June 18, 1972: Astros’ Jerry Reuss shuts out Phillies with a gem
The Houston Astros were in the midst of their first-ever winning…
June 24, 1972: Division-leading Orioles, Tigers split twin bill in Baltimore
The 1972 AL East race was beginning to take shape when the Detroit…
June 24, 1972: Minor-leaguers get ‘call-up’ to Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium after hurricane
Outfielder Steve Salvato never played a day in the major leagues,…
June 25, 1972: Clemente’s two assists help Pirates win again at Wrigley
Over the course of his career, there were 14 games in which…
June 25, 1972: Flood evacuation halts Class A home opener in Auburn, New York
At 2:30 P.M. on Sunday, June 25, 1972, the police chief, fire…
June 26, 1972: Minor-league no-hitter gets lost in the fog
When fog rolls in, anything can happen. Just imagine a film noir…
June 28, 1972: Dennis Eckersley throws shutout for Reno Silver Sox in pro baseball debut
On June 29, 1972, newspaper readers in one California city learned…
June 29, 1972: Bill Freehan’s grand slam caps Tigers’ 8-run rally against Red Sox
It is the top of the ninth inning – a rookie pitcher takes…
July 1, 1972: Clemente’s second homer is a walk-off to keep Pirates atop East Division
Ferguson Jenkins was not intimidated by many major-league hitters.
Jenkins,…
July 4, 1972: Durocher, Cubs full of fireworks after sudden rain ends game in a tie
Fireworks shows on Independence Day are an American tradition…
July 4, 1972: Tom Seaver loses no-hitter in ninth inning on Independence Day
When fireworks launched on America’s 196th birthday, the nighttime…
July 7, 1972: Killebrew’s homer wins it for Quilici in debut as Twins manager
On Friday, July 7, 1972, presidential candidates arrived in Miami…
July 8, 1972: Red Sox narrowly miss going above .500 in 16-inning loss to Angels
To call the 1972 season unusual would be an understatement. It…
July 8, 1972: Yankees’ Bernie Allen does in former teammates
Bernie Allen was well-known in Minnesota, for bad and good reasons…
July 9, 1972: Reese’s pinch grand slam leaves Twins short of victory
Rich Reese could deliver in the pinch. He had two important pinch-hit…
July 10, 1972: Hoyt Wilhelm appears in 1,070th and final game
The best baseball players return reliably year after year until…
July 11, 1972: Tigers win critical game on close call in ninth
When the hot and humid morning of Tuesday, July 11, 1972, dawned…
July 16, 1972: Nelson, Randle help Rangers subdue Tribe in 12 innings
After going 28 consecutive innings without scoring a run, the…
July 17, 1972: Newark Co-Pilots feel their oats on Pony Night with 26-3 whipping of Batavia
On July 17, 1972, young Mark Murphy of Newark, New York, beat…
July 18, 1972: One strike away, Padres’ Steve Arlin loses his no-hit bid
The Padres are well-known for not (as of 2018) having a pitcher…
July 18, 1972: Home sweet home: Elmira ends 28-day flood displacement with win
On June 20, 1972, well-traveled baseball clown Max Patkin came…
July 27, 1972: Nolan Ryan overcomes 107-degree heat and fatigue to shut out Rangers with 14 strikeouts
“It was nothing,” wrote Randy Galloway of the Dallas Morning…
July 30, 1972: Astros, Padres split doubleheader in two extra-inning games
“Things just kept happening, unexpected things, rare things,…
August 1, 1972: Nate Colbert’s record-setting day leads Padres to sweep over Braves
On the team flight to Atlanta after the Padres’ 3-2 loss at…