You love baseball. Tim Kurkjian loves baseball. So while we await its return, every day we'll provide you with a story or two tied to this date in baseball history.
ON THIS DATE IN 1988, a major league game began without a center fielder on the field.
The Angels' Devon White, one of the greatest defensive center fielders of all time, was in the clubhouse finishing a phone call when the first pitch of the Brewers-Angels game was thrown. Jim Gantner grounded out, but the game was restarted when White got to his position. Then Gantner singled ... to center field. After the game, Angels right fielder Chili Davis was asked if he had noticed that there was no center fielder on the field.
"Yes," he said, laughing. "I yelled to the umpires, but not only are they blind, they're deaf, too.''
The full "On this date ..." archive
Wacky plays happen in baseball more than any sport. It's what makes it so great.
Mariners third baseman Lenny Randle got on his knees and blew a bunt into foul territory. Rangers right fielder Jose Canseco was hit on the head with a fly ball; it bounced over the fence for a home run for Carlos Martinez.
"The World Cup is coming to Dallas,'' Rangers infielder Jeff Huson said. "Jose was just practicing.''
Kirk Gibson, in his one season with the Pirates in 1992, was on first base in Chicago. Jay Bell singled behind him toward right field. Gibson's helmet, as always, went flying off as he was racing to second base. The ball hit the helmet and ricocheted to second baseman Ryne Sandberg, who threw to third base. Gibson didn't see any of this; he took off for third and was tagged out in a rundown.
The Pirates' Andy Van Slyke said: "Score that putout 7¼ to 5 to 6.''
The center fielders for the Giants and Mets, Willie McGee and Vince Coleman, shared a glove for a three-game series at Shea Stadium in 1992.
"And it was a blue glove,'' Giants catcher Terry Kennedy said.
McGee's three gloves had been stolen from the clubhouse, so he borrowed one from Coleman, a former teammate. They left the glove in center field at the end of each half inning. In kangaroo court, Kennedy said, "We fined Willie $2 an inning. The Mets fined Vince $5 for each catch Willie made.''
In 1991, triple-A Vancouver outfielder Rodney McCray ran through a wooden wall in right-center field trying to make a catch. He suffered a bloody nose and cuts on his forehead, but finished the inning.
"I'm built pretty good; I have 3% body fat and a really hard head,'' McCray said. "I stayed down for a minute behind the fence, but only because I fell in a mud puddle back there.''
In 2004, triple-A Indianapolis Indians first baseman Jeff Liefer got locked inside a dugout bathroom, forcing a 20-minute delay of the game against Louisville. The handle on the inside of the door didn't work. A maintenance man handed Liefer tools through a vent so he could unscrew the handle. When Liefer ran back on the field, a gift of toilet paper was waiting from the Louisville dugout. "They announced that an Indians player was being temporarily detained in the clubhouse, which can be interpreted a million different ways, I suppose,'' Liefer said. "The place just erupted when I came back on the field. Everyone knew what had happened.''
In 2010, a ground ball ended up in the jersey of Braves third baseman Brooks Conrad, who couldn't get it out in time to make a throw to first. In 2016, Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal had a pitch lodge inside his chest protector, allowing a runner to score. In 2017, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina got a pitch stuck on the outside of his chest protector, allowing a runner to reach. And in 1986, a comebacker hit by Keith Hernandez lodged in the glove of Giants pitcher Terry Mulholland, who threw the whole glove to first baseman Bob Brenly for the out.
"You blew it,'' Mike Krukow told Brenly after the game. "You should have whipped it around the infield!''
Other baseball notes for June 25
In 1963, Mike Stanley was born. He hit 187 home runs -- eight were grand slams, as many as Willie Mays hit.
In 1976, the Rangers' Toby Harrah played all 18 innings of a doubleheader at shortstop without receiving a defensive chance. On an unrelated note, his last name is a palindrome.
In 1972, Carlos Delgado was born. He was an underrated player. He hit four homers in a game. He has the most homers (473) of anyone whose last name starts with D.