TODAY IN BASEBALL courtesy of National Pastime
1963 – In his first major league at bat, Gates Brown delivers a pinch home run in the Tigers’ 9-2 loss to Boston at Fenway Park. The homer will be the first of 16 pinch round-trippers the Tiger outfielder will hit during his 13-year career in Detroit.
1990 – Gary Carter breaks a National League mark when he catches his 1‚862nd career game in the Giants’ 4-3 loss to San Diego. The ‘Kid’ surpasses Al Lopez, who had established the record for backstops in 1946, after playing 18 seasons in the Senior Circuit with the Dodgers, Braves, and Pirates.
1996 – Cardinals infielder Ozzie Smith, considered the best all-time defensive shortstop, announces he will retire at the end of the season. The 15-time All-Star infielder will be elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
And finally…in 2008, in his first minor league appearance, 22 year-old old Staten Island Yankee ambidextrous hurler Pat Venditte Jr., facing the Brooklyn Cyclones at KeySpan Park in Coney Island, pitches a scoreless ninth inning that includes striking out a very frustrated Ralph Henriquez to end the game. The unhappy switch-hitter, after delaying the game to adjust his shin guard each time he changed batter boxes to gain the advantage of the pitcher throwing with both hands, is told by the umpiring crew he must first select from which side of the plate he intended to hit, and that the pitcher would then be allowed to declare with which arm he would pitch.
PLAYERS BORN TODAY
Lou Gehrig (1903), Jerry Reuss (1949), Doug Mientkiewicz (1974) and Jacob deGrom (1988)
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