TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

Sandy Koufax entered his June 22, 1959 start with a 3-1 record but had only recently begun to show signs of consistency. After four poor outings to begin the season, Dodgers manager Walter Alston kept faith in the young left-hander, who was still viewed as more potential than performance. That night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Koufax faced the last-place Philadelphia Phillies—and nearly made history.

Before just 10,290 fans in the 92,500-seat Coliseum, Koufax struck out the side in the first inning and racked up eight strikeouts through four. Despite an unearned run in the fifth, he finished that frame with 10 strikeouts. By the end of the sixth, he had 13. In the eighth, Koufax added three more, bringing his total to 16—just one shy of the National League’s modern-day record of 17 strikeouts in a nine-inning game, set by Dizzy Dean in 1933.

As the ninth inning began, fans sensed history. Koufax needed two more strikeouts to tie Bob Feller’s major-league record of 18, and one to match Dean’s NL mark. The crowd turned vocal, yelling for outfielders to drop fly balls in hopes of giving Koufax another strikeout opportunity. Twice, center fielder Don Demeter caught fly balls to the dismay of the fans, who booed their own player.

Koufax still had a chance with two outs and two strikes on Dave Philley, but Philley dropped a single into center and was thrown out stretching for second, ending the game. On deck was Wally Post, who had struck out four times and may have given Koufax the record.

Koufax finished with 16 strikeouts, five walks, and seven hits in a 6–2 complete-game win. He tied the Dodgers’ all-time strikeout record (Nap Rucker, 1909) and the major-league mark for combined team strikeouts in a game (24). It was a defining moment in Koufax’s career and a glimpse of the dominance to come. “Sure I’d like to have had the record,” he said later, “but I’m just glad I’m pitching here instead of Spokane.”

June 22, 1926 The St. Louis Cardinals pick up future Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander, who was placed on waivers by the Chicago Cubs. The acquisition of ‘Old Pete’ will prove to be pivotal to the Cardinals as he goes 9-7 down the stretch and helped seal their World Series triumph over the New York Yankees when the 39 year-old right-hander wins Games 2 and 6 and saves Game 7 of the Fall Classic.

June 22, 1936 at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field, Ivan Goodman hits an unusual home run when his fifth-inning fly ball lands and stays on top of the scoreboard in right field. With the perched ball considered in play, the three Dodger outfielders watch the Reds’ right fielder round the bases for an easy inside-the park round-tripper in their 7-2 loss to Cincinnati.

June 22, 1947 At Crosley Field Ewell Blackwell just misses pitching back-to-back no-hitters when Eddie Stanky of the Brooklyn Dodgers singles with one out in the 9th inning. Blackwell then gets Al Gionfriddo before Jackie Robinson bangs out a second single. Blackwell wins, 4 – 0, his ninth straight win, to improve to 11-2. Stanky’s hit ends Blackwell’s hitless-inning streak at 19. In 1938, Johnny Vander Meer had pitched consecutive no-hitters for the Reds.

June 22, 1951 A power failure at Forbes Field delays the start of the game with the Dodgers by two hours. Rain holds up play in the 6th inning by another 36 minutes, pushing the ending to 1:56 a.m., the latest game played to date. Brooklyn has no power problems as Jackie Robinson’s homer helps Brooklyn to an 8 – 4 win over Pittsburgh. Of the 24,966 on hand at the start, 10,000 are still present at the end.

June 22, 1951 Willie Mays, 20, hits a 10th-inning home run, the first of his 22 extra-inning home runs, off 42-year-old Dutch Leonard of the Cubs. It is a three-run shot that gives the Giants a 9 – 6 win.

June 22, 1962 Baltimore Orioles’ first baseman Boog Powell becomes the first Oriole player to homer over the center-field hedge at Memorial Stadium as he goes deep off the Red Sox’s Don Schwall, who gives up the 469-foot shot. In 1957, in the Birds’ 4-3 victory over Boston. Yankee superstar Mickey Mantle became the first major leaguer to accomplish the feat.

June 22, 1962, future Hall of Famer Stan “The Man” Musial becomes the major leagues’ all-time leader in total bases. The longtime St. Louis Cardinals’ star hits a home run and collects two singles in a 7-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies… but loses the nightcap, 11 – 3.

June 22, 1962 — Al Jackson throws the first one-hitter in franchise history when the Mets beat the Colt .45’s, the National League’s other expansion team, at the Polo Grounds, 2-0. The lone hit given up by the southpaw is Joey Amalfitano’s line drive single to left field in the first inning.

June 22 , 1966 — At the Astrodome, the Houston Astros set a home attendance mark which stands for 22 years, as 50,908 fans watch Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers down Houston, 5-2. Koufax is no mystery to Jim Wynn who goes 4-for-4 with a homer and two doubles. John Bateman also doubles twice but they don’t get enough help elsewhere. Koufax, who tosses a complete game to improve his record to 13-2.

June 22, 1969, At Wrigley Field, Bob Bailey after missing still recovering from a spring training injury becomes the first Montreal Expo to hit 2 home runs in a game. Bailey took Ted Abernathy deep and Phil Regan in the 8th. Baily’s 8th inning home run gave the Expos a 6-2 lead. The Expos will lose 7-6 to the Chicago Cubs on a Walk-off homerun by Jim Hickman. Bailey goes 4-4 with 5 RBI’s, in the nightcap he goes 2-2. Bailey repeats the feat 2 days later in a 4-1 win against the St Louis Cardinals taking Dave Giusti twice.

June 22, 1976 At Jack Murphy Stadium, Randy Jones pitches the San Diego Padres to a 4 – 2 win over the San Francisco Giants, and ties Christy Mathewson’s 63-year-old National League record by going 68 innings without a base on balls. He receives a standing ovation from the home crowd after striking out Darrell Evans to end the 7th. His streak ends when he walks C Marc Hill leading off the 8th. It is Jones’s 13th win of the year.

June 22, 1982, Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies moves into second place on the all-time hit list with a double against John Stuper of the St. Louis Cardinals. Rose’s hit, which comes as part of the Phillies 3-2 loss, pushes him past Hank Aaron and behind only Ty Cobb on the all-time list. Rose’s hit was the 3,772nd of his career leaving. ‘Charlie Hustle’, 419 hits shy of Ty Cobb’s record’

June 22, 1987, Tom Seaver abandons his comeback attempt with the injury-riddled Mets and retires. Known as “Tom Terrific” and “The Franchise,” Seaver leaves the game with a career Win-Loss record of 311-205, an ERA of 2.86, 3,640 strikeouts (3rd on the all-time list behind Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton), and 61 shutouts (7th). The future Hall of Famer ends his career with 311 victories, of which 198 came wearing a Met uniform.

June 22, 1993, On his final day as a professional baseball player, 45 year-old Chicago White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk of the Chicago White Sox catches his 2,226th major league game, breaking the record held by Bob Boone. The White Sox commemorate the occasion by holding a night in Fisk’s honor. ‘Pudge’ played the first 11 seasons in his 24-year major league career with the Red Sox.

June 22, 1994 At Anaheim Stadium, Ken Griffey Jr. leads the Mariners to a 12 – 3 win over the Angels by stroking his 31st home run of the season in the 6th inning of Brian Anderson. In doing so, Griffey breaks Babe Ruth’s record for most home runs before the end of June. Although the Yankee slugger needed only 63 games to reach 30 homers in 1928 and 68 games in 1930, Junior accomplishes the feat in the Mariners’ 70th game of the season.

 ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA

TRIVIA ANSWER:  Jud Wilson

Wilson was born in Remington, Virginia (Fauquier County), but moved to Washington as a teenager. He attended high school there in “Deecee” (as locals call it).

- #1 He debuted with the Baltimore Black Sox in 1922 and immediately became one of the Negro Leagues' most feared hitters.

- #2 His nickname “Boojum” was said to be the sound his line drives made as they hit outfield walls.

Thank you Horsehide Trivia

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