June 5
1911 _ Boston’s Smoky Joe Wood struck out three Chicago White Sox pinch hitters in the ninth to preserve a 5-4 win.
1915 _ Philadelphia’s Grover Cleveland Alexander lost his no-hitter when Artie Butler punched a single with two outs in the ninth. Alexander struck out Bob Bescher for the final out to beat St. Louis 3-0. Alexander went on to pitch three more one-hitters during the season.
1929 _ The Cincinnati Reds scored nine runs in the sixth inning, en route to a 21-4 win over the Chicago Cubs.
1935 _ Chicago White Sox rookie pitcher John Whitehead loses to St. Louis 2-0. It was his first loss after winning his first eight starts, an AL record for the start of a career.
1943 _ New York’s Carl Hubbell snaps the Giants losing streak of seven games by pitching a one-hitter against the Pittsburgh for a 5-1 win. The only hit for Pittsburgh was a solo homer by first baseman Elbie Fletcher.
1949 _ Commissioner Happy Chandler lifted the ban on all players who jumped to Mexico, starting in 1946.
1955 _ New York’s Mickey Mantle hit a home run off Chicago’s Billy Pierce that traveled an estimated 550 feet. The ball cleared the left-field upper deck at Comiskey Park.
1959 _ Pittsburgh’s Dick Stuart hit the longest home run at Forbes Field. Stuart hit a shot over the center-field wall off Chicago pitcher Glenn Hobbie.
1966 _ Leo Cardenas of the Reds hit four home runs in a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs. Cardenas hit two home runs in each game as Cincinnati won the opener 8-3 but dropped the second game 9-5.
1974 _ Cleveland had nine baserunners against Texas and all nine score in a 9-3 victory. It was the last time this happened in the 20th century.
1976 _ Despite getting three home runs by Bill Robinson, Pittsburgh lost to San Diego, 11-9 in 15 innings.
1986 _ San Diego’s Steve Garvey was ejected for the first time in his career when he argued a play at home plate. Garvey, the on-deck hitter, protested the last out of a triple play by the Atlanta Braves. Television replays showed that Bip Roberts was indeed safe. The Padres lost 4-2.
1989 _ The Blue Jays lost their debut in the SkyDome as Glenn Braggs hit a two-run homer to lead the Milwaukee Brewers past Toronto 5-3. The $375 million complex featured a $100 million, four-section, retractable roof.
1997 _ Alex Rodriguez of the Mariners became the first Seattle player to hit for the cycle in a nine-inning game. He completed the cycle with a double in the ninth of a 14-6 win at Detroit.
2001 _ Colorado pitcher Mike Hampton had two homers, three RBIs and recorded his eighth win as Colorado defeated Houston 9-4.
2006 _ Cincinnati’s Ken Griffey, Jr., homered twice at the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis, to tie Fred McGriffs major league record of connecting in 43 different stadiums. Griffey second homer was a three-run game winner in the ninth off Jason Isringhausen for an 8-7 win over the Cardinals.
2008 _ Atlanta’s Chipper Jones became the third switch-hitter in major league history to hit 400 career home runs. Jones’ homer off Ricky Nolasco was one of his four hits in the 7-5 comeback win over Florida. Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray were the first two reach the milestone.
2008 _ Mark Worrell became the eighth player in St. Louis Cardinals history to hit a home run in his first big league at-bat. Worrell, who also pitched two scoreless innings, hit a three-run shot on a 3-2 pitch from Washingtons Tim Redding in the sixth inning of a 10-9 loss.
2010 _ Florida International’s Garrett Wittels extended his hitting streak to 56 games but the Golden Panthers were eliminated by Dartmouth 15-9 in the Coral Gables regional. Wittels hit an RBI double in the top of the first inning off Dartmouth starter Robert Young. Wittels, ended the season two games from the Division I all-time hit streak record set by Oklahoma State’s Robin Ventura in 1987.
2010 _ Jamie Moyer pitched a seven-hitter to help the Philadelphia Phillies break out of their offensive slump with a 6-2 win over the San Diego Padres. It was the 47-year-old left-hander’s second complete game this season, and 33rd for a career that began in 1986. He also joined Phil Niekro (121) and Jack Quinn (103) as the only pitchers to win 100 games after age 40.
2011 _ Albert Pujols hit a game-ending homer in extra innings for the second straight day, beating the Chicago Cubs with a leadoff shot in the 10th inning of the St. Louis Cardinals’ 3-2 victory. Pujols hammered a fastball from Rodrigo Lopez an estimated 446 feet to left for his 10th career game-ending homer. The previous day, Pujols hit his second homer of the game with two outs in the 12th inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Pujols homer came on a 2-1 pitch from Jeff Samardzija.
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