BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

1995 The Ted Williams Tunnel, the third in the city to travel under Boston Harbor, opens with the 77-year-old Splendid Splinter leading the way across the $1.9 billion, 8,500-foot-long roadway. The TWT, at first open for only authorized commercial traffic and later, non-commercial traffic on weekends and holidays, will be available to all traffic at all times in 2003, with the substantial completion of the I-90 portion of the Big Dig completed.

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2000 In their third free agent signing in the last eight days, the Red Sox come to terms with pitcher Hideo Nomo. The 32-year-old right-hander, who will lead the league in strikeouts (220) and walks (96) in his only season with Boston, agrees to a one-year deal worth 4.5 million dollars.

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2001 The Mariners acquire 32-year-old two-time All-Star third baseman Jeff Cirillo (.312, 17, 83) from the Rockies in exchange for reliever Jose Paniagua and minor leaguers Dennis Stark and Brian Fuentes.

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2002 With the threat of losing their heavy-hitting second baseman, Jeff Kent, the Giants sign former All-Star free agent Edgardo Alfonzo (.308, 16, 56) to a four-year deal. The 29-year-old infielder named the Mets All-time second baseman in August was not tendered arbitration after turning down several contract proposals from the team.

2004 Coming off an injury-shortened season with the Diamondbacks, Richie Sexson (.233, 9, 23) agrees to a $50 million, four-year deal with the Mariners. The 29-year-old free-agent first baseman will reunite with Seattle's new manager Mike Hargrove, his former skipper in Cleveland from 1997-2000.

2004 After offering a four-year deal worth approximately $53 million, the Mets announce the club has come to terms with Pedro Martinez (16-9, 3.90 ERA). The former Red Sox ace, who posted a 117-37 record in seven seasons with Boston, criticizes his former team for not being more aggressive in retaining his services.

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2004 After the District of Columbia Council votes to require private financing for at least half of a Nationals' new ballpark's construction costs, MLB suspends all sales of the team's merchandise and tickets. The decision may make any item with the National League's latest logo quite a collector's item.

 

2006 The late Buck O'Neil, who passed away in October, is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously by President George W. Bush for his "excellence and determination both on and off the baseball field." Accepting the country's highest civilian honor on behalf of the Negro league baseball legend is his 91-year-old brother, Warren.

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2007 Joining his close friend Takashi Saito, right-hander Hiroki Kuroda agrees to a three-year, $35.2 million free-agent deal to pitch for the Dodgers. The 33-year-old native of Osaka compiled a 103-89 record, posting a 3.69 ERA in the Japanese Central League during the past 11 seasons playing with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.

2008 In possibly the richest contract ever offered to an older player, 46-year-old Jamie Moyer (16-7, 3.71) signs a $13 million, two-year deal to stay with the World Champion Phillies. In his last outing, the southpaw pitched six strong innings against Tampa Bay in Game 3 of the World Series.

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2008 The Tigers improve their infield defense, signing Adam Everett to a one-year contract reportedly worth $1 million to replace the recently departed Edgar Renteria, who signed a free-agent deal with the Giants. The light-hitting infielder, formerly with Minnesota, is one of the better defensive shortstops in baseball and will improve upon the 16 errors made at that position last season.

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2009 Adam Lind wins the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award. The Blue Jays outfielder batted .299, slugged 21 homers, and collected 74 RBIs while appearing as a DH in 95 games for Toronto.

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2009 Bud Selig establishes a committee composed of managers and longtime executives to explore "on-field matters," that the baseball commissioner will chair. The 15-member panel includes four owner representatives - Paul Beeston (Blue Jays), Dave Montgomery (Phillies), Chuck Armstrong (Mariners), and Bill DeWitt (Cardinals), three current managers - Tony La Russa (Cardinals), Jim Leyland (Rockies), and Joe Torre (Dodgers) along with Mike Scioscia (Angels), Orioles president for baseball operations Andy MacPhail, Indians GM Mark Shapiro, Braves president John Schuerholz, former Twins GM Terry Ryan, political columnist George Will, and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson.

 

2011 The Twins' signing of former Oakland left fielder Josh Willingham (.246, 29, 98) to a three-year deal worth $21 million makes it unlikely the team will try to ink their own free-agent outfielders. Minnesota plans to fill the vacancies of the probable departure of Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel with fleet flycatchers Denard Span and Ben Revere.

2014 The Cubs and Jon Lester have terms on a $155 million contract that will keep the 30-year-old southpaw in Chicago for the next six years. The deal, which includes a record $30 million signing bonus, makes the former Red Sox and A's ace the second-highest-paid pitcher in baseball history, behind only Clayton Kershaw, who inked a $30.7 million pact with the Dodgers.

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2015 Major League Baseball's goodwill tour to Cuba, the first official MLB visit to the country since 1999, opens with a news conference at Havana's Hotel Nacional. Players participating in the four days of children's clinics and charitable events include White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu and Dodger outfielder Yasiel Puig, both defectors from the island nation to the United States to play baseball.

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2016 The Giants make the final payment on AT&T Park, 17 years after playing their first game in the new ballpark located in the China Basin. The team’s home, originally known as Pacific Bell Park when the gates opened in 2000, was built by HOK Sport at the cost of $357 million.
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On December 15 in Baseball History...

• • 1920 - Yankees general manager Ed Barrow pries future Hall of Fame pitcher Waite Hoyt, catcher Wally Schang, lefty Harry Harper, and infielder Mike McNally from his former Boston team in exchange for second baseman Del Pratt, catcher Muddy Ruel, pitcher Hank Thormahlen, outfielder Sammy Vick, and cash.
    
  • 1933 - The major leagues agree on a uniform ball, to be livelier than the NL ball of recent seasons, to match the AL balls. Owners also agree to ban Sunday doubleheaders until after June 15.
    
  • 1980 - Dave Winfield becomes the highest-paid player in baseball when he signs a 10-year, $15 million contract with the Yankees.

Baseball Birthdays on December 15...

• • 1860 - Powell, Abner
  • 1863 - Van Dyke, Bill
  • 1868 - Hemming, George
  • 1878 - Slagle, Walt
  • 1882 - Clarke, Nig Nig Clarke was born on Friday, December 15, 1882, in Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada. Clarke was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 26, 1905, with the Cleveland Naps
  • 1884 - Nealon, Jim
  • 1888 - Prendergast, Mike
  • 1902 - Watt, Frank
  • 1906 - Kane, Tom
  • 1910 - Stumpf, George
  • 1919 - Trinkle, Ken
  • 1920 - Robinson, Eddie "Eddie Robinson was the most underrated and best clutch hitter I ever played against." - Ted Williams
  • 1923 - Bonness, Bill
  • 1929 - Herbert, Ray
  • 1930 - Sullivan, Haywood 'I came from nothing. I was a player in an era when you didn't ever go up to the front office. I moved along as a coach and a manager. But never in my wildest dreams did I feel I would be involved in ownership.'' - Haywood Sullivan
  • 1931 - Esposito, Sammy
  • 1944 - Bahnsen, Stan
  • 1945 - Blanco, Gil
  • 1946 - Howe, Art
  • 1947 - Crosby, Ken
  • 1948 - Rau, Doug
  • 1950 - Hockenbery, Chuck
  • 1950 - Proly, Mike
  • 1951 - Sexton, Jimmy
  • 1952 - Bulling, Bud
  • 1967 - Vaughn, Mo
  • 1970 - Helling, Rick
  • 1970 - Ellis, Robert
  • 1971 - Ramirez, Hector
  • 1975 - Clemente, Edgard

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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12/16
BIRTHDAYS
1938 Frank Deford, American sportswriter

1964 Billy Ripken, 2nd baseman (Bal Orioles, Texas Rangers), born in Havre de Grace, Maryland


1965 Chris Jones, outfielder (NY Mets), born in Utica, New York


1972 Charles Gipson Mariners

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

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 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.

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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 along with pitcher Will McEnaney to the Expos for pitchers Woody Fryman and Dale Murray. The former Cincinnatti infielder, considered by many to be the Big Red Machine's heart and soul, spends 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. Cincinnati obtains pitcher Charlie Puleo and two minor leaguers, Lloyd McClendon and Jason Felice, in exchange for the' Franchise.'

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1983 Replacing Billy Martin (91-71, third place), Yogi Berra is hired for the second time to manage the Yankees. The Hall of Famer's self-exile 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.

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, who is 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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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.

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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.

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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 agree on an $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 he is expected to play with his new club.

 

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.

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 in the pursuit of 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

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On December 16 in Baseball History...

• • 1922 - The Eastern Colored League (chartered as the Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Baseball Clubs) is formally organized. The league will complete five seasons before folding in midsummer 1928.
    
  • 1926 - Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis is given a new seven-year term as commissioner with a raise to $65,000 per annum.
    
  • 1975 - The colorful Bill Veeck returns. A group he heads buys 80 percent of the White Sox from John Allyn.
    
  • 1976 - Court proceedings in Charlie Finley's $10 million damage suit against Commissioner Bowie Kuhn begins in Chicago. At issue is Kuhn's voiding of Finley's attempted player sales in June. The proceedings will take 15 days, and the decision will take three months.
    
  • 1982 - Tom Seaver agrees to a new contract with the Mets, completing a trade that sends him back to New York from Cincinnati. The Reds receive pitcher Charlie Puleo and minor leaguers Lloyd McClendon and Jason Felice for the three-time Cy Young Award winner, who was 5-13 with a 5.50 ERA in 1982.

Baseball Birthdays on December 16...

• • 1856 - Pete Pete Hotaling (MY UNCLE PETE)was born on Tuesday, December 16, 1856, in Mohawk, New York. Hotaling was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on May 1, 1879, with the Cincinnati Reds, "As the story goes, the fleet-footed outfielder was called to catch for Syracuse in a minor league game in 1877. After he got behind the plate, a batter tipped back a pitch into (Pete) Hotaling's eye. A month later the bruised outfielder was again asked to catch. Hotaling was taunted as a coward as he took his place behind the plate wearing the first catcher's mask."
  • 1876 - Strang, Sammy
  • 1876 - Crolius, Fred
  • 1884 - Girard, Charlie
  • 1886 - Otey, Bill
  • 1891 - Tyler, Fred
  • 1892 - Moore, Scrappy
  • 1897 - Wigington, Fred
  • 1898 - Shellenback, Frank
  • 1898 - Cousineau, Dee
  • 1900 - Kaufmann, Tony
  • 1901 - McMullen, Hugh
  • 1904 - Berry, Joe
  • 1909 - Mailho, Emil
  • 1917 - Pruett, Jim
  • 1928 - Hansen, Doug
  • 1931 - Chrisley, Neil
  • 1934 - Bailey, Jim
  • 1936 - Richards, Duane
  • 1941 - Phillips, Adolfo
  • 1951 - Flanagan, Mike
  • 1952 - Bianco, Tommy
  • 1956 - Sofield, Rick
  • 1957 - Gorman, Tom
  • 1958 - Wilborn, Ted
  • 1958 - Johnson, Rondin
  • 1959 - Noce, Paul
  • 1963 - Jelic, Chris
  • 1964 - Ripken, Billy
  • 1965 - Hennis, Randy
  • 1965 - Jones, Chris
  • 1969 - Wood, Jason
  • 1971 - Granger, Jeff
  • 1972 - Gipson, Jr., Charles
  • 1976 - Kinney, Matt

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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