Monte Irvin and Willie Mays in the locker room after a game, June 22, 1954. Irvin was asked to mentor Mays when he joined the Giants, helping him adjust to life in New York and professional baseball. Irvin was Mays' only road roommate in National League baseball
Rick Langford was a teammate of mine in 1973-74. He had played JUCO ball at Manatee (1st team JUCO All American pitcher)and with the pitching we had those years @ FSU he was our starting CFer. He told me a few years into his professional career with Oakland that the two years rest his arm got @FSU because of the pitching we had was the best thing that ever happened for him.
Baseball Birthdays January 27 1968 Eric Wedge catcher (Boston Red Sox) 1968 Rusty Meacham pitcher (KC Royals, Seattle Mariners), born in Stuart, Florida 1969 Phil Plantier MLB outfielder (San Diego Padres, Red Sox, A's), born in Manchester, New Hampshire 1983 Gavin Floyd player 1983 Mike Zagurski player 1995 Bryan Reynolds outfielder, 2019-present, All-Star (Pittsburgh Pirates), born in Baltimore, Maryland *********************************
This Day in Baseball History January 27th 1933 Joe Judge, who compiled a .299 lifetime BA in his 18 seasons with the Senators, is released by the team and will sign with the Dodgers. The veteran first baseman will hit just .214 in 42 games with Brooklyn before getting rereleased and moving back to the American League with Boston, where he'll retire next season. 1937 Cincinnati experiences the worst flood in its history when Mill Creek overflows its banks, resulting in the Crosley Field's lower grandstand going under 21 feet of water. As a publicity stunt, Reds pitcher Lee Grissom and the team's traveling secretary, John McDonald, are photographed as they entered the ballpark over the left-field fence and rowed to the area of the pitcher's mound. 1943 The Reds trade pitcher Paul Derringer to the Cubs for cash. The 36-year-old right-hander, known as Oom Paul due to his 6-foot-3 height and 205+ pound frame, will post a 33-38 (.465) record with an ERA of 3.71 during his three-year tenure with Chicago, but in his final season, the right-hander goes 16-11, helping the team clinch the National League pennant. 1944 Lou Perini, Guido Rugo, and Joe Maney, known as the 'Three Steam Shovels' due to their ties to the construction industry, gain control of the Boston Braves. The new ownership will immediately relieve Casey Stengel of his duties as manager of the second-division place club, who finished in sixth place with a record of 67-85. 1949 Fred Saigh is found guilty of income tax evasion and is sentenced to a fifteen-month jail term but will serve only five months at the federal prison in Terre Haute before being given parole for good behavior. Anheuser-Busch president Gussie Busch, citing that civic pride was more important than financial gain, persuades the embattled Cardinal owner to sell the team for less ($3.5 million) rather than entering into a lucrative deal with a consortium that plans to move the team to Houston. 1956 The New York football Giants will be leaving the Polo Grounds, their home since its inception in 1925, playing their home games at Yankee Stadium. The NFL squad's decision to play in a different venue fuels speculation that the National League Giants will also depart the Coogan's Bluff ballpark. 1982 The Cubs trade Ivan DeJesus to the Phillies in exchange for Larry Bowa and a promising youngster named Ryne Sandberg. Dallas Green, the team's new GM, had seen the potential of the future Hall of Fame second baseman while managing in Philadelphia.
1997 After stints with the Rangers and Red Sox, Jose Canseco returns to his first major league team when Boston trades the slugger to the A's for pitcher John Wasdin and cash. The 32-year-old DH/outfielder will bat .235 and hit 23 home runs for Oakland, and Boston's new right-hander will post a 4-6 record with a 4.40 ERA. 1999 Former Mets infielder Carlos Baerga signs a one-year free-agent contract with the Cardinals. The second baseman, who did not meet the fans' expectations in New York, will be released by the Cardinals during spring training and sign with the Reds, who will release him at the beginning of June. 2005 After failing to sign free-agent first baseman Carlos Delgado, the Mets quickly fill the void at first base by trading minor league prospect Ian Bladergroen and a player to be named (or cash) to Boston for Gold Glover Doug Mientkiewicz. The Red Sox, who acquired the 30-year-old infielder from the Twins at the non-waiver trade deadline to solidify their defense, plan to use heavy-hitting, light-fielding Kevin Millar at first. 2005 Lance Berkman (.316, 30, 106), the team's 2004 team MVP, and the Astros avoid arbitration when they agree on a one-year, $10.5 million deal. The 28-year-old All-Star outfielder suffered a serious off-season knee injury (anterior cruciate ligament tear) playing flag football. 2006 The Cubs and Mark Prior (11-7, 3.67) agree on a one-year $3.65 million contract, making his salary $900,000 more than the right-hander would have earned under the $3.3 million contract offer he voided in November. The fireballer's previous contract gave him the right to terminate the deal once he became eligible for salary arbitration. 2006 The multi-player deal between Boston and Cleveland becomes a reality when Commissioner Bud Selig gives his needed approval of any transaction worth at least $1 million. Eight players are exchanged, with Indians outfielder Coco Crisp, reliever David Riske, and backstop Josh Bard going to the Red Sox for recently acquired third base prospect Andy Marte, catcher Kelly Shoppach, and a player to be named later (minor league right-hander Randy Newsom). 2006 Nobuhiko Matsunaka agrees to a seven-year contract, making the deal the longest ever signed by a Japanese professional baseball player. The 32-year-old Softbank Hawks slugger will earn an estimated 500 million yen a year plus additional incentives based on performance. 2006 Featuring a more traditional look, the Royals unveiled their new 2006 uniforms with the two home uniforms featuring the word "Royals" in script. The two road uniforms also uses longhand to spell out Kansas City. The new outfit will return to the crown logo on the left sleeve, replacing the circular logo used during the past few seasons. 2009 Ubaldo Jimenez agrees to a four-year guaranteed deal worth $10 million, which could be increased to $22 million if the Rockies exercise their options for 2013 and 2014. In his first full season, the 25-year-old Dominican right-hander led the pitching staff with 172 strikeouts while posting a 12-12 record with an ERA of 3.99. 2009 "But immortality is nontransferable. The papers said that the other players, and even the umpires on the field, begged him to come out and acknowledge us in some way, but he never had and did not now. Gods do not answer letters." - JOHN UPDIKE, author of Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu, published in the New Yorker. John Updike, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and lifelong Red Sox fan, dies of lung cancer at 76. The Massachusetts native penned Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu, ending the famous 1960 essay with "Gods do not answer letters," explaining why the 41-year-old superstar did not acknowledge the fans after homering in his final major league game. Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu *****************************
2010 Joining Honus Wagner, Willie Stargell, and former teammate Roberto Clemente, former Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski will have a statue of himself, designed by Pittsburgh sculptor Susan Wagner, placed outside of PNC Park. The 12-foot statue depicts the Hall of Famer rounding second base with his batting helmet raised high in his right hand after hitting the homer that beat the Yankees in the 1960 Fall Classic, commemorating the only Game 7 World Series walk-off round-tripper in the history of the game. 2012 Ron Washington garners the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's C.I. Taylor Award, being honored with the one organization's Legacy Awards as the top skipper in the American League. The Rangers' skipper led the team to a franchise-best 96 victories and their second consecutive AL pennant last season. 2015 Five Marlins executives travel to Japan to officially ink Ichiro Suzuki to a one-year deal worth approximately $2 million. Florida expects the 41-year-old outfielder to play a pinch-hitting role when not filling in for injured outfielders. 2020 The Reds ink Nick Castellanos to a $64 million, four-year deal, matching the richest free-agent contract in franchise history. The 28-year-old former Tiger and Cub slugger joins infielder Mike Moustakas, who signed a similar agreement in December with the club that has not had a winning record in six seasons. 2021 The Blue Jays trade pitchers Sean Reid-Foley, Yennsy Diaz, and Josh Winckowski to the Mets for southpaw Steven Matz, a second-round pick who posted a disappointing 31-41 (.431) record during his six seasons with New York. The 29-year-old compiles a 14-7 mark for his new team before joining the Cardinals as a free agent in November. ***********
This single to left center by Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb's record of 4,191 career hits. Whoever breaks this record will have to play 23 seasons, average 182 hits per season, play an average of 140 games a season, almost never be hurt, and play into his forties.
BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS 1.28.25 1937 Vince Naimoli businessman and MLB team owner (Tampa Bay Devil Rays 1955 Robin Yount HOF shortstop/center fielder (AL MVP 1982, 89; 3 x MLB All Star; Milwaukee Brewers; 3,142 hits 1958 Orel Hershiser pitcher (LA Dodgers, Cleveland Indians) 1959 Tim Raines HOF left fielder (7 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1996, 98, 2005; NL batting champion 1986; Montreal Expos, NY Yankees, Chicago WS) 1960 Mickey Tettleton catcher (Texas Rangers)
1961 Mark Parent catcher (Detroit Tigers) 1970 Paul Shuey pitcher (Cleveland Indians 1975 Kip Harkrider infielder (Olympic bronze 1996 View attachment 222497 1979 Bobby Korecky ********************************** Today in Baseball History January 28th 1949 Monte Irvin becomes the first African-American player, along with Ford Smith, a pitcher and outfielder, to sign with the Giants. Although the 29-year-old outfielder will play only five full seasons in the major leagues, the former Newark Eagles standout will be elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973, primarily for his outstanding play in the Negro Leagues with the Newark Eagles. 1953 The court finds embattled Cardinal owner Fred Saigh guilty of income tax evasion and sentences him to fifteen months in jail, where he'll serve only five months at the federal prison in Terre Haute before being given parole for good behavior. Under the pressure of losing his franchise, he enters a lucrative deal with a consortium that plans to move the team to Houston; Anheuser-Busch president Gussie Busch, however, persuades him to sell the team for less ($3.5 million), citing that civic pride was more important than financial gain. 1958 Detroit trades infielder Jim Finigan and $25,000 to the Giants for first baseman Gail Harris and utility man Ozzie Virgil, who becomes the first non-white to play for the Tigers. The 26-year-old Dominican will debut at third base for the Motor City team at Griffith Stadium on June 6, doubling in the top of the eighth in the team's 11-2 victory over Washington. Bronx Walk of Fame inductees: Ozzie Virgil Sr. If you’re a baseball fan, you may recognize Ozzie as being the first Dominican baseball player in the Major Leagues. Originally from the Dominican Republic, Ozzie moved to The Bronx as a child and served in the Marines after graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School. There, he was scouted to play for the Giants when they were still in New York. He played for many other professional teams before retiring to coach. His son, Ozzie Virgil Jr., played in the Major Leagues as well.Ozzie paved the way for many Dominican players in the MLB.
1958 Roy Campanella, driving home from his liquor store in Harlem, breaks his neck when his rented 1957 Chevrolet sedan hit a telephone pole in an early morning auto accident on Long Island. The 36-year-old Dodger catcher, who has won three MVP awards (1951, '53, '55), will remain paralyzed for the rest of his life. 1961 The International League Board of Directors votes to move the Montreal franchise to Syracuse, New York, where the former Dodger farm club will play as the Chiefs. The Canadian city holds a unique place in baseball history for being the home of the first major-league affiliate to break the so-called 'color barrier,' signing Jackie Robinson in 1945 to play with the Royals the following season. 1968 Former Senator and Tiger outfielder Goose Goslin, a career .316 hitter, and Kiki Cuyler, a .321 career hitter who won four stolen base crowns while running the bases for the Pirates and Cubs, are elected into the Hall of Fame by a unanimous vote of the Veterans Committee. 1982 To make room for Cal Ripken, Jr., the Orioles trade third baseman Doug DeCinces and minor league southpaw Jeff Schneider to the Angels for outfielder Dan Ford. The Halos' new infielder, who had succeeded future Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson in Baltimore, will win the Silver Slugger Award this season. 1986 The Rangers sign 34-year-old free-agent catcher Darrell Porter to a one-year contract valued at $162,500. The bespectacled backup backstop from Missouri will hit .253 during his tenure in Texas, his last two years in the majors. 2005 Traded to the Mets yesterday, first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, who caught and kept the ball used to make the final out, will lend his souvenir to his former club, who plans to encase it within a plaque, becoming part of the victory tour, which also features the World Series trophy. Boston claims the historic horsehide, which gave the Red Sox their first World championship in 86 years, belongs to the team.
2008 The Rays and James Shields (12-8, 3.85) finalize a four-year, $11.25 million deal, including options that could make the contract worth nearly $38 million over the next seven years. The 26-year-old right-hander was second in the big leagues in the strikeout-to-walk ratio - an impressive 184 to 36, trailing only CC Sabathia (209 to 37). 2009 Avoiding salary arbitration, the Angels and 28-year-old infielder Maicer Izturis come to terms on a one-year deal worth $1.6 million. The Halos' opening-day shortstop missed 61 games last season after tearing a ligament in his left thumb in August and straining his lower back in May, necessitating the first of his two stints on the disabled list. 2009 The Cubs swap utility infielder Ronny Cedeno and southpaw Garrett Olson to the Mariners for right-hander Aaron Heilman, making it the second trade for the 30-year-old right-hander this offseason. Seven weeks ago, the Mets dealt the much-maligned reliever to Seattle as part of a three-team trade that included the Indians. 2009 David Weathers decides to stay with Cincinnati after signing a one-year deal that guarantees the 39-year-old reliever $3.9 million. A member of the Reds' pitching staff for the past four seasons, the right-hander compiled a 4-6 record, posting a 3.25 ERA in 72 appearances from the bullpen last season. 2011 The Twins plan to remove the 14 pine trees behind the center-field wall that served as the batter's eye at Target Field. The evergreens, planted last season, likely to be relocated inside the newly opened ballpark, made it difficult for hitters to pick up the ball from the pitcher's hand due to their shadows cast during afternoon contests and the conifers' movement in the wind. 2016 In an Oklahoma City ceremony, Cy Young Award recipient Dallas Keuchel receives the Warren Spahn Award, an honor given to baseball's top left-handed pitcher. The 28-year-old southpaw, who posted a 20-8 record along with an ERA of 2.48 for the Astros this season, is the first Oklahoman to collect the prestigious pitching prize named in honor of the crafty left-hander. 2022 On Twitter, the National Council of Sports in Uganda tweeted that right-hander Ben Serunkuma and catcher Umar Male signed with the Dodgers as free agents. The agreement makes the two players, assigned to the club's Dominican complex in Campo Las Palmas, the first Ugandans to play professionally for an MLB organization. ***************************************
