Portal:Baseball/Anniversaries/April 4

Events

• 1974 - Atlanta Braves slugger Hank Aaron hits his 714th career home run, tying him with Babe Ruth for the most home runs in Major League history.
• 1977 - The Pittsburgh Pirates trade Randy Sealy to the California Angels for Mike Easler.
• 1988 - Toronto Blue Jay George Bell becomes the first Major Leaguer to hit three home runs on Opening Day.
• 1988 - The New York Mets set an Opening Day record by hitting six home runs in a 10 - 6 win over the Montreal Expos. Kevin McReynolds and Darryl Strawberry each hit a pair of homers and Lenny Dykstra and Kevin Elster both hit one a piece.
• 1989 - New York Yankees pitcher Tommy John ties a Major League record by playing in 26 seasons.
• 1994 - Chicago Cubs outfielder Tuffy Rhodes becomes the first player in major league history to hit home runs in his first three at-bats of the season.
• 1994 - The Cleveland Indians inaugurate Jacobs Field with a 4 - 3 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
• 1998 - Mark McGwire hits a home run in his fourth consecutive game to start the season, tying the mark set by Willie Mays in 1971.
• 1999 - Opening Day starts in Mexico, making it the first time the MLB first pitch comes outside the United States or Canada as the Colorado Rockies defeat the San Diego Padres.
• 2001 - At Camden Yards, Hideo Nomo hurls a 3-0 no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles in his Boston Red Sox debut.
• 2003 - At Great American Ball Park, Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs hits his 500th career home run off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Scott Sullivan in the seventh inning, becoming only the 18th player in major league history to hit 500 or more home runs, as well as the first Hispanic player to do so.
• 2005 - Baltimore Orioles Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro become the first pair of teammates to have at least 500 career home runs apiece.

Births

• 1859 - Joe Brown, pitcher (d. 1888)
• 1862 - John McCloskey, manager (d. 1940)
• 1866 - Harry Taylor, infielder (d. 1955)
• 1878 - Jake Volz, pitcher (d. 1962)
• 1881 - Bill Jackson, infielder (d. 1958)
• 1883 - Bill Hinchman, outfielder (d. 1963)
• 1883 - John Hummel, infielder (d. 1959)
• 1888 - Tris Speaker, outfielder, manager; Hall of Famer (d. 1958)
• 1888 - Bill Upham, pitcher (d. 1959)
• 1889 - Dutch Lerchen, infielder (d. 1962)
• 1893 - Pete Kilduff, infielder (d. 1930)
• 1903 - Les Bartholomew, pitcher (d. 1972)
• 1910 - Joe Vosmik, outfielder; All-Star (d. 1962)
• 1916 - Mickey Owen, catcher; All-Star (d. 2005)
• 1916 - Willie Ramsdell, pitcher (d. 1969)
• 1924 - Gil Hodges, infielder, manager; All-Star (d. 1972)
• 1928 - Frank Smith, pitcher (d. 2005)
• 1929 - Tookie Gilbert, infielder (d. 1967)
• 1937 - Gary Geiger, outfielder (d. 1996)
• 1938 - Bart Giamatti, commissioner (d. 1989)
• 1941 - Eddie Watt, pitcher
• 1942 - Tom Fisher, pitcher
• 1942 - Jim Fregosi, infielder, manager; All-Star
• 1943 - Mike Epstein, infielder
• 1945 - Nick Bremigan, umpire (d. 1989)
• 1947 - Ray Fosse, catcher; All-Star
• 1956 - Tom Herr, infielder; All-Star
• 1958 - Marty Mason, coach
• 1960 - John Lickert, catcher
• 1961 - Brad Komminsk, outfielder
• 1968 - Jim Dedrick, pitcher
• 1969 - Carlos Reyes, pitcher
• 1969 - Mark Strittmatter, catcher
• 1972 - Jeff Sparks, pitcher
• 1975 - Scott Rolen, infielder; All-Star
• 1977 - Eric Valent, outfielder
• 1978 - Jason Ellison, outfielder
• 1981 - Casey Daigle, pitcher
• 1987 - Cameron Maybin, outfielder

Deaths

• 1902 - Charlie Sweeney, pitcher (b. 1863)
• 1921 - Pop Corkhill, outfielder (b. 1858)
• 1924 - George Wood, outfielder, manager (b. 1858)
• 1934 - Dick Johnston, outfielder (b. 1863)
• 1949 - George Suggs, pitcher (b. 1882)
• 1962 - Snooks Dowd, infielder (b. 1897)
• 1966 - Herb McQuaid, pitcher (b. 1899)
• 1969 - Chuck Ward, infielder (b. 1894)
• 1969 - Les Wilson, outfielder (b. 1885)
• 1971 - Carl Mays, pitcher (b. 1891)
• 1982 - Mel Queen, Sr., pitcher (b. 1918)
• 1988 - Charlie Snell, catcher (b. 1893)
• 1991 - Johnny Moore, outfielder (b. 1902)
• 1996 - Don Ross, infielder (b. 1914)
• 1999 - Early Wynn, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer (b. 1920)
• 2004 - George Bamberger, pitcher, manager (b. 1923)
• 2008 - Jerry Crider, pitcher (b. 1941)