TODAY IN BASEBALL: August 17

august 17

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TODAY IN BASEBALL courtesy of National Pastime

1948 – An estimated crowd of 100,000 fans passes by the body of Babe Ruth, which is on display at Yankee Stadium. After the funeral in two days at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the ‘Bambino’ will be buried in the Cemetery of the Gate of Heaven in Hawthorne, New York.

1986 – The Reds player-manager Pete Rose makes his final major league plate appearance, pinch-hitting in the eighth inning of a 9-5 loss to the Padres at Riverfront Stadium, The all-time hit leader, who will end his 24-year career with a .303 batting average, is struck out by future Hall of Famer Goose Gossage.

2008 – In a pre-game 55-minute ceremony at Minute Maid Park, Craig Biggio becomes the ninth Astro to have his jersey number retired. The Smithtown, New York native, who wore number 7, is the team’s all-time leader in games (2,850) and seasons (20) played.

And finally…in 2013, Miguel Tejada is suspended for 105 games, one of the longest in baseball history, after he reportedly tested positive on multiple occasions this season for Adderall, an amphetamine used to treat attention-deficit disorder. The 39 year-old Royals infielder, a six-time All-Star, apologizes to the organization, his teammates, and the Kansas City fans, explaining his medical condition requires medication, but that he was wrong to take it while re-applying for a Therapeutic Use Exemption.

PLAYERS BORN TODAY

Rudy York (1913), Boog Powell (1941), Jorge Posada (1971) and Dustin Pedroia (1983)

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