BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

2016 At his home in Atlanta, the Japanese consul general presents Hank Aaron with the Gold Rays with Rosette, the fourth class of Order of the Rising Sun, one of Japan's highest honors. The 81-year-old American home run king is commended, along with Sadaharu Oh, for his efforts towards the World Children's Baseball Fair, an organization fostering an environment of world understanding and cultural exchange through the celebration of the sport.

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2020 The Red Sox and Alex Cora mutually agree to part ways in light of Major League Baseball's investigation of the team's alleged use of electronics to steal signs. During his two seasons with Boston, the 43-year-old skipper compiled a 192-132 (.593), winning 108 games and capturing the 2018 World Series in his first year at the helm.

2021 A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle mint baseball card sets a new record with a $5.2 million price tag, surpassing the sale of the one-of-a-kind autographed Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Superfactor BGS 9 card that sold for $3.93 million last August. Entrepreneur and actor Rob Gough purchased the rare piece of memorabilia, one of only nine known to exist in its condition, in a deal brokered by PWCC Marketplace, a leader in the trading card investment market.

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Jackie
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Today In 1957: Jackie Robinson sends a letter to New York Giants owner Horace Stoneham informing him of his decision to retire. Instead of playing for the team the Brooklyn #Dodgers traded him to, Jackie will take a job with Chock full o'Nuts in NYC!
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1987 NL MVP Andre Dawson (49 HR and 137 RBI)
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San Diego #Padres legend Tony Gwynn dashes home to score the winning run on Moises Alou's 10th inning double to end the 1994 All-Star Game in Pittsburgh!
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Baseball Birthdays January 15
1885 Grover Lowdermilk player, born in Sandborn, Illinois (d. 1968)


1891 Ray Chapman (Cleveland Indians) and only MLB player to die from an injury received during a MLB game, born in Beaver Dam, Kentucky (d. 1920)


1920 Steve Gromek, born in Hamtramck, Michigan (d. 2002)
with Larry Doby after Cleveland Series win


1943 Mike Marshall pitcher (MLB All-Star 1974, 75; NL Cy Young Award 1974; Montreal Expos, LA Dodgers, Atlanta Braves), born in Adrian, Michigan (d. 2021)


1949 Luis Alvarado player, born in Lajas, Puerto Rico (d. 2001)

1969 Delino DeShields infielder, 1990-2002 (Montreal Expos, LA Dodgers, and 3 other teams), born in Seaford, Delaware


1970 Michele Granger, softball pitcher (Olympic gold 1996), born in Anaheim, California


1974 Ray King,pitcher, 1999-2008 (Milwaulkee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, and 6 other teams), born in Chicago, Illinois

1980 Matt Holliday born in Stillwater, Oklahoma

1982 Armando Galarraga born in Cumaná, Venezuela

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This Day in Baseball History
January 15th​

1936 Horace Stoneham becomes president of the New York Giants, succeeding his dad, Charles, who died nine days ago. The 32-year-old will hold the position for the next 40 years before selling the team to Bob Lurie and Bud Herseth in 1976.

1942 "I honestly feel it would be best for the country to keep baseball going." - U.S. PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, responding to Commissioner Landis' inquiry about the sport's future.
In his famous 'Green Light letter,' President Franklin D. Roosevelt answers Commissioner Landis's query about playing baseball in the wake of the Second World War. FDR responds that playing the sport would be suitable for Americans and encourages baseball owners to have more games at night to allow war workers to attend games.

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1957 The Kratter Corporation grants Walter O'Malley an additional two years on the three-year lease on Ebbets Field agreed to last year. The extension, perhaps prompted by the Dodgers owner's uncertainty about Los Angeles' ability to secure the land to build a stadium in the city if the team moved to the West Coast, means the ball club could stay in Brooklyn until 1961.

1958 The Yankees announce an unprecedented 140 games will be televised this season on WPIX in a package reportedly worth significantly more than a million dollars. The decision to telecast a large number of games, including 63 road contests, was prompted by the Dodgers and Giants' departure to California.

 

1959 The Texas League formally adopts the "automatic intentional walk," saving the pitcher from having to throw four consecutive balls outside the strike zone. In 2017, the major leagues will adopt the rule to speed up games, an innovation not supported by data as there was only an intentional walk every 2.6 games during the 2016 campaign.

1963 By an overwhelming 20–2 vote, the New York City Council named the new stadium in the Queens for William A. Shea, the attorney who brought the National League back to the Big Apple. The ballpark, known initially as Flushing Meadow Park Municipal Stadium, serves as the Mets' home for 44 seasons.

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1964 Willie Mays, the highest-paid player in baseball, signs the $105,000 contract offered by the Giants. The perennial All-Star center fielder will have another outstanding season, batting .308, hitting 40 home runs, and driving in 123 runs for the Bay City team.

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1964 Baseball's executives select New York City as the site of the game's inaugural free-agent draft, a controversial measure approved during the winter meetings that gives teams with the worst records the earlier picks to the talented amateur players. With the first pick in the draft's history, the A's will select ASU outfielder Rick Monday when the process begins on June 8 at the Hotel Commodore.

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1967 Green Bay defensive back Tom Brown becomes the first major leaguer to play in the Super Bowl. The outfielder and first baseman for the Senators in 1963 is best remembered for his last-minute interception of Cowboy quarterback Don Meredith's Hail Mary pass in the NFL Championship game, making Green Bay a participant in the first-ever Super Bowl.

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1981 Cardinal right-hander Bob Gibson, receiving 337 votes of the 401 BBWAA ballots cast (84%) in his first year of eligibility, is the only player elected to the Hall of Fame this year. Well-known Dodgers Don Drysdale and Gil Hodges, as well as Twins' slugger Harmon Killebrew, fall short of the votes needed for induction.

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1990 Free agent Cecil Fielder, returning from astint in Japan where he hit 38 homers for the Hanshin Tigers, signs a one-year deal worth $1,250,000 with Detroit. 'Big Daddy,' father of future major leaguer Prince, will hit 245 home runs while driving in 758 runs during his seven seasons in the Motor City.

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1994 During their winter fan festival, the Brewers unveil a new logo and different team colors, with navy, green, and metallic gold replacing royal blue and yellow. The changes, the first since the 1978 season, include Germanic lettering in place of the standard block and the first alternate uniform in the club's history, a navy jersey with the club's primary logo below the word Brewers across the chest.

 

2002 The Braves trade outfielder Brian Jordan (.295, 25, 97), pitcher Odalis Perez (7-8, 4.91), and a minor leaguer to the Dodgers to acquire All-Star outfielder Gary Sheffield (.311, 36, 100). The deal ends Sheffield's stormy four-year tenure with L.A., who, before spring training, insulted teammates, derided management, and became upset when the club refused to double the value of his contract.

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2008 Representatives Henry Waxman and Tom Davis announce they have sent a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey to investigate if Miguel Tejada lied to House committee staff when questioned about Orioles teammate Rafael Palmeiro's use of steroids. The former American League MVP, traded to the Astros in the offseason, could face jail time if found guilty because making false statements to Congress is a felony.

2009 Derek Lowe signs a four-year deal with the Braves reportedly worth $60 million. The 35-year-old right-hander will be the ace of Atlanta's new-look rotation, which includes the recently acquired Javier Vazquez, Jair Jurrjens, and Kenshin Kawakami, who pitched in Japan last season for the Chunichi Dragons.

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2009 The Brewers, avoiding arbitration, agree to a $4 million, one-year deal with Dave Bush, who finished the season strong, posting a 7-3 record with a 3.23 ERA in his final 18 regular season starts. The 29-year-old right-hander was the only Milwaukee pitcher to win a postseason game when the team beat Philadelphia at Miller Park, 4-1, in Game 3 of the ALDS.

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2009 The Padres sign 33-year-old veteran infielder David Eckstein to a one-year contract worth $850,000 with an additional $150,000 available in incentives. The 2006 World Series MVP, who split last season, playing mostly shortstop in 94 games, with the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks, agreed to the discounted deal with San Diego on the condition that he would play primarily second base for the Friars.

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2009 The Dodgers, who had restructured Andruw Jones's contract earlier in the month, placed their expensive center fielder on waivers rather than pursuing a trade for the five-time All-Star. The highest-paid player in the franchise history, who signed a two-year, $36.2 million deal during the 2007 offseason, was a complete bust in his one season with the team, hitting a meager .158 with just three home runs and 14 RBIs in 209 at-bats.

 

2010 The Mets and John Maine (7-6, 4.43) come to terms on a one-year, $3.3 million deal just after the right-hander filed for arbitration. New York's projected number three starter was limited to 15 games last season due to the lingering weakness from a 2008 surgery that removed a bony growth from his right shoulder socket.

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2010 Avoiding salary arbitration, Matt Kemp (.297, 26, 101) and the Dodgers agree to a rare multi-year offer that will pay the center fielder $10.95 million over the next two seasons. The 25-year-old Oklahoman, considered a core player in the team's future, won the Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger awards playing for the National League West champs last season.

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2013 After watching their bullpen implode in the NLDS last season, the Nationals sign Rafael Soriano to a two-year, $28 million deal to be the club's closer. The 33-year-old right-handed reliever, who had a league-leading 45 saves for the Rays in 2011, filled in for the injured Mariano Rivera last season and saved 42 games for the Yankees.

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Sandy Koufax
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Today In 1933: Babe Ruth takes a huge pay cut and signs his latest New York Yankees contract for $35,000! (The Babe's previous season stats: 41 HR - 137 RBI - .341 BA - .489 OBP)
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Al Kaline played against both Satchel Paige and Robin Yount. Paige's Negro League debut came in 1927 and Yount retired from the MLB 1993.
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Ted Williams. Ralph Kiner 890 Home Runs. 11 HR titles.
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1912 World Series. Polo Grounds. A hat on every head Baseball for the win
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Baseball Birthdays January 16
1870 Jimmy Collins HOF 3rd baseman (World Series 1903 Boston Americans; NL HR leader 1898 Boston Beaneaters and manager Boston Americans 1901–06), born in Niagara Falls, NY (d. 1943)


1910 Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean HOF pitcher (MLB All-Star 1934–37; World Series & NL MVP 1934 St Louis Cardinals), born in Lucas, Arkansas (d. 1974)


1966 Jack McDowell pitcher (NY Yankees, White Sox, Indians), born in Van Nuys, California


1970 Ron Villone pitcher (San Diego Padres), born in Englewood, New Jersey


1978 Alfredo Amézaga born in Ciudad Obregón, Mexico


1980 Albert Pujols 1st baseman (NL MVP 2005, 2008-09; 4th in history to 700 HRs; St. Louis Cardinals), born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

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This Day in Baseball History
January 16th​

1878 The Providence Grays hire Benjamin Douglas as the team's manager and names Tom Carey as the team's captain. The skipper of the new National League franchise in Rhode Island will be fired for insubordination before the season begins, replaced by left fielder Tom York, who led the team to a third-place finish with a 33-27 (.550) record.

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1886 The Washington Nationals, also known as the Statesmen, are admitted to the National League. The new franchise, which will play its home games at the Swampoodle Grounds, will win only 28 games of the 120 games played, finishing 60 games behind the first-place Chicago White Stockings in their first season of the team's four-year existence in the nation's capital.

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1891 The National League, American Association, and the Western Association sign a new national agreement that creates a three-person panel to settle disputes. Two days ago, the Senior Circuit owners voted to allow the American Association to place a team in Boston, despite the fierce opposition from the owners of the Boston Beaneaters, the existing NL franchise in town.

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1952 Stan Musial becomes eligible for a salary raise to $85,000 despite a Korean War wage freeze. Using a complex formula, the U.S. Standardization Board gives the okay for major league teams to provide pay increases to individual players, not to exceed a complicated calculation, based on team salaries for any one year, from 1946 to 1950, plus ten percent.

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1960 The Cubs trade Alvin Dark, along with John Buzhardt and Jim Woods, to the Phillies in exchange for Richie Ashburn. After a slow start in Philadelphia, the team deals the 'Swamp Fox' to the Braves, where he hits .298 for Milwaukee before retiring as a player at the end of the season to become the skipper for the Giants, the team he served as captain during their 1951 and 1954 World Championship campaigns.

DARK

ASHBURN

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1960 The Bucs' very competitive shortstop Dick Groat scores 14 points against the NFL Steelers in a scheduled 15-minute benefit basketball game for the Children's Hospital. The Duke University hoop standout takes exception to a foul called on him by Bob Prince, the team's broadcaster refereeing the game, that allows their football rivals to tie the score in the final few seconds of the contest and eventually win the exhibition against the Pirates in overtime, 22-20.

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1964 The American League owners, by a 9-1 vote, nix Charlie Finley's proposal to move the A's to Louisville, giving the maverick owner an ultimatum to sign a lease in Kansas City by February 1 or lose his franchise. Ten days ago, Finley had announced he had signed a two-year deal with Louisville and had plans to shift the franchise there to start playing for the upcoming season.

 

1973 Steve Carlton becomes the highest-paid pitcher when he signs a contract with the Phillies for a reported $165,000. The 28-year-old southpaw, last season's unanimous Cy Young Award winner, will lose a league-leading 20 games this season after posting a 27-10 record in the previous campaign for the last-place team.

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1974 The BBWAA elects former Yankees teammates southpaw Whitey Ford and slugger Mickey Mantle to the Hall of Fame. The franchise leader in wins (236), innings pitched (3,171), strikeouts (1,956), and shutouts (45), and his buddy, the 'Mick,' only the seventh player to make it in his first year of eligibility, will be enshrined in Cooperstown in August.

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