MLB Unusual Walk Offs

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

The Controversial Dick Allen

Dick Allen's rookie season gave Philadelphia fans their first glimpse of power that they hadn't seen since Jimmy Foxx or Chuck Klein. Phillies scout John Ogden stated in an article in the Philadelphia Bulletin on June 1, 1969, that Dick Allen was the only player saw hit the ball as hard as Babe Ruth. Allen would be the National League Rookie of the Year in 1964. He hit 29 home runs with 91 RBI with a slash line of .318/.382/.557. He led the league in with 13 triples, and striking out 138 times. It would be the first of the 9 straight seasons with 20 plus home runs.

In the racially charged 1960's Allen became a source of controversy. He was known as Dick most of his life, but the local media referred to him as Richie, a name Allen felt belonged to a boy, and not a man. He was involved in an incident with teammate Frank Thomas when Thomas hit Allen with a bat. The incident was covered up by the team with threats of fines iif the players spoke of the incident. Thomas was released the next day. He started wearing a battling helmet in field field as he was often showered with thrown objects and racial slurs in his home park in Philadelphia. Allen missed a double header in 1969 when he couldn't get to the ballpark being stuck in traffic. He had spent the day at a race track causing him to be suspended. 

Controversy seemed to follow Allen. Before the 1970 season, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Curt Flood. Flood refused to report, and sued baseball attempting to overthrow the reserve clause. The Cardinals would send first baseman Willie Montanez to the Phillies as compensation. Montanez would end up breaking Allen's rookie record for home runs by hitting 30 in 1971.  In St. Louis, he would hit 34 home runs with 101 RBI and slash .279/.377/. 560 Allen spent only one season in St. Louis before being traded to the Los Angeles. His numbers dropped for the Dodgers, by Allen's standards anyway. He hit 23 home runs with 90 RBI with a line of 295/.395/.468. He was traded after the 1971 season to the Chicago White Sox.

Chuck Tanner was the manager of the White Sox at the time, and decided to not move Allen around. Various teams had played him at third base, first base, and outfield. Some feel this contributed to his perceived poor defense, and rash of injuries he had suffered over the years. He rewarded Tanner by leading the American League in home runs (37), RBI (113), on base percentage (.420), slugging percentage (.603) and an outstanding 1.023 OPS.  He was named American League Most Valuable Player.  A fractured fibula cut short his 1973 season, where he had only 288 plate appearances.  1974 would be the last of the great seasons for Allen. He hit 32 home runs with 88 RBI, his slash line of .301/.375/.563, he slugging percentage led the American League. He feuded with Ron Santo (in his only season with the White Sox) and left the team two weeks before the end of the season.

Allen's contract was sold to the Atlanta Braves for $5,000, he refused to report and retired from the game. The Phillies talked him out of retirement, and we spend two seasons a shadow of his former self, and close out his career with the Oakland A's in 1977. 

Allen's career numbers of .292 batting average 351 home runs, and 1,119 RBI make him one of the most prolific hitters in the game that isn't in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He missed (along with Tony Olivia of the Minnesota Twins) being selected for the Hall of Fame by one vote in 2014  by the Golden Era Committee,  which votes every three years.

Dale Murphy Retires

May 27, 1993. Colorado Rockies slugger, and former Atlanta Braves star calls it quits after getting off to a slow start. Murphy was a two-time National League MVP, who hit 398 home runs in his career with 1,266 RBI.

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

Jake Peavy Sets Padres Strikeout Record

May 22, 2006.  Jake Peavy sets the San Diego Padres franchise record by striking out 16 Atlanta Braves. In 2007, Peavy would tie his own record by fanning 16 Arizona Diamondbacks.

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

Randy Johnson Hurls Perfect Game

May 18, 2004. Arizona Diamondbacks southpaw Rand Johnson tosses a perfect game over the Atlanta Braves 2-0. At 40, he becomes the oldest pitcher to pitch a perfect game. He also joins select company of pitchers that have thrown no-hitters in both leagues (Jim Bunning, Hideo Nomo, Nolan Ryan, and Cy Young).

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

Hank Aaron Collects His 3,000th Hit

May 17, 1970. Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves beats out an infield off the Cincinnati Reds Wayne Simpson. Aaron becomes only the 9th player in Major League Baseball history to have 3,000 hits, and the only player with 500 home runs and 3,000 hits.

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

Ben Sheets Strikes Out 18 Braves

May 16, 2004. The Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Ben Sheets whiffs 18 Atlanta Braves to set a new team record. He is only the 14th pitcher in Major League Baseball history to strikeout out 18 or more in a nine inning game.  He breaks the record of Moose Haas, who had 14 strikeouts in 1978.

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

Ernie Banks Hits Number 500

May 12, 1970. Chicago Cubs great Ernie Banks hits his 500th home run of his career off Atlanta Braves hurler Pat Jarvis. Rico Carty of the Braves retrieves the ball after it bounces back onto the field.

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

Jamie Moyer Oldest To Pitch A Shutout

May 7, 2010. Jamie Moyer of the Philadelphia Phillies shutout the Atlanta Braves 7-0. Moyer is the first pitcher to toss a shutout in four different decades. He also is the oldest pitcher throw a shutout in major league history surpassing Phil Niekro of the Atlanta Braves. In his twenty-five year career he tossed only ten shutouts, and finished with a won-loss record of 269-205.

Anibal Sanchez Whiffs 17 Atlanta Braves

On this date in baseball history, right-hander Anibal Sanchez whiffs 17 Atlanta Braves to break Tiger great Mickey Lolich's record of 16, that been set in 1972. The total of 17 strikeouts was accomplished in eight innings of work. The Tigers clubbed the Braves 10-0 in the game. Thus far in his career Sanchez is 82-76 with a 3.75 ERA.

Vladmir Guerrero's Hits 100th Home Run

April 26, 2000, Vladimir Guerrero hits his 100th career home run for the Montreal Expos. The clip above is the young outfielder connecting on his first home run against the Atlanta Braves in 1996. The 100 home run comes at the expense of Julian Tavarez of the Colorado Rockies at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Guerrero would play 16 seasons of Major League Baseball, He finished with 449 home runs, 1496 RBI, and a batting average of .318. He was a nine time All-Star, 2004 American League Most Valuable Player, and an eight time Silver Slugger Award winner. 

John Smoltz Registers 3,000th Strikeout

On this day in baseball history Atlanta Braves right-hander John Smoltz becomes the 16th pitcher in MLB history to register 3,000 strikeouts. During the course of his career, he would finish with a won-loss record of 213-155 with 154 saves, and an ERA of 3.33. He would register a total of 3,084 strikeouts for his career. He pitched for the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals. His #29 has been retired by the Atlanta Braves. He won the 1996 Cy Young Award, 1997 Silver Slugger Award, and an 8 time All-Star. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.

In Memory of Milt Pappas, His No-Hitter

April 19, 2016, former Chicago Cubs pitcher Milt Pappas passed away. Pappas pitched seventeen years in Major League Baseball. He was 209-164 with an ERA of 3.40. He was a three-time All-Star, and had 43 career shutouts. He tossed a no-hitter on September 2, 1972, missing a perfect game when umpire Bruce Froemming squeezed the plate with Larry Stahl at the plate. He pitched for the Orioles, Reds, Braves, and closed out his career with the Cubs from 1970-1973.

Pedro Martinez Wins 200th Game

April 17, 2006. The New York Mets Pedro Martinez earns his 200th win beating the Atlanta Braves 4-3 at Shea Stadium. Martinez would finish his career with 219-100 record, and an ERA of 2.93. He would win only eight more games the rest of the season.

Ubaldo Jimenez Throws First Rockies No-Hitter

April 17, 2010. Ubaldo Jimenez no hits the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. His no-hitter is preserved in the seventh inning when outfielder Dexter Fowler makes a great catch. It is the first no-hitter in the history of the Colorado Rockies. Jimenez would have the best season of his career that season going 19-8 with an ERA of 2.88.

Vin Scully Calling Hank Aaron Breaking Ruth's Home Record

I remember the anticipation of watching this game, and a chance to see the home run record fall. It was something we talked about school for days. My friend Danny, who was the only known Braves fan in our part of the world. In five years living in the neighborhood, I don't think he ever took off his Braves cap.

 As I grow older, it is one of my many baseball historic moments that I shared with my late father. The anticipation, my dad reciting stats why Aaron's accomplishment paled in comparison to "the Babe." When the historic moment happened all was forgotten, he had witnessed baseball history with his son reciting the highlights of Aaron's career. A moment in an imperfect childhood that will remain as a cherished memory.