BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

Vaughn Street Park, Portland, Oregon 1904 - Built in 1901 it was first home to Portland Webfoots, whose cleanup hitter was Hall of Famer Joe Tinker. In 1903 they bolted to PCL and changed name to Beavers. When built its capacity was 3,000 and when razed in 1956 it was 12,000

Tinker
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December 31 Baseball Birthdays
1857 Michael "King" Kelly,HOF utility (NL batting champion 1884, 86; NL runs scored 1884–86, Chicago White Sox) and manager (Boston Beaneaters, Reds; Cincinnati KKs), born in Troy, NY (d. 1894)


1870 Tom Connolly HOF umpire (AL-record 8 x World Series), born in Manchester, England (d. 1961)


1919 Tommy Byrne pitcher (MLB All-Star 1950; World Series 1949, 56; NY Yankees), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 2007)


1961 Rick Aguilera pitcher (Minnesota Twins), born in San Gabriel, California


1982 Julio DePaula born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

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This Day in Baseball History
December 31​

1878 The reported sale of eight million bats occurs in the United States. With a population estimated at approximately 48 million, an average of one out of every six Americans owns a bat.

1897 Charles H. Ebbets, 38, gains a controlling interest in the Dodgers with an eighty percent share of the Brooklyn team. Under his ownership, which lasts until his death in 1925, the team posts a mediocre 1914-2088 (.478) record but wins four National League Championships during the next 27 seasons.

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1954 Pirates rookie Roberto Clemente has three spinal discs jarred when a drunk driver broadsides him, running a red light traveling at 60-mph. The car accident will cause the 21-year-old outfielder to have recurrent lower back pain for the remainder of his career.

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1962 The State of Ohio drops its suit against the Reds' change in ownership when Bill DeWitt declares in writing the team will stay in Cincinnati for the next ten years. Although the new owner claims he never had plans to move the team, the state began legal procedures when suspicion abounded after he obtained the team for below-market value from the Crosley Foundation.

1966 After fifteen years with the Braves, Eddie Mathews, along with Sandy Alomar, Sr., and Arnie Umbach, is traded to the Astros in exchange for outfielder Dave Nicholson and RHP Bob Bruce. The future Hall of Fame third baseman is the only person to play for the Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta Braves.

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1972 Roberto Clemente tragically dies when the four-engine DC-7 plane he chartered to bring much-needed supplies to the victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake crashes in the Atlantic Ocean after taking off from the coast of Isla Verde. Manny Sanguillen will be the only Pirates player not to attend the memorial service, traveling to Puerto Rico to dive into the waters in a futile attempt to recover his teammate's body.

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1974 After being wooed by the Pirates, Dodgers, Expos, Giants, Royals, and the Indians, 28-year-old free-agent Catfish Hunter signs with the Yankees, ending an unprecedented bidding war. The former A's ace, author of 88 victories and a 4-0 Fall Classic record during the past four seasons, inks a five-year, $3.75 million contract (three times more than any other players) to pitch for the Bronx Bombers.

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1990 A snowmobile accident near his ranch in Baker (OR) seriously injures A's third baseman Carney Lansford. The 33-year-old All-Star infielder, who suffered severe ligament damage in his left knee due to the mishap, will appear in only five games next season.

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2004 After the Devil Rays decline his 2005 $8 million contract option, Tino Martinez (.262, 23, 76) signs a one-year, $3 million contract to rejoin the Yankees. The popular 37-year-old first baseman was acquired as insurance in the event Jason Giambi's (the player who replaced him) health continues to fail, played in the Bronx from 1996-2001.

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2008 After losing Francisco Rodriguez, who recently signed with the Mets as a free agent, the Angels agree to a two-year, $17.5 million deal with Brian Fuentes. The 33-year-old left-handed reliever, who had 30 saves for the Rockies last season, will take over the closer role for the American League West champions.

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2008 Deciding not to shift shortstop Jhonny Peralta to third with Asdrubal Cabrera moving from second to short, the Indians acquire Mark DeRosa from the Cubs to be their everyday third baseman. To get the 33-year-old infielder, the Tribe sends minor league pitching prospects Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer, and John Gaub to Chicago.

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2009 The Cubs agree to a $15 million, three-year deal with Texas free-agent Marlon Byrd (.283, 20, 89) to fill the void in the outfield created when the trade to Seattle of the agitated Milton Bradley. Chicago's new outfielder will patrol centerfield, replacing Kosuke Fukudome, who will move over to right field.

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2009 The Red Sox, after trying seven regular shortstops since trading Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs in 2004, sign Marco Scutaro to a deal that guarantees the 34-year-old infielder to a $12.5 million, two-year contract to fill the void. The former utility player with the Mets and A's had a career year last season for the Blue Jays after becoming the team's everyday shortstop.

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Pittsburgh #Pirates legend Roberto Clemente collects his 3,000th hit, which sadly would be the last regular season hit of his amazing major league career. (September 1972)

''Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth.'' ~ Baseball legend and beloved humanitarian Roberto Clemente
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Pete Rose and Andre Dawson
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"I'm convinced that God wanted me to play baseball." ~ Pittsburgh #Pirates legend Roberto Clemente #MLB
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"Somebody asked me one time, 'What's it like hitting off of Koufax?' --- I said you ever drink coffee with a fork?" ~ Pittsburgh #Pirates legend Willie Stargell.
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"I couldn't hit him. Sandy would strike me out two or three times a game and I knew every pitch he was gonna throw." ~ Willie Mays on facing Sandy Koufax!
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2024 Negro League Baseball Museum Calendar
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January 1 Baseball Birthdays
Tim Keefe 1857-1933) Hall of Fame pitcher (Triple Crown 1888; MLB record 0.86 ERA, single season 1880; NY Giants), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts


1904 Ethan Allen, American baseball center fielder (inventor Cadaco-Ellis board game All Star Baseball; Yale University), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1993)


(1911-1986) Hank Greenberg Hall of Fame first baseman (5 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1935, 45; AL MVP 1935, 40; Detroit Tigers), born in NYC, NY


1927 Carl Scheib pitcher (at the time [1943] youngest player in MLB history at 16; Philadelphia A’s), born in Gratz, Pennsylvania (d. 2018)

1940 Ruly Carpenter baseball executive (principal owner and president Philadelphia Phillies 1972-81), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 2021)

1955 LaMarr Hoyt, pitcher (AL Cy Young Award 1983; AL wins leader 1982-83; Chicago White Sox), born in Columbia, South Carolina (d. 2021)


1975 Fernando Tatís Sr. third baseman (MLB record 8 RBI in one inning, 1999; St. Louis Cardinals), born in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic


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This Day in Baseball History
January 1st​

1923 Having promised his fans and former teammates he'd live to see 1923, Wee Willie Keeler dies on New Year's Day of that year due to heart failure. The diminutive fine-hitting Hall of Fame outfielder, who played for the National League's Superbas (Dodgers), Orioles, and Giants and the Highlanders (Yankees) of the American League, is credited with the baseball axiom, "Keep your eyes clear, and hit 'em where they ain't."

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1927 The Robins announce outfielder Zack Wheat, after 18 consecutive seasons with the club, has been released. The future Hall of Famer, who led the National League in hitting in 1918 with a .335 batting average, will hit .324 in 88 games for Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's this season, finishing his career with a lifetime mark of .311.

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1928 "He could turn off a light switch and jump into bed before the room got dark." - SATCHEL PAIGE, quipping about the quickness of Cool Papa Bell. Cienfuegos's third baseman Cool Papa Bell becomes the first player to hit three home runs in a professional game in Cuba, accomplishing the feat in a 15-11 victory over Havana at the spacious Alda Park. The speedy infielder hits the trio of homers, all inside-the-park round-trippers, off Oscar Levis, Cliff "Campanita" Bell, and Martin Dihigo.

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1940 In a decision that foreshadows a significant blow to Detroit's farm system, Kenesaw Mountain Landis voids the last month's trade, which would have sent Tiger hurler George Coffman and second baseman Benny McCoy to the A's for outfielder Wally Moses. The commissioner declares McCoy a free agent because the team hid the infielder from other clubs and grants free agency to another 87 of the club's farmhands due to their concealment in the minor leagues.

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1941 Babe Ruth spends $50,000 on defense bonds to support the U.S. mobilization effort, the maximum allowed by law for one person. After the start of World War II, the retired Yankee legend continues to support the military, making charity appearances promoting the purchase of U.S bonds.

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1943 Josh Gibson, known as the 'Black Babe Ruth,' is admitted to St. Francis Hospital for a brief time after suffering a mental breakdown, being released to participate in spring training with the Homestead Grays in Hot Springs (AR). The power-hitting catcher is diagnosed with a brain tumor but elects not to have it removed, and as a consequence, he suffers from headaches until his death in 1947 at the age of 35.

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1961 Tiger Stadium is the official new name for the Detroit ballpark at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues. The facility, which opened in 1912, was initially known as Navin Field, named for team owner Frank Navin, before becoming Briggs Stadium in 1938, reflecting the expansion efforts of Walter Briggs, who increased the yard's capacity to 53,000 under his ownership by double-decking the stands in left field.

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1970 One-time New York batboy Chub Feeney begins his 16-year presidency of the National League, taking over for Warren Giles, who held the position for 18 years. The Dartmouth College graduate was Charles Stoneham's grandson, the Giants' late owner.

1974 Lee MacPhail takes over as American League president, succeeding the retiring Joe Cronin, serving in the role until 1984. MacPhail will join his dad, Larry, as a member of the Hall of Fame in 1998, becoming the only father-and-son pair to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

1977 One hundred feet from his Phoenix (AZ) home, Milwaukee reliever Danny Frisella, 30, tragically dies in a dune buggy accident on a county road, leaving behind his pregnant wife, Pamela, and his three-year-old son, Jason. The right-hander, best known for his first six seasons with the Mets, compiled a 34-40 won-loss record, recorded 57 saves, and had an ERA of 3.37 during his ten-year major league tenure, including stints with the Braves, Padres, Cardinals, and the Brewers.

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1979 Lorinda de Roulet replaces the very unpopular M. Donald Grant as the Mets' Chairman of the Board. The daughter of franchise founder Joan Payson became the first woman to direct the day-to-day operations of an MLB club when elected as the team president and named to its board of directors following her mother's death in 1975.

 

1982 Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium, which replaced Sportsman's Park as the Cardinals' home in 1966, will now be known as Busch Stadium. The new moniker for the ballpark honors the Busch family of Anheuser-Busch, the team's owner, who championed the construction of a new stadium in St. Louis.

2008 The Dodgers celebrate their 50th year in Los Angeles by participating in the 119th annual Tournament of Roses Parade. The team's float features current and former players, organist Nancy Bea Hefley and Vin Scully, the club's broadcaster since 1950.

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2009 Major League Baseball launches the MLB Network at 6:00 pm EST with the premiere of Hot Stove, reaching 50 million homes. The fourth major North American professional sports 24-hour cable channel also airs the original broadcast of Don Larsen's perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.

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2021 The Brewers' home ballpark will now be known as American Family Field, reflecting the insurance company's name as the venue's title sponsor. The County Stadium replacement, completed in 1971, was called Miller Park for twenty years after the team signed a $40 million deal for the naming rights with the Milwaukee brewery

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Ray Dandridge infielder de Sabios del Vargas
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