BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

2008 The Yankees sign their second ace this week as the club reaches an agreement with free-agent A.J. Burnett. The Bronx Bombers ink the former Blue Jays right-hander to an $82.5 million, five-year deal after giving CC Sabathia $161 million over seven years two days ago.

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2008 The Pirates sign Ramon Vazquez, the only player with major league experience added to the club during the winter meetings, to a two-year deal worth $4 million. The versatile infielder played all four infield positions last season while compiling a career-high .290 batting average with the Rangers.

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2008 The Mets, reeling from their second consecutive season-ending collapse, continue to overhaul their much-maligned bullpen, which blew 29 saves in 72 chances (40%). Scott Schoeneweis joins Joe Smith and Aaron Heilman in becoming the latest New York reliever to be traded when the southpaw goes to the Diamondbacks for Connor Robertson, a right-hander acquired by Arizona in the Dan Haren deal.

2009 Brandon Lyon (6-5, 2.86) and the Astros finalize their $15 million, three-year deal. The Tigers' former right-handed reliever, who saved 26 games for Arizona in 2008, hopes to be the club's closer but may be used in Houston as the set-up man to get to Matt Lindstrom.

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2013 The Mariners land the most sought-after free agent when the team signs Robinson Cano to a 10-year, $240-million contract, a value that equals Albert Pujols' deal with the Angels for the third-largest in baseball history. The Yankees, the 32-year-old's former team who did not want to commit those kinds of dollars or years for their All-Star second baseman, recently inked outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury for $153 million (7 years) and Brian McCann for $85 million (5 years). million (5 years). ​

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Today in Baseball History
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On December 12 in Baseball History...

• • 1949 - By a 7-1 vote, the AL rejects a proposal to bring back the legal spitball. The rules committee also alters the strike zone to the space between the armpits and the top of the knees. The new rule eliminates the batter's shoulders being within the strike zone.
  • 1950 - The owners vote to drop the four-year old bonus and high school rule. This rule was passed to prevent the wealthy clubs from buying up all the talent.

Baseball Birthdays on December 12...

• • 1854 - Snyder, Redleg
  • 1860 - Brown, Jim
  • 1864 - Smith, Phenomenal Phenomenal Smith was born on Monday, December 12, 1864, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Smith was 19 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 18, 1884, with the Philadelphia Athletics.
  • 1872 - O'Meara, Tom
  • 1874 - Sparks, Tully
  • 1876 - Rickert, Joe
  • 1879 - Mitchell, Mike
  • 1887 - Reisigl, Bugs
  • 1891 - Daly, Tom
  • 1893 - Hennessey, Les
  • 1899 - Watt, Allie
  • 1902 - Wanninger, Pee-Wee
  • 1903 - Moore, Bill
  • 1904 - Boggs, Ray
  • 1909 - Clifton, Flea
  • 1913 - Webb, Bill
  • 1914 - Camelli, Hank
  • 1917 - Kluttz, Clyde
  • 1917 - Carpenter, Bob
  • 1921 - Howerton, Bill
  • 1930 - Sanchez, Raul
  • 1937 - Gonzalez, Pedro
  • 1940 - Brown, Tom
  • 1941 - Lewis, Allan
  • 1943 - Griffith, Derrell
  • 1945 - Garr, Ralph"Ralph is about as aggressive with a bat as anyone I've ever seen. At first you want to tell him to leave those pitches outside the strike zone alone. That is, until you see how many of them he puts between the outfielders for base hits." - Eddie Mathews in Baseball Digest (November 1974)
  • 1950 - Thomas, Gorman born on Tuesday, December 12, 1950, in Charleston, South Carolina. Thomas was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 6, 1973, with the Milwaukee Brewers. "He (George Bamberger) came over and said, 'Can you hit .250?' I told him I could. 'Can you hit 20 home runs?' I told him I could. 'Then you got a job. Try not to lose it." - Gorman Thomas (on how he was brought up to the big leagues)
  • 1956 - Farr, Steve
  • 1964 - Powell, Alonzo
  • 1970 - Buddie, Mike
  • 1975 - Hernandez, Carlos

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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12/13
BIRTHDAYS
1924 Larry Doby HOF outfielder (MLB All-Star 1949–55; World Series 1948; AL HR leader 1952, 54; 1st African-American in AL; Cleveland Indians), born in Camden, South Carolina (d. 2003)


1926 Carl Erskiner (Bkln Dodgers), born in Anderson, Indiana


1935 Joe Christophe U.S. Virgin Islands

1935 Lindy McDaniel pitcher (MLB All Star 1960; NL saves leader 1959, 60, 63), born in Hollis, Oklahoma


1936 J. C. Martin Axton, Virginia

1942 Ferguson Jenkin HOF pitcher and coach (NL Cy Young Award 1971; MLB All-Star 1967, 71-72; Chicago Cubs; 3,000+ career strikeouts), born in Chatham, Ontario

1953 Bill Castror Santiago, Dominican Republic

1956 Dale Berra infielder (Pittsburgh Pirates, NY Yankees), born in Ridgewood, New Jersey

1965 Stacy Sunny infielder (Colorado Silver Bullets), born in San Bernardino, California

1975 Matt LeCroy catcher (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Belton, South Carolina

1976 Josh Fogg Lynn, Massachusetts


1982 Ricky Nolasc Corona, California

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1906 The A's sell Andy Coakley, a twenty-game winner in 1905, to the Reds. The right-hander, who pitched under the name of Jack McAllister as a rookie in 1902, will later spend thirty-seven years coaching Columbia University's baseball team.

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1911 New York politician James E. Gaffney and former player Montgomery Ward purchase the National League franchise Boston Doves. The team will be called the Braves due to Gaffney's tie to Tammany Hall, which uses an Indian chief as their symbol.

1954 The Dodgers trade third baseman Billy Cox and southpaw Preacher Roe, who will retire before the season begins, to the Orioles for two minor league prospects (Harry Schwegeman, Johnny Jancse) and $50,000. Brooklyn will use the cash as a bonus to sign a southpaw from Lafayette High School with control problems named Sandy Koufax.

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1956 The Dodgers trade Jackie Robinson to the crosstown rivals, the Giants, for pitcher Dick Littlefield and $35,000. According to some accounts, Jackie had already decided privately to leave the game to work for Chock Full of Nuts, publicly retiring from baseball rather than accepting the trade.

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1966 The Giants trade pitcher Bob Priddy and outfielder Cap Peterson to the Senators to reacquire Mike McCormick. In his second stint with the team, the left-hander will win the Cy Young Award next season, compiling a 22-10 record with an ERA of 2.85.

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1969 Curt Flood attends the Players' Association executive board meeting to seek financial assistance in his attempt to sue major league baseball because the reserve clause violates Federal antitrust laws. Although skeptical about the suit's outcome, the player reps vote 25-0 to support the recently traded outfielder, who refuses to report to the Phillies after being dealt by the Cardinals.

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1973 Despite an impending legal showdown with Charlie Finley, the Yankees announce the signing of manager Dick Williams. American League president Joe Cronin will void the deal a week later.

1975 The Tigers trade pitcher Mickey Lolich and outfielder Billy Baldwin to the Mets for outfielder Rusty Staub and pitcher Bill Laxton. New York's new southpaw will post an 8-13 record, spending just one year in the Big Apple, while Detroit will enjoy a steady performance from their recently acquired flycatcher and DH, who will bat .275 during his three-plus seasons in the Motor City.

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1994 Lee Smith, who led the majors in saves for the Orioles last season with 33, signs as a free agent with the Angels. The 37-year-old right-handed reliever is currently is the all-time saves leader with 434, a position he will hold until his final total is surpassed in 1996 by Trevor Hoffman with 479 saves.

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1996 Roger Clemens leaves Boston after thirteen seasons of service and signs as a free agent with the Blue Jays. The 'Rocket' leaves the team tied with Cy Young for the Red Sox record for wins (192) and shutouts (38), and as the career leader in losses with 112 (Cy lost 111).

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1999 The Marlins obtain Johan Santana from the Astros in the Rule 5 draft, and, later in the day, Florida trades the 20-year-old southpaw to the Twins for Jared Camp. The Venezuela native will post a 93-44 record and win the Cy Young Award twice (2004, 2006) during his eight-year tenure in Minnesota.

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2000 The Red Sox, outbidding the Indians, sign free-agent Manny Ramirez to a reported eight-year, $160 million contract. The very lucrative deal pales compared to Alex Rodriguez's $252 million ten-year agreement with the Rangers, also announced today.

2001 The Yankees sign free-agent Jason Giambi to a seven-year deal worth $120 million. The 2000 MVP and this year's runner-up drove in 120 runs, hit 38 home runs, and had a .342 batting average for the wild-card Oakland A's this season.

2001 The Red Sox trade frustrated flychaser Carl Everett (.257, 14, 58) to the Rangers for left-hander Darren Oliver (11-11, 6.02). The former All-Star outfielder, who had his problems with players and managers in Boston, says he is looking forward to joining the veteran players in Texas.

2003 The Cardinals trade outfielder J.D. Drew along with catcher Eli Marrero to the Braves for three hurlers, Ray King, Jason Marquis, and Adam Wainwright. Atlanta's new outfielder will have a solid season but will stay with the team for only one season.

2007 To replace LaTroy Hawkins' role in the bullpen, the Rockies sign free-agent Luis Vizcaino (8-2, 4.30) to a $7.5 million, two-year deal. The 33-year-old right-hander, who pitched for the Yankees last season, will be used as a middle-inning reliever by the National League champs.

2007 Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees finalize a 10-year, $275 million contract, making the deal the richest in baseball history. A-Rod, who surpassed the all-time salary record he signed with the Rangers ($252 million in 2000), chastised his agent, Scott Boras, and blamed himself for the poor handling of his opt-out clause with the team.

2007 "We can jump to this conclusion: that steroids have sullied the game. My hope is that this report is a part of putting the steroid era of baseball behind us." - GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. president and former owner of the Rangers. The Mitchell Report, a document of 409 pages and a paper trail of 115,000 copies of receipts, canceled checks, telephone records, and e-mail messages, is released. The much-anticipated findings, authored by former Senator George Mitchell, call the steroid era a collective failure, naming 89 former and present players who allegedly used illegal, performance-enhancing drugs, including stars Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Gary Sheffield.

 

2007 A collection of rare written documents, including personal letters and canceled checks concerning the Chicago Black Sox scandal, is procured by the Chicago History Museum with a winning auction bid of approximately $100,000. The historical papers offer new details about the White Sox allegedly fixing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.

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2007 Avoiding salary arbitration, Brandon Duckworth agrees to a one-year $600,000 contract to pitch for the Royals next season, including $155,000 in performance incentives. The 31-year-old right-hander, who spent time on the disabled list with a torn left oblique, posted a 3-5 record with a 4.63 ERA in 26 games as a starter and reliever.

2007 "Roger Clemens adamantly, vehemently or whatever adjective can be used, denies he has ever used steroids or whatever the word is for improper substance. There has never been one shred of tangible evidence that he ever used these substances and yet he is being slandered today." - RANDY HENDRICKS, Roger Clemen's lawyer denying claims made in the Mitchell Report. *In a statement released by his attorney, Randy Hendricks, Roger Clemens vehemently denies the allegations put forth by the Mitchell Report concerning his use of performance-enhancing drugs. Brian McNamee, the former trainer of the seven-time Cy Young Award winner, states that he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone at least 16 times while Clemens was a member of the 1998 Blue Jays the 2000-01 Yankees.

2008 The Indians sign free-agent Kerry Wood (5-4, 3.26) to a two-year deal with a one-year option reportedly worth $20 million after the oft-injured right-hander passes a physical taken earlier in the week. The former Cubs fireballing phenom saved 34 games in 2008, his first season as a closer for Chicago.

2008 The Royals signed free-agent right-handed reliever Kyle Farnsworth to a $9.25 million, two-year contract which includes a club option for 2011. The Yankees dealt the 32-year-old fireballer to Detroit for veteran catcher Ivan Rodriguez at the trade deadline last season.

2009 The Blue Jays announced coming to terms with Jose Bautista on a one-year deal worth $2.4 million. The utility player will establish a new franchise mark of home runs in a season when he goes deep 54 times, six more than George Bell's total in 1987.

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Today in Baseball History
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On December 13 in Baseball History...

• • 1922 - Alarmed at the increase in home runs (1,054 in the major leagues, up from 936), some AL owners back a zoning system setting a minimum of 300 feet for a ball to be called a home run. The motion dies.
    
  • 1930 - The 15-year career of George Sisler ends when the Boston Braves release him. A lifetime .340 hitter who twice led the AL with averages above.400, Sisler will be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.
    
  • 1956 - The Dodgers trade Jackie Robinson to the Giants for pitcher Dick Littlefield and $35,000. Robinson retires rather than accept the trade.
    
  • 1974 - Catfish Hunter wins his claim against Oakland owner Charles Finley and is declared a free agent by arbitrator Peter Seitz. He will sign with the Yankees.
    
  • 1996 - Free agent Roger Clemens seems poised to either re-sign with the Red Sox or go to the Yankees, but shocks everyone by signing with the AL East rival Toronto instead.

Baseball Birthdays on December 13...

• • 1860 - Lee, Leonidas
  • 1868 - Everitt, Bill
  • 1874 - Mohler, Kid
  • 1876 - Kisinger, Rube
  • 1877 - Fishel, Leo
  • 1877 - Hershey, Frank
  • 1882 - Good, Gene
  • 1887 - Harkness, Spec
  • 1889 - Coumbe, Fritz
  • 1891 - Wright, Bob
  • 1892 - Bigler, Pete
  • 1899 - Williams, Denny
  • 1899 - May, Buckshot
  • 1903 - Smith, Al
  • 1904 - Windle, Bill
  • 1909 - Newsome, Dick
  • 1913 - Metha, Scat
  • 1916 - Majeski, Hank
  • 1916 - Thuman, Lou
  • 1923 - Doby, Larry
  • 1924 - Shuba, George
  • 1926 - Erskine, Carl
  • 1928 - Landrum, Joe
  • 1929 - Loes, Billy
  • 1931 - Morton, Bubba
  • 1931 - Erickson, Don
  • 1935 - Christopher, Joe
  • 1935 - McDaniel, Lindy
  • 1936 - Martin, J.C.
  • 1937 - Taylor, Ron
  • 1940 - Oliver, Nate
  • 1943 - Jenkins, Fergie
  • 1947 - Hamilton, Dave
  • 1953 - Castro, Bill
  • 1955 - Boris, Paul
  • 1956 - Berra, Dale
  • 1956 - Perlman, Jon
  • 1960 - Robinson, Jeff
  • 1964 - Wilson, Steve
  • 1967 - Mordecai, Mike
  • 1969 - Saunders, Doug
  • 1971 - Mullins, Greg
  • 1975 - LeCroy, Matt
  • 1976 - Fogg, Josh

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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