On October 3 in Baseball History...

    1897 - Cap Anson closed out a remarkable 27-year career that started in the National Association in 1871. He hit two home runs against St. Louis. At 46, he was the oldest player to homer in the majors.

    1904 - Christy Mathewson strikes out 16 Cards in a 3-1 Giants victory. Big Six's 16 strikeouts establishes a new record as he finishes the game in one hour and 15 minutes.

    1919 - Rookie lefty Dickie Kerr pitches a three-hitter as the White Sox win 3-0. Joe Jackson has two hits and Chick Gandil drives in two runs as the White Sox cut Cincinnati's World Series lead to 2-1. Cuban native Adolfo Luque becomes the first player from Latin America to appear in a World Series. In Game 3 of the Fall Classic, 'the Pride Of Havana' pitches a scoreless eighth inning for the Reds in a 3-0 loss to the White Sox at Comiskey Park.

    1920 - In a 16-7 win over the White Sox, Browns first baseman George Sisler gets his 257th hit of the season to set a major league record. He also hurls a scoreless ninth inning in relief for St. Louis.

    1924 - At Philadelphia’s Baker Bowl, the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro National League beat the Eastern Colored League’s Hilldale Giants (PA), 6-2, in the opening game of the first Colored World Series. The ten-game event, in which KC will capture the crown winning 5 games to 4 with one tie, features games played in Chicago, Kansas City, and Baltimore.

    1926 - After the Yankees score twice in the second, Grover Alexander sets down the last 21 batters, striking out 10 in the second game of the World Series. Billy Southworth and shortstop Tommy Thevenow collect three hits each for a 6-2 St. Louis win.

    1934 - Dizzy Dean wins the opening game of the World Series 8-3. Detroit manager Mickey Cochrane holds back his ace, Schoolboy Rowe, and veteran Alvin Crowder is ineffective as Joe Medwick homers in a 4-for-4 day. The Tigers make five errors.

    1937 - In the season finale, Hank Greenberg gets the lone ribbie when Detroit defeats the Indians, 1-0. The 26 year-old Tiger first baseman finishes the season with 183 RBIs, just one shy of Lou Gehrig's 1931 American League record.

    1937 - Johnny Allen's bid for a perfect season is spoiled when Hank Greenberg drives in the only run of the game in the first inning and Jake Wade throws a one-hitter against the Indians in the 1-0 loss to Detroit on the last day of the season at Navin Field. The 32 year-old right-hander from North Carolina will finish the season 15-1, with his .938 won-loss percentage the best in the major leagues.

    1940 - Jimmy Ripple's two-run home run in the third inning of Game Two provides the winning margin as the Reds end the NL's 10-game Series losing streak with a 5-3 win over the Tigers.

    1945 - The Tigers and Cubs meet in the World Series for the fourth time. Hank Borowy pitches a six-hitter and Hal Newhouser is roughed up for eight runs in three innings as the Cubs win, 9-0.

    1946 - The St. Louis Cardinals won the National League pennant by beating the Brooklyn Dodgers 8-4 and sweeping the best-of-three playoff.

    1947 - In Game 4 of the Fall Classic, Bill Bevens comes within one out from pitching the first no-hitter in World Series history. The Yankee hurler loses his claim to fame and the game when Cookie Lavagetto, pinch-hitting for Eddie Stanky, hits a two-out ninth-inning double giving the Dodgers a 3-2 improbable victory.

    1951 - In Game 3 of National League play-off series at the Polo Grounds, Bobby Thomson's one-out three-run homer beats the Dodgers in the bottom of the ninth, 5-4, and the Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant. The round-tripper, better known as the 'shot heard around the world', becomes one of the famous home runs in baseball history.


    1956 - Sal Maglie and the Dodgers defeat the Yankees 6-3 in the opening game of the World Series.

    1957 - In Game Three of the World Series, Lew Burdette wins the first of his three decisions against the Yankees. Burdette and the Braves beat Bobby Shantz 4-2.

    1962 - At Dodger Stadium, the Giants win the rubber game of the National League playoffs beating Los Angeles, 6-4 as Don Larsen gets the win in relief of Juan Marichal. Thanks to the extended season, Maury Wills sets a major league record for the most games played in a season appearing in 165 games.

    1965 - On the last day of the season, Giants' outfielder Willie Mays hits his 52nd home run to break the franchise record he established in 1955. The 'Say Hey Kid's' league leading home run is given up by Reds hurler Billy McCool as San Francisco defeats Cincinnati at Candlestick Park, 6-3.

    1965 - At Metropolitan Stadium, Angels first baseman Vic Power (Pellot) ends his 12-year major league career going 1-for-5 with a RBI single in a 5-2 loss to the Twins. The .284 career hitter will have the distinction of being the last active player to have worn a Philadelphia A's uniform (1954).

    1965 - Cardinal right-hander Bob Gibson goes the distance, beating Houston at the Astrodome, 5-2, to become a 20-game winner for the first time. The future Hall of Famer will win twenty games four more times in the next five seasons.

    1968 - Detroit's Mickey Lolich evens the World Series in Game Two with a six-hitter and his first major-league home run to defeat St. Louis, 8-1.  In the third inning of Game 2 of his complete-game World Series victory over St. Louis, Tiger starting pitcher Mickey Lolich hits a solo homer off Nelson Briles. The Busch Stadium round-tripper will be the only home run the southpaw will hit during his 16-year big league career.

    1970 - Baltimore's Mike Cuellar becomes the first pitcher to homer in a league championship game. The right-hander's fourth-inning grand slam proves to be the difference in the Orioles' 10-6 ALCS Game 1 victory over Minnesota.

    1971 - Bob Robertson's three home runs led the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 9-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants, tying the National League playoffs at 1-1.

    1972 - Roric Harrison homers as Baltimore beats Cleveland 4-3 in the second game of a doubleheader. With the DH rule on the horizon, it will be the last home run hit by an AL pitcher until interleague play 25 years later.

    1972 - Surpassing Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente appears in his 2,433rd game for the most ever played by a Pirate. Sadly, it will be the last regular season game the Pittsburgh outfielder will ever play as he will be killed in a plane crash during the off-season.

    1974 - Frank Robinson becomes the first black manager in the major leagues, as the Indians name him to replace Ken Aspromonte for the 1975 season. The former Reds and Oriole superstar signs a $175,000 contract to manage and play for the Indians.

    1976 - On the last day of the season, Kansas City's George Brett and Hal McRae and Minnesota's Rod Carew are separated by .001 for the batting title. Brett, who goes 3-for-4 edges his Royals teammate (.333 vs .332) for the American League crown with the the deciding hit, an inside-the-park home run, being a misplayed line drive leading McRae to believe the lack of effort was intentional.

    1976 - Appearing as the designated hitter, Brewer Henry Aaron gets an infield single of Tiger hurler Dave Roberts in his last major league at-bat. With the exception of Minnie Minoso's appearance in three games with the White Sox as a 50 year-old in 1980, 'Hammerin' Hank' will be the last major leaguer to appear in a big league game who also played in the Negro Leagues.

    1981 - The Brewers and Expos clinch their first-ever postseason appearances. Milwaukee beats Detroit 2-1 to wrap up the second-half title in the AL East, while Montreal edges the Mets 5-4 to win the NL East's second playoff spot.

    1982 - On the last day of the season, the Brewers celebrate their American League East title clinching victory on the field at Memorial Stadium.  Robin Yount smacks two home runs and a triple as Milwaukee whips Baltimore 10-2 to win the AL East championship. Don Sutton, 4-1 since being acquired by the Brewers in late August, is the winning pitcher.after beating the Orioles, 10-2, to edge Baltimore by one game in the final standings. The 51,642 hometown fans, although disappointed by the results, stay after the game and give retiring manager Earl Weaver a heartfelt, tremendous 45-minute series of ovations for his 15-year tenure as the Birds' skipper.

    1986 - Baltimore loses to Detroit 6-3, assuring the Orioles of their first last-place finish since moving from St. Louis in 1954.

    1987 - Benito Santiago's consecutive game hitting streak ends at 34 when the backstop is held hitless in three trips to the plate by Dodger hurler Orel Hershiser, who tosses a complete game in a 1-0 loss to the Padres. The stretch of straight games with a hit by the 23-year old not only represents a new mark for rookies, but also for catchers.

    1990 - George Brett became the first player to win a batting title in three different decades. Brett went 1-for-1 in Kansas City's 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians to win the American League title with a .329 average. Brett also won AL batting titles in 1976 and 1980.

    1990 - Willie McGee became the first player to win a batting title in a league he didn't finish the season in. McGee, who had a .335 average when St. Louis traded him to Oakland on Aug. 28, won his second National League crown when Dave Magadan of the New York Mets failed to catch him on the season's final day.

    1993 - The Toronto Blue Jays became the first team in American League history to have teammates finish 1-2-3 in the batting race. John Olerud led the league with a .363 batting average. Paul Molitor finished at .332 and Roberto Alomar closed the year at .326.

    1993 - The Giants need to beat the Dodgers on the final day of the season to force a one-game playoff with the Braves for the NL West title, but the Dodgers have other plans. LA rips the Giants, 12-1. Catcher Mike Piazza, who will be named the league's Rookie of the Year, hits two home runs in the game. At 103-59, San Francisco becomes the first team since the 1954 Yankees to win that many games and not play in the postseason.

    1993 - Eighty-three year old Mel Harder throws the ceremonial 'last' pitch at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. As a member of the 1932 Indian squad, he also had thrown the park's first pitch.

    1993 - The Rockies become the fourth National League team, the only one this century, not to record a shutout during the season. The other clubs to achieve this dubious distinction include the 1898 Brooklyn Bridegrooms, 1898 St. Louis Browns, 1898 Washington Senators, and the 1899 Cleveland Spiders.

    1995 - Tony Pena homers to left field in the 13th inning to give the Indians a 5-4 win over the Red Sox in the first game of the Division Series. It is Cleveland's first postseason victory since 1948.

    1995 - The Yankees, Indians, Reds and Braves win the first games ever played in divisional playoffs including wild cards.

    1996 - The Devil Rays and Tropicana Dole Beverages of North America, located in nearby Bradenton, announce an agreement that renames the ThunderDome. The ballpark will become known as Tropicana Field with the city of St. Petersburg receiving more than $13 million as part of the sweet deal.

    1997 - The Braves and Marlins both sweep the Division Series. The Braves, behind a three-hitter by John Smoltz, complete the sweep of Houston with a 4-1 win. The Marlins ride a grand slam by Devon White to a 6-2 win and sweep of San Francisco.

    1999 - Cardinal first baseman Mark McGwire hits #65 and his final homer of the season passing Ted Williams and Willie McCovey to move into the tenth spot on the all-time career home run list with 522 round trippers.

    1999 - In the final regular-season game ever to be played at the Astrodome, Mike Hampton (22-4) beats the Dodgers, 9-4. The victory clinches the division title as the Astros finish one game ahead of the Reds in the National League Central.

    2000 - Against the Braves, Cardinal rookie starter Rick Ankiel sets a modern day major league record by uncorking five wild pitches in the third inning of Game 1 of NLDS. He joins Buffalo's Bert Cunningham who accomplished the same feat in the first inning in an 1890 Players League contest.

    2001 - Barry Bonds walks three times breaking Babe Ruth's major league record established in 1923 of 170 base on balls. Astros’ reliever Nelson Cruz gives up the historic walk in the sixth, and the Giants left fielder will finish the season with 177 walks.

    2002 - The ax continues to drop as a total of six managers have been fired since the end of the regular season three days ago. Jerry Royster (Brewers) joins Bobby Valentine (Mets) and Jerry Narron (Rangers) who were dismissed yesterday as well as Bruce Kimm (Cubs), Luis Pujols (Tigers) and Hal McRae (Devil Rays) who were let go earlier in the week.

    2004 - On the last day of the season, Blue Jays television announcer John Cerutti is found dead in his SkyDome hotel room. The death of the 44-year old Albany, N.Y. native, who was a former big league pitcher, is due to natural causes with foul play not being suspected.

    2004 - At the site of the franchise's first National League game in 1969, the Expos, who are scheduled to move to Washington, D.C. next season, play their last game in their 36-year history losing to the Mets at Shea Stadium, 8-1. Their finale, which turns out to be the rubber match of the franchise series with New York, gives the Amazin’s a 299-298 advantage in the 597 contests played since 1969.

    2005 - The ax begins to fall as two managers are fired the day after the season ends. Jim Tracy (5-yrs/427-383) and Alan Trammell (3-years/186-300) are fired by the Dodgers and Tigers respectively.

    2006 - Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria hires his fourth manager since buying the team four years ago. Florida hires Braves third-base coach Fred Gonzalez to replace first-year skipper Joe Girardi, who had a well-publicized feud with the owner during the season.

    2007 - After winning their tenth World Series campionship last season, the Cardinals announce senior vice president and general manager Walt Jocketty (1,117-968, .536) will no longer have a role with the team. The former GM, who will be replaced on an interim basis by his assisant John Mozeliak, watched the Redbirds make seven postseason appearances, winning two National League pennants and the 2006 Fall Classic, during his 13-year tenure with the club.

    2007 - The construction for the $250 million renovation of Kauffman Stadium, which will include the reduction of seating, the addition of an outfield concourse, a team hall of fame and conference center, and a new HD scoreboard, begins with a ceremonial groundbreaking inside the ballpark. The improvements, scheduled to be completed by Opening Day in 2009, will keep the Royals in Kansas City until 2030, a 15-year extension of their current deal.

    2008 - Jerry Manuel, who replaced Willie Randolph in June, inks a two-year deal to manage the Mets. The likable 54-year-old skipper, who compiled a 55-38 record in his interim role, built a three-and-a-half game division lead over Philadelphia in September, but like his predecessor, could not stop the team from collapsing at the end of the season.

    2009 - Needing only a win or a Colorado loss for the past week, the Dodgers finally clinch the National League West title with a 5-0 victory over the the wild-card Rockies. Joe Torre, who will be managing in the postseason for the 14th consecutive season, has won thirteen divisional titles, including ten with the Yankees, one with the Braves, and now his second with LA.

    2010 - The Giants return to the playoffs for the first time in six years when they beat the Padres on the last day of the season. After losing the first two games of the week-end series to San Diego, San Francisco avoids ending the season tied with their West Division foe with a 3-0 victory at AT &T Park.

    2010 - Entering the final day of the season tied with the Yankees, the Rays win their second AL East crown when their rivals lose to Boston. With the title not in jeopardy, even with a loss due to their overall record against New York this season, Tampa Bay rallies for a 3-2 victory over Kansas City in 12 innings to take the division by a game.

    2010 - With an 8-7 victory over the Phillies, and a San Diego loss to San Francisco later in the day, the Braves reach the postseason for the first time since 2005. Atlanta had won 14 straight division titles under skipper Bobby Cox, who has announced his retirement for the end of the season, but this is the first time in franchise history that the team has won the National League Wild Card.

    2010 - Josh Hamilton finished the regular season with a .359 average, the best in franchise history, to become the third Ranger player to win an American League batting crown. The Texas outfielder joins Julio Franco who hit .341 in 1991, and Michael Young, who led the Junior Circuit in 2005 with a batting average of .331.

    2010 - According to Ken Macha, he will become the first managerial casualty in the off season after hearing that the Brewers have decided not to pick up the option of his contract for 2011. The 60-year old skipper, who reached the playoffs with Milwaukee two seasons ago as the NL Wild Card team, will be told formally tomorrow in a meeting with general manager Doug Melvin.

    2010 - With their 5-2 loss in Miami, the Pirates finish the season with a 17-64 record on the road. The Bucs' dismal away-from-home performance equals the 1963 Mets' infamous mark for a 162-game season.

    2012 - After getting off to a slow start in the regular-season finale against Philadelphia, Teddy Roosevelt finally beats George, Abe, and Tom to the finish line, winning the Presidents Race for first time since the popular race made its debut at RFK Stadium in 2006. The victory, the mascot's first in over 500 tries, is assured when a green furry creature, who bears a striking resemblance to a phony Phillie Phanatic, waylays the other three presidential contenders in right field.

    2012 - In the final game of the season with the AL West title on the line, Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton's fourth inning-error opens the floodgates that allow the A's to erase a five-run deficit when they score six times en route to their 12-5 victory at the Oakland Coliseum. The Texas loss puts the team into the new one-game AL Wild Card contest against Baltimore.

    2012 - Miguel Cabrera clinches the AL Triple Crown becoming the first player to do so since 1967 when Carl Yastzemski accomplished the feat with Boston. The Tigers third baseman and eventual MVP led the circuit in average (.330), home runs (44), and RBIs (139) playing with the American League champs.

    2012 - Fernando Rodney extends his franchise record to 48 saves when he is brought in to face Jim Thome and gets the DH to hit a fly ball for the final out in the Rays' 4-1 victory over Baltimore at Tropicana Field. The right-handed closer, who has allowed only five earned runs over 74.2 innings, improves his single-season record for the lowest ERA (0.60) by a reliever in baseball history, bettering Dennis Eckersley's 0.61 mark established in 1990.

    2012 - Adam Dunn, having struck out 222 times, doesn’t play in the team's finale to avoid the dubious distinction of breaking the major league mark for strike outs in a season. The White Sox All-Star finishes with one less whiff than Mark Reynolds’ record, established by first baseman in 2009 when the played for the Diamondbacks.

    2013 - Alex Rodriguez announces he has filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court, accusing Major League Baseball and Commissioner Bud Selig of pursuing “vigilante justice” as part of a “witch hunt” in an effort to “destroy" his reputation and career. On August 5, the Yankees star was given a 211-game suspension for alleged violations of baseball’s drug agreement.

    2015 - Max Scherzer no-hits the Mets as the Washington Nationals win 2-0 at CitiField. This was the second no-hitter thrown by Scherzer this season. The Mets only runner was Kevin Plawecki who reached first on a throwing error by Yunel Escobar in the 6th.  Scherzer struck out 17 in the game.





    Baseball Birthdays on October 3...

    1866 - Goodfellow, Mike
    1872 - Clarke, Fred
    1874 - Shaw, Al
    1877 - Byers, Bill
    1880 - Thielman, Henry
    1883 - Reardon, Phil
    1885 - McClure, Larry
    1887 - Marsans, Armando
    1890 - House, Fred
    1891 - Richardson, Jack
    1895 - Lewis, Bert
    1905 - Riddle, Johnny
    1905 - Dorman, Red
    1909 - Broaca, Johnny
    1910 - Bowman, Bob
    1913 - Dallessandro, Dom
    1914 - Wheaton, Woody
    1915 - Letchas, Charlie
    1917 - Kalin, Frank
    1919 - Wood, Joe
    1922 - Eisenhart, Jake
    1925 - Haughey, Chris
    1927 - Harrington, Bill
    1928 - Melton, Dave
    1931 - Skinner, Bob
    1932 - Clark, Phil
    1936 - Lamabe, Jack
    1947 - Scrivener, Chuck
    1949 - Breazeale, Jim
    1949 - Foucault, Steve
    1951 - Winfield, Dave
    1954 - Roberge, Bert
    1954 - Eckersley, Dennis
    1954 - Gates, Joe
    1956 - Kearney, Bob
    1958 - Sconiers, Daryl
    1962 - Surhoff, Rich
    1966 - Taylor, Scott
    1966 - Fletcher, Darrin
    1967 - Felix, Junior
    1968 - Byrd, Jim
    1970 - Bailey, Roger
    1970 - Martinez, Manny
    1971 - Cordero, Wil
    1971 - Hyers, Tim
    1972 - Martinez, Sandy
    1973 - Robinson, Kerry
    1974 - Ramirez, Alex
    1975 - Cassidy, Scott
    1975 - Johnson, Mike
    1977 - Munson, Eric
    1978 - Kent, Steve
    1981 - Murton, Matt
    1982 - Carroll, Brett
    1982 - Young, Matt
    1988 - Belfiore, Mike
    1988 - Gosselin, Phil
    1991 - Plutko, Adam
    1991 - Stewart, Brock
    1994 - Tseng, Jen-Ho



    Baseball Deaths on October 3...

    1895 - Wright, Harry
    1938 - Murphy, Morgan
    1941 - Inks, Bert
    1942 - Hargrave, Pinky
    1949 - Donahue, John
    1962 - Songer, Don
    1965 - McCarthy, Jerry
    1965 - Drake, Delos
    1967 - Mollwitz, Fritz
    1975 - Knetzer, Elmer
    1986 - DiMaggio, Vince
    1986 - Mueller, Heinie
    1995 - Jones, Nippy
    1999 - Burris, Paul
    2004 - Cerutti, John
    2004 - Brondell, Ken
    2005 - Encarnacion, Mario
    2007 - Stewart, Bunky
    2013 - Chance, Bob
    2017 - Herrnstein, John