Sports history is something you’ll see a lot on this blog, and today, courtesy of a website called www.nationalpastime.com , I decided to chronicle this date, September 15th, in baseball history, since there were some unique and odd occurrences.
In 1938, Lloyd and Paul Waner become the third set of brothers to hit a home run in the same game. Known as “Little Poison” and “Big Poison”, the Waner brothers are the first pair to do it with back-to-back homers.
In 1946, the second game of a doubleheader at Wrigley Field is postponed in the 6th inning because the field is engulfed by a swarm of gnats. (Maybe Joba Chamberlain should have gotten a little more sympathy in that 2007 playoff game in Cleveland).
In 1950, Cardinals’ starting pitcher Cloyd Boyer hurts his arm while warming up and is replaced by Red Munger. Munger beats the Dodgers 6-2 and is a credited with a complete game, but not for a game started.
In 1952, the Pittsburgh Pirates become the first team to wear batting helmets with a temple protector. The helmets are worn both at the plate and in the field.
In 1969, Steve Carlton sets a major league record by striking out 19 New York Mets while pitching for the Cardinals, but the Mets win the game 4-3.
In 1971, a young relief pitcher for the Houston Astros, Larry Yount, hurts his arm on his very first warmup pitch, and never gets another chance to pitch in the majors. So the career of the older brother of Robin Yount, who had one of the longest careers ever in the majors, amounts to one warmup pitch.
In 1978, the Dodgers win a home game against Atlanta, 5-0, and become the first major league team to draw three million fans.
In 1979, Bob Watson of the Red Sox hits for a “natural” cycle (single, double, triple, HR in that order) and becomes the first player in the modern era to hit for the cycle in both leagues, having done it with Houston in 1977.
In 1990, Bobby Thigpen, who was an outfielder in college, records his 50th save as the closer for the Chicago White Sox.
In 1996, the Baltimore Orioles rout Detroit 16-6 and break the 1961 New York Yankees’ record for most team home runs in a single season.
In 2000, Rickey Henderson passes both Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron to move into 2nd place on the all-time list for total runs scored, trailing only Ty Cobb.
In 2002, the Twins clinch the AL Central crown, their first playoff appearance since 1991. Prior to the season, MLB had discussed contraction, and the Twins were the team being considered to be disbanded.
In 2004, with the bases loaded, the Marlins’ Mike Lowell tags out Expos catcher Brian Schneider at 3rd base, making Schneider the victim of the “old hidden ball trick”.
It’s amazing to see how many things happen in baseball on a daily basis over the years, and this site documents them all. I was selective in which ones I included in this post, ignoring any accomplishments by Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and Rafael Palmiero, for obvious reasons.