January 15
From BR Bullpen
| Stats of players who were born this day | |
| Stats of players who died on this day | |
| Standings on this day | |
| Permanent link to Today's Entry | |
| Sources | |
| Baseball Library Chronology | |
| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on January 15.
Events[edit]
- 1885 - At a Union Association meeting held in Milwaukee, WI, only two clubs show up, the Milwaukee Grays and the Kansas City Unions. It is decided to disband the league after only one season.
- 1888:
- The Texas League is organized when the following six cities are awarded franchises: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Galveston, Houston, and San Antonio.
- In San Francisco, CA, New York Giants pitcher George Van Haltren tosses a no-hitter against the St. Louis Browns in an exhibition game. The only solidly hit ball is a Tip O'Neill line drive caught by first baseman Buck Ewing.
- 1912 - Former Brooklyn Superbas pitcher Elmer Stricklett, said to be the inventor of the spitball, is reinstated by the National Commission after playing outside organized baseball for three years. But he will not make it back to the major leagues.
- 1927 - The Washington Senators trade shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh to the Chicago White Sox for pitchers Leo Mangum and Sloppy Thurston. Peckinpaugh will hit .295 for the White Sox but will retire after the season.
- 1934 - New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth signs a one-year contract worth $35,000. While the contract is considered a lucrative one for the times, it represents a pay cut of $17,000 for "The Babe" .
- 1936:
- IRS figures for 1934 show Branch Rickey as the highest-paid man in Major League Baseball at $49,470. Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis had voluntarily taken a cut in 1933 from $65,000 to $40,000 because of the Depression.
- Horace Stoneham is elected president of the New York Giants, succeeding his late father, Charles. Stoneham, at age 32, will remain president for the next 40 years, presiding over its move to San Francisco, CA, before selling the team in 1976.
- In Japan, the Chunichi Dragons of Nagoya are officially formed. Eight days later, the Hankyu Braves of Nishinomiya are formed.
- The first trade in the history of Nippon Pro Baseball occurs when the Tokyo Giants send Yukio Eguchi and Nobuaki Nidegawa to the Nagoya Golden Dolphins for... nothing. Nidegawa retires without ever playing a game for Nagoya.
- 1942:
- US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sends his famed "Green Light Letter" to Commissioner Judge Landis, encouraging Major League Baseball to continue playing during World War II. President Roosevelt states that he believes playing the sport would be good for Americans and encourages the owners to have more games at night to give war workers an opportunity to attend games. Despite a loss of many star players to military service, all 16 teams will continue to play regular schedules for the duration of the war. Ironically, the Chicago Cubs, who had signed an agreement with a contractor to install lights at Wrigley Field, drop their plans because of the military's need for the material. It will take 35 more years before lights are finally installed at the venerable ballpark.
- 1957 - The Brooklyn Dodgers extend their five-year lease on Ebbets Field by signing a new three-year lease with real estate developer Marvin Kratter, who bought the field in 1953. A year later, the Dodgers will call the City of Los Angeles their new home.
- 1958 - The New York Yankees announce that 140 games will be televised this season. The deal is worth over one million dollars. Six days later, the Philadelphia Phillies agree to televise 78 games into the New York City area, which is without National League baseball for the first time since the league's inception in 1876.
- 1959 - The Texas League makes a radical rule change, allowing pitchers to automatically signal an intentional walk. The rule change eliminates the need for the pitcher to intentionally throw four pitches out of the strike zone.
- 1964:
- Major League Baseball executives vote to hold a free agent draft in New York City. A new TV pact is also signed.
- San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays, the highest-paid player in major league baseball, signs for $105,000.
- 1970 - The Oakland Athletics trade catcher Phil Roof, outfielder Mike Hershberger and pitchers Lew Krausse and Ken Sanders to the Seattle Pilots for first baseman Don Mincher and infielder Ron Clark.
- 1981 - Pitcher Bob Gibson is elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Gibson, who needed 301 votes for election, is named on 337 ballots by the Baseball Writers Association of America. In 17 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Gibson won 251 games, struck out 3,117 batters, compiled a 2.91 ERA, won 20 games five times, and earned two World Championship rings. In 1968, Gibson enjoyed his best season ever, going 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA and captured the Cy Young Award. Players falling short of the 301 votes needed for election include Don Drysdale (243), Gil Hodges (241), Harmon Killebrew (239), Hoyt Wilhelm (238) and Juan Marichal (233).
- 1990 - Central League star Cecil Fielder signs a contract with the Detroit Tigers. Fielder, who had blasted 38 home runs for the Hanshin Tigers in 1989, will hit 51 home runs this season and become one of the premier power hitters in the American League for most of the 1990s.
- 1993 - Free agent shortstop Dick Schofield signs a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.
- 1998 - The Chicago Cubs sign free agent relief pitcher Rod Beck to a one-year contract.
- 1999 - Two free agent relief pitchers are signed, Heathcliff Slocumb by the Baltimore Orioles, and Mike Mohler by the St. Louis Cardinals.
- 2002 - All-Star outfielder Gary Sheffield is traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for outfielder Brian Jordan, pitcher Odalis Perez and a minor league player. The deal ends Sheffield's stormy tenure with the Dodgers.
- 2006:
- The Los Angeles Angels agree to multiyear contracts with IF/OF Chone Figgins and OF Juan Rivera. The versatile Figgins gets a $10.5 million, three-year deal, and Rivera agrees to a $3,275,000, two-year contract.
- The Dodgers acquire All-Star relievers Danys Baez and Lance Carter from Tampa Bay for two pitching prospects.
- Jason Bay, Justin Morneau, Erik Bedard, Jeff Francis, Rhéal Cormier, Paul Quantrill, Matt Stairs and Corey Koskie are among 23 players named to Canada's 30-man roster for the inaugural World Baseball Classic.
- 2008 - The Atlanta Braves announce that they are cutting ties with the Richmond Braves after 42 years of affiliation due to disputes over management of The Diamond, Richmond's ballpark. Atlanta will move the club to a new stadium in Gwinnett County, Georgia.
- 2009 - The Los Angeles Dodgers release OF Andruw Jones barely a year after signing him for $36.2 million. Jones only hit 3 home runs in 75 games for the team in 2008, with a .158 batting average, battling weight and knee problems.
- 2010:
- The Padres trade 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff to the Athletics for OFs Aaron Cunningham and Scott Hairston. Minor league infielder Eric Sogard accompanies Kouzmanoff on the road to Oakland.
- The Diamondbacks designate OF Eric Byrnes for assignment. He signed a three-year contract extension after a great 2007 season, but has not been productive since, hitting .218 in 136 games while being constantly bothered by injuries. The D-Backs are on the hook for $11 million left on his contract.
- 2011 - Shaken by the loss of six members of their bullpen over the off-season, the Tampa Bay Rays sign P Kyle Farnsworth to a one-year contract.
- 2012 - Three pitchers find new homes today: Bartolo Colon agrees to a deal with Oakland; Joel Zumaya comes to terms with the Twins; and Joel Pineiro signs with the Phillies.
- 2013 - The Nationals sign Yankees closer Rafael Soriano to a two-year contract for $28 million.
- 2014 - The Dodgers sign P Clayton Kershaw to the biggest deal in baseball history, as the seven-year, $215 million package averages to $30.7 million per season, making Kershaw the highest-paid player in baseball, a title held until now by Alex Rodriguez. The deal is also the largest ever for a pitcher in total value, although still below Rodriguez's deal, which was for $275 million.
- 2015:
- At the last owners meeting chaired by outgoing Commissioner Bud Selig, owners decide to use a pitch clock during minor league games at the AA and AAA level this season in an experiment to quicken the pace of games.
- The Puerto Rican League issues its 2014-2015 awards. Gigantes de Carolina right fielder Anthony García is named MVP after leading the league in homers and RBI, while ERA record-setter Iván Maldonado is both Pitcher of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year. Infielder T.J. Rivera wins Rookie of the Year and Alex Cora is Manager of the Year.
- 2018 - For the second time this off-season, the Giants acquire an aging franchise player in the hope of extending the team's window of contention. After 3B Evan Longoria, acquired from the Rays a month ago, it is now OF Andrew McCutchen who moves to the West Coast. The Giants send P Kyle Crick, OF Bryan Reynolds and $500,000 in international bonus allocation to the Pirates, who for their part have traded a second star player in three days, after ace pitcher Gerrit Cole.
- 2019 - The 2019 Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame Election results are announced. Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, the all-time NPB doubles leader, is elected on the players ballot. The veterans committee selects Hiroshi Gondo while the special committee picks high school federation executive Haruo Wakimura.
- 2021 - In what has been a quiet off-season thus far, the Yankees make a couple of consequential moves. They re-sign free agent 2B D.J. LeMahieu, the reigning American League batting champion, for six years and $90 million, and also take a flyer on former two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber, who has missed most of the last two seasons because of injuries, for one year at $11 million. Both deals still await official confirmation.
Births[edit]
- 1856 - Charlie Baker, outfielder (d. 1937)
- 1858 - Mike Mansell, outfielder (d. 1902)
- 1868 - Jock Menefee, pitcher (d. 1953)
- 1872 - Bill Fox, infielder (d. 1946)
- 1880 - James Groninger, minor league manager and executive (d. 1944)
- 1881 - Jess Orndorff, catcher (d. 1960)
- 1882 - Ed Kinsella, pitcher (d. 1976)
- 1885 - Grover Lowdermilk, pitcher (d. 1968)
- 1886 - Billy Laval, college coach (d. 1957)
- 1890 - Johnny Nee, scout (d. 1957)
- 1891 - Ray Chapman, infielder (d. 1920)
- 1891 - Leo Townsend, pitcher (d. 1976)
- 1894 - Clyde Wren, minor league outfielder and manager (d. 1955)
- 1897 - Joe Genewich, pitcher (d. 1985)
- 1903 - Tom Oliver, outfielder (d. 1988)
- 1911 - Dick Gordon, writer (d. 2008)
- 1915 - Dick Culler, infielder (d. 1964)
- 1917 - Johnny Rucker, outfielder (d. 1985)
- 1920 - Steve Gromek, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2002)
- 1920 - Harry Lamprich, minor league catcher, manager (d. 2009)
- 1924 - Tsuguo Goto, NPB outfielder and manager (d. 2016)
- 1925 - Alejandro Canales, Nicaraguan national team pitcher
- 1929 - Elmer Guckert, umpire (d. 2013)
- 1930 - Mauro Contreras, minor league pitcher (d. 2013)
- 1932 - Georges Maranda, pitcher (d. 2000)
- 1932 - Haruo Wakimura, amateur executive; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
- 1933 - Bobby Durnbaugh, infielder (d. 2023)
- 1933 - Toshiaki Yamada, NPB outfielder (d. 2001)
- 1934 - Alfonso Araujo Bojorquez, writer; Salon de la Fama
- 1937 - Bob Sadowski, infielder (d. 2017)
- 1938 - Akio Masuda, NPB pitcher
- 1943 - Mike Marshall, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2021)
- 1945 - Q.V. Lowe, coach
- 1946 - Tom Robson, infielder (d. 2021)
- 1947 - Tony Solaita, infielder (d. 1990)
- 1949 - Luis Alvarado, infielder (d. 2001)
- 1949 - Bobby Grich, infielder; All-Star
- 1949 - Mick Sharkey, umpire (d. 2008)
- 1954 - George Cappuzzello, pitcher
- 1954 - Tomoyoshi Oishi, NPB catcher
- 1955 - Joe Carroll, minor league pitcher
- 1956 - Rance Mulliniks, infielder
- 1956 - Jerry Narron, catcher, manager
- 1957 - Don Cooper, pitcher, manager
- 1960 - Curt Brown, pitcher
- 1961 - Jen-Ho Chan, Taiwanese national team coach
- 1961 - Jody Lansford, infielder
- 1962 - Mike Hogan, minor league pitcher
- 1962 - Jon Pont, minor league manager
- 1963 - William Brennan, pitcher
- 1963 - Wen-Ming Huang, CPBL catcher (d. 2012)
- 1963 - Yorn Ziesche, Bundesliga player and manager
- 1964 - Jeff Banister, catcher
- 1967 - Bill Wertz, pitcher
- 1968 - Mike Ericson, scout
- 1969 - Delino DeShields, infielder
- 1969 - Tom Lachmann, minor league catcher
- 1969 - Randy Sodders, minor league infielder
- 1972 - Maximo Nunez, minor league pitcher
- 1973 - Chris Cumberland, minor league pitcher
- 1973 - Wayne Gomes, pitcher
- 1974 - Ray King, pitcher
- 1975 - Edwin Diaz, infielder
- 1975 - Young-soo Kim, KBO pitcher
- 1977 - Henry Pichardo, minor league infielder
- 1978 - Jamie Bennett, minor league pitcher and manager
- 1978 - Pablo Blanco, minor league pitcher
- 1978 - Jianwang Zhang, Chinese national team pitcher
- 1979 - Ben Howard, pitcher
- 1980 - J.D. Closser, catcher
- 1980 - Matt Holliday, outfielder; All-Star
- 1980 - Mike Floyd, minor league outfielder
- 1980 - Ramon German, minor league infielder
- 1980 - Jarett Roenicke, minor league outfielder
- 1981 - Chih-Peng Chen, CPBL outfielder
- 1981 - Alex Cremidan, minor league pitcher
- 1982 - Chiang-Ho Chen, CPBL infielder
- 1982 - Melvin Dorta, infielder
- 1982 - Armando Galarraga, pitcher
- 1982 - Kurt Isenberg, minor league pitcher
- 1982 - Jose Rodriguez, minor league pitcher
- 1983 - Tao Bu, Chinese national team pitcher
- 1983 - Paul Mutch, minor league pitcher (d. 2004)
- 1983 - Raiza Tarazaona, Venezuelan womens' national team pitcher
- 1984 - Louis Solaita, American Samoa national team catcher
- 1985 - Hiromichi Fujiwara, NPB pitcher
- 1986 - Neydemar Guzmán, Venezuelan womens' national team catcher
- 1986 - Henrik Johansson, Elitserien infielder
- 1988 - Shelby Robertson, minor league pitcher
- 1989 - Jonathan Armold, minor league pitcher
- 1989 - Quentin Pourcel, Division Elite pitcher
- 1990 - Andrew Darwin, drafted outfielder
- 1990 - Luis Liria, minor league pitcher
- 1991 - Matt Duffy, infielder
- 1991 - Mitch Garver, catcher
- 1991 - Dmytro Limarenko, Ukrainian national team pitcher
- 1992 - Brennan Bernardino, pitcher
- 1992 - Chi Chi Gonzalez, pitcher
- 1992 - Tim Mayza, pitcher
- 1992 - Josué Montañez, minor league pitcher
- 1993 - Hon-Man Ashley Ma, Hong Kong national team infielder
- 1994 - Skye Bolt, outfielder
- 1994 - Putiporn Chawala, Thai national team outfielder
- 1994 - Nai-Chia Chen, Taiwan women's national team pitcher
- 1994 - Yu-Chen Hsu, Taiwan women's national team pitcher
- 1994 - Yoanys Quiala, minor league pitcher
- 1995 - Riley Smith, pitcher
- 1996 - Janson Junk, pitcher
- 1997 - Daz Cameron, outfielder
- 1998 - Bailey Horn, pitcher
- 1998 - Drew Millas, catcher
- 2000 - Triston Casas, infielder
- 2001 - Wei-Chieh Lo, CPBL outfielder
Deaths[edit]
- 1889 - Lew Brown, catcher (b. 1858)
- 1909 - Nicholas Mathewson (b. 1889)
- 1913 - Icicle Reeder, outfielder (b. 1858)
- 1924 - Pat Friel, outfielder (b. 1858)
- 1932 - Charlie Smith, infielder/outfielder (b. 1901)
- 1937 - Charlie Baker, outfielder (b. 1856)
- 1937 - Eddie Foster, infielder (b. 1887)
- 1947 - Jimmy Sheckard, outfielder (b. 1878)
- 1952 - Ben Houser, infielder (b. 1883)
- 1953 - Carl East, outfielder (b. 1893)
- 1960 - Frankie Austin, infielder; All-Star (b. 1922)
- 1960 - Horace McFarlan, umpire (b. 1871)
- 1961 - Lefty Capers, pitcher (b. 1906)
- 1961 - Joe Price, outfielder (b. 1897)
- 1964 - Ed Henderson, pitcher (b. 1884)
- 1964 - Bob Larmore, infielder (b. 1896)
- 1966 - Stover McIlwain, pitcher (b. 1939)
- 1966 - Frank D. Lawrence, minor league owner (b. 1891)
- 1966 - Walt Walsh, pinch runner (b. 1897)
- 1970 - Bill Leard, infielder (b. 1885)
- 1972 - Bill Benswanger, owner (b. 1892)
- 1972 - Willie Curtis, infielder (b. 1892)
- 1974 - Thomas Healy, infielder (b. 1895)
- 1979 - Lázaro Penagos, minor league executive; Salon de la Fama (b. 1893)
- 1982 - Red Smith, writer (b. 1905)
- 1986 - Fred Thomas, infielder (b. 1892)
- 1988 - George Hennessey, pitcher (b. 1907)
- 1989 - Horace McGarity, Italian league manager; Italian Hall of Fame (b. 1914)
- 1991 - Lyle Judy, infielder (b. 1913)
- 1992 - Charlie Gassaway, pitcher (b. 1918)
- 1996 - Dave Harper, outfielder (b. 1917)
- 1999 - Oscar Georgy, pitcher (b. 1916)
- 2000 - Jim LaMarque, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1921)
- 2004 - Jim Devlin, catcher (b. 1922)
- 2004 - Gus Suhr, infielder; All-Star (b. 1906)
- 2009 - Tommy Jones, minor league manager (b. 1954)
- 2010 - Manuel Hidalgo, minor league infielder (b. 1918)
- 2010 - Yoshiro Kubota, Japanese national team pitcher (b. 1949)
- 2010 - Toshiaki Takemiya, NPB catcher (b. 1921)
- 2011 - Roy Hartsfield, infielder, manager (b. 1925)
- 2013 - Bill Glynn, infielder (b. 1925)
- 2015 - Cecil Burford, minor league pitcher (b. 1935)
- 2015 - Corey Mattison, minor league pitcher (b. 1977)
- 2018 - Bob Barton, catcher (b. 1941)
- 2018 - Darrel Bunge, minor league pitcher (b. 1940)
- 2018 - Emilio Castro, Panamanian national team infielder (b. 1947)
- 2021 - Bob White, minor league catcher (b. 1936)
- 2022 - Ed Cheff, college coach (b. ~1943)
- 2023 - Ron Davies, college coach (b. ~1937)
We're Social...for Statheads
Every Sports Reference Social Media Account
Site Last Updated:
Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction?
Subscribe to our Free Email Newsletter
Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE
Your All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database
Do you have a sports website? Or write about sports? We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Find out more.