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This Day in Baseball History
October 29th

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23 Fact(s) Found
1889 The National League's Giants defeat the Bridegrooms of the American Association, 3-2, to win the World's Championship Series, a precursor to the modern-day World Series. The nine-game postseason matchup is the first 'Subway Series,' although that type of transportation will not be available until 1904 and Brooklyn will not be became part of New York City on January 1, 1898.
1920 In a move less heralded than the acquisition of Babe Ruth earlier in the year, the Yankees hire Red Sox skipper Ed Barrow to be the team's general manager. Under the future Hall of Famer's leadership over the next quarter-century, the Bronx Bombers will win 14 American League pennants and 10 World Series championships.
1931 A's southpaw Lefty Grove, capturing a 98% share of the vote, is named the American League's MVP, easily outpacing runner-ups Lou Gehrig and Al Simmons. The future Hall of Famer left-hander posted a 31-4 (.886) record while compiling a league-leading 2.08 ERA for first-place Philadelphia.
1942 Branch Rickey, the innovator of the farm systems that helped build a strong Redbird franchise, resigns as the Cardinals' vice president. Three days later, the Dodgers name the Mahatma the Brooklyn club president, helping fill the void created by Brooklyn's general manager Larry MacPhail's enlistment in the army to serve in World War II.
1959 White Sox right-hander Early Wynn, who posted the most victories in either league, wins the Cy Young Award as the top pitcher in the majors. The 39-year-old veteran, who led Chicago to an AL pennant with a 22-10 record, is named on 13 of the 16 votes cast by the BBWAA writers, with the Giants' Sam Jones and teammate Bob Shaw also receiving consideration.
1969 Tom Seaver garners 23 of 24 possible first-place votes cast by the BBWAA to capture the National League Cy Young Award. The 24-year-old right-hander from Fresno (CA) led the major leagues in victories with 25 while striking out 200+ batters for the second straight season and compiling a 2.21 ERA, the second lowest in the MLB, for the World Champion Mets.

(Ed. Note: Tom Terrific misses being the writers' unanimous choice when one scribe casts a ballot for Braves right-hander Phil Niekro, who posted a 23-13 record for the NL West Division champs. - LP)

1975 As their overwhelming choice, the Baseball Writers' Association of America selects Fred Lynn (.331, 21, 105) as the American League Rookie of the Year. The 22-year-old Red Sox All-Star outfielder receives 23½ out of 24 first-place votes, with teammate Jim Rice getting the other half.
1979 Willie Mays, one of the game's most popular players, severs all ties with major league baseball when he accepts a public relations job with an Atlantic City casino. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn issued an ultimatum to the Hall of Fame outfielder to disassociate himself from the national pastime due to the gambling aspect of the position
1985 Commissioner Peter Ueberroth suspends Cardinal pitcher Joaquin Andujar for the first ten games next season due to bumping Don Denkinger twice during his World Series Game 7 dispute with the home plate umpire over balls and strikes calls. The Redbird right-hander's frustration is a carry-over from the ump's game-costing blown call at first base in yesterday's ballgame.

1991 Buck Showalter replaces Stump Merrill as the Yankee manager. During his four-year reign as the Bronx Bomber skipper, the 36-year-old will compile a 313-268 (.539) record, capturing the American League Manager of the Year award and AL East title in 1994 and the league's first wild card the following year.
1991 Braves skipper Bobby Cox becomes the first person selected as the Manager of the Year in both leagues when the BBWAA picks him as the National League's top field boss. The 50-year-old former third baseman, who won the AL honor with the Blue Jays in 1985, led Atlanta to their first pennant after the team finished with the worst record during the previous season.
2001

"As the (economic) problems have exacerbated, it has become clearer to me that everything should be on the table, including contraction." - COMMISSIONER BUD SELIG, commenting on the possible elimination of two major league teams as soon as next season.

Before Game 2 of the World Series, Commissioner Bud Selig says major league baseball is considering eliminating two teams by next season. The highly controversial contraction would include the Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, or Florida Marlins.

2002 Bringing the total to seven this month, three more teams hire new managers, including Ned Yost (Brewers), Ken Macha (A's), and Eric Wedge (Indians). Being younger than two of his players (Ellis Burks and Omar Vizquel), the Tribe's skipper, at age 34, becomes the youngest manager in the major leagues.
2006 Silas Simmons, the oldest surviving former baseball player, passes away at St. Petersburg's Westminster Suncoast retirement community in Florida. The 111-year-old was a southpaw hurler in the Negro Leagues for 17 years and played for the Homestead Grays, New York Lincoln Giants, and Cuban All-Stars.
2008 The Phillies complete the first-ever suspended game in World Series history, playing three innings at Citizens Bank Park, beating the Rays, 4-3, in Game 5 to win the Fall Classic. The World Championship is only the team's second in franchise history and the first since 1980.

2009 Derek Jeter is the recipient of this year's Roberto Clemente Award, an honor given to a player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, and community involvement. The 35-year-old Yankee captain joins 13 Hall of Famers and former Bronx Bombers Ron Guidry and Don Baylor in winning the prestigious prize.
2010 The Mets officially introduced 62-year-old Harvard Law School graduate Sandy Alderson as the team's new general manager at a Citi Field news conference. The A's former GM (1983-1997) and the CEO of the Padres from 2005 to 2009 is leaving his current administrative position with MLB to take on the challenging role of rebuilding the directionless organization, including hiring a new manager for the team.
2010 Joe Girardi finalizes a new three-year contract with the Yankees to remain the team's manager. During the season, rumors surfaced that the Illinois native and former Cub catcher might be interested in replacing the retiring Lou Piniella as the Chicago skipper, a position recently filled by interim Mike Quade.
2013 After batting .360 (9-for-25) with three home runs and nine RBIs for his island nation during the World Baseball Classic, Jose Abreu, who defected from Cuba last summer, finalizes a $68 million, six-year deal with the White Sox. The Pale Hose projects the 26-year-old slugger to play first base/DH, helping the team bolster a weak offense, which scored the fewest runs in the American League this season.
2014 In Game 7 at Kauffman Stadium, the Giants clinch their third World Series in five years when the team defeats the Royals, 3-2. San Francisco's 25-year-old southpaw Madison Bumgarner, the MVP of the Fall Classic, hurls the five final scoreless innings to earn the save in addition to his victories in Games 1 and 5.

2015 On the day the Sporting News names him the Executive of the Year, Blue Jays' GM Alex Anthopoulos rejects a five-year contract extension after bringing the franchise to an AL East Championship the previous season and posting a 489–483 record during his six-year tenure with the team. The 38-year-old, who will become the Dodgers' vice president of baseball operations in January, is believed to have departed the organization after quarreling with Toronto's new president and CEO, Mark Shapiro, concerning his autonomy as the club's general manager.
2016 The Marlins hire Don Mattingly as its new skipper, replacing Dan Jennings, who became the team's interim manager after Mike Redmond's firing in May. The recently departed Dodger skipper will spend seven seasons with Miami, compiling a 443-587 record (.430) with the team making the postseason as a Wild Card in the 2020 COVID-shortened season.
2020 Tony La Russa becomes the White Sox's new manager, replacing Rick Renteria, who the organization fired after leading the team to their first postseason appearance in 12 years. The incoming 76-year-old Hall of Fame skipper, dismissed after eight seasons with the club in 1986, compiled a 2,884-2,499 (.536) record during his 35 campaigns in the dugout en route to winning World Championships with the A's (1989) and Cardinals (2006, 2011).
23 Fact(s) Found