Baseball is a game with a great future as well as a great past. Even though you might like its future prospects and fantasy projections, without its rich history, characters, and storylines baseball would be a lot less interesting than it is today. With that in mind, we at the AA Baseball Blog proudly present this weekly installment of ‘The Week in Baseball History’ column, where history, present and future meet. Here, you’ll find some interesting stories, amazing facts, and practically everything in between, from the amazing and incredible to the everyday and mundane, to the downright bizarre and odd. So without further ado, lets dive into the history, shall we?
Today, baseball is turning its focus from off the field today, to the impending amateur draft to be held in Baseballs Studio 42 in New Jersey. While it’s not the most compelling of television (being over 50 rounds long with compensation picks galore) it’s certainly not worth the honorable mention of this little dive into baseball history this week. However, our story takes us to the ends of baseball’s greatest careers rather than the beginning, as you’ll see below.
Tuesday, May 31st, 1927
Detroit First baseman John Neun completes the seventh unassisted triple play in MLB history by snagging Cleveland’s right fielder Homer Summa line drive. He then tagged left fielder Charlie Jamieson, who was on first, and beat pinch hitter Glenn Myatt to second base for the third out of the inning. Neun performs the feat in the top of ninth inning, sealing the Tigers 1-0 victory, making it the first time that a game ends on a triple killing. Incredibly, it makes for only the second unassisted triple play in as many days, following Cubs Second baseman similar feat of the day before. Another similar play would not be seen for another 42 seasons, during the days that men flew to the moon and hitters couldn’t hit the likes of Bob Gibson.
Unassisted triple plays are as rare as perfect games and happen in the blink of an eye. Luckily, a game ending triple play has occurred in our lifetime (get your lotto numbers ready!). Just ask the hapless Mets (especially Jeff Francouer) when their late game rally was unceremoniously snuffed out by dependable Chase Utley stand-in Eric Bruntlett. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DviV7CYrc-E)
Monday, June 1st, 1925
Lou Gehrig is the owner of many records (some attainable, most not) in the vaunted books of Baseball; but his most cherished began almost as an accident. By making his only appearance as pinch-hitter in his entire career (that’s 14 full seasons in the majors!), begins his streak of playing in 2,130 straight games when he comes off the Yankee bench to hit for rookie infielder Pee-Wee Wanninger. Ironically, Wanninger had ended a consecutive-game streak of 1,307 consecutive games when he started the May 5th contest in place of Everett Scott, the team's shortstop. Gehrig at the time was a benchwarmer (that’s right!) who mostly served as a defensive substitution in the outfield before he took his chance as an everyday (and boy was he every day!) player on the team.
As for Yankee First Baseman Wally Pipp, his days on the Yankees roster were numbered from that day on. He would be thankfully traded to the Cincinnati Reds later in the offseason, where he played decently (thought no less anonymously) hitting .279/.335/.379 for the remaining three seasons of his career (again 14 seasons). Lou Gehrig was, well Lou Gehrig, joining my favorite club in baseball statistics (the 300/400/500 club), and setting the bar for the next decade and a half of consistent day-in, day-out offense in some of the most vaunted lineups in baseball history.
If Gehrig knew of the incredible journey that he was embarking on, we can’t be sure. All we have is a simple film from that historic day, when FOX films showed up to film fellow teammate Babe Ruth’s return to baseball after recovering from abdominal surgery that spring, known as ‘the bellyache heard round the world’. Who knew that history could be captured like that? (http://mirc.sc.edu/islandora/object/usc%3A20955)
Sunday, June 2nd, 1935
Speaking of Babe Ruth, on this day the aging Braves outfielder Babe Ruth announced his retirement from baseball. The 40 year-old former slugger wanted to retire three weeks earlier, but Boston owner Emil Fuchs persuaded him to continue because the Braves hadn't played in every National League park, thereby increasing the turnstile flips for all owners despite the wreck that was the Sultan of Swat. On the scale of Boston owner mismanagement, this fax-pas ranks pretty low on the list. His worst campaign as a ball player (even though he played for 28 regular games) was still impressive as he swatted a .181/.359/.431 slash line (wow.250 ISO). He would spend the rest of the season as base coach for the Braves as they would post the worst winning percentage in National League history for the twentieth century; All for a team with Babe Ruth playing and coaching for it? smh
Friday, June 3rd, 1932
The Yankees 1927 Murderers Row didn’t end with Ruth and Gehrig, it also included the likes of Shortstop Mark Koening, Left fielder Bob Meusel, and Third baseman Joe Dugan, but it also included Hall of Famers Earle Combs and rookie Tony Lazzeri. His short but terrific career included many standout performances, but none as terrific as this. The young centerfielder blasted a grand slam on this day to complete a natural cycle, a cycle accomplished in sequential order: single, double, triple, home run. This rare and amazing feat was overshadowed by Yankee teammate and fellow murderer (not actual, only alleged) Lou Gehrig hitting four home runs in the same game, and the announcement of long-time Giants manager John McGraw's retirement on the same day. Talk about a big baseball news day.
Tuesday, June 4th, 1974
Ten Cent Beer Night! Few words evoke such extreme feelings of unadulterated joy on the part of sports fans, and such extreme terror on the part of sports executives and security personnel. Since there’s been professional sports there have been many a sporting promotion made by teams of all sports and all levels. In the annals of Baseball anyway, few are as successful, or as poorly thought out as this one was. On this day in 1974, approximately 60,000 cups were sold to a paying (and likely not so sober) crowd of 25,134. For those counting that’s 2.34 drinks for each attendant, likely more if the kiddies were left to drive home.
The Cleveland Indians (playing at the time at Cleveland municipal stadium) unfortunately were to suffer for their brief success and had to forfeit the game, due to the boisterous (and that’s being generous) behavior of their fans. Home plate ump Nestor Chylak stoped play with the score tied at five in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Rangers the victory (your forfeited score Rangers 9, Indians 0). Don’t believe me? Check out this retrospective and form your own thoughts about what happened hosted by Mike’s brother Bob Golick!?! Now we know why beers so expensive at the ball park these days! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeTpnOzoPdw)
Saturday, June 5th, 1982
Cal Ripken's 8,243 consecutive innings (not games) begins with the Baltimores 3-1 win over Minnesota at the Metrodome. The record streak, spanning the course of over nine-hundred games, will end when he is replaced in the eighth inning by pinch runner (and future Manager/Coach) Ron Washington during an 18-3 September loss to the Blue Jays in 1987. This streak runs along with, but is different to his vaunted consecutive game streak in which he started and played through the first five innings of each game to extend his streak, which he managed to do for 2,632 games in a row.
This record however, seems eminently more impressive as well as infinitely harder to achieve as it means Cal Ripken played in nearly 904 games straight from beginning to end, no substitutions/replacements or in-game adjustments. His consecutive games record seems more breakable then this one. I’d pay top dollar for that type of dependability.
Tuesday, June 6th, 1944
Annabelle Lee, aunt of major league pitcher Bill ‘Spaceman’ Lee, hurls the first of five perfect games in the 12-year history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The Minneapolis Millerettes southpaw knuckleballer, who’d also pitch a no-hitter for the Fort Wayne Daisies exactly one year later, throws the first perfect game in league history (and the first recorded for a women) in a 18-0 rout of the Kenosha (Wisconsin) Comets.
Her accomplishment however, was shadowed by the events across the sea, where Allied Expeditionary Forces began the largest amphibious assault in military history. The Normandy Invasion on Fortress Europe began the end of the armed conflict in Europe, and ultimately the end of popular appeal of the AAGPBL which would cease operations in 1954. Mrs. Lee and her companions would see their deeds enshrined in Cooperstown however, and on the silver screen by the Penny Marshall film ‘A league of their own’ starring Gena Davis, Tom Hanks, and singer/actor (really?) Madonna.
Today, baseball is turning its focus from off the field today, to the impending amateur draft to be held in Baseballs Studio 42 in New Jersey. While it’s not the most compelling of television (being over 50 rounds long with compensation picks galore) it’s certainly not worth the honorable mention of this little dive into baseball history this week. However, our story takes us to the ends of baseball’s greatest careers rather than the beginning, as you’ll see below.
Tuesday, May 31st, 1927
Detroit First baseman John Neun completes the seventh unassisted triple play in MLB history by snagging Cleveland’s right fielder Homer Summa line drive. He then tagged left fielder Charlie Jamieson, who was on first, and beat pinch hitter Glenn Myatt to second base for the third out of the inning. Neun performs the feat in the top of ninth inning, sealing the Tigers 1-0 victory, making it the first time that a game ends on a triple killing. Incredibly, it makes for only the second unassisted triple play in as many days, following Cubs Second baseman similar feat of the day before. Another similar play would not be seen for another 42 seasons, during the days that men flew to the moon and hitters couldn’t hit the likes of Bob Gibson.
Unassisted triple plays are as rare as perfect games and happen in the blink of an eye. Luckily, a game ending triple play has occurred in our lifetime (get your lotto numbers ready!). Just ask the hapless Mets (especially Jeff Francouer) when their late game rally was unceremoniously snuffed out by dependable Chase Utley stand-in Eric Bruntlett. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DviV7CYrc-E)
Monday, June 1st, 1925
Lou Gehrig is the owner of many records (some attainable, most not) in the vaunted books of Baseball; but his most cherished began almost as an accident. By making his only appearance as pinch-hitter in his entire career (that’s 14 full seasons in the majors!), begins his streak of playing in 2,130 straight games when he comes off the Yankee bench to hit for rookie infielder Pee-Wee Wanninger. Ironically, Wanninger had ended a consecutive-game streak of 1,307 consecutive games when he started the May 5th contest in place of Everett Scott, the team's shortstop. Gehrig at the time was a benchwarmer (that’s right!) who mostly served as a defensive substitution in the outfield before he took his chance as an everyday (and boy was he every day!) player on the team.
As for Yankee First Baseman Wally Pipp, his days on the Yankees roster were numbered from that day on. He would be thankfully traded to the Cincinnati Reds later in the offseason, where he played decently (thought no less anonymously) hitting .279/.335/.379 for the remaining three seasons of his career (again 14 seasons). Lou Gehrig was, well Lou Gehrig, joining my favorite club in baseball statistics (the 300/400/500 club), and setting the bar for the next decade and a half of consistent day-in, day-out offense in some of the most vaunted lineups in baseball history.
If Gehrig knew of the incredible journey that he was embarking on, we can’t be sure. All we have is a simple film from that historic day, when FOX films showed up to film fellow teammate Babe Ruth’s return to baseball after recovering from abdominal surgery that spring, known as ‘the bellyache heard round the world’. Who knew that history could be captured like that? (http://mirc.sc.edu/islandora/object/usc%3A20955)
Sunday, June 2nd, 1935
Speaking of Babe Ruth, on this day the aging Braves outfielder Babe Ruth announced his retirement from baseball. The 40 year-old former slugger wanted to retire three weeks earlier, but Boston owner Emil Fuchs persuaded him to continue because the Braves hadn't played in every National League park, thereby increasing the turnstile flips for all owners despite the wreck that was the Sultan of Swat. On the scale of Boston owner mismanagement, this fax-pas ranks pretty low on the list. His worst campaign as a ball player (even though he played for 28 regular games) was still impressive as he swatted a .181/.359/.431 slash line (wow.250 ISO). He would spend the rest of the season as base coach for the Braves as they would post the worst winning percentage in National League history for the twentieth century; All for a team with Babe Ruth playing and coaching for it? smh
Friday, June 3rd, 1932
The Yankees 1927 Murderers Row didn’t end with Ruth and Gehrig, it also included the likes of Shortstop Mark Koening, Left fielder Bob Meusel, and Third baseman Joe Dugan, but it also included Hall of Famers Earle Combs and rookie Tony Lazzeri. His short but terrific career included many standout performances, but none as terrific as this. The young centerfielder blasted a grand slam on this day to complete a natural cycle, a cycle accomplished in sequential order: single, double, triple, home run. This rare and amazing feat was overshadowed by Yankee teammate and fellow murderer (not actual, only alleged) Lou Gehrig hitting four home runs in the same game, and the announcement of long-time Giants manager John McGraw's retirement on the same day. Talk about a big baseball news day.
Tuesday, June 4th, 1974
Ten Cent Beer Night! Few words evoke such extreme feelings of unadulterated joy on the part of sports fans, and such extreme terror on the part of sports executives and security personnel. Since there’s been professional sports there have been many a sporting promotion made by teams of all sports and all levels. In the annals of Baseball anyway, few are as successful, or as poorly thought out as this one was. On this day in 1974, approximately 60,000 cups were sold to a paying (and likely not so sober) crowd of 25,134. For those counting that’s 2.34 drinks for each attendant, likely more if the kiddies were left to drive home.
The Cleveland Indians (playing at the time at Cleveland municipal stadium) unfortunately were to suffer for their brief success and had to forfeit the game, due to the boisterous (and that’s being generous) behavior of their fans. Home plate ump Nestor Chylak stoped play with the score tied at five in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Rangers the victory (your forfeited score Rangers 9, Indians 0). Don’t believe me? Check out this retrospective and form your own thoughts about what happened hosted by Mike’s brother Bob Golick!?! Now we know why beers so expensive at the ball park these days! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeTpnOzoPdw)
Saturday, June 5th, 1982
Cal Ripken's 8,243 consecutive innings (not games) begins with the Baltimores 3-1 win over Minnesota at the Metrodome. The record streak, spanning the course of over nine-hundred games, will end when he is replaced in the eighth inning by pinch runner (and future Manager/Coach) Ron Washington during an 18-3 September loss to the Blue Jays in 1987. This streak runs along with, but is different to his vaunted consecutive game streak in which he started and played through the first five innings of each game to extend his streak, which he managed to do for 2,632 games in a row.
This record however, seems eminently more impressive as well as infinitely harder to achieve as it means Cal Ripken played in nearly 904 games straight from beginning to end, no substitutions/replacements or in-game adjustments. His consecutive games record seems more breakable then this one. I’d pay top dollar for that type of dependability.
Tuesday, June 6th, 1944
Annabelle Lee, aunt of major league pitcher Bill ‘Spaceman’ Lee, hurls the first of five perfect games in the 12-year history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The Minneapolis Millerettes southpaw knuckleballer, who’d also pitch a no-hitter for the Fort Wayne Daisies exactly one year later, throws the first perfect game in league history (and the first recorded for a women) in a 18-0 rout of the Kenosha (Wisconsin) Comets.
Her accomplishment however, was shadowed by the events across the sea, where Allied Expeditionary Forces began the largest amphibious assault in military history. The Normandy Invasion on Fortress Europe began the end of the armed conflict in Europe, and ultimately the end of popular appeal of the AAGPBL which would cease operations in 1954. Mrs. Lee and her companions would see their deeds enshrined in Cooperstown however, and on the silver screen by the Penny Marshall film ‘A league of their own’ starring Gena Davis, Tom Hanks, and singer/actor (really?) Madonna.
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