TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

May 4, 1975 - The late Bob Watson was one of the most feared sluggers of his time. He bashed 184 home runs in his 19-year Major League career, 14 of which were spent wearing an Astros uniform. He was a two-time All-Star for the Astros who hit for the cycle and later walloped two home runs for the Yankees in the 1981 World Series.

Watson’s post-playing career was just as impressive. The Astros named him general manager in 1993, and three years later with the Yankees, he became the first Black GM to win a World Series. Then came a long stint in the MLB office.

One of the most notable moments in Watson’s playing career was a product of being at the right place at the right time. And when you add in a little hustle from the man they called “The Bull,” that was when luck met opportunity.

Watson, who was never known for his speed -- he stole 27 bases in his career and was caught stealing 28 times -- used his legs to score baseball’s 1,000,000th run on May 4, 1975.

With the Astros and Giants forced to play a Sunday doubleheader at Candlestick Park in San Francisco because of a rare rainout the day before, they hit the field for Game 1 a couple of hours earlier than they normally would have. There was a full slate of games across the league that day.
All eyes were on the out-of-town scoreboard because history was going to be made.

Baseball was about to celebrate its millionth run scored and entered the day about 10 runs shy of the mark. The chance to make history was something the Astros didn’t ignore.

“We knew there was going to have to be 10 runs scored [league-wide] or something,” Watson said. “And by the time I came up in the second inning, it was down to three runs that needed to be scored.”

Watson was batting cleanup and playing first base that day and led off the second inning with a walk. He stole second base and was followed by Jose Cruz, who drew a walk. Next up was Milt May, who launched a three-run homer to right field.

Watson was casually jogging toward third base when he heard some yelling from the bullpen down the left-field line. His teammates in the bullpen were telling him to “Run! Run! Run!”

“So I take off on a sprint, and I scored the run,” he said. “Lo and behold, at the same time, Dave Concepcion of the Reds hits a home run, and he’s racing around the bases.”

Watson’s teammates knew that if Watson touched home plate before Concepcion, he would score the millionth run and have a cool place in history.

“I beat him by a second and a half,” Watson said.

A representative from the Baseball of Hall Fame took Watson’s shoes and uniform, which meant Watson was going to have to break in a new pair of cleats. Fortunately for him, he didn’t play in the second game of the doubleheader. May’s bat also headed to the Hall of Fame.

The Astros lost the milestone game, 8–6, and Watson finished 0-for-3 with two runs scored. Still, the attention was just beginning for Watson.

The millionth run was sponsored by the candy Tootsie Roll, which awarded Watson with one million of its chewy treats. Watson donated half of the candy to the Boy Scouts of America and the other half to the Girl Scouts of America. The company also awarded him one million pennies ($10,000), which he donated to charity. Watson was also presented with a platinum watch from Seiko.

If people didn’t know who Watson was, that changed on May 4, 1975.

“My fan mail was something like four or five letters a week, or something like that,” said Watson, who died on May 14, 2020. “Scoring the millionth run, it increased to 50 to 100 per week. It got me on the map a little bit, and I ended up being the answer to a trivia question.”

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May 4, 1939 — In his first-ever at-bat in the city of Detroit, Boston Red Sox rookie Ted Williams becomes the first player to hit a home run which totally clears the right field seats at Briggs Stadium.

May 4, 1946, Cecil Travis of the Washington Senators collects six straight hits before having his streak ended by Steve Gromek of the Cleveland Indians. Travis’ performance marks one of the few highlights of his career after World War II, where he suffered frozen feet.

May 4, 1963 — The first reported use of the familiar refrain “Let’s Go Mets” is heard at the Polo Grounds in the bottom of the ninth inning during a rout by San Francisco. With the Amazins’ trailing by 13 runs and down to their last out with no one on base, the rallying cry begins to be chanted by some of the ‘New Breed,’ the affectionate name given the fans of the National League expansion team.

May 4, 1966, Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants establishes a new National League record for most career home runs. The “Say Hey Kid” hits his 512th home run, surpassing the total of former New York Giants great Mel Ott. Mays’ blast against Claude Osteen, which puts him fourth on the all-time list, helps the Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-1.

May 4, 1968 — The Simon and Garfunkel tune “Mrs. Robinson” debuts on the Billboard’s Top 40. The song’s lyrics include the memorable question for the Yankees’ former center fielder, “Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.”

May 4, 1975, At 12:32pm at Candlestick Park, Bob Watson of the Houston Astros scores the one millionth run in major league history. Watson scores the run on Milt May’s three-run homer, as part of the Astros’ 8-6 loss to the San Francisco Giants in the first game of a doubleheader. He scored seconds ahead of Dave Concepción of the Cincinnati Reds, playing in a different game in another city, to earn the distinction.

May 4, 1981, Ron Davis of the New York Yankees strikes out eight consecutive batters in a 4 – 2 victory over the California Angels at Anaheim Stadium. Davis, a hard-throwing reliever, ties Nolan Ryan’s American League record for most consecutive strikeouts in a game.

May 4, 1984, Dave Kingman of the Oakland A’s hits a ball through the roof of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Kingman’s fly ball goes through a drainage hole in the roof and never returns to the playing field. much to the surprise of the Twins infielders, John Casino and Houston Jimenez waiting to make the catch, the ball doesn’t drop back into play.

The umpires award Kingman with a ground-rule double, the ball will stay put in the lining of the dome until tomorrow. The Twins win the game 3-1, with 24-year-old Frank Viola picking up his 2nd win on the season, en route to an 18 win

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TRIVIA

TRIVIA: Which Double Unique outfielder hit a grand slam for his first home run in the majors, but was later sorry he did?

Hint: #1 If you assemble the right, tight statistical requirement, only he and Willie Mays qualify in 155 years of major league play.

Hint: #2 As in Buddy Bell’s case, alumni of his high school includes Hall of Famers.

Answer below

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 ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’S TRIVIA

TRIVIA Answer:  VADA PINSON  

- Ans. He hit a GS in his 3^rd MLB game. “Probably the worst thing that happened to me was hitting that homer,” Pinson said later. “It won the game, but didn’t do me any good.  I started thinking of myself as a slugger.”” Doubles Uniques.

- #1 Only Mays and Pinson can claim MLB careers that include: 300 SB, 250 HR, 125 triples & 500 BB. 

- #2 HOF Frank Robinson & Bill Russell Basketball Hall of Famer also attended Pinson’s Oakland, California’s McClymonds HS

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