TODAY IN BASEBALL courtesy of National Pastime
1953 – Bernice Lombardi finds her husband Ernie lying on the bed, after the former major league catcher had slit his throat from ear to ear with a razor that he found in a relative’s bathroom. The former Reds’ backstop, battling a similar bout of depression that caused his teammate Willard Hershberger to commit suicide in 1940, is given little hope to live, at the time, but he will manage to survive his horrific self-inflicted wound.
1974 – Braves outfielder Henry Aaron passes Babe Ruth as the all-time home run leader with his 715th, going deep in the fourth inning off Dodger hurler Al Downing in Atlanta’s home opener. “Hammerin’ Hank” equaled the Bambino’s mark on Opening Day in Cincinnati.
2008 – An emotional Bill Buckner returns to Fenway Park for the first time in more than a decade to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Red Sox home opener. The beleaguered former Boston first baseman, best known for letting Mookie Wilson’s grounder roll between his legs in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, receives a heart-felt standing ovation from the stunned crowd as he walks slowly from left field to the pitcher’s mound.
And finally…in 2011, after being informed by MLB that he faces a 100-game suspension for violating baseball’s drug policy for the second time, Rays’ outfielder/DH Manny Ramirez announces his retirement as an active player. The 12-time All-Star, best known for helping the Red Sox win two World Championships, ends his 19-year big league career with a .312 batting average and 555 home runs.
PLAYERS BORN TODAY
Catfish Hunter (1946), Gary Carter (1954), Jeremy Guthrie (1979), Carlos Santana (1986) and Felix Hernandez (1986)
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