In Play Magazine
1876 The Alleghenies bring professional baseball to Pittsburgh playing their first game at Union Park. Next year, the team will be accepted into the minor-league International Association but will disband in 1878.
1907 The Giants lose to the Phillies on Opening Day due to the behavior of the Polo Grounds crowd. Umpire Bill Klem grows tired of the fans throwing snowballs at him and forfeits the game to Philadelphia.
1909 On Opening Day, the Dodgers are no-hit by Giants' Leon Ames for 9 1/3 innings. It takes 13 innings for Brooklyn to defeat the right-hander at the Polo Grounds, 3-0.
1921 At Crosley Field, Pirates right-hander Chief Yellow Horse makes his major league debut against the Reds. The Pittsburgh hurler, a member of a North American Plains Indian tribe call the Pawnees, is believed by many baseball historians to be the first full-blooded American Indian to play in the big leagues.
1930 On Opening Day, Philadelphia's Les Sweetland three-hits the Dodgers at Ebbets Field. The 28-year southpaw doubles and scores the lone run in the Phillies 1-0 victory over Brooklyn.
1933 In his major league debut, Tigers rookie Schoolboy Roe tosses a six-hitter blanking the White Sox, 3-0. During his 15-year career, playing also with the Dodgers and Phillies, Lynwood will compile a 158-101 record posting an ERA of 3.87.
1942 At Sportman’s Park in St. Louis, Hiram ‘Hi’ Bithorn becomes the first Puerto Rican to play major league baseball. The Cubs' right-hander from Santurce makes a relief appearance in the 4-2 loss to the Cardinals.
1947 A year before President Truman desegregated the military, Jackie Robinson debuts for the Dodgers becoming the first black player to participate in a major league game this century. In front of 25,623 Ebbets Field fans, the 28-year old first baseman is hitless in three at-bats, but scores a run in the 5-3 Opening Day victory over the Braves.
1947 In his National League debut, Hank Greenberg has the lone RBI in the Pirate's 1-0 win over the Cubs. Pittsburgh bought the slugging first baseman from the Tigers in the off-season for $75,000.
1953 During a preseason exhibition game against Brooklyn, Mickey Mantle, as he comes to the plate, is informed by the Ebbets Field public address announcer that he has just become the father of an eight-pound, twelve-ounce baby boy. The Yankees slugger’s first son, Mickey Jr., is given the middle name Elvin in memory of Mick’s recently deceased dad.
1954 In front of a a crowd of 46,354 fans, big league baseball returns to Baltimore after a 51-year absence when the Orioles beat White Sox in the first game played Memorial Stadium, 3-1. A Baltimore ownership group, which included Clarence Mills, Jim Keelty, Jerry Hoffberger and Zanvyl Krieger, bought the former St. Louis Browns and brought the franchise to the Charm City.
1958 On Opening Day, the transplanted New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers play the first major league game on the West Coast. The Californian contest sees Ruben Gomez blanking Los Angeles and Don Drysdale at San Francisco's Seals Stadium, 8-0.
1968 The Astros defeat the Mets in 24 innings,1-0, making it the longest scoreless game in major league history. The six hour and six-minute contest, in which each team had 79 at-bats and 11 hits, ends when Bob Aspromonte's grounder goes through the legs of shortstop Al Weiss scoring Norm Miller from third base with one out.
1976 In the debut of the 'new' Yankee Stadium, 52,613 fans watch the Bronx Bombers shell Minnesota on Opening Day, 11-4, Bob Shawkey, winner of the 1923 Stadium opener, throws out the ceremonial first pitch in the ballpark that has been completely rebuilt from top to bottom, with the fences, the seats, the roof, and the original grandstand being replaced.
1994 With only 115 fans in attendance on a cold and rainy night at Pohlman Field, Kelly Wunsch becomes the third player and first starting pitcher to strikeout five batters in one inning in professional baseball. The Beloit Brewer hurler, who was drafted by Milwaukee in the first round (26th pick overall) of the 1993 amateur draft, makes this possible when two of those victims reached first base on wild pitches during 7-3 loss to Springfield (IL) of the Midwest League.
2000 In the 2,800th game of his career, Orioles infielder Cal Ripken lines a base hit to center off the Twins' Hector Carrasco to become the 24th major leaguer to reach the 3,000 career hit milestone. The single also makes the 'Iron Man' only the seventh player to get 3,000 hits and 400 home runs in major league history.
2001 As leadoff batter Todd Hollingsworth steps into the batter's box, a swarm of bees is discovered on the right field auxiliary scoreboard. After a nine minute delay, the game starts without incident to the players, fans or bees.
2004 Fifty-seven years after the historic event, major league baseball begins the tradition of Jackie Robinson Day, an annual celebration marking the day the color line was broken in baseball. At big league parks across the country there are ceremonies honoring the ground-breaking Dodger rookie second baseman, including baseball commissioner Bud Selig joining his widow, Rachel Robinson, for a Shea Stadium tribute.
2005 Right-hander Ben Sheets, who agreed to a one-year deal worth $6 million during the off season to avoid salary arbitration, signs $38.5 million, four-year contract to stay with Milwaukee. The deal is the richest in the history of the Brewers.
2005 To commemorate the 58th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's first game in the big leagues, the Dodgers wear replicas of the old road uniforms worn by the 1947 team which played in Brooklyn. Derek Lowe throws a three-hitter blanking the Padres in San Diego, 4-0.
2005 In the first major league game played in Washington D.C. since September 30, 1971, the Nationals beat Arizona at RFK Stadium, 5-3. President George W. Bush throws out the ceremonial first pitch after receiving the ball from Joe Grzenda, the former Washington reliever who threw the final pitch in Senators history.
2005 A Fenway fan is ejected from the game after taking what appeared to be a swipe at Gary Sheffield as the Yankee outfielder fields a ball hit by Jason Varitek. The right-fielder's response, which includes shoving the fan, making a fist and exchanging words, will be investigated by major league baseball.
2007 To honor of Jackie Robinson, some players on each team, including Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter and Braves' outfielder Andruw Jones, wear the Dodger immortal's uniform No. 42 on the 60th anniversary of the his historic breaking the color barrier in baseball. In the Cardinals and Brewers contest at Busch Stadium, every player and coach on both teams don Jackie's revered number.
2009 Texas infielder Ian Kinsler, having already collected a single, double and home run, admits he was trying for a triple when he batted in the sixth inning of the 19-6 rout of Baltimore. The Rangers second baseman gets his three-bagger en route to a 6-for-6 cycle performance.
