April 11 in Tigers and mlb history:
1907 - On Opening Day, New York Giants catcher Roger Bresnahan wears shin guards for the first time in a major league game. The leg guards, usually used in cricket, come in handy, protecting Bresnahan from a fifth-inning foul tip. Other catchers will soon follow Bresnahan's lead and wear similar shin guards.
1917 - Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox pitches a three-hitter in shutting down the New York Yankees on Opening Day. Ruth's performance marks the start of good things to come. He will win 24 games this year, while leading the American League with 35 complete games.
1963 - Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves becomes the all-time winningest left-handed pitcher in major league history. Spahn's 6 - 1 victory over the New York Mets gives him 328 career wins, moving him ahead of Eddie Plank as the all-time winningest left-hander.
1966 - Emmett Ashford becomes the first black umpire in major league history. Ashford, who had started his professional career 15 years earlier in the low minor leagues, makes his big league debut on Opening Day at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC.
1975 - Hank Aaron returns to Milwaukee as a member of the Brewers. A crowd of 48,160 fans watches Aaron drive in a run in the Brewers' victory over the Cleveland Indians. Aaron starred for the Milwaukee Braves before the franchise moved to Atlanta, GA. in 1966.
1996 - Atlanta Braves pitcher Greg Maddux ends his major league record for consecutive road victories with a 2 - 1 loss to San Diego. Maddux had been 18-0 with an 0.99 ERA in 20 regular-season road starts since losing at Montreal on June 27, 1994.
1997 - To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the integration of baseball, Sharon Robinson, Jackie Robinson's daughter, and Pumpsie Green each throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park. In 1959, Green became the first black player to appear in a Boston Red Sox uniform, making the Red Sox the last team to integrate in the major leagues.
2008: For the third time in the past six years, Major League Baseball adopts a stricter steroids policy. Increased testing is instituted and more power is given to outside administrators. Players named in the Mitchell Report are given amnesty and suspensions for Jose Guillen and Jay Gibbons are eliminated.
2011: In his second major league start, Alexi Ogando pitches seven scoreless innings in a win over Detroit and ace Justin Verlander as the Rangers improve their best-in-baseball record to 9-1. Ogando has not allowed a run in 13 innings this year. Miguel Cabrera hits his 300th double, becoming the second major leaguer to tally that many before his 28th birthday (Joe Medwick was the first).
Tigers players birthdays:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Barney_McCosky
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mccosba01.shtml
Barney McCosky 1939-1942, 1946.
May 18, 1946: Traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Philadelphia Athletics for George Kell.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Mike_Kilkenny
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kilkemi01.shtml
Mike Kilkenny 1969-1972.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mongesi01.shtml
Sid Monge 1984.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Sean_Bergman
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bergmse01.shtml
Sean Bergman 1993-1995.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Charlie_Furbush
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/furbuch01.shtml
Charlie Furbush 2011.
from Baseball Reference
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