The wait is over! Last week, we left you with the story of the first of two unassisted triple plays on consecutive days in the major leagues. Now we pick it up with the second, more dramatic of the two.
An Unassisted Triple Play – Part 2
May 31, 1927: At Navin Field, the Detroit Tigers held a slim, 1-0 lead over visiting Cleveland in the ninth inning. With Rip Collins on the mound, Cleveland’s Glenn Myatt led off the inning with a walk, and Charlie Jamieson followed with a bunt single. The next batter, Homer Summa, hit a line drive directly into the glove of the Tigers’ first baseman Johnny Neun. Neun then tagged Jamieson and ran to second base to force Myatt to preserve the victory with the second unassisted triple play in the major leagues in two days.
Drysdale’s Streak
May 31, 1968: The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Don Drysdale became the first pitcher in National League history to toss five consecutive shutouts when he beat the rival San Francisco Giants, 3-0, in front of 46,067 at Dodger Stadium. But it was not without controversy. The Giants loaded the bases with none out in the top of the ninth. Their catcher, Dick Dietz, stepped into the batter’s box. Dodgers manager Walter Alston later told Associated Press that had Drysdale not retired Dietz, he would have gone to the bullpen. Drysdale’s 2-2 pitch hit Dietz in the arm. However, home plate umpire Harry Wendelstedt ruled that Dietz made no effort to get out of the way of the pitch and even put his arm up to get it hit on purpose. Dietz and his manager, Herman Franks, argued the call to no avail. Drysdale then retired Dietz on a shallow fly ball to left field. Ty Cline’s grounder to first baseman Wes Parker then forced Willie McCovey at home. Jack Hiatt then popped out to Parker to end the game.
Franks still hadn’t calmed down after the game, telling the AP, “The crowd got to the umpire.” The primary election in California was coming up. Drysdale returned to his locker to find a sign above it: “Drysdale for President – Shoo-in for the California Primary.”
June 4, 1968: On Election Day, 30,422 fans came to Dodger Stadium to see Drysdale go for a sixth consecutive shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates. With Wendelstedt behind home again, Drysdale had a fairly easy time of it, allowing just four baserunners en route to a 5-0 decision.
Meanwhile, opponents began accusing Drysdale of illegally doctoring the ball, and they were more than willing to discuss the subject with Les Biederman of The Pittsburgh Press. “I never saw so many pitchers who plaster their hair with Vaseline,” said Franks, referring to the Dodgers’ staff. “So they’ve outlawed the splitter and legalized the Vaseline ball.” Rusty Staub of the Houston Astros thought he had it all figured out. “He throws a toothpaste ball,” said Staub. “He puts toothpaste on different parts of his uniform.” Said the Pirates’ Willie Stargell, “The ball came to the plate, and it was falling. It’s either the law of gravity or the law of Vaseline.”
June 5, 1968: Shortly after midnight on the night of the California Presidential primary, in the lobby of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, a victorious Senator Robert F. Kennedy began his remarks with a shout-out to Drysdale.
Kennedy then expressed gratitude to the many who worked for his campaign and spoke of ending divisions and uniting the country. Then, he exited the podium and walked through the hotel’s kitchen.
June 6, 1968: On the day Kennedy’s body was flown to New York, where it would lie in state at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Pirates third baseman Maury Wills asked manager Larry Shepard to be excused from that night’s game against the Dodgers. Wills hadn’t played the day that Martin Luther King was assassinated and didn’t feel it was right to play now, either. Shepard granted his request.
“The Dumbest Baseball”
May 31, 1969: Returning to the lighter side of baseball, in Ball Four, Seattle Pilots pitcher Jim Bouton humorously recounted an NBC-TV game between the Tigers and Pilots where the nation was treated to “the dumbest baseball ever played,” as Tigers’ pitcher Joe Sparma escaped the bottom of the first inning at Sick’s Stadium without throwing a strike or allowing a run. Tommy Harper led off the inning by drawing a four-pitch walk. As Mike Hegan took ball two, “way over his head,” Harper was thrown out trying to steal second base. Hegan then walked on four pitches. Next, Tommy Davis took a ball and swung at a high pitch that should have been ball two. He was thrown out on a weak grounder to the third baseman. Then, Bouton wrote, “Hegan decides to try for third. It’s very important that he go to third base because he can score from there on a base hit. He can also score from second on a base hit. So he needs to go to third base like Frank Howard needs more muscles.” Hegan is out by a good distance, and there you have it: Sparma throws 10 pitches, all balls, and is out of the inning.
No-Hitter No. 4 for the Ryan Express
June 1, 1975: California Angels pitcher Nolan Ryan tossed the fourth no-hitter of his career, also earning his 100th career victory and tying the career record of Sandy Koufax, in defeating the Baltimore Orioles, 1-0, at Anaheim Stadium. In doing so, Ryan struck out nine batters and walked four. He got all the support he needed from Dave Chalk’s third-inning RBI single. Ryan downplayed the significance of the achievement, according to United Press International. “I don’t put any emphasis on records or go out there feeling I’ll pitch a no-hitter,” said the 28-year-old fireballer. “Around the fifth inning, I became aware that a no-hitter was possible. But it was a day game and Baltimore has a lot of good hitters, so I just went out there to get out by out.” A gracious Koufax said, “There was no doubt he was going to do it. The only question now is how many more he’s going to pitch. I think it might be 10 or 12 with the kind of fastball he has.”
“You Can’t Put it in the Papers”
June 2, 1935: “Liar!” “Double-crosser!” “Prima donna!” Those words were tossed about when, just eight days after hitting the final three home runs of his career, Babe Ruth abruptly retired as an active player. Or he was fired. It depends on who you believe – Ruth or Boston Braves president Judge Emil Fuchs.
Since that day in Pittsburgh when Ruth went 4-for-4 with the three big blasts, he was 0-for-9 in the next five games. He claimed an injury in Cincinnati affected his performance and caused him to leave the first game of a doubleheader (kids, ask your parents) in Philadelphia. He sat out the second game in Philadelphia and the next game in New York. The Braves were scheduled to play an exhibition game in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in two days. That same day, Ruth was invited to remain in New York and represent baseball for the historic arrival of the French ocean liner, SS Normandie. Fuchs wanted Ruth to play in the exhibition game. Ruth thought it would be good publicity for baseball if he were in New York for the celebration, and in any event, he was too hurt to play. They disagreed, and just like that, Ruth was no longer a Brave.
Ruth announced his intent to be put on the voluntary retirement list to reporters before informing Fuchs. Fuchs claimed that he was on the verge of asking Ruth for his resignation anyway, claiming that Ruth was “not a good soldier” and manager Bill McKechnie was unable to maintain discipline due to Ruth operating under his own rules. In turn, Ruth called Fuchs a “double-crosser,” an expression not heard by this writer since the last time he watched a rerun of a Three Stooges short.
United Press reporter Frank Murphy asked Ruth what he called Fuchs when they spoke. “I’ll tell you, but you can’t put it in the papers,” said Ruth. Wrote Murphy, “He told me, and he was right. I can’t.”
June 2, 1986: Much less dramatic was Rod Carew’s retirement from professional baseball. The seven-time batting champ played his last game in 1985 but didn’t make it official until this date, a week after turning down the Giants’ offer to sign him as a utility player. He said he had no interest in returning to professional baseball in any capacity. He was content to coach his daughters’ softball teams and planned on opening a hitting school.
Perfect Game Denied
June 2, 2010: For 8.2 innings, Tigers right-hander Armando Galarraga hadn’t allowed a Cleveland baserunner. Now all that stood between him and a perfect game was Cleveland shortstop Jason Donald. Donald hit a grounder to first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who ranged to his right, fielded the ball, and flipped it to Galarraga, who tagged the bag a step ahead of Donald. However, umpire Jim Joyce called Donald safe. Tigers manager Jim Leyland charged out of the dugout to argue as 17,738 fans in Comerica Park booed. Under the rules in effect at the time, instant replay was available only for home runs. The call stood. Galarraga never argued it. Composed, he returned to the mound and recorded the final out to preserve a 3-0 victory.
Larry Lage of the Associated Press described Joyce as “distraught” after he saw the replay and paced around the umpires’ locker room. “I just cost the kid a perfect game,” said Joyce. In the Tigers’ clubhouse, they watched the replay in silent disbelief. Tigers shortstop Ramon Santiago said, “I know I played in a perfect game. In my mind, on June 2, Armando Galarraga threw a no-hitter. I’m going to get a ball signed by him.”
Big Day for Home Runs
June 3, 1951: Eight doubleheaders produced 30 home runs, a record for one day in the major leagues. Three were hit by Cleveland’s big first baseman Luke Easter, two in the first game against the New York Yankees, and one in the second. Four pitchers homered: Harry Brecheen (St. Louis Cardinals), Bob Lemon (Cleveland), Carl Scheib (Philadelphia Athletics), and Al Sima (Washington Senators).
“Dizzy Likes to Dish it Out but Can’t Take it”
June 4, 1935: That was the headline in the next day’s sports page in The Pittsburgh Press after the Pirates beat Dizzy Dean and the Cardinals, 9-5, at Forbes Field. Pirates right-hander Cy Blanton wasn’t at his best, but he battled through nine innings. The five earned runs he surrendered raised his ERA to 1.71. The big blow for the Pirates was Pep Young’s double that knocked in three runs. Gus Suhr chipped in with a two-run triple, and Woody Jensen sent a long home run into the right field stands. But the big story of the day was the ruckus involving Dean and Cardinals left fielder Joe Medwick. Dean accused his teammates of quitting on him. They accused him of not “bearing down.”
The trouble began in the third inning. Dean was upset when home plate umpire Cy Rigler didn’t call what Dean felt was an inning-ending third strike on Arky Vaughan. Vaughn then reached on an error by second baseman Burgess Whitehead, loading the bases as a run scored. Young then cleared the bases with his double to right field. Dean pitched a scoreless fourth, but when he got back to the dugout, he began yelling at Rigler over some missed calls. Then, in full view of the paying customers and assorted freeloaders, Dean and Medwick had to be separated by several Cardinals. When Dean was removed for a pinch-hitter in the seventh, reporters went straight to the Cardinals clubhouse to get Dean’s take on the fracas. The colorful Dean didn’t disappoint. I’ll let him take over the narrative from here:
“Medwick said to me, ‘Lay offa Rigler and bear down in there.’ I looked at Medwick and said, ‘Whatta you mean, bear down. I’ll punch you on your Hungarian beezer.’ Then Medwick grabs a bat. I was ready for him when the other players rushed in. Then [manager Frankie] Frisch gets on me, bawls me out about bearing down and says he’ll fine me $10,000. . .
“The contract I signed calls for $18,500 and then they gave me $2,500 as a bonus for signing. Now they want to get me in a fix so they can take it away from me. But I’m too smart for that. . . The best thing the Cards can do is trade me. I’m not going to stand for this kind of stuff. As for Medwick, I’ll crack him on his Hungarian nose!”
Interesting that during this era, in many instances where I dig up a quote from feuding players, they mention the other guy’s nationality. Incidentally, Medwick was 4-for-4 with a triple and two RBI on this day. After the game, Dean was contrite and apologized. But he’d already made for some “good copy,” as we say in the business.
Pirates Trade Kiner
June 4, 1953: It was headline news in Pittsburgh, in big, bold letters similar to those used for Kennedy’s assassination 15 years later. The Pirates traded Ralph Kiner, who had won seven consecutive home run titles going into the season, to the Chicago Cubs in a 10-player trade. Also headed to Chicago were Joe Garagiola, George Metkovich, and Howie Pollet. The Pirates received Bob Addis, Toby Atwell, George Freese, Gene Hermanski, Bob Schultz, Preston Ward, and $150,000. The teams were scheduled to play in Pittsburgh for their next game. Fans in attendance who missed that morning’s sports page must have been shocked to find Kiner in a Cubs uniform.
After building winners in St. Louis and Brooklyn, general manager Branch Rickey came to Pittsburgh in 1951 intent merely on cutting payroll. He forced the 1952 Pirates to play with a 17-man roster while the other major league teams played with a full 25-man roster. The 1953 offseason saw bitter negotiations between Kiner and Rickey, who cut Kiner’s salary by 25 per cent. In so doing, Rickey famously told Kiner, “We finished last with you, we can finish last without you.” Rickey has been strangely glorified for that statement, which has to be the stupidest rationale anybody can think of for treating a star player in that fashion. In ridding himself of Kiner, Rickey traded the only player in Pirates history who had a measurable effect on attendance.
Chili Dog Home Run
June 4, 1972: Dick Allen wanted to retire from baseball rather than report to the Chicago White Sox, who acquired him in a trade with the Dodgers after the 1971 season. White Sox manager Chuck Tanner hailed from New Castle, a small Pennsylvania town nine miles from Wampum, where Allen grew up. Tanner placed a call to Allen’s mother. She convinced Allen to go and play for that nice man from their neck of the woods. Allen responded to Tanner’s relaxed rules with his best season, winning the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award and leading the Sox to a surprising second-place finish.
On this date, Allen had played in every inning of the team’s 41 games, and for the second game of a doubleheader against the Yankees in front of a packed Bat Day crowd of 51,904 at White Sox Park, Tanner told him to take the game off. However, with New York ahead, 4-2, in the seventh inning, Tanner decided he wanted the right-handed-hitting Allen to pinch-hit if Yankees manager Ralph Houk went to his left-handed relief ace Sparky Lyle. From the bench, Jay Johnstone and Ed Herrmann were dispatched to the clubhouse to find Allen. They found him sitting in the hot club, naked, singing while drinking scotch straight from the bottle.
They got him to the point where Allen was wearing his uniform jersey and shower slippers in the bottom of the ninth, sitting on a stool in front of his locker, eating a chili dog. Meanwhile, Bill Melton drew a one-out walk and Mike Andrews, who replaced Allen at first base, followed with a single. When Houk came to the mound and signaled for Lyle, Tanner knew it was time for Allen. He sent batboy Rory Clark to get Allen. Allen told Clark, “Tell him I’m eating a chili dog.” Clark pondered his employment options if he said that to Tanner and declined. Allen then dripped chili on his jersey and had to change it and get into full uniform.
Allen finally emerged. He swung hard at a 1-1 pitch from Lyle. Right away, Yankees radio broadcaster Phil Rizzuto cried, in his New York accent, “Oh, he creamed one! And the ball game is ovah!” Into the left-field upper deck it went as the crowd went delirious. The White Sox wouldn’t play in the postseason for 11 more years, after which Allen had long retired, and had to wait another 22 years after that before they won a World Series. But for many White Sox fans, the Chili Dog Home Run season was their favorite year.
This is the infamous Chili Dog HR that Dick hit on 6/4/72- a walk-off 3-run pinch hit blast into LF seats before 51,904 fans to beat the Yankees 5-4. He was eating a chili dog in clubhouse when summoned to pinch hit. It was the signature moment of his ‘72 MVP season #chilidogMVP https://t.co/NPWNJPrja9
— David J Fletcher MD (@DJFletchMD) January 23, 2023
Hammerin’ Hank Passes the Babe. . . Again
June 4, 1974: Henry Aaron led the Atlanta Braves to a 7-3 triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies with a seventh-inning grand slam home run off Eddie Watt at Veterans Stadium. It was career home run No. 731, counting regular season, postseason, and All-Star Games, breaking a tie with Ruth. The grand slam also gave him 16 NL grand slams, breaking a tie with McCovey. Aaron was unaware that he had broken two more career records until he was informed after the game. “Now they can start interviewing the guy who’s chasing me,” he told the AP.
10 Cent Beer Night in Cleveland
That same evening in Cleveland, 10 Cent Beer Night proved to be not the most inspired promotional idea. Alcohol-fueled fans hurled beer bottles and cherry bombs onto the field all night at the Cleveland and Texas Rangers players. Finally, with the score tied, 5-5, in the bottom of the ninth, things got out of hand. Fans stormed the field armed with knives and beer bottles. A full-scale riot was underway. Cleveland pitcher Tom Hilgendorf and chief umpire Nestor Chylak were hit over the head with folding chairs. Finally, Chylak forfeited the game to the Rangers.
“I think that we went as far as we could go,” Chylak said to Dennis Horger of The Toledo Blade. “But you can’t do anything about uncontrollable beasts – yes, beasts. You can’t pull back a bunch of animals. . . I’m sorry that the Cleveland club has to suffer, but I wasn’t about to see anybody get killed.” AL president Lee MacPhail canceled the remaining 10 Cent Beer Nights scheduled for Cleveland. Cleveland pitcher Dick Bosman, who pitched two innings of relief, found himself part of MLB’s last two forfeits. The other forfeit was the Senators’ final game in Washington in 1971, which he started.
