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R.I.P. Hank Aaron

1934-2021

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I’m a little late, but I couldn’t pass up sharing this “Opening Day” column from my all-time favorite sportswriter, Thomas Boswell. I hope you and yours are all safe and healthy.

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It only seemed right to end this the way it began. First post, last post. One of my all-time favorites. Rickey brought an intensity, a joyous exuberance to the game, which I think is how it should always be played. Thank you all so much for your support and kind words. You are proof that baseball fans are the best fans!

May 1, 1992
Rickey Henderson steals his 1000th base. Henderson already held the record for most career stolen bases. He broke the record previously held by Lou Brock with his 939th stolen base exactly one year earlier on May 1, 1991.

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April 30, 2019

Tomorrow marks the sixth anniversary of this-day-in-baseball. Unfortunately, it will also mark its final post. This was definitely not an easy decision for me. I have agonized over this every day for several months now. Even as I write this, I’m regretting my decision, but it just feels like it’s time. I’m a guy on the downhill side of middle-age, working too many hours and stressing way too much at a job I can no longer stand while looking for another job that’s a better fit for my situation, a job that, sadly, doesn’t seem to exist around here. This while raising two sons and taking care of two elderly parents, one of whom is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. I just can’t dedicate the time this blog deserves anymore. It kills me to say that. This blog has been my only constant for six years. Losing this touch point feels like losing a part of myself.

But I want to thank all of you for going on this journey with me. Whether you’ve been with me from the beginning or you’re a new follower, I’m sorry to have let you down like this. I always told myself I would have maintained this blog without even a single follower, but you all have made this trip better than I ever expected. Thank you so much for your time and your feedback. It has meant the world to me to know so many people care about this blog. I hope you enjoyed it even a fraction as much as I did. And though I won’t be posting on here daily anymore, the blog will stay up as long as tumblr exists.

Many of you have sent me asks over the years. Who’s your favorite team? What was your favorite baseball moment? What was your biggest baseball disappointment? Please know I wasn’t ignoring you. I have always been reluctant to answer these questions because I never wanted this blog to be about me. Everyone who loves baseball does so because of their personal relationship with the game, with the memories it brings back. That’s how it is for me, and that’s how I wanted it to remain for all of you. That’s why I always tried so hard to keep my personal opinions to myself. I never wanted to force my relationship with baseball on any of you. I should have explained that long ago.

Having said that, I would like to take this opportunity to answer a few of the most asked questions I’ve gotten over the years. So, here are my answers in no particular order:

Yes George Brett I don’t know how to answer that. Monday Night Baseball, Yankees at Red Sox Ichiro retiring in Japan as a Mariner Rickey Henderson I want to say five years old, but memories that old aren’t reliable anymore. No Sports reporter and columnist. It seems like a lifetime ago. Dave Winfield The Physics of Baseball Thomas Boswell, by far March 30, 1993 Definitely Pete Rose 1989 World Series Game 3 earthquake Ozzie Smith Thanks you. Ken Griffey, Jr. Casey At The Bat Bo Jackson A brick from Comiskey Park Hank Aaron The Royals mascot hitting someone in the eye with a hotdog Kirby Puckett and Rod Carew Willie Mays Boston Red Sox Andre Dawson Butterflies Aren’t Bullets Late-80s/early-90s Oakland A’s Carlton Fisk and Ivan Rodriguez Ring Lardner Cal Ripken Jr.’s streak The Curse of the Bambino No, they’re not. Yes, third base. 2004 ALCS and World Series When it’s all said and done, 3,659.

And there you have it. I hope I didn’t miss any. I’ll be back tomorrow for one more post to wrap this up. Take care of yourselves, and be good to each other.

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April 30, 1922

Charlie Robertson, in only his fourth career start, becomes the third modern pitcher to throw a perfect game when he beats the Tigers at Navin Field, 2-0. The White Sox pitcher, thanks to Johnny Mostil's two outstanding catches in the outfield, is also just the fourth rookie to throw a no-hitter.

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April 29, 1931

Cleveland pitcher Wes Ferrell no-hits the St. Louis Browns, including his brother Rick, 7-0. The pitching star also provided offense, knocking in four runs with a double, and a home run.

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April 28, 1934

At Navin Field, Goose Goslin grounds into four consecutive double plays. The Tiger outfielder's lack of offense doesn't matter, as Detroit beats the visiting Indians, 4-1.

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April 27, 1973

Kansas City's 22-year-old starter Steve Busby becomes the 13th rookie to throw a no-hitter, beating Detroit, 3-0, at Tiger Stadium. It is the first ever no-hit game thrown by a Royals pitcher, and the former UCLA Bruin will pitch the second no-hitter in franchise history next season.

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April 26, 2013

Anibal Sanchez breaks Mickey Lolich's franchise record of 16 strikeouts when he retires the side on strikes in the eighth inning of the Tigers' 10-0 rout of Atlanta. In his eight innings of work, the 29-year-old Venezuelan right-hander gives up just five hits en route to his 17-strikeout performance.

Ed. Note: This was the event that originally sparked the idea for this blog. As I watched the game, I thought, ‘That’s so cool. I never knew that. I wish there was something that combined baseball, history, and trivia in one place.” Five days later, this-day-in-baseball was launched.

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April 25, 1937

Cliff Melton becomes the first rookie to fan at least ten batters in his major league debut, finishing with 13 strikeouts in a complete-game loss to the Braves at the Polo Grounds. The 25-year-old southpaw, who loses the 3-1 contest due to the weak defense of the Giants in the ninth inning, will hold the rookie record for K's in his debut until Dodger freshman Karl Spooner strikes out 15 batters in his first major league start in 1954.

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April 24, 2017

Dovydas Neverauskas, taking the roster spot of DL-bound Adam Frazier, becomes the second person born in Lithuania, but the first raised there, to appear in a major league game when he throws two innings of one-run ball for the Pirates in 14-3 loss to the Cubs at PNC Park. A’s outfielder Joe Zapustas, who played two games for the team in 1933, was also born in the Baltic state, but spent his childhood in Boston.

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April 23, 2014

Conrado Marrero, the oldest living former major leaguer, dies two days before his 103rd birthday. The 5-foot, 5-inch Cuban right-hander, named to the American League All-Star team in 1951, compiled a 39-40 record with an ERA of 3.96 during his five seasons with the Senators.

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April 22, 2018

Brandon Belt works one of the longest at-bats in modern major league history when he sees 21 first-inning pitches from LA’s Jaime Barria in the Giants’ 4-2 victory at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The San Francisco first baseman’s 12 minute and 45-second plate appearance, in which he fouls off 16 balls - including 10 in a row - surpasses the 1998 duel between Indians right-hander Bartolo Colon and Astro infielder Ricky Gutierrez by one pitch.

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April 21, 1898

In a game against the Giants, Philadelphia pitcher Bill Duggelby hits a grand slam in his first major league at-bat. Bobby Bonds will hit one in his first game in his third at-bat, but Duggleby's feat will not be repeated until August 31, 2005, when Jeremy Hermida of the Marlins hits a bases-loaded homer.

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April 21, 2018

Sean Manaea tosses the 12th no-hitter in A's franchise history and the first since Dallas Braden's perfect game in 2010, when he keeps the opponents hitless in the team’s 3-0 victory over the Red Sox. The 26-year-old southpaw’s performance ends Boston's run of 3,987 games without being no-hit, a streak dating back Mariners' Chris Bosio's no-no against the club at the Kingdome on April 22, 1993.

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April 19, 2000

Orel Hershiser ties a major league mark, equaled by 19 others, hitting four batters in one game. Astro Richard Hidalgo also ties a modern major league record by getting hit three times in a game, twice by Hershiser and a third time by Dodger reliever Matt Herges.