TODAY IN BASEBALL courtesy of National Pastime
1982 – After driving in the winning run in the Mets 7-4 victory over the Cubs, Joel Youngblood, who is traded to the Expos during the game, flies to Philadelphia and singles for Montreal to become the first player to have a hit for two different teams on the same day in different cities. The 30 year-old All-Star collects his two historic hits off two future Hall of Famers, a single off Ferguson Jenkins in Chicago, and gets his other knock off Steve Carlton in the City of Brotherly Love.
1992 – At an auction, actor Charlie Sheen pays $93,500 for the ‘Mookie Wilson Ball’ which went through Bill Buckner’s legs, capping the miraculous Met comeback in the sixth game of the Fall Classic in 1986. Arthur Richman, the team’s traveling secretary, who was given the ball that night by right field umpire Ed Montague, gives the all the proceeds to charity.
1993 – After being hit by a Ryan Express fastball, Robin Ventura charges the mound to get at the 46 year-old pitcher. Nolan Ryan responds by putting the White Sox third baseman in a headlock and punches him six times, much to the pleasure of the Rangers fans at Arlington Stadium.
And finally…in 2007, in the second inning at Petco Park in front of a sellout crowd of 42,497 fans, Barry Bonds drives a Clay Hensley fastball over the left-field wall for his 755th home run, tying Hank Aaron’s 33 year-old career home run record. The opposite-field drive, ironically off a pitcher who failed a steroid test as a minor leaguer in 2005, is met with mixed reactions as a few patrons hold up asterisk signs and the crowd responds to the feat with a mixture of cheers and jeers.
PLAYERS BORN TODAY
Jack Beckley (1867), John Farrell (1962), Roger Clemens (1962) and BJ Surhoff (1964)
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