On October 11 in Baseball History...
1906 - Ed Walsh of the White Sox pitched a two-hitter over the Cubs for a 3-0 win and a 2-1 lead in the World Series. 1909 - At Bennett Park, Honus Wagner becomes the first player to steal three bases in a World Series contest. The Pirates third baseman's thievery enables Pittsburgh to beat Detroit, 8-6, in Game 3 of the Fall Classic.
1911 - Ty Cobb (Tigers -AL) and Frank Schulte (Cubs -NL) receive cars for being chosen the first-ever Most Valuable Player in their respective leagues. Known as the Chalmers Award, the new honor is sponsored by Chalmers Automotive, a Detroit based automobile company.
1913 - Eddie Plank tossed a two-hitter against the New York Giants to give the Philadelphia Athletics a 3-1 victory and the World Series in five games.
1915 - In front of the largest crowd to ever to see a World Series game, 42,300 fans watch the Red Sox beat the Phillies in Game 3 of the Fall Classic, 2-1. The contest, which is played at the National League home of the Braves to accommodate more Boston patrons, ends when Duffy Lewis singles with two outs to score Harry Hopper in the bottom of the ninth inning.
1925 - Walter Johnson wins his third straight World Series contest over two years, 4-0. A three-run home run by Goose Goslin followed by a solo shot by Joe Harris gives the Senators a 4-0 win and 3-1 Series advantage over the Pirates.
1943 - New York's Spud Chandler shut out the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 as the Yankees won the World Series in five games. Chandler gave up 10 hits and stranded 11 runners.
1946 - The Yankees trade Joe Gordon to the Indians in exchange for right-hander Allie Reynolds. The future Hall of Fame second baseman will leave the Bronx after playing in precisely 1,000 games and collecting exactly 1,000 hits.
1948 - In Game 6 of the Fall Classic, the Indians beat the Braves, 4-3 to win the World Series. Bob Lemon gets the win with Gene Bearden pitching the final one and two-thirds innings to earn the save.
1964 - In Game 4 of the World Series, Ken Boyer's sixth inning grand slam off Yankee starter Al Downing gives the Cardinals a 4-3 victory over the Yankees. The St. Louis third baseman is the second National Leaguer to hit a postseason bases-loaded round-tripper.
1965 - In Game 5, a 7-0 victory over the Twins at Dodger Stadium, Willie Davis becomes the second player to steal three bases in a World Series game. The L.A. center fielder joins Pirates shortstop Honus Wagner, who accomplished the feat on the same date 56 years ago against Detroit in Game 3 of the 1909 Fall Classic.
1967 - Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Smith, and Rico Petrocelli, his second of the game, all go deep off Dick Hughes in the bottom of the fourth inning at Fenway Park, marking the first time three home runs have been hit in the same inning in a World Series game. Boston's eventual 8-4 victory over St. Louis knots the Fall Classic at three games apiece.
1967 - Gil Hodges, with a year remaining on his contract to manage Washington, inks a three-year deal to become the Mets skipper. New York agrees to pay significant reparations to the Senators, and to send a player from the 40-man roster to Washington to get the fan-favorite former Dodger.
1968 - The Giants name Clyde King as the team's new manager, replacing Herman Franks. The San Francisco skipper will guide the club to 90 victories next season, but will be fired after blowing an 8-0 lead against the Padres in May, 1970.
1969 - Don Buford's leadoff home run starts a 4-1 Baltimore win over the Mets to open the World Series. Mike Cuellar bests Tom Seaver in what will be New York's only postseason loss of the year.
1971 - Brooks Robinson ties a World Series record by reaching base five straight times on three hits and two walks as Baltimore rolls over Pittsburgh, 11-3. The defending World Champion Orioles hold a 2-0 Series advantage.
1972 - In the fifth and deciding game of the NLCS at Riverfront Stadium, George Foster scores the winning run from third base in the bottom of the ninth on a wild pitch thrown by Bob Moose giving the Reds a dramatic 4-3 walk-off victory over the Pirates. Earlier in the inning, Johnny Bench hit a home run off Dave Giusti to tie the score.
1972 - Bobby Winkles, former head baseball coach at Arizona State, becomes the first major league skipper taken from the collegiate ranks since Hugo Bezdek managed the Pirates in 1917. The Angel coach, who compiled a 524-173 record en route to three national championships with ASU, replaces Del Rice, who was fired after one season with the fifth-place (75-80) Halos.
1973 - Catfish Hunter throws a five-hitter as Oakland beats Baltimore 3-0 in Game Five to take the AL pennant.
1975 - Boston's Luis Tiant shuts down the Big Red Machine and scores the first run as the Red Sox win the opening game of the 1975 World Series, 6-0.
1975 - As the first host of
Saturday Night Live, George Carlin compares baseball to football in the opening monologue of the ground-breaking show. The comedian jokes the national pastime a gentler game portraying the sport as one which is pastoral and played in a park as opposed to football in which the objective is to march downfield and penetrate enemy territory in a stadium.
1977 - The Yankees beat the Dodgers in the opening game of the World Series in 12 innings, 4-3. Willie Randolph doubles and scores the winning run on a single by Paul Blair.
1978 - The Dodgers take a 2-0 World Series lead as Ron Cey drives in all the Dodger runs and Reggie Jackson does the same for the Yankees. Bob Welch saves Burt Hooton's 4-3 win in dramatic fashion by striking out Jackson in the ninth inning.
1979 - Manny Sanguillen's pinch-hit, two-out single in the ninth inning of Game Two breaks a tie as the Pirates win, 3-2, and even the World Series.
1980 - In one of the most exciting and controversial games in playoff history, the Phillies tie the NLCS with a 10-inning 5-3 win over the Astros in Game Four. In the fourth inning, Houston is deprived of an apparent triple play when the umpires rule that pitcher Vern Ruhle traps Garry Maddox's soft line drive. In the sixth, Houston loses a run when Gary Woods leaves the base early on Luis Pujols' would-be sacrifice fly.
1981 - Steve Rogers wins Game Five of the NL East Divisional playoff for Montreal over Philadelphia by twirling a six-hit shutout and knocking in two of his team's runs in a 3-0 victory.
1985 - In Game 3 of the ALCS, the Royals beat the Blue Jays, 6-5, with George Brett contributing to the victory by going 4-for-4, hitting two homers, driving in three runs and scoring four times. The Kansas City third baseman, who will hit .348 with a .500 on base percentage during the seven game set with Toronto, will be selected as the series Most Valuable Player.
1986 - Tom Gorman, a former National League umpire for 25 seasons and major league pitcher who appeared in four games with the Giants in 1939, suffers a fatal heart attack at his New Jersey home. The 67-year old arbitrator will be buried in his umpire's uniform holding a ball and strike indicator in his hand showing the count to be 3 and 2.
1986 - Len Dykstra's two-run home run off Dave Smith with one out in the bottom of the ninth gives the Mets a 6-5 win over the Astros and a 2-1 lead in the NLCS.
1992 - Dennis Eckersley, who saved 51 games for Oakland during the season, surrenders a two-run home run to Roberto Alomar that sends Game Four of the ALCS into extra innings. The Blue Jays go on to win 7-6 in 11 innings and take a 3-1 series edge.
1992 - After participating in a game against the Dolphins in Miami, NFL Falcons' cornerback Deion Sanders flies to Pittsburgh hoping to become the first athlete to play in two professional leagues in the same day. The traveling outfielder, however, will not be in the lineup for the Braves' 7-1 loss in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium that evening.
1996 - With the ALCS tied at 1-1 and the game tied at 2-2, Orioles third baseman Todd Zeile fakes a throw and the ball trickles away to allow the go-ahead run to score. Cecil Fielder follows with a home run and the Yankees win, 5-2.
1997 - One of the most bizarre endings in ALCS history, the winning run scores on a botched squeeze play. With Marquis Grissom racing home from third base, Omar Vizquel bunts and misses and the ball trickles a few feet from the plate. Orioles catcher Lenny Webster thinks it's a foul ball and loafs after it as Grissom streaks home for a 2-1 Cleveland win. Baltimore starter Mike Mussina strikes out an LCS record 15 batters in seven innings in the difficult twilight at Jacobs Field, but has nothing to show for it.
1999 - With both starters ineffective in the decisive Game 5 of the ALCS and the score tied at 8-8 in the fourth, an ailing Pedro Martinez enters the game and doesn't yield another hit to the Indians for the next six innings. Troy O'Leary collects a grand slam and a three-run home run, both following an intentional pass to Nomar Garciaparra, contributing to the Red Sox 12-8 clinching victory.
2000 - The Yankees' eight hits in the 8th inning in Game 2 set an ALCS record and contribute to the Bronx Bombers' 7-1 victory over the Mariners. The Orioles (Game 1 - 1970), the Yankees (Game 2 - 1981) and the Blue Jays (Game 3 - 1985) had previously each had seven hits in one inning of a championship series.
2002 - Former Yankee and Diamondback skipper Buck Showalter is hired by the Rangers to be the team's manager. The Cubs, Mets, Devil Rays and Brewers had also expressed an interest in the ESPN commentator.
2003 - The Cubs [6] and Marlins [8] tie the NLCS homer record by hitting 14 dingers in the championship series. The mark was established by the Giants and Cardinals last year.
2004 - After seven tries during their 43-year history, the Astros finally win a postseason playoff series when they eliminate the Braves in the deciding Game 5 of the NLDS, 12-3. It is the third consecutive year Atlanta has lost Game 5 of the division series at Turner Field.
2005 - The Pirates hire former Dodger skipper Jim Tracy as the team’s manager to replace recently-fired Lloyd McClendon. It is the first time in nearly two decades Pittsburgh has looked outside the organization to select its field boss.
2006 - On a rainy mid-week afternoon in Manhattan, Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor Tyler Stanger die as their four-seat plane crashes into an Upper East Side high-rise building. Manny Acta, the Mets third base coach, is not sure he will be able to go to his home after tonight's scheduled Game 1 of the NLCS at Shea Stadium due to damage to the Belaire Condominiums caused by the crash.
2009 - In the final game game to be played by at the Metrodome, the Yankees advance to the ALCS by defeating the hometown Twins, 4-1. A costly eighth inning base-running blunder by Nick Punto ends Minnesota's hopes of a comeback over a very talented New York team, which includes Alex Rodriguez, who went 5 for 11 with two homers and six RBIs in the three-game division series sweep.
2009 - Jonathan Papelbon, who had never given up a run in any of his previous 26 postseason innings, allows two inherited runners to score in the eighth, and yields another three runs in the ninth giving the Angels, who trailed 5-1 going into the sixth inning, a 7-6 victory over the Red Sox. The Halos' comeback victory at Fenway completes a three-game sweep of the ALDS over a team which historically had been their nemesis having been eliminated from the playoffs in their past four postseason encounters with Boston.
2009 - Admitting to a blown call, which led to the decisive run in the Rockies' 6-5 Game 2 NLDS loss to the Phillies at a very chilly Coors Field, home plate umpire Jerry Meals, after watching a post-game replay, states the ball that glanced off Chase Utley's leg should have not been considered in play. To make matters worse on the same play which was foul to begin with, umpire Ron Kulpa rules the runner safe on a close call which appeared to have the Philadelphia infielder beat at first base.
2010 - With their 3-2 victory over the Braves in Game 4 of the NLDS at Turner Field, San Francisco advances to the National League Championship Series to play Philadelphia. After the last out of the game, the Giants players come onto the field to salute the opposing manager, Bobby Cox, who is retiring after 29 years in the dugout.
2012 - For the first time since the divisional playoffs began in 1995, all four series will go the distance to a Game 5 when both the Nationals and Orioles knot their respective series against the Cardinals and Yankees. Washington and Baltimore join the A's and Giants who also forced a decisive game with victories over the Tigers and Reds in yesterday's LDS games.
Baseball Birthdays on October 11... 1854 - White, Will
1858 - Dickerson, Buttercup
1859 - Burdick, Bill
1866 - Husted, Bill
1878 - Roth, Frank
1882 - Washer, Buck
1888 - Wertz, Del
1889 - Stewart, Mark
1894 - Fortune, Gary
1899 - Dyer, Eddie
1899 - Smith, Ernie 1905 - Hunt, Joel
1906 - Carey, Tom
1912 - Osborne, Wayne
1912 - Guerra, Mike
1917 - Castino, Vince
1918 - Chipman, Bob
1926 - Ginsberg, Joe
1929 - Kell, Skeeter
1930 - Fischer, Bill
1931 - Blaylock, Gary
1938 - Roman, Bill
1944 - Fiore, Mike
1945 - Stinson, Bob
1946 - Tatum, Jarvis
1947 - James, Rick
1947 - Williams, Charlie
1949 - Jones, Bob
1959 - Dodson, Pat
1960 - Ford, Curt
1965 - Johnson, Erik
1965 - Hernandez, Orlando 1966 - Olson, Gregg
1969 - Luebbers, Larry
1971 - Roa, Joe
1973 - Young, Dmitri
1974 - Sanchez, Jesus
1974 - Duvall, Mike
1976 - Sadler, Carl
1977 - Wigginton, Ty
1979 - Youman, Shane
1982 - Larish, Jeff
1984 - Ramirez, Max
1988 - Goforth, David
1989 - Mejia, Jenrry
1991 - Urshela, Giovanny
Baseball Deaths on October 11... 1891 - Smalley, Will
1916 - Luff, Henry
1928 - Smith, Frank
1934 - Burk, Sandy
1935 - Pierce, George
1935 - Smith, Chick
1947 - Martel, Doc
1951 - Becker, Bob
1952 - Beecher, Roy
1958 - Thomas, Ira
1962 - Bell, Bill
1964 - Gray, Stan
1965 - Cole, Willis 1966 - Smith, Red
1972 - Taylor, Danny
1979 - Bowman, Abe
1989 - Phebus, Bill
1991 - Kirby, Clay
1993 - O'Neill, Emmett 1993 - Walls, Lee
1994 - Brooks, Bobby
1994 - Cuellar, Charlie 2006 - Pellagrini, Eddie
2006 - Lidle, Cory
2008 - Foster, Kevin
2011 - Buker, Cy
2011 - Martin, Paul
2012 - Summers, Champ
2015 - Chance, Dean