ON THIS DATE
AUG. 8
1903: A week after pitching his first doubleheader triumph, Joe “Iron Man” McGinnity of the New York Giants scored a double victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers 6-1 and 4-3. In the second game, he stole home.
1915: Philadelphia’s Gavvy Cravath hit four doubles and drove in eight runs in a 14-7 victory over the Reds at Cincinnati.
1920: Howard Ehmke of the Tigers pitched the fastest 1-0 game in American League history — 1 hour, 13 minutes, for a victory vs. the Yankees. 1931: Bob Burke of the Washington Senators pitched a 5-0 no-hitter against the Red Sox.
1954: The Brooklyn Dodgers pounded the Reds 20-7 at Ebbets Field. The Dodgers scored 13 runs in the eighth inning after two were out.
1973: Designated hitter Orlando Cepeda hit four doubles as the Boston Red Sox posted a 9-4 victory over the Royals.
1985: Baseball, after a two-day walkout, resumed playing with 18 games scheduled, including five doubleheaders. 1988: The first night game scheduled in the 74-year history of Chicago’s Wrigley Field’s was postponed with the Cubs leading the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 after heavy rains started in the bottom of the fourth inning. Philadelphia’s Phil Bradley led off the game with a home run, but all numbers were wiped out when the rain came.
1992: Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley had his consecutive save record snapped at 40. His consecutive save records — 36 straight to start a season, and 40 straight over two seasons — ended trying to protect a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning against the Royals. Eckersley gave up a two-out, two-run single to Gregg Jefferies to give the Royals a 3-2 lead. But the Athletics came back to win the game in the ninth, 5-3.
1997: Randy Johnson struck out 19, matching the major league record for left-handers he had tied earlier this season, as the Mariners defeated the White Sox 5-0.
1998: Paul Molitor stole his 500th base in Minnesota’s 6-3 loss to Baltimore become the fifth player with 3,000 hits and 500 steals. Molitor joined Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Eddie Collins and Lou Brock.