This Weekend in Baseball History

We got a head start Thursday night, when Fernando Tatis Junior and Wil Myers of the Padres matched a feat only previously authored by the most famous 1-2 punch in baseball history. 

Tatis and Myers each homered twice in San Diego's wild 11-9 Wild Card round win over the Cardinals --  joining Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig as the only teammates in postseason history to hit multiple homers in the same game. 

Amazingly, they did it on October 1st -- the same date as the Yankee legends' double two-home run performance against the Cubs in the 1932 World Series.

Now, time to hit that rewind button:

October 2nd, 2012: R.A. Dickey wraps up his Cy Young Award season, striking out eight Marlins over six innings -- finishing the year with 230 and a no-decision as the Mets lose 4-3. It's also his final appearance for New York, who trades him to Toronto over the winter.

October 2nd, 2004: The Expos conclude a 36-season run representing Montreal with a 6-3 victory over the Mets at Shea Stadium -- the park where the franchise played and won its first game on opening day 1969. The club would move to Washington the following season.

October 2nd, 1998: Tino Martinez and rookie surprise Shane Spencer hit 6th inning home runs and David Cone pitches 5-2/3 shutout innings before a three-hour rain delay; once play resumes, relievers Graeme Lloyd, Jeff Nelson and Mariano Rivera complete the 4-0 shutout of the Rangers for a three-game sweep in the American League Division Series. The victory advances New York to the League Championship Series against Cleveland.

October 2nd, 1995: Randy Johnson fires a three-hitter as the Mariners, beat the Angels 9-1 in a one-game playoff for the American League West title.

October 2nd, 1993: Albert Belle hits the final home run in Cleveland Stadium history (in the old park's next-to-last game). His 8th blast isn't enough to overcome the White Sox, who win 4-2.

October 2nd, 1986: Dwight Gooden becomes the first pitcher to strike out 200 or more batters in each of his first three seasons; he whiffs seven Pirates in the Mets 8-2 win over the Pirates.

October 2nd, 1986: Don Mattingly sets a Yankee team record, as his 232nd hit of the season breaks the mark set in 1927 by Earl Combs. Mattingly wasn't done -- he'd finish with six hits over the final three games and a new record total of 238.

October 2nd, 1983: Carl Yastrzemski finishes his career going 1-for-3 in the Red Sox 3-1 win over the Indians at Fenway Park.

October 2nd, 1980: The Phillies move into a 1st place tie in the NL East with a 4-2 Veterans Stadium win over the Cubs. Mike Schmidt ties the game with his 46th home run of the season; Keith Moreland singles in Del Unser in the 7th as the Phils take the lead for keeps. 

October 2nd, 1978: Bucky Dent claims his forever place in Yankee history. His three-run homer over the Green Monster off Mike Torrez gives them the lead for keeps as they edge the Red Sox 5-4, in a one-game playoff that decides the American League East. Tha sends the Yanks, who once trailed Boston by 14-1/2 games, on to face the Royals in the ALCS.

October 2nd, 1976: Mark Fidrych finishes his Rookie of the Year season, winning his 19th game, as the Tigers down the Brewers 5-1 at County Stadium in Milwaukee.

October 2nd, 1974: Hank Aaron hits his 733rd and last home run as a Brave. It comes off Rawley Eastwick, in Atlanta's 13-0 demolition of the Reds.

October 2nd, 1969: The final home game for the Seattle Pilots is a 3-1 loss to the Oakland A's at Sicks Stadium. Before a crowd of just over 5400, Sal Bando, Rick Monday and Ted Kubiak drove in the runs as the A's did all their scoring in the 3rd inning. The Seattle club would declare bankruptcy and be sold to new owners in Milwaukee just before the 1970 season.

October 2nd, 1968: In the opening game of the 1968 World Series, Bob Gibson strikes out a record 17 Tigers (Willie Horton was his was his final victim). A dominating a five-hit shutout as the Cardinals blank the Tigers 4-0.

October 2nd, 1965: At Shea Stadium, Chris Short holds the Mets scoreless for 15 innings, and ties the National League record with 18 strikeouts -- while Rob Gardner matches the Phillies ace in zeroes and innings, before both hurlers left things in the hands of their bullpens who continued to stump the batters. By the time the game ended (because of a league rule 1am curfew) it became the longest scoreless tie in National League history!

October 2nd, 1965: Sandy Koufax strikes out 13 as the Dodgers edge the Braves 2-1, and clinch their second NL pennant of the '60s. 

October 2nd, 1963: Sandy Koufax opens the World Series by striking out the first five Yankees he faces in a 5-2 Dodger victory. He'd finish with 15 k's -- Harry Bright was his final victim.

October 2nd, 1954: The New York Giants complete a four-game World Series sweep of the Giants. Don Liddle outpitches the Indians' Bob Lemon, while Monte Irvin's two-run single highlights a four-run 5th inning in the Giants 7-4 victory at Cleveland Stadium.

October 2nd, 1938: Bob Feller becomes the first American League pitcher to strike out 18 batters in a game. At Cleveland Stadium the Indians ace matches the record first set by Dizzy Dean of the Cardinals. But Feller also allowed seven hits and seven walks in a 4-1 loss to the Tigers.

October 2nd, 1921: The Yankees close out their first pennant-winning season with a 7-6 win over the Red Sox in the Bronx. Babe Ruth hits his record 59th home run off Boston righthander Curt Fullerton.

October 2nd, 1903: Patsy Dougherty of the Boston Americans becomes the first player to hit two home runs in a World Series game. The not-yet-Red Sox beat the Pirates 4-2, evening the 1st World Series at one win each; they'd go on to win it five games to three.

October 3rd, 2006: Derek Jeter ties a record with a five-hit post-season game -- two singles, two doubles and an eighth-inning home run to center field -- as the Yankees take the opener of the ALDS from the Tigers 8- 4. (Jeter becomes the sixth player to have a five-hit post-season game.) Other headliners: Bobby Abreu, who drove in four runs in the first post-season game of his career, and Jason Giambi, who slugged a two-run homer to cap the Yankees five-run third inning.

October 3rd, 1993: George Brett finishes his final game with a 9th inning single off Tom Henke, and comes around to score two batters later, as the Royals beat the Rangers 4-1 at Arlington Stadium.

October 3rd, 1993: The White Sox blank the Indians 4- 0 in the final game played at Cleveland Stadium. Joey Cora scores the final run, driven in by Frank Thomas.

October 3rd, 1990: Cecil Fielder becomes the first American Leaguer since Maris and Mantle in '61 to hit 50 home runs in a season -- and does it against the Yankees! He belts numbers 50 and 51, in the Tigers 10-3 victory in the Bronx.

October 3rd, 1974: Frank Robinson signs to become the new manager of the Cleveland Indians -- the first African-American to lead a major league team.

October 3rd, 1972: Steve Carlton closes out his first Cy Young Award season. Backed by six home runs, the Phillies crush the Cubs 11-1 for Lefty's 27th win -- in a season where Carlton authors 45 percent of his team's victories!

October 3rd, 1962: 11 years after Bobby Thomson's magical moment, the Giants again beat the Dodgers in a National League playoff series. After Tommy Davis' two-run homer gives the Dodgers a 4-2 lead after eight innings, the Giants come from behind. They score four in the top of 9th at Dodger Stadium for a pennant clinching 6-4 game three victory. No historic homer this time; instead, Jim Davenport drove in the go-ahead run on a bases loaded walk. (And just like '51, the Giants go on to the World Series, where they'd fall to the Yankees.)

October 3rd, 1951: "The Shot Heard Round the World." With his Giants trailing in the bottom of the 9th inning in the third and deciding game of the National League playoffs, Bobby Thomson homers off Ralph Branca for a stunning 5-4 win. The startled call of Giants' radio voice Russ Hodges will ring forever (it was later dubbed onto film of the big blast): "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! And they're going crazy!!" Did you realize that of the 18 players on the field at its climax , Thomson and Branca were the only two who grew up in the New York area?? (Thomson from Staten Island; and Branca from suburban Mount Vernon).

October 3rd, 1947: Cookie Lavagetto breaks up Bill Bevens no-hit bid with a two-run double with two outs in the bottom of the 9th at Ebbet Field -- as the Dodgers stun the Yankees in game four of the World Series.

October 3rd, 1943: Roger McKee, just two and a half weeks past his 17th birthday, fires a complete game, as the Phillies and defeated the Pirates at Forbes Field 11-3 -- to become the youngest pitcher in modern Major League history to record a victory. It was only start of his brief big league career. McKee also made three relief appearances in '43, debuting at Shibe Park as a 16-year-old, and one more in 1944.

October 3rd, 1937: Hank Greenberg spoils Indians' pitcher Johnny Allen's bid for an undefeated season. The Tigers superstar drives in the only run of the game in the first inning, as Detroit edges Cleveland 1-0, for Allen's only loss following 15 consecutive victories.

October 3rd, 1909: Ty Cobb finishes the first Triple Crown season in baseball history, as he leads the American in batting at .377, nine home runs -- all them are inside-the-parkers -- and 107 RBIs.

 

October 4th, 2015: Clayton Kershaw strikes out Melvin Upton in the 3rd inning of the Dodgers 6-3 win over the Padres. He joins Sandy Koufax as the only 300-strikeout pitchers in Dodger history -- and is the first to total that many in a season since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in 2002.

October 4th, 2002: The A's are the first team ever to start a post-season game with back-to-back home runs. In the top of the 1st, Ray Durham leads off with an inside-the-park job; Scott Hatteberg then cleared the fence as off Rick Reed as Oakland rolsl to a 6-3 win over the Twins in game three of the ALDS at the Metrodome.

October 4th, 2001: Tim Raines and Tim Raines Jr. of the Orioles become the second father-son combo to play for the same team in the same game. While the senior Raines drove in a run with a 9th inning groundout, Baltimore falls a run short of the Red Sox, losing 5-4.

 

October 4th, 1999: Edgardo Alfonzo belts a two-run homer in the top of the 1st inning, while lefty Al Leiter then holds the Reds to just two hits as the Mets blank the Reds 5-0 in a "play-in" game to gran the National League wild card spot.

October 4th, 1995: Jim Leyritz's two run walk-off homer in the 15th inning gives the Yankees a two-games-to-none Division Series over the Mariners.

October 4th, 1991: Jim Thome's first major league home run comes off the Yankees' Steve Farr in the Bronx.

October 4th, 1980: Mike Schmidt's two-run homer in the top of the 11th inning pushes the Phillies past the second place Expos 6-4, as they clinch the NL East for the fourth time in five years. Tug McGraw works a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning, striking out Larry Parrish to end the game. Schmidt's home run was his 48th, breaking Eddie Mathews' NL mark for the most in a season by a 3rd baseman.

October 4th, 1969: In the opening games of the first ever League Championship Series between division winners, the Mets outscore the Braves 9-5 and the Orioles edge the Twins 4-3 in 12 innings.

October 4th, 1964: Climaxing of one of baseball's most exciting weekends, the Cardinals, come from behind to beat the Mets 11-5 at old Busch Stadium. Dick Groat drove in Bill White with the go-ahead run on a 5th inning groundout. Bob Gibson, the losing pitcher two nights before, earns the win in relief as the Cards avoid a possible playoff and take their first pennant since 1946, finishing a game ahead of the Phillies and Reds.

October 4th, 1961: Whitey Ford fires his third straight World Series shutout, while Elston Howard and Bill Skowron hit home runs as the Yankees open the World Series with a 2-0 win at home over the Reds.

October 4th, 1958: Hank Bauer goes three-for-four and sets a record by hitting safely in 17 consecutive World Series games.  Don Larsen and Ryne Duren team for the shuout, in the Yankees' game three victory over the Braves in the World Series. (Bauer's streak ends the next day, as Warren Spahn holds him without a hit in Milwaukee's 4-0 win.)

October 4th, 1955: Johnny Padres shuts out the Yankees in the Dodgers 2-0 game seven win for their only World Series title representing Brooklyn. Gil Hodges drove in both Dodger  runs -- singling in Roy Campanella in the 4th inning, and Pee Wee Reese on a 7th inning sacrifice fly.

October 4th, 1922: With famed sportswriter Grantland Rice calling the action, the first game of the Giants-Yankees World Series is broadcast on WJZ in New York and WGY in Schenectady -- the first, in effect, network coverage of baseball's fall classic. The Giants won the opener 3-2 and went onto sweep the series, winning four games, with game two ending in a tie due to darkness.