Miguel Cabrera Makes Baseball History with Batting Triple Crown Achievement

The Phillies clinch a spot in the postseason for the first time since 2011 with a 3-0 win over the Astros.

On October 3, 1897, Cap Anson concluded his remarkable 27-year career in baseball. Anson, who began playing in the National Association in 1871, hit two home runs against the St. Louis team. At the age of 46, he became the oldest player to hit a home run in the majors.

In 1936, the New York Yankees took a 2-1 lead in the World Series by defeating the New York Giants 2-1. Lou Gehrig's home run off Freddie Fitzsimmons in the second inning gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead. However, Jimmy Ripple's homer in the fifth inning tied the game for the Giants. In the bottom of the eighth, Frank Crosetti's infield hit off Fitzsimmons' glove allowed Jake Powell to score, securing the victory for the Yankees.

Moving on to 1946, the St. Louis Cardinals claimed the National League pennant by defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers 8-4 in a best-of-three playoff series.

In 1947, Floyd Bevens of the Yankees held the Dodgers hitless until the ninth inning, when pinch-hitter Cookie Lavagetto doubled in two runs, leading the Dodgers to a 3-2 victory in the fourth game of the World Series.

In 1951, Bobby Thomson became a legend by hitting a three-run homer off Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the bottom of the ninth inning. This dramatic home run gave the New York Giants a 5-4 playoff victory and secured them the National League pennant.

The San Francisco Giants showcased their resilience in 1962 by rallying for four runs in the ninth inning to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 in the tie-breaking playoffs. This victory propelled them to the World Series.

In 1971, Bob Robertson's three home runs propelled the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 9-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants, tying the National League playoffs at 1-1.

In 1974, Frank Robinson made history by signing a $175,000-a-year player-manager contract with the Cleveland Indians. This made him the first black manager in major league history.

In 1987, Benito Santiago's 34-game hitting streak, a rookie record, came to an end as the San Diego Padres defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0. This victory also snapped the Padres' nine-game losing streak.

Moving on to 1990, George Brett became the first player to win a batting title in three different decades. Brett secured the American League title with a .329 average, going 1-for-1 in Kansas City's 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians. He had previously won AL batting titles in 1976 and 1980.

In the same year, Willie McGee achieved a unique feat by winning a batting title in a league in which he didn't finish the season. McGee, who had a .335 average when he was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Oakland Athletics on August 28, secured his second National League crown when Dave Magadan of the New York Mets failed to catch up to him on the season's final day.

Also in 1990, Cecil Fielder made history by hitting his 50th and 51st home runs of the season, becoming the first American Leaguer since 1961 to reach the 50-home run mark.

In 1993, the Toronto Blue Jays achieved a remarkable feat by having teammates finish 1-2-3 in the American League batting race. John Olerud led the league with a .363 batting average, followed by Paul Molitor at .332 and Roberto Alomar at .326.

Moving on to 2006, Frank Thomas made history as the oldest player to have a multihomer game in postseason history. The 38-year-old slugger went 3-for-4, hitting two home runs to lead the Oakland Athletics to a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

In 2012, Miguel Cabrera became the first player in 45 years to achieve the batting Triple Crown. In Detroit's 1-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals, Cabrera secured the American League title with a .330 average, 44 home runs, and 139 RBIs. He became the 15th player in history to achieve this milestone, following in the footsteps of Boston's Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.

The same year, the Houston Astros ended their National League tenure with a 5-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs. This loss set a franchise record for the Astros, finishing the season with 107 losses, one more than the previous year. They became the first team since the 1964-65 New York Mets to have 106 or more losses in consecutive seasons.

Also in 2012, Evan Longoria had a memorable game by hitting three home runs to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. This victory ended the Orioles' bid to force a one-game tiebreaker for the AL East title.

In 2015, Max Scherzer pitched his second no-hitter of the season for the Washington Nationals. He struck out a team-record 17 batters, leading the Nationals to a 2-0 victory over the NL East champion New York Mets in a doubleheader sweep.

Finally, in 2022, the Philadelphia Phillies clinched a spot in the postseason with a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros. This victory, behind the combined pitching efforts of Aaron Nola and Zach Eflin, marked the Phillies' first postseason appearance since 2011, ending the longest active drought in the majors.

On the same day, Tony LaRussa officially announced his retirement as the manager of the Chicago White Sox. LaRussa had to step down on August 31st due to concerns over his heart pacemaker, as advised by his doctors. Miguel Cairo had been guiding the team in his absence as the interim manager.

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