BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

This Day in Baseball History
February 8th​

1901 Rumors of the Phillies' star second baseman Napoleon Lajoie jumping to the Athletics, the Philadelphia franchise in the new American League, prove true. The National League's leading hitter, clearly in violation of the reserve clause, switches to the Junior Circuit, winning the Triple Crown, leading the league with a .426 batting average, 14 homers, and 125 RBIs.

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1942 At the Folsom Correctional facility in California, the annual game between big leaguers and the prison inmates occurs after a delay when the guards need to search for two convicts attempting an escape. The contest does not resume after escapees are apprehended, with the visiting team ahead 24-5 at the end of seven innings.

1956 In Philadelphia, former A's manager and owner Connie Mack, 93, dies of "old age and complications from his hip surgery." The 'Tall Tactician' set records for major league wins (3,731) and losses (3,948), compiling a .486 managerial mark during his 54 years as a skipper, including his three seasons with the Pirates before the turn of the century.

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1972 The nine-man Negro Baseball Leagues Hall of Fame Committee selects Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard for enshrinement, making them the second and third Negro League players, behind Satchel Paige the year before. During his playing days, Josh Gibson, a power-hitting catcher, was called the "black Babe Ruth," and Leonard, a teammate of Gibson on the Homestead Grays, who once turned down an MLB contract believing he was too old to compete at that level, was ranked #47 on a 1999 Sporting News poll of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.

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1973 The owners announce 'Early Bird' spring training, scheduled to begin next week, will not occur until they complete negotiations with the Players' Association. The 23-day lockout caused by a disagreement over salary arbitration will not affect the start of the regular season.

1982 The longest-playing infield foursome is broken up when the Dodgers trade Davey Lopes straight up for A's minor leaguer Lance Hudson, a middle infielder who will never appear in a major league game. The 36-year-old former LA second baseman had played with Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, and Bill Russell since 1974.

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2006 After rejecting an earlier proposal by an 8-5 margin a few hours ago, the District of Columbia Council reverses itself and approves a revised lease for a new Washington, D.C. ballpark. At the urging of Mayor Anthony A. Williams, the council reconvenes and votes 9-4 to approve the deal after attaching legislation capping the district's total cost at a bit less than $611 million.

2006 Wayne Krivsky, a leading candidate for the job in 2004, is finally selected as the Reds' general manager. The 51-year-old former Twins executive replaces Dan O'Brien, who Bob Castellini dismissed due to the new owner's desire to choose his baseball people.

2006 Johnny Damon, the former beloved Red Sox outfielder who signed as a free agent with the hated Yankees, takes out a full-page ad in the Boston Globe, thanking fans for their loyalty and support. As one of the most popular players in franchise history, the long-hair self-proclaimed 'idiot' incurred the wrath of the Fenway Faithful when he agreed to a $52 million, four-year deal to play in the Bronx.

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2008 In a long and drawn-out 5-for-1 deal, the Mariners finally land Erik Bedard (13-5, 3.16) from the Orioles. In exchange for their Opening Day pitcher last season, Baltimore receives center fielder Adam Jones, veteran southpaw reliever George Sherrill, and pitching prospects Chris Tillman, Tony Butler, and Kam Mickolio from the Emerald City.

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2008 The Brewers exercise Ned Yost's 2009 option after the 53-year-old skipper led Milwaukee to its first winning season since 1992, finishing second in the NL Central with an 83-79 won-loss record. The skipper will never manage a game in his extended contracted year after being dismissed with 12 games remaining this season, taking the blame for the under-achieving team's swoon in August and September.

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2009 In the softball championship game of the Leadoff Classic, Kylie Reynolds of Kent State strikes out 18 Stetson batters en route to throwing a nine-inning no-hitter. The Golden Flashes' junior sets a new school record for strikeouts in her 1-0 masterpiece at Patricia Wilson Field.

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2010 As a tribute to his fellow countryman, Omar Vizquel will wear the number 11 this season to honor Luis Aparicio. The White Sox will temporarily "unretire" the Hall of Famer's number for the Venezuelan shortstop, recently acquired by the team as a free agent.

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2010 The Brewers announce the club plans to erect a seven-foot statue of former owner Bud Selig with its unveiling scheduled during a pregame ceremony at Miller Park in August. Selig, the current baseball commissioner, led a group of investors that moved the bankrupt Seattle Pilots to Milwaukee in 1970.

2011 Tony Malinosky, the oldest-living major leaguer, dies at 101 in Oxnard, California. In 1937, the Brooklyn infielder, a survivor of the Battle of the Bulge, played 35 games for the team before being honored on his 100th birthday in 2009.

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When Ted Williams was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966, he used part of his speech to make a strong appeal for the inclusion of Negro League stars Satchel Paige & Josh Gibson
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Tony Gwynn - Hit-Man
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Today In 1956: Connie Mack passes away in Philadelphia at the age of 93. The former #Athletics owner & manager still holds the #MLB record for career wins (3,731) and losses (3,948)
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Venezuela's Ángel Padrón throws the first no-hitter in the Caribbean Series since 1952
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Royals reliever Dan Quisenberry visits Johnny Bench and the gang on a classic episode of "The Baseball Bunch"!

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Baseball Birthdays February 9, 2024
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1887 -Heinie Zimmerman, Chicago Cubs


1898 -Chink Taylor, Chicago Cubs

1903 -Roy Mahaffey, Pittsburgh Pirates

1925 -Vic Wertz, Detroit Tigers


1937 -Clete Boyer, A's, Yankees


1944 -Jim Campanis, Dodgers, Royals,Pirates

1951 -Eddie Solomon, Dodgers, Cubs, Braves

1956 -Mookie Wilson, Mets,Jays


1961 -John Kruk, Padres, Phillies

1976 -Vladimir Guerrero, Expos, Angels

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This Day in Baseball History
February 9th
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1946 While coaching a Hardy High School (AK) basketball team, Pirates hurler Preacher Roe suffers a fractured skull from hitting the floor during an altercation with a referee. The 29-year-old southpaw, who will report a month late to spring training suffering from headaches and dizzy spells, will post a 3-8 record, compiling a 5.14 ERA before calling quits for the season in August.

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1971 Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro League star selected to the Hall of Fame. The right-hander, the oldest player in the majors to make his big league debut, became a legend during his professional career, which lasted from the 1920s until 1965, playing in several different Negro Leagues and with the Indians, Browns, and A's.

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1976 The Hall of Fame Special Committee on the Negro Leagues selects Oscar Charleston, considered by baseball historian Bill James to be the fourth-best ballplayer of all time. The outfielder made The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.

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1980 The Athletic Hall of Fame of Kent State University posthumously inducts Thurman Munson, the Yankee All-Star backstop who died in a plane crash last August. Hal Schoonover, the Golden Flashes baseball program coach, converted the young college outfielder into a catcher.

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1981 At the age of thirty-seven, Joe Morgan inks a one-year deal with the Giants. The future Hall of Famer will play an additional season in San Francisco, winning the Silver Slugger award for being the best offensive second baseman in the National League.

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1984 The Dodgers waive two-time All-Star Dusty Baker after he vetoes a trade to Oakland. The 35-year-old outfielder will sign as a free agent, hitting .294 in 100 games, with the Giants, before ending his career with the A's, the team he had refused to play for when dealt last season.

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1988 Playing for his third consecutive American League pennant winner (1986-Red Sox and 1987-Twins), Don Baylor signs a one-year deal with the A's. The 39-year-old designated hitter will appear in 92 games, hitting .220 for the American League champs before retiring at the end of the season, finishing his 19-year career with 2,135 hits, 338 home runs, 1,276 RBIs, and being hit by a pitch a record 267 times.

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2001 After 13 months of negotiations, Derek Jeter and the Yankees finalize a $189 million,ten-year contract. The deal makes the All-Star shortstop second only to Alex Rodriguez ($252 million/10 years) as the highest-paid player in the sport's history.

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2005 The Cubs trade reliever Kyle Farnsworth (4-5, 4.73) and a player to be named to the Tigers in exchange for pitcher Roberto Novoa (1-1, 5.09) and minor leaguers Scott Moore and Bo Flowers. Last season, Farnsworth's inconsistency as a reliever last season made him very unpopular with the Wrigley Field fans.

2006 A jury, deliberating for more than four hours, ruled that the Angels did not breach a contract with the city of Anaheim when the ball club changed its name. Thirteen months ago, the team known as the Anaheim Angels became the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, prompting the city where it plays to file a lawsuit, claiming the name change amounted to at least $100 million in lost revenue.

2007 Before performing in a benefit concert in Connecticut, Bernie Williams shares with reporters that he plans to decline the Yankees' invitation to attend spring training on a minor league contract. The guitar-playing outfielder added he has been working out but is doubtful about playing for the Bronx Bombers this season.

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2008 After auditioning for about two-thirds of the teams in the major leagues last month and considering offers from four clubs, Keith Foulke comes out of retirement, signing a $700,000, one-year contract with the A's. The 35-year-old reliever, best known for throwing the last pitch in the 2004 World Championship for the victorious Red Sox, retired before the 2007 season after signing a deal with the Indians.

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2009 Two days after the story breaks on SI.com, Alex Rodriguez apologizes for using performance-enhancing drugs when he played shortstop for the Rangers from 2001 to 2003. In an exclusive interview conducted on ESPN, the Yankees superstar acknowledges using PEDs, hoping to fulfill the expectations after signing a record ten-year, $252 million contract with Texas.

2010 The Twins select Greg Gagne as the twenty-second member of the team's Hall of Fame. During his ten-year tenure with the team, which included the World Championship seasons of 1987 and 1991, the light-hitting shortstop known for his defensive prowess once hit two inside-the-park home runs in the same game in 1986.

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2012 Nelson Cruz and the American League champion Rangers agree on a $16 million, two-year deal to keep the ALCS MVP in Texas. The agreement avoids a scheduled arbitration planned to take place next week.

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2021 The Cardinals have agreed to a one-year contract with Yadier Molina, who surpasses Bob Gibson's 17 seasons with the club and second only to Stan Musial's 22 years of playing for the Redbirds. The 38-year-old nine-time All-Star backstop since his debut in 2004 has played every game of his career with St. Louis, making the total of 2,025 contests the most of any catcher for just one team.

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Pittsburgh Pirates Sluggers,Roberto Clemente and Dick Stuart wait their turn during BP at Forbes Field before a 1961 game
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