Nap Lajoie Runs the Bases Ragged

Nap Lajoie Runs the Bases Ragged (1904)

Cleveland loved Nap Lajoie so much they named the whole team after him, and on this day he showed why. He laced three triples in a 16 to 3 demolition of the New York Highlanders, a single-game feat no player in the modern era has ever topped. Imagine being so good the team wears your name on its chest, then flying into third three times in one afternoon.

Carl Mays Walks Off the Job (1919)

Worn down by bad luck and worse defense, Red Sox ace Carl Mays watched Chicago plate four first-inning runs on Boston misplays, then walked off the mound and vowed never to pitch for the Red Sox again. He meant it. Harry Frazee sold him to the Yankees two weeks later for two pitchers and $40,000, AL president Ban Johnson tried to void the deal, and the court fight nearly split the league in two. Johnson lost, and his grip on the game never recovered. One angry walk to the clubhouse helped rewrite who actually ran baseball.

Early Wynn Finally Gets No. 300 (1963)

Early Wynn won his 299th game in September 1962, then waited. The White Sox released him, nobody called for months, and when Cleveland brought the 43-year-old back, the wins would not come. In Kansas City he ground out five innings on gout-ridden legs, singled, scored the go-ahead run himself, and let roommate Jerry Walker protect the lead. It remains the longest wait between a 299th and 300th win in history, and Wynn never won again. Sometimes the record books remember the grind more than the glory.

Tim Lincecum Empties the Tank (2013)

Tim Lincecum was supposed to be fading. Instead, The Freak threw the first no-hitter of his career and the first in Petco Park history, striking out 13 Padres in a 9 to 0 win. The stunner: 148 pitches, the most of his life, with Bruce Bochy refusing to take the ball away. In an era of pitch counts, one skinny right-hander got to finish what he started. Baseball is better for nights like that.