On this day in Baseball History, the 17th of June, the following noteworthy events occurred. 

Ted Williams hits 500th career Home Run:

On this day in 1960, Ted Williams and the Boston Red Sox were taking on the Cleveland Indians in Cleveland. Despite his age and injuries, Williams was still the best player on the Red Sox. The series was in Detroit before Cleveland Williams hit No. 498 and 499. In the top of the third inning, with Wynn Hawkins on the mound, and a runner on first with one out, Williams took a 1-2 pitch to the seats in Left Field for Home Run #500. The 9,700 fans at the game gave Williams a solid ovation for reaching the milestone. In his final season, Williams would end up with 521 career Home Runs; at the time, he was only the fourth player in the game’s history to reach 500 career Home Runs.

Ron Guidry Strikes Out 18:

BRONX, NY – 1978: Ron Guidry #49 of the New York Yankees pitches during a 1978 season game at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

On this day in 1978, Yankees Ron Guidry set a franchise record by striking 18 batters against the Anaheim Angels. That year, Guidry would post the best season of his career for the Yankees:

25-3 W-L, 1.74  ERA, 0.946 WHIP, 248 SO, 273.2 IP (35 Starts)

That year the Yankees were constantly chasing the Red Sox for the division lead, leading to a 163rd game, with the Yankees and Guidry winning, and then another excellent postseason run leading the Yankees to win the World Series for the second year in a row.

Ivan Rodriguez Becomes All-Time Leader in Games Behind the plate:

On this day in 2009, Ivan Rodriguez playing for the Houston Astros against the Texas Rangers, his longtime team in Arlington, appeared in his 2,227th game behind the plate, breaking the record of Carlton Fisk. Despite being on the opposing team, the Rangers acknowledged the feat by honoring Rodriguez with a video. To this day, Rodriguez holds the record for Games behind the plate with 2,427.

References:

  1. Wancho, Joseph. June 17, 1960: Ted Williams wallops 500th career home run in Cleveland via SABR: https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/june-17-1960-ted-williams-wallops-500th-career-home-run-in-cleveland/
  2. Borzelli, Brett. This Day in Yankees History: Ron Guidry strikes out 18 batters to set a franchise record via Pinstripe Alley: https://www.pinstripealley.com/2018/6/17/17471572/yankees-history-ron-guidry-strikes-out-18-batters-franchise-record
  3. Associated Press. Pudge sets catching mark in Astros’ 10-inning loss via ESPN: https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=290617113