IN THE NEWS: By reprimanding Astro Jim Bouton in a private meeting for writing the controversial book Ball Four, Commissioner Kuhn helps put the book on the bestseller list and make it a classic.
IN THE NEWS: In the June draft, the Padres select high school catcher Mike Ivie as the number-one pick and sign him in three days to a $100,000 contract. He'll play in the ML 11 years but catch only nine games in the bigs because of a phobia about throwing the ball back to the pitcher. Choosing next, the Indians take Stanford P Steve Dunning, who will debut in 10 days. Catchers Barry Foote (Expos) and Darrell Porter (Brewers) go next. The Pirates wait till the 14th round to take Dave Parker. Rich Gossage goes in the 9th round to the White Sox; Rick Reuschel to the Cubs (3); pitcher Dale Murphy to the Braves (18th). The Giants took Randy Moffitt and Chris Speier on the first round in January and repeat the good first round picks today with John D'Acquisto and Dave Kingman. The Reds take prep SS Gary Polczynski in the first round, but have better luck in the 8th (Will McEnaney), the 10th (Ray Knight) and the 19th (Pat Zachry). The Phillies, Royals, Dodgers, and Angels pick 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th on the first round and also come up with duds. Future seventeen-year major leaguer Frank White goes undrafted today.
IN THE NEWS: In a sign of things to come, Minnesota rookie Bert Blyleven gives up a homer to the first batter he faces in the majors, Lee Maye. Blyleven settles down and allows just four more hits in seven innings and beats Washington, 21. Blyleven was brought up from Evansville (AA) to replace the injured Tiant.
IN THE NEWS: Pinch hitter Vic Davalillo of the Cardinals, in for Bob Gibson, gets a record-tying two hits in the 7th inning of a 107 win over the Padres. The Birds score seven in the frame after the Padres had built a 71 lead against Gibson. Ron Herbel, the 2nd of four pitchers in the 7th, is the loser. Davilillo assumes he receives credit for two pinch hits, and that his 23rd pinch hit on August 31st ties the record of Dave Philley. He will finish the year with 24 pinch safeties but a rule difference between the American League and National League will cost him a pinch hit today.
The rampaging Reds move to nine game ahead in the NL West with a 102 walloping of the Mets. Johnny Bench, with five RBIs, and Lee May crash homers to back Wayne Simpson's 8th win.
IN THE NEWS: Players and management end their labor dispute by agreeing to a new standard player contract. Among the players' victories is a raise in the minimum salary from $10,000 to $12,000 per year.
IN THE NEWS: Pittsburgh's Dock Ellis no-hits San Diego 20 in the first game of a doubleheader. Ellis walks eight and hits one and gets all his support on a pair of Willie Stargell home runs. The Padres take the nitecap, 52, behind Danny Coombs. Nate Colbert has a pair of triples and Ferrara homers.
Bob Gibson homers and doubles to lead to the Cards to a 41 win over the Giants. Gibson strikes out eight while allowing five hits.
IN THE NEWS: In a 94 Yankee win over Kansas City, Yankee infielder Gene Michael successfully pulls the hidden ball trick on the Royals Joe Keough in 6th after Joe singles in tying run. Michael will pull it again next month.
IN THE NEWS: Despite Mike Epstein's eight RBIs, the Senators bow to the Orioles 1210 in the first game of a doubleheader. Epstein has two homers -- one a grand slam -- and a single. Boog Powell drives in four runs with four hits for the O's. The O's use pitching to take the nitecap, 32, in 13 innings. Jim Hardin pitches 10 innings with Pete Richert getting the win with three innings of relief.
IN THE NEWS: Brooks Robinson's 2,000th ML hit is a big onea 3-run homer off Washington's Joe Coleman in the 5th inning. The drive snaps a 22 tie, and the Orioles hang on for a 54 victory.
Behind the pitching of Bill Hands, the Cubs win 83 over St. Louis. But starting with a doubleheader loss tomorrow to the Birds, the Cubs will go on a 12-game losing streak, one short of the club mark set in 1944.
IN THE NEWS: Cleveland wins the first game against Detroit, 21, but Detroit's Cesar Gutierrez then goes 7-for-7 with six singles and a triple to tie a record set in 1892, in a 12-inning 98 nitecap win. Mickey Stanley's home run wins it for the Tigers. Gutierrez, wearing #7, started the game hitting .218, and was 0-for-18 before today. Gutierrez will collect just seven hits in all of 1971, and 128 hits for his career.
IN THE NEWS: Rod Carew, batting .376 for the Twins, injures his right knee during an attempted double play when Milwaukee's Mike Hegan slides into Carew. The injury will require surgery and sideline him until September. Harmon Killebrew's 5th inning homer with two on enables the Twins to beat the Brewers, 43 behind Jim Kaat.
IN THE NEWS: Before 28,027, the Reds play their final game at Cincinnati's Crosley Field, beating the Giants 54. Johnny Bench and Lee May hit back-to-back homers off Juan Marichal in the 8th for the win.
In a doubleheader with the Indians at Yankee Stadium, Bobby Murcer ties Lou Gehrig's record of four straight homers. The Yanks lose the opener 72, despite Murcer's 9th-inning home run off Sam McDowell. Murcer next connects off game 2's starter Mike Paul, hitting a solo shot in the 1st inning. A walk in the 4th, then a 2-run homer off Paul in the 5th, and a game-tying homer in the 8th, off Fred Lasher. New York scores in the bottom of the 9th to salvage a 54 win. Cleveland 1B Tony Horton hears a hoo and literally crawls back to the dugout after fanning on two of Yankee hurler Steve Hamilton's "folly floaters." Sensitive to fans' booing during the season, Horton will be hospitalized, and at 25, this is his last season.
IN THE NEWS: Behind the Red Sox 70 after five innings, the Orioles tie the game in the 9th on a Merv Rettenmund home run and a double by Andy Etchebarren. The Orioles finally win it when they score six runs in the 14th inning.
IN THE NEWS: Frank Robinson belts two successive grand slams during a 122 Oriole romp over the Senators, just the 7th major leaguer to ever accomplish the feat. Dave McNally, the winning pitcher, Don Buford, and Paul Blair trot home ahead of him on each blow. They will be Robby's only grand slams for the O's. The Orioles will lose C Clay Dalrymple tomorrow when he breaks his ankle in a home plate collision with the Nats Mike Epstein.
For the third time in two years, Pete Rose and Bobby Tolan lead off a game with homers to start the Reds to a 32 win over Houston. The pair did it twice last year.
IN THE NEWS: The Pirates sweep the Cubs in a doubleheader 32 and 41 in the final games at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field.
For the third time in their careers, Pete Rose and Bobby Tolan combine to belt lead off homers for the Reds. This time Houston's Don Wilson is the victim. Tony Perez hits his 27th homer, off Wilson, in the top of the 9th for a 32 Reds win.
IN THE NEWS: A sellout crowd of 51,050 is on hand for the dedication of Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium, rushed to completion so the Reds can host the All-Star game. There is no electricity in the refreshments areas, and the scoreboard occasionally misfires. but Hank Aaron doesn't misfire as he hits the park's first home run. The Braves win, 82.
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