Braves Franchise History
1967: Eddie Mathews clubs his 500th career home run against the Braves while playing for the Astros. He became the seventh player in baseball history to reach that mark.
1968: Hank Aaron blasts his 500th career home run off Giants Mike McCormick! The milestone three-run jack is the decisive blow for the Braves in a 4-2 win. Aaron becomes the eighth player in baseball history to reach that plateau.
1977: The Reds beat the Braves 7-1 thanks to Tom Seaver’s two-hitter and George Foster’s monster three-homer day.
1980: Phil Niekro beats the Astros 2-0. Astros starter J.R. Richard left early due to nausea.
1988: Ken Griffey singles for his 2,000th career hit, but the Braves fall to the Mets 9-8.
1989: Lonnie Smith belts a game-winning homer in a 3-2 win over the Mets despite Sid Fernandez striking out 16.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzpHZhyQiJg
1996: Ryan Klesko leads Atlanta in a 15-10 slugfest over the Marlins with two home runs and six RBI.
1997: The Braves blast two grand slams in the same game for the first time in 10 years. Tim Spehr and Ryan Klesko turn the trick as Atlanta turns a 6-0 deficit into a 10-6 win.
2000: Braves’ second baseman Quilvio Veras tears the ACL in his right knee.
2010: The Blue Jays and Braves trade shortstops, with Alex Gonzalez going from Toronto to Atlanta along with minor leaguers Tim Collins and Tyler Pastornicky, in return for Yunel Escobar and pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes. Escobar is hitting .238 with little power for the first-place Braves, while Gonzalez has shown unexpected pop with the Jays, hitting .259 with 17 homers and 50 RBI.
2020: The Braves signed free agent OF Yasiel Puig, but the deal fell through as Puig tested positive for Covid.
MLB History
1938: In Toledo, the American Association All-Star squad becomes the first team to experiment with uniforms designed to be worn during night games. The red, white, and blue shiny satin uniforms are believed to reflect the light during the evening contests.
1987: Baseball renames the Rookie of the Year Award after Jackie Robinson.
2005: The first-known baseball card, which is part of a children’s educational game, illustrates several boys playing together in a field as one pitches a ball to another holding a bat, making its public debut at the Smithsonian Institution. The historic card, which was discovered in an attic in Maine, dates to the early 19th century and predates other known cards by several decades.
Information for this article was found via Baseball Reference, NationalPastime.com and Today in Baseball History.