January 23
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 23.
Events[edit]
- 1881 - Third baseman Jerry Denny is feted at a benefit in his hometown of San Francisco, CA just before he leaves for the East Coast to launch a professional career that will last into the 20th century.
- 1887 - In Alameda, California, Dave Foutz and a touring team based in Louisville are accused of throwing a game against another touring team of Eastern pros. These exhibitions and the local California League competition are making for a lively winter in the San Francisco Bay Area.
- 1888 - Harry Spence is hired to manage the Indianapolis Hoosiers of the National League.
- 1912 - The Imperial Japanese Army announces it will send a baseball team to the Philippines to play with American soldiers; a U.S. team may go to Japan.
- 1921 - The Pittsburgh Pirates obtain veteran SS Rabbit Maranville from Boston. They give up OF Billy Southworth, OF Fred Nicholson, IF Walter Barbare, and $15,000.
- 1927 - In the continuing clash between Commissioner Kenesaw Landis and American League President Ban Johnson, the AL owners are prepared to censure Johnson. But his serious health problems convince them to change their stance and Johnson is given an indefinite leave of absence instead. Detroit Tigers President Frank Navin takes over control of the league on an interim basis and the owners adopt a resolution repudiating the charges that Johnson made against Landis.
- 1928 - Alfonso (Chico) Carrasquel is born in Caracas, Venezuela. Carrasquel, the first in a great line of Venezuelan shortstops that includes Luis Aparicio, Dave Concepción, Ozzie Guillen and Omar Vizquel, will become the first Hispanic to appear in an All-Star Game, in 1951, at Briggs Stadium.
- 1932 - The Brooklyn Dodgers acquire slugger Hack Wilson from the St. Louis Cardinals. Wilson, who costs only $45,000 and a minor league pitcher, will sign for $16,500, half his previous year's salary. He will hit .297 with 23 home runs and 123 RBI for Brooklyn this season.
- 1950 - The Associated Press picks the 1914 Miracle Braves as the greatest sports upset in the 20th century.
- 1951 - Guido Rugo sells his interest in the Boston Braves to co-partners Lou Perini and Treasurer Joe Maney.
- 1956 - Umpire Billy Evans dies in Miami, Florida, at the age of 71. Evans began his major league umpiring career in 1906, when he was only 22 years old. He will be inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame in 1973.
- 1958 - The Washington Senators trade shortstop Pete Runnels to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for first baseman Norm Zauchin and outfielder Albie Pearson. Runnels will win two batting titles, in 1960 and 1962, and just miss a third by six points this season.
- 1962:
- Pitcher Bob Feller and infielder Jackie Robinson are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America in their first year of eligibility.
- Lawyer Melvin Belli wins a breach-of-warranty suit against the San Francisco Giants on the grounds that his box seat at Candlestick Park is too cold. Belli's suit contends that the seat he bought in 1960, at the cost of $1,597, was supposed to have radiant heating.
- 1967 - The St. Louis Cardinals name future Hall of Famer Stan Musial as their new general manager.
- 1968 - Outfielder Joe Medwick is voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In his brilliant 17-season career Medwick was a .324 hitter with 205 home runs and 1,383 RBI. A ten-time All-Star, in 1937 he won the Triple Crown and was named the National League MVP.
- 1975 - Former Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Ralph Kiner gains election to the Hall of Fame in his final year on the ballot. Kiner hit 369 home runs over a ten-year career, leading the National League in home runs each season from 1946 to 1952. In one of the narrowest margins ever, Kiner is elected by just one vote over the 75 per cent minimum required for induction.
- 1979 - Outfielder Willie Mays, considered one of the greatest players of all time, is elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA. Mays garners 409 out of 432 votes and becomes the 14th man to gain election in his first year on the ballot. Mays will be officially inducted on August 5th, along with Veterans Committee selections Warren Giles and Hack Wilson.
- 1981:
- The Boston Red Sox trade one-time American League MVP Fred Lynn, along with pitcher Steve Renko, to the California Angels for outfielder Joe Rudi, pitcher Frank Tanana and a minor league prospect.
- Tokuji Iida and Yoshiyuki Iwamoto are inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1992 - A group calling itself The Baseball Club of Seattle announces that it will attempt to buy the Mariners for $100 million. Some $75 million of the money will come from Hiroshi Yamauchi, president of Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Osaka, Japan.
- 2010:
- A group headed by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan and including a number of prominent business people from the Dallas, TX-Ft. Worth area purchases the Texas Rangers from Tom Hicks for a price rumored to exceed $500 million. Ryan will continue as team President, while attorney Chuck Greenberg will be managing partner and Chief Executive Officer. The corporation will be known as Rangers Baseball Express, in honor of Ryan's famed fastball. Because of complications caused by Hicks's bankruptcy proceedings, the deal will not be finalized for another six months.
- The Orioles reach a one-year deal worth $6 million with former star shortstop Miguel Tejada. Tejada, who put up great numbers while playing for the Orioles from 2004 to 2007 before being traded to the Houston Astros, will move to third base.
- Two veteran left-handed sluggers are signed today, Jason Giambi by the Colorado Rockies and Matt Stairs by the San Diego Padres. Both have become mainly pinch-hitters by this point of their careers.
- 2011 - The Toros del Este take advantage of three costly errors by the Estrellas Orientales in the 7th inning to score all their runs, winning, 4 - 2, to claim a five-game sweep in their best-of-nine series for the Dominican League championship. Jairo Asencio is the winner, with Julio Manon getting the save, while Eulogio de la Cruz is charged with the loss.
- 2012:
- The Blue Jays ink 44-year-old Omar Vizquel, the all-time major league leader in games played at shortstop, to a minor league contract that will have him compete with Mike McCoy and Luis Valbuena to be the Jays' utility infielder. Meanwhile, the Orioles sign utility player Wilson Betemit to a one-year deal.
- Aragua takes the first game of the Venezuelan League finals, 2 - 0, over La Guaira. Yusmeiro Petit alows only four hits over six scoreless innings, and C Wilson Ramos opens the scoring with a run-scoring single in the 7th, making a winner of reliever Wilfredo Ledezma; Les Walrond is the hard-luck loser.
- 2013:
- Coming off the best season of his career, free agent OF Scott Hairston signs a two-year deal with the Chicago Cubs.
- Caguas moves to within one win of the Puerto Rican League title with a 4 - 2 victory over Mayagüez. Michael Nix pitches six strong innings while Johnny Monell Jr. hits a two-run homer and Carlos Rivera adds a pair of doubles and scores twice.
- Obregón draws first blood in the Mexican Pacific League finals, scoring three times in the 1st on their way to a 5 - 3 win over Mexicali in Game 1. Luis Mendoza strikes out 11 in picking up the win over Jorge Campillo, while Luis Ayala gets the save. Carlos Valencia has three RBI for the winners.
- In the Venezuelan League finals, Magallanes win the opener, 5 - 2, over Lara. World Series MVP Pablo Sandoval opens the scoring by driving in Endy Chavez with a single in the 1st and collects another RBI in the 7th. Chavez and Juan Rivera add solo homers to make a winner of Carlos Zambrano; Ken Ray is tagged with the loss.
- 2014 - The Rays sign closer Grant Balfour for two years at $12 million. He had signed as a free agent with the Orioles earlier this off-season, but the Birds backed out of the deal after a physical exam.
- 2015:
- The Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame inducts three candidates. Catcher Atsuya Furuta is the only player inducted, with over 2,000 hits, 1,000 runs, 1,000 RBI and two Central League MVP awards to his credit. The other inductees were noted for organizational efforts: Kazuo Hayashi had started Little League Baseball in Japan, while Ryohei Murayama had helped start the National High School Baseball Championship.
- Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, one of the best hitting shortstops ever and the most popular player in the history of the Chicago Cubs, dies at age 83.
- The Marlins sign free agent OF Ichiro Suzuki to a one-year contract while P Ryan Vogelsong re-signs with the Giants for one year also.
- 2017 - The Rays trade 2B Logan Forsythe to the Dodgers in return for P Jose De Leon.
- 2019:
- The Mariners offer a minor league contract to 45-year-old outfielder and living legend Ichiro Suzuki. While the Mariners released him last May, Ichiro has not officially retired and has made it clear that he would love to play for the M's when they open the season in his native Japan on March 20th.
- The Estrellas Orientales win their first Dominican League title in 51 years, defeating the Toros del Este five games to one in the finals. Nestor Cortes throws six shutout innings in Game 6, while Odrisamer Despaigne, Roman Mendez and Jumbo Diaz add one apiece. Jose Siri drives in two to lead a balanced offense in a 4 - 0 win, while Paolo Espino takes the loss.
- 2021 - In a rare trade between the two bitter rivals, the Red Sox acquire P Adam Ottavino from the Yankees in return for future considerations.
- 2023 - Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno announces that the team is no longer for sale. Last fall, he had formed an exploratory committee to look for potential buyers, but he explains that he has changed his mind and that he still has unfinished business to do, such as how to modernize aging Angel Stadium.
- 2024:
- The BBWAA 2024 elects three players to the Hall of Fame: Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton and Joe Mauer. Beltré, one of the greatest third basemen ever, and Mauer both make it on their first try, while Helton does so in his sixth attempt.
- Matanzas wins the second Cuban Elite League, beating Artemisa 4 games to 2 in the finals. Eduardo Blanco is named finals MVP after hitting .417, while Noelvis Entenza gets the win; he pitched 9 1/3 shutout innings in the postseason and 3 today.
Births[edit]
- 1838 - Ben Shibe, owner (d. 1922)
- 1855 - Art Croft, infielder (d. 1884)
- 1867 - Bill Bowman, catcher (d. 1944)
- 1873 - Red Donahue, pitcher (d. 1913)
- 1875 - Carney Flynn, pitcher (d. 1947)
- 1879 - Ed Kippert, outfielder (d. 1959)
- 1880 - Rip Cannell, outfielder (d. 1948)
- 1880 - Julián Castillo, Negro League infielder (d. 1948)
- 1882 - Fred Winchell, pitcher (d. 1958)
- 1884 - Jimmy Shinn, minor league infielder (d. ????)
- 1887 - Mack Allison, pitcher (d. 1964)
- 1887 - Andy Gill, minor league infielder and college coach (d. 1947)
- 1890 - Ed Barney, outfielder (d. 1967)
- 1890 - Bill Morley, infielder (d. 1985)
- 1891 - Ray Haley, catcher (d. 1973)
- 1891 - Orie Kerlin, catcher (d. 1974)
- 1891 - King Lear, pitcher (d. 1976)
- 1893 - Eddie Boyd, outfielder (d. 1962)
- 1896 - Billy Mullen, infielder (d. 1971)
- 1898 - Speed Walker, infielder (d. 1959)
- 1899 - Haddie Gill, pitcher (d. 1932)
- 1899 - Bill Regan, infielder (d. 1968)
- 1903 - Jack Saltzgaver, infielder (d. 1978)
- 1907 - Bobby Burke, pitcher (d. 1971)
- 1914 - Merv Connors, infielder (d. 2006)
- 1915 - Albert Frazier, infielder (d. 1999)
- 1916 - Johnny Sturm, infielder (d. 2004)
- 1917 - Sam Jethroe, outfielder; All-Star (d. 2001)
- 1918 - Randy Gumpert, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2008)
- 1923 - Cot Deal, pitcher (d. 2013)
- 1923 - Hank Stram, college coach (d. 2005)
- 1927 - Jack Quinlan, announcer (d. 1965)
- 1928 - Chico Carrasquel, infielder; All-Star (d. 2005)
- 1930 - Primitivo Colina, Venezuelan national team infielder
- 1930 - Frank Sullivan, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2016)
- 1933 - Wally Shannon, infielder (d. 1992)
- 1934 - Joey Amalfitano, infielder, manager
- 1934 - Roberto Cota, Mexican national team infielder (d. 1998)
- 1936 - Don Nottebart, pitcher (d. 2007)
- 1938 - Shohei Baba, NPB pitcher (d. 1999)
- 1938 - Bob Moorhead, pitcher (d. 1986)
- 1939 - D.L. Williams, Negro League pitcher (d. 2009)
- 1940 - Dick Burwell, pitcher (d. 2023)
- 1944 - Paul Ratliff, catcher
- 1945 - Tae-jeong Kang, KBO manager (d. 2021)
- 1945 - Kinji Shimatani, NPB infielder
- 1947 - Kurt Bevacqua, infielder
- 1951 - Charlie Spikes, outfielder
- 1952 - Koji Ohta, NPB pitcher
- 1954 - Robert Claesson, Elitserien pitcher
- 1954 - Garry Hancock, outfielder (d. 2015)
- 1954 - Young-ho Kwon, KBO pitcher
- 1957 - Alfonso Pulido, pitcher
- 1960 - W. Lloyd Johnson, author
- 1960 - Reggie Ritter, pitcher
- 1961 - Tetsuro Hirose, NPB infielder
- 1962 - Benny Distefano, infielder
- 1962 - Tom Signore, minor league pitcher
- 1963 - Marty Brown, infielder
- 1963 - Keli McGregor, executive (d. 2010)
- 1964 - Osamu Adachi, Japanese national team infielder
- 1965 - Cornelio Garcia, minor league infielder
- 1965 - Lonnie Phillips, minor league pitcher
- 1966 - Tom Hartley, minor league outfielder
- 1966 - John Massarelli, minor league catcher and manager
- 1968 - Victor Cole, pitcher
- 1969 - Darryl Kennedy, minor league catcher and manager
- 1969 - Mark Merchant, minor league outfielder
- 1970 - Alan Embree, pitcher
- 1970 - Sherman Obando, outfielder
- 1970 - Nandy Serrano, minor league infielder
- 1970 - Mark Wohlers, pitcher; All-Star
- 1971 - Charlie Greene, catcher
- 1971 - Dan Hubbs, minor league pitcher
- 1972 - Mike Murphy, minor league outfielder
- 1974 - Jay Ahrendt, minor league catcher
- 1974 - Erubiel Durazo, designated hitter
- 1974 - Yosvani Pérez Ruiz, Cuban league pitcher
- 1974 - Mark Watson, pitcher
- 1975 - Diego Ricci, Serie A1 pitcher
- 1975 - Matt Stockmann, minor league catcher
- 1976 - Andro Cuyugan, Philippines national team outfielder
- 1976 - Brandon Duckworth, pitcher
- 1976 - Bryon Gainey, minor league infielder (d. 2006)
- 1976 - Michiel van Kampen, Hoofdklasse pitcher
- 1976 - Igor Schiavetti, Italian Baseball League infielder
- 1977 - Tony Diaz, coach
- 1979 - Randey Dorame, minor league pitcher (d. 2019)
- 1979 - Chairon Isenia, minor league catcher
- 1979 - Charlie Labrador, Philippines national team pitcher
- 1979 - Juan Rincon, pitcher
- 1982 - Gustavo López, Nicaraguan national team catcher
- 1982 - Ben May, umpire
- 1982 - Wily Mo Pena, outfielder
- 1983 - Saidel Beltran, minor league pitcher
- 1984 - Dennis Kelly, Division Elite infielder
- 1984 - John Leonard, minor league pitcher
- 1984 - Sadara Senarath, Sri Lankan national team infielder
- 1985 - Jeff Samardzija, pitcher; All-Star
- 1986 - Erin Collins, Australian women's national team pitcher
- 1986 - Carlton Smith, minor league player
- 1986 - Ihsan Ullah, Pakistani national team pitcher
- 1987 - Kyle Cofield, minor league pitcher
- 1987 - Norbert Goór, Hungarian national team infielder
- 1987 - Cord Phelps, infielder
- 1987 - Kiel Roling, minor league infielder
- 1987 - Nick Soubiea, Elitserien pitcher
- 1988 - Ricardo Hernandez, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Pablo Suárez, Bolivian national team infielder
- 1989 - Robert Carson, pitcher
- 1989 - Jonathan Roof, minor league infielder
- 1989 - Thomas Whitsett, minor league coach
- 1991 - Daniel Fields, outfielder
- 1991 - Kurt Heyer, minor league pitcher
- 1991 - Chad James, minor league pitcher
- 1991 - Alberth Martinez, minor league outfielder
- 1992 - Jacob May, outfielder
- 1994 - Humberto Arteaga, infielder
- 1994 - Shoji Kitamura, Japanese national team infielder
- 1994 - Adrian Lara, Ecuadorian national team pitcher
- 1994 - Christian Morris, minor league pitcher
- 1994 - Addison Russell, infielder; All-Star
- 1995 - Pedro Ángel Álvarez, Cuban league pitcher
- 1995 - Yairo Munoz, infielder
- 1997 - Aldemar Burgos, minor league outfielder
- 1997 - Daniel Schneemann, infielder
- 1997 - Bo Takahashi, NPB pitcher
- 1998 - Daniel Brito, minor league infielder
- 1998 - Yosver Zulueta, pitcher
- 2001 - Linus Sjölund, Elitserien infielder
Deaths[edit]
- 1919 - John Newell, infielder (b. 1868)
- 1929 - Henry Killilea, owner (b. 1863)
- 1936 - Henry Youngman, infielder (b. 1865)
- 1943 - Farmer Weaver, outfielder (b. 1865)
- 1946 - William Matthews, pitcher (b. 1877)
- 1948 - Frank Doljack, outfielder (b. 1907)
- 1949 - Walt Herrell, pitcher (b. 1889)
- 1955 - Elmer Brown, pitcher (b. 1883)
- 1956 - Billy Evans Hall of Famer (b. 1884)
- 1958 - Harry Baldwin, pitcher (b. 1900)
- 1958 - Walter Lonergan, infielder (b. 1885)
- 1958 - Al Tedrow, pitcher (b. 1891)
- 1968 - Patsy Flaherty, pitcher (b. 1876)
- 1969 - Al Bridwell, infielder (b. 1884)
- 1970 - Bill Conroy, infielder (b. 1899)
- 1972 - Fred Nicholson, outfielder (b. 1894)
- 1973 - Ray Callahan, pitcher (b. 1891)
- 1974 - Spoon Carter, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1902)
- 1975 - Heinie Mueller, outfielder (b. 1899)
- 1978 - Thurman Jennings, infielder/outfielder (b. 1890)
- 1982 - Jim Hopper, pitcher (b. 1919)
- 1983 - Cookie Cuccurullo, pitcher (b. 1918)
- 1983 - Shingo Kuramoto, NPB infielder (b. 1913)
- 1983 - Phil Piton, minor league executive (b. 1903)
- 1988 - Johnny Gee, pitcher (b. 1915)
- 1989 - George Case, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1915)
- 1990 - Clarence Bruce, infielder (b. 1924)
- 1994 - Stan Landes, umpire (b. 1923)
- 1995 - Saul Rogovin, pitcher (b. 1922)
- 1999 - Charles England, pitcher (b. 1921)
- 2000 - Wilbur Lansing, pitcher (b. 1929)
- 2005 - Lyman Bostock, infielder; All-Star (b. 1918)
- 2007 - Dick Joyce, pitcher (b. 1943)
- 2012 - Bill Mardo, writer (b. 1923)
- 2012 - Larry Striplin, college coach (b. 1929)
- 2013 - Ed Bouchee, infielder (b. 1933)
- 2014 - Charlie Osgood, pitcher (b. 1926)
- 2014 - Harry Young, minor league pitcher (b. 1929)
- 2015 - Ernie Banks, infielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer (b. 1931)
- 2015 - Nick Koback, catcher (b. 1935)
- 2015 - Walt Williams, outfielder (b. 1943)
- 2020 - Hans de Bie, writer (b. 1936)
- 2021 - Paul Foytack, pitcher (b. 1930)
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