December 27
From BR Bullpen
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Events, births and deaths that occurred on December 27.
Events[edit]
- 1874 - The first documented baseball game in Cuba takes place in a field known as Palmar de Junco, in the province of Matanzas. In the match, called after seven innings due to darkness, the Habana team defeats that of Matanzas with the unbalanced score of 51 to 9 runs.
- 1919 - One day after secretly working out a deal to sell Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee says his team will deal any player except Harry Hooper. But Hooper will be sent to the Chicago White Sox after the 1920 season.
- 1939 - The New York Giants obtain infielder Mickey Witek from the Newark Bears in exchange for infielder Alex Kampouris, catcher Tom Padden and $40,000 in cash. New York has high hopes for Witek, who was named the 1939 Most Valuable Player in the International League. Witek will only post a 588 OPS his first year with the Giants but will hit .314 in 1943.
- 1941 - The Boston Braves mascot, Chief Nokahoma, adopted today, is considered by many as an aberration of a Natchez Native American and misrepresented in Plains Indians headdress.
- 1955 - Tetsuya Yoneda, a high school prospect, is signed by the Hanshin Tigers amidst objections from the Hankyu Braves. Hankyu winds up with the future star hurler in the dispute
- 1967 - Boston Red Sox pitching star Jim Lonborg undergoes surgery on his left knee, four days after a skiing accident. Lonborg, who won a career-high 22 games for the Red Sox during their "Impossible Dream" season, will struggle to regain his pitching form.
- 1972 - Roberto Clemente's final home run comes on his final swing during a batting demonstration in front of "300 admiring kids during a baseball clinic at the town of Aguadilla," reports United Press International, according to whom Clemente hits "the fifth pitch about 350 feet out of left field at the local park." Clemente's fellow Pirate and fellow Puerto Rican Fernando Gonzalez is on hand and his recollections will later be recorded by Clemente biographer Kal Wagenheim: "That day in Aguadilla, he spent the whole afternoon under the sun – giving a clinic for the kids. At one point he was giving batting pointers, and there was a kid – about eighteen years old – pitching to him. The people in the stands kept yelling, 'Roberto, bet you can't hit a homer!' Finally, on the last pitch, he smacked the ball right out of the stadium. He gave the kid the bat as a souvenir, and somebody else got the ball. Afterward, they erected a small monument to mark the spot where the ball fell. I think that was the last time Roberto swung a bat, and he hit a home run."
- 1984 - Free agent pitcher Ed Whitson, who went 14-8 for the National League champion San Diego Padres, begins a nightmarish association with the New York Yankees by signing a five-year $4.4 million contract. By the middle of his second year with the club, Whitson gets so rattled in Yankee Stadium that manager Lou Piniella will refuse to use him in home games, only pitching him on the road. The Yankees will ship him back to San Diego, where he will have four more solid seasons.
- 1994 - The Chiba Lotte Marines of the Pacific League announce that Julio Franco, Pete Incaviglia and Eric Hillman have been signed to contracts. Incaviglia and Hillman will play for their countryman Bobby Valentine, who in 2005 will become the first foreign manager to win the Japan Series. Franco and Hillman will be key performers for the Marines, while Incaviglia will struggle.
- 1995 - Hall of Fame umpire Al Barlick dies at the age of 80 in Springfield, Illinois. Known for his decisiveness and hustle, Barlick worked National League games from 1940 to 1972, and gained election to the Hall in 1989.
- 2001:
- After 21 years being heard on WABC, the New York Yankees will broadcast their spring training, regular season and postseason games on all-news station WCBS-AM which is owned by Infinity Broadcasting. The five-year deal with the Yankees' YES Network, created earlier this year, is worth approximately $50 million.
- The New York Mets continue to stay busy this off-season, acquiring slugging first baseman Mo Vaughn from the Anaheim Angels in exchange for starter Kevin Appier and cash. Vaughn will join Roberto Alomar, Roger Cedeño, and Shawn Estes as the newest members of the Shea Squad.
- The San Diego Padres sign free agent relief pitcher Alan Embree to a one-year contract.
- 2002 - The Mets sign free agent shortstop Rey Sanchez to a contract.
- 2004 - Free agent OF Moises Alou, who hit .293 with 39 home runs and 106 RBI for the Chicago Cubs, is signed by the San Francisco Giants to a one-year contract with an option for a second year. It will be the second time Alou will be managed by his dad Felipe as he did playing with the Montreal Expos from 1992 to 1996.
- 2005 - The Toronto Blue Jays officially announce the acquisition of third baseman Troy Glaus and minor league shortstop Sergio Santos in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. In return, the Diamondbacks receive second baseman Orlando Hudson and pitcher Miguel Batista.
- 2010:
- The Brewers continue to add pitchers, today inking veteran reliever Takashi Saito, who will be 41 on Opening Day, to a one-year contract.
- The Mets acquire IF Chin-lung Hu from the Dodgers in return for P Michael Antonini.
- 2012 - OF Hideki Matsui announces his retirement at a press conference in New York, NY. He had hit .304 with 332 home runs as a three-time MVP during his prime in Japan, then added 175 homers, a World Series MVP award and a .282 average winding down his career in the US.
- 2013 - The Angels sign veteran OF Raul Ibanez, a long-time nemesis, to a one-year contract at age 41.
- 2014:
- Bad news for the Yankees as veteran Hiroki Kuroda, their most consistent starter over the last three seasons, is headed back to Japan. Reports indicate he has signed a one-year deal with the Hiroshima Carp.
- Cubs SS Starlin Castro is questioned by police in Monte Cristi in the Dominican Republic after a shooting at a nightclub. Castro explains through his agent that he was present but had nothing to do with the incident.
- 2018 - Veteran DH Nelson Cruz ends an excellent four-season run with the Seattle Mariners by signing a one-year deal with the Twins for $14.3 million. The Mariners are in full rebuilding mode and have no room for the 38-year-old slugger, even though he was still one of their most productive hitters last season.
- 2020 - Stories circulate that the Rays have traded former Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to the Padres in return for four prospects. Snell was at the center of the most controversial play of the most recent postseason when Rays manager Kevin Cash took him out of a dominating start against the Dodgers in Game 6 of the World Series, only to see his bullpen cough up the lead and the game in short order, giving the Dodgers the title.
- 2022 - The Rangers sign free agent P Nathan Eovaldi for two years at $34 million, adding him to a revamped starting rotation that also includes another off-season signee in Jacob deGrom.
- 2023 - The Blue Jays sign utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa for two years.
Births[edit]
- 1854 - Patrick McKenna, outfielder (d. 1922)
- 1861 - Ervin Curtis, outfielder (d. 1945)
- 1862 - Ducky Hemp, outfielder (d. 1923)
- 1864 - Bill Bishop, pitcher (d. 1932)
- 1864 - Jimmy Dee, infielder (d. 1897)
- 1871 - James Breen, minor league infielder and manager (d. 1945)
- 1873 - Pete Lamer, catcher (d. 1931)
- 1873 - Tom Thomas, pitcher (d. 1942)
- 1876 - Charlie Carr, infielder (d. 1932)
- 1876 - Sam Woodruff, infielder (d. 1937)
- 1881 - Eddie Quick, pitcher (d. 1913)
- 1887 - Spottswood Poles, outfielder (d. 1962)
- 1888 - George Textor, catcher (d. 1954)
- 1890 - Ernie Krueger, catcher (d. 1976)
- 1895 - Lee Ballanfant, umpire (d. 1987)
- 1896 - Arch Ward, writer (d. 1955)
- 1897 - Jackie Tavener, infielder (d. 1969)
- 1898 - Orville Singer, outfielder (d. 1985)
- 1904 - John Shea, pitcher (d. 1956)
- 1910 - Bob Evans, pitcher (d. 1947)
- 1912 - Marlin Carter, infielder; All-Star (d. 1993)
- 1912 - Jim Tobin, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1969)
- 1913 - Red Lynn, pitcher (d. 1977)
- 1916 - Charlie Brewster, infielder (d. 2000)
- 1917 - Herb Karpel, pitcher (d. 1995)
- 1918 - George Fingers, minor league pitcher (d. 1991)
- 1920 - Dutch McCall, pitcher (d. 1996)
- 1922 - Connie Johnson, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2004)
- 1927 - Silvano Sojat, Serie A1 umpire; Italian Baseball Hall of Fame
- 1930 - Norm Larker, infielder; All-Star (d. 2007)
- 1933 - Don Jaber, minor league pitcher (d. 2018)
- 1935 - Franco Ludovisi, Serie A1 pitcher and coach; Italian Baseball Hall of Fame
- 1937 - Bobby Klaus, infielder
- 1941 - Phil Gagliano, infielder (d. 2016)
- 1942 - Byron Browne, outfielder
- 1943 - Roy White, outfielder; All-Star
- 1949 - Chico Escarrega, pitcher
- 1949 - Kenneth O'Donnell, minor league infielder
- 1949 - Shigeo Takaoka, Japanese national team coach
- 1950 - Hiroaki Fukushi, NPB pitcher (d. 2005)
- 1950 - Roy Tanner, scout
- 1951 - Randy Bruns, minor league umpire
- 1952 - Mark Budaska, designated hitter
- 1952 - Eric Kenis, Belgian national team catcher
- 1952 - Craig Reynolds, infielder; All-Star
- 1954 - John Zizzo, college coach
- 1955 - Gary Weiss, infielder
- 1958 - Ron Barnes, umpire
- 1962 - Mark Howie, minor league infielder (d. 2007)
- 1963 - Tsuyoshi Ando, Japanese national team manager
- 1963 - Jim Leyritz, catcher
- 1964 - Shih-Lung Chen, CPBL pitcher
- 1965 - Tom Marsh, outfielder
- 1967 - Wes Grisham, minor league outfielder
- 1968 - Kevin O'Sullivan, college coach
- 1968 - Dean Palmer, infielder; All-Star
- 1970 - Jeff Murphy, minor league catcher
- 1972 - Mike Busby, pitcher
- 1973 - Raul Gonzalez, outfielder
- 1973 - Georgios Pipergias, Greek national team player
- 1974 - Nate Bland, pitcher
- 1975 - Jeff D'Amico, pitcher
- 1975 - Aaron Sledd, minor league outfielder
- 1976 - Mike Lockwood, minor league outfielder
- 1977 - Chieh-Chuan Tang, Taiwan national team catcher
- 1979 - Clayton McCullough, coach
- 1980 - Jason Repko, outfielder
- 1981 - David Aardsma, pitcher
- 1982 - Michael Bourn, outfielder; All-Star
- 1982 - Matt Campbell, minor league pitcher
- 1982 - Carlos Duran, minor league outfielder
- 1982 - Chris Gimenez, minor league player
- 1982 - Alexander Santa, minor league outfielder
- 1982 - Micah Schilling, minor league player
- 1982 - Teppei Tsuchiya, NPB outfielder
- 1983 - Cole Hamels, pitcher; All-Star
- 1983 - Jonathan Hovis, minor league pitcher
- 1984 - Alejandro Morese, Serie A1 pitcher
- 1986 - Steven Hensley, minor league pitcher
- 1986 - Stephen Shults, minor league infielder
- 1987 - Nate Baker, minor league pitcher
- 1987 - Michael Bando, minor league infielder
- 1988 - Rick Porcello, pitcher
- 1988 - Addison Reed, pitcher
- 1988 - Jose Ceballos, minor league catcher
- 1988 - Aaron Westlake, minor league infielder
- 1989 - Luke Wilkins, minor league pitcher
- 1990 - Tyler Duffey, pitcher
- 1990 - Brady Feigl, pitcher
- 1990 - Dylan Floro, pitcher
- 1991 - Shuta Ishikawa, NPB pitcher
- 1991 - Kerlys Pérez, Venezuelan women's national team pitcher
- 1991 - Jimmie Sherfy, pitcher
- 1991 - Stuart Turner, catcher
- 1992 - Stijn Janssens, First Division catcher
- 1992 - Jordan Montgomery, minor league pitcher
- 1992 - Julio Morillo, minor league catcher and manager
- 1992 - Meng-Hsiung Yu, CPBL outfielder
- 1994 - Kyle Brennan, minor league coach
- 1994 - Pontus Byström, Bundesliga outfielder-pitcher
- 1995 - Yugo Bando, NPB pitcher
- 1995 - Jonah Bride, infielder
- 1995 - Sam Buelens, minor league outfielder
- 1996 - Alexander Clark, Thai national team infielder
- 1996 - Elvis Hammarstedt, Elitserien pitcher-infielder
- 1996 - Ryosuke Tatsumi, NPB outfielder
- 1996 - Kyle Tyler, pitcher
- 1997 - Chen-Wei Chen, CPBL outfielder
- 1997 - Yuya Gunji, NPB infielder
- 1998 - Simón Muzziotti, outfielder
- 1999 - Alejandro Rodriguez, minor league catcher
- 2001 - Dong-hyeok Kim, KBO pitcher
- 2002 - Joe Mack, minor league catcher/designated hitter
- 2004 - Nadav Machlin, Israeli national team infielder
Deaths[edit]
- 1895 - Al Halbach, umpire (b. 1842)
- 1898 - John Sneed, outfielder (b. 1861)
- 1907 - Jim Andrews, outfielder (b. 1865)
- 1916 - Freeman Brown, manager (b. 1845)
- 1917 - Charles Maddox, umpire (b. 1853)
- 1919 - Jerry Hurley, catcher (b. 1875)
- 1920 - Harvey Cushman, pitcher (b. 1877)
- 1928 - George Meister, infielder (b. 1853)
- 1932 - Andy Piercy, infielder (b. 1854)
- 1932 - Pop Schriver, catcher (b. 1865)
- 1933 - Fritz Buelow, catcher (b. 1876)
- 1945 - Gene Cocreham, pitcher (b. 1884)
- 1945 - Cy Swaim, pitcher (b. 1874)
- 1947 - John T. Powers, minor league executive (b. 1874)
- 1948 - Marv Peasley, pitcher (b. 1889)
- 1951 - Ernie Lindemann, pitcher (b. 1883)
- 1955 - Bill Byron, umpire (b. 1872)
- 1955 - Jim Fairbank, pitcher (b. 1881)
- 1956 - Hob Hiller, infielder (b. 1893)
- 1958 - Julio Rojo, catcher (b. 1894)
- 1962 - Jake Flowers, infielder (b. 1902)
- 1964 - Art Phelan, infielder (b. 1887)
- 1964 - Tom Young, catcher; All-Star (b. 1902)
- 1965 - Bob Smith, pitcher (b. 1890)
- 1967 - Paul Lehner, outfielder (b. 1920)
- 1972 - Lester B. Pearson, politician; Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1897)
- 1975 - Lou Lowdermilk, pitcher (b. 1887)
- 1976 - Press Cruthers, infielder (b. 1890)
- 1982 - Harry Kingman, infielder (b. 1892)
- 1984 - Shirley Petway, catcher/outfielder (b. 1908)
- 1986 - Jack Wallaesa, infielder (b. 1919)
- 1987 - Lefty Holmes, pitcher (b. 1907)
- 1990 - Yoshio Kikuya, NPB pitcher (b. 1915)
- 1995 - Al Barlick, umpire; Hall of Famer (b. 1915)
- 1995 - Oscar Judd, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1908)
- 1996 - Gene Brabender, pitcher (b. 1941)
- 2001 - John Hoffman, catcher (b. 1943)
- 2003 - Ivan Calderon, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1962)
- 2004 - Ernest Groth, pitcher (b. 1922)
- 2009 - George Brice, Canadian national team pitcher (b. 1939)
- 2011 - Lewis Bishop, minor league outfielder (b. 1941)
- 2014 - Henry Presswood, infielder (b. 1921)
- 2015 - Dave Henderson, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1958)
- 2015 - Stanley Johnson, minor league pitcher (b. ~1931)
- 2015 - Joe Strauss, writer (b. ~1961)
- 2018 - Joe Camacho, coach (b. 1928)
- 2018 - Don Jaber, minor league pitcher (b. 1933)
- 2018 - Walter Wilson, minor league pitcher (b. 1924)
- 2019 - Dick Bokelmann, pitcher (b. 1926)
- 2019 - Steve Hodges, minor league pitcher (b. 1966)
- 2020 - Phil Niekro, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer (b. 1939)
- 2020 - Lai-Chang Wei, college coach; Taiwan Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1928)
- 2021 - Carroll Land, college coach
- 2022 - Stefan Wever, pitcher (b. 1958)
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