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Happy ’80s Birthday to former Michigan quarterback and Tigers 1B/OF Rick Leach.
Rick also played for the Blue Jays, Rangers, and Giants.
Happy ’80s Birthday to Ken Oberkfell, who spent 16 seasons in the bigs with the Cardinals, Braves, Astros, Pirates, Giants and Angels.
Happy ’80s Birthday to Ubaldo Heredia, who pitched in two games for the Expos in 1987 and later became a scout.
Happy ’80s Birthday to Rene Lachemann, who played in the big leagues for parts of three seasons and also managed the Mariners, Brewers, and Marlins
Happy ’80s Birthday to Tim Tschida, who umped in the bigleagus from 1987 through 2012.
5/4/81
The Pirates sign Willie Horton as a free agent. Horton bats .302 for Portland in the Pacific Coast League and returns for another stint in 1982 before playing in Mexico in 1983.
5/4/86
The Philadelphia Phillies sign Andy Ashby as an amateur free agent.
He spends 14 years in the big leagues and wins 98 games.
5/4/80
A bizarre game in Philadelphia. In the first inning, Dodgers OF Dusty Baker grounded out to drive in a run. But Baker had batted out of order, hitting in Ron Cey’s spot in the lineup.
Cey was declared out and Baker went to the plate again and hit a 3-run homer to left, giving the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.
The Dodgers won the game 12-10.
5/4/84
Dave Kingman is awarded a ground rule double when the ball he hits disappears through a drainage hole in the Metrodome roof and never returns to the playing field.
Big Days
5/4/80
Mike Squires becomes the first left-handed player to catch in a major league game since Dale Long in 1958.
5/4/80
Otto Vélez hits four homers and drives in 10 in a doubleheader against the Indians.
5/4/81
Ron Davis strikes out eight consecutive batters in a 4 – 2 victory over the Angels to tie an American League record set by Nolan Ryan.
5/4/83
Rodney Cline Carew goes 4 for 5 in a 16-8 Angels rout of the Orioles.
The day raises his batting average to a cool .489 after 24 games. He’d finish the year at .339.
5/4/85
Cal Ripken Jr. breaks Brooks Robinson’s Orioles team record by playing in his 464th straight game.
He kept going.
5/4/87
Tim Wallach goes 3 for 4 with 3 bombs and 6 RBI in a 10-7 loss to the Braves.
5/4/89
Junior Felix becomes the 53rd player in history to homer in his first at-bat.
The shot comes off California’s Kirk McCaskill in a 3-2 loss to the Angels.
5/4/89
Indians pitcher and future Blue Jays and Red Sox manager John Farrell takes a no-hitter into the 9th before Kevin Seitzer breaks it up.
5/4/89
Barbara Bush becomes the first First Lady to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a regular-season major league game.
Transactions
5/4/88
The Twins release Joe Niekro, thus ending a 22-year career in which he threw more than 3,500 innings.
Bill Mazeroski was on the opposition in his 1st career game and Brady Anderson was on the opposition in his last game.
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