BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

2011 Doug Glanville becomes a baseball color analyst for ESPN, the network where he has contributed to the Baseball Tonight television show, ESPN.com, and ESPN - The Magazine. The former major league outfielder, best known for his playing days with the Phillies, is also a guest columnist for the New York Times, where he writes about sports culture.
2013 On Opening Day, Jackie Bradley Jr. makes a memorable major league debut, walking three times, scoring twice, and robbing Robinson Cano of an extra-base hit with an outstanding defensive play in the Red Sox' 8-2 victory over New York at Yankee Stadium. The 22-year-old Boston rookie outfielder, called JBJ by his teammates, also makes uniform history, becoming the first major leaguer to wear "Jr." on the back of his jersey.
2013 Bryce Harper, providing all of the offense the Nationals will need, becomes the youngest player to homer twice on Opening Day. The 20-year-old outfielder, playing in his first Opening Day as a major leaguer, hits solo shots in the first and fourth frames in Washington's 2-0 victory over Miami.

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2013 Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino, who will end the day with an 0-1 record when he gives up a walk-off sac fly in an Opening Day loss to Milwaukee, becomes the first big league pitcher to wear the number 0, joining position players Oddibe McDowell (1985-88), Junior Ortiz (1989-2004), and Al Oliver (1978-85). Several players, including hurlers, including Bobo Newsome (1943), Curtis Leskanic (2000-01), Rick White (2005-06), and Brian Wilson (2003-14), have donned a double-zero.
2013 Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers' Opening Day pitcher, hits a leadoff home run off San Francisco's George Kontos in the bottom of the eighth inning to break up a scoreless tie in the team's eventual 4-0 victory. LA's 25-year-old southpaw retires the side in the next frame, completing a 4-0 complete-game shutout against the Giants at Chavez Ravine.

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2015 Auction items featured in Sotheby's "New York Sale" include the 1967 Mets' bullpen cart, which is shaped like a baseball wearing a cap. The electric-powered vehicle, valued between $20,000 and $30,000, fetches a surprising high bid of $125,000.

 

2018 In his much-anticipated pitching debut, Shohei Ohtani, striking out six batters in six innings while allowing three runs, picks up his first big league win when the Angels beat the A's at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, 7-4. The 23-year-old Japanese sensation, also touted for his prowess as a hitter, does not have a plate appearance in the American League contest.
2021 In the longest nine-inning game in franchise history, the Royals set a club record for runs scored on Opening Day, beating the Rangers at Kauffman Stadium, 14-10. The total of Kansas City players crossing the plate in the four-hour and 26-minute contest surpasses the team's 11 tallies against Toronto in 1979.
2021 Nationalpastime.com celebrates the 25th Anniversary of its debut on the internet. The popular almanac-styled baseball history website, the first to display facts for every day of the year, features 12,000 easily-searchable entries, many enhanced with videos, photos, text, and quotations.
2021 The Diamondbacks score six times in the fifth inning when Ketel Marte, Asdrúbal Cabrera, Tim Locastro, and Stephen Vogt all go deep, marking the first time a team hits four home runs in one inning on Opening Day. Arizona's historic offensive output falls short when the team drops an 8-7 decision to the Padres at Petco Park.
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Today in Baseball History
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Search archives: Historical Events Baseball Birthdays Baseball Deaths
On April 1 in Baseball History...

• • 1914 - Future Hall of Famer Rube Waddell, weakened by a heroic effort to help contain a winter flood in Kentucky, dies at 37 of tuberculosis in a San Antonio sanitarium.
  • 1963 - The Mets bring the Duke back to New York, purchasing Duke Snider from the Dodgers for $40,000.
  • 1969 - The Seattle Pilots trade minor-league outfielder Lou Piniella to the Royals for outfielder Steve Whitaker and pitcher John Gelnar. Piniella will be A.L. Rookie of the Year in Kansas City.
  • 1970 - The Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club, headed by Bud Selig, purchases the Seattle Pilots for $10,800,000. Although negotiations were conducted over a period of months, the sale was not finalized until March 13, when a federal bankruptcy referee declared the Pilots bankrupt. Brewers tickets go on sale April 2.
  • 1980 - After failing to come up with a new collective bargaining agreement with the owners, the Executive Board of the Players' Association votes unanimously to cancel the 92 remaining exhibition games and to strike on May 22 if a deal has not been reached by then. During spring training, the players had voted 971-1 in favor of a strike. The lone dissenter was Kansas City's Jerry Terrell, who voted no for religious reasons.
  • 1987 - St. Louis sends highly-regarded youngsters Andy Van Slyke, Mike LaValliere, and Mike Dunne to Pittsburgh in exchange for All-Star catcher Tony Pena.
  • 1996 - N.L. umpire John McSherry collapses and dies behind home plate seven pitches into the season opener between Cincinnati and Montreal. McSherry, who weighed close to 400 pounds, had postponed a physical until after the opener. The Reds-Expos game is postponed until the next day.

Baseball Birthdays on April 1...

• • 1856 - Kennedy, Ed
  • 1857 - Cronin, Dan
  • 1858 - Russ, John
  • 1858 - Mann, Fred
  • 1860 - Curry, Wes
  • 1872 - Fitzgerald, Warren
  • 1876 - Friel, Bill
  • 1890 - Young, George
  • 1892 - Cooper, Claude
  • 1894 - Reilly, Hal
  • 1904 - Cummings, Jack
  • 1911 - Brown, Bob
  • 1912 - Wade, Jake
  • 1913 - Bray, Buster
  • 1914 - Franklin, Moe
  • 1914 - Bradley, George
  • 1915 - Heath, Jeff
  • 1916 - Staller, George
  • 1917 - Ross, Chet
  • 1921 - Murff, Red
  • 1926 - Thies, Jake
  • 1934 - Kanehl, Rod
  • 1935 - Qualters, Tom
  • 1936 - Sadowski, Ted
  • 1936 - Perranoski, Ron
  • 1939 - Niekro, Phil
  • 1941 - Kenworthy, Dick
  • 1942 - Jaeckel, Jake
  • 1943 - Degerick, Mike
  • 1944 - Staub, Rusty
  • 1948 - Montanez, Willie
  • 1952 - Bacsik, Mike
  • 1953 - Murray, Larry
  • 1956 - Esser, Mark
  • 1957 - Castillo, Manny
  • 1958 - Kinnunen, Mike
  • 1962 - Amaral, Rich
  • 1969 - Castillo, Frank
  • 1970 - Herges, Matt
  • 1971 - Martinez, Jose

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Had this card signed my the Mick, went to UF and Mom tossed it

 

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OTD
BIRTHDAYS
1856 Tommy Bond, pitcher and right fielder (Triple Crown 1877; Boston Red Caps; first man born in Ireland to play MLB), born in Granard, Ireland (d. 1941)

1869 Hughie Jennings Hall of Fame infielder (Baltimore Orioles) and manager (Detroit Tigers 1907-20), born in Pittston, Pennsylvania (d. 1928)

1907 Luke Appling Hall of Fame shortstop (7-time MLB All Star; AL batting champion 1936, 43; Chicago White Sox), born in High Point, North Carolina (d. 1991)

1915 Al Barlick Baseball Hall of Fame umpire (7 x World Series; 7 x MLB All Star games), born in Springfield, Illinois (d. 1995)

1924 Bobby Ávila Hall of Fame second baseman (MLB All-Star 1952, 54, 55; AL batting champion 1954; Cleveland Indians), born in Veracruz City, Mexico (d. 2004)

1927 Billy Pierce pitcher (MLB All Star x 7; World Series 1945; AL wins leader 1957; MLB ERA leader 1955; AL strikeout leader; 1953; Chicago White Sox), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2015)

1937 Dick Radatz pitcher (MLB All Star 1963, 64; AL saves leader 1962, 64; Boston Red Sox), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2005)

1945 Don Sutton Hall of Fame pitcher (MLB All-Star 1972, 73, 75, 77; MLB ERA leader 1980; LA Dodgers), born in Clio, Alabama (d. 2021)

1945 Reggie Smith outfielder (7 x MLB All Star; World Series 1981; Gold Glove Award 1968; Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, LA Dodgers), born in Shreveport, Louisiana

1970 Jon Lieber pitcher (MLB All Star 2001; Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs), born in Council Bluffs, Iowa

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1931 Thought by some to be a belated April Fools' Day hoax, Chattanooga Lookouts' relief pitcher Jackie Mitchell, a 17-year-old girl, strikes out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the first inning of an exhibition game. According to legend, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis will void the teenager's professional contract, declaring women are unfit to play baseball as the game is "too strenuous."


1947 The Indians purchased 26-year-old outfielder George Metkovich from the Red Sox. According to legend, Oakland Oaks' skipper Casey Stengel, who will manage the Californian next season in the PCL, coins the nickname 'Catfish' after the southpaw flycatcher injures himself, trying to extract a hook from the bottom-dweller.

1952 In Denver, Giants' Monte Irvin breaks his ankle sliding into third base during an exhibition game against Cleveland. The future Hall of Fame outfielder will appear in 46 games this season, mainly as a pinch-hitter, batting .310.

 

1962 The Indians trade Gold Glove first baseman Vic Power and left-handed pitcher Dick Stigman to the Twins for 20-game loser Pedro Ramos, who will compile a 26-30 record during his 2+ seasons with the Tribe. Power will contribute 2+ solid seasons with Minnesota, batting .278, and their new southpaw will post a .702 winning percentage, the best in the American League this season, winning 12 of 17 decisions.

1969 After Donn Clendenon refuses to report to his new team when traded to the Astros, the Expos resign their reluctant first baseman. Montreal will send Jack Billingham, Skip Guinn, and $100,000 to the Astros to complete the deal that brings Rusty Staub north of the border.
1972 After playing a round of golf in West Palm Beach with his coaches on Easter Sunday, Mets manager Gil Hodges, two days shy of his 48th birthday, suffers a fatal heart attack. The club will name the current first-base coach and former Yankee skipper Yogi Berra to run the team when the strike-delayed season begins.

1972 Hank Aaron, Rico Carty, and Orlando Cepeda all start in an exhibition game, marking the first time the trio of sluggers, sidelined with various injuries over the past two seasons, has appeared together in the Braves lineup since 1970. Atlanta will finishes in fourth place, posting a disappointing 70-84 record in the NL West.

1976 In a blockbuster trade a week before the season starts, the Orioles deal Don Baylor, Paul Mitchell, and Mike Torrez to the A's in exchange for Ken Holtzman, Reggie Jackson, and Bill Van Bommel. A month will pass before Jackson will report to his new team, accounting for Baltimore's slow start in April.

 

1982 During an exhibition contest at Jack Murphy Stadium, Steve McCatty steps to home plate with a 15-inch toy bat as instructed by A's manager Billy Martin, furious that a DH isn't being allowed because the meaningless game is taking place in an NL park. After plate umpire Jim Quick refuses to let the Oakland starter use the prop, the right-hander takes three called strikes with a real bat.

1984 For the first time in ten years, the Mets lose on Opening Day, bowing to the Reds, 8-1. The last time the team dropped a season opener was in 1974, when Mike Schmidt hit a two-run walk-off home run off Tug McGraw, giving the Phillies a 5-4 victory over New York at Veterans Stadium.
1992 The Phillies acquire right-hander Curt Schilling from Houston in exchange for Jason Grimsley, who will never throw a pitch in an Astros uniform. 'Schil' plays nine seasons in the City of Brotherly Love, compiling a 101-78 (.564) record, along with 3.35 ERA during his 242 appearances with the team.

1995 Having the first 23 days of this season canceled and 252 games of the last season lost, the owners accept the players' March 31 unconditional offer to play a 144-game schedule. The players decide to return to work when a U.S. District judge issues an injunction restoring the expired agreement's terms and conditions.

1996 With an Opening Day 7-1 victory over the Indians at Jacobs Field, Joe Torre wins the first of his 1,173 victories as the Yankees manager. During his 12-year tenure, the Bronx Bombers will reach the postseason each year, winning ten American League East Division titles, six American League pennants, and four World Championships.

1996 Tiger first baseman Cecil Fielder steals the first base of his eleven-year career in his 1,097th major league game, establishing the most extended duration a player has ever gone without recording a stolen base. The feat is so unexpected that the Metrodome crowd gives 'Big Daddy' a standing ovation, to which he responds with a good-natured tip of the helmet.

 

1996 On Opening Day, Derek Jeter hits a home run off Dennis Martinez in New York's 7-1 victory over the Indians at Jacobs Field. The 22-year-old infielder becomes the first Yankee rookie to play shortstop at the start of the season since 1962 when Tom Tresh filled in for Tony Kubek, who reported to duty to his recently federalized National Guard unit.

1997 Gary Sheffield (.314, 42, 120) and the Marlins agree to a six-year, $61 million contract extension. The deal is the largest in total dollars in baseball history but is only the third-highest annual salary, behind Albert Belle's (1996-2000 White Sox - $11 million) and Barry Bonds' (1993-98 Giants - $11,131,157). For the first time in major league history, one player's salary is more than a whole team's payroll. The White Sox will pay Albert Belle $10 million for the season, which is $928,333 more than the entire Pirate payroll.
1998 With the help of Jeromy Burnitz's grand slam in the top of the frame, the Brewers record their first National League victory when they beat Atlanta in 11 innings, 8-6. The franchise, which started in Seattle in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee a year later, played in the American League for the first 29 years of its existence before switching circuits, a move necessitated by the restructuring of each league from two divisions into three.
2001 On Opening Day, Yankee fireballer Roger Clemens becomes the all-time AL career strikeout leader, moving ahead of Walter Johnson when he whiffs Royals' Joe Randa for his 3,509th Junior Circuit victim. Passing the 'Big Train,' the 'Rocket' now takes over the seventh spot in major league history.

2001 For the first time in major league history, a Japanese-born position player participates in a regular-season major league game. Hitless in his first three at-bats, Ichiro Suzuki singles in the seventh inning to ignite a two-run rally and bunts for a hit in the eighth in his Mariner debut at Safeco Field.

2002 In his major league debut, right-hander Jon Rauch of the White Sox pitches a perfect 1.1 innings in a 7-4 loss to the Mariners at Safeco Field. The 6' -11" Louisville, Kentucky native, a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team, becomes the tallest pitcher to appear in a big-league game, surpassing by an inch six other hurlers, most notably Hall of Famer Randy Johnson.

 

2003 Mike Bordick's record streak for games and chances without an error by a shortstop ends when Yankee outfielder Bubba Trammell's third-inning grounder tips off his glove. After converting a fielder's choice in the first inning, the Blue Jay infielder misplays his second opportunity, establishing 544 chances and 110 consecutive games without an error, a new major league mark for shortstops.

2003 According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Tigers become the first major league team to have four pitchers make their big league debut during the same game. Twenty-year-old starter Jeremy Bonderman, who gives up six runs on nine hits in four innings, is followed by rookies Wilfredo Ledezma, Chris Spurling, and Matt Roney in the 8-1 loss to the Twins.
2003 Todd Zeile homers in his first at-bat as a Yankee, becoming the only major leaguer to hit a home run for ten different teams, surpassing Tommy Davis, who went deep for nine big-league clubs. In addition to homering with the Bronx Bombers, the infielder has also gone deep for the Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies, Orioles, Dodgers, Marlins, Rangers, Mets, and Rockies.

2003 At the age of 27 years, 249 days of age, Alex Rodriguez becomes the youngest player in major league history to hit 300 home runs. The Ranger shortstop's fifth-inning three-run blast off Anaheim's Ramon Ortiz in the Rangers' 11-5 loss at Edison Field surpasses the mark established in 1935 by Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx, who had accomplished the feat when being 79 days older than A-Rod.

 

2007 During the Royals' Opening Day ESPN telecast, commentator Joe Morgan announces the team will honor the late Buck O'Neil by placing a fan who best exemplifies his spirit in a special seat during every home game at Kauffman Stadium. The first person to sit in the Buck O'Neil Legacy Seat, easily identified by its red color in a sea of blue behind home plate, is the Negro League legend's younger brother, Warren.

2007 Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory's ceremonial first pitch before the Reds' home opener lands thirty feet up the first baseline from home plate, widely missing its intended target, a bewildered Eric Davis. The terrible toss will receive national media attention, including the politician receiving a second chance on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, an opportunity in which His Honor will also widely miss the mark.
2007 In his first big-league at-bat, rookie third baseman Alex Gordon, the Royals #1 pick and second overall in 2005, receives a standing ovation from the Kauffman Stadium crowd when he steps to the plate. The former Golden Spikes Award is the fourth player in franchise history to make his major league debut on Opening Day.

2007 Josh Hamilton, the Reds' 25-year-old rookie, who has overcome a nearly career-ending history of substance abuse, receives a 22-second standing ovation from the fans at Great American Ball Park as he makes his major league debut. The former number one draft choice lines out pinch-hitting for pitcher Kirk Saarloos in the eighth inning and then plays left field for the remainder of the 5-1 Opening Day victory over Chicago.
2007 Mike Hampton, who signed the richest contract ever given to a pitcher, makes his Rockies debut, getting the victory when the team beat the Cardinals, 8-0. The $123.8 million southpaw will get off to a quick 9-2 start for Colorado but will finish his stay in the mountains 21-28 along with an ERA of 5.75 over the next one and half seasons before being dealt to the Braves.
2007 In a 9-5 loss to New York, Elijah Dukes of the Devil Rays becomes the 99th major leaguer to homer in his first official at-bat. The 22-year-old rookie center fielder is the first to accomplish the feat at Yankee Stadium on an Opening Day.
2007 For only the fourth time in major league history, a hurler under the age of 21 wins an Opening Day assignment when 20-year-old Venezuelan right-hander Felix Hernandez pitches eight strong innings in the Mariners' 4-0 victory over the A's at Safeco Field. Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers was the last pitcher 'not of age' to accomplish the feat, beating the Astros, 2-0, in 1981.
2007 Tony Pena Jr.'s two Opening Day triples help the Royals rip the Red Sox at Kauffman Stadium, 7-1. The rookie shortstop, the son of a Yankee coach, is the first major leaguer to hit a pair of the three-baggers on Opening Day since Tommy Henrich did it for the Bronx Bombers in 1950.