August 3, 2006, Phillies' infielder Chase Utley goes 3-for-6 against the Cardinals to extend his hitting streak to 35 games. The streak will be stopped the next day against the Mets. Utley hit in every game during the month of July, and raised his batting average 40 points during the streak.
August 3, 1997 - Phil Niekro, Tommy Lasorda, Nellie Fox, and Willie Wells are inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
August 3, 1980, Al Kaline, Chuck Klein, Duke Snider, and Tom Yawkey are inducted into the Hall of Fame. Kaline collected 3,007 hits and hit 399 homers in his career spent with the Detroit Tigers. Snider belted 407 homers and batted .295 in an 18-year career, spent mostly with the Dodgers. Klein starred in the 1930s, when he won an MVP Award, the Triple Crown, and a batting title for the Phillies. Yawkey was the popular longtime owner of the Boston Red Sox.
August 3, 1960, the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers make an unusual trade when they announce the swap of their managers. Cleveland’s colorful general manager, Frank “Trader” Lane, sends Joe Gordon to the Tigers for Jimmy Dykes.
August 3, 1948, former Negro leagues star Satchel Paige makes his first major league start. The 42-year-old future Hall of Famer pitches seven innings and earns the win as the Cleveland Indians defeat the Washington Senators, 5-3. A crowd of 72,434 attends Paige’s first start.
August 3, 1914, New York Yankees catcher Les Nunamaker becomes the only major league player in 20th century history to throw out three base stealers in one inning. Nunamaker eliminates a trio of Detroit Tigers in the second inning.
Born on this day - 1894 - Harry Heilmann, outfielder; Hall of Famer - One of the best right-handed hitters in baseball history, Harry Heilmann won four batting titles on his way to the Hall of Fame. Some attributed his batting improvement after 1920 to a “lively ball”, but the more plausible reasons were the tutelage of teammate Ty Cobb, and maturity. Heilmann played fifteen seasons with Detroit as part of one of the best hitting teams in history, and later served as a popular announcer for the franchise.
