đĄ Interesting Facts
Steve Brye, in his first and only season as a starting outfielder in Major League Baseball, led the Minnesota Twins in doubles.Tommy Thevenow hit his only two home runs in a six-day span in 1926, but none in his next 12 seasons, setting a Major League record of 3,347 consecutive regular season at bats without a home run.Wes Schulmerich turned down an offer to play football for Knute Rockne at Notre Dame, later becoming a Major League Baseball player.The New York Times published an article mentioning that MLB player Jeff Johnson had been bothered because of rumors he had heard about the New York Yankees pursuing different pitchers.Roy Staiger played for both New York Major League Baseball teams, the Mets and Yankees, but for no other Major League teams.Ronn Reynolds spent parts of six seasons as a Major League Baseball catcher, despite a career batting average of just .188.Putsy Caballero is the youngest player ever to play in a game at third base in Major League Baseball history.Red Kellett, former President and General Manager of the Baltimore Colts, was never a professional football player, but an infielder for the Boston Red Sox baseball club in his playing days.Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel became the first Indians to sign Major League Baseball contracts after throwing a baseball for the first time a year earlier.Bless You Boys is Sparky Anderson's diary as manager of the first American League baseball team since the 1927 Yankees to "lead the race from wire-to-wire" and win the World Series.Japanese high school pitcher Yusei Kikuchi could be the first player to bypass a domestic draft and play for a Major League Baseball team.before becoming Governor of Pennsylvania, John K. Tener was a Major League Baseball player who once explained the game to the future King Edward VII.before making his major league debut, pitcher Alfonso Pulido drew comparisons to Fernando Valenzuela after winning 17 games in the Mexican League in 1983.brothers Jim Perry and Gaylord Perry made Opening Day starts for the Major League Baseball Cleveland Indians.during production of the film The Natural, Robert Redford was coached by Major League Baseball pitcher Spec Shea on how to pitch in an old-time style.at the age of 40, Randy Johnson pitched a perfect game, making him the oldest person to do so in Major League Baseball history.as a college athlete, Detroit Tigers outfielder Matt Joyce played in an exhibition game against the Tigers three years before his Major League debut with them.after New York Mets second baseman Kelvin Chapman made his Major League Baseball debut in 1979, he had to spend more than four years in the minor leagues before returning to the majors.after attempting to bribe a teammate to lose a game during the 1876 season, George Bechtel of the Louisville Grays became one of the first players banned for life from Major League Baseball.after his Major League Baseball career, Baseball Hall of Famer Dan Brouthers once led the Hudson River League in batting average at the age of 46.Paul Casanova drove in the winning run in what is considered the longest night game in Major League Baseball history at 6 hours, 38 minutes.Mike Cather earned his first major-league win in an 11-inning Atlanta Bravesâ win, the same night the Braves earned the National League Eastern Division title.Ike Davis, the New York Mets rookie first baseman, is the 197th son to follow in their father's footsteps and became a Major League Baseball player.Irv Hall's 1,904 at bats without a home run from 1943 to 1946 places him second among batters since 1900 who never hit a home run during their Major League Baseball career.Jack Blott, an All-American football center for the Michigan Wolverines, had a Major League Baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds lasting only two games.Jeff Moronko is one of two Major League Baseball players to have attended Texas Wesleyan University, the other being Hall of Famer Tris Speaker.Icehouse Wilson, a member of "Oakland's first World Champion Baseball team," had a career batting average of .000 in Major League Baseball.Hugh Daily, a pitcher with only one arm, once struck out 19 batters in a Major League Baseball game.Garry Roggenburk, after his Major League Baseball career, became a general manager for the Winter Haven Red Sox in the farm system of his former team, the Boston Red Sox.Heinie Reitz was the first Major League baseballer to die in a car accident.Herm Doscher and his son Jack were the first pair of father and son to have both played Major League Baseball.Jeff Robinson, who played nine seasons in Major League Baseball, was the thirteenth pitcher in the National League to strike out three batters on nine pitches.Jeffrey Zients, the new United States Chief Performance Officer, was in a club that tried to buy the Washington Nationals baseball team.Jonny Diaz, brother of Major League Baseball player Matt Diaz, abandoned his college baseball career to become a Christian musician.Kelly Paris' three career home runs were all hit in 1988 in 44 at bats with the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball.Larry GowellâČs baseball in the Baseball Hall of Fame was his first and only major league hit.Cleveland Indians first-round draft pick CC Sabathia won the Major League Baseball Cy Young Award in 2007.John Mayberry, Jr. hit his first two career home runs against the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays, the last two Major League Baseball teams for which his father John Mayberry played.John Kelly played in three different Major League Baseball leagues during his four-year-long career.Jerry Reuss was one of a few players in Major League Baseball history to play in four different decades.Jerry Zimmerman was the last active Major League Baseball coach to umpire a major league game.Joe Oeschger co-owns the Major League Baseball record for most innings pitched in a single game with 26.eight times since 1980, pairs of major league baseball teammates have won Silver Slugger Awards for outfielders.former Detroit Tigers pitcher Pat Underwood's first game in the major leagues was a 1-0 victory against his brother Tom.out of the ten players that attended Morehead State University who eventually played in Major League Baseball, Ron Klimkowski was the only one who attended the college for only one year.retired baseball coach Jacke Davis had five players he coached at Panola College go on to play in Major League Baseball.sportswriter O. P. Caylor was the last manager of the New York Metropolitans Major League Baseball team.the 1996 Opening Day game for the Oakland A's at Cashman Field in Las Vegas marked the first time in 39 years that a regular season major league game was played in a minor league stadium.on August 5, 1893, Cub Stricker (pictured) of the Washington Senators baseball team was arrested after intentionally throwing a baseball into the crowd that broke the nose of a fan.on Jackie Robinson Day of 2007, more than 200 baseball players wore number 42 in honor of the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's (pictured) major league debut.in the only inning he pitched in Major League Baseball, Cal Cooper gave up five hits, a walk and five runs for a lifetime ERA of 45.0.neither the Arizona Diamondbacks nor Colorado Rockies have selected a second baseman in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft.on Mother's Day, May 14, 2006, the Louisville Slugger Company produced more than 400 pink baseball bats for game use by more than 50 professional baseball players.the 1929 Chicago Cubs outfield composed of Riggs Stephenson, Hack Wilson and Kiki Cuyler was the only complete outfield in Major League Baseball history to each drive in over 100 runs in the same season.the Arizona Diamondbacks won the World Series in just their fourth season of Major League Baseball.the winner of the National League pennant in Major League Baseball has gone on to win the World Series 43 times.there have been 16 managers for the San Diego Padres, a Major League Baseball franchise.three Major League Baseball pitchersâCharles Radbourn, John Clarkson and Guy Heckerâcaptured the National League wins title by collecting more than 50 victories in a single season.three of the four batters faced by Mike Palagyi in his one Major League game were later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.the Philadelphia Phillies were the last of the original 16 Major League Baseball franchises to win the World Series.the Tampa Bay Rays, a Major League Baseball team located in St. Petersburg, Florida, has had a losing record under each of its four managers.the Boston Red Sox once traded Major League Baseball pitcher Anastacio MartĂnez to the Pittsburgh Pirates only to take him back in a different trade a week later.the Chicago Cubs have had the first selection in Major League Baseball's entry draft only once in the draft's 45-year history.the New York Mets traded Mike Welch to the Philadelphia Phillies for Hector Mercado, a player who was drafted and traded the same day, only for him to play against the Mets on his major league debut.in the eight seasons he played Major League Baseball, Harry Schafer played for six teams that won the league championship.in only his third full Major League Baseball season, Chuck Workman hit 25 home runs, second in the National League.four months after a mass resignation, which caused a loss of 22 jobs, Major League Baseball umpires voted to form a new union.in 1885, Bug Holliday became the first baseball player to make his Major League debut in post-season play.in 1898, Pop Williams became the first attendee of Bowdoin College to play in Major League Baseball.in 1905, Fred Odwell led the National League in home runs with nine, but hit only one home run in the other three seasons he played in Major League Baseball.former Major League Baseball player Kid Durbin, who was a baker at a restaurant after his career, died only one day after his 57th birthday due to coronary thrombosis.former Major League Baseball player Dan Norman was once traded with three other players for Hall of Famer-to-be Tom Seaver, as part of what New York Mets fans refer to as the Midnight Massacre.former Major League Baseball catcher Mackey Sasser was known for his difficulty throwing the ball back to the pitcher when he was behind the home plate.former Major League Baseball pitcher Juan Marichal made ten Opening Day starts for the San Francisco Giants between 1962 and 1973.former Major League Baseball pitcher Kevin Appier made six consecutive Opening Day starts for the Kansas City Royals from 1992 through 1997.in 1913, Major League Baseball pitcher Joe Boehling finished the season with 18 complete games, three shutouts, and an earned run average of 2.14.in 1957, Art Houtteman was called "a pitcher of considerable promise" by Hal Lebovitz despite playing in his 12th and final Major League season that year.in Toolson v. New York Yankees, the U.S. Supreme Court first considered a player's challenge to Major League Baseball's reserve clause.in his Major League Baseball debut on July 30, 1961, pitcher Art Mahaffey gave up two singles but picked off each of those baserunners at first base.in his first major league appearance, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jim Nelson struck out Willie Mays and got Willie McCovey to hit into a double play.in his only full Major League Baseball season, Sandy Ullrich was the second youngest regular on the Washington Senators roster.in 2008, Cole Hamels (pictured) became the fifth player in Major League Baseball history to win the World Series MVP Award and the League Championship Series MVP Award in the same season.in 2007, Rachel Robinson, the wife of Jackie Robinson, was the first non-player to be presented with Major League Baseball's Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award.in 1969, Major League Baseball player Kevin Collins was traded by the New York Mets with three other players for Donn Clendenon, who would be the World Series MVP that season.in 1899, Bill Lange, a popular Major League Baseball player, retired during the prime of his career to marry a woman whose father forbid her to marry a baseball player.in 1988, the Major League Baseball ERA title was decided by a margin of less than 1â100 of a run between Allan Anderson and Teddy Higuera.Frederick Brocklander became a Major League Baseball umpire during a 1979 strike and continued umpiring for 12 more years in the National League.Frank Tepedino, former Major League Baseball player, lost 343 colleagues from the New York City Fire Department during the September 11 attacks.MLB player Jim Adduci was traded to the San Francisco Giants by the Milwaukee Brewers, only to be returned one week later.Major League Baseball catcher Ellie RodrĂguez caught the fourth of Nolan Ryan's seven career no-hitters.Major League Baseball catcher Nelson Santovenia caught Vince Coleman stealing on July 28, 1989, ending Coleman's streak of 50 consecutive stolen bases.Major League Baseball manager Billy Martin served five separate terms as manager of the New York Yankees.Lou Piniella, the only Mariners manager to lead a team into the playoffs, recorded a season with 116 wins, tying the major league record of wins in a season.Larry Dierker is the only Houston Astros manager to have had his uniform number retired by the Houston Astros franchise of Major League Baseball.Joe Hatten was the Brooklyn Dodgers' Opening Day starting pitcher when Jackie Robinson broke the color line in Major League Baseball on April 15, 1947.Joe Mauer (pictured), a first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins, is the only catcher in Major League Baseball history to have won three batting titles.journeyman Paul Bako (pictured) has played for 11 Major League Baseball teams in his 12-year career, and was formerly Greg Maddux's personal catcher.Major League Baseball manager John McGraw had 2,583 wins as the New York Giants' manager.Major League Baseball outfielder Pete Milne's only career home run was a game-winning inside-the-park grand slam.Major League Baseball pitcher Scott Williamson underwent two Tommy John surgeries.Major League Baseball pitcher Stan Baumgartner was named to the All-Big Ten Conference teams for baseball, basketball, and football in 1914.Major League Baseball pitchers Jesse and Virgil Barnes, who each made two Opening Day starts for the New York Giants, were brothers.Major League Baseball pitchers Jim Palmer and Mike Mussina each made six Opening Day starts for the Baltimore Orioles.Major League Baseball pitcher Sam Zoldak's only home run in his major league career did not count after the game was cancelled because of rain.Major League Baseball pitcher Jonathan Johnson was admitted to the Florida State University Hall of Fame in 2006.Major League Baseball pitcher Dom Zanni was once knocked unconscious in the seventh inning, yet went on to finish pitching the game and earn the win for the Chicago White Sox.Major League Baseball pitcher Frank Barnes scored three runs despite only having one hit in ten career at bats and having no walks, no hit by pitches and one caught stealing.Major League Baseball pitcher Jaime Cocanower set an unofficial record in 1985 by throwing a wild pitch in eight straight appearances.Irish-born Major League Baseball player Jimmy Archer (pictured) received a medal from the National Safety Council in 1931 for reviving two men overcome by carbon monoxide in the Chicago stockyards.George Will acquired 11 press passes that offered special locker-room privileges in Major League Baseball stadiums while doing research for his book, Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball.Barry Bonds has won 12 Silver Slugger Awards in his career as an outfielder in Major League Baseball.baseball pitcher Nick Carter was the Philadelphia Athletics' Opening Day starting pitcher in 1908, his only season on the Major Leagues.baseball pitcher Marc Wilkins balked on Rob Ryan's first at bat, on the day of Ryan's major league debut, making the Arizona Diamondbacks score one run.baseball player Don Kelly was drafted by the Detroit Tigers, made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and later played his first game as a Tiger against the Pirates.Albert Pujols (pictured) received more votes than any other player in Major League Baseball's 2006 all-star fan ballot.1933 Michigan Wolverines football All-Americans Ted Petoskey and Whitey Wistert debuted for the Major League Baseball Cincinnati Reds two days apart in September 1934.13 baseball players Fred McAlister scouted for the St. Louis Cardinals became the team's first-round draft picks, and 12 made the major leagues.20 days after he brought his high school baseball team to the state finals, Texas Rangers first-round draft pick David Clyde made his Major League Baseball debut.20 year old tobacco store clerk Eddie Kolb was allowed to pitch the last regular season baseball game for the 1899 Cleveland Spiders in exchange for a box of cigars.baseball player Esix Snead stole 507 bases in the minor-leagues but had just four stolen bases in the major leagues.baseball player Jack Clements (baseball card pictured) was the first person to catch 1,000 games in Major League Baseball and the last regular catcher to throw left-handed.Bob Ferguson played for and managed the Hartford Dark Blues Major League Baseball team from 1875 to 1877, the final three years of its four-year existence.Clay Buchholz, a first-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox, threw a no-hitter in only his second major league start.College Football Hall of Fame center Shorty Des Jardien played in the NFL for the Chicago Tigers and in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians.Ed Reulbach of the 1908 Chicago Cubs is the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history to have pitched two shutouts on the same day.Bill Stoneman, who pitched two no-hitters for the Montreal Expos and later ran the Major League Baseball club as the general manager, first joined the franchise in the 1968 expansion draft.Bill Klem (pictured), a major league baseball umpire who retired in 1941, holds umpiring records for most games officiated, most World Series officiated and most appearances as the home plate umpire.baseball player Slick Coffman pitched an 11-inning victory over Hall of Famer Lefty Grove in his first game in Major League Baseball.Baseball Hall of Fame member Mel Ott was struck out in his first at-bat of his Major League Baseball career by pitcher Wayland Dean.Hall of Famer Mel Ott made his final appearance as a Major League Baseball player pinch hitting for Ken Trinkle.Major League Baseball pitcher Jocko Thompson served in the United States military during World War II, where his platoon captured a bridge that was named after him 60 years later.Major League Baseball player Alex Rodriguez led the entire 2007 all-star game voting ballot with 1,404,001 votes.Bob Miller, signed as a "bonus baby" by the Detroit Tigers, was the youngest of three 17-year-olds to play in Major League Baseball in the 1953 season.Bob Miller lost his first 12 games with the 1962 New York Mets and played for 10 different teams in his Major League Baseball career, tying modern-day records for both that have since been broken.Charlie Abbey became the first person from Nebraska to play in Major League Baseball after making his debut in 1893.Chick Lathers quit Major League Baseball in 1913 to become a car salesman for Ford Motor Company.Baseball Rubbing Mud, used by every team in Major League Baseball to give baseballs a rougher texture, originates from a secret location on the Delaware River.Aubrey Epps of the Pittsburgh Pirates had three hits in four at bats in the final game of the 1935 season, but never played another major league game, ending his career with a .750 batting average.William Edward White may have been the first African-American to play Major League Baseball when he appeared in one game for the 1879 Providence Grays.Al Javery, deferred from serving in World War II due to varicose veins, led all Major League Baseball pitchers in 1943 with 303 innings pitched.Art Stewart, who was recently inducted into the Kansas City Royals Baseball Hall of Fame, was responsible for the drafting of 70 people who eventually became Major League Baseball players.Chief Yellow Horse was the first full-blooded Native American to play Major League Baseball.Cliff Mapes, a Major League outfielder who played only three full seasons, was the starting right fielder for the New York Yankees' first of five consecutive world championships, in 1949.Dave Righetti was the first player in Major League Baseball history to pitch a no-hitter and lead the league in saves in a career.Dick Padden led the Chicago White Sox to an American League championship as a player-manager in 1900, one season before the American League became a major league.Firpo Marberry was the first relief pitcher in Major League Baseball to record 100 saves in his career.Frank Chapman was once thought to have made his only Major League Baseball appearance at age 14.Darryl Brinkley, the first Northern League baseball player to bat .400, lost his chance to play in the majors due to the September 11, 2001 attacks.Danny Friend was the Chicago Colts' Opening Day starting pitcher in 1896, despite only having pitched five previous Major League Baseball games.Comiskey Park was the oldest stadium in Major League Baseball until its demolition in 1991.Connie Mack managed for 53 baseball seasons, winning nine pennants and five World Series.Daniel Nava of the Boston Red Sox is the fourth player in Major League Baseball history to hit a grand slam in his first at-bat and the second to do so on the first pitch.Tony Saunders was the first player selected in the expansion draft when Major League Baseball added teams in 1997.pitchers Bill Wilkinson and Jim Bluejacket are the only great-grandfather and great-grandson pair to both play in Major League Baseball.Major League Baseball player Sparky Adams was part of the St. Louis Cardinals team in 1930 when every single regular player had a batting average over .300, the only time in history this has happened.Major League Baseball presents a variety of awards each season for individual performance, excellence in batting, pitching performance, and fielding prowess.Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Brewers won an American League pennant in 1982 before moving to the National League in 1998.Major League Baseballer Willis Roberts signed as a free agent to play with the Cincinnati Reds on the same day he was released by the Detroit Tigers.Major League Baseball player Cass Michaels was given the last rites after being hit in the head by a career-ending pitch.Major League Baseball player Barry Foote batted in eight runs, including a game-winning grand slam, in a single game against the St. Louis Cardinals.Major League Baseball player Billy Sunday and musician Wayne King lived in the Iowa Soldiers' Orphans' Home in Davenport, Iowa, even though neither were actual orphans.Major League Baseball player Dallas Braden pitched a perfect game on Mother's Day with his grandmother in attendance.Major League Baseball player Nolan Ryan had three wins and no losses as the California Angels' Opening Day starting pitcher.major league baseball player Terry Pendleton participated in the World Series in 1985, 1987, 1991, 1992 and 1996, but lost all five times.Mark McGwire (pictured) hit more home runs than any player in Major League Baseball in 1997 yet did not lead a league in home runs.outfielder Bill Taylor never made an error in his five-year Major League Baseball career.pitcher Amalio Carreño was ejected in his final Major League Baseball appearance.pitcher HĂ©ctor Wagner was one of the youngest players in Major League Baseball in 1990.Oregon State athletic director Percy Locey claimed that the Philadelphia Athletics stole John Leovich from the college, yet he ended up playing only one major league game.Hall of Fame Major League Baseball pitcher Phil Niekro had no wins and six losses in eight Opening Day starts for the Atlanta Braves.Matt Kilroy struck out more batters in a season than anyone else in Major League Baseball history, yet does not hold the single-season strikeout record.Mickey Cochrane is the only catcher in Major League Baseball history with at least 3,000 plate appearances and a career .400 on-base percentage.Mike Scioscia, the current manager of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim baseball club, was the first to lead the team to a World Series championship in 2002."Turn Ahead the Clock" was a promotion originated by the Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball franchise in 1998 where the team wore futuristic uniforms that outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. helped design.