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11 Fact(s) Found
| 1936 | Two future Hall of Famers sign modest contracts with their respective teams. The Tigers ink 25-year-old first baseman Hank Greenberg, who will miss most of the season with an injured wrist, for $20,000, and 31-year-old right-hander Red Ruffing, who will post a 20-12 record, comes to terms with the Yankees for $12,000. |
| 1951 | During a spring exhibition game against the University of Southern California at Bovard Field, Mickey Mantle, batting left-handed, hit a home run off Tom Lovrich, estimated to have traveled 650 feet. The 19-year-old rookie's performance, which includes a single, triple, and another homer, is one of the highlights of the Yankees' first-ever West Coast trip. |
| 1957 | The police arrest Yankee manager Casey Stengel and then released him on $50 bail after allegedly kicking newspaper photographer Branan Sanders of the St. Petersburg Independent. The alleged altercation occurred in the first inning when the former World War II Associated Press photojournalist came into the Yankee dugout after being told he was obstructing the team's view of their opponents. |
| 1960 | Due to Cuba's political unrest, Miami becomes the new venue for the Orioles-Reds series, initially scheduled for Havana. Having a farm team on the island, Cincinnati wanted to play the exhibition games as planned, but Baltimore's team president, Lee MacPhail, feared for his players' safety. |
| 1974 |
"I said that there’d come a time when somebody would take my job away and the time came. That’s the way the ball bounces. I was the same way when I broke in with the White Sox. If I came, someone had to go. Baseball is like life; it goes on no matter what.” - LUIS APARICIO, commenting on his unconditional release by the Red Sox. After playing well for the team last season, the Red Sox drop two future Hall of Famers, releasing designated hitter Orlando Cepeda (1999) and infielder Luis Aparicio (1984). Cepeda was considered one of the best DHs in the American League with 86 RBIs, 20 home runs, and a .289 average, with Aparicio hitting a respectable .271 in 132 games, the best mark among shortstops in the league. |
| 1976 | The American League votes to expand to Toronto, awarding the franchise to a group led by Labatt's Breweries (45%) that eventually purchases the team for $7 million. At first, the decision appears in peril when President Gerald Ford attempts to pressure MLB to give the expansion franchise to Washington, D.C., a city without a major league team since the expansion Senators moved to Arlington (TX) to become the Rangers following the 1972 season. |
| 1977 | The Red Sox releases fan-favorite Rico Petrocelli, a future inductee to the club's Hall of Fame in 1997 who batted .251 and hit 210 home runs during his 13 seasons with Boston. The two-time All-Star infielder calls it quits, spending his career entirely with Boston, playing a vital role in the team's 1967 and 1975 American League pennants. |
| 1984 | In a spring training deal, the Phillies trade outfielders Gary Matthews, Bob Dernier, and right-handed reliever Porfi Altamirano to the Cubs for right-hander Bill Campbell and Mike Diaz, a utility player. The former Philadelphia fly chasers, who will each receive consideration for the MVP award, play a pivotal role in Chicago's first-place finish this season in the National League Eastern Division. |
| 1984 |
President Ronald Reagan awards Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color line playing for the Dodgers in 1947, the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously. On behalf of her late husband, Rachel Robinson accepts the award, the highest civilian honor given in the United States.
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| 1997 | The Expos trade Cliff Floyd to Marlins for right-hander Dustin Hermanson and outfielder Joe Orsulak. The presence of Montreal’s highly-touted prospect Vladimir Guerrero made their former fly-catcher expendable after he spent the first four major league seasons with the Canadian team. |
| 2000 |
The demolition of Kingdome takes less than 20 seconds, thanks to 5,800 holes filled with gelatin dynamite ignited by 21.6 miles of detonation cord. The former home of the Mariners, the venue of no-hitters by Randy Johnson (1990 vs. Tigers) and Chris Bosio (1993 vs. Red Sox), is now a 65-foot mound of rubble.
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11 Fact(s) Found