Let's play three

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK - The first tripleheader in major league baseball history was played on this date in 1890. Yes, you read it right - TRIPLEHEADER, with a "T". You have to practically be a senior citizen to recall regularly scheduled doubleheaders. But on this date in 1890 the Brooklyn Bridegrooms played the Pittsburgh Alleghenys three games and won all three - 10-9, 3-2 and 8-4. (More on the team names later)

It's a wonder the players had anything left for two more games after the frenzied finish to game one. Here's what happened; Brooklyn had little trouble with Pittsburgh for the first nine innings. The Bridegrooms were up 10-0 with only three outs to go. Finally, Pittsburgh came alive. They scored 6 quick runs in the top of the ninth. Brooklyn remained in the control with a 10-6 lead and two outs, but Pittsburgh loaded the bases. Third baseman Doggie Miller blasted one to deep left field clearing the bases, making it 10-9. As Brooklyn left fielder Darby O'Brien chased the ball down Miller kept running. O'Brien hit the relay man shortstop Germany Smith as Miller rounded third. Smith fired a strike to the catcher. Miller was tagged out inches before he would have tied the game. Brooklyn squeaked by. One game down, two to go.

As for the names, The Brooklyn Bridegrooms eventually became the Brooklyn Dodgers, who later moved to Los Angeles, but the franchise went through several other nicknames early on, including the Robins and Superbas. The Alleghenys are the current Pittsburgh Pirates.

Contributing Sources:
The New York Times, September 2, 1890
Baseball team names
September 1, 1890

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Happy birthday, Pam

Hodges unloads on Braves

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS • Gil Hodges of the Brooklyn Dodgers (today's Los Angeles Dodgers) became the 4th player in major league history to hit 4 home runs in a game* on this date in baseball history (1950). The slugging first baseman's four round-trippers and a single helped the Dodgers beat the Boston Braves (now in Atlanta) 19-3. Hodges had 17 total bases that day.

Hodges had at least 25 home runs nine times in his career. He had 100 RBI or more seven times. He finished with a .273 lifetime average and 370 home runs - at the time, the most by a right-handed hitter. Gil Hodges was a pillar of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1950's, the decade they finally came through, after 66 years in the National League, and won a World Series in 1955. Hodges had 27 home runs and 102 RBIs that year.

Hodges finished his playing career with the New York Mets in 1963, and then became manager of the Washington Senators (today's Texas Rangers). The Mets came calling again in 1968 for Hodges to manage them. He helped turn the perennial last place team into the Amaz'in Mets who shocked the sports world in 1969 by winning the World Series.

*Chuck Klein of the Philadelphia Phillies and Pat Seerey of the Chicago White Sox each hit four home runs in one game prior to Hodges, but they needed extra innings to do it.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCE:
The New York Times, Boston, Massachusetts, September 1, 1950

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An audience with the President

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The first "base ball club" to visit the White House did so on this date in 1865. The Atlantics, a dynasty of the 1860's, had an audience with President Andrew Johnson, just four months after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. The Atlantics were escorted to the White House by an organization called the National Base Ball Club.

According to wikipedia.org, the Atlantics came by way of Brooklyn, New York. The team was organized in 1855. It was considered the champions of base ball through most of the 1860's, reportedly going 18-0 in 1865, thus the White House visit. Back then, baseball was run more like boxing in that if you defeated the champion, you became the champion, no matter what your record was.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
New York Tribune, Washington, D.C., August 31, 1865

More on The Atlantics

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There's always hope

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON • The Chicago White Sox won the World Series in 2005, dominating the Boston Red Sox, the Angels of Anaheim and the Houston Astros enroute to an 11-1 post season record. Unless you're a die-hard Sox fan (guilty) however, most people forget the White Sox were almost humiliated by the worst collapse in baseball history. Oddly, it gives them and other struggling teams hope this season - 2010.

On August 1, 2005 the White Sox had a commanding 15 game lead. The Cleveland Indians began to eat away at the lead, but on this date in 2005, after losing to the Seattle Mariners, the Sox still had a 7 game advantage. By September 22 that lead had shrunk to a frightening 1.5 games with 10 remaining - Cleveland had gone 36-12 since August 1st.

The White Sox won 8 of their last 10 games and won the American League Central by 6 games. Cleveland went 3-6 down the stretch. It just shows how much leads can fluctuate.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
Pennant races
2005 MLB schedule

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A slugger 2nd baseman

HOUSTON, TEXAS • Ryne Sandburg of the Chicago Cubs hit his 30th home of the season on this date in baseball history (1990) to help the Cubs beat the Houston Astros at the Astrodome. It was the second year in a row the future Hall of Famer hit at least 30 home runs, the first major league second baseman to do that. Sandburg wasn't done in 1990 either. He ended up with 40 home runs. He hit an even 30 in 1989.

Ryne Sandburg played 16 years in the major leagues, his first with the Philadelphia Phillies, but as a result of a classic ill-advised trade on the part of Philadelphia, was sent to the Cubs in year-2 and played the next 15 seasons on the northside of Chicago.

Sandberg was a career .285 hitter, appeared in 10 all-star games, was National League Most Valuable Player in 1984, and elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. Not bad for a kid from Spokane drafted in the 20th round in 1976.

August 28, 1990 box score

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