THIS DATE IN BASEBALL
June 26
1913 — Washington’s Eddie Ainsmith stole three bases in one inning of a 10-3 loss to the Philadelphia A’s. After safely reaching base on a single in the bottom of the ninth inning, Ainsmith stole second, third and home proves to be of little consequence with Philadelphia routing the Nats, 10-3
1916 — In a game against the Chicago White Sox, the Cleveland Indians appeared on the field with numbers on their sleeves. It marked the first time players were identified by numbers corresponding to the scorecard.
1924 — New York right-hander Virgil Barnes faced his older sibling, Jesse, marking the first time brothers started against one another in major league history. Jesse got the loss when the Giants beat the Boston Braves 11-7.
1938 — Lonny Frey of the Cincinnati Reds had eight hits in a doubleheader split with the Philadelphia Phillies. Frey had three hits in a 10-3 opening-game loss and collected five in the nightcap, which the Reds won 8-5.
1944 — In an effort to raise funds for war bonds, the New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees played against each other in a six-inning contest at the Polo Grounds. More than 50,000 fans turned out. Each team played successive innings against the other two teams then would sit out an inning. The final score was Dodgers 5, Yankees 1, Giants 0.