BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

1960 In the second-closest vote ever, Yankee outfielder Roger Maris edges teammate Mickey Mantle for the American League MVP honors. The Mick receives two more first-place votes, but the Rajah, who will also cop the award next season, outpoints his rival, 225-222.

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1964 The Columbia Broadcasting System becomes the first corporate owner of a major league team by buying eighty percent of the Yankees from Dan Topping and Del Webb for $11.2 million. During the first year under CBS, the Bronx Bombers will come in sixth place with a 77-85 record, finishing in the second division for the first time in 40 years.

1971 Pat Dobson, one of four 20-game winners for the Orioles this season, becomes the first player to throw a no-hitter in a Japanese-American baseball contest. The 29-year-old right-hander's gem, a 2‐0 victory over Japan's champion Tokyo Yomiuri Giants, occurs on the American League champs' 17‐game exhibition tour of the Asian island as guests of today's opponent.

Mike Cuellar, Pat Dobson, Dave McNally and Jim Palmer. Four 20-game winners for the Orioles in 1971

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1972 Freddy Parent, who hit the first grand slam in Red Sox history, dies at 96. The former shortstop had been the last surviving participant from the first-ever World Series, played in 1903 between Boston and the Pirates.

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Was 93 when inducted in the inaugural year of 1969, and at the time the only living member of the 1903 Red Sox club that beat Pittsburgh Pirates to become the first world series champions. January 1969
Sparkplug shortstop Freddy Parent, the “Flying Frenchman,” led the Boston Americans with MVP-type seasons to the first modern World Series championship in 1903 and the American League pennant in 1904. An early American League star, Parent (along with teammate Buck Freeman) was its first ironman, playing in 413 consecutive games from the April 26, 1901, opener to September 25, 1903, surprising considering his aggressive playing style. Beset by injuries, including multiple beanings that hampered his play later in his career, Parent nevertheless ranked among the all-time American League leaders in several categories after its first decade, including second in games played and at-bats, fourth in hits and sacrifice hits, and sixth in total bases.

1972 Leading the league in victories (27), ERA (1.97), starts (41), complete games (30), and strikeouts (310), Steve Carlton wins the NL's Cy Young Award, becoming the first pitcher to cop the prestigious honor while toiling for a last-place team. 'Lefty's' 27 victories account for nearly half (45.8%) of the last-place Phillies' wins.

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1972 The Braves trade southpaw George Stone and second baseman Felix Milan to the Mets for hurlers Danny Frisella and Gary Gentry, who will combine to win just nine games for Atlanta over the next three seasons. New York's acquisitions will play key roles in the team's success next season when their recently acquired infielder hits .290, and their new left-hander posts a 12-3 record along with an ERA of 2.80 for the National League champions.

 

1974 The Braves trade Hank Aaron to the Brewers for Dave May and Roger Alexander. The move allows the all-time career home run champ to finish his career in Milwaukee, where he started in the majors.

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1976 San Diego left-hander Randy Jones (22-14, 2.74) captures the National League's Cy Young Award, capturing 15 of the 24 first-place votes cast by the writers. Two seasons ago, the 26-year-old southpaw lost 22 games for the last-place Padres.


1983 John Denny garners 20 of 24 of the writers' first-place votes to win the National League's Cy Young Award, easily outdistancing runners-up Mario Soto and Jessie Orosco. The Prescott (AZ) native posted a 19-6 record with a 2.37 ERA for the National League Champion Phillies.

1995 The expansion Devil Rays unveil their official game uniforms during a special fashion show staged at the Florida Aquarium. The black, green, and blue jersey, which the team will start wearing in 1998, features a manta ray as its logo.

1999 Ken Griffey Jr., wanting to be nearer his family in Orlando, asks the Mariners to move him to a team closer to Florida. In February, the superstar outfielder will get his wish when Seattle trades him to the Reds for Mike Cameron, Antonio Perez, Brett Tomko, and minor leaguer Jake Meyer.

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2000 After a 15-year big league career, first baseman Will Clark announces his retirement. 'The Thrill' ends his playing days with the McGwire-less Cardinals, supplying the Redbirds with a much-needed offense (.345, 12, 42) after being traded from Baltimore at the end of July.

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2000 Former Blue Jay catcher (1981-86) and the team's present TV color analyst, Buck Martinez, is hired as the Toronto manager, replacing recently-fired Jim Fregosi. The 51-year-old ESPN commentator joins Astros' Larry Dierker and Diamondbacks' Bob Brenly as first-time major league skippers hired from the broadcast booth.

2000 The Commission grants Wrigley Field preliminary landmark status on Chicago Landmarks. Any plans to refurbish or tear down the Cubs' home since 1916 will have to be reviewed by this panel.

2004 "It's a dud, just like the Cubs were," - PAT CAMDEN, a Chicago police spokesman, comparing the team's season and the discovery of a potentially explosive device.
After a groundskeeper finds a grenade in the Wrigley Field turf, bomb and arson investigators evaluate the right field discovery. The rusty, hollowed-out shell proves harmless, with its origins remaining a mystery.

2005 Pat Gillick signs a three-year deal, becoming the Phillies' general manager. The 68-year-old, who has held the same position with the Orioles, Blue Jays, and Mariners, has led his teams to two World Series titles and nine playoff appearances.
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2009 At Citizens Bank Park, Chase Utley ties Reggie Jackson's 1977 record with his fifth home run of the World Series, going deep twice in the Phillies' 8-6 victory over the Yankees in Game 5. The Philadelphia second baseman becomes the second player to have two multi-homer games in the Fall Classic, joining Royals' outfielder Willie Aikens, who accomplished the feat against the Phillies in 1980.

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2011 Matt Wieters becomes the first Baltimore backstop to win the Rawlings Gold Glove Award. The 25-year-old All-Star catcher, who appeared in 132 games behind the plate for the Orioles, gets the nod from the American League managers and coaches as the best defensive player in his position.


2012 The Astros reveal a new look to coincide with the franchise's shift to the American League next season, having their brick red jerseys replaced by orange and navy blue, the club's color scheme from 1962-93. A redesigned Orbit, the green space creature that was Houston's mascot from 1990-99, is also coming out of retirement after 12 years to replace a rabbit character named Junction Jack, the team's current good luck charm.

2016 "A little bouncer slowly toward Bryant. He will glove it and throw to Rizzo. It’s in time. And the Chicago Cubs win the World Series! The Cubs come pouring out of the dugout, jumping up and down like a bunch of delirious 10-year-olds. The Cubs have done it! The longest drought in the history of American sports is over, and the celebration begins." - PAT HUGHES, Cubs' announcer call of the final out in Game 7

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After a 108-year drought, the Cubs capture the World Series, needing ten innings in Game 7 to defeat the Indians at Progressive Field, 8-7. Cleveland, who had a 3-1 game advantage in the Fall Classic, now owns the longest span between World Championships, with their last title coming in 1948.

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Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx take some big swings during the U.S. Baseball Team Tour of Japan! (November 1934)
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Luis Gonzalez vs Mariano Rivera
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The Human Vacuum Cleaner” Brooks Robinson
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NOVEMBER 3 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1856 Jim McCormick pitcher and manager (first Scot in MLB; NL wins leader 1880, 82; NL ERA leader 1883

1866 Harry Staley pitcher (MLB record 9 RBI 1893; record lasts 70+ years

1911 Johnny Keane, manager (World Series 1964 St. Louis Cardinals; NY Yankees


1918 Bob Feller HOF pitcher 8 x MLB All-Star; AL Triple Crown of pitching (wins/strike-outs/ERA), 1940; 3 x no-hit games; Cleveland Indians


1945 Ken Holtzman pitcher 2 x no hitters 1969, 71 Chicago Cubs; Yankees, MLB All Star 1972-73, World Series 1972-74 Oakland A's


1951 Dwight Evans right fielder MLB All-Star 1978, 81, 87; Boston Red Sox

1956 Bob Welch pitcher AL Cy Young Award 1990; Oakland A's; World Series 1981, 89, 2001


1968 Paul Quantrill pitcher and coach (MLB All Star 2001; Toronto Blue Jays

1972 Armando Benitez pitcher (NL saves leader 2004; MLB All Star 2003, 04; NY Mets, Seattle Mariners, Florida Marlins

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Today in Baseball History
November 3rd​

1953 After two days of meetings, the rules committee ends the practice that allows players to leave their gloves on the playing field, requiring outfielders and infielders to carry them into the dugout after each half-inning. Before the controversial change, left fielders, right fielders, first basemen, and third basemen would leave their gloves in foul territory, with center fielders, shortstops, and second basemen dropping their gloves at their position, with plays occurring around the scattered leather.

1953 The Rules Committee re-establishes the sacrifice fly ruling, which credits a batter with an RBI who flies out driving in a run without charging the hitter with a time at-bat. MLB dropped the original decree in1939. ​

 

1964 Philadelphia voters approve a $25 million bond issue to build a new sports stadium. Due to cost overruns, a 1967 measure will authorize an additional $13 million, bringing the final price tag to approximately $50 million, making Veterans Stadium one of the most expensive ballparks ever built.

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1965 A's pitcher Lew Krausse strikes out a record 21 Lara batters during a winter league game, tossing a one-hitter for Caracas. The right-hander will average 5.1 strikeouts per nine innings during his dozen years in the major leagues, including stops with the Brewers, Red Sox, Cardinals, and Braves.

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1965 Sandy Koufax (26-8, 2.04, 382) wins the second of his three Cy Young Awards unanimously, capturing all twenty of the writer's votes from both leagues. The Dodger southpaw also received the honor in 1963 and will be named again next season.

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1968 Trying to cross the busy Kings Highway near the Chase Park Plaza Hotel in St. Louis, Harry Carey suffers two broken legs, a broken nose, and a dislocated shoulder after flying 40 feet in the air when struck by a car at 1:15 AM on an inclement Sunday morning. The popular Cardinals broadcaster's hospital room becomes party central before his discharge, recovering in time for Opening Day.

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1970 The Phillies swap Curt Flood, who did not play last season, to Ted Williams' Senators for three minor leaguers, Greg Goossen, Gene Martin, and Jeff Terpko. The embattled outfielder, who retires after playing 13 games with his new team, refused to report to Philadelphia after the 1969 trade from the Cardinals, citing he was not a piece of property for sale, becoming the first player to challenge the reserve clause seriously.

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1971 Pennsylvania lawmakers Hugh Scott and Richard South Schweiker collect their World Series wager from Maryland senators Charles Mathias, Jr. and J. Glenn Beall in front of the U.S. Capitol. After winning the bet on the Fall Classic between the Orioles and Pirates, the Keystone State lawmakers victoriously ride elephants as the losers lead and feed the pachyderms peanuts while carrying shovels to clean the street.

1979 The AL and NL all-star teams depart on an exhibition tour of Japan. The National League squad will take four of seven from the American League counterparts, but the teams will combine to split a pair of games with the Japanese all-stars.

 

1983 The Baseball Writers Association of America select Tony La Russa as the American League Manager of the Year after he guided first-place White Sox (99-63) to their first playoff appearance in 24 years. The 39-year-old skipper, in his sixth season with the club, received 17 of a possible 28 first-place votes, finishing ahead of Orioles' Joe Altobelli, who picked up seven first-place votes from the writers.


1987 Mark McGwire wins the American League Rookie of the Year, easily outdistancing runners-up Kevin Seitzer and Matt Nokes. The 24-year-old A's first baseman, who set the freshman major league home run record for home runs in 1987 with 49, becomes the second player to win the AL award unanimously, joining Carlton Fisk, who accomplished the feat with the Red Sox in 1972.

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1988 Jeff Torborg replaces Jim Fregosi as the White Sox's manager. Chicago's new skipper, who will be named the American League Manager of the Year in 1990, will see his club finish second twice during his three-year tenure in the Windy City before leaving the team for a short-lived position managing the Mets.

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1992 The Reds trade Paul O'Neill and Joe DeBerry, a minor leaguer, to the Yankees for Roberto Kelly. The deal works well for the Bronx Bombers as the popular outfielder will become a team leader, playing a vital role in four World Series championships before he retires before the 2002 season.

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1993 Greg Maddux (20-10, 2.36) wins his second Cy Young Award when he easily outpoints Bill Swift of the Giants and teammate Tom Glavine on ballots cast by the BBWAA. The 27-year-old right-hander becomes the first hurler to win the prestigious pitcher prize in back-to-back seasons for different teams, having copped the award with the Cubs last season.

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1997 Becoming the fifth Red Sox player to receive the honor, Boston shortstop Nomar Garciaparra (.306, 30, 98) is unanimously selected as the American League Rookie of the Year by the BBWAA. The 23-year-old leadoff hitter led the league with 209 hits.

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1999 In a nine-player deal, the Rangers deal superstar Juan Gonzalez, pitcher Danny Patterson, and catcher Greg Zaun to the Tigers. Detroit ships three hurlers (Justin Thompson, Alan Webb, Francisco Cordero), outfielder Gabe Kapler, catcher Bill Haselman, and infielder Frank Catalanotto to Texas.

 

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 to replace 69-year-old Jack McKeon. The former catcher and present special assistant to general manager Jim Bowden had an 181-206 record as the Royals manager.

2001 In Game 6, the Diamondbacks collect 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 home of the Giants ballpark in San Francisco, originally known as PAC Bell, 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.SBC announces the home of the Giants ballpark in San Francisco, originally known as PAC Bell, 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 the American and National League. 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, suggests the sport play 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.

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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.

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2010 An estimated crowd of hundreds of thousands of Giant fans pay homage by celebrating the World Champions with a ticker-tape parade, reminiscent of the city's welcoming the transplanted New York team in 1958. First baseman Aubrey Huff delights the fans by pulling out his "rally thong" while addressing a raucous crowd at Civic Center.

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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.

2022 Cristian Javier, going the first six innings, and three Astro relievers combine to throw the second no-hitter in World Series history, silencing the explosive Phillies' bats and Philadelphia's boisterous fans en route to blanking the home team, 5-0, to even the series at two games each. Bryan Abreu strikes out the side in the seventh, Rafael Montero contributes with a hitless eighth, and Ryan Pressly, the Houston closer, completes the feat, allowing only a one-out walk in the final frame.

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The Astros' victory was the first combined no-hitter in the postseason and the second no-no in the history of the Fall Classic after the perfect game thrown by Yankees right-hander Don Larsen in 1956
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