Sept. 23
1908 — In a crucial game with the Chicago Cubs, Fred Merkle of the New York Giants failed to touch second base as the apparent winning run crossed home plate. This resulted in a great dispute and the game was eventually declared a tie and played over on Oct. 8 when the Cubs and Giants ended the season in a tie.
1952 — The Brooklyn Dodgers clinched the NL title, the first time since 1948 that the pennant wasn’t decided in the season’s final game.
1957 — Hank Aaron’s 11th-inning homer gave the Milwaukee Braves a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals and the NL pennant. It was the first time since 1950 that a New York team hadn’t finished first.
1979 — Lou Brock stole base No. 938, breaking Billy Hamilton’s record, as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Mets 7-4 in 10 innings.
1983 — Steve Carlton of Philadelphia recorded his 300th career victory with a 6-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
1984 — The Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees 4-1, making Sparky Anderson the first manager to win more than 100 games in each league.
1986 — Rookie left-hander Jim Deshaies set a major league record by striking out eight batters to start the game and finished with a two-hitter and 10 strikeouts to lead the Houston Astros past of the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0.
1988 — Jose Canseco became the first major leaguer to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in one season as the Oakland Athletics beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-8 in 14 innings. Canseco hit his 41st homer and stole two bases, giving him 40 for the season.
1992 — Bip Roberts tied the NL record with his 10th consecutive hit, then grounded out against Pedro Astacio to end his streak in the Cincinnati Reds’ game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
1998 — Houston’s Craig Biggio became the second player this century to have 50 steals and 50 doubles in a season, joining Hall of Famer Tris Speaker. Biggio, with 51 doubles, singled for his second hit of the game and easily stole his 50th base with two outs in the sixth.
2000 — Rafael Palmeiro homered in Texas’ 15-4 loss to Anaheim, becoming the 32nd player to hit 400 home runs.
2001 — Alex Rodriguez hit his 48th home run, breaking Ernie Banks’ major league record for shortstops and lifting Texas to a 5-2 win over Anaheim.
2001 — Sammy Sosa became the first player to hit three home runs in a game three times in a season, but Moises Alou’s two-run shot rallied Houston to a 7-6 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
2004 — Greg Maddux picked up his 15th win of the season in Chicago’s 6-3 victory over Pittsburgh. Maddux reached 15 wins for a record 17th consecutive season. He surpassed Cy Young’s record of 15 consecutive 15-win seasons in 2003.
2006 — Barry Bonds hit his 734th career home run in San Francisco’s 10-8 loss to Milwaukee, breaking Hank Aaron’s NL record.
2008 — The New York Yankees’ streak of postseason appearances ended. Boston beat Cleveland 5-4, minutes before the Yankees’ win. The Red Sox victory clinched at least the AL wild card and eliminated New York, which had made 13 straight postseason appearances.
2010 — Jose Bautista drove in the only run with his major league-leading 50th homer, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Seattle Mariners 1-0. Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki also became the first player with 10 straight 200-hit seasons, breaking his own record with a fifth-inning single.
2013 — Alex Rios of Texas hit for the cycle in a 12-0 rout of Houston. Rios finished the cycle with a triple in the sixth inning. He doubled in the first inning, had an infield single in the third and hit his 18th homer in the fourth.
2013 — After 20 consecutive years of losing, the Pittsburgh Pirates clinched a playoff spot when they beat the Chicago Cubs and Washington lost to St. Louis. It was Pittsburgh’s first postseason berth since Barry Bonds, Jim Leyland & Co. won three straight NL East titles from 1990-92.
Today’s birthdays: Jedd Gyorko, 26; Gonzalez Germen, 27; Joba Chamberlain, 29; Matt Kemp, 30; Miguel A. Gonzalez, 30.
