Courtesy of the Sporting News Complete Baseball Record Book, here are some of the records that have been set on this day. This should keep you busy all day. And the Red Sox seem to do lots of weird stuff on July 4.

• 1894 - Jouett Meekin of the New York Giants becomes the only pitcher to hit three triples in a game. The Giants beat the Cleveland Spiders 12-11 in the second game of a doubleheader.
• 1896 - Washington and Philadelphia combine for 73 hits in a doubleheader. Washington wins the first game 13-8 and Cleveland takes the second 15-14.
• 1905 - The Philadelphia A's play 20 innings against Boston in the second game of a doubleheader and don't draw a walk, an AL record. The A's win the game anyway, 4-2. Cy Young takes the loss for Boston, pitching all 20 innings.
• 1907 - The Tigers and Browns combine to hit 12 triples in a doubleheader. Without looking it up, I'm guessing there was a big crowd and weird ground rules. The Tigers win both games. The Tigers are in fourth place, 6 1/2 games out, at the end of the day. This would be the largest margin overcome on the 4th of July by any AL pennant winner.
• 1908 - Hooks Wiltse of the Giants throws the first extra-inning no-hitter in NL history, beating the Phillies 1-0. Wiltse retired the first 26 batters before hitting the opposing pitcher George McQuillan with a pitch.
• 1913 - Smoky Joe Wood of Boston becomes the second pitcher to hit two doubles in an inning in the morning game of a doubleheader against Philadelphia.
• 1918 - The NL features a record-tying three 1-0 games. The Cubs sweep a doubleheader in St. Louis by a pair of 1-0 scores. The Pirates beat the Reds for the third one.
• 1939 - Boston and Philadelphia (AL variety) combine for an AL record 172 ABs in a doubleheader (with no extra innings involved). Jim Tabor of the Red Sox hits four home runs (an AL record for a doubleheader) and drives in 10 (also an AL record). Boston won 17-7 and 18-12. The 54 total runs are tied for the most in MLB history. The 65 total hits are an AL record as are the 49 RBI.
• 1940 - George Case of Washington becomes one of four AL players to have 9 hits in a doubleheader. The Senators swept a pair from Philadelphia.
• 1945 - The Cleveland Indians become the first team in major league history to play nine innings in the field and not record an assist. It happens in the first game of a doubleheader that Cleveland wins over the Yankees 4-2. Cleveland pitcher Steve Gromek gets 21 Yankees to make outs in the air, strikes out four, and two other unassisted outs (which presumably were ground outs to first.)
• 1948 - Ted Williams becomes the first of eight AL players to have three plate appearances in an inning. Williams does it in a 14-run 7th inning against the A's. Boston wins 19-5. Of the eight ALers to have three plate appearances, all but one of them played for the Red Sox. (Darryl Hamilton is the other guy.)
• 1951 - Ralph Kiner of Pittsburgh ties an NL record by driving in seven runs over two consecutive innings. It's in the second game of a doubleheader against the Reds. The Pirates win 16-7 in a game shortened to 5 1/2 innings.
• 1955 - In the first game of a doubleheader, the Yankees and Red Sox combine to send up five different pinch hitters who struck out. The Red Sox win 4-2 in 2:54, an eternity for that era and preparing fans for the horrors that would await them in the 21st Century.
• 1977 - The Red Sox hit a major league record 7 solo home runs against the Blue Jays. The Red Sox win 9-6.
• 1985 - Although this event didn't transpire until July 5, the Mets and Braves combine to have the highest scoring 19th inning in major league history. 7 runs. 5 for the Mets and 2 for the Braves.

And now for your musical enjoyment:

I apologize to anyone offended by the inclusion of the "Commie verse." I just liked hearing a jazz/soul rendition of the song.

And now to switch genres to one of my all time favorite songs