Oct 18

ALCS Game Three, 2023

Houston at Texas, 5:07 PM PDT, TV: FS1

RHP Cristian Javier (1-0, 0.00 ERA postseason) pitches for the Astros and RHP Max Scherzer (0-0, 0.00 ERA postseason) takes the ball for the Rangers for the first time in the playoffs after sitting out a month with shoulder issues.

Today in baseball history

  • 1950 After spending half a century managing in the major leagues, Connie Mack retires as skipper of the A’s. The 87-year-old manager, who has the most wins and losses in the game’s history, will be replaced by Jimmy Dykes, after compiling a 3731-3948 (.486) record during his 50 years in the dugout.
  • 1960 “Resigned, fired, quit, discharged, use whatever you damn please. I’ll never make the mistake of being seventy again” – CASEY STENGEL, announcing his dismissal from the Yankees for being too old to manage.
    Five days after losing to the Pirates in Game 7 of the World Series, the Yankees fire Casey Stengel, believing he’s too old to manage. During his twelve-year tenure with the Bronx Bombers, the ‘Old Perfesser’ compiled an 1149-696 (.623) record while capturing ten AL pennants and seven World Championships.

  • 1977 After homering in his last at-bat yesterday and drawing a walk in his first at-bat, Reggie Jackson hits three more on each first pitch he sees in the Yankees’ 8-4 victory over the Dodgers in the Bronx, giving him three homers on three consecutive pitches off three different pitchers. “Mr. October’s” heroics in Game 6 of the Fall Classic assure the team of their twenty-first World Championship and first since 1962.
  • 2004 After 5 hours, 49 minutes, and 471 pitches, the Red Sox outlast the Yankees, 5-4, in Game 5 of the league championship. Boston’s DH David Ortiz, who is the first player in baseball history to hit two walk-off home runs during the postseason, ends the longest game in ALCS history at 1:22 a.m. with a two-out single into center scoring Johnny Damon from second in the 14th inning at Fenway Park.
  • 2012 At Comerica Park, the Tigers win their second American League pennant in seven years when they beat the punchless Yankees, 8-1, to complete a four-game sweep. The contest marks the first time the Bronx Bombers have failed to win a game in a best-of-seven series since they dropped four straight to the Reds in the 1976 Fall Classic.
Sep 26

Game 157, 2023

This is Game Two of a doubleheader.

Dodgers at Rockies, 5:40 PM PDT, TV: ATT SportsNet RM, SPNLA

RHP Bobby Miller (10-4, 3.97 ERA) climbs the Coors Field mound for the Dodgers. The Rockies hadn’t named a starter as of 2030 HST Monday night.

Today in baseball history:

  • 1954 With the Yankees eight games behind Cleveland on the last day of the season, Casey Stengel fields a lineup of familiar faces in unfamiliar places in an 8-6 loss to the A’s at the ballpark in the Bronx. In his only career game at third base, Yogi Berra handles two chances without a miscue, shortstop Mickey Mantle flawlessly fields eight grounders, and first baseman Bill Skowron makes just one error in his eight opportunities playing at second.
  • 1961 At Yankee Stadium, Roger Maris ties Babe Ruth’s 34-year-old single-season record with his 60th home run of the year, a high drive down the right-field line off on a curveball thrown by Orioles right-hander Jack Fisher. The slugger’s homer comes in the 159th game of the expanded season, keeping Ruth as the single-season home run leader according to Commissioner Ford Frick, who ruled for the mark to be shared or broken, the historic round-tripper had to come in the first 154 games of the season.

Lineups when available.

Sep 17

Game 148, 2023

Dodgers at Mariners, 1:10 PM PDT, TV: RootsNW, SPNLA

RHP Shelby Miller (1-0, 2.00 ERA) starts a bullpen game for the Dodgers and RHP Logan Gilbert (13-5, 3.82) starts for )the Mariners.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1912 Casey Stengel of the Dodgers makes an impressive major league debut against the Pirates. The likable Brooklyn outfielder from Kansas City collects four hits, drives in two runs, and swipes a pair of bases.
  • 1963 Dodger ace Sandy Koufax tosses a four-hitter, blanking St. Louis at Sportsman’s Park, 4-0. The southpaw’s scoreless effort establishes a National League record for shutouts thrown by lefties in a season with 11, five shy of Grover Cleveland Alexander’s major league mark set in 1916 with the Phillies.
  • 1981 Dodgers southpaw Fernando Valenzuela ties White Sox freshman Ewell Russell’s 1913 rookie record when he hurls his eighth shutout of the season, blanking Atlanta on three hits. The 20 year-old Mexican’s 2-0 victory breaks the previous National League mark shared by Irving Young (Braves, 1905), Grover Cleveland Alexander (Phillies, 1911), and Jerry Koosman (Mets, 1968).
  • 1996 Dodger right-hander Hideo Nomo no-hits the Rockies, 9-0, at Coor Field, becoming the only big league hurler to accomplish the feat in the thin air of Denver. Tornado Boy’s performance in Colorado is the best-attended no-no and is the only hitless game with a paid attendance of more than 50,000 fans.

  • 2010 Joe Torre, who will compile a 2326-1997 (.538) managerial record during his 30 seasons as a skipper with the Mets, Braves, Cardinals, Yankees, and Dodgers, announces he will be retiring at the end of the month. Los Angeles immediately hires the team’s hitting coach Don Mattingly to replace the 70 year-old.
  • 2014 Jacob DeGrom strikes out the first eight batters he faces in the Mets’ 6-5 loss in Miami, tying the modern-day major league mark to start a game. The Amazins’ rookie right-hander now shares the record with Jim Deshaies, who struck out the first eight Dodgers he faced with the Astros in a 1986 contest.

A whole lot of interesting things happened on this date in baseball history; take a look.

Lineups when available.

Jul 24

Game 99, 2023

Blue Jays at Dodgers, 7:10 PM PDT, TV: Sportsnet, SNET-1, TVA Sports, SN NOW App, SPNLA

The Torontonians send RHP José Berríos (8-7, 3.39 ERA) to the Dodger Stadium mound to face the Dodgers’ RHP Michael Grove (2-2, 6.40 ERA).

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1909 At Washington Park, the Superbas sweep a twin bill from the visiting Cardinals with identical 1-0 scores. Brooklyn’s southpaw Nap Rucker, who will finish second in the NL with 200 strikeouts, whiffs 16 Redbirds in one of the contests.
  • 1931 For the second time in ten days, Babe Herman hits for the cycle. The Dodger outfielder joins “Long John” Reilly and Bob Meusel as one of only three ‘tricyclists’ to have accomplished the feat of collecting a single, double, triple, and home run in one game three times.
  • 1965 Unbeknownst to him at the time, 75 year-old Mets skipper Casey Stengel, who compiled a managerial record of 1,905-1,842 with the Dodgers, Braves, Yankees, and Mets, manages his final baseball game, a 5-1 loss to Philadelphia at Shea Stadium. After leaving a party after midnight at Toots Shor’s, the ‘Old Perfesser’ loses his balance and fractures his left hip, resulting in the unexpected retirement with the team.
  • 1968 ChiSox reliever Hoyt Wilhelm breaks Cy Young’s record when he makes his 907th career appearance, pitching a third of an inning in which he gives up a run on two hits to be on the short side of the team’s 3-2 loss to Oakland. The 45 year-old knuckleballer, who will retire in 1972 after pitching in 1,070 games, will finish his 21-year major league career with a 143-122 (.540) won-loss record and 228 saves, hurling for the Giants, Cardinals, Indians, Orioles, White Sox, Angels, Braves, Cubs, and Dodgers.
  • 1970 Tommy Agee steals home with two outs in the bottom of the tenth inning, giving the Mets a 2-1 walk-off victory over the Dodgers at Shea Stadium. After reaching on a fielder’s choice, the New York center fielder stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, before scoring the winning run with his thievery of home plate.
  • 1977 After his two-out foul pop-up is dropped by Mets’ right fielder Bruce Boisclair, Davey Lopes responds with a game-ending three-run home run off Bob Apodaca. The L.A. second baseman’s ninth-inning dramatics provide the Dodgers with a 5-3 win and spoil the opportunity for a win for Nino Espinosa, who left the game needing just one more out for a complete-game victory.
  • 1993 Following the game at Dodger Stadium, Vince Coleman tosses an M-80 from a car, resulting in reported injuries to three fans in the Chavez Ravine parking lot, including an 11 year-old boy and a two year-old girl. The Mets’ player was a passenger in the 1991 Jeep Cherokee driven by LA outfielder Eric Davis, who acknowledges Coleman flipped the firecracker out of his vehicle as a ‘joke,’ but not into a crowd of people.
  • 1993 In a 5-4 loss to the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, Mets right-hander Anthony Young extends his record losing streak to 27 games. The latest defeat is the result of the hard-luck hurler walking Dave Hansen in with the winning run with two outs in the 10th inning.
  • 2015 Michael Conforto becomes the 1,000th player in Mets history when he makes his major league debut, going 0-3 in the team’s 7-2 loss to the Dodgers at Citi Field. Tomorrow, the 24 year-old rookie left fielder will enjoy a 4-for-4 day at the plate when he will collect three singles and a double en route scoring four runs.
  • 2020 For only the second time in baseball history, all four starting infielders are the sons of former major leaguers, when shortstop Bo Bichette (Dante), second baseman Cavan Biggio (Craig), first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Vladimir), and third baseman Travis Shaw (Jeff) top the order for the Blue Jays on Opening Day. In 2012, the Dodgers’ lineup featured an infield consisting of third baseman Ivan DeJesus Jr. (Ivan), second baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. (Jerry), shortstop Dee Gordon (Tom), and first baseman Scott Van Slyke (Andy), with outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. (Tony) patrolling center field.

Lineups when available.

Jun 17

Game 71, 2023

Giants at Dodgers, 6:10 PM PDT, TV: NBCSBA, SPNLA

LHP Alex Wood (1-1, 4.80 ERA) gets the ball for the Giants; RHP Bobby Miller (3-0, 0.78 ERA) gets it for the Dodgers. It’s a little hard for me to believe, but this is old friend Alex’s 11th year in the big leagues. He’s got a 72-61 W-L record with a 3.48 ERA in that time.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1915 Cubs right-hander reliever George Washington Zabel, called into the game with two outs in the bottom of the first inning, throws 18 and 1/3 innings of the Cubs’ 4-3 victory over the Robins at Chicago’s West Side Park. ‘Zip’, establishing the major league record for the longest relief stint in one game, beats Brooklyn starter Jeff Pfeffer, who tosses a 19-inning complete-game. (Pfeffer won 113 games for Brooklyn and lost only 80 in a nine-year career with the Robins.)
  • 1956 Joe Adcock’s ninth-inning home run off Brooklyn right-hander Ed Roebuck, his second round-tripper of the game, proves to be the game winner in the Braves’ 5-4 victory over the Dodgers. The blast to left field, which clears an 83-foot wall at the 350-foot mark, is believed to the only homer ever to land on the roof at Ebbets Field.
  • 1956 Fred Haney, named yesterday to replace Charlie Grimm, wins two games in his managerial debut with the Braves when the team sweeps a doubleheader against the Dodgers at Ebbets Field, 5-4 and 3-1, starting a streak of 11 consecutive victories. The club’s former coach will compile a 341-231 (.596) record, guiding Milwaukee to two pennants and a world championship during his four seasons at the helm.
  • 1976 At Shea Stadium, Dave Kingman hits a walk-off homer to give the Mets a 1-0 victory over the Dodgers. Sky King’s game-ending blast comes off Charlie Hough in the 14th inning.
  • 1992 Dodger farmhand Mike Piazza, believing he was low balled in his contract negotiations, takes exception to the team giving a reported bonus of $500,000 to top draft pick Ryan Luzinski, a 220-pound catcher from Holy Cross High in Delran, New Jersey who will never play in a major league game. Next season, Piazza will be selected as the National League’s Rookie of the Year, and will hit .331 in seven seasons for LA.

One more item from the history books: on this date in 1962 Met Marv Throneberry’s apparent first inning triple becomes an out on an appeal play for missing second base in an 8-7 loss to San Francisco at the Polo Grounds. When New York manager Casey Stengel questions the call, he is told by the umpire, according to legend, “Don’t bother arguing Casey, he missed first base, too.”

Lineups when available.

Oct 05

Game 162, 2022

Rockies at Dodgers, 1:20 PM PDT, TV: ATT SportsNet RM, SPNLA

In the last regular season game of the season LHP Austin Gomber (5-7, 5.62 ERA) pitches for the Rockies and LHP Clayton Kershaw (11-3, 2.30 ERA) pitches for the Dodgers. This could be Kershaw’s last regular season game, but I suspect he’ll be back next year; yes, he’ll be 35 years old but he’s been very good this season even with his back troubles and he enjoys the competition so much that I think he’ll give it one more go. I hope so. I’d like to see him get 200 wins.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1905 The Beaneaters suffer their 100th loss of the season when they drop the first game of a Washington Park doubleheader, 11-5, to the Superbas, a team that has already lost 103 games. It is the first occurrence in major league history that two teams with triple-digit losses have been opponents.
  • 1914 In the eighth, Robins reliever Pat Ragan throws an immaculate inning when he strikes out the first three batters he faces on nine pitches. Unfortunately, the right-handed will give up five runs in the next frame, taking the loss in the team’s 9-5 defeat to the Braves at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field.
  • 1947 Al Gionfriddo, inserted in left field for defensive purposes, makes one of the most memorable catches in World Series history when he robs Joe DiMaggio of an extra-base hit with two men on base in the sixth inning. The outfielder’s heroics help preserve an 8-5 Dodger victory in Game 6 of the Fall Classic, which will be the 25-year-old’s last game in the major leagues.
  • 1949 Dodger right-hander Don Newcombe, becoming the first black to start a World Series contest, allows only four hits in Game 1, including Tommy Henrich’s home run leading off the bottom of the ninth, giving the Yankees a 1-0 walk-off victory in the Bronx ballpark. ‘Old Reliable’s shot to right field, the first game-ending home run in the history of the Fall Classic, gives Allie Reynolds the complete-game win, and it is Casey Stengel’s first postseason victory
  • 1953 In the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6, the Yankees win their record fifth consecutive World Series when Billy Martin singles, scoring Hank Bauer to give New York a dramatic 4-3 walk-off victory over the Dodgers. The Bronx Bombers’ second baseman, named the Series MVP, bats .500 in the six contests, collecting a record-tying 12 hits to equal Babe Ruth’s mark, and compiles 23 total bases, the most in Fall Classic history.
  • 1963 In Game 4, Mickey Mantle ties Babe Ruth’s record with his 15th World Series home run. In the seventh inning, the Yankees slugger turns around a Sandy Koufax fastball to tie the score, but the blast isn’t enough to stave off the Dodgers’ Fall Classic sweep of the Bronx Bombers.
  • 1966 Reliever Moe Drabowsky ties a World Series record by striking out six consecutive batters in the Orioles’ 5-2 Game 1 victory at Dodger Stadium. Brooks and Frank Robinson hit back-to-back homers in the first inning.
  • 1977 Glenn Burke greets Dusty Baker on the dugout steps to congratulate his Dodger teammate for hitting a grand slam against the Phillies in Game 2 of the 1977 NLCS. The greeting, consisting of the two players extending their right arms above their heads and slapping their hands to make a resounding clap, is considered the first ‘high five’ in baseball history.
  • 2001 In the longest nine-inning game in major league history, Barry Bonds breaks and then extends the mark for home runs in a season during the 4 hours and 27 minutes, 11-10 loss to the Dodgers at Pac Bell Park. The Giant outfielder connects off Dodger starter Chan Ho Park to break Mark McGwire’s 1998 record of 70 and then homers again in his next at-bat to extend his record to 72.

Lineups when available.

Sep 17

Game 144, 2022

Dodgers at Giants, 6:05 PM PDT, TV: NBCS BA, SPNLA

National League ERA-leading LHP Julio Urías (16-7, 2.30 ERA) takes the mound at Oracle Park for the Dodgers. He’ll face the Giants’ RHP John Brebbia (6-1, 2.83 ERA).

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1912 Casey Stengel of the Dodgers makes an impressive major league debut against the Pirates. The likable Brooklyn outfielder from Kansas City collects four hits, drives in two runs, and swipes a pair of bases.
  • 1963 Dodger ace Sandy Koufax tosses a four-hitter, blanking St. Louis at Sportsman’s Park, 4-0. The southpaw’s scoreless effort establishes a National League record for shutouts thrown by lefties in a season with 11, five shy of Grover Cleveland Alexander’s major league mark set in 1916 with the Phillies.
  • 1981 Dodgers southpaw Fernando Valenzuela ties White Sox freshman Ewell Russell’s 1913 rookie record when he hurls his eighth shutout of the season, blanking Atlanta on three hits. The 20 year-old Mexican’s 2-0 victory breaks the previous National League mark shared by Irving Young (Braves, 1905), Grover Cleveland Alexander (Phillies, 1911), and Jerry Koosman (Mets, 1968).
  • 1996 Dodger right-hander Hideo Nomo no-hits the Rockies, 9-0, at Coor Field, becoming the only big league hurler to accomplish the feat in the thin air of Denver. Tornado Boy’s performance in Colorado is the best-attended no-no and is the only hitless game with a paid attendance of more than 50,000 fans.

  • 2010 Joe Torre, who will compile a 2326-1997 (.538) managerial record during his 30 seasons as a skipper with the Mets, Braves, Cardinals, Yankees, and Dodgers, announces he will be retiring at the end of the month. Los Angeles immediately hires the team’s hitting coach Don Mattingly to replace the 70 year-old.
  • 2014 Jacob DeGrom strikes out the first eight batters he faces in the Mets’ 6-5 loss in Miami, tying the modern-day major league mark to start a game. The Amazins’ rookie right-hander now shares the record with Jim Deshaies, who struck out the first eight Dodgers he faced with the Astros in a 1986 contest.

A whole lot of interesting things happened on this date in baseball history; take a look.

Lineups when available.

Jul 24

Game 94, 2022

Giants at Dodgers, 1:10 PM PDT, TV: NBCS BA, SPNLA

RHP Alex Cobb (3-4, 4.09 ERA) goes for the Giants while LHP Clayton Kershaw (7-2, 2.13 ERA) pitches for the Dodgers. Cobb has had a modest July, going 0-1 with a 2.22 ERA in 24 1/3 innings. Kershaw is fresh off a start in the All Star Game and has otherwise gone 2-0 with an ERA of 0.40 in July. He needs eight wins to get to 200 for his career.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1909 At Washington Park, the Superbas sweep a twin bill from the visiting Cardinals with identical 1-0 scores. Brooklyn’s southpaw Nap Rucker, who will finish second in the NL with 200 strikeouts, whiffs 16 Redbirds in one of the contests.
  • 1931 For the second time in ten days, Babe Herman hits for the cycle. The Dodger outfielder joins “Long John” Reilly and Bob Meusel as one of only three ‘tricyclists’ to have accomplished the feat of collecting a single, double, triple, and home run in one game three times.
  • 1965 Unbeknownst to him at the time, 75 year-old Mets skipper Casey Stengel, who compiled a managerial record of 1,905-1,842 with the Dodgers, Braves, Yankees, and Mets, manages his final baseball game, a 5-1 loss to Philadelphia at Shea Stadium. After leaving a party after midnight at Toots Shor’s, the ‘Old Perfesser’ loses his balance and fractures his left hip, resulting in the unexpected retirement with the team.
  • 1968 ChiSox reliever Hoyt Wilhelm breaks Cy Young’s record when he makes his 907th career appearance, pitching a third of an inning in which he gives up a run on two hits to be on the short side of the team’s 3-2 loss to Oakland. The 45 year-old knuckleballer, who will retire in 1972 after pitching in 1,070 games, will finish his 21-year major league career with a 143-122 (.540) won-loss record and 228 saves, hurling for the Giants, Cardinals, Indians, Orioles, White Sox, Angels, Braves, Cubs, and Dodgers.
  • 1970 Tommy Agee steals home with two outs in the bottom of the tenth inning, giving the Mets a 2-1 walk-off victory over the Dodgers at Shea Stadium. After reaching on a fielder’s choice, the New York center fielder stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, before scoring the winning run with his thievery of home plate.
  • 1977 After his two-out foul pop-up is dropped by Mets’ right fielder Bruce Boisclair, Davey Lopes responds with a game-ending three-run home run off Bob Apodaca. The L.A. second baseman’s ninth-inning dramatics provide the Dodgers with a 5-3 win and spoil the opportunity for a win for Nino Espinosa, who left the game needing just one more out for a complete-game victory.
  • 1993 Following the game at Dodger Stadium, Vince Coleman tosses an M-80 from a car, resulting in reported injuries to three fans in the Chavez Ravine parking lot, including an 11 year-old boy and a two year-old girl. The Mets’ player was a passenger in the 1991 Jeep Cherokee driven by LA outfielder Eric Davis, who acknowledges Coleman flipped the firecracker out of his vehicle as a ‘joke,’ but not into a crowd of people.
  • 1993 In a 5-4 loss to the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, Mets right-hander Anthony Young extends his record losing streak to 27 games. The latest defeat is the result of the hard-luck hurler walking Dave Hansen in with the winning run with two outs in the 10th inning.
  • 2015 Michael Conforto becomes the 1,000th player in Mets history when he makes his major league debut, going 0-3 in the team’s 7-2 loss to the Dodgers at Citi Field. Tomorrow, the 24 year-old rookie left fielder will enjoy a 4-for-4 day at the plate when he will collect three singles and a double en route scoring four runs.
  • 2020 For only the second time in baseball history, all four starting infielders are the sons of former major leaguers, when shortstop Bo Bichette (Dante), second baseman Cavan Biggio (Craig), first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Vladimir), and third baseman Travis Shaw (Jeff) top the order for the Blue Jays on Opening Day. In 2012, the Dodgers’ lineup featured an infield consisting of third baseman Ivan DeJesus Jr. (Ivan), second baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. (Jerry), shortstop Dee Gordon (Tom), and first baseman Scott Van Slyke (Andy), with outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. (Tony) patrolling center field.

Lineups when available.

Jun 17

Game 63, 2022

Guardians at Dodgers, 7:10 PM PDT, TV: Apple TV only

RHP Zach Plesac (2-4, 4.70 ERA) pitches for the Guardians in their first time playing the Dodgers since the team was renamed. He’ll face LHP Clayton Kershaw (4-1, 2.12 ERA), who took the loss in his last start despite giving up just two runs in four innings when the offense got 13 hits but was 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position. Plesac may not have the best record in the league right now, but he can surely field his position, as this play from his last start shows:

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1915 Cubs right-hander reliever George Washington Zabel, called into the game with two outs in the bottom of the first inning, throws 18 and 1/3 innings of the Cubs’ 4-3 victory over the Robins at Chicago’s West Side Park. ‘Zip’, establishing the major league record for the longest relief stint in one game, beats Brooklyn starter Jeff Pfeffer, who tosses a 19-inning complete-game. (Pfeffer won 113 games for Brooklyn and lost only 80 in a nine-year career with the Robins.)
  • 1956 Joe Adcock’s ninth-inning home run off Brooklyn right-hander Ed Roebuck, his second round-tripper of the game, proves to be the game winner in the Braves’ 5-4 victory over the Dodgers. The blast to left field, which clears an 83-foot wall at the 350-foot mark, is believed to the only homer ever to land on the roof at Ebbets Field.
  • 1956 Fred Haney, named yesterday to replace Charlie Grimm, wins two games in his managerial debut with the Braves when the team sweeps a doubleheader against the Dodgers at Ebbets Field, 5-4 and 3-1, starting a streak of 11 consecutive victories. The club’s former coach will compile a 341-231 (.596) record, guiding Milwaukee to two pennants and a world championship during his four seasons at the helm.
  • 1976 At Shea Stadium, Dave Kingman hits a walk-off homer to give the Mets a 1-0 victory over the Dodgers. Sky King’s game-ending blast comes off Charlie Hough in the 14th inning.
  • 1992 Dodger farmhand Mike Piazza, believing he was low balled in his contract negotiations, takes exception to the team giving a reported bonus of $500,000 to top draft pick Ryan Luzinski, a 220-pound catcher from Holy Cross High in Delran, New Jersey who will never play in a major league game. Next season, Piazza will be selected as the National League’s Rookie of the Year, and will hit .331 in seven seasons for LA.

One more item from the history books: on this date in 1962 Met Marv Throneberry’s apparent first inning triple becomes an out on an appeal play for missing second base in an 8-7 loss to San Francisco at the Polo Grounds. When New York manager Casey Stengel questions the call, he is told by the umpire, according to legend, “Don’t bother arguing Casey, he missed first base, too.”

Lineups when available.

May 25

Game 43, 2022

Dodgers at Nationals, 1:05 PM PDT, TV: MASN, SPNLA

LHP Julio Urías (3-3, 2.63 ERA) takes the mound for the Dodgers as they attempt to sweep the three-game series from the Nats, who’ll counter with RHP Erick Fedde (2-3, 4.08 ERA). Urías won his last start, giving up just two hits and no runs in five innings. Fedde last won on May 3; he’s had two no-decisions and a loss since.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1919 Casey Stengel, traded by the Dodgers in the off-season to the Pirates, calls time, steps out of the batter’s box to give the razzing Ebbets Field fans the ‘bird’. The Pittsburgh right fielder doffs his hat, allowing a sparrow to fly out, much to the amazement and amusement of the fans.
  • 2002 With four homers on Thursday (5/23), one on Friday (5/24), and two more on Saturday (5/25), Shawn Green becomes the first major leaguer to hit seven round-trippers in three games. The Dodger outfielder’s nine big flies in a week also breaks a National League record, established by Ralph Kiner with eight and tied by Ted Kluszewski and Nate Colbert.
  • 2002 Getting his 3,509th K, Diamondback southpaw Randy Johnson passes Walter Johnson to become seventh on the all-time career strikeout list. After fanning Shawn Green in the first to catch the ‘Big Train’, Dodger outfielder Brian Jordan swings and misses a 2-2 pitch in the second inning to become the ‘Big Unit’s’ historic victim.

Lineups when available.