Lost In Left Field

Darryl Strawberry of the #Yankees hit his 300th career home run #OTD in 1996, in a 3-2 victory over the #Royals. He would finish the year with 11 homers in part-time work, helping the Yankees to their first World Series title since 1978.

Pitcher Mickey Welch of the #Giants won his 300th career game #OTD in 1890, becoming just the 3rd player in major league history to reach that total. Only 31-years old but having already thrown over 4,500 innings, he won only 7 more games before retiring.

Three years to the day after Dennis Martinez threw the 13th perfect game in major league history, Kenny Rogers of the #Rangers threw the 14th, a 4-0 victory over the #Angels. He made only two more starts that season before the players' strike.

Dennis Martinez of the #Expos threw the 13th perfect game in major league history #OTD in 1991, a 2-0 victory over the #Dodgers. Martinez needed only 96 pitches to complete the game. He would go on the lead the NL in with a 2.39 ERA that season.

Charles Wilber "Bullet" Rogan was born #OTD in 1893. A remarkable pitcher who led the league in wins twice, he was also a great hitter for the Kansas City Monarchs with a .338 career batting average. He was elected to the #HallofFame in 1998.

Travis Jackson, shortstop for the #Giants in the 1920s and 30s, died #OTD in 1987. An excellent defender and career .291 hitter who received MVP votes in seven different seasons, he was elected to the #HallofFame in 1982.

Max Scherzer, an 8-time All-Star and 3-time Cy Young winner, was born #OTD in 1984. Pitching mostly for the #Tigers and #Nationals, he led the league in wins 4 times and strikeouts 3 times. He’s currently 11th all-time with over 3,400 strikeouts.

Smoky Joe Wood, an excellent pitcher for the #RedSox and then a good-hitting outfielder, died #OTD in 1985. He won 34 games in 1912, and the 1915 ERA title before hurting his arm, then switched to the outfield for Cleveland and batted .297 with a 116 OPS+

Lefty pitcher Ron Guidry of the #Yankees made his major league debut #OTD in 1975 in a 6-0 loss to the #RedSox. He would pitch 14 years in New York, winning 170 games and the 1978 AL Cy Young Award. He was part of 2 World Series winners.

James “Biz” Mackey, and excellent catcher and manager who played until he was 49 years old, was born #OTD in 1897. Mackey hit .423 in 1923 and .328 for his career, made 5 All-Star teams, and was elected to the #HallofFame in 2006. @nlbmprez

Shortstop Joe Tinker of the #Cubs was born #OTD in 1880. An excellent defender, he was part of two World Series winning teams and was elected to the #HallofFame in 1946. Two years later, he passed away on his 68th birthday.

Greg Maddux of the #Cubs became the 13th pitcher to record 3,000 career strikeouts #OTD in 2005 when he fanned Omar Vizquel. He finished his career with 3,371 K’s, 12th-most in major league history, and was elected to the #HallofFame in 2014.

Matt Garza pitched the first no-hitter in the history of the Tampa Bay #Rays, a 5-0 victory over the #Tigers, #OTD in 2010. Garza won 93 major league games during his career, and was named MVP of the 2008 ALCS.

Jim Rice of the #RedSox was inducted into the #HallofFame #OTD in 2009. An 8-time All-Star, Rice led the AL in homers 3 times, drove in at least 100 runs 8 times, and was named 1978 AL MVP.

Catcher Johnny Bench of the #Reds hit his 300th career home run #OTD in 1978 in a 12-3 loss to the #Mets. He would finish his career with 389 homers, most ever by a catcher until he was passed by Mike Piazza in 2005.

Alex Radcliff, longtime third baseman mostly for the Chicago American Giants, was born #OTD in 1905. A 13-time All-Star with a .292 career batting average, he won a batting title in 1943, and was the brother of Ted “Double Duty” Radcliff. @nlbmprez

Jack Morris of the #Tigers made his major league debut #OTD in 1977, pitching 4 innings in a 8-3 loss. A 5-time All-Star, Morris won 254 games during his 18-year career and was part of 3 World Series winners. He was elected to the #HallofFame in 2018.

Playing on his home field in #Atlanta, Henry Aaron of the #Braves hit his final All-Star Game home run #OTD in 1972, a two-run homer against Gaylord Perry to give the National League a 2-1 lead. It was the 21st All-Star Game he had played in.

Helen "Nickie" Fox, one of the best pitchers in the history of the @AAGPBL , died at the age of 101 #OTD in 2021. Pitching for the Kenosha Comets and Rockford Peaches, she held the league record for innings pitched, strikeouts and wins.

Nellie Fox played the final game of his 19-year major league career #OTD in 1965. A 15-time All-Star and 3-time Gold Glove winning second baseman mostly for the #WhiteSox, Fox won the AL MVP in 1959, and was elected to the #HallofFame in 1997.