January 2
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 January 2.
Events[edit]
- 1888 - Fred Dunlap finally signs with the Pittsburgh Alleghenys following the sale of his contract by Detroit. He agrees to a $5,000 salary and a $2,000 bonus, making him the highest-paid player to date.
- 1912 - Brooklyn Superbas president Charles Ebbets announces the purchase of 4.5 acres to build a 23,000-seat concrete and steel stadium in the Pigtown section of Brooklyn. Construction on the ballpark will start on March 14th. Ebbets decides to name the ballpark after himself, thus it is called Ebbets Field. Completed in just over a year, opening day will be on April 9, 1913.
- 1915 - The St. Louis Cardinals try to prevent outfielder Lee Magee from playing for the Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the Federal League. Like most such suits, it will fail. Magee will play and manage in the rival major league.
- 1946 - The Chicago White Sox buy pitcher Alex Carrasquel and shortstop Fred Vaughn from the Washington Senators. Carrasquel will make only three appearances for the White Sox before being farmed out. When Chicago acquires his nephew Chico Carrasquel in 1949, Alex is traded for reliever Luis Aloma, who will act as an interpreter for the young Venezuelan shortstop.
- 1977 - Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspends Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner for one year as a result of tampering charges in the Gary Matthews free agent signing. The Braves are permitted to keep the outfielder, however.
- 1981 - At Ponce, Puerto Rico, the Santurce Crabbers beat the Ponce Lions, 11 - 4. Ponce's Rickey Henderson steals his 41st and 42nd bases, breaking the old Puerto Rican League record of 41 set by Carlos Bernier in the 1949-50 season. Henderson will finish the season with 44 stolen bases.
- 1986 - Bill Veeck dies in Chicago, IL at age 71. Veeck was known for his flamboyant publicity stunts and the innovations he brought to the major leagues during his ownership of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox. He was the last owner to purchase a baseball franchise without an independent fortune, and is responsible for many significant contributions to baseball.
- 1992 - Free agent pitcher Frank Viola is signed by the Boston Red Sox. A three-time All-Star, Viola guided the Minnesota Twins to the 1987 World Series and won the Cy Young Award in 1988.
- 2002:
- The Oakland Athletics sign free agent catcher Scott Hatteberg to a one-year contract.
- The Pittsburgh Pirates sign free agent pitcher Mike Williams to a two-year contract. Williams began last season with Pittsburgh until being traded to Houston in July.
- 2003 - Due to a conflict with the major league schedule, the annual Hall of Fame Game which has been held the day after Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will take place on a different weekend for the first time in the Hall's history. The game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Devil Rays is scheduled for June 16th, with the Hall of Fame induction taking place on July 27th.
- 2010 - 3B Edwin Encarnacion is discharged from a hospital in Miami, FL, one day after being admitted to treat facial burns received when a firecracker exploded near him in a New Year's Day celebration in his native La Romana, in the Dominican Republic. Encarnacion suffers some burns, but no fractures and should be ready for the start of spring training.
- 2011 - P Dylan Owen of the Criollos de Caguas pitches seven no-hit innings and combines with teammates Eddy Ramos and Saul Rivera on a 5 - 0 no-hitter against the Gigantes de Carolina in the Puerto Rican League. A New York Mets farmhand, Owen pitched in AA and AAA last season.
- 2012:
- It's the turn of Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park to host the National Hockey League's annual Winter Classic. The New York Rangers defeat the Philadelphia Flyers, 3 - 2, as a crowd of 46,967 is present in the Phillies' home, turned into an outdoor hockey rink for the occasion.
- The postseason opens in the Venezuelan League with a 5 - 2 win by the Caribes de Anzoátegui over the Navegantes del Magallanes, behind the solid pitching of Renyel Pinto. He strikes out ten, while allowing only two hits and a walk in seven innings and his teammates hit four home runs to back his pitching. In the other contest today, the Tigres de Aragua beat the Tiburones de La Guaira, 13 - 7. Edgardo Alfonzo hits a two-run homer in the 1st to send the Tigres on their way, while Luis Hernandez goes 5 for 5.
- In the Dominican League, Pablo Ozuna goes 3 for 4 with 2 RBI as the Leones del Escogido beat the Aguilas Cibaeñas, 8 - 3. Runelvys Hernandez is the winner. In the other playoff game, the Gigantes del Cibao beat the Tigres del Licey, 9 - 1. Fabio Castro is the winner over Ramon Ortiz.
- 2017 - Busch Stadium gets a temporary makeover as a hockey rink as St. Louis, MO welcomes the National Hockey League's Winter Classic for the first time. The St. Louis Blues defeat the Chicago Blackhawks, 4-1, on a drizzly afternoon.
- 2020:
- For the second straight year, the White Sox sign their top prospect to a multi-year deal worth tens of millions of dollars to take him through his arbitration years - before he has made his major league debut. After seeing Eloy Jimenez go on to have an outstanding rookie season after signing for $43 million, this year it's Luis Robert who is offered a guaranteed $50 million for six years, and up to $88 million if the Sox pick up two additional option years at $20 million each.
- Major League Baseball issues its ruling in the domestic violence allegations against Yankees pitcher Domingo German, who was placed on administrative leave towards the end of last season, also missing the postseason. He is handed a suspension of 81 games for hitting his girlfriend; with the games already missed, he will sit out the first 63 games of the upcoming season and will not be paid during the time missed. It is the longest ban levied by MLB under its domestic violence policy for a player not facing criminal charges.
- 2022 - The NHL returns to Fenway Park for the second time as it hosts the annual Winter Classic, with over 39,000 spectators present for the outdoor hockey game. Both teams pay homage to the site's roots by wearing baseball-themed uniforms for the warm-up skate, the Boston Bruins inspired by those worn by the Boston Red Sox in the 1930s, while the Pittsburgh Penguins pay tribute to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Roberto Clemente. On the ice, the Bruins win, 2-1, in an exciting game that goes down to the final buzzer.
Births[edit]
- 1850 - Francis Abercrombie, infielder (d. 1939)
- 1853 - Packy Dillon, catcher (d. 1902)
- 1854 - Sam Crane, infielder, manager (d. 1925)
- 1856 - Jack Farrell, outfielder (d. 1916)
- 1857 - Pat Murphy, catcher (d. 1927)
- 1863 - Ed Keas, pitcher (d. 1940)
- 1858 - Jack Neagle, pitcher (d. 1906)
- 1871 - Phil Saylor, pitcher (d. 1937)
- 1885 - Chick Autry, infielder (d. 1976)
- 1885 - Al Froehlich, catcher (d. 1941)
- 1885 - José Méndez, pitcher, manager; Hall of Famer (d. 1928)
- 1886 - Steve Melter, pitcher (d. 1962)
- 1888 - Harry LaRoss, outfielder (d. 1954)
- 1891 - Joe Lotz, pitcher (d. 1971)
- 1892 - Jack Kibble, infielder (d. 1969)
- 1892 - Merlin Kopp, outfielder (d. 1960)
- 1893 - Jesse Altenburg, outfielder (d. 1973)
- 1893 - George Boehler, pitcher (d. 1958)
- 1894 - Bill Wagner, catcher (d. 1951)
- 1896 - Caddy Works, college coach (d. 1982)
- 1901 - Goro Taniguchi, college pitcher; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1980)
- 1902 - Nick Dumovich, pitcher (d. 1978)
- 1902 - Ray Jacobs, pinch hitter (d. 1952)
- 1905 - Alonzo Mitchell, pitcher, manager (d. 1963)
- 1905 - Pinky Whitney, infielder; All-Star (d. 1987)
- 1906 - Harrison McGalliard, NPB catcher (d. 1978)
- 1907 - Tedd Gullic, outfielder (d. 2000)
- 1907 - Red Kress, infielder (d. 1962)
- 1909 - Bobby Reis, pitcher (d. 1973)
- 1911 - Deke Brackett, college coach (d. 1980)
- 1917 - Ted Strong, infielder/outfielder, manager; All-Star (d. 1978)
- 1919 - Domingo Barboza, Venezuelan national team pitcher
- 1919 - George Binger, USA national team player (d. 1998)
- 1919 - Bill Harman, pitcher/catcher (d. 2007)
- 1919 - Masaki Yoshihara, NPB catcher; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1944)
- 1920 - Cliff Dapper, catcher (d. 2011)
- 1926 - Stan Hollmig, outfielder (d. 1981)
- 1928 - Sammy Gee, infielder (d. 1969)
- 1929 - Ed Wolfe, pitcher (d. 2009)
- 1932 - Atsushi Otsu, NPB outfielder (d. 2020)
- 1933 - Tom Morgan, college coach (d. 2016)
- 1933 - Bill Oster, pitcher (d. 2020)
- 1933 - Emilio Vargas, Cuban league pitcher (d. 2000)
- 1945 - Arnoud Blom, Hoofdklasse catcher (d. 2010)
- 1946 - Sonny Ruberto, catcher (d. 2014)
- 1947 - Akira Hishikawa, NPB outfielder
- 1951 - Jim Essian, catcher, manager
- 1951 - Royle Stillman, outfielder
- 1952 - Greg Heydeman, pitcher
- 1952 - Shinichiro Ihara, NPB pitcher
- 1955 - Hak-soo Ham, KBO infielder
- 1955 - Hideki Yamamoto, Japanese national team infielder
- 1958 - Claudio Corradi, Serie A1 outfielder
- 1960 - Rich Bombard, minor league pitcher
- 1960 - Dae-seok Oh, KBO infielder
- 1960 - Wayne Parro, Canadian women's national team coach
- 1962 - Chien-Fa Chang, CPBL pitcher
- 1962 - Kozo Shoda, NPB infielder
- 1963 - David Cone, pitcher; All-Star
- 1963 - Edgar Martinez, designated hitter; All-Star, Hall of Famer
- 1963 - Darren Mazeroski,scout
- 1964 - Tim Day, Australian national team infielder
- 1964 - Colby Ward, pitcher
- 1965 - Greg Swindell, pitcher; All-Star
- 1967 - Rob Wishnevski, NPB pitcher
- 1970 - Royce Clayton, infielder; All-Star
- 1970 - Bong-chul Dong, KBO outfielder
- 1970 - Chuck Hurst, minor league pitcher
- 1970 - Paulino Tena, minor league infielder
- 1971 - Rick Greene, pitcher
- 1972 - Jeff Jackson, minor league outfielder
- 1972 - Garrett Stephenson, pitcher
- 1973 - Mike Metcalfe, outfielder
- 1974 - Brandon Pico, minor league outfielder
- 1975 - Min-han Son, KBO pitcher
- 1975 - Jeff Suppan, pitcher
- 1976 - Rico Castro, Guam national team outfielder
- 1977 - Hansel Izquierdo, pitcher
- 1977 - Hugo Pivaral, minor league pitcher
- 1977 - Scott Proctor, pitcher
- 1978 - Shih-Feng Chen, CPBL catcher
- 1978 - Chih-Chung Wang, CPBL pitcher
- 1980 - Nate Fish, Bundesliga infielder
- 1980 - Matt Kaercher, minor league pitcher
- 1980 - Manuel Sablan Jr., Northern Mariana Islands national team catcher
- 1981 - Ryan Garko, infielder
- 1983 - Chih-Yao Chan, CPBL outfielder
- 1983 - Hector Delgadillo, minor league pitcher
- 1983 - Takuya Fujishima, Japanese national team outfielder
- 1983 - J.D. Martin, pitcher
- 1983 - Chun-Jung Pan, CPBL pitcher
- 1986 - Sergio Espinosa, minor league pitcher
- 1986 - Yi-Jie Hsiao, NPB pitcher
- 1986 - Brandon Waring, minor league infielder
- 1987 - Dave Sappelt, outfielder
- 1988 - Aaron Barrett, pitcher
- 1988 - Sang-won Baek, KBO infielder
- 1988 - Miguel Flores, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Eric Fornataro, pitcher
- 1988 - Sang-soo Kim, KBO pitcher
- 1988 - Santos Rodriguez, minor league pitcher
- 1989 - Yong-chan Lee, KBO pitcher
- 1989 - Raywendley van Gurp, minor league infielder
- 1990 - Toma Irokawa, Pakistani national team manager
- 1990 - Saira, Pakistani women's national team catcher
- 1991 - Cesar Cabral, minor league pitcher
- 1991 - Rainiero Coa, minor league catcher and manager
- 1991 - Yi-Hao Lin, NPB pitcher
- 1991 - Lorenzo Oeyen, First Division infielder
- 1992 - Sean Godfrey, minor league player and coach
- 1993 - Reed Garrett, pitcher
- 1993 - Kuo-Lin Kao, CPBL outfielder
- 1993 - Yoan Lopez, pitcher
- 1993 - Jose Marmolejos, outfielder
- 1993 - Tomohito Sakai, NPB pitcher
- 1994 - Felix Jorge, pitcher
- 1994 - Kai-Ye Niu, CPBL catcher
- 1995 - Matías Robles, Serie A1 outfielder
- 1995 - Muhammad Younas, Pakistani national team outfielder
- 1996 - Isaac Benard, minor league outfielder
- 1997 - Karan Patel, minor league pitcher
- 1998 - Kyle Stowers, outfielder
- 1999 - Fernando Tatis Jr., infielder; All-Star
- 2000 - Spencer Arrighetti, pitcher
- 2000 - Jaider Morelos, Colombian national team outfielder
- 2000 - Ronaiker Palma, minor league catcher
- 2003 - Hayden Jung-Goldberg, Swiss national team infielder
- 2004 - Adari Grant, minor league infielder
Deaths[edit]
- 1909 - Paddy Quinn, catcher (b. 1849)
- 1928 - Hunkey Hines, outfielder (b. 1867)
- 1929 - Denny Lyons, infielder (b. 1866)
- 1933 - Kid Gleason, infielder, manager (b. 1865)
- 1947 - Joe Koukalik, pitcher (b. 1880)
- 1948 - Gordon Zeigler, pitcher (b. 1899)
- 1953 - Harry Atkinson, outfielder (b. 1874)
- 1954 - Fred Cozens, college coach (b. 1890)
- 1956 - Russ Dedeaux, pitcher (b. 1913)
- 1956 - Ruby Wich, minor league pitcher (b. ????)
- 1959 - Bert James, outfielder (b. 1886)
- 1960 - Ken Gables, pitcher (b. 1919)
- 1962 - Babe Dye, minor league outfielder (b. 1898)
- 1963 - Al Mamaux, pitcher (b. 1894)
- 1965 - Jim Stephens, catcher (b. 1883)
- 1968 - Tommy Warren, pitcher (b. 1917)
- 1972 - Glenn Crawford, infielder (b. 1913)
- 1974 - Gordon Slade, infielder (b. 1904)
- 1975 - Jim Poole, infielder (b. 1895)
- 1976 - Jack Kraus, pitcher (b. 1918)
- 1976 - Joe Murff, minor league catcher (b. 1913)
- 1977 - Max Wilson, pitcher (b. 1916)
- 1978 - Oscar Estrada, pitcher (b. 1904)
- 1980 - Kenny Hogan, outfielder (b. 1902)
- 1980 - George Lees, catcher (b. 1895)
- 1986 - Bob Finley, catcher (b. 1915)
- 1986 - Bill Veeck, owner; Hall of Fame (b. 1914)
- 1987 - Julio Moreno, pitcher (b. 1921)
- 1987 - Bill Upton, pitcher (b. 1929)
- 1990 - Bill Beckmann, pitcher (b. 1907)
- 1994 - Eddie Smith, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1913)
- 1995 - Don Elston, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1929)
- 2002 - Bob Stevens, writer (b. 1926)
- 2003 - Bud Metheny, outfielder (b. 1915)
- 2004 - Don Dwyer, minor league infielder (b. 1925)
- 2008 - Dick Thompson, author (b. 1955)
- 2004 - Paul Hopkins, pitcher (b. 1904)
- 2008 - Gerry Staley, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1920)
- 2009 - Prince Joe Henry, Negro League player (b. 1930)
- 2022 - Jaime Del Valle, Colombian national team coach (b. 1930)
- 2012 - Carlo Forni, minor league infielder (b. 1917)
- 2012 - Howie Koplitz, pitcher (b. 1938)
- 2013 - Lee Eilbracht, college coach (b. 1924)
- 2013 - Hiroyoshi Takano, NPB pitcher (b. 1924)
- 2014 - Pete Mesa, minor league pitcher (b. 1929)
- 2014 - Herb Nauert, minor league infielder (b. 1930)
- 2014 - Harold Newton, minor league pitcher (b. 1933)
- 2015 - Wheeler Flemming, minor league infielder and manager (b. 1919)
- 2016 - Masayoshi Higashida, NPB outfielder (b. 1945)
- 2017 - Daryl Spencer, infielder (b. 1928)
- 2019 - Jerry Buchek, infielder (d. 1942)
- 2019 - Jan Smidt, Hoofdklasse pitcher (b. 1929)
- 2020 - George Nicolau, arbitrator (b. 1925)
- 2022 - Larry Biittner, outfielder (b. 1946)
- 2023 - Cliff Gustafson, college coach (b. 1931)
- 2024 - Chih-Chia Chang, NPB pitcher (b. 1980)
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