TODAY IN BASEBALL courtesy of National Pastime
1985 – Astros hurler Joe Niekro notches his 200th career victory. The Niekro brothers (Joe & Phil) will join the Perrys (Jim & Gaylord) as the only brothers to win at least 200 games per pitcher.
1993 – At Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium, the latest game in Major League history ends at 4:40 am as relief pitcher Mitch Williams, in his first at-bat of the season, singles home the winning run in the tenth inning, giving the Phillies a 6-5 victory over the Padres. The game, which started at 1:26 am due to the three rain delays in Game 1 of the twin bill, eclipses the 3:35 mark established in Atlanta on July 4, 1985 in a game which ended with fireworks after the Mets beat the Braves in 19 innings, 16-13.
1995 – Dodger right hander Hideo Nomo, who is leading the National League in strikeouts, becomes the first player from Japan to be selected for the Major League All-Star game.
And finally…in 1995, on the day the Yankees celebrate Babe Ruth’s hundredth birthday, a frail Mickey Mantle bids the fans a farewell in a recorded message on the Bronx ballpark’s Jumbotron. The diminished former superstar, who will succumb to liver cancer in 22 days, tells the crowd, “I feel like Phil Rizzuto in Babe Ruth’s uniform”.
PLAYERS BORN TODAY
Tony Armas (1953), Jose and Ozzie Canseco (1964), Sean Casey (1974) and Brett Cecil (1986)
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