January 14
From BR Bullpen
| Stats of players who were born this day | |
| Stats of players who died on this day | |
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| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on January 14.
Events[edit]
- 1882 - Philadelphia officials, justifiably proud of their new multi-purpose baseball park, Recreation Park, declare that it "will be placed in first-class condition for base ball, football, lacrosse and lawn-tennis; also bicycle and pedestrian performances."
- 1891 - The National League votes to allow the American Association to place a team in Boston, despite the vehement opposition of the owners of the Boston Beaneaters NL club.
- 1892 - Former Chicago White Stockings star catcher Frank (Silver) Flint dies of consumption at age 36.
- 1893 - The Cuban Giants, perhaps the nation's best black baseball team, announce their desire to join the proposed Middle States League. Their application is rejected.
- 1896 - A Chicago jury acquits Colts outfielder Walt Wilmot of charges of violating the Sabbath law by playing Sunday baseball last year. Charges against other players are subsequently dropped, and the way is cleared for future Sunday ball in Chicago.
- 1905 - New York Giants owner John T. Brush, who refused to play the American League pennant winners Boston Americans in 1904, proposes rules governing future World Series.
- 1911 - The St. Louis Browns name star shortstop Bobby Wallace as their new manager. The future Hall of Famer will perform dual duties until 1912, when he will surrender his managerial position but continue as an active player.
- 1914 - Former major league outfielder Walt Goldsby commits suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
- 1916 - Lee Magee, formerly the player-manager of the Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the Federal League, is sold to the Yankees for about $25,000.
- 1919 - John McGraw, Charles A. Stoneham, and Tammany Hall politician Judge Francis X. McQuade buy controlling interest in the New York Giants from the John Brush estate. Having drawn just 265,000 fans in 1918, the club is sold at a bargain price. The three will spend many days in courtrooms fighting among themselves, and fending off government charges about Stoneham's business practices.
- 1922:
- Outfielder Clyde Milan is named the new manager of the Washington Senators. Milan took over for George McBride at the end of last season after McBride was hit in the face with a ball during batting practice. McBride began suffering vertigo and fainting spells and relinquished the manager's job.
- Ben Shibe, half-owner and president of the Philadelphia Athletics since 1906, dies at 84. A partner in the Al Reach Sporting Goods company, Shibe invented the machinery that made possible the manufacture of standard baseballs.
- 1928 - Alfred J. Reach, founder of the A.J. Reach sporting goods firm, dies at 87. Before 1860, Reach became the first ballplayer to receive a regular salary when he signed as a catcher with the Philadelphia Athletics for $25 a week.
- 1932 - Babe Ruth rejects a Yankees offer of $70,000, as the major leagues vow to cut salaries by $1 million.
- 1935 - Outfielder Bing Miller is purchased by the Boston Red Sox from the Philadelphia Athletics.
- 1940 - Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis gives free agency to 91 Detroit Tigers players and farm hands. Citing cover-ups of the movement of players within its organization, Landis hands freedom to Roy Cullenbine, Benny McCoy, Dutch Dietz, and Steve Rachunok from the parent roster and orders $47,250 paid as compensation to 14 players. Johnny Sain is one of 23 players who will later make it to the major leagues. Landis's edict also nullifies a deal that would have brought the Philadelphia Athletics' Wally Moses to the Tigers.
- 1954 - Former Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio marries actress Marilyn Monroe.
- 1960 - Charles Comiskey, Jr., says Bill Veeck has turned down his offer to buy the Chicago White Sox.
- 1963 - In a blockbuster seven-player trade, the Chicago White Sox send shortstop Luis Aparicio and outfielder Al Smith to the Baltimore Orioles for pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm, outfielder Dave Nicholson, third baseman Pete Ward and shortstop Ron Hansen. In the upcoming season, Wilhelm will save 21 games while Aparicio will lead the American League in stolen bases with 40.
- 1966 - The Cleveland Indians trade outfielder Lou Clinton to the New York Yankees for catcher Doc Edwards, who won't play again in the majors until 1970, with the Philadelphia Phillies.
- 1970 - Johnny Murphy, the New York Mets general manager who saw his team rise from the National League cellar to the World Championship, dies of a heart attack at age 61. Murphy was a top relief pitcher for the New York Yankees in the 1930s and early 1940s.
- 1976 - Ted Turner completes his purchase of 100% of the Atlanta Braves.
- 1981 - Frank Robinson is named manager of the San Francisco Giants, replacing Dave Bristol. In 1975, Robinson became the first African-American manager in major league history when he was hired by the Cleveland Indians and will now be the first one on the history of the National League.
- 1986 - Picking first in the January draft, Cleveland selects pitcher Jeff Shaw. The Pirates, selecting second, take outfielder Moises Alou. It will be the last time the January draft is held: from now on all draft-eligible players will be part of a single pool for selection in the June Amateur Draft.
- 1987 - Catfish Hunter and Billy Williams are elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA. Hunter made his name as the ace of the Oakland Athletics pitching staff in their World Championship years in the mid-1970s and made his fortune as one of the first rated free agents. Williams set a National League record by playing in 1,117 consecutive games and accumulating 426 home runs and a batting title.
- 1988 - Slugger Bob Horner makes a return to the major leagues by signing a one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. Horner played the 1987 season with the Yakult Swallows of the Japanese Central League, as collusion reduced demand for his services in Major League Baseball to nothing. With St. Louis, Horner will replace Jack Clark at first base.
- 1993 - The Oakland Athletics trade outfielder Harold Baines to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for two minor league pitchers.
- 1994 - The Orioles sign free agent third baseman Chris Sabo, and the Mariners sign pitcher Greg Hibbard.
- 1997 - Free agent pitcher Doug Drabek is signed by the Chicago White Sox.
- 1998 - The Houston Astros trade outfielder James Mouton to the San Diego Padres in exchange for pitcher Sean Bergman.
- 1999 - The Cincinnati Reds sign free agent first baseman Hal Morris, and the Detroit Tigers obtain catcher Brad Ausmus and pitcher C.J. Nitkowski from the Houston Astros in exchange for catcher Paul Bako and four prospects.
- 2000 - The Milwaukee Brewers trade outfielder Alex Ochoa to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Mark Sweeney and a minor league player, and the Kansas City Royals sign free agent pitcher Ricky Bottalico.
- 2001 - The Chicago White Sox obtain pitchers David Wells and Matt DeWitt from the Toronto Blue Jays for pitcher Mike Sirotka, Kevin Beirne and Mike Williams, and outfielder Brian Simmons. Sirotka, the key player obtained by the Jays, will turn out to be injured and will never pitch in the majors again.
- 2002:
- Slugger Barry Bonds avoids arbitration by agreeing to a five-year, $90 million deal with the San Francisco Giants. The contract also calls for a ten-year personal services commitment at the end of his playing days.
- The Chicago Cubs sign free agent outfielder Darren Lewis to a one-year contract.
- 2006:
- Dontrelle Willis, Mark Teixeira and Alfonso Soriano are among the 100 players who file for salary arbitration, the often acrimonious negotiating process that rankles baseball management every winter. Mark Prior, Josh Beckett, Brad Lidge, Adam Dunn, Morgan Ensberg, Brian Roberts, Travis Lee and Scot Shields are some of the other players who file before the deadline. Last year, players in arbitration averaged a 123 percent salary increase.
- Davey Lopes joins the Washington Nationals as their new first base coach.
- Relief pitcher Luis Vizcaino and the Arizona Diamondbacks avoid arbitration by agreeing to a $1,775,000, one-year contract.
- 2008:
- The St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays exchange former All-Star third basemen who have battled injuries in recent years. St. Louis gets Troy Glaus and Toronto Scott Rolen.
- The Atlanta Braves pick up OF Mark Kotsay from the Oakland Athletics for Joey Devine and Jamie Richmond. Kotsay requires medical clearance from Braves doctors after only playing 56 games in 2007.
- 2010:
- The Arizona Diamondbacks sign free agent 1B Andy LaRoche to a one-year contract. He split the 2009 season between the Pirates, Red Sox and Braves, but still managed to have one his most productive years, hitting 25 homers with 83 RBI.
- The Marlins sign a four-year deal worth $39 million with young pitching star Josh Johnson. He joins shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who signed a six-year deal with the Fish in 2008, as the future cornerstones of the franchise.
- The Padres also ink a star player eligible for salary arbitration, closer Heath Bell, who signs a one-year $4 million deal.
- The Tigers agree to terms with free agent reliever Jose Valverde, who played for the Houston Astros last season. As a result of the signing, the Tigers will give up their first pick in the 2010 amateur draft, the first time the team has surrendered its top pick since signing Rob Deer as a free agent in 1991.
- 2011:
- Hiromitsu Ochiai and Mutsuo Minagawa are elected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. Ochiai was the only three-time Triple Crown winner in Nippon Pro Baseball and later guided the Chunichi Dragons to the 2007 Japan Series title. Minagawa was a six-time All-Star who had a career record of 221-139.
- The Oakland A's sign reliever Grant Balfour and the Kansas City Royals add starter Jeff Francis.
- 2012 - Mayaguez wins the first game of the finals of the Puerto Rican League with an emphatic 10 - 1 win over Caguas. Mayaguez bangs out 19 hits; Bobby Livingston is the winner over Matt DeSalvo.
- 2014 - Four pitchers combine on a no-hitter as Escogido clinches a spot in the finals of the Dominican League championship tournament with a 6 - 0 win over Licey. Jon Leicester pitches the first five innings, and three relievers follow suit, with Fernando Rodney completing the no-no by striking out Lonnie Chisenhall for the final out; Ramon Garcia and Armando Rodriguez are the other two pitchers involved.
- 2015:
- The Nationals trade reliever Tyler Clippard to Oakland for SS Yunel Escobar, who joined the A's a few days ago in the trade for Ben Zobrist.
- Media reports, which will be confirmed quickly, indicate that the Braves have traded C Evan Gattis to Houston for three prospects, Ps Mike Foltynewicz and Andrew Thurman and IF Rio Ruiz. P James Hoyt accompanies Gattis to Houston.
- 2016 - The St. Petersburg, FL city council votes to allow the Tampa Bay Rays to explore potential ballpark sites outside the city, including in Tampa, FL across the Bay. The team has played in St. Pete since its creation in the expansion of 1998, but has been unable to find an appropriate site for new digs there, while being held prisoner by a long-term lease in outdated Tropicana Field.
- 2018 - For anyone who likes high-scoring games, the Sydney Blue Sox and Perth Heat of the Australian Baseball League lock up in a 22 - 19 slugfest that features 12 homers. As a point of comparison, the highest scoring game of the most recent major league season featured just 32 runs, and the most homers hit in a game was ten.
- 2019 - Kyler Murray, Oakland's top pick in the 2018 amateur draft and winner of the Heisman Trophy as a star quarterback for the University of Oklahoma, announces that he has declared for the upcoming NFL draft hours before the midnight ET limit for doing so. He is expected to be selected early in the first round, but the A's could still convince him to forgo a football career by sweetening the contract they reached with him last summer.
- 2020:
- The sign-stealing scandal claims another victim, as one day after Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch lost their job, Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who was fingered by Major League Baseball for his participation in the scheme when he was Hinch's bench coach in 2017, is let go as well before MLB can complete its investigation on his role in a similar scheme concocted by the Sox in 2018. This does not close the book on the matter, however, as he and the team will also likely be issued harsh penalties at some later date.
- 3B Josh Donaldson, one of the best free agents still on the market, signs a four-year deal with the Twins worth $92 million, after being named the NL Comeback Player of the Year with the Braves last season.
- The 2020 Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame Election has no one picked by the players division for the first time, leading vote-getter Shingo Takatsu falling seven votes shy. The experts division votes in slugging catcher Koichi Tabuchi, while the special division names college coaches Yukichi Maeda and Renzo Ishii.
- 2021 - The 2021 Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame Election, like last year, again has no players selected in the players division - and this time, none make it on the experts division either, leading to calls to change their procedures. The only inductees come from the special division - national team manager Katsuji Kawashima and historian Kazuo Sayama.
- 2022 - This year, two players are selected in the 2022 Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame Election as 219-game winner Masahiro Yamamoto and Shingo Takatsu, the former saves record holder in NPB (despite having spent time in the majors as well). Randy Bass just misses on the expert divisions ballot while Shigeyoshi Matsumae is picked on the special division ballot.
Births[edit]
- 1828 - Joe Leggett, pre-MLB catcher (d. 1894)
- 1856 - Curry Foley, outfielder (d. 1898)
- 1867 - Bill Kling, pitcher (d. 1934)
- 1868 - John Newell, infielder (d. 1919)
- 1868 - Thomas C. Noyes, owner (d. 1912)
- 1871 - Art Madison, infielder (d. 1933)
- 1880 - Paddy Livingston, catcher (d. 1977)
- 1882 - Cy Alberts, pitcher (d. 1917)
- 1885 - Todd Allen, pinch-hitter; manager (d. 1971)
- 1885 - John Perrine, infielder (d. 1948)
- 1891 - John Shovlin, infielder (d. 1976)
- 1892 - Billy Meyer, catcher, manager (d. 1957)
- 1894 - Art Decatur, pitcher (d. 1966)
- 1898 - Dick Wheeler, outfielder (d. 1962)
- 1899 - Ralph Miller, pitcher (d. 1967)
- 1902 - Smead Jolley, outfielder (d. 1991)
- 1903 - Phil Piton, minor league executive (d. 1983)
- 1903 - Russ Scarritt, outfielder (d. 1994)
- 1907 - Chet Brewer, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1990)
- 1908 - Catfish Smith, college coach (d. 1988)
- 1911 - Hank Gornicki, pitcher (d. 1996)
- 1914 - Manny Russo, minor league infielder and manager (d. ????)
- 1915 - Bob Joyce, pitcher (d. 1981)
- 1921 - Akira Iwamoto, NPB outfielder (d. 1993)
- 1922 - Hank Biasatti, infielder (d. 1996)
- 1923 - Ken Johnson, pitcher (d. 2004)
- 1929 - John Morse, minor league infielder (d. 2014)
- 1929 - Emo Murphy, minor league executive (d. 2013)
- 1930 - Pete Daley, catcher (d. 2024)
- 1930 - Billy Smith, coach
- 1934 - Barry Holtgrewe, college coach (d. 2022)
- 1936 - Shoichi Busujima, NPB outfielder (d. 2023)
- 1937 - Sonny Siebert, pitcher; All-Star
- 1938 - Yoshikazu Hamanaka, NPB infielder
- 1939 - Tim Talton, catcher (d. 2021)
- 1939 - Sandy Valdespino, outfielder (d. 2023)
- 1940 - Larry Gallagher, umpire (d. 2022)
- 1942 - Dave Campbell, infielder
- 1942 - Billy Parker, infielder (d. 2003)
- 1943 - Ron Clark, infielder
- 1943 - Dave Marshall, outfielder (d. 2019)
- 1945 - John Thibdeau, minor league pitcher (d. 2012)
- 1946 - Lee Robinson, minor league catcher
- 1948 - Roberto Mansur Galán, minor league executive
- 1951 - Derrel Thomas, infielder
- 1952 - Terry Forster, pitcher
- 1952 - Wayne Gross, infielder; All-Star
- 1954 - Danny Boone, pitcher
- 1955 - Masaaki Iwashita, NPB outfielder
- 1957 - Tony Brizzolara, pitcher
- 1959 - Jeff Keener, pitcher
- 1960 - Ross Jones, infielder
- 1961 - Joe Redfield, infielder
- 1961 - Jesus Tiamo, minor league catcher/first baseman; bullpen catcher
- 1962 - Gary Green, infielder
- 1963 - Mike Brown, coach
- 1965 - Chris Jefts, scout
- 1966 - Rafael Rojano, minor league pitcher
- 1967 - Paul Fletcher, pitcher
- 1967 - Koichi Ozawa, NPB infielder
- 1969 - Keith Fluet, Canadian national team outfielder
- 1970 - Steve Cooke, pitcher
- 1970 - Tatsuya Shindo, NPB infielder
- 1971 - Futoshi Yamabe, NPB pitcher
- 1973 - Troy Brohawn, pitcher
- 1973 - Rod Myers, outfielder
- 1973 - Jonathan Petke, minor league player
- 1974 - Mike Frank, outfielder
- 1974 - Chris Smith, minor league infielder
- 1976 - Pat Daneker, pitcher
- 1978 - Chris Barski, minor league catcher
- 1978 - Yao-Yuan Hsu, CPBL outfielder
- 1980 - Angel Batista, minor league outfielder
- 1980 - Jérôme Rousseau, Division Elite outfielder
- 1980 - Muhammad Abu Bakar Ul Sid Siddiqui, Pakistani national team outfielder
- 1980 - Matt Wade, minor league pitcher
- 1981 - Ulli Wermuth, Bundesliga outfielder and manager
- 1982 - Carlos De la Cruz, minor league pitcher
- 1982 - Adam Heether, minor league infielder
- 1982 - Steve Sanfilippo, college coach
- 1984 - Erick Aybar, infielder; All-Star
- 1984 - Stefan Gartrell, minor league outfielder
- 1984 - Mike Pelfrey, pitcher
- 1985 - Grant Ledbetter, college coach
- 1985 - Dianisleidis Moreno, Cuban women's national team pitcher
- 1986 - Chinbat Saintsogt, Mongolian national team outfielder
- 1987 - Logan Forsythe, infielder
- 1987 - Jeff Lyman, minor league pitcher
- 1987 - Adrian Ortiz, minor league outfielder
- 1988 - Yu-Hao Cheng, Taiwanese national team pitcher
- 1989 - Adam Kolarek, pitcher
- 1990 - Danilo Álvarez, minor league pitcher
- 1990 - J.R. Graham, pitcher
- 1991 - Aaron Altherr, outfielder
- 1991 - Stephen Piscotty, outfielder
- 1991 - Todd Van Steensel, minor league pitcher
- 1993 - Jose Herrera, minor league infielder
- 1993 - Dovydas Neverauskas, pitcher
- 1993 - Boog Powell, outfielder
- 1994 - Oriel Caicedo, minor league pitcher
- 1994 - Leonel Cespedes, Division Elite pitcher
- 1994 - John Pu'e, American Samoa national team outfielder
- 1995 - Edgar Rondon, minor league infielder
- 1996 - Yunqi Song, minor league outfielder
- 1997 - Pedro Avila, pitcher
- 1998 - Sam Huff, catcher
- 1999 - Chak-Pong Paul Ip, Hong Kong national team pitcher
- 1999 - Mat Nelson, minor league catcher
- 1996 - Koshiro Wada, NPB outfielder
- 2002 - Chen-Hsun Lee, minor league pitcher
- 2002 - Seoung-bin Son, KBO catcher
Deaths[edit]
- 1892 - Silver Flint, catcher, manager (b. 1855)
- 1895 - Ed Silch, outfielder (b. 1865)
- 1908 - Sim Bullas, catcher (b. 1863)
- 1908 - Henry Krug, infielder/outfielder (b. 1876)
- 1909 - Togie Pittinger, pitcher (b. 1872)
- 1913 - Hal O'Hagan, infielder (b. 1869)
- 1920 - William Hyndman, pitcher/outfielder (b. 1854)
- 1922 - Ben Shibe, owner (b. 1938)
- 1928 - Al Reach, outfielder, manager (b. 1840)
- 1929 - Fred Hayner, pitcher (b. 1871)
- 1931 - Hardy Richardson, infielder (b. 1855)
- 1931 - Slim Norris, infielder (b. 1907)
- 1935 - Irv Young, pitcher (b. 1877)
- 1937 - Ed Trumbull, outfielder (b. 1860)
- 1940 - Fred Lincoln, umpire (b. 1878)
- 1945 - Ted Blankenship, pitcher (b. 1901)
- 1945 - Ernie Hrovatic, minor league outfielder (b. 1922)
- 1948 - Art Benedict, infielder (b. 1862)
- 1948 - George Carr, infielder (b. 1894)
- 1950 - Jim Shollenberger, minor league catcher-outfielder and manager (b. 1892)
- 1950 - Bill Thomas, outfielder (b. 1877)
- 1952 - Rube Sellers, outfielder (b. 1881)
- 1952 - Buddy Yovanovich, minor league catcher (b. ~1916)
- 1953 - Charlie Small, outfielder (b. 1905)
- 1958 - Percy Miller, pitcher; manager (b. 1897)
- 1959 - John Ganzel, infielder, manager (b. 1874)
- 1961 - John Cavanaugh, infielder (b. 1900)
- 1962 - Les Mann, outfielder (b. 1893)
- 1962 - Pep Young, infielder (b. 1907)
- 1965 - Bill Hopper, pitcher (b. 1890)
- 1966 - Tex Neuer, pitcher (b. 1877)
- 1966 - Sidney Weil, owner (b. 1891)
- 1968 - Bill Black, infielder (b. 1899)
- 1970 - Johnny Murphy, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1908)
- 1974 - Lloyd Brown, pitcher (b. 1904)
- 1974 - Jay Partridge, infielder (b. 1902)
- 1982 - Jesse Hubbard, pitcher/outfielder, manager (b. 1895)
- 1984 - Ray Kroc, owner (b. 1902)
- 1988 - Robert Dant, minor league catcher and manager (b. 1923)
- 2000 - Bud Barbee, pitcher/outfielder (b. 1914)
- 2003 - Earl Lawson, writer (b. 1923)
- 2003 - John Ritchey, catcher (b. 1923)
- 2007 - Richard Ronovsky, minor league outfielder (b. 1921)
- 2008 - Don Cardwell, pitcher (b. 1935)
- 2009 - Mike Derrick, infielder (b. 1943)
- 2012 - Ritsuo Horimoto, NPB pitcher (b. 1930)
- 2014 - Esther Ann Hershey, AAGPBL player (b. 1928)
- 2014 - Kunihisa Taneda, NPB infielder (b. 1931)
- 2015 - Yeralf Torres, minor league pitcher (b. 1995)
- 2016 - Frank Staucet, minor league infielder
- 2018 - Ray Bellino, scout (b. 1932)
- 2018 - Ramón Montoya, minor league infielder; Salón de la Fama (b. 1934)
- 2019 - Dick Brodowski, pitcher (b. 1932)
- 2019 - Jim Clark, outfielder (b. 1947)
- 2019 - Jess Duran, minor league outfielder (b. 1932)
- 2019 - Max Eller, minor league pitcher (b. 1928)
- 2019 - Eli Grba, pitcher (b. 1934)
- 2021 - John LaRose, pitcher (b. 1951)
- 2021 - Ron Samford, infielder (b. 1930)
- 2022 - John Mayotte, college coach (b. 1942)
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