Three Games, One Day

Three Games, One Day (1920)

Rainouts had left the Reds and Pirates three games to make up with third place on the line, so they played all three on the same Saturday at Forbes Field. Cincinnati won the first two, 13-4 and 7-3, and Pittsburgh took the finale 6-0 in a game that lasted only six innings. More than a century later, it is still the last tripleheader in major league history. Some records last because nobody is in a hurry to break them.

Strikeout Day (1953, 1963, 1968)

Carl Erskine struck out 14 Yankees at Ebbets Field in Game 3 of the 1953 World Series, breaking Howard Ehmke's Series record. Ten years later to the day, Sandy Koufax fanned 15 Yankees in Game 1. Five years after that, on October 2 again, Bob Gibson struck out 17 Tigers in a Game 1 shutout against Denny McLain. Gibson's 17 is still the World Series record. If you were a hitter, October 2 was a good day to call in sick.

The First High Five (1977)

On the last day of the season, Dusty Baker took J.R. Richard deep for his 30th homer, making the Dodgers the first team with four 30-homer hitters, alongside Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, and Reggie Smith. Glenn Burke was waiting on deck with his hand raised high, and Baker slapped it. Then Burke homered himself, his first in the majors, and Baker returned the favor. The moment is widely credited as the first high five. Burke later became the first big leaguer to come out publicly as gay, and the gesture he started now belongs to everyone.

Called for Kickoff (2004)

The Twins and Indians were tied 5-5 in extra innings at the Metrodome when the game simply stopped. The stadium had to be converted for a Gophers football game that night, so baseball had to clear out. The teams finished the next day, and Minnesota won 6-5 in the 12th. In a shared building, extra innings came with a deadline.