26 July in Sports History

The top stories of team and individual sports history that took place on July 26.

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.

8 - 37 - 7 - 32 - 5 - 21 - 14 - 27 - 29 - 26

July 26, 1939 - New York Yankees catcher Bill Dickey, Number 8 hit 3 consecutive home runs in a 14 -1 route over the St Louis Browns. The Yankees scored in every inning of the contest, at the time becoming the fifth team in MLB history to do so.

July 26, 1948 - "Babe Ruth Story" premieres, and with its star deathly ill, Babe Ruth made his last public appearance in front of appreciative fans.

July 26, 1950 - Brooklyn Dodgers' Jim Russell, Number 37 was the first to switch-hit a pair of HRs twice in a game

July 26, 1952 - Mickey Mantle, Number 7 of the New York Yankees hit his 1st grand-slam

July 26, 1957 - The same Number 7, Mickey Mantle hit his career home run number 200

July 26, 1959 - Chicago White Sox Larry Doby, Number 32 played his final MLB game. Doby retired from baseball altogether in 1962 after playing for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan.

July 26, 1962 - Milwaukee Brave Warren Spahn, Number 21 set a home run record for pitchers when he smacked the 31st of his career over the wall. The Braves used it for a 6-1 victory over the New York Mets.

July 26, 1970 - Cincinnati Reds Johnny Bench, Number 5 hit 3 consecutive home runs off of Philadelphia Phillies Steve Carlton, Number 32.

July 26, 1978 - That same Number 5, Johnny Bench hit his 300th career home run. The two run shot in the fourth was to no avail though as the New York Mets pounded the Reds 14-3.

July 26, 1984 - Playing for the Montreal Expos, Pete Rose, Number 14 tied Ty Cobb's long standing record with his 3,502nd single

July 26, 1987 - Catfish Hunter who wore Number 27 for much of his career withthe A's and Number 29 with the Yankees,  Billy Williams who wore Number 26 for most of his career with the Cubs, and Ray Dandridge who played for a variety of teams inthe Negro Leagues inducted in Baseball Hall of Fame

July 26, 1988 - Third basemen Mike Schmidt, Number 20 of the Philadelphia Phillies set a National League record appearing in 2,155 games at 3rd base, as Phillies & NY Mets end that very same game at 2:13 AM 

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 Bill Dickey of the New York Yankees, cropped from a posed picture of 1937 Major League Baseball All-Stars in Washington, DC. from Harris & Ewing on July 7, 1937.