On September 10 in Baseball History...

1881 - At Haymakers' Grounds, future Hall of Fame first baseman Roger Connor becomes the first major leaguer to hit a a grand slam, giving the Troy Trojans a 7-4 walk-off victory over the Worcester Ruby Legs. The 23-year old Waterbury, CT native's sayonara slam, a home run which wins a game when a team is down by three runs in the bottom of the final inning, comes with two outs.

1889 - New York Giants pitcher Mickey Welch strikes out as the first pinch hitter in Major League history.

1918 - Players on both sides threaten to strike the World Series unless they are guaranteed $2,500 to the winners and $1,000 each for the losers. They back off, however, when told they will appear greedy while their countrymen are fighting World War I. On the field, Hippo Vaughn comes back with two days of rest for the Cubs and blanks the Red Sox 3-0 in Game Five.

1919 - Cleveland's right-hander Ray Caldwell no-hits the Yankees in the first game of a doubleheader sweep in New York, 3-0. The right-handed spitballer, released by the Red Sox in July, finishes the season winning five of six starts for the Tribe with an ERA of 1.71.

1924 - At the Polo Grounds, the Giants rip the Braves 22-1 in the opener of a doubleheader. Frankie Frisch goes six-for-six before grounding out.

1933 - The inaugural East-West All-Star game is played at Comiskey Park, the site of the first major league All-Star game played exactly one month ago. Gus Greenlee and Tom Wilson’s idea to showcase the black talent in the Negro Leagues draws 20,000 fans helping to relieve some of the burden facing the the financially-strapped club owners.

1950 - For the second consecutive year, the Red Sox sweep the home season series with the A's. The winning streak at Fenway now extends to 22 wins without a loss against Philadelphia.

1950 - In New York's 8-1 victory over the Senators at Washington, D.C.'s Griffith Stadium, Joe DiMaggio becomes the first major leaguer to hit three home runs in the 39-year history of the ballpark. It is the third time that Joltin' Joe has hit a trio of round-trippers in a game, but he has never accomplished the feat at Yankee Stadium.

1959 - Tim McCarver makes his major league debut at the age of 17 when he flies out to right field as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning of the Cardinals' 7-4 loss to Milwaukee at County Stadium. The high school backstop, who was scouted by Hall of Fame catcher Bill Dickey, turns down football scholarships from Notre Dame and Tennessee to play baseball.

1963 - In the first inning of an 8-0 rout of the Cubs at Sportsman's Park, Cardinals left fielder Stan Musial becomes the first grandfather in big league history to hit a home run. The 42-year old new grandpa accomplishes the feat in his first at-bat since the birth of his grandson earlier in the day.

1963 - In the Mets' 4-2 victory over the Giants at the Polo Grounds, Carlton Willey retires the side in order getting all three Alou brothers - Jesus , Matty and Felipe - to make an out. The Dominican trio becomes the first three siblings to bat consecutively in the same inning.

1964 - With his office being responsible for all of the costs for teams not making it into the postseason, Baseball commissioner Ford Frick authorizes the Phillies, Yankees, White Sox and Orioles to print tickets for the World Series. Due to a historic late-season collapse by Philadelphia, the surging Cardinals win the National League pennant on the last day of the season, and will play the Bronx Bombers in the Fall Classic.

1967 - In the first game of a doubleheader at White Sox Park, Chicago right-hander Joe Horlen no-hits the visiting Tigers, 6-0. Detroit also goes scoreless in the nightcap when the team is blanked by Cisco Carlos, 4-0.

1967 - At Candlestick Park, San Francisco hurler Gaylord Perry’s 40-inning team record consecutive scoreless streak comes to an end as the Cubs score an unearned run in the seventh inning of a 2-1 victory over Fergie Jenkins and the Cubs. The future Hall of Famer will match his franchise mark with another string of scoreless innings in 1970.

1969 - At Shea Stadium, the Mets move into first place for the first time in their history. The Amazins, with their doubleheader sweep of Montreal, a 3-2 win in 12 innings in the opener and a 7-1 victory in the nightcap, take a one-game lead over the second-place Cubs.


1973 - During oral arguments being heard by the Supreme Court, Potter Stewart is handed a note with the startling news that Vice President Agnew had just resigned. The note also informs the glum Republican Justice, a big Reds fan, that the Mets are ahead of Cincinnati in the NLCS, 2-0.

1974 - Lou Brock ties and then breaks Maury Wills's 12-year-old record single season stolen base record with his 104th and 105th swipes. The Cardinal left fielder’s thievery against the Phillies doesn’t help as the Redbirds drop the Busch Stadium contest, 8-2.

1977 - The expansion Blue Jays rout the first-place Yankees at the Stadium, 19-3. Toronto third baseman Roy Howell leads the way with two home runs, two doubles and a single resulting in 13 total bases and nine RBIs.

1978 - The Red Sox throw 22-year-old Bobby Sprowl at the Yankees and the lefty last just two-thirds of an inning as the Yankees win 7-4. New York outhits the Red Sox 67-21, and outscores them 42-9, in a sweep that leaves the teams in a tie for first place, and caps a remarkable march to the top from fourth place, 14 games out.

1980 - Bill Gullickson whiffs 18 batters, the most strikeouts ever recorded by a rookie in a major league game. The Expos right-hander throws a complete-game four-hitter beating Chicago at Olympic Stadium, 4-2.

1985 - Both teams charge onto the Shea Stadium field when George Forster is hit with a first-inning pitch thrown by Cardinal starter Danny Cox, who appeared annoyed by the Mets' hitter stepping out of the box several times during the at-bat. Minutes after the bench-clearing incident and order is restored‚ Howard Johnson hits a grand slam to give New York an eventual 5-4 win and a one-game lead over the Redbirds in the tight NL East race.

1989 - Five days after hitting a home run for the Yankees in a 12-2 win over the Mariners, Deion Sanders returns a punt 68 yards for a touchdown in his NFL debut with the Atlanta Falcons. He is the first player to accomplish both these feats in the same week at the professional level.

1992 - Cardinals vice chairman Fred Kuhlman tells reporters that a "security check" had revealed serious issues involving the two out-of-state investors, Vince Piazza and Vincent N. Tirendi, part of the six-man group trying to buy the Giants and move the franchise to Florida. The candid reply to the press will cost baseball more than $6 million to settle a suit that includes in a letter of apology from acting Commissioner Bud Selig to Vince Piazza, whose son Mike started his major league career with the Dodgers nine days before his father's rejection by the MLB owners.

1997 - Mark McGwire joined Babe Ruth as the only players in Major League history with consecutive 50-homer seasons by hitting a 446-foot shot off Shawn Estes in the third inning of St. Louis' game against at San Francisco. McGwire, who hit a Major League-leading fifty-two homers for Oakland last season, became the first player with back-to-back 50-homer seasons since Ruth did it in 1927 and 1928.

1999 - At Yankee Stadium, Boston starter Pedro Martinez allows just one hit, a second-inning solo home run to Chili Davis, en route to a complete-game 3-1 victory. Fanning 18 batters, the Red Sox right-hander extends his own record to 40 consecutive innings with at least one strikeout per frame.

2000 - On his 37th birthday, Diamondback southpaw Randy Johnson becomes the 12th pitcher to strikeout 3,000 batters. Florida third baseman Mike Lowell is the 'Big Unit's' historic victim whiffing on four pitches to end the fourth inning. The lefty's first strike out of the game, his 300th of the season, ties Nolan Ryan for accomplishing the feat in three consecutive years.

2002 - Alex Rodriguez breaks the home run record for shortstops he established last season. The Ranger infielder slugs his major league leading 52nd and 53rd home runs of the season helping Texas to defeat the Mariners, 3-2.

2003 - Javy Lopez homers off Phillies' righty Vicente Padilla to give the Braves a franchise-record 216 home runs for the season. The 1996 Orioles hold the major league mark with 257 and the Astros established the National League record at 249 in 2000.

2006 - Francisco Rodriguez becomes the youngest pitcher to notch his 100th career save when he retires the side in order in the ninth inning of the Angels' 4-3 victory over Toronto. The 24-year-old right-handed closer breaks the previous mark held by Gregg Olson, who accomplished the feat with Baltimore in 1992.

2007 - Hitting his 20th home run of the season, Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies breaks Ernie Banks' National League rookie record for most home runs by a shortstop in a single season. The Cubs Hall of Famer, who compiled a total of 512 homers, hit 19 dingers as a freshman in 1954.

2008 - In a 3-2 Astros loss at Citizens Bank Park, Charlton Jimerson, pinch hitting for Roger Clemens, homers off Phillies' southpaw Cole Hamels. The sixth inning blast to center field makes the Houston rookie the third player in franchise history to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat.

2008 - With a 4-2 victory over the visiting Yankees, the Angels clinch the division flag on the earliest date in the history of the American League West. The Halos, the first club this season to secure a postseason spot, have finished in first place four times in the past five seasons.

2013 - With three doubles and a home run, Mark Trumbo ties a franchise record with four extra-base hits and becomes the first player in Angels' history to collect five hits and score five runs in the same game. The Anaheim's first baseman's ten total bases, however, yields only two RBIs in the Halos’ 12-6 victory over Toronto at the Rogers Centre.




Baseball Birthdays on September 10...

1864 - Murphy, Danny
1868 - Miller, Dusty
1872 - Berry, Joe
1875 - Lynch, Mike
1880 - Pelty, Barney
1880 - Niles, Harry
1881 - Tonneman, Tony
1884 - Lapp, Jack
1886 - Durbin, Kid
1888 - Krug, Marty
1891 - Evers, Joe
1895 - Kelly, George
1896 - Hale, Sammy
1899 - Johns, Augie
1904 - Tarbert, Arlie
1905 - Jeffries, Irv
1910 - Blair, Buddy
1911 - Chambers, Johnnie
1924 - Kluszewski, Ted
1928 - Davis, Brandy
1928 - Garber, Bob
1931 - Anderson, Harry
1934 - Maris, Roger
1940 - Chance, Bob
1944 - Hibbs, Jim
1951 - Wiles, Randy
1954 - Hanna, Preston
1954 - Cacek, Craig
1957 - Whitehouse, Len
1959 - Robbins, Bruce
1963 - Wells, Terry
1963 - Johnson, Randy
1964 - Kraemer, Joe
1965 - Sherrill, Tim
1966 - Ingram, Riccardo
1973 - Saipe, Mike
1977 - Baez, Danys
1977 - Hermansen, Chad
1978 - Green, Nick
1981 - Loe, Kameron
1981 - Robertson, Connor
1983 - Pendleton, Lance
1983 - Votto, Joey
1984 - Brown, Andrew
1985 - Angle, Matt
1985 - Swarzak, Anthony
1985 - Walker, Neil
1987 - Goldschmidt, Paul
1992 - Evans, Phillip
1992 - Kuhl, Chad



Baseball Deaths on September 10...

1905 - Browning, Pete
1918 - Cassian, Ed
1940 - Shipke, Bill
1951 - DeBerry, Hank
1955 - Collins, Shano
1956 - Brown, Eddie
1958 - Taylor, Arlas
1962 - Herring, Bill
1969 - Barbeau, Jap
1973 - Johnson, Roy
1975 - Richbourg, Lance
1976 - Carter, Blackie
1984 - Gallagher, Jackie
1984 - Marcum, Johnny
2006 - Gardella, Al
2012 - Saffell, Tom
2014 - Dunlap, Grant
2014 - Spencer, George
2017 - Didier, Mel