BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

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Vandy Boys
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1/16/25
Baseball BIRTHDAYS​

1870 Jimmy Collins HOF 3rd baseman (World Series 1903 Boston Americans; NL HR leader 1898 Boston Beaneaters) and manager (Boston Americans 1901–06),


1910 Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean HOF pitcher (MLB All-Star 1934–37; World Series & NL MVP 1934 St Louis Cardinals)


1966 Jack McDowell pitcher (NY Yankees, White Sox, Indians)


1970 Ron Villone pitcher (San Diego Padres, Yankees, Cardinals, Seatle)


1978 Alfredo Amézaga Marlins

1980 Albert Pujols 1st baseman (NL MVP 2005, 2008-09; 4th in history to 700 HRs; St. Louis Cardinals)

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+
This Day in Baseball History December 16th

1938 The Braves deal catcher Ray Mueller to the Pirates for Al Todd, who will get traded to Brooklyn in March, and Johnny Dickshot, who moves to the Giants in April. Mueller will play in only 90 games over two seasons for Pittsburgh.

1953 In an 11-player trade, the Yankees deal their top prospect Vic Power to the Philadelphia A's. The powerful first baseman, who had hoped to be the first black to play for the Yankees, enjoyed three outstanding seasons in the minors, including batting .331 and driving 109 runs for the Newark Bears last season, the team's top farm club.

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1954 Willie Mays (.345, 41,110) becomes the first player to win the Most Valuable Player Award in his first full year in the majors when he easily outdistances Reds' first baseman Ted Kluszewski for the honor. The 23-year-old Giants center fielder made his big league debut at the end of May in 1951 but missed the last two seasons due to his military service in the U.S. Army. Mays will also be named the league's MVP in 1965, and will be the runner-up twice during his 23-year career.

 

1975 With little encouragement from the other owners, Bill Veeck, who will see his team win their first pennant in 40 years, reacquires the White Sox when he purchases 80% of the team as part of an investment group intent on keeping the franchise in Chicago. The American League pressured former owner John Allyn to sell his club to a Seattle interest to help quell a lawsuit resulting from the Junior Circuit's approval in 1970 to move the one-year-old expansion Pilots from the 'Emerald City' to Milwaukee.

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1976 The Reds trade first baseman Tony Perez and pitcher Will McEnaney to the Expos for pitchers Woody Fryman and Dale Murray. The former Cincinnati infielder, considered by many to be the Big Red Machine's heart and soul, spent three seasons in Montreal, hitting 46 home runs with 242 RBIs and a .281 batting average before signing as a free agent with the Red Sox in 1980.

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1982 Tom Seaver's trade back to New York from the Reds becomes complete when 'Tom Terrific' comes to contract terms with the Mets. In exchange for the 'Franchise,' Cincinnati obtains pitcher Charlie Puleo and two minor leaguers, Lloyd McClendon and Jason Felice.

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1983 Replacing Billy Martin (91-71, third place), the Yankees hire Yogi Berra for the second time to manage the Yankees. The Hall of Famer's selfexile from Yankee Stadium will last for nearly 15 seasons after he is dismissed 16 games into the 1985 season despite receiving assurances from owner George Steinbrenner that would not happen.
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1991 Clemente Nunez, signed by Florida scout Edmundo Borrome, becomes the first player in Marlins' history. The 16-year-old Dominican right-hander will compile a 29-26 record and an ERA of 3.51 during his five seasons in the team's farm system but will never appear in a major league game.

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1992 Dusty Baker is selected to replace Roger Craig in the dugout as manager of the Giants. The 44-year-old former hitting coach will compile an 840-715 (.540) record, becoming the National League Manager of the Year three times during his ten-year tenure.

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1996 Unable to come to terms with the Yankees, World Series MVP John Wetteland signs a four-year free-agent deal worth $23 million to close games for Texas. The 29-year-old right-handed reliever, who saved all four victories in the Fall Classic against Atlanta, became expendable in New York with the emergence of Mariano Rivera, the team's nearly perfect setup man.

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2001 The Giants obtain their first Japanese player since 1964 when Masanori Murakami became the first ballplayer from Japan to appear in a major league game. San Francisco trades starting pitcher Shawn Estes (9-8, 4.02) to the Mets in exchange for outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo (.267, 10, 56) and infielder Desi Relaford (.302, 8, 36), later dealt to the Mariners for David Bell.

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2002 After being invited to the Dominican Republic by President Hipolito Mejia, the Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh meets one of his favorite players, island resident Sammy Sosa. The Dominican outfielder, one homer shy of the coveted 500, will have to hit several hundred more to reach the 62-year-old's mark of 868 set during his 22 seasons playing for the Yomiuri Giants.

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Hideo Nomo is one of the most well known Japanese baseball players to make the trip to America. For one thing, he really stood out with that unique (by American standards) windup. Secondly, he pitched really well, winning the Rookie Of The Year Award in his 1995 debut season. His situation was a bit interesting, though. Normally Japanese teams don’t want their players to move to the MLB. They lose ratings because they lose their best players. Hideo Nomo figured out a loophole in his contract, “retiring” from baseball so that he could sign with the LA Dodgers. If the Buffaloes wouldn’t give him what he wanted (a multi-year contract and an agent).

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He made his US debut with the Bakersfield Blaze, a Class A team for the LA Dodgers at the time. He threw 90 pitches and 5 1/3 innings in a 2-1 loss. After spending a month in the minors he was called up to the Major Leagues, partly thanks to a player’s strike, making him the second Japanese League player to come to the majors. The Japanese media went crazy, showing up in huge numbers for his games and making him a star. The games in which he started were even broadcast live in Japan, despite the time difference.

2002 After declining the $4.6 million two-year contract offer by the Yankees on December 7, which he had only 15 minutes to consider, Mike Stanton (7-1, 3.00, 6 saves) decides to stay in the Big Apple by agreeing to a $9 million, three-year, no-trade contract with the crosstown rival Mets. The Bronx Bombers didn't offer the All-Star reliever salary arbitration after he failed to respond to their ultimatum.

 

2003 "We're tickled pink. It continues the tradition of great Orioles shortstops. That's always been a cornerstone of the great Oriole tradition.'' -MIKE FLANAGAN, Orioles' vice president for baseball operations.
Miguel Tejada agrees to a six-year $72 million contract with the Orioles, making it the richest deal in the franchise's history. Last season, the shortstop batted .287 with 27 home runs while driving in 106 runs for the Western Division champions Oakland A's.

 

2008 The Phillies finalize their $31.5 million, three-year deal with free agent Raul Ibanez (.293, 23, 110). The 36-year-old former Seattle outfielder, who will replace the departing Pat Burrell, provides another left-handed bat in an already potent Phillies lineup, including lefties Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.

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2008 The Orioles sign former Cardinal infielder Cesar Izturis to a $6 million two-year deal to fill the team's void at shortstop. The 28-year-old free agent, considered an outstanding defensive player, won a Gold Glove playing with the Dodgers in 2004.

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2009 John Lackey and the Red Sox agreed on a $82.5 million five-year deal. The 31-year-old right-hander, who compiled a 102-71 record and a 3.81 ERA in eight seasons in the major leagues, all with the Angels, adds depth to a strong rotation that includes Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Jon Lester.

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2009 In a series of moves involving four teams and nine players, and results in two Cy Young Award winners getting traded, the Phillies send three top minor leaguers, Travis d'Arnaud, Kyle Drabek (son of former CYA winner Doug Drabek), and Michael Taylor, later traded to get A's third baseman Brett Wallace, to the Blue Jays for Roy Halladay. After securing their new ace, Philadelphia sends their former ace, Cliff Lee, to the Mariners to restock their minor league system by getting prospects outfielder Tyson Gillies along with right-handers Phillippe Aumont and Juan Ramirez from Seattle.

2009 Yankee free-agent Hideki Matsui signs a one-year deal worth $6.5 million with the Angels. This year's World Series MVP decided to take LA's offer rather than wait to see if the uninterested Bronx Bombers planned to bring him back as the DH, the role his new club expects him to play.


2009 The Red Sox and 36-year-old Mike Cameron (.250, 24, 70) finalize a $15.5 million, two-year contract. The three-time Gold Glove winner will help fill the void in the outfield with the anticipated departure of free-agent left fielder Jason Bay.

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2011 A federal judge sentences former Giants' super-star Barry Bonds to 30 days of house arrest, two years of probation, 250 hours of community service, and a $4,000 fine. The all-time home run champion, who is appealing his guilty verdict for the obstruction of justice, could have faced 15 months of jail time, as recommended by the prosecution.

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2012 Torii Hunter signs a two-year, $26 million contract with the Tigers, the team the free agent wanted to play for after leaving the Angels. The deal, completed in less than an hour, brings the well-respected Gold Glove outfielder to the Motor City to pursue a World Championship, a prize yet to be realized in the All-Star's 16-year major league career.

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2020 On the centennial of the founding of the Negro Leagues, MLB announces it was "correcting a longtime oversight in the game's history" by reclassifying the Negro Leagues as a major league. Big-League records will now include the verified statistics from 1920 through 1948 of the seven black baseball circuits.

MLB adds Negro Leagues to official records
Major League Baseball has long celebrated the legacy of the Negro Leagues. But for the first time, MLB is officially recognizing that the quality of the segregation-era circuits was comparable to its own product from that time period.

Addressing what MLB described as a “long overdue recognition,” Commissioner Rob Manfred on Wednesday bestowed Major League status upon seven professional Negro Leagues that operated between 1920 and 1948. The decision means that the approximately 3,400 players of the Negro Leagues during this time period are officially considered Major Leaguers, with their stats and records becoming a part of Major League history.

“All of us who love baseball have long known that the Negro Leagues produced many of our game’s best players, innovations and triumphs against a backdrop of injustice,” Manfred said in a statement. “We are now grateful to count the players of the Negro Leagues where they belong: as Major Leaguers within the official historical record.”
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1/17/25
Baseball BIRTHDAYS
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1889 Louis Santop HOF catcher (5 x NgL East All-Star; Hilldale Athletic Club),


1931 Don Zimmer infielder (2 × All-Star, Chicago Cubs; World Series 1955, 59 LA Dodgers) and manager (NL Manager of the Year 1989 Chicago Cubs


1944 Denny Doyle second baseman, 1970-77 (Philadelphia Phillies, and 1 other team), born in Glasgow, Kentucky (d. 2022)

1952 Darrell Portel catcher (MLB All Star 1974, 78-80; World Series MVP 1982


1953 Mark Littell pitcher, 1973-82 (Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals)


1960 Chili Davis outfielder (MLB All-Star 1984, 86, 94; World Series 1991 Minnesota Twins; 1998, 99 NY Yankees


1964 Jeff Tabaka pitcher (San Diego Padres)

1971 Tyler Houston catcher (Atlanta Braves

1974 Guillermo Mercedes, infielder (Texas Rangers

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Today in Baseball History​

1888 Kansas City is admitted to the American Association to replace the Mets, who folded operations after the season. The Brooklyn Dodgers, interested in obtaining the services of several unemployed Metropolitans players, purchased the former New York AA team.

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1915 According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the American League franchise will now be known as the Indians, replacing the nickname Naps - a change necessitated due to player-manager Napolean Lajoie's departure to the Philadelphia A's. After team owner Charles W. Somers asked the city's baseball writers for feedback from their readers, the scribes selected the new moniker to honor former Cleveland Spider player Louis Sockalexis, the first Native American to play in the major leagues.

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The Cleveland Indians baseball team has, over the course of its recent history, associated its official name with Louis Sockalexis. His presence on the team in 1897 was the genesis for the unofficial past nickname for the team, and some accounts say the official name change to "Indians" in 1915 "honored" him. However, the publicity surrounding that name change only fleetingly recognized Sockalexis, whose name was mentioned in only one editorial. As the first known Native American player in the major leagues, he was frequently subjected to racism and abuse, and the newspapers that played a role in selecting the new name for the team were part of the problem.

1916 The Giants buy Benny Kauff, the Federal League's best player, from the Brooklyn Tip-Tops for $35,000. The 26-year-old center fielder's first three seasons with New York are solid, but the trash-talking fly chaser will never live up to his reputation as the 'Ty Cobb of the Feds.'

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1922 An appellate court denies Benny Kauff's appeal for reinstatement as a major league player. Due to the acquittal of the auto theft charges brought against him, the former Giant outfielder believed Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis should have reversed the decision to banish him from the game.

1934 NY Giants reward NL MVP pitcher Carl Hubbell with a huge $18,000 contract

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1970 Willie Mays is named the Sporting News Player of the Decade for the sixties. During the ten years, the 'Say Hey Kid' averaged 100 RBIs and 35 home runs per season while batting .300 for the Giants.


1970 The Yankees draft Fred Lynn in the third round of the January phase free-agent draft, but the El Monte High School senior chooses to attend USC on a football scholarship. The 17-year-old Californian, who will join the Trojan's baseball squad in his freshman year, becomes the first player in MLB history to win the MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season, playing for the 1975 American League Champion Red Sox.

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The nine-time American League All-Star will spend his 17-year Hall of Fame career playing for the Red Sox, Angels, Orioles, Tigers, and Padres.


1979 After resigning as the Rangers' general manager nine days ago, Danny O'Brien Sr. signs a contract to become the Mariners' president and CEO, a position he will hold for five years. Dan O'Brien Jr., his son, will also become a major league general manager, replacing the Reds' Jim Bowden in 2003.

 

1983 Bob Horner and the Braves come to terms on a $6 million, four-year deal, with an additional $400,000 in bonuses if he keeps his playing weight under control during the season. The agreement calls for the Atlanta third baseman to be weighed every Friday during home stands, and if the scale doesn't exceed 215 pounds, he will receive a $7,692.31 incentive per weigh-in.

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1986 The Mets obtain second baseman Tim Teufel along with minor league prospect Pat Crosby from the Twins for outfielder Billy Beane and southpaw hurlers Bill Latham and Joe Klink. The 27-year-old infielder, who will spend six seasons with New York, plays a pivotal role, platooning with Wally Backman in the team's world championship this season.

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1986 The Braves and Chief Noc-A-Homa, the team mascot who has become a huge fan favorite in Atlanta with spirited dances when the home team hits a homer, agree to end their 17-year association. Levi Walker, the third person to play the role for the franchise, is reportedly dissatisfied with his pay of $60 a game, and club officials were unhappy with the Georgia native's failure to attend seven scheduled appearances last year.

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1994 Anaheim Stadium, farther from the Northridge Earthquake's epicenter than most of LA's area's sporting venues, becomes the only one to incur significant damage when the landmark "Big A" sign collapses into the stadium, severely damaging the scoreboard and giant replay screen. The home of Angels and NFL's Rams sustains $3.4 million in damages, an amount not covered because of the city's $6.25 million insurance deductible on the structure.



2002 Commissioner Bud Selig indicates the Washington, D.C. area is a 'prime candidate' to get a team if a franchise relocates in the near future. The District had lost two major league teams when the original franchise shifted to Minnesota in 1961, becoming the Twins, and its replacement, the expansion Senators, moved to Texas a decade later as the Rangers.

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2002 Avoiding arbitration, Darin Erstad (.258, 9, 63) and the Angels agree to a one-year contract worth $6.25 million. The first baseman/outfielder, who can be a free agent after the season, turned down a long-term deal from Anaheim last spring, estimated to be worth $50 million

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2002 Jermaine Dye agrees to a three-year extension worth $32 million to stay with the A's. Oakland is counting on the injured outfielder, who shattered his left tibia, fouling a ball off his leg just below the knee in Game 4 of the ALDS, to fill the void created by Jason Giambi's departure to New York.

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2003 Avoiding arbitration, the Reds give Danny Graves (7-3, 3.19, 32 saves) a three-year deal. The team plans to add their former closer to the starting rotation this year after the 29-year-old right-hander posted a 1-0 record with a 1.89 ERA in his four appearances as a starter at the end of last season.


2003 Tony Riviera, the newly formed Canadian Baseball League chairman, nominates Pete Rose, the former first baseman/outfielder who collected his 4,000th career hit with the 1984 Montreal Expos, for induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. 'Charlie Hustle' will fail to get elected, failing to garner the necessary 75 percent vote from the selection committee.

2003 Torii Hunter (.289, 29, 94) agrees to a surprising four-year, $32 million deal to stay with the Twins. Although the 27-year-old Gold Glove outfielder played a pivotal role for the AL West division winners, he didn't believe the small-market team would offer him a multi-year contract.

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2005 With the Astros offering $13.5 million, Roger Clemens asks for $22 million in salary arbitration. The amount that would make the Rocket the richest paid hurler in big league history surpasses the previous record amount submitted for arbitration of $18.5 million by Yankee Derek Jeter in 2001.

2005 Former major leaguer Raymond Lee Cunningham celebrates his 100th birthday. The oldest living player, who debuted with the Cardinals in 1931, played 14 games over two seasons, hitting .154 in 26 plate appearances.

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2006 At the 41st annual Red Smith Sports Award Banquet, Gaylord Perry receives the 2006 "Nice Guy" Award. The 67-year-old Hall of Famer, infamous for throwing a spitball, joins Kirby Puckett, Lou Brock, and Brooks Robinson as recipients of this award.

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