BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

2008 Two 16-year-olds, backstop Bill Pena and southpaw Gregory Baez agree to contracts with the Nationals. The team scouted the Dominican youngsters at the Loma del Sueno complex in San Cristobal.

2008 The Astros sign free-agent Aaron Boone (.241, 6, 28) to a $750,000, one-year contract deal. The former National infielder, who will share third base with Geoff Blum and Chris Johnson, fills the void created when the team didn't tender Ty Wigginton a contract as a means of cutting the payroll, making the infielder a free agent.

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2009 The Cubs trade outcast Milton Bradley to the Mariners for pitcher Carlos Silva (1-3, 8.60), Seattle's very costly and underachieving right-hander. Chicago suspended the outspoken and unpopular outfielder for his criticism of the team's atmosphere as being the reason the club hasn't won a World Series since 1908.

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2009 The Orioles finalize their $12 million, two-year deal with Mike Gonzalez, hoping the veteran southpaw reliever can become a dependable closer for the team not having one since trading George Sherrill to LA at the end of July. The 31-year-old Texan posted a 5-4 record with ten saves for Atlanta last season, and in 2006 compiled a career-high 24 saves for the Pirates before undergoing elbow ligament replacement surgery the following season.

2009 Avoiding arbitration, Ricky Nolasco and the Marlins agree to a $3.8 million, one-year deal, increasing $1.4 million from last season. The team's Opening Day starter posted a 13-9 record, compiling an ERA of 5.06 for the Fish last season.

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2014 A thief breaks into a baseball museum located in Safeco Field, stealing historical Mariner memorabilia and various items on display from other teams, including a 1947 Vancouver Capilanos championship silver cigarette case and a baseball used at a Vancouver Beavers championship game in 1908. The perpetrator will be arrested tomorrow, with all of the stolen goods eventually recovered.
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Today in Baseball History
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On December 18 in Baseball History...

• • 1952 - In a shake-up of the Cleveland Indians, Hank Greenberg stays on as general manager, while Ellis W. Ryan resigns as president after losing a showdown.
    
  • 1956 - Former Yankees shortstop Phil Rizzuto signs as a Yankee radio-TV announcer.
    
  • 1973 - The Yankees announce the signing of Dick Williams as manager, precipitating a legal showdown with Charlie Finley. Two days later, AL president Joe Cronin rules that the Yankees cannot sign Williams.
    
  • 1990 - The NL announces the six finalist cities for the two expansion clubs that will join the league in Buffalo, Denver, Miami, Orlando, Tampa-St. Petersburg, and Washington, D.C.

Baseball Birthdays on December 18...

• • 1842 - Wolters, Rynie
  • 1860 - Hamill, John
  • 1864 - Oldfield, Dave
  • 1870 - Rothermel, Bobby
  • 1873 - Clymer, Bill
  • 1881 - Essick, Bill
  • 1881 - Perry, Clay
  • 1883 - Knolls, Hub
  • 1886 - Cobb, Ty
  • 1886 - Murphy, Dummy Murphy was 27 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 14, 1914, with the Philadelphia Phillies
  • 1889 - Napier, Buddy
  • 1893 - Mulrenan, Dominic
  • 1893 - Williams, Rinaldo
  • 1893 - Jacobus, Larry
  • 1894 - Covington, Sam
  • 1897 - Richbourg, Lance
  • 1899 - Barnes, Sam
  • 1902 - Burke, Les
  • 1902 - Buskey, Joe
  • 1906 - Coffman, Dick
  • 1908 - Pattison, Jimmy
  • 1911 - Triplett, Coaker
  • 1915 - Barrett, Johnny
  • 1924 - Gorman, Herb
  • 1929 - Cimoli, Gino
  • 1930 - Baxes, Mike
  • 1930 - Skowron, Bill "Moose could flat-out hit ... for average, and he had real power. People used to look at our lineup and concentrate on the guys in the middle of the order. Moose might have been batting sixth or seventh, but he made our lineup deep and more dangerous. You didn't want to give him too much around the plate. He was like Yogi Berra, he could hit bad pitches out and beat you." - Teammate / Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle on MLB.com (Marty Noble, 04/27/2012
  • 1938 - White, Mike
  • 1939 - Versalles, Zoilo Versalles was 19 years old when he broke into the big leagues on August 1, 1959, with the Washington Senators "Versalles played 160 games. He led the AL in runs scored (126), doubles (forty-five), and triples (twelve). He stole twenty-seven bases and was caught only five times. He was the leadoff man for a franchise that reached the World Series for the first time since 1933. And he played shortstop. Far too often, the voters pay absolutely no attention to the defensive contributions of the candidates, which is why players like Juan Gonzalez and Mo Vaughn win awards they don't deserve. But in 1965, none of the big RBI men on the pennant contenders had big years. That left the door open for the shortstop with the good (but not great) hitting stats. And in 1965, Zoilo Veralles really was the best player in the league." - Neyer, Rob. Author. Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups
  • 1944 - Hovley, Steve
  • 1944 - O'Brien, Syd
  • 1951 - Ramirez, Orlando
  • 1953 - Howell, Roy
  • 1955 - Clancy, Jim
  • 1958 - Nielsen, Scott
  • 1961 - Hengel, Dave
  • 1961 - Bailes, Scott
  • 1963 - Czajkowski, Jim
  • 1965 - Blair, Willie
  • 1969 - Randa, Joe
  • 1970 - Gulan, Mike
  • 1972 - Seelbach, Chris
  • 1974 - Carter, Lance
  • 1974 - Rodriguez, Jose
  • 1977 - Acevedo, Jose

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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12/19
BIRTHDAYS

1894 Ford C Frick, American Baseball HOF executive (NL President 1934-51; MLB Commissioner 1951-65), born in Wawaka, Indiana (d. 1978)

Al Kaline (1934-2020) Hall of Fame outfielder (18 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1968; 10 × Gold Glove Award; Detroit Tigers), born in Baltimore, Maryland


1935 Tony Taylor, second baseman (MLB All Star 1960; Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers), born in Central Álava, Cuba (d. 2020)


1943 Walt "No-Neck" Williams, professional baseball player (White Sox), born in Brownwood, Texas (d. 2016)


1956 Tom Lawless


1964 Mike Fetters pitcher, 1989-2004 (California Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, and 6 other teams), and pitching coach (Arizona Diamondback, 2012-present), born in Van Nuys, California


1967 Doug Johns, South Bend IN, pitcher (Mariners, Oakland A's)


1984 Ian Kennedy pitcher

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1928 The Senators trade their player-manager Bucky Harris to the Tigers for infielder Jack Warner. The future Hall of Famer will replace George Moriarity (68-86, 6th place) as the Motor City skipper.

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1936 The Braves purchase Eddie Mayo from the Giants. The 26-year-old infielder will see limited playing time during his two seasons in Boston, hitting just .216, but will become a productive war-time player for the Tigers, being named the Most Valuable Player by The Sporting News in 1945.

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1954 Wally Moon (.304, 12, 106) becomes the first Cardinal player selected by the BBWAA as the National League's Rookie of the Year. The 24-year-old center fielder, who replaced Enos Slaughter in the St. Louis outfield, gets 17 of the 24 writers' votes, with runners-up including future Hall of Famers Ernie Banks (4) and Hank Aaron (1).

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1976 A single-engine Piper Cherokee plane crashes into the upper deck of Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, home of the Orioles, injuring the pilot, arrested for violating air safety regulations, and three others. Minutes before the mishap, the plane had buzzed the stadium during the final moments of the Steelers playoff 40-14 victory over the Colts.

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1986 A judge fines Michael Sergio $500 and sentences him to 100 hours of community service for criminal trespassing after prosecutors drop the more serious charge of reckless endangerment for parachuting into Shea Stadium during the first inning of Game 6 of the World Series. In May, however, the 37-year-old actor and Mets fan will be sentenced to six months in a federal jail for contempt of court when he refuses to reveal the pilot's name who flew the plane from which he skydived.

 

1990 At a press conference, Tiger management and WJR announce 1991 will be popular play-by-play announcer Ernie Harwell's 32nd and final season in the broadcast booth. The dismissal of the broadcaster starts a furor among fans, including a threatened boycott of club owner Tom Monaghan's Domino's Pizza business and the rise of the slogan, "Say It Ain't So, Bo," appearing on bumper stickers and T-shirts, a reference to Bo Schembechler, the team president.

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1991 The Blue Jays sign free-agent veteran Dave Winfield to be their designated hitter, a role the former Angel nicely fills when he hits .290 with 26 home runs along with 108 RBIs. The veteran, who will become a fan favorite, provides leadership and experience en route to the team's first world championship.

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1991 The Orioles sign former 1984 Cy Young Award winner Rick Sutcliffe (6-5, 4.10) as a free agent after the Cubs declined to offer him a contract due to recurring arm problems. During his two seasons with the Birds, the right-hander will compile a 26-25 record for the club and becomes Baltimore's starter in the team's first game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

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2001 Several hours before a midnight deadline, Barry Bonds accepts the Giants' offer of salary arbitration. San Francisco's decision to go to arbitration avoids a bidding war for their franchise player, and this season's National League MVP will be likely worth at least $20 million for one year of service.

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2001 Free agent Moises Alou (.331, 27, 108) signs a $27 million, three-year deal with the Cubs. The former Astro All-Star's presence in the Chicago lineup, along with Fred McGriff and Sammy Sosa, will give the team a fearsome 3-4-5 threesome.

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2002 Japan's most heralded player, 28-year-old outfield slugger Hideki Matsui (.334, 50, 107) reaches a preliminary agreement with the Yankees on a $21 million, three-year contract. 'Godzilla,' the three-time Most Valuable Player of Japan's Central League, rejected the Yomiuri Giants' $33 million, four-year offer, opting to play for Bronx Bombers.

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2003 Agreeing to a $6 million, two-year contract with the Angels, Jose Guillen (.311, 31, 86) will become the team's right fielder next season. The deal allows Tim Salmon to become Anaheim's full-time designated hitter.

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2003 Kevin Millwood agrees to the Phillies' surprise offer of salary arbitration. The All-Star hurler will anchor an outstanding rotation that includes Randy Wolf, Vicente Padilla, Eric Milton, and Brett Myers.

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2003 Gary Deporter, the managing partner of the late broadcaster Harry Caray's area restaurants, submits the winning bid of $106,600 to obtain the foul ball that Steve Bartman deflected, which kept the Cubs from getting a much-needed out during Game 6 of the NLCS. Plans call for the ball's destruction as an act of exorcism during a worldwide toast to Harry on his birthday, February 26th.

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2006 The Yankees purchase left-handed pitcher Kei Igawa from the Hanshin Tigers for a $26 million posting fee, signing the Eiji Sawamura Award winner to a five-year deal worth another $20 million. The deal, prompted by Boston's signing of Daisuke Matsuzaka, will prove to be disastrous for the Bronx Bombers when the 27-year-old southpaw compiles a 2-4 record in 14 starts along with an ERA of 6.66 over two seasons.

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2007 "If he doesn't do that then there aren't many options as a fan for me other than to believe his career 192 wins and three Cy Youngs he won prior to 1997 were the end. From that point on the numbers were attained through using (performance-enhancing drugs). Just like I stated about Jose (Canseco), if that is the case with Roger, the four Cy Youngs should go to the rightful winners, and the numbers should go away if he cannot refute the accusations." - CURT SCHILLING, urging Roger Clemens to renounce the final four of seven CYAs if obtained with PED assistance.
With a 3,200-word post on his 38pitches.com blog, Curt Schilling urges Roger Clemens to give up the four Cy Young Awards won after 1997, the alleged period after he started taking performance-enhancing substances if the right-hander is unable to clear his name. The veteran Red Sox hurler acknowledged the help the 354-game winner gave him as a young pitcher but wanted to stay consistent, noting he previously urged Jose Canseco to forfeit the 1988 AL MVP award due to the slugger's use of steroids.

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2008 The Dodgers confirmed they have inked their current shortstop, Rafael Furcal, to a three-year deal believed to be worth $33 million. Braves president John Schuerholz thought he had an agreement in place to sign the 31-year-old infielder earlier in the week, described the negotiation for the free agent as dishonest, and said his team would never again deal with the Wasserman Media Group.

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2008 The Marlins come to terms with Josh Johnson, projected to be their No. 1 starter next season. The right-hander, who returned from elbow surgery in midseason to compile a 7-1 record for the third-place Fish, agrees to a one-year, $1.4 million deal, including incentives for the number of games started in 2009.

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2008 Agreeing to stay in Anaheim, Juan Rivera (.246, 12, 45) agrees to a $12.7 million, three-year deal to roam the Angels' outfield. The 30-year-old Venezuelan, who was the team's best pinch-hitter, going 5-for-14, including two game-winning hits, could also be used as the club's designated hitter.

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2009 Scott Rolen agrees to a two-year contract extension to stay with the Reds, a team he was dealt to in July by Toronto for third baseman Edwin Encarnacion along with pitchers Josh Roenicke and Zach Stewart. The seven-time Gold Glove winner appeared in only 40 games for Cincinnati, having his playing time diminished after getting hit in the head by a Jason Marquis fastball shortly after the trade.

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2010 The Brewers obtain 27-year-old right-handed starter Zack Greinke, shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, and cash considerations from the Royals in exchange for shortstop Alcides Escobar, outfielder Lorenzo Cain, and pitching prospects Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress. The acquisition of the 2009 American League Cy Young winner bolsters an already strong Milwaukee rotation that includes Shaun Marcum, a recent addition from Toronto in a deal that sent second-base prospect Brett Lawrie to the Blue Jays.

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2011 After offering a reported posting fee of $51.7 million, the Rangers win the rights to negotiate exclusively with Yu Darvish, the 25-year-old right-hander Japanese pitching ace of the Nippon Ham Fighters. Texas now has thirty days to sign the two-time MVP, who posted a 93-38 record along with a 1.99 earned run average during his seven seasons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball Pacific League.

2011 The Phillies finalize a $33 million, three-year deal with Jimmy Rollins (.268, 16, 63), including a vesting option for 2015 at $11 million. The 33-year-old shortstop has been an integral part of Philadelphia's recent success of winning five consecutive NL East titles and the 2008 world championship.

2011 The Diamondbacks and free-agent Jason Kubel agree on a two-year deal worth a reported $15 million. Arizona expects the former long-time Minnesota outfielder to add more punch to the reigning NL champs' offense.

2014 The Rays complete a three-team, 11-player trade that sends outfielder Wil Myers, backstop Ryan Hanigan, and minor league prospects LHP Jose Castillo and RHP Gerardo Reyes to the Padres for catcher Rene Rivera, right-hander Burch Smith, and minor-league first baseman Jake Bauers. Tampa Bay also acquires outfielder Steven Souza and LHP prospect Travis Ott from the Nationals, who received RHP farmhand Joe Ross and a player to be named later, reported to be minor-league shortstop Trea Turner from San Diego.
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Today in Baseball History
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Search archives: Historical Events Baseball Birthdays Baseball Deaths
On December 19 in Baseball History...

• • 1934 - Future Hall of Famer Al Kaline, who will amass 3,007 hits in 20 years with the Tigers, is born in Baltimore.
  • 1986 - After finding no other clubs interested in signing him, free-agent pitcher and 20-game winner Jack Morris agrees to salary arbitration with the Tigers. Morris accuses the major league owners of collusion against free agents. Morris had offered to sign a one-year contract, with salary to be determined by an arbitrator, with either the Yankees, Angels, Twins, or Phillies, but was turned down by all four.

Baseball Birthdays on December 19...

• • 1864 - Drissel, Mike
  • 1872 - Gaston, Welcome
  • 1875 - O'Hara, Kid
  • 1875 - Byers, Burley
  • 1879 - Welday, Mike
  • 1882 - Krichell, Paul
  • 1886 - McMahon, Doc
  • 1887 - Butler, Art
  • 1891 - Goodwin, Pep
  • 1892 - Thomas, Fred
  • 1893 - Strand, Paul
  • 1897 - Herrera, Mike
  • 1898 - Koupal, Lou
  • 1900 - Gilbert, Wally
  • 1900 - Jeanes, Tex
  • 1906 - Sullivan, Tom
  • 1915 - Yount, Eddie
  • 1915 - Witek, Mickey
  • 1917 - Poat, Ray
  • 1918 - O'Brien, Tommy
  • 1918 - DeKoning, Bill
  • 1923 - Freiburger, Vern
  • 1924 - Barney, Rex Barney was 18 years old when he broke into the big leagues on August 18, 1943, with the Brooklyn Dodgers. "With the possible exception of Sandy Koufax, no Dodger pitcher ever threw harder than Rex Barney. Throughout the late 1940s, Barney's fastball was the talk of baseball. In 1947, at the age of twenty-two, he struck out Joe DiMaggio with the bases loaded in a World Series game. On a rainy night at the Polo Grounds in 1948, Barney pitched a no-hitter against the New York Giants and appeared on the verge of realizing his greatness. Alas, it was not to be. 'Barney pitched as though the plate was high and outside,' Bob Cooke wrote famously in the New York Herald Tribune." - Harrison, Don. Author. The Team That Forever Changed Baseball and America: The 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers. University of Nebraska Press. 1 April 2012.
  • 1933 - Windhorn, Gordie
  • 1934 - Kaline, Al
  • 1935 - Taylor, Tony
  • 1936 - Kubiszyn, Jack
  • 1943 - Williams, Walt
  • 1944 - Gardner, Rob
  • 1945 - Kusnyer, Art
  • 1945 - Zahn, Geoff
  • 1955 - Stanfield, Kevin
  • 1956 - Cliburn, Stan
  • 1956 - Cliburn, Stew
  • 1956 - Lawless, Tom
  • 1962 - Wegman, Bill
  • 1962 - Parker, Clay
  • 1964 - Fetters, Mike
  • 1965 - Martinez, Chito
  • 1966 - Slusarski, Joe
  • 1967 - Johns, Doug
  • 1968 - Mouton, James
  • 1970 - Wilson, Tom
  • 1973 - Silva, Jose
  • 1975 - Branyan, Russ

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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