
April 9, 1971: Rain costs Oakland’s Vida Blue a shot at strikeout records
Rain in the San Francisco Bay Area on the evening of April 9,…

April 10, 1971: Phillies inaugurate Veterans Stadium with win over Expos
The cold, blustery weather1 did not dampen the spirits of the…

April 15, 1971: Bobby Cox’s Hall of Fame managing career begins with last-play loss in minor leagues
Managing a baseball team is a roller-coaster experience, and…

April 16, 1971: Tom Seaver strikes out 14 Pirates batters
Pirates are swashbuckling types, commanding submission from those…

April 18, 1971: Gary Gentry pitches his second career 1-hitter for Mets
The Pirates were in New York for their first series against the…

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 24, 1971: Vermont Catamounts win final game, go extinct after 79 seasons
The first years of the 1970s were turbulent ones on American…

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 2, 1971: Sore-armed Jon Warden’s last gasp helps Elmira Royals beat major-league parent
By the numbers, pitcher Jon Warden’s final professional season,…

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…
