BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

2001 In the East Room, President George W. Bush tells a group of Hall of Famers he is sending an invitation to kids from all over the nation to play baseball on the White House lawn on a junior-size baseball field planned for construction outside the Oval Office. The Commander in Chief enjoys a moment of levity with the group, citing the beloved Yogi Berra as an inspiration for his command of the English language.

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2001 Dwight Gooden, choosing to end his career as a member of the World Champion Bronx Bombers, announces his retirement from baseball. The 36-year-old 'Doc,' who compiles a 194-112 record (.634) in 16 seasons playing for the Mets, Yankees, Indians, Astros, and Devil Rays, will have a position within the organization, remaining on owner George Steinbrenner's payroll.

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2003 Major League baseball returns to Brooklyn for a day when the Mets appear at KeySpan Park, the Coney Island home of the short-season single-A Cyclones, for the team's final preseason workout. Rain cancels the practice session, but fans enjoy meeting the players and collecting autographs, with the profits made from beverage and other sales donated to charities in the NYC area serving children.

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2006 As a result of the recently released book detailing Barry Bonds allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs, Bud Selig appoints George Mitchell to head an investigation into the use of steroids in baseball. The former Senate Majority Leader will have the authority to expand the probe, which will be made public into events before the Fall of 2002, covering a period when the substances became banned by major league baseball.

 

2012 Jamie Moyer becomes the oldest starting pitcher to make an Opening Day roster when the Rockies announce that the 49 year-old southpaw will face Houston in the second game of the season. Knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm was the same age as the Colorado left-hander when he opened the season with L.A. in 1972, but 'Old Sarge' appeared strictly in relief for the Dodgers.

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2016 Arizona State University announces the Sun Devils plan to wear retro uniforms with a commemorative patch on the sleeve to honor alum Rick Monday for his patriotic gesture in 1976. The ASU graduate, who led the school to the 1965 College World Series championship over Ohio State, saved the American flag from being burned by two protesters at Dodger Stadium during the American Bicentennial.

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2019 Christian Yelich becomes the only Brewer player in franchise history to hit a home run in each of his team's first three games when he goes deep in the first inning of a 4-2 victory over St. Louis. The outfielder's trio of round-trippers has all come at Miller Park at the expense of the Cardinals.

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Today in Baseball History
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On March 30 in Baseball History...

• • 1944 - Branch Rickey suggests the pooling of surplus players if major league 4F players are drafted for military service. Nothing comes of the suggestion.
  • 1966 - Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale end their 32-day holdout, signing for $130,000 and $105,000, respectively.
  • 1972 - Marvin Miller, executive director of the Players' Association, completes his canvass of players on the strike issue. 663 vote in favor of a strike, ten vote against, and two players abstain.
  • 1978 - The Red Sox trade catcher Bo Diaz, third baseman Ted Cox, and pitchers Rick Wise and Mike Paxton to the Indians for catcher Fred Kendall and pitcher Dennis Eckersley. Eckersley will win 20 for Boston.
  • 1979 - Umpires meet in Chicago and vote 50-2 to reject new offers from the A.L. and N.L.
  • 1988 - Reds outfielder Eddie Milner is suspended for the 1988 season by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth after suffering a relapse of his cocaine problem, ending Milner's major league career.

Baseball Birthdays on March 30...

• • 1857 - Burns, Tom
  • 1858 - Casey, Dennis
  • 1860 - Pearce, Frank
  • 1864 - Brill, Frank
  • 1866 - Van Haltren, George
  • 1874 - Gremminger, Ed
  • 1879 - Fuller, Nig
  • 1879 - Meier, Dutch
  • 1886 - Johnson, Chief
  • 1896 - Griffith, Bert
  • 1897 - Sicking, Ed
  • 1899 - Rhyne, Hal
  • 1904 - Collins, Ripper
  • 1919 - Sketchley, Bud
  • 1921 - Fowler, Dick
  • 1926 - Koecher, Dick
  • 1938 - Baldwin, Dave
  • 1942 - Cardinal, Conrad
  • 1945 - Woodson, Dick
  • 1949 - Cox, Terry
  • 1953 - Miley, Mike
  • 1956 - Lazorko, Jack
  • 1966 - Bross, Terry
  • 1969 - Gardner, Chris
  • 1972 - Heredia, Wilson
  • 1973 - Dickson, Jason

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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3/31
OTD
BIRTHDAYS
1901 Mule Suttles Hall of Fame infielder (5-time Negro Leagues All Star), born in Edgewater, Alabama (d. 1966)

1918 Marv Grissom pitcher, coach (MLB All Star 1954, NY, SF Giants), born in Los Molinos, CA (d. 2005)

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1948 At Ebbets Field No. 2, the Dodgers play their first exhibition game at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, which will remain the team's home for 61 years. Amidst much fanfare, including Governor Millard Caldwell throwing the ceremonial first pitch, Jackie Robinson homers in the first inning when Brooklyn beats its top farm club, the Montreal Royals, 5-4.

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1958 Larry Doby returns to the Indians when the Orioles trade him to Cleveland, along with Don Ferrarese, in exchange for Gene Woodling, Dick Williams, and Bud Daley. The 34 year-old veteran outfielder, who broke in with the Tribe in 1947 as the American League's first black player, will have a solid season, hitting .284 in a part-time role with the fourth-place team.

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1961 The Professional Baseball Rules Committee rejects the Pacific Coast League's proposal to use a designated hitter for the pitcher by a vote of 8-1. The first use of the DH will occur in the American League in 1973.
1968 The American League's new franchise in Seattle chooses Pilots as the team's nickname. The name originated from the coastal seaport city's association with the airplane industry and co-owner Dewey Soriano's part-time job as a harbor pilot.

 

1982 The Rangers trade outfielder/first baseman Al Oliver to the Expos for outfielder/third baseman Larry Parrish and minor league first baseman Dave Hostetler. Oliver will capture the National League batting crown, hitting .335, in the first of his two seasons with Montreal.

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1984 On a televised episode of ABC's Sports Beat, Howard Cosell informs interviewee Roger Maris of the Yankees' plan to retire the slugger's number 9 in July at the Old Timers' Game ceremonies. At first, the former Bronx Bombers' reaction is disbelief, followed by a genuine pleasure for the recognition of his achievements during his seven years with the team.

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1993 Bill White, the first black to serve as a league president, resigns from his National League post. The former Cardinal first baseman will remain at the job until next March, being replaced by Leonard S. Coleman, MLB's director of market development.

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1994 The Mets trade hard-luck right-hander Anthony Young to the Cubs for shortstop Jose Vizcaino. While with New York, A-Yo dropped 27 consecutive decisions, 14 as a starter and 13 as a reliever, establishing the major league record for the most consecutive losses by a pitcher.
1994 The White Sox assign NBA superstar Michael Jordan to the Birmingham Barons of the Class AA Southern League. Before returning to the NBA, the 31 year-old outfielder, will play just one season of professional baseball, hitting .202 in 134 games for the minor league team.

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1995 A crowd of 47,536 attend the first game ever played at Coors Field. The exhibition contest, played with replacement players due to the strike, ends with the Rockies beating the Yankees, 4-1.
1996 At the Kingdome, the Mariners beat the White Sox in 12 innings, 3-2, marking the first time a season begins with a game played in March. In 2018, except for international openers, Opening Day for all 30 teams will be March 29, becoming the earliest start in major league history.

 

1998 On Opening Day at Cinergy Field, Pokey Reese, filling in for shortstop Barry Larkin, who is on the DL, makes four errors on his first three chances in the Reds' 10-2 loss to San Diego. The 25-year-old infielder will win the Gold Glove as a second baseman in 1999 and 2000.

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1998 In the longest scoreless opener in National League history, pinch-hitter Alberto Castillo's 14th-inning single with two outs and the bases loaded gives the Mets a 1-0 victory over the Phillies. The most extended Opening Day game in major league history occurred in 1926 when the Senators blanked the Philadelphia A's in 15 innings, 1-0.
1998 In front of a sellout crowd of 47,484 at Bank One Ballpark, the Arizona Diamondbacks lose to the Rockies, 9-2. The seven-run difference matches the '62 Mets and the '77 Mariners for the most-lopsided loss by an expansion team in its first game.
1998 The Tigers spoil the Devil Rays' major league debut, beating the American League's newest team, 6-2 at Tampa's Tropicana Field. After Hall-of-Famers Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Al Lopez, and Monte Irvin throw out ceremonial first pitches, Wilson Alvarez, the losing pitcher, hurls the first pitch in franchise history - a ball to Detroit's center fielder Brian Hunter.

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1998 With a rare on-the-field appearance, Hank Aaron helps to mark Milwaukee's historic return to the Senior Circuit as the Brewers play their inaugural game as a National League team, losing to the Braves at Turner Field, 2-1. Milwaukee is the first team since the inception of the American League in 1901 to switch leagues.

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1998 Mark McGwire hits the first of his historic seventy home runs when he goes deep off Ramon Martinez in the fifth inning of the Cardinals' 6-0 victory over L.A. at Busch Stadium. The Redbirds' first baseman becomes the first player in franchise history to hit a grand slam on Opening Day.

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2003 On Opening Day for most of the clubs, MLB.com, the website of major league baseball, has more than 10 million hits, setting a new record. The previous mark was set last season on the final day of online voting for All-Star Game starters when 3.6 million visitors were attracted to the site.
2003 Substituting for his son, a former Yale left-handed first baseman named George Bush throws the ceremonial first pitch when the Reds play the first game their new home, Great American Ball Park's. The former president and the sellout crowd of 42,263 flag-waving fans enjoy the patriotic pregame ceremonies and then watch the Pirates rout Cincinnati, 10-1.

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2003 At Shea Stadium, the Mets Opening Day lineup includes the first regular starting double-play combination in major league history featuring natives from Puerto Rico. Second baseman Roberto Alomar and shortstop Rey Sanchez combine to make two twin killings as the Cubs drub New York, 15-2.
2004 With a 12-1 defeat of the Devil Rays in Tokyo, Kevin Brown becomes the second pitcher in history to have defeated all of the thirty major league teams. The 39 year-old right-hander joins Al Leiter, who accomplished the feat last season pitching for the Mets.

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2005 The Orioles and MLB agree on a deal which will allow the televising Nationals games. A joint venture backed by MLB will let fans in the Baltimore-Washington area enjoy both franchises' telecasts, ensuring the Orioles fans in the nation's capital will still have an opportunity to watch their 'Birds.'
2007 In the MLB's inaugural Civil Rights Game, the Cardinals beat the Indians at AutoZone Park in Memphis, 5-1. The exhibition game, planned to be an annual event, is designed to celebrate and honor baseball's historical role in the nation's civil rights movement.
2008 On Opening Day, the Reds pay tribute to Joe Nuxhall by wearing the number 41 on their uniforms. The team's beloved broadcaster, who spent over 60 years with the organization, including his major debut as a 15-year-old hurler, died during the off-season at the age of 79.

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2008 Outside of Wrigley Field, the Cubs unveil the seven-foot bronze sculpture of Ernie Banks by 46-year-old Lou Cella, a passionate fan who idolized 'Mr. Cub' as a kid. The typographical error on the statue's granite base, "Lets play two," is quickly corrected when the sculptor comes down to the ballpark two days later and carves the needed apostrophe.

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2009 The Tigers unexpectedly release Gary Sheffield despite having $14 million left on the $28 million, two-year contract extension given to the DH/outfielder after being acquired from the Yankees in a trade for prospects. The 40-year-old nine-time All-Star needing one more dinger to become the 25th major league player to hit 500 career home runs reaches the milestone as a pinch-hitter in a Mets uniform on April 17 at Citi Field.

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