TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

September 13, 1965 - At the Astrodome facing Don Nottebart, Giant outfielder Willie Mays becomes the fifth player in major league history to hit 500 career home runs. Mays stands and watches as the ball lands deep in the tunnel beyond centerfield at the Astrodome - an estimated 430-footer.

The "Say Hey Kid" will hit a league-leading and career-high 52 home runs en route to his second MVP season. Juan Marichal gets his 22nd victory, a 5 - 1 decision over Houston. It is the 11th straight win for San Francisco, which now has a 2 1/2 game lead in the National League pennant race. Mays also become the first African-American and first former Negro Leaguer to reach the 500 home run plateau. Mays would pass Mel Ott on both the All-Time National League home run list on May 4, 1966. Mays would remain the National League All-Time hit list until he was passed by Hank Aaron on June 10, 1972.

At the time the other players with 500 homeruns were:

Babe Ruth August 11, 1929
Jimmie Foxx September 24, 1940
Mel Ott August 1, 1945
Ted Williams June 17, 1960

After Mays: Mickey Mantle, Harmon Killebrew, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews all joined the club. Some folks in the press called it an assault on the records!

Exactly six years later . . . .

On September 13, 1971, At Memorial Stadium, Frank Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles rips home runs in each game of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers to become the 11th man to enter the 500-home run club. Robinson's 500th was a ninth-inning three-run homer off Fred Scherman, who pitches 8 2/3 innings in relief of Joe Niekro in the Orioles' 10-5 loss to the Tigers, the Tigers amassed 17 hits in the blow out.

The Baltimore right fielder connected off Mike Kilkenny for #499 in Game 1 of the doubleheader, a 9-1 Birds' victory, it was Baltimore starter Dave McNally's 13th consecutive win.

Robinson’s 28 home runs in 1971 will help the Orioles win the American League pennant.

YouTube video by ThisDayInBaseball
Frank Robinson 11th man to enter into 500 Homerun Club

Todays Podcast

September 13, 1902 -- Johnny Evers, acquired to replace second baseman Bobby Lowe, who broke his ankle, joins shortstop Joe Tinker and first baseman Frank Chance on the Chicago infield, marking the first time the three Cubs' infielders have played together. The legendary double play trio will be immortalized in Franklin Pierce Adams' baseball poem, "Baseball's Sad Lexicon," better known as "Tinker to Evers to Chance". Germany Schaefer is at 3B as Chicago clips St. Louis, 12 - 0.

September 13, 1909 - Ty Cobb clinches the American League home run title with his 9th round-tripper. It is an inside-the-park drive against the Browns. In fact, all his nine home runs this season are inside-the-park, including two on July 15th. Only Sam Crawford (12 in 1901) has hit more inside-the-park homers in a year than Cobb. The Georgia Peach will hit 117 round-trippers during his 24-year career, but this is the only season he will lead the league.

September 13, 1931 -- At Wrigley Field, the Cubs win 11 - 7 over the Braves when player-manager Rogers Hornsby cracks an 11th-inning pinch grand slam. This is the first extra-inning pinch grand slam in major league history. The Cubs take the second game, 8 - 1, behind Guy Bush's one-hitter, his second of the year. His first was against the Cards on August 9th.

September 13, 1946, Ted Williams stroked an inside-the-park home run in the first inning to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 1-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Cleveland player-manager Lou Boudreau executed a shift against the left-handed-hitting Williams, LF Fat Pat Seerey pulls in behind the SS position which left a large expanse of left field open—and Williams jumped on a pitch from Cleveland right-hander Red Embree and drilled it into left field for the only inside-the-park homer of his career. It not only gave the Red Sox the win, it clinched the American League pennant when the New York Yankees defeated the second-place Detroit Tigers a short time later. The Boston margin at the season's end will be 12 games. Boston's first American League pennant since 1918.

1951 Pennant!
September 13, 1951 -- The St Louis Cardinals play a rare doubleheader. The first in the 20th century, with two different teams, defeating the New York Giants, 6 - 4, in the first game in the afternoon when they score six runs against Sal Maglie in the 2nd inning. In the nightcap, against the Boston Braves, the Cardinals managed just one hit - by pitcher Al Brazle - in losing to Warren Spahn, 2 - 0. The Cardinals' total attendance is 8,865 - 4,160 for the Giants and 4,705 for the Braves. It is the first time since 1883 that a three-team twin bill has been played.

The Giants will go 14 - 2 after this game. Sweeping the Cubs, Pirates, Phillies, and the Braves twice.

September 13, 1958 -- At County Stadium the Milwaukee Braves' Warren Spahn becomes the first lefty to win 20 or more games nine times, as he beats St. Louis, 8 - 2. Eddie Plank and Lefty Grove each won 20 games eight times. Spahn helps his own cause with 3 hits and 2 RBI's, he only gives up 2 hits in his complete game effort.

September 13, 1962 -- Washington OF Jim Piersall is arrested for going into the stands after a heckling fan prior to a game against Baltimore. He is charged with disorderly conduct but later cleared. Joe Hicks replaces Jimmy in the 7 - 1 loss to the Orioles. O's winning pitcher Chuck Estrada clouts one of the three Orioles homers.

September 13, 1967 -- At Comiskey Park Cleveland and Chicago play a marathon 17-inning game, the White Sox ultimately winning, 1 - 0, on a game-ending RBI single by Rocky Colavito against his former squad. The contest features excellent starting pitching by Sonny Siebert and Gary Peters. Siebert goes 11 innings, allowing just 4 hits and 0 walks to Chicago batters. Peters also pitches 11 innings, yielding only 1 hit while walking 10 Indians.

The White Sox have fallen 3 games off the lead, the Twins & Red Sox are tied at the top with the Tigers a game behind.

September 13, 1969 -- Bobby Bonds, with his first-inning two-run homer off Jim Maloney in the Giants' 6-4 defeat of the Cincinnati Reds at Candlestick Park, becomes the fourth player in major league history to steal at least 30 bases and hit at least thirty home runs in the same season. The other members of the 30/30 club are Ken Williams (1922-Browns), Willie Mays (1956 & 1957-Giants), and Hank Aaron (1963-Braves). Bonds will have four more 30-30 seasons during his career.

September 13, 1978 -- At Tiger Stadium, the visiting Yankees defeat Detroit, 7-3, to take sole possession of first place for the first time this season. On July 19, the Bronx Bombers trailed the Red Sox by 14 games in the American East Division.

September 13, 1983 -- Oakland's Rickey Henderson steals three bases in a 6 - 5 win over Texas to give him 101 for the season and a modern era major record three consecutive seasons with 100 or more.

Vince Coleman will match Henderson’s feat 1985-1987.

September 13, 1986 - at Yankee Stadium Boston Red Sox left fielder Jim Rice charged into the stands Saturday after a spectator snatched his cap and then used what Rice later said were racial slurs.

September 13, 2002 -- The U.S. Senate passes S. Res. 327, a resolution honoring Tiger broadcaster Ernie Harwell, who is retiring at end of the season. The 84 year-old has been a major league baseball announcer for 55 years.

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