Today in Baseball History Home | Contact | Baseball Almanac | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Advertise | Support Search archives: Historical Events Baseball Birthdays Baseball Deaths On March 29 in Baseball History... 1867 - Denton True Young is born in Gilmore, Ohio. He will earn the nickname Cy for his cyclone-like pitching motion and he will win (and lose) more games than any pitcher in history with a 511-316 record and 2.63 ERA over 22 seasons. He wins 20 or more games 15 times, and tops the 30-win mark five times. 1954 - Phil Cavarretta gives Cubs owner Phil Wrigley an honest assessment of the team's chances, and is fired for his defeatist attitude, becoming the first manager ever to be given the gate during spring training. Stan Hack replaces him. Cavarretta is right the Cubs will drop to seventh place. 1983 - While some clubs are concerned about low attendance at the start of the season, the Dodgers become the first team in major league history to cut off season ticket sales before the start of the season. The Dodgers, with 27,000 season tickets already sold, implement the cutoff so that group sales won't be impeded and fans will be able to buy tickets for individual games. 1997 - Chipper Jones is now able to chip teeth as Malley's Chocolates announces the introduction of the Chipper Jones Candy Bar. On a team full of marketable stars, the 24-year-old Atlanta Braves third baseman is the first member of the club to get his own candy bar. Baseball Birthdays on March 29... 1849 - Hall, George 1855 - Harbidge, Bill 1858 - Shallix, Gus 1865 - Gastright, Hank 1866 - Carman, George 1867 - Young, Cy "What very few batters knew was that I had two curves. One of them sailed in there as hard as my fastball and broke in reverse. It was a narrow curve that broke away from the batter and went in just like a fastball. The other was a wide break." - Cy Young [Cy Young Quotes] 1873 - Cooley, Duff 1876 - Oberlin, Frank 1876 - Lochhead, Harry 1881 - Schiappacasse, Lou 1883 - Dessau, Rube 1888 - Meyer, Leo 1889 - Wilson, Squanto 1892 - McCluskey, Harry 1894 - Leverett, Dixie 1894 - McColl, Alex 1899 - McQuaid, Herb 1900 - Schillings, Red 1908 - Brack, Gibby 1908 - Strickland, Bill 1910 - Dietrich, Bill 1915 - Gorsica, Johnny 1917 - Holmes, Tommy When (Tommy) Holmes headed toward his consecutive-game batting record, he used an old bat given to him by his third-base coach, Del Bissonette, who became the Braves' manager later in the season. "I cracked my bat when the streak reached about 20 games," Holmes once recalled. "I had some others but none I liked particularly. We had an off day, and Bissonette said: 'I'll get you a bat. I'm going up to my home in Maine. I'll bring you back a piece of concrete from my attic.' "It was like a rock," Holmes remembered. "It had been aging. But I tried it in batting practice and I liked it." - Sportswriter Richard Goldstein in the New York Times (April 15, 2008) 1944 - McLain, Denny "He's (Denny McLain) a craftsman. He has a good over-hand curve, good motion, good changeup and control, and he can spot his fastball. With that he should win quite a few games." - Ted Williams in Kiss it Goodbye 1953 - Hume, Tom 1954 - Tellmann, Tom 1954 - Ramsey, Mike 1955 - Pagel, Karl 1958 - Ramos, Domingo 1961 - Kingery, Mike 1962 - Beane, Billy"If you are a David in a land of Goliaths, you'd better learn something fast: You cannot beat the big boys at their own game. In baseball, that means you cannot outspend the competition; you won’t outbid them for big-ticket free agents or even realistically expect to keep your own homegrown stars long-term. That means you must be nimble and quick, and sometimes, just maybe come up with a plan that will change baseball. The Athletics may have done just that the last couple of years, defying all odds to win back-to-back American League West titles. For that creativity and nimbleness, Billy Beane is Baseball America's Major League Executive of the Year." - Sportswriter Casey Tefertiller 1966 - Gunderson, Eric 1967 - Jordan, Brian 1967 - Pena, Geronimo 1968 - Bell, Juan 1971 - Lowe, Sean 1972 - Ochoa, Alex 1975 - Kolb, Danny 1975 - Jones, Marcus 1976 - Nicholson, Kevin 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.
3/30 BIRTHDAYS 1904 Ripper Collins first baseman (MLB All-Star 1935, 36, 37; World Series 1931, 34; NL HR leader 1934; St Louis Cardinals), born in Altoona, Pennsylvania (d. 1970) 1983 Davis Romero, Panamanian baseball player 1994 Alex Bregman (Houston Astros), born in Albuquerque, New Mexico \ ***********
FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+1922 A frail-looking Christy Mathewson, who served as class president in 1899, is elected as Bucknell's "B" Club's first president. The beloved future Hall of Famer, who would die prematurely in 1925 from tuberculosis after being accidentally gassed in a training exercise during WWI, played on the school's football team as a placekicker and excelled as a pitcher on the baseball team. 1966 Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale's refusal to report to spring training ends when the hurlers agree to the Dodgers' offer of $235,000, signing for $130,000 and $105,000, respectively. The LA starters' joint holdout lasts for 32 days, paving the way for other players to be more aggressive when negotiating with owners. 1978 The Red Sox obtain Dennis Eckersley and catcher Fred Kendall from the Indians for pitchers Rick Wise and Mike Paxton, designated hitter Ted Cox, and catcher Bo Diaz. The 23-year-old 'Eck,' before becoming a Hall of Fame closer, will win 20 games as a starter for Boston this season. 1979 After hitting only .231 in 61 games last season, Ron Blomberg is released during spring training by the White Sox, completing one year of his long-term deal. Chicago owner Bill Veeck had surprisingly signed the first baseman/DH, who had played in only one game during his last two seasons with the Yankees, to a generous four-year, $500,000 contract in 1977 that included an additional $80,000 signing bonus. 1984 The Padres obtain Yankee veteran third baseman Graig Nettles for pitcher Dennis Rasmussen and prospect Darin Cloninger. The 39-year-old infielder's postseason experience will prove invaluable for the NL's West Division champs, but his on-field contributions will be minimal, hitting just .228 in 124 games.
1991 A sold-out Joe Robbie Stadium plays host to the Yankees and the Orioles exhibition game, which draws 67,654 fans, a spring training attendance record. The two-day series between the AL East rivals is part of South Florida's efforts to be awarded a National League expansion team. 1992 The White Sox trade Sammy Sosa and pitcher Ken Patterson to the crosstown rival Cubs in exchange for 32-year-old All-Star slugger George Bell, who spends two seasons with his new team before retiring. Sosa will pass Ernie Banks as the franchise's all-time home run leader, going deep 545 times during his 13-year tenure with the North Siders. 1993 After 43 years, Peanuts character Charlie Brown finally hits a home run, a game-winning round-tripper batting against his nemesis Royanne Hobbs. Almost ten percent of the nearly 18,000 Peanuts strips created by Charles Schulz focused on baseball. 1995 New York Southern District judge Sonia Sotomayor, after careful consideration of the case, rules that the owners' use of replacement players is in good faith regarding the negotiation for a new collective bargaining agreement, resulting in the players returning to work under the terms of the expired contract. The future Supreme Court Justice's decision ends the 232-day work stoppage, with fans showing their displeasure about the loss of last season and the cancellation of the World Series by not immediately supporting their local teams when the games resume in late April.
2001 In the East Room, President George W. Bush tells a group of Hall of Famers he is sending an invitation to kids from all over the nation to play baseball on the White House lawn on a junior-size baseball field planned for construction outside the Oval Office. The Commander in Chief enjoys a moment of levity with the group, citing the beloved Yogi Berra as an inspiration for his command of the English language. 2001 Dwight Gooden, choosing to end his career as a World Champion Bronx Bombers member, announces his retirement from baseball. The 36-year-old 'Doc,' who compiles a 194-112 record (.634) in 16 seasons playing for the Mets, Yankees, Indians, Astros, and Devil Rays, will have a position within the organization, remaining on owner George Steinbrenner's payroll. 2003 Major League Baseball returns to Brooklyn for a day when the Mets appear at KeySpan Park, the Coney Island home of the short-season single-A Cyclones, for the team's final preseason workout. Rain cancels the practice session, but fans enjoy meeting the players and collecting autographs, with charities in the NYC area serving children benefiting from beverage and other sales. 2006 As a result of the recently released book detailing Barry Bonds allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs, Bud Selig appoints George Mitchell to head an investigation into the use of steroids in baseball. The former Senate Majority Leader will have the authority to expand the probe, which will be made public into events before the Fall of 2002, covering a period when the substances became banned by major league baseball.
2012 Jamie Moyer becomes the oldest starting pitcher to make an Opening Day roster when the Rockies announce that the 49-year-old southpaw will face Houston in the second game of the season. Knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm was the same age as the Colorado left-hander when he opened the season in 1972, but 'Old Sarge' appeared strictly in relief for the Dodgers. 2016 Arizona State University announces the Sun Devils plan to wear retro uniforms with a commemorative patch on the sleeve to honor alum Rick Monday for his patriotic gesture in 1976. The ASU graduate, who led the school to the 1965 College World Series championship over Ohio State, saved the American flag from being burned by two protesters at Dodger Stadium during the American Bicentennial. 2019 Christian Yelich becomes the only Brewer player in franchise history to hit a home run in each of his team's first three games when he goes deep in the first inning of a 4-2 victory over St. Louis. The outfielder's trio of round-trippers has all come at Miller Park at the expense of the Cardinals. ******** 66,160
Today in Baseball History Home | Contact | Baseball Almanac | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Advertise | Support Search archives: Historical Events Baseball Birthdays Baseball Deaths On March 30 in Baseball History... 1944 - Branch Rickey suggests the pooling of surplus players if major league 4F players are drafted for military service. Nothing comes of the suggestion. 1966 - Sandy oufax and Don Drysdale end their 32-day holdout, signing for $130,000 and $105,000, respectively. 1972 - Marvin Miller, executive director of the Players' Association, completes his canvass of players on the strike issue. 663 vote in favor of a strike, ten vote against, and two players abstain. 1978 - The Red Sox trade catcher Bo Diaz, third baseman Ted Cox, and pitchers Rick Wise and Mike Paxton to the Indians for catcher Fred Kendall and pitcher Dennis Eckersley. Eckersley will win 20 for Boston. 1979 - Umpires meet in Chicago and vote 50-2 to reject new offers from the A.L. and N.L. 1988 - Reds outfielder Eddie Milner is suspended for the 1988 season by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth after suffering a relapse of his cocaine problem, ending Milner's major league career. Baseball Birthdays on March 30... 1857 - Burns, Tom 1858 - Casey, Dennis 1860 - Pearce, Frank 1864 - Brill, Frank 1866 - Van Haltren, George 1874 - Gremminger, Ed 1879 - Fuller, Nig 1879 - Meier, Dutch 1886 - Johnson, Chief 1896 - Griffith, Bert 1897 - Sicking, Ed 1899 - Rhyne, Hal 1904 - Collins, Ripper "One of the most popular members of the Cardinals' famed 'Gas House Gang' teams of the early 1930s, James 'Ripper' Collins spent eight long years in the minor leagues before he finally arrived in St. Louis in 1931. Once he did, however, Collins quickly established himself as one of the team's most potent batsmen, rivaling Joe Medwick during his six seasons in St. Louis, the switch-hitting Collins batted over .300 four times, led the Cardinals in home runs three times, and topped them in RBIs twice. In helping St. Louis win two world championships, Collins also earned All-Star honors twice and one top-ten finish in the National League Most Valuable Player voting." - Author Robert W. Cohen 1919 - Sketchley, Bud 1921 - Fowler, Dick 1926 - Koecher, Dick 1938 - Baldwin, Dave 1942 - Cardinal, Conrad 1945 - Woodson, Dick "My next biggest thrill (to being signed) was doing well enough that Billy Martin had extreme faith in me and over Calvin Griffiths objections, took me to the big leagues. I will forever be beholding to Billy for having that kind of faith and even though Calvin Griffith was so against it and he still took me and that was Billy’s way and giving me that chance to get into the big leagues." - Dick Woodson (Dick Woodson Interview 1949 - Cox, Terry 1953 - Miley, Mike 1956 - Lazorko, Jack 1966 - Bross, Terry 1969 - Gardner, Chris 1972 - Heredia, Wilson 1973 - Dickson, Jason 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.
3/31 BIRTHDAYS 1901 Mule Suttles HOF infielder (5 x NgL All Star; NL batting champion 1926, 28; NgL Triple Crown 1926; St. Louis Stars), born in Edgewater, Alabama (d. 1966) 1918 Marv Grissom pitcher, coach (MLB All Star 1954, NY, SF Giants), born in Los Molinos, CA (d. 2005) 1980 Chien-Ming Wang, Taiwanese MLB pitcher (NY Yankees, AL wins leader 2006), born in Tainan City, Taiwan ***********
