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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 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

Dec 21, 2005 – LESS IS MORE

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA • ‘If you take away seats, they will come,’ seemed to be the intention when the Oakland A’s announced on this date in 2005 that they will no longer sell seats to the upper deck in McAfee Coliseum (now called Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum).

At a time when ballparks like Wrigley Field and Fenway Park are squeezing more seats into their venues, the A’s are trying to pretend an upper deck of empty seats doesn’t exist. The move reduced the A’s ballpark’s capacity, at the time, to the lowest in the major leagues.

It was another act in the drama playing out in the East Bay over a new place for the A’s to play. Team president Michael Crowley told reporters back in 2005, “Our goal is to create a more intimate ballpark atmosphere and bring our seating capacity in line to what we have proposed for our new venue.”

While the team seems to annually over-achieve on the field the A’s have struck out on a new ballpark deal. But as of December 2016 the A’s have restructured their leadership with the goal of making it happen this time.

Stay tuned.

Contributing sources:
Comcast SportsNet, “Futuristic, Transforming Stadiums offer Intriguing Solutions For Oakland,” by Andy Dolich, December 19, 2016
San Jose Mercury News, December 16, 2013

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Dec 19: BLOW IT UP!

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS • A die-hard Chicago Cubs fan and restaurateur paid in excess of $106,000 on this date in 2003 for a baseball so he could have the pleasure of destroying it.

With all due respect to Cub fans who want to blame Bartman, none of the “fans” around him appeared to have the foresight to clear the way so Alou could catch the ball.

Grant Deporter got custody of the ball Chicago Cubs’ left fielder Moises Alou was trying to catch before Steve Bartman got in the way. Deporter, a managing partner of Harry Caray’s restaurant, had the ball blown to smithereens on the former Cubs announcer’s birthday in February ‘04 as an act of exorcism.

With all due respect to Cub fans who want to blame Bartman, none of the “fans” around him appeared to have the foresight to clear the way so Alou could catch the ball, and help the Cubs get to their first World Series in almost 60 years. Everyone was focused on the souvenir. Bartman just happened to be the closest to it.

Had Alou caught the ball, the Cubs would have been four outs from the World Series. The Florida Marlins would have had two outs in the eighth with a man on second and the Cubs ahead 3-0. Instead, the Marlins had one out and Luis Castillo had new life. He ended up walking, and then the flood gates opened, aided by a botched double play ball to the Cubs’ shortstop.

The Marlins ended up scoring 8 runs beating the Cubs 8-3. The Marlins won again the next night and took the series. For Cub fans, wait till next year, again.

The exorcising of the ball may have worked. It took another 13 years, but, as we all know, the Cubs not only made it to the World Series in 2016, they won it.

Contributing sources:
The Chicago Tribune, October 20, 2003
“Price surpasses even Buckner’s ball,” by Darren Rovell, ESPN, Dec 19, 2003

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