BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

2/20
BIRTHDAYS
1890 Sam Rice HOF outfielder (World Series 1924; AL stolen base leader 1920; Washington Senators 1915-33), born in Morocco, Indiana (d. 1974)


1913 Tommy Henrich utility (MLB All Star 1942, 1947–50; World Series 1938, 41, 47, 49, 51; NY Yankees), born in Massillon, Ohio (d. 2009)


1920 Frankie Gustine infielder (MLB All-Star 1946, 47, 48; Pittsburgh Pirates), born in Hoopeston, Illinois (d. 1991)


1928 Elroy Face pitcher (Pittsburgh Pirates)


1941 Clyde Wright, American MLB pitcher (no-hitter v Oakland 1970), born in Jefferson City, Tennessee


1959 Bill Gullickson, American MLB baseball pitcher, 1979-94 (Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers, and 2 other teams), born in Marshall, Minnesota

1966 Derek Lilliquist, American baseball pitcher (Cleveland Indians, Atl Braves)

1967 Kurt Knudsen pitcher (Detroit Tigers)

1975 Liván Hernández player

1982 Jason Hirsh player

1983 Justin Verlandre (Houston Astros), born in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia


1985 Ryan Sweeney player

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1923 Giants attorney Emil Fuchs and Christy Mathewson, who becomes the principal owner and team president, put together a syndicate that buys the Boston Braves for $300,000. The future Hall of Famer right-hander's deteriorating health reduces him no more than a figurehead, turning over the presidency to Fuchs at the end of the season.

1929 The Red Sox announce the team will play its newly allowed Sunday games at Braves Field, the home of their National League rivals located on Commonwealth Avenue at Babcock Street. The team will not play Sunday contests at Fenway Park until 1932 because the blue laws restrict the venue's use due to its proximity to churches.

1953 August A. Busch, seeing the purchase as a marketing tool, convinces the Board of Directors of Anheuser-Busch to buy the Cardinals from Fred Saigh for $3.75 million. The beer baron convinces the former owner, convicted of tax evasion, as a matter of civic pride to take less money than the offer from an ownership group that would move the Redbirds to Houston.

1963 The Cubs officially put an end to their radical approach in using multiple field bosses when they hire Bob Kennedy as their only manager. With the "College of Coaches" system disbanded, the club will post an 82-80 record under their lone skipper.

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1963 After leading the Giants to the pennant, Willie Mays becomes the game's presently highest-paid player, signing a $100,000 contract, a ten-thousand-dollar increase from last season. The 31-year-old outfielder, who slugged a major league-leading 49 home runs last year, joins Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio, and Ted Williams to ink a six-figure deal.

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1984 Pedro Guerrero becomes the highest-paid Dodger when he signs a five-year, seven-million dollar contract to play in Los Angeles. The 27-year-old Dominican Republic native, a .305 lifetime hitter who paced the team last season with 32 homers and 103 RBIs, made it clear he would not accept anything less than $1.2 million for the upcoming campaign.

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1992 After Homer Simpson's team qualifies for the league final, power plant owner Montgomery Burns hires nine major league players to win a $1 million bet with rival Shelbyville. Darryl Strawberry, the only big-leaguer to play due to a series of bizarre pregame accidents, hits nine home runs, but Burns replaces the southpaw slugger with Homer in the last inning because he wants a righty to face the opponent's left-hander. The original lineup included Darryl Strawberry, Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Ken Griffey Jr., Steve Sax, Ozzie Smith, Jose Canseco, Don Mattingly, and Mike Scioscia.

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1996 The Yankees officially sign Dwight Gooden, who didn't play last season due to being suspended for drugs, to a one-year deal with two option years. The complicated contract, necessitated by the hurler's past addictions, calls for a salary of $1M in 1996, then $2M in 1997 and $3M in 1998, and requires the 31-year-old right-hander to be tested for drugs three times a week while participating in a 12-step program.

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2008 "My, oh my," Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus goes into the Baseball Hall of Fame. On his 73rd birthday, the veteran announcer, the team's lead play-by-play announcer from their inaugural season in 1977 until his death after the 2010 season, learns he is the recipient of the 2008 Ford C. Frick Award for broadcast excellence.

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2009 Tom Glavine, with the most wins among active pitchers, agrees to a one-year, $1 million deal to stay with the Braves. The 42-year-old southpaw, who underwent surgery for a torn ligament in his left elbow, posted a 2-4 record with a 5.54 ERA in 13 starts for Atlanta before being shut down for the season last August.

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2009 Baltimore inks Brian Roberts to a four-year contract extension reportedly worth $40 million. Along with Nick Markakis, who recently signed a six-year, $66 million deal, the 31-year-old talented second baseman becomes the second home-grown Oriole player within a month to agree to a long-term pact to stay with the last-place club.

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2009 Avoiding arbitration, the Nationals and Ryan Zimmerman (.283, 14, 51) agree to a one-year, $3.3 million contract. The 24-year-old third baseman is Washington's all-time leader in almost every offensive category, including homers, RBI, runs, and hits, as well as games, since the franchise relocated from Montreal four seasons ago.

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Today in Baseball History
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On February 20 in Baseball History...

• • 1903 - Nick Young remains N.L. president when A.G. Spalding bows out of the battle.
    
  • 1923 - Christy Mathewson becomes president of the Boston Braves after buying the club for $300,000 with New York attorney Judge Emil Fuchs and Bostonian James McDonough. The deal does not include Braves Field, which still belongs to James Gaffney. There are also 85 minority stockholders.
    
  • 1929 - The Red Sox announce they will play Sunday games (allowed for the first time in Boston) at Braves Field, because Fenway Park is located too close to a church.
    
  • 1943 - Phil Wrigley and Branch Rickey charter the All-American Girls Softball League. The league will operate around the Chicago area and is formed as a sports backup in case the government shuts down major league baseball. The league will later change its name and switch to hardball with a pitching distance of 40 feet and bases 68 feet apart.
    
  • 1953 - August A. Busch buys the Cardinals for $3.75 million and pledges not to move the team from St. Louis.
    
  • 1958 - The Los Angeles Coliseum Commission approves a two-year pact for use of its facility by the Dodgers.

Baseball Birthdays on February 20...

• • 1858 - Toy, Jim
  • 1862 - Raymond, Harry
  • 1864 - Stine, Harry
  • 1866 - Pickett, John
  • 1873 - O'Brien, Tom
  • 1873 - Babb, Charlie
  • 1874 - Bennett, Pug
  • 1875 - Rafter, Jack
  • 1876 - Samuls, Ike
  • 1887 - Brown, Boardwalk
  • 1888 - Magner, Stubby
  • 1890 - Turner, Tink
  • 1890 - Rice, Sam
  • 1890 - Davenport, Dave
  • 1894 - Sutherland, Suds
  • 1896 - Ruel, Muddy
  • 1897 - O'Neill, Harry
  • 1900 - Williamson, Al
  • 1912 - Wistert, Whitey
  • 1913 - Henrich, Tommy "Tom Henrich. He never over-swung. He made a ball be a strike and he would swing at a low overhand curve now and then. Tom would go for the single and cut down on his swing with two strikes. He was a good clutch hitter and tough to strike out--it seemed he was always looking for the pitch I was delivering." - Bob Feller in Baseball Digest (Associate Director of the Baseball Hall of Fame William J. Guilfoile, August 1992, 'Hall of Famers Name Their Toughest Diamond Foes'
  • 1917 - Bolling, Jack
  • 1920 - Gustine, Frankie "That son-of-a-gun (Ralph Kiner) went on to make $90,000 while I kept plodding at $10,000. He was my roomate, a great guy. I am very happy he finally made it to Cooperstown. He deserves it." - Frankie Gustine in Baseball Digest (May 1975)
  • 1920 - Valdes, Roy
  • 1921 - Robinson, Jack
  • 1922 - Reeder, Bill
  • 1922 - Wilson, Jim
  • 1924 - Yvars, Sal
  • 1928 - Face, Roy "Everyone asks me the same question. They want to know if I'm tired. I always say, 'No'. I've pitched so many times, once more doesn't matter." - Elroy Face (during the 1960 World Series) in Baseball Digest (November 1974)
  • 1936 - Hawkins, Wynn
  • 1941 - Wright, Clyde
  • 1947 - Buskey, Tom
  • 1957 - Figueroa, Jesus
  • 1958 - Snyder, Brian
  • 1959 - Gullickson, Bill
  • 1963 - Lombardi, Phil
  • 1965 - Faries, Paul
  • 1965 - Menendez, Tony
  • 1966 - Lilliquist, Derek
  • 1967 - Knudsen, Kurt
  • 1972 - Spencer, Shane
  • 1974 - Fordham, Tom
  • 1975 - McDonald, Donzell
  • 1975 - Estrella, Leo
  • 1975 - Hernandez, Livan

Copyright � 2001-2007. All Rights Reserved.
Part of the Baseball Almanac family: 755 Home Runs | Around the Horn | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Today in Baseball History.​

 

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2/21
BIRTHDAYS
1903 Tom Yawkey HOF executive (owner Boston Red Sox 1933-76), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1976)

1946 Bob Ryan, American sportswriter (The Boston Globe), born in Trenton, New Jersey

1958 Alan Trammell HOF shortstop (6 × MLB All-Star; World Series MVP 1984; Detroit Tigers) and manager (Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks), born in Garden Grove, California


1966 Chris Donnels infielder (Mets, Houston Astros), born in Angeles, California


1970 Javier De La Hoya pitcher (Florida Marlins), born in Durango, Mexico

1977 Chad Hutchinson baseball & football player, born in San Diego, California

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1931 The Dodgers arrive in Cuba to start a series of five inter-squad games. Brooklyn right-hander Dolf Luque, known as the Pride of Havana, will appear in the exhibitions scheduled for the spacious Tropical Stadium.

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1945 Due to wartime travel restrictions, the Office of Defense Transportation has requests major league clubs to cut travel by twenty-five percent. Commissioner Ford Frick estimates the decision to cancel the All-Star game, which has taken place annually since its inception in 1933, will save 500,000 passenger miles.

1966 Emmett Ashford becomes the first black to be a major league umpire when the American League hires him. 'Ash,' known for his flashy style in the PCL, will spend five years in the bigs, working the 1967 All-Star game and the 1970 World Series, before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.

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1968 The players and owners reach the first-ever collective basic agreement. The two-year CBA raises the minimum salary from $6,000 to $10,000, the first increase in two decades, and provides a new grievance arbitration procedure for labor disputes empowers the commissioner as the final arbiter.

1974 Tom Seaver becomes the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history when he signs a one-year contract for $172,000, a twenty-five percent increase from last season, to hurl for the Mets. The 29-year-old right-hander known as 'Tom Terrific' has posted a 135-76 record during his seven years in New York.

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1980 Billy Martin signs a two-year, $250,000 deal to be the A's manager becoming Charlie Finley's fifteenth different skipper in the past twenty years. During the three-year reign of 'Billy Ball,' the fiery 51-year-old skipper will compile a 215-218 record, winning a division title as the first-half leader of the 1981 strike-shortened season in the AL West.

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1986 In defiance of the Reds' policy, Rollie Fingers refuses to cut off his trademark handlebar mustache and retires from baseball. The future Hall of Fame reliever, who leaves the game with 341 saves, had been offered a contract by Cincinnati's skipper Pete Rose after being released by the Brewers at the end of last season.

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1989 Reds manager Pete Rose meets with Commissioner Peter Ueberroth and Commissioner-elect Bart Giamatti to explain the allegations concerning his gambling habits. Major League Baseball will launch a full investigation into the matter next month, which will lead to "Charlie Hustle's" permanent ban from the game in August.

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2000 Denying the acquisition of Ken Griffey, Jr. as the reason, the Reds announce the team has dropped its prohibition on earrings. Players have worn the jewelry in the Cincinnati clubhouse but weren't allowed to take the field wearing earwear.

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2006 The National Baseball Hall of Fame selects Gene Elston to receive the Ford C. Frick Award. During his 47 years in the broadcast booth, the former Astros announcer brought a no-nonsense approach to reporting the happenings on the diamond.

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2008 Ryan Howard, who made $900,000 last season, gets a substantial raise by winning his salary arbitration case against the Phillies. The 28-year-old first baseman receives a $10 million award, tying Alfonso Soriano, who had sought $12 million and lost, for the highest amount ever given to a player in the process.

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2009 In a decision which team general manager Neal Huntington calls easy, the Pirates pick up John Russell's contract option for this season. The sophomore skipper went 67-95 in his first season with the last-place Bucs.

2019 Manny Machado agrees to a 10-year, $300 million contract with the Padres, making the 25-year-old infielder's deal the richest free-agent signing in baseball history. Bryce Harper will surpass the all-time free-agent jackpot in two weeks, signing a 13-year, $330 million commitment with the Phillies.

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Today in Baseball History
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Search archives: Historical Events Baseball Birthdays Baseball Deaths
On February 21 in Baseball History...

• • 1931 - The Chicago White Sox and the New York Giants become the first major league teams to meet in a night game. They collect 23 hits in a 10-inning exhibition game played at Buffs Stadium in Houston.
    
  • 1951 - The South Carolina House introduces a resolution urging that Shoeless Joe Jackson, who was banished from baseball because of his part in the Black Sox Scandal of 1919, be reinstated.
    
  • 1957 - Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley trades minor league franchises with Phil Wrigley of the Cubs. Brooklyn gives up its Ft. Worth club (Texas League) in return for the Los Angeles Angels (Pacific Coast League). In a year's time, Brooklyn will be without a team and Los Angeles will be a major league city.
    
  • 1969 - Ted Williams returns to baseball full-time, signing a five-year contract to manage the Washington Senators.
    
  • 1985 - Tim Raines is awarded a $1.2 million salary for 1985 by arbitrator John Roberts. This is the largest award to date through the process. The 25-year-old Raines hit .309 for the Expos in 1984 and led all players with 75 stolen bases.
    
  • 1986 - Rollie Fingers loses a chance to continue his career with the Cincinnati Reds when he refuses to shave his trademark handlebar mustache to comply with club policy.
    
  • 1989 - Reds manager Pete Rose meets with Commissioner Peter Ueberroth and Commissioner-elect Bart Giamatti to discuss his gambling habits.

Baseball Birthdays on February 21...

• • 1867 - Meekin, Jouett
  • 1870 - Duzen, Bill
  • 1875 - Taylor, Dummy
  • 1876 - Titus, John
  • 1879 - Smith, Ed
  • 1880 - Hughes, Joe Hughes was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on August 30, 1902, with the Chicago Cubs.
  • 1880 - Wright, Lucky
  • 1886 - Remneas, Alex
  • 1890 - Beck, George
  • 1893 - Plitt, Norman
  • 1893 - Williams, Marsh
  • 1896 - Moore, Ferdie
  • 1896 - McCabe, Dick
  • 1896 - Gross, Turkey
  • 1907 - Hansen, Snipe
  • 1914 - Gray, Milt
  • 1924 - Hittle, Lloyd
  • 1936 - Savage, Ted "The International League's most exciting rookie since Jackie Robinson. The best hitter we've played with or against. Easily the league's most valuable player in the last two months. He'll be a name player for ten years in the majors. Those were the paeans of praise showered on Ted Savage as he led the Buffalo Bisons to their fourth Governors' Cup playoff championship in 28 years. His own teammates, rival players, managers, scouts and writers joined in the salute to the 24-year-old outfielder who batted .450 while the Bisons won eight of nine playoff games. Savage scored 11 runs in the nine games and collected 18 hits, which included three doubles, two triples and three homers. Though a leadoff man, he drove in five runs. 'He is the most honest batting champion I ever knew,' said Manager Kerby Farrell. 'He had the speed to bunt for base-hits in the closing weeks, but he never bunted once to win the batting crown (.326) against the challenge of Tom Tresh (Richmond) and Johnny Powell (Rochester). He won it on power.'" - Kritzer, Cy. Frosh Savage Hero of Bison Playoff Kings. The Sporting News. 4 October 1961. Page 51.
  • 1940 - Gallagher, Doug
  • 1942 - Newman, Fred
  • 1943 - Foy, Joe
  • 1943 - Billingham, Jack "It wasn't a bad pitch (the one turned on for the 714th home run), but it wasn't good enough against Hank Aaron." - Jack Billingham (1974)
  • 1945 - Shopay, Tom
  • 1947 - Walters, Charlie
  • 1947 - Ley, Terry
  • 1948 - Slayback, Bill
  • 1953 - Lysander, Rick
  • 1958 - Trammell, Alan "In the early 1980s, things started to change, as the American League produced a trio of talented two-way shortstops who could field their position and pose a substantial threat to pitchers. The Brewers' Robin Yount, who debuted in the majors in 1974 at the tender age of 18, evolved into a top-notch hitter and earned MVP honors in 1982 as Milwaukee won the pennant. The Orioles' Cal Ripken kicked off a stretch of 10 straight seasons with at least 20 homers in his official rookie season of 1982—as well as a record-setting consecutive games streak—and the next year, he too claimed an MVP award as Baltimore won the World Series. Debuting between those two, in late 1977, was the Tigers' Alan Trammell. He didn't win the MVP award in 1984—that honor went to reliever Willie Hernandez, a teammate—but he hit .314/.382/.468 while helping Detroit to a world championship. Trammell would spend 20 years with the Tigers, and while he didn't reach 3,000 hits like Yount (who eventually moved to centerfield and won another MVP Award) or Ripken (who also won a second MVP before moving to third base for his final few years), he did make six All-Star teams and win four Gold Gloves in his career, even while competing for attention with the other two." - Jaffe, Jay. Sports Illustrated Staff Writer. JAWS and the 2014 Hall of Fame ballot: Alan Trammell. 11 December 2013.
  • 1961 - Skinner, Joel
  • 1963 - Olander, Jim
  • 1965 - Azocar, Oscar
  • 1971 - Schmidt, Jeff
  • 1975 - Berger, Brandon
  • 1977 - Hutchinson, Chad

Copyright � 2001-2007. All Rights Reserved.
Part of the Baseball Almanac family: 755 Home Runs​