Author: Bill Grimes

I'm from Chicago. I worked in broadcast journalism for much of the 1970's and 80's. In 1990 I became a litigation consultant, retiring in 2017. Around 2005 I recall flipping through the sports section of the newspaper coming across "On this day in baseball history Willie Mays hit his 600th home run." I enjoyed the one-liners, but I wanted more. I wanted a story. I took my news reporting skills and started researching and telling baseball stories, one for every day of the year. TodayinBaseball.com is the result.

June 26 in baseball history – Kid named Gehrig offers glimpse into the future

JUNE 26, 1920 | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – A 17-year old high school kid wowed fans and major league scouts on this date in 1920 by hitting a towering grand slam home run out of Cubs Park (now known as Wrigley Field). The blast sealed a victory for New York’s Commerce High School against Chicago’s Lane Tech 12 to 6. The Commerce HS kid’s name – Lou Gehrig. He offered a glimpse into the future.

Soon Gehrig would be terrorizing opposing American League teams while playing for the New York Yankees.

Gehrig was a force. He held the record for the most career grand slam home runs (23) for more than 50 years. He had a lifetime .340 average. He hit 493 home runs and drove in 1,995 hitting after Babe Ruth in the Yankee lineup.

Gehrig would hold the record for the most consecutive games played (2,130 – 14 years worth) until broken by Cal Ripken in 1995.

Sadly, the player known as the “Iron Horse” would succumb to the debilitating and deadly sickness that carries his name – Lou Gehrig’s disease. He played his last game on April 30, 1939. He was 35 years old.

But on this date in 1920, Gehrig was a wide-eyed high school kid offering a glimpse into the future.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCE:
“Luckiest Man: The life and death of Lou Gehrig,” by Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post, April 3, 2005
Lou Gehrig stats
Career grand slams

JUNE 25 IN BASEBALL HISTORY – BONDS IN WITH A BANG

JUNE 25, 1968 | SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – San Francisco Giants’ rookie Bobby Bonds came in with a bang. He hit a grand slam home run in his first major league game on this date in 1968. 

Yes, Bobby Bonds was Barry Bonds‘ father. Barry’s stats outshine his father’s, but Bobby was no slouch himself. He was a 5-tool player – run, catch, throw, hit and hit for power. Five times, Bobby hit 30 home runs and stole 30 bases. Five times he had 90 or more RBI. His best all-around year was 1970 when he hit .302, 26 home runs, 78 runs batted in, which is not phenomenal, but he also had 134 runs scored and a .375 on base percentage.

Despite some excellent numbers, Bobby just didn’t seem to quite meet expectations – which were high. His longest stint was with the same team his son finished his career with – the San Francisco Giants. Bobby Bonds bounced around a lot. He played for the Yankees, Angels, White Sox, Rangers, Cardinals and Cubs. But Bonds came in with a bang in 1968.

Contributing sources:
Home run in first major league at-bat
Players who hit home runs in first major league at-bat

June 24 in baseball history – the return of stormin’ Gorman

JUNE 24, 1983 | MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN  –  More than 46,000 fans squeezed into Milwaukee County Stadium on this date in 1983 to witness the return of Stormin’ Gorman – other team’s center-fielder. In an outpouring of affection rarely shown pampered, high-salaried pro athletes – especially from the opposing team – Milwaukee Brewer fans showed their appreciation for one of their most beloved players, Gorman Thomas . He had been traded to the Cleveland Indians 18 days earlier.

Fans were furious that Thomas was no longer a Brewer. Early in his career fans were often furious that Thomas was a Brewer. He had a low batting average and struck out a lot. During the 5-season span from 1974 – ’78, Thomas was up and down from the big team to the minors, spending the entire ’77 season at Spokane. He finally had a break out year in 1978, hitting 32 home runs, and driving in 86 runs. Thomas also turned out to be an excellent centerfielder. During the 5 seasons from ‘78 to ‘82, Thomas averaged 35 home runs and 98 runs batted in. He was a key part of the Brewers’ only World Series team in 1982.

It was as much Thomas’ persona and early failures as his slugging that endeared him to Brewer fans. He was the epitome of Milwaukee – a tough looking, but easy-going, lunch pail carrying, mutton chopped throwback who could have been any one of thousands of working stiffs in this blue collar town if he wasn’t a major league baseball player.

Thomas was as devastated by the 1983 trade from the Brewers as the fans were infuriated. It brought him to tears, but he got a chance to finish his career as a Brewer in 1986. ‘Stormin’ Gorman Thomas was inducted into the Brewer Walk of Fame in 2004.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
The Milwaukee Journal, June 25, 1983, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Baseball Cube: Gorman Thomas

JUNE 22 IN BASEBALL HISTORY – Veeck joins the club

JUNE 22, 1946 | CLEVELAND, OHIO – Groucho Marx once said, “I would not join a club that would have someone like me for a member.” Non-conformist Bill Veeck probably shared that attitude. But on this date in 1946 Veeck (as in wreck) joins the club he would often be at odds with – the Major League Baseball owners.

Veeck was a showman who would stop at practically nothing to get fans in the stands.

Veeck put together a group, which included entertainer Bob Hope, that inked a deal for the Cleveland Indians on June 22, 1946. This was the start of a career as a major league club owner. He later ran the St. Louis Browns (today’s Baltimore Orioles) and Chicago White Sox (twice) franchises.

Veeck was a showman who would stop at practically nothing to get fans in the stands. He employed a midget who had one at bat for the Browns and walked; the pitcher had a tough time finding 3-foot/7-inch Eddie Gaedel‘s strike zone. The commissioner’s office didn’t like the idea and immediately barred Gaedel from baseball, but not before his one at bat.

There were a number of Veeck innovations fellow owners originally balked at that have since become commonplace; player names on uniforms, fireworks displays, food other than peanuts and Cracker Jacks available at the ball park.

He also understood the importance of winning. Only three teams other than the New York Yankees won the American League pennant from 1947 to 1959, two of them were Veeck’s – the ‘48 Indians and ‘59 White Sox. Each team set attendance records under Veeck’s leadership as well. Veeck wouldn’t want to join a club that would have someone like him for a member, but did just that on this date in baseball history.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES: 
Richard Dugan, United Press (UP), June 23, 1946, Cleveland, Ohio
Post season results

June 21 IN BASEBALL HISTORY – GRIFFEY JR joins 500-HR Club

JUNE 21, 2004 | ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI – Ken Griffey, Jr. hit his 500th home run on this date in 2004. Being Father’s Day, it was fitting that Ken Griffey, Sr., a former player himself, was in the stands. The younger Griffey was the 20th major leaguer to join the 500-home run club. At 34-years old Griffey was the 6th youngest player to do it.

Hitting 500 home runs in a career has always been a right of passage into the Baseball Fall of Fame. Will it continue to be? It’s not as remarkable an achievement as it once was.

Up to 1950, the first 74 years of major league baseball, 3 players had reached 500 home runs. In the 78 years since, 24 players have reached the 500-home run mark.

Players who reached 500 home runs from 1876 – 1950
1. Babe Ruth
2. Jimmie Foxx
3. Mel Ott

Players who reached 500 home runs from 1950 – 2017
1. Willie Mays
2. Ted Williams
3. Hank Aaron
4. Mickey Mantle
5. Eddie Matthews
6. Frank Robinson
7. Willie McCovey
8. Ernie Banks
9. Harmon Killebrew
10. Mike Schmidt
11. Reggie Jackson
12. Mark McGwire
13. Eddie Murray
14. Barry Bonds
15. Ken Griffey, JR.
16. Rafael Palmeiro
17. Sammy Sosa
18. Frank Thomas
19. Alex Rodriguez
20. Jim Thome
21. Manny Ramirez
22. Gary Sheffield
23. David Ortiz
24. Albert Pujols

The last player to hit 500-home runs was David Ortiz. Albert Pujols is the only member of the 500-club still active (as of June 2018).

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
500-home run club
BASEBALL-ALMANAC milestones