Be verrrry quiet, I’m hunting reporters
In 1995: Albert “Don’t call me Joey” Belle, who had his own legacy of douche baggery, went on a pre-game tirade and chased NBC reporter Hannah Storm out of the Indians dugout. He was fined $50,000. Belle, who was one of the best sluggers of the 90’s, was more well-known for drilling a fan in the chest with a baseball, being suspended for seven games for using a corked bat, chasing kids down for egging his house, throwing another baseball at a photographer, and being suspended for three games for chucking an elbow at tiny Fernando Vina for standing in the base path. Other than that he was a pretty class guy.
In 1972: Almost exactly 27 years to the day he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson died of heart disease at the age of 53. Robinson was the first black player in the 20th Century, and he played his first game in 1947. In 1997, his number was retired throughout baseball by Commissioner Bud Selig and in 2001, April 15 (the day of his debut) was declared “Jackie Robinson Day.”
In 1987: The Minnesota Twins, powered by a Kent Hrbek grand slam, overcame a 5-2 deficit and defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 11-6 to tie the World Series at three games apiece. It was the last afternoon game ever played in a World Series. Each home team won all seven games, with the Twins winning their first ever title.
