November twelfth, 2023
Right here’s a subjective rating of the highest 5 for Nov. 12:
1) Moonlight Graham (1876)
Maybe essentially the most well-known cup of espresso participant in baseball historical past, Archibald Wright “Moonlight” Graham’s story was famously dramatized first in W.P. Kinsella’s novel “Shoeless Joe” after which within the 1989 film “Discipline of Desires.” Graham made his lone Main League look for the New York Giants on June 29, 1905, changing George Browne in proper subject in an 11-0 win over the Brooklyn Superbas; he didn’t have the chance to make a play on protection or have an at-bat. Be aware that there’s an excessive amount of uncertainty surrounding Graham’s start date and 12 months, although most main sources checklist it as Nov. 12.
2) Sammy Sosa (1968)
Sosa, who performed for 18 seasons with the Rangers, White Sox, Cubs and Orioles, is finest recognized for his half in 1998’s thrilling house run race with Mark McGwire in addition to the controversy that surrounded him following his look in a 2005 Congressional listening to on performance-enhancing medicine. Sosa completed the ’98 marketing campaign with 66 homers to McGwire’s 70 and once more reached the 60-HR milestone in ’99 and ’01. His 609 profession house runs rank ninth on the all-time leaderboard.
3) Charlie Morton (1983)
After being drafted by the Braves in 2002 and making his MLB debut with the staff in ’08, Morton spent seven seasons with Pittsburgh after which had stints with Philadelphia, Houston and Tampa Bay earlier than returning to Atlanta in its 2021 World Collection title marketing campaign. Morton — a two-time All-Star — began Sport 1 of that Fall Basic however exited his scoreless outing 16 pitches after a Yuli Gurriel comebacker struck and fractured his proper fibula to finish his postseason. The Braves’ championship was Morton’s second; he additionally received a title with the Astros in ‘17.
4) Ed Killian (1876)
Killian notably gave up solely 9 house runs throughout his eight seasons within the Majors, and actually went 1,001 innings — the span between Sept. 19, 1903, and Aug. 7, 1907 — with out permitting a homer. The left-hander spent most of his profession with the Tigers, twice successful 20 video games (23 in 1905; 25 in ’07) and serving to Detroit to 3 consecutive American League pennants (1907-09).
5) Bruce Bochte (1950)
Bochte performed solely within the American League throughout his 12-season profession, largely with the California Angels and the Seattle Mariners. The primary baseman/outfielder’s finest marketing campaign got here with Seattle in 1979, when he batted .316 with 100 RBIs to earn an All-Star choice; that was additionally the 12 months he and Tom Paciorek coined the time period The Mendoza Line in reference to Mariners teammate Mario Mendoza’s batting common.
Wish to see extra baseball birthdays for Nov. 12? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.
