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.

Oct 15 – Punch for Punch

OCTOBER 15, 1986 – HOUSTON, TEXAS – On this date in 1986 the National League Championship Series (NLCS) ended with a 16-inning nail-biting marathon between the New York Mets and Houston Astros in game 6. Game 5 went 12 innings. The Mets eventually won the series 4 games to two.

In game 6 the Astros entered the 9th inning up 3-0. The Mets tied the game 3-3. Both teams fought on punch for punch. After neither team scored in the 10th, 11th, 12th or 13th, both scored a run the 14th, so they played on.

The Mets scored 3 in the 16th inning. Houston got a rally going in their half of the 16th (will the game ever end?), and scored 2 to make it 7-6, but Mets reliever Jesse Orosco struck out Kevin Bass with the tying run on second. The Mets advanced.

It would have been hard to top that series, but the Boston Red Sox and California Angels pretty much did in the ALCS that same year (see Oct. 12 story).

The World Series that year was also remarkable. It was won by the Mets with the help of a ball going through Billy Buckner’s legs to tie the Series at three games apiece. The Mets won game 7, a game that saw the lead change hands four times.

Contributing sources:
NLCS Mets-Astros Oct. 15 1986
ALCS Red Sox-Angels
1986 World Series game 7

Oct 14: Spinach or Wheaties?

OCTOBER 14, 1972 – CINCINNATI, OHIO – Oakland A’s catcher Gene Tenace picked baseball’s biggest stage to breakout as a power hitter on this date in 1972. He hit just 5 home runs during the entire 1972 regular season, but hit 4 in the World Series. Tenace hit 2 home runs on this date, driving in all 3 Oakland runs as the A’s beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 in game one. Besides the 4 homers Tenace drove in 9 runs in the seven game series, and was named World Series Most Valuable Player. The A’s won that World Series, and the next two (’73 and ’74).

He was born Fiore Gino Tennaci in Russellton, Pennsylvania. Up until the ’72 World Series, Tenace was Dave Duncan‘s backup behind the plate. He hit a total of 20 home runs in his first four years with the A’s. After his breakout World Series he became an every day player. He played a lot of first base, as Duncan – later Tony LaRussa‘s pitching coach for several teams – was a pretty good receiver and not a bad hitter himself.

Over the next eight seasons Tenace had home run totals of 24, 26, 29, 22, 15, 16, 20 and 17 playing for the San Diego Padres and the St. Louis Cardinals in addition to the A’s. He finished his fifteen year career with 201 home runs.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
1972 World Series
Sports Illustrated Greatest Teams, by Tim Crothers, 1998

Oct 13: The Halloween Classic

OCTOBER 13, 2016 | BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – Back in the day the World Series was coming to an end around October 13th. This year (2016), the National and American Leagues haven’t even begun their respective League Championship Series.

Today the World Series starts the last week in October. The 7th game, if needed, is played in November. The “October Classic” has become a Halloween event. Besides the weather factor in Northeast and Midwest locations, it’s simply a longer season than it used to be. Let’s compare:

1960 – The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off home run to win a spectacular up and down World Series between Pittsburgh and New York Yankees occurred on this date, October 13th. Box score & play-by-play.

1929 – The 5th and final game of the 1929 season was October 14th, the Philadelphia A’s beat the Chicago Cub 3-2 to win the series 4 games to 1.

1949 – The last game played in 1949 was on October 5th when the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 10-6 to win the World Series 4 games to 1.

1969 – The miracle season of 1969 came to an end on October 16th with the New York Mets’ stunning victory over the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 to win the series 4 games to 2.

1989 – Even the 1989 World Series ended before November, despite a 10-day delay because of the San Francisco earthquake of that year. The Oakland A’s beat the San Francisco Giants 9-6 on October 28th to sweep the Series.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
2016 MLB Postseason Calendar 
1989 San Francisco earthquake

This baseball history story is brought to you by Today in Baseball.

Oct 12: No Angels

OCTOBER 12, 1986 | ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – The California Angels were one strike from their first World Series on this date in 1986 when they suffered a heartbreaking loss. It was a spectacular series that had tragic consequences beyond baseball. On this day, there were no Angels in the outfield.

It was game 5 of the best-of-five American League Championship Series (ALCS). California had a three games to one lead over the Boston Red Sox. The game was filled with drama.

The Angels were up 5-2 in the ninth. It was the Red Sox’ last at bat. Designated hitter Don Baylor hit a two-run homer on a two-strike pitch with one out. The Red Sox were within a run.

After the second out Angel’s reliever Gary Lucas hit catcher Rich Gedman. Angel’s manager Gene Mauch brought in Donnie Moore to pitch to the Red Sox’ Dave Henderson. Moore had bounced around the major leagues for several years, but appeared to have found a home with the Angels. Moore had two strikes on Henderson. The Angels were one strike from their first World Series.

Henderson hit a two-run homer to give the Red Sox the lead.

As dramatic as that was, it wasn’t the end. The Angels tied the game in the last of the 9th. Neither team scored in the 10th. The Red Sox scored the go-ahead run in 11th on a sacrifice fly by Dave Henderson. The Angels were held in check in the bottom of the 11th to end the game. The Red Sox were still down three games to two, but were heading back to Boston where they won the final two games.

Sadly, Donnie Moore’s life spiraled down after that. He was booed regularly by Angels’ fans who couldn’t forget that one fateful pitch. Moore was tough on himself too. It’s unlikely that failing to retire the Red Sox on that October day in 1986 was his only demon, but he fell into deep depression after being released in 1988. There were no Angels in the outfield for Donnie Moore on that day. He committed suicide in 1989 at the age of 35.

Rest in peace, Donnie Moore.

Contributing Sources: 
Game 5 of ALCS
1986 playoffs 
Another view of what happened to Donnie Moore

Oct 11: AL conceived

OCTOBER 11, 1899 | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS • In the late 1800’s the National League was the only “major league.” It began play in 1876, hence the description “senior circuit.” Two executives of the Western League, a minor league, Ban Johnson and Charles Comiskey, thought there was room for one more major league. So on this date in 1899 they gathered their fellow Western League owners in Chicago’s Great Northern Hotel to discuss a plan which would allow them to affiliate with the National League, but remain a minor league.

It was like letting the fox into the chicken coup. As part of the deal, Johnson and Comiskey got the National League to allow the St. Paul, Minnesota franchise of the Western League to relocate to Chicago. It did, and became the Chicago White Stockings – today’s White Sox. It was also decided at that October 11, 1899 meeting to change the name of the Western League to the American League of Professional Ball Clubs. It was later simplified to the American League.

The American League didn’t last long as a farm system for the National League. By the 1901 season, less than two years later, the American League officially became a second major league.


Contributing sources: Total White Sox: The definitive encyclopedia of the World Champion franchise, by Richard Lindberg, 2006 More on the American League More on the National League