Cooperstown Opens the Door
A long-closed door swings open, one glove records an entire inning, the sport loses its Olympic seat, and two rookies turn batting practice into theater.
Ed. 07.08.26
Cooperstown Opens the Door (1971)
When Satchel Paige became the first man elected to the Hall of Fame for his Negro Leagues career, the plan was to honor him in a separate wing. Paige said it plainly: he was as good as anybody, and he would not go in the back door. On this day, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn and Hall president Paul Kerr announced that Paige and every Negro Leagues player who followed would receive full membership. A month later Paige stood at the podium and called himself the proudest man on earth.
One Man, Three Outs (1994)
At Fenway, a sinking liner found Red Sox shortstop John Valentin. He caught it, stepped on second to double off one runner, then tagged a second runner wandering over from first. Three outs, one glove, no throws. It was only the 10th unassisted triple play in big league history. Then Valentin led off the bottom of the inning with a home run, making him just the second player ever to do both in the same frame. Some nights the game hands one man everything.
Baseball Loses Its Seat (2005)
In Singapore, the International Olympic Committee put each sport to a secret vote, and baseball came up short. For the first time since polo was dropped in 1936, a sport was cut from the Games. Baseball had been in since 1992. Tommy Lasorda, who managed the United States to gold in 2000, called it a big, big mistake. The sport would not return for sixteen years.
Two Rookies, One Show (2019)
At Cleveland's Progressive Field, two rookies turned the Home Run Derby into an instant classic. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a stunning 91 homers on the night, the most anyone had ever managed in the event. But Pete Alonso kept surviving by a single swing, and in the final he edged Vlad 23 to 22 for the crown. Ninety-one homers, and it still was not enough. Alonso flipped his bat to the sky, a million dollars richer.
