June 24, 1994: The New York Yankees play the Cleveland Indians, at the Indians' new home, Jacobs Field in Cleveland. (It was renamed Progressive Field in 2007.) Terry Mulholland was given a 9-5 lead to work with, including home runs by Randy Velarde and Danny Tartabull.
Eddie Murray went 2-for-4 for the Indians. In so doing, he plays his 2,384th career game at 1st base, setting a new major league record. He surpasses Jake Beckley, who played in the major leagues from 1888 to 1907, batted .308 lifetime, and collected 2,938 hits. He died of heart disease in 1918, only 50 years old, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971. Both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds have elected him to their team Halls of Fame.
This game was suspended in the top of the 8th inning, due to rain. It was resumed the next day, and Murray had 1 more at-bat, but did not reach base. The Yankees won, 11-6. Because the game had already become official with the conclusion of the 5th inning, Murray's milestone is registered as having occurred on June 24, not June 25.
Murray is best remembered as playing for the Baltimore Orioles. With them, he won the American League's 1977 Rookie of the Year award. He helped them win the AL Pennant in 1979, and then the World Series in 1983. Subsequently, in his 1984 Baseball Abstract, Bill James, wrote, "We have been saying for so long that Murray is going to become a great player that we have failed to notice that he has already become one."
He went on to win 3 Gold Gloves and make 8 All-Star Games, despite playing 1st base in the AL at the same time as Don Mattingly. He became of the overpaid, underperforming New York Mets of 1992 and '93, but had a career renaissance in Cleveland. On June 30, 1995, 6 days after he set this defensive record, he collected his 3,000th career hit. That season, he helped the Indians win the Pennant. The following season, he returned to the Orioles as a free agent, and hit his 500th career home run.
He was only the 3rd player, after Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, to collect 3,000 hits and hit 500 home runs. He retired with 3,55 hits, 504 home runs, and 2,413 games played at 1st base. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2003.
As of the conclusion of the 2021 season, the closest any player has come to Murray's total since Murray is Fred McGriff, with 2,239.
UPDATE: On July 6, 2026, Freddie Freeman played his 2,240th career game at 1st base. He turns 37 on September 12. If he keeps playing, and isn't moved to another regular position, he might surpass Murray by the end of the 2027 season. If he does, I will adjust this entry to reflect that he has become the all-time leader.
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June 24, 1994 was a Friday. These other Major League Baseball games were played:
* The New York Mets lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9-4 at Shea Stadium. Dave Clark went 2-for-4 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs for the Bucs. For the Mets, Joe Orsulak went 2-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBIs. Denny Neagle outpitched Dwight Gooden. No one could yet guess that they would be teammates, beating the Mets for the Yankees in the 2000 World Series.
* The Montreal Expos beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 9-0 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Butch Henry pitched 6 innings of 6-hit shutout ball, and Jeff Shaw and Mel Rojas completed the 6-hit shutout. Darren Fletcher went 2-for-5 with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs.
* The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-4 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Tom Glavine outpitched Danny Jackson. Mark Lemke and Jeff Blauser hit home runs for the Braves, John Kruk and Pete Incaviglia for the Phils.
* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-1 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto. Cal Ripken went 2-for-5.
* The Cincinnati Reds beat the San Diego Padres, 3-2 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Brett Boone singled Reggie Sanders home with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Tony Gwynn went 1-for-5.
* The St. Louis Cardinals beat their arch-rivals, the Chicago Cubs, 3-1 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
* The Boston Red Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-3 at Milwaukee County Stadium.
* The Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals, 4-1 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.
* The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 16-4 at the Astrodome in Houston.
* The San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies, 10-3 at Mile High Stadium in Denver. Barry Bonds went 1-for-5 with an RBI.
* The Texas Rangers beat the California Angels, 2-1 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim).
* The Oakland Athletics beat the Detroit Red Wings, 4-3 at the Oakland Coliseum. Rickey Henderson went 1-for-4.
* And the Chicago White Sox beat the Seattle Mariners, 6-2 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Ken Griffey Jr. went 2-for-4 with a solo home run.
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