2011
Mariano Rivera Becomes the Saves Leader
New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera records his 602nd career save, passing Trevor Hoffman to become Major League Baseball's all-time saves leader.
Collection
Firsts and turning points
The days the sport changed — barriers broken, rules rewritten, and the arguments that outlasted the games they started.
12
Moments
1846
First
2011
Most recent
2010s · 1
2000s · 1
2007
Barry Bonds Passes Hank Aaron
Barry Bonds hits his 756th career home run at AT&T Park, passing Hank Aaron to become baseball's all-time home run leader.
1980s · 2
1989
Nolan Ryan's 5,000th Strikeout
Texas Rangers pitcher Nolan Ryan strikes out Oakland Athletics leadoff man Rickey Henderson to become the first pitcher in Major League history to record 5,000 career strikeouts.
1984
Dwight Gooden's Rookie Strikeout Record
New York Mets rookie Dwight Gooden finishes the 1984 season with 276 strikeouts, breaking the rookie strikeout record set thirty years earlier by Herb Score.
1970s · 1
1974
Hank Aaron Passes Babe Ruth
Hank Aaron hits his 715th career home run off Al Downing at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, passing Babe Ruth to become baseball's all-time home run leader.
1960s · 1
1965
The Marichal-Roseboro Bat Incident
San Francisco Giants pitcher Juan Marichal strikes Los Angeles Dodgers catcher John Roseboro on the head with his bat during a heated rivalry game, sparking a bench-clearing brawl and a lengthy suspension.
1950s · 1
1952
Emmett Ashford Breaks Umpiring's Color Line
Emmett Ashford becomes the first Black umpire in organized professional baseball when he is authorized to work as a substitute umpire in the Southwestern International League.
1940s · 1
1941
Ted Williams Hits .406
Ted Williams goes 6-for-8 in a season-ending doubleheader to finish the 1941 season batting .406, the last time a Major League player has hit .400 or better for a full season.
1930s · 1
1938
Lou Gehrig's 23rd Grand Slam
Lou Gehrig hits the 23rd grand slam of his career, a Major League record that stands for 75 years until Alex Rodriguez breaks it in 2013.
1920s · 2
1929
Babe Ruth's 500th Home Run
Babe Ruth becomes the first player in Major League history to hit 500 career home runs, connecting at League Park in Cleveland.
1921
The Black Sox Are Banned for Life
Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis bans the eight Chicago White Sox players implicated in the 1919 World Series fix for life, one day after a Chicago jury acquitted them of criminal conspiracy charges.
1840s · 1
1846
Baseball's First Recorded Organized Game
The New York Base Ball Club defeats the New York Knickerbockers 23–1 at the Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey, in the first game played under a formal, written set of rules.