13 July in Sports History

The sports history for July 13 comes alive with some nasty pitchers and some guys that knew how to use the stick at the plate.

Sports history is made every day of the year. We will preserve at least a small sampling from some great athletes every day based on the uniform number they wore.

3 - 38 - 30 - 25

July 13, 1896 - Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Ed Delahanty became just the second major league player to have ever hit 4 Homeruns in a game as Phillies lose 9-8 to Chicago Colts at the West Side Grounds, Chicago

July 13, 1919 - It was truly a frustrating day. Boston Red Sox pitcher Carl Mays walked off of the mound right after the second inning in a game against the Chicago White Sox where they lambasted the pitcher for four runs in the first inning blaming teammates for lack of support in field as they had two errors. The game ended with Chicago winning by the score of 14-9. Mays is always portrayed and pictured as sort of a hot head and a dark figure and perhaps he was in history. In a famous photo of him he is sort of hunched over, and turned away from the camera so that his back is showing, his face partially hidden from view with just his eyes peering towards the viewer. It is very sinister. Mays had a miserable childhood as his father died when he was 12 leaving his mother to raise and care for 7 children. Later when pitching for the Yankees Mays used his very unpredictable 'submarine" pitch against Cleveland’s popular star player Ray Chapmanand the combo of the fast moving pitch along with Chapman crowding the plate the ball nailed the hitter in the head, eventually killing him. Mays insisted he didn’t mean to hit Chapman and even fellow ballplayers remarked at how Chapman would typically crowd the plate. However it forever shadows his career along with his nasty submarine pitch.

July 13, 1934 - New York Yankees Number 3, Babe Ruth hit his 700th career home run against the Detroit Tigers.

July 13, 1963 - Future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Early Wynn, Number 38 of the Cleveland Indians won his 300th and last MLB game at the age of 43.

July 13, 1979 - It is quite improbably to happen once but twice the same day...? California Angel's pitcher Nolan Ryan (Number 30) and Boston Red Sox hurler Steve Renko (Number 25) each lost what would be up to that point no-hit decisions in  the 9th inning

A Very Special thanks to information obtained from the following brilliant internet sites: On This Day Sports, the Sports Reference's family of website databases & Stathead.com.

Banner photo is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons of Carl mays with the NY Yankees taken by the Bain News Service..