This Date in Baseball

July 18

1882 — Ambidextrous pitcher Tony Mullane of Louisville pitches with both hands in a majorleague game at Baltimore. Normally a righthander, Mullane switched to the left hand in the fourth inning. He eventually lost 9-8.

1912 — The Chicago Cubs had 21 hits in 11 innings but still lose to the Philadelphia Phillies when Gavvy Cravath stole home.

1927 — Ty Cobb of the Philadelphia Athletics doubles off the glove of Harry Heilmann for his 4,000th hit.

1948 — Pat Seerey of the Chicago White Sox hits four home runs in a 12-11, 11-inning victory over the Philadelphia A’s in the opener of a doubleheader. Seerey hits two mammoth shots off Carl Scheib, one off Bob Savage and the game-winner off Lou Brissie in the top of the 11th. 1962 — Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew of the Minnesota Twins each hits grand slams in the first inning of a 14-3 rout of the Cleveland Indians. 1970 — Willie Mays bounced career hit number 3,000 through the left side of the infield off Mike Wegener in the second inning of the San Francisco Giants’ 10-1 romp over the Montreal Expos. Mays becomes the 10th player to get 3,000 hits.

1987 — New York’s Don Mattingly ties Dale Long’s 31-year-old major-league record when he hits a home run for the eighth consecutive game in the Yankees’ 7-2 loss to the Texas Rangers.

1999 — With Don Larsen on hand to help celebrate Yogi Berra Day at Yankee Stadium, David Cone pitches a perfect game. Cone dazzled the Montreal Expos, throwing the 14th perfect game in modern history to lead the New York Yankees to a 6-0 victory.