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Happy ’80s Birthday to Joe Torre, who managed the Mets and Braves in the 1980s before moving on to the Cardinals, Yankees, and Dodgers.
Happy ’80s Birthday to Rudy May, who was nasty in 1980, going 15-5 with a 2.46 ERA. He started 17 games and came out of the pen in 24 others.
Happy ’80s Birthday to Harry Spilman, who spent 12 seasons in the big leagues with the Astros, Reds, Giants, and Tigers and appeared in the postseason three times.
Happy ’80s Birthday to Razor Shines, who played parts of four seasons in the major leagues and is an Indianapolis legend.
Happy ’80s Birthday to Mike Greenwell who could just hit.
Happy ’80s Birthday to Chris Smith, who saw the most playing time of his career with the 1983 GIants.
Smith hit .328 in 22 games and hit his only big league dinger, a two-run shot off Ben Hayes.
7/18/84
The Yankees trade Roy Smalley to the White Sox for players to be named later.
Chicago sends Doug Drabek and Kevin Hickey to New York to complete the trade.
Smalley hits .170 for the Sox and is flipped to Minnesota the following spring. Oops.
7/18/89
The Reds trade Kal Daniels and Lenny Harris to the Dodgers for Mariano Duncan and Tim Leary.
Daniels enjoyed success in L.A., but Duncan was a key player in the Reds Wire-to-Wire championship team in 1990.
7/18/84
Terry Pendleton goes 3 for 5 with an RBI single against the Giants in his big league debut.
He’d spend fifteen seasons in the major leagues and win the N.L. MVP in 1991.
7/18/86
Glenn Braggs goes 1 for 4 in a 6-1 loss to Oakland in his big league debut for the Brewers.
He’d seven years in the big leagues and win a World Series with the Reds in 1990.
7/18/83
George Brett rips a ball down the right field line against Toronto but his teammate, Mike Armstrong, who is sitting in the bullpen, thinks it’s foul and scoops the ball up.
Umpire Bill Kunkel rules the ball a double, which costs Brett an RBI. Toronto wins the game 8 – 2.
7/18/88
Gene Walter balks four times in 2 1/3 innings in a 12 – 3 loss to Detroit.
He becomes the third A. L. pitcher to tie the major-league record in 1988, the glorious year of the balk.
Big Days
7/18/80
Hal McRae and George Brett each drive in four as the Royals hammer the Yankees 13-1 at Yankee Stadium in a match up of division leaders.
7/18/86
Jack Morris throws his third straight CG shutout in Detroit’s 5-0 victory over Texas at Tiger Stadium.
He allows just 12 hits and four walks while striking out 27 over the three-game span.
7/18/86
The Royals announce that manager Dick Howser, who led the club to a World Championship in 1985, will miss the rest of the season to undergo treatment for a brain tumor.
He passes away the following June at age 51.
7/18/87
Don Mattingly ties Dale Long’s 1956 major-league record by homering in 8 consecutive games.
Donnie Baseball hits .459 with 10 homers and 21 RBI during the streak, which ends the following day, but he still gets two hits.
Transactions
7/18/83
The Dodgers release Ron Roenicke.
He signs with the Mariners and plays through 1988, including a World Series appearance with the Padres in 1984.
7/18/86
The A’s release Rick Langford, who was 1-10 with a E.R.A. of 7.36 and his career is over.
Langford threw 22 straight complete games in 1980.
7/18/89
The Blue Jays release Bob Brenly, who was batting just .170.
He returns to San Francisco to finish the season and retires.
Managerial Changes
7/18/83
The Phillies fire manager Pat Corrales despite the fact that they’re in 1st place in the NL East.
General Manager Paul Owens takes over and leads the team to the World Series, where they lose to Baltimore.
Deaths
We lost Donnie Moore OTD in 1989.
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