BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

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2/27
BIRTHDAYS
1877 Walter O Briggs, American entrepreneur and sports team owner (Detroit Tigers 1935-52), born in Ypsilanti, Michigan (d. 1952)

1904 Chick Fullis player Cards, Phillies, Cubs & Giants (d. 1946)


1907 Hilton Smith HOF pitcher (6 x NgL All Star; Monroe Monarchs, Kansas City Monarchs), born in Giddings, Lee County, Texas (d. 1983)


1919 Johnny Pesky [Paveskovich] infielder, 1942 & 1946-54 (Boston Red Sox, and 2 other teams), coach, manager, and broadcaster, born in Portland, Oregon (d. 2012)
With Ted

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1966 Chris Howard catcher (BYU& Seattle Mariners), born in Kenner, Louisiana

1966 Pete Smith (Atlanta Braves, NY Mets), born in Abington, Massachusetts


1969 Willie Banks pitcher (Chicago Cubs), born in Jersey City, New Jersey

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1912 The Yankees announce they will begin wearing pinstripes on their uniforms this year, abandoning the new look at the end of the season. After Jacob Ruppert buys the team, the vertical lines will appear permanently, making their return in a 5-1 loss to Washington during the team's home opener in 1915.

1948 Pirates legendary third baseman Pie Traynor and left-hander Herb Pennock to the Hall of Fame. The Pittsburgh infielder spent his 17-year career in the Steel City, compiling a .320 lifetime batting average, and the 'Knight of Kennett Square' posted a .590 win-loss percentage during his 22 seasons in the majors, including a 162-90 stint for the Yankees from 1923-1933.
Pie with Honus Wagner Pennock

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1984 San Francisco trades pitcher Fred Breining and outfielder Max Venable to the Expos for first baseman Al Oliver. The Giants will trade the veteran infielder and Renie Martin to the Phillies for Kelly Downs and George Riley in August.

1985 The Yankees send second baseman Toby Harrah to Texas for outfielder Billy Sample and a player to be named later (Eric Dersin). The 36-year-old veteran infielder, an original Ranger, will replace Bobby Valentine as the club's manager, finishing the 1992 season with a 32-44 record.

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1988 The Orioles trade third baseman Ray Knight to Detroit for pitcher Mark Thurmond. The 1986 World Series MVP, after he hits only .217, will retire at the end of the season, playing primarily as the Tigers' first baseman and DH.

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1989 John Olerud, the Blue Jay's pick in the third round of the upcoming June Amateur Draft, undergoes brain surgery to remove an aneurysm. The Washington State University left-handed first baseman had collapsed on January 11 after a workout.

 

1998 From Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral, WGN TV airs the funeral of beloved broadcaster Harry Caray, who spent 53 years behind the mike doing play-by-play for the A's, Cardinals, White Sox, and Cubs. The eulogies reflected the 83-year-old zest for life, with stories bringing joy and laughter from the crowd that included Billy Williams, Mark Grace, Ryne Sandberg, Rick Sutcliffe, Minnie Minoso, and former Bears coach Mike Ditka.

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2003 The new Veterans Hall of Fame selection committee, consisting mostly of Hall of Famers, selects none of the 41 players, executives, and umpires under consideration. Gil Hodges is 11 votes shy of 75 percent needed for induction, receiving 50 votes of 81 votes cast (61.7%).

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2006 In spring training intra-squad action, Koby Clemens goes deep off a 43-year-old non-roster pitcher given special permission to train with the Astros. In his next at-bat, the 19-year-old minor leaguer gets brushed back with an inside fastball by the 300-game winner, his dad, Roger.

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2006 Effa Manley is among the 17 significant historical figures from the Negro Leagues elected by a select committee for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The former Newark Eagles executive, called the Boss, will become the first woman enshrined in Cooperstown.

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2008 The White Sox wear Northern Illinois University baseball caps in their spring training opening game, honoring the victims of a campus shooting rampage earlier this month. After the contest, the players autograph their hats, which will be auctioned off at NIU to benefit a scholarship fund in memory of the five students killed in the attack.

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Today in Baseball History
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Search archives: Historical Events Baseball Birthdays Baseball Deaths
On February 27 in Baseball History...

• • 1901 - The N.L. Rules Committee decrees that all fouls are to count as strikes, except after two strikes. To cut the cost of lost foul balls, the committee urges that batsmen who foul off good strikes are to be disciplined. Other new rules: catchers must play within 10 feet of the batter, a ball will be called if the pitcher does not throw to a ready and waiting batter within 20 seconds, and players using indecent or improper language will be banished by the umpire. A ball will be called when a batter is hit by a pitch.
  • 1908 - The sacrifice fly rule is adopted. No time at bat is charged if a run scores after the catch of a fly ball. The rule will be repealed in 1931, then reinstated (or changed) several times before gaining permanent acceptance in 1954.
  • 1973 - White Sox slugger Dick Allen signs a three-year contract for an estimated $250,000 per year, making him the highest-paid player in major league history.
    
  • 1990 - The Special Veterans Committee fails to elect a single player to the Hall of Fame for the second time in three years.

Baseball Birthdays on February 27...

• • 1858 - Ardner, Joe was 26 years old when he broke into the big leagues on May 1, 1884, with the Cleveland Blues
  • 1869 - Earl, Howard
  • 1877 - Goodwin, Art
  • 1881 - Moser, Walter
  • 1882 - McGovern, Art
  • 1894 - Cone, Bob
  • 1896 - Koenigsmark, Will
  • 1896 - Perkins, Cy
  • 1899 - McNulty, Pat
  • 1902 - Hutson, Roy was born on Thursday, February 27, 1902, in Luray, Missouri. Hutson was 23 years old when he broke into the big leagues on September 20, 1925, with the Brooklyn Robins.
  • 1904 - Teachout, Bud
  • 1904 - Fullis, Chick
  • 1906 - Herrmann, Leroy
  • 1916 - Hanski, Don
  • 1917 - Melton, Rube
  • 1919 - Pesky, Johnny "He's (Johnny Pesky) also one of the only people in baseball to have a part of a ballpark named after him. Fenway's famed 'Pesky Pole' -- the right field foul pole -- was given the nickname by Sox broadcaster Mel Parnell. A former teammate, Parnell was poking a little fun at Johnny's lack of power -- he hit just 17 home runs, and only six at Fenway -- every one of which went out past the right field foul pole, now the shortest distance for a home run in major league ball." - Author Bill Nowlin in Spahn, Sain, and Teddy Ballgame: Boston's (almost) Perfect Baseball Summer of 1948 (Bill Nowlin, 2008)
  • 1920 - Ryan, Connie
  • 1928 - Delis, Juan
  • 1933 - Taylor, Sammy
  • 1936 - Killeen, Evans
  • 1937 - Warwick, Carl
  • 1949 - Wockenfuss, John
  • 1952 - Cruz, Henry
  • 1953 - Hassey, Ron
  • 1962 - Cadaret, Greg
  • 1966 - Smith, Pete
  • 1966 - Howard, Chris
  • 1968 - Stairs, Matt
  • 1969 - Banks, Willie
  • 1974 - Politte, Cliff
  • 1977 - Monroe, Craig

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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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2/28
BIRTHDAYS
1896 Jud Wilson HOF infielder (NgL World Series 1943, 44; Baltimore Black Sox, Homestead Grays, Philadelphia Stars), born in Remington, Virginia (d. 1963)

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1930 Frank Malzone, MLB player (Boston Red Sox), born in the Bronx, New York (d. 2015)


1935 Bill Haller umpire (AL 1961, 63-82; 15 x AL C'ship Series games; 27 x World Series games; 4 x MLB All-Star games), born in Joliet, Illinois (d. 2022)



1968 J T Snow 1st baseman (NY Yankees, California Angels)


1968 Mike Milchin, pitcher (Minnesota Twins), born in Knoxville, Tennessee

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1903 Pittsburgh owner Barney Dreyfuss and James Potter lead a syndicate to buy the Phillies from John Rogers and A. J. Reach for $170,000. Owning more than one team will not be prohibited for another seven years.

1966 Refusing to report to spring training, Dodger pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale begin their joint holdout, asking for a $1 million three-year contract to be divided equally between them. The deal, equivalent to an annual salary of $167,000 for each hurler, will make them the best-paid baseball players, easily surpassing Willie Mays' $125,000 yearly paycheck with the Giants.

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1975 The Mets purchase slugger Dave Kingman from the Giants. San Francisco drafted the 26-year-old first baseman/outfielder as the team's first pick in the initial round of the secondary phase of the 1970 amateur draft.

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1985 Rick Reuschel signs as a free agent with the Pirates, spending the first two months in the minors. After being called up in May, 'Big Daddy' will win 14 games and be named the National League's Comeback Player of the Year by the Sporting News.

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1986 Joaquin Andujar, Dale Berra, Enos Cabell, Keith Hernandez, Jeffrey Leonard, Dave Parker, and Lonnie Smith, known as the 'Cocaine Seven,' are severely disciplined for their "prolonged pattern of drug use" and the distribution of drugs to others in the sport. Commissioner Peter Ueberroth drops their season-long suspension after they agree to donate ten percent of their base salaries to drug-related community service in the city they played, submit to random drug testing, and do one hundred hours of community service.

1989 The Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee elects Red Schoendienst, who spent 19 years in the major leagues and managed the Cardinals to a world championship in 1967, and Al Barlick, a 29-year veteran umpire, best known for his booming voice. The pair joins last month's BBWAA selection of Reds' catcher Johnny Bench and Red Sox outfielder Carl Yastrzemski.

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1990 After meeting for more than five hours and taking three ballots, the Veterans Committee does not select a player for induction to the Hall of Fame for the second time in three years. The finalists, Phil Rizzuto, Nellie Fox, Richie Ashburn, Leo Durocher, Joe Gordon, Tony Lazzeri, Cecil Travis, Carl Mays, Vic Willis, Hal Newhouser, and umpire Bill McGowan do not receive the 11 votes required for election from the 14 members present at the annual meeting.

2000 "In the end, I could not ignore Darryl's past infractions and concluded that each of us must be held accountable for his or her actions. I am hopeful that he will use this time away from the game productively and will care for himself and his family." - BASEBALL COMMISSIONER BUD SELIG, commenting on his decision to suspend Darryl Strawberry. Baseball suspends Yankee outfielder/DH Darryl Strawberry for one year after his positive test for cocaine last month. Commissioner Bud Selig does not make any provision for an early return to the eight-time All-Star game from the suspension based on good behavior.

2005 Right-hander Jake Peavy (15-6, 2.27) and the Padres agree to the terms of a four-year deal, with the team holding an option for a fifth year. The 23-year-old right-hander, who led the majors with the lowest ERA, opted to sign now rather than take a chance in his first year of salary arbitration eligibility after the season.

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2011 The U.S. government places a plaque at Jackie Robinson's former apartment in Montreal as a tribute to the Canadian city for its exemplary treatment of the future Hall of Fame infielder. The season before he broke the color barrier, the Dodger farmhand led the hometown Royals to the 1946 International League championship with a .349 batting average and earned the circuit's Most Valuable Player for his outstanding performance.

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2014 In an online contest sponsored by the MLB Network, the fans choose Mets' third baseman David Wright as the Face of Major League Baseball. The seven-time All-star, dubbed "Captain America" due to his heroics last season's WBC, narrowly beat A's infielder Eric Sogard in the bracket-style competition where fans voted on Twitter.

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