May 28, 1930 --At Braves Field  Grover Cleveland Alexander of the Philadelphia Phillies makes his last major league appearance, giving up two hits and two runs in relief in the Boston Braves' 5 - 1 victory over the Phillies. Star Rookie Wally Berger is his last strikeout victim. The Phillies release the 43-year-old veteran a few hours after the game. In a 20-season career, Alexander posted a 373-208 record with 2,198 strikeouts and a 2.56 ERA. Alexander won 30 straight games 3 seasons in a row starting in 1915. He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1938.

Best Season, 1916
Alexander's season was one of the best ever turned in by a pitcher. He won 33 games, completing 38 of his 45 starts (he saved the three games he appeared in relief). His 1.55 ERA led the league and he won the pitching triple crown for the second consecutive year (leading in wins, K's, and ERA). Opponents batted just .230 against him, and he walked just 50 men in more than 380 innings. Most impressive were his major league record 16 shutouts.

Awards and Honors
1915 NL Triple Crown
1916 NL Triple Crown
1920 NL Triple Crown

More about Pete Alexander
In 1984, Dwight Gooden broke Alexander's record for most strikeouts by a rookie in a season. Ol' Pete had set the mark in 1911.

Ronald Reagan portrayed Alexander in The Winning Team.

The first regular season radio broadcast of a Cubs game occurred on April 14, 1925. Alexander defeated the Pirates 8-2 at Wrigley Field.

Pete Alexander, one of the greatest pitchers of the pre-World War I era, found himself bouncing from the Phillies to the Cubs and then the Cardinals by 1926. The Cards were a talented team that won the NL flag going away. The Cardinals faced the New York Yankees in the 1926 World Series. Alexander started Game Two, beating the Yanks 6-2. In Game Six he returned to beat the Bronx Bombers 10-2, setting up a Game Seven finale for the crown. Following his win in Game Six, Alexander celebrated in his usual manner: by tipping the bottle. The veteran arrived at the ballpark the next day hung over and seemingly of no use to his team. After his performance the day before it was not expected that the Cardinals would require his slants anyway. But in Game Seven, the Cardinals found themselves clinging to a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning. Jesse Haines, the Cardinal starter, had loaded the bases and two men were down. Manager Hornsby decided to turn to 39-year old Alexander, barely awake in the bullpen. Grover came in to face Tony Lazzeri, the Yanks hard-hitting rookie second baseman. With no place to put the pesky hitter, Alexander struck him out on four low fastballs. It remains one of the most dramatic batter/pitcher confrontations in post-season history. Alexander proceeded to retire the side in order in the eighth inning and got the first two batters in the ninth before walking Babe Ruth. In an ill-fated move, the Babe tried to steal second but was thrown out by Bob O’Farrell to end the dramatic World Series. The Cards had their first World Series title.

Today’s line up: Click to Listen

May 28, 1978 Detroit Tigers vs Boston Red Sox

May 28, 1978 Atlanta Braves vs Philadelphia Phillies

This Week in Baseball May 28, 1988

TRIVIA:

Which right fielder once threw out Hall of Fame base runners Warren Spahn and Hank Aaron in the same game?

Hint: #1 He hit the Budweiser sign on top of the Busch Stadium scoreboard with a line drive that some estimate could have traveled as much as 600 feet.

Hint: #2 He hit the first home run ever hit in Dodger Stadium.

May 28, 1951, New York Giants rookie Willie Mays collects his first major league hit, a home run against Milwaukee Braves left-hander Warren Spahn. Mays had begun his career in an 0-for-12 slump before breaking through against Spahn. Mays would then go o for his next 13, to start the season 1-26. One knock on Mays was his inability to hit a curve. Mays claims playing stickball with the kids helped him in Harlem. Listen to Willie

May 28, 1956, at Forbes Field Dale Long of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits a home run in his eighth consecutive game, setting a major league record. Long connects against Carl Erskine of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Long started the streak on May 19, when he homered against Chicago’s Jim Davis. During the 8 game streak, Long will hit 8 homeruns and drive in 19 runs. This mark will be later tied by Don Mattingly and Ken Griffey, Jr.

May 28, 1957 -- With a unanimous vote, National League owners grant permission to both the Dodgers and Giants to relocate their clubs to the West Coast if they so desire. Last game between the two teams in New York

May 28, 1969 Jerry Koosman set a then-team record with 15 strikeouts in 10 scoreless innings, but failed to get a decision as the New York Mets defeated the expansion San Diego Padres 1-0 in 11 innings at Shea Stadium. This has been recognized as one of the pivotal games in the Mets miracle season of ‘69, as it not only broke a five-game losing streak, but was the kickoff win for an 11-game winning streak. Listen to Jerry

May 28, 1976 -- Ron LeFlore's 31-game hitting streak comes to an end when Ed Figueroa and Tippy Martinez hold him hitless in four at-bats in Detroit's 9-5 loss to the Yankees. The Tiger outfielder's span of consecutive games with at least one hit, the longest American League hitting streak in 27 years, began on the final day of last season.

May 28, 1978, future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer records the 200th victory of his career. Using his trademark curve and fastball, the Baltimore Orioles’ veteran shuts out the Cleveland Indians, 3-0. Palmer will finish his career with 268 wins and gain election to the Hall of Fame in 1990. Listen to Cakes discuss his HOF career

May 28 , 1980 --  Enos Cabell singles home Jose Cruz in the second inning and Nolan Ryan makes it stand up for a 1-0 shutout over San Diego. Ryan fires a two-hitter, striking out seven.

May 28, 1989 – George Bell ends the Toronto Blue Jays' twelve-year stay at Exhibition Stadium with a walk-off home run off Bobby Thigpen to win the Jays' final game there with a 7-5 win over the Chicago White Sox, the same team the Jays' faced in their first game at Exhibition Stadium and in franchise history twelve years earlier. Kelly Gruber chipping in going 4-4, Tom Henke picks up the win to improve to 3-3. Watch it on the tube

May 28, 1998 At Candlestick Park In the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded and his team leading the Giants 8-6, Diamondbacks' manager Buck Showalter orders that Barry Bonds be intentionally walked with the bases loaded by reliever Gregg Olson. The free pass works when the next batter, Brent Mayne, lines outs to deep center field, giving Arizona an 8-7 victory at Candlestick Park. Watch this historic moment

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