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17 Fact(s) Found
| 1919 |
During World War I, the Reds, unable to contact their manager Christy Mathewson, who is serving as a captain in the newly-created chemical service along with Ty Cobb, hire Pat Moran. The former Phillies skipper pilots the club to a 96-44 record en route to leading Cincinnati to a World Championship when they defeat the White Sox in the scandal-ridden Fall Classic.
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| 1948 | Attending the MLB Winter Meetings, 53-year-old Phillies GM Herb Pencock collapses in the New York hotel lobby, dying two hours later of a stroke after being rushed to a hospital. The former left-hander pitcher, who hurled 22 years in the majors with the A's, Red Sox, and Yankees, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame within weeks of his death. |
| 1952 |
The Little League headquarters relocates to Williamsport, PA, with Peter J. McGovern becoming the circuit's first full-time president. In November of 1955, Carl Stotz, who started the youth baseball program 28 years earlier, will not agree with the increasing commercialization of the organization, causing the LLB Inc. Board to remove him from his position as commissioner.
 Postcard of Little League Headquarters published by Chambers Photographers |
| 1958 |
Commissioner Ford Frick announces the fans will no longer vote in selecting participants for the All-Star Game, with teams now chosen by major league players and coaches. The change prevents the stuffing of the ballot box, as happened when fans, spurred on by ballots published daily in the Cincinnati Times-Star, local broadcast media, and Burger Beer supplying ballots to taverns, elected eight Reds to start last season's Midsummer Classic.
(Ed. Note: The commissioner replaced the Reds' fan selections of Wally Post and Gus Bell in the NL lineup with Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. -LP)
Click Here to Enlarge. |
| 1959 | The Reds trade catcher Smoky Burgess, pitcher Harvey Haddix, and third baseman Don Hoak to the Pirates. In return, Cincinnati receives third baseman Frank Thomas, right-hander Whammy Douglas, outfielder Johnny Powers, utility man Jim Pendleton, and cash. |
| 1987 | The Cubs trade veteran third baseman Ron Cey to the A's for infielder Luis Quinones. After he plays 45 games, Oakland releases the 39-year-old 'Penguin,' who retires with a .261 lifetime batting average after spending 17 years in the major leagues. |
| 1996 | The expansion Devil Rays name the first two skippers of their minor league system. Former major leaguer Tom Foley will manage at Butte in the Pioneer League, and veteran minor-league coach and manager Bill Evers will be at the helm for the St. Petersburg team in the Gulf Coast Rookie League. |
| 2003 | In his first year of eligibility, by a unanimous vote of the media covering the team, Cal Ripken Jr. joins his dad by becoming the 40th member of the Orioles Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will occur at Camden Years on September 6, marking the eighth anniversary of the night the Baltimore infielder broke Lou Gehrig's record consecutive games streak of 2,130 games. |
| 2006 | The Cubs and Jerry Hairston Jr. (.261, 4, 30) avoid salary arbitration when the second baseman/outfielder agrees to a one-year, $2.3 million deal. Last February, the 29-year-old Illinois native was acquired from the Orioles for slugger Sammy Sosa. |
| 2007 | 🇨🇳 Sending coaches, scouts, and player-development staff to the Far East, the Yankees agree to help establish baseball academies in China. The team's president, Randy Levine, committed the Bronx Bombers to help the Chinese Baseball Association develop young talent while promoting the game in a culture where the sport remains virtually unknown. |
| 2009 | The Mets avoid salary arbitration with John Maine (10-8, 4.18) when both sides agree to a $2.6 million, one-year deal. The 25-year-old right-handed starter, who missed the last five weeks of the season due to an injury to his pitching shoulder, is expected to play a significant role this year in the team's pitching rotation. |
| 2009 | Locking up their most effective starter through his remaining eligible years, the Pirates avoid arbitration by signing Paul Maholm to a $14.5 million, three-year contract, including a team option for 2012. In his 31 starts for the Bucs last season, the 26-year-old southpaw compiles a 9-9 record with a 3.71 ERA for a Pittsburgh team, a team finishing 28 games under .500. |
| 2009 | Jason Varitek reaches a preliminary agreement with the Red Sox for a reported guaranteed $5 million, one-year contract, including options for the 2010 season. The team's catcher and captain, a 12-year veteran, accepts much less than he would have made had he taken the team's arbitration offer made in December. |
| 2009 | Jon Garland agrees to a one-year deal with the Diamondbacks worth at least $7.25 million. The 29-year-old right-hander, who will fill Randy Johnson's spot as a starter, joins a strong Arizona rotation, including Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Max Scherzer, and Doug Davis. |
| 2009 | Appearing on CNN's "Larry King Live," Joe Torre answers questions concerning his book's inflammatory excerpts, The Yankee Years, which caused a firestorm of reaction from former players and fans after they were released last week. The Dodgers skipper, who managed the Bronx Bombers for a dozen seasons, tells the host he believes the controversy will die down and people will cool down after they get a chance to read the actual book. |
| 2012 | The Rangers sign Ron Washington to a two-year contract extension, which will keep the 59-year-old skipper in the Texas dugout through the 2014 season. Washington piloted the team to consecutive appearances in the World Series, losing to San Francisco and St. Louis in 2010 and 2011, respectively. |
| 2017 | As a result of a ruling handed down by commissioner Rob Manfred, the Cardinals will relinquish their top two picks in this year's amateur draft and pay the Astros $2 million as punishment for hacking into Houston's email system and scouting database. After pleading guilty to five counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer in federal court, Chris Correa, the former Redbirds scouting director, is placed on baseball's permanently ineligible list after being sentenced to serve 46 months in prison. |
17 Fact(s) Found