This Weekend in Baseball History

April 24th, 2013: Jordany Valdespin's walk off grand slam -- the first by a Met since Kevin McReynolds in 1991 -- lifts the team to 7 - 3, 10 inning victory over the Dodgers.
April 24th, 2003: In his third at-bat, Chase Utley gets his first major league hit, blasting a third-inning grand slam off Rockies starter Dennis Cook. It's a highlight of the Phillies' 9-1 Veterans Stadium victory.

April 24th, 1960: The Yankees score 8 runs BEFORE THE FIRST OUT IS MADE in the bottom of the 1st inning, to tie an American League record (set by  the Indians in 1954). Elston Howard and Tony Kubek capped the outburst with home runs. But things didn't calm down for long. The Orioles pulled close with the help of 8th and 9th innings grand slams (by Albie Pearson and Billy Klaus) before Johnny James strikes out Jackie Brandt for the final out in a wild 15 - 9 Yankee victory. 
April 24th, 1923: Avid baseball fan President Warren Harding is on hand for the first shutout ever thrown at Yankee Stadium. Babe Ruth's fifth-inning homer off Allen Russell is the big blow in a 4 - 0 New York win over Washington.
April 24th, 1917: Lefty George Mogridge fires the first no-hitter in Yankee history. Ironically, it took place at Fenway Park, with the Yankees winning it 2 - 1.
April 25th, 2012: David Wright becomes the Mets' all-time RBI leader with 735, when he hits a two-run home run in the team's 5-1 victory over the Marlins at Citi Field. That passes Darryl Strawberry's previous team mark.
April 25th, 2001: Rickey Henderson walks off Jose Mesa of the Phillies leading off the 9th inning. The 2063rd free pass of his career breaks the old record that Babe Ruth held for 66 years. The career steals leader with 1,371, Henderson was then erased trying to take second, in a game won by Philadelphia 5 - 3.
April 25th, 1967: Whitey Ford fires a complete game, holding the White Sox to two runs and eight hits, as the Yankees pound Chicago 11 - 2. It's the 236th and final victory of Ford's Hall of Fame career. (The losing pitcher is future Yankee Tommy John.)
April 26th, 2006: Albert Pujols sets a major league record with his 14th home run during
April... as the Cardinals defeat the Washington Nationals 2-1.
April 26th, 2005: At Yankee Stadium: Alex Rodriguez homers his first three times up and drives in 10 runs in the Yankees 12 - 4 win over the Angels -- all three blasts came with two outs. Only Tony Lazzeri (with 11) ever drove in more runs in a single game for the Yankees. A-Rod joins Johnny Mize and Dave Kingman as the only major leaguers to have three-home-run games with three different teams.
April 26th, 1992: Ozzie Smith steals the 500th base of his career, but his Cardinals lose at home to the Expos 6 - 0.
April 26th, 1974: Chris Chambliss becomes a Yankee. He's the key player in a seve-man trade with the Indians that sends Fritz Peterson, Fred Beene, Steve Kline and Tom Buskey to Cleveland. Joining Chambliss in the Bronx are pitchers Dick Tidrow and Cecil Upshaw.
April 26th, 1961: Roger Maris hits the first of his record setting 61 home runs. It comes off Detroit's Paul Foytack in the 5th inning of a 13 - 11 Yankee victory at Tiger Stadium.

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