1886 Cincinnati outfielder Abner Powell was literally brought down by the dog days of summer. Chicken Wolf of the Louisville Colonels hit a deep drive and Powell took off after it, joined by a dog that had been sleeping by the fence. The dog bit Powell’s leg before the outfielder could get to the ball and wouldn’t let go as Wolf scored on a game-winning inside-the-park homer.
1917 Pittsburgh’s Carson Bigbee set a major-league record since tied with 11 at-bats in a 22-inning game against Brooklyn. Pirate Elmer Jacobs pitched 16 2/3 innings in relief. The game was also the fourth consecutive extra-inning game by the Pirates for a total of 59 innings, a National League record.
1934 Pitcher Wes Ferrell hit two home runs to give the Boston Red Sox a 3-2 triumph over the Chicago White Sox in 12 innings. Trailing 2-1, Ferrell hit a home run in the eighth inning to tie the score and with two out in the 12th, Ferrell connected again for the game-winner.
1959 Cincinnati’s Frank Robinson hit three consecutive home runs in an 11-4 victory over St. Louis. 1961 Roger Maris, en route to his 61-home run season, became the first player to hit his 50th homer in August. He connected off California pitcher Ken McBride in a 4-3 loss to the Angels.
1965 In the third inning of a game against Los Angeles, pitcher Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants hit catcher John Roseboro of the Dodgers in the head with his bat. A 14-minute brawl ensued and Roseboro suffered cuts on the head. Marichal thought Roseboro threw too close to his head when returning the ball to Sandy Koufax. 1984 New York Mets right-hander Dwight Gooden, at 19, struck out nine San Diego Padres to become the 11th rookie to strike out 200 batters in one season.
1989 Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers became the first pitcher to strike out 5,000 batters. Ryan struck out 13, walked two and allowed only five hits in a 2-0 loss to Oakland. Ryan began the night needing six strikeouts and struck out Rickey Henderson swinging, leading off the fifth inning, for the record.