May 4, 2018; Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Adam Liberatore reacts after recording the last out of the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres at Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey. The Dodgers did not allow a hit. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
May 4: This Day in Dodgers History
On this day, May 4, 2020, absolutely nothing happened. No runs, no drips, no errors, no Bill Russell throws into the field level seats at Dodger Stadium, no calls from the dugout for Juan Uribe to bunt with first and second and nobody out and not a penny for parking into the pocket of one Frank McCourt.
A few things did occur in the other 136 May 4s in the franchise's history, however, and here are ones which struck me as I perused box scores. Details below.
1916: Wheezer Dell singles and pitches a three-hit shutout to lead the then-Brooklyn Robins to victory over the Phillies at Ebbets Field. Future Hall of Famer Zack Wheat goes 1-4 to raise his batting line to .189/.286/.270. He'd finish at .312/.366/.461.
1949: Joe Hatten the winner, Howie Fox the loser as the Brooklyn Dodgers improve to 8-7 with a 5-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds at home. Gil Hodges paces the victors with a 3-3 day. Two hits for Roy Campanella to raise his line to .469/.552/.816.
1952: A five-hit shutout for Carl Erskine as Brooklyn beats the Pirates at Forbes Field, 6-0. Jackie Robinson's second homer of the season puts him at .409/.587/.591 on the year. One doubleplay for the Dodgers, Robinson to Pee Wee Reese to Gil Hodges.
1959: Johnny Podres scatters 12 hits in a 5-3 win over Warren Spahn and the Braves at Milwaukee. Gil Hodges is good for a 4-4 night, including two homers and a double. Henry Aaron's 1-4 performance lowers his mark to .487/.481/.934. He'd finish by leading baseball in hits (223), batting average (.355), slugging (.636) and OPS (1.037), with 39 homers and 123 RBIs.
1966: Willie Mays' 512th career home run off Claude Osteen at Candlestick Park makes him the National League's all-time leader. The previous record was set by another Giant, Mel Ott in 1946. San Francisco triumphs over Los Angeles, 6-1. The Dodgers go on to win the pennant. The Giants don't.
1976: Eight days after Cubs' centerfielder saves the American flag at Dodger Stadium, May 4 is declared "Rick Monday Day" by the Illinois House of Representatives.
1977: Improving to 20-4 and extending their NL West lead to nine games, the Dodgers beat the Mets, 3-1. Tommy John all the way over John Matlack before 23,398 at Los Angeles. Time of the game: 1:49.
1985: A Pedro Guerrero triple scores Russell as L.A. beats Pittsburgh, 6-5 at Three Rivers Stadium in 10. Fernando Valenzuela goes the distance, lowers his ERA to 0.87, adding a single and a double for good measure. Future-Dodger John Candelaria takes the loss in relief.
2013: Matt Magill starts and allows five earned runs in 1 1/3 as the Dodgers waste a 15-hit, nine-run attack and lose to the Giants at AT&T Park, 10-9. Blown saves for Paco Rodriguez and Ronald Belisario, with Brandon League the loser.
2018: A combined no-hitter for Walker Buehler, who goes six, with an inning each from Tony Cingrani, Yimi Garcia and Adam Liberatore, as the Dodgers beat the hapless Padres at Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey, 6-0.
And remember, glove conquers all.
Howard Cole has been writing about baseball on the internet since Y2K. Follow him on Twitter.
