IN THE NEWS: Promising Reds' rookie John Siegle breaks a small bone directly above his left ankle while sliding into second base in a spring training game. He won't appear in a game until June 23 (a fruitless pinch-hitting effort, in which he supposedly stepped up to the plate with the aid of a cane), or return to the lineup until July 10. After limping to a .118 average in 22 games, Siegle will disappear from the majors for good. (as noted by Bill Deane)
IN THE NEWS: Boston (NL) OF Johnny Bates becomes the first modern player to hit a homer in his first ML at bat when he connects in the 2nd inning against the Brooklyn Superbas' Harry McIntire. Boston hurler Irv Young allows only one hit-a double by Harry Lumley-and wins, 2-0.
With Christy Mathewson sidelined with diphtheria, Red Ames pitches the opener for the Giants, a 3-2 win over the Phils at Baker Bowl.
IN THE NEWS: Little-used Jack Doscher makes his only start of the year for Brooklyn, but loses to Boston, 1-0. Doscher is the first lefty to start a game for Brooklyn in four years. Used mostly for batting practice, Doscher will shortly jump the team in a salary squabble. The win goes to Vive Lindaman, making his first major league start. Vive better get used to the lack of support; he'll lose 23 games this year, eight by shutouts. No rookie will have it worse.
At Hilltop Park, former player John Montgomery Ward throws out the first ball before the start of the Highlanders-Pilgrims opener. Veterans Jack Chesbro and Cy Young struggle to a 1-1 standoff through eleven innings before New York pushes across an unearned run in the 12th.
IN THE NEWS: Brooklyn plays a Sunday game against Boston, charging no admission. Fans are asked to drop contributions in a box at the gate. Deputy police commissioner Arthur O'Keefe, in referring to last year's ploy of selling programs as a way around admission charges, states: "If the Sunday games at Washington Park are to be free games, in the literal sense of the word, Mr. Ebbets may be right in assuming that they will not constitute a violation of the law. If, on the other hand, an admission fee is exacted in any manner we will consider the law violated, and act accordingly." Boston tops Brooklyn, 5-3, with no arrests reported.
IN THE NEWS: In Cincinnati, the Cubs lose 3-2 as Johnny Evers and Frank Chance get ejected. Following the game, Joe Tinker gets into a fight with a fan to complete the circuit.
IN THE NEWS: Eleven Days after the start of the PCL season, a great earthquake in San Francisco and the fire which follows destroys Recreation Park, home of the San Francisco Seals as well as the offices of the PCL. The Seals (9-2) are leading the league.
LA Angels (PCL) owner James Morley, who had made several unsuccessful attempts to wreck the league, disbands his team without the consent of the league. His lease at Chute Park is up on May 15, and the owners had refused to extend it; he will and up selling the team to local businessmen a day before the expiration. With telegraph service down, PCL president Bert cannot immediately inform the Angels' players that Morley acted without the consent of the league, and several players leave for the East. Fresno and LA will resume play on April 26 and will play each other in one of two cities for the next three weeks.
| SCOREBOARD: APRIL 19, 1906 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers 8, New York Giants 5 at Washington Park III |
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| St. Louis Cardinals 4, Chicago Cubs 1 at West Side Grounds |
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| Philadelphia Phillies 4, Boston Braves 1 at Baker Bowl |
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| Cincinnati Reds 8, Pittsburgh Pirates 2 at Exposition Park III |
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| Boston Red Sox 2, New York Yankees 0 at Huntington Ave Baseball Grounds |
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| Boston Red Sox 3, New York Yankees 1 at Huntington Ave Baseball Grounds |
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| Detroit Tigers 3, Chicago White Sox 1 at Bennett Park |
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| Washington Senators 11, Philadelphia Athletics 10 at Columbia Park |
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| Cleveland Indians 5, St. Louis Browns 1 at Sportsman's Park II |
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| Compiled by Retrosheet (www.retrosheet.org) |
IN THE NEWS: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants win their home opener, 8-2 over the Brooklyn Superbas. Red Ames is the winner for the defending world champions.
IN THE NEWS: A new rule puts the umpire in sole charge of all game balls. The home team manager previously had some say as to when a new ball was introduced.
IN THE NEWS: Boston makes 20 hits in trouncing the Washington Nationals, 19-2.
IN THE NEWS: Immediately following the Giants 4-3 win over Philadelphia, John McGraw slugs a fan who had made a derogatory remark about the Giants. Then the manager proceeds on to the clubhouse. When a policeman arrives he refuses to arrest McGraw on the grounds that he had not witnessed the altercation.
IN THE NEWS: It's the only time two managers steal home on the same day. Cubs pilot Frank Chance steals in the 9th to give Chicago a 1-0 win over the Reds, and Fred Clarke matches it in the Pirates' 10-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
In a South Texas League game, Houston P Peaches Nelson pitches a 1-0 no-hitter over Galveston. Opposing pitcher Ivy Tevis gives up just one hit.
IN THE NEWS: The New York ban on Sunday baseball is temporarily lifted and the Highlanders and Philadelphia A's play a benefit game for the victims of the San Francisco earthquake, raising $5,600. The two teams also work out a deal: the Highlanders get speedster Danny Hoffman in exchange for the rights to OF Dave Fultz, who did not play last year. The 31-year-old Fultz quit to practice law and will stay quit.
In the first game in the Bay area since the earthquake, the Seals beat the Oakland Oaks, 7-3, in a benefit exhibition for the earthquake relief fund. The game is at the Oaks' Idora Park. The two teams head north and, by May 2, all PCL teams will be in action.
IN THE NEWS: Boston C Jack O'Neill, the eldest of the four ML O'Neill brothers, suffers through a long day as the Giants rack up 10 stolen bases in beating the Beaneaters, 8-2.