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31 Fact(s) Found
| 1917 |
The Phillies trade 30-year-old Grover Cleveland Alexander and catcher Bill Killefer to the Cubs for right-hander Mike Prendergast, who compiles a 13-15 record in his one-plus season with Philadelphia, and reserve backstop William Dillhoefer, who bats .091 in the eight games he plays for the team. From 1918 to 1926, 'Old Pete' compiles a 128-83 record in a Cubs uniform en route to a Hall of Fame career, including playing for the Cardinals.
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| 1928 | National League president John Heydler proposes a designated batter for the pitcher to speed up the game and add more offense. The American League opposes the idea, and the NL withdraws the proposal before asking Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis to break the deadlock. |
| 1941 | The Giants deal hurler Bill Lohrman, catcher James O'Dea, first baseman Johnny McCarthy, and $50,000 to the Cardinals for Johnny Mize. Despite missing three years due to WWII, the Giants' new first baseman will spend five productive seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the team, hitting .299 and averaging more than 100 RBIs per season. |
| 1950 | A. B. 'Happy' Chandler's contract as commissioner isn't renewed for a second term when he receives only nine of the twelve owners' votes needed for re-election. The future Hall of Famer is credited for integrating the majors, putting six umpires on the field during the World Series, and establishing the players' pension fund in 1947, with the $475,000 made by selling the rights to broadcast the World Series on the radio. |
| 1951 |
"I can no longer produce for my ballclub, my manager, my teammates, and my fans the sort of baseball their loyalty to me deserves." - Joe DiMaggio At the Yankees' Fifth Avenue suite in the Squibb Tower, a tearful Joe DiMaggio, two weeks after his 37th birthday, announces to the press his decision to retire from baseball. The Bronx Bomber outfielder, claiming he "no longer has it" due to age and injuries, ends his thirteen-year career with a lifetime .325 BA and 361 home runs, rejecting owner Dan Topping's $100,000 offer to play next season. |
| 1952 | The Pirates name Fred Haney as the team's manager, replacing Billy Meyer, who was selected as The Sporting News Major League Manager of the Year in 1948 following his first season at the helm. The Bucs will finish each season in last place, compiling a dismal 163-299 (.353) record during their new skipper's three-year tenure in Pittsburgh. |
| 1954 | The Phillies purchase Connie Mack Stadium for $1,675,000 from Arnold Johnson, the A's new owner, who acquired the ballpark as part of his purchase of the American League team. The Phils, who had been paying a minimal rent to share the park with the American League team, become the sole occupants of the aging downtown facility, their home for the next 15 seasons, when their Junior Circuit rivals move to Kansas City. |
| 1956 | Bob Feller, a future Hall of Fame hurler with the Indians, becomes the first president of a major league player association. One of many attempts by the players to form a union will prove to be very successful a decade later with the hiring of Marvin Miller to be the MLBPA's first executive director in 1966. |
| 1959 | After the Pirates reject the A's offer to exchange Dick Groat for Roger Maris, Kansas City, prohibited from trading the outfielder to the Yankees for 18 months, send the right fielder, shortstop Joe DeMaestri, and first baseman Kent Hadleyand to the Bronx for Hank Bauer, Don Larsen, Norm Siebern, and Marv Throneberry. The American League put a moratorium on trades by Kansas City, hoping to alleviate the perception that the team was serving as a 'big league' farm club for the Bronx Bombers. |
| 1962 | The Red Sox trade Tracy Stallard, Pumpsie Green, and a player to be named later (Al Moran) to the Mets in exchange for Felix Mantilla. Stallard, best known for throwing the pitch to Roger Maris for the record-breaking 61st home run, will become a twenty-game loser for New York in 1964. |
| 1965 | Braves' southpaw Warren Spahn, 44, becomes the first player in franchise history, and the only one not to play in Atlanta, to have his number retired. The winningest left-handed pitcher in baseball history, who wore number 21, won 363 games during his 21-year career, ending this season with brief stints with the Mets and Giants. |
| 1968 | The Angels trade two catchers, Ed Kirkpatrick and Dennis Paepke, to the Kansas City A's for Hoyt Wilhelm. Before being traded to Atlanta in September, the right-handed knuckleballer will post a 5-7 record and ten saves while compiling a respectable ERA of 2.47 during his five months with the Halos. |
| 1973 | Cubs third baseman Ron Santo, who avoids a trade to the Angels by becoming the first player to invoke the new 10 and 5 rule, agrees to be traded to the south side of Chicago to play for the rival White Sox. In return for the 33-year-old infielder, who will play just one season with the Pale Hose before retiring, the Cubs receive southpaw Jim Kremmel (the player to be named later), Ken Frailing, Steve Stone, and Steve Swisher. |
| 1975 | In a busy day of trading, the Yankees acquire pitchers Dock Ellis and Ken Brett and second baseman Willie Randolph from the Pirates for hurler Doc Medich. In a separate deal with the Angels, the Bronx Bombers trade Bobby Bonds for outfielder Mickey Rivers and pitcher Ed Figueroa. |
| 1975 | The Chicago White Sox announce Bill Veeck, along with a group of 40+ investors, has purchased the team, saving the cash-strapped franchise from being shifted to another city. John H. Johnson, the publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines, becomes the first black to hold an ownership stake in a major league team. |
| 1981 | The Giants re-sign 37-year-old Joe Morgan despite his mediocre performance with the team last season. The veteran second baseman will win the Silver Slugger award next season, compiling a .289 batting average. |
| 1986 | The Mets trade Kevin Mitchell, a rookie who played six positions for the eventual World Champs, along with prospects Stan Jefferson and Shawn Abner, and two other minor leaguers to the Padres for outfielder Kevin McReynolds, southpaw Gene Walter, and a minor leaguer. After being traded to the Giants during the season, the San Diego native becomes the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1989. |
| 1987 | The A's obtain Jesse Orosco from the Mets and then trades the southpaw reliever along with shortstop Alfredo Griffin and right-hander Jay Howell to the Dodgers for pitchers Matt Young, Bob Welch, and Jack Savage. New York gets Savage and right-hand hurlers Wally Whitehurst and Kevin Tapani from Oakland to complete the three-team, eight-player deal. |
| 1987 | In a rare trade between the cross-town rivals, the Mets trade Rafael Santana to the Yankees and minor leaguer Victor Garcia, who pitched for Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, for Steve Frey, Phil Lombardi, and Darren Reed. The starting shortstop for the world champs last season initially signed with the Bronx Bombers as an amateur free agent in 1976. |
| 1991 | The Royals deal right-hander Bret Saberhagen, who posted a 110-78 during his eight seasons with the team, and utility player Bill Pecota to the Mets for Gregg Jefferies, Kevin McReynolds, and Keith Miller. The two-time Cy Young Award winner will post only a 3-5 record in his first season with New York, compiling a 29-27 record during his 3+ seasons with New York. |
| 2000 | The Astros and Tigers complete a six-player trade with outfielder Roger Cedeno, catcher Mitch Meluskey, and right-hander Chris Holt going to Detroit and catcher Brad Ausmus, relievers Doug Brocail and Nelson Cruz headed for Houston. Ausmus, who attended Dartmouth College, will return to Detroit in 2014, compiling a 314-332 (.486) record during his four-year tenure as the team's manager. |
| 2001 | The Mets trade southpaw Billy Traber and outfielders Matt Lawton and Alex Escobar to the Indians for superstar second baseman Roberto Alomar, prospect Danny Peoples, and left-hander Mike Bacsik. The Gold Glove infielder, the centerpiece of the deal, will be a notable bust in Flushing, hitting just .265 and playing uninspired defense for New York before being shipped to the White Sox in the middle of the 2003 season. |
| 2007 | After declining offers from the Yomiuri Giants and his former team, the Chunichi Dragons, Kosuke Fukudome comes to terms with the Cubs on a four-year deal reported to be worth $48 million. The 30-year-old Japanese outfielder, also sought by the Padres, White Sox, Giants, and Rangers, compiled a .305 batting average during his 13-year tenure in Japan's Central League. |
| 2008 |
The Red Sox unveil their new but familiar "Hanging Sox" logo. Originally sewn on uniforms in 1931, the pair of red socks will now appear on most of the club's letterhead and signs, diminishing the use of the circular trademark, which contains the words "Boston Red Sox."
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| 2009 | The Rays obtain Rafael Soriano (27 saves, 2.97) from Atlanta, agreeing to a $7.25 million, one-year deal with the reliever to complete the transaction. The Braves, who get right-hander Jesse Chavez from Tampa Bay in the trade, recently bolstered their bullpen with Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito, making the 29-year-old right-hander expendable. |
| 2009 | Clearly stating he wants to be an everyday player on a winning team, Ivan Rodriguez agrees to a $6 million, two-year deal with the Nationals, the worst team in baseball last season. The 38-year-old catcher will share playing time and his experience with Jesus Flores, Washington's young up-and-coming backstop. |
| 2009 | Free agent Jason Kendall signs a $6 million, two-year deal to become the Royals' everyday catcher. The 35-year-old savvy backstop, a lifetime .290 hitter, batted only .241 with only two home runs and 43 RBIs with Milwaukee last season. |
| 2010 | Rays free-agent Carl Crawford agrees to a seven-year, $142-million deal with the Red Sox. The 29-year-old outfielder's tenure in Boston will be brief when he plays only two disappointing injury-plagued seasons with the team before being traded to the Dodgers as part of a blockbuster trade. |
| 2010 |
"He was a guy who was a class act and he meant more to the city than the players. When he walked down the street people knew him. He’s more recognizable than any player that’s been here." - KEN GRIFFEY, JR., former Mariners superstar speaking of Dave Niehaus in a video message played at a Safeco Field tribute to the late broadcaster. The Mariners honor Dave Niehaus, the team's long-time broadcaster, who died suddenly last month, with a Safeco Field ceremony attended by his family, team officials, former players, and thousands of fans. The Hall of Fame announcer, a fixture in the Seattle booth since the franchise's first pitch in 1977, is eulogized by Rick Rizzs, who becomes overwhelmed with emotion reminiscing about his broadcast partner for 25 years. |
| 2014 | In a blockbuster trade, the Marlins obtain speedster Dee Gordon, right-hander Dan Haren, infielder Miguel Rojas, and cash considerations from the Dodgers in exchange for Austin Barnes, Chris Hatcher, Enrique Hernandez, and their top southpaw prospect Andrew Heaney, who will be dealt later in the day by his new team to the Angels for Howie Kendrick. The addition of Gordon, who led the National League with 64 stolen bases last season, gives Miami a bona fide leadoff hitter while improving their defense at second base. |
| 2020 | Dave Dombrowski, 64, becomes the Phillies president of baseball operations, replacing Andy MacPhail, who had planned to retire after the 2021 season but had expressed a willingness to step aside sooner to make room for a new executive. Philadelphia's new operation's boss, taking over a team that hasn't had a winning record in nine years, has led the Expos, Marlins, Tigers, and Red Sox, winning four pennants and two Series titles during his 30+ years in the major leagues. |
31 Fact(s) Found