TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY courtesy of National Pastime
1922 – After being called out for trying to stretch a single into double, Babe Ruth throws dirt the umpire’s eye, then goes after a heckler in the stands, and finishes his tirade by standing on the dugout roof calling the crowd “yellow” cowards. These actions will result in a one game suspension, a $200 fine, and will cost the ‘Bambino’ his Yankee captaincy, a position he has held for less than a week.
1998 – Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire becomes the first player in major league history to hit 25 home runs before June 1. Ken Griffey Jr. is the only other player to hit 24 home runs before the start of the sixth month.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j0GESR2YbA]2011 – In the 12th inning of an eventual 7-6 loss to Florida, Giants catcher Buster Posey is lost for the season as a result of a brutal collision at home plate with Scott Cousins, who scores the go-ahead run. An MRI will confirm last season’s Rookie of the Year has a fractured left fibula and three torn ligaments in his left ankle, and will need season-ending surgery to repair the damage.
And finally…in 2011, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera becomes the first pitcher to appear in 1,000 games for the same team. The 41 year-old Panamanian right-hander, who has compiled 572 saves and 75 wins during his 17 seasons with the Bronx Bombers, is closing in on the all-time saves record established by Trevor Hoffman with 601.
STAT OF THE DAY provided by @HighHeatStats
Today in 1935, Babe Ruth went out in style, hitting the final three homers of his career all in the same game. Playing for the Braves in Pittsburgh, his last homer was the first ever hit out of the park over the right field roof of Forbes Field.
PLAYERS BORN TODAY
John Montefusco (1950), Bob Knepper (1954), Todd Walker (1973) and Miguel Tejada (1974)
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