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June 3, 1932: A Memorable Day in Baseball History With Three Historic Events!

It’s always noteworthy when something rare or historic happens on any given day during the baseball season. I’m talking perfect game, triple play, etc.  But I wonder if there’s ever been a day quite like June 3, 1932, ninety years ago yesterday, when not one…not two…but three historic events occurred – two within the same game! – with each one overshadowing the other. 

Of course the year 1932 was very significant itself. That’s the year Joe McCarthy won his second pennant and his first World Series title, on his way to becoming the most successful manager in baseball history. It’s also the year that the great Bambino, Babe Ruth, hit his “Called Shot” in the 1932 World Series, surely one of the most memorable at-bats in baseball history. 

But let’s take a deep dive into a memorable day in a memorable baseball season: June 3, 1932. I think you’ll agree with me when I say, “What a day!”

Tony Lazzeri Hits for the Natural Cycle, June 3, 1932

The first notable occurrence on June 3, 1932, was Tony Lazzeri hitting for a natural cycle. A natural cycle is one in which the cycle hits come in order (single, double, triple, and home run).  The natural cycle has happened only 15 times in major league history, making it one of the game’s rarest events, even rarer than perfect games (23). The last player to hit a natural cycle was Gary Mathews, Jr. in 2006.  In addition, Tony’s natural cycle is the only one in history to end with a grand slam, and was only the fourth natural cycle at the time he did it.

This would have been a historic game for this reason alone, but it was entirely overshadowed by the fact that –  in the same game:

Lou Gehrig Hits Four Home Runs, June 3, 1932

That’s right…In the same game in which Tony Lazzeri hit for the natural cycle, his teammate Lou Gehrig hit four home runs, something that had only happened two times previously and only sixteen times in all of baseball history. The Sporting News described it the next day as “baseball’s greatest single-game accomplishment. It’s so rare that no player has ever done it more than once.” That statement is still true, 90 years later!

Again, four home runs in one game is rarer than perfect games (23). The only two feats I can think of that are in the same “league” so to speak are unassisted triple plays (14), and the rare natural cycle (15), which Tony Lazzeri accomplished in the same game! No player has ever hit five homers in a game, although Mike Cameron once came very close while with the Mariners in a game against his former team, the White Sox. His last at-bat in his four-homer game was a fly out to the warning track, which I remember because I saw the game, hoping to witness baseball history. 

In the nice featured photo above, we see the great Hall-of-Famer Lou Gehrig together with Bobby Lowe. At the time the photo was taken in 1932, they were two members of an exclusive three-man club: Lou was the third player to hit four homers in one game, while Bobby Lowe was the first.

Again, this was a truly historic event. Combine it with Tony Lazzeri’s natural cycle, and you have what can only be described as a memorable baseball day. But if you thought the next morning’s papers led with either one of these two stories, you’d be mistaken. Instead, they led with this: 

The End Of An Era: John McGraw Retires, June 3, 1932

The New York Giants announced on June 3, 1932, the resignation of their long-time skipper, the legendary John “Mugsy” McGraw, citing McGraw’s poor health as the reason.  The New York press decided this was the biggest event of the day. And who could blame them? Just to review, here are some of John McGraw’s managerial statistics, which place him in the top ten in virtually all categories:

Over 33 years as a manager (third all-time), covering 4769 games, “Little Napoleon” compiled a 2763–1948 record (.586, eighth all-time), with 10 pennants (tied for first all-time), and three World Series championships (tied for seventh all-time). His 2763 wins overall is third all-time behind Connie Mack and (recently) Tony LaRussa, and his 2669 wins in the National League is still the league record. He also had eleven second-place finishes and only two seasons with a losing record.  McGraw is the only National League manager to win four consecutive pennants. He also held the major league record for most ejections by a manager (132) until Bobby Cox topped it in 2007.

In his playing days, McGraw was known for his quick temper and his great baseball mind. He also became proficient at bending the playing rules, especially in the days of less than four umpires. He was a key player on the old Baltimore Orioles of the National League, with pennants in 1894, ’95, and ’96.

What a Day!

…And so I repeat: Has there ever been a more significant day in major league history than June 3, 1932?

Gary Livacari

Photo Credits: All from Google search

All statistics from Baseball-Reference.com

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