July 2024
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On July 31st, 1897, John Grimes, who appeared in only three games during his one-year career with the St. Louis Brown Stockings, established a major league record by hitting six batters in a nine-inning game. The post-1900 record is four hit batsmen in nine innings, a dubious mark shared by many pitchers. According to Baseball Read more
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On July 30th, 1906, a New York State Supreme Court judge ruled that, despite “voluntary contributions” instead of paid admissions, Brooklyn was conducting a business enterprise and thus violating the law prohibiting Sunday baseball in New York. Sunday baseball in Brooklyn would not be legal until 1919. Sunday Blue Laws have always been a strange concept to me. I say that Read more
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On July 29th, 1915, 41-year-old Honus Wagner became the oldest player in the history of the modern era to hit a grand slam. Honus Wagner is probably most famous now for the being the player featured on the world’s most expensive baseball card, his 1909 T-206 card. In a 2022 auction someone paid $7.25 million Read more
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For me, it is always fun to watch a game where I love both teams. I am fully aware that for many “fans,” this idea of rooting for two opposing teams at the same time is unfathomable. What can I say? The advantage of following many teams means sometimes you get to watch a game Read more
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On July 27th, 1927, New York Giants 18-year-old rookie Mel Ott hit his first Major League home run at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. It was an inside-the-park round-tripper. It is the only inside-the-park homer of his 511 career home runs. I have been thinking lately about how I would rank the following baseball plays Read more
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On July, 26th, 1984, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announced 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 in November 1983. In July of 1984, I was living in Houston, Texas, and going to Astros games. I was a child of the 1970s Read more
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On July 25, 1998, Jesse Orosco pitched in his 1,000th career game in relief for the Baltimore Orioles. The visiting Seattle Mariners won the game 4-2. Orozco pitched a scoreless inning with one strikeout. Jesse Orosco pitched in an astounding 1252 Major League games in four different decades. No one else has pitched in so many Read more
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On July 24th, 1983, 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 two outs in the ninth inning. But Yankees manager Billy Martin points out that the pine tar on Brett’s bat handle exceeds the seventeen inches allowed in the rules. As a Read more
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On July 23rd, 1991, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Rob Dibble, who was just back from a three-game suspension, was ejected for throwing at, and hitting, Chicago Cubs baserunner Doug Dascenzo in an 8-5 Reds loss. The model professional ballplayer is even-tempered and steady. In other words, kind of boring. Think Mike Trout, Derek Jeter, and Aaron Judge. Great Read more
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On July 22nd, 1960, the Red Sox playing at home in Fenway defeated visiting Cleveland, 6 – 4. Vic Wertz hit a three-run homer and had four RBIs. Ted Williams also homered and, in the 7th inning, stole second base. Williams set a major-league record as the first and only player to steal bases in four consecutive decades (1930s, 1940s Read more
ClimbingSky 