Babe Ruth was born on this date February 6 in 1895.
“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”
On This Date In BaseBall History / 06.02.16
[spoiler="Скрытый текст"] 1921 The New York American League franchise announces the purchase of a ten-acre plot of land for $675,000, from the estate of William Waldorf Astor, to be used as the future site of Yankee Stadium. The club's new ballpark, located on the west side of the Bronx, will sit directly across the Harlem River from the Polo Grounds, the team's current home for the past ten years as tenants to the Giants.
1935 Cardinal right-hander Dizzy Dean, who posted a 20-18 record last season for the Gas House Gang, becomes a holdout when the team refuses to meet his demand for a yearly salary of $25,000. The 23 year-old future Hall of Famer will quickly come to terms with the Redbirds, signing for $19,500 the following day.
1956 Dodger owner Walter O'Malley, showing his support for the Wagner-Cashmore plan to build a $30-million downtown Brooklyn sports center, promises to buy four million dollars worth of bonds for the project. The proposed legislation, which will pass and be signed by NY Governor Averill Harriman in April, will become irrelevant, due to lack of funding from the city's Board of Estimates.
1958 The Red Sox sign Ted Williams for $135,000, making him the highest paid player in major league history. The 39 year-old outfielder, starting his 18th season with the club, led the major leagues with a .388 batting average last year.
1986 The Yankees sign free-agent Al Holland, a well-traveled reliever who saved five games for three different teams last season. The one-year contract has a clause that requires the 33 year-old southpaw, one of the players granted immunity in exchange for their testimony in the last year's Pittsburgh cocaine trials, to submit to drug tests.
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On This Date In BaseBall History / 07.02.16
[spoiler="Скрытый текст"] 1901 Phillies star infielder Napoleon Lajoie is rumored to have jumped to the new American League's Philadelphia franchise. The National League's leading hitter, clearly in violation of the reserve clause, will switch to the Junior Circuit, where he will win the Triple Crown, leading the league with a .426 batting average, 14 homers, and 125 RBIs.
1942 At the Folsom Correctional facility in California, the annual game between big leaguers and the prison inmates is halted as the guards search for two convicts who have tried to escaped. The escapees are caught, but the game does not resume, with the visiting team ahead 24-5 at the end of seven innings.
1942 Reds GM Warren Giles announces the team has traded veteran catcher Ernie Lombardi to the Braves for two players to be named later. The 33 year-old future Hall of Famer will hit .330 during his one season with his new team, capturing the batting crown, a feat that will not be repeated again by a catcher until 2006 when Twins backstop Joe Mauer leads the American League.
1949 Yankee outfielder Joe DiMaggio becomes the first American Leaguer to make $100,000 in one season. Hank Greenberg was the first player to make six figures when he accepted the Pirates offer in 1947 after being waived by the Tigers.
1979 Jesse Orosco becomes 'the player to be named later' in the Mets trade of Jerry Koosman to the Twins. The left-handed reliever will spend 24 seasons in the major leagues, setting the all-time record for appearances with 1,252.
1987 For only the second time since the practice has been implemented, a player is forced to take less due to salary arbitration when Dodger pitcher Orel Hershiser signs for $800,000, a twenty-percent pay-cut. After winning the Cy Young Award and leading the team to a World Series championship a year later, the right-hander will become the highest-paid player in the major leagues.
2006 Alex Gonzalez, who signed with the Red Sox as a free agent yesterday, singles in the tying run and then scores the winning run as Henry Blanco's pop fly bounces off the head off Erick Aybar, giving Venezuela its first Caribbean Series championship since 1989. The ball, which the Dominican Republic Licey's Tigers’ shortstop lost in the lights, is ruled a double and caps a two-run bottom of the ninth rally, resulting in 5-4 comeback victory for the Caracas Lions.
2009 The Sports Illustrated website reports Alex Rodriguez is one of the 104 players who tested positive for steroids in 2003. The testing, which was intended only to determine the extent of steroid use by players at the time, revealed the Ranger shortstop was using Primobolan, an anabolic substance.
2012 The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame announces Rusty Staub will be one of the inductees at its June 23 ceremony in St. Marys, Ontario, along with former big-league pitcher Rheal Cormier, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, and the 2011 Pan Am Games gold-medal winning Team Canada senior squad. The former Expos outfielder, referred to as the Le Grand Orange by the Montreal fans because of his red hair, was a fan favorite in the early days of the franchise due to his work ethic and for his active role in promoting the game north of the border. [/spoiler]
Waiting for baseball season like . . .
https://v.cdn.vine.co/r/videos/C4357ECB ... PxJmUwW3Ic On This Date In BaseBall History / 08.02.16
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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.
1972 Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces the Special Committee on the Negro League Hall of Fame selection of Buck Leonard and Josh Gibson, a power-hitting catcher who was called the "black Babe Ruth" during his playing day. Leonard, a teammate of Gibson on the Homestead Grays who once turned down a 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
1982 The longest-playing infield foursome is broken up when the Dodgers trade Davey Lopes one-on-one 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.
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.
2011 Tony Malinosky, the oldest living major leaguer, dies at the age of 101 in Oxnard, California. The World War II veteran and survivor of the Battle of the Bulge, an infielder with the 1937 Brooklyn Dodgers, was honored by the team on his 100th birthday. [/spoiler]
On This Date In BaseBall History / 10.02.16
[spoiler="Скрытый текст"] 1910 Ground is broken in Chicago for a modern concrete-and-steel stadium to replace the obsolete South Side Park. The Pale Hose will play their first game at Comiskey Park, originally known as White Sox Park, on July 1, losing to the Browns in their new home, 2-0.
1916 After Chief Meyers is waived by the Giants to the Robins, Brooklyn owners Ebbets and Haughton disagree on his status. A coin toss, won by Ebbets, decides the catcher will remain with the team.
1920 The spitball, shineball, and emeryball are outlawed by the American and National League Joint Rules Committee. Seventeen pitchers, including Burleigh Grimes, who will be the last player to legally throw a doctored pitch, are allowed to keep throwing the banned pitches until they retired.
1971 The Yankees announced Bill White will join Phil Rizzuto and Frank Messer on the WPIX broadcast team, becoming the first black to do play-by-play regularly for a major-league baseball team. The former All-Star first baseman will stay in the booth for 18 seasons, leaving in 1989 to served as president of the National League.
1982 The Mets agree to a $10 million, five-year deal with George Foster, completing the trade with the Reds which sent Jim Kern, Greg Harris and Alex Trevino to Cincinnati. During his four-and-half year tenure with the team, the perennial all-star outfielder proves to be a major offensive disappointment, and will be released outright during the 1986 season after he accuses the club of racism for benching him in favor of Kevin Mitchell, a fellow African-American.
2005 In his first public appearance, Bronx Bombers first baseman Jason Giambi apologizes to his teammates, Yankee fans and to baseball fans everywhere for letting them down last season. The All-Star slugge never uses the word steroids as he accepts full responsibility for the controversy.
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On This Date In BaseBall History / 11.02.16
[spoiler="Скрытый текст"] 1878 After designing the device last season to protect his team's promising, but skittish, catcher James Tyng, Fredrick Thayer receives a patent for his innovative invention, the catcher's mask. The Harvard captain, who will never play in a major league game, designed an oblong wire frame modeled after a fencing mask with eyes holes that supports a series of strategically-placed pads made from animal skins.
1915 New York Giants president Harry Hempstead rejects the International League's request for permission to put a team in the Bronx. The shift of the IL's Jersey City to the nearby borough, already the home to the Yankees, was conceived as a way to prop up the failing minor league franchise and perhaps to thwart the invasion of the Federal League into the Big Apple.
1942 Former Texarkana outfielder Gordon Houston is the first professional ballplayer to be killed in WW II. The minor league batting champion, who became a full-time fighter pilot following the attack on Pearl Harbor, dies at the age of 25 when his Republic P-43 Lancer crashes at Washington's McChord Field, after leading a sortie along the West Coast, looking for Japanese submarines.
1997 General Mills, the makers of Wheaties, unveils three new Jackie Robinson cereal boxes to be sold in stores nationwide. The Dodgers' Hall of Fame infielder will be the first athlete to be honored on all three varieties of Wheaties: Original Wheaties, Honey Frosted Wheaties, and Crispy Wheaties 'n' Raisins.
2001 As thousands cheer, Three Rivers Stadium, 30 year-old home of the Pirates, is imploded. Roberto Clemente's 3,000th hit as well as Mike Schmidt's 500th career home run are part of the historic park's legacy.
2005 Jose Canseco’s controversial book, Juiced, is made available in certain markets in anticipation of his appearance on CBS’s Sixty Minutes. The self proclaimed godfather of the steroids in baseball alleges Mark McGwire, Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmeiro and Ivan Rodriguez all used illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
2005 The Mets announce their former slugging All-Star and often-troubled Rookie of the Year, Darryl Strawberry, will rejoin the team as a special outfield instructor during spring training. He will also join former 1986 World Champion teammates Gary Carter, Lenny Dykstra, Howard Johnson and Tim Teufel at Shea Stadium on Feb. 27 when single-game tickets go on sale.
2010 Ernie Harwell, the long-time voice of the Tigers, will receive the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting during WFUV Radio’s Spring Gala at Fordham University. The 92 year-old Hall of Fame broadcaster is the third recipient of the VSLA, named for the former alum and Dodger broadcast icon, joining inaugural honoree Vin Scully (2008) and Dick Enberg (2009).
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On This Date In BaseBall History / 12.02.16
[spoiler="Скрытый текст"] 1924 The National League announces it will join the AL in awarding a thousand dollars to the player selected by writers as the league's Most Valuable Player. Dazzy Vance, who posts a 28-6 record along with an ERA of 2.16 for the Dodgers, easily outpoints Rogers Hornsby to become the Senior Circuit's first MVP.
1930 After leading his A's to a world championship, Connie Mack becomes the first Philadelphian sports figure to receive the prestigious Edward W. Bok Prize. The honor, now known as the Philadelphia Award, recognizes distinguished Philadelphians for their achievements in education, industry, law, politics, science, medicine, philosophy, and the creative arts.
1944 Bob Coleman, who filled in for Casey Stengel last season when the Boston skipper suffered a broken leg when hit by a taxi cab trying to cross a street, is named to replace the 'Old Perfessor' as the manager of the Braves. Considered one of the most successful managers in minor league history, the 54 year-old Indiana native could not work his magic with the wartime club, and after finishing sixth followed by a slow start in 1945, the former big league catcher will be replaced by Del Bissonette, one of his coaches.
2003 Federal Judge James Holderman has given the Cubs and the owners of rooftop bleachers which provide fans a view of Wrigley Field a year to settle their dispute. The team believes the seating provided above the field via rooftops directly competes with the club for ticket sales revenue and the surrounding neighbors, in turn, have not been sympathetic to the team's expansion plans.
2014 Derek Jeter, who will turn 40 during in June, announces the 2014 season will be his final one, informing his fans via a lengthy Facebook post. The 13-time All-Star shortstop acknowledged that his numerous injuries have taken their toll, making the game more of a struggle and less enjoyable.
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On This Date In BaseBall History / 13.02.16
[spoiler="Скрытый текст"] 1914 The Cubs exchange second basemen with the Braves, sending future Hall of Famer Johnny Evers to Boston for Bill Sweeeny. Boston gets the better of the deal when their new middle infielder plays a pivotal role in the club's World Championship this season, garnering the Chalmers Award as the Most Valuable Player of the league.
1920 A group of eight midwestern team owners meets at the Kansas City YMCA to organize the Negro National League, which will become one of the most successful ventures of its kind. Rube Foster, the owner and manager of the American Giants, will become president of the new circuit, leading to accusations of favoritism, which appear especially true when the schedule had Chicago play a disproportionate number of games at home.
1953 In honor of their longtime owner and manager, the A's rename their Philadelphia ballpark from Shibe Park to Connie Mack Stadium. During his 50-year tenure as Athletics skipper, the 'Tall Tactician' guided the team to nine American League pennants and appeared in eight World Series, winning five of the Fall Classics.
1964 At the age of twenty-two, Cubs' second baseman Ken Hubbs dies when the red and white Cessna 172 plane he is piloting crashes in Provo, Utah during a winter storm. The 1962 National League Rookie of the Year took flying lessons in the past two off-seasons, obtaining his license last month, to overcome his fear of flying.
2008 In a much anticipated congressional hearing, Roger Clemens and his former personal trainer, Brian McNamee, testify for 4 1/2 hours concerning the allegations of the Rocket's use of performance-enhancing drugs. Although no definitive conclusions are reached, Republicans appear to believe the seven-time Cy Young Award winner while Democrats seem to favor his chief accuser's account of events.
2012 In a deal confirmed by his agent, Yoenis Cespedes has reached a four-year, $36 million agreement with the A's, pending the results of a physical. The Cuban defector, who is slotted to play center field, moving Coco Crisp to left, hit .458 with a double, three triples, two home runs, and five RBIs in the six games he played in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. [/spoiler]
On This Date In BaseBall History / 14.02.16
[spoiler="Скрытый текст"] 1887 For a record price of $10,000, the Cubs, then known as the White Stockings, sell future current NL batting champ and future Hall of Famer Mike Kelly to the Beaneaters. The popular box office draw, who will earn his nickname King while playing in Boston, will continue to be productive, hitting .311 for a three-year span during his first tenure with the team.
1934 Sam Rice, who spent the first 19 seasons with the Senators, ends his career after playing one year with the Indians. The 44 year-old future Hall of Famer collected 2,987 career hits during his two decades in the major leagues.
1957 Ten years after the integration of major league baseball, the Georgia Senate unanimously approves a bill, which prohibits blacks from playing baseball with whites except at religious gatherings. Less than a decade later, the Braves will move its franchise from Milwaukee to Atlanta, the state's capital.
2001 The Ford C. Frick Award, named in memory of the former baseball commissioner who was a broadcaster, will be given to Marlins' radio announcer Rafael Ramirez during Hall of Fame induction ceremonies this summer. 'Felo', who began his 56-year career broadcasting games in Cuba, has been in the Miami broadcast booth since the team's inaugural season in 1993.
2011 The Yankees come to terms with free-agent Andruw Jones on a $1.5 million, one-year contract, eliminating the likelihood of the team resigning Johnny Damon. 'The Curaçao Kid', best known for his outstanding outfield defense for the Braves at the start of his career, will spend two seasons in the Bronx, before finishing his 17-year major league tenure with a lifetime .254 batting average.
2014 Avoiding arbitration, 24 year-old outfielder Jason Heyward and the Braves agree to a two-year, $13.3 million deal. After the season, Atlanta will trade their 2007 first-round pick (14th overall) along with right-handed reliever Jordan Walden to the Cardinals for right-handers Tyrell Jenkins and Shelby Miller. [/spoiler]
On This Date In BaseBall History / 15.02.16
[spoiler="Скрытый текст"] 1924 Boston Braves' third baseman Tony Boeckel becomes the first major leaguer to be killed in an automobile accident when he dies from injuries received as a passenger yesterday in San Diego. Yankee outfielder Bob Meusel, also a passenger of the car driven by L.A. theater man Bob Albright, escapes without any serious injuries.
1931 The Yankees rename their spring training site in St. Petersburg Miller Huggins Field in honor of their late manager.
1946 Hank Greenberg signs a Tiger contract for $60,000. Three days later he will marry New York department store heiress Coral Gimbel. (Smart man)
1973 In a national poll, Phillies' southpaw Steve Carlton beats out golf legend Jack Nicklaus to win the $15,000 diamond-studded gold buckled Hickok Belt, an award given to the top "Professional Athlete of the Year". Last season's National League Cy Young Award winner joins an elite list of a previous recipients that includes Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Jim Brown, Rocky Marciano, and Arnold Palmer.
2007 The Yankees announce the team will wear black armbands on the left sleeve of their uniforms in memory of teammate Cory Lidle. The 34 year-old right-hander, along with flight instructor Tyler Stanger, died when their plane crashed into a 52-story high-rise apartment building in Manhattan on a rain-swept afternoon last October.
2011 Stan Musial receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom, an award in which the honorees are selected by the sitting president, from Barack Obama. The Cardinals' legend, who benefitted from local grass-root efforts on his behalf, joins major leaguers Hank Aaron, Moe Berg, Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente and Ted Williams, as a recipient of the most prestigious honor given to a United States civilian.
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On This Date In BaseBall History / 16.02.16
[spoiler="Скрытый текст"] 1950 The BBWAA does not select any players for the Hall of Fame this season, with former Giants Mel Ott (69%) and Bill Terry (63%) being the top vote getters, but falling short on being named on 75% of the writers' ballots that is required for induction. 'Master Mel' will get the nod next season, and 'Memphis Bill' will be enshrined in 1954.
1952 Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner officially retires after spending 39 years in the major leagues, 21 as a player with the Louisville Colonels and Pirates and another 18 years as a coach with Pittsburgh. The 'Flying Dutchman', who led the league in stolen bases for five seasons, won eight batting titles, the most in National League history until 1997, when the mark was tied by Tony Gwynn.
1967 Red Ruffing, the former Yankee pitcher who authored 273 major league wins, is selected to be in the Hall of Fame by getting the most votes on the second ballot made necessary as a result of the BBWAA failing to choose a player in January. Former Cardinal outfielder Joe Medwick also received 75% of the writer's votes that is usually enough to be selected, but under the rules of this special run-off election only the top vote-getter gets the nod.
1996 General Mills announces a special edition of a Wheaties cereal box honoring the 75th Commemorative Year of the Negro Leagues that will feature superstars Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and 'Cool Papa' Bell. In 1934, Yankee first baseman Lou Gehrig became the first athlete depicted on a box of the Breakfast of Champions.
2001 Yankee premier reliever Mariano Rivera (7-4, 2.85, 36 saves) signs a four-year approximately $40 million contract with the Bronx Bombers. The 31 year-old Panama native surpassed Dennis Eckersley's major league record with 16 saves in postseason games.
2003 Although banned by major league baseball for a Cooperstown induction, Pete Rose becomes a member of the Ted Williams Hitters Hall of Fame. 'Charlie Hustle' joins 1998 inductee Shoeless Joe Jackson, who is also banned from becoming a member of the Hall of Fame.
2004 The Rangers trade Alex Rodriguez along with cash to the Yankees in exchange for Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named later, Joaquin Arias. The deal comes on the heels of the Red Sox's inability to land the AL MVP in a swap with Texas for Manny Ramirez due to the players' association's objection because of the need to restructure A-Rod's existing contract as a result of the tentative transaction.
2013 After an appearance at a local winter festival, Guido’s costume, worn by one of the Brewers’ racing sausages, goes missing. A seven-foot Italian sausage impersonator will be seen later in the night frequenting bars in Milwaukee, signing autographs.
Funny Shit...
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On This Date In BaseBall History / 17.02.16
[spoiler="Скрытый текст"] 1900 In lieu of unpaid alimony, Mary H. Vanderbeck takes possession of the American League franchise in Detroit. Her ex-husband George Vanderbeck, who decided to build Bennett Park at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues, the Tigers' home the next 104 seasons, will later regain control of the team.
1937 The Yankees purchase Red Sox first baseman Babe Dahlgren, the player who replaces Lou Gehrig. During his 4-year tenure with the Bronx Bombers, the California native will compile a .248 batting average before being bought by the Braves prior to the 1941 season.
1943 Without notifying the team, Joe DiMaggio enlists in the United States Army Air Forces and will not play for the Yankees again until 1946. Although the Bronx Bomber outfielder asked for no special treatment, he will spend most of his time out of harm's way playing baseball in America.
1987 Yankee first baseman Don Mattingly wins his $1.975 million arbitration case. The award breaks the record for the largest sum ever given to a player, which was established just four days ago by Jack Morris.
1990 Herb Raybourn, the Yankee director of Latin American operations, signs amateur free-agent Mariano Rivera, an athletic 20 year-old who has an effortless pitching motion, but a less than average fastball, to a modest $3,000 contract. The future all-time major league saves leader has no formal training as a pitcher, having hurled for just the first time two weeks before being scouted at the team's tryout camp in Panama City.
1995 Unwilling to be part of an inferior product placed on the field and as a show of support for his players, Tigers skipper Sparky Anderson is suspended without pay when he refuses to manage replacement players in spring training during the 1995 work stoppage. The popular pilot will resume his duties when the strike is resolved, but will 'retire', some believe not voluntarily, at the end of the season. [/spoiler]
On This Date In BaseBall History / 18.02.16
[spoiler="Скрытый текст"] 1943 New York entrepreneur William D. Cox purchases the bankrupt Phillies from the National League. The 33 year-old new owner will be banned from baseball in November by commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis when he admits to making some "sentimental" bets on his team during the season.
1944 After getting permission from his parents and high school principal, 15 year-old Joe Nuxhall, a Hamilton, Ohio native, signs a contract with the Reds a day after playing in a high school basketball game. The not so old "Ol' Left-hander" will become the youngest player ever to appear in a major league game, tossing 2/3 of an inning for Cincinnati in June, 49 days before his sixteenth birthday.
1960 Walter O'Malley completes the purchase of land just north of downtown Los Angeles as the site of a new ballpark for his transplanted Brooklyn club. The Dodger owner paid a reported $494,000 for the property at Chavez Ravine, believed to be worth $92,000 at the time.
1967 During a special softball exhibition game, pitcher Eddie Feigner strikes out six consecutive major leaguers, a group that includes five future Hall of Famers. The victims include Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Brooks Robinson, Harmon Killebrew, Roberto Clemente and Maury Wills.
1998 Long time baseball announcer Harry Caray dies at the age of 84 after suffering a heart attack four days earlier while having Valentine’s Day dinner with his wife, Dutchie. The colorful "Mayor of Rush Street" started his career in 1945 with the Cardinals and also did play-by-play for the A’s, White Sox, and the Cubs during his 52 years in the broadcast booth.
1999 The Blue Jays trade Roger Clemens to the Yankees for David Wells, Graeme Lloyd, and Homer Bush.
2005 After five months of captivity in a Venezuelan jungle surrounded by explosives to keep her from escaping, Ugueth Urbina’s mother, Maura Villarreal, is rescued during a daring eight-hour police raid. The kidnappers had demanded $6 million ransom from the Tigers’ relief pitcher for his mom’s freedom. [/spoiler]
On This Date In BaseBall History / 19.02.16
[spoiler="Скрытый текст"] 1935 Lou Gehrig signs a one-year deal with the Yankees for $30,000. Last season, the All-Star first baseman hit .363 with 49 homers and led the American League with 165 RBIs.
1946 Danny Gardella becomes the first major league player to jump to the Mexican League. The outfielder goes south of the border, lured by a salary of $10,000, more than double the amount offered by the Giants.
1953 After being hit by enemy fire during a combat mission, Ted Williams safely crash lands his Panther jet at the Suwon's K-13 Airbase in Korea, skidding along the air strip for nearly a mile before coming to a stop. The midnight-blue F9F is a total wreck, but the Marine reservist, who quickly evacuates the burning aircraft, suffers only minor injuries
1970 Effective April 1st, Tiger pitcher Denny McLain is suspended for three months by Commissioner Kuhn for his alleged connection with bookmakers.
1987 After signing a contract as a free agent with the A's less than a month ago, Vida Blue unexpectedly retires from baseball.
2012 At the Bell Centre, Canadiens mascot Youppi! wears his jersey with the Expos colors in place of his usual bleu-blanc-rouge (blue, white, and red) to honor the memory of former major league catcher Gary Carter, who died this week as the result of a brain tumor. The 57 year-old Hall of Famer, the only player enshrined as an Expo, and Youppi! played key roles for the National League team before the franchise left Montreal to move to Washington, D.C. in 2005. [/spoiler]
On This Date In BaseBall History / 20.02.16
[spoiler="Скрытый текст"] 1923 After buying the club along with two partners for $300,000, Christy Mathewson becomes the president of the Boston Braves.
1929 The Red Sox announce the team will play its newly allowed Sunday games at Braves Field. Fenway Park is considered too close to a church.
1953 Pledging not to move the team from St. Louis, beer baron August A. Busch convinces the Board of Directors of Anheuser-Busch to purchase the Cardinals for $3.75 million.
1963 After leading the Giants to the pennant the previous season, Willie Mays becomes the highest paid player, signing a $100,000 contract.
1963 The Cubs officially put an end to their radical approach in using multiple field bosses during the course of the season when they hire Bob Kennedy as their only manager. With the "College of Coaches" system disbanded, the club will post an 82-80 record under their lone skipper.
1980 The era of 'Billy Ball' begins in Oakland when Billy Martin is hired as the manager of the A's for $125,000. During his three-year tenure in the dugout, the fiery skipper will compile a 215-218 record and will win a division title as the first half leader in the AL West of the 1981 strike-shortened season.
1992 After Homer Simpson and his co-workers qualify the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's softball team for the league final, Mr. Montgomery Burns, the owner of the facility, hires nine professional MLB players, to win a $1 million bet with his Shelbyville rival. Although he hits nine home runs, the southpaw-swinging Darryl Strawberry, the only major leaguer to actual participate in the game, after Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Ken Griffey Jr., Steve Sax, Ozzie Smith, José Canseco, Don Mattingly, and Mike Scioscia are all sidelined after being involved in a series of bizarre pre-game accidents, will be replaced by Homer in the last inning, because Burns wants a righty to face the opponent’s left-hander.
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On This Date In BaseBall History / 21.02.16
[spoiler="Скрытый текст"] 1931 The White Sox and Giants become the first major league teams to play a night game. The Buffs Stadium (Houston, Texas) exhibition game lasts ten innings with the teams collecting a total of 23 hits.
1931 The Dodgers arrive in Cuba to start a series of five inter-squad games. Brooklyn right-hander Dolf Luque, known as the Pride of Havana, will appear in the exhibitions scheduled to be played in spacious Tropical Stadium.
1966 Emmett Ashford becomes the first black to be a major league umpire when he is hired by the American League. 'Ash', known for his flashy style in the PCL, will spend five years in the bigs, working the 1967 All-Star game and the 1970 World Series, before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.
1974 Tom Seaver becomes the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history when he signs a contract for $172,000 per season to hurl for the Mets. 'Tom Terrific' has posted a 135-76 record during his seven years in New York.
1986 In defiance of the Reds' policy, Rollie Fingers refuses to cut off his trademark handlebar mustache and retires from baseball. The future Hall of Fame reliever, who leaves the game with 341 saves, had been offered a contract by Cincinnati's skipper Pete Rose after being released by the Brewers at the end of last season
1989 Reds manager Pete Rose meets with Commissioner Peter Ueberroth and Commissioner-elect Bart Giamatti to explain the allegations concerning his gambling habits. Major League Baseball will launch a full investigation into the matter next month which will lead to “Charlie Hustle’s” permanent ban from the game in August. [/spoiler]
