TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

May 8, 1973 -- For the second time in his career, Pirate Willie Stargell hits one out of Dodger Stadium. His blast off Andy Messersmith hits the right field pavilion roof 470 feet away. His first home run, a 506-foot shot, came off Alan Foster on August 5, 1969. No other player has hit a fair ball out of the stadium. Los Angeles wins, 7 - 4. on this same day, May 8, 1963 -- Pirates LF Willie Stargell's first major league homer and Cubs P Bob Buhl's first major league hit in 88 at-bats highlight a 9 - 5 Chicago win over Pittsburgh.

Willie Stargell’s Monumental Home Runs: Power Beyond Parks

Willie Stargell wasn’t just a home run hitter—he was a legend of distance and drama. Known for prodigious blasts, Stargell authored some of the longest homers in MLB history, earning him admiration and awe from players and fans alike.

On May 20, 1978, he launched the longest home run ever hit at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium—an estimated 535 feet—off Expos pitcher Wayne Twitchell. The ball soared into the upper deck in right field, a place no ball had landed before. Even stunned Expos players admitted it was unforgettable. Rudy May called it “one of the most awesome things I have ever seen,” while Twitchell later said, “It was like trying to watch a tracer bullet.”

That wasn’t Stargell’s only entry in the tape-measure record books. Stargell hit seven of the 18 balls ever hit over Forbes Field's 86-foot-high right-field stands. He also holds the longest home run at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium, and was the first player to hit one out of Dodger Stadium, a feat Hall of Famer Don Sutton described as stripping pitchers of their “dignity.” At Montreal’s old Jarry Park, Stargell regularly cleared the scoreboard and reached the public swimming pool beyond it, earning him a life preserver as a gag gift from the Expos.

That 1978 game in Montreal wasn’t just another win for the Pirates—it was a showcase of Stargell’s historic power. He hit two home runs that day, the first tying Duke Snider on the all-time list as Snider watched from the Expos' broadcast booth.

Stargell led all major leaguers in home runs during the 1970s and finished his career with 475. He won the 1979 World Series MVP, helped lead Pittsburgh to two championships, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988.

His legacy? Not just greatness—but greatness that went the distance.

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May 8, 1961 -- The New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, Inc. announces the New York National League franchise's team nickname will be the Mets. Other names considered included the Avengers, Burros (a play on the word boroughs), Continentals, Islanders, Jets, Rebels, Skyliners, and the Meadowlarks, which was the first choice of owner Joan Payson.

May 8, 1966 -- Orioles' outfielder Frank Robinson becomes the first (and only) player to hit a home run completely out of Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. The 451-foot wind-assisted blast, which clears the fifty rows of the left-field seats near the foul pole, before rolling to a stop 540 feet from home plate, comes off a fastball thrown by Indians' starter Luis Tiant, who hadn't given up an earned run through his first 27 innings on the season. The Orioles will win the game 8-3.

May 8, 1966, the San Francisco Giants trade future Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Ray Sadecki. Cepeda, who has been bothered by bad knees, is deemed expendable because of the presence of Willie McCovey at first base. The Giants will regret the deal, as Cepeda will win the MVP in 1967. Sadecki will go 3-7.On this date...Along with being unanimously selected as the NL's MVP, he helped St Louis to their second World Series championship in four seasons

May 8, 1968, Catfish Hunter of the Oakland A’s pitches a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins. Hunter’s perfect game is the first in the American League during the regular season in 46 years, when White Sox right-hander Charlie Robertson, who accomplished the feat against Detroit in 1922. Don Larsen had pitched a perfect game in the 1956 World Series. He strikes out 11, including Harmon Killebrew three times, and drives in three of the A’s four runs, the other coming on a two-out, bases-loaded walk to 1B Danny Cater in the 8th inning. Only 6,298 fans are in attendance.

May 8, 1973, Chicago Cubs coach Ernie Banks becomes the first African American to manage during a major league game. When Cubs manager Whitey Lockman is ejected in the third inning, Banks takes over the reigns for the rest of the game. With Banks at the helm, the Cubs edge the San Diego Padres, 3-2.

May 8, 1973 -- In a 9 - 7 losing effort against the Giants, Cardinals ace Bob Gibson makes his 242nd consecutive start. It is a new 20th century record, passing that of Red Ruffing, who never pitched in relief the last 10 years of his career.

May 8, 1984, Kirby Puckett collects four singles in his major league debut. Puckett’s performance helps the Minnesota Twins to a 5-0 win over the California Angels.

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