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This Day in Baseball History
November 26th

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18 Fact(s) Found
1937 Manhattan Merry Go Round, a musical comedy featuring Joe DiMaggio as himself, premieres today. On the set, the Yankee Clipper meets Dorothy Arnold, who will become his first wife in 1939 and the mother of his only child, Joe Jr.

1960 After moving from Washington, D.C., to an area near Minneapolis and St. Paul, known as the Twin Cities, the newly-arrived ballclub named the Minnesota Twins become the first major league team to represent an entire state. The American League's new expansion team in the nation's capital will continue to call the club the Senators, but it will be an entirely different franchise.

1961 Despite top-administrative support for bringing back a pitch banned in 1920, the Professional Baseball Rules Committee votes, 8-1, against legalizing the spitball, with only National League supervisor of umpires Cal Hubbard voting in favor of the change. Commissioner Ford Frick and American League president Joe Cronin favored the proposal, citing the deceptive pitch could help reduce the recently increasing home run totals.
1962 After batting .326 to capture his second batting title, Red Sox infielder Pete Runnels is traded to the Colt .45s, as he requested. Boston swaps the 34-year-old Texas native, who will hit only .252 next season, for outfielder Roman Mejias, who will spend two seasons with Boston in a part-time role before retiring.

(Ed. Note: The two-time batting champ, who won his first title in 1960, will spend two seasons with Houston before ending his 14-year career with a .291 lifetime batting average. - LP)

1962 The Dodgers trade pitcher Stan Williams (14-12, 4.46) for Yankee first baseman Bill Skowron (.270, 23, 80). 'Moose' will hit .385, including a home run in Game 2, against his former teammates in Los Angeles' four-game sweep of the Bronx Bombers in next season's Fall Classic.
1963 Pete Rose, who still shares a room with his brother in their childhood home seven miles from Crosley Field, is named the National League Rookie of the Year. The 22-year-old Reds second baseman collects 17 of the 20 votes cast by the BBWAA, with Mets infielder Rookie Hunt named on two of the ballots and Phillies right-hander Ray Culp listed on the other.
1965 Dodgers second baseman Jim Lefebvre is selected as the National League Rookie of the Year, receiving 13 of 20 first-place votes to easily outdistance runners-up Astro second baseman Joe Morgan (4) and Giants reliever Frank Linzy (3). Frenchy hit a team-leading 12 home runs (tied with Lou Johnson) and led the league with 14 game-winning hits (tied with Cubs outfielder Billy Williams) for the eventual World Champs.
1974 Catfish Hunter, who claims his contract was violated by the A's for failing to pay $50,000 into a long-term annuity fund, meets with an arbitrator and team owner Charlie Finley in New York. Peter Seitz of the American Arbitration Association will eventually rule in favor of the right-hander, making the Oakland hurler the first big-name star in modern times to become a free agent.
1975 Receiving 22 of the 24 writers' first-place votes, Fred Lynn easily outdistances Royals' first baseman/DH John Mayberry for the American League's Most Valuable Player award. The 22-year-old Red Sox flycatcher becomes the first player in baseball history to win the MVP award after being named Rookie of the Year in the same season.
1980 Philadelphia third baseman Mike Schmidt (.286, 48, 121), garnering all of the writers' 24 first-place votes, wins the Most Valuable Player Award. Joining outfielder Chuck Klein (1932) and pitcher Jim Konstanty (1950), the 30-year-old slugger becomes the third Phillies player, the first in team history to be selected unanimously, to cop the prestigious prize.
1986 The Yankees trade 24-year-old right-hander Doug Drabek, Logan Easley, and Brian Fisher to the Pirates for veterans Rick Rhoden, Cecilio Guante, and Pat Clements. The Bronx Bombers will regret sending their rookie starter to Pittsburgh after winning the 1990 Cy Young Award, posting a 22-6 record for the Bucs.
1996 With the owners' approval of the collective bargaining agreement, regular-season interleague play and revenue sharing become a reality. The landmark agreement voted down 18-12 three weeks ago is ratified overwhelmingly by a 26-4 majority. 
2003 The A's trade catcher Ramon Hernandez and disgruntled flychaser Terrence Long to the Padres for outfielder Mark Kotsay, hoping to add punch to their outfield. The deal is contingent upon Kotsay's cranky back getting a clean bill of health.
2004 Easily outpointing Yankee outfielder Gary Sheffield, Vladimir Guerrero, receiving 21 of the 28 first-place votes, cops the American League MVP Award after signing as a free agent with the Angels the offseason. The Mets missed an opportunity to ink the 28-year-old former Expos when the team refused to guarantee his salary based on the opinion of their medical staff.
2007 The Cubs re-signed 30-year-old free agent Kerry Wood to a one-year, $4.2 million deal, including additional incentives for closing games. The fragile former right-handed starter, who turned down multi-year offers from other clubs to stay with Chicago, will have an opportunity to become the club's closer.
2009 Citing his age and the lack of stamina needed to do the job well, legendary Yankee public address announcer Bob Sheppard officially retires, having not done a game since 2007. The 99-year-old Voice of Yankee spent over 50 seasons behind the microphone, introducing lineups that included Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Derek Jeter.
2010 The Dodgers complete their starting rotation by signing Jon Garland to a $5 million, one-year deal with a club option for an additional season. The 31-year-old right-hander joins the formidable foursome of Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, and Ted Lilly.
2011 Before the Mariners play their two regular-season games against the A's to open the major league season in Japan, MLB announces the team will face the Seibu Lions and Yomiuri Giants in exhibition contests on March 22 and 23. Seattle features former Japanese superstar Ichiro Suzuki, who signed a three-year deal with the team in 2001.
18 Fact(s) Found