August 31, 1990: Griffey Sr. and Jr. Become the First Father/Son Duo to Play Together in The Majors

On August 31, 1990, at the Kingdome in Seattle, left fielder Ken Griffey and center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. became the first father/son duo to play in a major league baseball game together. The duo put together back-to-back hits in the first inning and they both scored a run in the three run frame. The Mariners would go onto win the contest 5-2. Just two days earlier the Cincinnati Reds released the 40 year old Sr., which led to the Mariners adding him to their roster. The well seasoned veteran came to the team after nearly 20 seasons in the majors that was spent between the Reds, Yankees, and Braves, while his son was in his second season in the majors and was quickly on his way to being a superstar. Less than a month after they played their first game together the father/son duo would power up for back-to back home runs, which was another first. They only played in 51 games together before Ken Griffey Sr. retired in June of 1991, years later Griffey Jr. would say "I got to play with my dad, that's the biggest thing that ever happened to me other than the birth of my children. That's bigger than any record I'll ever set." That's what you call livin a dream folks.

Here's the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SEA/SEA199008310.shtml

August 30, 1937: Joe Louis Defends His Title At Yankee Stadium

On August 30, 1937, after being postponed for four days due to rain, more than 50,000 people packed Yankee Stadium to watch the Heavyweight Champion of the World "The Brown Bomber" Joe Louis defend his title against Tommy Farr. The fight was originally set to be held four days earlier. Louis had knocked out 8 of his last 9 opponents and was considered a clear cut favorite in the match. However, the boxer from Wales put up true fight and took Louis the distance before losing to the champ by a narrow decision. Many thought that Farr had gotten the best of the champ and when it was announced that Louis had won boos rang out in New York. To make matters worse the referee initially raised Farr's arm in victory, the ref would later apologize for his mistake but it wasn't much of a help the day of the fight. While a lot of people thought Farr was robbed of a victory he didn't see it that way, he believed Louis beat  him fair and square, Farr even said "Every time I hear the name Joe Louis my nose starts to bleed." Louis did tip his cap to his opponent, he said I thought I had him but he would not be finished." Farr made him work to retain the title which earned Joe's respect. Louis would knock out his next 7 opponents which is a testament to how tough of a fight Farr was for him.

You can read a great round by round account of the bout here: http://www.boxinggyms.com/news/louis_farr1937/standard_louis1937.htm

This is Joe Louis' account of the fight: http://www.boxinggyms.com/news/louis_farr1937/standard_louis1937louis.htm

August 29, 1948: Jackie Robinson Hits For The Cycle

On August 29, 1948, in the first game of a doubleheader in St. Louis, Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers hit for the natural cycle in reverse during a 12-7 win over the Cardinals at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Robinson's day started off with a 2 run home run in the first, he followed it up with a leadoff triple in the third, then a double in the fourth, before completing the rare feat with a one out single in the eighth. The 4 for 6 performance ended with the two ribbies and three runs scored for the man that broke baseball's color barrier just one year before. The hot hitting continued for Robinson in the second contest as well, Jackie went 2 for 4 and scored a run in the contest that would take the Dodgers 10 innings to knock the Birds off 6-4. By the end of that day he had 6 hits in 10 at bats and had hit a natural cycle in reverse, which is just one of many accomplishments in the storied career of Jackie Robinson.

Check out the bx scores for both games
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194808291.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194808292.shtml

August 28, 1971: Rick Wise... One Man Wrecking Crew

On August 28, 1971, Rick Wise of the Philadelphia Phillies struck out 11 men and led an offensive charge in a 7-3 win over the San Francisco Giants at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Wise not only got man after man to swing and miss he also knocked in 5 runs with two home runs. His first was a solo shot in the fifth and his second was a grand slam in the seventh that drove a nail in the Giants' coffin that day. Wise, who is best known for being the man that brought future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton to the City of Brotherly Love when he was traded to the Cardinals in '72, was a pretty damn good hitter as well as a solid pitcher. In his years in Philly, he was no slouch at the plate. He hit .218 as a batter for the Phillies and hit 11 home runs wearing that uniform. While they aren't eye popping numbers they are pretty solid for a pitcher. From 1967 to 1971, Wise consistently hit .200 or higher. From a power standpoint the '71 campaign was his best at the dish, he hit 6 home runs total with two of them coming on that day at the Vet. Wise finished that season with 17 wins which included a no-hitter.

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI197108282.shtml

August 27, 1978: Joe Morgan Hits His 200th Home Run

On August 27, 1978, Cincinnati Reds legend/second baseman Joe Morgan parked his 200th home run over the wall at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. The solo shot off of Chicago Cubs hurler Mike Krukow tied the ballgame at one in the third inning but it wasn't enough for Morgan's Reds to pull off a victory. The Cubs scored a run in the fourth, three in the seventh, and two in the ninth as Krukow went the distance and came away with a 7-1 win. The home run by Morgan also made him the first man to achieve 200 bombs and 500 stolen bases in a career. The Hall of Famer finished with 268 career home runs with his first coming on May 8, 1965 and his last coming on July 31, 1984, he also stole 689 bags in a career that included 10 All Star appearances, 5 Gold Glove Awards, as well as 2 World Series Championships.

August 26, 1981: Dan Bankhead Becomes The First African American To Pitch In Major League Baseball

On August 26, 1947, Dan Bankhead of the Brooklyn Dodgers, became the first African American to pitch in a game in the major leagues when he was called into relieve Hal Gregg in the second inning of a game against the Pirates at Ebbets Field in New York. It was a rough day for Bankhead and the Dodgers, when he heard his number called the team was already down 4-0 and had two men on base. By the time the top half of the second inning came to and end the Pirates had added four more runs to their total and they weren't done. Bankhead was more than the first African American pitcher to take the mound, he was also the first African American pitcher to hit a home run. He accomplished that with a two run shot in the bottom of the second in his first major league at bat. It was the only home run of his career. Unfortunately for him he got rocked after pitching a scoreless third and fourth. The fifth was a whole different story, he would face eight batters and only retired one of them before being yanked. he had given up 10 hits and was charged with 8 runs. The Pirates weren't done, after Bankhead was pulled, they added two more runs to the board and would end the day with a 14-3. While it might have been a rough introduction to the majors it was an accomplishment not just for himself but for his race that had been unjustifiably kept from playing with their white counterparts before his teammate Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier earlier that season. Bankhead didn't have the career in the majors that Robinson or many of the other African American players did, which is why many don't know his name. In fact, Bankhead only made three more relief appearances during that '47 season. He did make an appearance Game 6 of the World Series as a pinch runner. It was a series that the Dodgers lost to the Yankees but it was an experience that most men can only dream of living. Over the next couple of seasons Bankhead pitched in the minor leagues, he was pretty damn good but a bit wild as he had problems putting men on via the walk. In 1950, Bankhead got another shot at the major league roster, he made 12 starts and appeared in 41 games as he posted a 9-4 record. They were the only 9 wins of his major league career. It came to an end the following season after appearing in just seven games. His career numbers will never put him in the Hall of Fame, which in the end hardly matters. He was a pioneer that helped pave the way for many men after him.

If you would like to read more about the life and career of Dan Bankhead check out this artiicle published by SABR: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/62db6502 his career in the majors might have came to an end but his career in baseball did not.

Here is a link to the SABR Facebook page, give it a"like" they publish all kinds of great bios from the past.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Society-for-American-Baseball-Research-SABR/79619821544

August 25, 1946: Ben Hogan Wins His First Major

On August 25, 1946, Ben Hogan won the first major of his career by outdueling Ed "Porky" Oliver at the Portland Country Club in Oregon. The 34 year old Hogan had success before he finally won his first major. He had been the leading money winner in 1940,'41, and '42 and on this day he was going to reach an achievement that all professional golfers strive for. Oliver reached the finals after a surprising win over Byron Nelson in the quarterfinals, then knocked of Harold McSpaden to reach the finals. Hogan had never gotten past the quarterfinals until '46, he had proved to be a winner it just took a little time to get over that hump. Hogan knocked off Frank Moor and Jimmy Demaret to set up the showdown with Oliver. It was battle between one of the bigger men in Oliver who weighed around 220 pounds and the much smaller Hogan who weighed in at just 135. Hogan trailed Oliver by 3 after the first round, however, he finished the round with a birdie and he would continue to drop birdies. By the time the golfers reached the Hogan had came storming back, he dropped consecutive birdies on 28 and 29 and held a 4 stroke advantage. On the 32nd hole Hogan had another sure birdie on the way when Oliver missed his putt and conceded the match. Hogan had just won his first major and would be taking home a $3,500 prize, by today's standards that would be more than $40,000. Hogan went onto win eight more majors to bring his total to nine in his career. His nine wins is good for fourth on the all time list for major wins, only Walter Hagen, Tiger Woods, and Jack Nicklaus have more.