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This Day in Baseball History
February 9th

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16 Fact(s) Found
1946 While coaching a Hardy High School (AK) basketball team, Pirates hurler Preacher Roe suffers a fractured skull from hitting the floor during an altercation with a referee. The 29-year-old southpaw, who will report a month late to spring training suffering from headaches and dizzy spells, will post a 3-8 record, compiling a 5.14 ERA before calling quits for the season in August.
1971 Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro League star selected to the Hall of Fame. The right-hander, the oldest player in the majors to make his big league debut, became a legend during his professional career, which lasted from the 1920s until 1965, playing in several different Negro Leagues and with the Indians, Browns, and A's.
1976 The Hall of Fame Special Committee on the Negro Leagues selects Oscar Charleston, considered by baseball historian Bill James to be the fourth-best ballplayer of all time. The outfielder made The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.
1980 The Athletic Hall of Fame of Kent State University posthumously inducts Thurman Munson, the Yankee All-Star backstop who died in a plane crash last August. The Golden Flashes baseball program coach, Hal Schoonover, converted the young college outfielder into a catcher.
1981 At thirty-seven, Joe Morgan inks a one-year deal with the Giants. The future Hall of Famer will play an additional season in San Francisco, winning the Silver Slugger award for being the best offensive second baseman in the National League.
1984 The Dodgers waive two-time All-Star Dusty Baker after he vetoes a trade to Oakland. The 35-year-old outfielder will sign as a free agent, hitting .294 in 100 games, with the Giants before ending his career with the A's, the team he had refused to play for when dealt last season.
1988 Playing for his third consecutive American League pennant winner (1986-Red Sox and 1987-Twins), Don Baylor signs a one-year deal with the A's. The 39-year-old designated hitter will appear in 92 games, hitting .220 for the American League champs before retiring at the end of the season, finishing his 19-year career with 2,135 hits, 338 home runs, 1,276 RBIs, and being hit by a pitch a record 267 times.
2001 After 13 months of negotiations, Derek Jeter and the Yankees finalize a $189 million,ten-year contract. The deal makes the All-Star shortstop second only to Alex Rodriguez ($252 million/10 years) as the highest-paid player in the sport's history.
2005 The Cubs trade reliever Kyle Farnsworth (4-5, 4.73) and a player to be named to the Tigers in exchange for pitcher Roberto Novoa (1-1, 5.09) and minor leaguers Scott Moore and Bo Flowers. Last season, Farnsworth's inconsistency as a reliever made him very unpopular with the Wrigley Field fans.
2006 A jury, deliberating for more than four hours, ruled that the Angels did not breach a contract with the city of Anaheim when the ball club changed its name. Thirteen months ago, the team known as the Anaheim Angels became the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, prompting the city where it plays to file a lawsuit, claiming the name change amounted to at least $100 million in lost revenue.
2007 Before performing in a benefit concert in Connecticut, Bernie Williams shares with reporters that he plans to decline the Yankees' invitation to attend spring training on a minor league contract. The guitar-playing outfielder added he has been working out but is doubtful about playing for the Bronx Bombers this season.
2008 After auditioning for about two-thirds of the teams in the major leagues last month and considering offers from four clubs, Keith Foulke comes out of retirement, signing a $700,000, one-year contract with the A's. The 35-year-old reliever, best known for throwing the last pitch in the 2004 World Championship for the victorious Red Sox, retired before the 2007 season after signing a deal with the Indians.
2009 Two days after the story breaks on SI.com, Alex Rodriguez apologizes for using performance-enhancing drugs when he played shortstop for the Rangers from 2001 to 2003. In an exclusive interview conducted on ESPN, the Yankees superstar acknowledges using PEDs, hoping to fulfill the expectations after signing a record ten-year, $252 million contract with Texas.
2010 The Twins select Greg Gagne as the twenty-second member of the team's Hall of Fame. During his ten-year tenure with the team, which included the World Championship seasons of 1987 and 1991, the light-hitting shortstop known for his defensive prowess once hit two inside-the-park home runs in the same game in 1986.
2012 Nelson Cruz and the American League champion Rangers agree on a $16 million, two-year deal to keep the ALCS MVP in Texas. The agreement avoids a scheduled arbitration planned to take place next week.
2021 The Cardinals have agreed to a one-year contract with Yadier Molina, who surpasses Bob Gibson's 17 seasons with the club and second only to Stan Musial's 22 years of playing for the Redbirds. The 38-year-old nine-time All-Star backstop since his debut in 2004 has played every game of his career with St. Louis, making the total of 2,025 contests the most of any catcher for just one team.
16 Fact(s) Found