BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1934 Babe Didrikson, a recent member of the House of David baseball team, throws the opening frame for the Cardinals, giving up three runs in a spring exhibition contest against the Red Sox in Bradenton (FL). Redbirds’ ace Burleigh Grimes teaches the 32-year-old female Olympian, a winner of two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 summer games, how to wind up on the mound and throw a curveball.

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1938 Commissioner Landis releases seventy-four Cardinal minor leaguers from six teams, with their owners fined $2,176 for their non-compliance to the rules. The Redbirds controlled the players in two clubs in each of the three Class D leagues in 1936 and four Class D leagues in 1937.

1951 Brooklyn signs a 21-year lease with the City of Vero Beach to use an abandoned naval base as their spring training facility, which will become known as Dodgertown. The site will be the team's Grapefruit League home through the 2008 season, with exhibition games played at the 6,000-seat Holiman Stadium.

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1959 The Cardinals trade Sam Jones to the Giants for first baseman/outfielder Bill White and third baseman Ray Jablonski. The right-hander, called Toothpick Sam by his teammates, will be the runner-up for the Cy Young Award this season, posting a 21-15 record and an ERA of 2.83 for San Francisco.

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1962 The Phillies trade third baseman Andy Carey and second baseman Lou Vassie to the White Sox for right-hander Cal McLish, a 36-year-old Oklahoman who will post an 11-5 record for the seventh-place club. Chicago then trades Carey, who will retire at the end of the season after appearing in 53 games, to the Dodgers for infielders Ramon Conde and Jim Koranda, who play in 14 major league games.

Cal as a Cub
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1963 On the day he is fitted for his big-league Orioles uniform, 23-year-old Steve Dalkowski, pitching in an exhibition against the Yankees, feels something pop in his left elbow, losing feeling in his hand while facing Bobby Richardson. The fireballer from New Britain, Connecticut, who once struck out 24 batters in a minor league game, will never appear in the major leagues.

1973 The Cardinals play three Cruz brothers, Cirilo, Hector, and Jose, all nine innings in the outfield during the team's 9-2 spring training victory over New York at Al Lang Field. The trio of Puerto Rican siblings, who personally outscore the Mets, bat first, second, and third in the Redbird's lineup, making all three outs in the first and eighth frames.

Puerto Rico
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1978 The Mets deal an unhappy 33-year-old Bud Harrelson, who lost his starting job when the team obtained Tim Foli from the Giants to Philadelphia for approximately $50,000, and minor-league call-up Freddie Andrews, an infielder who will never play another game in the major leagues. As an 11-year veteran, the fan-favorite shortstop could have vetoed the trade but chooses to go to Philadelphia to play for a contending team, where he will back up Larry Bowa.

Bud & Pete
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1990 The FBI arrest Howard Spira, once an unpaid publicist with the Winfield Foundation who approached George Steinbrenner and received $40,000 to dig up dirt on the outfielder, is arrested after trying to extort money from the Yankees owner. In July, Commissioner Fay Vincent will ban the Boss from playing any role in the team's day-to-day operations for thirty months upon learning about the arrangement with the Bronx professional gambler.

 

2009 Ichiro Suzuki's two-out, two-run single in the top of the 10th, Japan defeats South Korea, 5-3, winning its second consecutive World Baseball Classic title. South Korea, the reigning Olympic champs, tied the game 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth on Lee Bum-ho's two-out RBI single off Japanese closer Yu Darvish in front of an Dodger Stadium enthusiastic crowd.

2009 The Miami-Dade County commissioners approve the final documents necessary to move forward on the Marlins' new 37,000-seat home, located on the present grounds of Miami's Orange Bowl. The long-anticipated retractable-roof ballpark will become a reality in 2012, with the team breaking ground this July.

2015 Deciding to have lunch in the air-conditioned clubhouse, Noah Syndergaard, not scheduled to pitch in the Mets' intrasquad scrimmage, is quietly but firmly reprimanded by team captain David Wright who demands he join his teammates in the dugout immediately. When the stunned 22-year-old rookie right-hander hesitates, fellow moundsman Bobby Parnell tosses the former first-rounder's nearly full plate of food into a nearby trash can.

2019 After acquiring Paul Goldschmidt in an offseason trade with the Diamondbacks, the Cardinals sign him to a five-year (2020-24) contract extension. The National League All-Star first baseman's contract, reportedly worth $130 million, is the largest in club history, surpassing the seven-year, $120 million deal for left fielder Matt Holliday before the 2010 season.

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Today in Baseball History
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On March 23 in Baseball History...

• • 1900 - John McGraw, Wilbert Robinson, and infielder Bill Wagon-Tongue Keister are sold by Brooklyn to St. Louis for $15,000. McGraw and Robby refuse to report.
    
  • 1938 - Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis frees 74 Cardinals minor leaguers, among them Pete Reiser, in yet another attempt to halt the farm system cover-up. Dodgers General Manager Larry McPhail makes a pact with Branch Rickey to take the as-yet unknown Reiser and swap him back in the future, but the young outfielder's ability is too great to hide.
    
  • 1951 - The Brooklyn Dodgers sign a 21-year lease with the city of Vero Beach, Florida, for use of their spring training facilities there.
    
  • 1962 - William DeWitt buys the Reds from the Crosley Foundation for $4.625 million.

Baseball Birthdays on March 23...

• • 1863 - Gunson, Joe
  • 1864 - Hilsey, Charlie
  • 1864 - Murphy, Willie
  • 1865 - Weaver, Farmer
  • 1865 - Shannon, Dan
  • 1868 - Smith, Elmer
  • 1870 - Kling, Rudy
  • 1877 - Taylor, Ed
  • 1877 - Graham, Peaches
  • 1878 - Loos, Pete
  • 1878 - Smoot, Homer
  • 1881 - Cravath, Gavvy
  • 1885 - Moeller, Danny
  • 1886 - Slapnicka, Cy
  • 1886 - Wares, Buzzy
  • 1893 - Kremer, Ray
  • 1895 - Parkinson, Frank
  • 1902 - Moore, Johnny
  • 1911 - Broskie, Sig
  • 1918 - Lucier, Lou
  • 1923 - Koch, Barney
  • 1927 - Logan, Johnny "...milk, no less was responsible for (Johnny) Logan's success in baseball. Ask a rival manager such as Phil Cavarretta of the Cubs what makes Johnny such an outstanding shortstop. And the answer is sure to come back: 'Look at his hands. Notice how strong and quick they are.' That's what caught the attention of Braves scout Dewey Griggs, who watched Johnny play one day in his native Endicott, N.Y. 'Where'd you get those hands?' Griggs asked the youngster. 'I've done quite a bit of milking', was the quick retort." - Author Tom Meany in Milwaukee's Miracle Braves
  • 1928 - Lemon, Jim "The Wall (at Fenway Park) has a ladder that enables the ground crew to pluck home run balls from the screen above. It’s the only fair-territory ladder in the majors. One night in the ’50s, Ted Williams and Jimmy Piersall converged under a fly ball in left center. To their surprise, the ball hit the ladder and ricocheted toward center, allowing Jim Lemon to circle the bases for an inside-the-park homer."
  • 1931 - Pitula, Stan
  • 1932 - Meyer, Jack
  • 1939 - Bowens, Sam
  • 1942 - Coombs, Danny
  • 1943 - Howard, Bruce
  • 1943 - May, Lee
  • 1944 - Scott, George
  • 1947 - Bourque, Pat
  • 1949 - Geddes, Jim
  • 1953 - Diaz, Bo "If the season ended tomorrow, Bo Diaz would be our MVP." - Rose, Pete.
  • 1956 - Darr, Mike
  • 1956 - Johnson, Ron
  • 1966 - Remlinger, Mike
  • 1967 - Brooks, Jerry
  • 1969 - Turner, Chris
  • 1976 - Ortiz, Ramon
  • 1979 - Buehrle, Mark
  • 1979 - Colome, Jesus

Copyright � 2001-2007. All Rights Reserved.
Part of the Baseball Almanac family: 755 Home Runs | Around the Horn | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Today in Baseball History.​

 

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1934 Babe Didrikson, a recent member of the House of David baseball team, throws the opening frame for the Cardinals, giving up three runs in a spring exhibition contest against the Red Sox in Bradenton (FL). Redbirds’ ace Burleigh Grimes teaches the 32-year-old female Olympian, a winner of two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 summer games, how to wind up on the mound and throw a curveball.

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1938 Commissioner Landis releases seventy-four Cardinal minor leaguers from six teams, with their owners fined $2,176 for their non-compliance to the rules. The Redbirds controlled the players in two clubs in each of the three Class D leagues in 1936 and four Class D leagues in 1937.

1951 Brooklyn signs a 21-year lease with the City of Vero Beach to use an abandoned naval base as their spring training facility, which will become known as Dodgertown. The site will be the team's Grapefruit League home through the 2008 season, with exhibition games played at the 6,000-seat Holiman Stadium.

1959 The Cardinals trade Sam Jones to the Giants for first baseman/outfielder Bill White and third baseman Ray Jablonski. The right-hander, called Toothpick Sam by his teammates, will be the runner-up for the Cy Young Award this season, posting a 21-15 record and an ERA of 2.83 for San Francisco.

 

3/24
BIRTHDAYS
1893 George Sisler HOF first baseman (AL MVP 1922; AL batting champion 1920, 22 St. Louis Browns) and manager (St. Louis Browns 1924–26), born in Manchester, Ohio (d. 1973)


1942 Jesús Alou outfielder, 1963-79 (World Series 1973, 74 Oakland A's; Houston Astros, and 2 other teams), born in Bajos de Haina, Dominican Republic (d. 2023)


1972 Steve Karsay


1979 Norris Hopper


1982 Corey Hart


1982 Dustin McGowan

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1933 Babe Ruth, who made $75,000 last season, takes a $23,000 pay cut, a decrease indicative of the depression era. The 38-year-old Yankee slugger remains productive, batting .301, hitting 34 home runs, and driving in 103 runs for the second-place club that finishes seven games behind the Senators.

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1936 Paul Dean agrees to a $10,000 deal to pitch for the Cardinals after posting a 19-11 record in his sophomore year. After compiling 38 victories in his first two seasons, Dizzy's 23-year-old right-handed brother will have his career shortened by arm troubles, retiring after a nine-year tenure in the major leagues with a 50-34 mark.

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1946 In Birmingham, Alabama, police pull 27-year-old southpaw Edward Klep from the Cleveland Buckeyes lineup, a visiting Negro American League team. The authorities order the first white player in organized black baseball to change into his civilian clothes and sit in the "whites only" section of Rickwood Field away from his teammates.

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1947 During a four-hour hearing with Commissioner Chandler at the Sarasota Terrace Hotel, Dodger manager Leo Durocher admits to playing occasional card games for money with Kirby Higbe. Before Opening Day, Chandler will suspend the Brooklyn skipper for the 1947 season for "association with known gamblers."

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1952 During spring training at St. Petersburg, Cardinals pitcher Bob Slaybaugh is hit in the face with a line drive during batting practice, resulting in the loss of his left eye. The 21-year-old southpaw will attempt a comeback in 1953 and 1954 before retiring from professional baseball.

1959 A photo of Pete Whisenant taken before an exhibition game played against the Dodgers in Havana, Cuba, shows the Reds outfielder toting a machine gun. The weapon shown in the posed picture belongs to a rebel from Fidel Castro's revolutionary army.

1961 The NY State Senate approves $55 million in funding to build a new stadium in Flushing Meadows Park for the new National League's expansion team. Until the Queens' ballpark is completed, which will become known as Shea Stadium, the Mets will play in the Polo Grounds during the first two years of their existence.

1982 When Fernando Valenzuela ends his three-week holdout, the Dodgers automatically renew the southpaw's contract for a reported $350,000. The National League Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year Award recipient, after earning just $42,500 in his freshman season, still refuses to sign the deal that makes him the highest-paid second-year player in baseball history, having asked for a raise to $850,000.

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1984 The Tigers trade utility player John Wockenfuss and outfielder Glenn Wilson to the Phillies for first baseman Dave Bergman and relief pitcher Willie Hernandez, who will win the American League's MVP and Cy Young awards. The 29-year-old closer from Aguada (PR) posts a 9-3 record and a 1.92 ERA en route to saving 32 games in 33 opportunities for the World Champs.

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2001 During an exhibition game against the Giants, Diamondback hurler Randy Johnson's fastball hits and instantly kills a dove flying in front of home plate. The bird appears to explode as the National League Cy Young winner's pitch sends it over catcher Rod Barajas' head.

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2006 At Mickey Mantle's Manhattan restaurant, the U.S. Postal Service unveils the Baseball Sluggers postage stamps, to be issued before the game against the White Sox at Yankee Stadium on July 15. The four featured Hall of Famers all have roots in New York, with Mickey Mantle (Yankees), Mel Ott (Giants), and Roy Campanella (Dodgers) playing their entire careers in the Big Apple, and the fourth, Hank Greenberg, setting schoolboy records at James Monroe High School in the Bronx.

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2008 The Twins agree to a new deal with their All-Star closer, signing Joe Nathan (1.88, 37 saves) to a $47 million, four-year contract, including a 2012 club option. The 33-year-old right-hander's 160 saves over the past four seasons is tied with Mariano Rivera of the Yankees for most in the American League.

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2008 On the South Lawn of the White House, the Washington Nationals Presidential character mascots take part in the traditional White House Easter Egg Roll. Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington appeared very comfortable in their surroundings.

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Today in Baseball History
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Search archives: Historical Events Baseball Birthdays Baseball Deaths
On March 24 in Baseball History...

• • 1911 - Matthew Stanley Robison, president of the Cardinals, dies unexpectedly. He leaves the club and the bulk of his estate to his niece, Mrs. Helene Hathaway Britton, the first female owner of a major league club.
  • 1933 - Babe Ruth, another victim of the Depression, takes a pay cut of $23,000 from his previous salary of $75,000.
  • 1952 - During Spring Training, Cardinal prospect Bob Slaybaugh was hit in the left eye with a line drive pitch and subsequently lost the eye. The young pitcher returned to the mound in 1953 and again in 1954 before he retired from professional baseball.
  • 1961 - The New York State Senate approves $55 million for a new baseball stadium at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens.
  • 1982 - Fernando Valenzuela ends his holdout and reports to the Dodgers spring training camp in Vero Beach, Florida. After earning just $42,500 as the winner of the N.L. Cy Young and Rookie of the Year Awards in 1981, the 21-year-old lefthander had asked for a raise to $1 million in 1982. The Dodgers unilaterally renewed his contract for a reported $350,000 instead.
  • 1984 - The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee agrees to stage a six-team exhibition baseball tournament as part of the 1984 Summer Olympics to be held in Los Angeles.

Baseball Birthdays on March 24...

• • 1849 - Jackson, Sam
  • 1863 - McCauley, Jim
  • 1865 - Klusman, Billy
  • 1869 - Lawson, Al
  • 1872 - Selbach, Kip
  • 1874 - Thomas, Roy
  • 1882 - Bernard, Joe
  • 1891 - Shore, Ernie
  • 1892 - Trautman, Fred
  • 1893 - Sisler, George "He (George Sisler) is probably the only player other than (Lou) Gehrig who can reasonably be considered the greatest first baseman ever in terms of peak value. The reason I say that is that the other top contenders, most notably (Jimmie) Foxx and (Willie) McCovey, were the same type of players that Gehrig was, and thus they can be directly compared to him, a comparison that they clearly lose. But the man I'm referring to was a different type of player, he didn't have the home run pop, but he hit for a higher average, was faster and a better defensive player than Gehrig, and the comparison between the two is not easy." - James, Bill. Baseball Historian.
  • 1906 - Veltman, Pat
  • 1907 - Dugas, Gus
  • 1912 - McLaughlin, Jud
  • 1917 - Bartosch, Dave
  • 1925 - Kryhoski, Dick
  • 1937 - Tillman, Bob Bob Tillman) once admitted in a radio interview as a rookie that he 'couldn't hit a curveball with an oar.'" - Associated Press
  • 1937 - Egan, Dick
  • 1942 - Alou, Jesus "When Jesus (Alou) came up to the Giants in 1965, observers felt he might be better than both of (his brothers). When Felipe was complimented as a young player, he said, 'I'm not so good. Wait until you see my brother.' When Matty came up someone asked, 'Are you that brother?' Matty said, 'Oh no, Felipe was talking about our younger brother. Jesus. He's the greatest.'" - Freedman, Lew. Author. Latino Baseball Legends
  • 1956 - Templeton, Garry
  • 1958 - Hurst, Bruce
  • 1960 - Taylor, Dwight
  • 1961 - Chambers, Al
  • 1962 - Robinson, Ron
  • 1970 - Alvarez, Wilson
  • 1972 - Karsay, Steve
  • 1972 - Cabrera, Jose
  • 1974 - Arnold, Jamie
  • 1976 - Davenport, Joe

Copyright � 2001-2007. All Rights Reserved.
Part of the Baseball Almanac family: 755 Home Runs | Around the Horn | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Today in Baseball History.​

 

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