TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

August 13, 1979 — Against the team that traded him, Lou Brock reaches the 3000 hitsmilestone when his line drive caroms off Dennis Lamp’s pitching hand in the 3-2 Cardinal victory over the Cubs at Busch Stadium. The 40 year-old Redbird outfielder, who will retire at the end of the season with a lifetime .293 batting average, is the fourteenth major leaguer to reach the coveted plateau.

“As a fan, I was first in line,” Brock told the crowd. “I had never seen 3,000 hits before. I was glad to be a part of it.”

Bush Stadium was packed with 44,457 fans to see the stole base king and two time world series champion and future hall of famer try for his 3,000 hit. The Cardinals were also playing their rivals the Chicago Cubs, as part of a twilight double header. Chicago was 2 and half ahead of St Louis for 3rd place in the east. Brock had sat out the first game.

The Cardinal Fans are amongst the best fans in baseball. They know how to appreciate their players during and after their careers. Most were hoping to see history.

Brock had been on fire the last 8 games going 12-34 hitting a robust .353. Brock entered the game 2 hits shy of 3,000.

Facing Dennis Lamp in the first, Brock stepped to the plate and stadium organist Ernie Hays played music from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The tunes were in response to Brock’s telling Hays, “This is my last close encounter.” Brock singled to left field as the second batter of the game.

After the Brock single in the first, lamp retired the next 9 batters. Leading off the bottom of the 4th was Brock, he hit a shot headed to center field that ended up hitting lamp in the pitching hand and the ball bounced over the the third base line.

Brock flew down the line and collected his 3,000 career base hit. Stan Musial collected the ball and handed to Lou Brock.

“The fans here deserved to see the 3,000 hit,” Brock said. “Stan (Musial) came close but didn’t quite make it. Mr. Busch said, ‘You’re going to do it here.’ I said, ‘I am?’

“I’ve always wanted to leave baseball in a blaze of glory. I’ve always wanted to orchestrate my own exodus, and I’ve done a pretty good job of it.”

Lou Brock retired after the 1979 season with 3,023 hits, a batting average of .293, and 938 stolen bases. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985. He was the 20th player to be selected in his first year of eligibility.

Todays Podcast

August 13, 1906 — At Washington Park in Brooklyn, Jack “Brakeman” Taylor is replaced by a reliever for the first time since June of 1901 when the Brooklyn Superbas knock him out of the game in the third inning. During the five-year span, the Orphans’ right-hander completed a remarkable 1,727 innings of work that included 187 consecutive complete games, as well as finishing up 15 games in relief, during this stretch of 202 appearances he was not relived once. In 10 years, he will fail to finish only eight of 286 starts.

August 13th, 1910, in the most evenly played game ever, the Pirates and Brooklyn Superbas each have eight runs, 13 hits, 38 at bats, five strikeouts, three walks, one hit batter, one passed ball, 13 assists, 27 putouts, two errors, and use two pitchers. The game would finally be called on account of darkness.

August 13th 1921, Boston Braves Pitcher John “Mule” Watson tosses two complete-game victories over the Phillies, winning 4-3 and 8-0. It is the third time he has pitched both games of a doubleheader to completion, his first two being with the A’s in 1918.

August 13, 1932 — Commissioner Kenesaw Landis clears Rogers Hornsby of charges of fraudulently “borrowing” money from Cubs players. The Chicago papers said Hornsby had obtained money from players, either loaned to him to bet on horse races, or to share in joint ventures. When Hornsby is fined, the players want refunds. Hornsby wants a lump payoff by the Cubs, who refuse. Landis holds several hearings, and as he doesn’t punish anyone, it is taken as exoneration.

LISTEN: July 21, 1937 Newsreel featuring Rogers Hornsby being replaced by Jim Bottomley

August 13, 1945 – Branch Rickey becomes the principal stockholder of the Dodgers. He and associates Walter O’Malley and John Smith acquire the 50 percent interest of the Ebbets estate for a reported price of $750,000.

LISTEN: Jackie Robinson Show Episodes 8 Branch Rickey

August 13th 1951 51,013 pack Comiskey Park to see Satchel Paige pitch his first Major League shutout as Cleveland wins 5-0. Giving up only five hits, Paige would add one more win to his 4-1 record. In his 12 starts, 201,829 fans would come to the park to witness “Old Satch”.

LISTEN: Satchel Paige on Hall of Fame Induction

August 13th, 1962 while playing for the minor league Daytona Beach Dodgers, Bert Campaneris pitches ambidextrously in a relief appearance. Facing the Ft. Lauderdale Yankees, Campy threw lefty to lefthanders and switched when right-handers come up to the plate.

LISTEN: Bert Campaneris and Ken Harrelson talk about playing 9 positions

August 13, 1963, Warren Spahn sets a major league record for the most strikeouts by a lefthanded pitcher. Spahn strikes out Al Ferrara of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the final out in the Braves’ 4-3 victory at County Stadium. Spahn struck out 5 Dodgers on his way to surpass Hall of Famer Rube Waddell on the all-time list, who had 2382 strikeouts.

LISTEN: Warren Spahn interviewed by Leo Cloutier in 1972

August 13, 1969 — Baltimore’s Jim Palmer leaves no doubt about his comeback with a 8 – 0 no-hitter against Oakland. Reggie Jackson, leading the American League with 42 home runs, walks three times, as the A’s drop two games behind the Twins in the West. Palmer, now 11-2, pushes the O’s lead to a comfortable 14 1/2 games.

LISTEN: Jim Palmer Hardball

August 13, 1969 — In a 6 – 4 defeat to the Reds, Bobby Bonds becomes the fourth player in major league history steal at least 30 bases and hit at least 30 home runs in the same season. The other members of the 30/30 club include Ken Williams (1922 Browns), Willie Mays (1956 & 1957 – Giants) and Hank Aaron (1963 Braves).

LISTEN: Bobby Bonds on Early Days in San Francisco

August 13, 1972, Detroit Tigers manager Billy Martin picks his team’s lineup out of a hat. The slow-footed Norm Cash is picked to bat leadoff while the weak-hitting Eddie Brinkman ends up batting cleanup. The new lineup produces a 3-2 win in the first game of a doubleheader. Later, Martin will use the unconventional method while he is managing the Oakland A’s.

LISTEN: Billy Martin talks about game 7 catch 1952 World Series

August 13, 1982 — At Chavez Ravine, Dodger second baseman Steve Sax steals his 41st base to set a franchise record for rookies when he swipes second base in LA’s 6-1 victory over San Francisco. The eventual National League Rookie of the Year, the fourth consecutive Dodger to win the award, will extend the record to 49.

LISTEN: Steve Sax Interview (Passed Ball Show)

August 13, 1987 — Billy Williams joins Ernie Banks as the second Cubs player to be honored by having his uniform number (26) being retired by the team. Sweet Swingin’ Billy from Whistler (AL) played 16 of his 18 major league seasons in the Windy City, hitting .296 and 392 home runs for the team that plays on the North side of Chicago.

LISTEN: Billy Williams 1987 Hall of Fame Induction Speech

August 13th, 1995 Flags at Yankee Stadium fly at half mast to honor the passing of Yankee legend Mickey Mantle. Mantle died of liver cancer at the age of 63 in Dallas, Texas.

LISTEN: 1995 Mickey Mantle Extra Coverage

August 13, 1998 — Orlando Hernandez breaks a 30 year-old Yankee rookie record when he retires Mark McLemore on a called third strike to end the eighth inning of the team’s 2-0 victory over Texas in New York. El Duque’s 13 strikeouts, a total he will reach only once more in his career, surpasses the freshman mark established by Stan Bahnsen, the 1968 American League Rookie of the Year.

LISTEN: August 13, 1998 Texas Rangers vs New York Yankees

August 13, 2006, LA’s Greg Maddux and SF’s Jason Schmidt hook up in a classic West Coast pitcher’s duel, reminiscent of match-ups of Koufax and Marichal, as the Dodgers beat the Giants, 1-0, thanks to Russell Martin’s 10th inning walk-off home run.

For the first time in baseball history, a 300-game winner faces a batter who has hit 700 home runs. 328-game winner Greg Maddux of the Dodgers faces Barry Bonds (723 homers) of the Giants. Maddux wins the battle, holding Bonds to 0-for-2 with a walk in eight shutout innings. Barry Bonds lines into a double play in the first inning.

 ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA

TRIVIA ANSWER: TOMMY HARPER 

- Ans. Harper & Stargell were classmates and teammates at Encinal HS, Alameda, CA. Additional well-known alumni of Encinal are Jimmy Rollins & Jimmy Rollins. Harper stole a career-high 73 stolen bases in 1969, 20 more than Lou Brock stole the same season.

- #1 For SEP, Harper had 148 G, 640 PA, 537 AB, 126 H, 73 SB & 95 BB. 1^st SEP G: 08-Apr-1969.

- #2 The “among others” Hall of Fame teammates were Tony Perez, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Reggie Jackson & Jim Palmer

Thank you Horsehide Trivia

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