TODAY IN BASEBALL courtesy of National Pastime
1964 – Masanori Murakami becomes the first native-born Japanese player to appear in the U.S. Major Leagues when throws a scoreless eighth inning in the Giants’ 4-1 loss to the Mets at Shea Stadium. The 20 year-old southpaw, who was to play only minor league ball until June as an ‘exchange player’, will be allowed to stay and play in one full season with San Francisco next year, before returning to the Nankai Hawks, ending his brief American stint with a 5-1 record and an ERA of 3.75.
1975 – Tom Seaver, when he whiffs Pirate Manny Sanguillen in the top of the seventh inning, becomes the first pitcher to strike out at least 200 batters in eight consecutive seasons. The 3-0 victory is also ‘Tom Terrific’s’ 20th of the season, making it the fourth time the right-hander has reached that plateau in his career.
2007 – In only his second Major League start, Clay Buchholz, using an assortment of fastballs, curves, and changeups, becomes the 20th rookie to throw a no-hitter beating the Orioles in front of a very supportive Fenway crowd, 10-0. The 23 year-old right-hander, who was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket to make the start, becomes the youngest of the seventeen players to have accomplished the feat in Red Sox history.
And finally…in 2014, the Phillies become the eleventh team in baseball history to throw a combined no-hitter when four of their hurlers do not yield a hit in the team’s 7-0 victory over the Braves. Philadelphia starter Cole Hamels goes the first six innings in the Turner Field contest with relievers Jake Diekman, Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon each tossing a perfect inning to accomplish the rare feat.
PLAYERS BORN TODAY
Jim O’Rourke (1850), Rico Carty (1939), Garry Maddox (1949) and Rob Wilfong (1953)
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