Today in Baseball History: August 2nd

1997 Houston C Brad Ausmus becomes the first catcher to wear the Fox Sports "Catcher-Cam", a small camera on the top of his mask, in the Astros' 6 - 0 win over the Mets

1993 An investor team of Baltimore lawyer Peter Angelos and Cincinnati businessman William DeWitt submit a winning bid for the Orioles during a bankruptcy court auction in New York City. Also on the winning team are popular author Tom Clancy and ABC broadcaster Jim McKay.

1992 Rollie Fingers, Bill McGowan, Hal Newhouser and Tom Seaver are inducted in the Hall of Fame.

1990 Yankees rookie Kevin Maas hits his tenth home run in just 77 at bats, the fastest any player has ever reached that mark. But the Yanks lose to Detroit 6-5 in 11 innings.

1987 Eric Davis led off the bottom of the 11th inning with his 30th home run of the season, giving the Cincinnati Reds a 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants. Davis' homer made him the seventh player with 30 homers and 30 steals in the same season. Kevin Seitzer went 6-for-6 with two homers and drove in seven runs to pace a 20-hit Kansas City attack as the Royals beat the Boston Red Sox 13-5 in 102-degree heat.

1986 Dodgers Alejandro Pena and Tom Niedenfuer combine to one-hit the Reds 7 - 1, allowing only Eddie Milner's leadoff home run off Pena in the 6th inning. It is the 5th time Milner has collected the only hit in a one-hitter, tying Cesar Tovar's ML record.

1985 On August 2, 1985, the Pittsburgh Pirates clean house by trading three veterans - outfielder George Hendrick and pitchers John Candelaria and Al Holland - to the California Angels. In exchange, the Pirates acquire outfielder Mike Brown and pitchers Pat Clement and Bob Kipper.

1982 Oakland's Rickey Henderson steals his 100th base of the season in a 6 - 5 win over Seattle, tying the American League record he set last season and leaving him with 56 games to break Lou Brock's single-season record of 118. Henderson is the first player ever to steal 100 bases twice since the modern definition of a stolen base was put in place.

1979 On August 2, 1979, 32-year-old Thurman Munson of the New York Yankees is killed in the crash of his private plane in Canton, Ohio. The following day the Yankees will honor their captain before their game against the Baltimore Orioles. Fans will give Munson, who helped the Yankees to titles in 1977 and 1978, a thundering 10-minute ovation.

1975 On August 2, 1975, the New York Yankees name Billy Martin as manager. Martin replaces Bill Virdon, the 1974 American League Manager of the Year.

1972 On August 2, 1972, the Detroit Tigers acquire some needed help for the pennant chase, purchasing left-hander Woodie Fryman from the Philadelphia Phillies. Fryman will win 10 of 13 decisions in a Tiger uniform, spearheading Detroit to the American League East title.

1970 In their last meeting of the year, Baltimore defeats Kansas City 10-8. It is the Orioles' 23rd straight win over the Royals over a two-year span, a major league mark.

1968 On August 2, 1968, Ron Hansen and Tim Cullen become the first players to be traded for each other twice in the same season. The Washington Senators trade Hansen to the Chicago White Sox for Tim Cullen. The two players had been traded in February-in opposite directions.

1960 In an agreement with the major leagues, the Continental League abandons plans to join the American League and National League. Walter O'Malley, chairman of the NL Expansion Committee, says, "We immediately will recommend expansion and that we would like to do it in 1961." Braves owner Lou Perini proposes a compromise that four of the CL territories be admitted to the current majors in orderly expansion. Branch Rickey's group quickly accepts. The Continental League ends without playing a game.

1960 On August 2, 1960, Branch Rickey and his group abandon the creation of the Continental League, agreeing to accept the terms of the American League and National League, which agree to add two teams each over the next two seasons.

1959 Bill Bruton of Milwaukee hit two bases-loaded triples to lead the Braves to an 11-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the nightcap of a doubleheader.

1959 Giants 1B Willie McCovey hits the first of his 521 ML home runs, off Ron Kline, as San Francisco downs the Pirates 5 - 3. Johnny Antonelli wins his 15th game.

1959 Jim Bunning of the Tigers pitches the only "perfect" inning of the last four decades, striking out three Red Sox on nine pitches. Bunning wins 3 - 0. The last American League hurler to strike out the side on nine pitches was Lefty Grove, in 1928.

1938 On August 2, 1938, the Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals use yellow baseballs in the first game of a doubleheader. The experiment will end quickly, as the two teams switch to white baseballs in the second game. The Dodgers sweep both games, winning 6-2 and 9-3.

1938 Larry MacPhail has official baseballs dyed dandelion yellow, and they are used in the first game of a doubleheader between the Dodgers and Cardinals at Ebbets Field. The Dodgers win 6-2. The Dodgers will use up their yellow balls in three more games in 1939.

1933 On August 2, 1933, Mickey Cochrane of the Philadelphia Athletics hits for the cycle in a 16-3 rout of the New York Yankees. It marks the second time that the Hall of Fame catcher has hit for the cycle during his career.

1930 On August 2, 1930, Smoky Joe Williams of the Homestead Grays strikes out 27 Kansas City Monarchs in a memorable 12-inning night game. The 54-year-old Williams, who outduels Chet Brewer, 1-0, benefits from pitching under a portable light system that makes it difficult for hitters to see the baseball.

1921 With the jurors lifting the men onto their shoulders, the eight White Sox players accused of throwing the 1919 World Series are acquitted by the jury. The next day, Commissioner Kenesaw Landis will say the overwhelming evidence clearly shows the Black Sox fixed the games with gamblers and all involved will be banned from playing professional baseball again.

1907 On August 2, 1907, Walter Johnson makes his major league debut. The Washington Senators' rookie loses a 3-2 decision to the Detroit Tigers. In an interesting twist, Ty Cobb collects the first hit against Johnson. Cobb would go on to collect more hits against Johnson than any other batter, and bat .366 against the hard-throwing righthander. In 1936, both players will become part of the inaugural class of the Hall of Fame.