August 30,1912: Earl Hamilton Records The First No-No in Browns/Orioles History

     On August 30, 1912, Earl Hamilton of the St. Louis Browns no-hit the Tigers in Detroit, as he led the way to a 5-1 win. The lone Tigers run came in the fourth when Ty Cobb worked a walk out of the lefty. That was followed by what looked to be a fielder's choice off the bat of Sam Crawford that turned into an error. An alert Cobb turned it into a run as he rounded the bags, and beat a late throw to the plate. While the shutout was erased, Hamilton's no-no remained intact, and at the end of that day he had recorded the first no-hitter in the history of the franchise that we all know today as the Baltimore Orioles.

     His 115-147 record might not impress some, but the fact is in many ways he was a victim of circumstance who played on some bad teams. His lifetime E.R.A of just 3.00 alone tells you that he was a quality pitcher, but as luck would have it even during a season that he held a 2.50 e.r.a., he still had a losing record (16-18). However, his career did span over 14 seasons and he had a no-hitter on his resume that would be remembered more than 100 years later, as we celebrate it today.

Check out Hamilton's career numbers here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hamilea01.shtml

August 29, 1977: Lou Brock Becomes The Stolen Base King

     On August 29, 1977, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lou Brock became the all time stolen base leader, after swiping two bags against the Padres in San Diego. The legendary base burglar came into the contest one stolen base shy of Ty Cobb's record of 892, and by the seventh inning he hoisted second base over his head as baseball's king of thieves.

     Brock was off and running right out of the gate. He worked a walk out of San Diego's starter Dave Freisleben to lead off the contest, and moments later he made a break for second. San Diego's catcher Dave Roberts attempted to gun him down, but sailed his throw wide, so Brock had not only equalled the mark, he had also taken third on the error. It proved to be a spark for the Cardinals offense, as they went onto plate three runs in the inning that had saw their entire lineup take an at bat.

     The Friars bounced back with a couple of runs in the third to cut the lead to 3-2, and that is where the score sat when Brock came to the plate in the seventh. He had just watched his pitcher rap out a single, and was hoping for a few more sparks. Instead he hit into a fielder's choice that retired the pitcher, but it still gave him the opportunity to make history, and it was an opportunity that would not be wasted. Freisleben was still on the bump for San Diego, and this time Brock broke on his first pitch. Once again Roberts tried to gun him down, but the throw was off line, and Brock came sliding into second as the baseball's all time stolen base leader.

     Brock's first concern was Bill Almon. The San Diego shortstop had gotten spiked on the play, and Brock wanted to make sure he was not injured. Once he realized he was okay a mob of teammates formed around him. The base was uprooted and awarded to him, and he was given a microphone to address the cheering crowd. He reminded them to not just think of him on that day, but to think of Cobb as well. He had a great respect for the player who he had began chasing in 1962, and his words made it be known. The fans in San Diego made it be known that had great respect for Brock as well as they bestowed cheers upon him. It was an all around classy moment in time.

     After things settled down, Brock and company failed to scratch out a run in the inning, and the speedster was removed before the bottom of the frame began. The day was spoiled a bit thereafter, as Al Hrabosky served up a two run shot ot Mike Ivie in the eighth. The big blast proved to be all the Padres needed to win the game 4-3. However, it was still a day to be celebrated, as Brock's achievements were much bigger than the game that was played on the field that day.

     Like many who are in pursuit of a record, Brock was relieved to have it out of the way. He spoke of reaching a 1,000 stolen bases. It was a number that was not too far off, but it proved to be a number that he would not reach, as he played two more seasons, before retiring with 938 stolen bases. Brock's record stood until 1991 when it was surpassed by Rickey Henderson. While Brock's record did not stand the test of time, what he did on the diamond will not be forgotten, as he stands amongst those who are considered immortal in Cooperstown, New York.

Check out the box score and Lou's career numbers:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN197708290.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/brocklo01.shtml

August 28, 1999: Watch Out Terry... Here Comes The Man In Black

     On August 28, 1999, Dale Earnhardt Sr. pushed Terry Labonte out of his way on the last lap of the Goody's Headache Powder 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway to earn what was considered a controversial win. While some fans cheered, many of them began to boo the man who had just claimed his ninth victory at the world famous short track. However, years later it was voted as one of the top moments at Bristol, and looking back at it now, knowing that it was his last win at the track, it almost seems fitting it ended the way it did. After all he was "The Intimidator."

Watch the wild finsish here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z37MdfrFJyw

August 27, 1977: Toby Harrah and Bump Wills Hit Back-To-Back Inside The Park Home Runs

     On August 27, 1977, in front of more than 30,000 at Yankee Stadium in New York, Texas Rangers teammates Toby Harrah and Bump Wills became just the second set of players in the history of Major League Baseball to hit back-to-back inside the park home runs.

     The Rangers were up 4-2 when the historic back-to-back homers happened in the seventh inning. Ken Clay was on in relief for the Yankees, and he gave up back-to-back one out singles before Harrah stepped to the dish, and gave one of his pitches a long ride into right. Lou Piniella went all out as he tried to make a leaping catch at the wall, only to crash into it, and fall to the ground, as the ball shot back toward the infield. The two men in front of Harrah crossed the dish, and before second baseman George Zeba get the ball into the catcher Harrah had scored.

     Moments later, Bump Wills stepped in and drove one to deep center. Mickey Rivers pursued, and even got a little bit of a glove on it, before it shot over his head, and off to his left. Wills kept his head down, and made the turn at third, before crossing the dish with his inside the parker. The inside the park shot was the second home run of the day for Wills, who went the more conventional route in the fourth inning by putting one over the fence.

    It was the first time since the feat was accomplished in the American League. The only other time it had been accomplished came during a National League contest at the Polo Grounds in New York when Marv Rickert and Eddie Waitkus of the Chicago Cubs did it in a game against the Giants. Pretty wild stuff. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzLqCC5eQbU

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA197708270.shtml

August 26, 1987: Molitor's Streak Stops at 39

      On August 26, 1987, Paul Molitor's 39 game hitting streak came to an end, with the Brewers slugger standing on deck in the 10th inning, as his teammate Rick Manning knocked in the game winning run during a 1-0 win over the Cleveland Indians at County Stadium in Milwaukee. The future Hall of Famer was held hitless in four trips to the plate by rookie hurler John Farrell who turned in a true gem though nine, before handing the ball over to Doug Jones as the game headed into extras. On the flip side Teddy Higuera matched Ferrell pitch for pitch, and he held onto the ball in the 10th, as he searched for his 13th win of the season. It is safe to say that hopes were high that Monitor would get his chance to bat after Higuera got his job done in the top of the 10th, but it just was not in the cards, as Jones hit a man, recorded an out, then put Dale Sveum on with a free pass to get to second baseman Juan Castillo. The Brewers skipper Tom Trebelhorn countered the move by calling on Manning to pinch hit for Castillo, and with Molitor looking on, Manning knocked in the Mike Felder to win it. It was a bittersweet ending the Brewers legend, as they won the game, while the streak came to a close. Even then he said he was cheering on Manning when he came into hit, as he put his team above his own accomplishments. The 39 games was just one shy of Ty Cobb's record of 40 that he had set in 1911. Today it stands as the seventh longest hitting streak in the history of Major League Baseball. When Molitor was asked about his accomplishment after the game he proclaimed that there would be a day when he was retired that he would look back on it fondly. Those days have come, and I am sure when he looks back he cracks a smile.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL198708260.shtml

August 25, 1965: Bill Russell Gets Paid

     On August 25, 1965, Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell became the highest paid player in NBA history when he inked a deal that would pay him $100,001 per season over the next three years. The one dollar tacked on made him the highest paid man, as Wilt Chamberlain had held that distinction with a $100,000 contract of his own. As a fan it seems like athletes get into pissing contests, and this is a prime example of that as Russell needed that dollar just because. With that said, he had earned his pennies. The big man boldly predicted that he would lead the Celtics to an eighth straight championship title, and he backed it up by doing exactly that. Russell played through the '68-'69 season, and finished his career with 11 championships in 13 years of play. I have always found that it be an absolutely amazing accomplishment, and that alone makes him a true legend of the game.

     Just for curiosity's sake I looked at what $100,001 would equate to today, which would be a little more than $755,000. When you look at the money that is being thrown around today it seems like the Celtics made quite the deal for Bill Russell on that day in late August.

August 24, 1919: Ray Caldwell Gets Zapped In Cleveland

     On August 24, 1919, in his first start in an Indians uniform, hurler Ray Caldwell looked to be cruising to a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics at League Park in Cleveland when the unthinkable happened, as a bolt of lightning struck the field right before he was set to face his last batter. The bolt knocked Caldwell out, while the thunder that followed knocked the cap off of the man coaching third as well as the catcher's mask who was waiting on Caldwell's delivery. The stunned crowd looked at Caldwell laying on the mound not knowing if he had survived the strike, but to their surprise he got up off the ground, and recorded the final out of the game. Absolutely amazing. I ran across this fact a few years ago. It was before I had extended my means of research, and I will not lie I was somewhat skeptical of the story. However, this account that is featured in the picture is confirmation, as it was printed the next day in the Pittsburgh Press. I did not doubt that it happened, I simply wondered if the tale had been told accurately, or if it had been stretched a bit. As it turns out the newspaper accounts from the following day (I found several) not only confirmed the story, they also made it that much more remarkable.  Caldwell won 134 games in his major league career. One of those wins involved some of the most unusual circumstances in the history of the game.

You can read about the life and times of Ray Caldwell here: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/8311d756