July 22, 1986: Mets win extra-inning slugfest with brawl and home run
Rodney Dangerfield is credited with saying, “I went to a fight…
August 1, 1986: Twins’ Bert Blyleven notches 3,000th strikeout, Kirby Puckett hits for cycle
A pair of rare events were accomplished by a pair of future Hall…
August 4, 1986: Dennis Eckersley, Ron Cey lead Cubs past first-place Mets
The Chicago Cubs overcame two ejections and the first-place New…
August 5, 1986: Jerry Mumphrey’s pinch-hit homer lifts Cubs past first-place Mets
The New York Mets arrived at Wrigley Field in August 1986 with…
August 6, 1986: Orioles ‘slam’ Rangers with 9-run fourth inning but still lose game
It’s not often that a team hits two grand slams in one game,…
August 10, 1986: Cardinals’ Bob Forsch hits a grand slam and beats Pirates
Bob Forsch spent 15 years as a consistent anchor of the St. Louis…
August 15, 1986: With Mets saga behind him, George Foster homers in first appearance for White Sox
George Foster experienced American League baseball for the first…
August 18, 1986: Tom Seaver strikes out 7 in his last major-league win
When Tom Seaver pitched his last game in a major-league uniform,…
August 19, 1986: Frank White’s 7 RBIs help Royals overcome Rangers in 11 innings
Motivated by the unusual antics of opposing rookie pitcher Mike…
August 21, 1986: Red Sox offense unleashes ‘havoc and devastation’ on Cleveland
Baseball purists claim to love a 1-0 game settled in extra innings.…
August 23, 1986: Untimely errors play crucial role in Padres’ win over Phillies
Many of the 25,884 fans in San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium…
August 28, 1986: Stan Wasiak, King of the Minors, reaches end of the road
Stan Wasiak’s nearly five-decade bus ride in professional baseball…
August 29, 1986: Angels stun Tigers, 13-12, with ninth-inning comeback
The Angels came into the August 29 game with an AL West-leading…
September 4, 1986: Mets, Red Sox play charity game in World Series preview
Looking back on it now, it was something akin to a 1972 moviegoer…
September 12, 1986: Terry Steinbach’s home run in debut overshadowed as Cleveland beats Oakland, 9-3
Minnesota is known for town-team baseball, and one of its cities,…
September 14, 1986: Giants’ Bob Brenly goes from outhouse to the penthouse with 4 errors, 2 home runs
The Braves-Giants game of September 14, 1986, drew only 8,594…
September 17, 1986: Gooden, Magadan lead Mets to first division title in 13 years
“I can’t say enough about it, or savor it enough,” said…
September 19, 1986: Joe Cowley tosses a ‘not impressive’ no-hitter for White Sox
“He did his job. He got 27 outs. ... Not to put Joe Cowley…
September 20, 1986: Rookies John Gibbons and Stan Jefferson propel Mets to win over Phillies
The New York Mets clinched their first postseason berth since…
September 21, 1986: Earl’s last ride: Feisty Weaver gets final career ejection
Earl Weaver did not go gently.
Nearing the end of his disappointing…
September 23, 1986: Eight straight strikeouts for Jim Deshaies
On September 15, 1985, the Houston Astros exchanged pitchers…
September 25, 1986: Astros’ Mike Scott no-hits the Giants to clinch NL West title
Most preseason prognosticators had predicted that Houston would…
September 28, 1986: Strawberry delivers with 11th-inning homer to beat Bucs
The misery that was the 1986 National League East pennant race…
September 29, 1986: Cleveland’s Jay Bell homers in his first major-league at-bat
The 1986 season was winding down, and as far as the Cleveland…