BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

2000 After being turned down by Yankees third base coach Willie Randolph and their third base coach, Ron Oester, due to their below-market contract offers, the Reds hire Bob Boone as their manager, replacing 69-year-old Jack McKeon. The former catcher and present special assistant to general manager Jim Bowden had a 181-206 record as the Royals manager.

​

2001 In Game 6, the Diamondbacks get 21 hits in the first six innings against the Yankees to set a record for hits in a World Series game. The 1921 Giants (Game 3 vs. Yankees) and the 1946 Cardinals (Game 4 vs. Red Sox) established the previous record of 20.

​

2003 ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine will return to Japan to manage the Chiba Lotte Marines, which fired him after a solid second-place finish in 1995. The former Mets and Rangers skipper signs a three-year deal with an option for two more years worth an estimated $6.4 million.

​

2005 SBC announces the San Francisco home of the Giants will get its third name in three years. The corporation will adopt the better-known AT&T brand for its identity due to the likely merger of the two companies planned for later this year.

 

2006 Orlando Hudson becomes only the sixth major league infielder to win a Gold Glove in both the American and National Leagues. The Diamondback second baseman's defensive prowess was recognized in the Junior circuit last season when he copped his first Rawling's award playing for the Blue Jays.

​

2006 To bring America's national pastime to a country with over 1.3 billion potential fans, MLB officials announce they will open an office in China to help promote the game. Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, raises the possibility of the sport playing a regular-season opener in Beijing.

2006 Greg Maddux wins his sixteenth Gold Glove award, tying the mark held by former Orioles third baseman Brooks Robinson and pitcher Jim Kaat for the most won by one player. The Braves right-hander will extend the major league mark to 18 when managers and coaches again select him in 2007 and 2008 as the best fielding pitcher in the National League.

​

 

2008 Ruben Amaro Jr., the team's assistant GM for a decade, replaces Pat Gillick as the general manager of the recently crowned World Champion Phillies. The former batboy signs a three-year deal to run the club five days after Philadelphia beat Tampa Bay in the Fall Classic, winning just its second title in the 125-year history of the franchise.

​

2008 The Brewers exercise their $10 million option on Mike Cameron (.243, 25, 70). Last season, the 35-year-old three-time Gold Glove outfielder committed only one error in 119 starts for the Brew Crew.

​

2009 George W. Bush throws out the ceremonial first pitch before the Yomiuri Giants' 7-4 victory over the Nippon Ham Fighters in Game 3 of the Japan Series. The former American president, who bounces the pitch in the dirt, enjoys the game in a private box with former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, home run king Sadaharu Oh, and John Roos, the U.S. ambassador to Japan.

​

2010 Reminiscent of when the New York team moved to San Francisco in 1958, tens of thousands of Giants fans pay homage by celebrating the World Champions with a ticker-tape parade. First baseman Aubrey Huff delights the fans by pulling out his "rally thong" while addressing a raucous crowd at Civic Center.

​

2013 Brad Ausmus, who has never managed or coached a professional baseball team, is introduced as the Tigers' new skipper, replacing veteran manager Jim Leyland. The 44-year-old Dartmouth graduate, a former All-Star catcher just three years past his playing career, signs a three-year contract with a team option for the 2017 season.

****************************************
130,923

 

Cincinnati #Reds outfielder Paul O'Neill makes an all-time classic play vs. the Philadelphia #Phillies when he kicks the ball back to first base!
​

 

Today In 1992: "The Warrior" comes to NYC! The Cincinnati #Reds trade Paul O'Neill to the New York #Yankees for Roberto Kelly!
​

 

Jimmie Foxx and Mel Ott. 1045 career home runs between these two.
​

 

"During the first meeting with the legend, I got a double off Paige my very first time up. I stood on second, dusted myself off, feeling pretty good. Paige walked toward me. “That’s it, kid.”… My next three times up I went whoosh, whoosh, whoosh… “ Willie Mays



​

 

​

 

And this is how the saying “Game is on the line” was born
​

 

November Baseball Birthdays 11/4​

1873 Bobby Wallace HOF shortstop, pitcher (Temple Cup 1895 Cleveland Spiders) and manager (St. Louis Browns, Cincinnati Reds), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1960)


1930 Dick Groat, shortstop (NL MVP & NL batting champion 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates; 8 x MLB All-Star; St. Louis Cardinals) and College Basketball HOF guard (Duke Uni; Fort Wayne Pistons), born in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania (d. 2023)


1933 Tito Francona utility (MLB All Star 1961), born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania (d. 2018)


1967 Eric Karros infielder (LA Dodgers), born in Hackansack, New Jersey


1968 Carlos Baerga infielder (Cleveland Indians), born in Puerto Rico


1968 Domingo Cedeno infielder (Toronto Blue Jays), born in La Ramona, Dominican Republic


1968 Osvaldo Fernandez MLB pitcher (SF Giants), born in Holguin, Cuba


1977 Larry Bigbie born in Hobart, Indiana
1978 John Grabow born in Arcadia, California
****************************************

 

This Day in Baseball History November 4th​

1935 NFL standout Cal Hubbard becomes an American League umpire. The former Green Bay Packers offensive tackle will become the only person enshrined in both the Pro Football and Baseball Hall of Fame.

​

1957 With a new rule, an option now includes keeping the ball in play after a balk call. If a player gets a hit, a team can accept the batted ball's outcome instead of being limited to the advance of the baserunner(s).

1959 Ernie Banks (.304, 45, 143) becomes the first National Leaguer to win consecutive MVP awards. 'Mr. Cub,' playing for a fifth-place team, garners 10 of the writers' 21 first-place votes, with Eddie Mathews (5) and Hank Aaron (2) of the Braves and Dodger Wally Moon (4) found on top of the remaining ballots.

​

1963 The Cardinals trade outfielder George Altman and pitcher Bill Wakefield to the Mets for veteran right-hander Roger Craig. Next season, the hard-luck hurler, who has lost 20 games the last two years, will win Game 4 of the Fall Classic, beating the Yankees for the World Champion Redbirds.

​

1965 Al Lopez resigns as the manager of the White Sox. The future Hall of Fame skipper will briefly return to the Chicago dugout to manage 47 games in 1968 and 17 games the following season before retiring for good.

 

1975 Orioles hurler Jim Palmer, garnering 15 of the 24 first-place votes cast by the writers, wins the second of his three Cy Young awards, easily outpointing runners-up Yankees' right-hander Catfish Hunter and A's reliever Rollie Fingers. The 30-year-old Baltimore ace first copped the prestigious pitching prize in 1973, posted a 23-11 record along with a league-leading 2.40 ERA for the second-place team.

​

1980 Japan's all-time home run hitter, Sadaharu Oh, retires from professional baseball. The Tokyo Yomiuri Giants' first baseman hit a record-setting 868 home runs in his 22-year playing career.

​

1997 Phillies infielder Scott Rolen, who led all freshman players in the National League in batting average (.283), home runs (21), and RBIs (92), is the unanimous choice for the circuit's Rookie of the Year Award. The third baseman, who did not qualify as a rookie last season by one at-bat after having his wrist broken when hit by a pitch, becomes the first Philadelphia player to win the award since Dick Allen copped the honor in 1964.

​

 

2001 For the first time since 1985, two twenty-game winners start Game 7 of the World Series when Yankee right-hander Roger Clemens (20-3) faces Curt Schilling (22-6) of the Diamondbacks at Bank One Ballpark in Arizona. Sixteen years ago, Bret Saberhagen (20-6) of the Royals squared off against Cardinal hurler John Tudor (21-8) in the Fall Classic finale at Kauffman Stadium.

\​

2001 In Game 7 of a classic World Series, Arizona rallies for two runs in the bottom of the ninth, defeating the Yankees and their usually unbeatable closer, Mariano Rivera, 3-2. The four-year-old Diamondbacks, the youngest franchise to win a Fall Classic, end New York's string of three consecutive World Championships.

​

2001 Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling are named co-MVPs of the World Series. The Diamondback hurlers are the first multiple winners since a trio of Dodgers (Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero, and Steve Yeager) shared the award in 1981.

​

 

2002 Eric Hinske (.279, 24, 84) wins the American League Rookie of the Year award. The 25-year-old Blue Jays third baseman receives 19 of 28 first-place votes cast by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, with Oriole starter Rodrigo Lopez getting the other nine first-place nods.

​

2002 Colorado Rockies right-hander Jason Jennings (16-6, 4.52) becomes the first member of the Rockies to be selected by the BBWAA as the National League Rookie of the Year. The 24-year-old right-hander receives 27 first-place votes from the 32 writers participating in the balloting.

​

2003 Former Yankee captain Don Mattingly is named the Bronx Bombers' hitting coach, replacing Rick Down. The 42-year-old, who retired due to back problems, will be a top candidate to replace Joe Torre as the manager in 2005.

​

2003 Miami-Dade County Commissioners approved a plan committing $73 million in tax money toward a new major league ballpark for the Marlins. The World Champions, who have agreed to change their name to the Miami Marlins if the city builds the ballpark, want to begin playing in the $325 million new park in 2007 but need to raise $137 million for their part of their commitment.

 

2004 Philadelphia names Charlie Manuel as the team's new manager, replacing Larry Bowa, who was fired at the end of the season after the much-favored Phillies failed to make the postseason. The former Cleveland skipper compiled a 220-190 (.537) record and won a division during his three years with the Tribe.

​

2004 The Mets introduced Willie Randolph as the franchise's 18th manager. The long-time Yankee second baseman and third base coach becomes the first black to manage in New York.

​

2005 The Yankees continue to makeover their coaching staff when Ron Guidry, a former three-time 20-game winner, is named to replace Mel Stottlemyre as the team's pitching coach, and former Red Sox skipper Joe Kerrigan joins the team as its bullpen coach. Earlier in the week, former big league managers Larry Bowa (third-base coach), Lee Mazzilli (bench coach), and Tony Pena (first-base coach) also are added to Joe Torre's staff.

​

2008 Barack Obama, a long-time White Sox fan, is elected as the 44th president of the United States. The junior senator from Illinois, the first African-American to become the nation's Commander-in-Chief, is friendly with the team's general manager Kenny Williams, a prominent member of Chicago's black community.

 

2009 In Game 6 of the Fall Classic, the Yankees captured their 27th World Championship and first since 2000, with a 7-3 decision over the Phillies, the defending champs. Hideki Matsui, New York's designated hitter, collects six RBIs, tying a World Series mark, and Andy Pettitte became the second pitcher to get the victory in all three postseason-clinching games, joining Derek Lowe, who accomplished the feat with Boston in 2004.

​

2009 Ryan Howard breaks KC outfielder Willie Wilson's record, established in the 1980 Fall Classic against Philadelphia, for the most strikeouts in a World Series. The Phillies' slugging first baseman, who was the NLCS MVP against LA, earns the dubious distinction when he whiffs in the eighth inning of Game 6, making it the 13th time he returned to the bench without putting the ball in play.

​

2010 Instead of negotiating a new multi-year contract with their designated hitter, the Red Sox decide to exercise their $12.5 million option on 34-year-old David Ortiz for the upcoming season. 'Big Papi,' who would have preferred a long-term contract, led Boston with 32 homers and 102 RBIs.

​

 

2010 "Jump on board, boys. I'm going to carry us tonight. Don't even worry about it. Just back me up a little, and I'll take us to Game 7." - KIRBY PUCKETT, 1991 World Series speech before Game used as an inscription.
The unveiling of a 7½-foot bronze statue depicting Kirby Puckett's pumping his fist as he rounds second base following his 11th-inning walk-off homer in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series takes place at Target Field. Sculptor Bill Mack, who also created the ballpark's likenesses of Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew, attended the Metrodome game the night Puck hit the most iconic home run in Twins history.

​

2011 Jim Thome, 41, returns to the Phillies, inking a $1.25 million, one-year contract as a free agent with the team. The slugger, who hit 15 homers with the Twins and the Indians last season, completed three seasons of his six-year $85 million deal with the club before his 2005 trade to the White Sox for Aaron Rowand and two southpaw prospects, Gio Gonzalez and Daniel Haigwood.

​

2013 The Mets and Clear Channel Media and Entertainment announce the launch of a five-year multimedia marketing partnership. WOR (710 AM) will become the team's flagship radio station, replacing WFAN (660 AM), which will now broadcast Yankee games after carrying the Amazins for the past 26 years.

***********************************************
131,232

 

Unless your name is Roberto Clemente, you cannot claim to be a better right fielder than #DwightEvans and that is
a fact. Happy 72nd birthday to Number 24 #RedSox who led@MLB
in extra base hits for the decade of the 80's.
​

 

Today In 1959: Chicago #Cubs legend Ernie Banks is named the NL MVP for the second year in a row! (45 HR - 143 RBI - .304 BA)
​

 

BABE



​