April 29, 1988: "O" Is for "0-21"

April 29, 1988: After starting the season with a record-breaking 21 straight losses, the Baltimore Orioles avoid going 0-for-April, as they beat the Chicago White Sox 9-0 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

Future Hall-of-Famers Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. – whose father, Cal Ripken Sr., had recently been fired as manager and replaced by Hall-of-Famer Frank Robinson – hit home runs in support of Mark Williamson, who pitches 6 innings, and combines with Dave Schmidt for a 4-hit shutout.

The Orioles had been one of the best teams in baseball from 1964 to 1984. But the team that had won the 1979 and 1983 American League Pennants, and the 1983 World Series, got old. In 1987, they fell to 67-95. But with "O" didn't just stand for "Orioles," it stood for "Oh and 21." And this was while they were trying to generate more interest in the team as their new ballpark at Camden Yards had begun construction.

They finished the 1988 season 54-107, meaning they were a terrible 54-86, a 61-101 pace, even after the streak ended. But in 1989, the Orioles' rotten luck nearly evened out, as they went 87-75, and finished only 2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Eastern Division. With fans holding up signs reading, "WHY NOT?" with the "O" in the team's script, they remained in the Division race until the next-to-last day of the season.

They left Memorial Stadium after the 1991 season, moved into Orioles Park at Camden Yards, and made the Playoffs again in 1996 and 1997. However, through the 2021 season, they still have not won a Pennant since 1983.

*

April 29, 1988 was a Friday. Hockey star Jonathan Toews was born.

These other games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The New York Yankees beat the Texas Rangers, 2-1 at Yankee Stadium. John Candelaria (better known as a Pittsburgh Pirate) outpitched Charlie Hough (better known as a Los Angeles Dodger). Don Mattingly went 0-for-4, but drove in the winning run on a groundout in the 5th inning. Rickey Henderson went 1-for-2 with 2 walks and a stolen base.

* The New York Mets beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-4 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Met manager Davey Johnson pinch-hit for Sid Fernandez after only 3 innings, relieved him with David Cone, normally a starter, then brought Roger McDowell to relieve him in the 8th. McDowell blew a 4-2 lead, but Keith Hernandez singled Tim Teufel home in the top of the 9th to win it.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-5 at Fenway Park in Boston. In the bottom of the 10th, Dwight Evans flew to right, but Mark Davis dropped the ball, allowing Wade Boggs to score. This made Lee Smith the winning pitcher, in relief of Roger Clemens.

Davis did not start the game in right field for the Twins: He had pinch-run for Kent Hrbek, and Randy Bush was moved from right field to Hrbek's position at 1st base.

* The California Angels beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 9-5 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners, 9-6 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-2 at Milwaukee County Stadium. George Brett went 1-for-3 with 2 walks and an RBI. Paul Molitor went 1-for-4. So did Robin Yount, and he also had an RBI.

* The Houston Astros beat the Montreal Expos, 6-4 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-3 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Tony Gwynn went 0-for-5. Barry Bonds went 0-for-4 with a walk.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-4 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Chicago Cubs, 4-3 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

* The Cleveland Indians and the Oakland Athletics were rained out at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The game was made up as part of a double header on July 5. The Tribe swept, 3-0 and 4-2. Scott Bailes pitched a 5-hit shutout in the opener.

* And the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies were rained out at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on July 18. The Braves won the 1st game, 9-8. The Phillies scored in the bottom of the 9th to send the game to extra innings. But in the top of the 11th, Jim Morrison (not the already-dead lead singer of The Doors) grounded into what should have been a double play, but 1st baseman Greg Gross dropped the ball, allowing Andres Thomas to score the winning run.

The Phillies won the 2nd game, 4-1. Over the 2 games, Mike Schmidt went 3-for-8 with a walk and 3 RBIs.

Football was out of season. The Stanley Cup Playoffs were in progress, but no games were played on this day. There were 4 games played in the NBA Playoffs:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Boston Celtics, 112-92 at the Boston Garden.

* The Atlanta Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 110-107 at The Omni in Atlanta.

* The Denver Nuggets beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 126-123 at the McNichols Arena in Denver.

* And the Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs, 122-110 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.