TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

August 5, 1973 — Braves knuckleballer Phil Niekro no-hits the Padres, 9 – 0, and improves his record to 11-4. He walks three and strikes out four in recording the first no-hitter by the franchise in Atlanta. Ralph Garr has three hits, three runs, and a steal, and Paul Casanova records an inside-the-park homer on a long fly ball missed by LF Gene Locklear. It’s the first no-hitter thrown by a Braves hurler since the team shifted to Atlanta in 1966.

More on Phil . . .

A longtime symbol of the Atlanta Braves, Phil Niekro holds many major league records, nearly all of which are as a result of his trademark pitch, the knuckleball, which kept him in the majors until he was 48. Niekro's records tend to center on longevity, durability, and unpredictability, as his reliance on the knuckler saved his arm, fooled batters, and caused catchers to consider a new occupation.
A boyhood pal of basketball Hall of Famer John Havilcek, Phil, and his younger brother Joe, came out of the Ohio River valley for 46 major league seasons. Teammates briefly on the Braves and Yankees, they would eventually combine to pass Gaylord and Jim Perry as baseball's winningest brother act in 1987, finishing with 538.

Along with Niekro's longevity, his loyalty to a floundering Atlanta franchise won him the admiration of fans and players. He contributed greatly to charitable groups in Atlanta and won the 1979 Lou Gehrig Award for his exemplary character. There was little indignation in Atlanta when Phil finally signed with Yankees as a free agent; the consensus was that he deserved an opportunity to pitch for a contending team.

Niekro's effectiveness did not falter with age and his undistinguished records reflected the ragged teams behind him more than anything. In his forties Niekro was able to fashion a 17-4 mark with Atlanta in 1982. At age 45, the gray-haired Niekro went 16-8 for the 1984 Yankees.

Niekro's statistics were compiled with little national fanfare. The 300-game winner pitched a total of 1.1 innings in two All-Star games nine years apart and was selected to only three other squads, possibly because All-Star catchers were unfamiliar with his pitch. His two LCS starts, thirteen years apart, produced no wins, and his playing 24 years without a Series appearance represents a major league mark for futility. His most celebrated game came on the final day of the 1985 season at age 46. Relying on everything except his knuckler until the final batter, former teammate Jeff Burroughs, Niekro became the thirteenth pitcher to win 300 games. His final career game, on September 27, 1987. He was 48 by then. He holds the record for most innings and wins by a pitcher past his 40th birthday and he was the oldest player to regularly play in the majors, Niekro's outstanding character and his ability to master the most difficult pitch will always be recognized.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 6, 1997 by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

After his retirement, he became manager of the Colorado Silver Bullets, an all-female baseball team that toured the country playing semi-pro men's teams. He also managed Atlanta's AAA farm team, the Richmond Braves, in 1991. He died of cancer at the age of 81 in 2020, one of an unusually large number of Hall of Famers from the 1970s to pass away that year.

Todays Podcast

August 5, 1921, At Forbes Field Harold Arlin announces the play-by-play on the first radio broadcast of a major league game. The game between the Pirates and Phillies, which the Pirates win, 8-5, is heard over KDKA radio in Pittsburgh. Future Hall of Famers Max Carey and Rabbit Maranville play in the historic game.

Arlin’s grandson, Steve Arlin, will one day pitch for the San Diego Padres.

August 5, 1922 — Rogers Hornsby sets a new National League single-season home run record with his 28th, eclipsing a 38-year-old mark set by Ed Williamson of the Chicago White Stockings in 1884. Hornsby’s 6th-inning solo shot off Jimmy Ring provides St. Louis’s sole means of support in this 9 – 1 Philly rout.

August 6, 1926 — At Ebbets Field, the aging 18-year veteran outfielder Zack Wheat hits his last homer as a Dodger. In the bottom of the 10th down 11-8, Wheat homered onto Bedford Ave off Jessie Haines of the St Louis Cardinals but severely pulls a muscle between home and first. The future Hall of Famer needs to rest nearly five minutes before reaching home plate, making his trip around the bases the most extended home run trot in major league history. At one point there was going to be a pinch runner but they delayed the game to determine if Wheat could continue which he did. The Dodgers score 1 more and lose 11-9.

August 5, 1932 — Tommy Bridges loses his bid for a perfect game when Senator pinch-hitter Dave Harris, the 27th batter he faces, bloops a single in the Tigers’ 13-0 rout over Washington. The 24 year-old right-handed Tennessean from Gordonsville will toss two more one-hitters for Detroit next season.

August 5, 1953 — Don Larsen, in his 5-0 complete-game loss to Boston at Fenway Park, goes 3-for-3 to establish the mark for consecutive hits by a pitcher with seven. The Browns’ rookie right-hander will hit .284 in 81 at bats this season.

August 5, 1955, White Sox skipper Marty Marion gives future Hall of Fame second baseman Nellie Fox the day off, after Fox had played in 274 straight games. The next day, Fox begins a streak of 798 consecutive games played.

August 5, 1963, a record number of Hall of Famers are in Cooperstown for the annual induction ceremony. Four new members receive plaques: pitchers John Clarkson and Eppa Rixey, and outfielders Elmer Flick and Sam Rice

August 5, 1969, Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates becomes the first player to hit a home run completely out of Dodger Stadium. Stargell’s titanic blast off Alan Foster came on a 1-2 count, it travels over 512-feet, 7th-inning, bases-empty blast breaks a 3 – 3 tie. The homerun was Stargell’s 18th of the season. There was no flirting with any part of the playing field, and no bouncing off the top of any bleachers. This ball cleared every part of the stadium, and then part of the parking lot.

”I wasn’t thinking of a home run,” Stargell said. “I was just trying to keep from over-swing­ing. Distance doesn’t excite me that much/’ the 28-year-old bat­ting star admitted. ”I am thrill just to hit home runs.”

It wasn’t the first time the hefty slugger sent a baseball out of a stadium. He did It three times In Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, the most recent clearing a five-foot wall in right-center field.

August 5, 1979, Willie Mays is inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Mays slugged 660 homers, batted .302, and collected 3,283 hits in his 22-year career. Known for his all-around play, Mays won 12 Gold Glove Awards for his defense in center field. Former National League outfielder Hack Wilson and executive Warren Giles are also inducted during the ceremony in Cooperstown, which draws a record crowd.

August 5, 1999, Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals becomes the 16th major leaguer to join the 500-home run club. McGwire’s milestone blast – a solo shot in the third inning – comes against Andy Ashby of the San Diego Padres. In the eighth inning, McGwire adds his 501st home run. The Cardinals lose the game, 10-2.

McGwire is the fastest to reach this milestone. The St. Louis slugger is the first to accomplish the feat a year after reaching the 400 home run plateau.

August 5, 2001 — Kirby Puckett and Dave Winfield, who were both elected to by the BBWAA in his first their year of eligibility, are enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The former Twin teammates are joined by 1960 World Series hero Bill Mazeroski and the late Negro Leagues pitcher Hilton Smith, players selected by the Veterans Committee.

August 5, 2007, Mets left-hander Tom Glavine won his 300th career game, defeating the Cubs in Chicago’s Wrigley Field, 8-3. Glavine, the fifth southpaw to reach the 300-victory level, pitched 6 1/3 innings to become the first 300-game winner since former teammate Greg Maddux in 2004.

 ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA

TRIVIA ANSWER: RICKEY HENDERSON  

- Ans. He claimed it the day he passed Lou Brock in career steals. Sure, he flexed a little, but who’s to argue? Once asked if he thought Henderson was a future Hall of Famer, statistician \ Bill James replied, “If you could split him in two, you'd have two Hall of Famers.” He (Not Bill James.) played 72 games for BOS in 2002.

- #1 Henderson holds the record for career runs scored at 2,295 passing Ty Cobb to get there..

- #2 He was the leadoff spark for the 1989 Oakland A’s & the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays.

Thank you Horsehide Trivia

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