TODAY IN BASEBALL courtesy of National Pastime
1925 – In Chicago, Tiger outfielder Ty Cobb becomes the first player to collect 1,000 career extra-base hits when he doubles in Detroit’s 8-1 win over the White Sox. The ‘Georgia Peach’, who surpassed Honus Wagner’s record of 993 earlier in the season, will finish his 24-year major league career with 1,139.
1953 – Six years after Jackie Robinson makes his major league debut, the Cardinals sign their first black player when Len Tucker agrees to a $3,000 professional contract. The 23 year-old Fresno State College student will play extremely well at the minor league level that includes stops in Peoria, Saskatoon and Modesto, but the speedy outfielder slugger will never get the call from St. Louis.
1993 – Carlos Martinez hits a fly ball to Jose Canseco that caroms off the Ranger outfielder’s head over the fence for a home run. The fourth inning solo homer will prove to be the difference when the Indians edge Texas at Cleveland Stadium, 7-6.
And finally…in 2013, twenty-year and 95 days old rookie shortstop Jurickson Profar becomes the youngest player in 55 seasons to start a major league career with a home run when he goes deep off Seattle’s starter Hisashi Iwakuma in the Rangers’ 4-3 loss at Safeco Field. In 1958, Lou Klimchock accomplished the feat for the A’s at the age of 18 years, 348 days.
PLAYERS BORN TODAY
Jim Frey (1931), Joe Altobelli (1932), Darrell Evans (1947) and Ben Zobrist (1981)
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