May 17, 1987: Mistaking it for an Iranian tanker, an Iraqi jet aircraft fires missiles at the American frigate USS Stark (FFG-31). The attack killed 37 U.S. Navy personnel and injured 21 others.
Knowing that Iran was also America's enemy, Saddam Hussein issued an apology. President Ronald Reagan accepted it, saying, "We've never considered them hostile at all." Indeed, Reagan had armed Iraq.
This would turn out to be a mistake. Reagan wasn't very bright, but the people around him should have known better.
There is some dispute as to the fate of the pilot. One source said he was executed for his mistake. Another says that he was not punished at all, survived the Iran-Iraq War, and was still alive as of 2005. A 2017 book said his name was Abdul Rahman, and said that he defected to the Iranian side.
In contrast, Captain Glenn R. Brindel was relieved of command of the Stark, demoted to the rank of Commander, and sent into early retirement. He became a real estate agent in the Norfolk area.
The USS Stark was in service from 1982 to 1999, and was scrapped in 2006.
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May 17, 1987 was a Sunday. These Major League Baseball games were played:
* The New York Yankees beat the Seattle Mariners, 8-3 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Joe Niekro, still throwing the knuckleball at age 42, was the winning pitcher. Dan Pasqua went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, and 3 RBIs. Claudell Washington went 4-for-6 with 2 RBIs. Dave Winfield went 1-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Don Mattingly went 2-for-3 with 2 walks.
* The New York Mets beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-4 at Shea Stadium. David Cone outpitched Atlee Hammaker. Howard Johnson hit a home run.
* The Montreal Expos beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-3 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Tony Gwynn went 0-for-2 with 3 walks. Mike Schmidt hit a home run.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Atlanta Braves, 6-5 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 8-4 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.
* The Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers, 8-5 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.
* The Minnesota Twins beat the Boston Red Sox, 10-8 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. The Red Sox scored 7 runs in the top of the 8th, but the Twins got home runs from Gary Gaetti and Tom Brunansky to tie it in the bottom of the 9th, and from Kent Hrbek to win it in the bottom of the 10th.
* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 10-2 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.
* The Kansas City Royals beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 3-2 at Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium) in Kansas City. George Brett and Paul Molitor did not play. Robin Yount went 3-for-4.
* The Chicago Cubs beat the Houston Astros, 6-4 at the Astrodome in Houston.
* The Baltimore Orioles beat the California Angels, 3-2 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Rick Burleson singled Rene Gonzales home with the winning run in the top of the 9th inning. Eddie Murray went 1-for-4. Cal Ripken went 0-for-4.
* And the Oakland Athletics beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-0 at the Oakland Coliseum. Dave Stewart pitched a 4-hit shutout. José Canseco and Ron Cey hit home runs.
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