IN THE NEWS: During a 53 win over the Tigers, the A's 1B Gene Tenace goes through the entire game without a fielding chanceonly the 4th time this century that has occurred in that position. In the same game, Detroit's Reggie Sanders homers in his first ML AB.
Lou Brock steals four bases in an 81 win over the Giants. This gives him 98 steals for the year.
The Major League Scouting Bureau is instituted as a way to cut costs by centralizing scouting. Membership is not mandatory until 1984, and only 17 of 24 teams initially agree to the $118,000 fee for joining. All American League clubs except the White Sox and Toronto join: in the National League, the Cubs, Montreal, Pirates, Braves, Houston and the Reds join. Brewers GM Jim Wilson is put in charge.
With Carlton Fisk out through the end of the season, the Red Sox purchase C Tim McCarver from the Cardinals. McCarver will play just 11 games this year and 12 next spring in Boston before being reunited with Steve Carlton in Philadelphia.
IN THE NEWS: Boston pitchers Luis Tiant and Bill Lee each allow just one run in a Labor Day doubleheader, yet both lose games to Baltimore. Ross Grimsley and Mike Cuellar toss twin 10 shutouts.
A controversial call against the Reds helps the Astros win 43. Johnny Bench's single in the 7th scores one run and the 2nd base runner Joe Morgan is called out, negating the tying run, though replays seem to show him safe. The Cincinnati City Council will pass a resolution stating their shock and dismay at the "atrocious call."
IN THE NEWS: The Giants John Montefusco makes his ML debut, homers in his first official time at bat, off Charlie Hough, and pitches nine innings of relief to earn a 95 victory over the Dodgers.
IN THE NEWS: Don Wilson has a no-hitter through eight innings, but is lifted for a pinch-hitter by Houston manager Preston Gomez. Reliever Mike Cosgrove gives up a leadoff single to Tony Perez, and the Astros lose to the Reds 21. Jack Billingham, who has a sac bunt in the 2-run 5th, is the winner. Gomez made the same mistake in San Diego on July 21, 1970. The Reds score both runs in the 5th inning on two walks, a sac bunt and a 2-base throwing error by Roger Metzger.
The Orioles top the Red Sox, 60, for their 3rd straight shutout over Boston. The Sox manage just eight hits in the three games.
California's Andy Hassler hands out 10 walks but still shuts out the Red Sox, 60. It is the 3rd time this year a California pitcher has been this generous with bases on balls.
IN THE NEWS: Milwaukee hands Boston its 7th straight loss as rookie Gorman Thomas hits a 2-run shot in the 9th inning. It was Thomas' first game of the year for Milwaukee after hitting 51 homers for Sacramento (PCL) this year. Billy Champion (103) picks up the win for the 5th-place Brewers.
IN THE NEWS: Baltimore sweeps a doubleheader from Cleveland 20 and 10. Dave McNally and Mike Cuellar notch the 4th and 5th consecutive shutouts for the Orioles, who set an American League record with 54 straight scoreless innings pitched.
IN THE NEWS: During a 31 win over the Chicago White Sox, California's Nolan Ryan has a fastball clocked at 100.8 miles per hourthe fastest pitch ever recorded.
In a game with the Tigers, Graig Nettles loses a single when it is discovered he is using a corked bat. The Yankees win 10 on Nettles's earlier home run.
Playing on a badly sprained ankle, Joe Morgan belts a 2-run homer off Mike Marshall to give the Reds a 75 win over the Dodgers. Before his homer, Morgan had missed a pitch and fallen down, prompting Sparky Anderson to try and remove him. The Reds win today after trailing 50.
IN THE NEWS: At Fenway, the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 63, for their first win in Boston since July 31 of last year. The Yankees have won two of 24 games at Fenway since 1972.
IN THE NEWS: The Cardinals lose to the Phillies 82, but Lou Brock breaks Maury Wills' major-league record by stealing his 104th and 105th bases of the season. It also gives him 740 career SBs, breaking Max Carey's National League record of 738.
Former batting champion Alex Johnson, purchased by the Yankees from the Texas Rangers yesterday, arrives in Boston during the Red SoxYankee game. With the score tied 11 in the 12th, Johnson socks a pinch-HR to win it for New York 21.
Cubs pinch hitters Carmen Fanzone and Jim Tyrone each clout homers against the Pirates, but the Bucs win 124.
IN THE NEWS: The Mets lose a marathon night game after seven hours four minutes, and 25 innings, the longest game to a decision in ML history. Two Mets errors lead to the Cardinals' winning run starting with an errant pickoff throw that allows Bake McBride to scamper all the way around from 1B. St. Louis wins, 43. The Mets go to the plate 103 times, the only time the century mark has been reached in a ML game; the Cards are not far behind with 99 plate appearances. All told, a record 175 official at-bats are recorded, with a major-league record 45 runners stranded. Only a thousand fans are on hand when the game ends at 3:13 a.m.
The Phils top the Pirates 53 to cut Pittsburgh's National League East lead to two 1/2 games. A line drive by Willie Montanez fractures the hand of Pirate P Dock Ellis, who will miss the rest of the season. Ellis is 129.
IN THE NEWS: Detroit P John Hiller picks up his 17th win in relief, an American League record, as he beats Milwaukee, 97.
The Reds sweep a pair from the Braves and the two teams combine for a major-league record three grand slams. Cesar Geronimo hits one in the 2nd inning of game 1, as does the Braves Darrell Evans. The Braves hang on for a 96 win, then take game two by a 62 score. Johnny Bench hits the 3rd grand slam of the day in game 2. Bench will finish the year with 129 RBIs to top the National League, and his 315 total bases will lead the league. He is the only catcher in ML history to lead a league in TB [Bench caught 137 games; 3B in 36 games; 1B in 5].
IN THE NEWS: The Phillies set an National League record by using 27 players during a 17-inning 73 loss to the Cardinals. The Cards had set the record two days earlier.
With 16 games remaining, the enigmatic Dick Allen of the White Sox announces he is quitting the team. His 32 home runs, the last of which was hit August 16th, will still be enough to lead the American League.
In Atlanta, Johnny Bench drives in all six runs as the Reds win, 62.
IN THE NEWS: Graig Nettles homers for the Yankees in the first inning, and brother Jim Nettles homers for the Tigers in the 2nd. This is the 2nd time that the two brothers have homered in the same game for different teams, having done it on June 11, 1972, when Graig was on Cleveland and Jim was with Minnesota. Graig's team wins 107.
In LA, the Reds defeat the Dodgers, 42, to pull to within one 1/2 games of the National League West lead. That's as close as they come as they lose six of their next eight games.
IN THE NEWS: Cleveland's Gaylord Perry works hard for his 20th win, beating Baltimore's Ross Grimsley, 10. Perry will go 2113 and is the last Indian pitcher this century to win 20.
IN THE NEWS: St. Louis beats Pittsburgh 21 in 13 innings. It is the 6th straight win for the Cardinals and the 6th straight loss for the Pirates, turning the Bucs' three 1/2 game lead in the National League East to a 2 1/2 game margin for the Cards.
IN THE NEWS: The Pirates move to within a half game of 1st place by defeating St. Louis 10 in 10 innings. Jim Rooker is the winner over Lynn McGlothlin.
IN THE NEWS: Al Kaline doubles off Dave McNally for his 3,000th career hit, as the Tigers beat the Orioles 54.
Clarence Jones of the Kintetsu Buffaloes hits his 38th HR to become the first American to win a Japanese HR title, topping the Pacific League in
roundtrippers. Sadaharu Oh will lead the Central League with 49 homers. Jones will lead the league again with 36 HRs in 1976.
IN THE NEWS: Pittsburgh regains 1st place by edging the Cardinals 1312 in 11 innings at Busch Stadium. Pittsburgh scored four times in the 9th to take a 129 lead, but St. Louis scored three times to tie it.
IN THE NEWS: Baltimore breaks a scoreless tie with the Brewers in the 17th inning to pull out a 10 win. Grant Jackson wins the decision over Jim Colborn.
IN THE NEWS: In his last start of the year, Nolan Ryan pitches his 3rd career no-hitter, victimizing the Twins 40. In the process, the Angels hurler strikes out 15 batters for the 6th time this season. Ryan also walks eight to run his season total to 202 base on balls, joining Bob Feller in 1938 as the only pitcher to walk more than 200 in a season. Ryan will top 200 in 1977.
Astro Don Wilson 2-hits the Braves. 50. It would be Wilson's last ML game, followed barely three months later by his suicide.
The Pirates move a game ahead of 2nd place St. Louis by beating the Mets 73. Richie Zisk and Richie Hebner sock home runs.
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