America's Game
Baseball has always been intertwined with American culture. It seems fitting then that there are a number of memorable baseball moments that have occurred on the day that we celebrate the country’s independence.
Whether it is a speech that can still move us to tears, a milestone strikeout or two brothers playing out a sibling rivalry on the biggest of stages, the Fourth of July has seemingly always provided us with a baseball moment to remember.
The Luckiest Man
Perhaps the most poignant moment to occur on America’s Independence Day occurred 76 years ago this week when future Hall of Fame first baseman Lou Gehrig gave a speech at Yankee Stadium. In front of more than 60,000 fans before game two of a doubleheader against the Washington Senators, the Yankees held an appreciation day in honor of the legendary slugger, and the Iron Horse’s No. 4 became the first ever retired by the franchise. Though he was initially too overcome with emotion to address the crowd, the man of the hour would eventually step to the plate and deliver. What followed is the most famous speech in baseball history.
It was his farewell to Yankees fans and his farewell to baseball. The moment marked Gehrig’s retirement from the game due to complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Despite the weight of his circumstance, Gehrig remained both thankful and optimistic.
Ryan Express
Coming into his start on July 4, 1980, Houston Astros right-hander Nolan Ryan needed just three strikeouts to become only the fourth pitcher ever to reach 3,000 for his career.
In the bottom of the second inning in a game against the Cincinnati Reds, Ryan did just that. He fanned center fielder Cesar Geronimo to reach the milestone, joining Hall of Famers Walter Johnson, Bob Gibson, and Gaylord Perry as the only other pitchers to do so.
Curiously, Geronimo was also Gibson’s 3,000th career strikeout victim in 1974.
Despite his achievement, Ryan’s afternoon didn’t quite go as planned. The future Hall of Famer was pulled from the game after allowing six earned runs in only 4.1 innings pitched as the Astros lost 8-1.
Ryan would go on to set the all-time strikeout record with 5,714. The total is 839 more than the next closest pitcher Randy Johnson, who will be a part of the 2015 Hall of Fame induction class.
Future Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson said of facing Ryan: “Mr. Ryan makes me uncomfortable. He’s the only pitcher who’s ever made me consider wearing a helmet with an ear flap.”
Ryan was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1999.
Brothers in Arms
The Fourth of July is often a time for family members to gather and celebrate. On that day in 1967, two brothers spent their afternoon together, albeit in an unusual way.
Brothers Phil and Joe Niekro squared off against one another in an afternoon game at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. It was the first head-to-head matchup of their careers. Phil, the eldest Niekro by five years, bested his younger brother as the Braves defeated the Cubs 8-3.
Phil pitched a complete game surrendering only two runs and striking out seven in the victory. Joe, who was a rookie at the time, didn’t fare quite as well. He lasted only three innings giving up four runs, including two homers.
The Niekro brothers would face each other nine times in their career, with Joe’s team winning five. They hold the record for most combined wins by siblings in a career with 539. The tandem even tied for the National League lead in wins in 1979 with 21 apiece.
Phil played for 24 seasons, amassing 318 wins and 3,342 strikeouts in his career. His win total ranks as the 16th best all-time and he ranks 11th in career strikeouts.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.
Joe finished a successful 21-year career in the majors with 221 wins.
Ryan Turnquist is the 2015 public relations intern in the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
