February 24
From BR Bullpen
| Stats of players who were born this day | |
| Stats of players who died on this day | |
| Standings on this day | |
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| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on February 24.
Events[edit]
- 1886 - Kansas City hires 30-year-old Dave Rowe to manage the Cowboys.
- 1896 - The National League adopts changes in the National Agreement. The minor leagues are divided into six classifications based on population, and new draft fees are instituted. The league also forbids players from deliberately soiling baseballs, and declares that "a ball cutting the corners of the home plate, and being requisite height, must be called a strike." It also empowers umpires to eject players.
- 1917 - Smoky Joe Wood, his arm dead at 26, is sold by the Boston Red Sox to Cleveland for $15,000. He will become an outfielder after one last, losing start on the mound, and will play five more years.
- 1926 - Southpaw Eddie Plank, winner of 327 games in 17 years, dies at 51 in his native Gettysburg, PA.
- 1943 - The Texas League announces it will suspend operations for the duration of the war. The St. Louis Cardinals, with 260 farm players in the service, will reduce farm clubs from 22 to 6. Only nine minor leagues will start the 1943 season. Advertisements for players appear in The Sporting News.
- 1948 - The Chicago White Sox trade Ed Lopat to the New York Yankees for Aaron Robinson, Bill Wight and Fred Bradley. Lopat will star for seven seasons in pinstripes, winning 21 in 1951 and going 16-4 in 1953. Robinson's main value to the Sox will come at the end of the season when he's swapped for another lefty pitcher, Billy Pierce.
- 1966 - University of Southern California pitcher Tom Seaver is signed by the Braves. The deal will later be voided, and the USC stand-out will be selected by the New York Mets in a special draft.
- 1977 - The Oakland A's trade Ron Fairly to the Toronto Blue Jays for minor leaguer Mike Weathers and cash. The Macon, Georgia native, who played with the Montreal Expos from 1969 to 1974, will become the first major leaguer to appear with both Canadian teams.
- 1986 - San Diego Padres manager Dick Williams resigns during spring training and will be replaced by Steve Boros.
- 1990 - Former Boston Red Sox slugger Tony Conigliaro dies of pneumonia and kidney failure at the age of 45. Conigliaro was the youngest American League player ever to reach 100 career home runs and then was nearly blinded by a 1967 beaning.
- 2000 - The National Labor Relations Board certifies the results of the November election that kicked out the Major League Umpires Association and replaced it with the newly-formed World Umpires Association. About 50 of the 71 major league umpires have joined the new union. The decision ends Richie Phillips' 21-year reign as union chief.
- 2003 - In the wake of Steve Bechler's death, Commissioner Bud Selig decides to ban the use of ephedra in the minor leagues. Players on the current 40-man major league rosters, which would have included the 23-year-old Oriole pitcher who died on February 23rd, are not prohibited to use the supplement because, as union members, they are already covered by the drug-testing rules of the new collective bargaining agreement, which bans only drugs of abuse and certain illegal steroids.
- 2010 - The Rangers get some bad news as All-Star OF Josh Hamilton, whose 2009 season was curtailed by a string of injuries after a breakthrough 2008 campaign, leaves the first workout of spring training with a bruised left shoulder. Hamilton injures himself diving to catch a pop-up. However, he will recover to become the American League MVP.
- 2011:
- 1B Miguel Cabrera returns to the Tigers training camp, one week after his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving. He apologizes to teammates, team management, family and fans for the incident and has agreed to enter a treatment program. MLB officials warn him that "any future alcohol-related incidents could involve more serious consequences".
- Major League Baseball announces that three of its most experienced umpires have decided to retire. They are Jerry Crawford, who umpired his first game in 1977, making him the majors' longest-serving official, and was head of the Umpires Union, along with Mike Reilly and Chuck Meriwether. To replace them, Scott Barry and Brian Knight, both with major league umpiring experience as fill-ins, are added to the umpiring staff. Three other veterans retired before the 2010 season, and four new umpires were brought on at the time as the cadre is undergoing a renewal.
- 2013 - The Yankees lose a big piece of their projected line-up when LF Curtis Granderson suffers a broken forearm after being struck by a pitch by Toronto's J.A. Happ in the 1st inning of a Grapefruit League game in Tampa, FL. The Yanks' most prolific home run hitter over the past two seasons is expected to be out for ten weeks.
Births[edit]
- 1873 - Joe Dolan, infielder (d. 1938)
- 1874 - Con Lucid, pitcher (d. 1931)
- 1874 - Honus Wagner, infielder, manager; Hall of Famer (d. 1955)
- 1875 - Monte Beville, catcher (d. 1955)
- 1877 - Champ Osteen, infielder (d. 1962)
- 1881 - Bill Lindsay, infielder (d. 1963)
- 1882 - Bugs Raymond, pitcher (d. 1912)
- 1892 - Wilbur Cooper, pitcher (d. 1973)
- 1896 - Bill Bagwell, outfielder (d. 1976)
- 1898 - John Henry Russell, infielder; All-Star (d. 1972)
- 1899 - Pinky Pittinger, infielder (d. 1977)
- 1902 - Cap Crossley, minor league player and manager (d. 1968)
- 1902 - Louis English, catcher (d. 1976)
- 1902 - Yellow Horse Morris, pitcher (d. 1959)
- 1905 - Lynn Nelson, pitcher (d. 1955)
- 1906 - Ted Shaw, pitcher (d. 1966)
- 1907 - Earl Grace, catcher (d. 1980)
- 1907 - Bob Seeds, outfielder (d. 1993)
- 1909 - Steamboat Struss, pitcher (d. 1985)
- 1910 - Fred Sington, outfielder (d. 1998)
- 1911 - Gerard Lipscomb, infielder (d. 1978)
- 1911 - Johnny Oulliber, outfielder (d. 1980)
- 1914 - Ernest Sowada, minor league pitcher (d. 2011)
- 1919 - Joe Ferebee, college coach (d. 2020)
- 1919 - Del Wilber, catcher, manager (d. 2002)
- 1924 - Hiroyoshi Takano, NPB pitcher (d. 2013)
- 1926 - Gene Menges, college coach (d. 2016)
- 1927 - George Wehmeyer, minor league infielder (d. 2003)
- 1928 - Charles Lindquist, minor league pitcher and manager (d. 2008)
- 1928 - Bubba Phillips, infielder (d. 1993)
- 1929 - Lee Carey, minor league infielder (d. 2014)
- 1934 - Art Williams, umpire (d. 1979)
- 1936 - Nancy Bea, musician
- 1938 - Jim Rantz, minor league player and manager
- 1944 - Osamu Ida, Japanese national team outfielder
- 1945 - Gary Moore, outfielder
- 1945 - Kimiyasu Murakami, NPB catcher
- 1951 - Frank Ortenzio, infielder
- 1953 - Frank Riccelli, pitcher
- 1953 - Mike Sember, infielder
- 1954 - Dave Edwards, outfielder
- 1956 - Eddie Murray, infielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer
- 1957 - Matias Baruch, minor league pitcher
- 1959 - Bryan Kelly, pitcher
- 1960 - Nick Esasky, infielder
- 1961 - Ken Kinnard, minor league outfielder
- 1962 - Jung-Kuei Huang, CPBL pitcher
- 1962 - Ricardo Sáenz, outfielder; Salón de la Fama
- 1963 - Matias Carrillo, outfielder
- 1964 - Rene Arocha, pitcher
- 1966 - Darrin Reichle, minor league pitcher
- 1966 - Rod Brewer, infielder
- 1969 - Mike Crosby, minor league catcher
- 1971 - Quincy Boyd, scout
- 1972 - Dan DiPace, minor league outfielder
- 1972 - Randy Donisthorpe, minor league pitcher (d. 1996)
- 1973 - Stubby Clapp, infielder/outfielder
- 1974 - Mike Lowell, infielder; All-Star
- 1976 - Nakia Hill, scout
- 1976 - Randy Keisler, pitcher
- 1977 - Bronson Arroyo, pitcher; All-Star
- 1977 - Min-Lan Hsu, CPBL infielder
- 1977 - Gustavo Olano, Cuban league outfielder (d. 2009)
- 1977 - Yang-Chih Tseng, CPBL infielder
- 1978 - Jhonny Pantoja, minor league pitcher
- 1978 - Steve Torrealba, catcher
- 1978 - Dewayne Wise, outfielder
- 1979 - Brian Esposito, catcher
- 1979 - Dennis Tankersley, pitcher
- 1980 - Rick Elder, minor league outfielder
- 1981 - Rob Bowen, catcher
- 1981 - Paul McAnulty, outfielder
- 1982 - Nick Blackburn, pitcher
- 1982 - Woon-Yee Cheuk, Hong Kong women's national team infielder
- 1982 - J.D. Durbin, pitcher
- 1982 - Gustavo Molina, catcher
- 1984 - Casey Smith, minor league infielder
- 1985 - Alexandr Sapronov, Russian national team infielder
- 1986 - Atsushi Kobayashi, NPB pitcher
- 1987 - Sean Ratliff, minor league outfielder and manager
- 1988 - Ginji Akaminai, NPB infielder
- 1988 - Dwayne Kemp, minor league infielder
- 1988 - Jae-won Lee, KBO catcher
- 1988 - Chris Parmelee, outfielder
- 1988 - Dayron Varona, minor league outfielder
- 1989 - Samuel Gonzalez, minor league catcher
- 1989 - Dave Herssens, First Division catcher
- 1989 - Miguel Rojas, infielder
- 1990 - Yoimer Camacho, minor league pitcher
- 1990 - Jason Coats, outfielder
- 1990 - Eury De La Rosa, pitcher
- 1990 - Hae-min Park, KBO outfielder
- 1990 - Kevin Torres, minor league catcher and manager
- 1991 - Samantha Cobb, US women's national team outfielder
- 1991 - Yefri Perez, outfielder
- 1992 - Tsz-Chin Dora Lau, Hong Kong and Great Britain women's national team infielder
- 1992 - Natalie Rawlings, Australian women's national team infielder
- 1993 - Astrid Rodríguez, Venezuelan women's national team infielder
- 1993 - José Rojas, infielder
- 1993 - Carlos Sano, minor league pitcher
- 1993 - Robert Stephenson, pitcher
- 1994 - Tzu-Hsien Chan, CPBL outfielder
- 1994 - Bubba Derby, minor league pitcher
- 1994 - Kota Nakagawa, NPB pitcher
- 1995 - Nathanael Batista, Serie A1 player
- 1995 - Ching-Wen Hu, Taiwanese women's national team pitcher
- 1995 - Hyun-sik Jang, KBO pitcher
- 1995 - Chance Sisco, catcher
- 1995 - Chamika Yasas, Sri Lankan national team pitcher
- 1996 - Michael Stefanic, infielder
- 1997 - José Herrera, catcher
- 1997 - Gustavo Varas, Ecuadorian national team infielder
- 1999 - MacKenzie Gore, pitcher
- 2003 - Allan Chu, Chilean national team infielder
Deaths[edit]
- 1881 - Molly Moore, infielder
- 1889 - Jim McElroy, pitcher (b. 1862)
- 1912 - Lewis Martin, umpire (b. 1844)
- 1915 - Marc Hall, pitcher (b. 1887)
- 1915 - Adonis Terry, pitcher (b. 1864)
- 1923 - Fred Boyd, outfielder (b. 1898)
- 1926 - Eddie Plank, pitcher; Hall of Famer (b. 1875)
- 1927 - Charlie Bennett, catcher (b. 1854)
- 1935 - Joe Moffett, infielder (b. 1859)
- 1940 - Eugene Van Court, umpire (b. 1856)
- 1947 - Jack Glasscock, infielder, manager (b. 1857)
- 1949 - Ted Scheffler, outfielder (b. 1864)
- 1953 - Lenny Metz, infielder (b. 1899)
- 1957 - Bugs Reisigl, pitcher (b. 1887)
- 1960 - Uke Clanton, infielder (b. 1898)
- 1961 - Oscar Major, minor league infielder and manager (b. ????)
- 1963 - Jack Harding, college coach (b. 1898)
- 1964 - Henry Baldwin, infielder (b. 1894)
- 1967 - Jake Propst, pinch hitter (b. 1895)
- 1976 - Carey Selph, infielder (b. 1901)
- 1977 - Sal Madrid, infielder (b. 1920)
- 1989 - Sparky Adams, infielder (b. 1894)
- 1990 - Tony Conigliaro, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1945)
- 1991 - Joe Munson, outfielder (b. 1899)
- 1994 - Jim McKnight, infielder (b. 1936)
- 1995 - Woody Williams, infielder (b. 1912)
- 1999 - Corito Varona, minor league manager (b. 1910)
- 1999 - Johnnie Wittig, pitcher (b. 1914)
- 2001 - Phil Collier, writer (b. 1925)
- 2001 - Kusuo Tanaka, NPB outfielder (b. 1935)
- 2009 - John Baggs, college coach (b. 1965)
- 2012 - Agnes Allen, AAGPBL pitcher (b. 1930)
- 2012 - Terry Mathews, pitcher (b. 1964)
- 2012 - Jay Ward, infielder (b. 1938)
- 2013 - Phil Noto, minor league infielder (b. 1926)
- 2016 - Toshinobu Sueyoshi, NPB pitcher (b. 1927)
- 2018 - Don Ervin, minor league outfielder (b. 1932)
- 2019 - Dick Bergquist, college coach (b. 1932)
- 2019 - Johnny Romano, catcher; All-Star (b. 1934)
- 2020 - Joe DeLucca, scout (b. 1929)
- 2024 - John Oldham, pinch runner (b. 1932)
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