This Weekend in Baseball History
September 25th, 2009: David Wright becomes the Mets' all time leader in games played at 3rd base, when he appears there for the 836th time, passing the previous mark set by Howard Johnson.
September 25th, 2008: Roy Halladay reaches 20 wins for the second time in his career as he leads the Blue Jays to an 8-2 victory over the Yankees at Rogers Centre.
September 25th, 2007: Prince Fielder of the Brewers homers twice against the Cardinals to reach 50 for the season -- making him part of the first father-son duo to hit 50 home runs in a season. His father Cecil had 51 in 1990.
September 25th, 2003: Carlos Delgado hits four home runs, as the Blue Jays outscore the Rays 10-8 at Skydome. He becomes the 15th player and fifth American Leaguer with a four home run game. Delgado's first homer was the 300th of his career.
September 25th, 1998: Ken Griffey Junior caps his second consecutive season with 56 home runs in the Mariners 15-4 rout of the Texas Rangers.
September 25th, 1989: Wade Boggs reaches 200 hits for the seventh consecutive season, going 4-for-5 in the Red Sox 7-4 Fenway Park victory over the Yankees.
September 25th, 1986: Mike Scott fires a no-hitter as the Astros clinch the NL West title with a 2-0 win over the Giants.
September 25th, 1984: Rusty Staub becomes just the second player to hit home runs as as a teenager and after turning 40. His two-run, walk-off homer off the Phillies Larry Anderson caps a four-run Mets rally as they win it 6-4 at Shea Stadium. (Ty Cobb was the only other big leaguer to homer as a teen and 40-something.)
September 25th, 1979: The Angels finish first for the first time ever. Frank Tanana pitches a complete game as they edge the Royals 4-1 in Anaheim to clinch their first ever AL West title.
September 25th, 1976: The Yankees clinch their first AL East title and punch their ticket to the post-season for the first time in a dozen years, scoring six in the top of the 1st, en route to a 10-6 win over the Tigers.
September 25th, 1974: The first ulnar collateral ligament replacement surgery is performed, on baseball player Tommy John -- for whom the surgery is named, after it saves and dramatically extends his career. The lefty will earn 164 of his 288 career victories after rehabbing and returning to action.
September 25th, 1973: The Mets hold Willie Mays Night, with a ceremony following their 2-1 win over the Expos. The beloved centerfield is honored by former teammates Bobby Thomson and Dusty Rhodes, and ex-rivals such as Stan Musial, Duke Snider and Pee Wee Reese. Speaking to the crowd of more than 50,000 five days after announcing that he'd retire at season's end, he refers to his teammates near the end of his remarks: "I look at the kids over here, the way they're playing, the way they're fighting for themselves, and it tells me one thing: ‘Willie, say goodbye to America’."
September 25th, 1968: Mickey Mantle plays his final game at Yankee Stadium. He goes 1 for 3 (with a walk) against Luis Tiant -- that 1st inning single is only hit given up by the Indians righty, who shuts out New York 3-0.
September 25th, 1966: In a matchup of Jewish pitchers, the Cubs’ Ken Holtzman holds the Dodgers without a hit for the first eight innings, outpitching Sandy Koufax in a 2-1 Chicago victory. Dick Schofield breaks up the no-hit bid leading off the 9th, advances to 2nd on a walk to Al Ferrara, and scores on a Maury Wills single. But the Dodgers fall short, when, with out one out, Willie Davis lines into a double play.
September 25th, 1965: Satchell Page makes his first major league appearance since 1959, allowing the Red Sox just one hit in three innings of shutout ball for the Kansas City A's. But the KC bullpen didn't hold up their end of the bargain as Boston rallies for a 5-2 victory.
September 25th, 1960: Joe Torre makes his major league debut. The Milwaukee Braves rookie singles in his first at-bat leading off the bottom of the 8th inning against Harvey Haddix, as the Brooklyn native hits for another future Hall of Famer, Warren Spahn. The Braves beat the Pirates in 10 innings 4 - 2 on a two-run walk-off homer by (another Hall of Famer) Eddie Mathews.
September 25th, 1960: The Yankees clinch their 10th and last pennant under Casey Stengel. Roger Maris gets three hits and drives in two runs, while Ralph Terry and Luis Arroyo our pitch Boston's Tom Brewer and Mike Forneles in a 4-3 victory at Fenway Park.
September 25th, 1956: Sal Maglie of the Brooklyn Dodgers no-hits the Phillies at Ebbets Field. Four days later, the player nicknamed The Barber would fire another complete game victory, as the Dodgers move into first place, with a 6-2 win over the Pirates. They'd clinch their final pennant for Brooklyn the day after (Sept. 30th).
September 26th, 2014: The Royals clinch their first division title in nearly 30 years, with a 3-1 win over the White Sox in Chicago. They'd go on to the World Series, where they'd fall to the Giants in seven games.
September 26th, 2013: Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte, with the Yankees one out away from a win over Tampa Bay, emerge from the dugout to remove Mariano Rivera, giving the sold-out Yankee Stadium crowd one final time to cheer the greatest closer ever, who'd already announced he'd retire after the season.
September 26th, 2012: Milo Hamilton wraps up a 63-year broadcasting career -- capped by 28 seasons with the Astros -- calling Houston's 2-0 win over the Cardinals at Minute Maid Park, that includes an inspirational message to fans during the 7th inning stretch.
September 26th, 2009: Sonia Sotomayor, the Bronx native, lifelong baseball fan and the Supreme Court's newest justice, throws the ceremonial first pitch before the Yankees 3-0 victory over the Red Sox. In 1995, while a U.S. District Judge, Sotomayor issued an injunction that led to the end of the nearly eight-month-long baseball strike and lockout.
September 26th, 2007: Albert Pujols homers in the top of the 1st inning to become the first player ever with 30 homers and 100 RBIs in each of his first seven seasons. The Cardinals go on to a 7-3 Miller Park victory over the Brewers.
September 26th, 2004: Andy Phillips, called up from Columbus at the end of the minor league season, smacks a two-run homer over the Green Monster on the first pitch he sees from Boston reliever Terry Adams. It was Phillips' first major league at-bat and hit; it came in the 8th inning of the Yankees' 11-4 loss at Fenway Park He joins John Miller in 1966 and Marcus Thames in 2002 as the only Yankees with home runs in their first at-bats.
September 26th, 1998: David Cone sets a new record for the most years between 20-win seasons as the Yankees beat the Rays, 3-1. The 33 year-old, who went 20-3 with the 1988 Mets, erases the mark set by Jim Kaat, who won 20 with the 1966 Twins and 1974 White Sox.
September 26th, 1998: Rickey Henderson becomes the oldest player ever to lead a league in stolen bases. The 39 year old swipes 2nd and 3rd in the bottom of the 3rd inning in as the A's beat the Angels 4-3 in Oakland.
September 26th, 1985: John Tudor fires his major league best 10th shutout of the season for his 20th victory as the Cardinals stop the Phillies 5-0.
September 26th, 1981: Nolan Ryan's fifth career no-hitter comes with 11 strike outs as the Astros shut down the Dodgers 5-0 a the Astrodome.
September 26th, 1979: Phil Niekro outpitches his brother Joe, in the Braves 9-4 win over the Astros -- and joins him as 20-game winners. Joe Niekro won his 20th of the season four nights earlier!
September 26th, 1976: The Phillies clinch the NL East, defeating the Expos 4- 1 behind Jim Lonborg, in the opener of a Jarry Park doubleheader. Greg Luzinski has the big hit, a three-run homer in the top of the 6th. It's the first time since 1950 they'll finish first -- and only the third time in franchise history. The Phils take the nightcap, 2-1, in the final game ever played at Montreal's first major league park.
September 26th, 1971: Ernie Banks singles off Ken Reynolds of the Phillies for his 2583rd and final hit.
September 26th, 1965: The Twins clinch their first pennant in Minnesota -- ending a run of five straight by the Yankees -- with a 2-1 win over the Senators, the club that took their place in Washington. Jim Kaat -- who pitched for club when it called DC home, authors the complete game victory.
September 26th, 1964: Yankees rookie standout Mel Stottlemyre pitches a two-hit shutout AND goes 5-for-5 (one of them a double) and drives in two runs in a 7-0 win over the Senators.
September 26th, 1960: Ted Williams finishes his career with a flourish – his 8th inning home run off Jack Fisher cuts the Orioles lead on Boston to 4 – 3. He then leaves the game... which the Red Sox would win in 10, 5 – 4.
September 26th, 1954: The Athletics play their final game representing Philadelphia, beating the Yankees 8-6 in the Bronx. Art Ditmar, who'd become a Yankee a few years later, earns the victory. Less than two months later, the Connie Mack family sells the club to Arnold Johnson, who moves the A's to Kansas City for the 1955 season.
September 26th, 1954: Willie Mays gets three hits in the season's final game, to win the National League batting title. The Say Hey kid finishes at .345, three points ahead of teammate Don Mueller and four up on crosstown rival Duke Snider.
September 26th, 1953: Al Kaline's first major league homer comes against the Indians righthander Dave Hoskins, in a 12-3 Tigers win at Cleveland Stadium.
September 26th, 1912: Grover Cleveland Alexander and Tom Seaton both throw shutouts in as the Phillies sweep a doubleheader from the Dodgers, 3-0 and 6-0. It's the first Double Shutout in team history.
September 26th, 1908: Ed Reulbach of the Cubs becomes the only pitcher in major league history to throw shutouts in both ends of a doubleheader, as Chicago sweeps the Dodgers, 5-0 and 3-0 at Washington Park in Brooklyn. In this age before TV, radio and commercial breaks, the entire twinbill is completed in just under three hours!
September 27th, 2012: RA Dickey wins his 20th en route to the Cy Young Award, as the Mets edge the Pirates 6-5 at Citi Field. He's the club's first 20 game winner since Frank Viola 22 years earlier (1990).
September 27th, 2010: Roy Halladay's two-hit shutout over Washington clinches the Phillies the NL East for the four year in a row.
September 27th, 2008: Mike Mussina becomes the oldest pitcher to win 20 games for the first time, firing six shutout innings in the Yankees' 6-2 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The 39 year old future Hall of Famer concludes his 18-year career with a 270-153 record.
September 27th, 2002: Jim Thome sets a new single-season Indians home run record. His 3rd inning blast off KC's Wes Obermiller gives him 51 on the season. Cleveland rolls to an 8-3 victory at Jacobs Field.
September 27th,1999: Tiger Stadium closes after 87 years with Detroit beating the Kansas City Royals 8-2. (Robert Fick's grand slam was the legendary park's final home run.) As called by legendary broadcaster Ernie Harwell: "Tigers lead it 8-2. Two down in the 9th. Jones is ready. He delivers. Here's a swing and a miss. The game is over and Tiger Stadium is no more."
September 27th, 1998: Baseball history was made on this night, as for the first time ever, two sets of brothers appear in the same game for the same team: Brett and Aaron Boone, and Barry and Stephen Larkin all start for the Reds in their season-ending contest against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cincinnati won at home 4-1. Stephen Larkin went 1 for 3 in his only major league game.
September 27th, 1998: The Yankees end the season with an 8-3 win over the Devil Rays and an American League record 114 victories. Shane Spencer's 5th inning grand slam keys a five-run rally.
September 27th, 1993: Bo Jackson's three-run homer is the big blow as the White Sox beat the Mariners 4-2, and clinch their first AL West title in 10 years.
September 27th, 1992: Gary Carter, in his last major league at-bat, doubles deep to right field in the seventh inning, driving in Larry Walker with the lone run in the Expos' 1-0 victory over the Cubs at Olympic Stadium.
September 27th, 1982: The Cardinals clinch first place for the first time in 14 years. Willie McGee's 1st inning inside-the-park home run is the big hit as St. Louis tops the Expos 4-2.
September 27th, 1975: Only a 6th inning double by Felix Millan (who drove in John Stearsn, who'd walked) stands between Steve Carlton and a no-hitter as the Phillies beat the Mets 8-1 at Veterans Stadium.
September 27th, 1968: Bob Gibson closes out his greatest regular season, shutting out the Astros 1-0 for his 22nd victory. En route to both the MVP and Cy Young Awards, the Cardinals legend posted a microscopic 1.12 ERA.
September 27th, 1964: Houston's 1-0, 12-inning victory over the Dodgers is the club's last at Colt Stadium and final one under the Colt .45s name. (The'd be rebranded the Astros when they most into their domed stadium the following season.) Jimmy Wynn drives in Bob Aspromonte for the only run of the game.
September 27th, 1954: Willie Mays is one of the guests on the debut episode of The Tonight Show starring Steve Allen.
September 27th, 1953: The Browns lose to the White Sox 2-1, in their final game representing St. Louis. Just 3174 people are on hand to see it at Sportsman's Park. Two days later, the AL owners approve the sale of the club and its relocation to Baltimore for 1954.
September 27th, 1952: Eddie Mathews is the first rookie ever to hit three home runs in a game. The Braves' 20 year-old first baseman leads his club to an 11-3 victory over the World Series bound Dodgers, in a game that's also the last victory for the franchise representing Boston.
September 27th, 1938: Hank Greenberg homers twice (off Bill Cox) in the 2nd game of the Tigers/Browns doubleheader in Detroit. But his challenge of Babe Ruth's record would fall short, as he fails to hit a home run in the season's last five games.
September 27th, 1923 and 1938: Lou Gehrig hit the first and last home runs of his career on the same date. I wrote a longer essay on these bookend moments a year ago. Here's the link:
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