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This Day in Baseball History
December 22nd

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21 Fact(s) Found
1862 Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy is born in East Brookfield (MA) but will become better known as Connie Mack, changing his name to better fit on a scorecard. The 'Tall Tactician' will play in the National League with Washington, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh before serving as a manager and team executive for fifty-three years, spending fifty years as the owner-manager of the Philadelphia A's from 1900 through 1950.
1899 The American League owners meet to map a strategy against the established National League. The fledgling circuit agrees to place a team in Chicago with Charles Comiskey as the new Windy City franchise owner-manager.
1953 Jack Dunn III officially turns over the name Orioles to the Browns, the major league franchise relocating from St. Louis to Baltimore. The Dunn family had successfully operated the International League team in Charm City for 50 years.
1959 The upstart Continental League awards a franchise to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, joining Denver, Houston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York City, and Toronto, with Atlanta and Buffalo added later. All the cities in the newly proposed third major league circuit, which disbands before its first scheduled game when baseball agrees to expand, will eventually be awarded an MLB franchise except Buffalo.
1962 Voters in Harris County (TX) approve a bond issue to finance the world's first domed sports stadium, which will become home for the Houston Astros. The structure will become known as the Astrodome and dubbed the 'Eighth Wonder of the World.'
1980 The Red Sox mail Fred Lynn and catcher Carlton Fisk their new contracts two days after the Basic Agreement December 20th deadline, technically making their productive All-Stars eligible for free agency. After a favorable arbitrator ruling in February, the 33-year-old backstop will leave Boston, signing a $3.5 million deal with the White Sox, with the team dealing Lynn to the Angels, providing Boston with some compensation for losing their popular outfielder.
1982 For the third time this season, a team trades Lee Mazzilli. In August, the Yankees, after obtaining the Brooklyn native from the Rangers for Bucky Dent, dealt the first baseman/outfielder to the Pirates for Tim Burke and three minor leaguers.
1994 The Giants trade pitcher John Burkett to the Rangers for minor league infielders Desi Wilson and Rich Aurilia. The latter will spend nine years in his first tenure in San Francisco, becoming a vital offensive cog in the team's everyday lineup.
1995 Bill DeWitt, Jr. and two investment partners, Frederick and Stephen Brauer, agree to purchase the Cardinals from Anheuser-Busch for a reported $150 million. As the Browns' nine-year-old batboy, the new Redbird owner once lent his uniform to Eddie Gaedel, the shortest major leaguer in history, who made a single plate appearance, walking on four consecutive balls in a 1951 Bill Veeck stunt.
1995 After a Southwest Bank investment group promises to keep the franchise in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch agrees to sell the Cardinals to the financial establishment. The price tag of approximately $150 million is a bargain, with Forbes Magazine estimating the club's value to be worth twice that amount.
2000 The Mariners sign former Padres' second baseman Bret Boone to a $3.25 million, one-year deal. The brother of Aaron Boone, grandson of Ray Boone, and son of Bob Boone plays in only 127 games next season due to a bruised right knee that will end his season in August.
2000 The Giants, hoping to fill the void created by Ellis Burks' departure, sign veteran outfielder Eric Davis to a $1.5 million, one-year contract. The Players Choice Awards 'Man of the Year' had considered retirement, but the lure of more playing time changed his mind.
2001 Highly sought free agent Chan Ho Park (15-11, 3.50) signs a five-year, $65 million deal with the Rangers. Last year, the Korean right-hander led the Dodgers in wins, starts, innings, strikeouts, and opponents' batting average.
2005 The U.S. Treasury Department denies the request to allow Cuba to participate in the World Baseball Classic due to the possibility of financial gain by the island nation. MLB will apply again after Fidel Castro says his country will donate any money earned to Hurricane Katrina victims.
2009 The Yankees reacquired Javier Vazquez by trading outfielder Melky Cabrera to the Braves. The right-hander's last pinstripe performance was less than stellar, allowing two home runs, including a grand slam, which put Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS out of reach, completing the team's historic collapse after beating the Red Sox in the first three games of the championship series.
2009 Rockies free agent Jason Marquis (15-13, 4.04) signs a $15 million, two-year contract with the Nationals, hoping to become the anchor of the team's rotation. The 31-year-old right-handed starter, considered a workhorse by his former clubs, will be a veteran presence on the staff, which featured four rookies and a sophomore last season.
2009 Garrett Atkins (.226, 9, 48) and the Orioles finalize a $4.5 million, one-year deal after the 30-year-old infielder passes a physical. After his woeful performance last season, the Rockies, the only team he had ever played with during his seven years in the big leagues, failed to offer their former starting third baseman a contract for 2010.
2011 The Cardinals announce Carlos Beltran (.300, 22, 84), and the team has agreed on a two-year deal, pending the results of a physical. The 34-year-old outfielder, who signed for a reported $26 million, will play right field, allowing Lance Berkman to shift to first base to fill the void created by the departure of Albert Pujols to free agency.
2012 Ryan Freel, a victim of numerous head traumas during his nine-year major league career with the Reds and four other teams due to his aggressive style of play, is found dead from what appears to be a self-inflicted shotgun wound. Within a year, a study of the 36-year-old's brain will reveal he suffered from a degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a condition linked to suicides, believed to be triggered by repeated concussions.
2014 Phil Hughes (16-10, 3.52) and the Twins agree on a $58 million, five-year contract that adds $ 42 million in guaranteed money from 2017-19. The 28-year-old right-handed control artist, who led the major leagues with an 11.63 strikeout-to-walk ratio, lost a $500,000 bonus when a rainout ended the game, leaving him one out shy of earning an incentive.
2015 Los Angeles finalizes the plans for a likeness of Jackie Robinson to appear at Dodger Stadium, the first of its kind at the Chavez Ravine ballpark. The team commissioned former Brooklyn resident Branly Cadet, who plans to create a 9-to-10-foot tall statue around the theme of "Leveling the Playing Field."
21 Fact(s) Found