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21 Fact(s) Found
| 1876 | The National League forms charter teams in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia, and St. Louis. The Hartford Dark Blues will play its second season in Brooklyn as the Hartfords before disbanding in 1877. |
| 1936 | Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson, and Christy Mathewson are the first five men elected into baseball's new Hall Fame, scheduled to be open in 1939 as part of the game's celebration of its centennial. A claim made by the former 1905 Mills Commission, which proves to be erroneous, suggests that the national pastime was invented by Civil War hero Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, making the small village in upstate New York the perfect place for the induction of the legendary ballplayers. |
| 1950 | At a Boston sportswriters dinner, infielder Bobby Doerr receives the Fred Hoey Award, given by the scribes in memory of the first full-time broadcaster for both the Red Sox and the Braves. The scrappy second baseman's friend and Boston teammate, Ted Williams, surprises the gathering by attending the event wearing a tie. |
| 1972 | Lefty Gomez, a southpaw best known for his four 20-win seasons with the Yankees, and Ross Youngs, a popular outfielder for the Giants who compiled a lifetime .322 batting average before succumbing to kidney disease at the age of 30, are selected by the Special Veterans Committee to be enshrined in Cooperstown. The group also nods to former American League president William Harridge, who was initially hired to fill a three-year term as an interim but will hold the position for the next 27 years. |
| 1976 | With his election into Cooperstown, umpire Cal Hubbard becomes the only person elected to the baseball and football Halls of Fame. The big man from Keytesville, Missouri, who was named the National Football League's all-time offensive tackle, played with the Giants, Packers, and Pirates (Steelers) during his ten-year career in the NFL and was inducted into the pro gridiron Hall of Fame in 1966. |
| 1976 |
The Veteran's Committee elect veteran umpire Cal Hubbard, third baseman/outfielder Freddie Lindstrom, and one-time career home run champion Roger Connor to the Hall of Fame. The Waterbury Republican-American, Connor's hometown newspaper, had heavily lobbied for their native son after Hank Aaron passed Babe Ruth's record in 1974.
 Waterbury, Connecticut |
| 1986 | After returning from a three-year absence due to a knee injury, right-hander Dennis Leonard announces his retirement. The 35-year-old, a twenty-game winner in 1977, 1978, and 1980, compiled an 8-13 record and a 4.44 ERA in his comeback attempt with the Royals. |
| 1987 | The Braves trade right-handed Craig McMurtry to the Blue Jays for second baseman Damaso Garcia and pitcher Luis Leal. The right-handers will never pitch for the new team, and Garcia will hit .117 in 21 games before being released by Atlanta. |
| 1999 | Padres' outfielder Greg Vaughn becomes the first player traded in major league history after hitting 50 home runs the previous season. San Diego deals the slugger and Mark Sweeney to the Reds for Reggie Sanders, Damian Jackson, and Josh Harris. |
| 2001 | Due to the Orioles moving home plate, a fly ball will take approximately seven more feet to clear Camden Yards' fences this season. The field's new alignment will also reduce the amount of foul territory, with the fair poles almost flush against the left- and right-field corners. |
| 2003 | Red Sox manager Grady Little, knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, and first-base coach Dallas Williams appear at the Atrium Mall in Newton, modeling the team's new look, including solid red socks. The Red Sox socks have had very little red in recent years and haven't been entirely red for over fifty years. |
| 2005 | The Blue Jays announce the three-year corporate contract to rename the SkyDome to the Rogers Centre. The controversial change, revealed by Ted Rogers, President and CEO of Rogers Communications, proves unpopular with many fans, most of whom continue to refer to the Toronto ballpark by its original moniker. |
| 2005 | The much-heralded Sammy Sosa trade to the Orioles becomes final when Commissioner Bud Selig approves the deal, and the 36-year-old slugger passes a physical. The Cubs exchange 'Slammin' Sammy' for second baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. and two minor-leaguers and agree to pay Baltimore $16.15 million of the remaining $25 million left on a four-year, $72 million contract signed in 2003. |
| 2008 | Filling a tall order, the Nationals avoid arbitration with Jon Rauch, signing the 6' 11" pitcher to a $3.2 million, two-year deal. The right-handed reliever, who led the big leagues with 88 appearances, compiled an 8-4 record with four saves while posting a 3.61 ERA in 87 1-3 innings of work. |
| 2009 | According to a report in The Sports Business Journal, MLB tax documents for the fiscal year ending October 31st, 2007, show Bud Selig receiving an $18.35 million salary. The compensation package, if correct, would make the commissioner better paid than most of the superstars in the game at the time, except for Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Roger Clemens, all employed by the Yankees. |
| 2011 | Alexei Ramirez and the White Sox agree to a four-year, $32.5 million contract extension and a $10 million team option for an additional year. Earlier in the off-season, the Pale Hose picked up his option for 2011, coming to terms with the 29-year-old good-hitting shortstop with a base salary of $2.75 million. |
| 2013 |
 In front of a home crowd of 87 fans, the California Institute of Technology baseball team snaps a 228-game losing streak, beating Pacifica in a non-conference game, 9-7. The CalTech Beavers, whose last victory occurred on February 15th, 2003, last won a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest in 1988, a span of 463 games. |
| 2017 |
 The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame elects Roy Halladay, who posted a 148-76 (.661) record during his dozen seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, and Vladimir Guerrero, a four-time all-star while playing for the Montreal Expos. Other inductees include past Baseball Canada president Ray Carter, the 2015 Team Canada squad that won gold at the Pan-Am Games, and the late Little League umpire Doug Hudlin. |
| 2020 |
The NFL names Patrick Mahomes the MVP of Super Bowl LIV after the 24-year-old quarterback leads a fourth-quarter rally in the Chiefs' 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The Kansas City QB's dad, Pat, compiled a 42-39 (.519) record pitching for five major league teams in 11 seasons, including posting an 8-0 record for the 1999 Mets.
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| 2021 | After failing to sign a slugger in the offseason, the Braves opt to retain Marcell Ozuna, who will return with a four-year, $64 million deal with a $16 million club option for a fifth season and a $1 million buyout. The 30-year-old outfielder plays in only 48 games, going on the injured list with two dislocated fingers on his left hand at the end of May and receiving a retroactive 20-game suspension in November for violating MLB's domestic violence policy. |
| 2021 | In a baffling trade, the Rockies deal five-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals for pitchers Austin Gomber, Tony Locey, Jake Sommers, and infielders Mateo Gil and Elehuris Montero. Colorado's GM Jeff Bridich's relationship with his eight-time Gold Glover, who vocally criticized the front office over the team's direction, deteriorated so quickly that the infielder waived a no-trade clause to go to St. Louis. |
21 Fact(s) Found