September 21, 1976: Orlando Letelier is assassinated by a car bomb in Sheridan Circle in Washington, D.C. He was 44.
He had served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Defense under President Salvador Allende of the South American nation of Chile until the coup d'état of September 11, 1973 that killed Allende. (It was no suicide, as reported in the world's anti-Communist press.) He was arrested, tortured and imprisoned. Upon his release, he came to America, and became the leading voice in the Chilean resistance.
Pinochet was a thin-skinned fascist piece of slime, so he decided Letelier had to be taken out. His aide Ronni Moffit was also killed, and her husband Michael survived. Letelier left a wife and 4 children.
Among those prosecuted was an American professional hitman, Michael Townley, who confessed, and served 5 years before going into the Witness Protection Program. As of September 21, 2022, he's still alive. Letelier isn't. It should be the other way around.
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September 21, 1976 was a Tuesday. These Major League Baseball games were played:
* The New York Yankees lost to the Baltimore Orioles, 11-8 at Yankee Stadium. Ken Singleton, later to broadcast for the Yankees, singled Tom Shopay home with the winning run in the top of the 10th inning. Brooks Robinson did not play. Reggie Jackson, in his only season with the O's, went 1-for-3. Doug DeCinces hit a home run for the O's, and Roy White hit one for the Yanks.
* The New York Mets lost to the Montreal Expos, 4-0 at Jarry Park in Montreal. Dan Warthen (2-8) pitched a 2-hit shutout, outpitching Jerry Koosman (20-9, having become the 1st lefthanded pitcher to win 20 in a season for the Mets). Ellis Valentine and Earl Williams hit home runs for the Expos.
* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-1 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Tom Underwood outpitched future Phillies Cy Young Award winner John Denny. Returning Phillies legend Dick Allen and Phillies legend-in-the-making Mike Schmidt hit home runs. Lou Brock singled as a pinch-hitter.
* A doubleheader was split at at Fenway Park in Boston. The Boston Red Sox won the opener, 7-1. Luis Tiant outpitched Moose Haas, winning his 20th game of the season. The Milwaukee Brewers won the nightcap, 3-1. Over the 2 games, Carl Yastrzemski went 2-for-7 with a walk. Robin Yount went 1-for-7. Hank Aaron, in his last full month as an active player, did not play in either game.
* The Cincinnati Reds beat the San Diego Padres, 9-1 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Pete Rose went 2-for-5. Johnny Bench went 1-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Dave Winfield did not play.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-3 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Indians player-manager Frank Robinson, in his last full month as an active player, did not put himself into the game.
* Theoretically, a person in Chicago could have seen 3 MLB games that day, since Wrigley Field didn't have lights until 1988. The Chicago Cubs split a doubleheader with the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley. The Pirates won the 1st game, 4-3. Willie Stargell went 2-for-4. The Cubs won the 2nd game, 2-1. Manny Trillo singled Jerry Morales home with the winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning. Stargell struck out as a pinch-hitter.
* And in a night game in Chicago, the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox, 13-6 at Comiskey Park. Rod Carew went 1-for-6 with an RBI, Lyman Bostock went 4-for-4 with 2 walks and 2 RBIs, Bob Randall went 3-for-5 with 5 RBIs, and Larry Hisle hit the Twins' only home run, going 2-for-4, also with a walk and 3 RBIs.
* The Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics, 3-1 at Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium) in Kansas City. George Brett went 0-for-2 with 2 walks.
* The Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros, 6-2 at the Astrodome in Houston.
* The California Angels beat the Texas Rangers, 2-1 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim).
* And the Los Angeles Dodgers beat their arch-rivals, the San Francisco Giants, 3-2 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
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