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This Day in Baseball History
February 28th

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11 Fact(s) Found
1903 Pittsburgh owner Barney Dreyfuss and James Potter lead a syndicate to buy the Phillies from John Rogers and A. J. Reach for $170,000. Owning more than one team will not be prohibited for another seven years.
1966 Refusing to report to spring training, Dodger pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale begin their joint holdout, asking for a $1 million three-year contract to be divided equally between them. The deal, equivalent to an annual salary of $167,000 for each hurler, will make them the best-paid baseball players, easily surpassing Willie Mays' $125,000 yearly paycheck with the Giants.
1975 The Mets purchase slugger Dave Kingman from the Giants. San Francisco drafted the 26-year-old first baseman/outfielder as the team's first pick in the initial round of the secondary phase of the 1970 amateur draft.
1985 Rick Reuschel signs as a free agent with the Pirates, spending the first two months in the minors. After being called up in May, 'Big Daddy' will win 14 games and be named the National League's Comeback Player of the Year by the Sporting News.
1986 Joaquin Andujar, Dale Berra, Enos Cabell, Keith Hernandez, Jeffrey Leonard, Dave Parker, and Lonnie Smith, known as the 'Cocaine Seven,' are severely disciplined for their "prolonged pattern of drug use" and the distribution of drugs to others in the sport. Commissioner Peter Ueberroth drops their season-long suspension after they agree to donate ten percent of their base salaries to drug-related community service in the city they played, submit to random drug testing, and do one hundred hours of community service.
1989 The Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee elects Red Schoendienst, who spent 19 years in the major leagues and managed the Cardinals to a world championship in 1967, and Al Barlick, a 29-year veteran umpire, best known for his booming voice. The pair joins last month's BBWAA selection of Reds' catcher Johnny Bench and Red Sox outfielder Carl Yastrzemski.
1990 After meeting for more than five hours and taking three ballots, the Veterans Committee does not select a player for induction to the Hall of Fame for the second time in three years. The finalists, Phil Rizzuto, Nellie Fox, Richie Ashburn, Leo Durocher, Joe Gordon, Tony Lazzeri, Cecil Travis, Carl Mays, Vic Willis, Hal Newhouser, and umpire Bill McGowan, do not receive the 11 votes required for election from the 14 members present at the annual meeting.
2000

"In the end, I could not ignore Darryl's past infractions and concluded that each of us must be held accountable for his or her actions. I am hopeful that he will use this time away from the game productively and will care for himself and his family." - BASEBALL COMMISSIONER BUD SELIG, commenting on his decision to suspend Darryl Strawberry.

Baseball suspends Yankee outfielder/DH Darryl Strawberry for one year after his positive test for cocaine last month. Commissioner Bud Selig does not make any provision for an early return to the eight-time All-Star game from the suspension based on good behavior.

2005 Right-hander Jake Peavy (15-6, 2.27) and the Padres agree to the terms of a four-year deal, with the team holding an option for a fifth year. The 23-year-old right-hander, who led the majors with the lowest ERA, opted to sign now rather than take a chance in his first year of salary arbitration eligibility after the season.
2011 The U.S. government places a plaque at Jackie Robinson's former apartment in Montreal as a tribute to the Canadian city for its exemplary treatment of the future Hall of Fame infielder. The season before he broke the color barrier, the Dodger farmhand led the hometown Royals to the 1946 International League championship with a .349 batting average, earning the circuit's Most Valuable Player for his outstanding performance.

2014 In an online contest sponsored by the MLB Network, the fans choose Mets' third baseman David Wright as the Face of Major League Baseball. The seven-time All-star, dubbed "Captain America" due to his heroics last season's WBC, narrowly beat A's infielder Eric Sogard in the bracket-style competition where fans voted on Twitter.
11 Fact(s) Found