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.

April 7 – The “screen” monster

TODAY IN BASEBALL TAKES US TO LOS ANGELES FOR OPENING DAY, APRIL 7, 1958. It used to be common for football games to be played in baseball ballparks like Wrigley Field. Wrigley was the home of the Chicago Bears from 1921 to 1970. What you rarely saw was baseball played in football venues like the Los Angeles Coliseum Field. What the Dodgers had to do to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on this date in 1958 is why.

Before MLB’s transplanted Brooklyn Dodgers could play the first official major league game west of St. Louis they had to erect a 42-foot screen in left field because the foul pole was only 201 feet away – about the distance normally seen in slow-pitch softball. Straight away left was only about 250 feet.

On the other hand, because the Coliseum is rectangular, straight away right was 440 feet from home. 

There was a distinct advantage playing in the mammoth coliseum. It held a lot of people. Game 5 of the 1959 World Series between the Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox still holds the record for the biggest crowd to watch a major league baseball game – 92,706.

The Dodgers spent four seasons (1958-1961) in, at the time, the home of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams waiting for Dodger Stadium to be completed.

As much as Dodger fans poured into the Coliseum with the screen monster, they liked the new Dodger Stadium more when it opened in 1962. A major league attendance record (at the time) was set with 2,755,184 fans.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCE: 
The Coliseum revisited

April 6 – DH is born

APRIL 6, 1973 | NEW YORK, NY. The designated hitter (DH) was born on this date in 1973. The New York Yankees’ Ron Blomberg became the first major league baseball player to be in the starting lineup without playing in the field. He also became the first DH to reach base and drive in a run. Luis Tiant of the Boston Red Sox walked him with the bases loaded in the top of the first. Blomberg later singled.

The game changed significantly that day, many believe for the worse. Hundreds of American League pitchers would go through entire careers without picking up a bat. Hundreds of designated hitters would seldom pick up a glove. The DH has since trickled down to amateur baseball. Many high school and college pitchers don’t bat.

Purists were, and remain, appalled for several reasons, the least of which being, baseball used to be one of the few sports that required every participant be able to do everything with professional proficiency; run, hit, throw and catch.

In other sports, the National Football League for example, an offensive tackle can make it to the Hall-of-Fame without ever throwing a football in a game, or catching one for that matter. Dennis Rodman probably went whole NBA seasons without attempting a 3-pointer, let alone making one.

DID YOU KNOW: The DH was first suggested by the National League in 1928, but the American League rejected it [see Dec 12 story].

The same is now true in baseball, except for the National League. Pitchers go through entire careers without ever hitting or running the bases. A player who is mostly a DH does not have to be proficient at catching or throwing.

Supporters of the Designated Hitter say it initiated a re-birth of baseball. Attendance boomed after the DH was enacted in the early 1970’s, until the players’ strike of 1994. However, average attendance is higher in the National League, which has never had the DH, than the American League, where the DH was born.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
First Designated Hitters
A different way to look at the DH

April 5: ROCKIES, MARLINS JOIN NL

APRIL 5, 1993 | NEW YORK, MIAMI – Two new National League franchises began play on this date in 1993. The expansion Colorado Rockies played their first game on the road at Shea Stadium in New York. They were shut out by the Mets 3-0. The Florida Marlins‘ (The team was known as the “Florida” Marlins until 2012 when they became the Miami Marlins) first game was at home in Miami. They beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6 to 3 at Joe Robbie Stadium. The  Rockies and Marlins joining the National League was the first NL expansion since 1969.

Since entering the league the Marlins have done remarkably well on the field, but the Rockies have done considerably better at the turnstile. The Rockies set a major league record drawing 4,483,350 fans in their inaugural year, but the Marlins have already won two World Series -1997 and 2003.

The Rockies are one of just four teams to draw over 4-million fans. The others are the Blue Jays, Yankees and Mets. The Rockies probably would have drawn 4 million more often, but the franchise moved in 1995 from 80,000 seat Mile High Stadium where the Denver Broncos NFL teamed played at the time, to Coors Field, which seats 50,227.

The Rockies have drawn over 3 million fans 9 of their first 25 years, including the year they drew over 4-million. The Marlins have only surpassed the 3 million mark once – their first year. They’ve drawn over 2-million 3 times since the Rockies and Marlins joined the National League in 1993.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
Baseball-Almanac – Expansion Era
ESPN – Attendance

A STORY FROM APRIL 4 – MOVE OVER, BABE, HERE COMES HENRY

TODAY IN BASEBALL TAKES US TO CINCINNATI, OHIO, APRIL 4, 1974. Hank Aaron didn’t waste time. In the first inning of the first game of the 1974 season the Atlanta Braves outfielder hit a 3-run homer off Cincinnati Reds starter Jack Billingham to tie Babe Ruth with 714 career home runs. Move over, Babe, here comes Henry.

It was only a matter of time before Aaron broke the record. Despite Aaron’s heroics, the Reds beat the Braves 7-6.

There’s an interesting side-light to this story. Atlanta Braves management wanted Aaron to break the record at home. They planned to sit him for the first three games of the season in Cincinnati. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn wouldn’t have it, and ruled that Aaron had to play two out of three.

The rest is history. Aaron tied Babe Ruth’s record in his very first at bat and, fortunately for the Braves, didn’t hit another home run in the series. So, the Braves returned home with the anticipation of Aaron breaking the record in front of the home crowd, which he did four days later.

Henry Aaron retired in 1976. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982. He is the only player in major league history to hit at least 20 home runs in 20 seasons. On this date in 1974 it was – move over Babe, here comes Henry.

Piece of trivia: Who was Sandy Koufax’s first strike out? Hank Aaron.

A STORY FROM APRIL 3 IN BASEBALL HISTORY – CUBS UNLOAD ECKERSLEY AT WRONG TIME

TODAY IN BASEBALL TAKES US BACK TO APRIL 3, 1987, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. After two and a half mediocre seasons the Chicago Cubs got veteran right-handed starting pitcher Dennis Eckersley off their hands. He was traded to the Oakland A’s for three minor leaguers. This was just before Eckersley turned his life, and his pitching career, around. The Cubs unloaded  Eckersley at the wrong time.

Up to that point, Eckersley had won 165 games in 12 seasons, mostly with the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians. He was a mediocre 27-26 for the Cubs over 3 years. The Cubs thought Eckersley’s best days were behind him. He lost more games than he won in ’86, and personal demons caught up with him. Eckersley checked himself into an alcoholism treatment center after the season.

"Eck" didn't turn a corner, he made a complete about-face. A sober Dennis Eckersley was just getting started-on a second career as a reliever. He would go on to become one of the most dominant closers in history.

The trade to Oakland hit as hard as a hangover. “I’m in shock,” said Eckersley, but he realized a change of scenery can’t hurt, “It’s always nice to get into a new atmosphere. You get pumped up and you’ve got something to prove to other people.” And prove something he did.

“Eck” didn’t turn a corner, he made a complete about-face. A sober Dennis Eckersley was just getting started on a second career as a reliever. He would go on to become one of the most dominant closers in history.

In his first 12 seasons he started 359 games and saved 3. In his last 12 seasons he saved 387 and started 2.

Top ten Saves leaders in history (as of the start of the 2018 season):

  1. Mariano Rivera 652
  2. Trevor Hoffman 601
  3. Lee Smith 478
  4. Francisco Rodriguez 437
  5. John Franco 424
  6. Billy Wagner 422
  7. Dennis Eckersley 390
  8. Jo Nathan 377
  9. Jonathan Papelbon 368 
  10. Jeff Reardon 367

Impress your friends at your next baseball trivia party; Who went ten years without recording a save but ended up in the Hall of Fame as a closer? He could have entered the HOF as a Cub, but the Cubs traded him at the wrong time.

Contributing Sources:
MLB Saves leaders
Chicago Tribune, April 4, 1987
More on Dennis Eckersley