BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

2010 In the first inning of an exhibition game in Tampa, Denard Span hits a hard foul line drive that strikes his mother while watching him play. The Twins' stunned leadoff batter runs into the crowded stands, staying with his mom while paramedics treat her until she returns to her seat, slightly shaken but intact.
2011 Down to their final out on Opening Day, Cameron Maybin, acquired by the Padres in the offseason from the Marlins for Edward Mujica and Ryan Webb, hits a game-tying homer off Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin. San Diego wins the game two innings later on three successive two-out hits, including their new centerfielder's knock for the go-ahead run in the team's eventual 5-3 victory at Busch Stadium.

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2013 Shintaro Fujinami, a first-round draft selection, sets a record for players drafted out of high school when he makes his first professional start, a game sooner than Daisuke Matsuzaka (1999) and Hideaki Wakui (2005), pitching for the Hanshin Tigers just three games into the season. The 18-year-old Japanese rookie right-hander will allow two runs in six innings, taking the loss in the team's 2-0 loss against Tokyo Yakult Swallows at Jingu Stadium.

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2013 In their American League debut, the Astros beat the Rangers, 8-3, victory in a nationally televised game at Minute Maid Park. After 51 years of playing in the National League, Houston agreed to move from the NL Central to the AL West to give each league 15 teams with an equal number of teams in each division, as a condition for the approval of the sale of the team to Jim Crane.

 

2014 Pittsburgh native Neil Walker sends the largest regular-season crowd in the 14-year history of PNC Park home happy when he hits a Carlos Villanueva change up over the fence, giving the Pirates a 1-0 walk-off victory over the Cubs. The tenth-inning homer marks the first time since 1965 when Bob Bailey went deep off Giants' right-hander Juan Marichal that a Buc player ended a scoreless Opening Day contest with a solo round-trip.

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2014 A video review overturns an umpire's decision for the first time using MLB's expanded replay system. Brewers' outfielder Ryan Braun, initially called safe by first base by ump Greg Gibson, on a sixth-inning leadoff infield single, is ruled out after the Braves manager Freddi Gonzalez challenges the play.
2014 On Opening Day, Anaheim's hitting coach Don Baylor suffers a freak accident, fracturing his right femur while backhanding the low and away ceremonial first pitch from Vladimir Guerrero, the team's former outfielder who had just signed a one-day contract on the field much to crowd's delight. Guerrero spent six seasons of his 16 major league tenure with the Halos and was named the AL MVP in 2004, his first year with the team, joining Baylor (1979) as the only other player to win the award franchise history.
2018 Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who goes 3-for-4 in the team's 3-2 victory over the Rays at Tropicana Field, becomes the first American Leaguer to have multiple extra-base hits in the first three games of the season. In 2015, Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez also accomplished the feat, collecting at least two safeties in each of LA's first three contests when he compiled ten hits his first 14 at-bats of the season.

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Today in Baseball History
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On March 31 in Baseball History...

• • 1909 - The National Commission rules that players who jump contracts will be suspended for five years. Players joining outlaw organizations will be suspended for three years as punishment for going outside organized baseball.
  • 1968 - The name for Seattle's A.L. expansion club is the Pilots.
  • 1969 - Veteran utility infielder Chico Salmon is traded from the expansion Seattle Pilots to the Baltimore Orioles for pitcher Gene Brabender and infielder Gordy Lund. Salmon will play for three consecutive pennant winners in Baltimore from 1969 to 1971, while the Pilots last only one season in Seattle before moving to Milwaukee.
  • 1995 - The longest strike in sports history ends � in a courtroom. A U.S. District court order forbids owners from implementing new financial working conditions in the wake of the negotiations impasse. The court decides that conditions will revert to the old rules from the previous season. Because of the timing of the court order, 18 games will have to be trimmed from the major league schedule.
  • 1996 - The first ever March Opening Day takes place in Seattle.
  • 1998 - Expansion teams get a rude entry into major league baseball. The Tigers rip Wilson Alvarez for six runs and nine hits in 2.1 innings in an 11-6 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the first-ever game at Tropicana Field. Wade Boggs, just 200 hits shy of 3,000 at the start of the season, hits the first home run in Tampa Bay history. Meanwhile in Phoenix, the Arizona Diamondbacks fall to the Rockies, 7-2, as Bank One Ballpark opens its doors and its retractable roof. Travis Lee gets both the first hit and later, the first home run, in Arizona history.

Baseball Birthdays on March 31...

• • 1852 - Evers, Tom
  • 1853 - Pirie, Jim
  • 1862 - Benedict, Art
  • 1867 - Hallman, Bill
  • 1868 - Stivetts, Jack
  • 1880 - Ross, Ernie
  • 1882 - Pfeffer, Big Jeff
  • 1884 - Truesdale, Frank
  • 1885 - Bronkie, Herman
  • 1886 - Kommers, Fred
  • 1887 - Brandom, Chick
  • 1891 - Couch, Johnny
  • 1894 - Mallonee, Ben
  • 1894 - Sheehan, Tom
  • 1895 - Bigbee, Carson
  • 1897 - Brown, Jim
  • 1899 - Johnson, Ed
  • 1904 - Dailey, Sam
  • 1918 - Grissom, Marv
  • 1920 - Koslo, Dave
  • 1931 - Snyder, Gene
  • 1938 - Herrnstein, John
  • 1938 - Stubing, Moose
  • 1946 - Denehy, Bill
  • 1946 - Marquez, Gonzalo
  • 1953 - Hausman, Tom
  • 1961 - Jones, Tracy
  • 1964 - Montalvo, Rafael
  • 1964 - Cron, Chris
  • 1964 - Galvez, Balvino
  • 1975 - Christman, Tim
  • 1975 - Rupe, Ryan

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4.1
OTD
BIRTHDAYS
1915 Jeff Heath, outfielder (MLB All Star 1941, 43, 45; Cleveland Indians), born in Fort William, Ontario (d. 1975)

1936 Ron Perranoski MLB pitcher (World Series 1963, 65; LA Dodgers; AL saves leader 1969, 70) and coach (World Series 1981, 88; LAD), born in Paterson, New Jersey (d. 2020)

1939 Phil Niekro Hall of Fame pitcher, famed knuckleballer; no-hitter 1973; 5 x MLB All Star; 5 x Gold Glove; Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves), born in Blaine, Ohio (d. 2020)

1939 Nick Peters Hall of Fame writer (Oakland Tribune, Sacramento Bee, Berkeley Gazette, San Francisco Chronicle), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2015)
1944 Rusty Staub utility (6 x MLB All Star; Houston Colt .45s / Astros; Montreal Expos; NY Mets; Detroit Tigers) and broadcaster (Mets games 1986-95), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 2018)

1948 Willie Montañez first baseman (MLB All Star 1977; Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves), born in Cataño, Puerto Ricon

1969 Frank Castillo pitcher, 1991-2005 (Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, and 4 other teams), born in El Paso, Texas (d. 2013)

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1914 Rube Waddell, a southpaw who once struck out a record 349 batters in one season, dies of tuberculosis at 37. The eccentric Hall of Famer compiled a 193-143 (.574) record and a 2.16 ERA during his 13 seasons with the Colonels, A's, Pirates, and Browns.

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1937 The Reds sell Babe Herman to the Tigers. The 34 year-old outfielder, batting .300 for his new team, will appear in only 17 contests with Detroit before effectively retiring from the game, although he will return to play briefly for the war-time Dodgers in 1945.

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1938 Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, not a fan of Branch Rickey's farm system, grants free agency to a group of nine Cardinal minor leaguers that includes talented prospect Pete Reiser. A reported gentlemen's agreement that has Brooklyn signing and hiding the 19-year-old outfielder in the minors for a trade back to St. Louis fails when Leo Durocher disobeys orders, allowing the phenom to display his incredible ability in spring training exhibition games.

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1950 At Gilmore Field, the Pacific Coast League Hollywood Stars unveil their new look, wearing shorts and rayon shirts on Opening Day. The team plans to wear the new track-suit-styled uniforms during day games and warm night contests. In 1976, the White Sox will also don shorts in the first game of a doubleheader against Kansas City.

 

1962 Dave DeBusschere, a hoop star at the University of Detroit, signs with the White Sox as a pitcher. The 21-year-old right-hander will compile a 3-4 record in 36 appearances with Chicago before moving to the National Basketball Association, becoming one of the 50 named greatest players in the league's history.
1963 Former Brooklyn Dodger Duke Snider returns to New York when the Mets purchase him from LA for $40,000. The 36 year-old outfielder, who will represent New York in the All-Star Game, will be told at the end of the season by Buzzi Bavasi, his former GM, that the Yankees had asked for him to back up Mickey Mantle before he was dealt to the team the across the river.

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1964 During spring training in Tucson (AZ), Indians' manager Birdie Tebbetts suffers a heart attack. George Strickland will fill in for three months until the 51-year-old skipper returns to the Indians dugout with limited duties, resigning from the team two seasons later on August 19, again replaced by his third base coach.

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1968 The Braves purchase Orioles right-handed reliever Stu Miller, best remembered for committing a balk in the 1961 All-Star Game when a gust of wind pushed him off the mound at Candlestick Park. The 40-year-old Northampton (MA) native will throw only 1.2 innings in two appearances for Atlanta before retiring from baseball, having compiled a 105-103 record and 153 saves during his 16-year major league tenure with five teams.

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1969 After acquiring Lou Piniella from the Indians in the expansion draft, the Seattle Pilots trade him to the Royals in exchange for Steve Whitaker and John Gelnar. The 25-year-old outfielder will have a stellar season in Kansas City, copping the league's Rookie of the Year Award.

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1970 Federal Bankruptcy Referee Sidney Volinn, after ruling the team is insolvent, orders the Seattle Pilots be sold to a group headed by mid-western businessman Bud Selig. The American League expansion team's tenure in the Northwest is over after just one season when the club is hastily moved to Milwaukee to start the new season as the Brewers.
1976 After being released by the Padres, Bobby Tolan (.255, 5, 48), signs as a free agent with the Phillies. The outfielder-first baseman, who plays only 15 games for Philadelphia, will ink a deal with the Pirates in June.
1982 The Mets send fan-favorite Lee Mazzilli to Texas for rookie starters Ron Darling and Walt Terrell. This deal isn't well-received at the time, but the trade turns out to be a steal for New York when the two right-handers combine for 118 victories during their tenure with the team, and their departed outfielder plays a total of 58 games with Texas before being traded to the Yankees in August for Bucky Dent.

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1987 The Pirates trade Tony Pena, a three-time Gold Glove catcher, to the Cardinals in exchange for three youngsters, Mike LaValliere, Mike Dunne, and Andy Van Slyke, who thinks the deal is an April Fool's Day joke. The former Pittsburgh backstop cries at a news conference with Bucs' skipper Jim Leyland announces the swap with the Redbirds.

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1987 Mets phenom pitcher Dwight Gooden avoids suspension for substance abuse by agreeing to enter a drug rehab facility. The talented 22-year-old right-hander will make his first start on June 5 and wins 15 games for the team despite missing the first two months of the season.
1989 Former Yale University and National League president Bart Giamatti becomes the seventh commissioner of major league baseball. Baseball's new leader, a lifelong Red Sox fan, is the author of The Green Fields of the Mind, an essay which laments the end of a season in Boston.

 

1996 Nationalpastime.com appears for the first time on the internet. The popular website is the first to feature baseball history on a daily basis.
1996 The postponement of Cincinnati's Opening Day game becomes necessary after home plate ump John McSherry, working his 26th season in the major leagues, suffers a fatal heart attack after calling the first seven pitches of the contest. The death of the respected, but noticeably overweight veteran arbitrator, prompts Major League Baseball to compel its umpires to be more physically fit.

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1996 The Mets rally overcome a 6-0 deficit, beating the Cardinals at Shea Stadium, 7-6, in the century's biggest Opening Day comeback. The decisive run scores due to an unusual 9-3-6-3-6 double play when Bernard Gilkey, the baserunner on first, is doubled up on Rico Brogna's short sac fly to right field (RF-1B-SS-1B-SS), allowing Lance Johnson to cross home plate on the play.
1996 Only 7,296 fans show up at Cashman Field to watch the A's lose their season opener to the Blue Jays, 9-6. Due to the renovations at the Oakland Coliseum, the first six home games take place in Las Vegas, marking the first time since the White Sox participated in 11 home contests in Milwaukee's County Stadium in 1969 that a major league game takes place in a neutral site.
1997 Setting a record for the most runs scored in one inning of an Opening Day contest this century, the Padres score 11 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning en route to a 12-5 rout of the Mets. Chris Gomez, Rickey Henderson, and Quilvio Veras lead the attack with back-to-back-to-back home runs.
1998 At Camden Yards, the Orioles rock the Royals, 10-1, as Scott Erickson records his 100th major league victory. O's skipper Ray Miller, who hadn't won a game since managing the Twins in 1986, enjoys his first win with Baltimore.

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2001 In the first major league game ever played in Puerto Rico, the Blue Jays defeat the Rangers, 8-1, in the major league season opener. In his debut with Texas, $252 million shortstop Alex Rodriguez collects the season's first hit and first run, but he makes a throwing error on his first chance in the field.

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2002 Cinci Freedom, who evaded capture for ten days after jumping a six-foot fence to avoid slaughter, is excused from her scheduled appearance in the Reds' traditional Opening Day parade. Before the Reds' 5-4 walk-off victory over the Cubs at Cinergy Field, the Charolais cow is deemed too jumpy to participate in the Findlay Market activities after receiving a key to the city.
2002 The Mets, with a 6-2 victory over the Bucs at Shea Stadium, improve their mark for Opening Day victories to 26-15 (.634), a major league record. The New York expansion team didn't win their first season opener until the ninth year of the franchise's existence.
2005 Albert Pujols does not strike out in any of the 21 Cardinals spring training games. In his 68 plate appearances, the St. Louis first baseman finishes the exhibition season with a .458 batting average, six homers, and 20 RBI.

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2006 A day before the start of the season, the White Sox ink Jose Contreras (15-7, 3.61) to a $29 million, three-year contract extension. The 34 year-old Cuban native was the World Champs' most effective pitcher during the team's stretch run to the AL pennant, posting an 11-2 mark following the All-Star Game.

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2008 With two outs in the 10th inning, Robert Andino's first career round-tripper is a memorable one as his walk-off homer to deep left off Matt Wise gives the Marlins a 5-4 victory over the Mets at Dolphin Stadium. The post-game celebration is short-lived when the Miami native takes off for home to meet the police after getting a text message from his wife informing him their house may have an intruder.
2008 On Opening Day in Los Angeles, Juan Pierre's 434 consecutive game streak, the longest current one in the major leagues, comes to an end when the Dodger outfielder does not play in the 3-2 victory over the Giants. New skipper Joe Torre plays Andre Ethier in left field in place of the highly paid but light-hitting fly chaser.

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2009 After tallying a run in the top of the first, Kentucky State finds itself on the short end of a 22-1 score. The Eastern Kentucky University Colonels score 27 more times in the next three frames, prompting the decision to halt the contest in the middle of the fifth, giving EKU a 49-1 triumph over the Thorobreds.