BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

3/26
OTD
BIRTHDAYS
1958 Chris Codiroli, baseballer, born in Oxnard, California

1962 Kevin Seitzer, infielder (Milwaukee Brewers), born in Springfield, Illinois

1968 Jose Vizcaino, MLB infielder (NY Mets), born in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic

1968 Shane Reynolds MLB pitcher (Houston Astros), born in Bastrop, Louisiana

1971 Jesús Taváres outfielder, 1993-98 (Florida Marlins, and 2 other teams), born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

1981 Josh Wilson baseball player, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1936 Two future Hall of Famers ink modest contracts with their respective teams. The Tigers sign 25-year-old first baseman Hank Greenberg, who will miss most of the season with an injured wrist, for $20,000, and 31 year-old right-hander Red Ruffing, who will post a 20-12 record, comes to terms with the Yankees for $12,000.

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1951 During a spring exhibition game against the University of Southern California at Bovard Field, Mickey Mantle, batting left-handed, hits a home run off Tom Lovrich, which is estimated to travel 650 feet. The 19-year-old rookie's performance, which includes a single, triple, and another homer, is one of the highlights of the Yankees' first-ever West Coast trip.

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1957 Yankee manager Casey Stengel is arrested and is released on $50 bail after he allegedly curses at and kicks 40-year-old Branan Sanders, a newspaper photographer for the St. Petersburg Independent. The alleged altercation occurred in the first inning when the former World War II Associated Press photojournalist came into the Yankee dugout after being told he was obstructing the team's view of their opponents.

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1960 Due to Cuba's political unrest, Miami becomes the new venue for the Orioles-Reds series, initially scheduled for Havana. Cincinnati, which has a farm team on the island, wanted to play the exhibition games as planned, but Baltimore's team president Lee MacPhail feared for his players' safety.
1974

 

1974 "I said that there’d come a time when somebody would take my job away and the time came. That’s the way the ball bounces. I was the same way when I broke in with the White Sox. If I came, someone had to go. Baseball is like life; it goes on no matter what.” - LUIS APARICIO, commenting on his unconditional release by the Red Sox. The Red Sox release future Hall of Famers designated hitter Orlando Cepeda (1999) and infielder Luis Aparicio (1984) after both contributed to the team last season. Cepeda was considered one of the best DH in the American League with 86 RBIs, 20 home runs, and a .289 average, and Aparicio batted a respectable .271 in 132 games, the best mark among shortstops in the league.

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1976 The American League votes to expand to Toronto, awarding a franchise to a group consisting of Labatt's Breweries (45%), the Imperial Trust, Ltd (45%), and CIBC (10%), the organization which will eventually purchase the team for $7 million. At first, the decision will appear in peril when President Gerald Ford attempts to pressure MLB to give the expansion franchise to Washington, D.C., which has been without a major league team since the Senators moved to Arlington (TX) to become the Rangers following the 1972 season.
1977 The Red Sox releases fan-favorite Rico Petrocelli, a future inductee to the club's Hall of Fame in 1997 who batted .251 and hit 210 home runs during his 13 seasons with Boston. The two-time All-Star infielder calls it quits, ending his career, all with Boston, having played a vital role in the team's 1967 and 1975 American League pennants.

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1984 In a spring training deal, the Phillies trade outfielders Gary Matthews and Bob Dernier along with right-handed reliever Porfi Altamirano to the Cubs for right-hander Bill Campbell and Mike Diaz, a utility player. The former Philadelphia fly chasers, who will each receive consideration for the MVP award, both play a pivotal role in Chicago's first-place finish this season in the National League Eastern Division.

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1984 Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color line, playing for the Dodgers in 1947, is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously by President Reagan. Rachel Robinson, on behalf of her late husband, accepts the award, the highest civilian honor given in the United States.

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2000 The demolition Kingdome happens in less than 20 seconds, thanks to 5,800 holes filled with gelatin dynamite ignited by 21.6 miles of detonation cord. The former home of the Mariners, the venue of no-hitters by Randy Johnson (1990 vs. Tigers) and Chris Bosio (1993 vs. Red Sox), is now a 65-foot mound of rubble.

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Today in Baseball History
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On March 26 in Baseball History...

• • 1937 - On the advice of Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio reduces the weight of his bat from 40 ounces to 36 ounces.
  • 1960 - Baltimore chief Lee MacPhail moves an Orioles-Reds series scheduled for Havana, Cuba, to Miami. The Reds, with a farm club in Cuba, want the trip, but the Orioles fear increased political unrest in the are
  • 1976 - The A.L. approves the purchase of the new Toronto franchise by Labatt Breweries for $7 million.
  • 1979 - The Padres and Giants announce that the 1980 exhibition series between the two teams will be played in Tokyo. But Giants owner Bob Lurie leaves the decision up to his players, who reject the agreement.

Baseball Birthdays on March 26...

• • 1850 - Critchley, Morrie
  • 1869 - McCarthy, Jack
  • 1874 - DeMontreville, Gene
  • 1879 - Moran, Charles
  • 1884 - Geyer, Rube
  • 1888 - Hogg, Brad
  • 1889 - Burns, Joe
  • 1891 - Barry, Hardin
  • 1893 - Brower, Frank
  • 1895 - Klugmann, Joe
  • 1901 - Battle, Jim
  • 1909 - Mustaikis, Alex
  • 1913 - Zuber, Bill
  • 1914 - Epps, Hal
  • 1917 - Lambert, Clayton
  • 1939 - Neiger, Al
  • 1942 - Queen, Mel
  • 
  • 1949 - Hambright, Roger
  • 1955 - Morogiello, Dan
  • 1958 - Codiroli, Chris
  • 1961 - Warren, Mike
  • 1961 - Weston, Mickey
  • 1962 - Seitzer, Kevin
  • 1963 - Medina, Luis
  • 1964 - Loynd, Mike
  • 1967 - Hare, Shawn
  • 1967 - Brown, Jarvis
  • 1968 - Alexander, Gerald
  • 1968 - Reynolds, Shane
  • 1968 - Vizcaino, Jose
  • 1971 - Lankford, Frank
  • 1971 - Tavarez, Jesus
  • 1972 - Maxwell, Jason

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3/27
OTD
BIRTHDAYS
1878 Miller Huggins Hall of Fame 2nd baseman, manager (NY Yankees WS 1923, 27-28), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1929)

1932 Wes Covington player (Philadelphia Phillies), born in Laurinburg, North Carolina (d. 2011)

1950 Vic Harris MLB player, born in Los Angeles, California

1967 Jaime Navarro pitcher (Chicago Cubs), born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
1979 Michael Cuddyer player (Minnesota Twins), born in Norfolk, Virginia