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Happy ’80s Birthday to Milt Wilcox, who came within one out of a perfect game in 1983, won a World Series with the Tigers in 1984, and later founded Ultimate Air Dogs.
Happy ’80s Birthday to Tom Hutton, who hit 22 career HRs, three of which came off Tom Seaver.
Former Cubs and Padres manager Preston Gomez was born on this day in 1923.
Gomez began the 1980 season as the Cubs manager but was let go in July and replaced by Joe Amalfitano.
He passed away in 2009.
Happy ’80s Birthday to Donnie Baseball!
Dude could just hit.
4/20/81
The Astros trade Dave Bergman and 1979 NL Rookie of the Year runner up Jeffrey Leonard to the Giants for 1B Mike Ivie. The Giants aren’t upset to see him leave. Former manager Dave Bristol calls Ivie, “A cancer”
4/20/85
The Pirates trade Kent Tekulve to the Phillies for AL Holland and a minor leaguer. Both Holland and Teke look weird in their new uniforms.
4/20/84
Kelly Gruber makes his big league debut as a defensive replacement against the Angels.
He goes 1 for 16 in his rookie season but really starts to hit after he becomes a regular in 1987.
4/20/86
Barry Bonds goes 2 for 4 in a doubleheader in Hawaii and 1 for 1 with a 17th-inning pinch-hit single off Dave Gumpert in Chicago. Sort of.
Bonds was in AAA on April 20th and played in a doubleheader for the Pirates team in Hawaii.
On August 11th, 1986 the Pirates and Cubs completed their suspended game from April 20th and Bonds had been called up by then. He delivered a pinch-hit single in that game so he technically made his debut on April 20th despite not being called up until May and he he got his first hit in August. Or was it April? Or was it May?
4/20/83
The Cardinals/Expos game is postponed due to bad weather. It is the seventh time in 1983 that the Cards have had a game postponed, which gives them as many postponements as actual games played.
They end up playing seven doubleheaders between June 20th and September 20th, including a six-game series against the Mets.
Big Days
4/20/83
George Brett hits 3 homers and drives in 7 as the Royals beat Detroit 8-7.
Brett offered the following to the Detroit Free Press: “That was wonderful. I was just seeing the ball so well tonight.”
4/20/83
Tom Seaver beats the Pirates 5-0. It’s his 55th career shutout and he also drives in a run with a triple for good measure, one of two he’d hit in his age-38 season.
4/20/86
Vida Blue and the Giants beat the Padres 4-0.
The win is the 200th of Blue’s career.
4/20/87
The starting 8 Reds position players go 18 for 36 as Cincinnati hammers the Padres 12-3.
Ron Oester goes 4 for 4
4/20/87
Greg Brock’s 4th home run of the season helps the Brewers beat the White Sox.
For Milwaukee, it’s their 13th straight win to open the season.
4/20/88
Claudell Washinton hits the 10,000th home run in Yankees history. The 448-foot homer comes as a pinch-hitter off of Minnesota reliever Jeff Reardon in the 9th inning and breaks a 5-5 tie. The Yankees would win the game 7-6 in extra innings. “In that situation, I’m trying to hit a home run,” Washington told the media.
4/20/88
The Orioles set a major league record by losing their 14th straight game to open the season. The streak would eventually reach 21.
4/20/89
Mike Schmidt’s double is his 2,218th hit, breaking Richie Ashburn’s club record.
Jimmy Rollins passed Schmidtty in June of 2014.
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