BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

3/28
BIRTHDAYS
1899 August A. "Gussie" Busch, Jr., American brewing magnate and American baseball executive, born in St Louis (d. 1989)


1919 Vic Raschi pitcher (4-time All Star), born in West Springfield, Massachusetts (d. 1988)


1967 Shawn Boskie pitcher (California Angels, Chicago Cubs), born in Hawthorne, Nevada


1969 Craig Paquette infielder (KC Royals), born in Long Beach, California


1981 Edwar Ramirez

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1913 The Browns trade Buzzy Wares to the Montgomery Rebels in exchange for the rent-free use of the minor league's team stadium during spring training. The Southern Association Class-A team will return the 26-year-old infielder to St. Louis later in the season.

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1970 Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces the return of the All-Star selection to the fans. The over-exposure of the Midsummer Classic, two games each season between 1959-1962, and the lack of fan input prompted the MLB Promotion Corporation to modernize the game's marketing by restoring fan balloting for the starting eight position players.

1977 Upset about losing his second base job to Bump Wills, Ranger Lenny Randle attacks and fractures his manager Frank Lucchesi's cheekbone. The Ranger skipper may have triggered the episode just before the team's exhibition game against Minnesota by once again calling the usually even-tempered infielder a punk.


1978 Dick Allen's fifteen-year career ends when the A's release the aging superstar. The Wampum, Pennsylvania native finishes his stormy relationship with major league baseball with 351 HRs, 1,192 RBIs, and a .292 batting average.

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1981 The White Sox trade southpaw Ken Kravec to the Cubs for Dennis Lamp, who will post a 25-21 (.543) record during his three seasons with the South Side club. With the departure of Kravec, the recently acquired Carlton Fisk has an opportunity to return to his iconic uniform #27 but chooses to stay with his new reverse digits of 72, which will be retired by Chicago in 1997.

Lamp & Fisk
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1985 Sports Illustrated's April 1st edition tricks the nation when author George Plimpton weaves a fictitious tale of The Curious Case Of Sidd Finch, a Mets rookie phenom who throws a 168 mph fastball. Staged photographs and quotes from current players help give the story a realistic edge.

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1986 The Red Sox trade designated hitter Mike Easler to the Yankees for DH Don Baylor, who will provide valuable veteran leadership for the eventual AL champs while hitting only .238. Easler, known as the 'Hit Man,' will live up to his nickname, batting .302 in his only full season with the second-place Bronx Bombers.

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1988 Four days shy of his 47th birthday, Phil Niekro's 24-year Hall of Fame career comes to an end when the Yankees put him on waivers at the end of spring training. The right-handed knuckleballer, best known for his tenure with the Braves, compiled a 318-274 record and a 3.35 ERA while hurling for four teams, including the Yankees, Indians, and Blue Jays.

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1999 At Havana's Estadio Latino americano, the Orioles edge the Cuban National team, 3-2, thanks to Harold Baines' eventual game-winning hit in the 11th inning. The contest marks the first time a U.S. team had played in Cuba since 1959, when the Dodgers played the Reds in two exhibition games on the island.

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2003 The commissioner's office announces teams will pay tribute to the U.S. Armed Forces during the seventh-inning stretch of all home openers by having 'God Bless America' performed. Although the song has been part of all games since the September 11th terrorist attacks, it will be heard only in major league ballparks at the home openers, Sunday, and holidays games.

2003 Three days before Opening Day, the YES Network claims Cablevision has nixed a proposed deal signed 17 days ago that would have provided televised Yankee games to nearly three million cable subscribers in the NYC metropolitan area. According to a YES Network press release, the giant cable company failed to sign a finalized version of the hand-written document that both parties exchanged on March 12 when Cablevision president James L. Dolan took exception to unacceptable alterations in the typewritten draft.

2006 The insurance claim filed by the Astros in January to get back approximately $15.6 million of Jeff Bagwell's $17 million guaranteed contract is denied by the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company. The insurers cite no adverse change in the 37-year-old first baseman's condition between the end of last season and the Jan. 31, 2006 policy.

2008 The decision to have manager Manny Acta catch the ceremonial first pitch from President Bush at the Nationals' home opener is reported not to have been made by the White House. Traditionally, the honor goes to the game's starting catcher, today being Paul Lo Duca, cited in the Mitchell Report on drug use in baseball, who watches his manager catch the toss from the Commander-in-Chief.

2008 The 24,663 fans at Chase Field give opposing Rockies left-hander Doug Davis an ovation as he walks off the mound after appearing in an exhibition game against the Diamondbacks. Before the game, Colorado announces the very popular 32-year-old hurler will have his thyroid removed after a biopsy revealed a lump in his throat to be cancerous.

 

2013 Mets GM Sandy Alderson announces an MRI has revealed 34-year-old Johan Santana has re-torn his surgically repaired left shoulder capsule and indicates additional surgery is a "strong possibility" for the left-hander. The Venezuelan southpaw, who missed the entire 2011 season due to the injury, will probably never pitch again for the team, finishing his six-year, $137.5 million contract with the team, a deal he signed upon his trade to the team in early 2008, on the disabled list.

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2014 Mike Trout and the Angels come to terms on a $144.5 million, six-year deal, keeping the 22-year-old outfielder on the team through 2020. The five-tool phenom from Millville, N.J., the American League's MVP runner-up in his first two seasons in the majors, was the unanimous choice for the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2012.

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2017 In the first year of his presidency, Donald Trump has declined the Nationals' invitation to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day at Nationals Park, citing a scheduling conflict according to club officials. Since William Taft's toss in 1910, every President has participated in the tradition at some point in their term in office, except for Jimmy Carter, who tossed the CFP before Game 7 of the 1979 Fall Classic.

2019 At Dodger Stadium, en route to a 12-5 victory over the Diamondbacks, Los Angeles slams eight home runs, surpassing the Opening Day record of six, previously shared by the 1998 Mets (vs. Expos) and 2018 White Sox (vs. Royals). The long ball barrage, which includes multiple dingers in three different innings, features round-trippers by Joc Peterson (2), Kike Hernandez (2), Austin Barnes, Corey Seaver, Max Muncy, and Cody Berlinger.

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Today in Baseball History
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On March 28 in Baseball History...

• • 1977 - The Rangers' Len Randle, angry for having been benched during spring training, attacks 50-year-old manager Frank Lucchesi, sending him to the hospital with a shattered cheekbone. Lucchesi helped precipitate the incident by calling the usually good-natured Randle a punk.
  • 1978 - The A's release Dick Allen, ending a stormy 15-year career which produced 351 home runs, 1,119 RBI, a .292 batting average, and a .534 slugging mark.
  • 1985 - The April 1 issue of Sports Illustrated contains a fictitious article about a Mets pitching prospect named Sidd Finch, whose fastball has been timed at 168 miles per hour. Author George Plimpton offers bogus quotes from real-life members of the Mets, as well as several staged photos, and fools readers nationwide.
  • 1990 - A plan to allow starting pitchers to earn victories with only three innings pitched (because of the abbreviated spring training period) is scrapped, but teams will be allowed to open the regular season with 27-man rosters instead of the allowed maximum of 25.

Baseball Birthdays on March 28...

• • 1860 - McLaughlin, Tom
  • 1875 - Barrett, Jimmy
  • 1875 - Gleason, Harry
  • 1890 - Johnston, Johnny
  • 1890 - Walsh, Dee
  • 1894 - King, Lee (EL)
  • 1899 - Hermann, Al
  • 1907 - Masters, Walt
  • 1909 - Warneke, Lon "Brooklyn players recently held a discussion over the pitching merits of (Lon) Warneke and all of them agreed that he was just about the best hurler in the National League this year. 'Not many pitchers in our league will win as many as 20 games this season,' said Bill Clark, star southpaw of the Robins, 'but I think Warneke will reach that total. He may be the only one to win that many games. I've watched him closely in the games he pitched and I've him up as the sort of pitcher who will not go through a long period of ineffectiveness. He may lose two or three in a row, but if he does it will be because of a lack of batting support.'" - Sports Editor Bill Reed in The Reading Eagle (07/20/1932
  • 1911 - Pickrel, Clarence
  • 1915 - Krakauskas, Joe
  • 1919 - Raschi, Vic "His name synonymous with those of Allie Reynolds and Eddie Lopat — the other two members of the Yankees' Big Three — Vic Raschi anchored a starting rotation that helped lead New York to five consecutive world championships from 1949 to 1953. Known for his blazing fastball and tremendous determination, Raschi won 21 games for the Yankees three straight times, compiling an exceptional overall record of 120-50 during his eight years in pinstripes. The hard-throwing right-hander's .706 winning percentage places him sixth in team history, and his 24 shutouts rank him in the club's all-time top 10. An outstanding big game pitcher, Raschi posted a 5-3 record and a 2.24 ERA in World Series place, completing three of his eight starts, tossing a 2-hit shutout in one contest, and allowing just 1 run on 3 hits in another." - Author Robert W. Cohen in The 50 Greatest Players in New York Yankees History
  • 1920 - Hancock, Fred
  • 1920 - Martin, Babe
  • 1929 - MacDonald, Bill
  • 1935 - Shifflett, Garland "I'd pitch in a cow pasture if I had to. Pitching is all I know how to do and I appreciate the chance to play anywhere. I started every game my high school played beginning when I was a freshman." - Garland Shifflett (Driver, David. Daily News-Record: Garland Shifflett: From Elkton To The Majors
  • 1936 - Coker, Jimmie
  • 1949 - Snook, Frank
  • 1961 - Davis, Glenn
  • 1964 - Fitzgerald, Mike
  • 1967 - Boskie, Shawn
  • 1967 - Gonzales, Larry
  • 1969 - Paquette, Craig
  • 1973 - Wilson, Paul
  • 1974 - Christenson, Ryan
  • 1975 - Sparks, Steve
  • 1975 - Zuleta, Julio

Copyright � 2001-2007. All Rights Reserved.
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3/29
BIRTHDAYS
Cy Young (1867-1955) Hall of Fame pitcher (Cleveland Spiders, Boston Americans; most wins in MLB history 511), born in Gilmore, Ohio


1917 Tommy Holmes (MLB All Star 1945, 48; NL HR leader 1945; Boston Braves) and manager (Boston Braves), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2008)


1944 Denny McLain pitcher (AL Cy Young Award 1968-69; AL MVP 1968; MLB All-Star 66, 68, 69; Detroit Tigers), born in Markham, Illinois


1961 Mike Kingery outfielder (Pittsburgh Pirates), born in St. James, Minnesota


1962 Billy Beane outfielder, executive (Oakland Athletics), born in Orlando, Florida


1966 Eric Gunderson pitcher (Boston Red Sox), born in Portland, Oregon

1967 Brian Jordan outfielder (St Louis Cardinals), born in Baltimore, Maryland

1972 Alex Ochoa, Cuban-American MLB and NPB baseball outfielder, 1995-2008 (NY Mets, Cincinnati Reds, and 7 other teams), born in Hialeah, Florida

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1933 After missing half of last season when he broke his leg, Cubs outfielder Kiki Cuyler breaks his other leg and will miss nearly three months. The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer has led the league in stolen bases four times and will finish with 328 career steals.

1935 The reigning National League champion Cardinals release 44-year-old right-hander Dazzy Vance, who appeared in his first and only World Series this season. The future Hall of Fame hurler will return to the Dodgers, where he spent the most productive years of his career, finishing his major league 16-year tenure in the major leagues with a 197-140 (.585) record along with an ERA of 3.24.

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1944 During a Pacific Coast League minor league exhibition game, Oakland lends Los Angels five players after some of their opponents suffer an assortment of injuries in a car accident. The 'visiting' team beats the hometown Oaks, 6-2.

1948 Thirty-four players participate in an unusually long exhibition game when the Yankees and the Red Sox take 17 innings to play to a 2-2 tie. The four-hour, two-minute contest features the Bronx Bombers scoring runs in the bottom of the ninth and tenth innings to keep the score knotted, but the team fails to push in the winning run in the final frame when Frank Crosetti attempts a two-out bunt to squeeze in a runner from third.

1954 The Cubs fire skipper Phil Cavarretta after telling reporters the team had little chance to finish in the first division. The 36-year-old player-manager, who compiled a 169-213 (.442) record during his three years at the helm, is the first to lose a managerial position during spring training.

 

1973 At the suggestion of A's owner Charlie Finley, orange-colored balls are used in an 11-5 exhibition game loss to the Indians. Major League Baseball drops the novel concept after Cleveland outfielder George Hendrick, who hit three home runs in the contest, claims he had difficulty picking up the ball due to the lack of red seams on a white sphere.

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1975 Mel Stottlemyre, suffering from a torn rotator cuff, is given his unconditional release by the Yankees. The team's future pitching coach compiled a 164-139 record and a 2.97 ERA, tossing 152 complete games, including 40 shutouts

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2000 The Expos and Labatt announce the C$100M sponsorship deal, negotiated two years ago, will go forward as planned. The Brewery has committed to paying C$40M over the next twenty years for the naming rights to Montreal's proposed downtown ballpark and approximately another C$60M to be the team's primary sponsor, the company's role for the past 15 years.

2001 Todd Helton signs a nine-year, $141.5 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid player in Rockies' history. Last season, the Colorado first baseman batted .372, hit 42 homers, and knocked in 147 runs.

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2002 The Red Sox purchases Rickey Henderson's contract from Pawtucket, placing the future Hall of Fame outfielder on their Opening Day roster. The 'Man of Steal,' who joined the exclusive 3,000-hit club on the final day of last season, will begin his 24th year in the majors, appearing with his eighth different club.

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2002 Major League Baseball announces there will be a minute of silence at 9:11 at every major league team's first-night game this season to remember September 11th's tragic events. The performing of God Bless America will continue during the seventh-inning stretch of all contests.

2002 The Brewers announce that Miller Park's retractable roof will be used only on a limited basis at the start of the season as engineers try to eliminate persistent noise coming from the year-old structure. According to the engineers who designed the building, the problem in the pivot system, located behind and above home plate in the so-called Uecker seats, is not a hazard.

2007 In a split-squad game between the Cubs and Diamondbacks at Mesa's HoHoKam Park, Ria Cortesio, serving alternately as the first and third base umpire, becomes the first female ump to work a major league exhibition game since Pam Postema in 1989. The thirty-year-old Davenport (IA) native, who is starting her ninth year as an arbitrator and fifth in Double-A minor league ball, hopes to be the first woman umpire in major league history.

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2008 In an exhibition game celebrating the club's 50th anniversary of their move west from Brooklyn, the Dodgers lose to the Red Sox in front of 115,300 fans at the LA Coliseum. The crowd is the largest ever to watch a baseball game, surpassing the previous record when approximately 114,000 patrons attended an exhibition contest between the Australian national team and an American services team during the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.

2009 The Yankees dedicate a permanent September 11th memorial at the entrance of George M. Steinbrenner Field, the team's Spring Training home in Tampa (FL). The tribute to the victims and their families of the terrorist attacks of 2001 features a foundation in the shape of the Pentagon, which supports two towers made from steel from the World Trade Center placed on a grassy spot representing the heroes of United Flight 93, who perished in a field in Pennsylvania.

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2009 John Franco throws out the ceremonial first pitch to a standing ovation from the crowd attending the collegiate matchup between St. John's and Georgetown in the first baseball game ever played at Citi Field. Before tossing his signature pitch, a breaking ball in the dirt, the former Mets reliever takes the mound wearing the familiar blue and orange but then removes his jacket to reveal his alma mater's colors, a Red Storm jersey with his number 45.

22,397 patrons become the first fans to attend a baseball game at Citi Field, the Mets' new home, when St. John's University hosts Georgetown in a collegiate contest. The weather dampened the schools' hope of breaking the NCAA attendance record of 40,106, set during a game between San Diego State and Houston played at Petco Park in 2004.
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2009 Dontrelle Willis is placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Tigers. According to the 27-year-old southpaw, unsuccessful since winning 22 games with the Marlins in 2003, he has been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, believed by doctors to be easily treatable.

 

2010 Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announces President Obama will throw out the first pitch before Washington's game against the Phillies at Nationals Park on Opening Day, continuing a century-old tradition. In 1910, William Howard Taft became the first Commander-in-Chief to toss the ceremonial first pitch to start the season.

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2013 The Giants and Buster Posey, the National League's MVP, agree on an eight-year, $159 million extension that includes a full no-trade clause. The deal, keeping the 26-year-old backstop in a Giants' uniform through 2021, is the second-richest contract ever given to a catcher, surpassed only by the Twins' signing of Joe Mauer two seasons ago to an eight-year, $184 million pact.

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2013 Tiger right-hander Justin Verlander agrees to a seven-year, $180 million contract, the richest deal for a pitcher in baseball history. The 2011 American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner, already signed through 2014 under a previous $80 million, five-year deal, decides not to test free agency in two years, stating that "the pull of Detroit was too much."

2017 The Dodgers commemorate Kirk Gibson's historic pinch-hit, walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series by offering a special ticket package to sit in the right-field pavilion seat, recently painted blue bearing his signature, where the ball landed. The team is donating two-thirds of the $300 price of the ducats, including a companion seat, two commemorative T-shirts, and food and drink, to the Kirk Gibson Foundation to raise money and awareness for Parkinson's research, a neurological disease affecting the Fall Classic hero.
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2018 Matt Davidson becomes the fourth major leaguer to hit three home runs on Opening Day, contributing to the White Sox’s 14-7 victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The White Sox slugging third baseman joins Dmitri Young (Tigers, 2005), Tuffy Rhodes (Cubs, 1994), and George Bell (Blue Jays, 1988) in accomplishing the feat on the first day of the season.

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2018 This date marks the earliest start of the major league season in the game's history, excluding international openers. The schedule calls for all the teams to play on Opening Day for the first time since April 10th, 1968, the last season before divisional play started in the American and National Leagues.

2018 On Opening Day, the late right-hander Roy Halladay's number #32 is retired during an emotional on-field ceremony at Rogers Centre. In his 12 seasons with Toronto, the six-time American League All-Star, who died in a plane crash off the coast of Florida in November, compiled a 148-76 record with a 3.43 ERA before his trade to the Phillies in 2009 for minor league prospects.

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2018 At Miami, Cubs' leadoff hitter Ian Happ goes deep on the season's first pitch, homering to right field off a Jose Urena fastball in the team's 8-4 victory over the Marlins. The 23-year-old center fielder, playing in his first Opening Day contest, becomes the first player to accomplish the feat since Red Sox's Dwight Evans took Tiger right-hander Jack Morris deep on the initial delivery of the 1986 campaign.

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