BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

2001 In the first major league game ever played in Puerto Rico, the Blue Jays defeat the Rangers, 8-1, in the major league season opener. In his debut with Texas, $252 million shortstop Alex Rodriguez collects the season's first hit and first run, but he makes a throwing error on his first chance in the field.

2002 Cinci Freedom, who evaded capture for ten days after jumping a six-foot fence to avoid slaughter, is excused from her scheduled appearance in the Reds' traditional Opening Day parade. Before the Reds' 5-4 walk-off victory over the Cubs at Cinergy Field, the Charolais cow is deemed too jumpy to participate in the Findlay Market activities after receiving a key to the city.

2002 The Mets, with a 6-2 victory over the Bucs at Shea Stadium, improve their mark for Opening Day victories to 26-15 (.634), a major league record. The New York expansion team didn't win their first season opener until the ninth year of the franchise's existence.

2005 Albert Pujols does not strike out in any of the 21 Cardinals spring training games. In his 68 plate appearances, the St. Louis first baseman finishes the exhibition season with a .458 batting average, six homers, and 20 RBI.

2006 A day before the start of the season, the White Sox ink Jose Contreras (15-7, 3.61) to a $29 million, three-year contract extension. The 34-year-old Cuban native was the World Champs' most effective pitcher during the team's stretch run to the AL pennant, posting an 11-2 mark following the All-Star Game.

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2008 Robert Andino's first career round-tripper is memorable as his two-out, tenth-inning walk-off homer to deep left off Matt Wise gives the Marlins a 5-4 victory over the Mets at Dolphin Stadium. The post-game celebration is short-lived when the Miami native takes off for home to meet the police after getting a text message from his wife informing him their house may have an intruder.

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2008 On Opening Day in Los Angeles, Juan Pierre's 434 consecutive game streak, the longest current one in the major leagues, comes to an end when the Dodger outfielder does not play in the 3-2 victory over the Giants. New skipper Joe Torre plays Andre Ethier in left field in place of the highly paid but light-hitting fly chaser.

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2009 After tallying a run in the top of the first, Kentucky State finds itself on the short end of a 22-1 score. The Eastern Kentucky University Colonels score 27 more times in the next three frames, prompting the decision to halt the contest in the middle of the fifth, giving EKU a 49-1 triumph over the Thorobreds.

 

2011 Doug Glanville becomes a baseball color analyst for ESPN, the network where he has contributed to the Baseball Tonight television show, ESPN.com, and ESPN - The Magazine. The former major league outfielder, best known for his playing days with the Phillies, is also a guest columnist for the New York Times, where he writes about sports culture.

2013 On Opening Day, Jackie Bradley Jr. makes a memorable major league debut, walking three times, scoring twice, and robbing Robinson Cano of an extra-base hit with an outstanding defensive play in the Red Sox' 8-2 victory over New York at Yankee Stadium. The 22-year-old Boston rookie outfielder, called JBJ by his teammates, also makes uniform history, becoming the first major leaguer to wear "Jr." on the back of his jersey.

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2013 Bryce Harper, providing all of the offense the Nationals will need, becomes the youngest player to homer twice on Opening Day. The 20-year-old outfielder, playing in his first Opening Day as a major leaguer, hits solo shots in the first and fourth frames in Washington's 2-0 victory over Miami.

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2013 Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino, who will end the day with an 0-1 record when he gives up a walk-off sac fly in an Opening Day loss to Milwaukee, becomes the first big league pitcher to wear the number 0, joining position players Oddibe McDowell (1985-88), Junior Ortiz (1989-2004), and Al Oliver (1978-85). Several players, including hurlers, including Bobo Newsome (1943), Curtis Leskanic (2000-01), Rick White (2005-06), and Brian Wilson (2003-14), have donned a double-zero.

2013 Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers' Opening Day pitcher, hits a leadoff home run off San Francisco's George Kontos in the bottom of the eighth inning to break up a scoreless tie in the team's eventual 4-0 victory. LA's 25-year-old southpaw retires the side in the next frame, completing a 4-0 complete-game shutout against the Giants at Chavez Ravine.

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2015 Auction items featured in Sotheby's "New York Sale" include the 1967 Mets' bullpen cart shaped like a baseball wearing a cap. The electric-powered vehicle, valued between $20,000 and $30,000, fetches a surprisingly high bid of $125,000.

2018 In his much-anticipated pitching debut, Shohei Ohtani, striking out six batters in six innings while allowing three runs, picks up his first big league win when the Angels beat the A's at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, 7-4. The 23-year-old Japanese sensation, also touted for his prowess as a hitter, does not have a plate appearance in the American League contest.

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2021 In the longest nine-inning game in franchise history, the Royals set a club record for runs scored on Opening Day, beating the Rangers at Kauffman Stadium, 14-10. The total of Kansas City players crossing the plate in the four-hour and 26-minute contest surpasses the team's 11 tallies against Toronto in 1979.

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Today in Baseball History
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On April 1 in Baseball History...

• • 1914 - Future Hall of Famer Rube Waddell, weakened by a heroic effort to help contain a winter flood in Kentucky, dies at 37 of tuberculosis in a San Antonio sanitarium.
    
  • 1963 - The Mets bring the Duke back to New York, purchasing Duke Snider from the Dodgers for $40,000.
    
  • 1969 - The Seattle Pilots trade minor-league outfielder Lou Piniella to the Royals for outfielder Steve Whitaker and pitcher John Gelnar. Piniella will be A.L. Rookie of the Year in Kansas City.
    
  • 1970 - The Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club, headed by Bud Selig, purchases the Seattle Pilots for $10,800,000. Although negotiations were conducted over a period of months, the sale was not finalized until March 13, when a federal bankruptcy referee declared the Pilots bankrupt. Brewers tickets go on sale April 2.
    
  • 1980 - After failing to come up with a new collective bargaining agreement with the owners, the Executive Board of the Players' Association votes unanimously to cancel the 92 remaining exhibition games and to strike on May 22 if a deal has not been reached by then. During spring training, the players had voted 971-1 in favor of a strike. The lone dissenter was Kansas City's Jerry Terrell, who voted no for religious reasons.
    
  • 1987 - St. Louis sends highly-regarded youngsters Andy Van Slyke, Mike LaValliere, and Mike Dunne to Pittsburgh in exchange for All-Star catcher Tony Pena.
    
  • 1996 - N.L. umpire John McSherry collapses and dies behind home plate seven pitches into the season opener between Cincinnati and Montreal. McSherry, who weighed close to 400 pounds, had postponed a physical until after the opener. The Reds-Expos game is postponed until the next day.
    

Baseball Birthdays on April 1...

• • 1856 - Kennedy, Ed
  • 1857 - Cronin, Dan
  • 1858 - Russ, John
  • 1858 - Mann, Fred
  • 1860 - Curry, Wes
  • 1872 - Fitzgerald, Warren
  • 1876 - Friel, Bill
  • 1890 - Young, George
  • 1892 - Cooper, Claude
  • 1894 - Reilly, Hal
  • 1904 - Cummings, Jack
  • 1911 - Brown, Bob
  • 1912 - Wade, Jake
  • 1913 - Bray, Buster
  • 1914 - Franklin, Moe
  • 1914 - Bradley, George
  • 1915 - Heath, Jeff
  • 1916 - Staller, George
  • 1917 - Ross, Chet
  • 1921 - Murff, Red
  • 1926 - Thies, Jake
  • 1934 - Kanehl, Rod
  • 1935 - Qualters, Tom
  • 1936 - Sadowski, Ted
  • 1936 - Perranoski, Ron
  • 1939 - Niekro, Phil
  • 1941 - Kenworthy, Dick
  • 1942 - Jaeckel, Jake
  • 1943 - Degerick, Mike
  • 1944 - Staub, Rusty
  • 1948 - Montanez, Willie
  • 1952 - Bacsik, Mike
  • 1953 - Murray, Larry
  • 1956 - Esser, Mark
  • 1957 - Castillo, Manny
  • 1958 - Kinnunen, Mike
  • 1962 - Amaral, Rich
  • 1969 - Castillo, Frank
  • 1970 - Herges, Matt
  • 1971 - Martinez, Jose

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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4/2
BIRTHDAYS
1856 Tommy Bond pitcher and right fielder (Triple Crown 1877; Boston Red Caps; first man born in Ireland to play MLB), born in Granard, Ireland (d. 1941)

1869 Hughie Jennings Hall of Fame infielder (Baltimore Orioles) and manager (Detroit Tigers 1907-20), born in Pittston, Pennsylvania (d. 1928)


1907 Luke Appling Hall of Fame shortstop (7 x MLB All Star; AL batting champion 1936, 43; Chicago White Sox), born in High Point, North Carolina (d. 1991)


1915 Al Barlick, American Baseball Hall of Fame umpire (7 x World Series; 7 x MLB All Star games), born in Springfield, Illinois (d. 1995)


1924 Bobby Ávila, Hall of Fame second baseman (MLB All-Star 1952, 54, 55; AL batting champion 1954; Cleveland Indians), born in Veracruz City, Mexico (d. 2004)


1927 Billy Pierce pitcher (MLB All Star x 7; World Series 1945; AL wins leader 1957; MLB ERA leader 1955; AL strikeout leader; 1953; Chicago White Sox), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2015)


1937 Dick Radatz pitcher (MLB All Star 1963, 64; AL saves leader 1962, 64; Boston Red Sox), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2005)


1945 Don Sutton HOF pitcher (MLB All-Star 1972, 73, 75, 77; MLB ERA leader 1980; LA Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers), born in Clio, Alabama (d. 2021)


1945 Reggie Smith outfielder (7 x MLB All Star; World Series 1981; Gold Glove Award 1968; Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, LA Dodgers), born in Shreveport, Louisiana


1970 Jon Lieber pitcher (MLB All Star 2001; Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs), born in Council Bluffs, Iowa

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1931 Thought by some to be a belated April Fools' Day hoax, Chattanooga Lookouts' relief pitcher Jackie Mitchell, a 17-year-old girl, strikes out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the first inning of an exhibition game. According to legend, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis will void the teenager's professional contract, declaring women are unfit to play baseball as the game is "too strenuous."

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1947 The Indians purchased 26-year-old outfielder George Metkovich from the Red Sox. According to legend, Oakland Oaks' skipper Casey Stengel, who will manage the Californian next season in the PCL, coins the nickname 'Catfish' after the southpaw flycatcher injures himself trying to extract a hook from the bottom-dweller.

1952 In Denver, Giants' Monte Irvin breaks his ankle sliding into third base during an exhibition game against Cleveland. The future Hall of Fame outfielder will appear in 46 games this season, mainly as a pinch-hitter, batting .310.

Leo theLip & Monte

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1962 The Indians trade Gold Glove first baseman Vic Power and left-handed pitcher Dick Stigman to the Twins for 20-game loser Pedro Ramos, who will compile a 26-30 record during his 2+ seasons with the Tribe. Power will contribute 2+ solid seasons with Minnesota, batting .278, and their new southpaw will post a .702 winning percentage, the best in the American League this season, winning 12 of 17 decisions.

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1969 After Donn Clendenon refuses to report to his new team when traded to the Astros, the Expos resign their reluctant first baseman. Montreal will send Jack Billingham, Skip Guinn, and $100,000 to the Astros to complete the deal that brings Rusty Staub north of the border.

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1972 After playing a round of golf in West Palm Beach with his coaches on Easter Sunday, Mets manager Gil Hodges, two days shy of his 48th birthday, suffers a fatal heart attack. The club will name the current first-base coach and former Yankee skipper Yogi Berra to run the team when the strike-delayed season begins.

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1972 Hank Aaron, Rico Carty, and Orlando Cepeda start in an exhibition game, marking the first time the trio of sluggers, sidelined with various injuries over the past two seasons, has appeared together in the Braves lineup since 1970. Atlanta will finish in fourth place, posting a disappointing 70-84 record in the NL West.

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1976 In a blockbuster trade a week before the season starts, the Orioles deal Don Baylor, Paul Mitchell, and Mike Torrez to the A's in exchange for Ken Holtzman, Reggie Jackson, and Bill Van Bommel. A month will pass before Jackson will report to his new team, accounting for Baltimore's slow start in April.​

1982 During an exhibition contest at Jack Murphy Stadium, Steve McCatty steps to home plate with a 15-inch toy bat as instructed by A's manager Billy Martin, furious that a DH isn't being allowed because the meaningless game is taking place in an NL park. After plate umpire Jim Quick refuses to let the Oakland starter use the prop, the right-hander takes three called strikes with a real bat.

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1984 For the first time in ten years, the Mets lose on Opening Day, bowing to the Reds, 8-1. The last time the team dropped a season opener was in 1974, when Mike Schmidt hit a two-run walk-off home run off Tug McGraw, giving the Phillies a 5-4 victory over New York at Veterans Stadium.

 

1992 The Phillies acquire right-hander Curt Schilling from Houston for Jason Grimsley, who will never throw a pitch in an Astros uniform. 'Schil' plays nine seasons in the City of Brotherly Love, compiling a 101-78 (.564) record and a 3.35 ERA during his 242 appearances with the team.

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1995 Having the first 23 days of this season canceled and 252 games of the last season lost, the owners accept the players' March 31 unconditional offer to play a 144-game schedule. The players decide to return to work when a U.S. District judge issues an injunction restoring the expired agreement's terms and conditions.

1996 With an Opening Day 7-1 victory over the Indians at Jacobs Field, Joe Torre wins the first of his 1,173 victories as the Yankees manager. During his 12-year tenure, the Bronx Bombers will reach the postseason each year, winning ten American League East Division titles, six American League pennants, and four World Championships.

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1996 Tiger first baseman Cecil Fielder steals the first base of his eleven-year career in his 1,097th major league game, establishing the most extended duration a player has ever gone without recording a stolen base. The feat is so unexpected that the Metrodome crowd gives 'Big Daddy' a standing ovation, to which he responds with a good-natured tip of the helmet.

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1996 On Opening Day, Derek Jeter hits a home run off Dennis Martinez in New York's 7-1 victory over the Indians at Jacobs Field. The 22-year-old infielder becomes the first Yankee rookie to play shortstop at the start of the season since 1962 when Tom Tresh filled in for Tony Kubek, who reported to duty to his recently federalized National Guard unit

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1996 In a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference game against Robert Morris, the St. Francis Fighting Saints, a Division II team, sends 30 batters to the plate in the first inning, scoring an NCAA-record 26 runs, before adding another 22 runs in the second, four in the third, and 19 in the fourth in the team's 71-1 victory in Joliet (IL). Eagles' coach Gerald McNamara, who will watch his team finish the season with a 0-32 record, asked for the contest to be called after four frames.

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1997 Gary Sheffield (.314, 42, 120) and the Marlins agree to a six-year, $61 million contract extension. The deal is the largest in total dollars in baseball history but is only the third-highest annual salary, behind Albert Belle's (1996-2000 White Sox - $11 million) and Barry Bonds' (1993-98 Giants - $11,131,157).

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1997 For the first time in major league history, one player's salary is more than a whole team's payroll. The White Sox will pay Albert Belle $10 million for the season, $928,333 more than the entire Pirate payroll.

1998 With the help of Jeromy Burnitz's grand slam in the top of the frame, the Brewers record their first National League victory when they beat Atlanta in 11 innings, 8-6. The franchise, which started in Seattle in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee a year later, played in the American League for the first 29 years before switching circuits, a move necessitated by restructuring each league from two divisions into three.

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2001 On Opening Day, Yankee fireballer Roger Clemens becomes the all-time AL career strikeout leader, moving ahead of Walter Johnson when he whiffs Royals' Joe Randa for his 3,509th Junior Circuit victim. Passing the 'Big Train,' the 'Rocket' now takes over the seventh spot in major league history.

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2001 For the first time in major league history, a Japanese-born position player participates in a regular-season major league game. Hitless in his first three at-bats, Ichiro Suzuki singles in the seventh inning to ignite a two-run rally and bunts for a hit in the eighth in his Mariner debut at Safeco Field.

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2002 In his major league debut, right-hander Jon Rauch of the White Sox pitches a perfect 1.1 innings in a 7-4 loss to the Mariners at Safeco Field. The 6' -11" Louisville, Kentucky native, a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team, becomes the tallest pitcher to appear in a big-league game, surpassing by an inch six other hurlers, most notably Hall of Famer Randy Johnson.

2003 Mike Bordick's record streak for games and chances without an error by a shortstop ends when Yankee outfielder Bubba Trammell's third-inning grounder tips off his glove. After converting a fielder's choice in the first inning, the Blue Jay infielder misplays his second opportunity, establishing 544 chances and 110 consecutive games without an error, a new major league mark for shortstops.

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2003 According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Tigers become the first major league team to have four pitchers make their big league debut during the same game. Twenty-year-old starter Jeremy Bonderman, who gives up six runs on nine hits in four innings, is followed by rookies Wilfredo Ledezma, Chris Spurling, and Matt Roney in the 8-1 loss to the Twins.

2003 Todd Zeile homers in his first at-bat as a Yankee, becoming the only major leaguer to hit a home run for ten different teams, surpassing Tommy Davis, who went deep for nine big-league clubs. In addition to homering with the Bronx Bombers, the infielder has also gone deep for the Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies, Orioles, Dodgers, Marlins, Rangers, Mets, and Rockies.

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2003 At the age of 27 years, 249 days of age, Alex Rodriguez becomes the youngest player in major league history to hit 300 home runs. The Ranger shortstop's fifth-inning three-run blast off Anaheim's Ramon Ortiz in the Rangers' 11-5 loss at Edison Field surpasses the mark established in 1935 by Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx, who had accomplished the feat when being 79 days older than A-Rod.

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2007 During the Royals' Opening Day ESPN telecast, commentator Joe Morgan announces the team will honor the late Buck O'Neil by placing a fan who best exemplifies his spirit in a special seat during every home game at Kauffman Stadium. The first person to sit in the Buck O'Neil Legacy Seat, easily identified by its red color in a sea of blue behind home plate, is the Negro League legend's younger brother, Warren.

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2007 Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory's ceremonial first pitch before the Reds' home opener lands thirty feet up the first baseline from home plate, widely missing its intended target, a bewildered Eric Davis. The terrible toss will receive national media attention, including the politician receiving a second chance on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, an opportunity in which His Honor will also widely miss the mark.

2007 In his first big-league at-bat, rookie third baseman Alex Gordon, the Royals #1 pick and second overall in 2005, receives a standing ovation from the Kauffman Stadium crowd when he steps to the plate. The former Golden Spikes Award is the fourth player in franchise history to make his major league debut on Opening Day.

2007 Josh Hamilton, the Reds' 25-year-old rookie, who has overcome a nearly career-ending history of substance abuse, receives a 22-second standing ovation from the fans at Great American Ball Park as he makes his major league debut. The former number one draft choice lines out pinch-hitting for pitcher Kirk Saarloos in the eighth inning and then plays left field for the remainder of the 5-1 Opening Day victory over Chicago.

 

2007 Mike Hampton, who signed the richest contract ever given to a pitcher, makes his Rockies debut, getting the victory when the team beat the Cardinals, 8-0. The $123.8-million southpaw will get off to a quick 9-2 start for Colorado but will finish his stay in the mountains 21-28 along with an ERA of 5.75 over the next one and half seasons before being dealt to the Braves.

2007 In a 9-5 loss to New York, Elijah Dukes of the Devil Rays becomes the 99th major leaguer to homer in his first official at-bat. The 22-year-old rookie center fielder is the first to accomplish the feat at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day.

2007 For only the fourth time in major league history, a hurler under the age of 21 wins an Opening Day assignment when 20-year-old Venezuelan right-hander Felix Hernandez pitches eight strong innings in the Mariners' 4-0 victory over the A's at Safeco Field. Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers was the last pitcher 'not of age' to accomplish the feat, beating the Astros, 2-0, in 1981.

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2007 Tony Pena Jr.'s two Opening Day triples help the Royals rip the Red Sox at Kauffman Stadium, 7-1. The rookie shortstop, the son of a Yankee coach, is the first major leaguer to hit a pair of the three-baggers on Opening Day since Tommy Henrich did it for the Bronx Bombers in 1950.

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2008 In the sixth inning of the Dodgers' 3-2 victory over the Giants, Ed Montague tosses Larry Bowa for not staying in the third-base coaching box after warning him to obey the new rule following the tragic death of Tulsa Drillers first-base coach Mike Coolbaugh. LA manager Joe Torre and bench coach Bob Schaefer need to restrain the former infielder and skipper during his "inappropriate and aggressive" behavior towards the umpires, leading to a three-game suspension.

2008 Kevin Youkilis establishes the longest errorless streak by a first baseman, playing the field flawlessly for 194 games. The Red Sox infielder, who hasn't committed an error at first base since July 4, 2006, breaks Steve Garvey's mark set with the Padres from 1983-85.

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2011 Ian Kinsler leads off the bottom of the first with a round-tripper off Red Sox' Jon Lackey to become the first major leaguer ever to hit leadoff homers in each of his team's first two games. On Opening Day, the Texas second baseman also took Boston's Jon Lester deep as the Rangers' first batter of the season.

2011 Ichiro Suzuki breaks the Mariner's franchise record with an infield single off A's reliever Brian Fuentes in the team's 5-2 victory over Oakland. The Seattle right fielder, beginning his 11th season with the M's, surpasses the 2,247 hit total established by Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez, Seattle's designated hitter from 1987 to 2004.

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2011 David Ortiz breaks the major league record for RBIs by a designated hitter, established by Seattle's Edgar Martinez. 'Big Papi,' who hit a two-run homer in the second to tie the mark, drives in Alex Gonzalez for his record-setting 1,004th career run batted in as a DH with a fourth-inning groundout to first base in the Red Sox' 12-5 loss to Texas.

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2012 Matt Cain, the longest-tenured Giant, comes to terms with the team on a five-year extension that keeps the 6'5" Tennessean with San Francisco until 2017. The 27-year-old right-hander has been the staff's workhorse, averaging 32 starts during the last six seasons.

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2013 Marwin Gonzalez's two-out, ninth-inning single, a grounder that goes through the box between the pitcher's legs, spoils Yu Darvish's bid for a perfect game. The 26-year-old Ranger starter is removed from the Minute Maid Park contest after giving up the hit and watches reliever Michael Kirkman close the Texas 7-0 victory over Houston.

2014 With the score tied 3–3 in the bottom of the 13th inning and the bases loaded with no outs, the Cubs turned a 7-2-3 double play against the Pirates. Left fielder Junior Lake, playing in the infield near the third baseline, fields Clint Barmes' grounder throwing home for one out, with the catcher relaying the ball to first base to complete the unusual twin-killing in the Pirates' eventual 4-3 walk-off victory three innings later at PNC Park.

2014 Rookie catcher Tony Sanchez, pinch-hitting in the bottom of the 16th inning, singles in the winning run to end the 5-hour and 55-minute marathon, now the longest game in Pittsburgh history by time. The 4-3 victory over Chicago took six minutes longer than when the Bucs beat the Astros, 8-7, in an 18-inning contest in 2006.

2017 In the Diamondbacks' 6-5 Opening Day walk-off victory over the Giants, Madison Bumgarner becomes the first pitcher to hit two home runs in the first game of the season. The 27-year-old southpaw retires the first 16 batters he faces, striking out 11 with no walks in seven innings of work at Chase Field.

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2019 The Braves and Ronald Acuna Jr. come to terms on an eight-year, $100-million extension, keeping the 2018 Rookie of the Year under contract through the 2026 season. The 21-year-old All-Star outfielder becomes the youngest player in baseball history to sign a deal worth at least $100 million.

2021 In his second game and first in the starting lineup, White Sox DH Yermín Mercedes goes 5-for-5, collecting his first five career hits, in the team's 12-8 victory at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The 28-year-old catcher, who stroked four singles and a double, becomes the third major leaguer to get five hits in his first major league start, joining Cecil Travis (1933 Senators) and Fred Clarke (1894

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On April 2 in Baseball History...

• • 1908 - After a two-year investigation, the Mills Commission, formed on the recommendation of Al Spalding and headed by the former N.L. president A. G. Mills, declares that baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839. Overwhelming evidence to the contrary is ignored, but the designation makes James Fenimore Cooper's town the most likely site for a Hall of Fame and museum when these establishments are conceived some 30 years later.
    
  • 1972 - Mets manager Gil Hodges dies of a heart attack at West Palm Beach, Florida, two days shy of his 48th birthday. Yogi Berra is named manager.
    
  • 1976 - The A's trade prospective free agents Reggie Jackson and Ken Holtzman, together with a minor league pitcher, to the Orioles for outfielder Don Baylor and pitchers Mike Torrez and Paul Mitchell.
    
  • 1982 - In an exhibition game against the Padres, A's pitcher Steve McCatty steps to the plate wielding a 15-inch toy bat on the instructions of manager Billy Martin, who was upset that his club was not allowed to use a designated hitter in spring training games at N.L. parks. Home plate umpire Jim Quick refuses to let McCatty use the bat, and McCatty takes three called strikes.
    
  • 1996 - Lumbering Tigers slugger Cecil Fielder steals the first base of his career in his 1,097th game. He'll steal another before season's end.

Baseball Birthdays on April 2...

• • 1856 - Bond, Tommy
  • 1868 - Boyd, Frank
  • 1869 - Jennings, Hughie
  • 1877 - Siever, Ed
  • 1878 - Harper, Jack
  • 1881 - Stanley, Joe
  • 1884 - Wakefield, Howard
  • 1889 - Taylor, Ben
  • 1889 - Moran, Harry
  • 1889 - Demott, Ben
  • 1894 - O'Donnell, Harry
  • 1895 - Pruess, Earl
  • 1906 - Way, Bob
  • 1907 - Appling, Luke "When (Luke) Appling was around, the real blunder was to ask him, 'How do you feel?' It would sometimes take half an hour before he stopped telling you." - Maury Allen in Big-Time Baseabll (1978)
  • 1911 - Pippen, Cotton
  • 1919 - Johnson, Earl
  • 1924 - Avila, Bobby "Like Bob Lemon, Al Rosen, and Bob Feller, Mexico's Bobby Avila was one of Cleveland's true stars of the 1950s. That status was remarkable considering that Avila was a professional soccer player - and dreamed of being a bull fighter - before he learned how to play baseball from a book authored by former big league pitcher Jack Coombs." - Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia
  • 1927 - Pierce, Billy "That year was the culmination of a lot of things for us. From 1951 on at different times, we were playing New York or Cleveland for the pennant. Finally in '59 it happened for us, and it was a great thrill. Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio had their greatest years, and Early Wynn was tremendous on the mound. We won so many games by one run. It was just one of those years where everything went right." - Billy Pierce in Baseball Digest
  • 1930 - Jones, Gordon
  • 1930 - Ceccarelli, Art
  • 1937 - Radatz, Dick
  • 1938 - Weis, Al
  • 1945 - Kekich, Mike
  • 1945 - Smith, Reggie
  • 1945 - Sutton, Don
  • 1950 - Ramirez, Milt
  • 1951 - Johnson, Tom
  • 1953 - Cruz, Hector
  • 1955 - Sample, Bill
  • 1958 - Howard, Mike
  • 1959 - Nipper, Al
  • 1960 - Barrett, Tom
  • 1964 - Incaviglia, Pete
  • 1968 - Leskanic, Curtis
  • 1969 - Hosey, Steve
  • 1970 - Lieber, Jon
  • 1970 - Hocking, Denny
  • 1973 - Kroon, Marc

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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4/3
BIRTHDAYS
1926 Alex Grammas born in Birmingham, Alabama


1930 Wally Moon born in Bay, Arkansas (d. 2018)


1963 Chris Bosio pitcher (Seattle Mariners), born in Carmichael, California


1968 Mike Lansing infielder, 1993-2001 (Montreal Expos, Coloradao Rockies, Boston Red Sox), born in Rawlins, Wyoming


1971 Quilvio Veras second baseman, born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic


1975 Koji Uehara pitcher, born in Neyagawa, Osaka, Japan


1975 Yoshinobu Takahashi, born in Chūō-ku, Chiba, Japan

1987 Jay Bruce outfielder 3x All-Star (Cincinnati Reds, and 5 other teams) player, born in Beaumont, Texas

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1901 Although Christy Mathewson tried to return the money, A's owner Connie Mack accuses him of reneging on his contract to play the 1901 season with the fledgling American League team. After meeting with the A's manager in January, 'Big Six,' commits his services to Philadephia when he received a signing bonus but used the offer to get a richer contract from the Giants.

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1923 Happy Felsch and Swede Risberg file a suit against the White Sox for back salary and $400,000 in damages. Both expelled players, acquitted for allegedly fixing the 1919 World Series, were still banned from baseball by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, even though they were found not guilty of the wrongdoing in a much-publicized court case.

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1950 Considered a well-guarded secret, Mel Parnell reveals he pitched all but three of his 39 games for Boston last season with a sore elbow. The 27-year-old 'Dusty' finished the season 25-7 with a 2.77 ERA for the second-place Red Sox.

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1961 New York investors Jack P. Schleifer and Milton Schwartz take a title to Connie Mack Stadium, formerly known as Shibe Park, in hopes of developing the property as an industrial center with bowling alleys and a restaurant when the Phillies move to a proposed new ballpark in the northeastern part of the city. The 52-year-old ballpark, home for both the A's (1909-1954) and Phillies (1938-1970), will eventually become the Deliverance Evangelistic Church's site in 1991.

1966 In his first at-bat against Juan Marichal since the pitcher's bat-yielding incident last season, Johnny Roseboro hits a three-run inside-the-park home run in the Dodgers' 8-4 victory over the Giants. Before starting the spring training contest, San Francisco GM Chub Feeney attempted to arrange a handshake between the combatants, with the Los Angeles catcher, who has a $110,000 lawsuit pending against the right-hander and the hurler's team, declining the offer.

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1966 In a special lottery, Tom Seaver picks the Mets from names tossed in a hat that includes the Phillies and Indians, signing with New York for a reported $50,000 bonus. Tom's dad threatened a lawsuit after his son's contract with Atlanta was voided because the right-hander's college team had played two exhibition games, but signing a pro contract also prevented the future Hall of Famer from playing on the collegiate level.

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1967 Al Jackson, competing for a spot in the Cardinals' rotation to replace an injured Steve Carlton, yields twenty hits over nine innings in an exhibition game. The southpaw's poor outing comes against the Tulsa Oilers, the Redbirds' Class AA minor league team in the Texas League.

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1968 The Tigers trade left-hander Hank Aguirre to the Dodgers for minor leaguer Fred Moulder, the player to be named later. The All-Star southpaw, better known for being the worst hitter in major league history, will compile a .085 batting average during his 16-year major league career, striking out an astounding 236 times in his 388 at-bats (61%).

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1969 The Phillies trade first baseman Bill White to the Cardinals for infielder Jerry Buchek and utility player Jim Hutto. White will retire after one season in St. Louis, eventually becoming the president of the National League after a 17-year stint as the Yankee broadcasting partner of the long-time legendary voice of the Bronx Bombers, Phil Rizzuto.

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1974 The Indians trade Pedro Guerrero to the Dodgers for pitcher Bruce Ellingsen, who appears in only 16 games for Cleveland in his only year in the majors. The 17-year-old infielder/outfielder will compile a .309 batting average, becoming a five-team All-Star during his 11 seasons with the team.
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1984 On Opening Day, Tiger rookie Barbaro Garbey becomes the first Cuban refugee to play in the majors when he grounds out in the seventh inning as a pinch-hitter for Dave Bergman. The 27-year-old utility player will stay in the game, playing first base in Detroit's 8-1 rout of Minnesota in the Metrodome.

1985 The owners' proposal of expanding the League Championship Series to best-of-seven is agreed to by the Players' Association. The LCS started as a best-of-five series in 1969 when the leagues divided into divisions, with both the Orioles and Mets sweeping their opponents in three games.

1987 The Cubs trade starter Dennis Eckersley and prospect Dan Rohn to the A's for three minor leaguers who will never appear in a major league game. The future Hall of Famer known as 'Eck' becomes one of the game's top relievers, saving 320 games during his nine-year tenure with Oakland.

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1989 In his first major league at-bat, Mariners' center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. doubles off Oakland's Dave Stewart. The 19-year-old 'Junior,' the son of an active major leaguer outfielder playing with the Reds, will establish himself as one of the game's superstars before retiring in 2010.

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1989 The Mets win their 11th consecutive home opener, beating St. Louis at Shea Stadium, 8-4. The Amazins' have now won on Opening Day in 18 of the last 20 seasons.