Today is the 13th of April, and today in baseball history, many exciting events happened.
On this Day in 1926, Walter Johnson and Eddie Rommel squared off in what is remembered as the greatest Opening Day Duel in baseball history.
On this Day in 1954, Hank Aaron made his MLB debut.
On this Day in 1962, Stan Musial set a new NL record, scoring his 1,869th career Run.
On this Day in 1967, Tom Seaver made his MLB debut.
On this Day in 1984, Pete Rose recorded his 4,000th career, Hit.
On this Day in 1993, Lee Smith became the all-time leader in Saves.
The Greatest Opening Day Pitching Duel:
On April 13th, 1926, in front of 25,000 fans at Griffith Stadium, Walter Johnson, the greatest starting pitcher of all time, would take the ball in his final Opening Day start against Eddie Rommel and the visiting Philadelphia Athletics. Both starters would go the full 15-inning game. In the bottom of the 15th inning, Rommel gave up a run, and the Senators would win 1-0. Five other Hall of Famers played in that game; Al Simmons and Mickey Cochrane for the Philadelphia Athletics and Sam Rice, Bucky Harris, and Goose Goslin for the Washington Senators.
Hank Aaron makes MLB debut:
On April 13th, 1954, Hank Aaron, the all-time clean leader in Home Runs and Runs Batted In, made his major league debut against the Cincinnati Reds. In that game, he hit the fifth spot in the lineup and wore the #5 on his jersey. Aaron went 0 for 5, and the Braves would lose 9-8. It wasn't the first game he would've wanted, but he finished 4th in the NL Rookie of the Year voting that year and hit 755 home runs and 2,297 RBIs. It's safe to say Hank Aaron worked his way out of his funky major league debut. Also noteworthy is what would end up being his long-time teammate/friend Eddie Matthews hit two home runs in that game.
Stan Musial sets NL record:
On April 13th, 1962, Stan Musial went 2 for 4 against the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field and scored for the 1,869th time setting the all-time career Run record in the National League.
Tom Seaver MLB Debut:
On April 13th, 19676, Tom Seaver arrived to debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Unfortunately, only 5,005 fans were there to witness the debut of the most outstanding player in Mets franchise history. He wouldn't get the win, but he did pitch very solid going five and a third, striking out eight batters while only giving up two runs. Seaver would finish the 1967 season, winning the NL Rookie of the Year award, going 16-13 W-L, 2.76 ERA, 170K's, 1,203 WHIP.
Pete Rose records Hit #4000:
On April 13th, 1984, in Montreal at Olympic Stadium, in front of 48,000 fans. It was the bottom of the fourth inning the Expos were leading the Phillies 2-0. Pete Rose was 0 for 2 against Jerry Koosman that night. With a runner on first, nobody out, and a 1-1 count, Rose drilled a fastball to the right-field wall, hustling to second base for a Double, giving him 4,000 career Hits. While his time in Montreal only lasted for 95 games, the crowd cheered, and rightfully so.
Lee Smith Becomes All-Time Saves Leader:
On April 13th, 1993, Lee Smith put the finishing touches on the Cardinals' 9-7 win over the Dodger, earning him his 358th career Save and making him the All-Time leader at that time. I imagine that moment must've felt bittersweet for Smith. Earlier in his career, he was a great closer for the Cubs, ending up with the Red Sox, where he had a lot of ups and downs. He was traded to St Louis a couple of years prior. Despite not having the dominant fastball he once had, he used his excellent strength in his slider and forkball and had a nice career resurgence during his years with the Cardinals.
Written & Published by Robert Dobek
Follow on Twitter @RobTheYankee
References:
David. April 13, 1926 – Opening Day Duel for the Ages via Baseball Round Table, Published 13 April 2014: https://baseballroundtable.com/april-13-1926-opening-day-duel-for-the-ages/
Stiner, Kevin. Hank Aaron makes his big league debut via Baseball Hall, https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/stories/inside-pitch/hank-aaron-makes-his-big-league-debut#:~:text=And%20it%20all%20started%20on,13%20doubles%20the%20game%20produced
Stan Musial 1962 Game by Game Batting Logs via Baseball Almanac: https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/stories/inside-pitch/hank-aaron-makes-his-big-league-debut#:~:text=And%20it%20all%20started%20on,13%20doubles%20the%20game%20produced
Muratore, Elizabeth. Mets History: The one where Tom Seaver makes his MLB debut in 1967 via Rising Apple: Published: April 13, 2020 https://risingapple.com/2020/04/13/mets-history-tom-seaver-debut/
- Kreuz, Julia. Remember When? Pete Rose gets 4,000th MLB hit with Expos via SportsNet, Published 30 April, 2020: sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/remember-pete-rose-gets-4000th-mlb-hit-expos/
rememberyourredbirds. Lee Smith beomes baseball's saves leader: via STLredbirds: https://www.stlredbirds.com/2022/03/11/lee-smith-becomes-baseballs-career-saves-leader/#:~:text=April%2013%2C%201993%3A%20Lee%20Smith%20becomes%20baseball's%20career%20saves%20leader&text=On%20April%2013%2C%201993%2C%20Cardinals,7%20win%20over%20the%20Dodgers.
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