The Catbird Seat

Almanac Edition · every April 5 at once · from the makers of Tearing Up the Pea Patch

APRIL 5 · 400 GAMES ON THE RECORD · 1971–2025

On this date in 2012, Toronto beat Cleveland 7–4 in 16 innings. It took 5 hours and 14 minutes.

The Committee has looked at all 400 major-league games played on April 5, from 1971 to 2025, and this is the one that does not behave.

Also on this date

1983-04-05	San Diego at San Francisco	16–13	9.0
2012-04-05	Toronto at Cleveland	7–4	16.0	314 min
2003-04-05	Florida at Atlanta	17–1	9.0	by 16
1993-04-05	The Yankees at Cleveland	9–1	9.0	73,290 paid

Unfair afternoons — won while out-hit

2004-04-05	Cleveland at Minnesota	4–7	10.8	hits 17-10
2008-04-05	The White Sox at Detroit	5–3	9.0	hits 3-9
2025-04-05	Tampa Bay at Texas	4–6	8.5	hits 10-4

The Mirror Game — a line score this date shares with another day

1973-04-05	San Francisco at Cincinnati	4–1	9.0	000010300 / 010000000
1974-04-05	Detroit at Baltimore	2–3	8.5	100100000 / 00020001x
1983-04-05	Philadelphia at the Mets	0–2	8.5	000000000 / 00000020x

By the decades

1970s 17 · 1980s 35 · 1990s 70 · 2000s 113 · 2010s 113 · 2020s 52

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THE CATBIRD SEAT is set by the Committee on Playing Rules of Tearing Up the Pea Patch, a Macguffin Co. game, Commissioner F. McCoy presiding. Almanac editions are compiled from the record by the Committee’s engine and read by no one before you; a surprising fact in them is a lead, not a verdict. The information used here was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Interested parties may contact Retrosheet at www.retrosheet.org. Wire service (RSS)