BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

2/9
BIRTHDAYS
1887 Henry Zimmerman, baseball player (1912-batted .372 with 14 HRs)


Bill Veeck (1914-1986) American Baseball HOF executive (owner Chicago WS, Cleveland Indians [World Series 1948], St. Louis Browns), born in Chicago, Illinois


1916 Tex Hughson player (d. 1993)

1925 Vic Wertz player, born in York, Pennsylvania (d. 1983)


1932 Tatsuro Hirooka, Japanese baseball player

1937 Clete Boyer infielder, 1955-71 (New York Yankees, and 2 other teams), born in Cassville, Missouri (d. 2007)


1952 Mookie Wilson player


1961 John Kruk utility (MLB All-Star 1991–1993; Philadelphia Phillies), born in Charleston, West Virginia


1967 Todd Pratt catcher (Philadelphia Phillies)

1969 Peta Edebone, Australian softball outfielder (Olympic bronze 1996)

1971 Ken Felder outfielder (Milwaukee Brewers)

1976 Vladimir Guerrero HOF right fielder/DH (9 × MLB All-Star; AL MVP 2004; 8 × Silver Slugger Award; Montreal Expos; Anaheim/LA Angels), born in Nizao, Dominican Republic


1984 Dioner Navarro, Venezuelan baseball player

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1946 While coaching a Hardy High School (AK) basketball team, Pirates hurler Preacher Roe suffers a fractured skull due to hitting the floor during an altercation with a referee. The 29-year-old southpaw, who will report a month late to spring training suffering from headaches and dizzy spells, will post a 3-8 record, compiling a 5.14 ERA before calling quits for the season in August.

With Peewee and Jackie

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1971 Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro League star selected to the Hall of Fame. The right-hander, the oldest player in the majors to make his big league debut, became a legend during his professional career, which lasted from the 1920s until 1965, playing in several different Negro Leagues and with the Indians, Browns, and A's.

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1976 The Hall of Fame Special Committee on the Negro Leagues selects Oscar Charleston, considered by baseball historian Bill James to be the fourth-best ballplayer of all time. The outfielder made The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.

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1980 The Athletic Hall of Fame of Kent State University posthumously inducts Thurman Munson, the Yankee All-Star backstop who died in a plane crash last August. Hal Schoonover, the Golden Flashes baseball program coach, converted the young college outfielder into a catcher.

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1981 At the age of thirty-seven, Joe Morgan inks a one-year deal with the Giants. The future Hall of Famer will play an additional season in San Francisco, winning the Silver Slugger award for being the best offensive second baseman in the National League.

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1984 The Dodgers waive two-time All-Star Dusty Baker after he vetoes a trade to Oakland. The 35-year-old outfielder will sign as a free agent, hitting .294 in 100 games, with the Giants, before ending his career with the A's, the team he had refused to play for when dealt last season

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1988 Playing for his third consecutive American League pennant winner (1986-Red Sox and 1987-Twins), Don Baylor signs a one-year deal with the A's. The 39-year-old designated hitter will appear in 92 games, hitting .220 for the American League champs before retiring at the end of the season, finishing his 19-year career with 2,135 hits, 338 home runs, 1,276 RBIs, and being hit by a pitch a record 267 times.

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2001 After 13 months of negotiations, Derek Jeter and the Yankees finalize a $189 million,ten-year contract. The deal makes the All-Star shortstop second only to Alex Rodriguez ($252 million/10 years) as the highest-paid player in the sport's history.

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2005 The Cubs trade reliever Kyle Farnsworth (4-5, 4.73) and a player to be named to the Tigers in exchange for pitcher Roberto Novoa (1-1, 5.09) and minor leaguers Scott Moore and Bo Flowers. Last season, Farnsworth's inconsistency as a reliever made him very unpopular with the Wrigley Field fans.

2006 A jury, deliberating for a little more than four hours, rules the Angels did not breach a contract with the city of Anaheim when the ball club changed its name. Thirteen months ago, the team known as the Anaheim Angels became the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, prompting the city where it plays to file a lawsuit, claiming the name change amounted to at least $100 million in lost revenue.

2007 Before performing in a benefit concert in Connecticut, Bernie Williams shares with reporters that he plans to decline the Yankees' invitation to attend spring training on a minor league contract. The guitar-playing outfielder added he has been working out but is doubtful about playing for the Bronx Bombers this season.

2008 After auditioning for about two-thirds of the teams in the major leagues last month and considering offers from four clubs, Keith Foulke comes out of retirement, signing a $700,000, one-year contract with the A's. The 35-year-old reliever, best known for throwing the last pitch in the 2004 World Championship for the victorious Red Sox, retired before the 2007 season after signing a deal with the Indians.

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2009 Alex Rodriguez, two days after the story breaks on SI.com, admits to and then apologizes for his use of performance-enhancing drugs when he played shortstop for the Rangers from 2001 to 2003. In an exclusive interview conducted on ESPN, the Yankees superstar acknowledges using PEDs, hoping to fulfill the expectations after signing a record ten-year, $252 million contract with Texas.

 

2010 The Twins select Greg Gagne as the twenty-second member of the team's Hall of Fame. During his ten-year tenure with the team, which included the World Championship seasons of 1987 and 1991, the light-hitting shortstop known for his defensive prowess once hit two inside-the-park home runs in the same game in 1986.

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2012 Nelson Cruz and the American League champion Rangers agree on a $16 million, two-year deal to keep the ALCS MVP in Texas. The agreement avoids a scheduled arbitration planned to take place next week.

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2021 The Cardinals have agreed to a one-year contract with Yadier Molina, who surpasses Bob Gibson's 17 seasons with the club and second only to Stan Musial's 22 years of playing for the Redbirds. The 38-year-old nine-time All-Star backstop since his debut in 2004 has played every game of his career with St. Louis, making the total of 2,025 contests the most of any catcher for just one team.

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Today in Baseball History
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On February 9 in Baseball History...

• • 1916 - The N.L. votes down a proposal by the Giants, Braves, and Cubs to increase the club player limit from 21 to 22. (The Reds want to decrease it to 20.)
    
  • 1920 - The Joint Rules Committee bans all foreign substances or other alterations to the ball by pitchers, including saliva, resin, talcum powder, paraffin, and the shine and emery balls. A pitcher caught cheating will be suspended for ten days. The A.L. allows each club to name just two pitchers who will be allowed to use the pitch for one more season. The N.L. allows each club to name all its spitball pitchers. No pitchers other than those designated will be permitted to use it in 1920, and none at all after 1920.
    
  • 1943 - The N.L. is looking for a buyer for the Phillies, whose owner, Gerry Nugent, has fallen in arrears on rent and bank loans. The league pays $10 a share for 4,685 out of 5,000 outstanding shares in club.
    
  • 1951 - The St. Louis Browns sign Satchel Paige. The 45-year-old pitcher had been out of the major leagues since last pitching for the Indians in l949.
    
  • 1971 - Satchel Paige is nominated for the Hall of Fame. On June 10 the Hall's new Special Committee on the Negro Leagues will formally select the flamboyant fireballer for induction.
    
  • 1976 - Oscar Charleston is selected for the Hall of Fame by the Special Committee on the Negro Leagues. Charleston, a quick and powerful player as well as a skillful manager, played in five different decades.

Baseball Birthdays on February 9...

• • 1852 - Drake, Lyman
  • 1861 - Springer, Ed
  • 1863 - Bassett, Charley
  • 1867 - Bowman, Sumner
  • 1870 - Ladd, Hi
  • 1887 - Zimmerman, Heinie "I'm Irish and I haven't much use for the Dutch, but there's one Dutchman I think a whole lot of, and that's Heinie Zimmerman. I think so much of him that I love to see him fight the other fellows. And ah, there's the rub. Darn him, he doesn't play regular. He gets canned too often for fighting the umpires. It ain't fair for those who pay their money to see Zim swat the pill and it also ain't fair to the rest of the bunch. Now to come down to brass tacks: Here's a $100 bill split in two. Go give one half to Heinie and if he stays in the game for two weeks—that is, if he doesn't get canned by an ump in that period of time, pass him the other half and a piece of sticking plaster to glue 'em together. Seriously, I want Zim to quit kicking. Two weeks of living in harmony with umps will do everybody a lot of good, Zim most of all. Please put a mask over my name, and sign: A Split Century" - Sports Illustrated (09/24/1984, 'Hush Money Kept Heinie Zimmerman's Mouth—and At Times His Bat—quiet', Source)
  • 1895 - Hood, Wally
  • 1897 - Lynch, Adrian
  • 1898 - Taylor, Chink
  • 1899 - Toporcer, Specs
  • 1902 - Hankins, Don
  • 1902 - Wera, Julie
  • 1903 - Mahaffey, Roy
  • 1908 - Boyle, Buzz
  • 1912 - Dietz, Dutch
  • 1913 - Robello, Tony
  • 1915 - Green, Harvey
  • 1916 - Schmidt, Freddy
  • 1916 - Hughson, Tex
  • 1917 - Mullen, Moon
  • 1925 - Wertz, Vic He (Vic Wertz) was a tremendous RBI man. He told me, 'You hit second and I hit third. You'd get them to second and I'd get them in.' He wasn't a great fielder and he didn't run well, but he was a whale of a competitor." - Hall of Fame Teammate George Kell in The Daily News (UPI
  • 1928 - Palica, Erv
  • 1934 - Wills, Ted
  • 1937 - Boyer, Clete "In the second game of the 1962 World Series at Candlestick Park, Clete Boyer of the Yankees hit a sharp line drive to right-center field. 'As the ball left the bat,' he recollected, 'I said to myself two things. The first thing I said was, 'Hello double!' The second thing I said was, 'Oh shit, he's (Willie Mays) out there.'" - Einstein, Charles. Author. Willie's Time: Baseball's Golden Age.
  • 1942 - Gilson, Hal
  • 1944 - Schwartz, Randy
  • 1944 - Campanis, Jim
  • 1945 - Nash, Jim
  • 1949 - Young, John
  • 1949 - Andrews, John
  • 1951 - Solomon, Eddie
  • 1955 - Urrea, John
  • 1956 - Wilson, Mookie
  • 1957 - Underwood, Pat
  • 1958 - O'Brien, Pete
  • 1961 - Kruk, John "There's a story, a funny story, about me (John Kruk) sitting in a restaurant. I'm eating this big meal and maybe having a couple of beers and smoking a cigarette. A woman comes by the table. She recognizes me and she's shocked because it seems like I should be in training or something. She's getting all over me, saying that a professional athlete should take better care of himself. I lean back and I say to her, 'I ain't an athlete, lady. I'm a baseball player.'" - John Kruk in "I Ain't an Athlete, Lady..." (John Kruk, Simon & Schuster
  • 1964 - Whited, Ed
  • 1965 - Linton, Doug
  • 1967 - Pratt, Todd
  • 1968 - Eenhoorn, Robert
  • 1968 - Holman, Brad
  • 1970 - Burke, John
  • 1976 - Guerrero, Vladimir

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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2/10
BIRTHDAYS
1884 Billy Evans HOF umpire (American League 1906-27; at age 22, youngest umpire in MLB history), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1956)


1894 Herb Pennock HOF pitcher (6 × World Series; Philadelphia A's, Boston Red Sox, NY Yankees), born in NYC, New York (d. 1948)


1919 Allie Reynolds (1919-1994) MLB pitcher, 1942-54, 6X All-Star, 1952 AL ERA leader (Cleveland Indians, NY Yankees), born in Bethany, Oklahoma



1926 Randy Jackson third baseman, 1950-59, 2X All-Star (Chicago Cubs; Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodger; Cleveland Indians), born in Little Rock, Arkansas (d. 2019)


1954 Larry McWilliams pitcher, 1978-90, born in Wichita, Kansas

1963 Lenny Dykstra centerfielder (NY Met, Philadelphia Phillies), born in Santa Ana, California


1965 Lenny Webster catcher (Montreal Expos), born in New Orleans, Louisiana

1968 Ryan Bowen pitcher (Florida Marlins), born in Fort Madison, Iowa

1969 Jayhawk Owens catcher (Colorado Rockies), born in Cincinnati, Ohio

1969 Tim Clark outfielder (Florida Marlins), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1970 Alberto Castillo catcher (NY Mets), born in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic

1970 Bobby Jones pitcher (NY Mets), born in Fresno, California

1971 Kevin Sefcik infielder (Philadelphia Phillies), born in Oaklawn, Illinois

1975 Hiroki Kuroda born in Osaka, Japan

1976 Lance Berkman born in Waco, Texas

1980 César Izturis born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela

1984 Alex Gordon, American baseball player, born in Lincoln, Nebraska

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1910 Ground is broken in Chicago for a modern concrete-and-steel stadium, replacing the 30-year-old South Side Park. The Pale Hose will play their first game at Comiskey Park, originally known as White Sox Park, on July 1, losing to the Browns in their new home, 2-0.

1916 After being waived by the Giants, the Robins and Braves owners, Charles Ebbets and Percy D. Haughton, each claim catcher Chief Meyers. A coin toss held by the National League determines the 35-year-old backstop will play for Brooklyn, where he will hit .235 in limited action over the next two seasons.

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1920 The American and National League Joint Rules Committee outlaw the spitball, the shineball, and the emeryball. Seventeen pitchers, including Burleigh Grimes, who will be the last player to throw a doctored pitch legally, are allowed to keep throwing the banned pitches until they retire.

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1924 The Washington Post reports Senator owner Clark Griffith has selected his scrappy second baseman Bucky Harris to become the fourth-place club's player-manager. The 27-year-old 'Boy Wonder,' the youngest skipper in major-league history, will lead his team to a World Championship in his first year at the helm when the club beats the Giants in seven games.

Bucky & Walter Johnson
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1971 The Yankees announce Bill White will join Phil Rizzuto and Frank Messer on the WPIX broadcast team, becoming the first black to do play-by-play regularly for a major-league baseball team. The former All-Star first baseman will stay in the booth for 18 seasons, leaving in 1989 to serve as president of the National League.

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1982 The Mets agree to a $10 million, five-year deal with George Foster, completing the trade with the Reds, which sent Jim Kern, Greg Harris, and Alex Trevino to Cincinnati. During his four-and-half-year tenure with the team, the All-Star outfielder proves to be a major disappointment and will be released outright during the 1986 season after accusing the club of racism for benching him in favor of Kevin Mitchell, a fellow African-American.

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1984 After five months of discussion, the Mets and Keith Hernandez, eligible for free agency at the end of the season, come to terms on an $8 million, five-year contract. The deal makes the first baseman the second-highest-paid player in franchise history, earning slightly less than George Foster's five-year, $10 million pact signed precisely two years ago.

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2000 After receiving a 'hometown' discount, the Reds trade pitchers Brett Tomko and Jake Meyer, center fielder Mike Cameron, and infielder Antonio Perez to the Mariners in exchange for the services of Ken Griffey, Jr. Cincinnati signs the 30-year-old superstar outfielder to the richest package in baseball history, but the nine-year deal worth $116.5 million is considered quite a bargain in the current market.

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2005 Red Sox right-hander Curt Schilling donates the blood-stained sock he wore in Game 2 of the World Series to the Hall of Fame. The hose is part of a memorabilia tour, along with Derek Lowe's Game 4 jersey, Manny Ramirez's bat, and the ball used to make the final out of the Fall Classic that's on loan from former first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, who kept the historical horsehide as a personal keepsake.


2005 In his first public appearance since his involvement with PEDs became public, Bronx Bombers' first baseman Jason Giambi apologizes to his teammates, Yankee fans, and baseball fans everywhere for letting them down last season. The All-Star slugger never utters the word steroids when he accepts full responsibility for the controversy.

2005 Avoiding arbitration, Roy Oswalt (20-10, 3.49) and the Astros agree to a two-year, $16.9 million deal. The 27-year-old right-hander has posted an incredible 63-27 (.700) record during his four seasons with Houston.

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2006 Although recently acquired Alfonso Soriano (.268, 36, 104) of the Nationals loses his salary arbitration case, the former Texas Rangers' infielder sets a record for the highest salary ever awarded by the process. The All-Star second baseman, being asked to play the outfield in Washington, will receive $10 million (he asked for $12 million), surpassing the $8.2 million awarded to Andruw Jones in his successful 2001 arbitration hearing with the Braves.

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2009 The Rangers announce the signing of Andruw Jones, who is trying to restore his reputation after two horrendous seasons with the Dodgers, to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. The Gold Glove center fielder joins the crowded Texas outfield, which includes David Murphy in left, Josh Hamilton in center, Nelson Cruz in right, and Marlon Byrd, slotted to get substantial playing time in all three positions.

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2011 Josh Hamilton, avoiding arbitration, agrees to a $24 million, two-year contract with the Rangers. The American League MVP hit a major league-best .359, along with 32 homers and 100 RBIs despite missing the last month of the regular season due to broken ribs.

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2015 "There was an honest and frank discussion on all of the issues. As far as the Yankees are concerned, the next step is to play baseball in spring training" - text from a joint statement released by the Yankees and Alex Rodriguez. In a joint statement released by the team and the player, Alex Rodriguez, the much-maligned Yankee slugger apologizes to the team's front office for the turbulence that has swirled around the organization during the last few years. At the meeting initiated by A-Rod, the attendees, including managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, club president Randy Levine, general manager Brian Cashman, have an 'honest and frank discussion' of the issues.

2020 A memorial service occurs at Angel Stadium for veteran Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri, and their 14-year-old daughter Alyssa, victims who perished in the helicopter crash along with Kobe Bryant last month. 'Alto,' who led his Pirates to four state championships en route to compiling a 705–478–4 collegiate record, worked as head coach from 2012-14 for the Cape Cod League's Brewster Whitecaps, mentoring future major leaguers Aaron Judge (Yankees), Jeff McNeil (Mets), and Ryon Healy (Brewers).

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56,340

 

Today in Baseball History
Home | Contact | Baseball Almanac | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Advertise | Support​

Search archives: Historical Events Baseball Birthdays Baseball Deaths
On February 10 in Baseball History...

• • 1924 - Clark Griffith picks 27-year-old second baseman Bucky Harris to manage the Senators.
    
  • 1925 - At the American League meeting, a plan is adopted to alternate the site of future World Series openers by league rather than deciding it by a coin toss, with Games 1, 2, 6, and 7 in one park and 3, 4, 5 in the other, unless a ban on Sunday baseball interferes in one city. The clubs finishing fourth in the A.L. share in the World Series pool. World Series umpires get a raise to $2,500, while umps in city series will earn $700.

Baseball Birthdays on February 10...

• • 1853 - Stratton, Asa
  • 1857 - Bryant, George
  • 1858 - Keenan, Jim
  • 1873 - McKenna, Kit
  • 1876 - Sechrist, Doc
  • 1880 - Caffyn, Ben
  • 1881 - Wood, Harry
  • 1882 - Crist, Ches
  • 1889 - Dawson, Rex
  • 1894 - Pennock, Herb
  • 1894 - Tierney, Cotton
  • 1894 - Evans, Bill
  • 1899 - Whaley, Bill
  • 1903 - Lucas, Johnny
  • 1903 - Lerian, Walt
  • 1904 - Anderson, Hal
  • 1906 - Quellich, George
  • 1910 - Logan, Bob
  • 1915 - Reynolds, Allie "What did I do?" - Billy Martin (asking in the clubhouse after hearing of his $150 fine) "Nothing Billy, but what can you do? You've got a reputation." - Allie Reynolds in Baseball Digest (June 1974, Page 4)
  • 1916 - Hodgin, Ralph
  • 1917 - Turchin, Eddie
  • 1917 - Bruner, Roy
  • 1926 - Jackson, Randy
  • 1932 - Stump, Jim
  • 1932 - O'Dell, Billy "I had a pretty good lineup to face in that game (1958 All-Star Game) when I came in to pitch. I had to face guys like Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, among others. I really didn't think that much about who I was facing." - Billy O'Dell in Baseball Digest (July 1986)
  • ]1933 - Davie, Jerry
  • 1933 - Heman, Russ
  • 1935 - Jones, Sherman
  • 1946 - Spence, Bob
  • 1948 - Barr, Jim
  • 1948 - Gamble, John
  • 1954 - McWilliams, Larry
  • 1955 - Champion, Mike
  • 1957 - Cornell, Jeff
  • 1959 - Jones, Al
  • 1959 - Fimple, Jack
  • 1963 - Johnson, Dane
  • 1963 - Dykstra, Lenny
  • 1965 - Webster, Lenny
  • 1968 - Zosky, Eddie
  • 1968 - Bowen, Ryan
  • 1969 - Owens, Jayhawk
  • 1970 - Castillo, Alberto
  • 1970 - Jones, Bobby
  • 1971 - Sefcik, Kevin
  • 1976 - Berkman, Lance
  • 1978 - Mateo, Ruben
  • 1980 - Izturis, Cesar

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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