On October 23 in Baseball History... 1910 - Philadelphia's Jack Coombs won his third game of the World Series, beating the Chicago Cubs 7-2 as the Athletics took the championship in five games. Eddie Collins had three hits, including two doubles, for the A's.
1920 - The Chicago grand jury indictment adds the names of former featherweight boxing champ Abe Attell, Hal Chase, and Bill Burns as go-betweens in the 1919 World Series scandal. Ed Cicotte, Joe Jackson, Lefty Williams and Happy Felsch sign confessions, which they later recant. 1923 - Babe Ruth makes a postseason appearance in a New York Giants uniform as the Giants defeat the minor-league Baltimore Orioles 9-0. Ruth hits a home run over the right field roof at the Polo Grounds. The game is a benefit for destitute former Giants owner John Day.
1935 - Gabby Hartnett is selected by the BBWAA as the NL MVP, with Dizzy Dean the runner-up.
1945 - Dodger President Branch Rickey announces that the team has signed two black players, shortstop Jackie Robinson and pitcher Johnny Wright, to play with Brooklyn's Triple A team in Montreal. The 26-year old Negro League infielder will be the first black player to play in organized baseball since 1884.
1951 - The Associated Press selects Giants skipper Leo Durocher as the manager of the year.
1952 - The Pacific Coast League announces its teams will play a 176-game schedule next season.
1958 - The Associated Press names Danny Murtaugh as its major league manager of year. In his first full year in the Pirates' dugout, the team improves by 22 games, 14 games over .500, finishing in second place, eight games behind Milwaukee.
1973 - Boston trades first baseman Ben Ogilvie to the Tigers in exchange for Dick McAuliffe. The former Detroit shortstop will hit only .210 in 100 games for his new team next season, but in 1975 the Hartford native will become the manager of club's Double-A farm team, the Bristol Red Sox, located in his home state of Connecticut.
1974 - The Cubs trade sweet-swinging Billy Williams, a fixture at Wrigley Field for 16 years, to the A's for second baseman Manny Trillo and pitchers Darold Knowles and Bob Locker.
1979 - Billy Martin is involved in a barroom altercation with Joseph Cooper, a Minnesota marshmallow salesman. Cooper requires 15 stitches to close a gash in his lip.
1981 - The Los Angeles Dodgers beat New York 5-4 in the third game of the World Series, narrowing the Yankees' lead to 2-1.
1984 - Rick Sutcliffe, who was 16-1 for the Cubs after arriving from Cleveland two days before the June 15 trading deadline, is a unanimous choice as NL Cy Young Award winner.
1985 - John Tudor hurled a five-hit, 3-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals, giving the St. Louis Cardinals a 3-1 lead in the World Series.
1985 - After months of debate, King County Executive Randy Revelle and team owner George Aggyros sign a new lease calling for the Mariners to play in the Kingdome through the 1996 season. The deal contains a provision which allows the M's to leave Seattle after the 1987 season if attendance stays below 1.4 million, and season ticket sales fall under the 10,000 mark.
1986 - In Game 5 of the World Series played at Fenway Park, Bruce Hurst throws a complete-game to beat the Mets, 4-2, bringing Boston within one game of ending their 68-year World Championship drought. New York will dash the Red Sox Nation's hopes with two come-from-behind victories at Shea Stadium.
1991 - Mark Lemke hits his second triple of the night in the ninth inning and then scores on a close play on Jerry Willard's sacrifice fly for Atlanta's 3-2 win over the Twins.
1993 - In one of the most dramatic endings in World Series history, Joe Carter hits a three-run, ninth inning home run off Mitch Williams for an 8-6 win and Toronto's second straight World Championship. Paul Molitor, who hits .500 in 24 at bats, is MVP while Philadelphia's Lenny Dykstra, who hit .348 with four home runs, did everything except pitch.
1993 - Mike Piazza, the sixty-second round pick of the 1988 draft, is the BBWAA's unanimous choice for the Rookie of the Year award in the National League. The Dodger catcher is the first player to hit over .300 (.318)‚ connect for more than 30 homers (35)‚ and drive in at least 100 runs (112) in the Senior Circuit as a freshman since Wally Berger accomplished the feat in his initial major league season with the Braves in 1930.
1995 - Former Astros GM Bob Watson is named as the Yankees new general manager, replacing Gene Michael. Watson, upset with the chain of command within the organization, will stay in the position for just two seasons, but under his watch the team will win its first World Series since 1978 establishing the groundwork for the very successful Bronx Bomber clubs of the late 1990's.
1996 - The Braves jump to a 6-0 lead, but the Yankees mount their biggest comeback in World Series history with a three-run home run by Jim Leyritz that ties the game in the eighth inning. After Bernie Williams is intentionally walked with runners on first and second in the 10th, Steve Avery walks Wade Boggs to bring in the deciding run.
1997 - The Marlins move within one win of their first World Series title as Moises Alou hits his second three-run home run of the Series against Cleveland's Orel Hershiser. Rookie Livan Hernandez pitches into the ninth inning of Game Five and Florida holds off the Indians 8-7.
1998 - Davey Johnson is hired as the manager of the Dodgers. The former Met, Red and Oriole skipper has finished first with every team he has managed.
2000 - Although lacking big league managerial experience, Pirates' hitting coach Lloyd McClendon is named as the team's manager replacing recently-fired Gene Lamont.
2002 - Lou Gehrig's consecutive games streak being broken by Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995 is voted as baseball's most memorable moment by the fan participating Major league baseball and MasterCard promotion. Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record, Jackie Robinson becoming the first black to play in major league baseball, Mark McGwire breaking Roger Maris' single-season home run record and Lou Gehrig's farewell speech were also in the top five events selected by the fans.
2002 - Joining Roberto Clemente and Thurman Munson, Darryl Kile will become the third player to appear on the 2003 Hall of Fame ballot before the mandatory five-year waiting period. The 33-year-old Cardinal pitcher, who died of heart disease, was found dead in his Chicago hotel room in June.
2002 - In Game 4 of the World Series, Barry Bonds is walked intentionally three times setting a new record for a Fall Classic game. Angels starting pitcher John Lackey, who issues all the free passes to the Giants left fielder, does not factor in the decision in San Francisco’s 4-3 victory at Pac Bell, which deadlocks the series at two.
2005 - For the 14th time in World Series history, a walk off home run ends the contest when Scott Podsednik's ninth inning blast in Game 2 at Chicago’s U.S. Cellular Field beats the Astros, 7-6. Bill Mazeroski remains the only player to accomplish the feat in the seventh game of the Fall Classic.
2005 - On the verge of the first World Series game in Texas, much to the chagrin of the Astros, MLB rules Houston must play Game 3 of the Fall Classic with its Minute Maid Park roof open. During the regular season, the team had a much better record (38-17) when the ballpark was enclosed than in games started in open air (15-11). 2006 - Extending his scoreless streak to 24 1/3 postseason innings, dating back to 2003 with the Twins, Kenny Rogers blanks the Cardinals for eight innings when the Tigers beat the Cardinals 3-1 to even the World Series at a game a piece. The "G@mbler's" recent play-off success comes under suspicion as TV cameras spot an unknown dark spot on the right-hander's pitching hand in the first inning which he claims to be only mud.
2010 - The Giants capture their twenty-first National League flag when they defeat the Phillies, 3-2, in Game 6 of NLCS at Citizens Bank Park. The decisive blow is Juan Uribe's two-out tie-breaking home run off Ryan Madson in the eighth inning.
2014 - The Rays, after aggressively trying to sign their manager to a third contract extension, announce Joe Maddon has exercised an opt-out in his contract. During his nine-year tenure with Tampa Bay, a franchise which was perceived as perennial losers before his arrival, the popular skipper compiled a 754-705 record, leading the team to the playoffs four times, that included winning two AL East titles and one appearance in the World Series.
2015 - The Royals win their second straight American League flag when they eliminate the Blue Jays in Game 6 of the ALCS played at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City scores the go-ahead run in their 4-3 victory in the bottom of the eighth inning when Lorenzo Cain races home from first base on Eric Hosmer's RBI single.
Baseball Birthdays on October 23... 1860 - Jones, Jack (DA)
1866 - Sullivan, Mike
1881 - Winham, Lave
1882 - Cree, Birdie
1886 - Blackburne, Lena 1889 - Mills, Jack
1889 - Bedient, Hugh
1890 - Conway, Owen
1894 - Bressler, Rube
1907 - Grissom, Lee
1910 - Sullivan, Billy
1920 - Stephens, Vern
1922 - Blackwell, Ewell
1929 - Barmes, Bruce
1930 - Drake, Solly
1931 - Bunning, Jim
1933 - Striker, Jake 1937 - Allen, Bob
1937 - Butler, Cecil
1939 - Williams, George
1944 - Rittwage, Jim
1949 - Thayer, Greg
1952 - Poff, John
1952 - Tate, Randy
1953 - McLaughlin, Bo
1954 - Castino, John
1956 - Silverio, Luis
1957 - Lowry, Dwight
1959 - Hinshaw, George
1961 - Presley, Jim
1965 - Leiter, Al
1972 - Guevara, Giomar
1973 - Suzuki, Ichiro
1975 - Belitz, Todd
1975 - Matsui, Kazuo
1975 - Sears, Todd
1976 - Riske, David 1978 - Lackey, John
1979 - Castro, Ramon
1979 - Smith, Bud
1980 - Liriano, Pedro
1981 - Francisco, Ben
1982 - Bautista, Denny
1985 - Demel, Sam
1987 - Doubront, Felix
1987 - Gibson, Kyle
Baseball Deaths on October 23... 1937 - Singleton, John
1940 - Krause, Harry
1943 - Peitz, Heinie
1947 - Rheam, Cy
1949 - Burdick, Bill
1965 - Fitzpatrick, Ed
1965 - Shorten, Chick
1965 - Lawry, Otis
1965 - Odenwald, Ted
1966 - Peerson, Jack
1966 - Fussell, Fred
1968 - Bliss, Jack
1969 - Dubiel, Monk
1970 - Robertson, Sherry
1971 - Upchurch, Woody
1971 - Petty, Jesse
1977 - Gerken, George
1983 - Crouse, Buck
1986 - Gehrman, Paul
1992 - Rochelli, Lou
1993 - Wells, John
1993 - Blaylock, Marv
1996 - Grim, Bob
2000 - Culp, Benny
2003 - Corwin, Al
2004 - McDonald, Jim
2007 - Nicholas, Don 2008 - Melton, Dave
2013 - Picone, Mario