Category: July

July 12th in baseball history – “Strange brew” at Comiskey Park

JULY 12, 1979 | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – A “strange brew” was created at Comiskey Park on this date in 1979. It caused the Chicago White Sox to forfeit the second game of a doubleheader. The “strange brew” was disco music, rock & roll and baseball.

In one of the first examples of sports cross-promotion, Chicago radio “shock jocks,” Steve Dahl and Garry Meier joined forces with Mike Veeck, the son of Sox owner Bill Veeck. Dahl and Meier despised disco music and wanted to bring about its demise. Veeck wanted more fans in the stands.

They agreed to have a “Disco Demolition Night.” Dahl and Meier invited thousands of their fans to bring disco records to the Sox-Detroit Tiger doubleheader in exchange for a free ticket. The records would be blown up in center field between games.

The problem was, many more thousands of fans than they expected brought disco records to the game in exchange for a free ticket.

Once this triumphant disco demolition took place the “fans,” most of who, you could safely bet, were not your average baseball fans, became oblivious to a second game soon having to be played on the field they were trampling.

After more than an hour of trying to clear the field, chief umpire Dave Phillips postponed the game. American League President Lee McPhail went further and ruled the game a forfeit win for the Tigers, who also won the first game 4-1.

It was an embarrassment for the hometown White Sox, but as the late 1960’s Cream lyrics say, “Strange brew, kill what’s inside of you.” Maybe it helped bring about the demise of disco.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
The Chicago Tribune, July 13, 1979
ESPN program on Disco Demolition

July 11: Babe’s debut

JULY 11, 1914 | BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – The major league debut of 19-yer old George Herman Ruth took place on this date in baseball history. Babe Ruth was the starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox against the Cleveland Naps (today’s Cleveland  Indians). He won the game 4-3 win. The Red Sox had purchased the Babe from the Baltimore Orioles of the International League two days before.

Ruth didn’t astonish fans that first season, but he wasn’t bad either. He made 4 appearances as a pitcher, three as a starter. He finished with a record of 2-1 and ERA of 5.67. Ruth came to bat ten times, had two hits for a .200 batting average, two RBI, a run scored and struck out four times.

It didn’t take long for Ruth to show star quality. He won 78 games as a pitcher the next four seasons. His hitting was even more impressive, forcing the Red Sox to put him in the outfield just about every game in 1919 and Ruth didn’t disappoint, hitting 29 home runs and driving in 114 runs in 130 games.

Unfortunately for Red Sox fans, its owner needed money to finance a Broadway play, so Ruth was sold to the Yankees after the 1919 season.

And the rest is…

Contributing source: 
Baseball-Reference history of Babe Ruth

 

JULY 10 in baseball history: Best player you never heard of

JULY 10, 1936 | PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – Ever heard of Chuck Klein? If you’re not a rabid baseball fan, chances are, no. He may have been the best player you never heard of. Klein hit four home runs on this date in 1936 and it was no fluke. His home runs in the first, fifth, seventh and tenth innings helped his Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-6. Klein became, at the time, the fourth player in major league history to hit four home runs in a game.

As of this writing (July 10, 2018) 18 players have hit four homers in a game, three did it in extra innings. No one has ever hit five home runs in a game.

Klein almost had a fifth home run in the second inning of July 10, 1936 when he sent Pirates outfielder Paul Waner to the wall in right to haul in a long fly ball.

It’s odd that Chuck Klein is not among the legendary names that roll off the tongue when talking great hitters, but he had one of the best offensive years in baseball history in 1930:

Batting average       .370
Home runs                 40
Runs batted in          170
Runs scored               158

Look at the runs scored and RBI. Klein accounted for a phenomenal 288 runs for the Phillies that year (RBI + runs scored – HRs). It’s difficult to rate the most productive offensive players in a team sport like baseball because someone has to be on base for you to drive them in, and you obviously can’t drive yourself in if you’re on base. However, baseball statistician Bill James came up with a Runs Created (RC) formula. According to James’ RC formula, Klein’s 1930 numbers make it the 11th best Runs Created season ever.

The other ten were accomplished by names fans are more familiar with; Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Barry Bonds, Jimmy Foxx and Rogers Hornsby, some more than once. Think of all the other great hitters in baseball history; Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, etc.; none of whom had Runs Created years better than Chuck Klein, who very well could have been the best player you never heard of.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
Home run records
Individual player records
The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, Runs  Created
The Uniontown Morning Herald , Uniontown, Pennsylvania , July 11, 1936

July 8: Don’t blink, you’ll miss it

JULY 8, 1994 | BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – One of the most unusual events in baseball occurs so quickly you could miss it if you’re not paying attention – the unassisted triple play. Boston Red Sox shortstop John Valentin turned one on this date in 1994. It was just the 10th unassisted triple in major league baseball history (there have been 5 since).

Here’s how it happened… in the top of the sixth inning at Boston’s Fenway Park, Seattle Mariner Mike Blowers singles. Keith Mitchell walks. It looks like the start of a big inning for the Mariners. Two on, nobody out. Mariner DH Mark Newfield is at bat. It’s a 1 – 1 count. Red Sox pitcher Dave Fleming fires, the runners go. Newfield hits a line shot right to shortstop Valentin, who steps on second to double off Blowers who was almost to third, and tags Mitchell who’s almost at second. Three outs, just like that with the ball never leaving Valentin’s hands.

The drama doesn’t end there. Guess who leads off the bottom of the 6th, hero John Valentin. He homers. The Red Sox come from behind to win 4-3.

Unassisted triple plays almost always unfold the same way; all 15 started with runners on first and second and the batter hitting a line drive with the runners going. Eight were hit to the shortstop. Five were hit to the second baseman. Two were hit to the first baseman. When it’s hit to the shortstop he grabs the line drive steps on second and tags the runner coming from first. When it’s hit to the second or first baseman they tag the runner coming from first and then step on second.

If you want to see an unassisted triple play, wait for runners on first and second, and no outs. If the batter hits a line drive, by all means don’t blink.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
July 8, 1994 box score/play-by-play
Unassisted triple plays

July 6th in Baseball history: Dick Allen’s mammoth home-run

JULY 6, 1974 | DETROIT, MICHIGAN – Chicago White Sox slugger Dick Allen hit a mammoth home-run, one of the longest ever hit in Tiger Stadium, on this date in 1974. Allen was facing the Detroit Tigers’ Dave Lemanczyk in the 5th inning when he crushed a fly ball that struck the façade of the roof in left-center field at Tiger Stadium. Players and fans who witnessed the shot said it was still rising when it hit the roof, not likely, but still estimated to have traveled over 500 feet. The façade was 415 from home plate, 85 feet in the air.

He was known as Richie Allen when he came up with Philadelphia Phillies in 1964. He came out of the gate strong, winning National League Rookie of the Year honors.

His personality would prove to be as impactful as his bat. He had his share of verbal and physical altercations and suspensions. His relationship with sportswriters was contentious. He made life interesting for his managers, which is probably why he was traded five times in 15 years.

His bat matched his personality. Besides Rookie of the Year, he was the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1972. Allen twice led the American league in home runs. He finished a 15-year career with a .292 average, 351 home runs, 1,199 runs batted in and 1,099 runs scored.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
July 6, 1974 box score/play-by-play