TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

July 30, 1959,At Seals Stadium Willie McCovey makes his major league debut for the San Francisco Giants. The young slugger faces another future Hall of Famer -Robin Roberts of the Philadelphia Phillies – and goes 4-for-4 with two triples. McCovey’s impressive debut helps the Giants to a 7-2 win over the Phillies.

McCovey was hitting .372 with 29 home runs at Phoenix when promoted. The Giant freshman first baseman, who will be selected the league’s Rookie of the Year despite his late call-up, will hit 13 home runs in just 52 games.

On October 16, 1962 at Candlestick Park, McCovey came within inches of being a World Series hero. The Giants trailed the perennially powerful Yankees 1-0 with runners at second and third and two out in the bottom of the ninth inning of the seventh game. McCovey hit a line drive toward right field that second baseman Bobby Richardson speared to end the Series. The play has been discussed by fans ever since. It even became a running element of Charles Schulz's "Peanuts" comic strip, a moment in life that Charlie Brown could relate to with complete empathy.

McCovey slumped badly in 1960 and spent time in the minor leagues at Tacoma. The stay was a short one, for the Giants, headed toward a fifth-place finish, sorely needed his bat in their lineup. McCovey was a first baseman by trade, but he spent three seasons in the early 1960s primarily in the outfield in deference to smoother-fielding Orlando Cepeda. When Cepeda was felled by a knee injury in 1965, first base became McCovey's.

Since he was a soft-spoken man playing on a star-studded Giants team, McCovey's talents were not as often heralded by the media and fans as those of teammates Mays, Cepeda, and Marichal. However, his opponents respected the devastating dead-pull power that was his majestic personal trademark and made him one of the most feared home run hitters of his time. McCovey first led the NL in homers in 1963, with 44, and won the title again in 1968, with 36, and in 1969, with 45. For four consecutive seasons, 1967-1970, he led the NL in home run percentage. In 1970 the slugger homered in all twelve parks, one of the few players ever to accomplish that feat. Toward the end of his career, on June 27, 1977, McCovey hit a grand slam and a solo home run in the same inning against the NL champion Cincinnati Reds, becoming the only player in history to hit two home runs in one inning twice; his first such effort came on April 12, 1973.

McCovey had his banner year in 1969 and won the MVP award. In addition to leading the NL with 45 homers, 126 RBI, and a .656 slugging percentage, he drew a record 45 intentional walks and finished fifth with a .320 batting average. His 9.2 home run percentage that year is one of the highest ever. McCovey's appearance in the 1969 All-Star Game was his third of six, and he paced the NL to a 9-3 victory with two home runs. McCovey was an integral part of an ever-changing Giants team that contended for a decade, reaching the World Series in 1962 and the NL playoffs in 1971. Giants owners devastated Bay Area fans by sending McCovey, their favorite player, to the upstart San Diego Padres prior to the 1974 season. Tagged Big Mac in deference to Padres and McDonald's owner Ray Kroc, McCovey had two good seasons and one poor one before the Padres sold him to the Oakland Athletics, the Giants' cross-bay competition. He played in only 11 games for the A's, who released him at the end of the season. McCovey was invited by new Giants ownership to San Francisco's spring training camp in 1977, and he responded with a 28-homer, 86-RBI comeback at the age of 39.

The final hurrah of McCovey's career came in 1980 when he hit his only home run of the season and the 521st and final one of his career, which then tied him with Ted Williams for tenth place all-time in home runs. Having played during four decades, he retired during the season and joined the Giants' public- and community-relations staff. McCovey was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986.

Todays Podcast

July 30, 1910 – The “surprise of the year,” according to Ed Bang in Sporting Life, “came on July 30th when it was announced that the Naps had secured Joe Jackson from the New Orleans Pelicans for $5,000. It is believed that Connie Mack made the Naps the concession [as part of the Bris Lord-Morrie Rath trade] to allow them to purchase Jackson from New Orleans.” Jackson had been up with the A’s briefly in 1908 and 1909.

July 30, 1933, Dizzy Dean of the St. Louis Cardinals sets a modern day major league record (since surpassed) by striking out 17 batters. The future Hall of Famer allows only six hits in defeating the Chicago Cubs, 8-2. Teammate catcher Jimmie Wilson also sets a new mark recording 18 putouts. in the Sportsman’s Park contest.

July 30, 1936 — The Boston Red Sox, led by owner Tom Yawkey and accompanied by American League President Will Harridge, fly from St. Louis to Chicago aboard one plane. Five players elect to take the train. In 1934, the Reds flew from Cincinnati to Chicago, but divided the players among three planes. Some of the Reds still chose to take the train.

July 30, 1951 — Retired Hall of Famer Ty Cobb testifies in front of Emanuel Celler’s Congressional committee in Washington, D.C. The ‘Georgia Peach’ denies the reserve clause makes ‘peons’ out of baseball players and says that it is necessary to keep the competitive balance in the game.

July 30, 1960 — Yankee manager Casey Stengel celebrates his 70th birthday and quips, “most people my age are dead at the present time.” The ‘Old Perfessor’ and Connie Mack will be the only two skippers to manage in the major leagues into their seventies until they joined by 72 year-old Jack McKeon, who will pilot the Marlins to a World Championship in 2003, as well as Frank Robinson (2002-2006) and Davey Johnson (2011-2013), who will both lead the Nationals, respectively.

July 30, 1962 — After mysteriously disappearing off the team bus to use the rest room three days ago and trying to fly to Israel, pitcher Gene Conley returns to the Red Sox and is fined $2,000. Yesterday, he sent a telegram to manager Mike Higgins explaining he was tired and had other plans.

July 30 , 1969 — Denis Menke and Jim Wynn launch grand slams in the same inning as the Astros crush the Mets, 16-3 and 11-5 in a twin-bill at Shea Stadium. The double slam was the first National League occurrence in this century (79 years). Jimmy Wynn and Norm Miller score on each bases-loaded home run. Mets pitchers Cal Koonce and Ron Taylor teeing up the honors. The last time in the American League was July 18, 1962. Taylor also serves up a single to Houston relief pitcher Fred Gladding, the only hit of Gladding’s career in 63 at bats and 450 games.

So hot were Houston’s bats that Larry Dierker took Nolan Ryan deep in the nightcap. Mets manager Gil Hodges, with his team trailing 8-0 in the third inning of the nightcap against the Astros, walks past Ryan on the mound and continues into the Shea Stadium outfield, where he asks Cleon Jones to leave the game after a brief conversation with the left fielder. At the time, reports indicate the star player suffered a leg injury fielding Johnny Edwards’ double, but many believe it was the skipper publicly demonstrating that he would not tolerate lack of hustle on his team.

July 30, 1974, at the Oakland Coliseum Rookie right-hander Jim Bibby of the Texas Rangers pitches a no-hitter against the World Champion Oakland A’s. Bibby strikes out 13 A’s in forging a 6-0 victory. Jeff Burroughs, who will win the American League’s MVP Award, hits a grand slam the second of three grand slams in a ten-day period (July 26th-August 4th).

Bibby, a Vietnam veteran, becomes the 14th rookie to throw a no-hitter and becomes the first hurler in franchise history to accomplish the feat. The 28 year-old right-hander, obtained in a June 6th trade with the Cardinals,

July 30, 1978, the Montreal Expos bombard the Atlanta Braves, 19-0, as Larry Parrish hits home runs in three consecutive innings. Andre Dawson adds a pair of home runs – both in the same inning, Dave Cash also slams a homerun all in the 4th.

Parrish has a single and three consecutive home runs in the game, only the third major leaguer to do it. Not till Andres Galarraga in 1995 will another hitter bang homers in three consecutive innings. The 58 total bases break an 85-year-old record held by the Reds. Woodie Fryman conducts the win over Mickey Mahler. the Expos finish the game with a National League record with eight home runs.

July 30 , 1980 — During a workout at the Astrodome, Houston hurler J.R. Richard, who had on several occasions complained about a dead feeling in his arm, suffers a stroke attempting to throw for the first time since being hospitalized for tests. Emergency surgery is performed to remove a blood clot behind his right collarbone. His distracted teammates lose in Philadelphia, 6-4. Richard would never regain the coordination needed to resume his career.

July 30, 1988 — John Franco establishes the major league record for the most saves in the month when he records the final two outs in Cincinnati’s 2-0 victory over San Diego at Jack Murphy Stadium. The Reds’ reliever, who retires future Hall of Famers Roberto Alomar and Tony Gwynn to record his 13th save in June, betters the mark he had shared with Sparky Lyle, Bruce Sutter, and Bob Stanley.

July 30, 1990 — In a surprisingly harsh ruling, Commissioner Fay Vincent orders Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to resign as the club’s general partner by August 20th and bans him from day-to-day operation of the team for life. The ruling is a result of Steinbrenner’s $40,000 payment to confessed gambler Howie Spira for damaging information about since-traded Yankee star Dave Winfield.

Yankee Stadium reacts to the permanent removal of George Steinbrenner as the owner of the team, many of the 24,037 fans in attendance start chanting, “No More George! No More George!” After a long day of turmoil, the ‘Boss’ learns of the fans’ glee, much to his chagrin, when he watches the 11 p.m. local television news.

July 30, 1995 — Mike Schmidt, Richie Ashburn, Negro League star Leon Day, former National League president William Hulbert and Vic Willis are inducted into the Hall of Fame.

 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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