BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

Injured=no pay The National Commission on 1/23/1912 ruled that a ball player injured in a game could not collect his salary for the time the player was "incapacitated" It wasn't until 1915 that the National League established the first disabled list #BaseballandtheLaw 799 Violation




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Baseball Birthdays January 24
1898 Cliff Heathcote player (d. 1939)


1909 Jean R Yawkey (owner Boston Red Sox 1976-92), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1992)


1916 Walter Haas Jr.businessman and sports team owner (Levi Strauss & Co, Oakland A's), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1995)

1958 Neil Allen, born in Kansas City, Kansas


1964 Rob Dibble pitcher (Cincinnati Reds), born in Bridgeport, Connecticut


1968 Ross Powell pitcher (Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros), born in Grand Rapids, Michigan (d. 2017)


1984 Scott Kazmir born in Houston, Texas

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This Day in Baseball History
January 24th
1931 After being released by the Indians four days ago, Alabama native Joe Sewell, who spent the first 11 years of his career with Cleveland, signs as a free agent with the Yankees for $10,000. The 33-year-old future Hall of Fame infielder, the record holder for consecutive games without recording a strikeout at 115, will hit .282 during his three seasons with New York.

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1939 Needing an additional player to reach the initial goal of having at least ten inductees before the dedication ceremonies this summer, members of the BBWAA elect 'Wee' Willie Keeler, George Sisler, and Eddie Collins to be in the inaugural class of the Hall of Fame. The three pla yers chosen are joining the 1936 selection of Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson, along with Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker, and Cy Young, selected by the writers a year later.

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1955 Cubs business manager Jim Gallagher, chairman of the nine-man rules committee, announces the two leagues will implement an existing rule during spring training that requires a hurler to throw the ball when the bases are empty within 20 seconds after taking a pitching position. The mandate, which results in the umpire calling a ball when the tosses are tardy, will not be in effect during the season.

 

1961 The A's trade Whitey Herzog and Russ Snyder to the Orioles for Wayne Causey, Jim Archer, Bob Boyd, and Al Pilarcik. The deal will not improve either club when both teams finish in the second division next season.

1962 The Southern Association, established in 1901, suspends operation due to decreasing yearly attendance. Except for 27-year-old outfielder Nat Peeples, who became the only black player in the league's history when he appeared in two games with the 1954 playing two games for the Atlanta Crackers against the Mobile Bears at Hartwell Field in Mobile, Ala., on April 9 and 10, 1954 Atlanta Crackers, the circuit remained racially segregated until the end of its existence.

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1973 Warren Spahn becomes only the sixth player elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, receiving 316 of the 380 (83.2%) votes cast by the BBWAA scribes. The Buffalo (NY) native, who recorded thirteen 20-win seasons with the Braves, retired as the winningest left-handed pitcher in big-league history with 363 victories, a remarkable feat given he recorded his first victory at the age of 26.

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1980 The Payson family sells the controlling interest of the Mets to book publisher Doubleday and Company, with Fred Wilpon of Sterling Equities and a group from City Investing becoming minority owners. The estimated $21.1 million price tag, twice as much as the sale of the Yankees to George Steinbrenner seven years ago, is the highest amount ever paid for a baseball franchise, far surpassing the $12 million needed to purchase the Orioles and Astros last season.

2001 Sixty-eight major league umpires participate in a preseason session, believed to be a historical first, to practice calling strikes as defined by the rule book. With the help of minor leaguers wearing tapes nine inches above their belts, the men in blue get a good look at pitches, commonly called balls, but are strikes when the proper enforcement of the zone is put into place this upcoming season.

 

2006 Jay Gibbons (.277, 26, 79) and the Orioles agree to a $21.1 million, four-year deal. The 28-year-old outfielder, who is getting married this weekend, could have taken his chances on the free-agent market next season.

2007 Cliff Floyd, coming off an injured Achilles tendon, signs a very flexible deal with the Cubs, beginning with a one-year guaranteed contract for $3 million to one, which could be worth as much as $17.5 million over two years. The Chicago native will platoon with Matt Murton, giving the Northsiders left-handed power off the bench.
2008 The Braves, avoiding arbitration, sign Rafael Soriano (3-3, 3.00) to a two-year deal worth $9 million. Atlanta plans to use the 29-year-old right-handed reliever, who recorded nine saves last year, as the team's closer this season.

2023 Receiving votes on 297 of 389 ballots (76.3%), the BBWAA narrowly elects Scott Rolen to the Hall of Fame in his sixth year of eligibility. The 17-year veteran, only the 18th third baseman to become a Hall of Famer, never appeared as a designated hitter, playing for the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays, and the Reds.

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The Boston Red Sox at spring training in Little Rock, 1907. Cy Young is second player on the right
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Umpires check George Brett’s bat for pine tar, 1983
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New York #Yankees pitcher Jim Abbott, who was born without a right hand, throws a no-hitter vs. the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium! (September 1993) #MLB
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Buddy Bell
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Brooks Robinson 18x All-Star 16x Gold Glove 2x World Series champ 1964 AL MVP 2848 Hits #1 all-time 3B Putouts and Assist
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Texas Rangers for the win
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Baseball Birthdays January 25
1918 Ernie Harwell broadcaster (Detroit Tigers, 1960-2002), born in Washington, Georgia (d. 2010)



1971 Kerry Taylor pitcher (San Diego Padres), born in Bemidji, Minnesota

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This Day in Baseball History
January 25th​

1934 "Is Brooklyn still in the league?" - GIANTS' MANAGER BILL TERRY, speaking of the Dodgers' chances in the upcoming season. During an interview with the New York Herald Tribune, Giants' manager Bill Terry wakes a sleeping giant when he jests, "Is Brooklyn still in the league?" In September, New York, tied for first place with two games to play, finishes second when sixth-place Brooklyn sweeps them at the Polo Grounds in the season's final two games, allowing the Cardinals, who complete the campaign 13-2, to capture the National League pennant.

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1943 The Braves buy future Hall of Famer Lefty Gomez, known as Goofy to his teammates, from the Yankees for $10,000. Boston releases the southpaw before he plays a game with his new team, but he will pitch one more time before retiring, hurling for the Senators, a club he joins in May, allowing four hits, four runs, and five walks before leaving the contest with a pulled shoulder muscle.

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1945 In one of the best sports business deals ever made, NFL Brooklyn Dodgers co-owner Dan Topping, real estate developer Del Webb, and baseball executive Larry MacPhail purchase 96.9% of the Yankees from the Ruppert estate for just $2.8 million. After the trio buys the remaining 3.12 percent in March for complete ownership, Topping and Webb will buy out MacPhail after two years, selling 80% of the Bronx Bombers to CBS after the 1964 season for $11.2 million.

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1947 Houma (LA) Indians Bill Thomas, winner of all four games of his team's final-round victories, is among the five persons, including two teammates and manager, put on baseball's ineligible list for allegedly betting on the 1946 Class D Evangeline League playoffs. The 41-year-old right-hander, the all-time minor league winningest pitcher with 383 wins, will be reinstated in 1949, pointing out that he pitched in all four games that his team won in the final round.

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1949 Lou Boudreau signs a two-year contract worth $65,000 with the World Champion Indians to remain the team's player-manager. The future Hall of Famer will pilot the Tribe for nine years, six as a player, and compile a 728-649 (.529) record.

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1966 Yankee shortstop Tony Kubek announces his early retirement, citing the improper healing of an injured nerve at the top of his spinal column impairing his reflexes. During the last game of the season, the nine-year veteran who had gone 3-for-4 at Fenway Park, including a ninth-inning home run, is now remembered as the 29-year-old infielder's final big-league at-bat.

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1980 At Shea Stadium's Diamond Club, the Mets' new owners formally introduced themselves to the local media. Nelson Doubleday will be the board's new chairman, replacing the outgoing Lorinda de Roulet, who no longer plays a role in the franchise's future, and Fred Wilpon is named the president and CEO of the club.

1983 The White Sox trade pitchers Warren Brusstar and Steve Trout to the Cubs for Dick Tidrow and Randy Martz, shortstop Scott Fletcher, and first baseman Pat Tabler. Trout will be the key player in the deal as the left-hander will post a 43-38 record during his five seasons on the north side of Chicago.

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1997 The Devil Rays sign Gregg Blosser, the organization's first player with major league experience. The former Boston Red Sox outfielder, a Florida native, will never appear in a game for Tampa Bay.

1999 The Oakland A's sign former Yankee free-agent outfielder Tim Raines for $600,000. The 39-year-old future Hall of Famer batted .290 for the World Champs last season and had a .296 career batting average.

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1999 After being aired on WOR, Channel 9, since the team's inception in 1962, Mets games will be broadcasted this season by WPIX, Channel 11. The Yankees games, which had aired for nearly 50 years on the Amazins' new station, will now be seen on Channel 5, a Fox affiliate.

 

2005 Carlos Delgado (.269, 32, 99) and Florida agree on a four-year, $52 million contract. The 32-year-old first baseman's deal stops the intense bidding war between the Marlins, Mets, Orioles, and Rangers for the coveted free agent.​

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2006 The A's sign 37-year-old free-agent Frank Thomas to a $500,000, one-year deal. The two-time American League aging MVP gives Oakland the right-handed bat the team needs in the middle of their lineup.

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2007 Willie Randolph, who brought New York within one game of a World Series appearance, agrees to a $5.65 million, three-year deal to continue as the Mets manager through 2008. The skipper's new deal doubles his present salary from $700,000 to $1.4 million.

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2008 In an unusual move for the club, the Yankees, rather than waiting for a young talented player to become arbitration-eligible before negotiating a deal, offer Robinson Cano (.306, 19, 97) a six-year contract worth approximately $55 million. The 25-year-old second baseman will become eligible for free agency after the 2011 season if the team doesn't exercise its option in each of the following two seasons.

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2008 After losing Torii Hunter and Carlos Silva to free agency and the possibility of trading Johan Santana, Twins fans rejoice when the club announces Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer have both signed long-term deals to stay in Minnesota. The 2006 AL MVP gets the richest contract in franchise history, $80 million for six years, and his teammate, Cuddyer, inks an agreement worth $24 million over three years.

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2012 Five-time All-Star Jorge Posada catcher (.273, 275, 1,065) at an SRO Yankee Stadium news conference announces his retirement after 17 major league seasons. The 40-year-old backstop joins Bernie Williams and Andy Pettitte in retirement, leaving Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera as the remaining core players that led the Bronx Bombers to four World Series titles in five years.

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2022 David Ortiz (.286/.380/.552) becomes the 58th player elected into the Hall of Fame in his first appearance on the ballot and the fourth Red Sox player to accomplish the feat, joining Ted Williams (1966), Carl Yastrzemski (1989), Wade Boggs (2005), and Pedro Martinez (2015). The ten-time All-Star, named on 77.9% of the ballots, spent the first six of his 20-year career with the Twins.

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