Happy ’80s Birthday to Jerry Reuss, author of the only no-hitter of the 1980 season.
Happy ’80s Birthday to Jim Slaton, who spent 16 years in the big leagues, primarily with the Brewers.
Happy ’80s Birthday to Bob Gibson, who spent five years in the big leagues with the Brewers and Mets.
Happy ’80s Birthday to Butch Davis, who spent eight years in the big leagues with five teams and has been coaching since the 1990s.
Happy ’80s Birthday to Steve Stanicek, who appeared in 13 games for the Brewers and Phillies.
Happy ’80s Birthday to Craig Smajstrla, who was 5’7″ and weighed 140 lbs when he graduated from high school and played in eight games for the 1988 Astros.
6/19/87
The Astros trade Phil Garner to the Dodgers for a PTBNL (Jeff Edwards).
Scrap Iron would play 70 games for L.A and finish up his career with the Giants the following season.
6/19/88
The Reds trade Buddy Bell to the Astros for a player to be named later. Houston gives Bell an airbrushed hat and sends Carl Grovom to Cincinnati to complete the trade.
Bell finishes 1988 in Houston then returns to the Rangers for his final season.
6/19/87
The Reds sign Dave Collins as a free agent.
Collins plays three more seasons in Cincinnati and one in St. Louis before finishing his 16-year career.
6/19/87
The Angels sign Jerry Reuss five days after he’d been released by the Reds.
Reuss goes 4-5 for the Angels, then wins 13 games for the White Sox in 1988.
6/19/83
Nick Esasky goes 0 for 3 against the Dodgers in his big league debut.
He’d collect 7 hits over his next 16 at-bats and hit .265 with 12 homers in 1983.
6/19/84
Mark Salas delivers a pinch-hit double off Montreal’s Bob James in his big league debut for the Cardinals.
He’s selected by the Twins in the Rule V draft in December and finishes in the Top 10 in A.L. Rookie of the Year balloting in 1985.
6/19/84
Eddie Murray goes 2-5 and drives in 6 in a 9-7 Orioles win over the Red Sox because he’s Eddie Murray and he damn well felt like it.
6/19/84
The Cubs sign their 2nd round pick and assign him to Pikeville in the Appy League where he goes 6-2 as an 18-year-old.
He followed that up with a 13-win season in Peoria in 1985. Turns out that Maddux kid was pretty good.
6/19/87
Orel Hershiser strikes out 14 over ten innings. He throws 142 pitches and gets the loss in a 3-2 game against the Astros.
Hershiser allows three runs, but Houston starter Danny Darwin surrenders only two and the Astros win it.
6/19/89
Dwight Gooden wins his 100th career game against just 37 losses.
His career record is second only to Hall of Famer Whitey Ford’s 100-36 start with the Yankees in 1958.
6/19/85
The Angels release Tommy John.
The 42-year-old lefty signs with Oakland and goes 2-6 before returning to New York in 1986 and pitching until 1989.
6/19/87
The Angels release Doug Corbett.
He signs with the Orioles, appears in 11 games, and his career is over.
6/19/88
The Reds release struggling pitcher Mario Soto. He pitches in one minor league game for the Dodgers and he’s done.
It’s a shame Mario couldn’t have stayed healthy for a few more years to get a ring.
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