July 22, 1934: Dazzy Strikes Out His 2,000th Victim

     On July 22, 1934, the Cardinals took two from the Braves in Boston. The Birds took the first game by the score of 5-4, then came right back and took the second one by the score of 4-2. It was a day of significance for Dazzy Vance, as the 43-year-old veteran of the diamond struck out the 2,000th batter of his career. The victim was Wally Berger in the sixth inning of the contest. Berger hit a home run in both contests, so he was more than a formidable opponent. Vance went the distance in this game, which was the last time he would accomplish that feat in his Hall of Fame career. Vance struck out 45 more batters before he hung up the cleats after appearing in 442 ballgames over a 16 year span. He only spent 47 of those 442 games with the Birds on the Bat across his chest, which obviously came during the twilight of his career. With that said, that season was a special one for the man they called Dazzy, as he would go on to celebrate as a champion at season's end. He even appeared in a game in the Fall Classic and struck out three Detroit Tigers. It had to be one of the greatest moments of his life standing on baseball's biggest stage.

     Vance spent more than a decade in the minor leagues before getting his shot at the age of 31. To say he made the most of that shot would be a vast understatement. He posted double-digits in the win column 10 times, and led the National League twice in wins as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. His finest season came in 1924 when he led the league with 28 wins. You can read all about the life and times of Dazzy here: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/5c1fec75

Check out the box scores below here

Game 1: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BSN/BSN193407221.shtml

Game 2: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BSN/BSN193407222.shtml