MLB
Most Significant Sports History on September 28th
Learn about September 28th's most significant sports history including Ted Williams' noteworthy day, the "Black Sox" indictment, and more!
Rich Schultz / Getty Images
Home to one of Ted Williams’ milestone accomplishments along with his final appearance at Fenway Park, September 28th is also significant for records set by Tony Gwynn, Orel Hershiser, and even more recently with Pete Alonso’s HR record last season. In addition to the monumental individual achievements, one of baseball’s darkest scandals finally came to a climax exactly a century ago. These events on 9/28 have influenced sports to this day in multiple ways.
YEAR: 1941 & 1960
SIGNIFICANCE: Ted Williams became the last player in MLB history to hit over .400 & hit a solo HR in the last AB of his career
On this day in 1941, Boston Red Sox OF Ted Williams went 6-for-8 in a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics and became the last player ever to hit over .400 for an entire season. Williams, 22 at the time, finished his third season in the bigs by batting .406/.553/.1.287— all Major League leading. Teddy Ballgame also led the league in home runs (37), slugging percentage (.735), and walks (147).
His adjusted OPS+ of 235 was a career high and is still tied for the eighth highest ever. That season, despite missing winning the Triple Crown by six RBI, Williams did not win the AL MVP. Joe DiMaggio won it, mainly due to his incredible 56-game hitting streak that also took place that season. DiMaggio had a great season, but Williams was statistically superior across the board. However, the heist came in 1942 when Williams did win the Triple Crown, and still finished second in MVP voting to Joe Gordon.
Exactly 19 years later, Williams hit the final home run of his career in the final at-bat of his legendary career. The game was at Fenway Park and it saw the Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-to-4. Williams hit third in the lineup and went 1-for-3 with his solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Williams finished his career with 521 career home runs after playing 19 Major League seasons and serving in World War II for three of his prime years from 1943-45.
https://youtu.be/BPy0ykNfews?t=39
YEAR: 1920
SIGNIFICANCE: 8 members of the White Sox charged with conspiracy to fix the 1919 World Series
After testimonies from Eddie Cicotte, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, Lefty Williams, and Happy Felsch, a grand jury indicted seven White Sox players and one staff member on nine counts of conspiracy. The “Black Sox” admitted to having accepted money from gamblers and also having agreed to purposely throw the 1919 World Series. All eight members of the Sox were permanently banned from organized baseball, despite being found not guilty in August 1921 after the papers that held all of the confessions mysteriously disappeared.
There still exists doubt as to whether at least two players charged and banned really participated in the throwing of the Fall Classic. Buck Weaver was banned even though he supposedly dropped out of the scheme before the series started. Also, “Shoeless Joe” claimed that despite accepting around $5,000 from the Black Sox, he tried to warn team owner Charles Comiskey. Jackson hit .375 over the eight-game long series.
YEAR: 2019
SIGNIFICANCE: Pete Alonso’s 53rd HR set a new single-season rookie home run record
Two years after Aaron Judge broke Mark McGwire’s single-season rookie home run record, New York Mets 1B Pete Alonso hit his 53rd HR, thus setting a new rookie record. Alonso burst onto the scene instantly, after making the Major League roster right out of Spring Training. The 24-year-old NL Rookie of the Year hit .260/.358/.941 with 120 RBI alongside the Major League leading 53 bombs in a rookie-leading 161 games played. Alonso just missed being the 23rd unanimous Rookie of the Year in MLB history, alongside his fellow winner from the American League, Yordan Álvarez.
YEAR: 1988
SIGNIFICANCE: Orel Hershiser’s 59 consecutive scoreless IP set a new MLB record
32 years ago, Los Angeles Dodgers SP Orel Hershiser set a new Major League record with his 59th consecutive scoreless inning. Hershiser’s streak began in the final four innings of his Aug. 30 start vs. the Montreal Expos, and continued by going through the whole month September without allowing a single run. In six starts that month, that year’s eventual NL Cy Young winner went 5-0, allowing 30 hits and striking out 34, dropping his ERA to 2.26 after the historic month. Hershiser set the new scoreless innings record exactly 20 years after Hall of Famer Don Drysdale went 58 innings without allowing a run.
Tony Gwynn tied Honus Wagner's record by winning his eighth National League batting title. Gwynn finished at .372, September 28, 1997. pic.twitter.com/uHiLl6q7Mw
— Baseball In Pics (@baseballinpix) September 28, 2020
YEAR: 1997
SIGNIFICANCE: Tony Gwynn tied Honus Wagner‘s all-time record by winning his 8th career batting title
Three years after the baseball gods decided to cut his potential .400-hitting season short from the 1994 player’s strike, San Diego Padres OF Tony Gwynn won his eighth successive batting title. Gwynn tied Honus Wagner for the most batting titles in National League history. Wagner won eight of his batting titles between the years 1900 and 1911; Gwynn’s stretch went from 1984 to 1997. In ’97, Gwynn’s last batting title-winning year, he led the majors in hits and batted .375. Mr. Padre was a career .338 hitter, a 15x All-Star, winner of seven Silver Slugger awards, and a member of the 2007 Hall of Fame class.
Learn something interesting about sports history on September 28th? Share with friends!
