TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

It was a sweltering July night in 1977, and just over 14,000 fans showed up at Shea Stadium to watch the last-place Mets host the division-leading Cubs. The Mets were still reeling from the unpopular trade of Tom Seaver a month earlier, and spirits were low. But no one in the stands—or on the field—could have predicted how unforgettable this night would become.

The game started quietly. Chicago took a 2–0 lead in the second, while Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman was striking out Cubs with surgical precision. Mike Vail got a run back with a solo homer in the fifth, and as the sixth inning arrived, Koosman already had 11 strikeouts and dreams of chasing Seaver’s single-game record of 19.

But at exactly 9:31 P.M., with fan-favorite Lenny Randle stepping into the batter’s box, the lights at Shea Stadium went out. All across New York City, the blackout had begun.

In the darkness, confusion reigned. Randle, believing he was dying, sprinted the bases in panic. Ray Burris, the Cubs pitcher, claimed he hurled the ball at Randle in the dark. Others weren’t so sure.

As power failed, the Mets tried to keep the crowd entertained. Organist Jane Jarvis played sing-alongs. Players drove their cars onto the field, headlights cutting through the night. A mock infield practice broke out in the glow, with sliding, phantom throws, and even a joking “error” called by the official scorer.

But the lights never came back on. The game was suspended, and players made candlelit journeys back to hotels. When the teams reconvened 65 days later, the Cubs pulled away late for a 5–2 win. Koosman, once dominant, took the loss.

The game, like the blackout itself, became a symbol of a gritty, chaotic city in the summer of ’77—strange, dramatic, and entirely unforgettable.

Read a more in depth article on the SABR games website

Todays Podcast

July 13, 1934 – Babe Ruth hit his 700th home run in a 4-2 victory over Tommy Bridges and the Detroit Tigers. Lou Gehrig left the game in the first with a severe case of lumbago, the most serious threat to his streak. He returned for one at-bat the next day and went on to win the triple crown that season.

July 13, 1943 – The first night game in All-Star history, at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park, went to the American League, 5-3, despite a single, triple and home run by National League center fielder Vince DiMaggio of the Pirates. The big blow was a three-run homer by Bobby Doerr of the Red Sox, which gave the AL the lead for good.

July 13, 1950 Doctors remove seven bone fragments from Ted Williams’ elbow in a 75-minute operation. He was injured in yesterday’s All-Star Game and will be sidelined until mid-September. But he will go on to hit .350 for the rest of 1950 and .336 throughout the rest of his career, including .388 and .328 to lead the American League in 1957 and 1958 respectively.

July 13, 1956 at Wrigley Field, Chicago Cub, Ernie Banks plays in his 394th consecutive contest to tie Al Simmons’ mark for straight games played after breaking in as a rookie. Mr. Cub’s single drives in the decisive run in the Cubs’ 7-6 victory over Pittsburgh.

July 13, 1963 – Early Wynn registered his 300th and final victory, at age 43, pitching the first five innings of Cleveland’s 7-4 win over the Kansas City A’s. Wynn was a hard throwing, hard nosed pitcher. Vida Blue once said of him as a coach “If you hit a ball good off of him, he’d knock you down”.

July 13, 1971 – The American League defeated the National League 6-4 in the All-Star Game played at Tigers stadium which saw three home runs hit by each team. The most notable was Reggie Jackson’s mammoth shot off the power generator on the right-field roof. It has been estimated that Jackson’s bomb would have traveled 532 feet if not for striking the generator…surely one of the greatest displays of power in the history of the game.

July 13, 1977 At Shea Stadium, the Cubs’ game is suspended due to a major black-out which darkens New York City. The Mets players amuse the crowd by performing antics in front of the headlights of cars which they drive onto the field.

July 13, 1982 – The National League registered its eleventh consecutive All-Star victory over the American League with a 4-1 victory at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium in the first game played outside the United States.

Dave Concepcion’s two-run homer off Dennis Eckersley in the second inning was the deciding hit.

Ted Williams would return to the All Star game in Fenway Park in on July 13, 1999, to throw out the first pitch. The best players of the day flocked to the mound to talk hitting with Willliams as fans roared and Williams waved his cap to them…a gesture he never made as a player.

Another type of greatness would be on display that night, as the Red Sox own, Pedro Martinez becomes the first pitcher to strike out the first 4 batters of All Star game and win as the starting pitcher on his own homefield. Barry Larkin, Larry Walker and Sammy Sosa in the first inning, and Mark McGwire in the second would all fall to Martinez as he got the W in the American League 4-1 victory over the National League.

 ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA

TRIVIA ANSWER: Eddie Murray

Murray homered for BAL off PIT’s Bert Blyleven in G #2 of the 1979 WS. He homered 2 X off PHI’s Charles Hudson in the 5^th & deciding G of the 1983 WS. Playing for CLE, he homered off ATL’s Tom Glavine in G #2 of the 1995 WS.

- #1 Murray received MVP votes 1978-1985, 1990 (8^th, 11^th, 6^th, 5^th, 2^nd, 2^nd, 4^th, 5^th & 5^th).  He finished 2^nd to Cal Ripken in the Orioles’ championship season, 1983.

- #2 Murray never led the league even once, but managed to amass 128 SF 1977-1997. Cal Ripken almost caught him, falling 1 shy. The active leader is Nolan Arenado with 78, so Murray’s record looks safe for some time to come.

Thank you Horsehide Trivia

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