PARIS- For decades, the game of baseball has been associated as an iconic piece of the American past time. And along with another piece, the observance of the Independence Day Holiday on July 4, the game of baseball and the great American past time have shared monumental events over the years.
Last year, RNN Sports shared the July 4 story of Lou Gehrig who gave his famous farewell speech at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939. And in typical Fourth of July holiday style and culture, and as we all enjoy traditional family and recreational activities at this time each year, part of that culture to many includes flocking to the Major League ballparks around the country for an afternoon or evening of July 4 professional baseball. In 1939, the scene was in New York City where fans packed Yankee Stadium to say good-bye to Lou Gehrig. And 28 years earlier, it was Detroit where the Tigers were hosting the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers lineup included perhaps the greatest hitter of all time, Ty Cobb, who went into the game having hit safely in 40 consecutive games.
Detroit went into the doubleheader that day with the White Sox and held a half-game lead over the Philadelphia Athletics. Detroit’s lead had slipped from having lead Philadelphia at one point in the season by 9 1/2 games.
In the first game of the doubleheader, the White Sox’s Ed Walsh pitched a great game and led the White Sox to a 7-3 win over Detroit. The Chicago win dropped Detroit temporarily out of first place, and in doing so, the Tigers’ Ty Cobb failed to reach base, breaking his record-setting hit streak at 40 games.
Detroit defeated Chicago in the second game of the doubleheader, but the Philadelphia Athletics were in the process of sweeping New York on that day, and Detroit finished the day still in second place.
Cobb’s 40-game hitting streak was one of only six such hitting streaks to reach 40 games. At the time, the press seemed to pay more attention to Detroit’s fall to second place than they did the end of Cobb’s hitting streak. It was many years after the fact that Walsh’s pitching performance that ended Cobb’s streak seemed to receive its deserved attention.
The Fourth of July holiday is celebrated in every community across our nation and is symbolically important to all of us in our own ways. The holiday is often marked by fireworks displays, family reunions and other activities, and to some, a trip to the ballpark to catch a baseball game. Whatever it means to you and your family, we hope you will also take a moment to reflect on the founding of our great nation while also focusing on a renewed spirit of patriotism that is so needed today.
So, whatever you choose to do this year on July 4th, all of us at RNN Sports wish you a very happy and safe Independence Day holiday!
