April 22, 1971: Castoff Luis Tiant loses frigid Triple-A home opener
The Triple-A Rochester Red Wings’ home opener against the Richmond…
April 27, 1971: Hank Aaron hammers 600th career home run
Hank Aaron quietly and unassumingly approached another significant…
May 1, 1971: Bob Gibson, Steve Renko stranded with no-decisions in only tie of season
“He didn’t like to lose to anyone in anything,” catcher…
May 28, 1971: Sonny Siebert outduels Vida Blue
“So baseball is dead, like watching grass grow,” wrote Clif…
May 29, 1971: Tom Seaver strikes out 10 Padres to win opener for Mets
Tom Seaver maneuvered his way through National League lineups…
May 29, 1971: Mets’ Nolan Ryan strikes out 16 in second game of doubleheader
When Nolan Ryan struck out 16 batters in the second game of a…
June 4, 1971: Tornadoes don’t twist Twins’ fortunes
The Minnesota Twins were competing with the Kansas City Royals…
June 5, 1971: Tom Murphy outduels Jim Lonborg, pitches Angels to Fenway win
“As I grew up, I knew that as a building (Fenway Park) was…
June 21, 1971: Blue’s 13 strikeouts, Mitterwald’s errant throw spark Oakland win
Vida Blue set the baseball world ablaze during the first half…
June 23, 1971: Have a day, Rick Wise: two home runs and a no-hitter!
The Cincinnati Reds, defending National League champions, were…
June 23, 1971: Geneva’s Ken Flowers nabs only professional win on Opening Day
One professional season, one professional win.
In the pros,…
June 24, 1971: Rookie John Caruso’s only pro home run wins Class A Opening Day game
John Caruso’s short-lived professional career was not packed…
June 27, 1971: Roberto Clemente shines late in Pirates win over Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies opened newly built Veterans Stadium…
July 9, 1971: ‘Little Man makes a big difference’: Freddie Patek completes cycle with game-winning homer in ninth
“The Little Man makes a big difference. He can do a lot of…
July 9, 1971: A’s Angel Mangual ends AL’s longest scoreless game with 20th-inning walk-off single
As Roberto Clemente’s career was entering its twilight period,…
July 13, 1971: Reggie Jackson hits the light tower at All-Star Game in Detroit
By the end of the 1960s, it seemed that the Major League Baseball…
July 22, 1971: Tommie Agee homers twice in Mets’ 5-1 victory
When Tommie Agee stepped in the batter’s box, Mets fans attended…
July 29, 1971: Jack Maloof’s 6-for-6 day leads to .402 season in New York-Penn League
When Jack Maloof walked down the street in Auburn, New York,…
July 30, 1971: Quiet as kittens against Kaat, Yankees roar back to beat Twins
Jim Kaat knew how to win ballgames. In 1971 Kaat would win at…
August 9, 1971: Willie Mays and Harmon Killebrew delight Twins fans in exhibition
Should a midseason exhibition be included among the greatest…
August 10, 1971: Harmon Killebrew ends home run drought by joining 500 club
Minnesota Twins slugger Harmon Killebrew was in an unusual home-run…
August 14, 1971: Bob Gibson fires his first no-hitter for Cardinals
Bob Gibson thought he was running out of time. At 35 years of…
August 14, 1971: Rookie Mike Thompson gets first (and last) win in Senators’ final season
On Saturday, August 14, 1971, a battle of the two fifth-place…
August 17, 1971: Expos, Padres brawl after Ron Hunt gets plunked in consecutive plate appearances
San Diego Padres hurler Steve Arlin could hardly be classified…