Joe Castiglione final call of 2004 Red Sox World Series

Jackie Robinson's Speech - October 15, 1972 - his last public speech

Jackie Robinson is by no means the greatest player in baseball history. He holds no cherished records in the manner of a Hank Aaron or a Joe DiMaggio, and his career numbers fall far short of the statistical milestones by which we currently measure “greatness”. But as former Negro League star Buck O’Neill once observed, Robinson may not have been the best player of his era, but he was the right player for the task history set before him. As such, Jackie Robinson is the pivotal figure in baseball’s narrative and perhaps its greatest hero. Only a man with Robinson’s singular mix of talent, tenacity, and temperament could have taken up the lonely task of breaking baseball’s color barrier. No player before or since has had to perform under the weight of such a great burden. On one shoulder, Robinson bore the hopes and future aspirations of a people too long denied their share of the American promise; on the other, he bore the fierce scorn and violent enmity of those who preferred that baseball, and American life in general, remain a segregated affair. That he rose to the challenge and thrived under the pressure was an affirmation of America’s founding principle, the proposition that all men are indeed created equal. His triumph, coming a full seven years before Rosa Parks’ defiant “sit”, can be seen as the first great victory of the modern civil rights movement. Martin Luther King, Jr, who followed Robinson’s exploits as a teenager, hailed him as “a pilgrim that walked in the lonesome byways toward the high road of Freedom… a sit-inner before sit-ins, a freedom rider before freedom rides.” His success paved the way for a new generation of superstars – Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Frank Robinson, to name but a few - who would go on to revolutionize the game and help redefine American culture.

Jackie's Career Highlights:

https://thisdayinbaseball.com/jackie-robinsonjackie-robinson-career-highlights/

On July 31, 1978, Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds extends his hitting streak to 44 games, tying Willie Keeler’s National League record set 81 years ago. Rose singles against Hall of Famer Phil Niekro in Cincinnati’s 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves.

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July 26, 1933 The 61-game hitting streak of the San Francisco Seals' 18-year-old rookie, Joe DiMaggio, is stopped by Ed Walsh, Jr. of the Oakland Oaks.

Babe Ruth makes his final public appearance on July 26, 1948. Ruth visited the film premiere of "The Babe Ruth Story." and would succumb to throat cancer just three weeks later.

July 26, 1962 in New York, pitcher Gene Conley and infielder Pumpsie Green of the Red Sox mysteriously disappear after a 13 - 3 loss to the Yankees. They get off a team bus in traffic to use a rest room but fail to return. Conley decides he wants to fly to Israel, and goes to the airport, but is refused a ticket because he does not have a visa. Conley is perhaps best known for being the only person to win championships in two of the four major American sports, one with the Milwaukee Braves in the 1957 World Series and three Boston Celtics championships from 1959-61.

Johnny Bench of the “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati Reds collects his 300th career home run in a 12-3 loss to the New York Mets on July 26th, 1978. In the same game, Cincinnati’s Pete Rose, aka “Charlie Hustle”, extends his hitting streak to 39 games. Rose’s streak will eventually reach 44 games - a new National League record which would attract massive interest nationwide.

The Hall of Fame expands by three members on July 26th, 1987. Jim “Catfish” Hunter, Billy Williams, and Ray Dandridge are honored in Induction Ceremonies in Cooperstown. Hunter played on five world champions and was called “Catfish” by Oakland owner Charles O. Finley for no other reason than Finley thought his new pitcher needed a flashy nickname.

July 26, 1991 Montreal's Mark Gardner pitches a no-hitter for nine innings against the Dodgers before Lenny Harris beats out an infield single in the 10th. The Dodgers would get two more hits, including an RBI single by Darryl Strawberry, to plate the only run of the contest. After a 2-out walk in the 1st to Eddie Murray, Gardner retires 19 in a row.

The Expos manage only two hits themselves against the combined efforts of Orel Hershiser, Kevin Gross, and Jay Howell. Gardner is the 11th pitcher to lose a no-hitter after nine innings and the first pitcher to hurl nine no-hit innings against the Dodgers since Johnny Vander Meer, in 1938.

Mentioned in this episode:

Classic Baseball Broadcasts

Classic Baseball Broadcasts

On July 31, 2003 the Montreal Expos retired number 8 as a tribute to Gary Carter, their first player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. During his 12-year tenure with the Expos, Carter was selected to the National League All-Star team 7 times and won 3 Gold Glove Awards. After the Expos moved to Washington, D.C. to become the Washington Nationals following the 2004 season, a banner displaying Carter’s number along with those of other Expos stars Andre Dawson, Tim Raines and Rusty Staub was hung from the rafters at the Bell Centre, home of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens.

• This Day In Baseball - Learn more about the players, teams and seasons

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July 24, 1983 - Phil Rizzuto calls the At Bat when Goose Gossage faces George Brett with Two outs in the 9th

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July 25, 2004, a record number of Hall of Famers return to Cooperstown to witness the Induction of Dennis Eckersley and Paul Molitor. In all, 53 living Hall of Fame members are on hand for the ceremony.

July 25, 1978, the New York Yankees name Bob Lemon as manager, jettisoning Billy Martin. Under Lemon’s leadership, the Yankees will erase a nine-and-a-half-game deficit and win the American League East on their way to the World Championship.

July 25, 1966, Casey Stengel and Ted Williams are inducted into the Hall of Fame. Both men make memorable speeches in Cooperstown. Williams calls for the election of former Negro leagues stars to the Hall of Fame. Five years later, Satchel Paige will become the first Negro Leagues standout to take his place in Cooperstown. Stengel amazes the crowd with his recollections of his nearly six decades in baseball.

July 25, 1955, the largest contingent of living Hall of Famers to date congregate in Cooperstown for the Induction Ceremony. The new members include: third baseman Home Run Baker, center fielder Joe DiMaggio, catcher Gabby Hartnett, pitcher Ted Lyons, catcher Ray Schalk, and pitcher Dazzy Vance. A record crowd attends the ceremony, many coming to cheer on DiMaggio, one of the most popular players of his era.

July 25, 1941, Lefty Grove of the Boston Red Sox wins his 300th game, a 10-6 decision over the Cleveland Indians. Despite giving up 12 hits, Grove becomes the sixth pitcher in the modern era to reach the milestone

July 25, 1883, future Hall of Famer Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn pitches a 1-0 no-hitter against Worcester. Radbourn wins 48 games that season, and 309 in his career.

Historical Recap performed by:

Robyn Newton from - Robyn Says

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Mentioned in this episode:

Classic Baseball Broadcasts

Classic Baseball Broadcasts

On July 23, 1962, Jackie Robinson, Bob Feller, Bill McKechnie, and Edd Roush are inducted into the Hall of Fame. Robinson, the first black player to participate in major league ball during the 20th century, also becomes the first African-American elected to the shrine.

Jackie Robinson burst onto the scene in 1947, breaking baseball’s color barrier and bringing the Negro leagues’ electrifying style of play to the Majors. He quickly became baseball’s top drawing card and a symbol of hope to millions of Americans. With Robinson as the catalyst, the Dodgers won six pennants in his 10 seasons. He dominated games on the basepaths, stealing home 19 times while riling opposing pitchers with his daring baserunning style. Robinson was named National League MVP in 1949, leading the loop in hitting (.342) and steals (37), while knocking in 124 runs.

Bob Feller’s blazing fastball set the standard against which all of his successors have been judged. Rapid Robert spent his entire 18-year career with Cleveland, amassing 266 victories and 2,581 strikeouts, while leading the league in strikeouts seven times. He missed nearly four full seasons in his prime serving his country during World War II, for which he was decorated with five campaign ribbons studded with eight battle stars. Fresh from high school, Feller struck out 17 Athletics in 1936. The fireballer authored three no-hitters and 12 one-hitters while winning 20 or more games six times.