Fourth of July Baseball Fireworks
History was made in America on July 4, 1776. MLB continues the history making tradition.
The Fourth of July.
Independence Day.
Whatever you want to call it, it’s time to celebrate #Merica.
A little American history:
The only United States President born on the Fourth of July was Calvin Coolidge in 1872. However, three Presidents have died on our nation’s birthday: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (Both men died on this date in 1826. Jefferson first, but Adams’ last words were “Jefferson still survives,” not knowing the author of the Declaration of Independence had passed on) and James Monroe in 1831.
A little more First Family history: Malia Obama, daughter of Barack, was born on July 4th, 1998.
Baseball and our nation’s birthday have always gone hand in hand. In fact, former New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was born on July 4th, 1930 in Ohio. If George had been born on July 3rd or July 5th, he probably would have fired the doctor for not delivering him on the 4th.
When an MLB season lasts six months, not every day can be special. Some players and teams, however, have made their own fireworks on past Independence Days.
A Grand Slam That Wasn’t
Tim McCarver, catcher of the Phillies, hit a grand slam in 1976, our country’s bicentennial anniversary. But it didn’t count. During his trip around the bases, he passed a teammate on the base paths and was called out. According to Baseball Reference, this is just one of three “grand slam singles” in history.
Home Run Fireworks
One year after McCarver’s grand slam was taken away, the Red Sox blasted a then-MLB record eight home runs in one game.
The Sox were down 6–3 in the seventh, and launched six homers in the seventh and eighth innings to win the game.
Pujols Powers Up
In 2008, Albert Pujols hit his 300th career home run against the Chicago Cubs. Today, it’s not much of an accomplishment, but it was a start to his power display he’d show in the coming years.
Billy Wagner Reaches 300 Saves
Collecting 300 career saves is much harder than the 300 home runs, but Billy the Kid reached the milestone in 2006.
He is most well known as an Astro, and is one of the top closers of all time. An ERA of 2.31 and 422 total saves is pretty impressive. Wagner became just the 20th pitcher to reach the milestone.
Jim Tabor Hits Four Tators
On July 4th, 1939, the Yankees games were not remembered (continue reading to find out why). But Jim Tabor tried his best to make it memorable.
In a double-header, Tabor smacked a combined four home runs, two being grand slams. His day also included 11 RBIs and 19 total bases. Stat wise, this ranks as one of the best days ever for a big league player.
Niekro notches 3,000 Ks
Phil Niekro was one of the best pitchers in the game, and in 1984, he reached the 3,000 strikeout milestone.
While taking the hill for the Yankees, he became the ninth man to hit the record by striking out Larry Parrish of the Texas Rangers.
Niekro finished his career with 3,422 punch outs.
Nolan Ryan Strikes Out 3,000
In 1980, Nolan Ryan got his 3,000th strikeout against the Cincinnati Reds while pitching for the Texas Rangers.
For Ryan, however, he was just getting started. That punch out was just one from a career that saw him strike out over 5,000 batters.
Baseball and…Breakfast?
The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves don’t like each other. They could have fooled people in 1985, because they didn’t want to stop playing.
19 innings. Six hours of baseball. Rain delays. 46 combined hits, 5 errors, 74 total base runners and155 at-bats. Keith Hernandez hits for the cycle, going 4–10 at the plate. Mets win 16–13.
In the bottom of the 18th inning, the Braves ran out of players and sent relief pitcher Rick Camp to bat, down 11–10. Camp hits his only big league home run to tie the game and send it to the 19th. The Mets then scored five runs, while Atlanta rallied late but couldn’t tie it. Camp struck out to end the game at 3:55 AM and take the loss.
In the wee hours of July 5, the Braves began their planned fireworks display. The locals began calling 911 in droves, thinking the city was being attacked. Talk about an early alarm clock.
Righetti’s No-No
In 1983, Dave Righetti was pitching for the Yankees against the Red Sox and turned in a masterful performance, throwing his first and only no hitter of his career.
Oh, and President Richard Nixon was in the crowd.
Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth
In one of the most famous moments in sports, Lou Gehrig stepped up to a microphone and said goodbye to baseball in 1939.
After a two minute standing ovation at Yankee Stadium, Lou Gehrig’s number was retired. This ceremony was the first of its kind in baseball history.
Gehrig’s career was cut short because of a disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known now as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
So this year while you celebrate the nation’s birthday with burgers and beer, don’t forget to watch some baseball. You might just see some history.
Chris Schomaker loves baseball and the United States. He will be attending games during the holiday wearing red, white, and blue from head to toe. #Merica. He can be found on The Twitter @cjschoe.
