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September 15, 1977, During the 1970s, four American League games ended in forfeit. Three came from fan chaos: the Senators’ farewell in Washington (1971), Cleveland’s infamous 10-cent beer night (1974), and Chicago’s Disco Demolition Night (1979). The fourth, however, came for a very different reason — Orioles manager Earl Weaver refusing to risk player safety in Toronto on September 15, 1977.

Baltimore entered the series in Toronto chasing the Yankees for the AL East crown. Riding a four-game streak, the Orioles swept a Wednesday doubleheader to jump ahead of Boston. A Thursday win would have kept their hopes alive. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, were enduring a 107-loss expansion season.

Rookie Jim Clancy started for Toronto against Baltimore’s Ross Grimsley. After a scoreless early stretch, the Blue Jays struck for four runs in the fourth, keyed by Rick Cerone’s RBI double and solid support hitting. With Toronto leading 4-0, steady rain made the playing surface increasingly treacherous.

The dispute began when Toronto’s grounds crew covered the bullpen mounds down the left-field line with a tarp. Weaver argued the tarp was a hazard, citing left fielder Andrés Mora’s stumble the day before. For 20 minutes he pressed umpire Marty Springstead to remove it, but the crew only folded the tarp in half. Blue Jays manager Roy Hartsfield wanted it left in place to keep relievers from warming up “in a quagmire.”

Unmoved, Weaver pulled his team off the field. The Orioles voted unanimously not to continue under those conditions. When the umpires refused further action, the game was declared a 9-0 forfeit in favor of Toronto.

Weaver defended his decision bluntly: “I’ll take the loss rather than have someone hurt. Maybe Hartsfield doesn’t give a damn about his players, but I do.” Baltimore’s GM Hank Peters backed him, though opinions in the press were split — some praising Weaver’s stand, others calling it a tantrum.

AL President Lee MacPhail upheld the forfeit. The Orioles won 10 of their final 15 games but couldn’t catch New York. Weaver stayed in charge another six seasons, capturing the 1979 pennant. His stance in Toronto remains one of baseball’s rare forfeits — a stand for safety in the middle of a pennant race.

September 15, 1978 -- At Yankee Stadium, New York Yankees, now 1 1/2 games in front of Boston, open a 3-game series in the Bronx with the Red Sox.

Ron Guidry(22-2) again gives up just two Boston hits and wins a 4 - 0 shutout. Guidry walked 3 and fanned 5. Not one Red Sox player went past second base all game. 

Chris Chambliss hit a two run shot and Craig Nettles hit successive homers off Luis Tiant in the 4-run 4th inning. Tiant falls to 10-8. 

Listen to the game here:

Who was the youngest player to hit fifty home runs in a National League season?

Hint: #1  He and another player, who also had a relative who played in the majors, both hit their first major league home run in an interleague game against the Twins.

Hint: #2  Mother Nature had him hitting right-handed.  His father thought otherwise.

Answer in tomorrow’s newsletter

KEN GRIFFEY, Jr. 

-  Ans.  Griffey won the HRD in 1994, 1998 & 1999.  Those who  have won twice are Prince Fielder, Yoenis Cespedes & Pete Alonso.

-  #1  In 1996, 97 & 98 Griffey put up 140, 147 & 146 RBI.  He followed up w/134 in 1999.

-  #2  In 1994 w/SEA, Griffey led the AL with 40 HR in that shortened season.  In his first season with CIN, he again hit exactly 40.