IN THE NEWS: Giants OF Whitey Lockman, in his 2nd year, breaks his leg sliding into 2B on a DP in an exhibition game against the Indians in Sheffield, American League. Lockman will miss all of the season, except for two pinch hitting appearances.
IN THE NEWS: Commissioner Happy Chandler suspends manager Leo Durocher of the Brooklyn Dodgers for the entire season for incidents detrimental to baseball. Larry MacPhail and the Dodger organization are fined $2,000 each, and Yankee coach Charley Dressen is set down for 30 days. A feud involving Durocher, MacPhail, and Dodger officials rocked the training season. The Yankees' signing of Dressen and Red Corriden, longtime Brooklyn coaches, charges of consorting with Cuban gamblers against MacPhail, and charges and counter charges that Durocher had sought—or been offered—the Yankee managerial post were included in the hearing before Chandler.
IN THE NEWS: During the 6th inning of the Dodgers-Royals exhibition game at Ebbets Field, the Dodgers announce that they have purchased the contract of Jackie Robinson from Montreal and that "he will report immediately." Rickey says after the game that he reached a definite decision just five minutes before he made the announcement.
IN THE NEWS: The Yankees release two veterans, relief ace Johnny Murphy and first baseman Nick Etten. Murphy will be signed by the Red Sox while Etten, the American League home run leader in 1944 and RBI leader in 1945, will catch on briefly with the Phillies.
IN THE NEWS: Facing Johnny Sain, Jackie Robinson goes hitless in three trips in his debut but handles 11 chances at 1B, a new position for him, in a 5–3 Brooklyn win over the Braves. Coach Clyde Sukeforth, interim manager and the man credited with first scouting Robinson, guides the team to two wins and a loss before he steps down.
With yesterday's opener in Washington rained out, the A's open at Yankee Stadium before 39,344. Under new manager Bucky Harris, the Yanks manage just six hits off Phil Marchildon as the A's win, 6–1. Eddie Joost and Elmer Valo pull off a double steal in the 5th when the A's increase their lead to 3–0. Joost scores on the swipe of home. Former A's vet George McQuinn, playing 1B for Nick Etten, scores New York's only run. Spud Chandler takes the loss.
In St. Louis, the Browns open as usual against Hal Newhouser and the Tigers, losing, 7–0. For Newhouser, it is his 13th straight win against St. Louis (as noted by historian Lyle Spatz). The streak will be stopped at 15 games on August 12.
IN THE NEWS: The Dodgers win 12–6 over the Braves at home, as Jackie Robinson gets his first ML hit—a bunt single, off Glenn Elliot. Robinson will bunt 42 times, collecting 19 hits, during the year. The Brooklyn offense is lead by fellow rookie Johnny "Spider" Jorgensen, who drives in six runs.
IN THE NEWS: New skipper Burt Shotton manages the Dodgers from the dugout in street clothes, à la Connie Mack. Johnny Mize and Bill Rigney hit homers to help the Giants edge the Dodgers, 4–3.
IN THE NEWS: At St. Louis, Bill Nicholson clubs two homers, including a slam, and drives in six runs to lead the Cubs, 7–4, over the Cards. Swish's first RBI comes in the first inning when he's hit by a Howie Pollet pitch with the bases loaded. His slam in the 5th finishes Pollet's pitching. Johnny Schmitz is the winner.
Pitching for Portland (PCL), former Tiger ace Tommy Bridges pitches a no-hitter against SF, winning 2–0.
IN THE NEWS: At Ebbets Field, the Phils test Jackie Robinson by yelling racial slurs and invectives from the dugout. Jackie keeps his cool, singles, and scores in the 8th inning. Hal Gregg allows just one hit and the Dodgers win, 1–0.
Al Zarilla's single in the 7th inning is the only hit off Bob Feller as the Indians beat the Browns, 5–0.
IN THE NEWS: Johnny Mize of the New York Giants hits three successive home runs in a 14–5 loss in Boston. It is a record 5th time in his career that Mize has hit three home runs in one game; he will do it a 6th time with the Yankees in 1950.
IN THE NEWS: Today is Babe Ruth Day at all ML parks. A crowd of 58,339 at Yankee Stadium honors the ailing slugger, A frail Babe, choking back tears, tells the "kids of America" that, "the only real game in the world is baseball. In this game you have to come up from youth. You've got to start way down at the bottom, if you're going to be successful like those boys over there." pointing to the Yankee dugout. "There's so many lovely things said about me, I'm glad I had the opportunity to thank everybody." The program was broadcast nationwide and piped into all the ball parks. Ruth receives a bronze plaque with his image on it from the American League: the National League's gift is a leather book with signatures of all the players in the league. The Yankees lose to Sid Hudson and the Washington Senators 1–0, but move into first place as the White Sox lose two. Hudson scores the only run after singling.
The White Sox lose the first game to the Browns, 4–2. Al Zarilla snaps a tie with a 2-run homer in the 8th. Vern Stephens wins the nitecap, 4–3, by belting a three-run homer in the 8th. In the opener, the Browns have runners on 1B (Judnich) and 3B (Witte) when the Sox turn a Berardino grounder into an unusual triple play—all three runners being retired on rundowns. Witte is caught between 3B and home, Judnich between 2B and 3B, and Berardino between 1B and 2B.
The cellar-dwelling Cards drop their 5th straight losing the Cubs, 3–0. The Redbirds manage just four hits off Johnny Schmitz.
The Reds attract their largest recorded attendance—36,961 at Crosley Field, and reward the faithful with a sweep of the Pirates, winning 6–1 and 2–1.
The Dodgers top the Giants, 9–8, for their 5th straight win. Trailing 8–4 in the 7th, the Brooks score two runs on Carl Furillo's homer, add two more in the 8th on Cookie Lavagetto's pinch homer and Reiser's double, and win it in the 9th on Eddie Stanky's squeeze bunt. Johnny Mize hits his 6th homer for the Giants.
IN THE NEWS: In Brooklyn, the Cubs top the Dodgers, 3–1. Jackie Robinson, nursing a sore right arm, is hitless and is 0-for-20 since April 23rd. He'll double tomorrow in his first at bat.
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