January 19
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 19.
Events[edit]
- 1900 - Boston Beaneaters catcher Marty Bergen kills his wife and two children with an axe, then takes his own life. He was reportedly depressed by his son's death the previous April, and had suffered symptoms of mental illness for several years. Billy Hamilton is the only Boston player to attend the backstop's funeral.
- 1916 - Under the terms of the peace agreement with the other two major leagues, a list of 123 Federal League players with free agent status is released by the National Association.
- 1931 - Acting under a new draft agreement with the Pacific Coast League, the Brooklyn Robins purchase the contract of catcher Ernie Lombardi from the Oakland Oaks.
- 1934 - Baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis denies Shoeless Joe Jackson's appeal for reinstatement. Jackson was one of eight Chicago White Sox players banned for their part in throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.
- 1937 - In the second annual Hall of Fame election, the Baseball Writers Association of America elects second baseman Nap Lajoie, outfielder Tris Speaker and pitcher Cy Young to the Cooperstown shrine. The trio will be honored at the Hall's first induction ceremony in 1939.
- 1938 - Larry MacPhail is announced as the new general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
- 1943 - The Boston Braves release veteran outfielders Paul Waner and Johnny Cooney.
- 1945 - Media reports say that Stan Musial will enlist in the U.S. military for duty in World War II. Musial will miss the entire 1945 season before returning to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1946.
- 1953 - The Augusta Tigers club (South Atlantic League) announces that it is changing its nickname from the Tigers to the Ikes. Because of fans nixing the presidential name, it will changed again on February 9th to the Augusta Rams.
- 1956 - In New Jersey, the city of Hoboken dedicates a plaque honoring the achievements of Alexander Cartwright in organizing early baseball at Elysian Fields in Jersey City.
- 1959 - The Players Association orders their International League members not to sign a pact unless it includes their pension plan.
- 1961 - The Cleveland Indians release former National League standout pitcher Don Newcombe, ending his major league career. A one-time hard thrower, Newcombe won the Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards while with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Newcombe finishes with 149 wins and only 90 losses.
- 1972:
- The Baseball Writers Association of America elects Sandy Koufax (344 votes), Yogi Berra (339), and Early Wynn (301) to the Hall of Fame. One year earlier, the writers had failed to elect anyone to the Hall. Koufax makes it in his first try and, at 36 years of age, is the youngest honoree in history.
- The New York Yankees acquire outfielder Johnny Callison on a conditional basis from the Chicago Cubs. The Yankees will end up keeping him and completing the deal by shipping pitcher Jack Aker to the Cubs on May 17th.
- 1977 - The BBWAA elects Ernie Banks to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. In a 19-season career, Banks hit 512 home runs, had 11 All-Star selections, and won back-to-back National League MVP Awards,
- 1978 - Eddie Mathews is elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA. The former third baseman is named on 301 of 379 ballots.
- 1983:
- Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Ron Cey is sent to the Chicago Cubs for minor leaguers Vance Lovelace and Dan Cataline. Cey will play 518 games at third for the Cubs, the most since Ron Santo.
- Ozzie Smith becomes the first $1-million shortstop in major league baseball, signing a three-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.
- 1988 - Shigeo Nagashima, Masaichi Kaneda, Kaoru Betto and Yukio Nishimoto are inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1994 - Major league owners amend the major league agreement, giving complete power to the Commissioner on labor negotiations. Bud Selig will continue to act as interim commissioner.
- 1995 - Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos announces that his team will not use replacement players if the strike is not settled before Opening Day.
- 1997 - Ivan Rodriguez signs the richest one-year deal in major league history. Avoiding salary arbitration, the All-Star catcher agrees to a contract worth $6.65 million to play with the Texas Rangers.
- 2000 - Major League Baseball owners vote to approve the $320 million sale of the Cleveland Indians to Larry Dolan and his family trusts. They also vote to give Commissioner Bud Selig power "without limitation" to ensure "there is an appropriate level of long-term competitive balance among the clubs." He can override all of baseball's rules, and even attempt to impose a salary cap if he thinks it necessary to reach an agreement with the players following the 2001 season.
- 2005 - The Anaheim Angels trade outfielder Jose Guillen to the Washington Nationals for outfielder Juan Rivera and infielder Maicer Izturis. Guillen, who hit .294 with 27 home runs and 104 RBI in 2004, is now playing for his sixth team in his eight-year career. He was suspended by Anaheim after throwing a helmet during a tirade caused by being taken out for a pinch runner last September.
- 2006:
- Baseball officials are cautiously expecting good news soon from the George W. Bush administration that would clear the way for Cuba to participate in the first World Baseball Classic. Meanwhile, Fidel Castro suggests the United States doesn't want to play Cuba in the WBC. The U.S. Treasury Department last month denied MLB's application for Cuba to play its scheduled first-round games in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. Later rounds are to be played on the U.S. mainland. The license is required under 45-year-old American sanctions against Cuba. The International Baseball Federation has said it will not sanction the tournament if Cuba isn't allowed to play.
- 2010 - Free agent catcher Bengie Molina re-signs for one year with the Giants in what is considered a surprise move, first because top catching prospect Buster Posey seems poised to play regularly for San Francisco, and also because the Mets had been expected to bring in Molina to be their starting catcher this season.
- 2011:
- After months of toing and froing, the Minnesota Twins and P Carl Pavano agree on a two-year contract worth $16.5 million. Pavano led the Twins with a 17-11 record in 2010, his second straight solid season after four disastrous years with the New York Yankees from 2005 to 2008.
- In other signings, the A's ink lefty reliever Brian Fuentes for the next two years, while the Padres add righty Chad Qualls to their bullpen.
- 2012:
- Dominican Republic authorities arrest Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona on charges of using a false identity as he leaves the United States consulate where he is applying for a visa. A police spokesman explains that Carmona's real name is "Roberto Hernandez Heredia", and that he is three years older than his listed age. The arrest is part of a joint operation with U.S. immigration authorities to curb visa fraud in the Caribbean country; the campaign earlier nabbed Marlins pitcher Leo Nunez on similar charges last September.
- Ryan Braun, facing a 50-game suspension for showing abnormally high levels of testosterone in a PED test last season, pleads his case before a three-member panel in New York, NY. He strongly denies knowingly taking a banned substance. Ironically, Braun is in the "Big Apple" to receive his MVP Award at the annual dinner of the local chapter of the BBWAA, where he is to make his first statement since news of his positive test became public.
- The Aguilas Cibaenas get a boost from its two Cuban players in a 5 - 4 win over Licey that takes them to the finals of the Dominican League. Raul Valdes pitches three solid innings in relief of starter Manauris Baez, while Yoenis Cespedes hits a run-scoring double, continuing his hot hitting since being allowed to join the team two weeks earlier. They will now face Escogido in the finals.
- 2013:
- Two all-time greats pass away today, as long-time Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver dies at 82 and St. Louis Cardinals slugger Stan Musial is a victim of Alzheimer's disease at 92 later in the day. Both were members of the Hall of Fame.
- In the Puerto Rican League finals, Caguas takes a 2-0 lead over Mayagüez, with a 3 - 1 win as Kelvin Villa pitches into the 8th inning and Saul Rivera picks up the save.
- In the Dominican League finals, Ramon Santiago and Mauro Gomez lead the Leones del Escogido to an 8 - 5 win over the Aguilas Cibaenas. With the score tied at 5 in the 7th inning, Santiago doubles and Gomez drives him in with a single as the Leones go on to score three runs in the frame to take the win.
- 2015:
- The Astros trade OF Dexter Fowler to the Cubs for 3B Luis Valbuena and P Dan Straily. The deal opens the way for top prospect Kris Bryant to start at third base for the Cubs.
- The Brewers send P Yovani Gallardo, their top starting pitcher over the last few years, to the Rangers in return for IF Luis Sardinas and Ps Corey Knebel and Marcos Diplan.
- 2016 - In settling a class action lawsuit filed by fans, Major League Baseball announces changes to its policy regarding the streaming of live games over the internet on MLB.TV. Fans will now be able to buy a package that covers their favorite team and that allows them to circumvent local blackouts, while the cost of the league-wide full package will be reduced by 15%. However, the settlement does not cover certain regional networks not owned by DirecTV, MLB's principal broadcasting partner. The suit was filed because, while MLB.TV promised subscribers that they could watch all MLB games live, local blackouts meant that in reality, fans who bought the package were often unable to follow the games of their local teams, a frustrating situation in markets where the local cable sports network is either not made available by every provider or is part of an expensive premium package.
- 2017:
- The Orioles agree to a three-year contrat to re-sign Mark Trumbo, the reigning American League home run champion, pending a physical. The contrat is for $37.5 million, a relative bargain as Trumbo's value was depressed by a number of other right-handed sluggers being concurrently on the market.
- The Reds trade P Dan Straily to the Marlins for three prospects, PS Luis Castillo and Austin Brice and OF Isaiah White. Straily rebuilt his value with a solid season for the Reds in 2016.
- 2018:
- The Blue Jays obtain OF Randal Grichuk from the Cardinals in return for Ps Conner Greene and Dominic Leone.
- The results from the autopsy of Roy Halladay, who died on November 7th in the crash of the single-passenger plane he was piloting, indicate that the former pitcher died from blunt force trauma, with drowning as a contributing factor, but also that his body contained traces of morphine and other drugs.
- 2021:
- Hall of Famer Don Sutton, a 300-game winner, passes away at age 75, as the wave of deaths among playing greats of the 1970s continues unabated: he is the ninth Cooperstown inductee to pass away over a 12-month period.
- The Blue Jays, who already had one of the most productive outfields in the majors last year, add free agent OF George Springer on a six-year contract worth $150 million.
- The Mets, keeping up with their reputation as a never-ending soap opera, fire General Manager Jared Porter barely a month after his hiring when it is discovered that he sent lewd messages to a female reporter a few years earlier.
- 2023 - Disgruntled closer Aroldis Chapman signs a one-year contract with the Royals for $3.75 million. He is coming off a miserable season with the Yankees that ended with his bolting the team just before the start of the postseason.
- 2024 - The Astros sign free agent reliever Josh Hader to a five-year contract worth $95 million.
Births[edit]
- 1858 - Joe Straub, catcher (d. 1929)
- 1862 - Mac MacArthur, pitcher (d. 1932)
- 1865 - Bill Anderson, pitcher (d. 1936)
- 1871 - Abbie Johnson, infielder (d. 1960)
- 1872 - Ed Spurney, infielder (d. 1932)
- 1873 - Arlie Pond, pitcher (d. 1930)
- 1874 - Jake Boyd, outfielder (d. 1932)
- 1876 - Roy Montgomery, minor league infielder and manager (d. ????)
- 1878 - Jack White, outfielder (d. 1963)
- 1879 - Jack McCallister, manager (d. 1946)
- 1885 - Dolly Stark, infielder (d. 1924)
- 1888 - Chick Gandil, infielder (d. 1970)
- 1888 - Pat Maloney, outfielder (d. 1979)
- 1890 - Rube Marshall, pitcher (d. 1980)
- 1895 - Dan Boone, pitcher (d. 1968)
- 1896 - Ollie Hanson, pitcher (d. 1951)
- 1899 - Lee Head, minor league catcher and manager (d. 1965)
- 1901 - Stuffy McCrone, minor league infielder and manager (d. 1986)
- 1903 - Fred Lucas, outfielder (d. 1987)
- 1903 - Merle Settlemire, pitcher (d. 1988)
- 1904 - Jim Boyle, catcher (d. 1958)
- 1906 - Harvey Abar, minor league pitcher (d. 1994)
- 1906 - Rip Radcliff, outfielder; All-Star (d. 1962)
- 1907 - Tony Antista, minor league player (d. 1961)
- 1907 - Roberto Cabal, minor league pitcher-outfielder (d. 1948)
- 1909 - Shigeru Mizuhara, NPB infielder and manager; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1982)
- 1910 - Hisanori Karita, NPB infielder and manager; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 2001)
- 1910 - Hugh Poland, catcher (d. 1984)
- 1910 - Dib Williams, infielder (d. 1992)
- 1913 - Willie Hubert, pitcher (d. 2000)
- 1913 - Andy Pilney, pinch-hitter (d. 1996)
- 1914 - Benny Culp, catcher (d. 2000)
- 1914 - Al Piechota, pitcher (d. 1996)
- 1918 - Walter DeFreitas, minor league infielder and manager (d. 2003)
- 1918 - Daniel Rourke, minor league pitcher (d. 2005)
- 1919 - Vernon Shetler, minor league outfielder/first baseman (d. 2005)
- 1925 - Don Swartz, minor league pitcher (d. 2013)
- 1927 - Whitey Campbell, college coach (d. 2015)
- 1931 - James Griffy, minor league infielder (d. 2010)
- 1931 - Ed Sadowski, catcher (d. 1993)
- 1932 - Hiroshi Goshi, amateur umpire; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 2016)
- 1935 - Cecil Burford, minor league pitcher (d. 2015)
- 1935 - Stefano Germano, writer (d. 1991)
- 1935 - Fred Valentine, outfielder (d. 2022)
- 1941 - Harry Booth, college coach (d. 2022)
- 1944 - Chet Trail, minor league player
- 1947 - Louis Hofer, Hoofdklasse coach (d. 2016)
- 1948 - Ken Frailing, pitcher (d. 2022)
- 1949 - Ramon de los Santos, pitcher (d. 2015)
- 1949 - Tetsuya Tsuji, NPB infielder
- 1950 - Jon Matlack, pitcher; All-Star
- 1954 - Rich Gale, pitcher
- 1954 - Ed Kurpiel, minor league outfielder
- 1957 - Brad Mills, infielder
- 1958 - Rick Adair, coach
- 1961 - Ken Dowell, infielder
- 1962 - Lebo Powell, minor league catcher
- 1962 - Chris Sabo, infielder; All-Star
- 1963 - Scott Little, outfielder
- 1964 - Mark Grater, pitcher
- 1964 - Jim Morris, pitcher
- 1965 - Kevin Coffman, pitcher
- 1965 - Orestes González, Cuban league pitcher
- 1965 - Karl Ravech, broadcaster
- 1966 - Anthony Young, pitcher (d. 2017)
- 1967 - Jack Dahm, college coach
- 1967 - Mike Weinberg, minor league outfielder (d. 2001)
- 1968 - Warren Sawkiw, minor league outfielder
- 1969 - Orlando Palmeiro, outfielder
- 1970 - Rick Krivda, pitcher
- 1970 - Ricky Pickett, pitcher
- 1971 - Jeff Juden, pitcher
- 1971 - Phil Nevin, infielder; All-Star
- 1972 - Sal Urso, minor league pitcher
- 1973 - Lance Calmus, minor league pitcher
- 1973 - Chris Stynes, infielder
- 1974 - Glenn Reeves, minor league outfielder
- 1974 - Amaury Telemaco, pitcher
- 1974 - Kun-Hsiang Tsai, CPBL outfielder
- 1975 - Brian Mallette, pitcher
- 1975 - Fernando Seguignol, infielder
- 1976 - Jorge Miqueleiz, Division Honor infielder and manager
- 1976 - Wes Rachels, minor league infielder
- 1976 - Kim Wybo, First Division outfielder
- 1978 - Pat Magness, minor league player
- 1978 - Wilton Veras, infielder
- 1979 - Mario Mendoza Jr., minor league pitcher
- 1980 - Elvin Beltre, minor league outfielder
- 1981 - Rémi Lejeune, French Division I pitcher
- 1981 - Ray Serrano, minor league catcher and manager
- 1984 - Esteban Gonzalez, minor league infielder and manager
- 1985 - Justin Brashear, minor league catcher
- 1985 - Ho-Yeun Chu, Hong Kong national team catcher
- 1985 - Serhiy Korobko, Ukrainian national team infielder
- 1985 - Juan Valdez, Guatemalan national team outfielder
- 1986 - Hainley Statia, minor league infielder and manager
- 1987 - Japhet Amador, minor league infielder
- 1987 - Carlos Cardoza, minor league manager
- 1987 - James Darnell, infielder
- 1988 - Robert Fish, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Miguel Mejia, NPB pitcher
- 1988 - Marshall Schuler, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Shawn Tolleson, pitcher
- 1988 - Ronnie Welty, minor league outfielder
- 1989 - James Beresford, infielder
- 1989 - Jakob Claesson, Elitserien pitcher
- 1989 - Chun-Sheng Huang, CPBL catcher
- 1989 - Alan Schoenberger, minor league infielder
- 1990 - Richard Klijn, Bundesliga infielder
- 1990 - Simon Steffen, Swiss national team pitcher
- 1990 - John Straka, minor league pitcher
- 1991 - John Wooten, minor league outfielder
- 1992 - Jharel Cotton, pitcher
- 1993 - Nick Burdi, pitcher
- 1993 - Felipe Fukuda, Brazilian national team pitcher
- 1994 - Jan Novak, minor league pitcher
- 1994 - Illia Velykyi, Ukrainian national team catcher
- 1996 - Luis Mateo, Cuban league infielder
- 1997 - Gustavo Landin, Ecuadorian national team catcher
- 1997 - Javier Mirabal, minor league pitcher
- 1998 - Ryleigh Buck, USA women's national team designated hitter
- 1998 - Brandon Eisert, pitcher
- 1998 - Kojiro Yoshimura, NPB pitcher
- 2002 - Kuei-Yuan Liu, CPBL outfielder
- 2004 - Mariana Natera, Venezuelan women's national team utility player
Deaths[edit]
- 1900 - Marty Bergen, catcher (b. 1871)
- 1909 - Dennis Casey, outfielder (b. 1858)
- 1917 - Charlie Enwright, infielder (b. 1887)
- 1922 - Bob Keating, pitcher (b. 1862)
- 1933 - Harry Hinchman, infielder (b. 1878)
- 1933 - Con Starkel, pitcher (b. 1880)
- 1937 - J. Cal Ewing, minor league owner (b. ????)
- 1937 - Tom Williams, pitcher (b. 1896)
- 1938 - Bill Everitt, infielder (b. 1868)
- 1939 - Cliff Heathcote, outfielder (b. 1898)
- 1943 - Joe Zoellers, minor league outfielder and manager (b. 1871)
- 1957 - Slim Branham, pitcher (b. 1900)
- 1957 - Larry Strands, infielder (b. 1885)
- 1960 - Bob Fagan, infielder (b. 1894)
- 1965 - Jim Joe Edwards, pitcher (b. 1894)
- 1971 - Jack Crosswhite, minor league catcher and manager (b. 1911)
- 1972 - Joe Goodrich, infielder (b. 1893)
- 1973 - John Williams, infielder (d. 1922)
- 1974 - Leonard Shecter, writer (b. 1926)
- 1975 - Ross Kendrick, British national team pitcher (b. 1908)
- 1976 - Otto Ray, catcher, manager (b. 1893)
- 1977 - Don Hendrickson, pitcher (b. 1913)
- 1978 - Milt Shoffner, pitcher (b. 1905)
- 1987 - George Selkirk, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1908)
- 1991 - Roy Weatherly, outfielder (b. 1915)
- 1997 - Bert Kuczynski, pitcher (b. 1920)
- 1998 - Sam Stassi, minor league infielder (b. 1922)
- 2000 - Tokuji Iida, NPB infielder and manager; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1924)
- 2000 - Manny Montejo, pitcher (b. 1935)
- 2000 - Lynn Myers, infielder (b. 1914)
- 2001 - Johnny Babich, pitcher (b. 1913)
- 2001 - Harvey Mulliniks, minor league pitcher (b. 1933)
- 2003 - Dutch Meyer, infielder (b. 1915)
- 2004 - Tommy Glaviano, infielder (b. 1923)
- 2007 - Bill Lefebvre, pitcher (b. 1915)
- 2010 - Marvin Jones, Negro League pitcher (b. 1932)
- 2013 - Milt Bolling, infielder (b. 1930)
- 2013 - Stan Musial, outfielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer (b. 1920)
- 2013 - Earl Weaver, manager; Hall of Famer (b. 1930)
- 2014 - Terry Mann, umpire (b. 1946)
- 2015 - Reynaldo Oliver, minor league catcher (b. 1932)
- 2016 - Hamlet Hermann, Dominican national team pitcher (b. 1932)
- 2016 - Rich Severson, infielder (b. 1945)
- 2016 - Frank Sullivan, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1930)
- 2017 - Tom Hallett, minor league pitcher (b. 1935)
- 2017 - Walt Streuli, catcher (b. 1935)
- 2018 - Joe Consentino, minor league player (b. ~1937)
- 2019 - Eligio Kelly, Hoofdklasse pitcher (b. 1956)
- 2023 - Bert Peña, infielder (b. 1959)
- 2024 - Red Swanson, pitcher (b. 1936)
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