This Day in Baseball History: June 19

1846: First Organized Baseball Game

The New York Knickerbockers and Brooklyn Excelsiors in 1858. (Image Courtesy of New York Times)

On this date 173 years ago, the first organized baseball game was played. The New York Knickerbockers played against the New York Nine in a public game that used Cartwright’s rules. The Nine defeated the Knickerbockers by a score of 23-1 at Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey.

1941-42: Joe DiMaggio has Very Different Games

In 1941, Joe Dimaggio had a 3-for-3 day at the plate, including a home run. This extended his hitting streak to 32 consecutive games, helping lead to his infamous 56-game hitting streak. The Yankees won this game over the White Sox 7-2.

The same day one year later in 1942 was a lot different for Joltin’ Joe. In the 1,787 games DiMaggio played in, he only had one hat trick: today was that day. DiMaggio had three strikeouts against Indians’ pitcher Mel Harder in a 5-4 loss.

1973: Pete Rose and Willie Davis Record 2,000 Hit

Pete Rose recorded his 2,000th hit on this day with a single against the San Francisco Giants. This historic hit for Rose wasn’t even his halfway point, as he finished his career with a whopping 4,256 hits. The Reds won the game 4-0 at Candlestick Park.

Willie Davis recorded his hit on the same day against the Atlanta Braves. He hit a two-run homer in their 3-0 victory. Davis ended his career with 2,561 hits and 1053 RBIs.

1999: Oldest Professional Baseball Player

Image Courtesy of moviespictures.org

Ted Radcliffe got the nod to start for the Schaumburg Flyers in a Northern League game: he was 96 years old. Instead of throwing out a ceremonial first pitch, Radcliffe threw one pitch that counted before exiting to a standing ovation. This made Radcliffe the oldest player to ever play in a professional baseball game. Radcliffe played in the Negro League as a pitcher and a catcher, earning the nickname “Double Duty.” He lived to be 103 years old, passing away in 2005.

Feature Image Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

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