Help Needed: Yearly Trivia

[Jeff Olsen]

1905 (10/5): Chief Bender won both games of a doubleheader. He also had six hits and 8 RBI.

1906
(4/29): despite New York's ban on Sunday baseball, the Highlanders and A's played a benefit game for the victims of the San Francisco earthquake, raising $5600 (the equivalent of $115,000 today).
(5/6): in Exposition Park (home of the Pirates), history was made when a tarp was pulled across the infield during a rain delay.
(8/13): Jack Taylor of the Cubs was pulled from the mound in the third inning, ending a record 187 consecutive complete games.

1907
(4/11): Roger Bresnahan of the Giants became the first catcher to wear standard shin guards.
(5/14): the flagpole in Chicago's South Side Park broke as the White Sox raised their 1906 pennant. A foreshadowing of 1919?

[Chipper_Jones]

Which year was it when the All Star game was ended in a tie due to lack of pitchers? I can't remember, but it was recent. I do remember the fans were pissed

[TwinswillWin]

1995: Minnesota Twins outfielder Kirby Puckett was hit by a pitch. The pitch hit his head ultimately ending Puckett's career. Who was the pitcher that beaned Puckett?

[Jeff Olsen]

Originally posted by Chipper_Jones
Which year was it when the All Star game was ended in a tie due to lack of pitchers? I can't remember, but it was recent. I do remember the fans were pissed

2002. Hawkeye mentioned this one on the first page.

[Steiny]

One I think Clay will undoubtedly add...

2004:
The Boston Red Sox come back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the New York Yankees in the ALCS, then go on to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 0 in the World Series.

[Jeff Olsen]

Originally posted by Steiny
1900:
The Brooklyn Superbas are the first World Champions of the 1900's, going 82-54 to win the National League pennant. The following year a rival circuit, the American League, is born.

1901:
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs is founded with eight teams.

1902:
The Pittsburgh Pirates win their second straight National League pennant in convincing fashion, posting a 103-36 record and besting second-place Brooklyn by 27 1/2 games.

1903:
The first modern World Series is played as the National League champion Pittsburgh Pirates take on the rival American League kingpin Boston Pilgrims. Though underdogs, the Pilgrims take the inaugural series in 8 games.

1904:
The Boston Pilgrims are denied a chance to become baseball's first repeat World Series champions as New York Giants manager John McGraw refuses to allow his team to participate in what would have been the second fall classic.

Also...

1901 (4/24): Nap Lajoie becomes the first player intentionally walked with the bases loaded.

1902 (8/13): Honus Wagner stole three bases - second, third, and home - in one game. A feat that he had also pulled off three years earlier.

1903
(7/2): Jack Doscher, son of Herm Doscher, made his Major League debut and became the first player whose father had also played.
(9/3): in his rookie debut, Jesse Stovall pitched an 11-inning shutout. A feat that has yet to be equaled. (edit: turns out my info was wrong; according to baseball-reference, this would have been his second appearance.)

1904 (5/27): Dan McGann stole five bases in one game, setting a record that would not be broken for 87 years.

[Chipper_Jones]

Originally posted by Jeff Olsen
2002. Hawkeye mentioned this one on the first page.

Sorry, I tried to read it all before posting, but must have accidentally skipped that post ...

[Winters]

2004: Julio Franco is the oldest player to hit a grand slam.

1991: Both of the teams in the World Series (Braves and Twins) went from last place in their division the previous year to first place this year.

1988: Jose Canseco becomes the first player to hit 40 homer runs and steal 40 bases in a season.

[polarisslbm]

Wasn't there a game once recently that was delayed on account of sun-glare?

How about when that pitcher got blown off the mound at Candlestick Park?

Or the Astrodome, the first time baseball was played indoors.

Or the first time it was played outdoors on artificial turf?

[liveandletdie]

During the 1961 All Star game, Giants pitcher Stu Miller was blown off the mound and, in 1963, New York Mets Manager Casey Stengel took his squad out for batting practice, only to watch a gust of wind pick up the entire batting cage and drop it 60 feet away on the pitcher’s mound.

1965 The first time baseball was played indoors.

[Jeff Olsen]

Originally posted by liveandletdie
During the 1961 All Star game, Giants pitcher Stu Miller was blown off the mound

According to this page, that didn't really happen.

[T]he wind at Candlestick turned in a legendary performance when it caused Giants reliever Stu Miller to commit a balk at the 1961 All-Star Game. Miller was pitching in the ninth with runners at first and second. As Miller was preparing to deliver his pitch, the wind whipped up and caused Miller to weave back and forth. Miller was called for a balk, and the AL tied the game. The NL eventually won 5-4 in 10 innings. This incident has become a baseball myth through the years. While Miller was called for a balk, he wasn't "blown off the mound" - a phrase commonly attached with this incident. In fact, most of the people in attendance were unsure a balk had been called or why.

[polarisslbm]

Thanks for clearing that up. I knew he was called for a balk, but I was not there, so I do not know how it actually went down. And now I do.

I think it was 1970 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, the first time baseball was played outdoors on artificial turf... though Three Rivers Stadium had artificial turf and opened the same year in Pittsburgh, I think (but am not sure) that the first season game was played in Cincinnati.

The last teams to install lights for night games : American League, Detroit, 1948, National League, Chicago, 1989(?). I know SOMEBODY will know the proper date.

In 1962, RFK Stadium in Washington DC, arguably the first 'cookie-cutter' style stadium, of which would follow Busch Stadium, Atlanta-Fulton County, Three Rivers, and Riverfront. The Astrodome and Shea Stadium both seem to be inspired by them, as well.

In 1973, the American League voted to begin using the designated hitter rule on a '3 year trial basis'.

1992, the first World Series is won by a team outside the United States, the Toronto Blue Jays. A year later, they repeated. The next year, Montreal made a very strong run, but it was tragically cut short by the strike.

In 2005, the Angels franchise has changed its name three times in the past ten years without moving an inch.

In 1993, the expansion Colorado Rockies shatter the Major League Baseball attendence record with 4,483,350 fans at Mile High Stadium, a converted football field. In 1994, they were on a pace to break the previous record, but again, it as cut short by the strike. The Rockies led the National League in attendence for seven consecutive years.

Former stadium Sportsman Park, in St. Louis, has hosted more major league baseball games than any other field, being the host of two teams, the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Browns, for 51 years.

Contrary to what you may think, the record for lowest attendence since the era of expansion began (1960), is not held by Montreal : in 1979, the 54-108 Oakland Athletics attracted a meager 306,763 fans, an average of 3,787. Second is the Chicago White Sox, who, in 1970, garnered only 495,355 fans for the entire season while going 56-106, for an average of 5,897. Third is San Diego, who attracted a paltry 512,970 (6,333 per game) for their inaugural season at Jack Murphy Stadium in 1969. They went 52-110.

In 2003, the Detroit Tigers narrowly avoided breaking the expansion 1962 New York Mets record of worst record since the era of expansion of 40-120. After a horrible last season stretch of winning only 1 game in 17 tries, the Tigers managed to win 5 of their last 6, pulling out with a record of 43-119.

In 1990, the first MLB retractable-roofed baseball stadium opened, the Skydome in Toronto. It has also been the home of the Canadian Football League Argonauts, as well as the Toronto Raptors NBA team.

And who can forget when, in 1962, Yogi Berra said something funny.

[Jeff Olsen]

Originally posted by polarisslbm
Contrary to what you may think, the record for lowest attendence since the era of expansion began (1960), is not held by Montreal : in 1979, the 54-108 Oakland Athletics attracted a meager 306,763 fans, an average of 3,787. Second is the Chicago White Sox, who, in 1970, garnered only 495,355 fans for the entire season while going 56-106, for an average of 5,897. Third is San Diego, who attracted a paltry 512,970 (6,333 per game) for their inaugural season at Jack Murphy Stadium in 1969. They went 52-110.

Along the same lines, the lowest known attendance for a Major League baseball game was at Shibe Park on 8 September 1916. Eighteen paid (23 total) to watch the Yankees & Athletics.

[cartman00000001]

Originally posted by Jeff Olsen
1988: Jose Oquendo played at least one inning at all nine positions, the first player to do so in 70 years.

From espn.com

It's only been done three times before, the latest on Wednesday night by Scott Sheldon of the Texas Rangers against the Chicago White Sox.

Sheldon joined Bert Campaneris of the Kansas City A's (Sept. 8, 1965) and Cesar Tovar of the Minnesota Twins (Sept. 22, 1968) as the only other players to play all nine spots. No one in the NL has ever done it.

[Jeff Olsen]

Originally posted by cartman00000001
From espn.com

It's only been done three times before, the latest on Wednesday night by Scott Sheldon of the Texas Rangers against the Chicago White Sox.

Sheldon joined Bert Campaneris of the Kansas City A's (Sept. 8, 1965) and Cesar Tovar of the Minnesota Twins (Sept. 22, 1968) as the only other players to play all nine spots. No one in the NL has ever done it.

That's all nine positions in one game, not one season.