July 27
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
Today's Daily Highlights
In 1979, Brewers slugger Cecil Cooper delivered one of the wildest nights in franchise history — three home runs including a walk-off shot off Goose Gossage, capping a game that also featured a bench-clearing brawl and, days later, the death of Thurman Munson in a plane crash. Also: Denny McLain became the third pitcher in history to reach 20 wins this early in a season in 1968, and Hank Greenberg tied the record for four straight homers in 1938. Pulled from our library of 3,100 games and 1,000 interviews, and today's Vintage Commercial: Good & Plenty.
Unlock Today's Daily Highlights →
Members get instant access. Not a member yet? Start your free 7-day trial.
July 27, 1979: Cooper's Three-Homer Night Stuns the Yankees
Thirty-five years ago, Cecil Cooper delivered one of the wildest nights in Milwaukee Brewers history — three home runs, including a walk-off shot off Hall of Famer Goose Gossage, to beat the defending champion Yankees 6-5 before 47,928 fans at County Stadium.
The Brewers, coming off their first winning season in franchise history, were finally feeling their oats against the swaggering Bronx Bombers — a team loaded with characters like Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin, and Thurman Munson. "They were ornery guys who thought they were supposed to win," said third baseman Sal Bando. "And we were kind of starting to feel the same way."
The game had everything. Starter Mike Caldwell — baseball's reigning "Yankee Killer" — buzzed Jackson with a inside fastball, prompting Reggie to fling his bat at the mound after popping out. Caldwell snapped the bat in anger, and Jackson charged him, sparking a bench-clearing brawl that left umpire John Shulock caught in the crossfire and manager George Bamberger with a strained calf. Martin later had to be restrained from climbing into the stands after fans pelted him with debris.
Amid the chaos, Cooper kept hitting — a solo shot, a two-run blast, and finally the game-winner against Gossage with two outs in the ninth. "He was a big guy with that Fu Manchu mustache," Cooper said. "He looked like he could take a big piece of steak and tear it in half."
The series turned dark days later: Bando's pregnant wife was mugged in the parking lot after leaving early, and four days after the finale, Thurman Munson died in a plane crash — making that Friday night's game, unknowingly, the last he ever caught.
Cooper called it "one of the top two or three games I ever played." Decades later, it remains a defining moment in Brewers lore — chaos, triumph, and heartbreak all in one unforgettable series.
TRIVIA Sponsored by Classic Baseball Broadcasts — Start you free trial here.
Todays Trivia . . .
Who was the first native of state of Tennessee to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?
Hint: #1 He ranks just ahead of Aaron Judge and fifth all-time in career slugging percentage.
Hint: #2 He broke into the majors the same year as Lou Gehring and played just one year longer.
Answer in a bit!
Quote of the day: “With two strikes, I just wanted to get a hit and get something going,” he said later. Cooper belted a walk-off home run, depositing the 1-and-2 pitch into the right-center-field stands and sending the crowd into frenzied chanting of “Coop … Coop … Coop …” Cooper came out of the dugout twice for curtain calls. He said of the pitch, “He threw it inside, but I really didn’t think it was gone. I hit it high.”
Game of The Day:
Game of the Day — July 27, 1969 Boston Red Sox vs Seattle Pilots
July 27, 1969 Boston Red Sox vs Seattle Pilots
Played at:
Sick’s Stadium
Todays starting pitchers:
Marty Pattin vs Jim Lonborg
👇 Join and Listen to the full game right here
🎧 Classic Broadcasts — July 27
Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees (July 27, 1978) — Late-70s AL action between two clubs on very different trajectories — a solid, less-heralded pick (and there are two of these on the schedule today, so plenty to choose from).
Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs (July 27, 1977) — Mid-70s NL Central-precursor rivalry baseball, a good pick for completists.
San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (July 27, 1987) — Rivalry baseball, always a safe, engaging pick regardless of the standings that year.
Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets (July 27, 1984) — Two clubs in the thick of their respective rebuilds/contention pushes in the mid-80s NL East and NL East-adjacent races.
Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (July 27, 1985) — A nice complement to the '87 Giants-Dodgers game above if you want to bundle a Dodgers doubleheader-style listen across different years.
Todays Podcast
July 27 highlights and Historic Days!
July 27, 1904 — John McGraw and John Brush say they have no intention of playing a post-season series with the American League champions. “The Giants will not play a post-season series with the American League champions. Ban Johnson has not been on the level with me personally, and the American League management has been crooked more than once,” says McGraw. “When we clinch the National League pennant, we’ll be champions of the only real major league.”
Ban Johnson fires back: “No thoughtful patron of baseball can weigh seriously the wild vaporings of this discredited player who was canned from the American League.” As the New York Highlanders battle for the AL pennant, local pressure mounts, but Brush, still angry over the inter-league peace treaty, and McGraw, who despises Ban Johnson, are adamant.
July 27, 1922, future Hall of Fame first baseman George Sisler starts his then AL-record 41-game hitting streak. Sisler bats .420 that season, with a record 257 hits.
July 27, 1928, At Chicago’s Comiskey Park, 41-year-old Ty Cobb of the Philadelphia Athletics makes the final regular start of his Hall of Fame career. Cobb collects a single and a double before being hit with a pitch in the chest by George “Sarge” Connally. The pitch leaves Cobb with a bad bruise, forcing him to leave the game hitting .332.
July 27, 1938 Hank Greenberg of the Tigers, who had hit home runs his last two at bats the day before, homers his first two times up to tie the major league record of four in a row. Greenberg has a record-setting eleven two-home run games during the season.
July 27, 1942 – The New York Daily Worker announces that Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bill Benswanger will arrange a tryout for Negro League players Roy Campanella, Sammy T. Hughes, and David Barnhill. In August, Campanella and Hughes will jump their team during a tight pennant race to “showcase” for the major leagues.
July 27, 1953, eight new members are inducted into the Hall of Fame: Dizzy Dean and Al Simmons are inducted into the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown. Along with them, the Veterans Committee enshrines Chief Bender, Bobby Wallace, 19th-century manager Harry Wright, executive Ed Barrow, and umpires Bill Klem and Tom Connolly.
July 27, 1964, The Hall of Fame inducts eight new members, swelling the ranks of the 25 year-old institution to 101. The recent inductees include Luke Appling, voted in by the BBWAA, along with spitballers Burleigh Grimes and Red Faber, pre-1900 era players Pud Galvin, Tim Keefe and John Montgomery, lifetime .330 hitter Heinie Manush, and skipper Miller Huggins, who were all selected by the 12-man Veterans’ Committee in February.
July 27, 1968, At Memorial Stadium, Denny McLain of the Detroit Tigers earns his 20th victory of the season – a 9-0 shutout of the Baltimore Orioles. The Tiger right-hander is the third pitcher in history to reach the milestone this quickly, with only Rube Marquard (Giants, July 19, 1912) and Lefty Grove (A’s, July 25, 1931) accomplishing the feat earlier in a season.
McLain will go on to win 31 games and capture the American League’s Cy Young Award and MVP Award.
July 27, 1983 – While picking up his first win as a member of the Royals, Gaylord Perry joins Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton as the third pitcher this season to reach 3,500 career strikeouts, fanning four Indians in a 5 – 4 victory to raise his total to 3,501.
July 27, 1988 Tommy John becomes the first pitcher to commit three errors on one play when he (1) bobbles Jeffrey Leonard’s grounder, and then, in an effort to recover, (2) throws the ball down the right field line that Dave Winfield retrieves and fires home, where the Yankee left-hander cuts it off, (3) relaying the throw wildly to the plate to allow two runs to score. The 45 year-old southpaw’s fourth-inning miscues don’t stop him from getting the victory in the Bombers’ 16-3 rout of the Brewers in the Bronx.
News Reels — July 27
Nolan Ryan Notches His 200th Major League Win Against the Reds (July 27, 1982) — A genuine career milestone from one of the most enduring arms in baseball history.
Milwaukee Brewers vs. New York Yankees (July 27, 1988) — "Tommy John Commits 3 Errors on One Play" — The reel version of today's "Did you know?" hook — a perfect pairing if you want to cross-promote both pieces.
Heads-Up Baserunning by Ray Knight on a Terry Puhl Hit Provides the Winning Run (July 27, 1982) — A smart, subtle piece of baserunning that decided a game — good for fans who appreciate the little things.
Gary Carter Hall of Fame Speech — Carter's own words at Cooperstown — a must for Mets and Expos fans alike.
Bob Uecker Hall of Fame Speech — Uecker's induction remarks, guaranteed to be as funny as they are heartfelt — one of the most entertaining speeches in the library.
Milestones July 27
🎙️ Did you know? In 1988, Yankees pitcher Tommy John managed to commit three errors on a single play — bobbling a grounder, then throwing wildly not once but twice trying to recover — and still somehow got the win in a 16-3 rout. He's got 40+ broadcasts and interviews in our library.
Birthdays:
Notable: Bump Wills
Debuts:
Notable: Ron Guidry
Final Games:
Highlights: Mike Torrez
Passings:
Notable: Joe Wood
New From Around the League!
ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA
TRIVIA ANSWER: TURKEY STEARNES
Stearnes was born in Nashville 08-May-1901. He entered the Hall 21 years after his death in 2000.
#1 At the end of the 2025 season Judge’s lugging pct is .6153. Stearnes’s is .6157.
#2 Both were rookies in 1923, but Stearnes had a strong early start. For Gehrig the beginning was a bit slow, but then … Wally Pipp!
Thank you Horsehide Trivia
JOIN CLASSIC BASEBALL BROADCASTS TODAY