubs a 2-run homer and Randy Lerch pitches 6 solid innings for the win.

      The A’s sweep Kansas City by winning 4–1. In the 3 games, last year’s pennant winners score only 2 runs.

10th  A pinch homer by George Vukovich in the bottom of the 10th inning gives Tug McGraw and the Phillies a 6–5 win over Montreal and ties up the series 2-2.

      Another series is tied up at 2-2 as Fernando Valenzuela wins over the Astros, 2–1.

      On a cold day in New York, Milwaukee stays alive by winning 2–1. This is the 3rd series knotted at 2-all.

11th  Steve Rogers wins the playoff for Montreal over Philadelphia by twirling a 6-hit shutout and knocking in 2 of his team’s runs in a 3–0 victory.

      After being down 2 games to none, LA shuts out Houston 4–0 behind Jerry Reuss to take the playoff.

      Yankee bats are too much for the Brewers. Three HRs, including the 2nd of the series by Jackson, and 13 hits provide a 7–3 win and a trip to the ALCS.

13th  Los Angeles takes game one of the NLCS 5–1 over Montreal.

      In the ALCS opener against Oakland, Yankee pitching once again asserts itself, as Tommy John, Ron Davis, and Goose Gossage combine to hold up Graig Nettles’s first-inning 3-run double 3–1.

      The Padres fire manager Frank Howard and his entire coaching staff. San Diego finished last in the NL West in each half of the season.

14th  In game 2 of the ALCS, Yankee Graig Nettles singles twice in a 7-run 4th inning to become the first player ever to collect 2 hits in one inning in LCS play. New York sets LCS records for runs and hits (19) in a 13–3 rout of Oakland.

      Montreal downs LA, 3–0, behind Ray Burris’s 5-hitter. Tim Raines has 3 hits.

15th  The Yankees wrap up their 33rd AL pennant with a 4–0 win over the A’s, completing a 3-game sweep of the ALCS.

      Less than a year after leading the club to its only World Championship, Phillies manager Dallas Green jumps to the Cubs to become their general manager.

16th  Montreal wins 4–1 over Los Angeles behind Steve Rogers. White’s 3-run HR is the big blow in the 4-run 5th inning.

17th  Tied 1–1 going into the 8th, Steve Garvey’s 2-run homer puts LA ahead in what will be a 7–1 victory over the Expos. The series is now tied 2–2.

19th  In game 5 of the NLCS, Rick Monday hits a solo home run with 2 out in the top of the 9th against Montreal’s Steve Rogers to give Los Angeles a 2–1 victory and a trip to the World Series. The loss, played in bitterly cold conditions in Montreal, will be known as Blue Monday.

20th  In a WS rematch of the 1978 teams, the Yankees take game one over the Dodgers 5–3.  Bob Watson’s 3-run homer in the first is the big blow as Guidry goes 7 innings for the win.  Gossage closes down a Dodger rally in the 8th.

21st  Goose Gossage gets his 2nd save in as many days as he preserves Tommy John’s win 3–0 in game 2. Bob Watson has two hits and an RBI.

      In a little-noted trade, the Cardinals and Yankees swap minor leaguers; New York receives lefty Bob Sykes, while the Cardinals get 22-year-old outfielder Willie McGee. Sykes’s arm troubles will reoccur, and he’ll last one more season in the minors, while McGee will turn into an All-star.

22nd  Dallas Green hires one of his Phillie coaches, Lee Elia, to manage the Cubs.

23rd  Despite an uncharacteristic poor performance (9 hits, 7 walks) Fernando Valenzuela goes the distance in the Dodgers’ 5–4 come-from-behind win. The deciding run scores on a double play.  Starter Dave Righetti lasts just two innings, walking 2 and allowing 5 hits, but reliever George Frazier takes the loss.  Ron Cey has a 3-run homer for LA.  Starters Valenzuela and Righetti are the first two Rookies of the Year to oppose each other in the WS since Willie Mays and Gil McDougald in 1951.

      Joe Torre signs a 3-year contract to manage the Braves.

24th  Another come-from-behind victory for LA 8–7, helped by poor Yankee fielding in the outfield, ties the Series at 2 games apiece.

25th  Back-to-back HRs by Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager off Yankee ace Ron Guidry give the Dodgers their 3rd consecutive win 2–1.

      After his club loses game 5 of the World Series, Yankee owner George Steinbrenner scuffles with 2 (he says) fans in a hotel elevator and emerges with a fat lip and a broken hand.

28th  Pedro Guerrero drives in 5 runs and the Bert Hooton and the Dodgers beat the Yankees 9–2 to win the World Series in 6 games. In a remarkable post season, the Dodgers came from behind to win 3 series (down 2–0 to Houston and 2–1 to Montreal in the best-of-5 series). Guerrero, Ron Cey, and Steve Yeager (2 home runs) are named co-MVPs, while OF Dave Winfield and relief pitcher George Frazier are the goats for New York. Winfield was just 1-for-21, while Frazier tied a WS record by losing 3 games: he lost just one in the regular season. The record was set by the White Sox Lefty Williams in 1919, but Williams, one of the 8 “Black Sox,” probably was losing on purpose.

29th  Bill Giles, the Phillies vice president for the past 11 years, heads a group of investors which purchases the club for just over $30 million, the highest price paid to date for a ML club. Giles is the son of longtime NL president Warren C. Giles.

NOVEMBER

3rd  Brewers Rollie Fingers (28 saves, 1.04 ERA) wins the AL Cy Young Award, collecting 22 of 28 possible first-place votes. The other 6 go to Oakland’s Steve McCatty.

4th  The Reds trade OF Ken Griffey to the Yankees for P Fred Toliver and minor-leaguer Brian Ryder. Griffey was about to become a free agent.

      The Phillies announce that Pat Corrales will manage the club in 1982, replacing Dallas Green, who quit to become Cubs GM.

11th  Fernando Valenzuela becomes the first rookie ever to win a Cy Young Award, edging the Reds Tom Seaver 70-67 for NL honors. He was the first rookie since Herb Score in 1955 to lead his league in strikeouts with 180.  Valenzuela also wins TSN’s silver bat award for being the top hitter at his position: he hits .250 this year and will win it again in 1983 with a .187. The only other pitcher to win a Cy Young and a silver slugger award in the same year will be Tom Glavine, in 1991 and 1998.

14th  The Indians trade 8-year veteran Duane Kuiper to the Giants for P Ed Whitson.  Kuiper hit one homer in 8 years and as a parting gift the Indians give him a plaque of the seat where the homer landed.

15th  Cubs IF Steve Macko dies of cancer at the age of 27. He did not play at all in 1981 because of the illness, but hit .250 in 25 games in 1979-80.

16th  After 11 seasons as the announcer for the White Sox. Harry Caray signs a two-year contract with WGN to broadcast the Cubs games.  Caray says that the Sox move to cable television is the reason he jumped to the North Side.

18th  Phillies 3B Mike Schmidt wins his 2nd consecutive NL MVP Award, joining Ernie Banks and Joe Morgan as the only NL players to win the award back-to-back. Schmidt hit .316 with 31 HRs and 91 RBI in the abbreviated season and also led the league in runs and walks.

      Dick Williams, fired by the Expos on September 7th, is named manager of the Padres. It is the 5th club Williams has managed since taking over the Red Sox in 1967.

25th  Rollie Fingers becomes the first relief pitcher ever to win the AL MVP Award, edging Oakland’s Rickey Henderson 319-308.

27th  The Tigers trade OF Steve Kemp to the White Sox for OF Chet Lemon.

30th  Yankees P Dave Righetti (8-4, 2.06 in 1981) wins the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

DECEMBER

2nd  Fernando Valenzuela becomes the 3rd consecutive Dodger to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award. Expos OF Tim Raines, who hit .304 with 71 stolen bases, is 2nd.

4th  Oakland signs free-agent OF-1B Joe Rudi, who hit just .180 in 49 games for the Red Sox last season, to a 2-year contract.

8th  In the first major deal of the winter meetings, the Cubs trade P Mike Krukow to the Phillies for pitchers Dickie Noles and Dan Larsen and versatile Keith Moreland.

9th  In a three-team deal, the Phillies send Lonnie Smith (and his 23-game hitting streak) to the Cardinals. The Phils receive Bo Diaz (.313 in 63 games) from the Indians, while the Cardinals send Lary Sorensen and Silvio Martinez to Cleveland Indians (November 20, 1981). The Phils send Scott Munninghoff to Cleveland.

      One day after announcing that manager Bob Lemon will return in 1982, the Yankees announce that former manager Gene Michael, whom Lemon replaced on September 6th, will return as manager for the 1983 season. They won’t wait that long.

      The Dodgers trade 1979 Rookie of the Year Rick Sutcliffe, unhappy with his exile to the Dodger bullpen, and infielder Jack Perconte to the Indians for OF Jorge Orta. Orta will hit just .217 for the Dodgers next season, while Sutcliffe will lead the AL in ERA.

      The Giants trade OF Larry Herndon to the Tigers for pitcher Dan Schatzeder and minor leaguer Mike Chris.

10th  In what would be a blockbuster swap of outstanding young shortstops, the Cardinals trade Garry Templeton and OF Sixto Lezcano to the Padres for Ozzie Smith and P Steve Mura. The deal is put on hold, however, when Smith is unable to work out an acceptable contract with his new club.

      The Royals send vet Clint Hurdle to the Reds for P Scott Brown.

11th  Veteran free-agent infielders Joe Morgan and Mark Belanger sign one-year contracts with the Giants and Dodgers, respectively.

      Seattle trades OF Tom Paciorek to the White Sox for C Jim Essian, IF Todd Cruz, and Rod Allen.

15th  Free-agent P Ron Guidry re-signs with the Yankees for a reported $3.6 million over 4 years.

18th  The Reds swap 3B Ray Knight to the Astros for OF Cesar Cedeno.

21st  Twenty-two-year-old Royals pitcher Mike Jones, who was 6-3, 3.20 in the 2nd half of 1981 and was projected to be the club’s 3rd starter next year, is listed in guarded condition after crashing his car while driving under the influence near Rochester, NY. Jones will not pitch in the majors again until 1984.

23rd  The Yankees sign free-agent OF Dave Collins for a reported $750,000 a year for at least 3 years. Collins hit .272 for the Reds in 1981 and stole 79 bases in 1979.

 

•1982

JANUARY

5th  Free-agent pitcher Frank Tanana, 4-10 for Boston last season, signs a 2-year contract with Texas.

9th  Former Red Sox OF Tony Conigliaro, in Boston to interview for a broadcasting position, suffers a massive heart attack while being driven to the airport by his brother Billy and lapses into a coma. The 37-year-old Tony C. will remain hospitalized until March 2nd.

12th  In the January draft, the Blue Jays use the #1 pick on OF Kash Beauchamp and the Cubs follow by taking C Troy Afenir. Huh! The Twins, picking 3rd, take Kirby Puckett. The Reds choose Randy Myers on the first round while the Mets select Kal Daniels on the 3rd round. The 433rd pick overall is John Cangelosi, taken by the White Sox.

13th  Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson become the 12th and 13th players elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA in their first year of eligibility. Aaron falls 9 votes shy of becoming the first-ever unanimous selection, and his 97.8 election percentage is 2nd only to Ty Cobb’s 98.2 percent in the inaugural 1936 election.

22nd  Free-agent OF Reggie Jackson ends his tumultuous 5 seasons as a Yankee by signing a reported 4-year contract with the California Angels for nearly $1 million per year.

27th  Philadelphia sends veteran SS Larry Bowa and minor league infielder Ryne Sandberg to the Cubs in exchange for SS Ivan DeJesus. Cubs manager insisted that the Phils throw in Sandberg because they were getting a shortstop seven years younger than the one they were sending to Chicago. Bowa is quoted as saying, “Never mind me. I can’t believe the Phillies gave up on Sandberg. He’ll play for the Cubs right now. A good kid, a big kid. Only thing is, he’s real quiet. We’re gonna have to get him to talk more in Chicago.”

28th  The Orioles trade 3B Doug DeCinces and minor league P Jeff Schneider to the Angels for OF Dan Ford.

29th  Wayne Garland, baseball’s first millionaire free agent, is waived by the Indians with 5 seasons remaining on his 10-year contract. Garland was 3-7 with a 5.79 ERA in 1981.

FEBRUARY

3rd  Minor league C Angel Rodriguez, who played for the Pirates’ Alexandria club (Carolina League) last season, is suspended from organized baseball for one year for telling opposing Latin American batters what pitches were coming. Rodriguez had been suspended by the Pirates last season after being caught in the act during an August 19th game against Lynchburg.

8th  The Dodgers break up the longest-playing infield unit in ML history by trading veteran 2B Davey Lopes to the A’s for minor-leaguer Lance Hudson. Lopes, 1B Steve Garvey, 3B Ron Cey, and SS Bill Russell had been the Dodgers’ starting infield since 1974.

9th  The Reds trade Paul Moskau to the Orioles for Wayne Krenchicki.

10th  The Mets agree to a new 5-year contract with slugging OF George Foster, completing a trade that sends pitchers Jim Kern and Greg Harris and C Alex Trevino to the Reds.  Foster will fizzle in New York, as will the Reds new players.

11th  The Ozzie Smith for Garry Templeton deal finally goes through, more than 2 months after it was first announced. Smith’s new salary with the Cardinals will be determined by an outside arbitrator.

16th  Bake McBride becomes the 3rd starter from the Phillies’ 1980 World Championship squad to be traded or sold since Bill Giles bought the club last October. The Indians get him in exchange for pitcher Sid Monge.

MARCH

5th  Needing just 3 wins to reach 300 for his career, Gaylord Perry signs a one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners.

10th  Travis Jackson and Happy Chandler are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Jackson hit .291 in 15 seasons as the New York Giants SS in the 1920s and 30s, while Chandler was baseball’s 2nd commissioner and oversaw—and encouraged—the dismantling of the color barrier in 1947.

      The Pirates sell P Mark Lee to Detroit.

24th  Fernando Valenzuela ends his holdout and reports to the Dodgers’ spring training camp in Vero Beach, Florida. After earning just $42,500 while winning the NL Cy Young and Rookie of the Year Awards last season, the 21-year-old lefthander had asked for a raise to $1 million in 1982. The Dodgers unilaterally renewed his contract for a reported $350,000 instead.

30th  The Giants trade pitchers Vida Blue and Bob Tufts to the Royals for pitchers Renie Martin, Craig Chamberlain, and Atlee Hammaker.

      The Dodgers trade OF Rudy Law to the White Sox for minor leaguers Cecil Espy and Bert Geiger.

      The Yankees trade P Andy McGaffigan and OF Ted Wilborn to the San Francisco Giants for P Doyle Alexander. Alexander was in a salary dispute with the Giants and had not reported to training camp. It is the pitcher’s 2nd tour of duty with the Yanks; he’ll go 1–7 this year and 0-2 next year before being released on May 16.

31st  The Expos trade 3B-OF Larry Parrish and minor league 1B Dave Hostetler to the Rangers for veteran OF-1B Al Oliver. Hostetler will play for the Rangers at 1B as well as DH, where he becomes the first DH with the initials DH.

APRIL

1st  The Mets ship popular OF Lee Mazzilli to the Rangers for minor league pitchers Ron Darling and Walt Terrell.

      Surely you jest. The Cards trade P Bob Shirley to the Reds for minor league pitchers Jose Brito and Jeff Lahti. Brito won’t make it but Lahti will have more than a cup of latte, going 17–11 in 5 years. After a season in Cincy, Shirley will go to the Yankees.

      The Yankees trade Gene Nelson and Bill Caudill and a future player (Bobby Brown) to the Seattle Mariners for Shane Rawley.

2nd  In an exhibition game against the Padres, A’s pitcher Steve McCatty steps to the plate wielding a 15-inch toy bat on the instructions of manager Billy Martin, who was upset that his club was not allowed to use a DH in spring training games at NL parks. Home plate umpire Jim Quick refuses to let McCatty use the bat, and McCatty takes 3 called strikes.

5th  After astronauts Joe Engle and Richard Truly toss out the first ball at Riverfront Stadium, the Reds open with a 3–2 loss to the Cubs, called after 8 innings on account of rain. Keith Moreland has a homer and 2 ribbies for Chicago.

      The Orioles belt 4 homers, including an Eddie Murray grand slam and a 3-run homer by Dan Ford, to club the Royals, 13-5. Sammy Stewart, with 5 innings of relief, is the winner. Frank White has a homer and 4 RBIs for KC.

6th  The largest crowd ever to see a baseball game in Minnesota—52,279—turns out for the inaugural game at the brand-new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Twins rookie 3B Gary Gaetti goes 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs, and is thrown out trying to stretch a triple into a 3rd round tripper. But Seattle wins, 11–7.

      In New York, a foot of snow cancels the Yankees opener with the Rangers at the Stadium.  Tomorrow’s game with Texas and the first two with the White Sox will also be canceled because of snow and ice.  With 2 games snowed out in Chicago, the Red Sox will return tomorrow to Winter Haven, FL.

      At the Astrodome, the Cardinals batter Nolan Ryan for 6 runs in 3 innings en route to a 14-3 pasting of the Astros.  Ryan strikes out 5 while Ken Forsch fans just one in his 8 innings. Lonnie Smith debuts with 3 runs scored for the Birds and he will lead the league inn runs scored with 120. Smith, who ended last year with a 23-game hitting streak, will hit in 5 straight for St. Louis. Forty-three-year-old Jim Kaat pitches one inning for the Cardinals setting a new ML record for pitchers by playing in his 24th consecutive season.

      The Reds sell P Mike LaCoss, 4–7 in 1981, to the Astros.

8th  At Oakland, the Angels score 4 runs in the top of the 16th, one on Doug DeCinces 2nd homer of the game, to take an 8-4 lead over the A’s. But the A’s respond with two runs to lose, 8-6. The 6 runs in the frame is 2 short of the AL record, but tops any NL team.

9th  Former White Sox pitcher Francisco Barrios, 28, dies of heart attack in his native Mexico. Barrios was 14-7 for Chicago in 1977, but had recurring shoulder trouble, as well as drug and alcohol problems.

      Amos Otis belts a grand slam in the bottom of the 1st, off Jack Morris, and Kansas City beats the Tigers, 4-2. Larry Gura wins his first of the year.

10th  The Yankees trade relief pitcher Ron Davis and minor leaguers Paul Boris and Greg Gagne to the Twins for veteran IF Roy Smalley. Gagne hit .270 and .297 the past two seasons at Greensboro.

      Three games into the season, Whitey Herzog resigns as Cardinals GM to concentrate on managing the team. He is the last man to hold both jobs at the same time.  His Cardinals lose to the Pirates, 11-7. Lonnie Smith has a grand slam off starter Rick Rhoden for the Birds, but the Bucs come back to win. Rhoden has one of two homers for Pittsburgh.

11th  At Yankee Stadium, the Yankees finally open with a 7–6 loss to Chicago in 12 innings, then drop a 2–0 nightcap. The grounds crew is feted because of their efforts in getting the snow-covered field ready, and crew chief Esposito tosses out the first ball.  Jerry Koosman and Ron Guidry are the starters but Koosman gives up 6 runs in 5 2/3 innings and Guidry 4 runs in 4 innings to earn showers. Gossage, the last of 4 pitchers, gives up a leadoff triple to Bill Almon in the 12th and Ron LeFlore drives him home with one of his 3 hits on the day.  Kevin Hickey wins with an inning of relief.

      In Toronto, The Brewers drop 7 runs on the Blue Jays in the 1^stinning as they roll to a 14-5 victory. Charlie Moore and Cecil Cooper each have 4 hits and Ben Oglivie collects 4 RBIs.  Cooper now has 11 hits in his first 3 games to tie a ML record set by Ira Flagstead in 1926.

14th  In the longest game ever played at Anaheim Stadium, the Angels beat Seattle 4–3 on Bob Boone’s RBI single in the bottom of the 20th inning. The game began yesterday, but was suspended after 17 innings.  In the 20 innings, Angels SS Rick Burleson accounts for ML-record 15 assists. In the scheduled contest, California wins again, 2–1 in 10 innings.

15th  The Phils double the Mets, 8–4, in 13 innings. Aguayo’s 2-out 3-run HR, off Charlie Puleo, in  the 13th makes it easy for Warren Brusstar.

16th  At Detroit, the Yankees Roy Smalley makes the first and last outs—all 3 outs—in the 3rd inning as the Yankees score 5 times. Smalley strikes out to start the frame, and ends it by lining into a DP. Ron Guidry coasts to his first win of the year, 10–2.

      Keep it in dry dock. In their home opener, the Mariners unveil their new bullpen cart, the Tugboat. It springs a leak when pitcher Bill Caudill steals the keys during pregame festivities, leaving the Tugboat stranded on the left-field line and delaying the start of the game. Floyd Bannister needs no bullpen help as he keelhauls the Oakland A’s, 5-0, After a week of the Seattle relievers refusing to ride in the Tugboat, it is quietly mothballed

17th  Lured by a cap night promotion, a stadium-record 61,640 fans pack Anaheim Stadium and see Brian Downing homer twice to lead the Angels to a 6–2 win over the Twins. In the 6th inning, SS Rick Burleson tears his rotator cuff making a throw to 1B and will be lost for the season.

18th The White Sox top Baltimore to go 8–0 for the season, the team’s best start ever. Rookie Salome Barojas picks up his 5th save in as many appearances.

20th  By defeating the Reds, 4–2 for its 12th victory in a row, The Braves tie the modern ML record for consecutive wins at the start of a season. Steve Bedrosian pitches 41⁄3innings of relief to earn his first ML win.

21stThe Braves score 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th to beat Cincinnati, 4–3, for their record-breaking 13th win since the start of the year.

22nd  After opening the season with 13 straight wins the Braves finally lose, 2–1, to the Reds. Bruce Berenyi is the winner over Bob Walk.

23rd  The Yankees trade 1B Bob Watson to Atlanta for minor leaguer P Bob Patterson. Watson was given the choice of Philadelphia, LA, or Atlanta. In 2 weeks the Yankees will trade their other first baseman, Dave Revering, who hit .465 in spring training.

24th  The Cardinals win their 12th game in a row 7–4 over the Phillies. St. Louis will finally lose tomorrow 8–4 to Philadelphia, as Steve Carlton wins his first game of the season after 4 straight defeats.

      At Toronto, Jesse Barfield hits the first pinch grand slam in Blue Jay history, connecting in the 8th inning off Boston’s Tom Burgmeier. But Yastrzemski’s 3-run HR in the 5th off Dave Stieb helps to power the Red Sox to an 8–7 win.

25th  Just 14 games into the season, George Steinbrenner fires manager Bob Lemon and replaces him with Gene Michael, the man Lemon had replaced last September.

      Down 3-1, the Giants score 5 in the 8th to defeat the Dodgers, 6-3. Jeffrey Leonard has a grand slam for SF.

27th  Todd Cruz, the Mariners’ number-9 hitter, hits an 11th-inning home run for the 2nd straight game, helping Seattle to a 7–4 win over Cleveland. On April 25th, Cruz’s solo home run in the bottom of the 11th capped a 4-for-4 day and gave the Mariners a 5–4 win over the Twins.

      The White Sox stake LaMarr Hoyt (4-0) to a 9-0 lead in the first two innings and roll to an 11-2 thrashing of the Royals. Ron LeFlore has a grand slam in the Sox’ 7-run 2nd.

      Jason Thompson belts a pair of homer and Tony Pena adds a grand slam as the Pirates beat the host Braves, 10-4.

28th  At Wrigley, the Cubs Dickie Noles pitches his first career complete game, a 6–0 one-hitter over Tom Seaver (0-3)and the Reds. The only hit off Noles is Eddie Milner’s single leading off the 4th inning.

      Bob Bailor’s sacrifice fly in the top of the 15th inning scores Mookie Wilson with the winning run as the Mets beat the Padres 5–4, ending San Diego’s winning streak at 11 games. It is the 3rd winning streak of 10 or more games in the NL this year.

      Pete Rose goes 5-for-5 to tie Max Carey for the NL record with 9 career 5-hit games, as Philadelphia scores 6 times in the top of the 9th to beat Los Angeles 9–3.

30th  Brian Fisher of Durham strikes out 20 Salem batters, including the first 9 in a row, tying 2 Carolina League records. Durham wins, 5–3.

MAY

1stRoy Smalley belts a grand slam in the Yankees 5-run 8th as they trip the visiting Mariners, 5-1.  George Frazier, in relief of Mike Morgan, is the winner.

      Dan Driessen hits a triple and grand slam, both of reliever Jim Kaat, as the Reds whip the Cardinals, 10-1. Mario Soto goes the distance to win his first of the year.

2nd The Brewers down the Twins 11–4 on two 3-run shots by Ted Simmons, one from each side of the plate.

3rd  Mike Flanagan faces just 27 batters in beating the Mariners, 6–0. The Orioles ace gives up 3 hits and a walk, but 2 double plays, a pickoff and a steal attempt clean the bases.

4th  Twins rookie OF Jim Eisenreich, who suffers from a nervous disorder known as Tourette’s Syndrome, is forced to remove himself from a 5–3 loss to the Red Sox when he is taunted mercilessly by bleacher fans and his violent twitching becomes uncontrollable. Eisenreich, who was hitting .310 after making the jump from A ball to the major leagues, will be hospitalized on May 9th and will make several unsuccessful comeback attempts before retiring in 1984. He will ultimately return to the majors with the Royals in 1987.

      Omar Moreno has 4 hits a 2 steals and Mike Easler hits a grand slam in the Pirates’ 8-4 in over the Braves.

5th  Cincinnati ties the modern ML record with 4 sacrifice flies in an 8–7 loss to Houston.

      The Yankees and Toronto swap first baseman, with New York getting John Mayberry and the Jays taking Dave Revering. Toronto also receives 2 minor leaguers.

6th  At the Kingdome, Gaylord Perry (3-2) becomes the 15th pitcher to win 300 career games, beating the Yankees 7–3. The Ancient Mariner gives up 9 hits and 6 walks in beating Doyle Alexander, and he is the first pitcher to reach the 300-win plateau since Early Wynn in 1963. Perry allegedly wears a different uniform each inning in order to sell them as memorabilia, and after the game reveals that he is wearing a tee shirt that reads “Winning 300 Games is Nothing to spit at.”  The Yanks and Alexander lose more than the game: after giving up 5 runs in the 3rd, Alexander enters the dugout and punches the wall, breaking a knuckle and sidelining himself for 2 months.

7th  Keith Moreland has 2 HRs and 7 RBI to power the Cubs to a 12–6 win over the Phils.

8th  After driving in 4 runs yesterday, Dusty Baker knocks in 5 today as the Dodgers beat the Expos, 10-8. Dusty is 5-for-6 with two homers. Steve Garvey homers for the second day in a row.

10th  At The Metrodome, Jim Rice and Rich Gedman homer to pace the Red Sox to a 9-5 win over the Twins. Gary Ward has a grand slam for Minnesota.

      Gary Roenicke hits a grand slam, one of two homers for the Orioles, but they fall short, losing in 10 innings to the A’s, 7-6.

11th  The Twins trade ace reliever Doug Corbett and 2B Rob Wilfong to California for minor leaguers Tom Brunansky and Mike Walters and cash.

12th  In their 2nd major trade in as many days, the Twins deal C Butch Wynegar and P Roger Erickson to the Yankees for IF Larry Milbourne, minor leaguers John Pacella and Pete Filson, and cash. The Twins’ frugal owner, Calvin Griffith, is roundly criticized for the deals, in which he appears to be unloading high-salaried veterans at the expense of a winning ball club.

      Brewers Paul Molitor hits 3 solo home runs, but Milwaukee loses 9–7 to Kansas City.

14th  Kent Hrbek of the Twins goes 0-for-5 in an 11-inning 4–2 loss to the Tigers, ending his hitting streak at 23. The game is marred by a bench-clearing brawl in which Tigers P Dave Rozema tears knee ligaments when he tries a karate kick on John Castino sidelining him for the rest of the season. Rozema is 3-0 with a 1.63 ERA.

      With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th, Pittsburgh’s Lee Lacy greets Reds reliever Tom Hume with a grand slam home run. But in the celebration. Lacy passes teammate Omar Moreno between 1B and 2B. Lacy gets only a single and three ribbies, but the Bucs pull out a victory, 8–7.

15th  Pirate pitcher Rick Rhoden makes his 12–9 win over the Reds a little easier when he doubles and homers in the Bucs’ 9-run 3rd inning. While it has been accomplished 16 times in the NL, Rhoden is the first pitcher to do so. Johnny Ray drives in 5 runs in the big inning. The Reds make it close with 8 runs in the 8th and 9th.

16th  In Detroit, eight different players hit homeruns as the Tigers edge the Twins, 7-6.  Alan Trammell has a grand slam for the Tigers. The eight different players hitting homers is one short of the ML mark.

18th  Tigers Larry Herndon hits 3 home runs in an 11–9 win over Oakland, and in the process becomes the 14th player in ML history to hit home runs in 4 consecutive plate appearances. On May 16th, he homered in his final at bat to give Detroit a 7–6 win over Minnesota. Jeff Burroughs hits a pinch grand slam for Oakland as the two teams combine for 8 dingers.

      In Chicago, the White Sox top Texas 10–2 behind Lamar Hoyt’s 13th straight win stretching back to 1981.  Hoyt’s record at Comiskey Park is now 15–0.

22nd At County Stadium, the Mariners do all their scoring in the 3rd as they beat the Brewers, 7-1. Jim Maler hits a grand slam for the M’s, who get a 4-hit complete game from Gene Nelson.

      In Houston, John Stearns has two singles, a double triple and scores the winning run in the 12th after walking and stealing 2B and being driven in. The Mets beat Houston, 6-5.  Nolan Ryan gets no-decision after striking out 10 in 8 innings, and Terry Puhl adds a grand slam for the Astros.

24th Pittsburgh tops the Dodgers 9–3. Jay Johnstone breaks an 0–21 streak by lining a pinch double for LA, but when he returns to the dugout manager Tommy Lasorda tells him he’s been released. He’ll sign with the Cubs but return to LA in 1985.

      Lamar Hoyt picks up his 14th straight win and runs his 1982 record to 9–0 by beating the Royals 3–1 in Chicago. Kansas City pushes across a run in the 9^th. Hoyt is now 16-0 at home, setting the modern era record.

25th  Ferguson Jenkins of the Cubs fans Garry Templeton in the 3rd inning of a 2–1 loss to the Padres to become the 7th pitcher in ML history to record 3,000 career strikeouts.

      Jim Palmer (2-2) wins his 250th career game for Baltimore, 10–3 over the Rangers. Gary Roenicke has a pair of HRs and John Lowenstein adds one.

26th  Montreal’s Charlie Lea and Houston’s Don Sutton each throw 9 shutout innings but the Expos win in the 10th when Tim Wallach cracks a pinch 3-run homer in the 4-0 win. Wallach will collect 11 of his season’s RBIs in extra innings, the first player since 1952 to collect 10 or more in extra frames.

28thThe Brewers get 3 consecutive HRs—by Cecil Cooper, Don Money, and Gorman Thomas—in the 6th, but they fall short, losing 6–5 to California.

29th  The Indians beat the White Sox 5–2, handing pitcher LaMarr Hoyt his first loss of the season. Hoyt had started the season 9-0 and had won 14 consecutive decisions since last August 27th.

      At Minnesota, the Yanks put runners on 1B (Graig Nettles) and 2B (Bobby Murcer) with no outs. When Roy Smalley strikes out on a wide 3-2 pitch from Terry Felton, Murcer attempts to steal 3B. But Sal Butera’s throw beats him so badly he retreats to 2B only to find Nettles there. Gaetti tags Murcer who is standing safely alone on the base, and then throws to Hrbek to catch Nettles heading back to 1B. Murcer then tries for 3B and Hrbek’s throw to Felton covering completes the triple play. Alas, Felton, 0–8 coming into the game gets a no-decision, and will lose another 5 to finish his career with an 0–16 record.

      Jack Clark hits a grand slam and 2-run homer to lead the Giants to a 9-5 victory over the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium. Don Robinson takes his first loss of the year allowing all the runs. However, he does go 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs and will finish the year with a .282 batting average.

30th  Toronto’s Jim Gott beats Jim Palmer and the Orioles, 6–0. Cal Ripken starts his streak of 8243 consecutive innings played which will end in 1987.

      At Oakland, the A’s and Tigers divide a doubleheader, with Detroit taking the opener, 5-2, behind Jack Morris.  The A’s come back with a 10-3 victory in game 2 as Rickey Henderson has 3 hits, 3 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.

31st  The Phils outbrawl the Reds to win 5–4 in 13 innings. Mario Soto holds the Phils to one hit, while hitting two himself—Bob Dernier and Mike Schmidt—on successive pitches in the 6th. In the 7th, Ron Reed plunks Soto, who starts for the mound with his bat. He is restrained, but Dave Concepcion steps in landing punches to Reed. All three are tossed and Reds reliever Joe Price allows no hits in the 7th and 8th but is pounded for 4 runs in the 9th.  The Phils plate a run off Bob Shirley in the 13th to win.

      The Orioles edge the Rangers, 8-7, as Texas scores 4 runs in the top of the 9th. Rookie Cal Ripken steals his first base, swiping home on the front end of a double steal with Len Sakata.  Ripken will register 36 steals in his career and get caught 39 times.

JUNE

1st  Rickey Henderson steals 2 bases in a 3–2 win over the Red Sox to give him 51 steals in 51 games, the fastest anyone has ever reached 50 SBs in a season.

      The Brewers win 2–1 over the Mariners to leave them with a 33–24 record and tied for 5th place. The Brewers will win 20 out of 26 games in June and be tied for 1st on July 2.

2nd  San Diego’s Juan Eichelberger one-hits the Cubs 3–1, allowing only a questionable 2nd-inning single to Scot Thompson. Thompson’s ground ball skips off the glove of 2B Tim Flannery and is ruled a hit.

      Milwaukee fires manager Buck Rodgers and replaces him with batting coach Harvey Kuenn.

3rd A minor-league attendance mark of 65,666 is set at Denver’s Mile High Stadium as the Omaha Royals top the Bears 7–4.

4th  At Minnesota, Brad Havens and Terry Felton combine to shut out Baltimore 6–0, snapping the Twins’ club-record 14-game losing streak. The last-place Twins were 3-26 in the month of May. From May 19 to June 2, the Twins lost 2 to Baltimore, and 6 each to Cleveland and NY.

5th  The Brew Crew connect for 3 consecutive homers—by Yount, Cecil Cooper, and Ben Oglivie—in the 7th as Milwaukee pounds Oakland, 11–3. Ted Simmons and Gorman Thomas also homer to back Bob McClure’s 3rd victory.  It is the 2nd time in a week that Milwaukee sluggers have hit 3 consecutive homers.

7th  Steve Garvey plays in his 1,000th consecutive game and goes 0-for-4 in a 4–3 loss to the Braves. Garvey’s streak is the 5th longest in ML history.

      The O’s Jim Palmer tops the Brewers, 7–2, giving up 5 hits, to even his record at 3–3.  Palmer will win his next 9 games.

      Consecutive  HRs by Minnesota’s  Ron Washington, Tom Brunansky (off Creel), and Kent Hrbek (off Quisenberry) in the 8th help the Twins tie, but Kansas City wins in 10 innings, 5–4.

      The Cubs select SS Shawon Dunston, who batted .790 this season for Brooklyn’s Thomas Jefferson HS, with the first pick in the annual June free-agent draft. The Blue Jays then squander the 2nd pick on SS Augie Schmidt; he’ll be the first Gold Spike winner in 21 years not to make the majors. The Twins, picking 4th overall, take lefty Brian Oeklers, who will be the first to reach the majors. Dwight Gooden is the 5th overall, taken by the Mets, one of 12 Mets draft picks who will make the Bigs. The Red Sox with 3 first round picks, use their first on Sam Horn and their last 1st round choice on FSU slugger Jeff Ledbetter, who hit an NCAA record 42 HRs: at least Horn will make the majors. The Brewers take Dale Sveum on the 1st round. The Yankees select high school SS Bo Jackson in the 2nd round, but he opts for Auburn instead. The Angels also go for a 2-sport star, taking U of Vermont’s Kirk McCaskill, the first college player taken in last year’s NHL draft. The A’s pick Jose Canseco in the 15th round and sign him for $15,000; the Royals mine gold on the 19th round by taking Bret Saberhagen. The Reds strike out in the first round when they select Illini high schooler Scott Jones, but fare better with 9th rounder Tom Browning. The Rangers take 139-pound HS SS Kenny Rogers in the 39th round.

      Facing Wichita State, with a NCAA record 333 stolen bases on the season, Miami pulls off the “grand illusion,” which makes every sports show in the country. Down 4-3 in the 6th, the Shockers put Phil Stephenson, holder of the NCAA mark 87 steals this year, on 1B. After throwing over to 1B once, Miami P Mike Kasprzak takes his foot off the rubber, and seemingly fires again to 1B. Stephenson dives back again, and 1B Steve Lusby leaps over him for the apparent errant throw. The 2B and RF chase after the ball. Bullpen pitchers get out of the way of the ball. As Stephenson takes off for 2B, Kasprzak tosses the ball to SS Bill Wrona for the easy tag.  In the championship game a few days later, a spooked Shocker team will steal just one base in a 9–3 loss to Miami.

8th  Dodgers farmhand Sid Fernandez pitches his 2nd no-hitter of the season for Vero Beach (Florida State League), beating Ft. Lauderdale 1–0, while striking out 16. El Sid earns a promotion to Triple-A Albuquerque of the Pacific Coast League. Earlier this season the hefty Hawaiian hurler no-hit Winter Haven on April 24th, whiffing 16, and fanned 21 Lakeland batters on May 14th.

9th  Steve Carlton strikes out 16 while handing the Cubs their 10th consecutive loss, 4–2. Carlton is now 7–6 after a 0–4 start. 

10th  The Expos ship pitcher Bob James to the Tigers for future considerations and next year Detroit will off either Juan Berenguer or James to Montreal: the Expos will take James.

11th  Jerry Reuss pitches his 2nd one-hitter of the season, allowing a leadoff double to the Reds Eddie Milner in the first inning, then retiring the next 27 batters for an 11–1 victory. It is the 2nd time in his career that Reuss has missed a perfect game by one batter.

12th  A’s RF Tony Armas sets a pair of ML records for the position with 11 putouts and 12 total chances in an 8–1 win over the Blue Jays. Harry “Silk Stocking” Schafer’s record of 11 total chances had stood since 1877, and matched 4 times, most recently by Bake McBride, in 1978. Armas has a single and a triple, including the game winner for Rick Langford.

13th  In Canada, the A’s trip the Blue Jays, 7-5, as Rickey Henderson has 4 of the A’s 7 stolen bases. He stole 4 two weeks ago.

14th  Despite making 6 errors, the Cubs beat the Phillies 12–11 to snap a 13-game losing streak which tied the club record set in 1944.

The Yankees Ron Guidry stops the Red Sox to run his record to 8–1. For the rest of the season, however, Guidry will be just 6–7 with a 4.47 ERA.

15th In a convoluted three-way deal, the Pirates send vet Bill Robinson to the Phils, while the Phils send promising OF Dick Davis to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays send Wayne Nordhagen to the Bucs. Nordhagen plays one game for Pittsburgh, going 2-for-4, and then goes down with a stiff back. Claiming a pre-existent injury, the Pirates complain to Toronto, and on June 25 the Jays agree to take Nordhagen back, sending Dick Davis to the Pirates. Alas, Davis, who plays in 9 road games with the Jays, will hit .182 for the Bucs.

16th  Twins rookie Frank Viola allows one run in 7 innings to record his first ML win, 5–2, over the Royals.

      Scot Thompson breaks his collarbone crashing into the wall to rob Luis Aguayo of a possible double with two men on. Ryne Sandberg then knocks in a run with a single in the bottom of the 11th to give the Cubs a 7-6 win. Chicago complete a 3-game sweep of the Phils at Wrigley.

      Cesar Cedeno drives in 6 runs with 2 homers and a triple to pace the Reds to a 7–3 win over the visiting Giants.

18th  Cleveland’s Toby Harrah goes 4-for-5 in a 10–3 win over the Red Sox to raise his ML-leading average to a sizzling .387. He will finish the season at .304.

Reggie Jackson collects his 2,000th career hit, a solo home run off Dennis Lamp in California’s 7–2 win over the White Sox.

      Mike Krukow pitches the Phils to an 8-3 victory over the Pirates. Gary Matthews helps with 4 hits and 2 steals and Gary Maddox has 3 hits and 3 RBIs. Krukow’s batterymate Bo Diaz steals home on the front end of a twin steal.

19th  In Atlanta, the Giants whip the Braves, 9-4, scoring 6 runs in the 9th.  The big blow is a grand slam by Chili Davis with 2 out.

20th  Phillies Pete Rose plays in his 3,000th ML game (a 3–1 loss to the Pirates), joining Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Hank Aaron, and Carl Yastrzemski as the only players to reach that plateau.

      Milwaukee’s Ben Oglivie smacks 3 home runs in a 7–5 win over Detroit. It is the second 3-homer game of his career.

22nd  Pete Rose doubles off John Stuper in the 3rd inning of a 3–2 loss to the Cardinals for his 3,772nd career hit, moving him past Hank Aaron into 2nd place on baseball’s all-time list.

      Rangers Rick Honeycutt shuts out California 4–0, snapping Rod Carew’s 25-game hitting streak in the process. The streak was the longest of Carew’s career and the longest in Angels history.

      Red Sox rookie Wade Boggs hits his first ML home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give Boston a 5–4 win over Detroit. Boggs will finally crack the starting lineup for good after tomorrow’s game, in which regular 3B Carney Lansford severely sprains his ankle while unsuccessfully trying to stretch a triple into an inside-the-park home run. Boggs hits .390 in Lansford’s absence and .349 for the season.

23rd  After going scoreless for 8 innings against Dennis Lamp, the Twins erupt for 6 runs in the 9th to win, 6-3 over the White Sox. Tim Laudner’s 3-run homer is the big blow.

26th  Despite managing just one hit in each game, the Appleton Foxes (Midwest League) sweep a doubleheader from the Wisconsin Rapids 2–1 and 1–0.

27th  The Braves tie the ML record with 7 double plays in a 2–0, 14-inning win over Cincinnati. Mario Soto pitches 10 shutout innings for the Reds but gets no decision. The loss starts the Reds on a streak where they’ll lose 20 out of 23 games.

29th  At Veterans Stadium, the Cardinals paste the Phillies, 15-3.  George Hendricks has a grand slam and drives in 7 runs, while Keith Hernandez adds a 3-run homer. St. Louis now leads the Phils by a game in the NL East.

30th  The Dodgers split a pair with the Padres, winning the opener, 5-1, as Dusty Baker clubs a grand slam. San Diego takes game 2 by a 6-4 decision.

JULY

2nd  Boston’s Tony Perez singles off Milwaukee’s Bob McClure (7-2) for his 2,500th career hit, but that’s a lone bright spot as the Brewers clobber the Red Sox, 14–5. Gorman Thomas has a pair of homers as 6 are hit.

3rd  A County Stadium-record crowd of 55,716 watches the Brewers shut out the Red Sox 7–0 to move into a first-place tie with Boston in the AL East.

5thPittsburgh’s first two hitters, Omar Moreno and Johnny Ray, hit homers off Houston’s Joe Niekro. Niekro settles down and wins, 6–4.

      Baltimore’s Scott McGregor beats the Angels, 8–5 for his 11th straight win over the Haloes. He tires in the 9th and exits after giving up homers to Reggie Jackson and Fred Lynn, as California scores 4 times.

7th  Harold Baines belts 3 home runs, including a grand slam, to lead the White Sox to a 7–0 win over Detroit.

      Houston’s Don Sutton wins his 250th career game, a 5–1 four-hitter against the Cubs.

The Reds rally scoring 5 runs in the top of the 9th to beat the Pirates, 6–3.  Wayne Krenchicki’s pinch three-run homer off Kent Tekulve is the tie-breaker in the frame.

8th  Billy Martin records his 1,000th career win as a manager as the A’s beat the Yankees 6–3.

      For the 2nd day in a row, the Reds enter the 9th trailing the Pirates. Today, they turn a 4–2 deficit into an 8–4 lead, scoring 6 in the top of the 9th. The Pirates answer with a 2-run homer by Willie Stargell and a 3-run double by Jason Thompson off Joe Price, and win, 9–8.

10th  The Rangers Larry Parrish hits his 3rd grand slam of the week in a 6–5 win over the Tigers, tying the ML record set by Detroit’s Jim Northrup in 1968. Parrish also hit grand slams July 4th against Oakland and July 7th against Boston.

11thAs noted by Floyd Connor and John Snyder, the Cincinnati Enquirerfeatures a contest in which readers are asked to pick the date and time that the last place Reds will be eliminated from the NL West race.  The winner gets two tickets to the last game of the year, while the runner-up gets 4 tickets to the same game.

13th  Reds SS Dave Concepcion hits a 2-run home run in the 2nd inning to spark the NL to its 11th consecutive win in the All-Star Game 4–1. The NL has now won 19 of the last 20 contests.

15th  Detroit collects 9 hits and drops 11 runs on the Twins in the first inning en route to an 18–2 smackdown of the Twins. Dan Petry is the winning pitcher. Brookens and Trammell hit back-to-back HRs off reliever John Pacella.

17th The Brewers rally for 5 runs to top the White Sox 5–2.  Pete Ladd picks up his 1st ML win.

19th  The Twins overcome 2 homers by Robin Yount to beat the Brewers, 6–4. Tom Brunansky hits his 2nd inside-the-park homer of the year (May 28 was the other), but this one is a grand slam off Jerry Augustine. The IP slam is a first in Twins history.

      In the first annual Cracker Jack Oldtimers Classic at Washington’s Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, 75-year-old Luke Appling hits a 250-foot homer off Warren Spahn to help the AL to a 7–2 win over the NL in a 5-inning battle of retired baseball stars.

20thIn the 3rd inning of a 3–1 loss to the Pirates at Riverfront Stadium, a 21-year-old woman jumps from the red seats landing 35 feet below. Her death is ruled a suicide.

      Glenn Hubbard hits a 3-run homer in the Braves 5-run 1st inning, but the Cards see it and raise it one as Willie McGhee hits a grand slam and the Birds plate 6 in the bottom of the 1st.  But that is it as the Cards lose, 8-6.

21st  Mired in last place in the NL West, 24 games below .500, the Reds fire manager John McNamara and replace him with 3B coach Russ Nixon.

25th  Steve Carlton pitches his 50th career shutout, a 1–0 five-hitter against the Dodgers and Jerry Reuss.

27th Against California, Oakland’s Rickey Henderson steals his 95th base but gets caught stealing 3 times in an 8–7, 13 inning California win. Not since 1916, has an American Leaguer been thrown out 3 times in a game. Rickey will be thrown out 42 times this year, breaking the mark of 38 caught steals set by Ty Cobb in 1915. Bob Boone, who is behind the plate, homers for the Angels. Reggie Jackson and Brian Downing homer and Jax adds 2 doubles.

28th  Atlanta’s Phil Niekro (10-3) posts his 250th career win 8–6 over the Padres. The 43-year-old knuckleballer will finish the season 17-4, leading the major leagues in winning percentage.

      After a 3–2 loss to the Brewers, Rangers manager Don Zimmer is fired and replaced by Darrell Johnson. During the 1976 season, Zimmer had replaced Johnson as manager of the Boston Red Sox.

30th  I’ll drink to that. With a change in the provincial law, beer is finally served at Exhibition Park. The Blue Jays celebrate by edging the Tigers, 6-5 in 12 innings, overcoming an Alan Trammell grand slam in Detroit’s 5-run 4th.

31st  Phillies 2B Manny Trillo misplays Bill Buckner’s grounder in the 7th inning of a 2–0 win over the Cubs, ending his errorless string at 89 games and 479 consecutive chances. He falls 2 games short of Joe Morgan’s record 91-game streak, and his 479 straight chances set a ML record.

AUGUST

1st  Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Travis Jackson, and Happy Chandler are inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York.

      Dusty Baker hits a pair of homers and Pedro Guerrero goes solo as the visiting Dodgers down the Braves, 9-4. Chris Chambliss has a 1st-inning grand slam for the Braves scoring.

2nd  Oakland’s Rickey Henderson steals his 100th base of the season in a 6–5 win over Seattle, tying the AL record he set last season and leaving him with 56 games to break Lou Brock’s single-season record of 118. Henderson is the first player ever to steal 100 bases twice.

3rd  The White Sox sweep a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium 1–0 and 14–2, prompting Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to fire manager Gene Michael and replace him with pitching coach Clyde King. King is the Yankees’ 3rd manager this season.

      Kansas City’s Frank White completes the cycle with an RBI triple in the bottom of the 9th to give the Royals a 6–5 win over the Tigers.

      At California, Doug DeCinces cracks homers in his first 3 at bats, but the Angels still lose to the Twins, 5–4.

4th  OF Joel Youngblood becomes the first ML player ever to play for 2 different teams in 2 different cities on the same day, and collects a hit in each game, both off future Hall of Famers. After going 1-for-2 off Fergie Jenkins in an afternoon game at Wrigley Field, a 7–4 Mets win, Youngblood is traded from the Mets to the Expos and flies to Philadelphia in time to enter the game that night in the 6th inning, going 1-for-1 off another Hall of Famer, Steve Carlton. The Phils beat the Expos, 5–4.

5th  Al Bumbry hits a leadoff HR—his second in two days—and Jim Palmer pitches a 3-hitter as the Orioles beat the Royals, 5-1.

      Tim Wallach collects his third hit of the game, an 8th inning grand slam off reliever Lyle, to spark theExpos to a 9-2 win over the Phils.

6th  Jack Clark and Reggie Smith hit back-to-back home runs twice in San Francisco’s 7–6 win over Houston. The Giants trail 6–4 in the 9th inning before Clark and Smith homer to send the game into extra innings.

      Just 5 days after hitting 3 home runs in a 5–4 loss to the Twins, California’s Doug DeCinces hits 3 more home runs in a 9–5 win at Seattle, joining Ted Williams as the only AL players ever to hit 3 home runs in a game twice in the same season.

      The Yankees trade Bucky Dent to the Rangers for Lee Mazzilli. Dent was hitting only .169 and had lost his starting SS job to Roy Smalley.

7th  For the third game in a row, the Dodgers beat the Braves in extra innings, topping them today, 7-6. Steve Bedrosian loses for the third time in four games as the first-place Braves are mired in the middle of an 11-game losing streak

10th  Bob Lillis replaces Bill Virdon as manager of the Houston Astros. Virdon was the senior manager in the NL, having managed the Astros since 1975.

11th  Houston’s Nolan Ryan pitches his 8th career one-hitter 3–0 at San Diego. Terry Kennedy’s 5th-inning single is the only Padres hit.

      Twins Terry Felton (0-11) is the losing pitcher in 6–3 loss to California, dropping his career record to 0-14, the worst individual start in ML history, topping the 0-13 mark that Guy Morton posted in 1914. Felton will never win a ML game, finishing his career with an 0-16 record.

      The Brewers purchase veteran P Doc Medich from the Rangers. With the addition of Medich, the Brewers will sell Randy Lerch to Montreal on August 14.  Doc will win 5 games for the Brewers.

14th  Atlanta snaps an 11-game losing streak with a 6–5 win over the Padres and moves back within 11⁄2games of first-place Los Angeles in the NL West. Atlanta had held first place since April 27th before the streak.

      In a barnburner at Stade Olympique, the Phillies score 9 runs in the 8th and hold on for a 15-11 win over the Expos. Bill Robinson leads off the 8th with a pinch single and follows with a grand slam. Jerry Reed, who faces one man, and Bryn Smith with an inning of work, are the only two pitchers of nine in the game who don’t allow 2 or more runs.

15th  En route to a 8–0 win at Fenway over Baltimore, the Red Sox pick up 3 intentional walks in the 7th inning, tying the AL record. The Sox score 8 in the inning. Mike Stanley is the winner, pitching 5 innings in relief of Mike Torrez who leaves after being hit in the head with a line drive in the 4th.

      In Pittsburgh the Cardinals roll to a 12-5 win in game 1 over the Pirates. John Milner hits a pinch grand slam in the 8th for the first Buc scoring. The Birds finish the sweep with a 5-2 win in the nightcap.

16th  Richie Hebner returns to the Pirates, who buy the vet from the Tigers.

17th  Cincinnati’s Mario Soto fans 15 Mets in a 9–2 victory to raise his league-leading total to 209. Soto walks none. He will finish the season with 274 strikeouts, 2nd only to Steve Carlton’s 286. The Reds Cesar Cedeno steals his 500th base, just the 10th player in history to reach that level.

18th  In the completion of a game suspended the previous day after 17 innings, the Dodgers beat the Cubs 2–1 in 21 innings despite running out of position players and having to use pitchers Fernando Valenzuela and Bob Welch in the outfield. Jerry Reuss pitches the final 4 innings for the win, then starts the regularly scheduled game and wins again 7–4.

      The Reds play 14 innings and overcome a 5–1 Mets lead to win 7–6. Cesar Cedeno singles in the winning run. Tomorrow, they will win in the 10th against the Mets, 3–1, on Ron Oester’s HR.

      The visiting Expos pummel the Braves, 12-2, as Al Oliver has 3 doubles and  single and Andre Dawson clubs two homers and drives in 5 runs. For the Braves it is their 19th loss in 21 games, which started when they removed Chief Nok-A-Homa’s tipi to make room for temporary bleachers. The bleachers are put up each year to accommodate the NFL Falcons, a move that fuels the superstition that the Braves start losing when the tipi comes down.  Surrendering, Braves management will put up the tipi tomorrow and the Braves will go on a tear to win the NL-West by a game.

19th  Scheduled to pitch against the Expos in a home game, Braves’ rookie Pascual Perez misses the start of the game when he can’t find his way to the ball park. Perez circles on the expressway several times but got lost. He will be given a Braves jacket with the new number I-85 on it. Phil Niekro takes the mound, allowing 3 hits and winning 5–4 to run his record to 11–3.

20th  In Atlanta, the Braves top the Mets 6–4 as Brett Butler makes his debut for the Braves.  Butler has a single and RBI.

      Padres rookie Alan Wiggins is suspended for one month by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn as a result of his July 21st arrest for cocaine possession.

21st  Milwaukee’s Rollie Fingers records his 300th career save in a 3–2 win at Seattle, becoming the first player to reach that milestone.

22nd  Third-string catcher Glenn Brummer steals home with the bases loaded and 2 out in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Cardinals a 5–4 win over the Giants. Brummer, who was running on his own, will steal just 4 bases in his ML career. His teammates give him home plate, which they all sign: the base is in the Cardinal Hall of Fame.

      Before the start of the Cubs-San Diego game, the Cubs retire Ernie Banks’ number. The team raises a white flag with blue pinstripes and Banks name and #14 on it from the left-field foul pole.  It is the first time the Cubs have retired a number. The inspired Cubs then nip the Padres, 8-7.

      At Riverfront, Garry Maddox clubs a 3rd-inning grand slam and the Phillies roll to an 8-2 victory over the Reds.  Larry Christenson is the complete-game winner.

23rd  Seattle pitcher Gaylord Perry is ejected in the 7th inning of a 4–3 loss to the Red Sox for doctoring the baseball. It is the first time in his 20 ML seasons that the self-proclaimed spitball king has been bounced for that offense.

      After days after challenging the Reds “no facial hair” policy, P Jim Kern finds himself a member of the Chicago White Sox.  The Reds receive Wade Rowdon and OF Leo Garcia.

24th  Kansas City’s John Wathan steals his 31st base of the season in a 5–3 win over the Rangers, breaking the single-season record for catchers set by Ray Schalk in 1916. Wathan will finish the season with a career-high 36 SBs.

      At Memorial Stadium, the Orioles use the long ball to subdue the Blue Jays, 7-3. Eddie Murray starts the scoring in the 1st inning with a 3-run homer and Joe Nolan finishes it with a 10th inning grand slam, off Joey McLaughlin.

25th  In a 7–6 loss to Pittsburgh, San Diego outfielder Tony Gwynn breaks his wrist diving for a fly ball.  Gwynn, hitting .271, will be out for three weeks. He’ll return September 13th, hit .348 for the rest of the year, but will fall short of the .300 mark for the only time in his career.

26thThe Expos Jeff Reardon (7-3) wins a pair in relief over the Astros, 3–2 and 5–3.

27th  Rickey Henderson steals 4 bases in Oakland’s 5–4 loss to Milwaukee to raise his total to 122 and break Lou Brock’s single-season record of 118. The record-breaking 119th steal comes off pitcher Doc Medich and catcher Ted Simmons on a 3rd-inning pitchout. Milwaukee is now 6 1/2 games ahead in the AL East.

      Dodger pinch hitters Rick Monday and Mike Marshall hit homers against the Cubs in a 9–4 LA win.  The last time two pinch hitters connected for round trippers in the NL was August 23, 1975 when Monday combined with then-Cub teammate Champ Summers to do it.

30th  In a slugfest featuring 7 homers—2 by Dwight Evans—Oakland beats Boston, 9–7.

      The Phils split a pair with the Braves, winning 6–1 on Dick Ruthven’s 3-hitter, before losing game 2, 11–9. Dale Murphy’s HR is Atlanta’s only score in the opener.  Mike Schmidt has an inside-the-park HR in game 2, the 2nd of 3 he’ll hit.

      In an effort to bolster its pitching staff for the pennant race, Milwaukee trades minor leaguers Kevin Bass, Frank DiPino, and Mike Madden to the Astros for veteran starter Don Sutton. Sutton has won 13 games for Houston this year. The Brewers are 4 1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox.

31st  The Mets lose their 15th in a row 4–0 on Nolan Ryan’s 2-hitter. The Mets will finally win the following day, beating the Astros 5–1.

SEPTEMBER

2^ndAt Exhibition Field, the Expos beat the Blue Jays, 7-3, in the fourth Pearson Cup competition to aid minor-league baseball in Canada.  Montreal leads the series 3-0-1.

3rdFans get their money’s worth at Fenway as the Sox and the Mariners combine for 33 hits, including 17 extra base hits. Boston prevails, 10-8.  Seattle uses a ML-record 7 extra base hits in the 6th to score 7 runs. Gary Gray has a triple and homer in the frame.

4th  At Baltimore, Jim Palmer one-hits the Twins 3–0 for Baltimore to get his 11th consecutive victory. The only hit is Gary Gaetti’s 2-out single in the 5th inning. It is Palmer’s 2nd career one-hitter against the Twins.

      Power beats speed as the Giants top the Cardinals, 5-4 on Jack Clark’s 2-out 3-run homer in the 9th off Bruce Sutter.  The Cards Lonnie Smith is 3-for-3 with 3 runs scored and 5 stolen bases.

5th  Despite managing just one hit—Al Oliver’s solo home run in the 2nd inning off Garber—the Expos beat the Braves 2–1 on Rafael Ramirez’s error in the bottom of the 9th. Kenny Rogers is the winner.

6th  In an 8–2 win over the Yankees, Benny Ayala belts the Orioles’ 11th pinch home run of the season to break the AL record set by the 1961 Yankees. The win is Baltimore’s 9th in a row.

      Veteran 1B Willie Stargell, whose number is retired, is saluted by 38,000 fans on his day at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium. The 41-year-old slugger delivers a pinch single in the Pirates’ 6–1 win over the Mets.

7th  Pirates Jason Thompson hits his 30th home run of the season in a 9–5 win over the Mets, becoming just the 8th player in history to hit 30 home runs in a season in each league. Thompson hit 31 home runs for the Tigers in 1977.

8th  Backed by three homers, including a grand slam by Ron Hodges, rookie Rick Ownby tosses a complete game for his first ML win as the Mets top the Pirates, 9-1.

9th  The Braves hit three homers, including a grand slam by Bruce Benedict, off Fernando Valenzuela as the Braves whip the Dodgers, 10-3.  The Braves now lead LA by a game and a half in the NL West.

11th  Nine months after re-signing him to a 3-year, $2 million contract, the Indians trade pitcher John Denny to Philadelphia for minor leaguers Jerry Reed, LeRoy Smith, and Wil Culmer.

      Randy Martz gives up 7 runs in the first three innings and the Cubs lose to the Expos, 10-6.  Opposing pitcher Scott Sanderson clubs his first ML homer in the 3rd, a grand slam, to send Martz marching.  Ryne Sandberg is a single shy of the cycle for the Cubs.

12th  With Minnesota leading 7–4 in the bottom of the 4th, Terry Felton relieves Twins starter Brad Havens Felton leaves in the bottom of the sixth with one out, runners on first and second and his team clinging to a 7-6 lead. Both runners score and by the time the Royals are through, instead of his first ML win, Felton ended up charged with his 16th (and final) career loss. Kansas City wins royally, 18–7, one of the biggest comebacks of the decade.  John Pacella, who takes over in the 8th, surrenders back-to-back dingers to Havens and White, tosses 2 wild pitches, and allows 6 runs. Aiken adds a pair of homers for KC.

      For the 2nd time this season, Milwaukee gets 3 consecutive HRs—Cooper, Simmons, Oglivie—in a losing cause, as the Yankees win, 9–8. Six homers are hit in the game. Curt Kaufman wins his first ML decision and his only as a Yank.

13th  Steve Carlton (20-9) shuts out St. Louis 2–0 on 3 hits and raps a solo home run to become the major league’s first 20-game winner this season.

      Steve Garvey has 4 hits including a game ending HR in the 16th, to lead the Dodgers to a 4-3 win over San Diego. J.R. Richards has 5 hits for the Pads.

      The Niekro brother face off, with Joe (15-10) getting the better of Phil as Houston beats Atlanta, 5–3. Chambliss has a solo homer for Atlanta. For Phil Niekro (14-4) it is only his 4th loss of the year; he will top the NL in winning percentage this year at .810 (17-4). This is the last time the 2 brothers face each other. Starting in 1967, Joe’s record is 5–4 against his brother.

14th  Richie Hebner and Bill Madlock each hit grand slams to lead the Pirates to a 15–5 rout of the Cubs.

15th  At Royals Stadium, Gaylord Perry starts for Seattle on his 44th birthday. The Ancient Mariner pitches 7 solid innings but doesn’t get a decision as the Royals win, 5-4 in 11 innings.

18th   A pair of 3’s beats a slam as the Cubs outslug the Expos, 10-7. Jerry Morales and Bump Wills hit 3-run homers in the Cubs 8th inning to offset a grand slam by Tim Wallach, his second of the year.

19th   Milwaukee scores 9 runs in the 8th to roll over the Yankees, 14–1. Don Sutton is the victor.  Gorman Thomas has a double—his 2nd—and HR in the big inning and Molitor adds a HR then as well.

21st Playing against the Royals at Anaheim Stadium, outfielders Fred Lynn and Brian Downing crash through the LF fence while trying to catch a fly ball. Lynn makes the catch and it is ruled an out, the umpires reasoning that it is the same as if he had tumbled into the seats. California wins, 2–1, when Sconiers singles home the winner in the 9th.

22nd  Light-hitting SS Chris Speier goes 3-for-5 with a club-record 8 RBI as Montreal beats Philadelphia 11–4.

24th  In the completion of a game suspended on July 9th, the Tigers beat Cleveland 4–3 when reliever Ed Glynn uncorks a wild pitch with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 18th inning.

26thDown 1–0 to the Braves in the 3rd, Padres OF Gene Richards hits a long fly ball down the LF line off Rick Camp that Terry Harper spears at the last second. But Harper’s momentum carries him out of bounds where he hits the railing dropping the ball. Meanwhile the speedy Richards circles the bases. The ump rules Harper did not hold the ball long enough for an out and he is charged with a 4-base error (later overruled by the League office to an inside-the-park HR for Richards). The Padres win the game 3–2.

27th  Willie McGee’s 3-run inside-the-park home run in the first inning sparks the Cardinals to a 4–2 win over the Expos, clinching their first NL East title since divisional play began in 1969.

      Atlanta’s Phil Niekro shuts out the Giants on 2 hits 7–0 to push the Braves back into a first-place tie with the Dodgers in the NL West. The Dodgers have lost 6 straight games.

28th  In the first game of a doubleheader, Toronto’s Jim Clancy (15–14) is deprived of a no-hitter when the Twins Randy Bush leads off the 9th inning with a broken-bat single. Clancy had retired all 24 batters he faced before Bush singled, and settles for a 3–0 one-hitter. In game 2, the Twins stake starter Terry Felton (0-13) to a 3–0 lead but the Jays tie it up, knocking Felton out of his last ML game. The Jays win it, 4–3.

      Detroit’s Lance Parrish hits his 31st home run of the season in a 9–6 win over the Orioles, breaking the AL single-season record for catchers that he had shared with Yogi Berra and Gus Triandos.

29th Ned Yost’s 3-run HR in the top of the 9th gives Milwaukee a 6–3 win over Boston.  Milwaukee is 4 games in front of Baltimore with just 4 to play.

OCTOBER

1st  Trailing the first-place Brewers in the AL East, the Orioles sweep a doubleheader with them 8–3 and 7–1 to cut their deficit to one game.  51,583 fans at Memorial Stadium cheer the O’s on.

      Mets pitcher Terry Leach tosses a 10-inning one-hitter against the Phillies, finally winning 1–0 on Hubie Brooks’s sacrifice fly. Luis Aguayo’s 5th-inning triple is the Phillies sole hit. It is the only extra inning one-hitter in Mets history.

      Phil Niekro (17-4) tosses a 3-hitter and hits a homer as the Braves win over the Padres, 4-0. The Braves retain a one-game lead in the NL West over LA.

      Rick Monday’s grand slam in the 8th off starter Fred Breining gives the Dodgers a 4-0 win over the Giants. Jerry Reuss allows 3 hits for his 18th win.

 2nd  The Angels clinch the AL West title with a 6–4 win over the Rangers.

      Baltimore routs Milwaukee 11–3 to set up a winner-take-all showdown for the AL East title season finale.  The O’s rapped 18 hits to turn a 3–3 tie into a route.  Dave Stewart, in relief, wins his 10th of the year.

      Houston hands the Reds their 100th loss of the season, 4–2, a first for the Cincy franchise. However, Reds P Mario Soto does set a better club record by striking out 9 batters to break Jim Maloney’s mark of 265.

      Rookie Brian Denman of the Red Sox shuts out the Yankees, 5-0, in what will be his final ML appearance. He is the fifth pitcher in the century to fire a shutout in his last appearance.

      At Candlestick, the Dodgers use 17 hits to club the Giants, 15-2, and stay a game behind the Braves in the NL West.

3rd  Robin Yount smacks 2 home runs and a triple as Milwaukee whips Baltimore 10–2 to win the AL East championship. Don Sutton, 4-1 since being acquired by the Brewers in late August, is the winning pitcher.  Milwaukee had lost 3 in a row to Baltimore before today’s pivotal victory. Despite Yount’s stellar game, he loses the AL batting title .332 to .331 to Kansas City’s Willie Wilson, who sat out the Royals’ final game.Yount ends the year with 114 RBI and joins teammates Cecil Cooper (121), Gorman Thomas (112), and Ben Oglivie (102) as only the 2nd foursome since 1940 to top the 100 RBI mark: The 1977 Bosox of Fisk, Rice, Hobson and Lynn were the others.Ted Simmons is just 3 short of 100 RBI or the Brewers would have joined the 1936 Yankees as the only squad with five 100-RBI hitters.

      Atlanta loses 5–1 to San Diego, but clinches the NL West title anyway when San Francisco beats the 2nd-place Dodgers 5–3.

      Veteran Joe Rudi hits a double and a 4th inning homer to pace to A’s to a 6–3 win at Kansas City, The homer comes in Rudi’s last at bat as he is replaced by Kelvin Moore.

      St. Louis edges the Cubs, 5–4, in 14 innings after both clubs score in the 13th. Julio Gonzalez, who took over at 2B in the 3rd inning has 3 runs and 4 hits, including a game winning leadoff HR in the 14th off Ken Kravec. Cubs starter Doug Bird gets no decision but ends the year at 9–14, his first losing season after 9 none-losing,. This streak ties him with 7 post-war pitchers: Erskine Ford, Pappas, Seaver, Marichal, Clemens, Hershiser.

      Expos manager Jim Fanning resigns following the club’s season-ending 6–1 win over the Pirates and will return to the club’s front office. His 102-87 record as manager is the best in club history.

5th  Angels Don Baylor collects 5 RBI, tying an LCS record, as California takes game one 8–3 over Milwaukee.  Tommy John picks up the win.

6th  California goes 2 up on Milwaukee, helped by Reggie Jackson’s HR and Bruce Kison’s 5-hitter, winning 4–2.

7th  After rain washed out a 1–0 Atlanta lead in the 5th inning of yesterday’s NLCS opener, St. Louis crushes the Braves 7–0. Bob Forsch fires a 3-hitter.

8th  The pitching of veteran Don Sutton, and a 2-run home run by Paul Molitor, stave off elimination in the Brewers’ game against California.

9th  The Brewers even the series, beating California 9–5. Reserve OF Mark Brouhard has 3 hits, 3 RBI, and scores 4 runs for the winners.

      After losing another game to rain, the Braves Phil Niekro is able to start the 3rd game of the NLCS after only 2 days rest, but St. Louis wins 4–3.

10th  St. Louis wins its first NL pennant since 1968 by defeating the Braves 6–2 to complete a 3-game sweep of the NLCS. Catcher Darrell Porter, who hit .556, is named series MVP.

      In game 5 of the ALCS, the Brewers complete their comeback from a 2–0 deficit by edging the Angels 4–3 to earn their first-ever trip to the World Series. Angels OF Fred Lynn bats .611 for the series and is named MVP in a losing cause.

12th  Paul Molitor goes 5-for-6 to become the first player ever to collect 5 hits in a World Series game, and teammate Robin Yount goes 4-for-6 as the Brewers rout the Cardinals 10–0 in game one.

13th  St. Louis rallies to win, 5–4, and even the WS.

15th  Willie McGee has 2 HRs to drive in 4 runs, and makes a great catch to save another run. Joaquin Andujar wins 6–2 despite having to leave the game after being hit by a line drive.

16th  Four Cardinal pitchers are helpless to stop the Brewers from rallying to a 7–5 win after Dave LaPoint’s error in the 7th.

17th  Robin Yount records his second 4-hit game of the Series to lead the Brewers to a 6–4 win in game 5 and give Milwaukee a 3-2 lead overall. Yount is the first player ever to have two 4-hit games in one World Series.

19th  The Cards sit through 2 rain delays to easily win game 6 by a 13–1 score.

      Rather than give him the contract extension he requested, A’s president Roy Eisenhardt fires manager Billy Martin, who led the club to a 68-94 record this season after winning the AL West in 1981.

20th  St. Louis rallies for 3 runs in the 6th and Bruce Sutter saves the 7th game 6–3 win to give the Cards the World Championship.

22nd  Despite having led his club to the AL West title, hard-luck Gene Mauch resigns as manager of the Angels. He will be replaced on November 2nd by John McNamara, who was fired in July as manager of the Reds.

26th  Steve Carlton wins the NL Cy Young Award for the 4th time, a record unmatched by any pitcher. The Phils 37-year-old lefthander, who led the NL in wins (23), innings (2952⁄3), strikeouts (286), and shutouts (6), was a previous winner in 1972, 1977, and 1980. He joins Walter Johnson and Willie Mays as the only players to be voted MVP or Cy Young winner 10 or more years apart.

NOVEMBER

1st  At a meeting in Chicago, the ML owners vote not to renew Commissioner Bowie Kuhn’s contract, which will expire next August. The AL owners voted in favor of Kuhn 11-3, the NL 7-5. But his 18 votes left him 2 shy of the three-fourths majority required for reelection. Kuhn will remain on the job until a successor is found.

      Thirty-eight-year-old Doug Rader, who spent the last 3 seasons as manager of the Padres’ Triple-A farm club, will pilot the Texas Rangers. The former infielder becomes the club’s 12th manager in its 12-year life.

3rd  Pete Vuckovich becomes the Brewers’ 2nd consecutive AL Cy Young Award winner, edging Jim Palmer. Vuckovich was 18-6 with a 3.34 ERA for the AL champions, and has the highest winning percentage in the majors for the past 2 seasons.

4th  Yankees coach Mike Ferraro lands his first ML managing job, signing a 2-year contract to lead the Cleveland Indians. He will be fired before the end of the 1983 season.

9th  Robin Yount, who hit .331 for Milwaukee and led the league in hits (210), doubles (46), and slugging percentage (.578), is a unanimous choice as AL MVP.

11th  Joe Altobelli succeeds the retired Earl Weaver as Oriole manager. Altobelli is the 2nd Yankee coach to take a managing job this month, and will be Baltimore’s first new pilot since 1968.

17th  Dale Murphy wins the NL MVP Award, becoming the first Brave to be so honored since Hank Aaron in 1957. The centerfielder hit .281 with 36 HR, 109 RBI, 113 runs, and 23 stolen bases.

22nd  2B Steve Sax is named NL Rookie of the Year, the 4th consecutive Dodger to win the award. Sax hit .282 and stole 49 bases as Davey Lopes’ replacement in the Los Angeles infield.

24th  Cal Ripken, Jr., who hit .264 with 28 HRs as a SS-3B for the Orioles, is named AL Rookie of the Year.

DECEMBER

1st  Free-agent slugger Don Baylor signs a reported 5-year, $5 million contract with the Yankees.

6th  The Red Sox trade 3B Carney Lansford, OF Garry Hancock, and minor leaguer Jerry King to Oakland for OF Tony Armas and C Jeff Newman. Lansford, who led the AL in hitting in ’81, is expendable with the emergence of Boggs at 3B.

      Kenneth Moffett, who helped mediate the 1981 baseball strike settlement, is named to succeed Marvin Miller as executive director of the ML Baseball Players’ Association.

9th  The Phillies trade 2B Manny Trillo, OF George Vukovich, SS Julio Franco, catcher Jerry Willard, and pitcher Jay Baller to the Indians for 24-year-old OF Von Hayes. Hayes hit .250 with 14 HRs and 32 SBs for Cleveland last season and is considered a potential star.

      In what will turn out to be a pair of unwise deals, the Yankees sign free-agent OF Steve Kemp to a 5-year contract, and trade OF Dave Collins, pitcher Mike Morgan, and minor leaguer Fred McGriff to the Blue Jays for P Dale Murray and minor leaguer Tom Dodd.

13th  Free-agent P Floyd Bannister, who led the AL with 209 strikeouts at Seattle last season, signs a 5-year contract with the White Sox for a reported $4.5 million. As compensation, the M’s will pick minor leaguer Danny Tartabull from the player pool on January 20.

14th  The Giants trade veteran 2B Joe Morgan and reliever Al Holland to the Phillies for pitchers Mike Krukow and Mark Davis and minor leaguer Charles Penigar.

      The Cardinals swap blue ribbon prospects Bobby Meacham and Stan Javier to the Yankees for 3 minor leaguers.  Some observers think this is a lagniappe to New York for sending Willie McGee to the Cardinals last year in exchange for P Bob Sykes.

16th  Tom Seaver agrees to a new contract with the Mets, completing a trade that sends him back to New York from Cincinnati. The Reds receive pitcher Charlie Puleo and minor leaguers Lloyd McClendon and Jason Felice for the 3-time Cy Young Award winner, who was 5-13 with a 5.50 ERA in 1982.  Seaver will surprise the Reds by winning 47 more games before hanging it up in 1986.

21st  Free-agent 1B Steve Garvey signs a 5-year contract with the San Diego Padres.

22nd  Versatile Lee Mazzilli is traded for the third time this year. The Yankees send him to the Pirates for 4 minor leaguers, including pitcher Tim Burke.

 

•1983

JANUARY

5th  Gale for Vail, as the Reds send PH Mike Vail to the Giants for Rich Gale.

10th  New York Supreme Court Justice Richard Lane issues a preliminary injunction barring the Yankees from playing their season-opening series against the Tigers in Denver. The club had sought to move the games because it feared off-season renovations to Yankee Stadium would not be completed for the April 11th-13th series.

11th  For the third time in 8 years, George Steinbrenner hires Billy Martin as Yankee manager. Martin replaces Clyde King, who will move to the front office.

      One of the few good players to be drafted and also sign in the January free agent draft is Ellis Burks, picked on the first round by the Red Sox. The Yankees pick and sign a Canseco–Ozzie–with their 4th pick.

12th  Brooks Robinson and Juan Marichal are elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA. Robinson becomes the 14th player elected in his first year of eligibility.

13th  The Red Sox trade veteran P Mike Torrez to the Mets for minor leaguer 3B Mike Davis.

17th  Bob Horner agrees to a 4-year contract with the Atlanta Braves that will pay him up to $6 million, including $400,000 in bonuses if he keeps his weight below 215 pounds.

20th  The Dodgers trade veteran 3B Ron Cey to the Cubs for minor leaguers Vance Lovelace and Dan Cataline. Cey will play 518 games at third for the Cubs, the most since Santo.

      Ozzie Smith becomes baseball’s first $1 million shortstop, signing a 3-year contract with the Cardinals.

26th  The White Sox trade pitchers Steve Trout and Warren Brusstar to the Cubs for pitchers Randy Martz and Dick Tidrow and infielders Pat Tabler and Scott Fletcher.

31st  The Phillies sign veteran 1B Tony Perez to a one-year contract.

FEBRUARY

7th  As compensation for the loss of free-agent pitcher Floyd Bannister to the White Sox, the Mariners select 20-year-old minor league infielder Danny Tartabull from the Reds organization. Tartabull hit .227 for Waterbury (Eastern League) last season.

8th  One day after taking a job as director of sports promotions for Claridge Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ, Mickey Mantle is ordered to sever his ties with ML baseball by Commissioner Kuhn. Mantle joins fellow Hall of Famer Willie Mays as players banned from baseball by Kuhn for involvement with legalized gambling.

19th  Fernando Valenzuela wins his salary arbitration case with the Dodgers and becomes the first player to win a $1 million salary through that process. The Dodgers had offered Valenzuela $750,000 for the 1983 season.

MARCH

3rd  Steve Carlton agrees to a 4-year, $4.15 million contract with the Phillies that will make him the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history.

10th  Walter Alston, who managed the Dodgers to 4 World Championships, and George Kell, who hit .306 over 15 ML seasons, are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.

15th  Cy Young Award winner Pete Vuckovich is found to have a torn rotator cuff in his pitching shoulder that will sideline him for almost the entire 1983 season.

24th  The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee agrees to stage a 6-team exhibition baseball tournament as part of the 1984 Summer Olympics to be held in Los Angeles.

APRIL

5th  In his first appearance as a Met since 1977, Tom Seaver combines with Doug Sisk to shut out the Phillies 2–0 on 5 hits. It is Seaver’s 14th NL Opening Day assignment, tying Walter Johnson’s record with Washington.

      At Seattle, the Mariners open with a 5–4 win over the Yankees. Gaylord Perry makes his 9th Opening Day start, but the win goes to reliever Bryan Clark.  Richie Zisk, a Yankee Opening Day nemesis, hits a two-run homer in Seattle’s 4-run 3rd inning to chase Ron Guidry. New York chases Perry in the 6th with back-to back homers by Dave Winfield and Steve Kemp. Steve Henderson scores the winner in the 7th when he hits his 3rd single, steals second, takes 3rd on a grounder and scores on a sac fly.

      In the opener at the Astrodome, the Dodgers spoil the party with a 16-7 win over the Astros.  Ken Landreaux drives in 6 runs and Pedro Guerrero has a single, triple and HR to drive in 5.  Neither of the two starters, Joe Niekro or Fernando Valenzuela, get a decision.

7th  ML Baseball, ABC, and NBC agree to terms of a 6-year television package worth $1.2 billion. The 2 networks will continue to alternate coverage of the playoffs, World Series, and All-Star Game through the 1989 season, with each of the 26 clubs receiving $7 million per year in return. The last package gave each club $1.9 million per year.

9th  Rod Carew’s 5th inning grand slam gives California a lead they will not relinquish as they beat the A’s, 10-2. Carew has 3 hits as does Fred Lynn, who drives in 3 runs. Luis Sanchez pitches 4 scoreless innings in relief of Ken Forsch (1-0).

      George Vukovitch belts an 8th inning grand slam as the Indians score 6 in the frame to beat the Orioles, 8-4.

12th  At the Pirates home opener, Cardinals reliever Bruce Sutter is on the mound in the 8th when, with Keith Hernandez playing deep behind 1B, Pirate baserunner Bill Madlock takes a long leadoff. With Madlock distracted by Hernandez, Sutter darts off the mound and makes an unassisted put out. Sutter and the Cards are winners, 4–3.

13th  The Phillies score 5 runs in the 9th inning to beat the Mets, 10-9. The big blow is a game ending walkoff grand slam by Bo Diaz off Neil Allen with two outs.  Pete Rose records his 700th double and scores his 2000th run while the bright spots for the Mets are their 17 hits, including 3 homers. Bob Bailor and Dave Kingman hit back-to-back HRs.

14th  The Twins cancel their night game with the Angels because of a winter storm and the fact that the Angels can’t make their connections. Late this evening a chunk of ice will tear a 20 foot hole in the roof of the Metrodome, causing it to deflate.

15th  Detroit P Milt Wilcox is one out away from a perfect game when pinch hitter Jerry Hairston singles, and Wilcox settles for a 4–0 one-hitter over White Sox ace LaMar Hoyt. This is only the 5th time in ML history a perfect bid has been stopped with one out to go: the last was Milt Pappas on September 2, 1972. Pappas finished with a no hitter.

      The Astros avoid the worst start in modern ML history by beating the Expos 7–6 in 10 innings for their first win of the season in 10 games.

16th  Montreal’s Charlie Lea pitches the ML’s 2nd one-hitter in as many days, shutting out the Astros 2–0. The only Houston hit is Terry Puhl’s pinch single with 2 out in the 8th inning.

      Padres 1B Steve Garvey plays in his 1,118th consecutive game, breaking Billy Williams’ NL record. Garvey goes 2-for-4 in an 8–5 Padres loss at Los Angeles.

Against Oakland, the Twins tee off for 4 HRs in the 9th, the first three off Beard. Engle and Mitchell connect back to back, and Gaetti and Hatcher also homer.

17th  Nolan Ryan fans 7 Expos in a 6–3 Houston win to become only the 2nd pitcher to record 3,500 career strikeouts.

20th  George Brett belts 3 home runs, the last a 2-run shot in the top of the 9th inning, and drives in 7 runs to lead the Royals to an 8–7 win over Detroit.

21st  At Shea Stadium, the Yanks top the Mets, 4-1, in the 19th exhibition game between the two teams starting in 1963.  The series stands at 10 wins for the Yankees, 8 for the Mets, with one tie.

22nd Led by Brian Downing and Rod Carew the Angels down the Orioles, 6-5, in 11 innings. Downing has 4 hits and 3 RBI, while Carew collects 5 hits and scores 3 times.

      Dale Murphy has not at bats but walks 5 times in the Braves, 5-4, win over the Mets. He scores a run.

27th  In a 4–2 win over the Expos, Nolan Ryan strikes out Brad Mills to move a strikeout ahead of Walter Johnson and become baseball’s all-time leader at 3,509. Ryan will finish the season at 3,677, with Carlton leading at 3,709.

      Fred Lynn and Darryl Sconiers hit grand slams to lead California to a 13–3 win over the Tigers. This is a first for the Angels club.

28th  In Nashville, the New York Yankees play an exhibition game against their minor league affiliate the Nashville Sounds, and the Bombers take a four-run lead going into the bottom of the 9th. But the Sounds rally for 5 runs with two outs to win, 5–4, in front of 13,641 fans.

30th  El Paso beats Beaumont 35–21 to break the Texas League’s 80-year-old record for total runs scored in a game. A 25-mph wind blowing out to right field at El Paso’s Dudley Field was a big help to hitters. The only starter on either team without a RBI was the winners’ SS Ernest Riles.

MAY

1st  The Blue Jays do all their scoring in the 7th as they beat the White Sox, 8-0. Dave Stieb tosses a 3-hitter as he goes the distance.  Barry Bonnell has a grand slam for the Jays.

3^rd  In Montreal, the Blue Jays beat the Expos, 7-5, in the Pearson Cup competition.

4th  Johnny Bench collects his 2,000th career hit, a single off Steve Carlton in a 9–4 Cincinnati loss to the Phillies.

      Dave Wilhelmi of Shreveport throws the second perfect game in Texas League history, beating Arkansas, 2-0. Ed Cole, in 1935, tossed the other perfecto.

6th  Angels Rod Carew goes 3-for-4 in a 4–2 win over the Tigers to raise his batting average to an even .500 (48-for-96). Carew will finish the season at .339.

7th  Doug DeCinces ties the ML record with 11 assists at 3B and also hits the game-ending two-out homerun in the 12th off Aurelio Lopez as the Angels, deflate the Tigers, 6-5. Daryl Sconier ties the game with a  9th inning pinch homer off Lopez. Lou Whitaker has a leadoff homer for Detroit—his second in a row.

      Tony Armas hits a grand slam and Dwight Evans and Jim Rice hit back-to-back homers to power the Red Sox to an 8-0 win over Mariners. Mike Vrown throws the shutout.

12th  Dwayne Murphy hits a grand slam and drives in 5 runs, and Kelvin Moore belts a pair of roundtrippers to power the A’s to an 11-4 win over the host Tigers.

14th  Ben Oglivie slugs 3 home runs as the Brewers come from behind to beat Boston 8–7 in 10 innings. Oglivie’s 3rd homer ties the score at 6–6 in the bottom of the 9th.

      Toronto’s Luis Leal and Roy Lee Jackson combine to one-hit the Indians 8–1, allowing only an 8th-inning single to Chris Bando. Starter Leal pitches 5 innings, and is replaced by Jackson after a 1:42 rain delay.

16th  Mets rookie Darryl Strawberry hits his first ML home run in an 11–4 rout of the Pirates.

      Despite 9th-inning pinch hit solo home runs by Dave Engle and Bobby Mitchell and 2-run shots by Gary Gaetti and Mickey Hatcher, the Twins lose 7–6 to Oakland. Engle’s and Hatcher’s are hit off Tom Bergmeier and Dave Beard respectively. Oakland has a HR in the 9th to tie a ML mark for two teams.

18th  Chicago’s Rich Dotson pitches a one-hitter against the Orioles, and loses 1–0. The only hit he allows is Dan Ford’s 8th-inning home run.

      Greg Brock clubs 2 homers, one a grand slam, and drives in 6 runs as the visiting Dodgers beat the Expos, 13-3. Bert Hooton gets lifted with 2 outs in the 5th and the win goes to reliever Dave Stewart (4-0).

      At the Vet, Jack Clark has a pair of hits, including a grand slam, and drives in 6 runs to lead the Giants to an 8-1 win over the Phillies. Mike Krukow and Greg Minton combine on the win.

      Ted Simmons is most of the offense for Milwaukee, collecting 4 hits, including  a homer, and driving in 6 runs, as the Brewers edge the Blue Jays, 7-6.

20th  In a 5–0 loss to the Padres, Steve Carlton strikes out 4 batters to move past Walter Johnson into 2nd place on baseball’s all-time strikeout list. Carlton’s 3,511 strikeouts leave him 10 behind Nolan Ryan, who broke Johnson’s record earlier this season.

      At Wrigley, Dave Concepcion has an RBI single and a tie-breaking grand slam to pace the Reds to a 9-5 win over the Cubs. Bill Campbell serves up the salami.

22nd  The Phillies make a pair of trades, sending P Sid Monge to the Padres for OF Joe Lefebvre and P Dick Ruthven and minor leaguer Bill Johnson to the Cubs for P Willie Hernandez.

24th  In a 6-4 loss to the Indians at the Kingdome, Seattle’s Julio Cruz steals 4 bases.

25th  In a 6–0 loss to the Braves, Pirates Jim Bibby and Jim Winn combine to walk 7 consecutive batters in the 3rd inning, tying the ML record set by the Senators Dolly Gray in 1909.

28th  Daryl Sconiers hits a 1st inning grand slam as the Angels top the host Indians, 7-4.  It is Sconiers second grand slam of the year.

29th  Dodgers pitcher Steve Howe is readmitted to a drug treatment center after suffering a relapse of the cocaine problem for which he had sought treatment after last season. Howe hadn’t allowed an earned run in his 14 appearances this season.

30th  The Astros score 7 runs in 4+ innings off Ferguson Jenkins to tie the Cubs, then push across two runs in the 8th off reliever Bill Campbell to beat the Cubs, 9-7. Bill Buckner has a pair of homers for Chicago. After the loss, Lee Smith shoves a cameraman in the clubhouse, pushing the camera into his face.

31st  AL President Lee MacPhail suspends Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for one week, citing “repeated problems” with the outspoken owner’s public criticism of umpires. Steinbrenner, who had been fined $50,000 by Commissioner Kuhn during spring training for berating some NL umpires, cannot attend games or be in his Yankee Stadium office during the suspension.

      At Wrigley, Ryne Sandberg has a grand slam and 6 RBI, but the Cubs relievers falter again, coughing up 6 runs to Houston in a 12-10 loss. 

JUNE

1st  Dave Rozema gives up a leadoff HR to Damaso Garcia, but that’s all the scoring Toronto manages as Detroit wins, 3-1. Garcia will hit another leadoff homer tomorrow.

      Steve Carlton and Bob Welch hook up in a dandy with the Dodgers collecting 3 hits off Carlton in 7 innings to win, 1-0. Welch allows just one hit—by Von Hayes—in stopping the Phillies.

2nd  Chris Chambliss clubs an 8th inning grand slam and drives in 5 runs as the Braves beat the Cardinals, 8-1. St. Louis The Astros  across a run in the 9th after starter Pete Falcone leaves.

      Doug DeCinces homers twice and Ellis Valentine hits a grand slam as the Angels edge the Yankees, 9-8, at Yankee Stadium. Don Baylor and Dave Winfield go yard for the Bombers, in 4th place in the tight AL East.

3rd  George Bamberger resigns as manager of the New York Mets, whose 16-30 record is the big-leagues’ worst. He will be replaced by Frank Howard, who managed the Padres in 1981.

4th  At Riverfront, Mike Scott allows 4 hits in shutting out the Reds, 13-0. The Astros pile on with 6 runs in the 9th.  Alan Ashby has a triple and a pair of homers, including a grand slam, to drive in 6 runs, and Ray Knight has 4 hits.

5th  The Cubs beat the Pirates, 3–1, with Lefferts winning over Tunnell. Lee Smith strikes out 4 of the last 5 batters to earn his 8th save.

      In San Francisco, Andre Dawson is 5-for-5 with 4 runs scored as his Expos down the Giants, 12-9. The two teams collect 35 hits together. For Dawson, it is his second 5-hit game of the year. Al Oliver has 4 hits and 3 runs while Expos starter Chris Welsh is 3-for-3.  He gets no decision, however.

      Buck Martinez hits a grand slam in Toronto’s 5-run 5th as the Jays beat Baltimore, 5-2.  The O’s, Jays and Red Sox are in a virtual tie for first in the AL East.

6th  The Twins select pitcher Tim Belcher with the first pick in the annual June free-agent draft, but Belcher will reject their $125,000 signing bonus offer and pitch for Team USA in the Pan American Games instead. He is the only first-rounder who doesn’t sign. Belcher will be the first selected in the January 1984 draft. The Twins 2nd round pick, P Billy Swift, also doesn’t sign. The Reds take Kurt Stillwell with the 2nd pick overall and Chris Sabo on round 2. Roger Clemens is taken with the 19th pick. The A’s get Terry Steinbach, Brian Dorsett, and Greg Cadaret on the 9th, 10th and 11th rounds. The Phillies pick Rickie Jordan on the 1st round. The Reds pick up Kurt Stillwell in the 1st round, Chris Sabo and Joe Oliver in the 2nd round, Lenny Harris (5th) and Jeff Montgomery (9th).

      The Brewers trade OF Gorman Thomas and pitchers Jamie Easterly and Ernie Camacho to the Indians for OF Rick Manning and pitcher Rick Waits. Manning had signed a five-year contract, his second, with the Indians in the offseason, turning down a larger offer from Milwaukee to stay in Cleveland.

      Paul Molitor is 4-for-4, including a homer, while scoring 3 and driving in 3 as the Brewers hang on for a 9-7 win over California. Ron Jackson hits a grand slam in the Angels’ 6-run 8th.

7th  Steve Carlton overtakes Nolan Ryan as baseball’s all-time strikeout leader, fanning 6 batters in a 2–1 loss to the Cardinals to bring his career total to 3,526. In Houston, Ryan strikes out 3 Giants while getting no decision in the Astros’ 4–2 win, leaving him with 3,525.

10th  Dave Kingman cracks a 2-run 2-out HR in the bottom of the 17th to give the Mets a 4-2 win over the Expos. Kingman has 3 RBI in the game.

11th  Cardinals OF Lonnie Smith checks into a drug rehabilitation program, joining the Phillies Dickie Noles and the Dodgers Steve Howe, as the 3rd ML player to leave his team because of a substance-abuse problem this season.

12th  In the first complete game of his career in which he does not walk at least one batter, Nolan Ryan strikes out 11 Padres in a 2–0 shutout to move back into a first-place tie with Steve Carlton with 3,535 career strikeouts. The 2 will trade the lead back and forth start by start for much of the summer, but by the end of the season Carlton will have pulled ahead, 3,709 to 3,677.

      The Giants do all their scoring in the 4th inning to beat the Reds, 8–5. Darrell Evans has a double and homer in the frame.

      In the Cubs 6–3 win over the Cardinals, Jody Davis clubs a grand slam. Second baseman Ryne Sandberg has 12 assists to tie the ML record.

      Toronto outlasts California to win 6–5, in 15 innings. The Jays score 3 in the 15th and hang on as the Angels score a pair.

      In another extra-inning battle at Oakland the White Sox outslug Oakland to win, 12–10. The Sox score 3 in the top of the 10th, but the A’s match it when Murphy and Gross hit back-to-back homers. The Sox then score a pair in the 11th on a triple and HR to win.

15th  In what will turn out to be a terrible swap for St. Louis, the Cardinals trade 1B Keith Hernandez to the Mets for pitchers Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey.

      Darrell Evans hits 3 home runs in a Giants 7–1 win over the Astros to give him a ML-leading 18 for the season. Evans will finish the season with 30 HRs.

      Davey Lopes has a double, triple, and grand slam as he drives in 7 runs in Oakland’s 10-1 pasting of the Blue Jays.  Bill Krueger goes the distance for his 5th win.

16th  At Cleveland, Don Baylor hits a grand slam, off Bert Blyleven, and drives in 5 runs as the Yankees top the Indians, 8-1, behind Ron Guidry (9-4). Oscar Gamble has 4 of the Yankees’ 14 hits. 

17th  Bob Welch pitches a 6-hitter and hits his first career homer, off Mario Soto in the 6th, to lead the Dodgers past the Reds, 1–0. Welch is the 11th pitcher in ML history to homer in a 1–0 game, and it will not occur again this century. The last to do so, according to historian Bob Davids, was Juan Pizarro, in 1971.

      Larry Gura bends but doesn’t break as the Royals pitcher allows 10 hits in 6+ innings but only one run as he beats Seattle, 3-1. Gaylord Perry, the ancient Mariner, takes the CG loss.  Gura would’ve allowed at least one more run when, in the top of the second inning, Al Cowens circles the bases on an inside the park home run to left field. However, Cowens is called out on appeal for 2B (as noted in Retrosheet).

20th  Chris Chambliss drives in 3 runs and Glenn Hubbard belts a grand slam as Atlanta beats the Astros, 4-1.  Pete Falcone (5-1) allows 4 hits.

21st  The Reds edge the Giants, 6–5, in 16 innings on Ron Oester’s single. Both teams score a run in the 14th.

22nd  Tim Raines rocks Terry Holland for a 2-out walkoff grand slam in the 9th as the Expos beat the Phillies, 4-0. Charlie Lea holds the Phils scoreless for the win.  All the runs are unearned.

24th  Milwaukee’s Don Sutton strikes out Alan Bannister in the 8th inning of a 3–2 win over Cleveland to become the 8th pitcher in ML history with 3,000 career strikeouts. County Stadium is packed with 46,037 fans for the game, mostly to welcome back popular OF Gorman Thomas, who was traded to Cleveland earlier this month.

25th  After 8 straight losses, Rene Lachemann is fired as manager of the Mariners and replaced by Del Crandall.

26th  Mets Rusty Staub delivers his 8th consecutive pinch hit in the 9th inning of an 8–4 loss to the Phillies, tying Dave Philley for the all-time ML record. Staub’s streak will be snapped by Cards Bruce Sutter 3 days from now.

      Baltimore’s Storm Davis holds the Tigers hitless for 8 innings, then needs help from reliever Tippy Martinez to complete a 3–1 victory. Pinch hitter Rick Leach, who had been in a 3-for-35 slump, breaks up the no-hit bid with his first home run of the year leading off the 9th.

      Jody Davis belts his second grand slam in two weeks and drives in 6 runs to lead the Cubs to a 9-5 win over the Expos. Dickie Noles allows 12 hits in 7+ innings for the victory.

28th  The Dodgers belt three homers in the 4th inning, scoring 8 runs, and beat the Padres, 9-5. Mike Marshall and Steve Yeager homer and Pedro Guerrero, who started the frame with a walk, hits a grand slam.

29th  Mark Fidrych, in the 2nd year of an extended comeback attempt with the Pawtucket Red Sox (International League), retires. The 1976 AL Rookie of the Year was 2–5 with a 9.68 ERA.

      Carney Lansford hits a grand slam in the bottom of the 1st as the Angels roll to an 11-6 win over Kansas City. Jeff Jones, with 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, is the victor.

After dropping game 1, 5-3, to the Indians, the Red Sox rally in game 2 by scoring a pair in the 11th and holding on for an 11-10 win and earn a split.  Dwight Evans homers in each game and Jim Rice hits a double and two homers in game 2 to drive in 5 runs.

30thThe Reds score 8 runs in the first inning and go on to beat the visiting Giants, 15–5. Paul Householder drives in 4 runs, 2 on a freak inside-the-park homer. With Oester on 1B, Householder hits a shallow fly that LF Chris Smith loses in the sun and it bounces over his head. Smith then slips going after the ball and the 2 baserunners race around the bases. Oester slides across the plate just ahead of Householder’s slide, which is so close he spikes Oester’s knee.

      Outfielder Lance Junker of the Redwood Pioneers (California League) connects for two grand slams in the 9th inning against Reno.  He is the 3rd to do this tying an organized baseball record.

JULY

1st  Arbitrator Raymond Goetz rules that the 43 players who were on the Disabled List during the 1981 players’ strike are not entitled to their salaries for that period. The decision saves the club owners about $2.5 million.

2ndFor the 2nd game in a row, Reds Gary Redus hits a leadoff home run. And for the 2nd game in a row the Reds lose to the Braves. Today it is 4–2: yesterday, 5–2.

3rd  The Rangers explode for 12 runs in the 15th inning of a 16–4 win over the A’s, setting a new ML record for runs in a single extra inning.  Reserve Bobby Jones has 5 hits in the game, including 2 doubles in the 15th. Dave Beard is the loser for Oakland, while Odell Jones is the victor. Ben Callahan, called up 10 days ago, gives up 7 runs in 2/3 of an inning in his final appearance.  Rickey Henderson swipes 4 bases for Oakland.

      Homers provide all the scoring at Jack Murphy Stadium as Jeffrey Leonard solos for the Giants and Steve Garvey hits a 5th inning grand slam for the Padres. 4-1 is the final.

      Juan Beringuer allows 3 hits in 6 innings and Doug Bair adds 3 hitless innings as Detroit pounds the Orioles, 10-1. John Wockenfuss hits a pinch grand slam in the 8th. 

4th  Dave Righetti pitches the Yankees’ first no-hitter since Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series, handcuffing the Red Sox 4–0 before a holiday crowd of 41,077 at Yankee Stadium. It’s the first no-hitter by a Yankee lefty since George Mogridge in 1917. Bert Campaneris at 3B participates in his 11th no-hitter, a ML record. (Hunter, Palmer, Wright, Blue, Bibby, Bosman, Blue, Odom, Colburn, and Blyleven).

      In Pittsburgh, the Pirates and Cardinals split a pair, with the Bucs taking the opener, 7-2, and the Cardinals roll to an 11-4 win in game 2. Darrell Porter hits a grand slam and Ozzie Smith has 4 hits and 3 RBI.

      At Cleveland, Ben Oglivie provides the fireworks with a 1st-inning grand slam as the Brewers bang the Indians, 8-3.

6th  In the 50th anniversary All-Star Game at Chicago’s Comiskey Park, the AL routs the NL 13–3 for its first win since 1971. The AL breaks the game open with 7 runs in the 4th inning, highlighted by Fred Lynn’s grand slam—the first ever in All-Star competition. It is Lynn’s 4th All-Star homer, tying him with Ted Williams for the AL record.

10th  It takes Milwaukee 4 hours and 11 minutes to beat Chicago 12–9, the slowest 9-inning game in AL history. Ted Simmons has 3 hits and 5 RBI for the Brewers as each team collects 15 hits.

      The Giants sweep a pair from the Cubs, winning 10–8 and 4–2. In the nightcap, Giants RF Jack Clark throws out Junior Kennedy 9–3.  It is the third time in 2 years Clark has done it: he did on July 30th to Reds P Charlie Puleo and on September 20, 1981 to Nolan Ryan.

      At Tiger Stadium, Lance Parrish hits a walkoff grand slam as the Bengals beat the A’s, 5-3.

11th  With his club in the NL West cellar, 15 1⁄2 games behind the Braves, Reds president Dick Wagner is fired by the club’s general partners.

      Tim Flannery hits a grand slam in the bottom of the 1st, off Fergie Jenkins, and the Padres beat the Cubs, 6-5. Mel Hall has a pair of solo shots for the Cubs.

      At Riverfront, Mike Schmidt belts his second homer of the game, an 11th-inning grand slam, as the Phillies top the Reds, 11-7. Schmidt drives in 6.

13th  In Baltimore, Cal Ripken’s grand slam is the difference as the Orioles win, 6-2, over the A’s to complete a three-game sweep.

14th  Kurt Bevacqua hits a pinch grand slam in the Padres’ 5-run 7th, but Pittsburgh plates a run in the 8th and 4 in the 9th to beat the host Padres, 8-6. 

      Scott McGregor throws an 86-pitch complete game to give Baltimore a 5-1 win over California. It is McGregor’s 14 win in 16 decisions against the Angels.

17th  Floyd Bannister and reliever Jim Acker each allow 2 hits as the White Sox edge the Blue Jays, 3-2. Damaso Garcia is hitless to end hit consecutive game hitting streak at 21.

18th  Despite being in first place in the NL East, the Phillies fire manager Pat Corrales because the team is “not playing up to its potential.” GM Paul Owens will manage the club instead. And will go 47-30 to win the pennant.  Managing his first game, the Phils drop a 9–2 decision as the Astros shell Steve Carlton.  It’s his 11th loss of the year and drops the Phils into a tie for 2nd place with the Pirates.

      At Toronto, George Brett is robbed of an apparent triple by his teammate Mike Armstrong.  Brett hits a liner down the RF line that Armstrong, sitting in the bullpen, thinks is foul and retrieves. Ump Bill Kunkel decides to send U.L. Washington, who scored on the play, back the 2B, and Brett is sent to 1B. Brett has a homer off Jim Clancy but KC eventually loses , 8–2.

20th  Two outs away from a no-hitter against the Astros, Phillies P Charles Hudson gives up a bloop single to Craig Reynolds and back-to-back home runs to Denny Walling and Dickie Thon before settling down for a 10–3 victory. Pete Rose has 4 hits for the Quakers and Joe Lefebvre hits a grand slam and drives in 5 runs.

      Steve Sax’s errant throw on a double play ball helps the Pirates’ cause, as they beat the Dodgers, 7–3. For Sax, it his 26th error of the season.  He’ll reach 30, then go the last 57 games without a miscue.

      After missing a month with a knee injury, Dan Ford clubs 3 homers to pace the Orioles to a 4–2 win over Seattle at the Kingdome. The O’s move into a tie for 1st place.

22nd  Milt Wilcox overcomes giving up 8 runs in 6 innings to notch a victory as Detroit beats the Angels, 13-11. Bobby Grich is 3-for-3 with a grand slam for the losers. Angels OF Brian Downing misplays Chet Lemon’s line drive in the 6th inning, ending his AL-record consecutive-errorless-game streak at 244.

23rd  At Busch, the Dodgers break open a close game with 7 runs in the 8th inning to clip the Cardinals, 10-5. Ken Landreaux’s grand slam off Bruce Sutter is the big blow in the inning.

24th  In the memorable “Pine Tar Game” at Yankee Stadium, George Brett hits an apparent 2-run home run off Rich Gossage to give the Royals a 5–4 lead with 2 outs in the 9th inning, only to have it taken away when Yankees manager Billy Martin, at the urging of coach Don Zimmer, points out that the pine tar on Brett’s bat handle exceeds the 17 inches allowed in the rules. As a result, Brett is called out for illegally batting the ball, giving New York a 4–3 victory. Brett goes ballistic and the Royals immediately protest. AL President Lee MacPhail overrules his umpires for the first time saying that, while the rules should certainly be rewritten and clarified, the home run will stand and the game will be resumed from that point on August 18th. Billy Martin will think so little of the final four-out completion that he plays Don Mattingly at 2B and Ron Guidry in the outfield.

      Rod Scurry is 1-1 on the day for the Pirates, facing one batter in the opener to beat the Giants, 3-1. Scurry walks 2 in the 11th of the nightcap, then his replacement serves up a grand slam to Jeffrey Leonard as the Giants win, 8-5. Leonard homered in game 1 for the only SF tally.

25th Three solo homers are the difference as Tommy John and the Angels top the Orioles, 5-2. The loss sends the O’s into a four-way tie in the AL East with New York, Detroit and Toronto. The Brewers are just 2 1/2 back.

26th Rookie Ray Fontenot (3-0) tosses a 6-hit shutout and is backed by Steve Balboni’s grand slam as the Yankees beat the Rangers, 5-0.

27th  While picking up his first win as a member of the Royals, Gaylord Perry joins Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton as the 3rd pitcher this season to reach 3,500 career strikeouts, fanning 4 Indians in a 5–4 victory to raise his total to 3,501. Hal McRae has a 2-run homer in the 4-run 3rd off Len Barker.

      In Arlington, VA, the Democrats and Republicans reach an agreement in the 9th inning to terminate their Congressional game with the score tied at 17-17.

29th  In the first game of a doubleheader split with the Braves, San Diego’s Steve Garvey’s consecutive-game streak ends at 1,207 when he dislocates his left thumb in a home-plate collision with Braves pitcher Pascual Perez. The injury will finish Garvey’s season.  The Braves win the opener, 2-1, then drop game 2, 6-5, in 12 innings.

      Lance Parrish belts his second grand slam in three weeks as Detroit scores 8 runs in the 3rd inning against Kansas City.  The game is suspended with a 10-1 score after 8 innings and completed tomorrow, before the Tigers win again, 4-1.

31st  Brooks Robinson, Juan Marichal, George Kell, and Walter Alston are inducted into the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York, bringing the total number of inductees to 184.

      In the nightcap of a doubleheader, Pirates rookie Jose DeLeon holds the Mets hitless for 81⁄3innings before Hubie Brooks singles, but Mets starter Mike Torrez pitches 11 shutout innings himself and New York goes on to win 1–0 in 12 innings. In his previous start, DeLeon had held the Padres hitless for 61⁄3innings. Mets reliever Jesse Orosco wins both games with 4 innings of relief in the 11-inning opener, and an inning in the nightcap. Jason Thompson has a grand slam in the 1st inning of game 1, connecting off Walt Terrell.  The Pirates remain in first place by a game over the Cardinals and Phillies.

      At Comiskey, Don Baylor’s grand slam highlights a 6-run 11th for the Yankees, who top the White Sox, 12-6. Roy Smalley has 4 hits as the Yankees collect 18.

      The Indians fire manager Mike Ferraro and replace him with Pat Corrales, who was fired earlier this month by the Phillies. The team responds with a 16-11 win over Toronto as Mike Hargrove scores 5 runs. The Tribe hits no homers but Toronto hits 4.

AUGUST

1stMinnesota pitcher Rick Lysander gives up 11 hits to Oakland, but still shuts out the A’s, 7–0.

3rd  Nolan Ryan pitches his 9th career one-hitter, striking out 10 Padres on the way to a 1–0 victory. Tim Flannery’s 3rd-inning single is San Diego’s only hit.

      Cubs starter and winner Chuck Rainey is one of 4 pitchers who combine to shut out the Cardinals, 4–0, on 12 hits, 2 short of the ML record for a whitewash. Bill Campbell finishes with 3 innings and a save.

4th  While warming up before the 5th inning of the Yankees 3–1 win over the Blue Jays game at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium, New York OF Dave Winfield accidentally kills a seagull with a thrown ball. After the game, Winfield is brought to the Ontario Provincial Police station on charges of cruelty to animals and is forced to post a $500 bond before being released. The charges will be dropped the following day.

5th  AL president Lee MacPhail suspends Yankees manager Billy Martin for the 2nd time this season because of continuing abuse of umpires. Martin is suspended for 2 games for calling umpire Dale Ford “a stone liar” after a July 31st game with the White Sox. He earned a 3-game suspension earlier this year for kicking dirt on umpire Drew Coble.

6th  Walt Terrell becomes the first pitcher in 5 years to homer twice in one game, belting a pair of 2-run shots off Ferguson Jenkins to lead New York to a 4–1 win over the Cubs.

      Steve Carlton (9 IP) and Danny Cox (10 IP), pitching in his debut, match scoreless frames before the Phils push across a run in the 11th to beat the Cards, 1-0.  Holland (6-0) is the winner when Von Hayes drives in Joe Morgan with a single.

      In the first of two at Jack Murphy Stadium, the Padres plate 8 in the 8th to blow out the Reds, 11-4.  Ruppert Jones has a solo shot in the frame and Bobby Brown hits a grand slam to make starter Eric Show a winner. Brown is in the midst of a 21-game hitting streak. Behind John Montefusco (9-2), the Padres take game 2, 6-2, to pull their record to .500 (55-55).

      Rick Sutcliffe wins his 13th as the Indians beat the host Orioles, 9-4. The Birds scoring comes on a grand slam by Joe Nolan.

      At Yankee Stadium, the Yanks sweep a pair from the Blue Jays, winning 8-3 and 11-3. New York has 3 homers in game 2, including a grand slam by Ken Griffey.  The losses drop the Jays to 5th place in the AL East, just 3.5 games out.

7th  Steve Rogers allows 2 hits and Tim Raines connects for a grand slam in the Expos 6-0 win over the Pirates. Montreal stays a game behind the Phils in the NL East.

10th  Al Oliver collects his 2,500th career hit, a 7th-inning single off Carlos Diaz, as the Expos beat the Mets 5–3.

11th  Leon Durham belts a 3rd inning grand slam for the Cubs as they defeat the visiting Cardinals, 10-5. Andy Van Slyke connects for a 3-run homer for the Birds.

13thCincinnati native Jeff Russell makes his ML debut for the Reds and pitches a 3-hitter, beating the Padres, 3–1. He helps with an RBI double.

      At Anaheim, Tony Bernarzard has 3 hits, including a grand slam, to drive in 5 runs for Seattle but the Mariners are overwhelmed as the Angels win, 10-5.  Lynn, Grich and Downing hit homers for the Haloes.

14th George Foster belts his 19th homer of the year, a grand slam, to pace the Mets to a 5-2 win over the visiting Cubs.

      It’s the Orioles year. With a man on in the 5th inning at Comiskey Park, Carlton Fisk hits a ball to left field that third base umpire Greg Kosc rules a home run. However, plate umpire Jim Evans over-rules Kosc, calling fan interference and a double for Fisk. The Sox lose two runs, manager Tony La Russa is ejected and protests the game. Neither runner scores in the 5th and the Orioles won the contest, 2-1, despite collecting just 3 hits off Rich Dotson (as noted by Retrosheet). Scott McGregor wins his 15th. The O’s are a percentage point ahead of Detroit in the AL east.

15th  Braves Bob Horner, who was hitting .303 with 20 HRs and 68 RBI, breaks his right wrist sliding into 2B during a 4–0 loss to the Padres and will be sidelined for the rest of the season. In Atlanta, the injury is widely attributed to the “Chief Noc-A-Homa Jinx,” which seems to strike whenever the Braves remove their mascot’s outfield teepee in order to sell more tickets.

      At Wrigley, the Phillies break a scoreless tie with 5 runs in the 8th, 4 on a grand slam by Mike Schmidt, to beat the Cubs, 5-0. Steve Carlton (12-11) strikes out 11 and walks none in the shutout.

16th  John Butcher cuts up the Orioles, 2-0, allowing just one hit, a single by Al Bumbry. It is the 3rd time that Bumbry has had the only hit in a game for the O’s. Buddy Bell’s two-run homer in the 1st, off Allan Ramirez, provides all the scoring for Texas.

      The Royals drop nine runs on the Tigers in the 7th to bust open the game and win, 18-7. Hal McRae and Amos Otis both homer in the big frame, and Pat Sheridan homers an inning later, one of his four hits in the game. Mark Huismann, in his debut game in the ML, is the winner in relief.

      In game 2, the Blue score 4 in the 7th to beat the Indians, 9-6, and earn a split for the day. After hitting safely in game 1, a 3-2 Cleveland win, Lloyd Moseby is hitless in game 2 to end his hit streak at 21 straight games.

17th  At County Stadium, the Brewers Tom Candiotti makes his first ML start and complete game beating the Red Sox, 5–1. Candiotti, who will not throw a knuckler until 1985, will go 4–0 in his first 4 decisions, compiling an .0.84 ERA.  He’ll shut out the Angels on August 25.

      A grand slam in the 7th by Juan Beniquez is the difference as the Angels top the Athletics, 6-5.

18th  In the continuation of the “Pine Tar Game,” Hal McRae strikes out for the last KC out and Dan Quisenberry retires the Yankees in order in the bottom of the 9th to preserve the Royals’ 5–4 victory. The conclusion takes just 12 minutes (and 16 pitches) and, as the only game scheduled at the Stadium, is witnessed by a crowd of 1,245. An odd feature of the game is lefty Don Mattingly playing 2B and pitcher Ron Guidry in CF, as the Yanks try to cover all the options.

      Yankee shortstop Andre Robertson is involved in a car crash on New York’s West Side Highway at the sharp S curve at 72nd street. Robertson sustains a broken neck and injuries to both shoulders but his female passenger Shenikwa Dawn Nowlin is paralyzed.  Robertson will play just 274 games in the majors. The S curve will be softened, but there is still a curve there.

19th  The Dodgers trade pitchers Dave Stewart and Ricky Wright to Texas for star pitcher Rick Honeycutt, who was 14-8 with an AL-best 2.42 ERA for the Rangers. Honeycutt will go 2-3 down the stretch for the Dodgers, but still wins the AL ERA title because his 174 2⁄3 innings pitched were already enough to qualify.

      At Milwaukee, the A’s down the Brewers, 9-1. Rickey Henderson scores 3 runs and steals 4 bases before he is lifted in the 7th.

20th  Pittsburgh’s Jose DeLeon takes a no-hitter into the 7th inning for the 3rd time this season, but Cincinnati’s Dan Driessen doubles with 2 out to spoil the gem. DeLeon finishes with 13 strikeouts in a 4–0 two-hitter.

      George Foster hits his second grand slam in a week as the Mets score 7 times in the 5th to beat the Giants, 7-2. Ed Lynch (9-7) goes the distance for the win.

      Jim Rice clubs a 3rd inning grand slam off Dave Stieb to lead the Red Sox to a 5-2 win over the Blue Jays. Dennis Eckersley takes the victory.

21st  At Jack Murphy, the visiting Expos and Padres split a doubleheader. Charlie Lea scatters 9 hits in the opener and Andre Dawson has a pair of doubles and scores all 3 runs in Montreal’s 3-0 victory. The Padres rebound in game 2 to win, 5-2.  Doug “Eyechart” Gwosdz hits his first ML homer, a 3-run shot off Bill Gullickson in the 2^ndinning.  Montreal is in 3^rdplace in the tight NL East race.

      Class A outfielders Vince Coleman (Macon, South Atlantic League) and Donnell Nixon (Bakersfield, California League) each break Rickey Henderson’s single-season record by stealing their 131st bases of the season. Coleman will finish the season with minor-league record 145 stolen bases, despite having missed 31 games with a broken hand. Nixon will tally 144. Jeff Stone (South Atlantic League) will swipe 123 while Len Dykstra will set a Class A Carolina League record with 105 thefts.

22nd  The Cubs replace Lee Elia with Charlie Fox, a special assistant to GM Dallas Green who managed the Giants to the NL West title in 1971. Chicago is in 5th place in the NL East with a 54-69 record.  Elia sealed his own fate with a post-game remark on August 19^ththat he had never heard of Braves rookie Gerald Perry, who had a single, homer and 3 RBIs in a 5-3 win over the Cubs. Green, who prided himself on his scouting reports, was insulted.

23rd  Kansas City’s Amos Otis notches his 2,000th career hit, a single in a 10–2 win over the White Sox.

      At Wrigley, Reds rookie Jeff Russell beats Fergie Jenkins and the Cubs, 4–2. Russell adds his only career home run. Dave Concepcion is called out on a steal attempt, and then is tossed out for arguing with ump Dave Pallone. He also gets suspended for 3 days for allegedly spitting on Pallone during the argument.

24th  First baseman Pete Rose does not play in the Phillies 5–3 loss to the Giants, ending his consecutive games played streak at 745. Manager Paul Owens had planned to use Rose as a pinch hitter in the 10th inning, but Joel Youngblood ends the game with a 2-run home run off Steve Carlton in the bottom of the 9th.

      Cubs Chuck Rainey is one out away from a no-hitter when the Reds Eddie Milner singles to center on the first pitch. Rainey settles for a 3–0 one-hitter, his first complete game of the season. For Milner, this is the 3rd of 5 instances that he will collect his team’s only hit in a game, a ML mark he’ll share with Cesar Tovar. The other solos are Dickie Noles and Jerry Reuss (1982), Len Barker/Donnie Moore (1984) and Alejandro Pena (1986).

      Making his only career appearance behind the plate, Oriole infielder Lenn Sakata catches the 10th inning against the Blue Jays and then hits a 3-run homer as the O’s win, 7–4. Toronto goes ahead 4–3 in the top of the 10th after Cliff Johnson homers and Barry Bonnell singles. Tippy Martinez relieves Tim Stoddard and picks off Bonnell who is caught stealing, walks Dave Collins and picks him off. Tippy then allows a Willie Upshaw single, and picks him off. Helped by the runners’ eagerness to test Sakata, Tippy sets a never-to-be-topped ML record with the three pickoffs in one inning.

25th  The Louisville Redbirds (American Association) become the first minor league team to draw one million fans in a season, as 31,258 watch them beat Evansville 7–0 to clinch the Eastern Division title. Louisville will finish the season with an attendance of 1,052,438.

28th  Greg Luzinski becomes the first player to park 3 home runs onto the roof at Comiskey Park, connecting off Boston’s Oil Can Boyd in a 6–2 Chicago victory. Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams each accomplished the feat twice.

      The 4th place Yankees beat California, 7–3, behind John Montefusco’s first win for New York as the 2 teams match hits at 10. The Yanks score 6 times in the 6th, half coming on a homer by Roy Smalley. Willie Randolph starts and ends the inning, making all 3 outs.

      In Montreal, Steve Rogers win his 16th as the Expos down the Padres, 8-0.  Montreal breaks the game open with 7 runs in the 7th, 4 coming home on Al Oliver’s grand slam.  Montreal is in 3rd place in the tight NL East, 1.5 games out.

      The Indians trade pitcher Len Barker to the Braves for Rick Behenna, cash, and 2 players to be named later. The two turn out to be OF Brett Butler and 3B Brook Jacoby.

29th  Mel Hall connects for a grand slam off starter Phil Niekro, and follows in the 7th with a solo shot off Gene Garber as the Cubs tip the Braves, 7-5. Keith Moreland also hits a homer in the 7th.

      John Shelby puts the cherry on the charlotte russe with a 9th inning grand slam as the Orioles beat host Kansas City, 9-2.

30th  Britt Burns and Dick Tidrow combine on a 5-0 shutout as the White Sox beat Dave Stewart and the Rangers.  Carlton Fisk and Harold Baines each have 2 hits, including a homer, and 2 runs. Fisk’s homer is inside-the-park, the only one of his career. The Sox lead in the AL West by 9.5 games.

SEPTEMBER

1st At Tiger Stadium, Jack Morris (18-8) scatters 6 hits and strikes out 5 in shutting out Texas, 5-0. It is the 10th win in a row for the Detroit ace and he is the first Detroit pitcher since Hal Newhouser in 1945 to win 10 straight. With Baltimore losing, the Tigers are 3 back in the AL East.

      In the first of two at Fenway, the Twins score 7 runs off Sox starter Dennis Eckersley as they roll to an 11-0 win. Tom Brunansky has a pair of homers, including a grand slam off Eck, to drive in 6. Albert Williams goes the distance for his 10th win.  Tony Armas drives in 4 runs in game 2 as the Red Sox rebound with a 9-3 win.

2ndMike Flanagan of the Orioles wins his 13th straight over the Twins, but it is not easy. Ken Singleton’s solo HR in the 9th breaks up a pitching duel with Frank Viola and gives the Orioles a 1–0 win. The streak goes back to August 5, 1978.

      Ozzie Virgil belts a walkoff grand slam, off Gary Lavelle, as the Phillies beat the Giants, 5-3, and stay tied for 1st place in the NL East with the Pirates. Ron Reed (6-1) wins in relief.

3rd  Trailing 5–3, the Indians erupt for 10 runs in the top of the 9th inning and go on to defeat Oakland, 13–6. The A’s set a ML record by using 6 pitchers in the inning. Pinch hitter Sal Bando has 2 hits in the frame and Gorman Thomas connects for a double and homer in the inning for the second time in 3 years. He is the only man to do it twice.

      At Atlanta, the Pirates erupt for 6 runs in the 7th to come from behind to beat the Braves, 6-2. The big blow is a pinch grand slam by Mike Easler off Steve Bedrosian. With the Phillies losing, the Pirates are in sole possession of 1st place.

      Baltimore misses an extra point but still shuts out the Twins, 13-0, behind Scott McGregor’s 17th win. Cal Ripken has a 5 hits, including two doubles and two homers, Ken Singleton hits a grand slam, Rich Dauer has 4 hits including a homer, and Dan Ford and Joe Nolan go deep. Baltimore leads Detroit by 3.5 games.

      At Oakland, the Indians score 10 runs in the top of the 9th to stun the A’s, 13-6. Pinchitter Sal Bando has 2 hits in the frame as does Andre Thornton. Toby Harrah drives in 5 runs for the Tribe. Dwayne Murphy belts a grand slam for Oakland.

4th  At the Kingdome, the Yankees edge the Mariners, 4-3. Ron Guidry earns the win, with Gossage getting a save by striking out the last batter. Steve Henderson drives in 3 runs on 2 homers off Guidry.  The non-complete game interrupts a skein of 15 straight complete games that Guidry throws. He will finish the year with an AL-high 21 complete games.

5th  Reds rookie Jeff Russell loses his no-hitter in the 8th inning at Candlestick before losing, 3–2, on Youngblood’s double and Dave Bergman’s HR.

      Al Oliver’s second grand slam in a week paces the Expos to a 7-3 win at Wrigley over the Cubs. Montreal is tied for first place in the NL East with Pittsburgh and the Phils and Cards are a half game in back.

6th  Welcome to the Bigs. Cincinnati native Skeeter Barnes is twice hit by pitches in his ML debut, but his Reds beat the Giants, 11–1.

7th  The A’s take a 7-2 lead over the White Sox but Chicago roars back to win, 8-7. Rickey Henderson has 3 steals for the A’s, giving him 96, while catcher Mike Heath steals home on the front end of a double steal with Davey Lopes. Three A’s are caught stealing. Julio Cruz’s RBI-single in the 10th wins it for the pale hose after Greg Luzinski ties it with a 2-out homer in the 9th.

      In LA, Mike Marshall ends the game with a grand slam in the 10th off Ben Hayes as the first-place Dodgers trip the Reds, 7-3.

8th  Yankees OF Steve Kemp will miss the rest of the season with a fractured cheekbone after being struck in the face by an Omar Moreno line drive during batting practice in Milwaukee. Kemp hit just .242 with 12 HR and 49 RBI in the first year of his 5-year, $5.45 million contract. New York wins today, 6–5.

9th  White Sox Britt Burns pitches a one-hit 11–0 win over the Angels. California’s sole hit is Mike Brown’s single with 2 out in the 7th.  Sox teammates Carlton Fisk, Tom Paciorek, and Greg Luzinski make it easy for Britt by clouting consecutive homers in the first inning.

      Oakland’s first two batters, Rickey Henderson and Mike Davis, line homers off Toronto’s Jim Clancy. It turns out to be the margin of difference in a 7–5 win.

10th  In a wild one in Montreal, 7 homers are hit as the Expos outlast the Mets to win, 10-9. Gary Carter has 2 of the homers, one a grand slam.

      In the first of two at Yankee Stadium, John Lowenstein hits a grand slam in Baltimore’s 6-run 9th, as the O’s win, 8-4. In game 2, the Orioles complete the sweep, winning, 3-1, and move to a 5.5 game lead in the AL East.

11th  LaMarr Hoyt (20-10) becomes the major leagues’ first 20-game winner this season by beating California 5–4 in 10 innings.

      Los Angeles scores 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th to beat Atlanta 7–6 and widen their NL West lead over the 2nd-place Braves to 3 games.

      Willie Upshaw belts a grand slam and Jesse Barfield is a single short of the cycle as Toronto whips the A’s, 16-6.

13th  Dan Quisenberry breaks John Hiller’s all-time single-season save record, recording the final 2 outs of the Royals’ 4–3 win over the Angels for his 39th save of the season.

      Oakland’s Rickey Henderson steals 3 bases in a 6–5 win over Texas to give him 101 for the season and a ML-record 3 consecutive seasons with 100 or more.

      Mets C Mike Fitzgerald becomes the 48th player in ML history to hit a home run in his first at bat, connecting for a solo shot off Tony Ghelfi in the 2nd inning of New York’s 5–1 win over Philadelphia.

      The red hot Orioles win a pair at Fenway, 7-4 in 12 innings and 7-1. Gary Roenicke hits an 8th inning grand slam in game 2 to ice it for Bill Swaggerty, who wins his first ML decision in relief..

14th  Nick Esasky’s first inning grand slam, off Phil Niekro, propels the Reds to a 6–4 win over the visiting Braves.

      Behind Marty Bystrom’s 5-hit shutout in game 2 the Phils whip the Expos, 9–5 and 5-0. Mike Schmidt homers in both games and Len Matuszek (his first in the majors) homers to back Steve Carlton’s 298th career win.

15th  Mercy rule? In a game delayed by rain, the White Sox roll over the visiting Mariners, 12-0, in a game called in the 7th inning. Led by a grand slam by Harold Baines, the Sox plate 11 in the 6th. LaMarr Hoyt wins his 21st.

      At Three Rivers, Richie Hebner’s 8th inning homer with the bases loaded ices it for the Pirates as they beat the Cubs, 8-4. Ron Cey has a pair of solo homers for Chicago, both off Larry McWilliams (14-6).

16th  Minnesota’s Tim Teufel goes 5-for-5 with a triple and the first 2 home runs of his ML career in an 11–4 win over the Blue Jays. He also scores 5 runs.

      For the second day in a row, a Pirates belts an 8th inning grand slam, as Marvell Wynne hits on in a 9-0 victory over Montreal. Jose DeLeon goes the distance for the win.  Pittsburgh remains tied for the lead in the NL East with the Phillies, winners today over the Cardinals in 13 innings.

17th  The Chicago White Sox clinch their first-ever AL West championship, beating Seattle 4–3 on Harold Baines’ sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 9th.

      A record regular-season crowd of 53,790 packs Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium on Johnny Bench Night, and the retiring superstar responds with a 2–run home run and a single. But the Reds lose to Houston, 4–3.

18th  With Tony Gwynn on base with his 3rd hit of the game, Ruppert Jones homers in the top of the 13th, as the Padres beat the Braves, 4-2.  Gwynn’s consecutive-game batting streak is 25 games, the longest in the majors this year.

      The Orioles spot the Brewers 7 runs, all off starter Jim Palmer, in the 2nd inning and come back to edge them, 10-9.  Eddie Murray cracks a grand slam in Baltimore’s 6-run 8th.

19th  Phillies 2B Joe Morgan celebrates his 40th birthday by going 4-for-5 with 2 home runs in a 7–6 win over the Cubs. He will go 4-for-5 again tomorrow in an 8–5 win over the Cubs. He’s the 2nd player to celebrate his 40th birthday with a dinger: Bob Thurman was the first, in 1957.

      Denver (AA) beats Portland (PCL) 5–4 to give the Tidewater Tides (IL) the championship in the first AAA World Series. Manager Davey Johnson’s Tides won 3 of their 4 games in the double round-robin tournament to edge 2nd-place Portland, which finished 2–2.

20th  The Tigers rap 10 consecutive hits on the way to an 11-run first inning against Baltimore, tying the AL record set by Boston in 1901. Detroit wins 14–1 in a rain-shortened 5-inning game.

      Not scoring till the 5th inning, the Brewers ride a 20-hit attack to subdue the Indians, 11-7. Cecil Cooper leads the way with 4 hits and 3 RBI. Mike Fishlin has a grand slam for the Tribe, one of four homers they hit.

      The Astros jump to a 12-1 lead after 3 innings at Dodger Stadium and roll to a 15-2 victory.  Jose Cruz has a grand slam and 6 RBIs. Nolan Ryan (14-8) strikes out 7 in 6 innings.

21stIn Detroit, the first-place Orioles sweep a pair from the Tigers, winning 6-0 and 7-3. Mike Boddiker wins his 15th in the opener as the O’s hit 3 homers in support.  In game 2, the Birds score 6 runs in the 9th to win, 7-3. The big blow is John Lowenstein’s second homer of the day, a grand slam, his second of the month.

      For the second day in a row, the Indians get a grand slam in a losing cause, as the Brewers stop them, 10-7.  Alan Bannister clubs a pinch slam in the 5th for Cleveland.

23rd  Steve Carlton becomes the 16th pitcher in ML history to win 300 games and the Phillies inch closer to the NL East title with a 6–2 win over the Cardinals.

     Mike Easler hits Pittsburgh’s third grand slam in 8 days and Tony Pena adds a pair of homers as the Pirates beat the Expos, 10-1. Rick Rhoden wins his 12th as the Pirates stay 3 games behind the streaking Phillies.

      Troubled Dodger reliever Steve Howe is suspended once again because of his chronic drug problem after missing the club’s flight to Atlanta and refusing to take a urinalysis upon his arrival. Howe, who had 18 saves and a 1.44 ERA despite spending part of the season in a drug rehabilitation program, will not be eligible for post-season play.

24th  In the 9th inning of Atlanta’s 3–2 win over Los Angeles, Braves OF Dale Murphy walks, steals 2B, and scores the winning run on Rafael Ramirez’s single. The stolen base makes him only the 6th player in ML history to hit 30 HRs and steal 30 bases in the same season.

      At Tiger Stadium, Tony Armas hits a pair of 2-run homers as the Red Sox down the Tigers, 5-3.  Armas now has 104 RBIs and will finish with 107 ribbies, despite hitting .218. No one this century will top 100 RBIs with a lower batting average.

25th  Baltimore clinches the AL East title with a 5–1 win over Milwaukee, as Storm Davis and Tippy Martinez combine on a 6-hitter.

26th  Cardinals Bob Forsch pitches his 2nd career no-hitter, winning 3–0 against the Expos. Forsch allows just 2 base runners while becoming the first Cardinal and 25th pitcher overall to throw more than one no-hitter.

      At Wrigley, John Denny wins his 18th and the Phillies win their 11th in a row, beating the Cubs, 5-2. The Phils hit three homers to account for their scoring.  The Phils lead the Pirates by 4.5 games in the NL East, having started their win streak tied with Pittsburgh.

27th  Tim Raines becomes the first player since Ty Cobb to steal 70 bases and drive in 70 runs in the same season, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a stolen base, and 4 RBI in Montreal’s 10–4 win over St. Louis.

      Jim Beattie fires the first one-hitter in Mariners’ history, beating Kansas City, 4-0. U.L. Washington’s single in the 3rd inning is the only baserunner allowed by Beattie in his near-perfect game.

28th  Whipping the Cubs 13-6 for their 12th win in their last 13 games, the Phillies clinch the NL East championship. Bo Diaz goes 5-for-5 with a pair of home runs and Joe Morgan records his 3rd 4-hit game of the month. Mike Schmidt hits his 40^thhomer of the year, and reliever Al Holland records a strikeout as closer. He will K two in his next appearance, for 100 strikeouts on the year. No Phillie reliever will match that until 2014.

      Mets pitcher Ron Darling notches his first ML win, a 4-2 victory over the host Pirates. Darryl Strawberry drives in 3 runs, 2 on a homer. For the second day in a row Dale Berra reaches base on catcher’s interference by Junior Ortiz. It’s the 7^thtime this year for Berra, setting a new NL record.  He will also lead the NL in IBB this year, a curious stat for a .251 hitter with 10 homers.

29th  In his 9th ML start, Oakland’s Mike Warren pitches a no-hitter against the AL West champion White Sox, 3–0. It is the first no-hitter by a rookie since Jim Bibby’s on July 30, 1973. Warren will win only 9 games in his career, and this will be his only shutout.

      In the Reds last home game, Johnny Bench hits a 2–run pinch single in his last ML at bat. The Reds still lose to the Giants, 11–7.

30th  The Dodgers beat the Giants 4–3 and the Padres beat the Braves 3–2, giving Los Angeles the NL West title. Orel Hershiser pitches the final 2 innings in relief of Fernando Valenzuela to record his first ML save.

      In a 9-4 win over the Mariners, Chicago’s LaMarr Hoyt records his 13th win in a row to raise his record to 24-10, and Greg Luzinski hits his 32nd home run to set a new single-season record for designated hitters.

OCTOBER

1st  Rookie Jaime Cocanower (2-0) goes the distance as Milwaukee beats the Tigers, 10-1, stopping Jack Morris’s attempt to win his 22nd.  Randy Ready has 3 runs and 4 hits, and Roy Howell clubs a grand slam and drives in 5 runs. 

2nd  In his final ML game, Carl Yastrzemski plays left field and goes 1-for-3 as the Red Sox beat Cleveland 3–1 at Fenway Park. Jim Rice bangs a 3-run homer to back Al Nipper’s first ML win. Rice finishes with an AL-high 39 homers and 126 RBI., but also grounds into his 31st DP, high in the league. Rice led it last year and will do so in the next two seasons as well. Yaz retires having played a record 3,308 AL games and compiling a ML record 1,822 hits at Fenway Park. Stan Musial is second with 1,815 at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.

      After the Mets edge the Expos, 1-0, in game 1, Rusty Staub’s 2-run pinch double with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th gives the Mets a 5–4 game 2 win over the Expos in their season finale and gives Staub 25 RBI as a pinch hitter this season, tying the ML record shared by Joe Cronin and Jerry Lynch. He also finishes with more doubles than runs: six doubles and five runs. Tim Raines has 4 stolen bases in the nightcap to finish with 90. After the game the last-place Mets fire manager Frank Howard.

      Heralded rookie Sid Fernandez makes his first and only start for the Dodgers, and walks six in three innings against the Giants. The Dodgers eventually lose, 4–3.  El Sid will be traded to the Mets in December.

      Mike Boddicker wins his 16th and combines with Sammy Stewart and Tippy Martinez on a one-hit victory, 2-0, over the Yankees. A single by Ken Griffey is the Yankees’ only hit.  It is the third time that Griffey has garnered his team’s lone hit.

3rd  Less than a year after leading the club to its first World Series, Brewers manager Harvey Kuenn is fired and replaced by Rene Lachemann. Milwaukee finished 5th in the AL East this season with an 87-75 record.

      Rich Dotson and four relievers combine on a shutout as the White Sox beat Seattle, 3-0. For Dotson it is his 10^thstraight win.

4th  In the NLCS opener, Mike Schmidt’s first-inning homer and Al Holland’s clutch relief pitching to get out of an 8th-inning bases-loaded jam are enough for Philadelphia to top Los Angeles, 1–0.

      Having finished last in the NL West for the 2nd straight year, the Reds drop manager Russ Nixon and replace him with Vern Rapp.

5th  Five-hit pitching by LaMarr Hoyt is the margin in the 2–1 White Sox victory over the Orioles in game 1 of the ALCS.

      Fernando Valenzuela wins the 2nd NLCS game for the Dodgers downing Philley 4–1.

6th  Orioles rookie Mike Boddicker ties the LCS record with 14 strikeouts in a 4–0 shutout of the White Sox, evening the series at 1–1.

      Jim Frey will manage the Cubs, succeeding interim manager Charlie Fox, who has returned to the front office after the season.

7th  The Orioles waltz in game 3, beating the Sox 11–1. In the NL game, rookie Charlie Hudson goes the distance for Philadelphia, winning 7–2, aided by Gary Matthews’s 3-for-3 with 4 RBI.

8th  The Phillies and Orioles each win game 4 of their respective LCS to advance to the World Series. Philadelphia gets home runs from LCS MVP Gary Matthews and Sixto Lezcano in another 7–2 victory, while Baltimore’s Tito Landrum hits a solo home run in the top of the 10th inning to break a scoreless tie and spark the Orioles to a 3–0 win.

10th  John E. Fetzer sells the Tigers to Michigan businessman Tom Monaghan, the founder and president of Domino’s Pizza.

11th  In the WS opener, homers account for all the scoring as the Phillies top Baltimore 2–1.

12th  In game 2, Mike Boddicker pitches a 4–1 three-hitter to tie the Series 1-1. He has yet to allow an earned run in 18 post-season innings, and is the first rookie to pitch a 3-hitter in the World Series since Dickie Kerr in 1919.

14th  The Orioles rally to win game 3 by a 3–2 margin. Jim Palmer wins and his batterymate Rick Dempsey has 2 doubles.

15th  Rich Dauer has 3 hits and 3 RBI to lead Baltimore to a 5–4 Series win.

16th  Eddie Murray slams a pair of home runs and Scott McGregor pitches a 5-hitter as the Orioles beat the Phillies 5–0 and win the World Series 4–1. Baltimore catcher Rick Dempsey, who hit .385 with 4 doubles and a home run, is the Series MVP.

25th  White Sox pitcher LaMarr Hoyt, who led the AL with 24 wins but whose 3.66 ERA was not among the league’s 15 best, wins the AL Cy Young Award, beating out the Royals Dan Quisenberry and the Tigers Jack Morris.

NOVEMBER

2nd  John Denny wins the NL Cy Young Award, collecting 20 of 24 first-place votes to defeat runner-up Mario Soto. Denny was 19-6 with a 2.37 ERA for the NL champion Phillies.

8th  Atlanta’s Dale Murphy wins his 2nd consecutive NL MVP Award, joining Ernie Banks, Joe Morgan, and Mike Schmidt, who also accomplished that feat. Murphy hit .302 with 36 HRs, 121 RBI, and 30 SBs this season, and received 21 of a possible 24 first-place votes.

9th  University of Alabama 1B Dave Magadan, who led the NCAA with a .535 batting average last season, wins the Golden Spike Award as the outstanding amateur baseball player in the United States.

15th  Cal Ripken is named MVP of the AL, edging Orioles teammate Eddie Murray. Ripken hit .318 and led the league in hits (211) and runs (111) while playing every inning of every game, and is the first player ever to win the Rookie of the Year and MVP Awards in consecutive seasons.

17th  Kansas City Royals teammates Willie Wilson, Willie Aikens, and Jerry Martin, who, along with former teammate Vida Blue, had pleaded guilty to attempting to purchase cocaine, are each sentenced to 3 months in prison.

21st  Darryl Strawberry becomes the first non-Dodger since 1978 to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award. Strawberry hit .257 for the Mets with 26 home runs and 74 RBI and also stole 19 bases.

      The Mariners trade reliever Bill “The Inspector” Caudill (his theme was the Pink Panther theme) and a player to be named later (minor leaguer Darrel Akerfelds) to the A’s for catcher Bob Kearney and pitcher Dave Beard.

22nd  White Sox OF Ron Kittle, who hit .254 with 35 HRs and 100 RBI, but also struck out a league-leading 150 times, wins the AL Rookie of the Year Award. Cleveland’s Julio Franco and Baltimore’s Mike Boddicker finish 2nd and 3rd.

      The Players’ Association fires executive director Kenneth Moffett and chooses Donald Fehr as his successor.

DECEMBER

5th  The Phillies trade veteran 1B Tony Perez to Cincinnati for a player to be named later.

6th  The Pirates trade OF Mike Easler to the Red Sox for lefthanded starter John Tudor.

7th  In a complicated 3-team swap, pitcher Scott Sanderson is traded from the Expos to the Cubs. Montreal receives pitcher Gary Lucas from San Diego, and the Padres get P Craig Lefferts, 1B-OF Carmelo Martinez, and 3B Fritz Connally from Chicago.

      The Mariners trade 2B Tony Bernazard to the Indians for OF Gorman Thomas and IF Jack Perconte.

      The Reds sign their first major free agent: OF Dave Parker, who accepts a 2-year contract.

      The Royals trade P Mike Armstrong and minor league catcher Duane Dewey to the Yankees for slugger Steve Balboni and P Roger Erickson. Balboni will hit 36 homers for the Series-bound Royals in 1985, the last Series winner this century to have anyone hit that many homers.

8th  Dr. Bobby Brown, who played 3B for the Yankees before embarking on a successful medical career, is elected president of the AL by the club owners.

      Ill-advisedly, the Dodgers send pitching prospect Sid Fernandez and SS Ross Jones to the Mets in exchange for utility players Carlos Diaz and Bob Bailor.

13th  Forty-year-old Joe Morgan signs a one-year contract with the Oakland A’s—his 5th club since 1979.

15th  Commissioner Kuhn suspends convicted Kansas City Royals Willie Wilson, Willie Aikens, and Jerry Martin, and Dodgers pitcher Steve Howe for one season without pay for their use of illegal drugs. The suspensions will be shortened by an arbitrator and lifted on May 15th.

16th  George Steinbrenner fires Billy Martin as manager of the Yankees for the 3rd time, replacing him with Yogi Berra and giving Martin a front-office job.

19th  Cy Young Award winner Vida Blue is sentenced to 90 days in prison, and recently convicted and suspended 1B Willie Aikens is traded by Kansas City to Toronto for DH Jorge Orta.

      The Pirates sign free-agent OF Amos Otis, a 5-time AL All-Star, to a one-year contract.

      The Tigers sign free-agent slugger Darrell Evans, who hit .277 with 30 home runs for the Giants in 1983.

22nd  Free-agent reliever Kent Tekulve re-signs with the Pirates. In 1983 he had 18 saves and a 1.64 ERA for Pittsburgh.

      Pete Rose wins a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service and is awarded a $36,083 tax refund for 1978.

28th  Free-agent OF Warren Cromartie signs a reported 3-year, $2.5 million contract to play for Japan’s Tokyo Yomiuri Giants. The 30-year-old Cromartie, who hit .278 for the Expos last season, is the best American player to jump to Japan while still in his prime.

•1984

JANUARY

5th  The Yankees sign veteran free agent Phil Niekro to a 2-year contract, giving the club 6 starting pitchers. Dave Righetti will move to the bullpen to ease the logjam and to fill the void that will be left by the departure of Rich Gossage, who says he will not re-sign with New York.

      The Cubs sign free agent Richie Hebner, late of the Pirates.

9th  Braves Pascual Perez is arrested for cocaine possession in his native Dominican Republic. Under local law he will remain in jail until his trial, forcing him to miss the beginning of the season. Perez maintains that he was given the packet by a woman he did not know and was unaware of what it contained.

10th  Luis Aparicio, Harmon Killebrew, and Don Drysdale are elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA. Aparicio becomes the only nonpitcher in the Hall of Fame who played his entire big-league career at only one position.

12th  Rich Gossage signs with the San Diego Padres.

20th  In a move that stuns New York fans, the White Sox draft Tom Seaver as compensation for losing Type A free agent Dennis Lamp to the Blue Jays. The Mets left Seaver off their protected list assuming—wrongly—that no team would want to select the aging star, who finished 1983 with a 9-14 record and a 3.55 ERA.

      Free agent Pete Rose signs a one-year contract with the Expos.

30th  After failing to trade him, the Mets give veteran slugger Dave Kingman his release. Kingman hit .198 with 13 home runs last year, but will find a new home as Oakland’s designated hitter.

FEBRUARY

4th  The Indians trade 3B Toby Harrah and minor leaguer Rick Brown to the Yankees for P George Frazier, OF Otis Nixon, and minor leaguer Guy Elston.

8th  One day after losing Type A free agent Tom Underwood to the Orioles, the A’s “steal” pitcher Tim Belcher from the Yankees as compensation. The number-one selection in last June’s draft, Belcher did not sign with the Twins and was available in the January draft. The Yankees signed him on February 2nd, only to lose him because they had already submitted their list of 26 protected players.

9th  The Dodgers waive 2-time NL All-Star Dusty Baker, who had vetoed a trade to Oakland during the winter meetings. He’ll sign with the Giants, play for one year, and end up managing them in the 90’s.

20th  Pedro Guerrero becomes the highest-paid Dodger in history, signing a 5-year contract that will reportedly pay him $7 million.

27th  The Expos trade Al Oliver to the Giants for pitcher Fred Breining and Max Venable.

MARCH

3rd  Peter Ueberroth, the highly successful chairman of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the upcoming Summer Games, is elected to a 5-year term as commissioner of baseball. Ueberroth will take office on October 1st, succeeding Bowie Kuhn.

4th  Two outstanding defensive players, SS Pee Wee Reese and catcher Rick Ferrell, are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Reese hit .269 in 16 seasons with the Dodgers while Ferrell batted .281 with just 28 home runs in 18 seasons for the Browns, Red Sox, and Senators.

16th  The Mets sign suspended OF Jerry Martin as a free agent.

17th  Ferguson Jenkins is given his unconditional release by the Cubs. He was 6-9 with a 4.30 ERA last season.

18th  White Sox coach Charlie Lau, renowned hitting instructor, dies at the age of 50 after a long bout with cancer. Lau, whose ML average was .255, earned his fame as the Royals batting coach from 1971-78, where his star pupil was George Brett.

19th  Denny McLain, the last ML pitcher to achieve a 30-win season, is indicted on various charges of racketeering, loan-sharking, extortion, and cocaine possession.

23rd  1B-DH Willie Aikens, now with the Blue Jays, is released from prison.

24th  The Phillies send Guillermo Hernandez and Dave Bergman to the Detroit Tigers for Glenn Wilson and John Wockenfuss.

27th  The Phillies trade outfielders Gary Matthews and Bob Dernier and pitcher Porfi Altamirano to the Cubs for reliever Bill Campbell and catcher Mike Diaz. Matthews was the MVP of the NLCS last season, while Campbell led the NL with 82 appearances. Dernier will win a Gold Glove in CF for Chicago and help them reach the playoffs. His 45 steals will be the most by a Cub since 1907. The Phils plan on putting 25-year-old Glenn Wilson, recently brought over from Detroit, in right field to replace Matthews.

      J. R. Richard is released by the Astros, ending his professional baseball career. Richard was 0-2 with a 13.68 ERA in 6 starts for Tucson (Pacific Coast League) last season.

30th  The Yankees trade new author and veteran 3B Graig Nettles to the Padres for rookie P Dennis Rasmussen and a minor leaguer to be named later. Nettles’s controversial book Balls,in which he criticizes Steinbrenner, will be not be officially published until April 30th, but the bound books available now make his days in pinstripes numbered.

APRIL

2nd  In Baltimore, President Reagan throws out the first pitch, just the 3rd President to do so outside of Washington. He then sits in the Orioles dugout with owner Edward Bennett Williams and Bowie Kuhn for the first inning, before exiting. The Orioles beat the White Sox, 5–2.

3rd  Arbitrator Richard Bloch rules that the Royals Willie Wilson and the Mets Jerry Martin can return to action on May 15th, the day their year-long suspensions are first due to be reviewed.

      After rain washes out yesterday’s Opener at Royals Stadium, Yul Bryner tosses out the first ball and Kansas City opens with a 4–2 win over the Yankees. The threat of snow holds the crowd to just 10,006.  Bud Black, with relief help from Quisenberry, tops Ron Guidry, still winless in Openers.  Onyx Concepcion hits Guidry’s first pitch of the game for a homer, while Dave Winfield has a two-run homer for New York.

5th  At Jack Murphy, Steve Garvey has a homer and 4 RBIs as the Padres beat the Pirates, 8-6. Doug Frobel hits a grand slam for the Bucs and Johnny Ray has 4 hits.

7th  Tigers Jack Morris no-hits the White Sox 4–0 at Comiskey Park, walking 6 and striking out 8.

      Dwight Gooden allows one run in 5 innings in his ML debut, earning the win in the Mets’ 3–2 victory over Houston. At 19, he is the youngest NL player.

8th  Tom Seaver makes an inauspicious AL debut, allowing 5 runs in 41⁄3innings in Chicago’s 7–3 loss to Detroit.

      In a 3–1 loss to the Mets, Astros SS Dickie Thon is hit in the face by a Mike Torrez pitch that breaks the orbital bone around his eye.  Thon will be operated on April 11, but will miss the rest of the season. When he returns, the All-Star SS will be plagued with blurred vision and be relegated to a backup role.

      In San Diego, Ryne Sandberg cracks a 10th inning run-scoring triple to make the score 7–5 over the Pads, and then steals home to seal it for the Cubs.

      Admitting he has a cocaine problem, Pittsburgh’s Rod Scurry checks into a 30-day drug rehabilitation program. He will return to action on May 13th.

10th  Pinchhitter Champ Summers belts a 5th inning grand slam as the first-place Padres whip the Cardinals, 7-3.

      Nick Esasky has a grand slam and 5 RBIs as the Reds beat the visiting Expos, 8-6.

13th  Pete Rose lashes a double off Jerry Koosman in a 5–1 Expos victory over the Phillies to join Ty Cobb as the only player to reach 4,000 career hits.

      In their home opener, the Cubs score 6 runs against Dwight Gooden in 3+ innings and go on to beat the Mets, 11-2.  Steve Trout is the complete-game winner. Gary Matthews helps with 3 hits, including a homer.

      The red hot Tigers drop 8 runs on the Red Sox in the first inning at Boston as all 3 outs in the frame are made by Lance Parrish. He strikes out and grounds into a DP, though he later homers. Boston counters with 5 runs in the bottom of the 1st, but Detroit hangs on for a 13–9 win.

15th  At Oakland, Reggie Jackson homers in the 1st, Brian Downing hits a grand slam in the 2nd and Rob Wilfong homers as well as the Angels take a 10-0 lead over Oakland. The A’s plate 8 unanswered runs to make it close before the Haloes score a pair in the 9th for the 12-8 win.

16th  Dave Kingman hits 3 home runs—including his 12th career grand slam—and drives in 8 runs in the A’s 9–6 win over the Mariners. It is Kingman’s 5th career 3-HR game, one shy of the ML record held by Johnny Mize.

      Down 2-1, the Twins score 8 in the bottom of the 6th to beat the Angels, 9-2. Kent Hrbek has a grand slam for the Twins.

17th  Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspends Braves pitcher Pascual Perez until May 15th as a result of his off-season drug arrest in the Dominican Republic, but an independent arbitrator will overturn the suspension because of lack of evidence.

      Bryn Smith (3-0) scatters 5 hits and Gary Carter hits a grand slam as the Expos roll to a 10-0 win over the Mets. 

19th  Kansas City’s Bret Saberhagen picks up his first ML victory as the Royals beat the Tigers 5–2. It is the first loss of the season for the red-hot Tigers, who began the year 9–0 and will never fall out of first place in the AL East.  Dan Petry pitches 8 innings, allowing 4 earned runs in the loss.

20th  The Angels use 3 consecutive doubles and a single to score 4 runs in the top of the 13th to beat the host Blue Jays, 10-6. The Angels collect 20 hits in the game. Lloyd Moseby has a 6th inning grand slam for the Jays.

21st  Montreal’s David Palmer, who missed all of the 1983 season following elbow surgery, pitches a rain-shortened 5-inning perfect game 4–0 against the Cardinals to give the Expos a doubleheader sweep. It is the 4th perfect game of less than 9 innings in ML history.

      At home before 34,395 fans, the Tigers beat the White Sox 4–1, ending LaMarr Hoyt’s personal 15-game winning streak. Dave Rozema pitches six shut out innings for the win, while Lou Whitaker has a homer and three runs scored.

22nd  The Tigers roll over the White Sox, 9–1, with Kirk Gibson hitting his 4th homer of the year in the first inning.  Juan Berenguer goes 7 innings for the win, with Lopez and Hernandez finishing up for Detroit.  Chicago finishes up with 1B Mike Squires on the mound for the last batter.

      The Dodgers collect 18 hits—11 for extra bases—as they pound the Padres, 15-7. Mike Marshall leads the offense with 5 hits, including a double and two homers, and drives in 6 runs. Six other players have two or more hits for Big Blue. Kevin McReynolds has 4 hits and scores 3 for the Padres.

24th  The Tigers score 3 runs in the 9th inning to come from behind and beat the Twins, 6–5. Lou Whitaker’s 2-out single drives home the winner. The rally gives Jack Morris (4–0) his 11th straight win over Minnesota going back to June 1981.

25th  Jesse Barfield has 2 doubles and a homer to drive in 4 runs as Toronto stops Oakland, 11-0. Barfield also scores 3 runs as does Damaso Garcia, who adds 4 stolen bases. Luis Leal (3-0) allows 5 hits in the win.

27th  Mike Hargrove’s bases-loaded double in the top of the 19th inning leads Cleveland to an 8–4 win over Detroit in a game that takes 5 hours and 44 minutes to complete. The game at Detroit ends at 1:19 a.m. None of the runs in the 19th are earned as the Tigers make three errors, two by Glenn Abbott and a dropped fly by Gibson. It is only the 2nd loss of the season for the 16–2 Tigers.

      At Jack Murphy, rain washes out the finish of the Dodgers-Padres in the 7th inning, as LA wins 1-0. Rick Hunnycutt allows 1 hit in the win, a safety by Luis Salazar.

28th  At Comiskey, Boston does all their scoring in the last 3 innings winning on an error in the 9th, 8–7.  Jose Cruz has a grand slam for Chicago, while Jim Rice and Tony Armas homer for Boston. Armas’s clout is a 500 foot blast into the CF bleachers.

      Gary Pettis belts a grand slam and Geoff Zahn goes the distance as the Angels belt the Mariners, 10-1.

30th  In Toronto, a game is called on account of wind. Despite gusts up to 60 mph, Jays starter Jim Clancy manages to retire the first 2 Rangers before the umps step in and call the game. Clancy was blown off the mound several times. The two will split a twinbill tomorrow.

MAY

2nd  LaMarr Hoyt faces 27 batters in a 3–0 one-hitter against the Yankees. New York’s only hit is Don Mattingly’s opposite-field blooper in the 7th inning, which is followed by a double play.

      Cleveland’s Andre Thornton walks 6 times in an Indians win at Baltimore, 9–7, in 16 innings. Thornton joins Jimmie Foxx (6/16/1938) and Walt Wilmot (8/22/1891) as the only players to receive this many passes in a game, though they did it in regulation.

3rd  Bobby Ojeda strikes out a career-high 10 batters and outduels Jack Morris as the Red Sox beat the Tigers 1–0, handing Detroit (19-4) a 2nd consecutive loss.

      Kansas City first two hitters—Daryl Motley and Pat Sheridan—reach Milwaukee’s Don Sutton for home runs, but the Brewers come back to win, 6–5, in 10 innings. Reliever Tom Tellmann wins when Mark Brouhard strokes a bases-loaded single.

4th  At Minnesota, Oakland’s Dave Kingman hits a pop up that collides with the Metrodome, 180 feet up, and stays there. The ball is dislodged tomorrow. Frank Viola pitches 7 2/3 scoreless innings in the Twins 3–1 win.

5th  At St. Louis, Giants reliever Frank Williams makes his lone ML start, shutting out the Cards, 5–0, in 5 innings. It’s an official game, making Williams just the 4th and last pitcher this century to throw a shutout in his only ML start.

Baltimore downs the Rangers, 7-5 behind Eddie Murray and two pinch homers. Murray is 4-for-5 with a homer and John Shelby and Benny Ayala hit pinch blasts to tie the mark for pinch HRs by teammates.

6th  Cal Ripken hits for the cycle in Baltimore’s 6–1 win over Texas, completing the feat with a solo home run in the 9th inning.

8thMinnesota’s Kirby Puckett collects 4 singles in his first ML game, a 5–0 blanking of the Angels. He’s the 9th player in history to collect 4 hits in his first 9-inning game.

      In a barnburner at Wrigley, the Giants score 2 in the 9th to tie against the Cubs, but Chicago scores in the bottom o the 9th to win, 12-11. Keith Moreland’s single plates the winner after Jack Clark’s 2-out solo off Lee Smith ties it.  Ron Cey has a grand slam for Chicago.

      Alan Trammell connects for a 7th inning grand slam and Jack Morris (6-1) allows 7 hits as the Tigers defeat the Royals, 5-2.

9th  The longest—and slowest—game in AL history ends in the 25th inning when Harold Baines homers into the CF bleachers off Chuck Porter to give the White Sox a 7–6 victory over the Brewers. It is the latest homer in history. The game falls one inning shy of the ML record, but takes by far the most time to play: 8 hours and 6 minutes, surpassing the mark set in 1964 by 43 minutes. The contest was suspended yesterday after 17 innings with the score tied 3–3, Each team scores 2 runs in the 9th and each scores a ML record 3 more runs in the 21st, the Brewers plating three on a homerun by Ben Oglivie. The Sox lose a chance to win in the 21st as runner Dave Stegman is touched by 3B coach Jim Leyland, which leads to a Sox protest. Tom Seaver pitches the final inning to earn the win, then wins the regularly scheduled game as well, 5–4. Tom Paciorek of the Sox, who sets a ML record as he enters the game in the fourth inning and registers 9 at bats, striking out 3 times and collecting 5 hits. Dave Stegman gets fitted for a sombrero with 5 strikeouts.

      Umpire Joe West ejects 2 SportsChannel cameramen Al Friedman and Doug Zimmer, from Shea Stadium when they allow the Mets to view replays of a controversial play at the plate in which Hubie Brooks is called out. The Mets beat Atlanta, 3–1, with Ron Darling getting the win.

10th In the Giants 4–2 loss at Pittsburgh, the Giants CF Chili Davis throws out 2 runners in one inning. Dale Berra drives in 3 runs for the winners. Don Robinson, relieving in the 8th with the bases loaded and no outs, stops SF on no runs.

11th  The Tigers improve their record to 26-4 with an 8–2 win over the Angels and establish a new record for the best 30-game start in ML history, eclipsing the Dodgers 25-5 mark in 1955.

      At Comiskey, Larry Parrish has a double and a pair of homers, including a 1st-inning grand slam off Floyd Bannister as Texas downs the White Sox, 6-1. Frank Tanana allows 4 hits in the win.

12th  Cincinnati’s Mario Soto is one out away from a no-hitter when the Cardinals George Hendrick hits a home run to tie the game 1–1. The Reds then rally for a run in the bottom of the 9th to give Soto a one-hit 2–1 victory.

      The visiting Angels and Tommy John stop the Tigers (26–5), 4–2. John goes 9 innings scattering 8 hits to beat Juan Berenguer. Rob Wilfong and Reggie Jackson belt homers with Reggie’s going over the RF roof.

      The Giants tip the Expos, 8–7, but lose 2B Manny Trillo when he is hit on the hand by a Steve Rogers pitch. Trillo will be out 6 weeks with the fracture.

13thScott Garrelts pitches 8 innings of scoreless relief, striking out 9, enabling the Giants to edge the Expos, 4–3.

15th  It’s a day for hitting pitchers.  Good hitting Tim Lollar leads the way by collecting all 4 RBIs, but his Padres lose 6–4.  The Cards win 9–1 over the Braves as Joaquin Andujar, a poor hitter, hits a grand slam. Just before his blast, Andujar looked into the Cards’ dugout, then gestured to the RF stands.

16th Pitcher Steve Carlton lifts a grand slam off Fernando Valenzuela to lead the Phillies to a 7–2 win over the Dodgers.

      Catcher Carlton Fisk hits for the cycle in a losing effort as Kansas City tops Chicago, 7–6. Fisk’s only triple of the year comes in the cycle and he joins the Pirates Bill Salkeld (1945) as the only catcher this century to hit his lone season triple in a cycle.

      The Twins sell 51,863 tickets to their 8–7 loss to the Blue Jays, but only 6,346 fans show up for the game. The skewed numbers are the result of a massive ticket buyout plan organized by Minneapolis businessman Harvey Mackay to keep the Twins in Minnesota; if the club does not sell 2.41 million tickets this season it can break its lease with the Metrodome. Taking advantage of reduced prices on the Family Day promotion, Mackay pays $218,718 for 44,166 tickets.

      The Orioles release veteran pitcher Jim Palmer, who was 0–3 with a 9.17 ERA this season. Palmer is asked to retire and accept a job with the organization, but he declines, hoping to find a roster spot on another ML team.

17thIn the 3rd inning at Cincinnati, Mario Soto strikes out four Cub batters (Tom Veryzer, Dick Ruthven, Bob Dernier and Ryne Sandberg) en route to a 5–3 Reds victory.  Eric Davis pinch hits for the Reds wearing no number. Like Joe Horlen in 1961, the only road uniform available has no number.

      In the Padres 5-4 win over the Expos, Alan Wiggins has 5 stolen bases.

18th  Larry McWilliams wins his first of the year as Pittsburgh stops the Braves, 6-0. Batterymate Tony Pena provides the offense with a grand slam.

      At County Stadium, Andre Thornton hits a 7th inning grand slam as Cleveland beats Milwaukee, 8-4. Thornton finishes with 3 hits and Julio Franco has 4.

19th  The Cards score 6 in the 1st inning in an easy 9–1 win over the Reds. Joaquin Andujar wins his 7th complete game and leads the NL in wins, CG, and IP. In his ML debut, Reds Eric Davis pinch hits wearing no number. Like Joe Horlen in 1961, the Reds only available road uniform has no number.

      Pat Sheridan clubs a 4th inning grand slam, off Charlie Hough, to lead Kansas City to a 6-2 victory over Texas.

20th  Boston’s Roger Clemens strikes out 7 batters in 7 innings en route to his first ML victory, 5–4 over the Twins.

23rd  In a rematch against Steve Carlton, who hit a grand slam off him on May 16th, Fernando Valenzuela strikes out 15 Phillies while pitching the Dodgers to a 3-hit 1–0 victory.

      At Anaheim, 41,205 watch as Dan Petry and the Tigers clip the Angels, 4–2, to run Detroit’s record to 34–5.  Detroit has now won 16 straight on the road to tie the AL record of the 1912 Senators.  The win goes to Dan Petry (7–1). Losing pitcher is reliever Frank LaCorte, who takes his last ML loss when he gives up a two-run homer in the 7th to Lance Parrish. LaCorte will beat the Yankees Phil Niekro on the 29th for his last win.

24th  Detroit (35-5) beats California 5–1 for its 17th consecutive win on the road, breaking the AL record set by the 1912 Senators, and tying the ML mark set by the 1916 Giants. Jack Morris (9–1) allows 4 hits in 9 innings to win, and he is backed by homers from Lance Parrish and Alan Trammell. The Tigers will finally lose tomorrow in Seattle, 7–3.

      An hour after beating Baltimore 3–2, Oakland fires manager Steve Boros and replaces him with coach Jackie Moore. Boros, who was criticized as being “too nice,” had led the A’s to a 20-24 start, just 21⁄2games off the pace in the weak AL West.

      Let’s play two! Steve Goodman sings “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” from the aisle and the Cubs sweep. In game 1 against the Braves at Wrigley, Leon Durham has a pair of 3-run homers off Pascual Perez to lead the Cubs to a 10-7 win. Bob Dernier is 5-for-5, the same thing he did against the Braves last year when he was with the Phillies. Ron Cey has a 3-run homer in game 2 as the Cubs win, 7-5.

      At Exhibition Field, the Blue Jays edge the Expos, 6-5, in 13 innings.  The Pearson Cup match draws 24,768 fans, the biggest is the series history.

25th  The Texas Rangers coast to an 11–0 win over the White Sox on the strength of Charlie Hough’s 3-hitter. Tom Seaver takes the loss. The Rangers score 7 times in the 3rd inning as Gary Ward makes all 3 outs with a ground out and a DP.

      The Red Sox trade P Dennis Eckersley and minor leaguer Mike Brumley to the Cubs for veteran Bill Buckner, who had been benched in Chicago in favor of Leon Durham. Buckner will immediately become Boston’s starting 1B.

      At Fenway, George Brett is a double shy of the cycle as he drives in 6 runs in the Royals 11-7 win over the Red Sox.  Roger Clemens gives up 10 hits and 5 runs in 5+ innings.

      Paced by Dave Kingman’s second grand slam of the year, the A’s score 6 runs in the 8th to beat the Yankees, 10-7. Oscar Gamble hits  a 3-run homer in the 9th for the pinstripers.

27th  At Seattle, the Mariners top the Tigers, 5–1, for their 3rd straight win over the front-runners.  The M’s have 14 hits, including 5 hit-and-run singles, to beat Dan Petry. Mike Young takes the win.  The Tigers now lead the Blue Jays and Orioles by 5 games.

      At Chicago, the Reds edge the Cubs 4–3 in a contest protested by both clubs. Ron Cey belts a 3rd inning blow originally called a homer by umpire Rippley. The Reds argue the call and, after an ump conference, the ruling is a foul.  The Cubs then protest. The umps then huddle with Reds manager Rapp and tell him that P Mario Soto is ejected from the game. Soto charges the field tackling Cubs coach Don Zimmer and then gets re-ejected. Both teams then file a protest.

      At Anaheim, Scott McGregor (6-3) and two relievers combine on a 4-hit shutout as the Orioles whitewash the Angels, 8-0. Al Bumbry has 4 hits for the O’s and Wayne Gross belts a grand slam and drives in 5 runs.

28th  Reggie Jackson hits a 4th-inning grand slam off Dennis Rasmussen to lead the Angels to a 6-2 victory over the Yankees.

29th  The Braves overcome a 4–0 deficit to beat the Cubs, 7–4, but lose 3B Bob Horner, who breaks his wrist diving for a ball and will be sidelined for the rest of the season. Horner broke the same wrist last year and missed the final 43 games.

30th  Kirk Gibson’s 9th inning homer, off Steve McCatty, gives the Tigers a 2–1 squeaker over the A’s.  Reliever Willie Hernandez is the winner.

31st  Mario Soto is suspended for 5 days by NL president Chub Feeney for his role in a 32-minute melee that marred the Reds-Cubs game on May 27th. After shoving 3B umpire Steve Ripley, who had signaled that Ron Cey’s long fly ball was a 3-run home run (it was later ruled foul), a bat-wielding Soto then tried to attack a park vendor who had thrown a bag of ice at him. Soto will be suspended again for 5 more days later in the season for his June 16th fight with Claudell Washington.

JUNE

1st  Phillies 1B Len Matuszek has no putouts in a 12–3 loss to the Cubs. It is the 18th time in ML history a first baseman has done this.

      At home against the Orioles, the Tigers slap Scott McGregor for six runs in the 2nd and coast to a 14–2 win.  Dan Petry tosses six shutout innings and Alan Trammell, Chet Lemon and Lance Parrish go deep to thrill the 47,252 fans.

      At Shea, the Cardinals jump on reliever Jesse Orosco for 4 runs in the top of the 9th to defeat the Mets, 5-1. Doc Gooden allows a run in 7 innings, while Joaquin Andujar allows a run in 8. The Cards steal 6 bases on Gooden and catcher Mike Fitzgerald.  Hubie Brooks has a hit for the Mets to extend his hitting streak to 24 straight games.

4th  The New York Mets select 17-year-old Shawn Abner with the first pick in the annual June free-agent draft, while the Mariners take Maine pitcher Billy Swift with the second pick. Picking third, the Cubs take Morehead State pitcher Drew Hall, then use their second round pick on Greg Maddux; their 6th round pick is Jamie Moyer. The Indians take Cory Snyder with the 4th pick. Thirteen members of the U.S. Olympic team are drafted in the first round, including Mark McGwire by the A’s with the 10th pick.  Oddibe McDowell, drafted 5 times previously, is taken 12th by Texas and will be the first draftee to make it to the majors. The Braves take prep prospect Drew Denson with the 19th pick, but then snag Tom Glavine with their 2nd round pick. Glavine, twice Massachusetts HS hockey player of the year, spurns an offer from the LA Kings. At the 22nd pick, the Yankees wash out with UCLA’s Jeff Pries, who never gets out of double-A.  The worst pick of the first round is by the White Sox, who pick highly touted prep prospect Tom Hartley. The Washington outfielder will hit just .218 in 3 minor league seasons.

      The Tigers break a 3–3 tie in the 10th when Dave Bergman golfs a three-run homer into the upper deck at Tiger Stadium. Bergman had fouled 7 pitches off Roy Lee Howell before connecting.  Howard Johnson had a three run homer in the 7th to account for the other half of Detroit’s scoring.

6th  A fan, Anthony Perry, dies when he falls from the upper deck of Candlestick Park following a Giants-Braves game. Witnesses say Perry was leaning over the railing and shouting at the Giants, who had just lost 5–4 in 11 innings. All of the Giants’ scoring came on a Bob Brenly grand slam.

      Harold Baines has a pair of homers and drives in 6 runs as the White Sox hang on to edge the Angles, 11-10. Fred Lynn has a pair of homers for the Haloes, including a 3-run homer in the 8th.

8th  Pete O’Brien has 3 hits and drives in 6 runs as the Rangers top the visiting A’s, 8-4. For Oakland, Rickey Henderson has 4 hits, including a double and triple, but is twice caught stealing.

9th  Greg Luzinski becomes the 10th player in ML history to hit grand slams in consecutive games when he connects off the Twins Mike Walters in the 7th inning of an 8–4 White Sox victory. The previous day, Luzinski sparked the Sox to a 6–1 win with a first-inning grand slam off Frank Viola.

      Pete O’Brien’s bizarre sacrifice fly gives Texas a 4–3, 12-inning win over Oakland. With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 12th, A’s left fielder Garry Hancock catches O’Brien’s deep fly ball, then intentionally drops it when he realizes he is in foul territory. The umpires rule that the catch had been made, however, and Wayne Tolleson trots home from 3B with the winning run.

      For the second time in a week, Orioles Mike Flanagan beats the Tigers, this time shutting them, 4–0, out on 7 hits.  The Tigers stay in front by 5 1/2 games. Carl Willis, drafted on the 23rd round last year, debuts with 2 scoreless innings. Willis is one of the lowest drafted players to be one of the first three from his class to debut.

10th  The Cubs add a 9th inning insurance run on a triple steal to beat the Cardinals’ Joaquin Andujar 2–0. Leon Durham steals home, while Jody Davis takes 3B and Larry Bowa goes to 2B.

      At Baltimore the Tigers sweep two from the O’s, winning 10–4 and 8–0, before 51,764 fans.  Kirk Gibson has six hits and six RBIs in the two games, while Alan Trammell and Howard Johnson each have 5 hits. Lou Whitaker scores 5 runs in game 1. Reliever Doug Bair wins the opener and Dan Petry allows just 3 hits in the nightcap win. Detroit now leads by 7 games.

      The Tigers purchase pitcher Sid Monge from the Padres.  Side was 1-0 for the eventual NL champs and will go 3-1 for the eventual AL champs, making him the only player to appear in the same year for two World Series teams.

12th White Sox 1B Coach Dave Nelson declares his love. At the end of the bottom of the 5th in a 6–1 loss to the Angels, Nelson trots out to the coaching box as Diamond Vision flashes the message “Will you marry me?”  Nelson then walks over his fiancee Kathy Gutknecht, sitting in the first base box, and presents her with a ring.

13th  In a deal that will pay off in the short run with an NL East Championship, the Cubs trade outfielders Mel Hall and Joe Carter and minor leaguer Darryl Banks to the Indians for P George Frazier, C Ron Hassey, and P Rick Sutcliffe. Sutcliffe will go 16–1 for the Cubs the rest of the season and win the NL Cy Young Award. Because Cubs GM Dallas Green neglected to renew waivers on Hall and Carter, the status of the trade is in doubt for a while, and the two will not play for a week. Keith Moreland, who was hitting .246 while platooning with Hall, will increase his production and will be named the NL player of the month in August.

      Mike Marshall hits a 3rd inning grand slam to put the Dodgers up, 4-1, but the Giants respond with 7 in the 5th and win, 10-5. Reliever Jeff Cornell wins his lone ML victory.

15th  The Cardinals trade 3B Ken Oberkfell to the Braves for pitcher Ken Dayley and 1B Mike Jorgensen. Oberkfell was leading St. Louis with a .309 batting average.

      Seattle pitcher Mark Langston strikes out 12 batters in a no decision against Texas.  Seven of the strikeouts are in a row. Seattle wins, 4–3, in the 9th.

      After Boston scores a run in the 11th, the Blue Jays answer with a pair to beat the Red Sox, 4-3. Mike Easler has 3 hits for the Sox to extend his consecutive game hitting streak to 20.

17th  At Yankee Stadium, with one out in the 8th inning, Gary Roenicke hits a grand slam for the O’s, as they beat New York, 6–2. Mike Flanagan benefits, but he’s not the only winner as the home run makes Anne Sommers of College Park, MD a million dollars. Ms. Sommers had entered the Equitable Bank’s Sweepstakes.

      Al Oliver and Jeff Leonard hit RBI singles in the 15th inning to give the Giants a 5-3 win over the Padres. Oliver tied the game in the 8th with an RBI single.

18thWith 40,315 on hand in Detroit, Phil Niekro (10–3) stops the Tigers on 3 hits, 2–1. Kirk Gibson’s homer in the first is the only score, while Don Mattingly’s double in the 5th drives in the game-winner for New York.

19thBrad Komminsk clubs a grand slam and Claudell Washington has 4 hits to pace the Braves to an 11-6 victory over the Giants.  Bob Brenly has a pair of homer for SF.

      Down 7-1 to the Red Sox after 7 innings at Fenway, the Orioles get 4 back in the 8th on Eddie Murray’s grand slam, and 4 more in the 9th on 5 hits to win, 9-7.  Murray has a 2-run single in the 9th.  Jim Rice has a 3-run homer and 4 RBIs for Boston.

20th  Dave Kingman hits his 3rd grand slam of the season in the first inning of the A’s 8–1 win over Kansas City. Kingman’s 14 grand slams are the most among active players.

      At Detroit, Yankee reliever Jose Rijo goes 1–7 when he serves up a 2-out three-run homer to Howard Johnson in the 13th inning. Detroit wins, 9–6. Alan Trammell, Lance Parrish, and Chet Lemon also hit homers for the Tigers, who draw their 3rd straight 40,000+ crowd.

21st  Oakland’s Carney Lansford goes 0-for-5 against Detroit, snapping his 24-game hit streak.  The streak is an Oakland record and the longest AL skein of the year. Lansford will collect hits in next 11 games.

      At Minnesota, the Indians Neal Heaton twirls a 3-hitter to win, 7–0. He’s helped by a 3-run homer from his batterymate Willard, and solo homers from Butler and Thornton. Umpire Ken Kaiser ejects Pat Majeske, a video operator for the Minnesota Twins, for tipping pitches.

      At Riverfront, Steve Yeager hits a 7th inning grand slam as the Dodgers escape with a 9-7 win over the Reds.

      Baseball players and owners agree to penalties for use of cocaine. Amphetamines, marijuana and alcohol are not included in the agreement.

22nd  In a teary home plate ceremony before the Twins-White Sox game at the Metrodome, Calvin Griffith and his sister, Thelma Haynes, sign a letter of intent to sell their 52 percent ownership of the Twins to Minneapolis banker Carl Pohlad for $32 million. Griffith and his sister had been involved with the franchise since 1922, when they were adopted by owner Clark Griffith when the team was the Washington Senators.

      Rick Monday, baseball’s first-ever first pick in the June free-agent draft (by the Kansas City A’s in 1965) is released by the Dodgers, ending a 19-year ML career.

23rd  At Wrigley Field, in game that will be known as the Sandberg game, the Cubs Ryne Sandberg goes 5-for-6 with game-tying home runs off Cardinals relief ace Bruce Sutter in both the 9th and 10th innings. He drives in 7 runs to lead Chicago to a 12–11 win in 11 innings. It is the first time Sutter has given up two HRs to the same batter in the same game.  Dave Owens’ base-loaded single wins it. Willie McGee hits for the cycle and drives in 6 runs in a losing cause.

      At the Kingdome, Alvin Davis for Seattle and Mike Hargrove for the Indians match grand slams as the Tribe wins, 11-4. Hargrove finishes with 5 RBI.

      At the Astrodome, the Giants beat Houston 7-5, pinning the loss on starter Vern Ruhle.  Giants third sacker Joe Youngblood has his third two-error game in the last three weeks, sending his FA down to .890, where it will be at the end of the year. Youngblood will go back to the outfield next season.

24th  Oakland’s Joe Morgan hits his 265th career home run as a 2B, breaking Rogers Hornsby’s ML record for that position. Morgan, who has 267 home runs overall, connects off Frank Tanana in the first inning of the A’s 4–2 win over Texas.

      After missing two starts, Jack Morris (12–3) stops the Brewers, 7–1. Ruppert Jones and Lance Parrish hit homers for the Tigers, who have now drawn 165,000 fans for the 4-game series with Milwaukee. Detroit now leads the AL East by 8 1/2 games.

      At the Dome, Tim Teufel’s bloop single in the 9th inning with 2 on turns into an inside-the-park homer when it bounces over the head of Harold Baines to give the Twins a 3–2 win over the White Sox. Rich Dotson is the unlucky loser. It is his first loss on the road after 16 straight road wins. The 16 consecutive road wins is a record shared by Dotson, Denny McLain, Cal McLish and next by Greg Maddux. The Twins Bush had an IPHR in yesterday’s 4–3 win over Chicago.

25th  At Yankee Stadium, Dave Winfield hits 5 singles and drives in 4 runs to lead New York to a 7–3 win over Detroit. Ron Guidry (6-5) is the beneficiary of Winfield’s hitting. Dave is now hitting .750 against Detroit this year. Winfield has three five-hit games this month, tying a record set by Ty Cobb.

      Eddie Milner hits his second straight leadoff homer for the Reds to lead the Reds to a 2-1 win over the host Giants.  Milner’s leadoff dinger yesterday was not enough as the Reds lost, 8-3, in 13 innings.

26th  Pirates Jason Thompson hits a pair of home runs in each game of a doubleheader split with the Cubs. The Pirates take the opener, 9–0 behind Rick Rhoden’s 4 hitter, and lose the nightcap, 9–8.

27th  In the 3rd inning against the Reds, Giants OF Dusty Baker swipes second, third, and home, garnering three of  his 4 season steals.  Baker swipes 2B, and the next batter walks, then gets caught in a rundown.  Dusty steals 3B during the rundown and just keeps running home. San Francisco wins 14–9, with Chili Davis adding a pinch grand slam in the 5-run 5th. Randy Lerch wins with a 1/3 inning of relief.

28th  Dwight Evans hits a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to complete the cycle and give Boston a 9–6 win over Seattle.

29th  Twins rookie Andre David hits a 2-run home run off Jack Morris in his first ML at bat to spark Minnesota to a 5–3 win over Detroit before 44,619. It is the only home run David will hit in the big leagues and stops Morris’ 11-game win streak over the Twins.  Detroit win the nightcap, 7–5, as Kirk Gibson starts the scoring with a 2-run homer in the 1st and ends it with a two-run homer in the 9th.  The Tigers also score in the second on back to back homers by Chet Lemon and Ruppert Jones.

      Pete Rose plays in his 3,309th ML game, surpassing Carl Yastrzemski as the all-time leader. Rose goes 0-for-5, but Montreal beats Cincinnati 7–3.

      In a shootout, the Rangers gets back-to-back homers from Bell and O’Brien in the 5th, and the Indians answer with back-to-back-to-back homers from Thornton, Hall and Willard to tie a ML mark for most homers in an inning by two teams.  Brook Jacoby’s single in the 13th gives the Tribe a 13-12 victory.

      In Los Angeles, Steve Sax hits a 1st inning triple, then swipes home, and Orel Hershiser scatters 9 hits to lead the Dodgers past the Cubs and Rick Sutcliffe 7–1. Hershiser will not miss another start until he injures his shoulder in 1990, and Sutcliffe will not lose again in the regular season.

JULY

1st  Minnesota’s Frank Viola stops the Tigers, 9–0 on 4 hits in front of 53,484 at Detroit. Kent Hrbek has three hits, including a homer, and 4 RBIs.

      The Royals Paul Splittorff, whose 166 victories in 13 seasons are the most in club history, retires.

      Brian Downing has a pair of 3-run homers to lead California to a 7-6 victory over the Brewers.

      At the Vet, Houston unloads 13 runs to beat the Phils, 13-1, behind Joe Niekro. Jerry Mumphrey drives in 6 runs with a pair of homers and Dennis Walling and Jose Cruz each score 4 runs.

      Cleveland makes it easy for Don Schulze (7 IP, 2 ER) by scoring 15 runs as the Indians win, 15-3 over the Rangers. Carmen Castillo drives in 5 runs, 4 with a grand slam.

2nd  At Arlington Stadium, the Yankees take a 5–0 lead after three innings despite having three runners thrown out at bases in the first inning. It won’t happen again this century. Texas comes back to win, 7–6.

      At Fenway, the A’s batter Roger Clemens for 6 runs in 7 innings, then score 3 runs off Mark Clear in the 11th to win, 9-6. Bill Caudill (8-1) is the winner. Rickey Henderson steals 4 bases for the 9th time in his career.

4th  Phil Niekro strikes out 5 batters in the Yankees 5–0 win over Texas to become the 9th pitcher in ML history to record 3,000 career strikeouts.

      Jim Rice caps a 5-for-6 day with a grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Boston a 13–9 win over Oakland.

At San Francisco, the Cardinals sweep a pair from the Giants, winning 4–3 and 5–1. This is the last regularly scheduled July 4th doubleheader this century.

5th  Down 4–1 with 2 outs in the 9th, the visiting Tigers score six runs to beat the Rangers, 7–4.  Lou Whitaker’s bases loaded single scores two, Trammell’s single scores another, and Gibson seals it with a three run shot down the RF line. Charlie Hough is the loser, while reliever Aurelio Lopez goes 7–0.

      The hot-hitting Jim Rice belts a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 1st and Dwight Evans has a grand slam and 6 RBIs as the Red Sox outslug the visiting Angels, 12-7.  Bill Buckner has 4 hits.

7th  The Orioles get complete game victories from Scott McGregor and Mike Flanagan as they beat the Royals, 6-2 and 8-0. Flanagan allows 3 hits in the game 2 shutout.  In game 1, Eddie Murray hits his 2nd grand slam in less than three weeks.

10th  On the 50th anniversary of Carl Hubbell’s legendary 5 consecutive strikeouts in the 1934 All-Star Game, NL pitchers Fernando Valenzuela and Dwight Gooden combine to fan 6 batters in a row for a new All-Star Game record in the NL’s 3–1 triumph. After Valenzuela whiffs Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson, and George Brett in the 4th inning, Gooden, the youngest All-Star ever at age 19, fans Lance Parrish, Chet Lemon, and Alvin Davis in the 5th.

13thAt Minnesota, Detroit tops the Twins, 5–3, when Lou Whitaker bloops an inside-the-park homer to win it. Detroit sends it to extra innings when RF Kirk Gibson throws out Tim Teufel at home with two out in the 9th. Willie Hernandez (5–0) is the winner.

14th  Roger Clemens allows a single in the first against the Mariners, then gives up a leadoff HR in the 2nd to Al Cowens and leaves in the 3rd after allowing 8 hits. The Mariners beat the Red Sox, 5–4.

15thDennis Eckersley tops the Dodgers, 4–1, to move the Cubs a half-game behind the Mets in the NL East. Fernando Valenzuela is the loser.

      The Mets lose 8–3 to Atlanta, as Dwight Gooden takes the loss.

16thDon Mattingly has 4 hits and Dave Winfield cracks a 1st inning grand slam as the Yankees edge the visiting Rangers, 9-8.  Texas scores 4 in the 9th to take the lead but the Yankees use 4 hits and 2 errors to score 4 runs and win.

18th  At Busch, Darrell Porter belts a 2-out walkoff grand slam to give the Cardinals an 8-4 win over the Giants. All the runs are charged to Bob Lacey.

19th  Orel Hershiser pitches his 3rd straight shutout for the Dodgers, striking out 9 in a 10–0 two-hitter at St. Louis.

20th  Trailing 3–1 entering the 9th inning, Toronto scores 11 times on 11 hits and hangs on to beat Seattle 12–7. Alvin Davis has a grand slam for the Mariners in the bottom of the inning as the two teams combine for a record 15 runs in the frame.

21st Bill Buckner has a grand slam, Jim Rice hits a 3 run homer and Tony Armas goes solo as the Red Sox crush the host Angels, 16-4.

22nd  At Detroit, Dave Bergman hits a lead off homer for the Tigers, and they score another on a wild pitch h to beat the Rangers, 2–0.  Charlie Hough goes all the way for Texas, while Dave Petry (13–4) is lifted with one on, two out in the 9th.  Hernandez retires Pete O’Brien for the win.  Detroit (66–29) leads the East by 9 games.

23rd  Angels Mike Witt strikes out 16 Mariners in a 7–1 victory.

24th  San Diego’s Tony Gwynn goes 3-for-4 in an 8–2 win over Cincinnati to raise his batting average to .362, best in the majors. Gwynn will finish the season at .351 to win his first NL batting title.

      Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces that free-agent pitcher Vida Blue will be suspended for the remainder of the season as a result of his conviction on cocaine possession charges last November.

      At Montreal, the Pirates score a record-tying 8 runs in the 11th (The NL record will be upped to 9 on June 28, 1994 by the Padres) as they beat the Expos, 12-5. Bob James and Jeff Reardon each give up 4.  Benny Difestano’s second hit in the frame is a grand slam off James.

      The Expos trade P Andy McGaffigan and minor leaguer Jim Jefferson to the Reds for 1B Dan Driessen. Driessen will take over for Rose at 1B.

27th  Pete Rose collects his 3,053rd career single off Steve Carlton in the 7th inning of Montreal’s 6–1 win over Philadelphia, passing Ty Cobb as baseball’s all-time singles king.

      The Red Sox and Tigers almost match shutouts, as the Tigers win 9–1 and the Red Sox come back, 4–0. Rich Gedman’s 9th inning homer in the opener off Dan Petry (14-4) is the only Sox score. Tiger catcher Lance Parrish has a 2-run homer and a straight steal of home. Wade Boggs lines 4 hits and Bob Ojeda allows just 3 hits in the nightcap to win for Boston. Detroit leads in the East by 12 games.

      At LA, Gary Redus singles in the 1st and 9th, the only hits given up by Bob Welch as the Dodgers beat the Reds, 1–0.  Hume loses on an unearned run in the 6th.

28th  Frank Viola allows 3 hits as the Twins beat the Angels, 6-1. Randy Bush has 3 hits himself, including a grand slam.

29thThe first two Phillies batters—Juan Samuel and Von Hayes—greet Montreal’s Bill Gullickson with home runs. Hayes adds another homer and the Phils win on a 2-run pinch homer by John Matuszek in the 9th, 6–4.

      Tim Lollar fires a 2-hitter and Steve Garvey and Gary Templeton homer as the Padres douse the Astros, 9-0. Templeton’s homer is a grand slam off starter Mike LaCoss in the 6th.

30thAt San Diego, Dave Dravecky allows one hit—a double to Bill Russell in the 7th—as the Padres rout the Dodgers, 12–0.

31stAt Wrigley, Rich Bordi is one out away from a one-hit shutout when Juan Samuel homers for the Phillies to tie at the game at one apiece. The Phils score a run in the 12^thon a sac fly from Von Hayes and edge the Cubs, 2-1. It is Chicago’s first loss in extra innings in 8 games. They remain a half game behind the Mets, losers to the Cardinals.

AUGUST

1st  Cleveland’s Steve Farr wins his 2nd game against 7 losses, allowing 2 Tiger hits in 6 1/3 innings, as the Indians win, 4–2. George Vukovich clubs two homers for Cleveland.

2ndDivine intervention? The Cubs edge the Expos, 3–2, with the help of an “immaculate deflection” by reliever Lee Smith. With runners on 1B and 3B, pinch hitter Pete Rose laces a line drive towards CF that hits Smith’s glove, then bounces off his shoulder and hip to SS Dave Owen, who turns it into a DP. The win, coupled with the Mets loss to the Pirates, puts the Cubs 1 1/2 games ahead in the NL East.

3rd  Brewers reliever Rollie Fingers (23 saves, 1.96 ERA) undergoes back surgery to alleviate a herniated disk and will miss the remainder of the season.

      Frank White clubs a grand slam as the Royals score 7 runs in the 4th enrout to a 9-6 victory over Detroit.  Lou Whitaker has 4 hits and 3 runs for the motormen.

4th  The Yankees win their 8th straight, 4–0, over the Indians on Lou Piniella Day at Yankee Stadium. Sweet Lou played his final game less than to months ago in an 8–3 win over the Orioles. Ray Fontenot allows one hit in 5 2/3 innings for the win, and Brian Dayett has a double and 2 RBI.  Victor Mata hits his lone career homer.

5th  Toronto’s Cliff Johnson hits his 19th career pinch home run, breaking the ML record of 18 he had shared with Jerry Lynch. Johnson’s 8th-inning blast gives the Blue Jays a 4–3 win over the Orioles. Dave Collins swipes 4 bases to tie the club mark set by Damaso Garcia.

      Frank Robinson, who had led his club to a 42-64 record, is fired as manager of the last-place Giants and replaced Danny Ozark. Under the new manager, the Giants rally to defeat the host Braves, 7-4, as Jeffrey Leonard hits a 9th inning grand slam.

      The Royals sweep two from the first-place Tigers, winning 5–4 and 5–0, in the first of three straight doubleheaders for Detroit. KC takes the opener when Dane Iorg bloops a double over Ruppert Jones’s head in left. Charlie Leibrandt wins the nightcap with relief help from Quisenberry in the 9th.

      Keith Moreland’s 3rd-inning grand slam is all the scoring the Cubs need in beating the Expos, 4-3. Chicago stays a half game ahead of the Mets in the NL East.

6th  The Tigers and Red Sox split, with Detroit outslugging Boston in the opener, 9–7, and Boston replying, 10–2.  Aurelio Lopez (8–0) wins game one in relief as Chet Lemon and Lance Parrish each hit homers and drives in three runs.  Marty Barrett has four hits for the Sox in the opener and Boggs does the same in the nightcap. Two of his hits are homers to fuel Roger Clemens to his 6th win.

7th  Bill Buckner and Tony Armas each hit grand slams in the first two innings off Tigers ace Jack Morris to spark the Red Sox to a 12–7 victory in the first game. Detroit takes the 2nd game 7–5 in 11 innings, after scoring a run in the 9th to tie.  Lance Parrish’s two-run homer ends it and Aurelio Lopez goes 9–0.

      The White Sox and Yankees split a double header with Chicago’s 6–3 triumph in game 1 stopping New York’s 8-game win streak. LaMarr Hoyt is the winner.  Ron Guidry strikes out 13 to win the nightcap, 7–0.  He finishes with a flourish, striking out the side on 9 pitches in the 9th.

      The Cubs sweep a pair from the visiting Mets, winning 8–6 and 8–4. Rick Sutcliffe (9–1) beats Ron Darling (10-5) in the opener, benefiting from a 6-run 5th inning. Keith Moreland hits a 3-run HR and Cey a 2-run shot in the 5th. A 5-run 4th in game 2 propels Chicago to the win for reliever Tim Stoddard. Lee Smith notches his 25th save.

8th  The Cubs tighten their grip on first place in the NL East with a 7–6 win over the Mets at Wrigley Field, completing a 4-game series sweep. Keith Moreland leads the way with 3 hits and 4 RBIs. Hubie Brooks is 4-for-4 with 4 runs for New York.  Davey Johnson gets tossed in the 7th after Bob Dernier gets hit by a pitch, a continuation of yesterday’s beanballing. Cubs manager Jim Frey follows Johnson in the 9th when Smith throws behind George Foster.

      Veteran P Don Sutton ends Milwaukee’s 10-game losing streak with a 3–2 win over the Royals. Sutton also passed the 100-strikeout mark for the 19th straight season, a ML record.

      At Busch, Dale Berra has a grand slam and collects 5 RBI as the Pirates clip the Cardinals, 6-4.

9th  The Reds stake Jeff Russell to a 7-0 lead after 2 innings and he rolls to an 8-0 shutout of the Padres. Dave Parker clouts a 2nd-inning grand slam of Tim Lollar.

      The Yankees rough up starter Tom Seaver and trip the White Sox, 7-6. Chicago’s scoring comes from Harold Baines, with a grand slam, and Carlton Fisk, with a 2-run HR.

12th  Harmon Killebrew, Rick Ferrell, Don Drysdale, Pee Wee Reese, and Luis Aparicio are inducted into the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York.

      In one of the ugliest brawl-filled games in ML history, the Braves beat the Padres 5–3 in Atlanta. The trouble begins when Atlanta’s Pascual Perez hits Alan Wiggins in the back with the first pitch of the game, and escalates as the Padres pitchers retaliate by throwing at Perez all 4 times he comes to the plate. All in all, the game features 2 bench-clearing brawls, the 2nd of which includes several fans, and 17 ejections, including both managers and both replacement managers. Padres manager Dick Williams will be suspended for 10 days and fined $10,000, while Braves manager Joe Torre and 5 players will each receive 3-game suspensions. But the brawl in Atlanta, as Dave Campbell observed, “woke the Padres up out of their doldrums.”

      The Orioles score 5 runs in the 8th and beat the host Blue Jays, 5-4. Birds manager Joe Altobelli gets ejected for disputing a fair/foul call bringing today’s ejection total to 18, a ML record (according to ejection expert David Vincent).

      Bert Blyleven tosses a shutout and Joe Carter drives in all the runs as the Indians beat the Yankees, 6-0. Carter hits a 2-run homer and a grand slam, both off Ron Guidry.

      In a slugfest featuring 7 homeruns, the Angels outlast Oakland, 10-9. Gary Pettis hits a two-run triple in the Haloes 3-run comeback 8th. Dwayne Murphy has two homers and Tony Phillips and Mike Davis one apiece for Oakland. Reggie Jackson has a homer for California, and Juan Beniquez adds four hits, including 2 homers.

      The Red Sox top the Rangers, 3-2, in 11 innings as they are helped by Texas’ George Wright. Wright ties an AL record by leaving 11 runners on base as he goes 0-for-6. The last to match it was Jiggs Donahue, in 1907. David Ortiz will top it in 2009.

13th  At Cooperstown, the Tigers beat the Atlanta Braves, 7–5.

15th  After a five year absence, Pete Rose is reunited with his hometown Cincinnati Reds when the Expos trade him for infielder Tom Lawless. The Reds immediately name him player-manager, replacing Vern Rapp.

      The Tigers flush Tommy John for ten hits in 6 innings to beat the Angels, 8–3.  Dan Petry (15–5) scatters 8 hits in 8 innings, and Dave Bergman backs him with two triples and three RBIs. With Cleveland beating Toronto twice, the Tigers lead is now 9 games.

16th  Don Slaught hits a grand slam for Kansas City and Dan Quissenberry earns his 32nd save, pitching in relief of Charlie Liebrandt, as the Royals beat the Rangers, 6-3.

17th  At Detroit, the Tigers draw 36,496 to break their attendance mark of 2.031,847 set in 1968.  They also top the Mariners, 6–2, behind Milt Wilcox.  Alan Trammell returns to SS for the first time in 39 games and adds two hits.

18th  Detroit’s Juan Berenguer goes 8 1/3 innings and strikes out 12 to give the Tigers a 4–3 victory over the Mariners. Kirk Gibson drives in three runs with his 20th homer of the year, and becomes the first Tiger ever to reach 20-20 in homers and steals. Gibson’s homer is his 15th game-winning RBI this year.

      At Busch, Dale Murphy has 5 hits, including three doubles, to lead the Braves to an 8-3 win over the Cardinals.  Murphy scores 4 runs. Glenn Hubbard contributes a 3-run homer.

20th  The Giants trade veteran 1B Al Oliver, whom they acquired from Montreal in February, and pitcher Renie Martin to the Phillies for P George Riley and minor leaguer Kelly Downs.

21st  Red Sox rookie Roger Clemens strikes out 15 and walks none as Boston whips Kansas City 11–1.

      At Detroit, Lance Parrish cracks a first-inning grand slam, off Larry Sorensen, and the Tigers drive by the A’s 12-6. Milt Wilcox goes six innings for the win. Rickey Henderson has a leadoff homer and 3 runs scored, and Carney Lansford extends his hitting streak to 24 games, but the A’s have little else to show for it

22nd At Wrigley, Houston scores 7 runs in the 2nd as they beat the Cubs, 8-3. Phil Garner solos in the frame while Jose Cruz hits a grand slam.

      Mike Jorgensen hits a 3-run homer and Terry Pendleton solos as the Cardinals beat the Reds, 6-3. Ron Oester has a hit and 2 RBI for the Reds to extend his consecutive game hitting streak to 22.

      The first-place Tigers use a balanced attack to whip the visiting Athletics, 11-4. Alan Trammell has a pair of hits to extend his hitting streak to 20 games.

24th  Despite allowing just one hit—an RBI single to Dave Parker in the 7th inning—Pittsburgh’s Jose DeLeon loses to the Reds 2–0. DeLeon walks 3 and strikes out 8 but is beaten by Jeff Russell, who tosses a 3-hitter of his own.

      The Giants sweep a pair from the Mets, 7-6 and 6-5, with reliever Frank Williams winning both games. He totals 3 innings of work. Bob Brenly has a pair of homers and 5 RBIs in game 1.

      Gary Ward has 4 hits, including a double and a HR, to pace the Rangers to a 10-3 win over the Brewers.  Ward drives in 6 runs.

25th  Orioles ace Mike Flanagan stops the Athletics, 4-2 in Oakland to go 10-0 at Oakland Coliseum. In 13 starts, he has 6 complete games and an ERA of 1.88.  A year from today he’ll lose at Oakland.

      Dave Winfield has his third 5-hit game of the year to pace the Yankees to a 14-1 sinking of the Mariners. Omar Moreno is a homer shy of the cycle. Dennis Rasmussen improves to 8-4.

26th  In Anaheim, the Tigers use the long ball to beat the Angels, 12–6. Kirk Gibson has two homers and 4 runs scored, Marty Castillo, hits a homer and scores three times, and Chet Lemon belts his first grand slam ever. Tommy John goes just 2 2/3 innings in losing to Milt Wilcox (15–7). Detroit leads the East by 12 games.

      Frank White leads off the bottom of the 16th with a single, but one out later gets picked off 2nd base.  Greg Pryor then smacks a game-ending HR as Kansas City beats Chicago, 6-5.

      At Shea, the Mets are outhit, 11 to 9, but they beat the Giants, 11-6. Kelvin Chapman has a grand slam for New York and Keith Hernandez has a homer and 4 RBI.

27th  Dave Kingman hits a double and homer to help Oakland score 7 runs in the 7th inning, but that’s all the A’s score in losing to the Yankees, 7–6. Bobby Meacham has 2 homers, including the game winner in the 8th, to back Dave Righetti’s relief win. Bill Caudill loses.

28th  Kirby Puckett cracks a leadoff triple in the bottom of the 9th, and scores on a single as the Twins edge the Red Sox, 2-1.  Umpire Bill Kunkel calls his final game; he’s the last umpire in the 20th century to also play in the major leagues, having pitched for the Yankees and KC Athletics.

      In Baltimore’s 4-2 loss to the Angels, Scott McGregor’s season ends when breaks his ring finger on a Brian Downing line drive to end the 1st inning. A 1st-inning homer by Bobby Grich pins the loss on McGregor, who loses in Anaheim for the first time in six seasons. He had beaten the Angels 10 straight times.

29th  In Seattle, Mark Langston stops the Tigers on two hits and strikes out 12 to win, 5–1.  Ken Phelps three-run homer in the 5th is the big blow.

      At Chicago, Rick Sutcliffe (13-1) wins his 11th straight as the Cubs beat the Reds, 7–2. Bull Durham drives in 3 runs to pace the Bruin offense.

      At Montreal, Bob Brenly hits an inside-the-park homer to lead off the 11th inning and gives the Giants a 4–3 win over the Expos. His line drive tips off CF Tim Raines’ glove and rolls to the wall. The Giants tie the game with 2 outs in the 9th on an error by 3B Wallach. An odd occurrence happens in the game when Youppi!, the Montreal Expos mascot, is ejected, the first ML mascot to get the thumb. He gets tossed in the 11th after Tommy LaSorda complains about his thumping on top of the Dodger dugout.

30th  In a 9–3 win over the Twins, Red Sox slugger Jim Rice grounds into his 33rd double play of the season to break the ML record set by Jackie Jensen in 1954. By season’s end, Rice will extend his new record to 36.

Bill Virdon is fired as manager of the Expos and will be replaced by Jim Fanning.

31st  Milwaukee, down 7-2 to Texas to start the bottom of the 9th, scores 6 runs capped by Buddy Bell’s game-ending grand slam off Pete Ladd togiveTexas a 7-6 victory.

      Lonnie Smith belts a 1st-inning grand slam off Nolan Ryan to pace the Cardinals to  a 7-5 win over the Astros. Ryan gives up all the runs in 4+ innings.

      Jim Presley hits a grand slam for Seattle but Baltimore hits two homers in the 9th to beat the Mariners, 11-7.  Eddie Murray has 4 hits and Cal Ripken has 4, including a 3-run homer and a solo in the 9th, and Ken Singleton adds a 3-run homer in the 9th for the O’s.  Both 9th inning dingers come off Dave Beard.

      Tony Pena belts a pair of 3-run homers, both off Joe Price, as the Pirates stop the Reds, 6-2.  John Candelaria goes 7 innings to win his 12th.

      The Cubs pick up some pennant insurance acquiring Davey Lopes from the A’s for a player to be named. Lopes is also the player to be named in the July 15 transaction with Oakland for Chuck Rainey.

SEPTEMBER

1st  Two weeks after being given a vote of confidence by club owner George Argyros, Mariners manager Del Crandall is fired and replaced by 3B coach Chuck Cottier.

      Ken Singleton hits a pinch grand slam for Baltimore and Cal Ripken homers, but the O’s come up short, losing 10-9 to Seattle. Jim Presley has a pair of homers for the M’s.

2nd The Indians snap a 3-3 tie with 5 runs in the 8th to beat the Red Sox, 8-3. Julio Franco’s grand slam is the big blow.

3rd  Bruce Sutter breaks the NL record for saves in a season with his 38th in the Cardinals’ 7–3 win over the Mets.

      Mike Young gives the Orioles the lead with an 8th-inning grand slam as Baltimore upends Detroit, 7-4.

4th  The White Sox pound the visiting A’s, 12-2, as Greg Walker drives in 6 runs on a single and two homers. Tom Seaver (13-6) goes 8  innings for the win.

5th  Cal Ripken’s first-inning error lets in a score, and that’s it as the Tigers beat Baltimore, 1–0.  Juan Berenguer (8–9) is the winner with Willie Hernandez picking up his 28th save. Mike Flanagan goes all the way in the loss.  Detroit’s magic number is now 15.

      At San Francisco, Nolan Ryan pitches 8 innings, striking out 8 in beating the Giants, 4–1. Ryan strikes out Giants Chili Davis to nudge ahead of Carlton in all time strike outs.

6th  At Dodger Stadium, Braves third baseman Randy Johnson belts an 18th-inning homerun, off Larry White, to give the Braves a 3-2 win over Los Angeles. It is the latest homerun in Braves history: Rick Camp will tie it next year.

      Craig Reynolds has 3 hits, including a 1st-inning grand slam off Bill Laskey, and scores 3 as the Astros pound the Giants, 14-2. Bob Knepper goes the distance for the win.

7th  Dwight Gooden pitches a one-hitter and strikes out 11 in a 10–0 rout of the Cubs. The only hit is Keith Moreland’s slow roller in the 5th inning, which 3B Ray Knight fields but can’t get out of his glove. Gooden’s 11 strikeouts give him 236 for the season, breaking the NL rookie record set by Grover Alexander in 1911. For Gooden, he will win another 9 straight over the Cubs, lose, then win 12 straight.

      In the Braves’ 5-4 loss to the Giants, pitcher Pascual Perez steals home in the 4th on the front end of a double steal with Thompson. This is Perez’ only career steal. He leaves in the 7th and Garber takes the loss with Grant the victor.  The next pitcher to swipe home will be Rick Sutcliffe, in 1988.

      Down 4–0 in the 8th, the Tigers score 4 runs—three on a homer by Kirk Gibson—to tie the Blue Jays in Toronto. In the 10th, Dave Bergman cracks a 3-run homer and the Tigers win, 7–4.  Willie Hernandez (9–2) wins with 3 innings of shutout relief. The Tigers lead the AL East by 9 1/2 games.

8th  The Yankees break a 4–4 tie with 2 runs in the 6th to roll over the Red Sox, 12–6.  Toby Harrah paces the 15-hit attack with 4 hits, and Dave Winfield one of the game’s 12 doubles to extend his hitting streak to 20 games, which is and will be a career high. Joe Cowley (7–) is the winner.

9th  Against the Braves, the Giants score 2 in the 7th to win 6-4. Banjo hitter Duane Kuiper hits a leadoff pinch double in the frame for his only extra base hit of the year. He sets the club record for most games in a row without an extra-base hit going 65 straight from August 22,1983, to September 7, 1984.

10th  Baltimore’s Mike Flanagan evens his record at 12-12 with a 3-1 win over the Tigers. Wayne Gross and Eddie Murray homer as Murray extends his consecutive game hitting streak to 22.

11th  At Baltimore, the Tigers cut their magic number to 7 with a 9–2 clipping of the Orioles.  Darrell Evans has 4 hits including a homer. Larry Herndon follows Evans homer with one of his own, while Kirk Gibson has 3 hits and his 27th steal.  Dan Petry wins his 17th. The Tigers pass the two million mark in road attendance tonight and become the fifth team in AL history to go over that mark at home and on the road.

      In Pittsburgh, Rick Rhoden allows 3 hits, two by Tim Raines, as the Pirates top the Expos, 5-1.  Rhoden has a hit and a run, the 11th straight game he’s made a hit while pitching. Gary Peters, White Sox in 1966, was the last pitcher to put together an 11-game hit streak.

12th  Dwight Gooden strikes out 16 Pirates in a 2–0 victory to break Herb Score’s ML rookie strikeout record of 245. Gooden now has 251.

13th  At Shea, the Pirates beat the Mets, 14-4, as Jim Morrison leads the attack with 6 RBIs on 4 hits.

14th  Rookie Mark Langston (15-9) becomes the first Mariner to win 15 games in a season by beating the Royals 2–1 on a 5-hitter.

      Rick Sutcliffe goes to 15-1 as the first-place Cubs beat the visiting Mets, 7-1. Jody Davis supplies a grand slam for his batterymate.

      Brett Butler cracks his second homer of the year—a grand slam—to lead the Indians to a 6-1 win over the A’s.

15th  Pitching like the other Bob Gibson, Milwaukee’s Bob Gibson (1-3) tosses his lone career shutout, stopping the Orioles, 6-0.  Robin Yount hits a grand slam to back Gibson.

16th  Which Bob Gibson is that? Brewers pitcher Bob Gibson allows one hit, a leadoff single by Al Bumbry, in beating the Orioles, 7-0. It is a record-tying 4th time that Bumbry has had the only hit for Baltimore in a game.  Gibson is back by a grand slam from Robin Yount, off Sammy Stewart, in the Brewers 6-run 6th.  O’s manager Cal Ripken is not around to see it, however. He’s tossed in the 1st inning for arguing a checked swing call.

17th  Reggie Jackson hits his 500th career home run in the 7th inning off Bud Black, but the Royals beat California 10–1 to move into first place in the AL West. Jackson is the 13th player in ML history to hit 500 home runs.

      Harold Baines slugs 3 home runs to lead the White Sox to a 7–3 win over the Twins and drop Minnesota into 2nd place in the AL West.

      Dwight Gooden strikes out 16 batters for the 2nd straight start to tie the ML record of 32 strikeouts in consecutive games, but balks home the winning run in the 8th inning of a 2–1 loss to the Phillies. It is Gooden’s 5th straight outing with 10 or more strikeouts.

      At Yankee Stadium, Ken Griffey has a single, 2 doubles and a homer to drive in 3 runs as the Yankees whip the Orioles, 12-7. Oscar Gamble has a 2-run homer for the Bombers. The O’s don’t go quietly as they get 4 hits from Al Bumbry and a grand slam from Wayne Gross, his 2nd of the year. Ron Guidry, in his only relief appearance of the year, pitches a scoreless 9th.

      Lance Parrish hits his 30th homer of the year and Lou Whitaker belts a grand slam to lead the Tigers to a 7-3 win over the Brewers. Rookie Roger Mason wins his 1st ML game.

18th  The Tigers clinch the AL East championship with a 3–0 win over the Brewers as starter Randy O’Neal records his first ML win. Detroit becomes the 4th team this century to be in first place every day of the season, joining the 1923 Giants, the 1927 Yankees, and the 1955 Dodgers.

      Tim Raines becomes the first player in ML history with 4 consecutive 70-stolen-base seasons by stealing 4 in Montreal’s 7–4 win over St. Louis.

      At Yankee Stadium, the Yankees trounce the Orioles, 10-2, as Mike Pagliarulo hits a grand slam in New York’s 7-run 2nd inning. Orioles infielder Todd Cruz retires the side in the 8th on 7 pitches.

19th  Behind 6-5, the Pirates score 6 in the top of the 6th to beat Chicago, 11-6. Tony Pena hits a grand slam in the frame.

      At Toronto, the Red Sox are led by Dwight Evans, who lowers the boom on Jim Clancy for a pair of 3-run homers in Boston’s 10-4 win over the Jays.  The 6 RBIs, plus 4 yesterday, gives Evans 100 RBIs for the year and gives the Red Sox three outfielders (Rice, Armas) with 100 RBIs.

20th  The Padres clinch their first NL West title since entering the league in 1969 with a 5–4 win over the Giants. The key blow is winning pitcher Tim Lollar’s 3-run home run, his 3rd home run of the season.

      The first-place Cubs break 2 million in home attendance for the first time as 33,651 watch them lose to Pittsburgh 7–6.

      The Orioles roll over the visiting Red Sox, 15–1. Ken Singleton paces the Birds with a grand slam, off Al Nipper, for his 246th and last career HR. His previous two homers were also grand slams, the last coming on September 1st.

21st  Rookie Jim Traber makes his debut in Baltimore, first by singing the national anthem before the Red Sox game, then by DHing. The Red Sox are unimpressed, clipping the Orioles 8-0. Traber had sung the national anthem a number of times before minor league games.

      George Brett, with a grand slam, and Steve Balboni homer in KC’s 5-run 7th as Kansas City beats Oakland, 7-4.

      Pittsburgh beats the Phillies, 5-1, as Tony Pena drives in 3 runs and Johnny Ray picks up the game-winning RBI for the 4th game in a row, setting the NL mark.

23rd  Sparky Anderson becomes the first manager ever to win 100 games in a season with 2 different clubs as the Tigers beat the Yankees 4–1. Anderson had led the Reds to 100-win seasons in 1970, 1975, and 1976.

24th  Rick Sutcliffe pitches a 2-hitter in a 4–1 win over Pittsburgh to clinch the NL East title for the Cubs, who will be making their first post-season appearance since 1945. The win is Sutcliffe’s 14th in a row. Sutcliffe strikes out 9 Bucs, including Joe Orsulak for the final out.

      Kansas City sweeps a pair from the Angels, winning 4=0 behind Brett Saberhagen, and 12-4. Darryl Motley hits a grand slam and 6 RBI in game 2.

25th  Red Sox manager Ralph Houk, 65, announces he will retire at the end of the season.

      At Shea, the Mets Rusty Staub homers to become the second player to homer as a teenager and also at the age of 40.  Ty Cobb is the only other. Staub’s blast, a 2-run pinch homer climaxes a 4-run 9th inning as the Mets beat Philley, 6–4.  It is a bad week for Phils reliever Larry Andersen, who takes the loss today with a third of an inning of work. He has lost five games this past week with a total of 1.1 innings of pitching, losing to the Mets on the 18th, 24th and 25th, and to the Pirates on the 21st and 22nd. He’ll continue the streak next April 12th with  loss in a third of an inning (as noted by Tom Ruane).

      Pat Tabler collects 4 hits, including a grand slam, to drive in 6 runs in Cleveland’s 13-5 win over the Mariners.

      In a bench-clearing move, the Orioles use 8 pinch hitters, tying the AL mark, in an attempt to beat the Yankees, but New York prevails, 6-5.

      At County Stadium, Howard Johnson connects for a grand slam in the first inning and the Tigers roll to a 9-1 win over the Brewers. Randy O’Neal (2-0) and 4 relievers combine for Detroit.

26th  Philadelphia’s Juan Samuel breaks Tim Raines’s record for steals by a rookie with his 72nd in a 7–1 loss to the Mets.  Raines had set the record of 71 in the strike-shortened 1981 season. The 2nd place Mets are the first team to finish above .500 and score fewer runs than their opponents in a full season since the 1932 Pirates.

27th  Before a crowd of 2,803, the smallest crowd in Montreal history, the Expos trim the Cards, 6–3. Paced by back-to-back homers by Carter and Driessen, the Expos score 6 in the 4th. The Spos will draw 3,613 on Sept. 4, 2001, their next smallest crowd. In Joey Hesketh’s 7–0 shutout over the Mets, tomorrow, the crowd will be 12,164.

      The Indians top the Twins, 4–3, on a 2-out pinch solo homer in the 9th by Jamie Quirk. Ron Davis serves up the game-winner to Quirk, whose contract was purchased 3 days ago from the Chicago White Sox.  For Quirk, it will be his only at bat in a Cleveland uniform during his one-week stint: the Tribe will release him on October 1 when the season ends.

28th  Bruce Sutter ties the ML record with his 45th save of the season in the Cardinals 4–1, 10-inning win over the Cubs. Starter Joaquin Andujar (20-14) allows 2 hits over 9 innings to win his 20th game.

      Kansas City clinches the AL West title with a 6–5 win over Oakland. The Royals are the first ML team to finish in the top spot and score fewer runs than their opponents.  The only other AL team to finish above .500 with fewer runs than the opposition was the 1948 Philadelphia A’s.

30th  On the final day of the regular season, California’s Mike Witt fans 10 and needs just 97 pitches to complete a perfect game 1–0 over Texas. Witt’s gem is the first 9-inning perfect game in Angels history and the first in the major leagues since Len Barker’s in 1981.

      In the dramatic race for the AL batting title, Don Mattingly goes 4-for-5 in the Yankees season-ending 4–2 win over the Tigers to edge teammate Dave Winfield .343 to .340. Winfield goes 1-for-4. This is the only time this century that Yankee teammates have finished 1-2 in the AL batting race.

      The 7th-place Brewers end their season with a 4–0 win over the Blue Jays, and manager Rene Lachemann bows out. Lachemann had been fired earlier in the week but stayed on till the finish. George Bamberger will return as manager of the Brewers.

      The ML umpires announce that they will go on strike at the 2 LCS scheduled to begin October 2nd in an effort to improve their pay and job security and to change the method by which post-season assignments are determined. ML officials say the games will go on as scheduled using amateur umpires if necessary.

      Phillies interim manager Paul Owens resigns following a season-ending doubleheader loss to the Pirates and will move into the club’s front office. Coach John Felske will succeed Owens as manager next season.

      Padre Eddie Miller and Dodger Tony Brewer hit homers today in their last major league at bats.  Miller’s 9th-inning four bagger, his only career homer, comes in a 4–3 loss to Atlanta’s Pascual Perez, while Brewer, the 1984 PCL bat champ, homers in LA’s 7–2 win over the Giants.

OCTOBER

1st  Peter Ueberroth begins his 5-year term as commissioner of baseball.

Braves manager Joe Torre is fired by owner Ted Turner and replaced by Eddie Haas. Atlanta was 80-82 this season, 12 games behind the first-place Padres.

2nd  In the first LCS game played with replacement umpires, the Cubs clobber the Padres 13-0 to take a 1–0 lead in the NL series. Chicago hits 5 home runs at Wrigley Field, including one by starting pitcher Rick Sutcliffe, and another by Bob Dernier to lead off the game.

      The ALCS opens with a convincing 8–1 Tiger trouncing of KC.

3rd  Steve “Rainbow” Trout scatters 5 hits and Lee Smith slams the door in the Cubs’ 4–2 victory over the Padres.

      The Royals rally with RBI pinch hits in the 7th and 8th innings, but John Grubb’s 2-run double in the 11th gives the win to the Tigers 5–3.

4th  The Padres take a lead in an NLCS game for the first time, and they go on to down Chicago, 7–1.

5th  In game 3, Milt Wilcox and Willie Hernandez combine on a 1–0 three-hitter to give the Tigers a 3-game sweep of the Royals in the ALCS.

6th  Steve Garvey’s 2-run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning gives San Diego a 7–5 win over Chicago and evens the NLCS at 2–2.

7th  The striking ML umpires return to work in time for game 5 of the NLCS, and San Diego rallies for 4 runs in the 7th inning to beat Chicago 6–3 and earn its first trip to the World Series.

9th  The Tigers win the WS opener as Jack Morris pitches a complete-game 3-2 victory. Larry Herndon’s 2-run HR in the 5th is the margin.

      Despite being offered another one-year contract, Angels manager John McNamara resigns. He will be named manager of the Red Sox on the 18th.

10th  Reliever Andy Hawkins allows just one hit in 5 1⁄3 innings to give San Diego a 5–3 win in game 2.

12th  San Diego pitchers tie the WS record by issuing 11 walks in a 5–2 loss to the Tigers in game 3. Detroit leads the Series 2–1.

13th  In game 4, Jack Morris wins again 4–2. A pair of 2-run HRs by Allan Trammell provide all the Motor City scoring.

14th  Series MVP Kirk Gibson blasts 2 upper-deck home runs at Tiger Stadium in game 5, including a 3-run shot off Rich Gossage in the 8th inning, to lead Detroit to an 8–4 win and its first World Championship since 1968.

16th  Gene Mauch, who resigned as the Angels’ manager after the 1982 season, is hired again.

23rd  Rick Sutcliffe, who was 16–1 for the Cubs after arriving from Cleveland 2 days before the June 15th trading deadline, is a unanimous choice as NL Cy Young Award winner. Overall, Sutcliffe was 20–6 with a 3.64 ERA.

30th  Tigers reliever Willie Hernandez wins the AL Cy Young Award, edging fellow reliever Dan Quisenberry of the Royals. Hernandez was 9–3 with 32 saves and a 1.92 ERA.

      The Giants name Jim Davenport manager for the 1985 season.

NOVEMBER

6th  Willie Hernandez wins the AL MVP Award, joining Rollie Fingers as the only relief pitchers to be named MVP and Cy Young Award winner in the same season. Kent Hrbek is 2nd with Dan Quisenberry third. Boston’s Tony Armas is the 7th, despite winning the home run and RBI titles; the last player to lead in those categories and not win was Ted Williams.

13th  Ryne Sandberg wins the NL MVP Award, becoming the first Cub to do so since Ernie Banks in 1959. Sandberg hit .314 with 19 home runs and 32 stolen bases and led the NL in runs (114) and triples (19). He’s a triple and homer short of being the first with 200 hits, 20 HRs, 20 triples, 20 doubles, and 20 steals.

20th  Four days after his 20th birthday, Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden becomes the youngest player ever to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award. Gooden was 17-9 with a 2.60 ERA and a ML-leading 276 strikeouts.

22nd  Seattle’s Alvin Davis easily wins the AL Rookie of the Year Award over Mark Langston and Kirby Puckett.

27th  The 1984 AL Gold Glove team is announced, and it is made up of the same 9 players as the 1983 team: catcher Lance Parrish, 1B Eddie Murray, 2B Lou Whitaker, 3B Buddy Bell, SS Alan Trammell, outfielders Dwight Evans, Dave Winfield, and Dwayne Murphy, and pitcher Ron Guidry.

DECEMBER

5th  The A’s send base-stealing OF Rickey Henderson and P Bert Bradley to the Yankees in exchange for pitchers Jay Howell and Jose Rijo, OF Stan Javier, and minor leaguers Tim Birtsas and Eric Plunk. On the same day, the Yankees trade C Rick Cerone to the Braves for P Brian Fisher.

6th  The White Sox trade 1983 AL Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt and 2 minor leaguers to the Padres for P Tim Lollar, IF-OF Luis Salazar, and minor leaguers Ozzie Guillen and Bill Long. SS Guillen will win the AL Rookie of the Year Award next season and hold down the Sox shortstop spot till the end of the 1990s.  Workhorse Hoyt will be out of baseball in two years, amidst rumors of drug use.

7th  In a straight trade, the Mets send P Walt Terrell to the Detroit Tigers for 3B Howard Johnson. Hojo will start for 8 years in New York.  Terrell will have 6 seasons in Detroit, interrupted by stays with 4 other teams.

10th  Expos catcher Gary Carter becomes the 3rd All-Star caliber player in 5 days to be traded, going to the Mets in exchange for IF-OF Hubie Brooks, C Mike Fitzgerald, OF Herm Winningham, and minor league P Floyd Youmans.

11th  OF Fred Lynn, a free agent, signs a 4-year contract with the Orioles.

12thSt. Louis sends slugger George Hendrick and a minor leaguer to the Pirates for P John Tudor and Brian Harper. Tudor, at 12–11, was the ace of the Bucs’ staff, which set a record by having the NL’s best ERA, though the team finished last.  The 35-year-old Hendrick will play just a half season in the Iron City before going to California.

27th  Free-agent pitcher Ed Whitson, 14–8 for the Padres, begins a nightmarish association with the Yankees by signing a 5-year, $4.4 million contract.

31st  Despite 6 weeks of negotiations, the Basic Agreement between the players and owners that was reached after the 1981 strike expires. The players are now seeking increased contributions to their pension plan from the clubs’ additional television revenues, while the owners are hoping to slow the rapid growth of player salaries.

 

•1985

JANUARY

7th  Lou Brock, the major leagues’ all-time stolen base king, and Hoyt Wilhelm, who rewrote the record book on relief pitching, are elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA. Nellie Fox is named on 295 of the 395 ballots (74.7%), but the BBWAA and the Hall of Fame committee decline to round Fox’s total to the required 75%.

8th  The Padres sign free-agent reliever Tim Stoddard to a 3-year, $1.5 million contract. Stoddard was 10-6 with 7 saves for the Cubs last season.

18th  In a 4-team trade, the Brewers send catcher Jim Sundberg to Kansas City and receive pitchers Danny Darwin from Texas and Tim Leary from the Mets. The Mets receive pitcher Frank Wills from the Royals, who also send catcher Don Slaught to Texas. C Bill Hance goes from Texas to Milwaukee.

FEBRUARY

1st  In an effort to add some much-needed power to their lineup, St. Louis trades OF-1B David Green, SS Jose Gonzales, P Dave LaPoint, and OF-1B Gary Rajsich to the Giants for slugging 1B Jack Clark. Gonzales will change his name to his mother’s maiden name of Uribe, and win the starting shortstop job with the Giants.  Giants coach and resident wit Rocky Bridges will note that Uribe really is, “the player to be named later.”

11th  Twins 1B Kent Hrbek signs a new contract that makes him the club’s first $1 million player.

21st  Tim Raines is awarded a $1.2 million salary for 1985 by arbitrator John Roberts, the largest award to date through that process. The 25-year-old Raines hit .309 for the Expos last season and stole 75 bases.

27th  The Yankees trade veteran IF Toby Harrah to the Rangers for OF Billy Sample and a player to be named later. The palindromic infielder was a member of the original Rangers in 1972.

MARCH

6th  Enos Slaughter and Arky Vaughan are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.

8th  Dave Stieb, the ace of the Toronto staff for the past 5 seasons, signs an 11-year contract that could be worth up to $25 million with deferred payments and incentives.

16th  Denny McLain, winner of the AL Cy Young Award in 1968, is convicted of racketeering, extortion, and cocaine possession in Tampa, Florida.

18th  Commissioner Ueberroth reinstates Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, who had been banned from association with organized baseball by Bowie Kuhn due to their employment by Atlantic City casinos.

25th  An Illinois judge rules that state and city laws which effectively ban night baseball at Chicago’s Wrigley Field are constitutional. After being forced to give up a home game during the 1984 NLCS, and threatened with playing future post-season games at another stadium entirely in order to accommodate network television’s prime-time schedules, the Cubs had sued to overturn the laws.

28th  The April 1st issue of Sports Illustratedcontains a fictitious article about a Mets pitching prospect named Sidd Finch, whose fastball has been timed at 168 MPH. Author George Plimpton offers bogus quotes from real-life members of the Mets, as well as several staged photos, and fools readers nationwide.

APRIL

3rd  The Players’ Association agrees to the owners’ proposal to expand the 1985 League Championship Series from the best-of-5 games to best-of-7.

8th  At Fenway, 46-year-old Phil Niekro starts for the Yankees, the 2nd oldest pitcher ever to start an Opener: only Jack Quinn, for Brooklyn in 1931, was older at age 47.  Boston chases Niekro after 4 innings and behind the pitching of Oil Can Boyd coasts to a 9–2 win. Niekro walks 4 in the 3rd inning, including two with the bases loaded, to lose his 7th Opener in a row (6 with Atlanta), the worst opening day record ever. Tony Armas, Dwight Evans, and Jim Rice stroke homers for Boston.

      At the opener in Baltimore, Texas starter Charlie Hough is lifted in the 6th despite giving up no hits. Hough walked 4 in a row—8 altogether— and C Don Slaught had allowed a run to score on a passed ball. Hough’s replacement Dave Rozema only allows 2 hits. Unfortunately, one of the hits is a 2-run HR in the 8th by Eddie Murray to snap a 2–2 tie. Don Aase is the winner.

9th  In his first game as a member of the Mets, catcher Gary Carter hits a solo home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to give New York a 6–5 Opening Day win over the Cardinals at Shea Stadium.

      A year and a day after being hit in the face by a Mike Torrez pitch, Astros SS Dickie Thon returns to the Astros lineup and goes 1-for-4 off Fernando Valenzuela in Houston’s 2–1 win over the Dodgers. Thon will hit just .207 before going back on the DL with recurring vision problems.

      At Milwaukee, Tom Seaver of the White Sox sets a ML record by making the 15th of his 16 opening day starts. Seaver works 6 2/3 innings in beating the Brewers, 4–2, and upping his overall record is 7-2 for opening day starts. The Brewers will beat Seaver in next year’s opener. The victory is his 298th.

10th  At Fenway, the Red Sox score 9 runs (3 earned) in less than 2 innings against Ed Whitson as they paste the Yankees, 14-5. Bill Buckner completes the scoring in the 7-run 2^ndwith a 2-run homer.  Rich Gedman has 2 hits in the 2^ndand 4 in the game: it won’t happen again until 2014 that an opposing catcher has 4 hits versus New York. 

11th  Gorman Thomas, recovering from rotator cuff surgery, smashes 3 home runs and drives in 6 in Seattle’s 14–6 rout of visiting Oakland. The Mariners set a one-game club record with 7 home runs. The A’s Dave Kingman has a homer and gets robbed of another when his deep drive in left bounces off a loud speaker and is caught.

12th  Mike Davis has 4 hits, including 2 doubles and a homer, and drives in 5 runs as Oakland does all its scoring in the last 5 innings to beat the Angels, 14-6. Dick Schofield hits a 9th inning grand slam for the Haloes to make it respectable. Starters Tommy John (0-1) and Don Sutton (1-0) each allow 2 earned runs. 

      Bill Schroeder has a big day for the Brewers, clubbing a grand slam, off Frank Tanana, and driving in 6 runs as Milwaukee whips the host Rangers, 11-6.

13th  Rollie Fingers records his 217th AL save in Milwaukee’s 6–5 win over Texas, breaking Sparky Lyle’s record. Fingers already holds the ML record with 325.

      Well, this is easy. Jeff Stone has 3 hits and scores twice as the Phillies beat the Astros, 4-2. Stone has a 1st-inning single against Ron Mathis, in his ML debut, and Juan Samuel follows with a single. Mathis then picks off Stone for the first out, and picks off Samuel for the 2nd out.  He walks Von Hayes, who is then caught stealing. Mathis takes the loss.

      At the Kingdome Phil Bradley hits an ultimate grand slam, a walkoff 2-out hit in the 9th off Ron Davis to give the Mariners an 8-7 win over the Twins.  Bradley’s blow comes after three walks.  He finishes with 5 RBI to give Seattle a 5-0 start.

      In LA, Candy Maldonado knocks a pinch-hit homerun in the 8th off Giants reliever Mark Davis for the game’s only run. Fernando Valenzuela is the 1-0 winner. It is just the second time in history that a pinch homer has accounted for the game’s only score.

14th  At Atlanta, the Braves defeat the Padres, 3-1, behind Rick Mahler and 2B Glenn Hubbard, who as a ML-record tying 12 assists. Second base also sees action on the Pads side as Tony Gwynn throws out 2 runners there. LaMar Hoyt gives up the 3 Braves runs in 4 innings of work. In 6 days, on April 20, Juan Samuel, second sacker of the Phillies will be the next to match the 12 assists in a 7-6 Philadelphia win over the New York Mets. Monte Ward, for Brooklyn in 1892, was the first to make 12 assists.

      Carlton Fisk hits a 3-run homer and the White Sox pummel the Red Sox, 11-6. For Boston, it is the fifth game in a row that they have scored 6 runs or more to start the season, a team record.

      The Royals send Mike Brewer to the Indians for a player to be named later. Brewer himself is the player to be named later, returning to the Indians on September 17.

      Dale Murphy, playing in his 500th consecutive game, belts his 4th homer in four games to help the Braves beat the Padres, 3-1. Only 30 players have played 500 consecutive games.

15th  At Jack Murphy, Carmelo Martinez leads the Padres to an 8-3 win over the Giants as he hits a pair of homers, one a grand slam. Eric Show (2-0) allows 3 hits in 7 innings for the victory.  Dan Gladden has 3 hits for SF, drives in 3 runs and gets caught stealing twice.

16th  Ron Darling and Jesse Orosco combine on a one-hitter as the Mets edge the Pirates, 2-1, scoring the game-winner in the top of the 9th. Jose DeLeon strikes out 14 Mets in 8 innings.

      At Wrigley, Dennis Eckersley goes 10 innings, striking out 11, as he shuts out the Phillies, 1-0. Dernier’s RBI single in the 10^thdrives home the winner. The Cubs fans get in the act in the 8^thas Larry Bowa hits a ball to left field and Phils outfielder Jeff Stone loses a shoe chasing it down. Before he is able to reach the ball a helpful bleacherite tosses a shoe out on the field. Another quickly follows before a storeful of shoes rains down on the turf.  Dernier makes the catch.

17th  Detroit’s hope of repeating last year’s 35-5 start hits a reality bump as they lose to Milwaukee, 2-0, on Danny Darwin’s 2-hitter.  It is the Tigers first loss of the year.

18th  At Kansas City, Jim Rice hits a home run with 2 out in the 14th to give the Red Sox a 4–3 win over the Royals.

19th  Rookie Fritz Connally hits his first ML homer, a grand slam off Toronto’s Doyle Alexander, to put the Orioles in the lead, 4–1. Connally fouls off 9 pitches before connecting and his next HR will also be a grand slam. Toronto eventually wins the game, 6–5.

      The matchup of Steve Carlton and Dwight Gooden produces no runs as Lefty goes 7 innings and Doc goes 8 innings. The Mets push across a run in the 9th to beat the slumping Phils, 1-0.

20th  The Phillies and Pirates swap relief pitchers, Al Holland going to Pittsburgh, Kent Tekulve to Philadelphia.

      Playing without their shortstop Julio Franco, the Indians lose, 5-2, to the Yankees. Franco, hitting .516, failed to show up but was later located at a friend’s house near Yankee Stadium. Franco said he spent the night at the house and awakened feeling ill. Since there was no telephone he could not call anyone and instead went back to sleep.

      At Comiskey, Marty Barrett hits a 9th inning grand slam for Boston as they outslug the White Sox, 12-8.

21st  At Cincinnati, the Reds edge the Giants, 1-0, behind Tom Browning. After Eric Davis hits a triple, one of three Reds hits, Atlee Hammaker balks him home.

      Terry Pendleton hits a grand slam off Rod Scurry and the Cardinals roll to a 6-0 win over the visiting Pirates.  Ken Forsch gets the win as three Bird hurlers combine for the shutout

22ndThe Twins collect 16 hits in sinking the Mariners, 9–5. In the 4th, Kirby Puckett hits a 3-run homer, his first HR in the majors, off Matt Young. After no homers last year, Puckett will hit 4 homers this season before blossoming into a power hitter with 31 next year.

23rdDusty Baker has a homer and drives in 5 runs as Oakland outslugs the Angels, 14-9.  Nine different players hit homers for both teams, which ties the AL record. California hits 5, two by Reggie Jackson, and all are solos.

24th  Pete Vuckovich records his first win for Milwaukee since his Cy Young Award-winning season of 1982, pitching 7 innings of the Brewers 3–2 win over Chicago. He had been sidelined most of the past 2 seasons with shoulder problems.

25th  At County Stadium, the Brewers score 5 runs in each of the last two innings to win 11-7 over the Tigers.  In the 9th, Paul Molitor hits a 2-out solo homer to tie the game at 7. The next three batters reach base and Ted Simmons ends it with a grand slam.  All the runs in the 9th come off Bill Scherrer.  Alan Trammell has 2 triples and a homer for the Bengals.

26th  The Dodgers Orel Hershiser pitches his 2nd consecutive shutout, a 2–0 one-hitter against the Padres. San Diego’s lone hit is Tony Gwynn’s 4th-inning single.

27thToronto’s Willie Aikens cracks a game-tying 2 run pinch homer in the 9th inning against Texas, and the Blue Jays win 9–8.  For Aikens, it is his last ML at bat, as Toronto will send him to Syracuse in 3 days.

28th  After the Yankees lose to the White Sox 4–3 on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 9th, manager Yogi Berra is replaced by Billy Martin, who begins his 4th term in the job.  The bad news is delivered to Yogi by pitching coach Clyde King, and a furious Berra vows to never set foot in Yankee Stadium as long as George Steinbrenner is the owner.

      Mickey Hatcher goes 4-for-5 as the Twins post their 8th consecutive win, 10–1, over Oakland. Hatcher was 5-for-5 the day before, giving him a club record 9 consecutive hits.

      Darryl Strawberry hits a grand slam in the first inning at New York but it takes another five hours before the Mets score again. Mookie Wilson scores from 3B when Clint Hurdle’s grounder went through the legs of Pittsburgh first baseman Jason Thompson for an error in the 18th inning to give the Mets a 5-4 victory in a game that lasts 5 hours 21 minutes. Lee Tunnell, the Bucs 7th pitcher, takes the loss. A defensive gem by Rusty Staub, robs the Pirates of at least one run in the top of the 18th. Staub, 41, who weighs 230 is pressed into service when the Mets ran out of players in the 12th inning. Staub played right field when right-handed batters came up and left field when left-handed hitters batted. He was playing right in the top of the 18th. With Tunnell on second and two out, pinch hitter Rick Rhoden hits a looping fly ball down the RF line and Staub makes a running catch to save a run. In the bottom of the 18th Gary Carter draws a walk and Wilson, running for him, goes to third on Strawberry’s single to right. When Hurdle’s grounder went through Thompson, it ends the longest game in 3 years. Through one stretch in the marathon, in which 43 players were used, Pirate pitchers hold the Mets hitless for 10 innings.

29th  In Billy Martin’s first game as New York manager, Larry Parrish belts 3 home runs to power the Rangers to a 7–5 win over the Yankees. It is Parrish’s 4th career 3-HR game but his first in the AL, making him only the 5th player to accomplish the feat in each league.  The Yanks lose a homer in the 4th when, with two men on, Bobby Meacham hits a Frank Tanana ball that just reaches the stands.  Running hard, Meacham collides with teammate Willie Randolph who was returning to 1B to tag up. Meacham is given a two-run single.

      At the Kingdome, the Mariners edge the Brewers, 9-7, in 10 innings behind the heroics of catcher Donnie Scott.  Scott hits a game-tying solo homer in the 9^th, off Rollie Fingers, then follows with a walkoff 2-run homer in the 10^thoff Ray Searage. He’s the first catcher to accomplish the feat. He will total just 7 homers in his career.

30th  Dale Murphy drives in his 28th and 29th runs of the season in Atlanta’s 8–4 win over the Reds, tying Ron Cey’s 1977 record for RBI in the month of April.

      Kansas City does all its scoring in the 3rd off Jose Roman as the Royals topple the Indians, 5-1. Steve Balboni has a grand slam for KC.

MAY

1st  Toronto’s Jimmy Key beats the Royals 6–3 to become the first lefthanded starter to win for the Blue Jays since Paul Mirabella on October 4, 1980, a span of 614 games.

4th  The wind is blowing out a Wrigley, and 7 homers are hit in the 12–8 Cubs win over the Padres.  Shawon Dunston hits his first ML homer, while Graig Nettles hits 2 for the Pads. Chicago gets 11 walks from the SD pitchers.

      At Riverfront, the Reds thrash the Mets, 14-2, behind Jay Tibbs (1-4) complete game win. Nick Esasky leads the offense with a grand slam.

5th  In Minnesota, Cal Ripken has 5 hits, including 2 doubles, and drives in 4 runs as the Orioles drop the Twins, 10-6.  Mike Boddiker (4-1) goes 7+ innings for the win.

7th  In Cleveland,  the White Sox overcome a 1st inning grand slam by Brook Jacoby, to beat Bert Blyleven and the Indians, 7-4. Floyd Bannister wins his first of the year.

      At Shea, the Mets are outhit 14 to 6, but beat the Braves, 5-3. Howard Johnson solos in the 1st and Gary Carter hits a 4-run homer in the 8th.

8th  Seattle’s Mike Moore no-hits the Rangers for 8 innings, then is driven from the game on 4 hits in the 9th. But the Mariners hang on for a 4–2 victory.

      Ryne Sandberg’s homer, off Mike Krukow, is the only score as Rick Sutcliffe and the Cubs beat the Giants, 1–0.

      Ken Griffey has a homer, double and 5 RBI for the visiting Yankees, but the Twins Gary Gaetti matches him with a grand slam and 5 ribbies as the Twins upend New York, 8-6.  Kent Hrbek drives in the other runs with two doubles and a homer.

9th  The Giants end a 24-inning scoring drought by scoring a run with 2-out in the 12th to beat Chicago, 1–0. Scott Gurralts is the winner with 4 innings of relief over Warren Brusstar.

      At Olympic Stadium, the Blue Jays and Expos play to a 2-2 tie in 11 innings in the Pearson Cup competition.

11th  Dennis Rasmussen allows 3 hits in 7 innings as the Yankees whip Kansas City, 11-3. Don Baylor has a grand slam and 5 RBI for New York.

      Sid Fernandez (6 IP) and Roger McDowell combine to one-hit the Phillies as the Mets win, 4-0.  El Sid strikes 9 in winning his first of the year. Von Hayes has the only hit for the Phils.

12th  Giants pitcher Jim Gott belts 2 home runs as San Francisco beats St. Louis 5–4 in 10 innings.

      Palmer and Riordon combine on a 6-hitter to pitch the Expos to a 4–0 win over Atlanta.  The Expos staff has now pitched 39 consecutive scoreless innings, and will add 2 more tomorrow. Atlanta also sets a club record by not scoring in 35 straight innings; they’ll add 3 more to that tomorrow.

      In response to a Pittsburgh grand jury investigating cocaine trafficking in baseball, Commissioner Peter Ueberroth calls for a testing policy.

      The Twins Frank Viola goes the distance to beat the front-running Orioles, 7-3, on a 4 hitter. Fred Lynn breaks the shutout with a 2-out 3-run homer in the 9th, his 7th of the year.  Randy Bush has a pair of doubles and a grand slam and Kent Hrbek has 4 hits.

13th  Trailing 8–0 after 2 innings, the Yankees rally to beat Minnesota 9–8 on Don Mattingly’s 3-run home run off Ron Davis with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th.

      At Cincinnati, a pinch grand slam in the 7th by Tony Perez breaks a 3–3 tie and the Reds top the Phillies, 7–3. Perez is the oldest in the 20th century to belt a slam, but Carlton Fisk will top this in 1991.

14th  Led by Ken Griffey’s grand slam in a 6-run 7th, the Yankees move to a game below .500 with a 10-7 win over the visiting Twins.

15th  At Exhibition Stadium, the Angels score 6 runs in the top of the 9th to stun the Blue Jays, 9-6. Only one of the runs is earned.  Jerry Narron’s 2-out pinch grand slam completes the scoring.

17th  The Cardinals trade OF Lonnie Smith to the Royals for minor leaguer John Morris, unloading Smith’s $850,000 salary and clearing the way for rookie OF Vince Coleman to play every day. Smith will play against the Cardinals in the World Series, the only player this century to play in the Fall Classic against a team that traded him during the season.

      The Rangers fire manager Doug Rader and replace him with Mets 3B coach Bobby Valentine. Texas was 9-23 under Rader, the worst record in the majors.

      Oriole rookie Fritz Connally hits his 2nd major league HR—and his 2nd grand slam—in a 11–3 win over Seattle.  Connally will hit one more HR before returning to the minors to stay.

18thAt Houston, the Astros beat the Cards, 6–5. Nolan Ryan caps Houston’s scoring with a 2-run single in the 8th. Nolan Ryan. It is his first since May, 1984, a strong of 57 hitless at bats.

      It’s a day for hitting pitchers as Atlanta’s Rick Mahler drills a 3-run double to help beat the Cubs, 4–3.

20th  The Indians-Brewers game at Cleveland Stadium becomes the first one rained out this season, ending a record string of 458 ML games played since Opening Day without a payoff on a rain check. Since 1900, no season had survived without at least one April shower.

Kevin Stock and Bob Loscaizo of Modesto (California League) both hit for the cycle in their team’s 23–4 win over Visalia.

21st  Vince Coleman’s first ML homer is inside-the-park as the Cards beat the Braves, 6–3. Bob Horner accounts for the Braves’ runs with 2 homers.

      Brian Dayett’s pinch grand slam in the 6th off Tom Browning lifts the Cubs to a 7–4 win over the Reds. It is Dayett’s only round tripper of the year and makes a winner of Dennis Eckersley.

23rd  At Texas, Gary Ward belts a 1st-inning grand slam, then scores the winning run in the 9th inning as the Rangers beat the Red Sox, 7-6.  Ward walks in the 9th and scores from 3B when Bob Ojeda hands out a walk with the sacks full.

      Jim Beattie serves up three homers—two to Don Baylor and one to Don Mattingly, but is the victor as Seattle tops the Yankees, 6-4. Phil Niekro goes the distance in the loss.  Ken Phelps grand slam is the difference.

25th  Rick Rhoden wins his 100th and Bill Almon hits his first grand slam as the Pirates thump the Braves, 8–2.

29th  At Comiskey, Carlton Fisk drives in 5 runs with a pair of homers and Ron Kittle drives in 3 with 2 homers as the White Sox prevail over the Blue Jays, 8-5.

      At the Astrodome, the Astros score 7 in the 7th to upend the Pirates, 8-3. Jim Pankvits belts a grand slam for Houston.

30th  San Diego’s Andy Hawkins runs his record to 10-0 with a 5–4 win over the Expos. He is the major leagues’ first 10-game winner this season. Martinez raps a 3-run homer in the 4th and a solo homer in the 6th for the Pads.

      Doc Gooden strikes out 14 in pitching the Mets to a 2–1 victory over the Giants.  Alex Trevino’s 1st homer of the year is the Giants’ only score.

      Typhoid Mary? Cleveland trades SS Johnny LeMaster, acquired earlier this month from the Padres, to Pittsburgh for a player to be named later (Scott Bailes).  LeMaster will end the year as a Pirate, but all three teams he plays for this year will finish in last place and lose 100 games.

31st  Danny Cox retires the first 23 Reds he faces before Dave Concepcion singles with 2 out in the 8th. Cox settles for a 2-hit 5–0 shutout.

JUNE

1st  Bruce Kison and Steve Crawford combine on a 10-hit shutout at Fenway, as the Red Sox stop the Rangers, 6-0.  Frank Tanana (1-6) gives up 9 hits in 5+ innings, including a grand slam to Rich Gedman.

3rd  The Brewers select University of North Carolina catcher B. J. Surhoff with the first pick in what will prove to be an extremely fruitful free-agent draft. Surhoff was the catcher for the U.S. Olympic Team last summer, and fellow Olympians Will Clark (Mississippi State), Bobby Witt (University of Oklahoma), and Barry Larkin (University of Michigan) are drafted 2nd, 3rd, and 4th by the Giants, Rangers, and Reds, respectively. The Cubs get a good one in the 24th round: Mark Grace while the White Sox take Randy Velarde on the 18th round.  The Brewers take Phil Clark with the 18th pick of the first round, following his brother Isaiah who was a 1st round pick last year.  Neither will play in the ML, but brother Jerald, who goes to the Padres on the 12th round today, will make it. The Tigers pick a winner in the 22nd round with John Smoltz, then trade him in 1987.

5th  Expos Mickey Mahler (1–0), making his first start in 6 years, yields one hit in whitewashing the Giants, 6–0. The only hit is a 3rd inning single by Gladden.

      Teddy Higuera and the Brewers top the Royals, 10–2. Ernest Riles drives in 3 runs with a single and Paul Molitor adds a solo HR. Riles is the last American Leaguer this century to collect 3 RBI with a single.

      At Memorial Stadium, Dennis Martinez tosses a one-hitter as the Orioles stop the Angels, 4-0. Light-hitting Jerry Narron hits a 3rd inning single to break up the no-hit bid.

      Rafael Ramirez has a 2-run double in the 3rd and a 2-run homer in the 11th to drive in all the runs in Atlanta’s 4–2 win over the Chicago Cubs. Sitting in the stands and taking a day off is Ferris Bueller. Baseball Prospectus writer Larry Granillo will determine that this is the game playing on the television when principal Rooney walks into the pizza parlor. Footage of Mathew Broderick at Wrigley Field, which are in the movie, are shot during a September 24th game.

6th  Jimmy Key holds the Tigers hitless for 8 innings before Tom Brookens leads off the 9th with a single, but gets no decision in Toronto’s eventual 2–0, 12-inning win. Key and Tigers starter Dan Petry each pitch 10 shutout innings.

7th  Behind the pitching of Rick Sutcliffe, the Cubs defeat the Pirates, 1–0, and move into first place in the NL East as the Mets lose. Jody Davis accounts for the only run with a homer off Jose DeLeon.

      At Riverfront, the Padres sweep a pair from the Reds, winning 9-3 and 3-2 in 11 innings.  In game 1, Carmelo Martinez hits a 3-run homer and Kurt Bevacqua a 4-run homer, both off starter Tom Browning. In the second game, Tony Gwynn has 3 hits, including his 11th homer, and Kevin McReynolds has 4 safeties as the Padres stay 3.5 games ahead of the Reds in the NL West.

8th  At Cleveland, Pat Tabler has 3 hits, including a grand slam, to drive in 6 runs as the Indians whip the Mariners, 12-8.  Each team has 16 hits, with Phil Bradley collecting 5 for Seattle.

      In New York, Tommy Herr bangs a 9th inning homer, off Tom Gorman, as the Cardinals edge the Mets, 1-0.  John Tudor (3-7) is the winner and is matched for 8 innings by Ed Lynch. Herr will hit just 8 homers this year, but drive in 110 runs. The Cardinals are in 4th place in the NL East, 4 games behind the Cubs.

9th  After losing game 1 by a 6-1 score, the Cards Terry Pendleton legs out an inside-the-park grand slam  off Joe Sambito in game 2  as Mets CF Terry Blocker and RF Danny Heep collide. The Cardinals win, 8-2.  For Pendleton, it is his second slam of the year.

11th  Leadoff batter Von Hayes becomes the first ML player ever to hit 2 home runs in the first inning, starting with a home run, off Tom Gorman, and capping a 9-run outburst with a grand slam, as the Phillies go on to rout the Mets 26–7. Mets relievers Joe Sambito (3 innings) and Calvin Schiraldi (1.1 innings) both give up 10 runs apiece. The 26 runs in one game is a club record and the most in the NL since 1944.

      In Montreal, Jody Davis belts a solo homer and Leon Durham adds an 8th inning grand slam as the 1st-place Cubs trip the Expos, 5-3.

      In Atlanta, Bob Brenly singles in the winning run in the 18th as the Giants edge the Braves, 5-4. Bob Horner’s two homers account for all the Atlanta scores.

      Mike Scott (5-2) applies the whitewash as the Astros shut out the Padres, 11-0.  Bill Doran has a homer and 3 RBI, while Mark Bailey hits a grand slam.

12th  White Sox pitcher Bruce Tanner, son of Pirates manager Chuck Tanner, beats Seattle 6–3 in his ML debut. It is Tanner’s first and only ML victory.

13th  In Seattle, Darryl Motley hits a 3-run homer in the 1st inning to mar the debut of Bill Wilkinson. Another homer in the 6th  off Wilkinson gives Kansas City a 4-3 win over Seattle. Wilkinson is the great grandson of Jim Bluejacket, a Cherokee Indian who pitched in the Federal League and the NL. They are the only great-grandfather/great-grandson combo to play in the major leagues.

14th  Cleveland’s Bert Blyleven notches his 200th career win, a 5–1 complete game against Oakland.

      Pittsburgh’s Jose DeLeon (2-8) strikes out 11 in 7 innings as the Bucs beat Philadelphia, 3–2. Ray and Lezcano homer for Pittsburgh. DeLeon, who won his first game of the year on June 2, will lose his next 11 to finish at 2–19.

      One day after his successor Joe Altobelli is fired as manager of the Orioles, Earl Weaver comes out of retirement to manage the club. Weaver led Baltimore to 6 AL titles from 1968-82.

15th  Seattle’s infield records 21 assists in a 2–1 win over Kansas City, tying the ML record last accomplished by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1935.

17th  In Baltimore, Ron Guidry limits the Orioles to 5 hits as the Yankees win, 10-0, over the Birds. Rickey Henderson has 5 hits, Don Mattingly is 3-for-3 with 3 walks, and Dave Winfield drives in 4 runs with a pair of singles.

18th  At Tiger Stadium, Detroit collects 18 hits as they edge the Red Sox, 9-8. Lance Parrish has a grand slam off reliever Bruce Hurst.

19th  The Dodgers score 4 runs in the 7th inning to beat the Padres 5–1 and hand Andy Hawkins (11-1) his first loss of the season.

      Commissioner Peter Ueberroth announces that starting in August minor league players will be subject to mandatory testing for cocaine, amphetamines, marijuana, heroin, and morphine. Major league officials will be subject to the same program, but not ML players. Ueberroth hopes they will voluntarily comply.

20th  Reggie Jackson’s 513th home run sparks the Angels to a 4–0 win over the Indians and moves him past Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews into 10th place on the all-time list.

      At Shea, the Mets do all their scoring in the 3rd to top the Cubs, 5-3. George Foster hits a grand slam and John Christensen hits a solo.

21st  Twins manager Billy Gardner is fired and replaced by Baltimore pitching coach Ray Miller.

      Jerry Royster has a double and grand slam to pace the Padres to a 6-1 win over the Giants. Ed Wojna, in his second ML start, earns the win.

22nd  In his first ML at bat, Curt Ford delivers a pinch single off Lee Smith to give St. Louis a 2–1 win over the Cubs and sole possession of first place in the NL East. Chicago, which had been clinging to first place, has now lost 11 in a row.

23rd  Dave Stieb wins his seventh and Ernie Whitt clubs a grand slam as the AL-East leading Blue Jays down the visiting Red Sox, 7-5.

      At Jack Murphy Stadium, the Padres beat the Giants, 6-1, to sweep the 4-game series and give themselves a 4.5 lead in the NL West. Kurt Bevacqua’s grand slam is the big blow for the Pads.

25th  The first-place Angels outlast the Indians, scoring 5 runs after two are out off Neal Heaton in the 13th to win, 7-3.  Rupert Jones belts a walkoff grand slam.

      The Cubs’ losing streak reaches 13 as Dwight Gooden and the Mets beat them, 3-2.

26th  Minnesota’s Ken Schrom one-hits Kansas City, but needs a 2-run single from Roy Smalley in the bottom of the 9th to secure the 2–1 victory. Willie Wilson’s 3rd-inning single is the only Royals hit.

      The Cubs beat the Mets, 7–3, ending a club-record-tying losing streak at 13 games, their longest loss streak since 1944 and 1982. They’ll lose 14 in 1997.

      For the second day in a row, the Angels use the long ball to beat the Indians, winning 10-6, as Reggie Jackson contributes a grand slam. It is Reggie’s 11th bases-loaded homer.

      The Yankees edge the Orioles, 4-3, with 2 runs in the 9th. The O’s help with two errors in the frame.  For the 10th time in his career, Rickey Henderson steals 4 bases. The last Yankee to do it was Frank Gilhooley, in 1916.

      In Clearwater (Florida State League), after a disputed call at first base, Phillies organist Wilbur Snapp is ejected by the first base umpire for playing “Three Blind Mice.”

27th  San Francisco’s Jeffrey Leonard hits for the cycle in a 7–6 loss to the Reds. He is the first Giant to do so since Dave Kingman in 1972.

      The Padres trade 2B Alan Wiggins to the Orioles for pitcher Roy Lee Jackson and a player to be named later. Wiggins, who recently completed his 2nd stay at a drug rehabilitation center, was never reactivated by the Padres, who vowed that he would never play for them again.

29th  At Yankee Stadium, Moose Haas (7-3) of the Brewers one-hits the Yankees as Milwaukee wins, 6-0. Dave Winfield’s one double in the 7th is the lone hit for New York.

30th  In his final at bat of the month, Pedro Guerrero delivers a 2-run home run off Bruce Sutter to give the Dodgers a 4–3 win over the Braves. It is Guerrero’s 15th home run in June (19th overall), tying the ML record.

      Cleveland beats Seattle, 7–3, to snap the Mariners’ club-record 9-game winning streak.

JULY

2nd  Houston’s Joe Niekro wins his 200th career game 3–2 over the Padres. Joe and Phil Niekro join Jim and Gaylord Perry as the only pitching brother combinations to win at least 200 games per pitcher.

      In Baltimore, Darrell Evans hits a 1st-inning grand slam but that is all the scoring the Tigers can muster as the Orioles win, 5-4, in 10 innings. The Orioles hit 4 homers, including Mike Young’s leadoff homer in the 10th.

      George Brett blasts a pair of homers and drives in 6 runs to lead Kansas City to a 10-1 drubbing of the A’s.

      At Chicago, the White Sox win 12-4 over the Mariners.  Harold Baines drives in 5 runs on three hits, including an 8th inning grand slam.

3rd  Mike Smithson allows 5 hits and goes the distance as the Twins beat the Indians, 7-0.  Batterymate Tim Laudner has 3 hits and drives in 6 runs.

4th  In a marathon game that borders on the surreal, the Mets endure 2 rain delays and 6:10 of playing time to beat the Braves 16–13 in 19 innings on Fireworks Night in Atlanta. Tied at 8 apiece after 9 innings, the Mets take a 10–8 lead in the top of the 13th inning, only to watch the Braves tie it up. The Mets score again in the 18th, but relief hurler Rick Camp (a .060 hitter who was batting because Atlanta had no more position players available to pinch-hit) ties the score with his first ML home run on a 2-out 2-strike pitch in the bottom of the inning. No pitcher ever homered that late in a game before. Finally the Mets erupt for 5 runs in the 19th off Camp and Atlanta can respond only with 2. The 5 runs is an ML record for one team in the 19th, and the 7 combined runs is also an ML record. Keith Hernandez hits for the cycle for the Mets. New York pounds out 28 hits, a Mets team record (Atlanta has 18, as the two teams fall 6 hits short of the NL record) Gary Carter has 5 hits as does Terry Harper. The game ends at 3:55 a.m.on July 5th, the latest finish in ML history. At 4:01 a.m.the post-game fireworks display begins, causing local residents to think the city is under attack.

5thAt Wrigley Field, the first three hitters in the Cubs’ announced batting order are Billy Hatcher, Davey Lopes, and Ryne Sandberg. After Hatcher walks, Lopes takes a strike before someone in the Cubs’ dugout sees that the lineup card submitted to the umpire has Sandberg listed second and Lopes third. Sandberg then finishes the at-bat (during which Hatcher is picked off) and singles. Lopes, hitting in his proper turn, doubles Sandberg home. All for naught as the Giants beat them, 12-6.

      At Three Rivers, the Padres plate a pair of runs in the 12th to take a 4-2 lead over the Pirates, but the Bucs storm back with 3 runs to win, 5-4. Garry Templeton is given 4 intentional walks in the game.

6thAt Pittsburgh, a 2-out single by Wynne plates the winning run as the Pirates sink the Padres, 8–7. Steve Kemp homers for Pittsburgh, and would’ve added a single but is thrown out at 1B in the 7th by RF Tony Gwynn in a 9–3 putout.

      In Kansas City, the Orioles score 7 runs in the 5th and beat the Royals, 8-3.  Fred Lynn has a single, triple and grand slam for the O’s. Scott McGregor pitches 8.2 innings for his 7th win.

      At the Astrodome, the Expos Tim Wallach hits a grand slam off Nolan Ryan as Montreal scores 6 runs in 4 innings to drive him from the mound.  The Astros rally to win, 8-7.

7th  Floyd Youmans, ticketed for the minors after the game to make way for Gullickson coming off the DL, pitches the last 3 innings to get his first ML win as the Expos outlast the Astros, 6–3 in 19 innings. A 2-out error by Enos Cabell and a 2-run single by Fitzgerald do it for the Expos.

      In an 8-3 loss to the Angels, Boston second baseman Marty Barrett nabs Bobby Grich with a hidden ball trick in the second inning. He’ll pull off another in two weeks. The Haloes Ruppert Jones paces the offense today with 3 hits, including a pair of homers, 3 runs and 3 RBIs.

      At Yankee Stadium, Dave Winfield’s 11th inning homer gives the Yankees a 3-2 win over the Twins in the game 1 drama.  The Yankees then pound out 14 hits to win the nightcap, 14-2.  Ken Griffey has a pair of 3-run homers and Don Baylor drives in 4 runs. 

8th  Joaquin Andujar scatters 12 singles to register his 15th win as the Cards down the Giants, 6–1.

      Marge Schott becomes president and CEO of the Cincinnati Reds.

      Carlton Fisk has a double and two homers, including a grand slam, as the White Sox roll by the Tigers, 9-4.

      Houston rookie Mark Knudsen has a rocky debut as he goes 7 innings and gives up 14 hits against the Phillies.  Philadelphia totals 20 hits as they hang of for a 7-4 win.

9th  Catcher Buck Martinez makes two outs on the same play. In the bottom of the third inning of a game between the Blue Jays and the Mariners, Phil Bradley is on second with one out when Gorman Thomas singles to right. Jesse Barfield’s throw home to Buck Martinez nails Bradley, though Martinez breaks his ankle in the collision. When Thomas tries to take 3B on the play, Martinez’ throw sails into LF. Thomas tries to score but George Bell’s throw to Martinez beats him. Buck makes the catch and tag while sitting on the ground. But Martinez is through for the season. Whitt takes over catching and the Jays win in 13 innings, 9–4. The big blow is a grand slam homer by George Bell in the 13th—the first extra inning slam in club history—to break a 4–4 tie and give Toronto a 9-4 win. Gene Upshaw completes the scoring with his 4th hit of the game, a run-scoring triple.

      New York’s Ron Guidry works 8 2/3 innings to win his 10th straight, beating the Royals, 6–4. Guidry allows 9 hits and strikes out 1.

      Eddie Murray hits a grand slam and the Orioles beat the visiting Twins, 13-6.

      The Blue Jays trade 1B-OF Len Matuszek to the Dodgers for veteran Al Oliver, who joins his 5th club in the last 3 seasons.

10th  The Royals Frank White bangs a 1st-inning grand slam at Yankee Stadium, but the Yankees come back to win 6-5.  Rickey Henderson singles in the 9th, steals 2B and comes around to score his fourth run of the game on Dave Winfield’s single. Rickey, the AL leader with 41, has 3 steals on the day.

11th  Nolan Ryan becomes the first pitcher to record 4,000 strikeouts, fanning Danny Heep in the 6th inning of Houston’s 4–3 win over the Mets. Ryan finishes with 11 strikeouts in 7 innings but gets no decision. Bill Doran’s 5th hit drives home Dickie Thon in the 12th with the winning run.

      Don Baylor hits a pinch grand slam as the Yankees score 8 runs in the 4th inning in beating the Rangers, 11-7. 

      Fred Lynn cracks a 3-run homer with two outs in the 9th as the Orioles score 4 times to beat the White Sox, 7-6. It is Lynn’s sixth 9th-inning homer of the year, and his third walkoff.

12th  At Yankee Stadium, Ed Whitson scatters 4 hits as the Yankees shut out Texas, 6-0.  Dan Pasqua has a pair of homers and Don Mattingly has 3 hits, including a double and homer, to drive in 3 runs. He also runs his consecutive game hitting streak to 20 games. New York is tied for 2nd in the AL East, 4.5 games behind the Jays.

13th  The Angels get three pinch hits in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Blue Jays, 4–3. Miller, Brown and Boone all deliver singles to give Witt the CG win.

      The White Sox take a 9–0 lead over the Orioles and hang on for a 10–8 win. Gary Roenicke drives in 6 runs for the O’s on a 2-run HR and a grand slam off Britt Burns, who goes all the way. Dennis Martinez takes to loss.

14th  Walt Terrell and Hernandez combine on a one-hitter as the Tigers blank the Twins, 8–0.  Tom Brunansky’s double in the 7th is the only hit. Herndon and Evans hit back-to-back homers in the 4th.

16th  The NL beats the AL 6–1 at Minnesota’s Metrodome for its 13th win in the last 14 All-Star Games. San Diego’s LaMarr Hoyt allows one unearned run in 3 innings and is named MVP.

18th  Kent Hrbek breaks a tie with a 7th inning grand slam to give the Twins an 8-4 win over the visiting Yankees. Frank Eufemia (3-0) wins with 3 shutout innings of relief.

20thLaMarr Hoyt gives up 5 hits in 8 innings to record his 11th straight win as the Padres beat the Pirates, 4–2.

      Scattering 7 hits, Ron Guidry wins his 12th straight, beating the Twins 8–3. Don Mattingly has a 2-run homer and a 2-run double for the Yanks.

      At Memorial Stadium, George Brett has a homer and double to drive in 4 runs as the Royals trip the Orioles, 7-5. For the O’s, Lee Lacy is 1-for-3 to run his consecutive game hitting streak to 20.

      Driving in 7 runs on 2 homers, Darryl Strawberry leads the Mets to a 16–5 drubbing of the visiting Braves. Straw’s first HR, in the 1st off Steve Bedrosian, is a grand slam, and his next is a 3-run HR in the 3rd.

21stRich Gedman has 4 hits, including a homer, to lead the Red Sox to an 8-4 win over the Angels.  Doug DeCinces has 4 hits for California, but is picked off 2B with a hidden ball trick, the second time in two weeks an Angle baserunner has been fooled by the Sox.  This time Marty Barrett hides the ball but is no where near the bag.  When DeCinces takes his leadoff, Barrett flips the ball to SS Glen Hoffman for the tag.

22nd Minnesota does all its scoring in he 2nd as the beat the Orioles, 5-4. Kent Hrbek hits his second grand slam in 5 days for the Twins.

      John Russell belts a 1st-inning grand slam off Joe Niekro, but it takes a 9th inning walkoff homer by Mike Schmidt to give the Phils a 7-6 victory over Houston. Schmidt gets a second chance at bat when Phil Garner drops his foul fly for an error.

23rd  Oddibe McDowell becomes the first Texas Ranger to hit for the cycle, going 5-for-5 in an 8–4 win over Cleveland. George Vukovich’s grand slam accounts for the Tribe’s tallies.

      At Dodger Stadium, Orel Hirshiser one-hits the Pirates as the Dodgers win, 6-0. Jason Thompson’s leadoff single in the 2nd is the lone Buc safety.

24th  Bob Welch scatters 5 hits as the Dodgers pounce on the Pirates, 9-1.  Greg Brock hits a 6th inning grand slam and adds an RBI-single as the Dodgers score another 5 in the 8th.

25th  Eddie Murray hits his second grand slam of the month in the 8th inning to break a 1-1 tie and give the Orioles the 5-1 win over the host White Sox.  Mike Flanagan (1-1) makes his second start of the season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon.

26th  Wade Boggs goes 0-for-3 in Boston’s 6–2 win over Seattle to halt his hitting streak at 28 games, the longest in the major leagues since 1980.

      In a 10–0 blanking of the Cubs, LA’s Pedro Guerrero is 2-for-2 to complete an on-base streak of 14 straight, setting a NL record (Barry Bonds will break it). The streak, which began on the 23rd includes 2 singles, 3 doubles, 2 homers, 6 walks, and a hit by pitch. He’ll be 1-for-3 tomorrow. Jerry Reuss scatters 7 hits in the shutout and is backed by 3 homers, including a grand slam by Mike Marshall, a 3-run shot by Brock and a 2-run homer by Guerrero.

      Tommy John, making his first appearance since being released by California on June 5, scatters 4 hits over 6 innings as the A’s defeat the Brewers, 7–3. John is now 3–4.

27th  For the second time in a week, the Mets win, 16–4, this time pounding the Astros in the opener of a twinbill sweep. They break a 4–4 tie in the 7th with a fielder’s choice by Hernandez, 2-run double by Carter and a 3-run HR by Ray Knight.  All 16 runs are unearned as relievers DiPino and Medden each give up 6, and starter Bob Knepper allows 4 runs. Orosco is the winner in game 1 and earns a save for Latham first ML win in game 2, a 7–3 victory.

28th  Lou Brock, Enos Slaughter, Arky Vaughan, and Hoyt Wilhelm are inducted into the Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Cooperstown, New York.

Darrell Evans hits his 300th career home run, off Ken Schrom, to lead Detroit to a 3–2 win over the Twins.

      The Rangers use 3 hits and 3 errors to score 5 runs in the 1st inning en route to an 8-2 victory over the Yankees.  Oddibe McDowell hits a leadoff homer for Texas—his second in two games.

      Porter drives in 3 runs with a double and homer to lead the Cards to a 4–2 win over the Padres.  LaMarr Hoyt loses after winning 11 straight.

31st  The Indians end Ron Guidry’s win streak at 12 games, beating the Yankees, 6–5. Guidry and Waddell, the winner, each go 6+ innings.

      At Boston, the White Sox–Red Sox game is called at the end of 7 innings (11:34 p.m.) with the score tied 1–1. Since an 11-inning, 4–4 tie with the Angels on June 8, 1961, Boston had played 3,868 regular season games without a tie, a ML record.

AUGUST

1st  Vince Coleman steals 2 bases—on the same play–in the first inning of the Cardinals’ 9–8 loss to the Cubs to run his season total to 74, breaking the ML rookie record of 72 set last season by Juan Samuel. Coleman steals 3B and Willie McGee steals 2B. Coleman overslides 3B, jumps up, and heads for home, escaping a rundown when the plate is left uncovered as McGee takes 3B.  Both players are credited with two stolen bases on the play. A squeeze bunt by Larry Bowa with the bases full in the 14th scores the winning run. Bowa had earlier tripled with the sacks full. The game takes 5 hours and 3 minutes to end.

      The Indians trade veteran P Bert Blyleven to the Twins for OF Jim Weaver, P Curt Wardle, and SS Jay Bell.

2nd  Frank Tanana of the Tigers allows one hit—a HR by Ben Oglivie in the 5th—in beating the Brewers, 4–1. Tanana (6-10) K’s 8 while walking 1.

      Ozzie Guillen scores from second base on an infield hit in the 11th to give the White Sox a 6–5 victory over the Yankees. Salazar’s slow roller down the 1B line is fielded by pitcher Mike Bordi, and with no play at 1B, Guillen keeps running. In the 7th the Yankees have 2 runners thrown out at home on the same play (8-6-2-2) when Carlton Fisk tags out Rickey Henderson and Dale Berra.

      At Exhibition Stadium, George Bell’s 4th inning grand slam gives the Blue Jays the lead as they beat the Rangers, 5-3. It is Bell’s second slam of the year.

      The last-place Pirates unload 3 of their veteran players, trading pitchers John Candelaria and Al Holland and OF George Hendrick to the Angels for OF Mike Brown and pitchers Pat Clements and Bob Kipper.

3rd  Chris Brown hits a 3rd-inning grand slam to propel the Giants to a 7-5 win over the host Braves.

4th  In a day of milestones, Tom Seaver becomes the 17th pitcher to win 300 games and Rod Carew becomes the 16th player ever to collect 3,000 career hits. Seaver pitches the White Sox to a 4–1 six-hit victory on Phil Rizzuto Day at Yankee Stadium as 54,032 New Yorkers cheer him on, while Carew bloops a single to left off Frank Viola in the 3rd inning of the Angels 6–5 win over the Twins.

      At Chicago, Doc Gooden wins his 11th straight, a club record, as the Mets beat the Cubs, 4–1. Doc triggers a 3-run 3rd with a double.

      In the first of 2 games at Detroit, Darrell Evans’ grand slam is the margin of victory as Detroit beats the Brewers, 7-4. Milwaukee rebounds in game 2, winning, 14-4, scoring all their runs in the first 4 innings. Ted Simmons has 4 hits and 3 RBI and Ben Oglivie adds a 3-run homer.

5th  Darryl Strawberry belts 3 home runs to lead the Mets to a 7–2 win over the Cubs and vault the Mets into first place in the NL East. In the 9th, Straw singles in his 4th at bat as he drives in 5 runs.

6th  For the 2nd time in 5 years the Players’ Association stages a mid season strike. But unlike the 50-day strike that interrupted the 1981 season, this one will be settled by the following day and all 25 canceled games will be made up. The new collective bargaining agreement, which runs through 1989, raises the ML minimum salary to $60,000, extends the time of service required to be eligible for salary arbitration from 2 years to 3, and eliminates the free-agent compensation pool that resulted from the 1981 strike settlement.

8th  Cardinals pitcher John Tudor one-hits the Cubs 8–0 for his 6th shutout of the season, allowing only Leon Durham’s 5th-inning single. Tudor started the season 1–7 but will win 20 of his last 21 decisions to finish 21–8.

      Keith Hernandez has 5 hits in the Mets 20-hit attack as they beat the Expos, 14–7. Rick Aguilera is the winner.

      In game 1 against the Indians, Dave Winfield hits a pair of homers off starter Curt Wardle and drives in 6 runs as the Yankees win, 8-1.  Singles hitter Brett Butler hits a pair of homers in game 2, both off Phil Niekro, and adds a double but the Tribe comes up short, 7-6.  Don Mattingly has a pair of homers for New York.

      In a nice swap for Cincinnati, the Reds trade Tom Foley, Alan Knicely, and Fred Toliver to the Phillies for Bo Diaz, Greg Simpson and cash.

10th  Oakland’s Dave Kingman becomes the 21st player to hit 400 career home runs, belting a 2-run shot off Matt Young in the first inning of the A’s 11–5 win at Seattle.

Willie McGee goes 7-for-10 in the Cardinals’ doubleheader sweep of the Phillies, 5–4 and 13–4, to raise his batting average to .351. McGee will lead the NL with a .353 mark this season.

12th  Baltimore’s Wayne Gross and Larry Sheets connect for back-to-back solo pinch homers in the 9th inning, off Cleveland’s Jerry Reed, but it is not enough to overcome the Indians 5-run 1st inning.  The Tribe wins, 8–5.  It’s the 2nd time that a pair of Orioles have pinch hit back to back homers, and just the 3rd time in AL history.

      At Wrigley, Thad Bosley drives in 5 runs on two homers as the Cubs beat the Expos, 8-7. The first Bosley homer is pinch hit, the first time a Cub has accomplished the feat.  Tim Wallach has a pair of homers for Montreal.

      At Chicago, Phil Niekro goes the route to pick up his 295th win as the Yankees beat the White Sox, 10–4.  New York has a 7-run 7th to break the game open with Ron Hassey belting a 2-run homer and RBI single to lead the scoring in the frame.

13th  In the Mariners’ 11–4 win, Seattle’s infield again ties the ML record for assists with 21 against California.  Mark Langston goes all the way for the win.

14th  At Fenway, the Red Sox pound out 21 hits in whipping the Royals, 16-3. Wade Boggs has 4 hits and Bill Buckner hits a 4th inning grand slam.

      The wind is blowing out at Wrigley as the Cubs and Expos each hit three homers in the 8-7 Montreal win.  Bryn Smith (14-4) hits his first ML homer—as does his catcher Sal Butera–and allows one earned run in 6 innings. He also allows 5 unearned runs and serves up a grand slam to Ron Cey.

15th  Gary Gaetti hits a 3-run homer and Kent Hrbek bangs his third grand slam in four weeks as the Twins sink the Mariners, 14-5.

      Robin Yount hits a 2-run homer and Cecil Cooper has a grand slam in Milwaukee’s 7-5 win over the White Sox.

17th  In a 9-5 win, the Angels Reggie Jackson hits his 522nd career home run off Oakland’s Bill Krueger to move past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey into 8th place on the all-time list. Dave Collins has a grand slam for the A’s.

      The Phils use a barrage of 6 homers to overwhelm the Cubs at Chicago, 10–4.  Daulton and Schu go back-to back in the 4th and Samuel, Wilson, and Schmidt hit consecutive homers in the 7th. One out later, Daulton hits his 2nd of the game.

      Dave Concepcion bangs a 1st-inning grand slam off Joe Niekro and the Reds roll to an 8-0 whitewash of Houston. Tom Browning scatters 6 hits in the shutout.

19th  The Mets move into 1st place in the NL East with a 1–0 win over the Expos. Ron Darling with relief help from McDowell, is the winner.

      At Milwaukee, Roy Smalley’s homer in the 5th is the Twins only hit off Danny Darwin. The Brewers win, 2–1.

20th  Dwight Gooden fans 16 batters on the way to his 13th consecutive victory 5–0 over the Giants, raising his season strikeout total to 208. Gooden (19-3) joins Herb Score as the only pitchers this century to strike out 200 batters in each of their first 2 seasons.

      The Mets sign veteran Larry Bowa, who was released by the Cubs a week ago. One of his first moves is to tell Dwight Gooden that he tipped off his pitches when he faced the Cubs. “Every time you throw a fastball you lift your finger off your glove, and every time you throw a curve you keep your index finger on your glove.” (as noted in Sports Illustrated, August 2015). Still, the 20-year-old phenom was 5-0 in five starts against the Cubs, throwing a complete game each time.

      Mark Bailey has 3 hits, including a grand slam, and scores 4 runs as Houston rolls to a 17-2 win over the Cardinals. Dickie Thon has a triple and homer to drive in 4 runs to help Mike Scott win his 13th.

21st  Manager Stan Wasiak of Vero Beach (Florida State League) becomes the first minor league manager to record 2500 wins as Vero Beach wins 3-2 over Miami. The win comes less then a week after Wasiak set the record for most wins. He has managed for 36 consecutive seasons.

      Ryne Sandberg drives in 6 runs on 4 hits, including a pair of homers, to lead the Cubs to a 9-5 win over the host Braves. Rick Cerone has a 3-run homer for Atlanta.

      The Dodgers collect 22 hits as they beat the Phillies, 15-6. Candy Maldonado has 5 hits and Mike Marshall has 4 hits, including a grand slam, and drives in 5.  Winning pitcher Fernando Valenzuela has 2 hits as he notches his 15th.

23rd  Joaquin Andujar becomes baseball’s first 20-game winner this season, beating Atlanta 6–2 for the Cardinals. Andujar is the first NL pitcher to post consecutive 20-win seasons since Joe Niekro in 1979-80.

      At Montreal, Dodger teammates Pedro Guerrero and Mariano Duncan hit grand slams as Los Angeles beats Montreal, 8-4.  Orel Hirshiser (13-3) is the winner. Guerrero’s homer comes in the 6th off Tim Burke (8-2) and Duncan’s comes an inning later off Gary Lucas.  It is the first time in LA Dodger history that teammates have hit 4-run homers in the same game, and just the second time in franchise history (1901).

24th  Three outs away from a no-hitter against the White Sox, Toronto’s Dave Stieb surrenders consecutive home runs to Rudy Law and Bryan Little and is driven from the game. His replacement, Gary Lavelle, gives up a 3rd-straight home run, to Harold Baines, before Tom Henke comes in to save the 6–3 win.

25th  At Oakland, the A’s reach Mike Flanagan for 5 runs in 4+ innings and beat the Orioles, 10-4.  It is Flanagan’s first loss in Oakland after 10 straight wins.

26th  Eddie Murray belts 3 home runs, including a grand slam in the 5th, and drives in 9 runs as the Orioles crush the Angels, 17–3. Dennis Martinez goes 8 innings for the win, while John Candelaria is lit up for 7 runs in 1 2/3 inning. The Birds total 7 homers in the game to tie a team record set May 17, 1967 and Murray’s 9 ribbies ties a team mark set by Jim Gentile.

25th  Dwight Gooden wins his 14th consecutive game and his 20th of the season 9–3 over the Padres. Gooden will finish the season 24-4. Gooden, at 20 years, 9 months of age, is the youngest pitcher ever to win 20 games. Bob Feller was a month older when he first won 20 in 1939.

26th  The Braves fire manager Eddie Haas, who led the club to a 50-71 record and 12 losses in its last 13 games. Bobby Wine will serve as interim manager.

      Led by Eddie Murray’s 9 RBIs, the Orioles bury the Angels, 17-3. Murray has 3 homers, including a grand slam, as the Orioles connect on 7 roundtrippers.

      The Reds beat the Cardinals 7–6 and use a record five players with over 2,000 hits apiece—Buddy Bell, Pete Rose, Tony Perez, Dave Concepcion, and Cesar Cedeno.

27th  Toronto uses 4 pitchers in shutting out the Twins, 8–0, with the win going to Steve Davis, who takes over in the 2nd inning. Jesse Barfield hits a double, off Frank Viola, to set an AL record with  extra base hits in 11 straight games. He’ll go hitless in tomorrow’s loss to the Twins. Paul Waner holds the NL record with 14 games in 1927. Toronto maintains a 5-game edge over 2nd place New York in the AL East.

      Jack Howell belts a grand slam in the 2nd and adds a solo shot in the 5th as the Angels beat the Orioles, 7-3.

28th  In Cleveland’s 7-4 win over the visiting Red Sox, Julio Franco hits a 7th inning grand slam for the Tribe.

29th  In the Yankees 4–0 win over the Angels, Don Baylor is hit by a pitch (from Kirk McCaskill) for the 190th time, breaking the AL record of 189 set by Minnie Minoso.

      The Rangers trade veteran slugger Cliff Johnson to Toronto for 3 minor leaguers. Johnson had left the Blue Jays after last season to sign with Texas as a free agent.

      At Cleveland, the Red Sox pound the Indians, 17-2, scoring 11 runs off reliever Rich Thompson.  Tony Armas has a triple and 5 RBIs and Rich Gedman chips in with a HR and 4 RBIs.

      The Reds trade veteran OF Cesar Cedeno to the Cardinals for minor leaguer Mark Jackson. Cedeno will help St. Louis to the NL East title by batting .434 in 28 games.

31st  The Pirates trade former batting champion Bill Madlock to the Dodgers for prospects R. J. Reynolds, Cecil Espy, and Sid Bream.

      San Francisco’s Jim Gott and Mark Davis combine to beat the Mets, 3–2, ending Dwight Gooden’s personal 14-game winning streak. Gooden, lifted for a pinch hitter in the 6^th, will go 18-1 in his final 19 decisions. The Mets trail the Cards by 2 games, as St. Louis loses today.

      In the first of two in Minnesota, the Twins push across a pair of runs in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Red Sox, 6-5. Veteran Bert Blyleven goes the distance for the win. Mike Easler has a grand slam for Boston. The Twins complete the sweep with a 5-4 win in the nightcap.

SEPTEMBER

1st  The visiting New York Mets edge San Francisco, 4–3 with Keith Hernandez’s 2-run homer climaxing a 3-run 9th inning. Siske, in relief of Ed Lynch, is the winning pitcher. In the 5th, Lynch lines to right field and is thrown out 9–3 by RF Joel Youngblood. It’s the NL’s 2nd 9–3 putout in 2 months.

2nd Keith Hernandez has his second 5-hit game of the season, Ray Knight has 3 hits and 4 RBIs, and Darryl Strawberry drives home 3 runs to pace the Mets to a 12-4 win over San Diego.  Sid Fernandez (6-8) goes the distance for the win.

      Cal Ripken drives in 6 runs as the Orioles batter the A’s, 12-4. Dwayne Murphy has a double and 2 homers for Oakland, in 3rd place in the AL West.

      At Arlington, the Red Sox thrash the Rangers, 11-2, as Mike Easler hits his second grand slam in three days.  Bill Buckner has 4 hits, 3 runs and 3 RBI.

      Nolan Ryan leaves in the 1st inning after surrendering two runs and recording two outs, but the Cubs are scoreless after that in losing to the Astros, 7-2. Bill Dawley, the first of three relievers, notches the win.

3rd  Gary Carter hits 3 homers and drives in 6 runs as the visiting Mets down the Padres, 8-3. Darryl Strawberry adds a homer as the Pads answer with three solo shots.

4th  One day after hitting 3 home runs in an 8–3 win over the Padres, Gary Carter hits 2 more to lead the Mets to a 9–2 win at San Diego, tying the ML record of 5 home runs in 2 games. He is the 13th player to accomplish the feat.

5th  Boston’s first two batters—Dwight Evans and Wade Boggs—crack homers off Cleveland’s Neal Heaton in Boston’s 13–6 win in game 1.  Evans adds another HR to back Oil Can Boyd’s first win in 7 weeks. Cleveland wins the nightcap, 9–5.

6th  The Royals sweep a doubleheader from Milwaukee 4–3 and 7–1 to move past California into first place in the AL West.

      The Giants down the Expos, 8-3, as Chris Brown is 4-for-4 with 6 RBIs. Brown collects 2 doubles and a homer.

      In LA, Fernando Valenzuela and Doc Gooden match zeroes for 9 innings before Gooden is lifted for pinch hitter Keith Hernandez in the 10th.  Hernandez did not start the game because he was in Pittsburgh earlier in the day giving testimony at the federal drub trials. Given immunity, he admitted playing under the influence of coke while with the Cardinals, but gave it up before his trade to the Mets. Valenzuela lasts through 11, but the Mets score 2 in the 13^thon Strawberry’s 2-run double to win, 2-0.

      John Tudor tosses his second consecutive shutout and Cesar Cedeno belts a pinch grand slam in the 6th as the Cardinals shot out the Braves, 8-0.

      At Texas, Carlton Fisk blasts 2 three-run homers and drives in 7 runs to lead the White Sox to a 12–1 rout of the Rangers. Tomorrow Fisk will record his 300th double and 900th RBI.

7th  Dave Winfield steals home with the winning run in the Yankees 3–2 win over the A’s. Following a pitchout in the 7th, Winfield gets hung up in a rundown but escapes to score.

      Dave Parker’s second homer of the game, a 9th inning grand slam off Lee Smith, closes the gap but the Cubs prevail over the Reds, 9-7. Parker’s first homer is hit off Dennis Eckersley, who hits his first ML homer.

8th  In Arlington, the White Sox edge the Rangers, 7-6, with Tom Seaver picking up the win. Texas makes it close when Bob Jones hits a 9th inning pinch 3-run homer. Carlton Fisk scores 2 runs and steals 2 bases, including home. He stole home twice with the Red Sox. Fisk will lead ML catchers in steals with 17, the second time he’s reached that number.

      The Reds and Cubs battle to a 5-5 tie after 9 innings, suspended because of darkness. The National League announces afterwards that the game would stay a tie and all stats would be officially recorded. Each team records 13 hits, with Pete Rose collecting a pair and Buddy Bell hitting a 3-run homer. Keith Moreland and Shawon Dunston each have 3 on the Bruin side. Manager Rose inserts himself into the game after lefty Steve Trout is scratched when he falls off a bike and righty Reggie Patterson is picked to start. Pete has two hits to fall one short of Cobb’s 4,191 hits, and then makes outs his last two turns at bat. The Reds return home tomorrow and everyone expected Pete to top the record there, 

10th   In the opener of 2, the Orioles score 6 in the 8th on 3 homers, and the Red Sox answer with 2 homers and score 4 as the O’s win, 7-5. The 5 homers in the 8th ties a ML mark. Wade Boggs is 4-for-4 in the nightcap to pass 200 hits again as he leads the Sox to a 5-3 win.

      The Dodgers sweep a pair from the Braves, winning 10-1 and 10-4, to take a 9 1/2 game lead in the NL West. Greg Brock hits a grand slam for the Dodgers in game 2, his second of the year.

      Mike Schmidt hits a no-out 3-run homer in the 11th to power the Phils to a 5-2 victory over the Expos.

      Moments after a bench-clearing incident, Howard Johnson hits a grand slam to give the Mets a 5-4 win over the Cardinals in the tense NL East race. New York takes over first place.

      Henderson, Griffey, Mattingly and Hassey each have 3 RBIs as the Yankees outlast the Brewers, 13-10, at County Stadium. Randy Ready has 5 hits as Milwaukee outhits the Yankees, 17-11. New York trails Toronto by 1 1/2 games in the AL East.

      Bruce Bochte hits a go-ahead HR in the 5th for the A’s and Dave Kingman hits his 15th career grand slam as the A’s beat the Rangers, 10-3.

      To bolster their pitching staff for the pennant race, the Angels acquire veteran Don Sutton (13-8) from the A’s for 2 minor league players to be named later (Robert Sharpnack and Jerome Nelson).

11th  Pete Rose becomes baseball’s all-time hit leader, singling to left center off Eric Show in the first inning of the Reds’ 2–0 win over San Diego. His 4,192nd career hit breaks Ty Cobb’s record before 47,237 fans at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium. Rose had tied the record at Wrigley Field on September 8th with a single off the Cubs Reggie Patterson in a game that was later suspended due to darkness, enabling Rose to break the record at home.

      John Tudor allows 3 hits in 10 innings for his 3rd consecutive shutout, outdueling Dwight Gooden and the Mets 1–0 to move St. Louis back into a first-place tie with New York in the NL East. Cesar Cedeno’s 10th-inning homer, off Jesse Orosco, provides the game’s only run.

      Milwaukee beats New York 4–3 to end the Yankees’ winning streak at 11 games. New York now trails first-place Toronto by 21⁄2games in the AL East.

12th  A grand slam by Hubie Brooks is the difference as Montreal wins at Philadelphia, 6-3.

      Behind a 3-run homer by R.J. Reynolds, off starter Dennis Eckersley, and a grand slam by pitcher Don Robinson, off Warren Brusstar, the Pirates whip the Cubs, 10-2.

13th  The Rangers trade P Dave Stewart to the Phillies for pitcher Rich Surhoff, whose brother B. J. was the first pick in the amateur draft in June.

      At the Kingdome, the White Sox score 5 runs in the 9th inning to beat the Mariners, 6-1. Joe DeSa hits his 2nd and last ML homer, a grand slam.

15th  At Wrigley, Cesar Cedeno has 5 hits and 4 RBIs to lead the Cardinals to a 5-1 victory over the Cubs. Danny Cox wins his 16th of the year, beating Steve Engel.

      The Yankees trade minor league pitcher Jim Deshaies and two other minor leaguers to be named later to the Astros for 40-year-old Joe Niekro, reuniting the Niekro brothers as teammates for the first time since 1974 with the Braves.

16th   Detroit’s Nelson Simmons hits a HR from each side of the plate, the first Tiger to do so. But the Orioles answer with 6 homers of their own in overpowering the Tigers, 14–7. Cal Ripken hit is 2nd homer of the game in the 8th, and Murray and Lynn followed with successive homers. The 3 straight ties a Birds record. The 41 total bases in the game is a club record.

      At Pittsburgh, the Cardinals sweep a pair from the Pirates, winning 8-4 and 3-1, to take over first place.  John Tudor wins his 19th in the opener and misses a chance for a shutout when Bill Almon hits a grand slam in the 4th. Rookie reliever Pat Perry wins his first in the nightcap. Perry debuted 4 days ago.

17th  Ron Guidry (19-6) serves up 5 homeruns—2 to Darryl Evans–in 7 innings as the Tigers claw the Yankees, 9-1. New York is 5 games behind Toronto in the AL East.

18th  Catcher Rich Gedman hits for the cycle and drives in 7 runs as the Red Sox rout Toronto, 13–1. Al Nipper goes the distance for the victory.

19th  Vince Coleman steals his 100th base of the season and teammate Tom Herr drives in his 100th run, but the Cardinals lose to the Phillies, 6–3.

      At Yankee Stadium, Jimmy Key (13-6) pitches Toronto to a 7-4 win over the Yankees. The pre-game Canadian anthem features NY-Irish singer Mary O’Dowd who forgets the words to ”O Canada” and sings off key. Later, O’Dowd says she can do better and hopes for another invitation when the Blue Jays come to town next season. ”I’ve sung at Carnegie Hall,” she said. ”I’m not a baby. What happened should not have happened. But I’ve never sung at a stadium. It was very overwhelming. I went blank.” She said she had called the Mayor of Toronto, Art Eggleton, to apologize.

      Hubie Brook hits his second grand slam in a week but Montreal falls short, losing to the visiting Pirates, 8-6, in 10 innings.          

      The Reds score 9 runs in the 9th inning to blow out the host Braves, 15-6. Dave Parker’s second grand slam of the month, hit off Bruce Sutter, is the big blow in the frame.

20th  A federal jury in Pittsburgh convicts Curtis Strong of 11 counts of cocaine distribution after a trial whose prosecution witnesses revealed how widely the drug problem afflicts major league baseball. Prominent players who were granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for testimony include Dave Parker, Lonnie Smith, Keith Hernandez, Jeffrey Leonard, and Tim Raines. Also escaping prosecution because he cooperated with the FBI is Pittsburgh’s mascot Pirate Parrot AKA Kevin Koch.

      At the Royals Stadium, Steve Balboni hits a 1st inning grand slam, off Bert Blyleven, and the Royals ride it to a 5-1 win over the Twins.  It is Balboni’s 33rd homer of the year. He will hit three more homers to set the Royals team record.

21stIn a Boston 7–6 win over Detroit, Wade Boggs ties Speaker’s club mark of 222 hits in the 2nd inning with a single. His 5th inning single, his 185th, sets a new AL record for singles breaking the mark set by Willie Wilson in 1980. Wade will end with 187, a mark that will stand until 2001.

      The first-place Cardinals overcome a grand slam by Andre Dawson to edge Montreal, 7-6.

22nd  One night after scuffling with a patron in the bar of the Cross Keys Inn, the Yankees’ Baltimore hotel, manager Billy Martin has his right arm broken by pitcher Ed Whitson in an early-morning brawl in the same bar.

      Ron Guidry becomes the AL’s first 20-game winner this season as the Yankees beat Baltimore, 5–4.

      California’s Rufino Linares scores in the 12th on Julio Franco’s error and the Angels edge the Indians, 10-9. Bobby Grich has a grand slam in the 1st for the Haloes and Doug DeCinces hits a 3-run homer.

24th  Expos OF Andre Dawson slugs 3 home runs, including a pair of 3-run shots in a 12-run 5th inning, to lead Montreal to a wild 17–15 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Dawson joins Willie McCovey as the only players to hit 2 home runs in one inning on 2 different occasions, and his 6 RBIs in one inning ties the current ML record last accomplished by Jim Ray Hart in 1970. He totals 8 RBIs for the game.

     In San Francisco’s 4-3 loss to the Padres, rookie Mike Woodard has a pinch single to extend his hitting streak to 13 games to start a career. The record is Chuck Aleno’s 17-game streak with the Reds in 1941.

      After a man was convicted of selling cocaine to major league players, Peter Ueberroth says in The New York Times, “a cloud hangs over baseball.” He urges all players to submit to drug tests.

25th  Rickey Henderson steals his 75th base of the season in the Yankees 10–2 win over Detroit, breaking the club record of 74 set by Fritz Maisel in 1914.

      Mike Greenwell hits his first ML home run, in the top of the 13th inning, to give the Red Sox a 4–2 win at Toronto.

      With the score tied 4–4 in the bottom of the 9th. Davey Lopes walks, steals 2B and 3B and scores on a pinch single by Bill Spiers as the Cubs beat the Mets, 5–4. Gary Carter’s grand slam accounts for all the Mets scoring.  Lopes has 3 steals in the game to give him 47 (in just 275 at bats) and he sets the record most stolen bases by a player over 40. The record was set by Wagner in 1914 with 23. Lopes is officially recorded at 39, but when he signed at age 22 he was afraid he was too old so he set his age back a year.

26th  The Cards John Tudor picks up his 20th win of the season with his ML-leading 10th shutout, a 5–0 four-hitter against the Phillies. It’s the most in 10 years and the most by a lefty since Koufax in 1963.

      At a damp and cold Wrigley, 11 Cubs reach base against Gooden, but non score as the Mets win, 3-0.

27th  Peter Ueberroth says he will “bow’ to the “overwhelming desire” of the players and work to set up a testing program by the World Series. On October 22, the owners, unable to come up with a testing program, end the 1984 drug agreement.

      Jody Davis has a single, two doubles and a homer in the Cubs 9-7 win over the Phils at Wrigley.  Bull Durham adds a 3-run homer.  Glenn Wilson has a pair of homers, including a grand slam, for the Phils.

28th  Cincinnati’s Tom Browning becomes the first rookie since Bob Grim in 1954 to win 20 games, raising his record to 20–9 with a 5–2 win over Houston. He is the first Reds pitcher to win 20 since Jim Merritt in 1970.

      The first-place Cardinals split a pair with Montreal, losing 2-0, to Bill Gullickson, then winning 4-2. Ozzie Smith has 2 stolen bases and Andy Van Slyke 1 steal in the opener, while Vince Coleman swipes 4 bases in the nightcap.  The Cardinals will have 5 players with 31 or more steals this year as the they total 314.

      The Cubs score 5 in the 1st against the visiting Phillies and hang on or an 11-10 victory with the win going to starter Dennis Eckersley. Shawon Dunston has 4 hits for the Cubs and Mike Schmidt, Ron Cey and Keith Moreland each hit two homers. Moreland drives home 4 runs and will finish with 32 RBIs for the month to set a Cubs September record.

30thBret Saberhagen pitches a CG 3-1 victory over the Angels to win his 20th game of the year. Brett and Sundberg homer for KC.  The win gives the Royals a tie for 1st place in the A.L. West.

OCTOBER

1st  In the first game of a 3-game showdown between the Mets and Cardinals, Ron Darling and John Tudor each pitch 10 shutout innings before Darryl Strawberry belts a titanic home run off reliever Ken Dayley. The Mets’ 1–0, 11-inning win cuts the Cardinals’ lead in the NL East to 2 games.

      The Angels go back into 1st place in the AL West, beating the Royals, 4–2. Witt and Moore combine on a 6-hitter.

      Houston’s Charlie Kerfeld beats the Braves, 2–0, handing the loss to starter Steve Bedrosian (7-15). Bedrock is not around at the end and finishes none of his 37 starts this year, a ML record.

2nd  The Dodgers clinch the NL West title with a 9–3 win over the Braves. Orel Hershiser raises his record to 19-3 with his 11th consecutive victory.

      In a duel of 20-game winners, Doc Gooden (24-4) beats Joaquin Andujar (21-11) to win, 5-2, and pull the Mets to a game in back of the Cardinals. Gooden’s streak of consecutive scoreless innings pitched ends at 49 but he guts his way to a complete-game win. The Mets, however, will lose 3 of their next 4 to finish in second place.  Gooden throws 53 innings since September 1, and finishes with 276 2/3 innings pitched, the most for a pitcher that young since 1920 except for Feller (’38 and ’39) and Bert Blyleven (’71).

      Tigers 1B Darrell Evans hits his ML-leading 40th home run of the season and becomes the first player to have a 40 HR season in each league. Evans hit 41 homers for the Braves in 1973. Jack Morris tops Dave Stieb in Detroit’s 4–2 win over Toronto. Whitt and Gibson also homer.

      The White Sox fire popular GM Roland Hemond and replace him with TV announcer Ken Harrelson, a move that will prove unsettling. Next June, Harrelson will fire manager Tony La Russa and executive Dave Dombrowski and then, next October, find himself fired.

3rdThe Phillies score 8 runs in the 3rd inning at Montreal, and hold on for an 8–7 win. Rick Schu has a pair of doubles in the big score, the first Phillie ever to hit a pair of doubles in an inning. Fred Manrique has a homer—his first in the majors—and a double to complete a rare season cycle of 4 hits (single, double, triple, homer). The win is just the 2nd in 13 games for the Quakers.

      Bud Black fires a 3-hitter and George Brett slaps a 3-run inside-the-park homer to beat the Angels, 4–0, moving KC back in a tie for the Al West.

      Danny Cox (18-9) and the Cardinals edge the Mets, 4-3, and now lead the Mets by two games.

4th  George Brett drives in 2 runs with a bases loaded single and his 2nd inside-the-park homer in 2 days as the Royals trip the A’s, 4–2.  The win gives the Royals at least a tie for the AL West title.

      Wayne Krenchicki hits a 6th inning pinch grand slam as the Reds top the host Dodgers, 4-2.

5th  The Cardinals, Royals, and Blue Jays all clinch their division championships. John Tudor pitches a 4-hitter and Cesar Cedeno goes 3-for-3 with a HR, as St. Louis beats the Cubs, 7–1. It is Tudor’s 20th win in 21 decisions after starting the season 1–7.

      Willie Wilson singles home the winning run as Kansas City beats Oakland 5–4 in 10 innings. Doyle Alexander pitches a 5-hitter, as Toronto beats 2nd-place New York 5–1 to wrap up its first AL East crown. Dave Winfield drives in the lone run, his 100th RBI of the year. He is the first Yankee to have 100 RBIs and score 100 runs in the same year since DiMaggio in 1941-42.           

      Nolan Ryan goes 7 innings to win his 10th as the Astros beat the Padres, 9-3. Alan Ashby starts the scoring for Houston with a grand slam, off Ed Wojna.

6th  Phil Niekro finally wins his 300th career game 8–0 over the Blue Jays on the final day of the regular season. He allows 4 hits in the CG win. At 46, he is the oldest hurler ever to pitch a complete-game shutout.

      Hubie Brooks drives in his 100th run of the season in Montreal’s season-ending 2–1 win over the Mets, becoming the first NL shortstop with 100 RBI since Ernie Banks in 1960.

      Angels OF Rudy Linares, collects 2 singles and a 3-run homer off Rangers Rick Surhoff to pace California to a 6–5 win. For Linares, the home run comes in his last ML at bat. The veteran hit a homer on July 20th, in his first at bat for California.

7th  The Giants trade pitcher Dave LaPoint, catcher Matt Nokes, and minor league pitcher Eric King to the Tigers for pitcher Juan Berenguer, catcher Bob Melvin, and a player to be named later.

      NL Managers Chuck Tanner and Bob Lillis are fired by the Pirates and Astros, respectively. Lillis is offered a front-office job, while Tanner will be hired to manage the Braves just 3 days later.

8th  Orioles manager Earl Weaver signs a one-year contract to manage the club again in 1986.

      Dave Steib allows only 3 hits in 8 innings as Toronto downs KC, 6–1, in the ALCS opener, the first in Canada.

9th  The Royals come from behind to tie the Blue Jays in the 9th and go ahead in the 10th, but lose 6–5 in the bottom of the inning.

      The first game of the NLCS results in a 4–1 Dodger win over St. Louis’s John Tudor, only his 2nd loss in his last 22 decisions.

10th  Every Dodger starter has a hit, and LA rolls 8–2 over St. Louis.

11th  George Brett’s bat (4-for-4, 4 runs, 3 RBI, 11 total bases) bails out 20-game winner Bret Saberhagen, and the Royals squeak past Toronto 6–5.

12th  In game 4 of the ALCS, Al Oliver’s 2-run pinch double in the 9th inning gives Toronto a 3–1 win over Kansas City and a 3-1 lead in the series. Until this year’s best-of-7 format was adopted, the 3 wins would have sent the Blue Jays to the World Series.

      St. Louis runs the Dodgers out of Busch Stadium 4–2. The Cardinals’ first 3 runs are aided by 3 stolen bases and 2 errant pickoff attempts.

13th  The Royals stave off elimination behind Danny Jackson’s 8-hit shutout 2-0 over the Blue Jays.

      The Cardinals rout the Dodgers 12–2 to even the NLCS at 2-2, but also lose rookie sensation Vince Coleman to one of the more bizarre injuries in ML history. Coleman is stretching before the game when his left leg becomes caught in Busch Stadium’s automated tarpaulin as it unrolls across the infield, trapping him for about 30 seconds. He is removed from the field on a stretcher and will not play again this year.

14th  Ozzie Smith homers off Tom Niedenfuer with one out in the bottom of the 9th to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead in the NLCS. It is the switch-hitting Smith’s first ML home run while batting lefthanded.

15th  The Royals once again stave off elimination to the Blue Jays, aided by George Brett’s 3rd HR of the series, all off Doyle Alexander. The Royals win 5–3.

16th  Baseball gets its first intrastate World Series since 1974, as the Royals and Cardinals win their respective playoff series. Kansas City beats Toronto 6–2 in game 7 to cap a comeback from a 3-games-to-1 deficit. While in Los Angeles, Jack Clark drills a 3-run home run off Tom Niedenfuer with 2 outs in the top of the 9th and 1B open to give the Cardinals a 7–5 victory and a 4-2 series win.

19th  St. Louis wins the opener of the “I-70 Series” behind ace John Tudor 3–1.

20th  After giving up just 2 hits in 8 innings, Charlie Leibrandt is raked with 3 two-out hits and loses 4–2. St. Louis leads 2-0.

22nd  Bret Saberhagen gives Kansas City their first WS win with a 9-inning 6–1 win.

23rd  John Tudor wins again as he pitches a 9 inning, 3–0 shutout.

24th  The Royals get a 2nd 9-inning effort, this time from Danny Jackson, to win again 6–1. Cards rookie reliever Todd Worrell strikes out all 6 batters he faces.

25th  The Angels announce that they will not offer 7-time batting champion Rod Carew a new contract for the 1986 season, effectively ending his 19-year career. Carew finishes with 3,053 hits and a .328 career batting average.

      The Blue Jays name 3B coach Jimy Williams manager, replacing Bobby Cox, who resigned to become GM of the Braves.

26th  Aided by a blown call, a bungled pop-up, and a passed ball, Kansas City scores 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th to beat St. Louis 2–1 and even the World Series at 3 games apiece. The Cardinals are 3 outs away from the World Championship when Jorge Orta reaches base on a disputed infield single. The next batter, Steve Balboni, lofts a foul pop that Clark loses track of and lets fall untouched, then singles. After Darrell Porter’s passed ball puts runners on 2B and 3B and Hal McRae is intentionally walked to load the bases, pinch hitter Dane Iorg singles home 2 runs to end the game.

27th  The Royals rout the Cardinals 11–0 in game 7 to become only the 6th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit and win the World Series. Series MVP Bret Saberhagen pitches the shutout while Cardinals ace John Tudor allows 5 runs in 21⁄3 innings and fellow 20-game winner Joaquin Andujar is ejected for arguing balls and strikes during Kansas City’s 6-run 5th inning. After being lifted, Tudor. Cardinals lefthander punches an electric fan in the clubhouse and severely cuts his hand. The Cardinals finish the WS with a .185 team batting average, lowest ever for a 7-game Series.

      Billy Martin is fired by the Yankees for an unprecedented 4th time and is replaced by former Yankees OF Lou Piniella, who had been the team’s hitting instructor since retiring as a player in 1984.

29th  Cardinals pitcher Joaquin Andujar is suspended for the first 10 games of the 1986 season as a result of his game 7 tantrum during which he twice bumped home plate umpire Don Denkinger.

NOVEMBER

2nd  The Expos finally sign their top draft pick, Pete Incaviglia, and then trade him to the Rangers for infielder Jim Anderson and a minor league pitcher. Incaviglia, who refused every chance to sign with Montreal, who wanted him to play in the minors, will blast a team-record 7 homers in spring training.

7th  The Pirates hire Syd Thrift as General Manager.

14th  The Brewers release 39-year-old P Rollie Fingers, the major leagues’ all-time saves leader with 341.

18th  Willie McGee wins the NL MVP Award, capping a season in which he led the league in batting average (.353) and hits (216) and also stole 56 bases for St. Louis.

      Dwight Gooden (NL) and Bret Saberhagen (AL) win the Cy Young Award in their respective leagues.

20th  Don Mattingly easily wins the AL MVP Award with a .324 average, becoming the first player from a non championship team to do so since 1978.

      Jim Leyland is named manager of the Pirates for the 1986 season.

25th  White Sox SS Ozzie Guillen, who hit .273 with just 12 errors in 150 games, is named AL Rookie of the Year. Milwaukee lefty Teddy Higuera finishes 2nd.

27th  Vince Coleman, who stole 110 bases for the Cardinals, joins Frank Robinson, Orlando Cepeda, and Willie McCovey as the only unanimous winners of the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

DECEMBER

10th  In the first major swap of the winter meetings, the A’s trade C Mike Heath and P Tim Conroy to the Cardinals for Joaquin Andujar, 21-game winner with a volatile temperament. Andujar pitched a career-high 269 2/3 innings this year and won only one game after August 23. He was 17-4 on July 26^th.  He will win 17 more games over the next three seasons.

11th  The Giants send 2B Manny Trillo to the Cubs for SS Dave Owen, and C Alex Trevino to the Dodgers for OF Candy Maldonado; the Phillies trade pitchers John Denny and Jeff Gray to the Reds for OF Gary Redus and P Tom Hume, and the Dodgers trade veteran catcher Steve Yeager to the Mariners for P Ed Vande Berg.  Vande Berg will have a lackluster year in Southern California after which the Dodgers will release him and he will sign with Cleveland.

12th  The Yankees trade P Joe Cowley and C Ron Hassey to the White Sox for P Britt Burns (18–11) and minor leaguers Mike Soper and Glen Braxton. Hassey will come back to New York before the season’s start. A degenerative hip condition ends Burns’ career before he has a chance to pitch for the Yanks.

      The Indians sign free agent Tom Candiotti to a AAA contract. Candiotti (9-13 at Vancouver), who has been throwing a knuckler less than a year, will lead the AL in complete games (17) in 1986.

18th  The Giants trade strikeout-prone slugger Rob Deer to the Brewers for minor leaguers Eric Pilkington and Dean Freeland.

19th  The Expos trade P Bill Gullickson and C Sal Butera to the Reds for pitchers Jay Tibbs, Andy McGaffigan, and John Stuper, and C Dann Bilardello.

•1986

JANUARY

2nd  The legendary Bill Veeck dies of a pulmonary embolism at the age of 71. The colorful Veeck had owned the Milwaukee Brewers (American Association), the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns and the Chicago White Sox twice.  He sold the White Sox five years ago this month. Veeck was responsible for numerous baseball innovations and promotions but, as he predicted, he is remembered for sending a midget to the plate during the 1951 Browns’ season. Veeck’s ashes will be scattered over Lake Erie.

7th  The Twins trade Ken Schrom to the Indians for Roy Smith and Ramon Romero. Call it a wash: Schrom will go 20-20 in two seasons and Smith will go 23-20 in four. Romero is finished at the ML level and will die in a fall from a 6^th-floor window in 1988 while being pursued by the police for dealing crack (as noted by Tom Hufford).

8th  Willie McCovey is the only player elected this year to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA, and becomes the 16th player elected in his first year of eligibility. Billy Williams falls 4 votes shy of the 319 needed for election.

14th  Picking second in the January draft, the Pirates go for blood lines, selecting Moises Alou.  The Indians, selecting first, take pitcher Jeff Shaw.

16th  The Twins trade 2B Tim Teufel and minor leaguer Pat Crosby to the Mets for minor leaguers Billy Beane, Bill Latham, and Joe Klink. They also trade C Dave Engle to the Tigers for IF Chris Pittaro and minor leaguer Alex Sanchez.

28th  Free-agent C Darrell Porter signs a one-year contract with Texas.

FEBRUARY

6th  Free-agent P Al Holland, who saved just 5 games for 3 teams last season, signs with the Yankees.

13th  Keep the uniforms? Two months after being traded from the Yankees to the White Sox, C Ron Hassey is traded back to the Yankees along with 3 minor leaguers in exchange for P Neil Allen, C Scott Bradley, and minor leaguer Glen Braxton. But Hassey will again go back to the White Sox on July 30th.

21st  Rollie Fingers loses a chance to continue his career with the Cincinnati Reds when he refuses to shave his trademark handlebar mustache to comply with the club’s policy. Says Fingers: “I’m not about to shave it off just to play baseball.”

23rd  Despite losing his arbitration case, Boston’s Wade Boggs receives the largest salary ever awarded through that process, $1.35 million.

24th  High-tension Dick Williams resigns as manager of the Padres. He will be replaced by low-key Steve Boros.

27th  Nine days after being arrested on drug possession charges for the 2nd time in a month, LaMarr Hoyt checks into a drug rehabilitation program and will miss most of the Padres’ spring training. Hoyt was 16-8 with a 3.47 ERA last season.

28th  In baseball’s sternest disciplinary move since the Black Sox were banished for life, Commissioner Ueberroth gives 7 players who were admitted drug users a choice of a year’s suspension without pay or heavy fines and career-long drug testing, along with 100 hours of drug-related community service. Joaquin Andujar, Jeffrey Leonard, Enos Cabell, Keith Hernandez, Dave Parker, Dale Berra, and Lonnie Smith will be fined 10 percent of their annual salaries, while 14 other players will receive lesser penalties for their involvement with illegal drugs.  Most of the suspensions are a result of testimony at the Pittsburgh trial.

MARCH

5th  The Braves trade C Rick Cerone and a pair of minor leaguers to the Brewers for C Ted Simmons.

10th  Ernie Lombardi, the NL MVP in 1938, and Bobby Doerr, a 9-time AL All-Star, are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.

21st  Pittsburgh Associates, a coalition of 13 public and private investors, purchases the Pirates from the Galbreath family for $21.8 million.

      The Yankees announce that their most celebrated off-season acquisition, 26-year-old pitcher Britt Burns, will not pitch at all this season because of a chronic deteriorating hip condition.

27th  Major league baseball’s Rules Committee votes to change the DH rule for the WS, allowing a DH to be used in all games played in the AL club’s home park. Since 1976, the DH had been used in all games in alternating years.

28th  The Yankees and Red Sox swap designated hitters: Mike Easler goes to New York for Don Baylor.

      Four days before his 47th birthday, the Yankees waive pitcher Phil Niekro, 16-12 this past year. He will be signed by the Indians on April 3rd where he will go 18-22 before being traded next season.

30th  Danny Cox, who was 18-9 for the NL champion Cardinals last season, injures his ankle jumping off a sea wall while fishing and will be placed on the disabled list. He’ll be on the DL till April 29th.

31stThe Reds trade Wayne Krenchicki to the Expos for a pair of minor leaguers—Norm Charlton and Tim Barker.

APRIL

1st  In a purge of its pitching staff, Atlanta releases veterans Pascual Perez, Len Barker, Terry Forster, and Rick Camp.

3rd  Pedro Guerrero, the Dodgers most productive hitter, ruptures a tendon in his left knee while sliding into 3B in an exhibition game. He will be sidelined for at least 3 months and not have his first hit until September.

5th  Peter Ueberroth proposes a drug testing program in which ML players would be tested for drugs no more than 4 times a year from March to October. Cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and morphine would be included, but not amphetamines. There would be no penalty for first-time positive testing.

7th  On Opening Day at Tiger Stadium, Boston’s Dwight Evans achieves a ML first by hitting a home run off Jack Morris on the first pitch of the season. But Detroit’s Kirk Gibson later hits 2 homers, adds two singles and drives in 5 runs to lead the Tigers to a 6–5 victory.

      President Ronald Reagan throws out the first pitch and the Orioles opener draws a crowd of 52,292, the largest regular-season in Orioles history. But Cleveland’s new addition Ken Schrom throws a damper on the day as he beats the Birds, 6-4. In his ML debut, Andy Allison is 3-for-4.

8th  After hitting a 2-run home run to tie the score in the bottom of the 9th, Seattle’s Jim Presley belts a walkoff grand slam with 2 out in the bottom of the 10th to give the Mariners an 8–4 season-opening win over the Angels.

      Rookie Will Clark thrills the crowd by hitting a HR in his first at bat, and off no less than Nolan Ryan. The Giants beat the Astros 8–3.

      The Royals are the first defending champions—besides the Yankees—in 61 years to open at Yankee Stadium, and they start the season on the wrong foot by losing, 4–2. New York scores all 4 runs off starter Bud Black, who gives up a three-run homer to Butch Wynegar in the 2nd.  Hal McRae accounts for both KC runs with a two-run homer off starter Ron Guidry, one of two hits Guidry gives up in 5 innings. Guidry wins his first Opener with relief help from Scurry and Righetti.

      In their opener, the Texas Rangers beat the Blue Jays, 6-3, as rookie Pete Incaviglia goes 1-for-4. Incaviglia, a college slugger with 100 homers in 213 games, was picked 8th last year by the Expos, but refused to play in the minors. With a ‘play him or trade him’ option, the Expos chose the latter, shipping him to Texas in the off-season. Because of this, Major League Baseball will implement a rule that a team cannot trade a player within a year of drafting him, a rule affectionately called the “Pete Incaviglia Rule.”

      At Chicago, Tom Seaver makes his ML record 16th Opening Day start, but the White Sox vet loses to the Brewers, 5–3.

9th  The Phillies manage just one hit in 8 innings against the Reds Tom Browning, but then they plate 4 runs in the 11th to win, 5-3.

11th  Reggie Jackson, Bobby Grich and Brian Dowling hit homers to pace the Angels to a 10-3 win over the A’s. Downing’s blow is a grand slam.

12th  Making his first start in nearly 3 years, Kansas City’s Dennis Leonard shuts out Toronto, 1–0, on 3 hits. Leonard, a 3-time 20-game winner, had undergone 4 knee operations since tearing a tendon during the 1983 season.

      At the Vet, the Mets plate a run in the top of the 14th only to have the Phillies score 2 runs to win, 9-8. Randy Niemann gives up 6 hits and 3 walks in the last two innings.

      Craig Reynolds hits a pinch grand slam in the 6th to account for all of Houston’s scoring as the edge the Braves, 4-3. Nolan Ryan wins his first of the year, allowing a run in 7 innings.

13th  Marvell Wynne hits two homers—one pinch hit, one walkoff—to lead the Padres to a 7-6 wynne against the Reds.  Wynne pinch hits his first homer in the 7th, then stays in the game in CF.  Kal Daniels homers in the 9th off Goose Gossage to tie the game, and Wynne homers in the bottom of the 9th, off Joe Price to win it.

15th  The Mariners rough up Don Sutton, scoring 8 runs in the 1st inning off the former ace to send him to the showers, as they whip the Angels, 9-4. Danny Tartabull, in his second at bat in the inning, hits a grand slam.

17th  At Fenway, Don Baylor breaks a 2-2 tie with an 8th-inning grand slam to give Boston a 6-2 win over the Royals.

18th  Despite allowing no hits—and only 3 fair balls hit—and striking out 10 in 5 innings, Texas rookie Bobby Witt is lifted in a game in Milwaukee. Why? Witt also walks 8, and throws 4 wild pitches, allowing 2 runs.  Texas rallies for 3 runs in the 9th to win 7–5.

19th  Oakland’s Jose Rijo sets a club record with 16 strikeouts in 8 innings as the A’s beat Seattle 7–2. The 2 clubs combine for 30 strikeouts overall, setting the modern ML record for a 9-inning game.

      Rick Reuschel subdues his old team, the Cubs, as the Pirates roll to a 14-8 win in Chicago.  The Bucs hit four homeruns including a birthday grand slam by R.J. Reynolds in the 4th off Chicago’s Scott Sanderson.

      Eddie Murray has a double and grand slam to drive in 5 runs as the Orioles outgun the Texas Rangers, 10-4.

20th  San Francisco’s Vida Blue wins his 200th career game, combining with Jeff Robinson to shut out the Padres 4–0.

      At Wrigley, the Pirates and Cubs go 13 innings and end 8–8 as darkness calls the game. It will be finished August 11.

22nd  Detroit’s Kirk Gibson sprains his ankle when his foot slips off the bag at Fenway.  He’ll be out till June 3. The Red Sox will win today, 6–4, behind Clemens (3–0), but be 10 games behind when Gibson returns.

23rd  At Riverfront, the Padres collect three triples as they beat the Reds, 7-4. Dave Parker accounts for the Reds scoring with a grand slam off starter and winner Andy Hawkins.

25th  One out after Graig Nettles ties the score with a solo home run in the bottom of the 12th inning, Padres reliever Craig Lefferts belts his first ML home run to beat the Giants, 9–8.

26th  The game between the Angels and Twins is delayed for 9 minutes when strong winds tear a hole in the Metrodome roof, causing suspended lights and speakers to sag toward the field. The roof is reinflated and California rallies for 6 runs in the 9th to win 7–6.

27th  The Mets win their 9th consecutive game 5–3 at St. Louis, and in the process end John Tudor’s 18-game winning streak at Busch Stadium. Kevin Mitchell hits his first ML home run for the Mets.

      In a barnburner in Chicago, the Cubs score 5 runs in the 8th inning and hold on for a 12-10 win over the Expos. Jody Davis has 2 homers for the Cubs, including a 4th inning grand slam.

28th  In the last game of the Pearson Cup competition, the Blue Jays beat the visiting Expos, 5-2, to even the series at 3 game apiece, with two ties. Scheduling conflicts will prevent next year’s game between the two Canadian rivals.

29th  Twenty-three-year-old Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens strikes out 20 batters in a 3–1 win over Seattle, breaking the ML record of 19 shared by Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, and Tom Seaver. Clemens doesn’t walk a batter, allows just 3 hits, and ties the AL record (Ryan and Davis) with 8 consecutive strikeouts in the middle innings.

      Reds pitcher Mario Soto ties the ML record by surrendering home runs to Andre Dawson, Hubie Brooks, Tim Wallach, and Mike Fitzgerald in the 4th inning of a 7–4 loss to the Expos.

      In a hit parade in the Bronx, the Yankees down the Twins, 14-11, connecting for three homers.  Rickey Henderson has a single, double and HR to drive in 4 runs for the Yankees, while Billy Beane is Money for the Twins in his 4th game with them, collecting 5 hits and driving in 4 runs.  Billy will collect his next five hits over the next three months.

30th  The Mariners strike out 16 more times in a 9–4 loss to the Red Sox, setting a ML record of 36 strikeouts in 2 consecutive games.

MAY

1st  Atlanta clubs four homers and Zane Smith strikes out 12 batters as the Braves beat the Mets 7–2, ending New York’s club-record-tying 11-game winning streak. This is the only loss for the Mets in a 19-game span.

      For the second day in a row, the Dodgers beat the Cubs, 4–0. Yesterday’ winner was Bob Welch with a CG win; today the W goes to Rick Honeycutt.

3rd  Minnesota’s Kirby Puckett hits a home run on the game’s first pitch (from Walt Terrell) for the 2nd consecutive night, but the Twins lose to the Tigers 7–4. The night before Puckett hit Jack Morris’s first pitch for a home run to spark the Twins to a 10–1 victory.

      Cubs 3B Ron Cey hits his 300th and 301st home runs and Chicago scores 4 times in the top of the 9th to beat San Francisco 6–5.

      Don Mattingly ties the ML record with 3 sacrifice flies in the Yankees 9–4 win over the Rangers.

      Walt Terrell allows 4 runs—three on homers by Kirby Puckett and Gary Gaetti (2)—as the Tigers beat the Twins, 7-4. Darrell Evans cracks a grand slam for Detroit.

      It’s not the baseball that stinks today. A skunk wanders onto the field in the 7th inning at Jack Murphy Stadium and holds up the Padres–Pirates game for 7 minutes. The incident gives life to the rumor that a group of skunks live under the stadium, existing on peanuts and other food dropped by fans.  The Bucs score 3 in the 8th and 1 in the 9th to beat the Padres, 7–6.

4th  Veteran manager and executive Paul Richards dies. The innovative Richards is probably best known for designing the oversized catcher’s glove used to catch knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm.

      In Montreal, the Astros take a 6-1 lead when Terry Puhl belts a 4th inning grand slam, but Montreal comes back to win, 7-6, scoring a run in the 9th.

      At Riverfront, Ron Darling wins his second and Darryl Strawberry hits a pair of homers as the red-hot Mets beat the Reds, 7-2. New York is 16-4.

5thLance Parrish belts a pair of 3-run homers to lead Detroit to a 10-3 road win over Texas.

7th  Thirty-six-year-old Phillies OF Garry Maddox, an 8-time Gold Glove winner, retires. Only Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays have won more Gold Gloves in the outfield.

      At Wrigley, Steve Sax breaks a 4-4 tie with a 7th inning grand slam and the Dodgers beat the Cubs, 8-4.  Sax has 5 RBIs.

      The Indians win their 10th in a row, a 2-1 victory over the visiting Royals.  But the first-place Tribe will drop 9 of their next 10.

8th  Chuck Cottier is fired as manager of the Mariners. He will be replaced tomorrow by Dick Williams, who resigned as manager of the Padres in February.

      The Blue Jays overcome a 3rd-inning grand slam by Wally Joyner and edge the Angels, 7-6.

      Respect. In Pittsburgh’s 8-2 win over the Giants, San Francisco pitchers hand out three intentional base on balls to light-hitting Sam Khalifa. Khalifa is 2-for-2, while Jim Morrison and Sid Bream each garner 3 RBIs.

9th  Gary Gaetti hits a homer and drives in 4 runs as the Twins top the Tigers, 8-7. Harry Spilman has a grand slam for Detroit.

      Alvin Davis has a career day as he belts an RBI-single, a 3-run homer off Dave Stieb (0-4) and a grand slam off Don Gordon to lead the Mariners to a 13-3 clipping of the Blue Jays. Phil Bradley adds a double and homer and scores 4 runs.

11th  After Mark Bailey and Dickie Thon hit 9th inning homers to tie the Pirates at 3 apiece, Pittsburgh’s Bill Almon ends it in the 12th with an inside-the-park homer to give the Bucs a 4-3 win over Houston.

      Rick Dempsey hits a 5th-inning grand slam, off Charlie Leibrandt, to provide all of Baltimore’s scoring as they beat the Royals, 4-3. Storm Davis is touched for 10 hits in 6 innings, but is victorious.

12th  Texas routs Cleveland 19–2, handing the Indians their 4th straight loss after they had won 10 in a row to move into a first–place tie in the AL East. Tom Paciorek goes 5-for-6 to lead the Rangers’ 22-hit attack. One fan tosses a glass bottle at Jim Kern after he allows 8 runs in 1.1 innings of relief (as noted in Indians Journal).

13th  Helped by an unusual 3-6-1-2-4 triple play in the first inning, Seattle goes on to defeat Milwaukee 8–5. After Randy Ready and Ernest Riles walk to open the game, Cecil Cooper hits a bouncer to 1B Alvin Davis, who throws to 2B to force Riles. Cooper beats the return throw to 1B, but Ready is thrown out trying to score, and Cooper is thrown out at 2B trying to advance during the play at the plate.

14th  Reggie Jackson of the Angels homers off Boston’s Roger Clemens to move past Mickey Mantle on the all-time list with 537, but Boston scores 3 runs in the top of the 9th to win 8–5.

15th  The Royals score 5 in the 8th to beat the Indians, 6-3.  Frank White’s grand slam off Rich Yett is the big blow in the frame.

16th  A’s infielder Tony Phillips (5-for-5) hits for the cycle and drives in 4 runs as Oakland beats Baltimore 8–4.

17th  Dave Winfield hits a single, double and grand slam to drive in 6 runs as the Yankees sink the Mariners, 11-6. Don Mattingly has a pair of doubles and a homer for New York. Bob Tewksbury (4-2) gives up an unearned run in 7 innings for the win. The Yankees stay a half-game in back of Boston.

      Jesse Barfield has 3 hits, including a 3-run homer, to drive in 6 runs as the Jays top the Indians, 11-6, in Cleveland.

18th  George Foster has a pair of homers off Jerry Reuss and drives in 4 runs to pace the Mets to an 8-4 win over the Dodgers.  The win keeps the Mets 3 games ahead of Montreal.

      Hubie Brooks hits a 1st inning grand slam as the Expos score 7 runs on their way to an 8-3 victory over the host Padres.

      Eddie Murray has four hits, including his second grand slam of the year, to drive in 7 runs as Baltimore defeats the A’s, 12-4.

20th   Milwaukee falls behind 8–0 in the top of the first inning, but they storm back to defeat Cleveland 12–9.

21st   At Atlanta, the Braves outlast the Cubs to win 9-8 in 13 innings. Andre Thomas, who entered the game as a pinch runner, walks the bases load in the 13th.  Ken Oberkfell has 5 hits and Rafael Ramirez collects a record-tying 4 doubles.

22nd  Jimmy Key (3-3) pitches a splendid one-hitter, striking out 8, walking none and giving up a 5th inning single to Ozzie Guillen as the visiting Jays beat the White Sox, 5-0. Batterymate Ernie Whitt belts a grand slam in the 5th, off Rich Dotson.

23rd  Lee Lacy has 3 hits and 3 RBIs and Fred Lynn connects for a grand slam in the Orioles 7-5 victory over the Mariners.

      The Phoenix Firebirds (PCL) get doused by Hawaii, 31–5.

24th  At Dodger Stadium, Fernando Valenzuela (7-2) tosses a two hit shutout in beating the Phils, 6-0. Von Hayes has both hits for the Phillies, while Mike Scioscia has 4 hits for the Dodgers. This is the third time that Hayes has had the only hits for the Phils.

25th  George Brett collects his 2,000th hit, off Bryan Clark in the 4th inning of Kansas City’s 2–1, 17-inning victory over the White Sox. Brett finishes the day 1-for-7, while Scott Bankhead picks up his first ML win in his debut.

      Roger Clemens no-hits the Rangers for 7 2⁄3 innings before Oddibe McDowell singles and Clemens settles for a 2-hit 7–1 victory that improves his record to 8-0. Darrell Porter hits a 2-out homer in the 9th for the second hit against the Rocket.  Wade Boggs hits a 2nd-inning grand slam for Boston.

      At Cleveland, Pat Tabler is at bat for Toronto when pitcher John Cerutti picks Joe Carter off 1B unassisted. Cerutti beats Carter back to the bag. This same play occurred last month in an A’s-Twins game.

26th  Houston’s Jim Deshaies records his first ML win, striking out 10 Cardinals in 7 innings in the Astros’ 4–1 victory.

27th  At Cleveland, the Red Sox are leading the Indians, 2–0, in the 6th inning when the game is delayed then called on account of fog.  Mike Brown is the winning pitcher but Oil Can Boyd comes up with the winning quote about the called game: “That’s what you get when you build a ball park on the ocean?”

      George Foster hits a grand slam and Ron Darling (6-0) strikes out 12 in 9 innings as the Mets whip the Dodgers, 8-1. New York is 4.5 games ahead of Montreal, with everyone else way back.

      Terry Harper, who entered the game in the 11th inning on defense, belts a grand slam in the top of the 12th to provide Atlanta with a 6-2 win over the Pirates.

28th  In his 2nd start for the White Sox since being recalled from Triple A Buffalo, Joe Cowley ties a ML record by striking out the first 7 Rangers he faces, but still surrenders 6 runs in 41⁄3innings and loses 6–3. He finishes with 8 strikeouts. Cowley’s K record will be broken by Jim Deshaies before the season’s end.

29th  At Anaheim, the Tigers down the Angels, 7-4. All the Haloes runs come in on Dick Schofield’s grand slam.

30th  Mike Fitzgerald’s homer and single are the Expos only hits in their 1–0 victory over Houston. Bryn Smith and Jeff Reardon combine on a 3-hitter for Montreal.

      The Yanks and Sox complete a six-player swap with Ron Kittle, along with Wayne Tolleson and C Joel Skinner coming to New York. The White Sox receive—again—Ron Hassey, along with Carlos Martinez and a player to be named later (Bill Lindsey). Hassey was traded from the Cubs to the Yanks in December 1984, back to Chicago (Sox) in December 1985, back to the Bronx in February, and now to Chicago.

31st  Wade Boggs has his second 5-hit game in 11 days and raises his average to .402 as Boston beats Minnesota 7–2. Boggs will hit .357 this year to win his 3rd AL batting title. Through June 6, Boggs will have hit .400 over his past 162 games beginning with June 9, 1985. Tony Gwynn will match this feat.

      Harold Reynolds has 4 of Seattle’s 15 hits as the M’s down the Tigers, 7-4. Darnell Coles’ grand slam accounts for the Tigers’ scores.

JUNE

1st  George Brett hits his 200th career home run in the 8th inning off Rangers rookie Mitch Williams as Kansas City defeats Texas 5–3. Ruben Sierra collects his first ML hit for the Rangers, a 3-run homer.

      At Three Rivers Stadium, Jim Morrison has a double, triple and a grand slam to drive in 7 runs as the Pirates cut up the Dodgers, 12-3. Rick Rhoden (4-3) goes the distance.

2nd  Oakland draws 7 walks in a 7-run first inning against Detroit and ultimately wins, 7–1.

3rd  At County Stadium, the Braves score 7 runs in the 6th to beat the Pirates, 8-5. Ted Simmons hits a pinch grand slam in the frame.

      Dave Kingman raises his average to .215 with a 1st-inning grand slam as Oakland beats the visiting Tigers, 6-4.

4th  Joe Niekro no-hits the Angels for 72⁄3innings before Gary Pettis doubles, and Niekro combines with Al Holland for an easy 11–0 one-hitter. Dave Winfield homers twice for the Yankees.

      Pirates OF Barry Bonds, the son of former ML star Bobby Bonds, goes 4-for-5 with his first ML home run (off Craig McMurtry) as Pittsburgh whips Atlanta 12–3.

6thHey, they’re just home videos! Padres manager Steve Boros gets tossed out of the game with the Braves even before it starts when he tries to give umpire Charlie Williams a videotape of a disputed play in last night’s 4–2 loss to Atlanta.

      In the first of two games, Bobby Bonds hits a 2-run homer off Ron Darling and Rick Rhoden pitches into the 8^thinning as Pittsburgh beat the Mets, 7-1. In game 2, the Mets amass 15 hits to win, 10-4. New York will finish the year with a 17-1 record against Pittsburgh.

7th  University of Arkansas’s Jeff King, The Sporting Newscollege player of the year, is the first choice in the June draft. The Pirates take the third baseman. U. of Texas P Gregg Swindell is the next pick by Cleveland. Neither will sign for 6 weeks but Swindell will be in the major leagues after going 2–1 in the minors. The Giants take UNLV’s Matt Williams with the 3rd pick; Texas, picking 4th, selects Kevin Brown, followed by high schooler Kent Mercker (Braves), Gary Sheffield (Brewers) and Brad Brink (Phillies). The Mets take Lee May, Jr. with the #21 pick but the youngster will not perform like his dad and hit just 8 homers in 8 years in the minors. After being skipped over because scouts are convinced the Heisman Trophy winner is headed to the NFL, Bo Jackson is taken in the 4th round by the Royals. Another draftee, #10 Greg McMurtry by the Red Sox, will skip baseball and play in the NFL. College Pitcher of the Year Mike Loynd is taken by Texas in the 7th round, while Baseball America’s College Player of the Year Casey Close is taken by the Yankees in the 6^thround. The Big 10 Triple Crown winner will make it as far as Triple A, but he will find stardom as the player agent for Derek Jeter, Ryan Howard, Zack Greinke and others. A total of 331 high schoolers are drafted, the most since 1979, due mainly to the dissolution of the January draft.

8th  In the longest 9-inning game by time in AL history, Baltimore’s Lee Lacy goes 4-for-6 with 3 home runs and 6 RBI as the Orioles club the Yankees 18–9. The game features 9 pitchers, 36 hits, and 16 walks, and takes 4:16 to complete.

      Floyd Youmans pitches a one-hitter and hits his first ML home run as the Expos rout the Phillies 12–0. Glenn Wilson’s infield single in the 2nd is the only hit off Youmans, who walks 7.  Tim Raines adds to the offense with a grand slam.

      In Cleveland’s 11-4 win over the Angels, Brook Jacoby hits two homers and drives in 4, Andre Thornton has 4 hits, and Joe Carter extends his hitting streak to 21 straight games with a triple.

      Milwaukee beats the Red Sox, 7–3, as Wade Boggs goes hitless. Over the past 162 Red Sox games, Boggs has played in 160 hitting an even .400. Tony Gwynn will almost match Wade from July 1, 1993 to July 1, 1994, hitting .398.

9th  The Indians down the visiting A’s, 6-5, scoring the winner in the 9th when catcher Andy Allanson singles, steals 2B and scores on a single.  Brook Jacoby has a 3-run homer, but Joe Carter goes hitless to end his 21-game hitting streak. He’ll collect 5 hits tomorrow.

      Seattle stops the Royals, 5-3, overcoming two errors by RF Dave Henderson. His 4-base error in the 3rd allows Rudy Law to score and his botch in the 9th after a double by Balboni allows George Brett to score.

10th  At Shea, Tim Teufel hits a pinch grand slam in the 11th and the Mets beat the Phils, 8-4. Teufel had been 0-for-3 as a pinch hitter.

      The Dodgers edge the Reds 1-0 when Mariano Duncan scores from 2nd base on Bill Madlock’s grounder to 3B.  There is a force at 2B but Madlock beats the throw to 1B on the attempted DP, and Duncan beats the throw home.

      The NL announces that Yale University president A. Bartlett Giamatti will be its next president, after Chub Feeney’s retirement in December.

11th  At Minnesota, the Rangers score 4 runs in the 16th, 3 on a homer by Odibe McDowell off Roy Lee Jackson, as Texas beats the Twins, 6-2.  Allan Anderson tosses the first 10 frames for the Twins, while Charlie Hough goes 13 for the Rangers.

12th  Juan Beniquez joins Lee Lacy as the second unlikely Oriole to hit 3 home runs in a game this month, connecting for 3 solo shots in Baltimore’s 7–5 loss to the Yankees. Between them, Beniquez and Lacy will hit 17 home runs this season.

      The 5th-place Cubs (23-33), losers of three straight in Pittsburgh, fire manager Jim Frey and 3B coach Don Zimmer, high school teammates. John Vukovich will manage for two games before new manager Gene Michael takes over. According to Frey’s later telling of the firing, GM Dallas Green called him after a loss in St. Louis ( a 4-game split in St. Louis) and asked him to do a bed check on the players. “I told him, maybe you ought to get a night watchman.” Green insisted and Frey refused. The next day he was a goner (Vineline, September 2015). Ironically, Frey will be hired next year as the Cubs GM, replacing Green. His first move will be to hire Zimmer as his manager.

14th  The Blue Jays use the long ball to down the Tigers, 6-5.  Rick Leach hits a 2-run pinch homer in the 7th to bring the Jays to a 5-3 deficit. Cliff Johnson’s 3rd hit in the game, a HR in the 9th off Tom Henke ties it, and the buck stops her when Martinez follows with a walkoff pinch homer to win it. The two pinch homers ties a ML record.

      Phil Garner connects on a grand slam in the 7th as Houston beats the visiting Giants, 7-3.

16th  Rangers knuckleballer Charlie Hough allows just one hit against the Angels but loses 2–1. With 2 outs to go for a no-hitter, George Wright drops Jack Howell’s fly ball for an error. A single by Wally Joyner ties the score, and passed ball by Orlando Mercado sends him to 2B. An intentional walk follows and then, with the runners moving on a 3–2 pitch, the batter strikes out, but the ball eludes Mercado. Hough fails to cover the plate as Joyner scores.

      The Orioles trade Dennis Martinez, whose ERA had swelled to over 5.00 the last 3 seasons, to the Expos for player to be named later.

18th  California’s Don Sutton becomes the 19th pitcher in ML history to win 300 games, beating the Rangers, 3–1, on a 3-hitter.

      Padre reliever Tim Stoddard slugs a solo homer in the 3rd off the Giants Mike LaCoss, and then is lifted an inning later. The Giants win 6–3. For Stoddard, his first homer comes in his last major league at bat. He’ll appear in another 128 games but never swing a bat.

20th  After leading the club to a 26-38 record, Tony LaRussa is fired as manager of the White Sox and replaced by Jim Fregosi. LaRussa will be hired to manage the A’s early next month.

      Frank Viola gives up 8 runs, including a grand slam by Joe Carter, in 7.2 innings and picks up the win as the Twins edge the Indians, 9-8.  Cleveland hits 3 homers in the 5th and 2 in the 6th.

      In Toronto, the Yankees score in each of the last 6 innings to win a slugfest with the Blue Jays, 10-8, in 10 innings.  The Jays score 6 in the 9th to tie, led by George Bell’s grand slam.

21st  Bo Jackson, college football’s Heisman Trophy winner in 1985 and the first pick (by Tampa Bay) in the NFL draft, stuns observers nationwide by signing with the Kansas City Royals instead.

      The season ends for Phils C Daron Daulton when he tears the ACL in his left knee in a home plate collision with the Cards’ Mike Heath. St. Louis wins, 8–6.

22nd  San Francisco sweeps a doubleheader from Houston 4–2 and 3–2 and leapfrogs past the Astros into first place in the NL West.

      Phil Niekro allows two hits in the 1st inning and then knuckles down to hold the Twins hitless in the next 8 innings as Cleveland Twins, 4-1.

23rd  The Phillies set a club record with 11 doubles, and Juan Samuel hits a pair of 3-run home runs in a 19–1 drubbing of the Cubs at Veterans Stadium.

      Mike LaCoss pitches a 3-hitter and belts his first ML home run, off position player Dane Iorg, as the Giants pound the Padres 18–1. Tying a ML record, 14 Giants get hits and 13 come around to score in the game. In his next at bat, on June 29th, LaCoss will belt the 2nd and last homer of what will be a 14-year career. That homer will be served up by Tom Browning of the Reds.  Iorg gives up 4 runs in his inning, but does strike out CF Randy Kutcher.

      Ron Kittle hits homers in the 1st and 2nd innings and Greg Walker adds a 2nd-inning grand slam as the White Sox score 8 runs off starter Bert Blyleven in 1.2 innings. The White Sox top the Twins, 11-2.

      The Braves tie the NL record for a 9-inning game by leaving 18 runners on base in a 6–5 win over the Dodgers.

      At Fenway, the Yankees collect 19 hits as they beat the Red Sox, 11-3, to move 5 games in back of Boston in the AL East.

25th  Kirk McCaskill one-hits the Rangers 7–1, vaulting California past Texas into first place in the AL West. The Rangers’ only hit is Steve Buechele’s 3rd-inning home run.

      Mark Langston sets a Mariners record with 15 strikeouts in a 6–1 three-hitter against the White Sox.

      The Phillies give 41-year-old Steve Carlton his unconditional release and call up Bruce Ruffin to take his place in the starting rotation.

26th  The A’s fire manager Jackie Moore and name Jeff Newman his interim replacement. They will eventually hire recently ousted White Sox manager Tony LaRussa.

27th  Give him an A for effort. San Francisco 2B Robby Thompson is caught stealing 4 times in the Giants 7–6, 12-inning win over the Reds, establishing a new ML record. Thompson is thrown out by Bo Diaz in the 4th, 6th, 9th, and 11th innings.

      The Blue Jays come from behind to beat the Yankees, 14-7, despite outhitting the Yanks just 19 to 18.  Damaso Garcia has a record-tying 4 doubles for the Jays.

29th  Detroit beats Milwaukee 9–5 in the first game of a doubleheader split, making Tigers manager Sparky Anderson the first manager ever to win 600 games in each league. The Brewers win game 2, 3–1.

      Juan Samuel connects for a grand slam, off Todd Worrell, in the top of the 9th inning and the Phillies edge the Cardinals, 8-7.

      Roy Smalley hits a 3-run homer, off Bret Saberhagen, in the 1st and the Twins jump to a 9-0 lead after 3 innings. They beat the Royals, 9-4, finishing the game with a double play when Willie Wilson is ruled out at 2B for sliding too hard.

30th  Bo Jackson makes his professional baseball debut with the Memphis Chicks and goes 1-for-4 with 2 strikeouts.

      The Yankees trade OF Ken Griffey to the Braves for OF Claudell Washington and SS Paul Zuvella.

      As noted by historian Doug Lyons, Dale Holman, a career minor leaguer, hits a double for the Syracuse Chiefs (AAA International League) against Richmond in the game then suspended by rain. By the time the game is resumed on August 16, Holman is traded to Richmond and ends up playing for both teams in the game.

JULY

2nd  After 14 wins, Roger Clemens suffer his first loss as Toronto scores 3 times in the 8th inning to down Boston 4–2. Clemens was one game short of the AL record for consecutive wins at the start of a season.

      Andre Thornton hits a no-out grand slam, off rookie Bill Mooneyham, in the 1st inning as the visiting Indians top the A’s, 7-3.

      Denny Walling has a pair of homer and a pair of singles to drive in 6 runs as the Astros beat the visiting Padres, 8-1. Mike Scott strikes out 3 for his 8th win.

4th  At Comiskey Park, with the score 1–1 in the bottom of the 8th, Sox OF John Cangelosi leads off with a drive to the RF corner. A fans leans out of the stands and appears to touch the ball as he tumbles onto the field. Anticipating an interference call, Yankee OF Claudell Washington slows down, while the speedy Cangelosi easily makes 3B. The umps don’t see any interference and Cangelosi remains on 3B, and scores on a sac fly. The Sox win 2–1.

      The Indians draw 73,303 and they reward the crowd with a 10-3 victory over the Royals. Phil Niekro goes the distance for the win.

5thAt the Metrodome, Frank Viola bends but doesn’t break, giving up 11 hits, including two homers, but beat the Orioles, 7-6. Gary Gaetti hits a 1st inning grand slam and Kirby Puckett solos in the 2nd.

6thBob Horner becomes the 11th player to hit 4 home runs in a game, but it isn’t enough as the Braves fall to the Expos 11–8. Horner is the 2nd to hit his 4 home runs in a losing cause. Ed Delahanty of the Fighting Phillies on July 13, 1896 was the first. On the winning side, Al Newman cracks his first ML HR, off Zane Smith; it’ll be his only homer, as Newman will go to the AL next year and set the junior circuit record by going to bat 1,893 times without a 4-bagger.

      In the A’s 6–3 win over Milwaukee, Tony Phillips of the A’s, ties the ML mark with 12 assists at 2B. It’ll be matched again next month.

7thThe first two Phillies hitters in the game—Gary Redus and Juan Samuel—hit home runs off Atlanta’s David Palmer. Redus adds another in the game, as does Russell, to give Shane Rawley (11–4) a 7–3 win.

      Rookie Wally Joyner hits a 3-run homer in the top of the 16th to give California a 3–1 win over the Brewers. Dan Plesac takes the loss with Terry Forster winning.

      In Montreal, the Astros roll over the Expos, 12-1, as Glenn Davis belts a pair of homers and drives in 5 runs and Kevin Bass adds a grand slam. Mike Scott is the winner, pitching 7 innings, and striking out 7. He leads the NL in strikeouts with 158.

8thLed by George Hendrick’s grand slam, the Angels belts 4 homers at County Stadium to beat the Brewers, 14-3. The win goes to John Candelaria in his first appearance in three months. He pitched two innings in the second game of the season before going on the DL April 11 till today.

9th  Atlanta’s Dale Murphy does not play in the Braves 7–3 win over the Phillies, ending his consecutive-game streak at 740. Murphy hadn’t missed a game since September 1981.

      The Padres trade P Tim Stoddard to the Yankees for P Ed Whitson, who had become the target of such fan abuse in New York that manager Lou Piniella would no longer pitch him in Yankee Stadium.

      The Mets fall to the Reds, 11-1, as Cincy collects 17 hits, 5 by little-used infielder Wade Rowden, a career .217 hitter.

10th  Oil Can Boyd (11-6) flies into a rage after learning that he has been left off the AL All-Star team and storms out of Fenway Park prior to Boston’s game against the Angels. He will be suspended indefinitely by the Red Sox and eventually scuffle with local police before checking into a hospital for psychiatric testing.  The weirdness continues as the Angels score 3 in the 12th to take a 7–4 lead. Boston then scores 3 to tie and when Fischer replaces Cook, he balks in Dwight Evans with the winning run.

11th  Behind Sid Fernandez (12-2) and Gary Carter, who hits a 3-run homer and a grand slam, the Mets slam the Braves, 11-0.  El Sid strikes out 9 and allows 2 hits.  The Mets have a comfortable 11.5 game lead in the NL East.

      The Royals and Tigers split a pair, with Kansas City taking the opener, 4-3. Steve Farr (6-1) wins in relief of Saberhagen. The Tigers rebound in game 2 to win, 8-7, overcoming a grand slam by the Royals’ Jim Sundberg.

12th  John Denny (6 IP) and Ron Robinson combine on a two-hit shutout as the Reds down the Expos, 2-0. Both hits are by Tim Raines.

13th  Behind Juan Nieves, the Brewers snap a 7-game losing streak with a 5–0 win over the Mariners. Nieves strikes out 12 en route to his 3rd shutout, tops in the AL.

15th  At the Houston Astrodome, the AL wins the All-Star Game 3–2 for its 2nd triumph in the last 15 years. AL starter Roger Clemens pitches 3 perfect innings to win the game’s MVP Award.           

17th  At the Kingdome, Jim Presley hits a walkoff Grand slam in the 11th, against Bob Stanley, as the Mariners whip the Red Sox, 5-1.

18th  The Royals announce that 50-year-old manager Dick Howser, who led the club to a World Championship last season, will miss the rest of the season to undergo treatment for a brain tumor that is later revealed to be malignant. 3B coach Mike Ferraro will manage the club in Howser’s absence.

      Against Baltimore’s Scott McGregor, the Twins first two batters—Kirby Puckett and Gary Gaetti—hit homers Puckett adds another to help the Twins to a 7–3 win. Bert Blyleven is the winner.

      Joaquin Andujar (5–2) pitches Oakland to a 6–1 win over Juan Nieves (8-4) and the Brewers. Nieves pitched and won Milwaukee’s last game, before the break, to give him two consecutive starts in 2 games.

19th  Mets players Ron Darling, Tim Teufel, Bob Ojeda, and Rick Aguilera are arrested following an early-morning fight with off-duty police officers working as security guards outside a Houston bar, but are all released in time for their Astros game that evening. On January 26th Darling and Teufel will be fined $200 while charges against Ojeda and Aguilera will be dropped.

21st  Jose Canseco cranks a Walt Terrell pitch into the upper deck of the CF bleachers at Tiger Stadium.  The A’s slugger has now hit a HR in every AL Park.

22nd  Ken Griffey hits 3 solo home runs but Atlanta falls to Philadelphia 5–4 in 11 innings. Griffey is the 2nd Brave this month to hit 3 or more home runs in a losing cause.

      The Cubs fire their ball girl Marla Collins when it is revealed that she posed nude for Playboymagazine. The photos will appear in the October issue and accompany shots of Marla in her Cubs uniform and one of Harry Caray pointing to a tattoo on her right thigh. The Cubs win today, 6–4, behind Ed Lynch, who ties a NL record in the 1st inning by making 3 putouts. The record was set in 1975 by another Cub, Rick Reuschel.

      Glenn Davis hits a game-ending homer in the 10th off Floyd Youmans to give Houston a 1-0 victory over Montreal.

      The Mets win a crazy five-hour marathon with the Reds in 14 innings, winning 6–3. Setting the tone, Darryl Strawberry is ejected after arguing a called 3rd strike in the 5th. In the 9th, Howard Johnson inadvertently kicks the ball after Reds C Bo Diaz drops a third strike. Johnson runs out of the baseline and is hit in the back with the throw from pitcher Ron Robinson. Reds coach Billy DeMars is ejected for arguing the safe call. The Mets, down 3–1, with 2 out, tie the game when Dave Parker drops a routine fly ball. In the 10th, Davey Johnson sends in pitcher Rick Aguilera to hit for pitcher Doug Sisk.  Aguilera walks, but is stranded. In the Reds 10th, pinch-runner Eric Davis steals 2B and 3B, bumping into Ray Knight.  Knight decks Davis and both benches empty. Knight, Davis, Kevin Mitchell and Mario Soto are ejected. Gary Carter moves to 3B, McDowell comes in to pitch, and Orosco moves from the mound to RF. With two out and a runner on 2B in the 11th, Orosco returns to pitch, McDowell moves to LF, and Mookie Wilson shifts to right. Rose protests when Orosco is permitted eight warm-up pitches. Orosco whiffs Max Venable to end the inning. In the 12th, the Mets are forced to lead off the inning with Orosco and McDowell, and go down in order. McDowell returns to pitch in the 13th and gets Tony Perez to fly to Orosco in right. Howard Johnson belts a three-run homer in the 14th, scoring Hearn and Orosco, and the latter won’t score another run until 2002. McDowell retires the side in order. For the scorekeeper Orosco (O) and McDowell (Mc) pitch to these batters in the last 5 innings: 10th: O – 3, Mc – 1; 11th: O –1, Mc – 3; 12th: O – 4; 13th: Mc – 3; 14th: Mc – 3.

23rdIn Toronto’s 6–2 win at Seattle, Tony Fernandez hits a single in the 7th with the play ending up five players touched the ball a total of eight times with the catcher getting the put out at second. Retrosheet’s John Jarvis calls this the longest putout string he’s recorded.

      California’s Brian Downing leads off the bottom of the 10th with a home run off Milwaukee’s Danny Darwin to make Kirk McCaskill a 3-2 winner. This is the last time this century that both starters complete an extra-inning game.

      In a 12-2 win at Tiger Stadium, Johnny Grubb belts a 6th-inning pinch grand slam and Kirk Gibson adds a 3-run homer in the 8th as the Tigers trip the Twins, 12-2.  Jack Morris (11-6) goes 8 innings for the win.

25thRich Gedman hits a grand slam and Roger Clemens (17-2) fires a 2-hitter as the Red Sox win over the host Angels, 8-1. The Sox lead by 4 games in the AL East.

27thJim Traber has a grand slam in the Orioles’ 16-hit attack as they pound the White Sox, 11-3.

      Stan Clarke walks in the winning run with the bases loaded in the 15th as the A’s outlast the Blue Jays, 1-0.  Jimmy Key pitched 10 innings and Curt Young goes 8+.

29thThe Phillies use the long ball to subdue the visiting Cardinals, 12-7. Von Hayes hits a grand slam and collects 5 RBIs, Juan Samuel has a 3-run homer and Glenn Wilson adds a 2-run homer. Vince Coleman steals three bases for St. Louis to give him 68 on the year.

30th  With the trading deadline moved to July 31^stfrom last year’s June 15^th, Ron Hassey is traded for the 3rd time in 8 months, this time going to Chicago in a deal that brings OF-DH Ron Kittle, SS Wayne Tolleson, and C Joel Skinner to New York.

      An arbitrator rules against the ML owners for including clauses in the contracts of several hundred players that allow random drug testing without negotiating with the players union.

31st  Brian Downing and Bob Boone each hit grand slams off Oakland’s Eric Plunk to lead the Angels to an 8–5 victory.

      In the only transaction today, the Blue Jays sell Joe Beckwith to the Dodgers.

AUGUST

1st  Minnesota’s Bert Blyleven fires a 2-hitter and strikes out a club-record 15 batters to become the 10th pitcher with 3,000 career strikeouts. Kirby Puckett hits for the cycle to lead the Twins to a romp, 10–1, over the A’s.

      Greg Brock belts a 1st-inning grand slam and the Dodgers jump to a 9-2 lead after 3 innings. LA wins 9-5.

      Texas wins a pair from the host Brewers, winning 7-2 and 8-6.  Steve Buechele has a triple and homer to drive in 5 runs in game 1.  Pete O’Brien has a homer in each game and Pete Incaviglia clubs a grand slam in game 2.  Texas moves to 3 games behind the Angels in the AL West.

2nd  Dodgers Alejandro Pena and Tom Niedenfuer combine to one-hit the Reds 7–1, allowing only Eddie Milner’s leadoff home run off Pena in the 6th inning. It is the 5th time Milner has collected the only hit in a one-hitter, tying Cesar Tovar’s ML record. Enos Cabell belts a grand slam as the Dodgers break the game open with a 6-run 8th.  Reliever Tom Niedenfuer (6-4) drives in the other 2 runs.

3rd  Willie McCovey, Bobby Doerr, and Ernie Lombardi are inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

      At Comiskey Park, Russ Morman homers and singles in the 4th inning in his first ML game as the Sox beat the Tigers, 10–1. He ties Billy Martin’s ML record debut with his 2 hits in one inning. Gibson homer is the only score for Detroit, while Baines and Fisk add homers for Chicago.

      At Cleveland, the Yankees set a ML record by scoring 10 runs in the 5th inning. They have 5 walks, a HBP, and 6 hits including 2 homers to score. Cleveland counters with 6 runs in the frame, but New York wins, 12-8. Rickey Henderson has a single, double and 3-run homer for the Bombers.

4th  White Sox pitcher Jose DeLeon (2-0) beats Boston’s Roger Clemens (17-4) for the 2nd time in 5 days 1–0 at Fenway Park. DeLeon and the White Sox also won 7–2 on July 30th.

5th  The Reds pound the Giants’ new pitcher Steve Carlton for 7 runs in 31⁄3innings to win 11–6. Carlton records his 4,000th strikeout to join Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers to reach that plateau. The Giants will release Carlton on the 7th and he will join the White Sox.

      After Detroit wins the opener, 6–5, game 2 starts off with Detroit’s first two hitters—Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell—belting homers off Cleveland’s Jose Roman.  It is the 3rd time in a month this has occurred. Whitaker hits another as Detroit wins the shootout, 11–9.

      At Dodger Stadium, Houston breaks open a close contest with 4 runs in the 8th and 5 in the 9th to beat the Dodgers, 10-2. Bill Hatcher hits a grand slam and Denny Walling has 4 hits, including two homers.

      The Orioles stake Storm Davis to a 8–0 lead after 4 innings and he coasts home, 9–2, for his 10th straight win over the Rangers.

6th  In a wild game that features a ML-record three grand slams, Texas scores 7 runs in the final 2 innings to beat Baltimore 13–11. Toby Harrah’s grand slam in the 2nd gives the Rangers a 5–0 lead, but Baltimore rallies for 9 runs in the 4th, thanks to grand slams by Larry Sheets and Jim Dwyer, the 5th time in ML history a team has hit 2 grand slams in one inning. Bobby Witt and Jeff Russell serve up the gopher balls.

      The Red Sox jump on Floyd Bannister for 7 runs in the 1st two innings and coast to a 9–0 whitewash of the White Sox. Bruce Hurst allows 3 hits in the win.  It is the 11th consecutive loss for Bannister against the Bosox, a streak stretching back to 1982.

      The Mets release outfielder George Foster, the last NL player to hit 50 HRs in a season. Foster was hitting .216, a falloff from the previous year’s .229. He will play 15 games for the White Sox before retiring for good.

      In a 6-5 Cardinals win, RF Curt Ford makes a 4-base error in the 1st inning to allow the Phils Juan Samuel to circle the bases.

10th  Pitcher Bob Forsch hits a grand slam to lead the Cardinals to a 5–4 win over the Pirates, and reliever Todd Worrell records his 24th save to break the ML rookie record set by Doug Corbett in 1980. For the second time in a week, Vince Coleman steals 4 bases.

      In a Boston 9-6 win at Detroit, Darrell Evans belts a grand slam for Detroit in the 7th and Rich Gedman matches it with a pinch slam in the 8th. It’s the second game in 4 days in the AL where multiple grand slams are hit. Don Baylor has a pair of solo shots for Boston, while Roger Clemens goes 6 innings in  a no-decision.

      At Yankee Stadium, the Royals club three Yankee pitchers to win, 13-3,  Dennis Rasmussen (12-3) takes the loss. Steve Balboni has 4 hits, including a homer, to drive in 5 runs, Jim Sundberg collects 2 homers and 4 RBIs, and Darryl Motley hits a grand slam.  The Yanks drop to 6 games behind the Red Sox and a game ahead of Baltimore.

11thThe Cubs parade a record 10 pitchers in a 17-inning 10–8 loss to the Pirates. Pittsburgh uses 7 hurlers. The game is a continuation of a contest started on April 20, but was postponed because of darkness. Barry Jones, the winning pitcher who strikes out the side, and Barry Bonds, who hit the game winning RBI, were in the minors when the game started. Loser Frank DiPino started the season with  Houston.

      Pete Rose singles 4 times and doubles to set a NL-record with his 10th 5-hit game, breaking Max Carey’s mark.  Rose has 3 runs batted in as his Reds lose to the Giants, 13–4.

      Danny Tartabull hits a grand slam in the 7th and the Mariners add 2 in the 9th to beat the host A’s, 6-4.

12thBoston’s Don Baylor sets an AL record when he is hit by a pitch for the 25th time, breaking the season record he held with Bill Freehan (1968) and Kid Elberfeld (1911). The Royals Bud Black does the plunking in a 5–1 win. Baylor will end the season being hit 35 times: the ML record is 50 by Ron Hunt.

      At Oakland, the Mariners stop the A’s in the 9th when Carney Lansford grounds into a triple play, but they don’t stop Mike Davis who hits a walkoff homer in the 10th for a 3-2 A’s win.

13th  The Reds shrug off two homers by Candy Maldonado, one a grand slam, and beat the Giants, 8-6.  Kurt Stillwell drives in 3 runs and Bo Diaz hits a 3-run homer.

      Kevin Bass has a hit and 2 RBIs to extend his hitting streak to 20 games, but Houston falls, 5-3 to the Dodgers. Orel Hershiser (12-8) is the winner, needing relief help for the last out.

14th  Against the Giants, Reds player-manager Pete Rose is 3-for-4 as the Reds win, 2–0.

      At County Stadium, Ken Griffey belts an 8th inning grand slam, off Craig Lefferts, as the Braves snap a 3-3 tie and win, 7-3, over the Padres.

15thAlvin Davis hits a game-ending homer in the 9th off reliever Keith Atherton to give Seattle a 1-0 win over the Twins.

16thAt Boston, the Tigers amass 21 hits to beat the Red Sox, 12-6. Larry Herndon hits a grand slam in the 8th to seal it for Jack Morris. Tony Armas is a homer shy of the cycle to drive in 4 runs for Boston.

      Dale Holman, of the Richmond Braves (International L) becomes the first professional player to ever play for two teams in one game. The game was suspended because of rain on June 16 when he was in the lineup for Syracuse. By the time the game is completed today, Holman had been traded to Richmond and is in the lineup (as noted by Doug Lyons).

17th  The Red Sox trade highly touted SS Rey Quinones, Mike Brown, and P Mike Trujillo to the Mariners for SS Spike Owen, OF Dave Henderson and John Christenson.

      Steve Carlton wins his first AL game and the 320th of his career as the White Sox beat the Brewers, 7–4.

      Pete Rose makes his final ML appearance, striking out as a pinch hitter against Goose Gossage. The Reds lose 9–5 to the visiting Padres. A bright spot is Barry Larkin hitting his first ML homer, off LaMar Hoyt.

19th  At Royals Stadium, Frank White belts a walkoff homer in the 11th to give Kansas City a hard fought 9-8 win over Texas. White drives in 7 runs with 2 homers, a single and double.

20th  Tigers pitcher Walt Terrell is one out away from a no-hitter when Wally Joyner doubles. Terrell settles for a one-hit 3–0 win over the Angels. Trammell has a double and homer for Detroit.

      Philadelphia’s Don Carman pitches a perfect game until Bob Brenly doubles leading off the 9th, and Carman ends up combining with Steve Bedrosian for a 10-inning 1–0 win over the Giants. Juan Samuel’s home run in the top of the 10th provides the game’s only run, the 2nd time in Phils’ history that an extra inning homer has won a 1–0 game (Ron Northey, 1944).

      Dave Winfield hits his 300th homer in a losing cause as the Yanks fall to Seattle, 5–2. Mike Trujillo wins his first game for Seattle.

      At Kansas City, Texas is victorious, 7–1. Rookie reliever Dale Mohorcic gets the last out to preserve the win for Charlie Hough. It is Mohorcic’s 13th straight appearance (beginning on August 6) tying the modern ML record set by Mike Marshall.

21st  Newly acquired SS Spike Owen ties the 20th century ML record by scoring 6 runs in Boston’s 24–5 thrashing of Cleveland. It is the most runs ever allowed by Cleveland. Rookie blue chipper Greg Swindell takes the loss in his ML debut, pitching after just three appearances in the minors. Tony Armas has a grand slam, the first of two homers, in the 12-run 6th, and Bill Buckner collects 5 hits.

24th  At Riverfront, the Reds and Expos complete a game suspended on July 13 in Montreal with the Reds leading 3-2 with the bases loaded in the 6th. The Reds, playing as visitors, win, 10-2, with Dave Parker belting a grand slam in the 8th inning. In the regularly scheduled game, the Reds lose, 6-5, in 14 innings.  Bo Diaz has a homer in the 11th to tie it up, and Eric Davis has 4 stolen bases.

      In Boston, Phil Niekro goes 7 innings to win his 10th game, a 5-2 Cleveland win over the Red Sox. At 47, Niekro is the oldest pitcher to win 10.

25th  A’s 3B Mark McGwire hits his first ML home run—a 450-foot blast to center field off Walt Terrell—as Oakland beats Detroit 8–4 at Tiger Stadium.

27th  Nolan Ryan posts his 250th career victory, allowing one hit in 6 innings as the Astros beat the Cubs 7–1.

      In Seattle’s 4–1 win over Baltimore, the M’s Harold Reynolds ties the ML mark with 12 assists at 2B. He’s the second second sacker to do it this season.

      Eric Davis connects for a tie-breaking grand slam in the 9th inning, off Don Robinson, in Pittsburgh as the Reds down the Pirates, 9-5. Dave Parker has 4 RBIs, three coming on a 3rd inning 3-run homer.

29th  Cleveland’s Joe Carter belts 3 home runs and singles twice as the Indians beat the Red Sox 7–3 at Fenway Park. It is his second 5-hit game this year.

      California scores 8 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning, the final 4 coming on Dick Schofield’s 2-out walkoff grand slam off Willie Hernandez, to beat Detroit, 13–12.

30th  Roger Clemens becomes the major leagues’ first 20-game winner this season, striking out 11 Indians in a 7–3 victory to raise his record to 20-4.

31st  In Toronto, Lloyd Moseby hits a 3rd-inning grand slam as the Jays top the Twins, 7-5.

       

SEPTEMBER

1st  A’s rookie Jose Canseco goes 4-for-5 and hits his 28th home run to become the first ML player with 100 RBI this season. Oakland defeats New York, 9–8.

      Texas Rangers pinch hitters Oddibe McDowell and Darrell Porter blast 9th inning back-to-back homers off Boston’s Steve Crawford, but the Rangers fall to the Red Sox, 6-4. The win goes to Bruce Hurst (9-3). The two pinch homers ties a ML record.

      Jack Morris (14-8) is back by four homers—two by Alan Trammell—in Detroit’s 6-5 win over the Mariners. Mike Morgan serves up the four dingers.  Jim Presley drives in 4 runs for the M’s with three homers off Morris.

2nd Vance Law hits a game-ending homer in the 9th off Bob Welch to give the Expos a 1-0 win over the Dodgers.

3rd  In a two-day, 18-inning marathon at Wrigley the Cubs and Astros set a ML record by using 53 players, including 17 pitchers, tying the number used 3 weeks ago. Chicago loses this game as well 8–7. After the Astros score 3 runs in the top of the 17th, Greg Maddux makes his debut as a pinch runner for Jody Davis as the Cubs score 3 runs in the inning on Keith Moreland’s homer. Maddux stays in to pitch the top of the 18th and takes a loss on a Billy Hatcher homerun. The winner is Danny Darwin, who also was victorious on September 1 as a starter. The Cubs then lose the regularly scheduled game, 8-2. collecting just 4 hits.

      Pitching in the 3rd inning against the Mets, Giants rookie Terry Mulholland snags a hard grounder off Keith Hernandez but can’t retrieve the ball from the webbing of his glove. Thinking fast, Mulholland runs towards first and tosses his mitt to 1B Bob Brenley for the out. Brenley later regrets, “I should have flipped the glove around the infield.” The Giants come up short, losing 4–2.

4thJoe Carter hits his second grand slam of the year as he garners 4 hits, and Cory Snyder clubs two 3-run homers as the Indians club the host Brewers 15-4.  The Tribe will score 30 more runs in their next two games in the series.

5thRoger Clemens (21-4) goes 7 innings as the Red Sox gang up on the Twins to win, 12-2. Jim Rice has a grand slam, off Frank Viola, and drives in 5 runs, and Bill  Buckner adds a homer, 3 runs and 3 RBIs.  The Red Sox lead 2nd-place Toronto by 5.5 games.

6thAfter hitting a record 210 homers without a grand slam, Atlanta’s Bob Horner finally connects with the sacks full to give the Braves a 4–2 win over Pittsburgh. It will be his only career grand slam. Horner’s record will be broken by Sammy Sosa.

      At County Stadium, the Cleveland Indians swamp the Brewers, 17-9 on 23 hits. Joe Carter has 5 hits, including 2 homers, and scores 5 times. Dale Sveum has a homer for the Brewers but makes two errors at 3B.  Sveum will play just 65 games at third, but will lead the majors in errors with 26 while fielding .865.

7th  Montreal’s Floyd Youmans and Tim Burke combine to one-hit the Giants but lose 1–0 as Mike Krukow tosses a 2-hit shutout. Mike Aldrete’s first-inning double drives in the game’s only run.

10th  Eric Davis leads the Reds to a 14–2 pasting of the host Giants by belting 3 home runs, scoring 5 runs and knocking in 4. His first 2 homers are off starter Vida Blue.

12th  The Twins fire manager Ray Miller and replace him with coach Tom Kelly.

In his first major league at bat, Oakland’s Terry Steinbach homers at Cleveland. It comes off Gregg Swindell in a 9–3 victory. Mike Witt (18-8) is the winner.

      Robby Thompson hits a grand slam and drives in 5 runs and Mike Krukow wins his 16th as the Giants down the Braves, 11-2.

13th  The Rangers set a club record with 7 home runs in a 14–1 rout of Minnesota. Five of the home runs come off Twins starter Bert Blyleven, who will yield a ML-record 50 this season.

14th  Giants Bob Brenly, a catcher subbing at 3B, ties a ML record by committing 4 errors in one inning of San Francisco’s 7–6 victory over the Braves. Brenly atones for his errors with a homer in the 5th, a game-tying 2-run single in the 7th, and a 2-out game-winning home run in the bottom of the 9th.

      Bo Jackson slugs his first ML home run—a 475-foot blast believed to be the longest to date at Royals Stadium—as Kansas City beats Seattle, 10–3.

17th  The Mets clinch the NL East Championship with a 4–2 win over the Cubs at Shea Stadium as Dwight Gooden tosses a 6-hitter. The Mets will win 108 games this season, most in the NL since the 1975 Reds.

      At Fenway, the Red Sox whip the Brewers, 4-1, as Don Baylor hits his 30^thhomer of the year. He is the first player to hit 30 homers and total 30 hit by pitched balls.  It won’t be matched until 2015, by Anthony Rizzo.

18th  For the second time in his career, the Angels’ Reggie Jackson belts three homers in a game in a 18–3 laugher over Kansas City. At the age of 40 years, 4 months, Reggie joins Musial and Ruth as the only 40+ player to accomplish the feat. Reggie scores 4 times and has 7 RBIs. Lonnie Smith has four long hits for KC—three doubles and a triple.

19th  White Sox pitcher Joe Cowley, who had been demoted to the minors earlier in the season, pitches an ugly no-hitter against the Angels. Cowley walks 7 batters and allows a sacrifice fly as Chicago wins 7–1. For Cowley, this win is his high note, as he won’t record another big league victory, going 0–4 with the Phils in 1987.

20th  San Diego’s Tony Gwynn steals 5 bases in a 10–6 loss to the Astros, tying the modern NL record for steals in one game.

      Texas rookie Kevin Brown, the Rangers top pick in the June draft, registers his first professional win, beating the Oakland A’s, 9–5. Earlier in the year, teammate Bobby Witt also won his first pro game in the majors.  The first Ranger to do it was David Clyde in 1973.

21st  In his ML debut, San Diego’s Jimmy Jones pitches a one-hitter against the Astros, allowing only a 3rd-inning triple to opposing pitcher Bob Knepper on the way to a 5–0 win. He’s the first NL pitcher to debut with a one-hitter since Juan Marichal. Knepper is the only baserunner in Jones’ near perfecto. Jones is the third Padre rookie pitcher to make his debut this week, joining Ed Vosberg and Ray Hayward. That won’t happen again until the Rockies do it in June 2014.

      Another rookie, the Phils Marvin Freeman wins his first ML game, beating the Mets in New York, 7–1. Marvin has another cause for celebration: his daughter Paris is born today.

22nd  Dodgers ace Fernando Valenzuela becomes the NL’s first 20-game winner this season, beating the Astros 9–2 on 2 hits. He’s the first Mexican to win 20 games in a season. RF Ralph Bryant backs Fernando with a double and homer but makes two errors, one a 4-base error in the 7th allowing Kevin Bass to score. He’s replaced in the 8th.  This is the third 4-base error this season.

      At Riverfront, the Reds score 4 in the 9th but fall short, losing to the Giants, 10-7. Bob Brenley and Dan Gladden homer in the Giants’ 6-run 6th. Gladden’s is a grand slam.

23rd  Houston’s Jim Deshaies strikes out the first 8 batters on the way to a 2-hit 4–0 win over the Dodgers. Deshaies breaks the ML record of 7, last tied by Joe Cowley on May 28th. Pinch hitter Larry See ends the streak and the 3rd inning by popping out. Deshaies finishes with 10 strikeouts.

25th  Houston’s Mike Scott pitches a 2–0 no-hitter against the Giants at the Astrodome, clinching the NL West title for the Astros. It is the first time a pennant has ever been decided by a no-hitter, and the 3rd consecutive game in which Astros pitchers have allowed 2 hits or less.

      In George Bamberger’s last game as manager of the Brewers, Teddy Higuera beats Baltimore 9–3 to become the major leagues’ 3rd 20-game winner this season. Tom Trebelhorn replaces Bambi, who is retiring voluntarily.

26th  California clinches the AL West title with an 8–3 win over Texas. Brian Downing belts 2 home runs for the Angels.

      The Phillies beat the host Expos, 5-0, as Marvin Freeman and Kent Tukulve combine on a one hitter, a single by Tim Raines. It is the second time this year that Rock has had the Expos only hits.

27th  Jack Morris shuts out the Yankees 1–0 in 10 innings, raising his record to 20-8 and snapping Don Mattingly’s hitting streak at 24 consecutive games.

      At Candlestick, Vida Blue (10-10) and Fernando Valenzuela (20-11) each go 5 innings as the Giants do all their scoring off the Dodgers starter to win, 8-3.  Steve Sax is 3-for-3 to run his batting streak to 25 games.

28th  The Red Sox become the last team to win their division, wrapping up the AL East with a 12–3 rout of the 2nd-place Blue Jays at Fenway Park.

      Texas and California match Witts, with Mike Witt going the distance to lose, 4-3, to Texas starter Bobby Witt.  Mike serves up a grand slam to Pete Incaviglia, Inky’s second grand slam this year.

29th  Cleveland 2B Jay Bell becomes the 9th player in history to hit a home run on the first ML pitch he sees, but the Indians fall to the Twins, 6–5. Bell tolls his home run off Bert Blyleven, for whom Bell, along with 2 other players, had been traded the previous year. Bell’s dinger is the 47th of the season against Bert Blyleven, breaking the ML record of 46 home runs allowed by Robin Roberts in 1956. Blyleven will end the year with 50 gophers.

      I hope Mom is watching. Two rookie pitchers face each other as the Cubs send Greg Maddux against the Phils to face his brother Mike.  Greg (2-4) wins, 8–3, over his brother (3-7) in the first ever encounter between rookie brothers. Greg goes 7.2 innings while Mike is done after 3; each allows 3 runs.

OCTOBER

1st Oakland clubs Texas, 9-7, using three-run homers from Jerry Willard and Terry Steinbach and a solo homer from Dave Kingman. For Kingman, it is his 35th and last ML homer, the most ever in the 20^thcentury by a player in his final season.

      At Atlanta, the Reds, down 4-3, put 2 runners on in the 7th with Dave Parker at bat. The Braves replace pitcher Paul Dedmon, sending him to LF, and bring in Paul Assenmacher, who gives up an RBI single. Dedmon then returns to get out Eric Davis. In the 9th, Barry Larkin singles, steals 2B, and scores on a single. The Reds win, 6-5.

2nd  Don Mattingly sets a Yankees record with his 232nd hit of the season in a 6–1 win over the Red Sox, eclipsing the mark set by Earle Combs in 1927. Mattingly will finish the season with 238 hits and a .352 batting average.

      Mike Scott strikes out 8 Giants in a 2–1 Astros victory to run his season total to 306, joining Sandy Koufax and J. R. Richard as the only NL pitchers to fan 300 batters in one season. Scott loses his bid for a 2nd consecutive no-hitter when Will Clark doubles in the 7th inning.

      The Kansas City Royals claim Jim Eisenreich off the waiver list. He’s been out of organized baseball for the past 2 seasons because of Tourette’s Syndrome after appearing in 46 games with the Twins in 1982-84.

3rd  Baltimore loses to Detroit 6–3, assuring the Orioles of their first last-place finish since moving from St. Louis in 1954.

      At the Metrodome, the Twins hit 3 homers, including a grand slam by Steve Lombardozzi, to beat the White Sox, 9-2. Mike Smithson wins his 13th.

4th  On the next-to-last day of the season, Dave Righetti saves both ends of the Yankees doubleheader sweep of the Red Sox to give him a ML-record 46 saves. Bruce Sutter and Dan Quisenberry had shared the record with 45.

      At the Metrodome, the Twins Greg Gagne lines a 2nd inning inside-the-park homer off Chicago’s Floyd Bannister. In his next at bat, there are two runners on when he repeats, again off Bannister, to tie the AL record. Gagne almost sets a 20th-century record with a third IPHR, but settles for a triple as the Twins win. 7–3.

      At Riverfront, the Reds hit 3 homers in subduing the Padres, 10-7.  Dave Parker, Eric Davis and Tony Perez homer for the Reds, while Kevin McReynolds hits a grand slam for the Pads. For Perez, it is his second homer of the year, the 379th of his career, and the last roundtripper of his distinguished career.

      Fernando Valenzuela wins his 21^stas the Dodgers edge the Giants, 2-1. For Valenzuela, it is his 20^thcomplete game of the season: he is the last pitcher to complete 20 games.

      Playing for the Indians, Forty-seven-year old Phil Niekro “steals” the first base of his career.  With the Tribe at bat in the 8th inning, and behind 5–2 against Seattle, there is a runner on 1B when Niekro, wearing a red bandanna over his face, lumbers out of the Cleveland dugout. He rambles towards 2B, diving in headfirst, and ump Vic Voltaggio signals safe. To the delight of the fans, “Knucks” rips the bag out of the ground and triumphantly returns to the dugout with his first steal.

5th  At Oakland Curt Young has a near perfect game, allowing just Kevin Seitzer’s 2-out single in the 7th. He is Kansas City’s only baserunner as Young beats Bret Saberhagen, 6–0.

      Mike Krukow wins his 20th as the Giants score 6 runs in the 7th and 4 more in the next two frames to beat the host Dodgers, 11-2. Candy Maldonado has a grand slam in the 7th off Orel Hershiser (14-14) and adds a second homer in the 9th to drive in 6 runs.  It is Candy’s second slam of the year as he finishes with 85 RBIs.

      Ron Darling (15-6) and Sid Fernandez combine to shut out the Pirates, 9-0. Ray Knight hits a 2-run homer, Gary Carter chips in a 3-run shot and Darryl Strawberry hits a grand slam to account for the scoring.  The Mets (108-54) finish 21.5 games ahead of the Phils in the NL East. 

      The Reds manage just 3 hits off Andy Hawkins (8 IP) as they lose to the Padres, 2-1. Eddie Milner drives in the only Cincy run, but he is held hitless, snapping his consecutive hitting streak of 20 games.

6th  The Orioles announce that 3B coach Cal Ripken, Sr., father of star SS Cal Ripken, Jr., will manage the club in 1987.

7th  In the ALCS opener, California behind Mike Witt downs Boston’s 20-game winner Roger Clemens 8–1.

8th  Houston takes a 1–0 lead over the Mets in the NLCS as Mike Scott ties the NLCS record with 14 strikeouts. Glenn Davis’ 2nd-inning solo HR off Dwight Gooden is the game’s only run.

      Angel errors and a lost fly ball in the late-afternoon sun hand the Red Sox a 9–2 victory in game 2.

9th  The Mets Bob Ojeda goes the distance even though giving up 10 hits, as New York wins 5–1.

10th  The Angels score 5 runs in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings to down the Red Sox 5–3.

      The Royals announce that Dick Howser, who underwent surgery for a brain tumor in July, will return to manage the club next season.

11th  Trailing 3–0 entering the bottom of the 9th inning, California rallies for 3 runs off Roger Clemens and Calvin Schiraldi, and goes on to defeat the Red Sox 4–3 in 11 innings to take a 3-1 lead in the ALCS.

      Len Dykstra’s 2-run home run off Dave Smith with one out in the bottom of the 9th gives the Mets a 6–5 win over the Astros and a 2-1 lead in the NLCS.

12th  One loss away from elimination and trailing 5–2 entering the 9th, the Red Sox stage one of the most improbable comebacks in post-season history winning 7–6 over the Angels in 11 innings. After Don Baylor’s 9th-inning home run reduces the deficit to 5–4, reserve outfielder Dave Henderson slugs a 2-out, 2-run home run off Donnie Moore to give Boston a 6–5 lead. California ties the score with a run in the bottom of the 9th but Henderson, who had appeared to be the goat when he dropped Bobby Grich’s long fly ball over the fence for a home run in the 7th inning, delivers a sacrificefly in the 11th for the winning run.

      Mike Scott baffles the Mets for a 2nd time, yielding only 3 hits in a 3–1 Astros victory. The Mets collect several balls thrown by Scott in an effort to prove he was scuffing the ball. No decision.

      Norm Cash, 1961 AL batting champion, drowns in Lake Michigan, a victim of a boating accident. He was 51.

13th  The International Olympic Committee announces that baseball will become a full medal sport at the 1992 Summer Games.

14th  Boston scores 5 in the 3rd to beat California 10–4. The ALCS series is now tied at 3 apiece.

      Breaking out of a 1-for-21 slump, Mets C Gary Carter drives in the winning run of the Mets 2–1 win in the bottom of the 12th, rendering meaningless Nolan Ryan’s 9 innings of 2-hit, 12-strikeout pitching.

15th  In the longest game in post-season history, the Mets beat the Astros 7–6 in 16 innings to earn their first trip to the World Series since 1973. New York scores 3 runs in the top of the 9th to force extra innings. The Mets score 3 more runs in the top of the 16th and Houston answers with 2 of its own before Jesse Orosco fans Kevin Bass to end the game.

      Boston routs California 8–1 in the 7th game of the ALCS and advances to the World Series. The game caps yet another heartbreaking failure for Angels skipper Gene Mauch, who in game 5 was one strike away from reaching his first World Series in 25 seasons as a ML manager. After the game, veteran 2B Bobby Grich retires.

18th  Boston wins game one of the World Series 1–0 when Tim Teufel botches Rich Gedman’s routine grounder in the 7th inning, allowing Jim Rice to score the game’s only run. Bruce Hurst and Calvin Schiraldi combine on a 4-hitter for the Red Sox.

19th  In game two of the WS, Boston has 18 hits against Doc Gooden and 4 relievers to give the Red Sox a 9–3 win.

21st  Len Dykstra’s leadoff HR helps Bob Ojeda beat his old team 7–1 to give the Mets their first win. The Sox now lead in the WS, 2–1.

22nd  Gary Carter hits 2 home runs to lead the Mets to a 6–2 win at Fenway Park and even the Series at 2-2.

23rd  Mets ace Dwight Gooden loses again as Bruce Hurst gives up 10 hits but wins 4–2 for Boston.

24th  Bill Russell, 38, announces his retirement. He was the last member of the Dodgers Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey infield and is 2nd on the club’s all-time games-played list with 2,183.

25th  Trailing 5–3 with 2 out and no one on base in the bottom of the 10th inning, New York rallies to win game 6 of the World Series 6–5 and force a deciding 7th game. After Gary Carter, Kevin Mitchell, and Ray Knight single, Bob Stanley uncorks a wild pitch that permits the tying run to score, and a hobbled Bill Buckner lets Mookie Wilson’s slow bouncer skip through his legs, allowing Knight to score the winning run. Reliever Calvin Schiraldi absorbs the loss.

27th  The Mets win game 7 of the World Series 8–5 at Shea Stadium. 3B Ray Knight, whose leadoff home run off Calvin Schiraldi in the 7th inning, triggers a 3-run rally, is named MVP. Schiraldi is pinned with his 2nd straight loss, the only pitcher ever to lose games 6 and 7.

28th  Former Phillies SS Larry Bowa is named manager of the Padres, replacing Steve Boros.

29th  Padres pitcher LaMarr Hoyt is arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border for possession of illegal drugs, the 3rd time he has been arrested on drug charges. He will be sentenced to 45 days in jail on December 16th.

30th  San Diego trades C Terry Kennedy and minor leaguer Mark Williamson to the Orioles for P Storm Davis.

NOVEMBER

11th  Houston’s Mike Scott (18-10) beats Fernando Valenzuela (21-11) for the NL Cy Young Award, garnering 15 first-place votes to Valenzuela’s 9.

      Forty-five-year-old player-manager Pete Rose is dropped from the Reds’ 40-man ML roster to make room for pitcher Pat Pacillo. Rose will continue to manage the club.

12th  Roger Clemens wins the AL Cy Young Award unanimously, joining Denny McLain (1968) as the only pitchers to do so.

13th  Dave Stewart, who went 9-5 for his hometown A’s after being released by the Phillies in May, signs a 2-year contract with Oakland.

14th  The Doubleday Publishing Company agrees to sell the World Champion Mets to Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon for $80.75 million. The company had purchased the Mets for a then-record $21.1 million in 1980.

18th  Roger Clemens becomes the first starting pitcher to win the AL MVP Award since Vida Blue in 1971, receiving 19 of a possible 28 first-place votes to defeat runner-up Don Mattingly.

19th  Phillies 3B Mike Schmidt wins the NL MVP Award, joining Stan Musial and Roy Campanella as the only 3-time winners. Schmidt led the NL with 37 HRs and 119 RBI.

24th  Cardinals reliever Todd Worrell, who led the NL with 36 saves, is named NL Rookie of the Year. Worrell had helped St. Louis to the 1985 World Series as a late-season call-up but was still a rookie as defined by the BBWAA.

      In yet another unwise trade of prospects for aging veterans, the Yankees deal pitchers Brian Fisher, Doug Drabek, and Logan Easley to the Pirates for pitchers Rick Rhoden, Cecilio Guante, and Pat Clements. Drabek will win the NL Cy Young Award for Pittsburgh in 1990.

      The Twins announce that interim manager Tom Kelly will return on a permanent basis next season.

25th  Jose Canseco wins the AL Rookie of the Year Award, becoming the first A’s player to do so since Harry Byrd in 1952.

DECEMBER

10th  In the first 2 major trades of the winter meetings, the Dodgers send 1B Greg Brock to the Brewers for pitchers Tim Leary and Tim Crews. The Mariners trade OF Danny Tartabull and P Rick Luecken to Kansas City for pitchers Scott Bankhead, Steve Shields, and Mike Kingery.

12th  The Mets trade versatile rookie Kevin Mitchell, prospects Stan Jefferson and Shawn Abner, and 2 minor leaguers to the Padres for OF Kevin McReynolds, P Gene Walter, and minor leaguer Adam Ging.

      The Yankees trade Mike Easler and minor leaguer Tom Barrett to the Phillies for P Charles Hudson and minor leaguer Jeff Knox, and also re-sign free-agent OF Claudell Washington to fill Easler’s DH position.

19th  After finding no other clubs interested in signing him, free-agent pitcher and 20-game winner Jack Morris agrees to salary arbitration with the Tigers while at the same time accusing the ML owners of collusion against free agents. Morris had offered to sign a one-year contract, with salary to be determined by an arbitrator, with either the Yankees, Angels, Twins, or Phillies, but was turned down by all 4.

      Michael Sergio, a Mets fan who parachuted into Shea Stadium during game 6 of the World Series, is sentenced to 100 hours of community service and fined $500.

24th  Two free agents sign, OF Gary Ward with the New York Yankees, while Reggie Jackson signs with the Oakland A’s.  With Jackson’s signing, the Angels receive the A’s 2nd round draft pick.

•1987

JANUARY

8th  Ten free agents (Tim Raines, Lance Parrish, Bob Horner, Andre Dawson, Rich Gedman, Ron Guidry, Bob Boone, Doyle Alexander, Toby Harrah, and Gary Roenicke) fail to meet a midnight deadline and thus will not be allowed to re-sign with their former clubs until May 1st if they are not offered contracts by new teams. The general lack of interest in the players will become the focus of the Players’ Association’s first anti-collusion suit against the owners.

14th  Catfish Hunter and Billy Williams are elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA.

21st  Free agent Vida Blue signs with the Oakland A’s.

      Free agent Gary Roenicke, who spent last season with the Yankees after 8 years with the Orioles, signs with the Atlanta Braves.

29th  Red Sox Wade Boggs avoids going to salary arbitration for the 3rd consecutive year by signing a 3-year contract worth over $5 million.

30th  The Cubs trade veteran 3B Ron Cey to the A’s for IF Luis Quinones.

FEBRUARY

2nd  Three-time 20-game winner Dennis Leonard, who returned to the majors last season after a 3-year absence due to a knee injury, announces his retirement. Leonard was 8-13 with a 4.44 ERA for the Royals in 1986.

      The Blue Jays trade 2B Damaso Garcia and P Luis Leal to the Braves for P Craig McMurtry.

3rd  The Expos trade ace reliever Jeff Reardon and C Tom Nieto to the Twins for P Neal Heaton, C Jeff Reed, and a pair of minor leaguers.

7th  Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser becomes only the 2nd player ever forced to accept a pay cut through salary arbitration when he is awarded $800,000 for the 1987 season, a 20 percent cut (the maximum allowed by the Basic Agreement) from his 1986 salary. Hershiser was 14-14 with a 3.85 ERA in 1986.

11th  Free-agent 3B Ray Knight, who earlier had rejected an $800,000 one-year contract offer from the Mets, signs with the Orioles for $475,000 plus incentives and an option for a 2nd year.

13th  Tigers Jack Morris is awarded a $1.85 million salary by arbitrator Richard Bloch, the highest amount awarded to date through that process.

17th  Don Mattingly wins a $1.975 million salary in his arbitration case against the Yankees, eclipsing Jack Morris’s record amount of just 4 days ago.

19th  Less than one month after signing with the club as a free agent, pitcher Vida Blue stuns the A’s by announcing his retirement.

23rd  Just 3 days after training camp opens, an extremely frail Dick Howser abandons his attempt to come back from a brain tumor and gives up his position as Royals manager. Billy Gardner is named his successor.

25th  In the wake of 3 drug-related incidents over the past 12 months, LaMarr Hoyt is banished from baseball for the 1987 season by Commissioner Ueberroth. On June 16th an arbitrator will reduce Hoyt’s suspension to 60 days and order the Padres to reinstate him.

MARCH

3rd  Ray Dandridge, a legendary 3B from the Negro Leagues, is the only player elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.

6th  Free agent Andre Dawson signs a one-year contract with the Cubs for the bargain-basement price of $650,000. Dawson, who had offered to sign a contract with the dollar amount left blank just so he could play on the natural grass at Wrigley Field and save his fragile knees, will hit 49 home runs and win the NL MVP Award this season.

26th  The Phillies trade OF Gary Redus to the White Sox for pitcher Joe Cowley.

27th  What were they thinking? In what will turn out to be an extremely lopsided trade, the Mets send C Ed Hearn and minor leaguers Rick Anderson and Mauro Gozzo to the Royals in exchange for young David Cone (no decisions with KC) and minor leaguer Chris Jelic. Cone will blossom into one of the NL’s better starters, posting a 20-3 record for the Mets in 1988.

30th  The Kansas City Royals swap C Jim Sundberg to the Cubs for OF Thad Bosley and P Dave Gumpert.

APRIL

1st  After testing positive for cocaine during spring training, Mets ace Dwight Gooden avoids suspension by agreeing to enter a drug rehabilitation program.

      St. Louis sends highly regarded youngsters OF Andy Van Slyke, C Mike LaValliere, and P Mike Dunne to Pittsburgh in exchange for All-Star catcher Tony Pena.

3rd  The Cubs trade veteran pitcher Dennis Eckersley (6-11) and minor leaguer Dan Rohn to the A’s for 3 minor leaguers. Eckersley made his only relief appearance of the year on June 24th, and his first out of the bullpen after 301 starts.  For the A’s, Eckersley will perform brilliantly as a full-time reliever.

      At Tiger Stadium, Jack Morris makes his 8th straight start for Detroit and is booed by the 51,315 for his attempts to leave the Tigers over the winter.  The Yankees and Tigers each score one run in 9 innings before New York scores in the 10th to beat Morris, 2–1.  Dave Righetti, in relief of Dennis Rasmussen, is the winner. Rasmussen is touched for one run, a tremendous shot by Larry Herndon in the 6th that lands in the upper-deck of the CF bleachers, one of the longest homers ever recorded in Detroit. The CF wall is 440 feet.

6th  Appearing on ABC’s “Nightline” to discuss Jackie Robinson’s 40th anniversary, Dodger GM Al Campanis is asked whether “there is still that much prejudice in baseball today.” Campanis responds, “ I don’t believe it’s prejudice. I truly believe that [blacks] may not have some of the necessities to be, let’s say, a field manager or perhaps a general manager.” Goodbye, Al.

7th  Atlanta’s Rick Mahler ties the NL record with his third Opening Day shutout, a 6–0 three-hitter over the Phillies.

8th  Faced with a storm of public criticism, the Dodgers fire vice president Al Campanis for racially insensitive remarks he made on the April 6th telecast of ABC-TV’s Nightline news show. Campanis had said that blacks may lack “some of the necessities to be, let’s say, a field manager or general manager.”

9th  Gary Carter drives in his 1,000th career run with an 8th-inning single that scores Len Dykstra as the Mets defeat Pittsburgh 4–2.

      At Exhibition Stadium, Cory Snyder hits the first of 4 Cleveland homers, a grand slam in the 6-run 1st inning, as the Tribe rolls to a 14-3 win over Toronto. Phil Niekro (1-0) pitches 5 innings for his 312th win and Steve Carlton throws 4 innings of scoreless relief. It is the first time two 300-game winners have pitched in the same game as teammates.

      In a slugfest at County Stadium, the Brewers edge the Red Sox, 12-11.  The two teams combine for 7 homers, including a pair of three-run homers by Rob Deer.

12th Atlanta’s Dion James gets a double the hard way when he knocks a fly ball to Mets CF Kevin McReynolds. On its way down the ball hits and kills a pigeon. Atlanta wins the game as well, 12-4, over the Mets, helped by 2 homers and a double from Dale Murphy.

13th  San Diego sets a since-tied ML record when its first 3 batters of the game—Marvell Wynne, Tony Gwynn, and John Kruk—all homer off the Giants Roger Mason. But the Giants come back to win 13–6, as Robby Thompson has 3 hits, including a grand slam, and drives in 5 runs.  The three homers to lead off will be matched in 2003.

      Free-agent 3B Bob Horner, unable to find a ML club interested in his services, signs a one-year contract with Japan’s Yakult Swallows.

14th  At Royals Stadium, Bo Jackson has 4 hits, including a 3-run homer and a grand slam, to lead the Royals to a 10-1 pasting of the Detroit Tigers.

      At Yankee Stadium, Rickey Henderson hits a leadoff homer off Phil Niekro and Joel Skinner adds a grand slam off Steve Carlton as the Yankees beat the Indians, 10-6. Joe Carter has 4 hits, including a homer, and 4 RBIs for the Tribe.

15th  Twenty-two-year-old Juan Nieves throws the first no-hitter in Brewers history 7–0 at Baltimore, and Milwaukee runs its record to 9-0.

      Kirk McCaskill allows 4 hits in pitching a shutout over Seattle, 4-0. For the 2nd game in a row, Brian Downing hits a leadoff homer for all the runs Kirk needs.

      At Los Angeles, Mike Scott dominants the Dodgers, striking out 10 and allowing one hit, a single by Mariano Duncan, as Houston beats the Dodgers, 4-0.

      Boston scores an unearned run in the 2nd and 4 more in the 6th on a grand slam by Dwight Evans to edge the Rangers, 5-4. Bruce Hurst (2-0) pitches 6 innings and Wes Gardner throws 3 scoreless innings, striking out 7.

17th  At Riverfront, Kurt Stillwell gives the Reds the lead with his first ML homer, a 6th inning a grand slam, as the Reds edge the Astros, 9-8. Dave Parker adds a 3-run homer for Cincinnati.

18th  Mike Schmidt hits his 500th career home run, a 3-run shot off Pittsburgh’s Don Robinson in the top of the 9th inning to give the Phillies an 8–6 win. Schmidt is the 15th ML player to reach the 500-HR plateau.

      In a wild game in St. Louis, the Cards come back from a one-run deficit in the 9th to tie at 7-7 on Ozzie Smith’s steal of 3B and score on a wild throw by the Mets’ Carter. The Mets score in the 10th on a wild pitch to move ahead 8-7. Jesse Orosco, who gave up the unearned run in the 9th, gives up three singles to knot the score at 8 apiece. With the sacks full, Jesse serves Tommy Herr a game-winning grand slam for St. Louis. Herr finishes with 6 RBI. Howard Johnson has a 3-run homer and 4 RBI for the Mets.

      In Oakland’s 7–5 win over Seattle, Reggie Jackson steals home on the front end of a double steal with Jose Canseco.

      The Brewers tie the AL record for wins to start the season when they beat Texas for the fifth time this year. Milwaukee is now 11–0.

19th  Rob Deer’s 3-run homer and Dale Sveum’s 2–run shot off Greg Harris caps a 5-run rally in the bottom of the 9th inning and gives the Brewers a 6–4 win over Texas and a 12-0 record, breaking the 1981 A’s record for the best start in AL history.

      Cardinals ace John Tudor suffers a broken leg when Mets catcher Barry Lyons crashes into the St. Louis dugout while chasing a foul pop. Tudor, who was not pitching in the 4–2 Cardinals win, will be sidelined until August 1st.

      The Yankees shut out the Royals twice, winning 5-0 and 1-0. Charles Hudson is victorious in game 1, while Pat Clements is a winner over Mark Gubicza. Tommy John goes 7 innings in the nightcap. 

20th  At Anaheim, Oakland doubles the Angels, 10-5, when Tony Phillips clubs a grand slam in the top of the 9th.

21st  The White Sox beat the Brewers 7–1, ending their season-opening winning streak at 13 games. Milwaukee’s 13-0 start tied the ML record set by the 1982 Braves.

In Pittsburgh, the Mets score 2 runs in the 9th before pinchhitter Wally Backman hits into a triple play, as New York wins, 8-6. Rafael Santana and Barry Bonds each hit three-run homers.

22nd  At Busch, the Cubs score 5 runs in the 7th to beat the Cardinals, 5-4. Andre Dawson belts a grand slam for Chicago.

25th  At the Astrodome, the Reds score 3 unearned runs in the 10th to defeat the Astros, 3-0. Houston has just 2 hits off 3 Reds pitchers.  Nolan Ryan strikes out 11 in 8 innings and Eric Davis is 0-for-5 with 5 K’s, 4 against Ryan.

      The Tigers use 18 hits, including 4 homers, to drive by the Royals, 13-2.  Rookie Billy Bean ties an AL mark by collecting 4 hits, including 2 doubles, in his first ML game.

26th  With Lance Parrish connecting for a grand slam off Rick Reuschel, the Phillies score 6 runs in the 1st inning and beat the Pirates, 6-4.

27th  Boston’s Don Baylor collects his 2,000th ML hit, a single off Curt Young in a 5–2 loss to the A’s.

28th  Mike Boddicker pitches a one-hitter as Baltimore beats the Royals, 3–0. The lone hit is Willie Wilson’s single in the 6th.  It is Boddicker’s second career one-hitter.

29th  Andre Dawson goes 5-for-5 while hitting for the cycle to lead the Cubs to an 8–4 win over the Giants at Wrigley Field.

30th  Reggie Jackson hits his 522nd home run and Oakland beats the Brewers, 4–1. The loss gives Milwaukee an 18-3 record for the month, just behind the April record of 18-2 by the 1984 Tigers.

      Matt Nokes hits a grand slam in the 6th inning and Detroit scores 8 runs in the last 3 frames to pull away from the Angels with a 12-4 win.

MAY

1st  Eric Davis connects for a grand slam and solo homer off Don Carman to lead the Reds to an 8-5 win over the Phillies. Mario Soto (2-0) is the winner.

      Free-agents Ron Guidry (Yankees), Rich Gedman (Red Sox), Bob Boone (Angels), and Tim Raines (Expos) all re-sign with their former clubs on the first day that they are allowed to do so. Doyle Alexander will re-sign with the Braves on May 5th.

2nd  After having missed spring training as an unsigned free agent, Montreal’s Tim Raines debuts with a 10th-inning grand slam. His 4-for-5 leads the Expos to an 11–7 win over the Mets.

      Graig Nettles and Dion James each hit grand slams to lead the Braves to a 12–4 rout of the Astros. It is the first time since July 3, 1966 (when pitcher Tony Cloninger did it by himself), that the Braves have hit 2 grand slams in one game.

3rd  Eric Davis belts 3 consecutive home runs, including a grand slam, to lead Cincinnati to a 9–6 win at Philadelphia. Davis drives in 7 runs. He was the last NL player to clock three homers in a game—September 10th of last year, also on the road.

      At the Metrodome, Kirby Puckett breaks a tie with a solo shot in the 8th as the Twins edge the Yankees, 4-3. Rickey Henderson swipes 4 bases for the Yankees.

      California rides three home runs, one a grand slam by Doug DeCinces, to an 11-4 victory over the Red Sox.  The Angels trail the Twins by a game.

4th  Candy Maldonado hits for the cycle to lead San Francisco’s 21-hit attack in a 10–7 win over St. Louis.

Tim Wallach hits 3 home runs and drives in 6 runs, but Montreal loses at Atlanta, 10–7.

5th  Chris Speier has a grand slam and drives in 5 runs as the Giants beat the host Cardinals, 10-6.

      At Comiskey, the Yankees Joe Niekro and Chicago’s Bill Long throw 2-hitters, as the White Sox win, 2-0. Both of the Yankee hits are by Dan Pasqua.  For Chicago, both hits come in the 3rd when the Sox combine two walks, 2 steals and a HBP to plate the 2 runs.

7th  in a PCL game at Colorado Springs, the altitude and a 41-MPH wind help as the two teams combine for 13 homers. Luis Medina and Ron Tingley hit two apiece as the home team totals eight, while Charlie Hayes hits two for visiting Phoenix.

8thPete Ward clubs two homers, one a 3-run shot, off Mark Portugal and Mike Pagliarulo has two homers, one a walkoff grand slam in the 9th off Jeff Reardon, as the Yankees beat the visiting Twins, 11-7. The walkoff grand slam is the sixth by a Yankee; the last to do it was Ruppert Jones, in 1980.

9th  Eddie Murray homers from each side of the plate for the 2nd consecutive game, a ML first. Murray’s 4 home runs in 2 days help the Orioles to 7–6 and 15–6 wins over the White Sox. Yesterday, Murray took righty Jose DeLeon and lefty Ray Searage deep; today it is Joel McKeon (LHP) and Bob James (RHP).

After going 15 years without one, Chris Speier hits his 2nd grand slam in less than a week to lead San Francisco to a 9–4 win over Pittsburgh. Speier also connected for a grand slam against the Cardinals on May 5th.

10th  Greg Swindell strikes out 15 batters and wins his second of the year as Cleveland tops the Royals, 4-2.

12th  The Tigers claw the Angels, 15–2, collecting 18 hits. Catcher Mike Heath has 4 hits, including a homer, and prompts a possible protest by Angels manager Gene Mauch when he scoops up a dropped pitch with his mask in the 3rd inning.  It’s legal on a pitch, not on a throw.

      Leadoff batter Barry Bonds scores 4 runs and hits a 3-run homer to pace the Pirates to a 12-5 victory over the Padres.

      Baltimore’s Fred Lynn belts an 8th inning grand slam and Larry Sheets hits a pinch 3-run homer in the 9th to finish the Twins, 10-7.

13th  Terry Harper has a homer and 4 RBIs to lead the Tigers to a 10-7 victory over the Angels.  The Haloes make it close with 6 runs in the last 2 innings. Mark Ryal hits a pinch homer in the 8th and adds a second homer in the 9th. He’s the first Angel to do that, but Jack Howell will match him in two weeks.

      Mitch Webster has a grand slam as Montreal takes a 6-0 lead, but the Reds respond with homers by Eric Davis, Bo Diaz, Barry Larkin and Dave Parker to overwhelm the Expos, 12-6.  Tracy Jones adds 4 hits and 4 ribbies for the Reds. 

14th  Rickey Henderson hits a leadoff grand slam and Don Mattingly adds a grand slam as the Yankees roll by the Rangers, 9-1.

16th  After starting off with an 18–2 record, the Brewers drop their 10th in a row, losing 13–0 to Kansas City.  The Brew Crew’s only hit off Charlie Leibrandt is a bunt single by Bill Schroeder.

      The Phillies stop the Padres, 9-0, on Don Carman’s 3-hitter. Carman also has his first ML hit after going 0-for-48.

17th  Terry Kennedy hits Baltimore’s only home run in a 3–2 win over the Angels, ending the Orioles’ streak of 9 consecutive games with at least 2 home runs. The Orioles will go on to hit HRs in 14 consecutive games.

      The Cardinals collect 15 hits, including a grand slam by Tom Pagnozzi, in beating the Reds, 10-2.  St. Louis stays tied for first place in the NL West.

      At Three Rivers, Jim Morrison lights the fire with a triple in the 8^th, then scores the go ahead run as the Pirates trip the Braves, 6-5. Ed Olwine takes the loss for his only ML decision. He will appear in 80 games without winning, a ML record.

19th  Despite getting a club-record 13 strikeouts from pitcher Ted Higuera, Milwaukee loses its 12th straight game 5–1 to the White Sox. The Brewers, who started the season 13-0, are now 20-15 and in 3rd place in the AL East.

      Bill Buckner raps his 2,500th career hit, a single off Bret Saberhagen in Boston’s 4–1 loss to Kansas City. Saberhagen is now 7–1.

20thAt Cleveland, Tom Brunansky hits a 7th inning grand slam off Tom Candiotti and the Twins beat the Tribe, 8-2.

23rd At Wrigley, the Cubs outlast the Braves to win, 7–6, in 16 innings.  Ryne Sandberg greets new reliever Acker with a single and Jerry Mumphrey doubles him home.  Dale Murphy is 2-for-3 and is walked 5 times for the 2nd time in his career. Teammate Ozzie Virgil strikes out 5 times. The Braves garner 14 walks—6 off winning pitcher Jamie Moyer, who allows no runs in 4.1 innings—and strand 17 runners.

24th  Jack Clark belts a grand slam in the 2nd inning as the Cards take a 7-0 lead on the Astros, eventually winning 8-2. Joe Magane (4-0) is the victor.

25th  At Fenway, Ellis Burks snaps a 6-6 tie with a 5th inning grand slam as Boston beats Cleveland, 10-6.

27th  Greg Gross joins 1987’s record-setting HR parade with his first home run since 1978, a 2-run shot in the top of the 8th that sparks the Phillies to a 6–4 win over San Diego. An all-time record 4,458 home runs will be hit in the major leagues this season.

      In an 8-6 loss to the Orioles, Jack Howell hits a pinch homer plus another homer for the Angels. He is the second Angel to accomplish the feat in 2 weeks. Mark Ryal did it on the 13th, also in a losing cause.

28th  Cleveland’s Joe Carter hits 3 home runs in a game in Boston’s Fenway Park for the 2nd time in his career, but the Indians fall to the Red Sox 12–8. Dwight Evans drives in 6 runs for Boston.

      Baltimore’s Mike Young ties a ML record by hitting a pair of extra inning home runs, connecting consecutively in the 10th and 12th innings off DeWayne Buise. He’s just the 5th major leaguer to do it and the first since Ralph Garr, in 1971. The Orioles edge the Angels, 8–7. The Orioles will set an AL mark for a month by belting 58 homers.

29th  Pete O’Brien drives in 4 runs and scores 5 runs to lead the Texas Rangers to a 16-5 win over Kansas City. Bo Jackson has a pair of homers for the losers.

In the Tigers 15-7 win over the Twins, the two teams combine for 8 homers. Tom Brookens has a grand slam for the winners while Mark Salas, who enters the game in the 7th  has 5 RBIs on two homers for the Twins.

30th  The Reds Eric Davis ties a ML record by hitting his third grand slam of the month in a 6–2 win over the Pirates. He ends the month’s tear with a record 19 homers.

31st  Ivan Calderon has 4 hits, including a pair of three-run homer off Al Nipper, but the White Sox are beaten by the visiting Red Sox, 10-9. Mike Greenwell hits a double in the 9th to drive in 2 runs and put the Hubmen ahead.  Kevin Schiraldi is the winner in relief as the Bosox overcome starter Al Nipper’s generosity of giving up 9 runs in 1+ innings.

JUNE

1st  Phil Niekro wins his 314th career game as Cleveland beats Detroit 9–6, moving the Niekro brothers (Phil and Joe) past Gaylord and Jim Perry into first place on the all-time brothers’ victory list. The Niekros have now combined for 530 career wins.

      Dwight Evans hits his 300th career home run in Boston’s 9–5 loss to the Twins, joining teammates Jim Rice and Don Baylor in the 300-HR club.

      Eight homeruns are hit in a 12-inning slugfest between the White Sox and Rangers, won by Texas, 11-9, with a 4-run surge in the bottom of the 12th. Greg Walker has 2 of Chicago’s five homers. Lance Parrish belts a 2-run homer in the 9th as Texas scores 5 runs to tie the match.  Oddibe McDowell continues the come-for-behind dramatics with a 12th-inning walkoff grand slam.

      Andre Dawson hits a solo homer and his second grand slam of the season but that is the Cubs offense as Houston wins, 6-5. Kevin Bass has a homer and 4 RBIs for the Astros.

2nd  The Mariners select Cincinnati high schooler Ken Griffey, Jr., the son of Braves OF Ken Griffey, with the first pick overall in the free-agent draft. Picking 2nd, the Pirates take Mark Merchant, while the Twins take another high schooler Willie Banks with the 3rd pick. The Cubs pick Mike Harkey and the White Sox pick Jack McDowell with the 6th selection. McDowell will be the first of this class to reach the majors, Picking 9th, the Royals take Kevin Appier and on the 58th round, take UCLA’s Jeff Conine. With the 22nd pick, the Astros take Seton Hall’s Craig Biggio, who will be the first non-pitcher from the draft to make the majors. Picking 6th in the first round, the Braves select Derek Lilliquist, and on the 13th round take Mike Stanton. Because of his expected high price tag, Mike Mussina is selected in the 13th round. Albert Belle, suspended by LSU’s coach after chasing a fan, goes to the Indians in round 2.  Robb Nen goes in the 32nd round.

      After hitting five homers yesterday, the White Sox do it again, beating Texas, 15-5. Greg Walker’s grand slam is the big blow.

      At Wrigley, Andre Dawson has a single, triple and 2 homers as he drives in 7 runs to lead the Cubs to a 13-2 pounding of the Astros. Mike Mason (2-0), recently acquired from Texas, pitches 7 innings for the win, while Nolan Ryan lasts just 2 innings absorbing the loss.

3rd  The Cubs score 9 in the 1st and rout Houston 22–7 at Wrigley Field in a game that features a ML-record-tying 3 grand slams. Keith Moreland and Brian Dayett hit grand slams for Chicago and Billy Hatcher connects for the Astros to equal the record set by the Orioles and Rangers last August 6th. Jody Davis scores 5 runs for Chicago on 4 walks and a hit. Moreland, who adds a second HR and drives in 7 runs, connects off Julio Solano in the 6th, the second time in three days that a Cubs batter has hit a grand slam off him.

4th  In a CWS matchup between Stanford and Oklahoma, OSU pitcher Jack McDowell retires Robin Ventura three times to put the Stanford sophomore’s 58-game batting streak in jeopardy. Facing reliever Al Osuna in the 9th, Ventura hits a sharp grounder that is bobbled twice by the 2B allowing Ventura to reach second.  It is ruled an error ending the streak. OSU wins, 6–2, but on the June 7, Stanford will beat McDowell 9–5 to win its 2nd national championship.

5th  Dwight Gooden returns from drug rehabilitation and allows one run in 6 2⁄3 innings to earn the win as the Mets beat the Pirates 5–1 at Shea Stadium.

      Pete O’Brien has 3 hits, including a pair of homers—one a grand slam, and drives in 7 runs to pace the Rangers to a 15-9 shootout at the Metrodome.

6th Needing a replacement for the injured Mattingly, the Yankees reluctantly trade knuckleballer Joe Niekro to the Twins for C Mark Salas. Salas, not knowing that he’s been traded, pinch hits a homer in the 9th to tie the game with the Rangers. He stays in, adds a single in the 11th, and the Twins win 3–2 in the 13th when Lombardozzi’s 2-out single scores Brunansky from 1B.

      Oakland tops the visiting White Sox, 8-3, as Curt Young pitches a one-hitter, allowing a 2-run homer to Kenny Williams in the 8th inning.  Jose Canseco and Stan Javier homer, and Luis Polonia has 3 hits and 3 steals.

8th The Cards build a 10-3 lead after 5 innings and hold on to beat the Phils, 12-8, at the Vet. Vince Coleman scores 3 runs and, for the second time this year, steals 4 bases. He will lead the NL again in steals with 109.

9th  Pitching like Cy, Curt Young allows just one hit as the A’s beat the White Sox, 8-3.  The lone hit is a 2-run homer with two outs in the 8th by Ken Williams.

      At Des Moines, Iowa (AA) outslugs Louisville, 18–12. Cubs DH hitter Wade Rowdon is 4-for-4 with 4 homers, 6 RBIs and 5 runs. Rowdon clouts 2 dingers in the Cubs 9-run, 2nd inning. In his only plate appearance without a HR, Rowdon is walked intentionally, then Damon Berryhill homers.

10thAt Baltimore, the Red Sox clip the Orioles, 15–4.  Ellis Burks and Marty Barrett lead the 18-hit attack with grand slams, and Burks adds a second homer to drive in 7 runs. Barrett is 4-for-4 and Al Nipper evens his record at 5-5. The two grand slams by a team matches an oft-tied ML mark: the Cubs did it a week ago.

      The Angels use a balanced attack and 4 shutout innings from Greg Minton to beat the Indians, 10-7. Tony Bernazard hits a grand slam for the Tribe.

      Alan Ashby hits a 4th inning grand slam, off Storm Davis (1-7), and adds an RBI in the 6-run 5th as Houston trounces the Padres, 10-1.

11th  Having traded for him last December, the Phillies deal Mike Easler back to the Yankees for a pair of minor leaguers.

      George Bell of Toronto rings up John Habyan for a pair of homers, one a grand slam, as he drives in 6 runs in Toronto’s 8-6 win over the Orioles.

12th  The first-place Blue Jays set a club record with their 10th straight victory 8–5 over the Orioles. Toronto leads New York by 3 games in the AL East and will win 11 in a row before bowing to Baltimore on June 14th.

      The Mets make it easy for Sid Fernandez (8-2) by hitting three homers in a 10-2 pasting of the host Pirates, Tim Teufel’s homer is a grand slam.

      Hubie Brooks strokes 5 hits, including a pair of double and a homer, and drives in 6 runs to lead the Expos to a 13-6 win over the Phillies.

13th  At Memorial Stadium, Toronto belts three homers and defeats the Orioles, 8-2.  It is Baltimore’s 10th loss in a row, the most since they lost 11 in 1958.

14th  Mike Schmidt hits 3 home runs in a game for the 3rd time in his career to lead the Phillies to an 11–6 win over the Expos. His 2nd home run is also his 2,000th career hit, and his 3rd gives him 511 career homers, tying him with Mel Ott on the all-time list. Schmidt collects 6 RBIs today.

      At Comiskey, Tim Laudner of the Twins hits a grand slam and drives in 5 runs as Minnesota trips the White Sox, 6-3. Joe Niekro goes to 5-4.

      Don Sutton and Greg Minton combine to shut out the Royals, 12-0.  George Hendrick hits a 3-run homer and drives in 4 runs, while Dick Schofield adds a grand slam for California.

15th  In Pittsburgh’s 3–1 win over the Cardinals, Pirate base runner Jim Morrison sets a ML record by getting caught stealing home twice in the 8th inning. The first time he makes it back to 3B on an error, but it goes as a caught steal.

16th  Jesse Barfield and Tony Fernandez each have 4 hits to pace the Blue Jays to a 10-4 drubbing of the Tigers.  Starter Jeff Robinson gives up 8 runs in 3+ innings. Bill Madlock has 3 hits, including a HR, for the Bengals while Allan Trammel has a double and homer to extend his hitting streak to 21 games.

17th  Dick Howser dies at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City. He led the Royals to their first World Championship in 1985, but was forced to give up managing during the 1986 season because of a brain tumor. His uniform number, 10, will be retired by the club on July 3rd.

      Well, that didn’t work out too well.  With one out in the Braves’ 7th, trailing 2-1, the Giants send righty Randy Bockus in to face Dale Murphy, with lefty Keith Comstock moving to RF. Murphy homers, and when Comstock came back to the mound he serves up singles to Ken Griffey and Andres Thomas before being lifted, Both runners eventually score as the Braves win 6-1. Rick Mahler allows one hit—a homer to Bob Brenley—in his 6 innings.

      Mike Fitzgerald hits a 2nd inning grand slam, off Sid Fernandez, as the Expos top the visiting Mets, 9-1.  El Sid allows all the runs in his 4 innings.

18th  With his club in 5th place in the NL East, Phillies manager John Felske is fired and replaced by 3B coach Lee Elia.

19th  Mike Pagliarulo hits a leadoff homer in the 13th and the Yankees add 4 more runs to beat the host Red Sox, 10-5. The Sox took the lead in the 8th, 5-3, but Dan Pasqua belted a 9th in 2-run pinch homer to tie.

      Andres Thomas has 4 hits and 3 RBIs and Ozzie Virgil drives in 4 runs as the Braves pound the Reds, 16-5.  Things get so bad that the Reds turn to Paul O’Neill to pitch the last two innings. Paulie gives up 2 hits and 4 walks as he allows 3 runs in his lone mound appearance.  Nick Esasky has a pair of homers off Zane Smith and drives in 4 runs.

      The Reds sign Dave Collins to a minor league contract.  He had been cut by the Expos, but will prove a valuable addition.

20th  Kal Daniels and Tracy Jones hit back-to-back homers to lead off for the Reds but the Braves respond with 3 homers in the 2nd and 3rd innings, scoring 7 runs. The Braves win, 8-6. Daniels will hit 8 leadoff homers this year, a club record.

21st  Lee Guetterman (5-0) scatters 3 hits as his Mariners shut out the Indians, 5-0.

      Catcher Bob Brenley has a homer and scores 3 times as his Giants defrock the Padres, 11-2. Brenley also has two stolen bases, one a swipe of home on a double steal, and he will steal 10 bases this year, the third time he’s reached that mark.  Tony Gwynn steals his 24th on his way to 56 thefts.

      Dave Stewart bests Jose Guzman, 7-3, in the first of two games between Texas and Oakland, but the Rangers shoot back in game 2, winning 13-3. Bob Brower belts a 2-run homer and a grand slam.

22nd  Tom Seaver abandons his comeback attempt with the injury-riddled Mets and retires with a career W-L record of 311-205, an ERA of 2.86, 3,640 strikeouts (3rd on the all-time list behind Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton), and 61 shutouts (7th).

23rd  At Wrigley, the Cubs outlast the Braves to win, 8-7, in 16 innings. Jamie Moyer picks up the victory with 4+ innings of relief when Jerry Mumphrey drives home Ryne Sandberg with his fourth hit of the game. Dale Murphy is 1-for-3 with 5 walks for Atlanta, while teammate Ozzie Virgil gets a golden sombrero with 5 strikeouts.

      Willie Upshaw hits a grand slam and Fred McGriff adds a 2-run homer in Toronto’s 6-run 4th as the struggle past the Tigers, 8-7. Dave Stieb is the winner.

24th  The Brewers do all their scoring in the 7th and 8th but it is not enough as the Red Sox win, 8-7. Wade Boggs has a single and homer to extend his hitting streak to 25 games, and Todd Benzinger drives in 4 runs.

      Ron Guidry (0-3) serves up three homers in the 1st inning as the Orioles score 4 runs and go on to beat the Yankees, 4-0. Dave Schmidt (8-1) allows 3 hits in the win.

25th  Dwight Gooden (4–1) and the Mets top the Cubs, 8–2. For Doc, it is his 10th straight win over Chicago. He’ll lose his next decision to them on August 9, then roll off another 12 straight wins, a record against the Cubs.

26th  Wade Boggs has his hitting streak snapped at 25 consecutive games and the Rocket sputters as Clemens fails to hold a 9–0, 2nd-inning lead. Boston loses to New York 12–11 in 10 innings. The 9-run comeback ties a Yankee team record: Boston, alas, has blown bigger leads.  Jim Rice has a grand slam for the Bosox, and Dwight Evans adds a 3-run homer. Dave Winfield has a 3-run homer in the Yanks 3rd inning.

      You gotta give him credit for trying. Paul Noce of the Cubs ties a ML record (tied 11 days ago) in the 3rd inning by twice being thrown out trying to steal. A dropped ball leaves him safe at 2B after he is caught, then he is thrown out trying to steal 3B. Pittsburgh beats Greg Maddux and the Cubs, 5–2. Maddux will finish 6–14, his last losing season.

27th  Tony Gwynn goes 3-for-4 in San Diego’s 8–4 win over Atlanta to raise his batting average to .387. Gwynn will finish the season at .370 to win his 2nd NL batting title.

Darrell Evans slugs a 2-run home run in the first inning off Mike Boddicker for his 2,000th career hit, but his Tigers lose to Baltimore 4–2.

      At Cleveland, Mark McGwire has a single and three homers to drive in 5 runs as Oakland wins, 13-3. McGwire has 25 homers, one behind George Bell.

      The Rangers sweep a pair from the Twins, winning 11-6 and 7-2.  Mike Stanley seals the second game victory with a pinch grand slam in the 8th inning.

28th  One day after hitting 3 home runs in Oakland’s 13–3 rout of the Indians, A’s rookie 1B Mark McGwire hits 2 more in a 10–0 Oakland romp to tie the ML record of 5 homers in 2 games. McGwire’s 9 runs in 2 games ties an AL record set in 1937.

      Don Baylor moves ahead of Ron Hunt on the all-time hit-by-pitch list when the Yankees Rick Rhoden plunks him during a 6–2 loss to the Red Sox. It is the 244th time that Baylor has been hit by the pitch. He’ll end with 267, putting him 3rd on the list behind turn-of-the-century star Hughey Jennings.

      In California’s 13-3 rout of the White Sox, George Hendrick pinch hits and homers, then goes out to play LF. Ruppert Jones then pinch hits for Hendrick and homers, then plays LF. The two pinch homers ties the ML mark, tied last year. Wally Joyner adds a pair of homers for the Haloes.

      Pinch hitter Greg Gross breaks up Ron Darling’s no-hitter with a leadoff triple in the 8th inning and 2 Philley rallies beat the Mets 5–4.

      For the second time this season Teddy Higuera (6-7) strikes out 13 batters as the Brewers beat the Blue Jays, 11-5.

      A day after winning his first ML game in relief, Tom Niedenfuer serves up back-to-back-to-back homers to John Grubb, Matt Nokes and Bill Madlock of the Tigers to tie the Orioles 6-6. Niedenfuer is gone when Detroit wins, 8-7, in 11.

29th  In the first game—a 6-5 win, of Philadelphia’s doubleheader sweep of Pittsburgh, Steve Bedrosian records his 12th consecutive save (in 12 appearances) to break the ML record set by Sparky Lyle in 1975. The Quakers take the nightcap, 11–3.

      Eight homers are hit in Toronto as the Yankees outlast the Blue Jays, 15–14. Mattingly leads the power outage with a pair, one a grand slam, and Dave Winfield also hits a grand slam and drives in 6 runs. The last time that the Yankees hit two grand slams in one game was 1936, when Tony Lazzeri hit a pair. Dave Righetti gets the win.

      Wade Boggs hits a grand slam and drives in 7 runs to pace the Red Sox to a 14-3 clipping of the Orioles. Todd Benzinger scores 4 runs for the Hubmen.

30th  At the Vet, Milt Thompson scores 3 runs in a 6-4 Phillies win over the Pirates. CF Andy Van Slyke has a triple and HR for the Bucs, and pulls off an unassisted DP in the 3rd inning when he catches a fly ball and tags out Mike Schmidt at third base. Schmidt thought there were 2 outs and was running on the play.  Van Slyke will have a second unassisted DP in 1992.

JULY

1st   Roger Clemens has no strikeouts in his complete game 6-hitter, but the Red Sox beat the Orioles, 6-2 at Fenway. Todd Benzinger has a double and homer to back up the Rocket, and, along with Ellis Burks and Mike Greenwell, is part of an all-rookie outfield for Boston. They won’t do that again till September 2010.

2nd  Houston’s Glenn Davis ends Steve Bedrosian’s record-setting streak of 13 consecutive saves by belting a 3-run home run in the top of the 9th inning to give the Astros a 7–6 win over the Phillies.

      Jim Eisenreich, making a comeback after being forced out of the major leagues by a nervous disorder in 1984, hits his first ML home run since 1982 to lead the Royals to a 10–3 win over his former club, the Twins.

3rdDespite striking out 7 straight batters, the Cubs Jamie Moyer loses to the Giants, 3-1. He strikes out 8 altogether.

      Hitting just .212 Astros SS Dickie Thon bolts from the team. Thon has never recovered from a 1984 beaning that left him with blurred vision. An angry Astros GM Dick Wagner will put Thon on the “disqualified” list and he will not play for the rest of the year. Thon will become a free agent in November.

      In the first game of a twinbill at Yankee Stadium, Mike Witt and two relievers shut out the Yankees, 9-0. Larry Parrish hits a 2-run homer and Mike Stanley belts his second grand slam in a week. New York manages just 3 hits in game 2 off Jose Guzman, but one is a 2-run homer by Mike Pagliarulo, as New York wins, 3-1. Rick Rhoden wins his 10th.

4th  In a 7-player swap, the Padres trade pitchers Dave Dravecky and Craig Lefferts and OF Kevin Mitchell to the Giants for 3B Chris Brown and pitchers Keith Comstock, Mark Davis, and Mark Grant. In 1989, Mitchell will win the MVP Award for the Giants, and Davis will win the Cy Young for the Padres.

5th  The knuck is not knuckling and Chicago hands Cleveland’s Phil Niekro (3 IP, 8 runs) a 17–0 pasting as 8 Sox players have 2 or more hits. Scott Nielsen is the complete-game winner.

6th  Cleveland starts three days of contentious baseball with Kansas City by beating the Royals, 9–7. Cory Snyder drives in 6 runs with 2 homers, the 2nd a grand slam off Farr, in relief of Saberhagen (14–3) in the 8th. Winning pitcher Sammy Stewart hits Jamie Quirk with a pitch, breaking his hand, and Frank White is also decked. Tomorrow, Willie Wilson will be decked by Ken Schrom and will lead a benches-clearing brawl with a charge to the mound. The Tribe will come back to win that one as well, as Joe Carter hits a 2-run HR off Quissenberry in the 9th.

7th  At Chicago, the Cubs outhit the Padres to win 7-5. Andre Dawson hits a first inning HR off Eric Show and then pays the price when Show hits him with a pitch in the 3rd, knocking both players out of the game. Dawson chases Show, cornering him in the San Diego dugout before the two are separated. Show gets the loss, while Dawson will need 22 stitches and will miss three games. When Cubs starter Greg Maddux hits Benito Santiago in the 4th, he gets tossed.

      At Riverfront, Bo Diaz hits a grand slam and drives in 6 runs as the Reds race to a 7-0 lead over the Phils after two innings. But Philadelphia rallies to win, 10-8, in 10 innings.

8th  Floyd Youmans pitches a one-hitter to beat the Astros and Nolan Ryan 1–0. Houston’s lone hit is an 8th-inning single by Kevin Bass. Youmans will throw a 3-hit shutout in his next outing.

      Facing Tribe leadoff hitter Brett Butler in the bottom of the 1st, Kansas City P Danny Jackson fires the first pitch behind the batter, then the next one over his head, prompting Butler to charge the mound. Both players are tossed and will receive 3-game suspensions, and Mel Hall replaces Butler, drawing a walk from Bob Stoddard. Carter hits another 2-run HR, in the 7th, and Snyder hits a 2-run double in the 9th, off Quissenberry, to give the Indians their 3rd straight win, 9–8. Sammy Stewart is the winner.

      Chili Davis’s 3-run pinch homer in the 14th is the chiller as the Giants beat the Pirates, 8-4, in Pittsburgh. 

      At Wrigley, Jim Sundberg hits a pinch grand slam as the Cubs score 8 times in the 8th to beat the Padres, 12-8. All five Padre hurlers allow an earned run.

9th  Mike Schmidt hits his 513th career home run off Atlanta’s Zane Smith to move past Eddie Mathews and Ernie Banks into 10th place on the all-time list, but the Phillies lose to the Braves 11–6. Dale Murphy has a grand slam and 5 RBIs and Ken Griffey belts a homer and drives in 3.

10th  At Yankee Stadium, Don Mattingly greets White Sox reliever Joel McKeon with a grand slam to pace the Yankees to a 9-5 win over Chicago. It is Mattingly’s third slam of the year.

      In a wild one at Memorial Stadium, the Orioles score the winning run in the 9th on a sac fly by Larry Sheets to defeat the Twins, 13-12. the O’s Fred Lynn belts a pair of 3-run homers off starter Bert Blyleven, while Tom Brunansky drives in 4 runs for the Twins.

11th  Billy Ripken, 22, joins his brother Cal in the Orioles starting lineup in Baltimore’s 2–1 loss to the Twins. Orioles manager Cal Ripken, Sr. is the first to manage 2 sons in the majors.

      At Yankee Stadium, Carlton Fisk hits a 2-run homer in the 15th and the White Sox beat the Yankees, 5-2.  Ron Guidry starts for the Yankees and goes 6.2 innings, striking out 14. 

12th  The Yankees trade P Bob Tewksbury and 2 minor league pitchers to the Cubs for Steve Trout, who has just pitched back-to-back shutouts.

14th  Tim Raines caps a 3-for-3 performance in the All-Star Game with a 2-run triple in the top of the 13th inning, giving the NL a 2–0 victory.

      The BBWAA votes to rename the Rookie of the Year Award in honor of Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier on the way to winning the first Rookie of the Year Award in 1947.

15th  The Indians fire manager Pat Corrales, replacing him with bullpen coach Doc Edwards. Cleveland is in last place in the AL East, 23 games behind, after finishing 84-78 in 1986.

16th  Cory Snyder hits his 6th homer in 8 games to help give Indians manager Doc Edwards a win over the White Sox, 4-3.

      Don Mattingly bangs two homers, one a second inning grand slam, to pace the Yankees to a 12-3 win over host Texas. Mattingly now has 7 homers in 6 games. His 2nd inning grand slam, his 4th of the year, comes off Charlie Hough, and follows a bases-loaded walk to Mike Pagliarulo. Hough has 8 strikeouts but his knuckleball is too much for little-used catch Mike Stanley, who ties an AL record with 5 passed balls. His teammate Geno Petralli will tie, then break the record next month with 6 passed balls.

      Houston rookie Ken Caminiti, recalled yesterday from Columbus, debuts with a bang. He hits a triple in the 5th inning and a homer in the 7th, the only two hits allowed by Kevin Gross. Caminiti scores the winning run in the 9th following a walk as the Astros beat the Phillies, 2-1, behind Danny Darwin. Caminiti is just the 4th major leaguer to debut with a homer and triple.

17th  Dale Sveum hits 3 homers and drives in 6 runs to lead the Brewers to a 12-2 win over the Angels. The first two come off starter Mike Witt. Bill Wegman evens his record at 8-8.

18th  Don Mattingly hits a home run in his 8th consecutive game (10 homers) tying the ML record set by Dale Long in 1956, but the Yankees lose to Texas 7–2. His streak will end tomorrow when he goes 2-for-4 but no homers.

19th  Texas wins a 20–3 laugher over the Yankees. Steve Buechele has 2 homers to pace the offense. In the 9th inning, catcher Rick Cerone takes the mound and walks one but allows no runs. He’s just the fifth player this century to pitch and catch in the same game.  He’ll do it again next month.

20th  Don Mattingly ties another ML record, this time in the field, as he makes 22 putouts in the Yankees 7–1 win over the Twins. The feat was last accomplished in the AL by Hal Chase in 1906.

      Phil Niekro gives up 5 runs in 5 innings but it is enough for a win as his Indians down the Royals, 9-5. Niekro also participates in a double play, the 83rd of his career. He passes Warren Spahn as the all-time leader for pitchers. Brook Jacoby is 4-for-4 to lead a 17-hit attack. Bret Saberhagen (15-4) gives up 10 of the hits.

21st  Ruben Sierra’s second homer of the game, a walkoff shot in the 9th, wins it for Texas, 6-4, over Toronto.  His 4th inning homer, off Jimmy Key, starts the scoring.  Key retires the side on three pitches in the 2nd.

      The Indians lose, 3-2, to Kansas City and also lose catcher Rick Dempster when he is flattened by Bo Jackson trying to score from 3B on a grounder.  Bo is out and Dempster will be out until September.

23rd  The Red Sox waive Bill Buckner, the goat of last season’s World Series, and promote slugger Sam Horn from Pawtucket. The Angels will sign Buckner and he will hit .306 in 57 games, while Horn will homer in his first two games, just the second Sox player to do so. Dave Stapleton is the other.

      In Montreal, Dave Parker drives in 6 runs on a single, double and homer to lead the Reds to an 8-4 win over the Expos.

26th  Catfish Hunter, Billy Williams, and Ray Dandridge are inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

      Paul Molitor ties a ML record by stealing 2B, 3B, and home in the first inning of Milwaukee’s 7–4 win over the A’s. Molitor is hitting .348 and is in the middle of a 39-game hit streak.

27th  In Cleveland, Mark McGwire hits 3 homeruns, scores 5 runs, and drives in 5 as the A’s trim the Indians, 13-3.

      The Salt Lake City Trappers lose 7–5 to the Billings Mustangs, ending their professional-record winning streak at 29 consecutive games. The Trappers, who hadn’t lost since June 24th, broke the old record of 27 straight wins with a 13–3 rout of the Pocatello Giants on July 25th.

28th  Montreal’s Jeff Reed makes 3 errors in the 7th inning of an 8–3 loss to the Cubs, tying the ML record for catchers.

29th  For the second time in a week, Dave Parker has 6 RBIs in a game as the Reds down the visiting Padres, 15-5.  The Reds lead the NL west by 2.5 games.

      The Royals trade SS Buddy Biancalana to the Astros for pitching prospect Mel Stottlemyre, Jr.

30th  The Pirates trade P Don Robinson to the Giants for minor league catcher Mackey Sasser and cash. The Indians trade fading veteran Steve Carlton to the Twins for a player to be named later.

31st  Eddie Murray hits his 299th and 300th career home runs to lead Baltimore to an 8–4 win over Texas.

      Mitch Webster collects 4 hits, including a grand slam and drives in 5 runs to pace the Expos to a 13-3 win over the visiting Mets. Tim Wallach has a double and homer and 4 RBIs as Montreal stays 4 games in back of the leading Cardinals and 2.5 ahead of New York.

AUGUST

1st  Andre Dawson hits 3 home runs, his 29th, 30th and 31st, and drives in all 5 Chicago runs as the Cubs beat the Phillies, 5–3.

      Terry Leach goes to 9-0 as he allows 4 hits in 7 innings in the Mets 12-4 victory over Montreal. Howard Johnson hits a grand slam in the Mets’ 6-run 6th.

2nd  Eric Davis becomes the 7th player in ML history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in one season by drilling his 30th homer in the bottom of the 11th to give the Reds a 5–4 win over the Giants.

      Royals rookie 3B Kevin Seitzer goes 6-for-6 with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs in a 13–5 rout of the Red Sox, tying the AL record for hits in a 9-inning game. Seitzer will add 2 hits tomorrow, and 4 on the 4th: his total of 12 in 3 games is the 3rd highest in AL history.

      Rangers pitcher Bobby Witt ties the ML record by striking out 4 consecutive Orioles in the 2nd inning of a 5–2 win. Witt finishes the game with 11 strikeouts.

      Mike Kingery belts a grand slam in the 1st inning and Seattle scores another run in the 9th to beat the Angels, 5-4.

3rd  Twins Joe Niekro is caught with a file on the mound and is ejected during the 4th inning of Minnesota’s 11–3 win over California. He will be suspended for 10 games by AL president Bobby Brown, who doesn’t buy Niekro’s story that he had been filing his nails on the bench and stuck the file in his back pocket when the inning started.

      Jack Morris ties the AL record with 5 wild pitches in a 4–2, 10-inning loss to the Royals. Morris will scatter 24 wild pitches this season to set a new ML record, the fourth year in the last five that he has led the league. Juan Guzman will top it with 26, in 1993. Morris’ mark of 5 wild pitches ties the mark of Charles Wheatley, another Tiger, who appeared in 5 games in September 1912.

      At Riverfront, Mike Marshall has 3 hits, including a grand slam, and drives in 5 runs as the Dodgers stop the Reds, 7-2.

      Tom Candiotti tosses a one hitter as the Indians beat the Yankees, 2–0. Mike Easler’s leadoff single in the 8th is the only hit.

4th  Little-used Steve Kiefer hits a 3rd-inning grand slam and B.J. Surhoff drives in a run in the bottom of the 12th and Milwaukee trips the Orioles, 9-8.

      At County Stadium, John Kruk has a pair of 3-run homers and drives in 7 runs, but that’s it for the Padre offense as they lose, 12-7, to the Braves. Ken Oberkfell has a homer and 4 ribbies for the Braves.

5th  Darryl Strawberry has a 3-run homer and Gary Carter hits a pair of four baggers as the Mets batter the visiting Phillies, 13-3. Kevin Gross gives up 10 of the runs. In the bottom on the 8th inning the Phils put Glenn Wilson on the mound and the strong-armed outfielder pitches a scoreless frame and strikes out Howard Johnson.

6th  Rich Gossage earns his 287th career save in San Diego’s 7–4 win over Atlanta to move past Bruce Sutter into 2nd place on the all-time list.

      The Indians collect 16 hits, including three homers, in clubbing the Blue Jays, 4-5. Journeyman Casey Parsons has one of the homers, a pinch grand slam in the 6th.

8th  Tom Candiotti goes the distance as the Indians top the Blue Jays, 3-1. Toronto’s only run is George Bell’s 35th homer and extends Bell’s hitting streak versus Cleveland to 34 games (as noted by Retrosheet: streak started June 1, 1985). Bell sits out tomorrow’s game and will go hitless in the first encounter with Cleveland in 1988.

      The White Sox and Brewers split a doubleheader with the Brewers taking the opener, 5-3, and Sox winning the second contest 8-6. Rob Deer strikes out 5 times in game 1 on his way to an AL record 186 K’s in just 134 games.

9th  With help from Lee Smith, Scott Sanderson beats the Mets, 6–3, at Shea Stadium. The loser is Doc Gooden, who snaps his 10-game winning streak against the Cubs. He’ll start another streak of 12 wins.

      In a 15–4 Tiger mauling of the Yankees, New York catcher Rick Cerone takes the mound. Again, he walks one batter and allows no runs, the second time in 3 weeks he’s caught and pitched in the same game.

10th  Phillies pitcher Kevin Gross becomes the 2nd pitcher in 8 days to be ejected for scuffing the baseball when umpires discover sandpaper in his glove during the 5th inning of a 4–2 win over the Cubs. Like Joe Niekro, Gross will be suspended for 10 games, and won’t get his glove returned until August 1991.

      Cardinals 1B Jack Clark sets an NL record by drawing a walk in his 16th consecutive game, a 6–0 win over Pittsburgh. He draws a pair of walks for the 6th game in a row.  Clark will finish the year with 136 walks in 131 games, the last major leaguer this century with more walks in a season than games played. The Chill’s mark of 16 straight games with a walk will be tied by Chipper Jones and topped Barry Bonds.

      Paul Molitor singles in the 3rd inning against the Rangers to run his hit streak to 25 games.  The Brewers win in the 12th, 4–3.

      Roger Clemens allows a homerun to Dane Iorg as the Red Sox down the AL East leading Blue Jays, 9-1. Sam Horn drives in 5 runs putting the game out of reach with an 8th inning grand slam.

11th  At County Stadium, the Texas Rangers beat Milwaukee, 7-1. In the 9th the umps check Ranger reliever Dale Mohorcic but can find no evidence of sandpaper that he is using to scuff balls. Tomorrow Mohorcic will go on the 15 day DL with gastrointestinal bleeding caused by the item he swallowed before the umps’ inspection.

      Terry Leach runs his record to 10-0 as the Mets beat the Expos, 6-2, at Shea. The second-place Mets are now a game and a half ahead of Montreal.

      Maybe we shoulda walked him 4 times, like yesterday. At Seattle, Oakland’s super rookie Mark McGwire belts his 38th homer, a solo shot off Mike Moore, to tie the ML rookie record for homers in a season. The A’s win, 8-2.

12th  The Braves send veteran pitcher Doyle Alexander to the Tigers in exchange for minor leaguer John Smoltz. Alexander will help lead the Tigers to the AL East title by posting a perfect 9-0 record, while Smoltz will anchor the Braves for the 1990s.

      At Candlestick, the Giants score 6 in the 7th to beat the Astros, 8-1. Bob Brenly’s grand slam is the big blow in the frame.

      At the Vet, the Phillies end a see saw battle with the Cubs by scoring 6 in the bottom of the 8th to win, 13-7. Juan Samuel has a triple and grand slam to drive in 5 runs and Von Hayes almost matches him with a triple and 3-run homer and 5 ribbies.

13th  The Cardinals outfield sets a ML record by failing to record a single putout in a 4–2, 13-inning win over the Phillies. The previous mark was held by the 1905 St. Louis Browns, who played an 11-inning game with no outfield putouts.

      Paul Molitor keeps his hit streak alive at 28 games when he homers with 2 out in the 9th inning against the O’s.  Baltimore still wins 5–4.

      Barry Bonds hits a leadoff HR in Pittsburgh’s 5-run first inning, but Montreal rallies to win, 9-7. Tim Raines has a homer and scores 5 runs.

14th  Oakland’s Mark McGwire slugs his 39th home run of the season, off  Don Sutton in the 6th inning, in a 12-inning 7–6 win over California, breaking the ML record for rookies shared by Wally Berger and Frank Robinson. McGwire will finish the season with a whopping 49 homers.

13th  Fred Lynn belts a 4th inning grand slam off Chris Bosio and the Orioles hang on to beat the Brewers, 5-4.  Paul Molitor connects for a 2-out homer in the 9th to run his consecutive hit streak to 30 games.

15th  At the Pan American games in Indianapolis, the U.S.A. and Cuba are tied with 2 outs in the 9th when Ty Griffin hits a 2-run HR to win it. For Cuba it is their first loss in 20 years of Pan Am competition.

      The Expos move into 2nd place in the NL East when Vance Law belts a walkoff grand slam in the 9th off Pirates starter Brian Fisher. Montreal wins, 6-3.

16th  Tim Raines goes 5-for-5 and hits for the cycle to lead the Expos to a 10–7 win over Pittsburgh.

      The wind is blowing out at Wrigley as the Mets pound the Cubs 23–10 at Wrigley Field, setting a club record for runs scored in a game. They score 3 runs in each of 5 innings and 7 in another. Darryl Strawberry leads the way with a triple, a pair of doubles and a homer, off Greg Maddux, scores 5 runs and drives in 5. Len Dykstra hits safely in 4 consecutive innings, one short of the ML mark. Reliever Drew Hall surrenders 10 runs for Chicago, while Ron Darling lasts 6 innings to register the win. Jody Davis has a grand slam for Chicago.

      At Fenway, the Red Sox beat up on the Texas Rangers winning, 12-2.  John Marzano has a pair of 2-run homers off Greg Harris (5-9), and Ellis Burks and Spike Owen add homers against relievers. Wade Boggs has 4 hits as Bob Stanley (4-12) goes the distance. Harris will miss his next two starts for Texas when he injures his elbow flicking sunflower seeds at a friend in the stands.

17th A 3rd inning bunt single gives Paul Molitor the longest hit streak of the 1980s at 32 games. Milwaukee defeats Cleveland, 5–3.

      Devon White hits a 7th inning grand slam to put the Angels in the lead as they defeat the A’s, 6-4.

19th Molitor collects 4 hits to extend his hit streak to 34 games and tie Dom DiMaggio for 11th spot on the all-time list. The Brewers beat Cleveland 13–2. Rob Deer has a grand slam for the Brewers, and tomorrow will hit another—just the 11th player in history to hit grand slams in consecutive games.

20th  Pittsburgh unloads another veteran pitcher, trading Rick Reuschel to the Giants for pitchers Jeff Robinson and Scott Medvin.

      Paul Molitor continues his hot hitting collecting 3 hits while Rob Deer belts his second grand slam in two days as the Brewers crunch the Indians, 14-2. Molitor has now hit safely in 35 straight games.

      Barry Lyons hits a grand slam in the 6th to give the Mets the lead and they hold on to beat the Giants, 7-4.

21st  Dale Murphy hits his 300th career home run as Atlanta beats Pittsburgh, 5–4. He stroked his 1500th hit on August 5th.

Andre Dawson belts his 39th and 40th home runs of the season and Lee Smith picks up his 30th save in Chicago’s 7–5 win over the Astros.

22nd  At County Stadium, Jamie Quirk has 3 hits, including a grand slam, and drives in 5 runs to pace the Royals to an 8-7 win over the Brewers. Paul Molitor has a pair of hits and is now hitting .373, though he is short of plate appearances to qualify for the batting title.

23rd  Don Baylor connects for a 6th inning grand slam off Steve Carlton (6-13) and the Red Sox down the visiting Twins, 6-4. Lefty is making his 5th start for the Twins since being acquired from Cleveland.

25th  In a slugfest at Royals Stadium, Ruben Sierra and Pete Incaviglia each score 4 runs as the Rangers blast the Royals, 15-8.  Sierra has a pair of homers, Incaviglia hits one, and Larry Parrish adds a 3-run homer—all off Buddy Black–and scores 3.  Frank White clubs a 6th inning grand slam for the Royals.

26th  Paul Molitor goes 0-for-4 in Milwaukee’s 1–0, 10-inning win over the Indians, ending his hitting streak at 39 consecutive games. His streak is the 7th longest in ML history and the longest in the AL since Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game streak in 1941. Molitor faces rookie John Farrell all 4 times, and is on deck when Rick Manning ends the game with a run-scoring pinch single in the bottom of the 10th.

      The Yankees and Reds exchange starting pitchers, with Dennis Rasmussen going to Cincinnati for Bill Gullickson.

27th  The Royals fire manager Billy Gardner, who replaced Dick Howser in spring training, and replace him with John Wathan, the former Kansas City catcher who was managing the club’s Triple A Omaha affiliate. In Wathan’s ML managerial debut, the Royals win 3–2 on George Brett’s 10th-inning home run to move within 3 games of first-place Minnesota.

      At Exhibition Stadium, the Blue Jays spot the A’s 4 runs in the 1st inning, including a 3-run homer by Carney Lansford off Jimmy Key, then win, 9-4. George Bell leads the way with a double, grand slam and 5 RBIs.

28th  Mike Schmidt continues to climb baseball’s all-time home run list, passing both Ted Williams and Willie McCovey with the 522nd of his career in an 8–1 win over San Diego.

      At Yankee Stadium, Mickey Brantley has a homer and 4 RBIs, and Alvin Davis adds a grand slam, as the Mariners sink the Yankees, 10-4. Charles Hudson serves up both homers.

29th  Nolan Ryan passes the 200-strikeout barrier for a ML-record 11th time, fanning 7 Pirates in 6 innings of an 8–2 Astros loss.

      Two AL West contenders attempt to bolster their rosters for the stretch run. The Angels trade 2 minor leaguers for Pittsburgh 2B Johnny Ray, and the A’s send minor leaguer P Tim Belcher to the Dodgers for P Rick Honeycutt. Honeycutt (2–12), loser of his last 11 games with the Dodgers, will drop 2 more with the A’s before beating the Indians on September 22.

      Atlee Hammaker tosses 7 shutout innings and the Giants down the Mets, 9-1. Candy Maldonado ties a ML record with three sacrifice flies.

      Andy Van Slyke hits a grand slam and Bobby Bonilla drives in 3 runs to lead the Pirates to an 8-2 win over Houston.

30th  Kirby Puckett goes 6-for-6 with 2 home runs in Minnesota’s 10–6 win over Milwaukee, tying the AL record for hits in a 9-inning game. Combined with yesterday’s 4-for-5, two-HR performance, Puckett has a ML-record-tying 10 hits in 2 games.

      With knuckleballer Charlie Hough on the mound, Rangers catcher Geno Petralli ties the ML record by allowing 6 passed balls in a 7–0 loss to Detroit. The 6 passed balls is an AL record for one team (the record was set by teammate Mike Stanley with 5 last month), and combined with Detroit’s zero passed balls, is a record for 2 teams. Eight days earlier Petralli had 5 passed balls in an 8–6 win over Chicago, also with Hough pitching. As noted by historian Tom Ruane, Hough’s catchers will allow an incredible 65 passed ball this season.

      At Candlestick, Gary Carter hits a grand slam, off Rick Reuschel, in the Mets’ 5-run 1st inning and they hang on for a 5-3 win over the Giants.

      At Comiskey, Jamie Quirk belts a 3-run homer in the Royals’ 5-run 6th, and Kevin Seitzer tacks on a grand slam in the 8th as the Royals slide past the White Sox, 11-7.

The A’s get P Storm Davis from the Padres for 2 players to be named later (1B Rob Nelson and P Dave Leiper).

31st  The Blue Jays trade minor leaguer Oswaldo Peraza and a player to be named later to the Orioles for veteran lefthander Mike Flanagan, then release Phil Niekro to make room for Flanagan on the roster.

      At Candlestick, Dave Dravecky allows 5 hits as the Giants shut out the Expos, 5-0. In the 5th inning, SF’s Robby Thompson steals 2B, then gets nabbed by a hidden ball trick pulled off by SS Tom Foley (as noted by Bill Deane).

SEPTEMBER

1st  Williamsport (Eastern League) Bills catcher Dave Bresnahan introduces a new wrinkle to baseball—the hidden potato. With a Reading runner, Rick Rudblad, on 3B, Bresnahan returns from a time out with a shaved potato hidden in his mitt. On the next pitch he throws the potato wildly on a pickoff attempt, and hen the runner trots home, Bresnahan tags him out with the real ball. The umpire, unamused, rules the runner safe, gives the catcher an error, and fines him $50. Bresnahan replied, “I thought it’d be a do-over.”

      Sitting 15 games out, the Red Sox trade two heroes from their 1986 AL Championship team, sending DH Don Baylor to the Twins and OF Dave Henderson to the Giants for players to be named later.

      At Royals Stadium, Teddy Higuera fires a one-hitter as the Brewers top the Royals, 2-0. The lone safety is an 8th-inning triple by journeyman Ross Jones.

      In a 3–2 loss to the Cubs, Houston’s Billy Hatcher becomes the first player this season to be ejected for using an illegal corked bat, and will eventually be suspended for 10 games by NL president Bart Giamatti. Hatcher claims he borrowed the bat from P Dave Smith and only used it in batting practice. Baseball has seen a rash of protests regarding allegedly doctored bats this season, partly in response to the record number of home runs being hit.

2nd  The parent Phillies don’t find Bresnahan’s potato gag yesterday funny either, and release him. Bresnahan, hitting .149, explains, “We were 27 games out, what the hell?” Tomorrow night, their last game of the season, the Williamsport Bills will admit any fan for a $1 and a potato. On each potato, Bresnahan autographs, “this spuds for you.”

      Tom Candiotti pitches his 2nd one-hitter of the season, but also walks 7 batters and makes an error as the Indians lose to Detroit 2–1. Matt Nokes’ RBI-single with 2 out in the 8th is the Tigers’ only hit. Feller, in 1954, is the last Tribe hurler to lose a one-hitter.

      For the second time this season, Houston’s Kevin Bass drills homers from each side of the plate. He totals 3 homers for the 2nd time in a month as the Astros drub the Cubs, 10–1.

4th  Mike Pagliarulo’s 1st-inning grand slam is the difference as the Yankees whip the Angels, 8-4. Rickey Henderson and Dave Winfield add homers.

      Dave Parker drives in the go-ahead run as the Reds score 4 runs in the 9th inning off Lee Smith to beat the Cubs, 4-3.  The Cubs put two runners on base in the 9th before Eric Davis makes a spectacular catch against the ivy to rob Brian Dayatt. Davis injures his ribs on the game-ending play and will miss 17 games.

5th  Carlton Fisk clubs his 300th career home run, off Danny Jackson, but the White Sox lose to the Royals 4–2.

      At Arlington, Darrell Evans hits a 4th inning grand slam for Detroit, but Texas scores 4 runs in the last 3 innings to win, 8-7. Oddibe McDowell’s bases-loaded single in the 9th drives home the winner.

6th  The Dodgers beat the Mets 3–2 in 16 innings to end their losing streak at 9 games, the club’s worst since 1973.

      Milwaukee’s Teddy Higuera hurls his 3rd straight shutout, beating the Twins, 6–0, on 2 hits.  Braggs, Deer, and Bill Schroeder homer to back Teddy.

7th  That’s spells relief. In for Brian Fisher, Pirate closer Jeff Robinson strikes out 3 Cubs on 9 pitches, in the 8th inning. The Pirates win, 3–2. Both Cubs runs come on homers, by Durham and Moreland.

8th  With the Cubs in 5th place in the NL East (68-68, 13 games behind), the club fires manager Gene Michael and replaces him with Frank Lucchesi.

9th  Nolan Ryan strikes out 16 Giants in 8 innings during Houston’s 4–2 victory to take over the ML strikeout lead with 226. Ryan will finish the season with 270 strikeouts, tops in the major leagues.

10th  In a see-saw battle at Anaheim, the Rangers score 5 runs in the top of the 9th, using an AL record 4 pinch runners, to take the lead, only to see the Angels tie it with a pinch grand slam by Mark Ryal, and win it in the 10th with a solo HR by Devon White. Ryal will play two more years in the NL, but it is his last ML homer.

      Glenn Davis hits 3 homers and drives in 5 but his Astros lose to the Padres, 8-7.

11th  Howard Johnson steals his 30th base of the season in the Mets 6–4, 10-inning loss to the Cardinals, becoming the 8th player ever to hit 30 HRs and steal 30 bases in a season. Mets starter Ron Darling tears ligaments in his thumb while fielding a Vince Coleman bunt during the game and will miss the rest of the season.

      Detroit’s Tom Brooken’s homers in the 5th off Ted Higuera, snapping the Brewer pitchers’ scoreless streak of 32 innings. Higuera’s mark tops Ray Searage’s team record of 30 innings (August 26, 1984 – April 19, 1985).  The Brewers rally for 4 runs in the 8th to top the Tigers, 5-2, leaving Detroit and Toronto even in the AL East race.

12th  At Toronto, the Blue Jays club 5 homers to demolish the Yankees, 13-1. Ernie Whitt hits 2 of the homers as he drives in 6 runs.  Jimmy Key (16-6) is the winner, going 8 innings, while starter Rick Rhoden (16-10) takes the loss. Toronto leads Detroit by a game in the AL East.

13th  Chicago’s Floyd Bannister faces the minimum 27 batters in a 2–0 one-hitter against Seattle, striking out 10 while walking none. Harold Reynolds has the lone hit for the M’s. Hard-luck loser Mark Langston pitches a 2-hitter for the Mariners.

14th  In an 18–3 rout of the Orioles, the Blue Jays erupt for a ML-record 10 home runs. Ernie Whitt leads the parade with 3 round trippers, Rance Mulliniks and George Bell hit 2, and Lloyd Moseby, Rob Ducey, and Fred McGriff each add one. Mike Hart hits one for Baltimore to tie the 2-team ML record of 11; it has now been accomplished 7 times. Three teammates with 2+ homers also ties a record. In the 7th inning, the Jays PH Kelly Gruber makes all 3 outs out hitting into a DP and ending the frame with a strikeout. In between there are 5 singles and 2 homers. Ripken’s streak of 8,243 consecutive innings (908 games) is broken when he is lifted in the 8th for pinch runner Earl Washington. His game streak is at 827.

      At the Kingdome, the Indians beat the Mariners, 11-8, overcoming a one-man performance by Mickey Brantley.  Brantley has 5 hits, including 3 homers, and drives in 7 runs.

15th  Mets 1B Keith Hernandez collects his 2,000th ML hit as New York pounds Chicago 12–4. Earlier in the day the 2nd-place Mets obtained pitcher John Candelaria from the Angels for a pair of minor leaguers.

      At Tiger Stadium, the Red Sox get a grand slam and 7 RBIs from Todd Benzinger, but not much else as they lose to the Tigers, 9-8. Frank Tanana doesn’t get out of the first inning and Al Nipper doesn’t finish the 3rd. Kirk Gibson’s 2-run homer in the 6th puts the Tigers ahead.

      Bengals or Reds?  Led by Dave Parker’s 5 hits, including a pair of homers and 8 RBIs, the Reds overwhelm the host Braves, 21-6. Terry McGriff adds a 4th inning grand slam as the Reds go deep seven times: Terry will have three career dingers. Barry Larkin, Buddy Bell, Lloyd McClendon and Leo Garcia (his lone ML homer) homer as the Reds score against all six pitchers they face. Eric Davis scores 4 times. Dale Murphy has a pair of homers for Atlanta.

      The Dodgers edge the Astros, 3-2, Houston keeps the scoring down with 3 DPs and a triple play started by a line drive hit by former Astro Phil Garner. This is the Astros 5th triple play and the first not involving Roger Metzger.

16th  In a 6–4 win, California’s Bob Boone catches his 1,919th ML game to break the record held by Hall of Famer Al Lopez.

      Cleveland’s Joe Carter joins the 30-30 club, stealing his 30th base of the season in a 5–3 loss to Seattle.

      The Phillies strike for 7 runs in the 7th to come back and beat the Cubs, 8-5.  Pinch hitting for Mike Maddux (2-0), Jeff Stone walks to lead off the 7th, then finishes off the scoring with a 3-RBI double.

      Darryl Strawberry belts a 2-run homer in the 1st and Len Dykstra adds a grand slam in the 8th as the Mets overwhelm the Expos, 10-0. Dwight Gooden scatters 3 hits and strikes out 11 for the win.

18th  In Detroit’s 7–6 win over the Brewers, Darrell Evans belts his 40th homer of the year. He is the first 40-year-old to hit 40 homers.

19th  The Mets do all their scoring in the 5th inning as they beat the Pirates, 5-4 behind Rick Aguilera (10-2). Keith Hernandez belts a grand slam, off starter Vicente Palacios. New York stays a game and a half behind St. Louis.

20th  Kal Daniel’s grand slam is the big blow in the 6-run 9th as the Reds storm back to beat the Giants, 10-6, at Candlestick.  Kal Daniels has a single, double and a pair of homers for the Reds.

      Barry Bonds triples and scores in the 14th inning as the Pirates edge the visiting Mets, 9-8. The Mets hit three homers and outhit the Bucs 15 to 9, but Pittsburgh gets a leadoff homer from Bonds and a grand slam by Darnell Coles.

      John Tudor (8-2) stops the Phils, 3-1, as the Cardinals maintain their 2.5 lead over the Mets.

21st  Darryl Strawberry joins Howard Johnson as the first teammates ever to achieve 30 homers and 30 steals in the same season, stealing 2 bases in the Mets 7–1 win at Chicago. Strawberry is only the 10th member of the 30-30 club, but the 4th to accomplish the feat this season. The winning pitcher is Doc Gooden, who had his 10-game win streak over Chicago snapped in August; however, today’s win will start him on another 12-game win streak over the Cubs. Johnson backs Gooden with his 36th homer of the year, a grand slam.

22nd  Wade Boggs goes 2-for-4 in Boston’s 8–5 loss to Detroit, reaching the 200-hit plateau for an AL-record tying 5th consecutive year. Al Simmons and Charlie Gehringer are the only other AL players to do so.

      Teddy Higuera wins his 7th straight as the Brewers down the Yankees, 7–2 in the first of 2 games.  Robin Yount drives in 4 runs with a homer and double. Yount drives home another 5 in game 2, including his 20th homer of the season, but it is not enough as New York wins, 10–8. Paul Molitor scores twice in each game and is in the middle of a streak of 16 straight games in which he scores a run. The record is 18, held by Red Rolfe.

      The Cubs send P Dickie Noles to the Tigers for a player to be named. Noles is the player to be named later, coming back to Chicago on October 23.

      Mike Schmidt hits a leadoff homer in the 9th off Todd Worrell to cut the Cards’ lead to 3-2 over the Phillies, Whitey Herzog moves Worrell to RF and brings in Ken Dayley to face Von Hayes. Hayes fans, and then Worrell returns to the mound to close the game and earn a save.

23rd  Bill Madlock collects his 2,000th career hit as the Tigers beat Boston 4–0 on Doyle Alexander’s 2-hitter.

      Albert Hall hits for the cycle in Atlanta’s 5–4 win over Houston, becoming the first Brave to do so since Bill Collins in 1910.

      Another bell rings as George Bell clubs home run #47 to take the lead in the AL homer race as Toronto beats Baltimore, 6-1. His two RBIs give him an AL-high 132 and his 109 runs scored tops the circuit. Toronto maintains its half game lead on the Tigers.

      Doyle Alexander (8-0) allows two singles in shutting out the Red Sox, 4-0, as the Tigers keep pace with the Blue Jays.

24th  In the matchup of the two AL East leaders in Toronto, the Blue Jays beat the Tigers, 4-3, pinning the loss on ace jack Morris (18-10). Mike Flanagan is the winner.

25th  In the Padres 5–3 loss to the Dodgers, Padres catcher Benito Santiago hits in his 27th straight game to tie the ML record for rookies.

      At Baltimore, Don Mattingly clubs a 2nd inning homer and Dave Winfield follows with a solo shot as the Yankees beat the Orioles, 8-4. It is Mattingly’s fifth grand slam of the year.

      At Toronto, the Jays score 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th to edge the Tigers, 3-2, in the third game of their series. Manuel Key hits a triple to drive in two runs and tie the score. An error by Lou Whitaker allows Lee to score.

26th  San Diego’s Benito Santiago extends his hitting streak to 28 games in a 3–1 loss to the Dodgers, setting a new ML record for rookies. Pittsburgh’s Jimmy Williams had held the record with a 27-game streak in 1899.

      Matt Nokes hits 2 homers, including a grand slam, and drives in 6 runs, but the Tigers fall to the Blue Jays, 10-9. Jesse Barfield has 4 hits, including 3 doubles, as the Jays collect 17 safeties. For the second day in a row, the Jays plate three runs in the bottom of the 9th to win. Toronto  now leads the Tigers by 3.5 games in the AL East race.

      At the Vet, Hubie Brooks belts a grand slam as the Expos score 5 runs in the 7th to beat the Phillies, 7-4.

27th  Phil Niekro, signed on the 23rd, makes his final ML appearance and is pounded for 5 runs in the 4th after tossing 2 shutout frames in Atlanta’s 15–6 loss to the Giants. Niekro, who had been released earlier in the month by Toronto, agreed to pitch one last game for the Braves, the team he spent his first 20 ML seasons (ML record 740 games pitching for one team) with. Candy Maldonado hits a grand slam and drives in 6 runs for SF, while Jose Uribe collects 4 hits, including a pair of triples, and scores 4 times.

      Shea Stadium is packed with 48,588 fans to see the Mets clobber the Pirates 12–3, making the Mets the 2nd franchise in ML history to break the 3 million barrier in season attendance. St. Louis will also draw 3 million fans this season.

      In the exciting climax to their four-game series, the Tigers salvage the final game, winning 3-2 in 13 innings against Toronto. Each team scores in the 11th.  Kirk Gibson’s 3rd hit of the game scores the winner as the Tigers’s desperate win leaves them 2.5 games behind the Jays.  The four games draw over 181,000 in Toronto.  The loss for Toronto is the first of a 7-game losing streak that will finish the season for them.

      In his final plate appearance of the year at Wrigley, Andre Dawson crashes his 47th HR to lead the Cubs to a 7–3 win over the Cardinals. Dawson will finish with 49 round trippers on his way to the MVP. He also draws just 32 walks.

      At County Stadium, the Giants score 6 runs in each of the 4th and 7th innings to stomp the Braves, 15-6. Candy Maldonado hits a pinch grand slam in the 4th and stays in the game to drive in 6 runs. Will Clark is caught stealing for the second game in a row. He’ll pick up a steal on October 2 but still finish with 5 steals out of 22 attempts.

28th  The Giants and Twins win their divisions, ending 16- and 17-year championship droughts, respectively. San Francisco clinches its first NL West title since 1971 with a 5–4 win at San Diego, behind pinch homers by Jeffrey Leonard and Chili Davis. Minnesota clinches its first AL West title since 1970 with a 5–3 win at Texas. The Twins duplicate the feat of the 1984 Royals by finishing first and scoring fewer runs than their opponents.  They are the 3rd AL team to finish above .500 and score fewer runs than the opposition.

      Kevin Seitzer goes 2-for-4 in Kansas City’s 5–1 loss to Seattle to become the first rookie since Tony Oliva and Dick Allen in 1964 to collect 200 hits.

      Terry Puhl hits a 5th inning grand slam, off starter Orel Hirshiser (16-15), and Glenn Davis adds a 3-run homer in the 6th, as Houston tops the Dodgers, 11-5.

29th   At Yankee Stadium, Don Mattingly hits his 6th grand slam of the year, off Bruce Hurst, to pace New York to a 6-0 win over the Red Sox. Charles Hudson allows 4 hits in the shutout.  Rickey Henderson has 3 hits and steals his 40th base, the 8th year in a row he’s reached that level. Mattingly’s slam gives the Yankees 10 grand slams for the year, tying the ML mark set by the 1938 Tigers.

      Geno Petralli hits a pinch homer for Texas, and adds another, as the Rangers top the Twins, 7-5. Petralli is the first Ranger to accomplish the feat. Charlie Hough goes 9 innings for his 18th win.

      The Phillies Don Carman allows just one hit in setting down the Mets, 2-0.  Mookie Wilson’s 4th inning single is the only hit.

      At Busch Stadium, the front-running Cardinals shut out the Expos twice, winning 1-0 and 3-0.  Joe Magrane wins the opener when Tommy Herr’s sac fly scores the only run in the 6th, and Greg Mathews and Todd Worrell combine on the shutout in game 2. The two teams set a NL mark for fewest at bats in a doubleheader (52).

      The St. Louis Cardinals sign Doug DeCinces as a free agent while the Orioles release Alan Wiggins.

30th  Oakland’s Dave Stewart becomes the major leagues’ first 20-game winner this season as the A’s beat the Indians, 4–3.

      In the first of two at Pittsburgh, the Pirates top the Cubs, 5-3, as Andre Dawson hits number #48 for Chicago.  The Cubs take game 2, 10-8, but not without a fight from Darnell Coles, who has a single and three homers and drives in 6 runs.

OCTOBER

1st  Danny Cox pitches a 5-hitter and the Cardinals beat the Expos 8–2 to clinch the NL East championship.

      Mike Aldrete has a 6th inning single for San Francisco’s only hit as they lose to Bob Welsh and the Dodgers, 7-0.

      The Braves steal 7 bases—6 against catcher Ronn Reynolds—but the Astros steal a 6-5 win with a run in the 9th inning. Reynolds leaves the game in the 4th inning after being injured in a collision when the Braves pull off a triple steal by Jeff Blauser, Ken Oberkfell and Gerald Perry.

2ndScotti Madison has 3 doubles and Danny Tartabull hits a grand slam as Kansas City beats the Twins, 6-3. Brett Saberhagen goes the distance for his 18th win. Kirby Puckett is 4-for-4 and will lead the AL with 207 hits.

      Tracy Jones drives in 5 runs and Dave Collins scores 5 as the Reds come from behind to beat Houston, 12-7. Collins is 3-for-3 with two walks and from yesterday’s game through tomorrow will reach base 12 straight times, tying a club record. Despite giving up 6 runs in 5 innings, Dennis Rasmussen improves to 4-1.

3rd  Benito Santiago goes 0-for-3 against Orel Hershiser in San Diego’s 1–0 win over Los Angeles, ending his ML-rookie-record hitting streak at 34 consecutive games. Santiago’s streak is also the longest ever by a catcher. The win snaps the Padres’ 9-game losing streak.

      At Anaheim, Wally Joyner clubs three solo homers and Devon White has 3 hits and 3 stolen bases as California stops the Indians, 12-5. Joyner has a record tying 4 homers in October. For Cleveland, it is their 101st loss of the year.

4th  On the last day of the regular season, Detroit beats 2nd-place Toronto 1–0 at Tiger Stadium to win the AL East title. The Tigers were one game behind the Blue Jays entering their 3-game season-ending showdown, and won each game by a single run (4–3, 3–2, and 1–0). Frank Tanana outduels Jimmy Key in the finale, and Larry Herndon’s 2nd-inning home run provides the game’s only run.

      Boston’s Roger Clemens closes out his season with a 2-hit, 12-strikeout, 4–0 win over the Brewers, improving his record to 20-9. Chris Bosio is the loser.

6th  St. Louis takes the NLCS opener 5–3 over the Giants behind the hitting and pitching of Greg Mathews.

7th  San Francisco’s Dave Dravecky shuts out St. Louis 5–0 to even the NL series.

In the ALCS opener, Gary Gaetti’s 2 HRs are the difference in Minnesota’s 8–5 win over Detroit at home.

8th  Minnesota wins again as Bert Blyleven beats the Bengals ace Jack Morris, 6–3.

9th  Trailing 4–0, the Cardinals rally to down the Giants 6–5 at Candlestick.

10th  Jeffrey Leonard sets a playoff record with a home run in his 4th consecutive game, sparking the Giants to a 4–2 win over the Cardinals that evens the NLCS at 2 games apiece. Leonard’s 4 home runs tie the record for most home runs in one LCS shared by Bob Robertson and Steve Garvey.

      Leading 5–0, the Tigers rally to beat the Twins 7–6.

11th  Minnesota takes a 3-1 edge with a 5–3 win at Detroit.

The Giants take a 3-2 lead in the series, defeating the Cards 6-3.

12th  Minnesota beats Detroit 9–5 in game 5 of the ALCS to wrap up its first AL championship since 1965. 3B Gary Gaetti is named MVP.

      The Reds fire GM Bill Bergesch and will replace him tomorrow with Murray Cook, who had most recently been GM of the Expos.

13th  John Tudor and 2 relievers shut down the Giants 1–0 to even the NLCS at 3-3.

14th  Danny Cox pitches the Cardinals’ 2nd consecutive shutout 6–0 over the Giants in game 7 of the NLCS, to send St. Louis to the World Series for the 3rd time in the 1980s. Giants OF Jeffrey Leonard (.417, 4 HRs) is named series MVP.

17th  In the first indoor World Series game ever (at Minnesota’s Metrodome), Dan Gladden’s grand slam caps a 7-run 4th inning and leads the Twins to a 10–1 win over St. Louis in game one. It is the first World Series grand slam since 1970.

18th  The Twins win their 2nd straight WS game 8–4, tallying 7 runs in the 4th inning. Bush’s bases loaded double is the inning’s big blow to back Bert Blyleven’s 7 innings of solid pitching.

19th  Billy Martin is named manager of the Yankees for a bizarre 5th time, replacing Lou Piniella, who replaced Martin, and who is “promoted” to general manager. Piniella led the Yankees to an 89-73 record in 1987, 4th in the AL East.

20th  The Cards get all their runs in the 7th off reliever Juan Berenguer to win 3–1 in game 3.

21st  With the help of a 3-run HR by the unlikely Tom Lawless—2 hits all season, St. Louis wins 7–2 to even the WS. The Cards score 6 in the 4th inning.

22nd  Danny Cox gives the Redbirds a 4–2 victory in game 5. Ford singles off Blyleven with the sacks full in the 6th to break a scoreless tie.

      Sachio Kinugasa, the Ironman of Japanese baseball, plays the final game of his 23-year career.  Kinugasa never missed a game from October 19, 1970 through today’s game, a streak of 2215 consecutive games played.  He broke in with the Hiroshima Carp in 1965.

24th  In the 6th  frame, Kent Hrbek belts the Twins 2nd grand slam of the World Series to lead a comeback from a 5–2 deficit, and the Twins win game 6, 11–5 to even the series at 3 games apiece. The home team has won all 6 games, with game 7 to be played in Minnesota tomorrow. Today’s match is a last day game in the WS.

25th  Series MVP Frank Viola and reliever Jeff Reardon hold the Cardinals to 6 hits as the Twins capture game seven 4–2 to win their first World Championship in Minnesota. The franchise’s last World Championship came in 1924 as the Washington Senators.

28th  Saying “I’ve needed a baseball man at my side,” Phils president Bill Giles hires Woody Woodward. Giles had acted as GM.

29th  Dallas Green unexpectedly resigns as president and general manager of the Cubs, citing “philosophical differences” with the Tribune Company, which owns the club.

NOVEMBER

2nd  Hank Peters takes on the job of president of the Indians in addition to his job as GM.

3rd  Oakland 1B Mark McGwire wins the AL Rookie of the Year Award, now called the Jackie Robinson Award, joining Carlton Fisk (1972) as the only player to win that league’s award unanimously. McGwire set a rookie record with 49 homers and was the first rookie to lead the majors in homers since Al Rosen in 1950.

4th  Padres catcher Benito Santiago is a unanimous selection as the NL Rookie of the Year, now called the Jackie Robinson Award, while Pirates pitcher Mike Dunne is the second choice on 22 of 24 ballots.

6th  The Royals trade pitcher Danny Jackson and SS Angel Salazar to the Reds for pitcher Ted Power and SS Kurt Stillwell. A good move by the Reds new GM Murray Cook, as Jackson will win 23 games in ’88.

10th  In the closest vote in the award’s history, Steve Bedrosian edges Rick Sutcliffe 57-55 to win the NL Cy Young Award. Bedrosian is the 3rd reliever ever to win the award in the NL.

11th  Roger Clemens becomes the first pitcher since Jim Palmer in 1975-76 to win consecutive Cy Young

      The Mets trade former first rounder Terry Blocker to the Braves for a player to be named (Kevin Brown).

13th  Jim Frey, who managed the Cubs to the 1984 NL East title and spent last season as a broadcaster for the club, is named the club’s director of baseball operations. His first major move will be to hire longtime friend Don Zimmer as manager on November 20th.

17th  George Bell becomes the first Blue Jay ever to win the AL MVP Award, edging Detroit’s Alan Trammell 332-311. Bell hit .308 last season with 47 home runs and a league-leading 134 RBI.

18th  Cubs OF Andre Dawson becomes the first player from a last-place club ever to win an MVP Award, taking NL honors for his .287-49-137 season. Dawson totaled just 32 walks.

      NL umpire Dick Nello dies in a freak accident in Lakeland, Florida. Nello was standing between two parked cars chatting with a friend when a vehicle slammed into one of the cars crushing him. Nello had just finished the NL season, his 20^th.  He is survived by his ex-wife Chesty Morgan, a well-endowed exotic dancer and occasional  film star.

27th  Former NL slugging great Babe Herman dies in Glendale, California.  He is survived by his wife Ann, and three children. His son Robert is the Opera Director Emeritus of the Miami Opera Company.

 

DECEMBER

1st  Free-agent OF Brett Butler signs a 2-year contract with the Giants. He hit .295 with 33 SBs for Cleveland in 1987.

5th  The Tigers swap pitcher Dan Petry to the Angels for center fielder Gary Pettis.

7th  Free-agent OF Bob Dernier, who hit a career-high .317 with 31 stolen bases for the Cubs last season, signs a one-year contract with his original ML club, the Phillies.

8th  Cincinnati trades OF Dave Parker to the A’s for pitchers Jose Rijo and Tim Birtsas, the Braves trade SS Rafael Ramirez to the Astros for a pair of minor leaguers, and in the day’s biggest (and most lopsided) deal, the Cubs send dominating reliever Lee Smith to the Red Sox for pitchers Al Nipper and Calvin Schiraldi. Chicago fears that the team’s all-time save leader might break down but he will pitch for another ten seasons.

9th  The Phillies trade Glenn Wilson along with Dave Brundage and Michael Jackson to the Mariners for Phil Bradley and Tim Fortugno.

10th  The White Sox trade ace lefthander Floyd Bannister (16-11 last season) and Dave Cochrane to the Royals for John Davis, Melido Perez, Greg Hibbard, and Chuck Mount.

11th  In a 3-team trade, the Dodgers acquire relief pitcher Jesse Orosco from the Mets and relief pitcher Jay Howell and SS Alfredo Griffin from the A’s, and send pitchers Bob Welch and Matt Young to Oakland and minor leaguer Jack Savage to New York. The Mets receive two A’s minor leaguers to complete the deal, pitchers Kevin Tapani and Wally Whitehurst.

      In the first trade ever between the Yankees and Mets that involves a ML player, the Mets send SS Rafael Santana and a minor leaguer to the Bronx for C Phil Lombardi and minor leaguers Darren Reed, and Steve Frey.

21stThe A’s sign free agent Dave Henderson, who played this past season with the San Francisco Giants.

22nd  The Yankees send P Steve Trout and OF Henry Cotto to Seattle for pitchers Lee Guetterman and Clay Parker and minor leaguer Wade Taylor.

 

•1988

JANUARY

6th  Free-agent slugger Jack Clark leaves the Cards and signs with the New York Yankees, while free agent Paul Molitor re-signs with the Brewers.

8th  Faced with a midnight deadline to re-sign with the Yankees, pitcher Bill Gullickson agrees to a 2-year contract with Japan’s Tokyo Giants instead.

12th  Former Pirates slugger Willie Stargell is the only player elected this year to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA, and becomes the 17th player to be elected in his first year of eligibility. Jim Bunning garners 317 (74.2%), and falls 4 votes shy of the 321 needed for election in his 13th year on the ballot.

13th  Steve Garvey retires. He hit just .211 last season and was not offered a new contract by the Padres.

14th  After playing last season with Japan’s Yakult Swallows, Bob Horner signs a one-year contract with the Cardinals, who need a power-hitting first baseman to replace Jack Clark.

22nd  As a result of the Players’ Association’s 1985 collusion suit against the owners, arbitrator Thomas Roberts declares seven players no-risk free agents until March 1st, giving them a chance to sign with other clubs despite already having contracts. The seven are Kirk Gibson, Carlton Fisk, Donnie Moore, Joe Niekro, Butch Wynegar, Tom Brookens, and Juan Beniquez.

29th  Detroit’s Kirk Gibson signs a 3-year contract with the Dodgers. Gibson will be the only one of the seven no-risk free agents to change clubs.

FEBRUARY

9th  Don Baylor signs a one-year contract with the A’s.

      St. Louis Cardinals trade Ricky Horton, Lance Johnson and cash to  the Chicago White Sox in exchange for starter Jose DeLeon. DeLeon will win 29 games in the next two seasons for the Birds.

10th  The Reds bring back Ed Milner, signing the free agent who played a year in San Francisco.

12th  The Padres trade reliever Rich Gossage and Ray Hayward to the Cubs for OF Keith Moreland and Mike Brumley.

15th  The Kansas City Royals swap Van Snider to Cincinnati Reds for Jeff Montgomery. Snider will play little in his two years in Cincy, while Montgomery will play 12 years in Kansas City, winning Fireman of the Year in 1993.

18th  The Padres sign veteran SS Dickie Thon, released by Houston last month.

23rd  A committee of Chicago aldermen vote 7-2 to allow the Cubs to install lights and play up to 18 night games a year at Wrigley Field. The Cubs had feared losing the 1990 All-Star Game, as well as future playoff and World Series games, if lights were not installed.

27th  Veteran Ray Knight is traded from Baltimore to Detroit for P Mark Thurmond.

MARCH

1st  For the first time since 1956 the Special Veterans Committee does not elect anyone to the Hall of Fame. Phil Rizzuto, Leo Durocher, Joe Gordon, and Gil Hodges are among the candidates passed over.

5th  The Expos sign free agent Otis Nixon, who played the last three seasons with Cleveland.

11th  Angels manager Gene Mauch, 62, takes a leave of absence for health reasons and is replaced by Cookie Rojas. Mauch will announce his retirement on March 27th.

17th  Newly acquired Yankee Jack Clark tears a tendon in his calf while hitting a home run in a spring training game against the Orioles and will miss the start of the regular season.

19th  The San Francisco Giants trade Rod Scurry to Seattle Mariners for a player to be named later; Donell Nixon on June 23rd.

21st  The Phillies trade 3B Rick Schu and outfielders Jeff Stone and Keith Hughes to the Orioles for OF Mike Young.

23rd  The San Francisco Giants trade minor leaguer Charlie Corbell to Oakland Athletics for minor league reliever Rod Beck. Starting in 1991, Beck will have seven stellar seasons in San Francisco.

24th  Look at the numbers. The Twins trade Billy Beane to the Detroit Tigers for Balvino Galvez.

26th  The Pirates trade catcher Mackey Sasser and Tim Drummond to the New York Mets in exchange for Randy Milligan and Scott Henion.

30th  Reds OF Eddie Milner is suspended for the 1988 season by Commissioner Ueberroth after suffering a relapse of his cocaine problem. The suspension will be lifted June 19 after Milner completes a drug rehab program.

      The New York Yankees trade 1B Orestes Destrade to the Pirates for 34-year-old reliever Hipolito Pena. Destrade, stuck behind Mattingly at 1B, asked to be traded.

APRIL

1st Each player needing a change of scenery, the Mets trade C John Gibbons to the Dodgers for Australian Craig Shipley.  Los Angeles had sent Shipley to Albuquerque, despite his hitting 11-for-18 in spring training and being named the top rookie.  When Shipley requested a trade, the Dodgers obliged. Gibbons will not make it out of the minors but will reappear in the Bigs as manager of Toronto.

4th  Toronto’s George Bell, the defending AL MVP, hits 3 home runs as the Blue Jays beat Kansas City 5–3 on Opening Day in  Kansas City. Bell will go 5-for-5 in Toronto’s 2nd game of the season.

      The Mets set an Opening Day record with 6 home runs in a 10–6 win over the Expos. Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds each connect twice for New York, with Strawberry’s 2nd blast believed to be the longest ever hit at Olympic Stadium (estimated at 525 feet).

      Texas knuckler Charlie Hough beats the Indians, 4–3, in the Rangers home opener. It is his 13th straight win over the Tribe, dating back to April 6, 1984, Hough allows 3 solo HRs, and gets an inning of relief from Mitch Williams. O’Brien has a pair of HRs, including the game winner in the 8th off Codiroti, in relief of Candiotti.

5th  Before 55,802 at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees score 6 runs off Frank Viola in 5 innings to top the Twins, 8–0. Rick Rhoden allows 3 hits in 9 innings for the win. Roberto Kelly and Willie Randolph each have three hits, while Jim Pagliarulo and Rickey Henderson belt homers.

7th  Reds rookie Chris Sabo ties a ML record with 11 assists at 3B in Cincinnati’s 8–1 win over St. Louis.

8th  Dave Martinez has 4 hits, including a grand slam, to lead the Cubs to their third win in a row, 6-4, over the host Expos. Jamie Moyer wins his first of the year, pitching into the 7th.

      At Riverfront, Houston scores 5 runs in the top of the 16th to beat the Reds, 8-3.

10th  At Riverfront, Houston scores 5 runs in the 7th and again in the 9th to swamp the Reds, 12-3. Glenn Davis belts a 3-run homer in the 7th and Kevin Bass clouts a grand slam in the 9th.

11th  In a wild one in Canada, the Blue Jays outslug the Yankees to win, 17-9, amassing 20 hits. David Wells wins with 4 innings of relief.  Kelly Gruber has a double and 2 homers to drive in 5 runs, while Rick Leach has 2 doubles, 2 singles and 2 RBIs.  Rickey Henderson does his best for the Yankees collecting 5 hits, 4 stolen bases and 4 runs.

12th  After leading his club to an 0-6 start, Orioles manager Cal Ripken, Sr. is fired and replaced by Frank Robinson. Ripken was 68-101 since taking over for Earl Weaver last season. According to Elias Sports Bureau, this is the quickest hook of a manager in a season in this century. The Tigers will match it in 2002.

      Rangers pitcher Bobby Witt ties the AL record by committing 4 balks in a 4–1 loss to the Tigers.

      Devon White hits a grand slam and drives in 5 runs as the Angels belt the visiting White Sox, 16-6. Jack Howell has 4 hits, including a homer, to drive in 3, and Chile Davis has 3 hits, including a HR, to also bring home 3. .

      John Kruk’s 5th inning grand slam is the difference as the Padres down the Dodgers, 5-3.

13th  Oakland’s Rick Honeycutt becomes the 2nd pitcher in as many days to tie the AL’s 28-year-old balk record by committing 4 balks in 4 innings while saving a 12–7 win over Seattle. A ML-record 924 balks will be called this season after umpires are instructed to interpret the “complete stop” rule more strictly.

14th The AAA Buffalo Bisons open their new 19,500 seat Pilot Field, named after Pilot Air Freight which paid $1.02 million for the naming rights. The Stadium replaces War Memorial Stadium, nicknamed, the Rockpile, which has been given to Canisius College.  In this opener, Buffalo tops the Denver Zephyrs, 1–0, before 19,500. Buffalo’s attendance will jump from 495,000 to 1,147,651 this year, a new minor-league record.

15thDuring the Reds 4–2 10-inning victory over the Astros, Reds SS Dave Concepcion is ejected from the dugout for blowing kisses at umpire Dave Pallone. The two have had a running feud.

      Cleveland edges Baltimore, 3-2, with the win going to Yett, who has yet to lose (2-0). Scott McGregor takes the loss, his 10th straight at the hands of the Indians. Joe Carter’s homer in the 8th ties the game at 2-2 and McGregor puts the winning run on before exiting.

      In a California League/ game at Stockton, Fresno pitchers Robert Rowen and Atsushi Tagi combine to throw 11 hitless innings. Rowen pitched the first 6 2/3 innings. Fresno wins, 3–1.

17th  After 10 consecutive losses the Braves win their first game of the season 3–1 over the Dodgers. Zane Smith is the winner. Atlanta’s 0-10 start is the worst in NL history but not the worst in the major leagues this year.

      At Boston, the Red Sox run up a 12-0 lead after 4 innings and coast home to a 15-2 walloping of the Texas Rangers.  Mike Greenwell leads the way with 6 RBIs and Bruce Hurst scatters 4 hits for his second win.

18th  At the Metrodome, the Yankees unload 20 hits as the batter starter Bert Blyleven for 5 runs, Steve Carlton for 6 and Tippy Martinez for 7 as they roll over the Twins, 18-5. Charlie Hudson picks up the win in relief. Dave Winfield paces the offense with 4 runs batted in. Steve Carlton is charged with his ML-record 90^thbalk before he leaves. He will make one final ML appearance before retiring.

19th  Jesse Barfield has a grand slam, off Bret Saberhagen,  in Toronto’s 7-run 3rd inning as the Jays beat the visiting Royals, 12-3.  Fred McGriff contributes a homer and 3 RBIs and Ernie Whitt has a triple and 3 RBIs.

20th  The Orioles set a ML record for consecutive losses at the start of a season, falling to 0-14 with an 8–6 loss to the Brewers. The 1904 Senators and 1920 Tigers each lost their first 13 games of the season. It’s not over yet for the O’s.

      Claudell Washington hits the 10,000th home run in Yankees history and Jack Clark hits his first AL home run in the top of the 10th inning to give New York a 7–6 win over Minnesota. The Yankees are the first ML club to hit 10,000 homers.

21stJohnny Ray drives in 6 runs to lead the Angels to an 11-6 win over the Mariners. Ray has 4 hits as does Bob Boone, who has 2 RBIs.

22ndCory Snyder in the 1st and Joe Carter in the 8^thhit grand slams to power the Indians to a 11–6 win over the Twins. Twins P Bert Blyleven hits a ML record-tying 4 Cleveland batsmen before departing in the 5th inning.

      The Cardinals trade veteran 2B Tom Herr to the Twins for OF Tom Brunansky.

23rd Dave Stewart (5-0) goes the distance as the A’s defeat the White Sox, 3-2, in 10 innings. Lance Johnson reaches 1B in the 10th when he receives a ball 4 call when reliever John Davis goes to his mouth, Johnson scores the winner to start the A’s on a 14-game winning streak.

      At Candlestick, the Dodgers score 4 in the 7th and another 5 in the 9th in a comeback 10-3 win over the Giants.  Mike Marshall hits a grand slam in the 9th and Orel Hirshiser (4-0) is the winner.

      Joe Carter clubs a pair of 3-run homers–one off Steve Carlton and another off Joe Niekro–to pace Cleveland to a 10-2 win over the Twins. John Farrell (3-0) goes the distance for the win. Carlton is pounded for 9 runs in 5 innings in his first start for the Twins: Minnesota will release the future Hall of Famer on the 28th, ending his career.

24th  Tim Laudner belts a pair of 3-run homers, both of reliever Rich Yett, as the Twins whip the Indians, 13-7.

      The Padres Andy Hawkins fires a one-hitter in stopping the Astros, 3-0. Bill Doran’s leadoff single in the 7th is the lone Houston hit.

26th  Keith Hernandez hits 2 home runs (one is a grand slam) and drives in 7 runs to reach the 1,000 career RBI mark as the Mets pound the Braves, 13–4.

27th  Nolan Ryan no-hits the Phillies for 81⁄3innings before Mike Schmidt singles and Ryan ends up getting no decision in Houston’s eventual 3–2, 10-inning win.  Ryan will have 5 one-hitters with the lone hit coming in the 9th inning: This is the 3rd.

      At Los Angeles, veteran Don Sutton shuts out the Cubs, 4–0, beating Jamie Moyer. It is his last decision versus the Cubs and he closes out his career against Chicago at 18–20. Not bad, considering that his first 13 decisions against the Cubs were losses.

28th  The Orioles set an AL record with their 21st consecutive loss, 4–2, to the Twins, breaking the record shared by the 1906 Red Sox and the 1916 and 1943 A’s. Ripken suffers through an 0-for-29, not the streak he’s looking for. Mike Boddicker drops to 0–5. Only the ’61 Phils had a longer losing streak, 23.

29th  Baltimore pounds Chicago 9–0 for its first win of the season, ending its losing streak. Mark Williamson and Dave Schmidt combine on the shutout.

30th  Dave Winfield drives in his 28th and 29th runs of the season in New York’s 15–3 rout of Texas, tying the ML record for RBI in April. Don Mattingly scores 5 runs for New York and Mike Pagliarulo has a 3-run homer and a grand slam to drive home 7.

      During a 6–5 loss to the Mets at Riverfront Stadium, Pete Rose is ejected after he shoves ump Dave Pallone with his forearm during an argument. Pallone had accidentally jabbed Rose on the check with his finger. The play started when Pallone hesitated before making a safe call at 1B, ruling Esasky pulled his foot off the bag. During the resulting argument, Howard Johnson scored from 3B with what proved to be the winning run. After Rose is tossed, the fans answer by tossing debris onto the field during a 14-minute delay. Pallone left the field and the game continued with 3 umps.

MAY

1stRob Deer belts a grand slam, off Buddy Black, to help lead the Brewers to a 10-6 win over the visiting Royals, Kansas City scores 4 in the 9th to close the gap.

2nd  Reds manager Pete Rose is suspended for 30 days by NL president Bart Giamatti, the stiffest suspension ever levied against a manager for an on-field incident. On April 30th Rose shoved umpire Dave Pallone in the 9th inning of a 6–5 loss to the Mets, inciting a near riot among Cincinnati fans. Giamatti also calls a meeting in NYC with announcers Marty Brennaman and Joe Nuxhall to discuss their “inflammatory and completely irresponsible remarks” during the game.

      Reds pitcher Ron Robinson is one out away from a perfect game against the Expos when pinch hitter Wallace Johnson singles on a 2-2 pitch, and Tim Raines follows with a home run. John Franco preserves the Reds’ 3–2 victory for fill-in manager Tommy Helms.

4th  Joe Niekro, 43, is released by the Twins, joining Steve Carlton and Tippy Martinez as the third veteran pitcher to be released by the club since Opening Day.

5th  Todd Benzinger and Dwight Evans each have 4 hits and 4 RBIs to lead the Red Sox to a 16-3 Fenway win over the White Sox. Marty Barrett adds 4 hits in the 18-hit attack.  Bruce Hurst (5-0) goes 7 innings for the victory.

      Alvin Davis hits a grand slam and drives in 5 runs as Seattle whips the Indians, 7-2. Bill Swift (2-0) goes 8 innings for the win.

6th  At the Kingdome, Pat Sheridan hits a pinch grand slam in the 8th for Detroit to give them a 7-4 lead over the Mariners. A Gary Pettis homer in the 9th makes it 8-4.

      In a 10-2 Dodger victory over the Cardinals, Jose Oquendo hits his third bases-loaded triple of the year, which ties the ML record. He is the only one to play fewer than 100 games in the season and accomplish the feat. He will have just three triples this year.

7th  At Arlington, Texas scores a run in the 9th to edge the Yankees, 3-2. Rickey Henderson has one of the two Yankee hits, scores 2 runs and steals 4 bases for the 13th time in his career.

8th  Pittsburgh’s Doug Drabek takes a no-hitter into the 9th before allowing a pinch single to Randy Ready and a home run to Marvell Wynne, but wins a 6–2 two-hitter over the Padres.

      Vance Law hits a 3-run homer and drives in 6 runs as the Cubs beat the visiting Giants, 13-7.  Ryne Sandberg collects 4 hits, including a pair of triples.

9th  Jerry Reuss picks up his 200th career victory with 71⁄3shutout innings in Chicago’s 3–0 win over Baltimore.

      Oakland beats Detroit 3–1 to extend its club-record winning streak to 14 consecutive games, the longest in the majors since 1977. The A’s will finally lose tomorrow 8–2 to the Tigers after starting the skein on April 23rd.  Oakland leads by 8 games in the AL West.

      The Reds Danny Jackson (5-1) beats the Phillies, 2–0, one of his NL-high 15 complete games this year.  David Palmer  takes the loss, the 10th straight time he has lost to the Reds.

10th  Mark Langston strikes out a 16 batters in a 4–2 win over Toronto, equaling the 1988 ML high set yesterday by Boston’s Roger Clemens ina 2–0three-hitter over the Royals.

11th  Six games go into extra innings, tying the one-day ML record. The Mets beat the Astros 9–8 in 10; the Pirates beat the Dodgers 2–1 in 11; the Phillies beat the Reds 4–3 in 11; the Cubs beat the Padres 1–0 on Vance Law’s 10th-inning squeeze bunt; the Giants beat the Cardinals 5–4 on Kevin Mitchell’s home run in the 16th; and the Indians beat the Angels 4–3 on Bryan Harvey’s 13th-inning balk.

13th  Barry Bonds hits a leadoff homer for the 2nd day in a row and the Pirates edge the Reds, 6-5. Barry’s father accomplished the same feat in 1973.

      At Fenway, 9 homers are hit by the two teams, 2 by Mike Greenwell, as Boston outslugs the Mariners, 14-8. Oil Can Boyd is kicked around by emerges with the win.

14th  IF Jose Oquendo becomes the first nonpitcher in 20 years to get a ML decision in the Cardinals’ 7–5, 19-inning loss to the Braves. St. Louis had used 7 pitchers when Oquendo comes in to pitch the 16th inning. He shuts out the Braves for 3 innings before surrendering the game-winning 2 runs.

15th  Willie Wilson has 4 hits, including a homer, and Danny Tartabull adds a grand slam as Kansas City beats Charlie Hough and the White Sox, 5-4.

18th  In Oakland’s 39th game of the season, pitcher Dave Stewart breaks the ML record with his 12th balk in a 4–1 loss to the Red Sox. Stewart will finish the season with 16 balks.

      In a deal made possible by the emergence of rookie 1B Mark Grace, the Cubs deal veteran 1B Leon Durham to the Reds for reliever Pat Perry.

19th  Greg Swindell tosses a 2-hitter against Chicago and wins, 1-0, when Cory Snyder hits a game-ending HR in the 9th for Cleveland off Bobby Thigpen. Both of Chicago’s hits are by Kenny Williams.

20th  Mike Schmidt hits his 535th career home run to move past Jimmie Foxx into 8th place on the all-time list, but the Phillies lose to San Diego 4–3.

      Paul Kilgus (6-3) allows one hit as the Rangers stop the Twins, 3-0.  Gary Gaetti’s double in the 8th is the lone safety.

      Chris Speier, who came in for an injured Rob Thompson, belts a grand slam, one of four homers for the Giants, as San Francisco beats the visiting Expos, 11-2.

22nd  Pedro Guerrero throws his bat at David Cone after being hit by a pitch in the Dodgers’ 5–2 loss to the Mets and will be suspended for 4 games by NL president Bart Giamatti.

      In game 1 at Arlington, Randy Bush scores 4 runs and Tim Laudner drives in 4 to pace the Twins to a 15-5 victory over the Rangers. Gary Gaetti accounts for the scoring in game 2 with a grand slam as Minnesota sweeps, 4-2.

23rd  Braves manager Chuck Tanner is fired and replaced by Russ Nixon. The Braves were 12-27 under Tanner, last in the NL West.

      Danny Tartabull, who hit an IPHR against Bert Blyleven last October, does it again in the Metrodome. The Twins hang on for a 7–5 win over KC. Bert also served up a pair of IPHR to Dick Allen in the dome in 1972, his only other IPHRs at Minnesota.

25th  At the Vet, the Dodgers shut out the Phillies, 4-0, on Tim Leary’s one hitter.  Darren Daulton’s single in the 3rd is the only hit he allows.

27th  Boston’s Dwight Evans collects his 2,000th career hit, in a 3–2 Red Sox loss to Oakland.

28th  The Padres fire manager Larry Bowa and replace him with Jack McKeon, who is also the club’s vice president of baseball operations. McKeon’s son-in-law, Greg Booker, has pitched in 17 of the first 46 Padre games, but will appear in just 17 games the rest of the year.

      Mickey Brantley clubs a 1st-inning grand slam and that is all the scoring Bill Swift needs as Seattle wins over the Yankees, 6-1. Seattle’s infield records 22 assists, a ML record, and  Alvin Davis at 1B has a record tying 22 putouts. Yankee 1B Don Mattingly last season had 22 putouts, the most since 1906.

      In his first start since 1981, Milwaukee’s Odell Jones no-hits the Indians for 81⁄3innings before allowing a pinch single to Ron Washington. Dan Plesac saves the 2–0 victory.

31st  Jeff Pico throws a 4-hit shutout against the Reds to win his ML debut with the Cubs 4–0. He is the first Cubs pitcher to debut with a shut out since Bill Lee in 1934.

      Yankee starter Al Leiter makes one pitch before leaving the game. Oakland leadoff hitter Carney Lansford bounces the first pitch off Leiter for a single, then goes to 2B on Leiter’s error. Leiter is replaced by reliever Neil Allen who gives up just 3 hits in 9 innings to record a 5–0 shutout for New York without recording a complete game. Allen will have one shutout and no starts this year.  Pagliarulo hits a 2-run HR off Ontiveros to supply Allen with all the runs he needs.

      B.J. Surhoff’s 4th-inning single is the only hit off Dave Stieb as the Blue Jays shut out the Brewers, 9-0.

      At Tiger Stadium, the White Sox do all their scoring in the first 3 innings as they whip the Tigers, 10-1.  Ivan Calderon has a 2-run homer in the 1st, Gary Redus a grand slam in the 2nd, and Ron Karkovice finishes with a 3-run shot in the 3rd.

JUNE

1st  On the first day of the amateur draft, the Padres use the top pick to take Evansville P Andy Benes. The Indians follow with Ohio prep SS Mark Lewis. The Braves select high schooler Steve Avery with the 3rd pick: Highly touted Greg Olson goes to the Orioles on the 4th pick; he’ll be the first of this crop to make the majors, the only one doing so this year. Picking 5th, the Dodgers go for Bill Bene (5–6 at Fresno State, 51 walks in 50 IP), a Steve Dalkowski reincarnate. He’ll walk 101 in his first 92 pro innings and go 1–14 in his first 2 years in the low minors. The Angels get Jim Abbott with the 8th pick, and the Cubs take Pan Am Games star Ty Griffin at #9, skipping Robin Ventura, who goes to the White Sox on the #10. The Giants take hi schooler Royce Clayton with the 17th pick; The Indians get Charles Nagy at #19; the Blue Jays catch Ed Sprague with the 25th; the Tigers pick Rico Brogna at #27. The Expos take Marquis Grissom in round 3. The Yankees take football all American Deion Sanders on the 30th round. The Orioles pick Pete Rose, Jr. on the 12th, and the Twins pick Pedro Oliva, Tony’s son, in the 40th. Houston takes Arizona basketball guard Kenny Lofton on the 17th round. As a favor to manager Tommy LaSorda, the Dodgers take his godson Mike Piazza with their last pick in the 62nd round.  Not bad.  All in all, 159 players from this draft will make it to the major leagues (as noted by John Skelton).

3rd  The Royals trade P Bud Black to Cleveland for versatile Pat Tabler.

      Julio Franco singles in the Indians 6-3 win over the Tigers to run his consecutive game hitting streak to 21 games.

      Tim Wallach triples in the 4th for the Expos when R.J. Reynolds attempts and misses a shoestring catch, then scores on a balk by John Smiley. It is the only hit Smiley allows.  Pittsburgh, faced with a 1-0 deficit, scores in the 8th and wins it in the 9th, 2-1, on Mike Diaz’s pinch RBI-single.

      At the Metrodome, Greg Gagne hits a grand slam but the Twins fall to the A’s, 8-5.

4th  Rickey Henderson steals 2 bases in New York’s 7–6, 14-inning loss to the Orioles, giving him a club-record 249 as a Yankee.

      At Comiskey, the White Sox come from behind to beat the Rangers, 10-8.  Chicago scores 6 in the 9th, capping it off with Gary Redus’ walk off grand slam.  It is his second slam in 5 days.

6th  Dick Williams is fired as manager of the Mariners and replaced on an interim basis by 1B coach Jimmy Snyder. Seattle was 23-33 under Williams, 6th in the AL West.

      The Reds Tom Browning (3-3) has a perfect no-hitter against the Padres for 81⁄3innings before allowing a single to Tony Gwynn. Gwynn hits a 3–0 pitch from Browning, who finishes with an easy 12–0 one-hitter. Eric Davis (2) and Kal Daniels homer in the 17-hit attack. Browning will go 16-2 the rest of the season.

8th  Pat Sheridan has 4 hits, including a pair of homers, to drive in 6 runs as the Tigers beat the host Orioles, 12-4.  Sheridan strikes out to lead of the 6th, then finishes off the scoring with a grand slam as the Bengals plate 8 runs in the frame.

      Paul O’Neill has 5 hits to pace the Reds to a 7-1 win over the host Padres.

In a pair of trades, the Giants send OF Jeff Leonard to the Brewers for IF Ernest Riles, and the Reds deal P Dennis Rasmussen to the Padres for reliever Candy Sierra. Jose Rijo will replace Rasmussen in the Reds’ starting rotation.

9th Orel Hershiser hits his first triple (of two) as the Dodgers top Nolan Ryan and Houston, 4-2. Nolan strikes out 2 in 6 innings. John Shelby has a single to extend his hitting streak the 24 games, the best in the majors this year.

10th  Dodgers OF John Shelby goes 0-for-4 in a 4–3 loss to the Padres, ending his hitting streak at 24 consecutive games.

      Atlanta scores 7 unearned runs in the top of the 13th to beat the Astros, 10-3. [the record for the inning is 10 runs]. All the runs are charged to Dave Smith (according to Retrosheet), who pitches 2/3’s of an inning. Gerald Perry has a homer and his second 5-hit game of the month.

      In a 3-1 loss to Minnesota, Seattle’s Harold Reynolds steals 4 bases.

11th  Jay Buhner has a grand slam and drives in 5 as the Yankees beat the Orioles, 8-6.  Batting seventh as the Yankees DH, ahead of Rafael Santana and Joel Skinner, pitcher Rick Rhoden hits a sacrifice fly. He is the first pitcher to start a game as a DH since the rule was adopted in 1973. Later, Jose Cruz replaces Rhoden as the DH. Starter John Candelaria (8-2) is the winner.

12th  Robin Yount hits for the cycle, leading Milwaukee to a 16–2 rout of the White Sox.

      Houston’s Mike Scott is one out away from his 2nd career no-hitter when Ken Oberkfell singles, and Scott settles for a 5–0 one-hitter against the Braves.

13th  In a 12–6 loss to the Yankees, Jim Rice hits his 200th Fenway HR, joining Ted and Yaz as the only 3 to do it.

14th  At Riverfront, Nick Esasky clubs a grand slam and Paul O’Neill solos as the Reds down the Astros, 7-1. Houston collects just 2 hits off Jose Rijo (8-1). Houston’s lone run comes when catcher Alex Trevino steals home on the front end of a double steal.

      In Detroit’s 9-3 victory over the Orioles, Tom Brooken’s cracks 4 hits, including a grand slam, and drives in 6 runs.

15th  At Fenway, Ellis Burks has 4 hits, including a grand slam, as the Red Sox stop the Yankees, 8-3. New York leads the Tigers by a game in the AL East.

      Indianapolis (Triple A) lefty Randy Johnson, about to be recalled by the Expos, is forced to leave a game against Richmond after knocking down a line drive with his pitching hand.  Angry at himself, Johnson reaches the dugout and punches the bat rack with his right hand.  His left hand is okay, but his right hand is broken, delaying his recall.

19th  Bert Blyleven wins his 250th career game as Minnesota beats Seattle, 3–1. Jeff Reardon picks up his 20th save of the season, giving him 7 straight 20-save seasons.

      Tom Candiotti strikes out 10 and walks none as Cleveland beats the first-place Yankees, 11-3. Batterymate Andy Allanson helps with a grand slam.

      At Memorial Stadium, the Red Sox unleash a 23-hit barrage to down the Orioles, 15-7. Marty Barrett has 4 hits and Mike Greenwell has 3 hits, including a homer, and 5 RBIs.

20th  In a 5–4 triumph over Milwaukee, Oakland’s Mark McGwire hits a triple.  His next and last ML triple will come in 1999 with the Cards.

21st  With 2 outs in the 9th inning, Tiger SS Allan Trammel blasts 3-2 pitch from Cecilio Guante for a game-ending grand slam to give the Bengals a 7–6 win over the Yankees. The Tigers enter the 9th down 6-1, but Dave Righetti walks in two runs before Guante relieves. The Tigers lead the Yankees by a game and a half in the AL East.

      Buddy Bell, acquired three days ago from the Reds for Carl Grovom, hits an RBI double in Houston’s 3-run 7th as the Astros down the Reds, 3-1.

22nd  Will the Thrill is the offense for the Giants as he drives in 7 runs in an 8-7 win over the Padres. Clark has a single, 2 doubles and 3-run homer.

23rd  George Steinbrenner fires Billy Martin for the 5th time, replacing him with Lou Piniella. In 1985, Piniella was fired and replaced by Martin. In 1985, Martin was fired and replaced by Piniella. New York’s 40-28 record is the 4th best in the big leagues, but the Yankees had just completed a 2-7 road trip.

      Despite lead off HRs by Baltimore’s Ken Gearhart and Fred Lynn, off Jim Clancy, Toronto wins, 5–2. This is the 2nd time in his career Clancy has started a game this way.

24th  Cleveland’s Doug Jones celebrates his 31st birthday by saving his 14th game in 14 appearances, breaking the ML record for consecutive saves set last season by Steve Bedrosian. Jones retires all 7 batters he faces to close out the Indians’ 7–5 win over the Yankees.

25th  Cal Ripken, Jr. plays in his 1,000th consecutive game, a 10–3 loss to Boston. Ripken’s streak is the 6th longest in ML history.

      Expos P Floyd Youmans, who underwent alcohol rehabilitation last fall, is suspended indefinitely by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth for failing to comply with his drug-testing program.

      California opens today’s game with just two outfielders—CF Devon White is in the clubhouse finishing a phone call when the game starts. RF Chili Davis tries to alert the umps but no one notices him.  California still wins over Milwaukee, 7–3.

26th  The Twins twice shut out the A’s, winning 11-0 and 5-0.  Charlie Lea and Frank Viola are the winning pitchers, though each get relief help.

      With Harold Baines hitting a 2-run homer and Daryl Boston adding a grand slam, the White Sox down the host Rangers, 7-5.

27th  After their first three pitchers give up 5 runs apiece, and Jeff Reardon allows a run in his inning of work, the Twins turn to LF Dan Gladden who pitches a scoreless 9th inning. California wins, 16-7, as Jack Howell and Bob Boone each drive in 4 runs, and Devon White and Wally Joyner each drive home 3.

28th  Pat Sheridan drives in 4 runs as the first-place Tigers beat Dave Righetti and the Yankees, 6-1, behind Frank Tanana.

      The Cubs hold a telephone lottery for 13,000 seats for the first night game schedule for August 8.  More than 1.5 million fans try to buy seats.

30th  Alarmed by the White Sox’ threatened move to St. Petersburg, Florida, Illinois lawmakers grant state subsidies for a new stadium to replace venerable but decaying Comiskey Park.

JULY

2nd  Behind John Candelaria’s 2-hitter the Yankees shut out the White Sox, 4-0. The candy man strikes out 10.

      Rick Schu has a grand slam in the Orioles’ 6-run 3rd as the O’s outgun the Rangers, 7-4.

      Dave Henderson has a 3-run homer and 4 RBIs but Terry Steinbach matches him with a grand slam and the A’s beat the Blue Jays, 11-3.

3rd  Oakland’s P Gene Nelson steals a base while pinch running for Don Baylor in a 9–8, 16-inning win over Toronto, becoming the first AL pitcher to steal a base since John “Blue Moon” Odom in 1973. Jose Canseco’s 3 HRs and 6 RBIs are not quite enough, and the game is not decided until Mark McGwire connects in the 16th inning to end it. McGwire will hit another 16th-inning HR tomorrow.

      Leadoff hitter Bob Brower belts a double and grand slam to drive in 6 runs as Texas tops the Orioles, 13-1.

4th  Kansas City releases pitcher Dan Quisenberry, whose 238 saves are the 4th most in ML history. He will sign with St. Louis next week.

     For the second time in three days, the Red Sox collect an inside-the-park home run against Kansas City, winning 9-2 behind Roger Clemens. Dwight Evans hits a liner to right field in the first inning on a checked swing and legs out the only IPHR of his career.  He adds a single and triple in the win.

      Rangers P Charlie Hough strikes out 4 batters in the first inning of a 13–2 loss to the Yankees.

      Deja vu all over again.  As he did yesterday, Mark McGwire belts a 16th inning homer. He’s joined two outs later by Stan Javier, who also connects off Brad Havens, to give the A’s a 4–2 win over Cleveland. Doug Jones pitches 3 shutout innings for Cleveland, but gets no decision, ending his ML-record streak of 15 consecutive saves.

      NL umpire Lee Weyer, 51, dies of a heart attack after working the Cubs 3–2 win over San Francisco.  In a 1987 Sports Illustratedpoll of NL catchers, the 6’6” Weyer was rated the best.

6th  Donell Nixon gets caught stealing twice in the 6th inning in the Giants 2-0 win over the Cubs. Nixon is caught at 2B but Ryne Sandberg drops the ball, then again at home during a suicide squeeze when Will Clark misses a bunt. Rick Reuschel pitches 8 shutout innings for the win, while Jamie Moyer allows a run in 7 innings.

8th  In game with the Angels, Cleveland’s Bud Black hits Jack Howell, Devon White, and Johnny Ray with pitches in the 4th inning of a 10–6 loss, tying the ML record. Bert Blyleven will match him in September.

9th  Chris Speier hits for the cycle and Ernest Riles hits the 10,000th home run in Giants history to lead San Francisco to a 21–2 rout of the Cardinals. The 21 runs are a San Francisco record. Speier also cycled as an Expo in 1978, just the 4th major leaguer to do so for two teams. He joins Joe Cronin (Washington, 1929; Red Sox, 1940), Babe Herman (Dodgers, 1931; Cubs, 1933), and Bob Watson (Astros, 1977; Boston, 1979). Kevin Mitchell has 4 hits, 4 runs and 4 RBIs and the battery of Kelly Downs and Bob Melvin adds 4 runs, 4 hits and 5 RBIs.

      Nolan Ryan wins his 100th game as an Astro 6–3 over the Mets, and becomes the 7th pitcher in ML history to win 100 for 2 different clubs. Ryan won 138 games for the Angels in the 1970s.          

      The White Sox hit 3 homers in the 4th inning as they edge the White Sox, 8-7, at Comiskey in the first of two games.  Roger Clemens strikes out 15 in 8 innings of the second contest, while Todd Benzinger hits a solo shot in the 9th to tie it at 2 apiece.  Boston then plates 6 runs in the 10th to win, 8-2.

10th  First place Oakland takes an 8-0 lead after 3 innings at Detroit, and coasts to an 8-2 victory over the Tigers. Walt Weiss has a grand slam in the 7-run 2nd.

12th  After being maligned by the press as an unworthy All-Star starter, A’s catcher Terry Steinbach hits a solo home run and a sacrifice fly to lead the AL to a 2–1 victory at Riverfront Stadium. He is named the game’s MVP.

13th  The Red Sox fire manager John McNamara and replace him with 3B coach Joe Morgan. Boston was 43-42 under McNamara.

      The Reds trade Tracy Jones and Pat Pacillo to the Expos for Jeff Reed, Herm Winningham, and Randy St. Claire.

14th  Ken Griffey singles for his 2,000th career hit in Atlanta’s 9–8 loss to the Mets. He also makes an error in the 11th on Kevin McReynolds fifth hit of the game, which drives in the winning run.  McReynolds has a 3-run homer, two doubles and two singles.

      Mike Schmidt hits his 537th career home run in Philadelphia’s 7–5 loss to Houston, moving past Mickey Mantle into 7th place all-time.

      Pittsburgh beats the Giants, 9–2.  Pirate INF Rafael Belliard goes 8-for-16 since July 8, and all 8 hits are infield singles.

15th  Roger Clemens strikes out 16 Royals for the 2nd time this season, sparking the Red Sox to a doubleheader sweep, 3–1 and 7–4, in Joe Morgan’s managerial debut.

California’s Bob Boone catches his 2,000th ML game as the Angels beat Detroit 6–4.

      Brook Jacoby hits a grand slam for Cleveland, but Seattle is the winner, 8-5.

16th  The White Sox beat the Yankees, 7-4, with all of New York’s scoring coming on a grand slam by Jose Cruz.

      At Baltimore, Jeff Ballard evens his record at 7-7 as the Orioles double the Red Sox, 8-4. Marty Barrett’s straight steal of home is the first in 15 years for Boston.

17th  Philadelphia’s Ricky Jordan homers in his first ML at bat and the Phillies go on to beat Houston 10–4.

      The Giants beat the Pirates, 5–4 with Robby Thompson hitting the 10,000th home run in Giants franchise history.

18th  Seattle’s Gene Walter balks 4 times in 2 1⁄3 innings in a 12–3 loss to Detroit. He is the 3rd AL pitcher to tie the ML record this season.

19th  In the top of the 9th at Wrigley Field, Cubs pitcher Rick Sutcliffe picks Brett Butler off 1B unassisted.  With Jose Uribe at 2B, Butler wanders too far off the bag and the Cubs pitcher nabs him for the out.  But Sutcliffe loses, 3–1, to Rick Reuschel.

21st  Where’s Seinfeld. In a pair of trades, Seattle sends DH Ken Phelps to the Yankees for OF Jay Buhner and 1B-DH Steve Balboni, and deals OF Glenn Wilson to the Pirates for IF-OF Darnell Coles.

      Red Sox veteran Jim Rice is suspended for 3 games by the club for shoving manager Joe Morgan. Rice was angered when Morgan replaced him with pinch hitter Spike Owen, who bunted in the 8th inning of Boston’s eventual 9–7 win over Minnesota. The Twins score single runs in the 8th and 9th and 2 runs in the 10th.  Todd Benzinger’s 3-run homer finishes the scoring.

23rd  Dave Winfield drives in all of the Yankees runs with a double and two homers, one a grand slam, but the Yankees fall to the Royals, 6-5. George Brett has a pair of homers for KC and Bo Jackson adds a 2-run homer. The Yanks stay a game behind the Tigers in the AL East.

25th  The Cubs hold practice under the lights for the first time. On hand are 5,000 fans, each of whom paid $100 to attend.

      In a contrast of styles, Roger Clemens bests Charlie Hough as the Red Sox take the Rangers, 2-0. The Rocket strikes out 14 and allows just 3 hits, including a pair of doubles by  Pete O’Brien. Pete Incavilgia K’s 4 times.

26th  In Montreal, Mike Fitzgerald hits a pinch grand slam off the Cubs Jeff Pico to give Montreal an 8-4 victory over Chicago.

      Jim Rice homers to give the Red Sox an 8-7 lead over Texas, but Ruben Sierra answers with a 2-run homer in the 7th and Texas emerges with a 9-8 victory. The loss snaps the Red Sox 12-game winning streak.

27th  Tommy John achieves what is believed to be a ML first by committing 3 errors on one play in the Yankees’ 16–3 rout of the Brewers. The feat ties the ML record for errors in one inning by a pitcher.

      Julio Franco has 3 doubles and 5 RBIs to pace the Indians to a 12-2 win over the Orioles.  Franco extends his hitting streak to 22 games, surpassing his 21-game hitting streak he rang up in June.

      At Texas, Boston scores 5 runs in the last 2 innings to beat the Rangers, 10-7. Ellis Burks contributes a 6th inning grand slam for the Bosox.  It is his second slam of the year.

      Brian Downing’s 12th inning triple drives in Wally Joyner with the winning run as California beats Oakland, 9-8.  Joyner, who reached base on a walk, has 3 hits in the game, including 2 homers, and 6 RBIs.

28th  The Tigers move back into first place with a 7-1 win over the Royals.  Jeff Robinson (12-4) fires a one-hitter, allowing just a 4th inning single to Frank White. Robinson will notch just one more win this year.

29th  Not bad. Baltimore trades veteran pitcher Mike Boddicker to the Red Sox for minor leaguers Brady Anderson and Curt Schilling.

      In the Cubs’ 8–3 win over the Kevin Gross and the host Phillies, Rick Sutcliffe swipes home, the first pitcher since Pascual Perez in 1984 to steal home. It comes on the front end of a double steal with Mitch Webster when the pitcher fakes a throw to 3B and throws to first, where Jordan makes an error.  Sutcliffe is the first Cubs pitcher to steal home since Hippo Vaughn in 1919.

30th  John Franco saves his 13th game of July in Cincinnati’s 2–0 win over San Diego, setting a ML record for saves in one month.

31st  Jose Canseco belts 2 home runs in the A’s 6–2 win over Seattle to become the first player to hit 30 or more home runs in each of his first 3 ML seasons.

      The Maddux brothers face each, with Greg (15-5) losing to Mike (3-1) to even their record against each at one apiece. The Phillies score 6 runs in 6 innings off Mike, while Mike Maddux allows 3 Cubs runs in 7 innings. Mike also adds an RBI single.

AUGUST

2nd  At Candlestick, Houston outslugs the Giants to win, 13-10. Houston scores 4 in the 1st before SF roars back with 2 in the bottom of the frame and 6 in the 2nd. Bill Doran has a grand slam in the 4th, to put the Astros ahead for good, and Buddy Bell adds a 3-run homer in the 8th.  Doran has 4 hits.

      Wes Gardner (5-1) allows 3 hits and a run in 7 innings as the Red Sox beat the visiting Rangers, 7-2. Mike Greenwell busts a grand slam for Boston.

      At St. Louis, the Phillies David Palmer pitches a 2-0 one-hitter to beat the Cardinals. Tim Jones hits a 6th-inning single—his first ML hit—to spoil the no-hit bid.

4th  Seattle John Rabb is suspended indefinitely for “failing to comply with the ML drug testing program.”

6th  Pirates reliever Jim Gott balks 3 times in the 8th inning to force in the winning run in a 5–3 loss to the Mets.

      Rich Gossage becomes the 2nd pitcher in ML history to record 300 saves by retiring one batter in the Cubs 7–4 win over Philadelphia. Reliever Pat Perry, in his only plate appearance for the Cubs this year, belts his only ML HR, a 2-run HR off Mike Maddux. Perry was traded for Bull Durham and in one at bat matches Durham’s output for the Reds.

      Jay Buhner’s 3rd-inning single is the only hit given up by Dave Stewart as the A’s stop the Mariners, 2-0.

7th  Darnell Coles, Alvin Davis, Jim Presley, Jay Buhner, and Rey Quinones all hit sacrifice flies in a 12–7 win over Oakland, giving the Mariners an AL record with the 5 sac flies.

8th  The Cubs and Phillies attempt to play the first night game ever at Wrigley Field, but are rained out in the 4th inning with Chicago leading 3–1. Sandberg’s HR off Kevin Gross is erased and the first Cub homer in a night game at home won’t occur till Damon Berryhill hits one on August 22.

      Tit for tat.  At Nashville’s Greer Stadium, Sounds pitcher Jack Armstrong fires a no-hitter to beat the Indianapolis Indians, 4-0.  This follows yesterday’s no-hitter when Indianapolis pitchers Randy Johnson and Pat Pacillo combined on a no-hitter to beat Nashville, 1-0.

9th  The Cubs and Mets play the first official night game at Wrigley Field, a 6–4 Chicago victory. New York’s Lenny Dykstra hits the first night home run, supplanting Phil Bradley, whose leadoff home run last night was washed out. Reliever Frank DiPino is the winner over Mets’ starter Sid Fernandez.

10th  At Atlanta, the Padres score two runs in the 16th inning, one on a homer by Benito Santiago, to beat the Braves, 5-4. Dale Murphy drives in all the Braves runs, 3 on a homer in the 3rd inning.

      The Dodgers release Don Sutton, the 12th-winningest pitcher in ML history and the club’s all-time victory leader.

      Willie Fraser fires a one-hitter as the Angels beat the Mariners, 2-1. Alvin Davis hits a homer in the 7th for the lone hit for the M’s.

      At Houston, the Giants whip the Astros, 5-0, on Don Robinson’s one-hitter. Terry Puhl’s infield single in the 2nd is the lone hit for the Astros.  Robinson then picks him off.

11th  After going 225 at bats, Gary Carter finally hits his 300th career home run as the Mets beat the Cubs 9–6. Kevin McReynolds has 5 RBIs,  4 on a grand slam off Goose Gossage. It is his second slam of the year. Rafael Palmeiro has a single for the Cubs to run his hitting streak to 20 games.

      Rickey Henderson reaches base 5 times and, for the third time this season, steals 4 bases, but the Yankees come up short, losing to the Blue Jays, 6-5. The Yanks lost all 3 games in which Rickey swiped 4.

      Danny Tartabull belts a 1st-inning grand slam for Kansas City but it takes a sac fly in the 12th to beat the Orioles, 6-5.

      Oakland scores 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th—four on a grand slam by Mark McGwire—to beat the Angels, 7-2.

12th  The Red Sox beat the Tigers, 9–4, for their 23rd consecutive win at home, breaking the AL record held by the 1931 A’s. Boston has not lost at Fenway Park since June 24th.

      At Wrigley, Joe Magrane pitches a one-hitter against the Cubs as St. Louis wins, 4-0. Vance Law’s single in the 2nd is the lone safety for Chicago.

13thBehind Dewey Evans 7 RBIs, the Red Sox defeat the Tigers, 16–4. The Sox collect 19 hits in winning their 24th straight at home, an AL record. Evans has 4 hits, including 2 homers.

14th  Detroit pounds Boston 18–6 at Fenway Park to end the Red Sox’ AL-record home winning streak at 24 games, 2 shy of the ML record held by the 1916 Giants. Roger Clemens gives up 8 runs in 11⁄3innings as the temperature hits 97 degrees. The Sox last lost at home on June 24 when Clemens was again the loser.

16th  The Dodgers trade Pedro Guerrero to the Cardinals for pitcher John Tudor, whose 2.29 ERA is leading the NL.

      Three Cardinals pitchers combine to shut out the Astros, 3-0. Houston threatens in the 8th inning but PH Don Pankovits grounds into a 5-4-3 triple play. 

19th  Carlton Fisk, 39, is 5-for-5 with a triple but his White Sox come up short, losing to the first place (AL East) Tigers, 5-4.

20th  Forty-year-old Dave Concepcion steals home to help the Reds defeat the Cardinals 6–2.

24thThe last-place Orioles come from behind in their last at bat in both games to sweep a pair from the Mariners by 4-3 scores.  The second game is 12 innings. Larry Sheets hits a 2-out 2-run homer in game 1.

      Tom Candiotti picks up the win as he and 2 relievers combine to strike out 8 batters in a Indians 7-2 win over the Brewers. Jeffrey Leonard contributes 5 of the strikeouts.

27th  Tommy Lasorda wins his 1,000th game as a manager as Los Angeles tops Philadelphia, 4–2.

29th  David Cone allows one hit—a 4th inning double by Tony Gwynn—as the Mets beat the Padres, 5-0. It is the second no-hit bid that Gwynn has broken up this season.

30th  Kent Tekulve becomes the 2nd pitcher in ML history to appear in 1,000 games by pitching 2 innings in Philadelphia’s 7–5 win over San Francisco.

      At Chicago, the Pirates nip the Cubs, 10–9, in 10 innings. Scott Medvin is the winner over Rich Gossage.

31st  Frank Tanana wins his 20th of the year as the Twins blast the Rangers, 10-1. Kirby Puckett hits a pair of homers and drives in 4.  Jack of all trades Jeff Kunkel plays 2B, 3B and SS for the Rangers, then pitches a scoreless 9th.

     Arbitrator George Nicolau rules against the ML owners in the “Collusion II” case, agreeing with the players’ contention that the owners had conspired to fix the free-agent market after the 1986 season. Twelve players will be granted no-risk free agency after the season.

      The first-place Tigers try for pennant insurance: Ted Power from Kansas City and Fred Lynn from Baltimore for players to be named later.

SEPTEMBER

1st  The Montreal Expos trade hard-throwing Bob Sebra to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Travis Chambers. Sebra, in the minors all season, was 6-15 for the Expos in 1987, striking out 14 batters in one game.

3rd  Dennis Eckersley sets an A’s record with his 37th save of the season in Oakland’s 5–4 win over New York. Eckersley will save 45 games this season, one shy of Dave Righetti’s ML record.

4th  Cincinnati’s Danny Jackson becomes the NL’s first 20-game winner by shutting out the Cubs on 6 hits as the Reds romp 17–0. Calvin Schiraldi is the loser. Jackson also has 4 hits, shortstop Luis Quinones has 5 RBIs and Paul O’Neill has 4.

      With the Tigers losing to Milwaukee, Boston moves into a first-place tie in the AL East by beating the Angels, 6-5, in 10 innings. Larry Parrish’s homer, off Bryan Harvey, in the 10th secures the win.

      Toronto scores 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th, then 4 more in the 9th on George Bell’s walkoff grand slam to beat the Rangers, 9-7.

5th  Dwight Evans has 3 hits, including a 2-run HR in the top of the 9th, and drives in 3 runs as the Red Sox beat the Orioles, 4-1. Marty Barrett catches Jim Traber with the hidden ball trick, flipping to SS Jody Reed for the out.  It is the third time for Barrett.

6th  Kal Daniels has a pair of homers and scores 5 runs to lead the Reds to a 10-3 win over the host Astros.

8th  At Wrigley, the Mets compile 20 hits, 5 by Howard Johnson, as the trip the Cubs, 13-6. Johnson has a homer and 4 RBIs.

      NL president Bart Giamatti is unanimously elected baseball’s 7th commissioner, and will succeed Peter Ueberroth next season.

      At Coors Field, the Rockies and Marlins put on an offensive display before the Rox emerge with an 11-10 victory. For the Fish, Cliff Floyd has 4 hits, including a homer, and 3 RBIs, while  has 3 hits, including a homer, and 4 ribbies. For Colorado, Nefti Perez has 4 hits and Vinny Castilla drives in 6 runs on 3 hits, including a 3 run homer.  Derrick Gibson has 4 consecutive hits, tying a NL record for a debut game.

9th  Bruce Sutter joins Rollie Fingers and Rich Gossage as the only pitchers to save 300 games as Atlanta beats San Diego 5–4 in 11 innings.

      Dave Stewart lasts 5+ innings, good enough for his 18th win, as Oakland beats the Royals, 14-6. Each team has 15 hits as Luis Polonia is 5-for-5 with 5 runs scored for the A’s.

10th  Orel Hershiser shuts out the Reds 5–0 to become a 20-game winner for the first time. It is his 2nd straight shutout.

      At Fenway, the Red Sox whip the Indians, 6-0, behind Roger Clemens. Dave Clark’s one-out single in the 8th is the only hit against the Rocket, who uses 86 pitches to finish the game.

11thThe host Yankees edge the Tigers, 5–4 in 18 innings as both teams score in the final inning. Steve Shields gets the win in relief when Claudell Washington homers. Rickey Henderson ties a 1948 AL record for extra innings with 12 putouts in LF. Gary Pettis has 4 steals for Detroit.

      At Jack Murphy, Dennis Rasmussen (14-8) allows one hit over 7 innings and the Padres plate 7 in the 2nd to beat the Braves, 8-2.  Marvell Wynne contributes a grand slam.

      At Busch, the Cardinals edge the Cubs, 3-2, on Ozzie Smith’s RBI bunt in the 7th to drive in the winning run.  It is the 4th consecutive game that Ozzie has the game-winning RBI, tying a NL record.

12th  Baltimore’s Eddie Murray collects his 2,000th career hit in a 6–1 loss to Boston, and Atlanta’s Dale Murphy drives in his 1,000th career run in a 5–4 loss to Los Angeles.

13th  Jim Rice’s 3rd inning grand slam starts the scoring at Fenway as the Red Sox down the Orioles, 6-4. Mike Smithson (8-5) gets the decision for the division leaders.

      Greg Maddux win his 17th and Damon Berryhill seals the win with a 7th inning grand slam as the Cubs beat the Phillies, 9-2.

      Pascual Perez scatters 7 hits and Hubie Brooks belts a grand slam as the Expos clip the Cardinals, 7-1.

      Jesse Barfield belts a grand slam and Ernie Whitt adds a 2-run homer as the Blue Jays flatten he Tigers, 9-1. Dave Stieb (13-8) goes 6 innings for the win.

14th  Mike Greenwell hits for the cycle to help Mike Boddicker earn a victory in his first game against his former club, a 4–3 Boston win over the Orioles. Lee Smith notches his 26th save.

      Led by 2 rookies and a 9-run 4th inning, off Dave Stewart, Texas beats the A’s, 9–1. Kevin Brown is the winning pitcher while his batterymate Chad Kreuter ties a ML record in his debut with 2 hits in the 4th inning. The second hit is a 3-run HR. Kreuter is the 3rd rookie (Billy Martin, Russ Morman) to have 2 hits in one inning. Brown, who won in his debut in 1986, improves his career mark to 2–0.

15thIn a 10–3 Twins win, Kirby Puckett collects his 1,000th hit, a double off Chicago’s Shawn Hillegas, one of 4 hits Mr. 5 by 5 has in the game  He is the 4th ever to get 1,000 hits in first 5 seasons (Medwick, Waner, Combs.) He’ll end with 1062, two hits short of Medwick’s record of 1064. Jim Dwyer hits his first homer of the year, a pinch grand slam.

16th  Cincinnati’s Tom Browning pitches the 14th perfect game in ML history, striking out 7 in a 1–0 win over the Dodgers. Tracy Woodson strikes out to end the only no-hitter in the major leagues this season.

17th  Pitching in the 9th inning, Jeff Reardon saves his 40th game of the season in Minnesota’s 3–1 win over Chicago, becoming the first pitcher ever to save 40 games in a season in each league. Reardon saved 41 for the Expos in 1985.

18th  Baltimore’s Bob Milacki allows one hit over 8 innings in his ML debut and Tom Niedenfuer pitches the 9th to complete a 2–0 one-hitter against the Tigers. Tom Brookens doubles in the 3rd for the lone hit.

      Bryan Harvey pitches the 9th inning, giving up a pinch grand slam to Pete O’Brien, but picks up the win as the Angels edge the Rangers, 6-5.

      Jeffrey Leonard connects for a grand slam and Jim Gantner has 3 hits and 3 RBI to pace the Brewers to a 10-2 victory over the Mariners.

19th  Oakland clinches the AL West title with a 5–3 win over the 2nd-place Twins.

20th  Wade Boggs goes 3-for-3 with 2 walks in Boston’s 13–2 rout of Toronto to become the first player this century to collect 200 hits in 6 consecutive seasons. Willie Keeler had 8 straight 200-hit seasons from 1894-1901. Boggs also joins Lou Gehrig as the only players to collect 200 hits and 100 walks in 3 consecutive seasons.

      The A’s knock Frank Viola (22-7) out of the box in the 4th inning en route to a 12–3 win over Minnesota. In the 5-run 8th inning Mike Gallego makes all 3 outs, grounding out and grounding into a DP. Davis (16-5) is the winner.

      Darrell Evans hits his 400th career home run off John Farrell in the 5th inning, and Chet Lemon hits his 200th career home run off Scott Bailes in the bottom of the 9th to lead Detroit to a 3–1 win over Cleveland.

      At the Kingdome, the Mariners score 2 in the 8th and beat the Royals in a 11-10 barn burner. Alvin Davis has 5 RBIs for the M’s and Dave Velle has 4 hits as Seattle collects 18 safeties.  KC is led by Danny Tartabull, who has 4 hits, including a grand slam, and 5 RBIs. It is his 23rd homer of the year and he is matched by teammate Bo Jackson.

      At Anaheim, Gary Sheffield hits a 2-run homer as the Brewers score 3 runs in the 8th against the Angels.  They plate another run in the 9th to win, 6-5. Joey Meyer becomes the second Brewer this years to strike out 5 times in a game.

21st  The first place Mets edge the Phillies, 4–3, at Shea as Sid Fernandez evens his record at 10-10. Darryl Strawberry and Greg Jefferies hit solo homers and Kevin McReynolds has 2 hits and his 21st stolen base without being caught stealing, a ML record. Chase Utley will top it in 2009.

      In game 1 of a twinbill at Dodger Stadium, the Padres score 9 runs in the first two innings to beat the Dodgers, 9-2. Dennis Rasmussen wins his 15th and batterymate Benito Santiago contributes a grand slam. Los Angeles comes back to win the second game, 6-5, in 10 innings.

      The Astros score a run in the 8th and beat the Braves, 1-0, on Bob Knepper’s one-hitter. Dale Murphy has the only hit for Atlanta.

22nd  The Mets clinch their 2nd NL East title in 3 years with a 3–1 win over Philadelphia.

23rd  The Angels fire manager Cookie Rojas and the Phillies fire manager Lee Elia. 3B coach Moose Stubing (California) and John Vukovich (Philadelphia) will manage the clubs for the remainder of this season. Stubing will return to the coaching box after going 0–8.

      Oakland’s Jose Canseco becomes the founder of baseball’s 40-HR, 40-SB club by stealing two bases in a 9–8, 14-inning win over Milwaukee. He also hits his 41st home run. McGwire hits his 29th and Rob Deer his 23rd. Felix Jose singles in the 14th, is bunted to 2B, steals 3rd, and scores on a sac fly.

      At Candlestick Park, the Dodgers win 3-0, behind Orel Hershiser (23-8) who pitches a complete game shutout to extend his record-vying streak to 49 consecutive shutout innings. Mickey Hatcher’s 2-out 3-run homer in the 8th off starter Atlee Hammaker is all the scoring.

24th  Toronto’s Dave Stieb is one out away from a no-hitter when Cleveland’s Julio Franco’s apparent game-ending grounder takes a bad hop over 2B Manny Lee’s head and Stieb is forced to settle for a 1–0 one-hitter. It is his second of the season. It is the 7th no-hitter broken up in the 9th inning this season.

      Dave Stewart wins his 20th game of the season and the A’s win their 100th, 5–2, over Milwaukee. Mark McGwire hits his 30th HR.

      At Arlington, the Mariners beat the Rangers, 3-0, as Mark Langston allows just one hit, a tainted one at that.  In the 5th inning, Chad Kreuter walks with 2 outs and Jeff Kunkel hits a fly ball that drops for a single when Jay Buhner loses it in the lights. Kreuter is thrown out at home ending the inning and the no-hitter. Langston is in the middle of a 34.1 inning scoreless streak.

      At Three Rivers, the Cubs edge the Pirates, 2-1, with all 3 runs scoring on sacrifice flies.

      The Expos Pascual Perez throws a 5-inning no-hitter as he beats Alex Madrid and the Phillies, 1-0. Rain halts the game in the 6th.

      Mookie Wilson and Kevin McReynolds each homer and drive in 4 runs in a 14-1 Mets blowout over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. David West, in his ML debut, pitches 5 innings for the win. Infielder José Oquendo switches to catcher for an inning, making him just the fourth player in NL history to play all 9 positions in a season.  Oquendo picked up a win in relief earlier in the year.

25th  At Memorial Stadium, the Tigers make good use of the 9th inning to sweep a pair from the Orioles, winning 2-1 and 7-4.  A 9th inning RBI single wins the opener, and pinchhitter Fred Lynn connects for a grand slam in the 9th of game 2.

26th  The Dodgers beat the Padres 3–2 to clinch the NL West title and earn a playoff date with the Mets, who won 10 of their 11 meetings this season.

27th  At Fenway, the Blue Jays jump off to a 9-0 lead after 2 innings and hold on to beat the Red Sox, 15-9. Ernie Whitt drives in 6 runs for the Jays, hitting homers in the 1st and 2nd innings. Mike Smithson allows 7 runs, exiting in the 2nd without getting an out. Despite the loss, the Sox still lead the AL East by 3.5 games.

28th  In his last start of the regular season, Orel Hershiser pitches 10 shutout innings to extend his consecutive-scoreless-inning streak to 59, breaking Dodger Don Drysdale’s ML record by one. San Diego’s Andy Hawkins also pitches 10 shutout innings and the Padres eventually win 2–1 on Mark Parent’s home run in the bottom of the 16th. Hershiser’s streak gets some help when umpire Paul Runge makes an interference call at 2B on a run-scoring double play.  Hershiser ends the month with a 5–0 record and an ERA of 0.00. His streak started on August 30th with 4 shutout innings against Montreal.

      In a 5–2 loss to Oakland, Minnesota’s Bert Blyleven plunks 3 batters in the 2nd inning to tie a ML record.

29th   Better late than never. The Cubs trade veteran C Jody Davis to the Braves for pitchers Kevin Coffman and Kevin Blankenship. Davis, an Atlanta native, would have been released at the end of the season and the Cubs make the trade as a favor.

      Boston scores in just two innings but beat the Indians, 12-0.  Mike Boddiker goes the distance, allowing 3 hits. Mike Greenwell’s single in the 3^rdinning drives in the winning run, the 23^rdtime this season that he has done so. It is the AL record.

      Baltimore trades well-traveled vet Jim Dwyer to the Twins for a player to be named later. That turns out to be P Doug Cline, acquired in 2 weeks.

30th  The Red Sox lose to Cleveland 3–2 but clinch the AL East title anyway when 2nd-place Milwaukee loses to Oakland 7–1.

      Dave Stieb is one out away from a no-hitter for the 2nd consecutive game, but falls short again when Jim Traber bloops a pinch-single over the head of 1B Fred McGriff. Stieb finishes with his 2nd straight one-hitter, 4–0, over the Orioles. He finishes the season with a scoreless inning streak of 31.2 innings.

      New York’s David Cone beats St. Louis 4–2 to improve his record to 20-3. He has won 8 in a row.

      President Ronald Reagan joins another old sportscaster when he visits Harry Caray in the broadcast booth during the Cubs game. It’s a wild one with the Cubs losing 10–9 to Pittsburgh in 10 innings.

OCTOBER

1st  Boston’s Jeff Sellers no-hits the Indians for 71⁄3innings before Luis Medina homers and Cleveland goes on to win 1–0. John Farrell wins his 14th for Cleveland.

      Rafael Palmiero has 2 hits, including a grand slam, and drives in 5 runs as the Cubs outslug the Pirates to win, 9-7. Vance Law adds a 3-run homer for Chicago.

2nd  Minnesota’s season-ending 3–2 win over the Angels is watched by 35,952 fans, making the Twins the first AL club ever to break 3 million in season attendance.

      In Cleveland, Boston’s Wade Boggs collects his 200th hit for the 6th straight season.  Wade’s mark breaks the record of 5 he shared with Chuck Klein (1929-33) and Charlie Gehringer (1933-37).

      Keith Brown pitches 7 innings and the Reds shut out the Braves, 1-0. Barry Larkin has a single in the 1st inning, then leaves for a pinch runner and finishing the season with a 20-game hitting streak. He’ll go hitless in his third game next season.

3rd  After 2 disappointing seasons in Philadelphia, C Lance Parrish is traded to California for a minor leaguer.

      Astros manager Hal Lanier is fired after leading the club to an 82-80 record.

      Cardinals coach Nick Leyva becomes the Phillies 3rd manager in 3 years, replacing Lee Elia, who was fired in September.

4th  Dwight Gooden and Orel Hershiser start but neither get the decision. New York rallies for three 9th-inning runs to win the opening NLCS game over the Dodgers 3–2.

      After a three-year run, the Pirates fire GM Syd Thrift.

5th  Tim Belcher strikes outs 10 Mets to give the Dodgers a 6–3 win in game 2.

Oakland wins the ALCS opener 2–1 over Boston.

6th  Jose Canseco’s 2-run HR in the 7th ties the game and Oakland goes on to win 4–3.

7th  Lou Piniella is fired as manager of the Yankees for the 2nd time, and Jim Fregosi is fired as manager of the White Sox. Dallas Green replaces Piniella, while Yankee coach Jeff Torborg will eventually replace Fregosi on November 3rd.

8th  Dodgers ace reliever Jay Howell is ejected in the 8th inning of game 3 of the NLCS for having pine tar on his glove, and the Mets go on to score 5 times in the inning on the way to an 8–4 win. Howell will be suspended for 3 games by the NL, but it will be reduced to two games on appeal.

      Down 5–0, Oakland cracks 4 HRs to beat Boston 10–6 for their 3rd win.

9th  Oakland beats Boston 4–1 to complete a 4-game sweep of the ALCS. Dennis Eckersley saves all 4 games and is named series MVP.

      Mike Scioscia’s 9th-inning 2-run HR ties the game, and Kirk Gibson’s game-winner in the 12th gives the Dodgers a 5-4 win.

10th  The Dodgers take a 6–0 lead and hold on to beat the Mets, 7–4.

11th  David Cone’s 5-hitter evens the NLCS at 3 apiece. New York wins 5–1.

12th  Series MVP Orel Hershiser shuts out New York on 5 hits to win game 7 of the NLCS 6–0 and put the Dodgers into the World Series for the first time since 1981.

15th  In one of the most improbable finishes in World Series history, pinch hitter Kirk Gibson hits a 2-run home run off Dennis Eckersley with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Dodgers a 5–4 win in game one. The injured Gibson was not expected to play in the NLCS, and will not play again in the Series. It is the first World Series game to end on a home run since game 6 in 1975.

16th  Orel Hershiser gives up 3 hits and hits 3 himself to beat Oakland 6–0.

18th  Mark McGwire’s home run off Jay Howell in the bottom of the 9th gives Oakland a 2–1 win in game 3 of the World Series.

19th  The Dodgers win 4–3, taking advantage of Oakland errors to beat Dave Stewart.

20th  Series MVP Orel Hershiser ends his dream season with a 5–2 four-hitter over the A’s in game 5 of the World Series. Mickey Hatcher starts the Dodger scoring with a 2-run HR in the 1st off Storm Davis, Hatcher’s 2nd HR of the Series. The win gives the Dodgers their first World Championship since 1981. Los Angeles is the only team to win more than one World Series in the 1980s.

24th  Less than a year after signing him as a free agent, the Yankees trade 1B-DH Jack Clark to the Padres with P Pat Clements for pitchers Lance McCullers, Jimmy Jones, and OF Stan Jefferson.

      The Phillies trade P Shane Rawley to Minnesota for 2B Tom Herr, OF Eric Bullock, and C Tom Nieto.

28th  The Tigers trade P Walt Terrell to San Diego for versatile Keith Moreland and 3B Chris Brown.

NOVEMBER

1st  Chris Sabo, who hit .271 with 11 home runs and 46 stolen bases as the Reds 3B, wins the NL Rookie of the Year award. Chicago’s Mark Grace is runner-up.

2nd  Oakland SS Walt Weiss becomes the 3rd consecutive A’s player to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, joining sluggers Jose Canseco (1986) and Mark McGwire (1987).

3rd  Veteran pitcher Bert Blyleven changes clubs for the 5th time, going from the Twins to the Angels for a package of minor leaguers.

7th  Art Howe, who played for Houston from 1976-83, is named manager of the Astros, while Jim Lefebvre is named manager of the Mariners.

10th  Orel Hershiser (23-8) is a unanimous choice as NL Cy Young Award winner.

The Orioles hire the popular Roland Hemond as General Manager. He’ll last 7 years.

14th  Doug Rader, who piloted the Rangers from 1982-85, is named manager of the California Angels.

15th  Dodgers OF Kirk Gibson wins the NL MVP Award, edging Mets Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds. Gibson hit .290 with 25 home runs and just 76 RBI.

16th  Jose Canseco becomes the first unanimous AL MVP since Reggie Jackson in 1973.

23rd  Free-agent 2B Steve Sax leaves the World Champion Dodgers and signs a 3-year contract with the Yankees.

28th  Mike Moore, 9-15 last season for Seattle, signs as a free agent with the AL champion A’s.

28th  The Red Sox sign Rich Gedman to a one-year, $1.2 million contract that makes him the highest-paid catcher in the AL. He will hit .212 in 1989.

30th  The Royals sign veteran catcher Bob Boone, who hit a career-high .295 last season.

DECEMBER

3rd  Two free-agent pitchers sign 3-year contracts, Jesse Orosco with Cleveland and Dave LaPoint with the Yankees.

4th  The Orioles trade veteran 1B Eddie Murray to the Dodgers for pitchers Ken Howell and Brian Holton and infield prospect Juan Bell.

5th  Not the best trade the Cubs have ever made. The Cubs and Rangers complete a 9-player swap, with Chicago giving up OF Rafael Palmeiro, P Jamie Moyer, and P Drew Hall in exchange for IF Curtis Wilkerson and pitchers Mitch Williams, Paul Kilgus, and Steve Wilson, and a pair of minor leaguers to be named.

6th  The Rangers complete their 2nd major trade in as many days, sending 1B Pete O’Brien, OF Oddibe McDowell, and 2B Jerry Browne to Cleveland for 2B Julio Franco. The Expos and Phillies also complete a trade, P Kevin Gross to Montreal for pitchers Jeff Parrett and Floyd Youmans.

      The A’s sign free agent pitcher Mike Moore from the Mariners. Seattle receives the A’s first round pick as compensation, and will use it to select P Scott Burrell.

7th  The Rangers sign free-agent pitcher Nolan Ryan to a one-year contract.

8th  Pitcher Bruce Hurst, considered the cream of this year’s free-agent crop, signs a 3-year contract with the Padres. The Yankees sign free-agent pitcher Andy Hawkins, and the Expos trade P John Dopson and SS Luis Rivera to Boston for SS Spike Owen, and OF Tracy Jones to San Francisco for OF-1B Mike Aldrete.

10th  Free-agent Willie Randolph signs with the Dodgers. He will replace Steve Sax in the lineup, who earlier this month signed with Randolph’s former club, the Yankees.

13th  The Red Sox trade 1B-OF Todd Benzinger, P Jeff Sellers, and a player to be named later to the Reds for 1B Nick Esasky and P Rob Murphy.

 

•1989

JANUARY

5th  Three weeks after signing a record 4-year, $1.1 billion network television contract with CBS, major league baseball signs a $400 million contract with ESPN that will put 175 games per year on cable television beginning in 1990.

9th  Johnny Bench and Carl Yastrzemski are elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA in their first year of eligibility. Bench was named on 96.4 percent of the ballots, the 3rd-highest figure in history behind Ty Cobb and Hank Aaron.

17th  Free-agent Claudell Washington leaves the Yankees to sign a 3-year contract with the Angels.

26th  Last season’s tougher balk rules are rescinded, and the rule is returned to its pre-1988 form.

29th  The game-winning RBI is dropped as an official statistic after 9 years of use. The Mets Keith Hernandez is the all-time leader with 129.

FEBRUARY

2nd  Bill White, a 6-time All-Star and longtime Yankees broadcaster, is elected president of the National League. He becomes the highest-ranking black official in American professional sports.

16th  Orel Hershiser becomes the first player in ML history to sign a contract that calls for a $3 million salary by inking a 3-year, $7.9 million contract with the Dodgers that will pay him $3,166,667 in 1991.

21st  Reds manager Pete Rose meets with Commissioner Peter Ueberroth, Commissioner-elect Bart Giamatti and Fay Vincent to discuss his gambling habits. In his January 2004 book, Pete says he told the commissioner, “No sir, I did not bet on baseball.” Afterwards, Rose says “You can read anything you want into it. But I don’t see anything bad.”

26th  A California court throws out a major part of Margo Adams $12 million breach-of-contract suit against Red Sox 3B Wade Boggs. Adams claimed that Boggs had promised her a salary and expenses during a 4-year affair.

28th  Red Schoendienst, a former second baseman and manager of the Cardinals, and Al Barlick, a ML umpire for over 29 seasons, are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.

MARCH

9th  Bob Horner, 31, announces his retirement because of a damaged left shoulder.

19th  With Dave Winfield sidelined, the Yankees trade C Joel Skinner and a minor leaguer to the Indians for OF Mel Hall. Winfield will miss all of the 1989 season after undergoing back surgery next week for central disc herniation.

20th  The commissioner’s office announces that Reds manager Pete Rose is under investigation for unnamed “serious allegations.”

25th  The Indians and Pirates swap shortstops, with Felix Fermin going to Cleveland in exchange for Jay Bell.

28th  AL umpire Nick Bremigan, 43, dies of a heart attack.

      The Cubs released Goose Gossage, who will sign with the San Francisco Giants in two weeks.

APRIL

3rd  The Mets win their 11th consecutive home opener, 8–4, over St. Louis at Shea Stadium. New York has won on Opening Day in 18 of the last 20 seasons. Dwight Gooden is the winner, helped by a home run by Howard Johnson.

      Facing Dave Stewart, Ken Griffey, Jr. doubles in his first ML at bat, but the Athletics beat the Mariners, 3–2. Mark McGwire homers for the A’s.

      At Baltimore, President George H.W. Bush and his guest Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak watch the Orioles beat the Red Sox, 5-4, in 11 innings.  Roger Clemens strikes out 4 in 7 innings and surrenders a 3-run homer to Cal Ripken, Jr. Rookie Craig Worthington drives in the winning run in the 11th.  Bush tosses out the first ball but is not around for the last.

4th  Before 52,394 at Minneapolis, the Yankees spoil the Twins Opening Day game by winning, 4–2.  45-year-old Tommy John, pitching in his 26th season, allows the Twins two run in 7 innings of work, defeating Frank Viola.  Roberto Kelly is 4-for-4 for New York, including the game’s only homer.

      The Cubs open the season with a 5-4 win over the Phillies as Mitch Williams strikes out three straight batters with the bases full. Rick Sutcliffe picks up the win, the first Cubs pitcher to win back-to-back openers since Pete Alexander in 1925-26.

      Rangers DH Buddy Bell gets his 2,500th career hit, a single off Jack Morris in a 4–0 win over Detroit.

6th  In his first start of the season, Orel Hershiser gives up a run in the first inning of a 4–3 loss to the Reds to end his ML-record consecutive-scoreless-inning streak at 59.

      In the Royals 3–2 win over the Blue Jays, Kansas City batters combine for just 20 at bats. This is one shy of the ML record for fewest at bats, which Baltimore set on September 12, 1964, versus Kansas City. Toronto allows 8 walks, made 3 DPs, and KC has a sac and 2 sac flies.

7th  At Texas, Tony Fernandez hits a 2nd inning grand slam, off Bobby Witt, and Kelly Gruber adds a tie-breaking solo homer in the 8th as the Blue Jays win at Texas, 10-9.

      In Kansas City, the Red Sox edge the Royals, 9-8, as Kansas City’s 4-run rally in the 9th falls short.  A handful of fans wear Margo Adams masks in an effort the distract Wade Boggs, who is being sued by his former mistress. The masks were handed out at the main gate by a local radio station. Not one to chicken out, Boggs singles in his first at bat. He’ll have 7 hits in the three games in KC, raising his average to .429.

8th  One-handed pitcher Jim Abbott makes his ML debut but lasts only 42⁄3innings in California’s 7–0 loss to Seattle. Abbott, who bypassed the minors completely after starring at the University of Michigan, will finish the season 12-12 with a 3.92 ERA, the most ML wins in a first pro season since the Browns Ernie Wingard won 13 in his first pro season, in 1924.

      Ivan Calderon’s 5th inning grand slam, off Rick Honeycutt, is the difference as the White Sox trim the A’s, 7-4, in Oakland.

9th  Rickey Henderson steals his 800th career base in New York’s 4–3 loss to the Indians.

      At Riverfront, Rick Reuschel (2-0) goes 6 innings and Matt Williams hits a grand slam as the Giants down the Reds, 8-1.

10th  Dave Stieb pitches a one-hitter against the Yankees, giving him 3 one-hitters in his last 4 starts (dating back to last September). Jamie Quirk’s 5th-inning single is the only hit off Stieb in the 8–0 Blue Jays’ victory. Jesse Barfield has 4 hits, including a 3-run homer.

      Ken Griffey, Jr. hits his first ML home run, off Eric King, in Seattle’s 6–5 win over the White Sox. He and his father, a reserve outfielder on the Reds, are the first father-and-son duo to play in the major leagues at the same time.

      San Diego’s Bruce Hurst pitches a one-hitter and collects his first ML hit in a 5–2 win over the Braves. Lonnie Smith’s 2-run HR in the 3rd is the only hit.

      Eddie Murray hits his first NL home run, a grand slam in the top of the 9th inning, that leads the Dodgers to a 7–4 win over the Giants. It is Murray’s 15th career grand slam and it comes off Mike LaCoss.

11th  At Washington’s RFK Stadium, the Soviet national baseball team loses to George Washington University, 20–1. Soviet 1B Nugzar Pophadze stuns the crowd with a long HR in the left-field stands, one of 2 Russian hits. Two days earlier, the Russians were beaten 21–1 by a team from Annapolis.

      Allan Anderson and two relievers hold the Tigers scoreless as the Twins beat up on Detroit, 14-0.  Kirby Puckett has a double and homer and Carmelo Castillo, batting for Kent Hrbek, hits a grand slam in the 8-run 8th. 

      Kelly Gruber has a double and a pair of homers to drive in 5 runs to lead his Blue Jays to a 17-9 win over the Yankees. Rick Leach adds 4 hits while Rickey Henderson has 5 hits and 4 steals for the Yankees.

12th  In his 2nd start for Texas, Nolan Ryan no-hits the Brewers for 7 innings before Terry Francona singles. Ryan also sets a club record with 15 strikeouts on the way to an 8–1 win.

      It takes 15 innings, but the Orioles beat the Royals, 5–4, ending a 15-game losing streak to KC. Kansas City scores 3 runs in the 9th to tie, but reliever Mark Williamson then retires 14 straight batters.

14th  Al Leiter wins his first of the year for the Yankees as he goes 8 innings in beating the Twins, 8-5. He strikes out 10 and throws 163 pitches in the cold April air. Steve Balboni helps with a 5th inning grand slam. Leiter’s reward will be a trade to the Blue Jays in two weeks.  He’ll start just two more games for New York and one in Toronto before a sore arm shuts him down.  1993 will be the first ML season that Leiter will pitch more than 60 innings.

      Harold Reynolds has 3 hits and 3 RBIs and Jeffery Leonard adds a grand slam as the Mariners whip the Angels, 9-5, at the SkyDome.

15th  At Three Rivers, Glenn Wilson hits a 2-run homer in the 1^stinning, off Randy Johnson, as the Pirates jump to a 5-0 lead after 2 innings. They hold on for a 6-4 win over Montreal.  Johnson has now given up 5 homeruns in his career, 3 to Wilson.

16th  Kelly Gruber becomes the first Blue Jay to hit for the cycle as Toronto beats Kansas City, 15–8. Gruber scores 4 runs and drives in 6 to back David Wells relief effort. George Bell, Fred McGriff and Pat Borders each add a pair of doubles and Jesse Barfield chips in a 3-run homer as the Jays total 10 extra base hits.

      At Yankee Stadium, Gary Gaetti hits a pair of homers off Yanks starter Tommy John as the Twins beat the Yanks, 9-4. Gaetti has 6 RBIs.

17th  Kent Tekulve pitches 2 shutout innings in the Reds 3–2, 10-inning win over the Dodgers to pass Hoyt Wilhelm as the major leagues’ all-time leader in relief appearances with 1,019.

      At Arlington, Bill Spiers ties the bow on an 8-1 Brewers victory with a 9th inning grand slam off Brad Arnsberg. Bill Wegman goes 7+ innings for the win.

19th  Mets SS Kevin Elster plays his 73rd consecutive errorless game in a 4–2 win over the Phillies, breaking Ed Brinkman’s ML record for shortstops.

23rd  Nolan Ryan is 2 outs from a no-hitter when Nelson Liriano triples and Ryan settles for a 4–1 one-hitter over the Blue Jays. It is Ryan’s 10th career one-hitter, and the 4th that breaks up a no-hitter in the last inning. He’ll have one more.

      Dale Murphy has 4 hits, including a 2-run homer, to drive in 6 runs as the Braves defeat the visiting Padres, 9-4.

26th  The Brewers pound the Twins, 12-0, behind a 4-hitter by Chris Bosio (4-0). B.J. Surhoff helps with a 7th inning grand slam.

27th  Ozzie Guillen drives in the go-ahead run in the 16th with a triple, his 4th hit of the game, as the White Sox beat the host Red Sox, 3-1.  Donn Pall throws 4 shutout innings for his first career win.

      At Three Rivers Stadium, Carmelo Martinez bangs an 8th inning grand slam as the Padres beat the Pirates, 8-1.

28th  Nelson Liriano breaks up a no-hitter in the 9th inning for the 2nd time in 6 days, ending Kirk McCaskill’s bid with a pinch-hit double. The Angels McCaskill settles for a 9–0 one-hitter over Toronto.

      Nick Esasky pounds a 1st inning homerun as Boston jumps to a 5-0 lead in Arlington. Texas rebounds to tie and the game is suspended at 6-6 at the end of the 10th. It will be completed tomorrow with Texas winning 7-6 in 12 innings on Julio Franco’s walkoff homer.

29th  In a rain-delayed, rain-shortened game at the Vet, the Phillies swamp the Reds, 8-0, in 5 innings. Mike Maddux picks up the win and Chris James hits a grand slam off Danny Jackson in the 4th.

30th  The Yankees trade 23-year-old lefthander Al Leiter to the Blue Jays for OF Jesse Barfield. Leiter will return to the Yankees again in 16 years.

MAY

1st  In San Francisco, Cubs catcher Damon Berryhill hits a leadoff homer in the 12th, off Mike LaCoss, and Chicago wins, 4–3, over the Giants. Jeff Pico is the winner.

2nd  At Toronto, Rance Mulliniks clubs a 1st inning grand slam for the Blue Jays, but the A’s answer with one of their own when Mark McGwire hits a four-run homer in the 9th as Oakland wins, 8-5.

      At the Kingdome, Jeffrey Leonard’s 3rd-inning grand slam starts the scoring as the Mariners sink the Tigers, 7-2.

3rd  Andre Dawson has a triple and homerun to drive in 3 runs as the Cubs edge the Padres, 5-4.

4th  Toronto’s Junior Felix hits the first pitch he sees in the big leagues for a home run off Kirk McCaskill, but the Blue Jays lose, 3–2, in 10 innings. He is the 27th AL player ever to homer in his first ML at bat, and the 10th to do so on the first pitch.

      Cleveland’s John Farrell no-hits the Royals for 8 innings before Kevin Seitzer singles. Doug Jones nails down the 3–1 one-hitter.

5th  Andre Dawson collects 4 hits to lead the Cubs to a 4–2 win over the Dodgers. Dawson has now collected 8 hits in his last 8 at bats, including 2 homers and 2 triples. He is 10-for-12 with 3 homers and 3 triples. However, on May 11th he’ll undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and miss 33 games.

      Paced by the Smiths, Atlanta whips Montreal, 13-3. Pitchers Zane is the winner while Lonnie has a homerun and scores 5 runs. Andres Thomas has 4 hits and 5 RBIs for the Braves, while Jody Davis drives in 4 runs.

9th  For the first time since April 10th, no ML games are shutouts, ending a streak of 29 consecutive days with at least one shutout.

      Mets SS Kevin Elster and Red Sox catcher Rick Cerone end their ML-record errorless game streaks for their positions. Elster had played 88 consecutive games without an error while Cerone had played 159.

      A’s slugger Jose Canseco has an operation to repair a stress fracture in his left hand and will miss the first half of the season.  The injury occurred after just 9 at bats in the Cactus League.

10th  Mark Langston no-hits Toronto for 8 innings before Tom Lawless singles and the Blue Jays rally for 3 runs to beat Seattle 3–2. It is the 3rd time this season that the Blue Jays have broken up a no-hit bid in the 9th inning.

      The Cubs lose to the Giants, 4–3 when a rally falls short. Jerome Walton is tagged for the last out as he is crawling to 3B. Walton injures his hamstring on the play and will miss a month.

11th  Just 3 days after vetoing a proposed trade to Pittsburgh for OF Glenn Wilson, 37-year-old catcher Alan Ashby is waived by the Astros making way for Craig Biggio to take over.

      The Tigers, with the worst record in the ML, lose 3–1 to their Toledo farm club. The winning pitcher is 40-year-old Mud Hens manager John Wockenfuss, who never pitched during his 12-year ML career.

12th  San Francisco’s Rick Reuschel beats Montreal 2–1 for his 200th ML win.

13th  Kirby Puckett hits 4 doubles in the Twins 10–8 win over the Blue Jays, tying the ML single-game record. He will hit 2 more doubles in a 13–1 win tomorrow to tie the 2-game record.

15th  The Blue Jays fire manager Jimy Williams and replace him with hitting coach Cito Gaston. Williams led the club to a 12-24 start and had several publicized run-ins with star slugger George Bell, who refused to be the DH.

      After the Giants Scott Garrelts and the Phillies Don Carman each throw 9 scoreless innings, the Giants break the silence when Will Clark and Kevin Mitchell hit back-to-back homers in the top of the 12th.  Bob Dernier answers for the Phils with a 3-run walkoff inside-the-park homer to give the Quakers a 3-2 victory.

      The Angels edge the Yankees, 4-3, in 11 innings. Roberto Kelly has 3 hits, including a homer for New York, and steals 4 bases.

      In the Tigers 3-2 win over the White Sox, Chicago pinch runner Darryl Boston ends the game by being thrown out at home on an attempted double steal. The play goes 2-4-2. It won’t happen again till 2012.

      The Twins lose, 4–3, to the Royals and also lose Kent Hrbek, who dislocates his left shoulder diving for a ball. He’ll be out till June 26.  Before the injury, Hrbek hits his 7th homer of the year.

19th  In Oakland, the Red Sox score in the top of the 9th to take a 2-run lead over the A’s, but Oakland plates 2 runs on 4 hits to tie. In the 10th,  Dwight Evans connects for a grand slam off his old teammate Dennis Eckersley and the Sox win, 7-4.

      Tim Belcher allows 3 hits—2 by Tim Raines—in shutting out the Expos, 8-0.  Dodger teammate Jeff Hamilton accounts for half the runs with a 7th inning grand slam.

20th  The Twins score 15 runs in the last 4 innings at Texas to pound the Rangers, 19-3.  Randy Bush has a pair of 3-run homers and drives in 8 runs. John Moses has a HR and 3 RBIs and Greg Gagne adds a 3-run homer. Roy Smith (3-1) is the beneficiary of the offense.

21st At Anaheim, Claudell Washington has a single, double and two homers to drive in 4 runs, and Bill Schroeder belts a 3^rd-inning grand slam, off Bill Wegman, to pace the Angels to a 12-9 win over Milwaukee.

23rd  Cleveland loses to Detroit, 7–2, to drop its record to 21-22, but remains in first place in the AL East by percentage points. It is the latest in a season a sub-.500 team has ever been in first place.

      David Wells picks up a win with 3 innings of relief as Toronto edges the visiting Twins, 2-1.  All the runs score on sac flies.

24th  Yankees reliever Lee Guetterman gives up 5 runs in the 9th inning of New York’s 11–4 loss to California, ending his consecutive scoreless inning streak at 302⁄3. It is the longest season-opening streak in the majors since Harry Brecheen’s in 1948, and the longest season-opening streak ever by a reliever.

25th It pays to shop around. After shopping him for several months, the Mariners finally trade star pitcher Mark Langston to Montreal for pitchers Randy Johnson, Brian Holman, and Gene Harris.

26thTodd Burns (4-0) and two relievers combine to one-hit the Yankees in a 4-0 Oakland victory.  For the third time in his career, Rickey Henderson has his team’s lone hit.

28th  A 2-run homer by George Bell in the 10th inning gives the Blue Jays a 7–5 win over the White Sox in their final game at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium. Bobby Thigpin takes the loss, with Tom Henke notching the win.

      Cleveland scores with 2 out in the 9th to edge first-place Baltimore, 1–0. Greg Swindell pitches the 4-hit shutout. Boston, in 2nd place in the AL East, is also shut out, 3–0, by California’s Kirk McCaskill.

      At Candlestick, the Giants stop the Phillies, 8-5. After Ken Howell loads the bases in the 3rd, Will Clark chills reliever Mike Maddux with a grand slam.

29th  Matt Nokes pounds a 4th inning grand slam, off Eric King, as the Tigers beat the White Sox, 4-2. Doyle Alexander pitches 7 shutout innings for the win.

      Phillies 3B Mike Schmidt, 39, retires. The future Hall of Famer is 7th on the all-time home run list with 548, but was hitting just .203 this season. He will still get elected to the All-Star team, but won’t play.

31st  Cito Gaston is named manager of the Blue Jays on a permanent basis.

      At Yankee Stadium, New York rookie Deion Sanders makes his debut. He throws out one Seattle runner, drives in a run, and triggers a 5-run rally in the 7th with a single.  Mattingly completes the scoring with a 2-run homer—his 4th hit of the game—in the 8th following a single and 2 steals by Steve Sax. New York wins, 9–5, with the decision going to Andy Hawkins.

      At Royals Stadium, the Twins score 5 runs in the 6th to ice a 7-1 rain-shortened victory over the Royals.  Dan Gladden’s grand slam off Tom Gordon is the big blow.

      The Senior Professional Baseball Association announces that it will begin its inaugural season on November 1st with 8 teams of players age 35 and over.

JUNE

2nd  Eric Davis hits for the cycle in Cincinnati’s 9–4 win over San Diego, becoming the first Red to do so since Frank Robinson in 1959. Davis drives in 6 runs in his 4th straight multi-hit game.

      At Comiskey Park, the White Sox lose their team-record 10th straight home game, 8–0, to the Twins.

      At Fenway, the Blue Jays score 4 runs in the 9^thwith 2 outs when Junior Felix hits an inside-the-park grand slam, off Bob Stanley, and the Jays win, 7–2. Felix scores 3 runs and his IP slam at Fenway is the only one in park history by an opponent.

3rd  Nolan Ryan pitches his 2nd one-hitter this season and 11th overall, allowing only a first-inning lead-off single to Harold Reynolds, in a 6–1 win over Seattle. Ryan also strikes out 11 to tie Don Sutton’s ML record of 21 seasons with at least 100 strikeouts.

      Houston beats Los Angeles 5–4 in 22 innings in a game that takes 7:14 to complete. Rafael Ramirez’s 2nd RBI of the game finally ends it at 2:50 a.m.on the 4th. When the Dodgers use up all 24 players (except for tomorrow’s starter Tim Belcher), 3B Jeff Hamilton becomes the final and losing pitcher and P Fernando Valenzuela finishes the game at 1B. John Shelby goes 0–10 for the Dodgers en route to a .183 average for the year.

      The Padres trade John Kruk and Randy Ready to the Phils for Chris James. Kruk had a sub-par .241 last season, after hitting .309 and .313 the previous two.  He’ll rebound to .300 this season.

4th  Don’t leave early. Toronto beats Boston 13–11 in 12 innings after trailing 10–0 after 6. Red Sox starter Mike Smithson throws six scoreless innings before leaving in the 7th because of a foot blister. The Jays then score 2 in the 7th, 4 in the 8th and 5 in the 9th, sparked by Ernie Whitt’s grand slam. The Jays plate 2 more in the 12th on Junior Felix’s HR. It is the biggest lead the Red Sox have ever blown and their 12th consecutive loss to the Blue Jays at Fenway. Ellis Burks has a homer and 5 RBIs for the Bosox.

      The Dodgers Mike Scioscia and Houston’s Louie Meadows each hit grand slams in the Astros’ 7-6 victory in 13 innings. Mike Scott (9-3) pitches a scoreless 13th and then hits a sac fly for the winning run.

5th  The Toronto SkyDome opens, but the Blue Jays lose 5–3 to the Brewers. Baseball’s newest and most modern stadium features a $100 million fully retractable roof, a hotel, the world’s largest video display board, and a Hard Rock Cafe. Construction crews work around the clock to get the stadium ready. Both teams had to skip batting practice before the game because the fences were being painted.

      New York’s Andy Hawkins gives up 10 runs—all unearned—in 2+ innings as the Yankees fall to Baltimore, 16-3. Steve Finley greets reliever Chuck Cary with a grand slam in the 3rd inning.

      The Orioles select Louisiana State University pitcher Ben McDonald (14–3) with the first pick in the annual amateur draft. He’ll sign August 19 and debut September 6, missing by three days being the first in this draft to debut. The Jays John Olerud, picked on the 3rd round, will debut September 3, singling in his first at bat. The next 3 picks are high schoolers: the Braves take Tyler Houston; the Mariners pick Roger Salkeld; and the Phillies choose Jeff Jackson, who hit .504 his senior year in HS but will never play in the ML. The Phils take Chicago prep phenom Jeff Jackson with the 4th pick, allowing the White Sox to get Frank Thomas with the 7th pick, while the Angels take Kyle Abbott with the 10th, and Chad Curtis on the 45th round. The Dodgers use their 1st round pick on Jamie McAndrews, son of Mets P Jim. Mo Vaughn goes to Boston on the 23rd pick and then the Sox take Jeff Bagwell in the 4th round: this is the only time one team has taken two future MVPs in the same draft. Chuck Knoblauch goes to the Twins on the 25th pick of the 1st round (he had been picked on the 18th round by the Phils in 1986, but did not sign). Picking 24th the Mets take Arizona All-American Alan Zinter, who won’t make his ML debut until 2002. On the 4th round, the Twins select and sign P Scott Erickson, who was drafted but not signed in the previous 3 drafts.

6th  San Francisco’s Kevin Mitchell hits 3 home runs in a doubleheader split with Cincinnati, giving him 22 already this season. He accounts for all the Giants scoring, banging a 3-run HR as SF loses 4–3 in the first game. In game 2, his two homers drive in 3 as the Giants win 3–2.

      At Toronto, Milwaukee plates 3 runs in the 9th to break a 3-3 tie, but Brewers reliever Chuck Crim loads the bases with one out. Tony Fossas comes in to pitch to Nelson Liriano, with Crim moving to 1B. After Liriano singles, Crim returns to the mound to get the final outs for a 6-4 win.

7th  Ernie Whitt has 3 hits and drives in 3 runs as the Blue Jays beat the Brewers, 4–2, in the first game ever played indoors and outdoors in the same day. With dark clouds threatening the roof begins closing in the 5th inning. The closing operation begins at 8:48 p.m. and ends at 9:22 p.m., too late to prevent a brief stoppage of play due to rain.

      Paul O’Neill hits a pair of homers, including a grand slam, and drives in 6 runs to lead the Reds to a 12-5 win over the visiting Giants.

8th  The Pirates send 16 batters to the plate in the 1st and taking a 10–0 lead (Pittsburgh’s best inning since September, 1942) on 8 hits, two for extra bases (Rey Quinones’ double and Barry Bonds’ 3-run homer)  The Bucs leave the bases loaded. Announcer Jim Rooker crows that if the Pirates lose this game he’ll walk back to Pittsburgh. Von Hayes answers Rooker with a 2-run homer in the 1st, another in the 3rd,   Steve Jeltz goes deep in the 4th and 6th innings, one from each side of the plate, and the score after 6 is 11–10.  The Phils explode for 5 in the 8th to make the final, 15–11. Rooker makes good on his promise after the season, when he will conduct a charity walk from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.

9th  Mets OF Darryl Strawberry hits his 200th career home run in a 4–3, 10-inning loss at Pittsburgh.

      At Arlington, Mark McGwire gives the A’s the lead with a 1st inning grand slam off Charlie Hough, but the Rangers rally for an 11-8 win.  Julio Franco has 3 hits and 4 RBIs and Ruben Sierra garners 4 hits and 3 runs.

      Ken Oberkfell hits a 3-run homer and Tracy Jones drives in 7 runs on 4 singles as the Giants douse the Padres, 12-2. Don Robinson allows a run in 8 innings for the win. Jones’ big day will earn him a trade to Detroit in a week.

10th  The Twins rally with 5 runs in the 8th inning to beat the visiting White Sox, 11-8.  Jim Dwyer’s grand slam is the big hit in the inning.

11th  At the Astrodome, Houston scores 7 in the 2nd inning and holds on for 10-6 win over the Braves. Bill Doran hits a grand slam in the 2nd and drives in 5 runs.

12th  If you think about it, it is an odd fact. Cardinals utility man Tim Jones plays catcher during a 10–3 loss to the Cubs, becoming the first player named Jones to catch in the major leagues since Philadelphia’s Bill Jones caught 4 games in the Union Association in 1884.

13th  Despite this year’s relaxed balk rule, Red Sox pitcher John Dopson manages to tie the AL record with 4 balks in just 32⁄3innings in Boston’s 8–7 win over Detroit.

      Houston’s Terry Puhl plays in his 1,403rd ML game, a 3–2 loss to the Dodgers, to break Jack Graney’s record for Canadian–born players.

      San Diego’s Jack Clark strikes out 4 times in a 9–6 loss to the Reds, giving him a ML-record 9 strikeouts in 2 games. Clark struck out 5 times against the Giants on June 11th.

15th  Down 5-3 to the Twins, Alvin Davis cracks a 7th inning grand slam to lead the Mariners to a 9-5 win. Davis finishes with 5 RBI.

16th  Rick Wolff, 37, writing an article on minor-league baseball for Sports Illustrated,finishes a 3-day stint playing 2B for the South Bend White Sox (Midwest League). He replaces Cesar Bernhardt and goes 4-for-7 against the Burlington Braves. Wolff will finish the year with the highest average of any Chicago White Sox farmhand.

      Tom Gordon issues a bases loaded walk to Pete O’Brien with 2 outs in the 9th and Cleveland beats the Royals, 1-0. Bud Black tosses the shutout.

      The Mets stake David Cone to a 8-run lead in the 1st, scoring all their runs off Bruce Ruffin, but have to rally when the Phillies take the lead in the 4th. The Phils answer quickly in the 1st when Randy Ready hits his 2nd leadoff homer in two games, taking Cone deep on the 3rd pitch. The Phils score 5 in the 1st, 2 in the 2nd and 4 in the 4th for the lead. The Mets finally win, 15-11, after two rallies.

      The Giants trade Tracy Jones to Detroit for Pat Sheridan.

17th  Dwight Evans belts a grand slam and Nick Esasky adds a 2-run homer as the Red Sox beat the White Sox, 6-1.

18th  The struggling Phillies trade. Reliever Steve Bedrosian and a player to be named later go to the Giants for pitchers Dennis Cook and Terry Mulholland and 3B Charlie Hayes, then send 2B-OF Juan Samuel to the Mets for OF Len Dykstra, P Roger McDowell, and another player to be named later. The Mets-Phillies swap occurs in the middle of a game between the two teams, a 6-5 Phils win, and Len Dykstra is pulled in the 6^thinning after going 1-for-3 [in his 2016 autobiography he incorrectly recalls that he was 3-for-3, and told Davey Johnston that he was going for 5-for-5.]

19th  Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden wins his 100th career game, 5–3 over the Expos. His 100-37 career record is 2nd only to Whitey Ford’s 100-36 start.

20th  The Yankees trade OF Rickey Henderson back to the A’s for journeymen pitchers Eric Plunk and Greg Cadaret and OF Luis Polonia.

      I’m ready for game 2, Skip.  In the first of two, White Sox reliever Tom McCarthy gives up 11 runs in 6 innings as Milwaukee stops Chicago, 17-5. Rob Deer has a pair of homers and Robin Yount has a double and homer off McCarthy. Dan Pasqua has a pair of homers in game 2 as the Sox win, 6-4.

24th  Cleveland’s Joe Carter hits 3 home runs in a game for the third time in his career as the Indians beat Texas 7–3. Rangers Charlie Hough and Kenny Rogers combine to allow just 6 hits—all homers.

      Cardinals OF Vince Coleman steals his 39th and 40th consecutive bases in a 5–2 loss to the Pirates to break the ML record set by Davey Lopes in 1975. Coleman has not been caught stealing since last September 15th.

      At Royals Stadium, the Yankees score 6 in the 1st on their way to a 12-5 win over Kansas City. Mel Hall’s grand slam is the big blow.

25th  In a first in the NL, the Mets’ defense does not record a single assist in a 5–1 win over Philadelphia, tying the ML record set by the Yanks on July 4, 1945. New York pitchers retire the Phillies on 13 strikeouts, 12 fly outs, and 2 ground balls to 1B. Sid Fernandez is the winner, with Rick Aguilera tossing an inning of relief.

27th  Todd Benzinger clubs a grand slam in the Reds 5-run 7th as Cincinnati beats Atlanta, 9-3.

29th  Boise (Northwest League) manager Mal Fichman is ejected during an 8–4 loss to Salem, but returns to the field disguised as Humphrey the Hawk, the club’s mascot. He will be suspended one game for the stunt.

      You can still come for Thanksgiving. The Padres GM Jack McKeon trades his son-in-law, pitcher Greg Booker to the Twins for P Fred Toliver. Booker had been booed in every appearance, but will make just 6 appearances for the Twins before being sold to the Giants at the end of the season. Toliver will get in 9 games with no decisions.

JULY

2nd  Brewers OF Robin Yount, 33, collects his 2,500th hit in a 10–2 win over the Yankees. Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, Hank Aaron, and Mel Ott are the only players to reach that milestone at a younger age.

      The Braves send OF Dion James to the Indians for OF Oddibe McDowell, and P Zane Smith to Montreal for 3 minor leaguers.

4th  Cincinnati’s Tom Browning is 3 outs away from his 2nd career perfect game when Dickie Thon doubles, and Browning is eventually relieved by John Franco in a 2–1 win over Philadelphia.

5th  Barry Bonds homers in Pittsburgh’s 6–4 loss to the Giants, giving Barry and father Bobby the ML father-and-son home run record with 408. The Bells (Gus and Buddy) and the Berras (Yogi and Dale) had shared the record of 407.

6th  Despite having retired on May 29th, Mike Schmidt is elected to start at 3B for the NL in the All-Star Game.  A’s OF Jose Canseco, who has not played all season because of a wrist injury, is picked to start for the AL, but neither will play in the game.

7th  At Tiger Stadium, Pat Borders hits a grand slam as Toronto scores 5 runs in the 8th to beat the Tigers, 6-4.

11th  Bo Jackson and Wade Boggs lead off the bottom of the first inning with back-to-back home runs off Rick Reuschel to spark the AL to a 5–3 win in the All-Star Game at Anaheim Stadium. Jackson earns MVP honors.

14th  The Mets Sid Fernandez strikes out 16 Braves, but the portly Polynesian portsider still loses 3-2 on Lonnie Smith’s leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth.

15th  Jeff Reardon saves his 250th game as the Twins beat the Red Sox 3–2.

16th  Terry Steinbach hits a 7th inning grand slam and Mark McGwire adds a solo homer in the 8th as Oakland clips the Blue Jays, 6-2. Mike Moore improves to 12-5.

      Rain delays the start of the Angels-Orioles game by a little over an hour but that is long enough for Angels manager Doug Rader to get ejected.  Rader continued his argument with Ken Kaiser from the night before when the Birds won on a disputed fair-foul home run.  Baltimore wins tonight, 3-2, in 11 innings.

17th  White Sox C Carlton Fisk gets his 2,000th career hit in a 7–3 win over the Yankees.

      Reds reliever Kent Tekulve retires, just 20 appearances shy of Hoyt Wilhelm’s all-time games-pitched record of 1,070. Tekulve had posted a 5.02 ERA in 37 games this season.

      Pete Incaviglia belts a 1st-innng grand slam and drives in 5 runs to pace the Rangers to a 12-6 drubbing of the visiting Red Sox.

      In the first doubleheader ever played at the SkyDome, the Blue Jays sweep a pair from California, 6–4 and 5–4. Both wins go to David Wells pitching in relief, with Henke notching 2 saves. Wells becomes the first pitcher in 5 years to win both games of a doubleheader. The next DH in Toronto won’t come until October, 2001.

18th  At Jack Murphy Stadium, the Padres collect 22 hits as they pound the Pirates, 17-4. Chris James has 4 hits, including a grand slam, and scores 4, Carmelo Martinez  blasts a pinch 3-run homer, Jack Clark has 3 runs on 3 hits, including a homer, and Benito Santiago has 4 hits and 3 RBIs.

      Donnie Moore, 35, shoots himself to death at his home after shooting and critically wounding his estranged wife Tonya. Friends said Moore was haunted by the 2-run home run he surrendered to Dave Henderson in game 5 of the 1986 ALCS, costing the Angels a trip to the World Series, and that he had been even more depressed since his release last month by minor league Omaha.

      The Dodgers trade P Tim Leary and SS Mariano Duncan to the Reds for OF Kal Daniels and IF Lenny Harris.

19th  Cleveland’s Joe Carter hits 3 home runs in a game for the 2nd time this season in a 10–1 win over Minnesota. It is his 4th career 3-HR game, tying Lou Gehrig’s AL record, and also gives him a ML-record-tying 5 homers in 2 games. Carter knocks home 6 runs in the game.

21st  Before the start of the Cubs-Giants game at Wrigley Field, Cubs OF Dwight Smith sings the National Anthem (the last player this century to sing the National Anthem before a game). Smith then goes 0-for-4, scoring a run as the Cubs lose, 4–3. Mark Grace has a 2-run homer in the 8th for the rest of the runs. The Giants do all their scoring against Rick Sutcliffe in the 3rd as Pat Sheridan, acquired last month from Detroit, knocks in 2 runs.

      At the Kingdome, Fred McGriff hits a solo homer and a grand slam as the Blue Jays slam the host Mariners, 8-1. Mike Flanagan allows 3 hits in 8 innings to even his record at 6-6.

22nd  The Blue Jays get their second grand slam in two days in Seattle as Lloyd Moseby hits one in the 9th as the Jays sink the Mariners, 7-1.

      The Yankees trade popular 3B Mike Pagliarulo and Don Schulz to San Diego for pitcher Walt Terrell and Fred Toliver. Toliver won’t report to New York till September 27 and Terrell will sign with the Pirates on November 29.

      Johnny Bench, Carl Yastrzemski, Red Schoendienst, and ump Al Barlick are inducted into the Hall of Fame at ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York.

23rd   At Three Rivers, Orel Hershiser wins his 12th, beating the Pirates, 4-3, in game 1.  The Pirates respond in game 2 with a 2-1 win in 10 innings. Bob Kipper gets the win with a shutout inning after Bill Landrum tosses two shutout frames to run hos consecutive scoreless innings to 32.

24th  At Cleveland, Albert Belles snaps a 3-3 tie with a 7th inning grand slam as the Indians beat the Yankees, 7-3.

25th  At Busch, the Cubs top the Cardinals, 4-2, to stay 3.5 games behind Montreal in the NL East. Jose Oquendo has a pair of hits for the Cards to run his consecutive game hit streak to 23.

27th  Atlanta’s Dale Murphy hits 2 home runs in the 6th inning of a 10–1 rout of San Francisco, becoming the first Brave to accomplish the feat since Robert Lowe in 1894. Murphy also drives in 6 runs in the inning to tie another ML record, as the Braves score all ten runs of their runs in the outburst. It is his second 6-RBI game of the year.

      Rob Deer belts a grand slam, one of 15 hits that Milwaukee compiles, as they whip the Tigers, 11-1.

28th  Cardinal speedster Vince Coleman is caught stealing by Nelson Santovenia in a 2–0 win over Montreal, ending his ML-record streak of 50 consecutive stolen bases.

29th  The White Sox trade their all-time home run leader, Harold Baines, and IF Fred Manrique to the Rangers for IF Scott Fletcher, OF Sammy Sosa, and P Wilson Alvarez.

      Oakland’s formidable Rickey Henderson has no official at bats, but scores 4 times on 4 walks and garners 5 stolen bases. It’s all for naught as the Mariners swamp Oakland, 14–6. Randy Johnson is the winner.  For the third time this year, Alvin Davis drives in 5 runs.

30th  Mark Grace belts a 2-out 3-run homer, off Rick Aguilera, to give the Cubs a 6–4 win over the Mets. Lancaster is the winner as the Cubs sweep three from the Mets.

31st  The Cubs split a pair with the Phillies and drop 2 games in back of first-place Montreal. Chicago takes the opener, 10-2, behind Rick Sutcliffe’s 3-hitter. Dwight Smith hits a pinch grand slam, Ryne Sandberg belts a pair of solo shots, and Damon Berryhill homers. The Cubs hit a pair of homers in game 2, but fall, 7-4.

      The Twins trade AL Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola to the Mets for 5 players, including pitchers Rick Aguilera, David West and minor leaguer Kevin Tapani. Viola is the first Cy Young winner to be traded during the following season. Tapani will blossom into a Cy Young contender in 1991.

AUGUST

1st  Behind the pitching of Sid Fernandez, the Mets blank the Cardinals, 11–0. Kevin McReynolds paces the offense by hitting for the cycle, driving in 6 runs and scoring 4.

      The Mets trade popular OF Mookie Wilson to the Blue Jays for P Jeff Musselman and minor leaguer Mike Brady.

3rd  The Reds score 14 runs in the first inning of an 18–2 demolition of the Astros. ML records set during the onslaught include most hits in an inning (16), most players with 2 hits in an inning (7), and most singles in an inning (12). Mariano Duncan and Luis Quinones each tie the ML record by batting 3 times and the team ties the NL and ML mark with most players scoring twice (6). Tom Browning is the easy complete game winner while Jim Clancy, who gives up 7 runs while recording no outs, is the loser. Reliever Bob Forsch, who gives up 9 straight hits in the 1st, allows 10 runs on 18 hits in 7 innings, and Juan Agosto, one run in one inning.

4th  Hard-luck pitcher Dave Stieb loses a perfect game when New York’s Roberto Kelly doubles with 2 out in the 9th inning, and Stieb finishes with a 2–1 two-hitter. Steve Sax singles in Kelly. It is the 3rd time that Stieb has lost a no-hitter with 2 out in the 9th.

5th  Darnell Coles powers two home runs, one a grand slam, and drives in 6 runs to lead Seattle to an 11-5 victory over Oakland.

6th  After 5 hours and 49 minutes of play in Pittsburgh, the Pirates Jeff King mercifully ends the game with a 18th inning leadoff HR off the Cubs’ Scott Sanderson. Sanderson had pitched 8 innings of shutout relief. The Pirates win 5–4.

      It is Carl Yastrzemski day at Fenway and the Sox retire his uniform #8. Roger Clemens then retires just one batter before leaving, giving up 3 earned runs. But Boston scores 4 in the 3rd and 2 in the 8th to beat Cleveland, 6–4.

8th  Mauro Gozzo pitches 8 shutout innings in his ML debut as Toronto beats Texas 7–0 to go over .500 for the first time since Opening Day. The Blue Jays will eventually overtake the surprising Orioles and win the AL East.

      The Royals Flash Gordon stops the visiting Red Sox, 8–1. Sox C Rick Cerone starts the game behind the plate, then moves to RF for the first time in his career.

      Orel Hershiser scatters 7 hits in winning his 14th, and batterymate Mike Scioscia hits his second grand slam of the year, off John Smoltz, in the Dodgers 10-2 win over Atlanta.

10th  Nolan Ryan falls short in yet another no-hit bid, giving up a one-out single to Dave Bergman in the 9th inning and eventually needing relief in a 4–1 win over the Tigers. It is the 5th time that Ryan has lost a no hitter in the 9th.

      At Chicago, Jeff Parrett throws 3 scoreless innings for the win as the Phillies outslug the Cubs, 16-13. The Phils hit 4 homers, including one by John Kruk, who scores 5 runs.  The Cubs get 4 RBIs each from Ryne Sandberg and Shawon Dunston. Sandberg has a pair of homers.

      Dave Dravecky pitches 7 shutout innings and beats the Reds, 4–3, for his first win of the year.  The Giants pitcher, recovering from arm surgery, has been in extensive rehab.

11th  Led by Matt Williams pair of homers, the first-place Giants down the Dodgers, 10-2.  Williams hits a grand slam in the 1st and a 2-run homer in the 3rd, both off Tim Belcher. 

12thWrigley, Shawon Dunston hits a single, double and homer to drive in 6 runs as the Cubs are victorious over the Phils, 9-7. The Cubs are in first place in the NL-East by 2.5 games.  A loss tomorrow gives them a split of the 4-game series with the Phillies.

15th  In his second start since returning to the major leagues after cancer treatment, the Giants Dave Dravecky breaks his pitching arm while throwing to Tim Raines in the 6th inning of a 3–2 San Francisco win. The bone will heal but Dravecky will break it again during the Giants on-field celebration when the Giants clinch the pennant. Dravecky will not pitch again in the major leagues.

      Rangers Charlie Hough pitches his 2nd career one-hitter and gets his 2nd career one-hit loss, as he loses 2–0 to Seattle. Hough walks 5, balks, and throws a wild pitch, while the Rangers collect 13 hits but no runs, one hit shy of the ML record while being shut out. Harold Reynolds has the only hit for the M’s; it is the third time he’s done it.

16th  Yankees OF Luis Polonia is arrested in his hotel room for having sex with a 15-year-old girl. He will be sentenced to 60 days in jail after the season.

      Lefty Tom Drees, 26, pitches his 3rd no-hitter of the season for Vancouver (AAA), beating Las Vegas 5–0 in the 7-inning opener of doubleheader. He fired consecutive 1–0 no-hitters, beating Calgary in 9 innings (May 23rd) and Edmonton in 7 (May 28th). Drees, now 12–11, will pitch 7+ innings for the White Sox in 1991.

17th  Orioles SS Cal Ripken plays in his 1,208th consecutive game to move past Steve Garvey into 3rd place on the all–time list. He goes 3-for-5 with a home run to help Baltimore to an 11–6 win over Toronto.

18th  Andre Dawson gets his 2,000th career hit in the Cubs’ 6–5 loss to Houston. Houston scores twice in the 9th against 4 Cub relievers. After the game, the Astros trade Billy Hatcher, who had a pinch single in the 9th today, to the Pirates for Glenn Wilson. They almost got Wilson three months earlier for Alan Ashby the vet Ashby vetoed the trade.

      Dallas Green is fired as manager of the Yankees and replaced by former SS Bucky Dent. It is the 17th time the Yankees have changed managers since George Steinbrenner took over the club in 1973. The job was first offered to announcer Lou Piniella, who turned it down.  Piniella had criticized Green on the air for not batting Roberto Kelly leadoff, to which Green groused, “when he’s manager he can bat Kelly anywhere he wants.”

      In a 9–2 Toronto win, Baltimore SS Cal Ripken plays in his 1,208th consecutive game, passing Steve Garvey for the 3rd longest streak in ML history, George Bell leads Toronto with 2 singles, a double and a HR.

      Todd Benzinger hits his second grand slam of the year as the Reds break a 3-3 tie with 5 runs in the 8th. Cincy wins, 8-3, in game 2 against the Cardinals. Benzinger has a 3-run homer, a single and double in game 1 to lead the Reds to a 6-2 win.

 19th  Gregg Harris pitches 4 innings in relief of Mike Boddiker as the Red Sox take a 14-inning road victory, 3-1 over the Brewers. The two pitchers combine to allow 4 hits. Ellis Burks drives in 2 runs in the 14th.

      Jim Eisenreich has a grand slam and 5 RBIs and Bo Jackson adds a homer and 4 RBIs in Kansas City’s 13-5 win over the Mariners.

20th  Howard Johnson hits his 30th home run of the season in the Mets 5–4 loss to the Dodgers and joins Barry Bonds and Willie Mays as the only players to achieve 30 HRs and 30 stolen bases in 2 different seasons.

      For the 3rd time in his career, Kevin Bass homers from each side of the plate in a game, as the Astros double the Cubs, 8–4, winning again in the 9th. Bass’s second homer of the game is a grand slam with one out in the 9th off Mitch Williams, with the loss going to Lancaster. Darwin (11–3) is the winner.

      At Veterans Stadium, Ernest Riles hits a 9th inning grand slam, off Roger McDowell, and the Giants come back to beat the Phillies, 5-2.

      Mike Greenwell extends his hitting streak to 21 consecutive games in Boston’s 6-3 loss to  Milwaukee. Charlie O’Brien has a double and homer to drive in 3 runs.

21st  Cubs rookie OF Jerome Walton goes 0-for-4 in a 6–5, 10-inning loss to the Reds, ending his hitting streak at 30 consecutive games, a post-1900 club record. Walton hit .338 during his streak, the lowest batting average since 1960 for a player with a 30-game or more streak. Chicago’s lead has slipped to 1.5 games ahead of the Mets, who have moved into 2nd place ahead of Montreal.

22nd  Nolan Ryan strikes out Rickey Henderson in the 5th inning of a 2–0 loss to Oakland to become the only pitcher in ML history to strike out 5,000 batters. Ryan (13–7) strikes out 13 but loses to Welch (14-7), who K’s 9 in 8 innings.

      Cleveland’s Felix Fermin ties the ML record with 4 sacrifice bunts in a 3–2, 10-inning win over Seattle. He is the first player to accomplish the feat since Ray Chapman in 1919.

      In his only inning of work, Braves reliever Paul Assenmacher strikes out 4 batters in the 5th inning of a 10–5 loss to St. Louis.

23rd  Rick Dempsey homers off Dennis Martinez in the top of the 22nd inning to break up a scoreless tie and give the Dodgers a 1–0 win over the Expos. The game features one thumbing—the umps toss the Expos mascot Youppi in the 11th for annoying Tommie Lasorda—and he then returns in the 13th wearing pajamas. He carries a pillow and sleeps on the home dugout roof, where the umps have restricted him. In the 16th, Larry Walker apparently scores the game-winner, but the Dodgers appeal—with 2 umps in the tunnel—and get it. Eddie Murray in the 18th moves the 2B ump and slams a drive that Walker makes a phantom catch off the padding in RF. Fans stand for three “seventh-inning stretches” during the ML record (in time, and for a 1–0 game) 6 hours: 14 minute game. Other club records are set and several ML records are noted: most innings (22) without a walk by the Expos tops the Pirates (who used one pitcher) against the Giants, July 17, 1914.

24th  After weeks of legal wrangling, Commissioner Bart Giamatti permanently bans Pete Rose from baseball for his alleged gambling on ML games. Although the 5-page document signed by both parties includes no formal findings, Giamatti says that he considers Rose’s acceptance of the ban to be a no-contest plea to the charges. Coach Tommy Helms is named Rose’s interim replacement as Cincinnati manager. In his 2004 book, Rose accuses Giamatti of betraying him and reneging on the agreement.

25th  Pittsburgh’s Gary Redus hits for the cycle in a 12–3 win over the Reds.

Boston’s Dennis Lamp beats the last-place Tigers, 11–3, for his 11th consecutive win over Detroit going back to 1982. Mike Greenwell drives in 4 runs for Boston.

26th  Toronto’s Dave Stieb pitches his 5th career one-hitter, 7–0, over Milwaukee. The spoiler is Robin Yount’s 6th-inning single.

27th  At Fenway, Nick Essasky hits a 3-run homer and Ellis Burks adds a grand slam as Boston tops the Tigers, 7-1.

      Ron Karkovice hits a grand slam and drives in 5 runs as the White Sox top the host Indians, 9-3.

      The Expos stop the first-place Giants, 6-3, as Andres Galarraga drives in 5 runs with a double and a grand slam.

28th  Frank Viola and the Mets outduel Orel Hershiser and the Dodgers 1–0 in the first-ever regular-season matchup of defending Cy Young Award winners.

Jim Dwyer changes uniforms again as the Twins trade him to Montreal for Alonzo Powell. Dwyer will come back to the Twins in January for a minor leaguer.

      Jack Clark hits a pair of 3-run homers, off Kevin Gross, as the Padres whip the Expos, 9-4.

29th  Trailing 9–0 after 5 innings, the Cubs rally to beat Houston 10–9 in 10 innings at Wrigley. Rafael Ramirez has a grand slam and drives in 7 runs for the Astros, but the winning margin is provided by defensive replacement Dwight Smith. Smith comes in to play RF for Chicago and singles home a run in the 7th, throws out a runner at the plate in the 8th, ties the game with a sac fly in the 8th, and singles in the game-winner in the 10th. Chicago leads by 2.5 games.

      At Candlestick, Von Hayes is the offense as he hits three homers and drives in 6 runs in the Phillies’ 6-1 win over the Giants.

30th  St. Louis leaves 16 runners on base in a 2–0, 13-inning loss to the Reds, setting a ML record for runners left on base in a shutout. Jose DeLeon allows one hit in 11 scoreless innings, while Rick Mahler gives up 9 hits in 10 innings, but no runs. The Reds push across 2 runs in the 13^thon two hits and a double steal.

      Kevin McReynolds hits a 7^thinning grand slam for the Mets as they beat the host Dodgers, 9-3.

      The Yankees send veteran slugger Ken Phelps, hitting .249, to Oakland for minor league P Scott Holcomb.

31st  Arbitrator Thomas Roberts orders the ML owners to pay $10.5 million in damages as a result of their collusion against free agents after the 1985 season.

      Minutes before the postseason rosters must be filed, the first-place Cubs obtain 3B Luis Salazar and OF Marvelle Wynne from San Diego in exchange for P Calvin Schiraldi, OF Darin Jackson and 1B Phil Stephenson.  Salazar will play a key role in the Cubs’ title run, while of the three new Pad people, only Jackson will perform decently.

      Dave Stieb (14-8) pitches a solid 7 innings as the Blue Jays trip Steve Rosenberg (4-10) and the White Sox, 5-1. George Bell hits a homer and drives in 3 runs to extend his consecutive game hitting streak to 22 games.

SEPTEMBER

1st  Scott Garrelts (11-3) gives up an unearned run over 8 innings and the Giants spank the Mets, 7-1. Kevin Mitchell hits his 41st homer, a 3-run shot, and drives in 4 runs, as the Mets stay 2 1/2 games in back of the first-place Cubs, losers to Atlanta.

      Darryl Boston hits a 1st-inning grand slam, off Dave Milacki, to power the White Sox to a 10-1 win over the Orioles.

      Glenallen Hill’s grand slam is the margin of victory as Toronto tops the Twins, 7-3.

Eight days after banning Pete Rose from baseball for life, Commissioner Bart Giamatti dies suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 51.

3rdIt is 100 degrees in Texas and the Royals and Rangers are equally hot as 7 batters get hit by pitches, the third time this century this has happened, as notes historian Joe Dittmar. The Royals put the game out of reach with a 3-run homer by Bo Jackson in the 7th to win, 13–2. When Mike McFarlane is plunked in the 8th, the 5th Royal hit, he rushes the mound and tackles reliever Craig McMurtry.

      In a 9-4 loss to the Twins, Jays rookie John Olerud makes his ML debut without ever playing in the minors. Leading off the 9th, he collects his first hit and scores.

      At Jack Murphy Stadium, Benito Santiago hits a grand slam as the Padres stop the Phils, 9-5.

4th  Fred Lynn hits his 300th career home run to help the Tigers to a 5–1 win over Kansas City.

      Dave Parker’s grand slam is the big blow in Oakland’s 5-run 3rd as the A’s trip the visiting Red Sox, 7-5.

      Jack Clark drives in 7 runs and San Diego needs all of them as they edge the Braves, 10-9. Clark has a 3-run homer and a grand slam. Darrin Jackson drives in the other runs with a 3-run homer.

5th  Tim Raines has 4 hits and Tim Wallach has 3, including a grand slam, as the Expos beat the host Cardinals, 6-2. Wallach drives in 5 runs.

6th  Welcome to the bigs. Reliever Mike Munoz of the Dodgers serves up a homer to the first batter he faces, pinch hitter Jeff Richardson, as the Dodgers lose to the Reds, 9-5.

7th  In the first of two at Arlington, Mike Devereaux sends Nolan Ryan to the showers with a 7th inning 3-run homer as Texas loses to Baltimore, 8-3. Devereaux finishes with 5 RBIs. Ryan strikes out 10, but his record against the Orioles is now 5-16. Phil Bradley strikes out five times, four against Ryan, and Steve Finley swipes 3 bases and Jeff Ballard wins his 16th.  The O’s continue in game 2 collecting 15 hits in an 9-6 win and are now 1.5 games in back in the AL East.

8th  Kansas City’s George Brett singles for his 2,500th career hit in a 6–0 win over the Twins. Mark Gubicza combines with 2 relievers for the shutout.

9thCalifornia’s Devon White steals 4 bases including 2B, 3B, and home in the 6th inning in the Angels 8–5 win over visiting Boston. Claudell Washington also steals 3B in the 6th as the Angels greet the new battery of Joe Price and Rich Gedman with 3 runs to tie. The Angels then score 3 in the 8th to break the tie.  Price will end up swearing at manager Morgan in the dugout and will be slapped with a 4-game suspension.  Price has been critical of several managing decisions by Morgan.

      Steve Lyons hits a 4-run homer in Chicago’s 7-run 1st inning as the White Sox roll to a 13-3 victory over the Tigers.

10th  Five days after hitting a home run for the Yankees in a 12–2 win over the Mariners, Deion Sanders returns a punt 68 yards for a touchdown in his NFL debut with the Atlanta Falcons. Sanders hit .234 in 14 games for New York this year in his first attempt at playing two sports professionally.

      Cubs rookie Steve Wilson K’s 10 Cards in 5 innings, and relievers add 8 more to help beat the Cards, 4–1. Fellow rookie Dwight Smith contributes a 2-run HR. Chicago leads St. Louis by 2 1/2 games and Montreal by 4. The Mets are just 4.5 games back.

11th  Gary Templeton has a double and a grand slam as the Padres whip the Houston Astros, 7-3.

12th  The Indians fire manager Doc Edwards and replace him for the remainder of the season with scout John Hart.

      Kent Hrbek has a grand slam and 5 RBIs as the Twins win over Toronto, 8-2.

13th  Fay Vincent is elected baseball’s 8th commissioner, succeeding the late Bart Giamatti, for whom he served as deputy commissioner.

14th  The ML owners approve the sale of the Mariners to Jeff Smulyan and Michael Browning for $77 million, the highest price ever paid for an AL club.

Jeff Reardon saves Minnesota’s 2–0 win over Toronto to become the first pitcher ever to record at least 30 saves in 5 consecutive seasons.

      Houston’s Mike Scott (20-8) becomes a 20-game winner for the first time by beating the Dodgers, 11–3. He is the first ML pitcher to reach that plateau this season. Batterymate Craig Biggio chips in a 2-run homer and a grand slam.

      In St. Louis, the Cards draw just 1,519—a stadium record—for a game with the Pirates. The Bucs win, 4-3, in a replay of yesterday’s scoreless game postponed by rain.

16th  Pirates ace John Smiley (12–7) scatters 9 hits to top the Cubs Greg Maddux (17–12). The Bucs win 8–6, but the Cubs still lead by 5 1/2 games over the Mets and Cardinals.

17th  In game 1 at the Vet, John Kruk belts a game-ending grand slam in the 12th, off Matt Kinzer, to give the Phillies a 9-5 victory over the Cards. Cris Carpenter and two relievers shut down the Phils in the second game, 2-0.

18th  In Toronto, the Red Sox beat the Jays 6–3 to cut Toronto’s lead to 2 games over Baltimore.  Boston has now won 4 out of 5 in the Dome, but has a 15-game losing streak to the Blue Jays at Fenway.

19th  San Diego’s Mark Davis becomes the 7th pitcher ever to save 40 games in a season by nailing down the Padres’ 5–1 win over the Reds. He will finish the season with 44 saves, one shy of Bruce Sutter’s NL record.

      Kevin Appier and  each throw 9 scoreless innings at the Metrodome before Shane Mack’s bases loaded single in the 11th wins it, 1-0, for Minnesota over KC.

      Benito Santiago poles a grand slam off reliever Darren Holmes (0-1) as the visiting Padres beat the Dodgers, 9-4.

20thAt Wrigley, the Phils edge the Cubs, 9–8, with 18 hits, including 15 singles. The Cubs use 20 players, including 6 pitchers.

      First-place Oakland beats the Indians, 8-6, as Rickey Henderson has 3 hits including a HR, and 4 stolen bases. He’s thrown out once.

      Backup catcher Alex Trevino clubs a 14th inning homer, off Joe Boever, to give Houston a 7-6 win over the Braves.  Kevin Bass has his second grand slam in the month, connecting in the 7th inning.

21stMike Fitzgerald connects for a grand slam in the 1st inning and Hubie Brooks adds a 2-run homer in the 5th as Montreal edges the Pirates, 6-5.

22nd  Dave Stewart becomes the first pitcher since Jim Palmer (1975-78) to win 20 games in 3 straight seasons by beating the Twins 5–2. It is also Stewart’s 100th ML win.

      The Cards Bull Durham is suspended indefinitely for “failing to comply with the ML drug testing program.”

      In a doubleheader split with Seattle, Jim Eisenreich homers and drives in 3 runs as Kansas City wins the opener, 9-2. Bret Saberhagen wins his 21st pitching 7 shutout innings.  Kansas City manages just two hits—both by Kevin Seitzer– in the nightcap, a 2-0 loss.  It is the third time that Seitzer has had KC’s only hits.

23rd  Hubie Brooks has a grand slam for the Expos, but the Mets counter with three homers of their own to beat Montreal, 13-6.  Gary Carter is homerless but drives in 5 runs.

24th  Before the start of the Giants-Astros game at Candlestick, former Giants pitcher Vida Blue and Peggy Shannon are wed at home plate. They will go on to have two children before they separate in the 1990s. The Giants win the post-nuptials match, 10-2.

25th  Boston’s Wade Boggs goes 4-for-5 in a 7–4 win over the Yankees to become the first player in ML history to achieve both 200 hits and 100 walks in 4 consecutive seasons. It is Boggs’s 7th straight 200-hit season overall, extending his own modern ML record. Dwight Evans also puts his name in the record books by belting his 20th homer. He is the only current player with 20 or more homers in each of the last 9 years,

      The Red Sox say that they will not exercise their option on Jim Rice’s contract next season, while Bob Stanley, the team’s all-time save leader with 132, announces his retirement.

      At Montreal, the Cubs blow a chance to clinch a tie in the NL East, losing 4–3 in 10 innings, but back into the tie anyway when St. Louis loses later on. Andre Dawson homers twice off Bryn Smith, his second a bizarre inside-the-park blow to give the Cubs a 3-2 lead. Dawson flies deep to CF Dave Martinez, who catches up with the ball but suffers a painful muscle-pull doing so and drops to the ground. Dawson keeps running as Martinez’s teammates surround him. The ball is finally thrown in after Dawson touches home plate. Although at no time did the ball touch the ground or the fence, the umpires award Dawson a homer over the howls of protest. Martinez misses the remainder of the series.

      Dave Justice hits a grand slam and Tom Glavine pitches 7 shutout innings as the Braves whip the Reds, 10-0, at Riverfront.

26th  The Cubs become the first team to clinch a division title this season, wrapping up the NL East with a 3–2 win over the Expos. Mitch Williams strikes out Mike Fitzgerald to win the game.

27th  The two San Francisco Bay teams clinch their divisions. Oakland wins the AL West by beating Texas 5–0, while San Francisco loses 1–0 to the Dodgers but is assured of the NL West crown when the 2nd-place Padres lose to the Reds 2–1 in 13 innings.

      Kansas City hits 4 homeruns, including Bo Jackson’s 32nd, a grand slam, as the Royals down the Angels, 8-3. He now has 105 RBIs.

30th  The Blue Jays earn the final spot in the playoffs by scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th to beat Baltimore 4–3 and clinch the AL East. The surprising Orioles led the division most of the season and will finish 2nd just one season after losing 107 games.

Texas flamethrower Nolan Ryan strikes out 13 Angels in a 2–0 three-hitter to raise his season total to 301. It is his 6th 300-strikeout season, but first since 1977.

      The Royals Bret Saberhagen wins his 23rd, 6-1, over Oakland, but gives up a run in the 5th to stop his consecutive scoreless innings streak at 32,

OCTOBER

1st  Minnesota’s Kirby Puckett and San Diego’s Tony Gwynn each win batting titles on the final day of the regular season. In a 3–1 loss to Seattle, Puckett goes 2-for-5, both doubles. to edge Carney Lansford .339 to .336. Seattle’s Harold Reynolds ends the year at .300, and sets a ML record with no homers in 613 at bats. Eric Hanson (9-5) is the winner. Tony Gwynn, meanwhile, is 3-for-4 to beat Will Clark .336 to .333. Clark goes 1-for-4 as the Giants lose, 30, to the Padres Greg Harris.

     In Montreal, the Cards and Expos each collect 17 hits as the Expos prevail, 15-9.  Tim Raines rocks a grand slam and drives in 5, while Milt Thompson has a pair of homers for the Birds.  Pitcher Bryn Smith hits a 2-run homer and Bernard Gilkey adds his first ML homer for the Cards.

3rd  Oakland’s Dave Stewart wins the ALCS opener 7–3 over Toronto.

4th  Will Clark goes 4-for-4 with 2 home runs, including the first NLCS grand slam since 1977, to lead the Giants to a 11–3 win over the Cubs in game one of the NL playoffs. Clark’s 6 RBIs tie Bobby Richardson’s single-game post-season record set in the 1960 World Series. Clark also scores 4 runs.

      Rickey Henderson swipes 4 bases as Oakland beats Toronto again 6–3.

5th  The Cubs even the NLCS with 6 runs in the first inning. Jerome Walton has 2 hits in the outburst. Chicago wins, 9–5.

6th  Back at home Toronto wins its first ALCS game 7–3.

7th  Robby Thompson’s 2-run HR gives the Giants the 5–4 victory in game 3.

      Two Rickey Henderson HRs and a Jose Canseco upper deck HR give Oakland a 6–5 win over the Blue Jays.

8th  Oakland beats Toronto 4–3 to win the ALCS 4-1 and advance to the World Series for the 2nd straight year. Rickey Henderson, who hit .400 with 8 stolen bases, is named series MVP.

      Matt Williams snaps a 4–4 tie with a 5th-inning HR, and the Giants hold on to win 5–4.

9th  The Giants win their first NL pennant since 1962 by defeating the Cubs 3–2 in game 5 of the NLCS. Will Clark bats .650 in the series with 8 RBI to win MVP honors.

13th  Bob Quinn resigns as GM of the Yankees to accept the same position with the Cincinnati Reds.

14th  Dave Stewart shuts out the Giants, 5–0, on 5 hits in game 1 of the World Series. He is the first pitcher to start consecutive WS openers since the Reds Don Gullett in 1975 and ’76.

15th  Terry Steinbach’s 3-run HR is the big blow as Oakland wins, 5–1.

17th  Game 3 of the World Series is postponed when an earthquake strikes the San Francisco Bay area a half hour before game time, causing minor damage to Candlestick Park but major damage to the surrounding area. The quake registers 7.1 in magnitude, killing 67 people and does $7 billion in damage.

27th  After a 10-day earthquake delay, the rumbling continues as Oakland hits 5 HRs in a 13–7 World Series win. The A’s lead 3-0 in wins.

28th  The A’s take an 8–0 and beat the Giants 9–6 to complete a 4-game sweep of the World Series, the first WS sweep since 1976. Oakland’s Dave Stewart, who won 2 games, is named MVP.

NOVEMBER

3rd  Lou Piniella is named manager of the Reds, replacing the banned Pete Rose, and John McNamara will manage the Indians.

7th  Baltimore’s Gregg Olson becomes the first relief pitcher to win the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

8th  Cubs OF Jerome Walton wins the NL Rookie of the Year Award, collecting 22 of 24 first-place votes to defeat teammate Dwight Smith. They are the first NL teammates to finish 1-2 in the voting since the Phillies Jack Sanford and Ed Bouchee in 1957. Walton is the first Cub to win rookie honors since Billy Williams, in 1961.

14th  Padres reliever Mark Davis wins the NL Cy Young Award. He saved 44 games with a 1.85 ERA.

15th  Twenty-five-year-old Bret Saberhagen becomes the 4th pitcher ever to win the AL Cy Young Award twice, getting 27 of a possible 28 first-place votes for his 23-6, 2.16 ERA season. He also won the award in 1985.

16th  The NL champion Giants sign free-agent OF Kevin Bass, who hit .300 for Houston last season.

17th  Nick Esasky, who became one of the major leagues’ most coveted free agents after hitting .277 with 30 HRs and 108 RBI for the Red Sox last season, signs a 3-year contract with Atlanta Braves. Esasky lives in Marietta, Georgia.  Esasky will suffer from vertigo and play just 9 games with the Braves. Near the end of his contract Atlanta will release him on July 17, 1992.

20th  Brewers centerfielder Robin Yount edges the Rangers Ruben Sierra to win his second AL MVP Award. Yount, who won as a SS in 1982, hit .318 last season with 21 HRs and 103 RBI.

21st  Giants Kevin Mitchell, who led the big leagues with 47 HRs and 125 RBI, wins the NL MVP Award.

22nd  Twins OF Kirby Puckett re-signs with the club for $9 million over 3 years, making him the first ML player ever to sign a contract that calls for an average salary of $3 million per year. More will follow.

27th  Five-time NL All-Star Tony Pena signs as a free agent with the Red Sox.

DECEMBER

1st  Free-agent pitcher Mark Langston signs a 5-year contract with the Angels.

3rd  Thirty-eight-year-old DH Dave Parker, who had 22 HRs and 97 RBI for the World Champion A’s, signs with the Brewers as a free agent. As compensation, Oakland receives Milwaukee’s first round draft pick, using it to take Todd Van Poppel, as well as a compensation pick, selecting another pitcher Kirk Dressendorffer.

6th  The Mets trade reliever Randy Myers to the Reds for fellow closer John Franco; Joe Carter and Fred Lynn are sent by Cleveland to San Diego for Sandy Alomar, Carlos Baerga. and Chris James; and free-agent relief specialist Jeff Reardon signs with the Red Sox. Alomar, the son of major-league catcher Sandy, was the 1989 minor league player of the year, but was considered expendable because the Padres have prospect Benito Santiago, one year older, in their system.

7th  Storm Davis, 19-7 for the A’s last season, signs as a free agent with the Royals. Other free-agent signees include Craig Lefferts (San Diego), Pete O’Brien (Seattle), Oil Can Boyd (Montreal), and Keith Hernandez (Cleveland).

11th  The Royals sign free agent Mark Davis to a 4-year contract. Davis and Bret Saberhagen will make the 1990 Royals the first team ever to have both defending Cy Young Award winners.

12th  The Yankees trade minor leaguers Hal Morris and Rodney Imes to the Reds for P Tim Leary and OF Van Snider.

20th  Six months after obtaining him from the Phillies, the Mets trade 2B-OF Juan Samuel to the Dodgers for 1B Mike Marshall and P Alejandro Pena.

21st  The Dodgers sign free agent Hubie Brooks.

25th  Billy Martin, former infielder and 5-time manager of the Yankees, dies in a car accident in Johnson City, New York at the age of 61. Martin will be buried in Gate of Heaven cemetery in Valhalla, New York in a plot near Babe Ruth’s.  George Steinbrenner, who fired Martin 4 times (he resigned the 5th time) purchases the plot.