From: steele@athena.cs.uga.edu (Frank Steele)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: April 17 -- Today in Baseball History
Date: 17 Apr 92 20:44:47 GMT
Organization: University of Georgia, Athens

So far, the mail is 2-1 in favor of shortening this to a page or two,
so that's what I'm going to do, for now at least. If you prefer the
more detailed post -- like yesterday's -- let me know....

Once more, a plug for the source -- "The Baseball Chronology" by James
Charlton.

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APRIL 17

100 YEARS AGO -- The first Sunday game in NL history features the hometown
                 Cincinnati Reds defeating the St. Louis Browns 5-1. Bid
                 McPhee contributes a HR.
		 
60 YEARS AGO -- Bill Terry, Giants 1B, ties the NL record with 21 putouts.
                The Giants shut out Boston 5-0 on Hal Schumacher's 2-hitter.
		
40 YEARS AGO -- Umpire Bill Summers turns in 7 members of the White Sox and
                Indians for "fraternizing" before a game, won by the Indians
                7-3. The AL fines the unnamed players $5 each for violating
                the 1951 rule.
		
30 YEARS AGO -- Cubs use 5 pitchers in the 8th inning of a 10-6 loss to 
                Pittsburgh, tying an NL mark.
		
10 YEARS AGO -- Lured by a cap night promotion, a stadium-record 61,640 fans
                pack Anaheim Stadium and see Brian Downing homer twice to lead
                the Angels to a 6-2 win over the Twins. In the 6th, SS Rick
                Burleson tears his rotator cuff making a throw to first, and is
                lost for the season.
		
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

1989 -- Kent Tekulve pitches 2 shutout innings in the Reds' 3-2, 10-inning win
        over the Dodgers to pass Hoyt Wilhelm as the major leagues' all-time
        leader in relief appearances with 1,019.
	
1988 -- After 10 consecutive losses, the Atlanta Braves win their first game of
        the season 3-1 over the Dodgers. Atlanta's 0-10 start is the worst in
        NL history, but not the worst in the majors this year. Baltimore wins
        its first April 29th, after going 0-21!
	
1984 -- Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspends Braves pitcher Pascual Perez until May
        15th as a result of his off-season drug arrest in the Dominican 
        Republic, but an independent arbitrator will overturn the suspension for
        lack of evidence. :-)

1983 -- Nolan Ryan fans 7 Expos in a 6-3 Astros win to become the second pitcher
        to record 3,500 strikeouts.
	
1981 -- After winning their first 8 on the road, the Oakland A's pound Seattle
        16-1 in their home opener in front of 50,226.
	
1979 -- At Oakland, only 653 fans show up to watch the A's beat the Mariners
        6-5.
	
1976 -- Mike Schmidt leads a Phils assault with a single, four consecutive
        HR, and 8 RBI to overcome a 13-2 deficit and beat the Cubs (of course)
        in 10 innings 18-16.
	
1975 -- During a 14-7 loss to the Mets, the Cardinals' Ted Simmons homers from
        both sides of the plate, while teammate 2B Ted Sizemore ties a ML record
        with 3 errors in the 6th.
	
1974 -- Cubs C George Mitterwald hits a double and 3 HRs, including a grand slam
        driving in 8 in an 18-9 victory over the Pirates.

1971 -- Willie Horton is 5-for-6 with 2 HRs, 6 RBI; Detroit needs all of it,
        beating Boston 10-9 in 10 innings.
	
1969 -- Bill Stoneman's first win as a starter is a no-hitter for Montreal at
        Philadelphia. Rusty Staub's HR, 3 doubles, and 3 RBI pace a 5-0 win.
	
1968 -- The A's debut at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, losing 4-1 to 
        Baltimore.

1965 -- Don Drysdale ties a ML record by striking out 4 Phils in order in the
        2nd inning. Also gives up 2 HRs to lose 3-2, his 8th straight loss to
        Philadelphia.

1964 -- Pirates defeat Mets 4-3 in first game played at Shea Stadium.

1961 -- In a 9-5 St. Louis win, Dodger Duke Snider hits his 370th HR, taking
        7th place on the all-time list, but suffers a broken elbow when hit by
        a Bob Gibson pitch (so I guess the stories are true...).

1960 -- Cleveland trades Rocky Colavito to Detroit for Harvey Kuenn.
        Eddie Mathews hits his 300th HR. Only Jimmie Foxx had hit 300 at an 
        earlier age.
	
1956 -- Yanks and Senators each hit 3 HRs, the only time this has happened on
        Opening Day, including 2 left-handed shots by Mickey Mantle reported to
        travel 500 feet +. For the fourth consecutive opener, Pres. Eisenhower
        throws out the first pitch, stays the full 9.
        Willie Mays scores from 2nd on a groundout in the 8th to give the 
        Giants a win over Pittsburgh.

1955 -- Al Kaline hits 3 HRs in Briggs Stadium, including 2 in the 6th, as the 
        Tigers rout the A's 16-0.
        The Cards score 10 in the first, beat the Cubs 14-1.
	
1954 -- Cards lose 23-13 to the Cubs in a record 3 hour 23 minute game. Cubs
        score 10 in the fifth, and their 3B, Randy Jackson, hits a HR that
        hits an apartment on Waveland Avenue.
        Nino Escalera becomes the first black to play for Cincinnati.
	
1953 -- Mantle hits the longest HR in Griffith Stadium history, a 565-foot shot
        off the Senators' Chuck Stobbs. Yanks win 7-3.
	
1950 -- First Opening Day night game (in St. Louis) Cards beat Pirates 4-2.

1947 -- Jackie Robinson's first major-league hit, off the Braves' Glenn Elliot.

1935 -- President Roosevelt throws out the first ball at the delayed Washington
        opener. Senators beat the A's 4-3.
	
1934 -- Both leagues open with full schedules and draw 180,000 in attendance.
        The Cubs' Lon Warneke gives up a 9th-inning single, but beats the
        Reds 6-0, striking out 13 in a one-hitter.
	
1929 -- Babe Ruth and actress Claire Hodgson are married at 5 a.m. to avoid 
        crowds. The Yankee opener with the Red Sox is rained out, but the next
        day, in his first AB against Red Ruffing, Ruth hits a HR. Rounding
        2nd, he doffs his cap to Claire in the stands. Yanks win 7-3.

1923 -- Record Opening Day crowds in Chicago -- more than 33,000 -- for the
        Cubs' dedication of their greatly enlarged and remodeled park.
        In the longest NL opener to date, Brooklyn and Philadelphia battle
        to a 14-inning 5-5 tie. Dutch Ruether of Brooklyn goes the distance.
	
1916 -- Sam Crawford's consecutive-game streak ends at 472. He had played in
        every Tigers game from 1913-1915.
        Detroit scores a 12-inning 3-1 victory over Stan Coveleski in his first
        year at Cleveland. George Cunningham pitches win Tiger ace Harry 
        Coveleski refuses to pitch against his younger brother.
	
1911 -- Giants pick up 4 stolen bases, the start of a post 1900-record 347 this
        season.
        Addie Joss's funeral is held in Toledo, with Billy Sunday preaching the
        sermon. It is the second largest in the city's history. His teammates
        insist on being there, forcing a postponement of the season opener.
        A bill to permit Sunday baseball is refused in the lower house of the
        New Jersey legislature.
	
1904 -- The Brooklyn Superbas play their first Sunday game at home, beating 
        Boston 9-1. To circumvent the Blue Laws, no admission is charged, but
        fans must buy scorecards to enter the granstand and box seats.
	
1887 -- St. Louis Browns owner Chris Von der Ahe purchases 19-year-old Charley
        "Silver" King from the NL. King, with Kansas City at the end of the last
        season, had not been picked up by any NL clubs. He will go 34-11.
	
1886 -- The Opening Day game in Cincinnati is protested when the umpire refuses
        to put a new ball in play despite the new rule making 2 new balls
        available at all times.

1885 -- Four NL players (including Hugh Daily, Orator Shaffer, and Fred Dunlap)
        who violated the reserve rule in 1884 by signing with the short-lived
        Union Association, are reinstated with fines of $500 each.


Again, these are from "The Baseball Chronology" by James Charlton.

Frank
steele@athena.cs.uga.edu
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball