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This Day in Baseball History
December 9th

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32 Fact(s) Found
1913 On the same day, the Dodgers offer the Reds $35,000 for Joe Tinker, the team owner Charles Ebbets joins the National League Board of Directors. The 33-year-old shortstop will jump to the Federal League as player-manager of the Chicago Whales for $12,000 when Brooklyn delays meeting his salary demands of being paid a 'commission' of $10,000 of his final sale price of $25,000.


Joe Tinker, Reds Manager (1913)
Library of Congress - George Grantham Bain Collection
1941 Although having a 3-C draft deferment due to being the sole support of his family, Bob Feller, last year's American League-leading pitcher with 27 wins for the Indians, becomes the first major leaguer to enlist after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. At a Chicago courthouse, former heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney swears in the 23-year-old navy recruit, who has already recorded 107 victories.

1941 The Yankees trade prospect Tommy Holmes to the Braves for Gene Moore and Buddy Hassett, the two players to be named later. Boston's new 24-year-old outfielder, who hit over .300 during his 11-year career, will establish the National League record consecutive game-hitting streak with 37, a mark that Pete Rose will surpass in 1978.
1954 For the second of three times (1951, 54-55), Yogi Berra is named the American League Most Valuable Player. The 29-year-old Yankee catcher, who hit .307 while playing 151 of 154 games for the Bronx Bombers, narrowly outpoints runner-up outfielder Larry Doby of the AL Champion Indians.
1959 The White Sox deal right fielder Johnny Callison to the Phillies in exchange for infielder Gene Freese, who played in Chicago for one year after the trade before returning to the Southside team in 1965. Philadelphia's new outfielder will become the mainstay in the City of Brotherly Love, compiling a .271 average and hitting 185 home runs (at the time, the fifth-best in franchise history) while providing rock-solid defense during his decade with the team.
1965 The Reds deal Frank Robinson to the Orioles for Milt Pappas, Jack Baldschun, and Dick Simpson. The trade, now considered among the worst in baseball history, was defended by Cincinnati's general manager Bill DeWitt, who claimed the outfield slugger was "an old 30" before the future Hall of Famer won the American League triple crown in his first year in Baltimore.
1965 Eleven days before his 84th birthday, Branch Rickey dies of heart failure while in intensive care at Boone County Memorial Hospital in Columbia (MO). The former executive of the Cardinals, Dodgers, and Pirates, named by ESPN as the most influential sports figure of the twentieth century, broke the color barrier in 1947 with the signing of Jackie Robinson and implemented the concept of farm systems for the major leagues.
1976 The Rangers trade Jeff Burroughs to the Braves for Adrian Devine, Ken Henderson, Dave May, Roger Moret, Carl Morton, and an estimated $250,000. The former American League MVP (1974) will hit 41 home runs in his first season with Atlanta.
1977 The Mariners trade outfielder Dave Collins to the Reds for rookie left-hander Shane Rawley. The southpaw will post a 20-31 record during his four seasons in Seattle, and Cincinnati's new fly chaser will hit .284 in his seven years in the Queen City.
1977 The A's announce a deal, which will send pitcher Vida Blue to Cincinnati for outfielder Dave Revering and $1.75 million in cash. Baseball commissioner Kuhn will cancel the proposed trade, stating the transaction would be bad for baseball because it would benefit a strong team without losing significant talent.
1980 The Cubs trade reliever 27-year-old Bruce Sutter to the Cardinals for outfielder Leon Durham and infielder Ken Reitz. The future Hall of Fame closer will lead the league in saves in three of the four years during his four-year tenure with the Redbirds, averaging nearly 32 per season.
1984 At the Montreal Forum, the Los Angeles Kings draft Tom Glavine in the fourth round (69th overall) ahead of future NHL Hall of Famers Brett Hull and Luc Jean-Marie Robitaille. The Cooperstown-bound southpaw, who will record 305 major league victories, also declined a scholarship offer to play hockey for the University of Lowell, opting to sign with the Braves.

1988 In a deal given credit for starting a trend for more games broadcast by a regional sports network than on over-the-air stations, the Yankees sign a twelve-year television contract with the Madison Square Garden Network. In 2002, the Yankees left MSG to form a regional cable television channel, the Yankees Entertainment and Sports (YES) Network.
1992 Free agent Greg Maddux signs the richest guaranteed contract ever given to a pitcher, a five-year, $28 million contract with the Braves. The current Cy Young Award winner leaves the Cubs, his team for the previous seven seasons, after contract talks become contentious.
1992 The Braves trade southpaws Charlie Leibrandt and Pat Gomez to the Rangers for infielder Jose Oliva. Leibrandt, a 15-game winner for Atlanta during the previous two seasons, becomes expendable with today's acquisition of Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux.
1993 Randy Johnson (19-8, 3.24, 308) re-signs with the Mariners for $20.25 million over three years. The 29-year-old southpaw will post a 36-8 record during the term of the deal, with half of the victories coming in the Unit's 18-2 campaign in 1995.
1994 The Rangers trade Jose Canseco (.282, 31, 90) to the Red Sox for outfielder Otis Nixon and infielder Luis Ortiz. During his two seasons with Boston, the 29-year-old slugger will compile a .298 batting average, hitting 52 of his 462 career home runs.
1997 The Giants signed former Dodgers nemesis Orel Hershiser. The 39-year-old right-hander, who will post an 11-10 record with a 4.41 ERA in 202 innings, will spend only one season with San Francisco before moving on to the Mets the following season.
1997 Before their inaugural season, the Devil Rays sign free agent third baseman Wade Boggs. The 40-year-old future Hall of Fame infielder will play his final two seasons with Tampa Bay, collecting the franchise's first home run in the sixth inning of the team's first game of existence.

2000 At a Coors Field press conference, the Rockies announce the signing of free-agent starting pitcher Mike Hampton to the richest contract in baseball history, a $121 million, eight-year deal. The southpaw compiles a 21-28 record during his two-year tenure with Colorado before going to the Braves in 2003.
2003 Kazuo Matsui, a Japanese seven-time All-Star shortstop, agrees to a three-year $20.1-million deal with the Mets. Twenty-eight-year-old 'Little' Matsui hit .305 with 33 home runs while driving in 84 runs last season with the Seibu Lions.
2007 Milton Bradley reaches a preliminary agreement with the Rangers on a $5+ million, one-year contract. The former free-agent Padres outfielder will be a designated hitter when not chasing fly balls.
2008 Tony Kubek becomes the first analyst to receive the Ford C. Frick Award, an honor reserved for broadcasters by the Hall of Fame. Known for his outstanding work on the NBC Game of the Week telecasts, the former Yankee and Blue Jay broadcaster has not watched a single baseball game on television since he signed off the air in 1994.
2009 Andy Pettitte (14-8, 4.16) agrees to an $11.75 million, one-year deal to return to the Yankees next season. The 37-year-old southpaw played a vital role in helping the team capture its 27th World Championship, going 4-0 in his five postseason starts, including victories in the clincher in all three postseason rounds against the Twins, Angels, and Phillies.
2009 The Astros trade minor league prospects right-hander Robert Bono, infielder Luis Bryan, and a player to be named later to the Marlins in exchange for Matt Lindstrom, who recorded 15 of 17 save opportunities last season. Houston hopes the 29-year-old right-handed hard-throwing reliever, with his 100-mph fastball, can help fill the role of a late-inning stopper in their bullpen.
2009 In budget mode, the Rangers deal starting pitcher Kevin Millwood (13-10, 3.67), who signed a five-year, $60 million deal in 2005, to the Orioles for reliever Chris Ray and a player to be named later. Then, to restock their rotation, Texas reaches a preliminary agreement for less money with free-agent Rich Harden, who posted a 9-9 record with the Cubs last season.
2010 The Cubs sign former Tampa Bay slugger free agent Carlos Pena to a $10 million, one-year deal after he turned down several multi-year offers from other clubs. The client of agent Scott Boras is optimistic about having a big season in Chicago, leading to a long-term contract for similar money made by fellow first basemen Ryan Howard ($125 million/5 years) and Mark Teixeira ($180 million/8 years).
2013 The Mets sign Curtis Granderson to a four-year, $60 million contract, the team's richest free-agent deal since Sandy Alderson became the GM in 2010. The 32-year-old outfielder, who hit 84 homers in two seasons for the Yankees before being limited to 61 games last year due to injuries, is expected to provide some much-needed power for the team ranked 25th in the long ball in 2013.
2013 At the start of the annual Winter Meetings, Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark announces the induction of managers Bobby Cox, Joe Torre, and Tony LaRussa into Cooperstown next summer. The trio of skippers, who have accumulated 7,558 regular-season wins, 17 pennants, and eight World Series titles, was elected unanimously by the 16-member Expansion Era Committee.
2013 After signing a ceremonial one-day contract to be a Blue Jay, the big league team that drafted him out of high school in the first round of the 1995 amateur draft, Roy Halladay announces his retirement, ending a 16-year career that included the last four seasons with the Phillies. During his dozen years in Toronto, the six-time American League All-Star right-hander compiled a 148-76 record and a 3.43 ERA.
2015 Major League Baseball issues a recommendation for all its 30 teams to install netting to protect their fans sitting in front of the most exposed field-level seats. The suggested protective shield, which would extend from one dugout to the other, will be implemented by most clubs before opening day, with the Mets, Pirates, and Twins already in compliance, having netting down the first and third base foul lines.
2019 The Nationals and Stephen Strasburg agree to terms on a record-breaking seven-year contract worth $245 million, keeping the free agent with Washington until 2026. The reigning World Series MVP deal marks the richest ever signed by a pitcher, topping southpaw David Price's $217 million signing in 2015 with the Red Sox.
32 Fact(s) Found