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"Sad end of a sorry episode"

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK • With those words Major League Baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti announced on this date in 1989 the lifetime ban from baseball of Pete Rose for gambling. An investigation showed Rose bet on many sporting events, but what forced the hand of Giamatti was evidence that Rose bet on baseball, including the team he managed, the Cincinnati Reds. Giamatti described Rose's gambling as the most serious allegation against the integrity of baseball since the 1919 Black Sox scandal.

Despite Giamatti's announcement, and the fact that Rose signed a document the night before accepting the ban, Rose insisted that he had not bet on baseball. He stuck to that position, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, until 2004 when Rose finally came clean (and was promoting a book), but he said he never gambled against his team.

Rose certainly has the statistics to get into the Hall of Fame. He's the all-time major league hits leader. He won three batting titles, three World Series rings, was Rookie of the Year, MVP and appeared in 17 All-star games. But the odds of a manager (and former player) who bet on baseball getting into the Hall of Fame are not good.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
Statement of Commissioner Bart Giamatti, August 24, 1989
ESPN.com
More on Pete Rose

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Can you spell A-U-S-P-I-C-I-O-U-S?

CLEVELAND, OHIO - Barely old enough to shave, not old enough to vote or order a beer, 17-year old Bob Feller made his first major league start on this date in 1936. Not only did he beat the St. Louis Browns 4-1, Feller struck out 15, one short of the major league record for strikeouts in a game.

"Rapid Robert" as he came to be known, came right off the sandlots of Iowa to the Cleveland Indians, never having pitched in the minor leagues. He finished his rookie season 5-3 with an ERA of 3.34. Feller went on to win 266 games while losing 162 in his career, but he missed three full seasons to serve in the military in World War II.

Feller was a six time all-star and won the pitching Triple Crown in 1940 - 27 wins, 2.61 ERA, 261 strikeouts. Robert William Andrew Feller was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1962.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, August 24, 1936
Retrosheet

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Juan Marichal loses it

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - A tight pennant race turned ugly on the afternoon of August 22, 1965. With only a half game separating the San Francisco Giants and arch rival Los Angeles Dodgers, Giant pitcher Juan Marichal attacked Los Angeles Dodgers' catcher John Roseboro with a bat. Roseboro suffered a gash that required 14 stitches to close. Marichal was suspended eight games and fined $1,750, a big chunk of change in those days.

As the story goes, when Marichal was on the mound for the Giants earlier in the game he knocked down Maury Wills and Ron Fairly with brushback pitches. As Jeff Merron reports on ESPN's Page 2, Dodger catcher John Roseboro admitted that he intended to retaliate against Marichal when he came to bat, "I tried a knockdown from behind the plate, throwing the ball close to his nose when I returned it to the pitcher." After coming close a couple times to Marichal, standing in the batter's box, as he threw back to pitcher Sandy Koufax, Marichal turned on Roseboro. Striking the catcher with the bat.

Roseboro and Marichal patched things up in later years, but on that one afternoon in 1965, it was nasty.

Sources:
August 22, 1965 box score/play-by-lay
Baseball brawls
1965 NL pennant race

*Check out Baseballrace.com. It allows you to view every pennant race in the majors since 1901 as a horse race. After you click on the site, go to "View baseball races."

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Rollie rolls up his Saves

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON • Milwaukee Brewers reliever Rollie Fingers made it exciting, but managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and become the first major leaguer to reach 300 career saves on this date in 1982. The term "Closer" still wasn't widely used at the time. In fact Fingers, like many ace relievers, entered the game in the 8th trying to salvage a shutout being thrown by Brewer starter Doc Medich agains the Seattle Mariners. This was when the Brewers were in the American League.

The only runs given up by Brewer pitching were given up by Fingers, but he managed to keep Seattle from getting any closer, and the Brewers won 3-2. It was Fingers 28th save of the year, a year, by the way, in which Milwaukee ended up in the World Series, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven.

Trevor Hoffman is the career leader with 598 saves(as of this date), mostly with the San Diego Padres, and counting. Fingers is 9th on the all-time list with 341 saves.

Sources:
August 21, 1982 box score/play-by-play
The Closer

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The Eddie Gaedel incident

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI • - A midget got to bat on this date in baseball history, and guess what? He walked. What a long shot that was. It was the famous, or infamous, depending on your outlook, marketing gimmick of that great baseball promoter Bill Veeck.

Veeck owned the old St. Louis Browns (today's Baltimore Orioles) at the time, and needed to boost sagging attendance. He would only say that he planned a surprise between games of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. It didn't seem like such a big deal when a huge cake was rolled out, out of it coming 3-foot 7-inch, 65 lb. Edward Carl "Eddie" Gaedel with number "1/8" on his back. Veeck's real surprise, however, was having Eddie Gaedel pinch hit for the leadoff hitter, which took everyone off guard.

Veeck knew he'd get some resistance from the umpires, but he was ready. He had Gaedel sign a major league contract two days earlier. Veeck sent it to the Commissioner's office on Friday, knowing it wouldn't be looked at until Monday. Browns manager Zack Taylor had a copy of the contract in his pocket in the event home plate umpire Ed Hurley wanted proof Gaedel was a major leaguer. Hurley did. Taylor showed him the contract and Gaedel stepped into the batter's box. The pitcher tried to find his strike zone. Gaedel walked on four pitches. He took a couple bows as he headed to first base, and received a standing ovation from the crowd.

The baseball establishment wasn't crazy about the stunt. The rules were soon changed forbidding anyone from appearing in a major league game until after the Commissioner approves a contract.

Ironically, because walks don't count as official times at bat, according to the statistics, Eddie Gaedel never batted.

Eddie Gaedel Statistics

SEASON-1951  TEAM-St. Louis Browns
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS  OBP     SLG   AVG
1 0 0  0  0   0   0    0   0   1 0   0   0   1.000   .000  .000
Career Totals
1  0 0  0  0   0   0    0   0   1 0   0   0   1.000   .000  .000

Contributing Source:
ESPN Outside The Lines

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