October 2
From BR Bullpen
| Stats of players who were born this day | |
| Stats of players who died on this day | |
| Standings on this day | |
| Permanent link to Today's Entry | |
| Sources | |
| Baseball Library Chronology | |
| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on October 2.
Events[edit]
- 1908 - Addie Joss of the Cleveland Naps tosses a perfect game against the Chicago White Sox. The future Hall of Famer wins a 1 - 0 decision over Ed Walsh in one of the greatest pitching duels in major league history. Joss strikes out only three batters, while Walsh fans 15.
- 1919 - The Chicago White Sox lose the second game of the World Series, 4 - 2, to the Cincinnati Reds. Lefty Williams, one of eight Sox players involved in a Series-fixing scandal, walks three men in the 4th inning. After the game, he is confronted and attacked by Sox catcher Ray Schalk.
- 1920 - With the last two games rained out, fans get their money's worth in Pittsburgh as the Pirates and Reds, battling to determine 3rd place, play the century's only tripleheader. Starting at noon, the Reds win the first, 13 - 4, to clinch 3rd place. The Reds win game two as well, 7 - 3, with a number of players at odd positions: the Reds put catcher Ivey Wingo at 2B, with pitchers Rube Bressler, Dutch Ruether, Fritz Coumbe, and Hod Eller at field positions. The Pirates take the finale, 6 - 0, called after six innings because of darkness. The only "tribill" played this century is played in five hours. Clyde Barnhart, who made his major league debut ten days earlier, doubles in the first two games, and singles in the 3rd, the only player to hit in all three games.
- 1949 - The New York Yankees win the American League pennant by defeating the Boston Red Sox, 5 - 3. Jerry Coleman's three-run triple provides the winning margin, while Ted Williams falls short of both the batting title and the Triple Crown.
- 1953 - Carl Erskine of the Brooklyn Dodgers sets a World Series record with 14 strikeouts in Game Three at Ebbets Field against the New York Yankees. Brooklyn wins, 3 - 2, behind Erskine's six-hit pitching.
- 1963 - Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers sets a World Series record by striking out 15 batters in Game One against the New York Yankees, beating the recod set by Carl Erskine 10 years ago on this day. The Dodgers win the game, 5 - 2, behind Koufax' six-hit pitching.
- 1966 - Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers wins his 27th game of the season and the final game of his career. Koufax's 6 - 3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies clinches the National League pennant for the Dodgers.
- 1968 - In one of the most memorable World Series performances ever, Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals strikes out 17 Detroit Tigers. Gibson sets the World Series record for most strikeouts in a single game, set on this day in 1963 by Sandy Koufax, and leads the Cardinals to a 4 - 0 victory over Tigers ace and Cy Young Award winner Denny McLain.
- 1972 - In the first game of a doubleheader, Montreal's Bill Stoneman no-hits the New York Mets for a 7 - 0 Expos win at Parc Jarry, the first major league no-hitter ever pitched in Canada. The Mets win the second game, 2 - 1.
- 1974:
- Hank Aaron hits his final home run as a member of the Atlanta Braves, who defeat the Cincinnati Reds, 13 - 0. Phil Niekro pitches the shutout for his 20th win of the season.
- Future Hall of Famer Al Kaline announces his retirement. During a 22-year career with the Detroit Tigers, Kaline compiled 3,007 hits and 399 home runs. He also batted .379 in the 1968 World Series.
- 1978 - Bucky Dent's unlikely home run helps the New York Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox in a dramatic one-game playoff at Fenway Park. Trailing by two runs in the seventh inning, Dent smacks a three-run shot against pitcher Mike Torrez into the screen above the Green Monster. The Yankees hold on for a 5 - 4 victory en route to face the Royals in the ALCS and the Dodgers in the World Series. Following the 2010 season, a panel of experts at the MLB Network voted this game the 11th greatest game of the past fifty years.
- 2003 - In a 6 - 4 loss to the last-place Lotte Giants in the season finale, Samsung Lions slugger Seung-yeop Lee goes deep off Jeong-min Lee in the 2nd inning. It is Seung-yeop Lee's 56th home run of the season, a new Asian record, breaking the mark shared by Sadaharu Oh, Tuffy Rhodes and Alex Cabrera.
- 2004:
- The Montreal Expos earn the last win in the franchise's history, defeating the New York Mets, 6 - 3. Brad Wilkerson hits the Expos' final home run in the 9th inning, his 32nd of the year.
- The Toronto Blue Jays announce the dismissals of pitching coach Gil Patterson and first-base coach Joe Breeden, effective at the end of the season.
- 2009:
- B.J. Upton is the first player in Tampa Bay history to hit for the cycle. He goes 5 for 5 with 6 RBI in the Rays' 13 - 4 victory over the Yankees. CC Sabathia takes the loss in his bid to become the majors' first 20-game winner this year.
- Delmon Young hits his first career grand slam to lead the Twins to a 10 - 7 win over Kansas City. Jeff Manship earns his first major league win for Minnesota. Meanwhile, Jake Peavy gives up only 2 hits in 8 innings when the White Sox beat Detroit, 8 - 0, reducing the Tigers' lead over the Twins in the AL Central to just one game.
- 2010:
- The Hoboken Pioneers win their fourth Belgian First Division title and second in a row by sweeping the K. Deume Spartans in three games in the Belgian Series, taking the finale, 13 - 1.
- The Rays use most of their pitching staff in recording a 4 - 0 shutout over the Royals. The 8 pitchers used is a major league record for a 9-inning shutout. Andy Sonnanstine is the starter, but leaves after giving up 5 hits and loading the bases with one out in the 3rd. Chad Qualls gets out of the jam and picks up the victory with two-thirds of an inning of work. The Rays then use a different pitcher for each of the remaining 6 innings, with the exception of the 6th, when Grant Balfour relieves Jake McGee with two outs and stays on to pitch the 7th. Matt Joyce drives in two runs and Carl Crawford hits a solo homer for Tampa Bay.
- 2011:
- The Cardinals even their NLDS with the Phillies at one game apiece with a 5 - 4 win at Citizens Bank Park. They fall 4 - 0 against Cliff Lee as Chris Carpenter is chased after three innings, but come back for 5 runs against the ace lefthander. The Cards' bullpen holds the Phillies to one hit over the last 6 innings to preserve the win.
- The Tigers get a dominant outing by Max Scherzer to beat the Yankees, 5 - 3, and even their ALDS at one game each. Scherzer does not allow a hit until the 6th inning, while Miguel Cabrera puts the Tigers ahead with a two-run homer off Freddy Garcia in the 1st inning. Closer Jose Valverde struggles a bit in the 9th, giving up a home run to Nick Swisher and a triple to Jorge Posada, but ends the game with the tying run on base.
- The Brewers take a 2-0 lead in their NLDS battle with the Diamondbacks with a 9 - 4 win at home. Both starters struggle, as Zack Greinke gives up three homers for the Brewers, while Daniel Hudson is tagged for 5 runs in 5 1/3 innings. The Brew Crew scores 5 runs in the 6th to put the game away, the scoring starting on Jonathan Lucroy's squeeze bunt. Ryan Braun leads the attack with a 3-for-4 game including a two-run homer off Hudson in the 1st. Takashi Saito is the winner in relief.
- 2012:
- On the penultimate day of the regular season, the Yankees maintain their one-game lead over the Orioles in the AL East when Raul Ibanez homers off Boston's Andrew Miller in the bottom of the 12th inning to give New York a 4 - 3 win. Earlier, the Orioles had defeated the Rays, 1 - 0, when Chris Davis homered for the sixth straight game, tying a club record, with a solo shot off James Shields in the 4th inning. Shields sets a Tampa Bay franchise record by striking out 15 opponents in the loss.
- The Cardinals back into a wild card slot in the National League after losing 3 - 1 to the Reds, but seeing the Dodgers also lose, 3 - 2, to the Giants.
- The Athletics tie the Rangers for the AL West lead with a 3 - 1 win over Texas for their fifth straight victory. Oakland trailed the Rangers by 13 games on June 30th, but now have a chance to win the division outright as the two teams face each other one final time tomorrow.
- Seven years after being beaned on the first pitch he saw in his only career plate appearance, derailing a promising career, Adam Greenberg gets a chance to bat again in the major leagues. The Miami Marlins send him up to pinch-hit in the 6th inning against the Mets' R.A. Dickey. He strikes out on three pitches from the knuckleballer, but the crowd cheers wildly as his story of perseverance has made him a hero to many.
- The Astros top the Cubs in the first match-up of 100-loss teams since 1962. Bud Norris and four relievers hold Chicago to four hits (two by Starlin Castro) in the contest of sad-sack clubs.
- 2013 - The Rays shut out the Indians, 4 - 0, in the American League Wild Card Game, behind the pitching of Alex Cobb, a solo homer by Delmon Young and a two-run double by Desmond Jennings.
- 2014:
- The Orioles take Game 1 of their ALDS, 12 - 3, over the Tigers. The game is close until the O's score 8 times in the bottom of the 8th to run away with the score, but before that, Nelson Cruz opens the score with a two-run homer off Max Scherzer in the bottom of the 1st, and J.J. Hardy hits a solo shot off Scherzer in the 7th to make it 4 - 2. Chris Tillman is the winner.
- The Royals win again in extra innings, defeating the Angels, 3 - 2, on Mike Moustakas' homer off Fernando Salas in the top of the 11th in Game 1 of the other ALDS. Both Angels runs come off homers against Kansas City starter Jason Vargas, one by Chris Iannetta in the 3rd and the other by David Freese in the 5th. Danny Duffy, the Royals' seventh pitcher, is the winner, while Greg Holland gets the save.
- Diegomar Markwell pitches his 4th Holland Series complete game, tying the career record held by Rob Cordemans. Markwell fans 12 and scatters 7 hits in a 3-1 win for DOOR Neptunus over the Amsterdam Pirates to pull within 2 games to 1 in the Series. Kevin Heijstek, the game 1 star for Amsterdam, gives up 3 runs and 6 hits in the first two innings.
- 2015 - Eric Thames of the NC Dinos steals his 40th base to become the first 40-40 player in the history of the Korea Baseball Organization.
- 2016:
- There are still three postseason slots to be attributed when all 15 games start simultaneously at 3:00 pm ET on the final day of the major league season. The Orioles are the first to clinch a wild card spot, defeating the Yankees, 5 - 2, behind a pair of homers by Matt Wieters. Next, the Giants defeat the Dodgers, 7 - 1, in the last game behind the mike for legendary broadcaster Vin Scully and they clinch the second NL wild card slot. The Tigers are then eliminated when they lose, 1 - 0, to the Braves. Finally, the Blue Jays hang on for a 2 - 1 win over the Red Sox that makes them the host the Wild Card Game while the Red Sox lose home field advantage to the Indians in the Division Series. Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez takes a no-hitter into the 7th in winning his 15th of the year and claims the AL ERA title in the process.
- The Mainz Athletics win their second Bundesliga title, beating the Regensburg Legionäre, 3 games to 1. In Game 4 today, Lucas Dickman and Mike Larson each drive in a pair of runs in a 5 - 2 victory. Eric Massingham gets the victory over Clayton Voechting.
- 2017 - Sri Lanka makes their debut in an Asian Championship. In day one action of the 2017 Asian Championship, they fall 18-0 to defending champion South Korea as Sung-han Kim shuts them out, allowing only two hits (to Akalanka Ranasinghe and Krishna Hapurachchi) to beat Ruwan Kumara Sampath. They will fare better in some of their remaining games, beating Hong Kong and battling the Philippines before falling late.
- 2018:
- The Twins fire manager Paul Molitor, just one year after winning the AL Manager of the Year Award.
- The Rockies defeat the Cubs, 2 - 1, in 13 innings in the Wild Card Game. After scoring off Jon Lester in the 1st, the Rockies' bats go quiet, while the Cubs tie it with two outs in the 8th when Javier Baez doubles off Adam Ottavino, scoring pinch-runner Terrance Gore. However, the Cubs, whose bats have gone stone cold of late, waste a number of other chances. Tony Wolters, the Rockies' third catcher of the game, drives in Trevor Story with a two-out single off Kyle Hendricks in the 13th for the go-ahead run, and Scott Oberg preserves the win as Colorado will continue its travels, moving to Milwaukee, WI for Game 1 of the NLDS, its fourth city in four games.
- 2019 - The Rays defeat the Athletics, 5 -1, in the American League Wild Card Game, as all five of their runs come via the long ball. Yandy Diaz leads off the game with a homer off Sean Manaea and Avisail Garcia adds a two-run shot the next inning before Diaz's second tater of the game chases Manaea in the 3rd. Tommy Pham adds an insurance run with another long ball in the 5th. Charlie Morton allows plenty of baserunners but only one unearned run in 5 innings to receive credit for the win.
- 2020:
- The National League Wild Card Series are complete as the Marlins eliminate the Cubs with a 2 - 0 win in Game 2 of the Third Series thanks to a homer by Garrett Cooper off Yu Darvish in the 7th that breaks a scoreless tie. In the Second Series, nine Padres pitchers combine to shut out the Cardinals, who had scored 16 runs in the first two games, 4 - 0, to advance to the Division Series.
- Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, who spent his entire career with the Cardinals, whose 1.12 ERA in 1967 remains an iconic number, and who was only the second man to record 3,000 strikeouts, passes away from pancreatic cancer at 84.
- The Amsterdam Pirates get their first no-hitter. It is also the first no-hitter in the Hoofdklasse playoffs (there had been once before in the playdowns). 45-year-old legend Rob Cordemans goes five hitless and Nick Veltkamp and Matz Schutte close it out in a 10-0 mercy rule win over HCAW. Delano Selassa goes 4 for 4 and snares a line drive to keep the no-hit bid alive.
- 2021:
- Today is the penultimate day of the major league season, and at the end of play four teams are still vying for the two wild card spots in the American League. Following a 12 - 2 loss to the Rays, the Yankees are at 91-70, tied with the Red Sox, who defeat the Nationals, 5 - 3. Just one game behind at 90-71 are the Blue Jays, 10 - 2 winners over the Orioles, and the Mariners who conclude the day with a 6 - 4 win over the Angels. All sorts of scenarios are in play for the final day, including a possible unprecedented four-way tie.
- The Amsterdam Pirates begin the 2021 Holland Series with a 2-0 win over Neptunus as former major leaguer Shairon Martis pitches a three-hit gem and Sicnarf Loopstok doubles in Denzel Richardson with the winner. The game is played in a constant downpour.
Births[edit]
- 1853 - Mike Dorgan, outfielder, manager (d. 1909)
- 1854 - Clarence Dow, outfielder (d. 1893)
- 1855 - Jack Allen, infielder (d. 1915)
- 1855 - Bob Blakiston, outfielder (d. 1918)
- 1869 - Scott Stratton, pitcher (d. 1939)
- 1873 - Charlie Krause, infielder (d. 1948)
- 1877 - Ernie Diehl, outfielder (d. 1958)
- 1878 - Jim McGinley, pitcher (d. 1961)
- 1880 - Jim Miller, infielder (d. 1937)
- 1882 - Ed Barry, pitcher (d. 1920)
- 1891 - Eddie Murphy, outfielder (d. 1969)
- 1895 - Lemuel Hawkins, infielder (d. 1934)
- 1896 - Sid Womack, catcher (d. 1958)
- 1904 - Tom Angley, catcher (d. 1952)
- 1907 - Elbert Williams, pitcher (d. 1972)
- 1908 - Ray Lucas, pitcher (d. 1969)
- 1911 - Rex Bowen, scout (d. 2004)
- 1913 - Gene Benson, outfielder; All-Star (d. 1999)
- 1913 - Masayori Shimura, broadcaster; Japanese Hall of Fame (d. 2007)
- 1919 - Joe Buzas, infielder (d. 2003)
- 1920 - Joe Burt Scott, outfielder (d. 2013)
- 1920 - Spec Shea, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2002)
- 1921 - Ralph Weigel, catcher (d. 1992)
- 1922 - Jim Gladd, catcher (d. 1977)
- 1924 - Frank Bowa, minor league infielder (d. 1979)
- 1924 - Bill Serena, infielder (d. 1996)
- 1928 - Ángel Scull, minor league outfielder (d. 2005)
- 1930 - John Gabler, pitcher (d. 2009)
- 1930 - Jim Heise, pitcher (d. 2011)
- 1932 - Maury Wills, infielder, manager; All-Star
- 1934 - Earl Wilson, pitcher (d. 2005)
- 1938 - Miguel de la Hoz, infielder
- 1938 - Paul Solberg, college coach (d. 2017)
- 1939 - Paul Doyle, pitcher (d. 2020)
- 1941 - Jackie Autry, owner
- 1943 - Paul Dicken, pinch hitter
- 1946 - Bob Robertson, infielder
- 1948 - Mitsuo Inaba, NPB pitcher (d. 2012)
- 1949 - Greg Pryor, infielder
- 1951 - Bob Coluccio, outfielder
- 1952 - Terry Cornutt, pitcher
- 1953 - Kevin Kobel, pitcher
- 1956 - Jeff Doyle, infielder
- 1957 - Andre Robertson, infielder
- 1959 - Dave Beard, pitcher
- 1960 - Ernest Riles, infielder
- 1961 - Doug Ames, agent
- 1964 - Randy Byers, outfielder
- 1964 - Chris Ritter, minor league pitcher
- 1964 - Hector Villanueva, catcher
- 1966 - Scott Neill, minor league pitcher
- 1968 - Greg Gibson, umpire
- 1969 - Alan Newman, pitcher
- 1969 - Matt Walbeck, catcher
- 1970 - Eddie Guardado, pitcher; All-Star
- 1971 - Rafael Carmona, pitcher (d. 2021)
- 1972 - Trey Moore, pitcher
- 1973 - Wilmy Caceres, minor league infielder
- 1973 - Scott Schoeneweis, pitcher
- 1974 - Brian Knight, umpire
- 1974 - Doug Nickle, pitcher
- 1976 - Victor Santos, pitcher
- 1977 - Brian Adams, minor league pitcher
- 1979 - Jose Morban, infielder
- 1981 - Marino Salas, pitcher
- 1981 - Ben Thurmond, minor league pitcher
- 1984 - Oswaldo Navarro, infielder
- 1984 - Matt Reynolds, pitcher
- 1985 - Mike Elkerson, minor league outfielder
- 1985 - Chris Paterson, minor league manager
- 1986 - Ramón Flores, minor league outfielder
- 1986 - Ismel Jiménez, Cuban league pitcher
- 1987 - Stephen King, minor league infielder
- 1987 - Rafael Lopez, catcher
- 1988 - Yannapat Arpornsiri, Thai national team outfielder
- 1988 - Muhammad Ahsan Baig, Pakistani national team outfielder
- 1988 - Francisco Jimenez, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Ryan Juarez, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Jin-ho Jung, South Korean national team outfielder
- 1988 - A.J. Kirby-Jones, minor league infielder
- 1989 - Ryan Dull, pitcher
- 1989 - Aaron Hicks, outfielder
- 1989 - Jesus Iguel, Northern Mariana Islands national team infielder
- 1989 - Alan Izaguirre, minor league umpire
- 1989 - Tyler Olson, pitcher
- 1989 - Chad Smith, pitcher
- 1991 - Cam Bedrosian, pitcher
- 1991 - Noel Cuevas, outfielder
- 1991 - Jason Hursh, pitcher
- 1991 - Yuki Naoi, Japanese women's national team catcher
- 1992 - Yasuaki Yamasaki, NPB pitcher
- 1993 - Yapson Gómez, minor league pitcher
- 1993 - Lance McCullers Jr., pitcher; All-Star
- 1994 - Jarret DeHart, coach
- 1994 - Josh Hart, minor league outfielder
- 1995 - Alex Lange, pitcher
- 1995 - Kyle Wright, pitcher
- 1996 - Oliver Ortega, pitcher
- 2001 - Po-Yu Chen, minor league pitcher
- 2002 - Artem Logvinov, Russian national team infielder
Deaths[edit]
- 1878 - Lewis Meacham, umpire (b. 1846)
- 1910 - Sandy McDougal, pitcher (b. 1874)
- 1915 - Tommy Beals, outfielder (b. 1850)
- 1918 - George McManus, manager (b. 1846)
- 1920 - Walter Hackett, infielder (b. 1857)
- 1921 - Ed Carfrey, infielder (b. 1863)
- 1926 - Art Sunday, outfielder (b. 1862)
- 1927 - John Carl, catcher (b. 1854)
- 1929 - Buck Hopkins, outfielder (b. 1883)
- 1931 - George Bradley, pitcher (b. 1852)
- 1933 - Mike McGeary, infielder (b. 1850)
- 1937 - Walt Burnham, minor league manager (b. 1860)
- 1944 - Dick Robertson, pitcher (b. 1891)
- 1947 - Charles Adams, owner (b. 1876)
- 1947 - Billy Hulen, infielder (b. 1870)
- 1947 - Jim Kane, infielder (b. 1881)
- 1949 - Frank Schulte, outfielder (b. 1882)
- 1951 - James McGeehan, minor league manager (b. 1877)
- 1957 - Andy Harris, infielder, manager (b. 1896)
- 1958 - Bill Forman, pitcher (b. 1886)
- 1960 - Jim Busby, infielder (b. 1900)
- 1960 - Mike Kilroy, pitcher (b. 1869)
- 1962 - Earl Yingling, pitcher (b. 1888)
- 1963 - Eddie Bacon, pitcher (b. 1895)
- 1963 - Cy Perkins, catcher, manager (b. 1896)
- 1966 - Jumbo Brown, pitcher (b. 1907)
- 1967 - Orville Armbrust, pitcher (b. 1910)
- 1967 - Toby Greene, college coach (b. 1899)
- 1967 - Jackie Price, infielder (b. 1912)
- 1967 - Bull Wagner, pitcher (b. 1887)
- 1969 - Danny O'Connell, infielder (b. 1929)
- 1970 - George Mohart, pitcher (b. 1892)
- 1975 - Charlie Emig, pitcher (b. 1875)
- 1976 - Walt Calhoun, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1911)
- 1990 - Heinie Schuble, infielder (b. 1906)
- 1990 - Hiroyuki Watanabe, NPB outfielder (b. 1921)
- 1996 - William Adams, minor league player and manager (b. 1922)
- 1996 - Tom Hafey, infielder (b. 1913)
- 1996 - Les Tietje, pitcher (b. 1911)
- 1999 - Frank Duncan, pitcher (b. 1920)
- 2005 - Bud Black, pitcher (b. 1932)
- 2005 - Pat Kelly, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1944)
- 2006 - Al Heist, outfielder (b. 1927)
- 2006 - Clyde Vollmer, outfielder (b. 1921)
- 2009 - Benny Felder, infielder (b. 1926)
- 2009 - Max Limonick, minor league pitcher (b. 1986)
- 2010 - Ruby Heafner, AAGPBL catcher (b. 1924)
- 2010 - Max Peterson, minor league pitcher (b. 1921)
- 2011 - Roy North, minor league pitcher (b. 1958)
- 2011 - John Romonosky, pitcher (b. 1929)
- 2012 - Fernando Diaz, Guam national team player (b. 1959)
- 2015 - Hal Schacker, pitcher (b. 1925)
- 2017 - Solly Hemus, infielder, manager (b. 1923)
- 2018 - Obed Plascencia, minor league infielder-outfielder and manager (b. 1944)
- 2019 - Cecil Butler, pitcher (b. 1937)
- 2020 - Bob Gibson, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer (b. 1935)
- 2020 - Ron Perranoski, pitcher (b. 1936)
- 2021 - Chuck Hartenstein, pitcher (b. 1942)
- 2021 - Dave Roberts, infielder (b. 1933)
We're Social...for Statheads
Every Sports Reference Social Media Account
Site Last Updated:
Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction?
Are you a Stathead, too? Subscribe to our Free Newsletter
This Week in Sports Reference
Find out when we add a feature or make a change
Do you have a sports website? Or write about sports? We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Find out more.