BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

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BIRTHDAYS 3/20
1871 Joe McGinnity Hall of Fame pitcher (World Series 1905; 5 × NL wins leader; NL ERA leader 1904; Baltimore Orioles, NY Giants), born in Rock Island, Illinois (d. 1929)


1915 Stan Spence center fielder (MLB All-Star 1942, 44, 46, 47; Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns), born in South Portsmouth, Kentucky (d. 1983)


1933 George Altman MLB Mets player, born in Goldsboro, North Carolina


1941 Pat Corrales baseball player


1966 Blas Minor, Merced CA, pitcher (Astros, Seattle Mariners)


1971 Manny Alexander infielder (Baltimore Orioles), born in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1934 Babe Didrikson, a renowned female athlete, gives up no hits and walks only one Dodger when she pitches the first inning of the Philadelphia A's spring training game at McCurdy Field in Frederick, Maryland. The founder of the LPGA and Olympic track and field Gold Medalist will also participate in exhibition contests with the Indians and Cardinals.

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1937 In one of the most significant trades in Negro League history, the Homestead Grays obtain catcher Josh Gibson and third baseman Judy Johnson from the Pittsburgh Crawfords in exchange for $2,500 and two journeymen; backstop Lloyd' Pepper' Bassett and infielder Henry 'Jake' Spearman. The Baseball Hall of Fame will induct both players, with Gibson becoming a member in 1972 and Johnson, following three years later.

Gibson & Johnson

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1953 Although the Department of Justice outlawed this practice in 1949, U.S. Senator Edwin C. Johnson proposes a bill banning the broadcast of major league games in minor league territories. The lawmaker, baseball executive Bob Howsam's father-in-law, serves as the Class A Western League president and once played a significant role in constructing Mile High Stadium, formerly known as Bears Stadium.

1958 The Phillies purchase Joe Collins from the Yankees, but he decides to retire rather than report to the City of Brotherly Love. The 34-year-old first baseman, who spent his entire ten-year career with New York and appeared in seven World Series with the team, finishes with a lifetime .256 batting average.

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1973 Four months after his death, the BBWAA selects (393-31 votes) the late Roberto Clemente to be a member of the Hall of Fame in a special election after its board of directors previously waived the mandatory five-year waiting period. The 37-year-old Pirates outfielder, the first Latin-American player chosen for induction at Cooperstown, died when a cargo plane crashes on New Year's Eve, bringing supplies to the Nicaraguan earthquake victims.

Clemente Mays Aaron
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Former Dodgers scout Al Campanis was managing a winter ball team in Cuba when he first saw Clemente at a tryout camp in his home country in November of 1952. Clemente had recently turned just 18 years old and still was in high school, but played in the Puerto Rico Winter League -- which now is named after him. Campanis called Clemente the "best free-agent athlete I've ever seen" on his scouting report.

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1975 A rare spring training brawl occurs when Ranger second baseman Dave Nelson takes exception to the two brushback pitches thrown at him by Yankee southpaw Mike Wallace in the seventh inning of a Fort Lauderdale exhibition contest. The trouble begins early after Jim Bibby's first pitch plunks leadoff hitter Elliot Maddox, who had angered Texas skipper Billy Martin when he told the local press that his former manager "has a habit of lying to his players."

1979 In Puerto Rico, Willie Mays, in the second game of an annual exhibition series to benefit a youth sports program started by the late Roberto Clemente, pilots a mini-squad of the Mets to an 8-3 win over the Pirates. Last night, after a 5-3 victory in Game 1, New York manager Joe Torre and many players returned to Florida to play the Dodgers in a Grapefruit League contest.

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1989 Outgoing baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth announces his office is investigating "serious allegations" concerning Pete Rose and gambling. Three days after his successor Bart Giamatti assumes the post on April 1, MLB retains John M. Dowd to investigate the charges against the Reds' manager.

2002 The Commissioner's office announces MLB will continue the practice that began after the September 11 attacks of singing 'God Bless America' during the seventh-inning stretch in each team's first homestand. Also, an American flag patch will be worn on the jackets of 28 major league teams this season with distinctive logos for Opening Day, Memorial Day weekend, the Fourth of July, and Canadian versions designed for the Blue Jays and Expos.

2006 At San Diego's Petco Park, Japan, managed by all-time international home-run king Sadaharu Oh, captures the first World Baseball Classic crown, beating Cuba, 10-6. The 16-team tournament, planned to occur again in 2009, ends with just two major leaguers still in the game.

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2006 In his first appearance in a Nationals uniform, Alfonso Soriano refuses to play the outfield in an exhibition game against the Dodgers. The All-Star second baseman, slated to start in left field, could be placed on the disqualified list for insubordination, preventing him from getting paid his $10 million salary and accruing service time, used to determine a player's free-agent status.

2008 Behind the strong pitching of Brad Penny, the Dodgers make their Cactus League debut, beating the White Sox in Phoenix, 8-2. The outing, which takes place where he made his professional debut, earns the right-hander the Opening Day start against the Giants.

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2014 The Angels trade first baseman Matt Scioscia, the son of manager Mike Scioscia, to the Cubs for outfielder Trevor Gretzky, the offspring of NHL's Hall of Fame center Wayne Gretzky. The name-worth swap does not help either prospect, with each failing to make the big league club.
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Today in Baseball History
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On March 20 in Baseball History...

• • 1934 - All-around female athlete Mildred Babe Didrickson pitches the first inning for the Philadelphia Athletics in a spring training exhibition game against the Brooklyn Dodgers. She gives up one walk but no hits. Two days later she pitches again, this time one inning for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Red Sox. She is less successful this time, giving up four hits and three runs. Didrickson is the second female to play exhibitions with a major league team (first baseman Lizzie Murphy played for an A.L. all-star team on August 14, 1922).
    
  • 1953 - Senator Edwin C. Johnson offers a bill to give clubs the sole right to ban radio-TV broadcasts of major league games in their own territory. The Antitrust Division of the Justice Department outlawed this practice in 1949. Johnson believes that it started the decline of baseball in small towns and cities throughout the country. His bill will restore the equity between large communities and the small areas.
    
  • 1973 - In a special election held by the BBWAA, the late Roberto Clemente receives 393 of 424 votes to earn entry in the Hall of Fame. The Hall's Board of Directors had earlier waived the five-year-wait rule for Clemente, who was killed on New Year's Eve 1972 with four others when a plane carrying supplies to earthquake-ravaged Nicaragua crashed. His number 21 will be retired in Pittsburgh 17 days later.
    
  • 1976 - Leo Durocher, hired to manage the Yokohama Taiyo Whales (Japanese League), is sick with hepatitis and asks for a five-week delay in reporting. The Lip receives a telegram from the Whales stating: Since the championship starts in twenty days, it's better if you stay home and take care of yourself for the remainder of the season.
    
  • 1989 - The commissioner's office announces that Reds manager Pete Rose is under investigation for unnamed serious allegations.

Baseball Birthdays on March 20..

• • 1853 - Stearns, Bill
  • 1864 - Mahoney, Dan
  • 1864 - McShannic, Pete
  • 1865 - Griffin, Mike
  • 1867 - Geiss, Emil
  • 1869 - Buckley, John
  • 1875 - Greene, Paddy
  • 1879 - Vinson, Rube
  • 1882 - Stankard, Tom
  • 1882 - Armbruster, Harry
  • 1883 - Clark, Pep
  • 1885 - Siner, Hosea
  • 1887 - Schmidt, Walter
  • 1888 - Backman, Les
  • 1890 - Wolfgang, Mellie
  • 1891 - Boehling, Joe
  • 1893 - Butler, Johnny
  • 1894 - Stellbauer, Bill
  • 1900 - Shealy, Al
  • 1907 - Kennedy, Vern "Vern Kennedy pitched the first no-hitter in the history of Comiskey Park (08-31-1935), striking out Vosmik to end the game as the White Sox beat the Indians 5-0. Kennedy, who lettered ten times in sports at Central Missouri Teachers' College in Warrensburg, also provided the offense as he cleared the bases with a three-run triple. Things weren't all that good for the South Siders though, as they were only treading water at 62-60 and stood an imposing 17 1/2 games behind the indomitable Tigers." - Author Doug Feldman in September Streak: The 1935 Chicago Cubs Chase the Pennant
  • 1911 - Moss, Charlie
  • 1912 - Shoun, Clyde
  • 1915 - Spence, Stan
  • 1921 - Peterman, Bill
  • 1925 - Widmar, Al
  • 1927 - Willis, Jim
  • 1928 - Crawford, Jake
  • 1931 - Izquierdo, Hank
  • 1933 - Altman, George
  • 1936 - Golden, Jim
  • 1937 - Kuhn, Kenny "Hank Greenberg, the Indians' general manager, called the 18-year-old shortstop 'the finest young infielder I've seen in a long time.'" - Columnist C. Ray Hall in the Courier Journal (07/16/2010, 'Kenny Kuhn, four-sport star at Yale in 1950s, dies at 73 in Utah'
  • 1941 - Corrales, Pat
  • 1943 - Dillon, Steve
  • 1944 - Taylor, Bob
  • 1944 - Blateric, Steve
  • 1948 - Seelbach, Chuck
  • 1951 - McDermott, Terry
  • 1952 - Langford, Rick
  • 1952 - Terlecky, Greg
  • 1954 - Mirabella, Paul
  • 1954 - McCatty, Steve
  • 1960 - Young, Mike
  • 1963 - Williams, Dana
  • 1963 - Parker, Rick
  • 1965 - Hoiles, Chris
  • 1966 - Minor, Blas
  • 1970 - Brunson, Will
  • 1971 - Alexander, Manny
  • 1972 - McDonald, Jason
  • 1977 - Fontenot, Joe
  • 1979 - Rodriguez, Wilfredo

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3/21
BIRTHDAYS
1939 Tommy Davis (3 x MLB All Star; World Series 1963; NL batting champion 1962, 63 LA Dodgers), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2022)


1963 Shawon Dunston, infielder (SF Giants), born in Brooklyn, New York


1978 Cristian Guzmán player


1982 Aaron Hill player

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1908 Detroit outfielder Ty Cobb signs for $4000, with an $800 bonus if he hits over .300. The 21-year-old 'Georgia Peach' will finish the season with a league-leading .324 batting average for the first-place Tigers.

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1931 On a chilly night at Houston's (TX) Buffs Stadium, the White Sox and Giants become the first major league clubs to play a night game when they square off in an exhibition under 245-kilowatt lamps, according to reports, provided adequate lighting for the contest. The disappointing crowd of 2,500, due most likely to the cold weather, watch Chicago score five runs in the tenth frame to beat John McGraw's New York squad, 11-6.


1936 The Reds trade first baseman Jim Bottomley for the Browns' utility player Johnny Burnett, who will never appear in a game for his new team. The former Cincinnati infielder plays two seasons with St. Louis, finishing his 16-year Hall of Fame career with a lifetime .310 batting average.

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1943 The A's trade Bob Johnson to the Senators for Jimmy Pofahl and Bobby Estalella. The former Philadelphia's fan-favorite outfielder will make the All-Star squad for Washington and receives consideration for the Most Valuable Player award.

1957 The owners will receive 9.3 million dollars in revenue for the 1957 TV-Radio rights. The breakdown includes $3.2 million for the World Series/All-Star contests, $1.26 million for two Saturday games of the week, and the remaining $4.84 million for local right fees.

1959 The Indians trade Larry Doby to the Tigers for Tito Francona. The deal will be a great swap for the Tribe when their new outfielder hits .363, while Doby will play in just 16 games for Detroit.

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1962 Before the spring training game against New York in Clearwater, the Phillies honor Robin Roberts, sold to the Yankees in the off-season, by retiring his uniform number 36, the familiar numerals he wore for 14 seasons with Philadelphia. The future Hall of Fame right-hander starts the exhibition game giving up four runs in three innings but gets the win when the Bronx Bombers beat his former team, 13-10.

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1965 In an exhibition game, Gary Kroll and Gordie Richardson combine to keep Pittsburgh hitless for nine innings in the Mets' 6-0 win in St. Petersburg. The first no-hitter thrown during the regular season in franchise history won't occur until 2012, when Johan Santana accomplishes the feat against St. Louis.

Kroll Richardson

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1966 In a spring training game in Houston's Astrodome, the Dodgers and Astros become the first major league teams to play on artificial grass. The material, which will become known as AstroTurf, was developed by Monsanto to overcome the team's inability to grow grass indoors.

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1968 The new American League team in Kansas City announces its nickname. The expansion club, which will join the circuit in 1969, will now be known as the "Royals," paying tribute to the Negro League Monarchs, a team playing in the City of Fountains from 1920 through 1965.

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1973 In an exhibition game against the Mets, Fritz Peterson appears in his first game since going public about swapping families with Yankee teammate Mike Kekich. Many of the 4,320 fans at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg roundly boo the 31-year-old southpaw, but he goes the first five innings, picking up the win in the Bronx Bombers' 6-2 victory over their crosstown rivals.

1975 Georgia Tech blanks Earlham (IN), 41-0, setting the NCAA mark for the largest margin of victory. In 1999, Nebraska will break the record, equaled by West Chester (PA), with a 50-3 win over Chicago State at Buck Beltzer Stadium.

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1978 In a surprise move, Padres manager Alvin Dark becomes the second manager ever fired during spring training after being told that he was having difficulties communicating with his players. San Diego names Roger Craig, the club's pitching coach, as the interim skipper.

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