Thought I’d share a few early September moments post-Labor Day…
September 8, 1969….Reds closer Wayne Granger pitches in both games of a Reds double header sweep of the Giants (both games finishing 5-4). He enters the first game in the ninth inning with Reds leading by one and two Giants on the corners with no outs. (that’s right…the closer entered the game with runners on base!!!). He saved the game without a run scoring. THEN, in the second game, the CLOSER pitches eight innings of shut out relief in a 15 inning game. Granger sets a record in 1969 (since broken) by pitching in 90 games, covering 144 2/3 innings of relief in his second season as a major leaguer.
September 8, 1988–MLB owners elect NL president Bart Giamatti to succeed Peter Ueberroth as baseball commissioner. (uh-oh)
September 9, 1869–The Cincinnati Ball Club decides to become the first wholly professional baseball team in time for 1869. Up to this time, all teams were considered amateur ball teams (wink, wink).
September 9, 1876–Future Red pitcher Candy Cummings, inventor of the curve ball (wink, wink), wins both games of the first scheduled double header in major league history. Hartford’s Cummings beats the Reds, 14-1 and 8-1 (I’ve also seen 14-4 and 8-4) during a very good season when he posts and ERA+ of 147. He joins the Reds the next season and posts an ERA+ of 61 and leaves baseball, later to be selected to the Hall of Fame.
September 9, 1884–Cincinnati’s Will White becomes the first major league pitcher to reach 200 career wins.
September 9, 1970–Reds rookie Milt Wilcox hurls a five-hit shut out of the Dodgers in only his second major league game. After going 5-2 with a 3.02 ERA in 23 appearances over two years, the Reds deal Wilcox to the Cleveland Indians following the 1971 season for veteran outfielder Ted Uhlaender, who bats .159 in 113 plate appearances for the 1972 Reds. Wilcox goes on to win 119 games over 16 big league seasons.
September 11, 1946–The Reds and Dodgers play the longest scoreless game in major league history, eventually calling it quits after 19 innings with the score 0-0. Johnny Vander Meer pitched 15 innings for the Red, recording 14 strikeouts. The came was called because of darkness.
September 11, 1956–Frank Robinson ties the all-time National League record for most home runs by rookie with 38.
September 11, 1985–Pete Rose breaks the Major League hit record when he records hit 4192 with a single off the Padres’ Eric Show.
September 12, 1883–The Reds beat the Pittsburgh Alleghenys 27-5 as 1b Long John Reilly and 3b Hick Carpenter both collect six hits for the Reds, the only time in major league history that teammates each had six hits in one game. Reilly hit for the cycle (with two bonus singles) and Carpenter had six singles.
September 12, 1930–The Reds’ Ray Kolp gives up the last home run to bounce into the stands when the Pirates Al Lopez bounces a home run into the centerfield bleachers. A rule change following the 1930 season states these hits are to become ground rule doubles.
September 12, 1954–Reds first baseman Ted Kluszewski drives in nine runs during a double header sweep of the Pittburgh Pirates, formerly the Alleghenys.
September 12, 1982–Not Reds related, but still remarkable, the Twins’ Terry Felton loses to the Royals in his last big league decision, giving him a career record of 0-16, the most losses ever without a major league wiin.
September 13, 1945–In case you thought 2000 fans vs. the Pirates were bad last week, only 281 show to watch the Reds lose to he New York Giants in Crosley Field. This was only five years removed from the Reds’ last World Championship in 1940. The Reds had even finished third with 89 wins in 1944, but fell to 61 wins in 1945, their first of 11 consecutive losing seasons.
September 14, 1950–The Reds’ Ted Tappe is the first known player to hit home runs in both his first minor league and first major league at bats. It is the only home run Tappe will hit with the Reds.
September 15, 1972–The Reds and Padres set a major league record for most strikeouts in a nine-inning game with 28. Don Gullett struck out 11 Padres and Pedro Borbon recorded two. Padres pitcher Fred Norman recorded 15 strikeouts. Through 1972, Norman had a 6-2 record against the Reds with a 3.20 ERA, while his cumulative stats were 14-28 with a 4.04 ERA through all or parts of 11 major league seasons. The Reds acquired him mid-1973 and he went on to post an 85-64 record for the Reds.
Info found in “This Day in Baseball” by David Nemec and Scott Flatow and “Day by Day in Cincinnati Reds History” by Floyd Conner and John Snyder.