Portal:Baseball/Anniversaries/April 29
Events
- 1902 – Baltimore Orioles infielder John McGraw is hit by pitches five times, but home plate umpire Jack Sheridan refuses to allow him to take first base. In the ninth inning, McGraw is hit for the last time and sits down in the batter's box in protest. American League president Ban Johnson will suspend McGraw for five games.
- 1923 – The New York Yankees sign 20-year-old prospect Lou Gehrig to a contract paying him a salary of $2,000 and a bonus of $1,500. Yankees scout Paul Krichell had watched the Columbia University star blast a 450-foot home run against New York University one day earlier.
- 1981 – Steve Carlton of the Philadelphia Phillies becomes the sixth major league pitcher – and first left-hander – to strike out 3,000 batters in the Phillies 6 – 2 victory over the visiting Montreal Expos. Carlton strikes out three in the first inning as Tim Wallach is his 3,000 victim.
- 1986 – Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox sets a major league record by striking out 20 batters in a 3 – 1 victory over the Seattle Mariners. The 23-year-old Clemens surpasses the record of 19 strikeouts shared by Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan, and Tom Seaver.
- 1988 – The Baltimore Orioles end their 21-game losing streak by winning their first game of the season, 9 – 0, over the Chicago White Sox on a combined four-hitter by Mark Williamson and Dave Schmidt.
- 1996 – New York Mets closer John Franco becomes the first left-hander in major league history to record 300 saves, exactly 12 years after he gained his first save with the Cincinnati Reds.
- 2007 – Troy Tulowitzki turns the 13th unassisted triple play in MLB history. In the 7th inning, Atlanta Braves hitters Kelly Johnson and Edgar Rentería reach base. They run with the pitch on a full count delivery to Chipper Jones. Jones lines the ball behind second base, which Tulowitzki catches. He then steps on second to retire Johnson and tags out Rentería to complete the rare feat.
Births
- 1879 – Noodles Hahn, pitcher (d. 1960)
- 1899 – Nip Winters, Negro League pitcher (d. 1971)
- 1934 – Luis Aparicio, infielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer
- 1947 – Tom House, pitcher
- 1952 – Ron Washington, infielder
Deaths
- 2007 – Josh Hancock, pitcher (b. 1978)