BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

power just came back on ​

 

1973 Cubs third baseman Ron Santo, who avoids a trade to the Angels by becoming the first player to invoke the new 10 and 5 rule, agrees to be traded to the south side of Chicago to play for the rival White Sox. In return for the 33-year-old infielder, who will play just one season with the Pale Hose before retiring, the Cubs receive southpaw Jim Kremmel (the player to be named later), Ken Frailing, Steve Stone, and Steve Swisher.


1975 In a busy day of trading, the Yankees acquire pitchers Dock Ellis and Ken Brett and second baseman Willie Randolph from the Pirates for hurler Doc Medich. In a separate deal with the Angels, the Bronx Bombers trade Bobby Bonds for outfielder Mickey Rivers and pitcher Ed Figueroa.

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1975 The Chicago White Sox announce Bill Veeck, along with a group of 40+ investors, has purchased the team, saving the cash-strapped franchise from being shifted to another city. John H. Johnson, the publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines, becomes the first black to hold an ownership stake in a major league team.

 

1981 The Giants re-sign 37-year-old Joe Morgan despite his mediocre performance with the team last season. The veteran second baseman will win the Silver Slugger award next season, compiling a .289 batting average.

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1986 The Mets trade Kevin Mitchell, a rookie who played six positions for the eventual World Champs, along with prospects Stan Jefferson and Shawn Abner, and two other minor leaguers to the Padres for outfielder Kevin McReynolds, southpaw Gene Walter, and a minor leaguer. After being traded to the Giants during the season, the San Diego native becomes the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1989.

TikTok - Make Your Day​

1987 The A's obtain Jesse Orosco from the Mets and then trades the southpaw reliever along with shortstop Alfredo Griffin and right-hander Jay Howell to the Dodgers for pitchers Matt Young, Bob Welch, and Jack Savage. New York gets Savage and right-hand hurlers Wally Whitehurst and Kevin Tapani from Oakland to complete the three-team, eight-player deal.

1987 In a rare trade between the cross-town rivals, the Mets trade Rafael Santana to the Yankees and minor leaguer Victor Garcia, who pitched for Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, for Steve Frey, Phil Lombardi, and Darren Reed. The starting shortstop for the world champs last season initially signed with the Bronx Bombers as an amateur free agent in 1976.

 

1991 The Royals deal right-hander Bret Saberhagen, who posted a 110-78 during his eight seasons with the team, and utility player Bill Pecota to the Mets for Gregg Jefferies, Kevin McReynolds, and Keith Miller. The two-time Cy Young Award winner will post only a 3-5 record in his first season with New York, compiling a 29-27 record during his 3+ seasons with New York.

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2000 The Astros and Tigers complete a six-player trade with outfielder Roger Cedeno, catcher Mitch Meluskey, and right-hander Chris Holt going to Detroit and catcher Brad Ausmus, relievers Doug Brocail and Nelson Cruz headed for Houston. Ausmus, who attended Dartmouth College,
will return to Detroit in 2014, compiling a 314-332 (.486) record during his four-year tenure as the team's manager.

2001 The Mets trade southpaw Billy Traber and outfielders Matt Lawton and Alex Escobar to the Indians for superstar second baseman Roberto Alomar, prospect Danny Peoples, and left-hander Mike Bacsik. The Gold Glove infielder, the centerpiece of the deal, will be a notable bust i\Flushing, hitting just .265 and playing uninspired defense for New York before being shipped to the White Sox in the middle of the 2003 season.

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2007 After declining offers from the Yomiuri Giants and his former team, the Chunichi Dragons, Kosuke Fukudome comes to terms with the Cubs on a four-year deal reported to be worth $48 million. The 30-year-old Japanese outfielder, also sought by the Padres, White Sox, Giants, and Rangers, compiled a .305 batting average during his 13-year tenure in Japan's Central League.

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2008 The Red Sox unveil their new but familiar "Hanging Sox" logo. Originally sewn on uniforms in 1931, the pair of red socks will now appear on most of the club's letterhead and signs, diminishing the use of the circular trademark, which contains the words "Boston Red Sox."

2009 The Rays obtain Rafael Soriano (27 saves, 2.97) from Atlanta, agreeing to a $7.25 million, one-year deal with the reliever to complete the transaction. The Braves, who get right-hander Jesse Chavez from Tampa Bay in the trade, recently bolstered their bullpen with Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito, making the 29-year-old right-hander expendable.

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2009 Clearly stating he wants to be an everyday player on a winning team, Ivan Rodriguez agrees to a $6 million, two-year deal with the Nationals, the worst team in baseball last season. The 38-year-old catcher will share playing time and his experience with Jesus Flores, Washington's young up-and-coming backstop.

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2009 Free agent Jason Kendall signs a $6 million, two-year deal to become the Royals' everyday catcher. The 35-year-old savvy backstop, a lifetime .290 hitter, batted only .241 with only two home runs and 43 RBIs with Milwaukee last season.

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2010 Rays free-agent Carl Crawford agrees to a seven-year, $142-million deal with the Red Sox. The 29-year-old outfielder's tenure in Boston will be brief when he plays only two disappointing injury-plagued seasons with the team before being traded to the Dodgers as part of a blockbuster trade.

2010 "He was a guy who was a class act and he meant more to the city than the players. When he walked down the street people knew him. He’s more recognizable than any player that’s been here." - KEN GRIFFEY, JR., former Mariners superstar speaking of Dave Niehaus in a video message played at a Safeco Field tribute to the late broadcaster.

The Mariners honor Dave Niehaus, the team's long-time broadcaster, who died suddenly last month, with a Safeco Field ceremony attended by his family, team officials, former players, and thousands of fans. The Hall of Fame announcer, a fixture in the Seattle booth since the franchise's first pitch in 1977, is eulogized by Rick Rizzs, who becomes overwhelmed with emotion reminiscing about his broadcast partner for 25 years.

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2014 In a blockbuster trade, the Marlins obtain speedster Dee Gordon, right-hander Dan Haren, infielder Miguel Rojas, and cash considerations from the Dodgers in exchange for Austin Barnes, Chris Hatcher, Enrique Hernandez, and their top southpaw prospect Andrew Heaney, who will be dealt later in the day by his new team to the Angels for Howie Kendrick. The addition of Gordon, who led the National League with 64 stolen bases last season, gives Miami a bona fide leadoff hitter while improving their defense at second base.

2020 Dave Dombrowski, 64, becomes the Phillies president of baseball operations, replacing Andy MacPhail, who had planned to retire after the 2021 season but had expressed a willingness to step aside sooner to make room for a new executive. Philadelphia's new operation's boss, taking over a team that hasn't had a winning record in nine years, has led the Expos, Marlins, Tigers, and Red Sox, winning four pennants and two Series titles during his 30+ years in the major leagues.

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After umpire William Grieve issues a walk to a Washington pinch-hitter, Red Sox manager Joe McCarthy and catcher Birdie Tebbetts express their doubts about Grieve’s judgment, 1949​

 

Yankee pitcher Don Larsen talks to the press after throwing a perfect game—still the only perfect game in postseason history—against the Dodgers in the 1956 World Series.​

 

Hank Aaron, George Brett, Wade Boggs, Paul Molitor, Tony Gwynn, Carl Yastrzemski, Willie Mays, Al Kaline, Eddie Murray, Dave Winfield, Rod Carew, Lou Brock, Robin Yount
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Rickey Henderson, Dave Winfield and Don Mattingly​

 

Al Kaline watching a home run, 1973​

 

12/12
BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS

1914 Buzzie Bavasi MLB executive (Brooklyn & LA Dodgers)
with Newk


1977 Orlando Hudson


1981 Shane Costa Royals, Dodgers

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This Day in Baseball History
December 12th​

1903 The Cardinals trade Mordecai Brown and catcher Jack O'Neill to the Cubs in exchange for backstop Larry McLean and Jack Taylor, a righty who will set the record for consecutive complete games in one season next year with 39 when he compiles a 20-19 record for the Redbirds. The future Hall of Fame right-hander, nicknamed Three Finger due to a farm-machinery accident when he was 11 years old, will post a 188-86 (.686) record, including six consecutive seasons of 20+ wins, during his ten-year tenure with Chicago.

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1913 The Reds trade outfielder Bob Bescher to the Giants for shortstop Buck Herzog, who will become the team's player-manager, replacing Joe Tinker in the Cincinnati dugout. In his 2+ plus seasons, the club's new skipper will compile a 165-226 (.422) record, never finishing higher than seventh place in the eight-team circuit.

1920 Major League Baseball approaches U.S. District Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who will be elected and assume the post in January, to be its first commissioner. The selection of the tough-minded jurist appears to be a move by the owners to restore the integrity of the game after the 1919 World Series scandal that involved eight White Sox players paid off by professional gamblers to throw the Fall Classic against Cincinnati.

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1930 The rules committee decides a ball that bounces into the stands will no longer be a home run but will become a ground-rule double. Babe Ruth's career total of round-trippers may have been slightly higher due to the existing ground rules in various ballparks at the time; however, research has never uncovered any of his 60 home runs in 1927 hopped into the seats.

1933 The A's swap their ace Lefty Grove, Rube Wallberg, and Max Bishop to the Red Sox for Bob Kline, Rabbit Warstler, and $125,000. The 33-year-old future Hall of Fame southpaw continues to pitch well for his new team, compiling a 105-62 (.629) record, leading the league with the best ERA in four of the eight seasons he hurls for Boston.

Lefty Grove

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1941 The Dodgers obtain Arky Vaughn from the Pirates for right-hander Luke Hamlin, 1B/OF Jimmy Wasdell, and catcher Babe Phelps. The future Hall of Fame infielder, who will have his stint in Brooklyn interrupted by WWII, plays four seasons for the club, compiling a .291 batting average.

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1950 The owners drop the bonus and high school rule, designed to prevent the wealthier clubs from monopolizing the available talent. The previous edict mandated that all 'bonus' players stay on the major league roster after one season in the minors.

1952 Peter J. McGovern becomes the Little League's president, replacing Charles Durban, who resigned due to ill health. The organization started with two leagues in 1939 and has grown to 1,800 in 48 states and international sites.

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1966 With Justices W. Douglas, H.Black, and W.Brennan in favor but opposed by Chief Justice E.Warren, Associate Justices P. Stewart, J. Marshall Harlan II, B. White, and T.Clark, the U.S. Supreme Court refuses to review Wisconsin's suit to block the Braves' move to Atlanta by a 4-3 vote. The team initially announced its intention to move to the Peach State for the 1965 season, but the injunction filed by the state in Wisconsin forced the club to stay put in Milwaukee for one final year.

1979 Re-entry free agents second baseman Rennie Stennett, catcher Milt May, and outfielder Jim Wohlford sign with the Giants. The combined total of the contracts is nearly $5 million.

1998 After being given his last rites, Hall of Fame outfielder Joe DiMaggio appears to recover miraculously, defying his doctors' dire predictions. In mid-January, the 'Yankee Clipper' is allowed to go home after a 99-day hospital stay but will die at his home in Florida on March 8 after a long battle with lung cancer.

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1998 Kevin Brown signs a seven-year deal with the Dodgers, becoming baseball's first 100+ million dollar man. The right-handed free agent, who posted an 18-7 record last season with the Padres, is the first major leaguer to earn an average salary of $15 million per season, much to the chagrin of the other owners.

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2007 In a six-player deal, the Orioles trade former American League MVP Miguel Tejada to the Astros for three pitchers (Matt Albers, Troy Patton, Dennis Sarfate), outfielder Luke Scott, and third baseman Michael Costanzo. The acquisition of the four-time All-Star shortstop is the latest move in a busy offseason for Houston, which includes signing free-agent second baseman Kaz Matsui and trading reliever Brad Lidge to the Phillies for Michael Bourn.

2007 Free-agent Aaron Rowand (.309, 27, 89) and the Giants agree to a $60-million, five-year deal. The team plans to bat 30-year-old Gold Glove center fielder fifth, filling the void in the outfield created by the departure of Barry Bonds.

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2007 Paul Lo Duca and the Nationals agree to a $5 million, one-year deal that puts the former Mets catcher behind Washington's home plate. The free-agent backstop became expendable and much-needed in the same instance when New York dealt Lastings Milledge to get the Nats' starting catcher, Brian Schneider.

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2008 The Yankees sign their second ace this week as the club reaches an agreement with free-agent A.J. Burnett. The Bronx Bombers ink the former Blue Jays right-hander to a $82.5 million, five-year deal after giving CC Sabathia $161 million over seven years two days ago.

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2008 The Pirates sign Ramon Vazquez, the only player with major league experience added to the club during the winter meetings, to a two-year deal worth $4 million. The versatile infielder played all four infield positions last season while compiling a career-high .290 batting average with the Rangers.

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2008 The Mets, reeling from their second consecutive season-ending collapse, continue overhauling their much-maligned bullpen, which blew 29 saves in 72 chances (40%). Scott Schoeneweis joins Joe Smith and Aaron Heilman in becoming the latest New York reliever the team trades when the southpaw goes to the Diamondbacks for Connor Robertson, a right-hander acquired by Arizona in the Dan Haren deal.