This Weekend in Baseball History
July 23rd, 2009: Mark Teixeria is the batting star, as he Yankees come from behind with four in the 4th and two more in the 5th to beat the A's 6-3. Teixeira's two run homer keys the 4th inning rally; he adds an RBI double an inning later. CC Sabathia works the first seven innings for his 10th win of the season.
July 23rd, 2006: Adrian Beltre hits the first inside-the-park home run in the eight-year history of Safeco Field. The 8th-inning blast to center field comes off the Red Sox Mike Timlin in the Mariners' 9-8 victory.
July 23rd, 1978: Steve Carlton earns his 200th career victory, in the Phillies 13-2 win over the Astros at Veterans Stadium.
July 23rd, 1969: Willie McCovey smacks a pair of home runs as the National League wins the All Star Game at RFK Stadium in Washington. It's the last time the game is played during the afternoon; it becomes a prime TV event the following summer.
July 23rd, 1964: Rookie Bert Campaneris homers twice in his first major league game -- the first one off Jim Kaat -- as the Kansas City A's edge the Twins 4-3 at Metropolitan Stadium. While the 1960s/'70s Campy went on to enjoy a fine career, he was never much of a slugger... The Cuban expat belted just 70 home runs over his 19 seasons -- while stealing 649 bases (which places him in the alltime Top 15).
July 23rd, 1962: The Cardinals keep Maury Willis from stealing a base. Instead, the Dodger speedster smacks a two-run, 4th inning homer off Ray Sadecki that helps break the game open -- as L.A. goes onto win 9-2.
July 23rd, 1962: Jackie Robinson becomes the first Black player inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame.. Also honored in the mid-summer cermonies at Cooperstown: Bob Feller, Bill McKechnie and Edd Roush.
July 23rd, 1955: Del Ennis has the biggest day of his career, belting three home runs and driving in all seven runs as the Phillies pound the Cardinals 7-2 in St. Louis.
July 23rd, 1993: Pie Traynor gets the game winning home runs in both ends of the Pirates doubleheader sweep over the Phillies. In the opener, a 9th inning blast gives Pittsburgh a 2-1 victory; in the nightcap, a 13th inning shot ends a wild 16-15 marathon.
July 23rd, 1925: Lou Gehrig's first of his 23 career grand slams comes off Firpo Marberry in the Yankees 11-7 win over the Senators in the Bronx.
July 24th, 1999: Chili Davis is the batting star as the Yankees rout the Indians 21-1 -- their biggest winning margin in 46 years! The Yanks DH has five hits and six RBIs.
July 24th, 1990: It all came up fours for Vince Coleman of The Cardinals. The speedster puts up spectacular numbers, with four hits (two triples, a single and a home run), four stolen bases (including stealing home) and four runs scored – along with as a tumbling catch in left field to end the game as the Cards defeat the Cubs 9-4 at Busch Stadium.
July 24th, 1988: The Mets retire Tom Seaver's number 41, for the future Hall of Famer, who went 198 - 124 in his 12 Shea Stadium seasons. He's the first Mets player to be so honored -- joining former managers Casey Stengel and Gil Hodges.
July 24th, 1978: A day after his "One's a born liar, the other's convicted," outburst about Reggie Jackson and George Steinbrenner, Billy Martin is replaced by Bob Lemon as Yankee manager. The club goes 48-20 the rest of the way, catches the Red Sox for the division, wins the one-game play-in and goes onto their second straight World Series championship.
July 24rd, 1965: Casey Stengel manages what turns out to be his final game for the Mets, a 5-1 loss to the Phillies at Shea Stadium. Late that night, the almost-75 year old breaks a hip when he falls (some say in the rest room, others say getting into a car) at Toots Shor's restaurant in Manhattan and never returns to the dugout.
July 24th, 1961: The Yankees host the San Francisco Giants in a mid-summer exhibition game at Yankee Stadium. Despite threatening weather, more than 47,000 came to the Bronx to watch the former Polo Grounds residents beat the Yankees 4-1. Willie Mays drives in a pair of San Francisco runs; Mickey Mantle homers for the only Yankee score. (But due to the weather, a pre-game home run derby with Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle opposed by Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda had to be canceled.)
July 24th, 1926: Lou Gehrig swipes home on the front end of a double steal with Babe Ruth trailing -- one of 15 times this legendary slugger would steal home during his career. Ben Paschal then drives in Ruth on a single -- the only Yankee runs in a 2-1 win over the White Sox.
July 25th, 2015: In what turns out to be Cole Hamels' final game for the Phillies, the veteran lefty authors a no-hitter against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The lefty strikes out 13 and walks two for his first win since May 23rd.
July 25th, 1999: Nolan Ryan, baseball's all time strikeout leader, heads the inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He's joined by George Brett, Robin Yount and veterans committee selections Orlando Cepeda, Nestor Chylak, Frank Selee, and 'Smokey' Joe Williams.
July 25th, 1998: The Yankees unveil a plaque for Mel Allen, the club's iconic broadcaster who died two years earlier. Its message calls him" a Yankee institution, a national treasure" and includes his signature line, "How about that?"
July 25th, 1994: Rico Brogna has a five hit day for the Mets, five days after being promoted from their Norfolk minor league club. He joins Dick Smith (1964) and John Milner (1972) as the only Mets to do so, in a 7-2 Busch Stadium win over the Cardinals.
July 25th, 1990: George Brett hits for the cycle in the Royals 6-1 win over the Blue Jays at the SkyDome.
July 25th, 1982: Steve Carlton's 50th career shutout is a 1-0, five-hitter at Dodger Stadium. Manny Trillo's 2nd inning single drives in Bill Robinson for the only run of the game.
July 25th, 1980: Mike Schmidt homers twice off the Braves' Larry McWilliams to move past Del Ennis as the Phillies all time home run leader. In the game Schmidt went 4 for 4, including a 12th inning bases loaded walk that gave the Phillies a 5-4 win in the opener of a Veterans Stadium doubleheader.
July 25th, 1972: Leo Durocher steps down after seven seasons as Cubs manager, and is replaced by one of his former New York Giants stars, Whitey Lockman.
July 25th, 1968: Bob Gibson fires a 5-0 shutout over the Phillies for his 11th straight victory -- which stretches his consecutive innings scoreless streak to 33, breaking William Doak's old club record.
July 25th, 1966: Casey Stengel and Ted Williams are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Williams' speech is noteworthy as he calls for the Hall to consider adding Negro League players to its honorees -- a step it finally undertook several years later.
July 25th, 1961: Roger Maris, taking aim at Babe Ruth’s single-season record, blasts a pair of home runs in each game of a twi-night doubleheader -- giving him four for the day and 40 for the season. The Yankees sweep the White Sox at Yankee Stadium 5 – 1 and 12- 0.
July 25th, 1956: Carl Furillo becomes the first Dodger to homer in a game at Jersey City. It's the only Brooklyn score in a 2-1 loss to the Reds, as Brooks Lawrence outpitches Don Newcombe.
July 25th, 1956: Roberto Clemente becomes the first player ever to hit an inside-the-park walk-off grand slam. It comes off Jim Brosnan of the Cubs for a 9-8 Pittsburgh victory at Forbes Field.
July 25th, 1950: The Phillies sweep a doubleheader from the Cubs -- with Bubba Church firing a shutout in the opener, and Robin Roberts matching that in the nightcap -- as they move into 1st place for keeps.
July 25th, 1941: Hall of Famer Lefty Grove wins his 300th and final game as the Red Sox outscore the Indians 10-6 at Cleveland.
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