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April in Baseball History

Published by Evan Wagner
Feb 01, 2023
Interesting Baseball History for the month of April:

1876 - In the first National League game ever played, Joe Borden of Boston beat the hometown Philadelphia 5-4.

1892 - In the first Sunday game in National League history, Cincinnati defeated St. Louis 5-1.

1898 - Ted Breitenstein of the Cincinnati Reds and James Hughes of Baltimore each pitched no-hit ball games on the same day, April 22. Breitenstein no-hit the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-0 and Hughes no-hit the Boston Braves 8-0.

1899 - John McGraw, only 26, made his managerial debut with the Orioles. He led them to a 5-3 victory over the New York Giants, a team he would later manage for more than 30 years.

1900 - The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Boston Braves, 19-17, in 10 innings, to set a major league record for most runs scored by two clubs on Opening Day. The Braves scored nine runs in the ninth inning to put the game into extra innings.

1901 - Chicago defeated Cleveland 8-2 in the first American League game. The game lasted 1 hour and 30 minutes in front of a reported crowd of 14,000 at the Chicago Cricket Club.

1903 - The New York Highlanders won their first major-league game with a 7-2 decision over the Washington Senators.

1904 - New York Yankees pitcher Jack Chesbro recorded the first of his 41 victories on the season, an American League record that still stands.

1904 - Ty Cobb makes his professional debut for Augusta (South Atlantic League), hitting a double and home run in an 8-7 loss to Columbus.

1905 - Jack McCarthy becomes the second outfielder to complete three double plays in one game when he throws out three Pirates at home, preserving the 2-1 Chicago Cubs victory.

1906 - A new rule puts the umpire in sole charge of all game balls. The home team manager previously had some say as to when a new ball was introduced.

1906 - It's the only time two player-managers steal home on the same day, though not in the same game. Cubs pilot Frank Chance steals in the ninth to give Chicago a 1-0 win over the Reds, and Fred Clarke matches him in the Pirates' 10-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

1908 - After a two-year investigation, the Mills Commission, formed on the recommendation of Al Spalding and headed by the former N.L. president A. G. Mills, declares that baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839. Overwhelming evidence to the contrary is ignored, but the designation makes James Fenimore Cooper's town the most likely site for a Hall of Fame and museum when these establishments are conceived some 30 years later.

1909 - Before an Opening Day crowd of 30,000 at New York, Red Ames pitches a no-hitter for nine innings against the Brooklyn Superbas, surrenders a hit with one out in the tenth, then loses the game 3-0 in the 13th. The Giants outfield has no putouts.

1909 - Philadelphia's Shibe Park, the first steel-and-concrete structure built for baseball, is dedicated.

1910 - William Howard Taft becomes the first president to throw out the first ball at a baseball opener in Washington.

1911 - The idea of selecting a Most Valuable Player is introduced. Hugh Chalmers, the automaker, offers a new car to the player in each league chosen M.V.P. by a committee of baseball writers.

1912 - Fenway Park was opened in Boston and the Red Sox defeated the visiting New York Yankees, 7-6, in 11 innings. Tiger Stadium in Detroit also opens its doors as the Tigers defeated the Cleveland Indians, 6-5.

1912 - Rube Marquard of the New York Giants began a 19-game winning streak with an 18-3 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1913 - In their first official game as Yankees, New York loses to Walter Johnson and the Senators 2-1.

1913 - With league approval, the Dodgers play the first regular-season game at Ebbets Field a day ahead of the rest of the league. Cold weather keeps the Opening Day crowd down to about 12,000 as the Phils' Tom Seaton beats Nap Rucker 1-0.

1914 - Future Hall of Famer Rube Waddell, weakened by a heroic effort to help contain a winter flood in Kentucky, dies at 37 of tuberculosis in a San Antonio sanitarium.

1914 - The first Federal League game was played in Baltimore and the Terrapins defeated Buffalo 3-2 behind Jack Quinn. A crowd estimated at 27,000 stood 15 rows deep in the outfield to witness the return of big league baseball to Baltimore.

1915 - Pinstripes first appeared on the Yankees uniforms.

1915 - The Athletics' Herb Pennock comes within one out of pitching the first Opening Day no-hitter. A scratch single by Harry Hooper is the only Red Sox hit in a 5-0 loss.

1916 - The Chicago Cubs played their first game at Weeghman Park, renamed Wrigley Field in 1926, defeating the Cincinnati Reds, 7-6, in 11 innings.

1917 - Babe Ruth beats the Yankees, pitching a three-hit, 10-3 win for the Red Sox in the opener. He is on the way to a 24-13 record and a league-leading 35 complete games in his best year as a pitcher.

1918 - The Giants' 9-0 winning start and the Dodgers' 0-9 losing streak are both stopped as Brooklyn's Larry Cheney wins 5-3.

1919 - Anticipating a poor season at the gate, the major leagues open a reduced 140-game season. Despite the lack of close races, attendance remains high all year and every club will show a profit.

1923 - The debut of Yankee Stadium is a huge success with an announced attendance of 74,217. Bob Shawkey, aided by Babe Ruth's three-run home run, beats Howard Ehmke and the Red Sox 4-1.

1923 - Two Black Sox sue the White Sox. Swede Risberg and Happy Felsch seek $400,000 damages and $6,750 in back salary for conspiracy and injury to reputation in the aftermath of the scandalous 1919 World Series court case. Their suit will be unsuccessful.

1925 - Babe Ruth collapses in the railroad station in Asheville, North Carolina, and winds up in a New York hospital. He'll undergo an operation for an ulcer on April 17 and will be in bed until May 26.

1925 - Charles Ebbets, Dodgers president, dies on the morning of the opener at Ebbets Field, won by New York 7-1. No N.L. games will be played on April 21, the day of his funeral. Ed McKeever, the new club president, will catch a cold that turns into pneumonia and die on May 27.

1925 - In the first regular-season Cubs game to be broadcast on the radio, Quin Ryan announces the contest from the grandstand roof for WGN.

1926 - Walter Johnson takes on A's knuckleballer Eddie Rommel in baseball's greatest Opening-Day pitchers' duel, a 15-inning battle won by the Senators 1-0. Johnson gives up six walks and fans 12.

1929 - Cleveland outfielder Earl Averill becomes the first A.L. player to hit a home run in his first major league time at bat when he blasts an 0-and-2 pitch off Detroit's Earl Whitehill in the Indians' 5-4, 11-inning victory.

1933 - Catcher Luke Sewell of the Washington Senators tagged out two Yankees runners on the same play. Lou Gehrig had held up, thinking a fly ball would be caught. Dixie Walker closed up on him, and both were tagged out trying to score.

1938 - In the top of the first inning at Philadelphia, Ernie Koy of the Dodgers homers in his first major league at-bat. In the bottom of the inning, leadoff man Heinie Mueller also hits a home run in his first time up in the major leagues.

1939 - In his first major league game, Ted Williams hit a 400-foot double in four at-bats as the Boston Red Sox lost, 2-0, to New York at Yankee Stadium.

1940 - Working in 47-degree weather, Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians throws an Opening Day no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox, winning 1-0 at Comiskey Park. It's the first Opening Day no-hitter since Leon Red Ames pitched one for the Giants in 1909.

1944 - Jim Tobin of the Braves pitched a no-hitter against the Dodgers at Boston, winning 2-0. He also hit a homer.

1945 - In his major league debut, one-armed outfielder Pete Gray got one hit in four at-bats in the St. Louis Browns' 7-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

1946 - Eddie Klepp, a white pitcher signed by the defending Negro League champion Cleveland Buckeyes, is barred from the field in Birmingham, Alabama.

1946 - Manager Mel Ott of the Giants hits his 511th and final home run on Opening Day, an 8-4 home victory over the Phillies. The next day Ott will injure his knee diving for a ball and play only occasionally thereafter.

1947 - Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American in the modern major leagues when the Dodgers purchase his contract from Montreal.

1947 - Jackie Robinson goes hitless in three trips in his debut but handles 11 chances at first base, a new position for him, in a 5-3 Brooklyn win over the Boston Braves.

1947 - The Dodgers win 12-6 over the Braves at home as Jackie Robinson gets his first major league hit off Glenn Elliot (April 17).

1948 - A Major League baseball game was televised for the first time, by WGN-TV. It was an exhibition game at Wrigley Field with Jack Brickhouse doing the play-by-play. The White Sox defeated the Cubs, 4-1.

1949 - Rocky Nelson hits an inside-the-glove two-run home run in short left field to turn a ninth inning 3-1 Cubs lead into a 4-3 Cardinals victory. Cubs center fielder Andy Pafko's catch is ruled a trap by umpire Al Barlick. As Pafko races in, holding the ball high, runners circle the bases.

1950 - The first opening-night game was held in St. Louis. The Cardinals, behind a complete game by Gerry Staley and home runs from Red Schoendienst and Stan Musial, beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2.

1952 - The St. Louis Browns lend two black minor league players, third baseman John Britton and pitcher Jim Newberry, to the Hankyu Braves of the Japanese Pacific League. The Browns are the first team to send players outside of the U.S. Abe Saperstein, owner and coach of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters, negotiates this special example in lend-lease for both sides.

1953 - Mickey Mantle hits the longest home run in Griffith Stadium history, a 565-feet shot off of Chuck Stobbs of the Washington Senators. The Yanks win 7-3.

1954 - At Sportsman's Park, Hank Aaron hits the first of his 755 major league home runs off Vic Raschi of St. Louis. The Braves win in fourteen innings 7-5.

1954 - Hank Aaron made his major league debut in left field for the Milwaukee Braves and went 0-for-5 in a 9-8 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

1954 - The A.L.'s new Baltimore Orioles open in Detroit and lose 3-0.

1955 - In their first game at Kansas City, the transplanted Athletics defeated the Detroit Tigers 6-2 at Municipal Stadium.

1956 - A.L. umpire and former NFL tackle (New York Giants), Frank Umont is the first to wear glasses in a regular season game when he officiates a contest between Detroit and Kansas City.

1958 - Following a downtown parade in the morning, the Giants-Dodgers game in Los Angeles sets an N.L. single-game record with 78,682 fans in attendance, as the Dodgers prevail 6-5. Hank Sauer hits two home runs for the Giants, including the first at the Los Angeles Coliseum. After he scores what would have been the tying run in the ninth, Giants infielder Jim Davenport is called out for failing to touch third base.

1958 - The Dodgers erect a 42-foot screen in left field at the Los Angeles Coliseum to cut down on home runs. Left field is only 250 feet down the line.

1958 - The San Francisco Giants defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first major league game played at Seals Stadium, with Ruben Gomez pitching an 8-0 shutout.

1959 - Don Drysdale hits his second Opening Day home run to become the first pitcher with two career home runs on Opening Day. Unfortunately, his home run is the only Dodgers score as he loses to the Cubs 6-1.

1959 - In the fifth inning against Washington, the Orioles become the first team in history to turn a triple play on Opening Day.

1959 - The Chicago White Sox scored 11 runs with only one hit in the seventh inning of a 20-6 rout of the Kansas City A's. Johnny Callison had the hit, a single. In the inning, Chicago was the recipients of 10 walks, five with the bases loaded. three Kansas City errors and one hit batsman.

1961 - Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants hit four home runs in a 14-4 victory over the Braves in Milwaukee.

1962 - Dodger Stadium, the first major league arena privately financed since Yankee Stadium in 1922-23, opens in Chavez Ravine. With 52,564 fans on hand, the Dodgers inaugurate the $22 million facility with a 6-3 loss to the Reds.

1962 - Sandy Koufax ties the modern major league record he shares with Bob Feller by fanning 18 Cubs in nine innings. The Dodgers win 10-2.

1963 - A public stock offering of 115,000 shares in the Milwaukee Braves is withdrawn after only 13,000 shares are sold to 1,600 new investors.

1963 - After eleven hitless at bats, Cincinnati second baseman Pete Rose records his first major league hit, a triple off Pittsburgh's Bob Friend.

1963 - The Tigers claim young pitcher Denny McLain from the White Sox for the $25,000 waiver price.

1964 - Demolition begins on the Polo Grounds in New York City to clear the way for a housing project.

1964 - Houston's Ken Johnson becomes the first pitcher ever to lose a nine-inning no-hitter. Second baseman Nellie Fox's error allows the only run as Cincinnati wins 1-0.

1964 - Sandy Koufax fans the side on nine pitches in the third inning, becoming the first pitcher to do it twice.

1964 - Sandy Koufax throws his ninth complete game without allowing a walk as he beats St. Louis 4-0 in his only start as an Opening Day pitcher.

1964 - The New York Mets lost their first game at Shea Stadium, 4-3 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh's Willie Stargell hit the first homer at Shea.

1965 - At a cost of $20K, the outer Astrodome ceiling is painted because the sun's glare makes fielding fly balls hazardous. This will cause the grass to die and spur the introduction of artificial turf.

1965 - Mets announcer Lindsey Nelson broadcasts the Mets-Astros game at the Astrodome from a gondola hanging 208 feet above second base.

1965 - President Lyndon B. Johnson joins 47,878 fans for the opening of Harris County Domed Stadium (the Astrodome)

1965 - Richie Allen hit the first home run in the Houston Astrodome, off Bob Bruce, as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Astros 2-0.

1967 - After 737 consecutive games, the Dodgers were rained out for the first time since moving to Los Angeles.

1968 - Opening Day is postponed because of the pending funderal of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

1968 - Three records are smashed when the Astros score an unearned run in the 24th inning to squeeze by the Mets 1-0 after six hours and six minutes. It sets the mark as the longest N.L. game played to completion, the longest major league night game, and the first 23 innings are the longest major league scoreless game. The game ties the A.L.'s longest complete game (A's 4, Red Sox 1 in 24 innings on September 1, 1906).

1969 - After a long recovery following a 1967 beaning, Tony Conigliaro starts his first game for Boston. His dramatic two-run 10th-inning home run gives the Red Sox a brief lead, and his 12th-inning run wins it.

1969 - Bill Singer of the Dodgers is credited with the first official save as Los Angeles defeats Cincinnati, 3-2.

1969 - Bill Stoneman of Montreal pitched a 7-0 no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies in only the 10th game of the Expos' existence

1969 - The first major league game outside the United States was played in Montreal's Jarry Park with the Expos defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 8-7.

1969 - The Seattle Pilots trade minor-league outfielder Lou Piniella to the Royals for outfielder Steve Whitaker and pitcher John Gelnar. Piniella will be A.L. Rookie of the Year in Kansas City.

1970 - Oakland uses gold-colored bases during the club's home opener. The Rules Committee subsequently bans this innovation.

1970 - Willie Mays, a month shy of his 40th birthday, homers in a 4-0 Opening Day Giants win over the Padres. Mays will go on to hit homers in each of the Giants' first four games of the season, a major league record.

1971 - Curt Flood dumps the Senators after 13 games and departs for Denmark, ending his playing career. Flood batted .293 and won seven Gold Glove Awards during his 15-year tenure in the major leagues. He will continue his antitrust suit, which will eventually reach the Supreme Court.

1971 - The Phillies debut in new $49.5 million Veterans Stadium by beating Montreal 4-1. Don Money connects for the park's first home run.

1972 - For the first time in history, the major league season fails to open due to a general player strike. The strike, announced April 1, will erase 86 games from the major league schedule.

1972 - Reggie Jackson sports a mustache as the A's top the Twins 4-3 in 11 innings. Jackson is reported to be the first major league player with facial hair since Wally Schang in 1914.

1972 - The end of the baseball strike is announced, with an abbreviated schedule to start two days later, April 15th.

1973 - Kansas City opens its new park, Royals Stadium, with a 12-1 rout of the Rangers. The game is attended by 39,464 fans braving 39-degree weather.

1973 - Yankee Ron Blomberg, facing Boston's Luis Tiant, becomes the first official designated hitter in the major leagues. Blomberg walks with the bases loaded his first time up and winds up 1-for-3 in a 15-5 loss to the Red Sox.

1974 - In his first swing of the season, Hank Aaron hits a three-run home run off Jack Billingham as the Braves lose to the Reds, 7-6. It is home run 714 for Aaron, tying him with Babe Ruth's career total.

1974 - In the fourth inning of the Braves home opener against the Dodgers, Hank Aaron parks an Al Downing pitch in the left-center field stands for career home run No. 715, breaking Ruth's once thought to be unapproachable record. With former teammate Eddie Mathews watching as Braves manager, that makes 1,227 home runs for just two players. The Braves win, 7-4.

1974 - New Padres owner Ray Kroc, watching his team lose 9-2 in the home opener, takes to the public address system in the eighth inning and says: Ladies and gentlemen, I suffer with you...I've never seen such stupid baseball playing in my life. While he is speaking a streaker runs across the field.

1975 - Frank Robinson, making his debut as the Indians player-manager, homers in his first at bat (as a DH) during a 5-3 win over the Yankees. It is Robinson's eighth Opening Day home run, setting a major league record.

1976 - Cubs center fielder Rick Monday rescued the American flag from two trespassers who tried to set it on fire in the outfield at Dodger Stadium. It happened in the fourth inning of a 5-4, 10-inning loss to Los Angeles.

1976 - Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies hit four consecutive home runs and added a single in an 18-6, 10-inning victory over the Cubs in Wrigley Field.

1977 - Regulations force Oakland pitcher Vida Blue to discard his old, discolored lucky cap because it is no longer identical in color, trim and style to those of his teammates.

1977 - The Seattle Mariners make their debut, losing to Frank Tanana and the Angels 7-0.

1978 - Bob Forsch of the St. Louis Cardinals no-hit the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-0. Less than a year later, Bob's brother, Ken, of the Houston Astros pitched a no-hitter against Atlanta. They are the only brothers to throw no-hitters

1979 - At Oakland, only 653 fans show up to watch the A's beat the Mariners 6-5.

1979 - In the earliest no-hitter in major league history, April 7th, Ken Forsch of the Astros shuts downs the Braves, 6-0. Ken and Bob Forsch, who hurled a no-hitter in 1978, are the first brothers to pitch no-hit games.

1979 - J.R. Richard sets a major-league record with six wild pitches, but he strikes out 13 Dodgers and is a 2-1 winner.

1981 - Dodgers rookie Fernando Valenzuela tosses his third shutout in four starts, strikes out 11, and drives in the game's only run with a single in a 1-0 win over Houston.

1981 - In an International League night game, the Rochester Red Wings and Pawtucket Red Sox played to a 2-2 tie through 32 innings before play was suspended at 4:07 a.m. The game was completed later in the season with Pawtucket scoring the winning run in the 33rd inning of the longest game in professional baseball history.

1982 - In an exhibition game against the Padres, A's pitcher Steve McCatty steps to the plate wielding a 15-inch toy bat on the instructions of manager Billy Martin, who was upset that his club was not allowed to use a designated hitter in spring training games at N.L. parks. Home plate umpire Jim Quick refuses to let McCatty use the bat, and McCatty takes three called strikes.

1985 - The Players' Association agrees to the owners' proposal to expand the 1985 League Championship Series from the best-of-five games to best-of-seven.

1986 - Despite allowing no hits (and only three fair balls hit) with ten strikeouts in five innings, Texas rookie Bobby Witt is lifted in a game in Milwaukee. Why? Witt walks eight, and throws four wild pitches, allowing two runs. Texas rallies for three runs in the ninth to win 7-5.

1986 - Oakland's Jose Rijo sets a club record with 16 strikeouts in eight innings as the A's beat Seattle 7-2. The two clubs combine for 30 strikeouts overall, setting the modern major league record for a nine-inning game.

1986 - On Opening Day at Tiger Stadium, Boston's Dwight Evans achieves a major league first by hitting a home run off Jack Morris on the first pitch of the entire season. Detroit's Kirk Gibson later hits two home runs of his own to lead the Tigers to a 6-5 victory.

1986 - Roger Clemens set a major league record by striking out 20 as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Seattle Mariners 3-1.

1987 - Faced with a storm of public criticism, the Dodgers fire vice president Al Campanis for racially insensitive remarks he made on the April 6 telecast of ABC-TV's Nightline news show. Campanis had said that blacks may lack some of the necessities to be a field manager or general manager.

1987 - San Diego sets a major league record when its first three batters of the game (Marvell Wynne, Tony Gwynn, and John Kruk) all homer off Roger Mason, but the Giants come back to win 13-6.

1987 - St. Louis sends highly-regarded youngsters Andy Van Slyke, Mike LaValliere, and Mike Dunne to Pittsburgh in exchange for All-Star catcher Tony Pena.

1988 - New York and Cincinnati hooked up in a wild game at Riverfront Stadium that the Mets pulled out 6-5, on a delayed call by first base umpire Dave Pallone. The call resulted in a $10,000 fine and 30-day suspension of Reds manager Pete Rose when Pallone accidentally poked Rose in the cheek and Rose shoved Pallone twice.

1988 - Oakland's Rick Honeycutt becomes the second pitcher in as many days to tie the A.L.'s 28-year-old balk record by committing four balks in four innings while saving a 12-7 win over Seattle. A major league record 924 balks will be called this season after umpires are instructed to interpret the complete stop rule more strictly.

1988 - The Baltimore Orioles set a major-league record with their 14th straight defeat at the start of the season, losing to the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-6.

1988 - The Orioles set an A.L. record with their twenty-first consecutive loss, falling 4-2 to the Twins and breaking the record shared by the 1906 Red Sox and the 1916 and 1943 A's.

1989 - Forty-five-year-old Tommy John starts for the Yankees on Opening Day and sets a modern major league record by appearing in his 26th season (a mark Nolan Ryan later surpasses). John also wins his 287th game, 4-2 over the Twins.

1989 - In his first start of the season, Orel Hershiser gives up a run in the first inning of a 4-3 loss to the Reds to end his major league-record consecutive scoreless inning streak at 59.

1989 - Ken Griffey, Jr. hits his first major league home run in Seattle's 6-5 win over the White Sox. He and his father, a reserve outfielder on the Reds, are the first father-son duo to play in the major leagues at the same time.

1989 - One-handed pitcher Jim Abbott makes his major league debut but lasts only 4.2 innings in California's 7-0 loss to Seattle. Abbott, who bypassed the minors completely after starring at the University of Michigan, will finish the season 12-12 with a 3.92 ERA.

1990 - Bret Saberhagen gets the win and Mark Davis earns the save as Kansas City beats Toronto 3-1. It is the first time ever that two reigning Cy Young Award winners have figured in the same victory.

1991 - In the greatest extra-inning comeback in major league history, Pittsburgh scores six in the bottom of the 11th inning to erase a five-run Cubs lead built in the top of the inning on Andre Dawson's grand slam.

1993 - Carlos Baerga is the first player in major league history to homer from both sides of the plate in the same inning.

1993 - The first new N.L. teams since 1969 both play their first games. The Rockies are blanked 3-0 by the Mets at Shea Stadium. The Marlins are 6-3 winners over the Dodgers at Joe Robbie Stadium.

1993 - The first-ever Australian battery comes from Milwaukee. Left-hander Graeme Lloyd and backstop Dave Nilsson, who make up half of the total number of Australian players to ever make the major leagues, make history in the Brewers' 12-2 loss to the Angels.

1993 - Three Orioles end up on third base after Chad Curtis rips a line drive in center with the bases loaded. Angels catcher John Orton walks over and tags all three runners. The double play ends the inning.

1994 - Indians first baseman Eddie Murray hits home runs from both sides of the plate in a game for the 11th time in his career to break Mickey Mantle's record.

1994 - Recently retired basketball legend Michael Jordan makes his professional debut by going hitless for Double-A Birmingham. Chattanooga is a 10-3 winner over the White Sox farm club.

1995 - Coors Field, the N.L.'s first baseball-only stadium in 23 years, opens in dramatic fashion in Denver. Dante Bichette hits a three-run home run in the 14th inning for an 11-9 win over the Mets.

1995 - Major League baseball returned after a 257-day labor dispute as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Florida Marlins 8-7.

1996 - Albert Belle shows off his arm by hitting Sports Illustrated photographer Tony Tomsic in the hand prior to a game between the Indians and Blue Jays at Jacobs Field. The angry Indians outfielder had told the photographer to stop taking pictures of him doing pre-game stretches.

1996 - Barry Bonds homers twice to reach the 300-home run mark. Coupled with the 300 steals by the Giants outfielder, Bonds joins his father Bobby, godfather Willie Mays, and Andre Dawson with 300 homers and 300 steals

1996 - Greg Maddux loses his first road game since June 27, 1994 in Montreal. Atlanta's 2-1 loss in San Diego ends a string that saw Maddux go 18-0 with only 17 earned runs allowed in 154.2 innings.

1996 - John McSherry, N.L. umpire, collapses and dies behind home plate seven pitches into the season opener between Cincinnati and Montreal. McSherry, who weighed close to 400 pounds, had postponed a physical until after the opener. The Reds-Expos game is postponed until the next day.

1996 - N.L. umpire Eric Gregg is given a leave of absence following a Sunday night meeting between A.L. president Gene Budig, N.L. president Len Coleman, and umpires union head Richie Phillips. Gregg, listed at 325 pounds but visibly heavier, makes the decision in the wake of John McSherry's sudden death during a game.

1996 - The Rangers explode for 16 runs in the eighth inning of a 26-7 demolition of the Orioles. The eighth-inning outburst comes within one run of the record for most runs in an inning this century and raised Jesse Orosco's ERA from an ugly 9.82 to an almost unfathomable 27.00. Orosco is relieved by infielder Manny Alexander, who gets the last two outs but walks off the mound with a 67.50 ERA.

1997 - The first major league game is played in Hawaii. The Padres, who gave up three home games to further baseball relations and to further renovations at their stadium, play host for a doubleheader against St. Louis at spacious Aloha Stadium. The Cardinals win the doubleheader 1-0, and 2-1.

1998 - Mark McGwire hits a home run in his fourth consecutive game to start the season to tie the mark set by Willie Mays in 1971.

1998 - Texas Rangers right fielder Juan Gonzalez smashes a two-run home run in the club's 7-2 win at Minnesota. The round-tripper gives Gonzalez 35 RBI in April, which sets an all-time major-league record.

1998 - The first-ever American League-National League doubleheader ends up a good day for New York. The Yankees are forced to come to Shea Stadium after a beam falls into the stands at Yankee Stadium on April 13. The Yankees earn their first victory in Queens in 22 years as they defeat the Angels 6-3. Former Mets star Darryl Strawberry, the all-time home run leader at Shea, adds to his total with a shot into the left field bleachers. In the regularly-scheduled night game, the Mets beat the Cubs 2-1. The Yankees, who played at Shea in 1974-75 while Yankee Stadium was renovated, are the winner in the attendance department (40,743 to 16,012).

1998 - The Yankees draw the largest regular-season crowd ever at the new Yankee Stadium as 56,717 attend the home opener against the Oakland Athletics. Then the Yanks crush the club scoring mark by winning the 17-13 slugfest.

1999 - The St. Louis Cardinals crushed the Los Angeles Dodgers 12-5. Third baseman Fernando Tatis set a Major League record by hitting two grand slams in a single inning (the 3rd). He simultaneously set a record with eight RBIs in that inning. Dodger Pitcher Chan Ho Park became only the second pitcher ever, to surrender two grand slams in a single inning joining Bill Phillips of the 1890 Alleghenys.