BASEBALL
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On April 26th, 1941, The Chicago Cubs become the first team to install an organ in their stadium. When I was growing up (and training to be a pastor), I thought that the worst part of being in church was having to listen to the organ. My feelings about that have never changed. In fact,… Read more
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On April 23rd, 1985, Teddy “Yankee Killer” Higuera got his first start as a Major League Rookie. Teddy Higuera pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1985 to 1994. In 1986, he won 20 games for the Brew Crew when he became the first Brewers’ pitcher to strikeout more than 200 batters. Before 1998, the Brewers… Read more
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On April 20th, 1967, Tom Seaver of the New York Mets recorded his first major-league victory with a 6-1 triumph over the Chicago Cubs. Seaver went 7 2/3 innings and gave up eight hits and one run. Tom Seaver won a total of 311 games in his 20-year career. He won 3 Cy Young Awards and… Read more
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“”No matter how your mind works, baseball reaches out to you. If you’re an emotional person, baseball asks for your heart. If you are a thinking man or a thinking woman, baseball wants your opinion. Whether you are left-brain or right-brain, Type A or Type Z, whether your mind is bent towards mathematics or toward… Read more
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My local nine, the Minnesota Twins, are off to a slow start this season. Admittedly a baseball season is a long season. But you never want to start any season in too big of a hole. The most glaring problems thus far are: Let’s take these issues in reverse order. Injuries: Royce Lewis has all… Read more
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Lee Smith became the all-time saves leader as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-7. Smith got his 358th save, passing (former Minnesota Twin) Jeff Reardon. The Save is a relatively new stat in baseball. It did not become an official stat until 1969 And the rules for getting a Save have changed over… Read more
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On April 12th, 1965, Richie Allen hit the first home run in the Houston Astrodome, off Bob Bruce, as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Astros 2-0. I have a special place in my heart for the Astrodome, “The Eighth Wonder of the World.” Just as I have for the Metrodome and Wrigley Field. 20 years after Richie… Read more
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On April 9th, 1981, as a last minute fill-in on Opening Day when scheduled starter Jerry Reuss pulled a calf muscle, Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela shut out the Astros 2-0 on five hits in his first major league start. He would go on to win eight consecutive games. In 1981, Fernando Valenzuela led the league in For context from… Read more
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On April 8, 1974, In the fourth inning of the Braves home opener against the Dodgers, Hank Aaron parks an Al Downing pitch in the left-center field stands for career home run No. 715, breaking Ruth’s once thought to be unapproachable record. How good was Hank Aaron? Do the math. If a rookie starting this season hit 30 homers… Read more
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On April 6th, 1982, The Minnesota Twins played their inaugural game at the brand-new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Twins rookie Gary Gaetti had four hits with a pair of home runs, but Seattle won, 11-7. The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome was home to the Minnesota Twins for 27 years, from 1982-2009. I have always felt like the… Read more
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