On June 2 in Baseball History... 1891 - Reds' right-hander Charley Radbourn earns his 300th victory beating the Beaneaters at Boston's South End Grounds, 10-8. 'Old Hoss', who will finish 484 of the 497 games he starts, will end his 11-year career this season with 309 victories.
1918 - Facing only 28 batters, Dutch Leonard tosses his second career no-hitter as he holds the Tigers hitless in the Red Sox 5-0 victory at Navin Field. 'Hub' had also pitched a no-no against the Browns two seasons ago at Fenway Park.
1921 - Reds' outfielder Pat Duncan hits the first over-the-fence home run at Cincinnati's Redland Field. The spacious ballpark, which will become known as Crosley Field, made its debut nine seasons ago in 1912.
1928 - At Braves Field, Les Bell collects 15 total bases blasting three home runs and a triple. The third baseman's offensive output isn't enough when Boston bows to the Reds, 20-12.
1935 - Braves outfielder Babe Ruth announces his retirement from baseball. The 40-year old former Yankees slugger wanted to retire three weeks sooner, but team owner Emil Fuchs persuaded him to continue to play because Boston hadn't played in every National League park.
1941 - Upon their arrival in Detroit, the Yankees learn the sad news that their captain, Lou Gehrig, seventeen days prior to his 38th birthday, has died in his sleep due to ALS in his Riverdale home. It was on this day exactly 16 years ago the “Iron Horse’ broke into the Bronx Bombers' starting line-up.
1942 - Red Sox star Ted Williams enlists as a Navy aviator. He will finish the season with his team, as will many other players who enlist or await draft. Among A.L. regulars of 1941 who are now in the service: Johnny Rigney, Joe Grace, Johnny Berardino, Cecil Travis, Bob Feller, Pat Mullin, Buddy Lewis, Sam Chapman, and Johnny Sturm.
1949 - In the 12-3 rout of the Reds at Shibe Park, the Phillies hit five home runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Andy Seminick [2], Del Ennis, Willie Jones and Schoolboy Rowe all go deep for Philadelphia.
1951 - During a game against the Durham Bulls, Mike Romello hits umpire Emil Davidzuk after being called out for leaving third base early. A judge at the game arrests the visiting Danville's shortstop on the spot, and the infielder will later be fined $25 for his assault on the arbitrator.
1951 - Due to the poor lighting during a Alabama-Florida League contest at Peanut Stadium in Headland, Alabama, Ottis Johnson of the Dothan Browns fails to get out of the way of a fastball thrown by Jack Clifton. The 24-year-old Class D minor league outfielder undergoes surgery and spends eight days in the hospital before dying on June 10 as a result of being hit by the Dixie Runners hurler's pitch.
1955 - In his last game with the club, a 4-2 loss to Chicago, Red Sox first baseman Harry Agganis goes 2-for-4, with a double at Comiskey Park. The Golden Greek, hospitalized after the game with pneumonia, will die of a pulmonary embolism on June 27, having fallen ill again in Kansas City two weeks after rejoining the team.
1957 - Moe Drabowsky sets a National League record for the most hit batsmen in a single game when he plunks four Reds in the Cubs' 4-3 loss at Crosley Field. Cincinnati's right fielder Frank Robinson is drilled in consecutive innings by the right-hander who was born in Ozanna, Poland.
1958 - In the bottom of the sixth inning with Orioles on first and second base of an eventual 2-1 loss, Brooks Robinson lines into a triple play when Senator shortstop Rocky Bridges snares the wicked drive, steps on second, and then relays the ball to first baseman Julio Becquer to complete the play. It is the first of four triple killings the future Hall of Fame third baseman will hit into, a major league record.
1958 - Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford fans six in a row to tie an A.L. record as he shuts out the White Sox 3-0.
1959 - The White Sox ground crew rids the playing field of gnats using a smoke bomb attached to a postgame fireworks display. The game, delayed for half an hour because of the insects, will end with an Oriole victory when the smoke clears. 1962 - The Colt .45s capture their first doubleheader sweep in franchise history when they beat the Pirates twice at Forbes Field, 10-6 and 10-3. Carl Warwick, an outfielder recently acquired from St. Louis in exchange for Opening Day starter Bobby Shantz, contributes six hits in the twin bill victories.
1987 - The Mariners select Cincinnati high schooler Ken Griffey, Jr., the son of Braves outfielder Ken Griffey, with the first overall pick in the free-agent draft.
1989 - The Orioles, known as the Browns when the club played in St. Louis, become the fifth franchise in baseball history to record their 3,000th victory. The other clubs which have reached the milestone include the Cubs, Giants, Pirates and Yankees.
1990 - Blanking the Tigers, 2-0, Randy Johnson becomes the first Mariner in franchise history to pitch a no-hitter. The southpaw strikes out eight while walking six in the first hitless game thrown in the 14-year existence of the Kingdome.
1995 - John Valentin hits three home runs and has five hits in Boston's 6-3 win over the Mariners. His 15 total bases are a season high.
1996 - In St. Louis, Darryl Kile ties a major league record by hitting four batters. The Astros right-hander becomes the first National League player to do it since Moe Drabowsky accomplished the feat on the same date in 1957 while toiling for the Cubs in 1957.
1999 - In the first-year player's draft, the Devil Rays select North Carolina prep star Josh Hamilton as the team's top pick. It is the first time since 1993, when Alex Rodriguez was chosen, that a high school player has been picked first.
2000 - With the Tigers visiting Wrigley Field for the first time since the 1945 World Series, Cubs' reliever Rick Aguilera pitches a perfect ninth inning for his 300th save to nail down Chicago's 2-0 win.
2000 - Devil Rays' first baseman Fred McGriff becomes the 31st player to reach 400 career homers when he goes deep against Glendon Rusch with a two-run drive in a 5-3 loss to the Mets at Shea Stadium.
2000 - For the first time a major league team chooses to honor a hero from a different sport. The Montreal Expos will wear Maurice Richard's uniform number (9) on their right sleeves for the remainder of the year to pay tribute to the late Montreal Canadiens star, who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League.
2003 - In one of the minor league's strangest giveaways, the first 500 fans attending Ted Williams Night at the Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings game receive popcycles. Many are critical of the promotion because the late Red Sox Hall of Famer has recently been cryogenically frozen.
2005 - In celebration of Rotary International’s Centennial Year, The Player, a 13-foot tall bronze sculpture donated by the Denver Rotarians, is dedicated in front of Coors Field on the corner of 20th and Blake. A 24-inch version of the work of art, created by internationally prominent sculptor George Lundeen, is given annually to the recipient of the Branch Rickey Award, an honor given to a major leaguer in recognition of exceptional community service.
2008 - With his major-league-leading 21st homer in a 5-4 victory over the Reds at Citizens Bank Park, Chase Utley goes yard for the fifth straight game. The Phillies second baseman, who previously homered in five consecutive games earlier in the season, ties his own club record which he shares with Bobby Abreu, Dick Allen, and Mike Schmidt.
2010 - After 22 seasons of compiling can’t miss Hall of Fame statistics, Mariner outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. unexpectedly issues a statement through the team announcing that he has decided to retire. The now 40-year old Junior, once known as the Kid, leaves the game fifth on the All-time career home run list with 630 round-trippers.
2010 - After retiring 26 consecutive Cleveland batters, Tigers’ starter Armando Galarraga appears to have hurled the season’s third perfect game when the throw from the first baseman to the pitcher, covering the bag, clearly beats the baserunner for the final out, but umpire Jim Joyce emphatically calls Jason Donald safe. After seeing the replay, the first base arbitrator tearfully admits his error and apologizes to the 28-year-old Venezuelan right-hander for his blown call.
2013 - At PNC Park, Garrett Jones became only the second player and the first Pirate to hit ball into Davy Jones' Locker on the fly when his two-run eighth inning round-tripper ties the score in the Bucs' eventual 5-4 win over Cincinnati. In 2002, Houston's Daryle Ward also launched a shot that splashed into the waters of the Allegheny River.
2014 - The Dodgers score five unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth inning as they come from behind to beat the White Sox 5-2. The only runs scored by the White Sox were on a 2-run homer by Jose Abreu in the top of the 4th inning. Clayton Kershaw goes 8 full innings to pick up his 4th win of the season and Kenley Jansen gives up a single to start the 9th but then strikes out the side to pick up his 17th save. Hard luck pitcher José Quintana gets the loss dropping his record to 3-5 on the year.
2016 - The Miami Marlins released Edwin Jackson.
Baseball Birthdays on June 2... 1869 - Leahy, Tom
1869 - O'Connor, Jack
1876 - Jones, Charlie 1891 - Horstmann, Oscar
1895 - Baird, Al
1899 - Thurston, Sloppy 1906 - Atkinson, Lefty
1926 - Verdi, Frank
1929 - Valdez, Rene
1930 - Lillis, Bob
1931 - Bridges, Marshall
1931 - Jackson, Larry
1932 - Skizas, Lou 1933 - Lumpe, Jerry
1933 - Valenzuela, Benny
1938 - Gregory, Lee
1938 - Michael, Gene
1940 - Maloney, Jim
1940 - Clarke, Horace
1941 - Saverine, Bob
1946 - Freed, Roger
1948 - Pactwa, Joe
1948 - Pierce, Jack
1952 - Davey, Mike
1956 - Chapman, Kelvin
1958 - O'Connor, Jack
1960 - Miller, Lemmie
1961 - Schulz, Jeff
1962 - Coles, Darnell
1963 - Harvey, Bryan
1967 - Stanton, Mike
1969 - Abbott, Kurt
1970 - Kelly, Mike
1970 - Cornelius, Reid
1972 - Ibanez, Raul
1972 - Sanford, Chance
1975 - Rain, Steve
1978 - Perez, Neifi
1978 - Serrano, Wascar
1981 - Burton, Jared
1981 - Tsao, Chin-Hui
1982 - Stauffer, Tim
1983 - Geer, Josh
1986 - Martin, Chris
1990 - Smith, Jake
1992 - Cowart, Kaleb
Baseball Deaths on June 2... 1905 - East, Harry
1915 - Orr, Dave
1924 - Hughes, Jay
1934 - Pirie, Jim
1941 - Gehrig, Lou
1955 - Eccles, Harry
1956 - Parisse, Tony
1956 - Sullivan, Denny
1964 - Kading, Jack
1966 - Casey, Joe
1973 - Bader, Lore
1975 - Emery, Spoke
1977 - Steengrafe, Milt 1978 - McGraw, Bob
1981 - O'Neal, Skinny
1993 - Mize, Johnny
1994 - Flohr, Mort
1996 - Snyder, Gene
2000 - Clary, Ellis
2001 - Bragan, Jimmy
2001 - Woodling, Gene
2013 - Ward, Preston
2016 - Pfund, Lee