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Charlton's Baseball Chronology - 1966
January
| January 14 |
Cleveland trades OF Lu Clinton to the Yankees for C Doc Edwards‚ who won't return to the majors until 1970‚ with the Phillies. |
| January 20 |
The BBWAA voters elect Ted Williams to the Hall of Fame. Williams receives 282 of a possible 302 votes. |
| January 25 |
Tony Kubek announces his retirement owing to a back ailment. |
| January 27 |
Wisconsin State Circuit Court Judge Elmer W. Roller rules that the Braves must stay in Milwaukee‚ or the NL must promise Wisconsin an expansion team for the 1966 season. |
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Judge Robert Cannon of Wisconsin is named a full-time administrator of the Players' Association at a $50‚000 salary. |
February
| February 28 |
Seeking an unprecedented 3-year‚ $1.05 million contract to be divided evenly‚ the Dodgers' Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale begin a joint holdout. |
March
| March 5 |
Player representatives elect Marvin Miller‚ assistant to the president of the United Steelworkers‚ as executive director of the ML Players' Association. |
| March 8 |
The Hall of Fame Special Veterans Committee waives election rules and inducts Casey Stengel‚ recently retired manager of the Mets. |
April
| April 3 |
Tom Seaver‚ University of Southern California pitcher‚ signs with the Mets for a reported $50‚000 bonus. A selection of the Braves in the January free-agent draft‚ Seaver was signed by Atlanta's Richmond farm club a month later‚ after USC had begun its baseball schedule. The violation netted Richmond a $500 fine and forbade Atlanta from signing Seaver for 3 years. However‚ Seaver was also declared ineligible at the college level‚ so an unprecedented special draft is held. Three clubs willing to match Richmond's $40‚000 contract-the Indians‚ Phillies‚ and Mets-participate. New York's name is drawn from a hat as the winner. |
| April 5 |
Don Larsen‚ last active member of the old St. Louis Browns‚ is released by the Orioles. |
| April 11 |
A crowd of 44‚468‚ including Vice President Hubert Humphrey‚ attends a historic opener at Washington. Emmett Ashford becomes the ML's first black umpire in Cleveland's 5-2 win against the Senators. |
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For the first time since 1913‚ the Reds are rained out of their Opener. The rain will continue for three days and the Reds will open on the road‚ losing 2-1 to the Phils on April 15. It is the first time the team has opened on the road since 1890. |
| April 12 |
The Braves and Tony Cloninger lose their first game in Atlanta 3-2 to Pittsburgh in 13 innings‚ with 50‚761 fans on hand. Both Atlanta runs come on homers by Joe Torre‚ who opened the 1965 Milwaukee Braves season with 2 homers against the Reds. |
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Rookie OF Tommy Agee ties the season opener in the 7th inning with a 2-run HR‚ and the White Sox add another to top the Angels 3-2. |
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At Yankee Stadium‚ 40‚006 fans watch the Tigers edge the Yankees‚ 2-1. The Yankees only score is Joe Pepitone's 5th inning homer off Mickey Lolich‚ who strikes out 10 Yankees. Lolich‚ with a career average of .075‚ leads off the 9th with a single‚ which opens the door for the Tiger's winning run off Whitey Ford. |
| April 13 |
The Robinsons-Frank and Brooks-hit back-to-back homers in the first inning to lead the Orioles to an 8-1 win over the Red Sox at Fenway. |
| April 15 |
Bob Gibson's 9-2 win at Forbes Field is the 18th straight for St. Louis in Pittsburgh. St. Louis ties the ML record set by the Dodgers against the Phillies in 1945-46 for consecutive road wins against one club. |
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Cleveland scores 6 runs in the 6th and pushes one across in the 12th to beat the Boston Red Sox‚ 8-7. Jack Kralick is the winning pitcher. George Scott strikes out 5 times for the Sox while Vic Davalillo has 5 walks‚ one intentionally‚ for the Tribe. |
| April 19 |
In the first regular season game at Anaheim Stadium‚ California drops a 3-1 decision to the White Sox before 31‚660 fans. Rick Reichardt hits the Angels' first regular-season HR in the new facility. |
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Tommie Sisk finally gives Pittsburgh a home win‚ topping the Cardinals‚ 5-3. |
| April 20 |
Hank Aaron clouts homers 399 and 400 to lead the Braves to a victory‚ 8-1‚ over the Phillies. The first shot is off starter Ray Culp in the 1st inning‚ and number 400 comes in the 9th inning‚ off Bo Belinsky. |
| April 21 |
The 1-7 Cubs trade veteran pitchers Larry Jackson and Bob Buhl to Philadelphia for young P Ferguson Jenkins‚ OF Adolfo Phillips‚ and 1B/OF John Herrnstein. "It's the best deal we could've made‚" says Phils manager Gene Mauch. "I think it complemented our staff exactly the way we wanted." Jenkins was 2-1 for the Phils in 1965 after being brought up from Arkansas (PCL)‚ but he'll go into the Hall of Fame as a Cub. |
| April 23 |
Two days after putting on a Cubs uniform‚ Ferguson Jenkins hits his first major league homer‚ off Don Sutton‚ drives in a 2nd run‚ and shuts out the Dodgers to win‚ 2-0. For rookie Sutton‚ it is the first of 13 straight losses the Cubs will hand him. |
| April 24 |
Pete Richert enters the ML record books with 7 consecutive strikeouts against the Tigers. Richert still loses a 4-0 decision as the Tigers sweep a pair at Washington. |
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Atlanta's 5-2 win at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in the first game of a doubleheader is an NL-record 18th straight home win against the Mets. "Home" for 17 of those wins was Milwaukee. |
| April 28 |
Cleveland ties the modern ML record with its 10th straight win since Opening Day. Sonny Siebert defeats the Angels 2-1. Cleveland will lose tomorrow to the White Sox's Gary Peters‚ 4-1. |
| April 29 |
In a 5-1 win over Chicago‚ Phils star Dick Allen dislocates his right shoulder while sliding. The Phils will go 11-13 while he is out of lineup. |
| April 30 |
Rick Reichardt hits a record-tying 2 HRs in the 8th inning‚ pacing a 16-9 California rout of Boston at Fenway. Teammate Bobby Knoop chips in with a double and HR in the same inning. |
May
| May 1 |
In his 2nd start‚ Sam McDowell has to settle for a one-hitter. Don Buford's 3rd-inning double is Chicago's only hit in Cleveland's 1-0 win. McDowell becomes the first pitcher since Whitey Ford (September 1955) to pitch back-to-back one-hitters. |
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In the 1st of two games today‚ the Angels and Red Sox combine for 9 DPs‚ setting an AL record‚ and tying the ML. Boston and the Twins will match it for a regulation game in 1990. California wins‚ 6-1‚ then loses the nitecap‚ 9-1. |
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The Orioles set a club record with their 10th straight win‚ beating Detroit‚ 4-1. |
| May 3 |
Cleveland regains first place when Luis Tiant (3-0) hurls his 3rd straight shutout and blanks the Yanks 1-0. |
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Tribe SS Larry Brown and LF Leon Wagner are both hurt in a severe collision at Yankee Stadium. Brown suffers a fractured skull‚ cheekbone‚ and nose. Wagner receives a broken nose and slight concussion. Cleveland wins‚ 2-1‚ behind starter Sonny Siebert. |
| May 5 |
The Astros edge the Cubs, 4–3, in 13 innings as Frank Carpin gets his only ML win without throwing a pitch. With two out and Adolfo Phillips on second base and Glenn Beckert on first, Carpin comes in to pitch. The Cubs promptly pull a successful double steal. As Carpin again prepares to pitch, an emboldened Phillips tries to steal home and is out. When the Astros score in the bottom of the 13th, Carpin is the victor without facing a batter. |
| May 6 |
With the score deadlocked at 3-3‚ the Pirates score 4 in the 11th‚ then watch the Phillies come back with 5 runs to win 8-7. The 9 runs scored is a ML record for the 11th inning. |
| May 7 |
With the Yankees winning only 4 of the first 20 games‚ GM Ralph Houk fires Johnny Keane and installs himself as Yankees manager. New York will win 13 of the next 17 under Houk. |
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San Francisco sets a modern NL record (for the inning) by scoring 13 runs in the 3rd inning en route to a 15-2 win at St. Louis. The 13 runs are also the most scored in the 3rd inning by two teams. |
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Dodger Jim Lefebvre hits HRs right- and lefthanded in the same game‚ as Los Angeles routs Cincinnati 14-2. On June 5th‚ teammate Wes Parker will match Lefebvre. |
| May 8 |
Orioles RF Frank Robinson hits the first ball ever hit completely out of Baltimore's Memorial Stadium‚ a 451-foot shot‚ ending Luis Tiant's scoreless-innings streak at 27. Baltimore wins 8-3 and ties Cleveland for first place. |
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In a controversial trade for San Francisco‚ St. Louis acquires popular 1B Orlando Cepeda from the Giants for P Ray Sadecki. Sadecki will go 3-7 in 1966‚ and Cepeda will win the MVP in St. Louis in 1967. |
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In the last game at old Busch Stadium‚ San Francisco slugs out a 10-5 win over St. Louis. |
| May 9 |
At Minneapolis‚ the Yankees (6-20) edge the Twins‚ 3-2. Maris‚ Mantle‚ and Pepitone‚ with the game-winner in the 9th inning‚ hit homers for New York. |
| May 11 |
The Yankees purchase SS Dick Schofield from the Giants: they'll trade him to the Dodgers on September 10. |
| May 12 |
The Cardinals open new Busch Memorial Stadium with a 12-inning‚ 4-3 win over the Braves. |
| May 13 |
Giant Jim Davenport's 17th-inning HR beats the Mets 5-4 before 56‚658 fans‚ the largest night crowd ever at Shea Stadium. The first-place Giants (22-7) now have 12 straight wins. |
| May 15 |
Rocky Mount (Carolina League) teammates Dick Drago and Darrell Clark each pitch 7-inning no-hitters against Greensboro‚ Drago winning 5-0 in the opener‚ His roommate Clark wins 2-0 in the nightcap. |
| May 17 |
Reds ace Jim Maloney allows 2 hits in shutting out the Mets‚ 4-0‚ at Shea. |
| May 25 |
At Yankee Stadium‚ the Yanks maul the Angels 11-6. Mantle has two homers‚ one off Dean Chance and the other coming off reliever Lew Burdette. |
| May 26 |
The Giants Juan Marichal pitches all 14 innings in a 1-0 win over Philadelphia. Jim Bunning matches him for 11 innings before being relieved. Marichal is 9-0. |
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Washington's Phil Ortega becomes the 2nd Senators hurler to fan 7 straight batters‚ tying the AL record for consecutive strikeouts and winning a 3-2 decision against the Red Sox. |
| May 29 |
Ron Santo's 10th-inning HR gives the Cubs a 3-2 win over Atlanta. The day before‚ he beat the Braves with a 3-run‚ 12th-inning HR in an 8-5 win. |
| May 30 |
Denny McLain pitches his 2nd one-hitter of the month. Phil Roof's 5th-inning double is Kansas City's only safety in Detroit's 5-2 win. |
| May 31 |
California's Rick Reichardt ties the ML strikeout record for extra-inning games with 6 K's in a 17-inning‚ 7-5 loss to the Indians. |
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Chicago's Ron Santo sets a NL record by appearing in his 364th straight game at 3B‚ as the Cubs win 2-1 at Pittsburgh. |
June
| June 1 |
At Comiskey‚ Juan Pizzaro loses his shutout in the 9th when Mantle homers into the CF bullpen. New York scores another but the White Sox win‚ 6-2. |
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Houston erupts for 8 runs in the 12th inning at Cincinnati to win 11-4. The clubs combine to tie a NL record by scoring 9 runs in the 12th. Reds manager Don Heffner tries to win earlier‚ sending up three pinch hitters in the 8th: all three-Tony Perez‚ Gordy Coleman‚ and Art Shamsky-strike out. In the 9th‚ P Billy McCool bats for himself and grounds out with the sacks filled. The next reliever‚ Jack Baldschun‚ is jumped on for all 8 runs in the 12th‚ an outing which increases his ERA for the year from 4.15 to 5.49 |
| June 3 |
White Sox SS Ron Hansen undergoes surgery for a ruptured spinal disk. He is disabled the rest of the season. |
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Jim Gosger hits a game ending 3-run homer in the 16th off Dooley Womack to give the Red Sox a 6-3 win over the visiting Yankees. |
| June 5 |
In a 10-5 Bucs win over Houston‚ Willie Stargell goes 5-for-5‚ giving him 9 consecutive hits in 2 days. |
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Reds SS Leo Cardenas hits four homers two in each game-in a double header split with the Cubs. The Reds win the opener‚ 8-3‚ then drop the nitecap‚ 9-5. Cardenas drives in 8 runs. |
| June 6 |
Phillies P Jim Bunning strikes out 14 Reds enroute to a 5-1 win‚ his 8th victory in a row. |
| June 7 |
Bob Gibson (6-5) ties the ML record with 4 strikeouts in one inning (4th)‚ but the St. Louis ace is gone by the end of a 9-1 loss at Pittsburgh. The Bucs nick him for 11 hits and 5 runs in 7+ innings. |
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The New York Mets‚ picking first in the June free-agent draft‚ pass up Arizona State OF Reggie Jackson to select C Steve Chilcott. Chilcott will retire after 6 years in the minors and will be the only number-one pick to never play in the major leagues. The A's take Jackson with the 2nd pick. |
| June 8 |
Bob Saverine of the Senators sets an AL record by coming to bat 12 times in a doubleheader (more than 18 innings) without a hit. One or two couldn't hurt as Baltimore wins 6-5 and 7-8. |
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The Mets Dick Rustek makes his first ML start and shuts out the Reds‚ 5-0‚ for his only major-league victory. He'll lose two more decisions this year. |
| June 11 |
Ernie Banks ties a modern ML record with 3 triples‚ as Chicago wins 8-2 in the Astrodome. Chicago OF Adolfo Phillips also ties an ML record by striking out 9 straight times in 2 consecutive games (more than 18 innings). |
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Orioles pitchers Jim Palmer (6-3) and Eddie Watt combine to blank the Yankees 8-0 and give Baltimore an AL lead it will not relinquish. |
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Miami ekes out a 4-3 triumph over St. Petersburg (Florida State League)‚ managed by Sparky Anderson‚ in 29 innings. It finishes at 2:29 a.m.‚ the longest game not interrupted by a suspension of play in the history of organized ball (The Pawtucket marathon in 1981 is the longest). At two o'clock the umpires announcement that the game will not continue past 30 innings is greeted by jeers of "more! more!" by the 150 fans still up. |
| June 16 |
In New York‚ Rocky Colavito robs Mantle of a 1st inning homer by making a great catch at the bullpen gate. Mantle then hits a 3rd inning homer to the opposite field off Sam McDowell‚ and New York goes on to top the Indians‚ 7-6. |
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Led by the hitting and pitching of Tony Cloninger‚ the Braves roll over the Mets‚ 17-1. Cloninger has 5 RBIs‚ the first pitcher to drive in that many since Lew Burdette on July 10‚ 1958. |
| June 21 |
In the first game of a twinbill‚ There are 2 on and 2 outs in the 9th inning when Frank Robinson makes a spectacular catch against New York's Roy White‚ diving into the stands over the short right field fence and disappearing from view. He emerges with the ball and it is ruled a catch‚ preserving a 7-5 Baltimore victory‚ rather than 8-7 defeat. Robby will do it again on August 11th. |
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Satchel Paige makes his final pro pitching appearance‚ going the first 2 innings for Peninsula (Carolina L) against Greensboro. Satch gives up 2 runs. As noted by historian Bill Deane‚ Peninsula's regular catcher‚ Johnny Bench‚ took the night off. |
| June 25 |
Houston 2B Joe Morgan‚ batting .315‚ suffers a broken kneecap when hit by a line drive during batting practice. He will miss 40 games‚ and Houston‚ in 4th place‚ will lose 28 of their next 31 games. |
| June 26 |
Sandy Koufax (13-2) matches his NL record of 7 consecutive strikeouts in consecutive 9-inning appearances on his way to a 2-1 win in Atlanta. |
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Chicago's Ron Santo singles in the first and his next time up is struck in the face by a Jack Fisher pitch that fractures his cheek. Before Santo's at bat‚ the Mets Ron Hunt and the Cubs Adolfo Phillips had both been hit by pitches. Santo will be operated on tomorrow but will return to action in a week. The injury ends his consecutive game streak at .390‚ but his hitting streak continues. |
| June 28 |
At Fenway‚ the last place Red Sox cash in 5 Yankee errors to top the visitors‚ 5-3. All of New York's scoring comes from Mantle‚ who blasts a 2-run homer in the 1st and an opposite field homer on the LF screen in the 8th. |
| June 29 |
At Fenway Park‚ Mantle opens the scoring in the first inning with a 3-run shot‚ then sandwiches a homer between round trippers by Bobby Richardson and Joe Pepitone in the 3rd inning in New York's 6-5 win. The consecutive trifecta was last done for the Yankees in 1947‚ when Keller‚ DiMaggio‚ and Lindell connected. Richardson is 5-for-5 in the game. Mantle's two homers today‚ his 37th and 38th at Fenway‚ will be his last in Boston‚ and ties him with Babe Ruth for most homers by a Sox opponent. |
July
| July 1 |
At Washington‚ Mantle homers in the first inning off Phil Ortega‚ as New York edges the Senators. 8-6. Mick scores another run when Joe Pepitone cracks a 2-run homer. |
| July 2 |
Frank Howard‚ Don Lock‚ and Ken McMullen hit consecutive HRs with 2 outs in the 6th inning‚ and Mike McCormick pitches a complete game‚ as Washington defeats a winless Whitey Ford and the Yankees‚ 10-4. Mike McCormick is the winner for Washington‚ giving up 5 hits including a Mantle homer‚ his 14th‚ in the 9th. |
| July 3 |
Pitcher Tony Cloninger hits 2 grand slams and drives in 9 runs‚ as the Braves rout the Giants at Candlestick Park 17-3. Cloninger is the first NL player to slam two in a game‚ and the first pitcher ever‚ and his 9 RBIs are a ML record for pitchers‚ breaking Vic Raschi's mark of 7. The National League record for pitchers was 5‚ held by several: the last hurler to collect 5 RBIs in a game is Cloninger‚ who had 5 on June 16th against the Mets (as noted by Tom Zocco). |
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Mantle hits a first inning homer‚ and for the 2nd time this week has hit three home runs in consecutive times at bat. New York blows a 5-0 lead in the 8th as the Senators storm back. Bobby Richardson homers in the 11th to give New York a 6-5 lead. In the bottom of the inning‚ Paul Casanova goes is on first when a sac bunt moves him to 2B. He overruns the bag and decides to head to 3B where he knocks the ball away from Tom Tresh. He then continues to home where he is thrown out by a mile. |
| July 4 |
After getting hit by a pitch and sitting out seven games with a double fractured cheekbone, Ron Santo sets a modern-day Chicago Cubs record by hitting in his 28th straight game. However his team loses the opener of a doubleheader to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-5. The Cubs win the nightcap, 6-4‚ but Santo is held hitless. His club record will be topped by Jerome Walton in 1989. On June 1, 1966, the day after the Santo streak began, he was held hitless in the first game of a doubleheader but received four walks and a HBP in five plate appearances so the streak remained intact. |
| July 6 |
Despite a doubleheader record 11 RBI by Boog Powell‚ the Orioles can only split with the A's. They drop the nightcap‚ 9-8‚ after winning 11-0. |
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The Red Sox sweep a pair from the Yankees‚ 5-3 and 5-4‚ with reliever Don McMahon picking up both wins. He pitches 1 2/3 inning in the opener and another two innings in game 2. The only other pitcher to win a doubleheader from the Yankees was the Browns Dave Davenport in 1916‚ who threw two CG victories. Yaz has an inside-the-park home run off Jim Bouton. |
| July 7 |
At Yankee Stadium‚ New York scores 2 runs to tie Boston 2-2 in the bottom of the 9th. Then with 2 on and 2 out‚ Mantle breaks a 1-for-17 slump with a 3 run shot into the RF stands. |
| July 8 |
In New York‚ the Senators win the opener‚ 7-6‚ then blow a 4-run lead in the nitecap to lose‚ 7-5. Mantle is 5-for-8 in DH‚ including a homer in each game. The 2nd homer‚ off Jim Hannan‚ is a 461 foot sky shot over the monuments into the CF bleachers. Mick follows with a sure double in the 5th but tears a hamstring muscle rounding first and will be sidelined for two weeks. |
| July 9 |
Felipe Alou hits 2 HRs off Sandy Koufax‚ the 3rd and last time that Sandy gives up 2 homers to one batter in a game. Atlanta beat the Dodgers‚ 5-2. . |
| July 10 |
George Smith clouts a 10th inning grand slam to give the Red Sox a 10-6 victory over the White Sox. |
| July 12 |
St. Louis hosts a hot midsummer All-Star classic. Maury Wills' 10th-inning single scores Tim McCarver‚ as the NL wins 2-1 in 105-degree heat. Brooks Robinson's stellar game (3 hits‚ 8 chances) earns him the game MVP. Asked about the new ball park‚ Casey Stengel remarks‚ "it holds the heat well." On field temperature is 113 degrees. |
| July 13 |
Manager Don Heffner (37-46) is fired by the Reds and replaced by coach Dave Bristol. |
| July 17 |
Pittsburgh regains the NL lead by sweeping a doubleheader 7-4 and 7-1 from the Giants. |
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The Cubs clip the Cardinals‚ 7-2‚ behind the pitching of Ken Holtzman and the slugging of Billy Williams‚ who hits for the cycle. |
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The Indians collect 34 hits‚ including 9 homers‚ to sweep a pair from the Tigers‚ 7-3 and 15-2. Seven of the homers come in game 2. Chuck Hinton has 3 homers and a triple for the day‚ with 2 of the homers coming in game 2. Each time he homers‚ Rocky Colavito follows with a homer as the two go back-to-back twice in the game. Hinton now has 5 homers for the year. |
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After the A's beat the Red Sox in game 1 by a 3-2 score in 10 innings‚ the Sox return the favor. The A's win on Hershberger's triple with 2 outs and a passed ball. Boston wins the nitecap when Joe Foy hits an inside-the-park homer. |
| July 19 |
At Chicago‚ Cubs Byron Browne strikes out 5 times against Reds starter Jim Maloney. The Reds finally win‚ 3-2‚ in 18 innings‚ with Nuxhall victorious over Fergie Jenkins. Don Pavletich belts a homer in the 18th inning off Fergie Jenkins. In tomorrow's Reds win over the Cubs‚ Browne will K another 3 times to set a NL record for two games on his way to leading the NL in strikeouts with 143. |
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The Cards edge the Braves‚ 10-9‚ with the win going to reliever Nels Briles. Redbird starter Tracy Stallard gets no decision in his last ML appearance‚ but gives up 7 runs in 3+ innings. Stallard is 0-for-1 at bat and sets a ML record for his 7-year career by receiving no walks in 245 plate appearances. Joe Torre reaches Stallard for a grand slam in the 1st‚ then hits another HR in the 7th to give the Braves a 9-7 lead. Charlie Smith's 2-run HR in the bottom of the inning knots the score. Smith's single in the 12th drives in the game winner. |
| July 20 |
Oriole reliever Moe Drabowsky retires all 12 batters in 4 scoreless innings‚ striking out 8 including 5 straight‚ as Baltimore wins‚ 8-7 over Detroit. Boog Powell crushes a 2-run HR in the 6th to put the Birdes ahead. |
| July 21 |
Minnesota P Jim Merritt beats the Senators 1-0 and ties an AL record with 7 straight strikeouts |
| July 22 |
Gaylord Perry sets a San Francisco record with 15 strikeouts and beats the Phillies 4-1. Clay Dalrymple's one-out 8th-inning single is the first hit against Perry. The Giants (57-39‚ .594) are two percentage points behind the first-place Pirates (56-38‚ .596). |
| July 23 |
Bob Allison of the Twins suffers a broken left hand when hit by a Jim Lonborg pitch during Minnesota's 10-4 win over the Red Sox. |
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At Yankee Stadium‚ the Yanks celebrate Old-timers' Day but lose to the Angels‚ 7-6‚ despite a grand slam from Mickey Mantle. The slam‚ off Marcelino Lopez‚ is Mickey's 9th. He ties Babe Ruth-not in home runs‚ but in games played as a Yankee. |
| July 24 |
The Yankees beat the Angels‚ 9-1‚ in game one‚ and Mantle hits his 2nd homer in two days. The roundtripper‚ his 493rd‚ ties him with Gehrig for 6th place on the all-time list. |
| July 26 |
Catfish Hunter‚ Kansas City's top winner‚ undergoes an appendectomy. |
| July 27 |
In Los Angeles‚ Jim Bunning and Sandy Koufax battle for 11 innings before both exit with score locked at 1-1. Koufax allows 4 hits and fans 16‚ while Bunning gives up 6 hits and K's 12. L.A. eventually tops the Phillies‚ 2-1‚ in 16 innings. |
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The Wisconsin Supreme Court overrules a lower court decision and holds that the state lacks legal jurisdiction to stop the Braves from moving to Atlanta. |
| July 28 |
Rick Reichardt‚ California's young hitting star‚ is sidelined with a kidney ailment. He will have a kidney removed in 2 weeks. |
| July 29 |
The Yankees edge the White Sox‚ 2-1‚ on Mantle's 14th homer in 24 games. Mick moves ahead of Gehrig into 6th place on the homer list with the blast. |
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At Cincinnati‚ Jim Maloney strikes out 13 in the Reds 4-3 win over Houston. |
| July 30 |
Chicago's Gary Peters shuts down the Yankees‚ 6-0‚ facing just 29 batters. The efficient Peters uses just 75 pitches. |
August
| August 1 |
Houston's Jim Wynn suffers a fractured left wrist‚ hand‚ and elbow slamming into the CF fence at Philadelphia. Done for the season‚ the Toy Cannon will still lead the Astros with 18 HRs. Houston also loses‚ 6-5. |
| August 2 |
Ossie Virgil drives in 3 runs and Juan Marichal‚ making his first relief appearance of the year‚ picks up his 17th win‚ as the Giants edge the Mets‚ 5-4. The win moves the Giants (63-44) back ahead of the Dodgers and Pirates by a game. |
| August 4 |
Pinch-hit HRs by Mets John Stephenson and Ron Swoboda make the difference in New York's 8-6 defeat of the Giants at Shea Stadium. |
| August 7 |
Lee Bales gets off to a shaky ML start‚ striking out 4 times‚ as the Braves beat the Phillies 3-0. Bales equals the NL record first set by Billy Sunday (May 22‚ 1883) for most initial-game K's. |
| August 8 |
The Reds beat the Giants‚ 10-6‚ and Cincy OF Tommy Harper stretches his consecutive hits streak to 24 games. |
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The Red Sox-Cleveland game at Fenway is stopped 4 times because of fog. The Red Sox eventually win‚ 31. |
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In Atlanta‚ 52‚270 watch as Felipe Alou hits a leadoff HR off Sandy Koufax. The Dodgers tie it‚ but Eddie Mathews adds a 9th inning solo HR to beat the Dodgers' ace 2-1. Alou will lead off tomorrow's game with a HR as well. |
| August 10 |
Chuck Dressen dies of a heart attack in Detroit‚ age 67. He had managed the Tigers earlier in the season. |
| August 11 |
At Wrigley‚ the Cubs down Houston‚ 9-8‚ in 11 innings. The Cubs are led by C Randy Hundley who hits for the cycle and drives in 3 runs. Houston is ahead 8-5 at the end of 7 innings in the nitecap when the game is suspended on account of darkness. It'll be completed on August 26‚ with Houston winning‚ 9-8. |
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It is deja vu all over again‚ as Frank Robinson makes another game-saving catch against the Yankees. Robby dives into the stands to rob Clete Boyer of an 11th-inning homer‚ preserving a 6-5 Orioles' win. Robby did it two months earlier. |
| August 12 |
At Crosley Field‚ long-ball lovers enjoy 11 HRs in one game‚ tying the most in any contest and setting a ML record for an extra-inning contest. Art Shamsky hits 3 consecutive for Cincinnati‚ including two in extra innings. But Pittsburgh prevails 13-11‚ scoring 3 in the 13th inning. Shamsky‚ who did not enter the game until the 8th‚ when he hits a 2-run homer to put the Reds up 8-7. His solo homer in the 10th ties the score at 9-9‚ as does his 2-run homer in the 11th. Shamsky's pair of extra-inning homers is a first in the NL‚ and just the 3rd time ever in the Majors (Vern Stephens‚ 1943: Willie Kirkland‚ 1963). Also going deep are Rose‚ Deron Johnson‚ Bob Bailey (2)‚ Clemente‚ Jesse Gonder‚ and Jerry Lynch. For Lynch‚ it is his 18th pinch-hit HR‚ a ML record. |
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Restaurateur Vernon Stouffer buys a controlling interest in the Indians. |
| August 14 |
Art Shamsky hits his 4th consecutive HR‚ tying the ML record‚ but the Reds lose again to the Pirates 4-2. Shamsky did not play yesterday‚ and did not come in today until the 7th inning when his 2-run homer puts the Reds up‚ 2-1. The homer streak will end tomorrow in Los Angeles‚ when he delivers a pinch single against Bob Miller. |
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The Yanks sweep two from the Indians‚ winning the nitecap‚ 6-4. The Indians help in the 2nd game by making six errors in one inning‚ one short of the record. Mantle helps with a homer‚ off lefty Jack Kralick‚ but he'll sit the next 12 days after reinjuring his knee. |
| August 17 |
Willie Mays takes 2nd place on the all-time HR list with a 4th-inning blast off Ray Washburn. San Francisco is one-half game out of first place after beating the Cards 4-3. |
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For the 2nd successive day‚ the Orioles score 5 runs in the 9th to defeat the Red Sox. Today the score is 8-4; yesterday was 6-4. |
| August 18 |
Pittsburgh 3B Jose Pagan ties the modern NL record for errors in an inning with 3‚ but Pittsburgh coasts to a 9-3 win over the Mets. |
| August 20 |
Gaylord Perry is the first 20-game winner of 1966‚ pitching the Giants into first place with a 6-1 win against the Braves. |
| August 21 |
Houston's Dave Giusti does it all today as he blanks to Reds 11-0 and drives in six runs on two bases-loaded doubles. |
| August 25 |
Whitey Ford (2-5) undergoes surgery for a circulatory problem in his left shoulder. |
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The owners approve a 55 percent raise in contributions to the players' pension fund. It will come from television‚ WS‚ and All-Star Game money. Some money will also go to pay the salary of the Players' Association executive director. |
| August 26 |
With Baltimore trailing Boston 2-0 in the 9th inning‚ Vic Roznovsky and Boog Powell sting Lee Stange with back-to-back pinch-hit HRs to tie the game. This is just the 4th time in baseball history that back-to-back pinch HRs have occurred‚ and the 2nd time in the AL. Baltimore wins in the 12th‚ 3-2. |
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Detroit's Earl Wilson‚ winner of six straight‚ hits an 8th inning homer to give himself a 5-3 lead over New York. But the Yankees‚ batting against reliever Hank Aguirre in the 9th‚ tally one run on a Clete Boyer single‚ and win it‚ 6-5‚ when Mantle clouts a pinch homer over a leaping Al Kaline in RF. The win still leaves New York (57-72) in last place. |
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Against the Dodgers‚ Giants fireballer Bob Bolin ties a ML record by fanning the first 5 batters in the game. But the Dodgers win the game‚ 4-0. |
| August 29 |
Detroit's Denny McLain tosses 229 pitches‚ gives up 8 hits‚ walks 9 and strikes out 11 Orioles to win his 16th victory. |
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Chicago Cubs veteran Robin Roberts‚ acquired recently from Houston‚ wins the final victory of his career‚ beating the Atlanta Braves‚ 4-2. Roberts has now beaten the Braves in all three locations: 12-6 vs. Boston: 21-24 vs. Milwaukee: 1-0 vs. Atlanta (as noted by Joe Mackay). Roberts will retire having giving up 505 HRs‚ the only one above 500. |
| August 30 |
Pete Rose becomes the 12th in ML history to hit HRs left-and righthanded in one game‚ as the Reds win 6-4 over the Cards. |
September
| September 2 |
The Pirates take over 1st place by topping the Cubs 7-5 on a Roberto Clemente HR‚ his 2000th career hit. Clemente's HR gives him 101 RBIs for the year‚ the 1st time he's topped 100. Bob Veale is the winner over Fergie Jenkins. |
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Phillies ace Jim Bunning continues his whammy over the Mets by shutting them out‚ 6-0. It's Bunning's 8th complete game in as many starts against them‚ and his 5th shutout. The Mets have scored a total of 4 runs off Bunning. |
| September 3 |
Charlie Vaughan‚ 18-year-old Braves pitcher‚ beats the Astros 12-2 for his first and only ML win. Vaughan will make one other major league appearance‚ in relief‚ in 1969. |
| September 4 |
Chris Short shuts out the Mets‚ 5-0‚ the 5th complete game win in a row for the Phillies' pitchers. |
| September 10 |
Cardinal P Dick Hughes tops the Pirates on Tim McCarver's bases load hit off the RF wall. Pittsburgh falls a game in back of the Dodgers. |
| September 11 |
John Miller becomes the first Yankee to ever hit a homer in his first ML at bat. He contributes 2 runs in a 4-2 defeat of the Red Sox at Fenway. It will be Miller's only homer in pinstripes‚ but as a Dodgers in 1969‚ he will hit a homer in his last ML at-bat. |
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Los Angeles regains first place‚ winning 4-0 and 1-0 behind Sandy Koufax and Larry Miller while Houston suffers its 3rd and 4th consecutive shutouts against the Dodgers. |
| September 15 |
Tom Phoebus of Baltimore begins his ML career with a 2-0 shutout of the Angels. |
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Seven pitchers are used by Al Dark's A's in an 11-inning‚ 1-0 shutout of the Indians. Kansas City wins its 7th straight game. |
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Don Drysdale (10-16) gives up two HRs in the 9th‚ to Roberto Clements and Willie Stargell‚ with 2 outs‚ but holds on to give the Dodgers a 5-3 win over Pittsburgh. The Dodgers now lead the Bucs by 2 1/2 games. The Bucs and Dodgers will split the next 2 games. |
| September 16 |
The Mets (5) and Giants (3) tie a ML record by using 8 pinch hitters in the 9th inning as the Mets win 5-4. Willie McCovey hits a 500-ft HR‚ judged the longest ever at Candlestick Park. |
| September 17 |
Cleveland pitchers set an AL record by fanning 19 batters in the first 9 innings of a 10-inning 6-2 win at Detroit. |
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Kansas City wins‚ 3-0‚ topping Washington. |
| September 18 |
Kansas City and Washington battle with the Washington winning 1-0 behind Phil Ortega‚ 1-0. John "Blue Moon" Odom blanks the Senators for 8 1?3 innings to run the A's scoreless string to 45 1?3 innings. The AL record of 47 was set by Cleveland in 1948. |
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The Twins beat the Yankees 5-3 in 10 innings on Bob Allison's pinch three-run homer‚ sending the Yankees to the cellar in the AL. In his last plate appearance of the year‚ Mantle whiffs and becomes the first player to strike out 1‚500 times in his career. |
| September 19 |
Dan Topping sells his 10 percent stock interest in the Yankees to CBS and resigns as club president. CBS executive Mike Burke succeeds him. |
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Drysdale stops the Phils‚ 6-1‚ for a needed Dodgers win. |
| September 20 |
Orioles P Tom Phoebus hurls his 2nd straight shutout in his 2nd ML game‚ blanking the A's 4-0 in Kansas City. Karl Spooner was the last rookie to start with 2 shutouts. |
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Vern Law shuts out the Giants 6-0 to keep the Pirates 1 1/2 games behind the Dodgers. Pittsburgh turns 4 double plays in the game and will end the year with an NL-record 215. |
| September 21 |
The players almost outnumber the fans at Wrigley Field‚ as the Cubs draw just 440 for a game with the Reds. Chicago wins‚ 9-3‚ behind Ken Holtzman‚ with Sammy Ellis taking the loss. |
| September 22 |
The Orioles beat the host Kansas City A's 6-1 to clinch their first AL pennant. Both Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson have 2 RBI. Frank Robinson will end the year as the Triple Crown winner‚ the first to achieve the feat since Mickey Mantle in 1956. He clinches with a batting average of .316‚ 49 HRs‚ and 122 RBI. |
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A crowd of 413‚ a record low for Yankee Stadium‚ sees the White Sox beat New York 4-1. Yankee Broadcaster Red Barber insists that TV cameras show the empty seats‚ a decision that will cost the legendary play-by-play man his job. |
| September 24 |
In relief of veteran Bob Shaw‚ Bob Friend makes his final appearance‚ giving up 2 runs in one inning and taking the loss as the Mets lose to the Reds‚ 4-3. Friend ends his ML career at 197-230‚ one of the few pitchers to lose 200 games and not win 200. Chick Fraser ended his career at 175-212. |
| September 25 |
In a matchup of Jewish pitchers‚ the Cubs Ken Holtzman outduels Sandy Koufax‚ to win 2-1. The Dodgers go hitless over the first 8 innings‚ before Dick Schofield notches the first hit with no outs in the 9th. Holtzman‚ who spent much of the season in military service‚ will finish the year at 9-0‚ the first pitcher since Howie Krist (10-0) in 1940 to win that many without a loss. |
| September 28 |
Larry Jaster (11-5) blanks the Dodgers for the 5th time this season‚ pitching the Cards to a 2-0 win at St. Louis. Jaster is the first pitcher to accomplish this feat since Grover Cleveland Alexander whitewashed the Reds 5 times in 1916. Jaster twice beat the Dodgers‚ by 2-0 and 4-0 scores. The Dodger whitewashings are Jaster's only shutouts of the year‚ but they are enough to lead the league. He will pitch another five years in the majors‚ recording just two more shutouts. |
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The Pirates sweep a doubleheader from the Phillies‚ 2-1 and 4-2‚ and move back within 1 1?2 games of the Dodgers. |
| September 29 |
The Dodgers Sandy Koufax pitches a 4-hitter and beats the Cards 2-1. He becomes the first ML pitcher to achieve a third 300-strikeout season since Amos Rusie in 1890-92. |
| September 30 |
The White Sox tip the Yankees 6-5 at Comiskey. The Yanks will win their next 2 but finish in 10th place one-half game behind the Red Sox. |
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For the 2nd time in a week‚ a pitcher takes a no hitter into the 9th inning only to lose it on a leadoff hit. This time it is the Mets' |
October
| October 1 |
The Giants sweep in Pittsburgh 5-4 and 2-0 to move into 2nd place 2 games behind the Dodgers. The double loss eliminates the Pirates who finish 3rd. |
| October 2 |
With the Pirates ahead of the Giants by 2 runs at the end of 8 innings‚ ex-Buc Ozzie Virgil ties the score with his last major league hit‚ a pinch single. The Giants bullpen holds and Willie McCovey's monster (estimated at 500 feet) pinch homer in the 11th wins it‚ 7-4. The Giants use every player except Gaylord Perry‚ held out in case he is needed to pitch against the Reds. With the Dodgers winning‚ the Giants finish 1 1?2 behind‚ and a San Francisco rainout will not need to be rescheduled. Matty Alou of the Pirates ends the season with a .342 average to lead the NL‚ but drives in just 27 runs. This is a record low for a batting leader. |
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Sandy Koufax clinches the 3rd Los Angeles pennant in 4 years‚ working with just 2 days rest for a 6-3 win at Philadelphia. Koufax sets Los Angeles records with 27 wins and a 1.73 ERA. Philadelphia wins the first game‚ beating reliever Don Drysdale‚ behind Christ Short's 20th victory‚ 4-3. Short is the first Philley lefty to win 20 games since Eppa Rixey in 1916. |
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Cards rookie Jim Cosman makes his first ML appearance‚ shutting out the Cubs‚ 2-0. St. Louis OF Curt Flood concludes the season with his 159th consecutive errorless game‚ the most by an NL outfielder in one campaign. Flood handled 396 chances without a miscue. |
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Former Indian Joe Adcock will retire from active play and become manager of the Tribe. |
| October 6 |
Los Angeles OF Willie Davis commits 3 errors on two successive 5th-inning plays‚ as Baltimore scores 3 runs and wins 6-0. |
| October 8 |
In game 3 Paul Blair's HR and Wally Bunker's 6-hit pitching give the Orioles a 1-0 win‚ as the WS moves to Baltimore. |
| October 9 |
Dave McNally wraps up Baltimore's brilliant pitching display‚ and a World Championship‚ with a 4-hit‚ 1-0 win. Frank Robinson's HR off Don Drysdale gives Baltimore a surprising sweep of the defending champion Dodgers. The 33 consecutive scoreless innings pitched by Baltimore are a WS record. |
| October 13 |
Lee MacPhail is named GM of the Yankees. |
| October 17 |
Bob Swift‚ 51‚ dies at Detroit‚ losing a bout with cancer. He is the 2nd Tigers manager to pass away this year. |
November
| November 1 |
Sandy Koufax becomes the first 3-time winner of the Cy Young Award. He is a unanimous winner for the 2nd-straight year. This is the last year that only one award is given for pitchers in both of the MLs. |
| November 4 |
Maury Wills leaves the Los Angeles club touring Japan, complaining that his injured right knee needs immediate treatment in the U.S. But Maury stops off in Hawaii and a few days from now is spotted in a nightclub there playing banjo. On December 1, the Dodgers will send Maury to Pittsburgh. |
| November 12 |
The Dodgers complete an 18-game tour of Japan with a 9-8-1 record‚ the most losses ever for a ML club touring the Far East. |
| November 18 |
Sandy Koufax announces his retirement‚ due to increasing pain in his arthritic left elbow. |
| November 23 |
Chicago OF Tommie Agee is voted AL Rookie of the Year‚ gathering 16 of the 18 votes. Kansas City P Jim Nash gets the other 2. Agee had been brought up briefly the past 4 seasons before finding a permanent spot this year. |
| November 28 |
The Pirates purchase P Juan Pizarro from the White Sox‚ completing a deal that sends P Wilbur Wood to Chicago. The knuckleballing Wood was 14-8 for Columbus in 1966 after going 1-3 for the Pirates over the previous 2 years. |
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A circuit court jury in Chicago awards Jim Brewer $100‚000 in damages stemming from his 1960 on-field fight with Billy Martin. |
December
| December 5 |
Bill DeWitt sells the Reds to a group of Cincinnati investors‚ headed by Francis Dale‚ for an estimated $7 million. In two weeks‚ they hire Bob Howsam away from the Cardinals to be GM. |
| December 12 |
By a 4-3 decision‚ the U.S. Supreme Court refuses to review Wisconsin's suit to prevent the Braves' move to Atlanta‚ thereby retaining baseball's "umbrella" under antitrust laws. |
| December 20 |
The Yankees acquire SS Dick Howser from Cleveland for minor leaguer Gil Downs and cash. |
