TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

August 4, 1932, After being fined $1,000 and suspended until Carl Reynolds, the player whose jaw he broke in two places a month ago, was ready to play again for the Senators, Bill Dickey returns to the New York Yankees lineup. The future Hall of Fame catcher bangs out four hits, including a grand slam, in a 15-3 Yankee victory, he missed a total of 31 games.

The story behind the incident –
Apparently, there had been bad blood brewing between the two teams for some time. All these years later, who can say why. Carl Reynolds was perched on third, hoping for a chance to score. Following a failed suicide bunt and a botched play at third, he raced home and barreled into catcher Bill Dickey. A violent collision ensued, with Dickey apparently getting the worst of it. (Need I say this was a good two generations before the Buster Posey rule? But we’ll save that topic for another day…) After Reynolds got up and started walking away, he suddenly reversed course and returned to the scene to be sure he touched the plate.

Meanwhile, Dickey, dazed from the collision, at first thought Reynolds had deliberately tried to hurt him with the hard slide. He now suspected Reynolds was returning to continue the altercation…and maybe to even get another piece of Dickey. At least that’s what went though his mind. So Dickey reacted reflectively and struck first, sucker-punching Reynolds right in the kisser.

The aftermath did not go Dickey’s way. American League president Will Harridge levied a $1,000 fine and a 30 day suspension. Yankees’ general manager Ed Barrow appealed the harsh punishment but to no avail. Washington owner Clark Griffith complained that Dickey should be suspended for at least as long as Reynolds was unable to play. As it turned out, Dickey missed 31 games. He returned to the Yankee lineup on August 4, $1,000 poorer.

Todays Podcast

August 4, 1916 — The Browns’ Eddie Plank allows two hits and tops young Babe Ruth to give the Browns a 6 – 1 win over the first-place Red Sox. For the hot St. Louis Browns, it is their 14th win in a row, but the streak still leaves them in 7th place.

August 4, 1926 — Stanford star fullback Ernie Nevers pitches his first complete game for the Browns, beating the A’s, 3 – 1. Nevers will be 6-12 in his brief baseball career, but he will win a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame playing with the Duluth Eskimos and Chicago Cardinals (1926-1931).

August 4, 1948 — Ernie Harwell, filling in for Red Barber, who is recovering from a bleeding ulcer, calls his first major league game as the Dodgers beat the Cubs at Ebbets Field, 5-4. Brooklyn scores a pair in the 1st, one on a steal of home by Jackie Robinson.

To obtain the future Hall of Fame broadcaster, Brooklyn general manager Branch Rickey trades minor league catcher Cliff Daper to the Atlanta Crackers.

August 4, 1960 — Believing that Chicago’s Jim Brewer is throwing at him, Reds 2B Billy Martin throws his bat toward the mound. Then, he advances to retrieve it from Brewer, who has picked it up. The two exchange words and Martin launches a hard overhand right that fractures the orbital bone of Brewer’s right eye. Both benches empty and Martin continues swinging, decking Frank Thomas. Brewer requires surgery and will be out of action for a month. The Cubs win, 5 – 3, on Ernie Banks’ homer. Martin will be fined $500 for the punch and Brewer and the Cubs will sue the combative infielder on August 22 for $1,000,000. Years later, when the courts award Brewer $100,000, Martin’s comment will be, “How can they ever collect it? I haven’t got that kind of money,”

August 4, 1968 — “Here stands baseball’s perfect warrior. Here stands baseball’s perfect knight.” – Inscription on Stan Musial’s statue from a quote attributed to former baseball commissioner Ford Frick.A ten-foot bronze statue of Stan Musial is unveiled at Busch Stadium. The crowd of 47,445 then watch as Bob Gibson battles the Cubs for 12 innings before Chicago’s Lee Elia singles home the winning run in the 13th. The Cubs win, 6 – 5.

In the pregame ceremony honoring ‘Stan the Man’, the seven-time NL batting champ is joined by his 1941 teammates.

August 4, 1979 — At the Kingdome, the Mariners’ Ruppert Jones hits a foul ball that sticks in the speaker above the first base dugout. But the Athletics amass 11 fair hits to beat the Mariners, 5 – 3. Dwayne Murphy is 3 for 3 with a triple and a homer.

Oakland first baseman Revering and catcher Jim Essian are waiting below, nestled into a speaker “If another ball is hit up there tomorrow (Sunday) night they’ll both probably come down” predicted Seattle first baseman Bruce Bochte “We should mark the balls, so ire know which one to catch.”

August 4, 1980 San Diego Padres Dave Winfield’s bout with Houston Astro Nolan Ryan. As Winfield remembered it, Ryan already had brushed him back twice in the game with inside pitches. When it happened a third time, Winfield headed for the mound.

“The catcher, Luis Pujols, tried to stop me, so I stiff-armed him and he went down,” Winfield said Thursday. “The umpire got in the way, and I grabbed him and moved him. I got to Nolan and took a big swing, and the next thing I knew we were on the bottom of a big pile, trying to get little punches in.”

Winfield was ejected but Ryan remained in the game.

August 4, 1982 — After driving in the winning run in the Mets’ 7-4 victory over the Cubs, Joel Youngblood, who is traded to the Expos during the game, flies to Philadelphia and singles for Montreal to become the first player to have a hit for two different teams on the same day in different cities. The 30 year-old All-Star collects his two historic hits off two future Hall of Famers, a single off Ferguson Jenkins in Chicago, and gets his other knock off Steve Carlton in the City of Brotherly Love.

August 4, 1983 — While warming up before the 5th inning of the Yankees’ 3 – 1 win over the Blue Jays at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium, New York OF Dave Winfield accidentally kills a seagull with a thrown ball. After the game, Winfield is brought to the Ontario Provincial Police station on charges of cruelty to animals and is forced to post a $500 bond before being released. The charges will be dropped the following day.

August 4, 1985 — At Anaheim Stadium in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 41,630, Angel first baseman Rod Carew slaps an opposite field single off Minnesota southpaw Frank Viola in the third inning to become the 16th major leaguer to amass 3000 hits. After the historic hit, Halos’ manager Gene Mauch brings the first-base sack into the dugout, replacing it with another a new bag. The California Angels’ 6 – 5 win over the Minnesota Twins at Anaheim Stadium.

Carew played for the Twins for 12 seasons before being traded to the Angels for Dave Engle, Paul Hartzell, Brad Havens and Ken Landreaux..

August 4, 1989 Dave Stieb, baseball’s heartbreak hurler, is getting closer to perfection but no closer to that elusive no-hitter. The 32-year-old right-hander, who lost consecutive no-hit bids with two outs in the ninth inning last September, came within one out of a perfect game Friday night before settling for a two-hit 2-1 victory for the Toronto Blue Jays over the New York Yankees. Stieb joined five other pitchers who lost no-hit bids in the ninth inning this season but only Cincinnati’s Tom Browning had a perfect game going when Philadelphia’s Dickie Thon doubled to lead off the ninth inning on July 4. And none of them Brown, Nolan Ryan of Texas, Kirk McCaskill of California, John Farrell of Cleveland and Mark Langston of Seattle came within one out of a no-hitter.

August 4, 1993 — At Arlington Stadium, Chicago White Sox 3B Robin Ventura charges 46 year old Nolan Ryan after a pitch hits him in the 3rd inning. Ryan gets Ventura in a headlock and throws six punches. Ventura is suspended two games for his actions, while Ryan is not disciplined.

August 4, 1996, Earl Weaver, who guided the Orioles to a World Series title in 1970, and 1,480 wins in 18 seasons, was inducted into the Hall of Fame, along with Jim Bunning, Bill Foster, and Ned Hanlon

August 4, 2007, Barry Bonds hit his 755th homer to tie Hank Aaron as the all-time leader in that category. Bonds belted his opposite-field homer off Clay Hensley of the Padres at PETCO Park in San Diego. Ironically, Hensley had been suspended for steroid use in 2005. In a move of pure class Hank Aaron video taped a message to Bonds.

August 4, 2007, Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th homer, becoming the 22nd player to reach the milestone. At 32 years, eight days, Rodriguez is the youngest to reach the 500-mark. The homer came against Kansas City’s Kyle Davies at Yankee Stadium.

 ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA

TRIVIA ANSWER: FERGIE JENKINS  

- Ans. In 1974, Jenkins & Catfish Hunter had 25 pitching victories in the AL. Jenkins had a better WAR, 7.7 to 6.9, but Hunter’s wins were for a first-place team, the WS champion Oakland A’s.

- #1 On 02-Oct-1974, TEX played the game without a DH, starting Jenkins in the 9^th spot in the batting order. He was 1 for 3 with a single in the 6^th. He also pitched 7 innings was the winning pitcher.

- #2 He pitched from 1965 to 1983 and ended with a record of 3,192 K & 997 BB. Six other pitchers have achieved those numbers, finishing in the 21^st century.

Thank you Horsehide Trivia

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