Facing one another in a National League contest on July 5, 1935, Tony Cuccinello of the Dodgers and Al Cuccinello of the Giants both hit home runs. It was the first time in the National League that brothers on opposing teams homered in the same game.
On June 5, 1930, the Cleveland Indians defeated the Boston Red Sox in a rout, with a final score of 17-7. Cleveland scored nine runs in the first inning alone, and the team as a whole collected 25 hits. Every starter contributed at least two hits, except for shortstop Carl Lind, who managed a single in the contest at League Park in Cleveland. The box score for the game can be found here.
On May 15, 1918, the Washington Senators defeated the Chicago White Sox, 1–0, at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. in an undeniably impressive pitching duel. Despite recording eighteen innings, the contest only lasted 2 hours and 47 minutes as Walter Johnson and Lefty Williams both went the distance in this game. Washington won the game in the bottom of the 18th, when Eddie Ainsworth scored the winning run on a wild pitch.
On April 25, 1976, in a moment that remains iconic to this day, Cubs center fielder Rick Monday rescued the American flag from two protestors who tried to set it on fire in the outfield at Dodger Stadium. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Monday dashed over and seized the flag from the pair while the crowd cheered. Monday ran through the outfield with the flag and, while walking towards the Dodgers dugout, he handed the flag over to Dodgers pitcher Doug Rau. When Monday came to bat in the top half of the fifth inning, he received a standing ovation and the scoreboard flashed the message, “Rick Monday… You Made A Great Play…”
After moving west from Brooklyn to Los Angeles with the Dodgers in 1958, Duke Snider returned to New York after the Dodgers sold him to the New York Mets on April 1, 1963. Snider would prove to be a sentimental favorite among former Dodger fans, who now rooted for the Mets.
Following a third infraction for cocaine use, on February 28, 2000, Commissioner Bud Selig suspended Yankees outfielder Darryl Strawberry for one year. In a statement, Selig said, “In the end, I could not ignore Darryl’s past infractions and concluded that each of us must be held accountable for his or her actions. I am hopeful that he will use this time away from the game productively and will care for himself and his family.” Selig did not make any provision for the slugger to return early for good behavior.
Free agent Tom Glavine signed a three-year deal with the New York Mets on December 5, 2002 worth $35 million, with an option for an additional year that could increase the value of the contract to $42.5 million. The southpaw hurler would log his 300th career win with the team in 2007.
Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis died on November 25, 1944 at Chicago’s St. Luke’s Hospital, just five days after his 78th birthday. Two weeks after his death, Landis was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by a special committee vote. This made him just the second person to have the five-year waiting period waived, after Lou Gehrig.
On September 19, 1883 at the Bank Street Grounds, the Red Stockings’ John Reilly completed his second cycle in eight days as Cincinnati beat Philadelphia, 12-3, at the Bank Street Grounds. The previous week, the 24-year-old first baseman collected three singles, a double, a triple, and a homer in a 27-5 rout of Pittsburgh Alleghenys.
On August 31, 1937, Detroit Tiger Rudy York smashed his 17th and 18th home runs of the month, breaking the major league record previously held by Babe Ruth. The rookie catcher’s round-trippers on the last day of the month helped the Tigers defeat the Senators at Navin Field, 12-3.
York’s one-month home run record would last until 1998, when Sammy Sosa hit 19 in June.
