January 16
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Events, births and deaths that occurred on January 16.
Events[edit]
- 1878 - Tom Carey is signed as team captain of the Providence Grays
- 1885 - The Brooklyn Grays sign several players from the defunct Cleveland Blues club, inking Pete Hotaling, Bill Phillips, John Harkins, George Pinkney, Germany Smith, and Bill Krieg.
- 1886 - The Washington Nationals club is admitted to the National League, bringing the league membership to seven teams.
- 1890 - Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, and three other labor leaders pledge support for the Players League at a league meeting in Philadelphia.
- 1891 - A new national agreement is signed by the National League, American Association and the Western Association, creating a three-man panel to settle problems among the leagues.
- 1905 - It seems simple enough on paper: the Boston Americans buy outfielder George Stone from the Washington Senators; the St. Louis Browns reclaim Frank Huelsman from Washington, where he had been on loan, and send him along with Jesse Burkett to Boston for Stone. Boston then sends Huelsman back to Washington in payment for Stone. This is Huelsman's fourth trade in eight months and his playing for four American League teams in one season in 1904 will not be matched until Paul Lehner does it in 1951.
- 1910 - Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean is born in Lucas, AR. Dean will make his debut in 1930 with the St. Louis Cardinals and will win 150 games over a 12-year career with the Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Browns.
- 1917 - The Cubs send P Jimmy Lavender and $5,000 to the Phillies for P Al Demaree, who will be sent to the Giants in July.
- 1952 - The U.S. Standardization Board clears the way for Stan Musial to get a salary increase to $85,000. Prior to this relaxation of the rules, there was a wage freeze in effect due to the Korean War. Under the new rules, a team is free to raise individual salaries, as long as they do not exceed a complicated formula, based on total team salaries for any one year, from 1946 to 1950, plus 10 percent.
- 1960 - In a benefit basketball game in Pittsburgh, the Steelers football club edge the Pirates baseball team in overtime, 22-20. Shortstop Dick Groat, a Duke University hoop standout, scores 14 points for the Pirates.
- 1964 - American League owners vote down Charlie Finley's proposed move of the Kansas City Athletics to Louisville, Kentucky. The owners, who vote 9-1 against the proposal, also tell Finley to sign a lease with Kansas City or surrender the franchise.
- 1970 - Gold Glove outfielder Curt Flood files a lawsuit challenging the reserve clause, which binds major league players to teams perpetually. Flood had been traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies on October 7, 1969, but has refused to report to the Phillies. Flood contends that the reserve clause violates antitrust laws. He will lose the suit but the judge will suggest changes to the reserve system, opening the door for salary arbitration and free agency.
- 1974 - The Baseball Writers Association of America elects former New York Yankees teammates Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford to the Hall of Fame. Mantle becomes only the seventh player to make it in his first try. His 536 home runs with the Yankees rank second only to Babe Ruth, and he played in more games (2,401) than any other pinstriper, including Lou Gehrig. Ford was arguably the greatest Yankees pitcher of all time, retiring with more wins (236), innings pitched (3,171), strikeouts (1,956), and shutouts (45) than anyone in club history.
- 1986 - The Minnesota Twins trade Tim Teufel and Pat Crosby to the New York Mets in exchange for Billy Beane, Bill Latham, and Joe Klink. Minnesota also trades Dave Engle to the Tigers for Chris Pittaro and Alejandro Sanchez. Teufel will platoon with Wally Backman during the Mets' championship run this season.
- 1996:
- Major League Baseball's executive council approves a history-making first: interleague play for the 1997 season. The Players' Association will also give its approval, enabling geographic rivals like New York's Mets and Yankees, Chicago's Cubs and White Sox, and Los Angeles' Angels and Dodgers to play each other during the regular season.
- The San Francisco Giants sign much-acclaimed amateur free agent Osvaldo Fernandez. The Cuban national squad's All-Star pitcher, who defected as his club played Team USA in Tennessee, will post a disappointing 10-17 record during two seasons with the Giants.
- 2000 - The Kintetsu Buffaloes announce plans to have fans vote on the club's Opening Day lineup
- 2001:
- Outfielders Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett are elected to the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. The former Minnesota Twins are the fourth pair of teammates selected by BBWAA in the same year.
- Free agent Jose Canseco agrees to terms with the Anaheim Angels. The incentive-laden contract ranging from $200,000 to as much as $5 million will be based on plate appearances as a designated hitter.
- 2002 - Two free agents agrees to terms on contracts, pitcher Pedro Astacio with the New York Mets, and second baseman Eric Young with the Milwaukee Brewers.
- 2003:
- The owners establish the minimum age of 14 for bat boys. The change from not having any age requirement is prompted by a near collision at home plate during Game 5 of last year's World Series involving 4-year-old bat boy Darren Baker, the son of Giants manager Dusty Baker.
- The Hall of Fame announces that Gary Carter will become the first player to wear a Montreal Expos cap on his plaque when he is inducted next July at Cooperstown. Although the former Montreal catcher had expressed his desire to go in with a Mets logo, for whom he won a Championship in 1986, the Hall of Fame makes the final decision.
- Trying to restore a competitive edge to the All-Star Game, the owners unanimously approve that the winning league of the Mid-Summer classic will have home field advantage during the World Series. Approval is needed by the players to change the current rotation between the two leagues, which was put in place since the inception of the World Series in 1903.
- 2008 - Great Britain withdraws from the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament due to financial limitations; the British Baseball Federation is unable to raise the 40,000 pounds needed to take part and has stopped receiving funding from UK Sport in 2005. The IBAF claims the reason is due to player availability, contrary to the above explanation provided by Britain. Germany takes its spot. Great Britain was not expected to have much chance of advancing to the Olympics.
- 2010 - Manager Jose Offerman of the Tigres del Licey is ejected and escorted from the stadium by police after punching umpire Daniel Reyburn in a Dominican Winter League playoff loss to the Gigantes del Cibao, 6 - 0. He faces disciplinary measures and possible criminal charges. Offerman loses his cool after home plate umpire Jason Bradley ejects catcher Ronny Paulino for arguing balls and strikes. The incident is reminiscent of one in the Atlantic League on August 14, 2007, when Offerman, playing for the Long Island Ducks, attacked pitcher Matt Beech of the Bridgeport Bluefish with a bat after being hit by a pitch, and also injured catcher John Nathans in the process.
- 2011 - The Reds reward 1B Joey Votto for his great 2010 season, for which he was voted National League MVP, by signing him to a three-year contract extension worth $38 million, thus avoiding salary arbitration.
- 2012:
- One day after avoiding salary arbitration by signing him to a one-year, $2.4 million contract, the Rockies trade OF Seth Smith to the A's in return for Ps Guillermo Moscoso and Josh Outman. Seth was made redundant by the signing of free agent OF Michael Cuddyer earlier this offseason.
- The Reds sign veteran OF Ryan Ludwick and C Dioner Navarro, while the Red Sox sign P Vicente Padilla, all as free agents. All three are former All-Stars expected to compete for spots as back-up players.
- 2013:
- The Nationals, facing a glut of outfielders, send Mike Morse to Seattle as part of a three-team trade. C John Jaso goes from Seattle to Oakland, while the Nats repatriate pitching prospect A.J. Cole as well as Blake Treinen.
- Veteran P Vicente Padilla signs a one-year contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Central League for $3.25 million.
- 2014 - At their quarterly meeting, MLB owners agree to the proposed expansion of instant replay; as the Players Association and Umpires Association have also agreed to the changes, they will be effective at the start of this season. A manager will be able to challenge up to two decisions per game, and the umpiring crew can decide on its own to review a call from the 7th inning on. Almost all calls will be subject to review, except for balls and strikes, obstruction and interference.
- 2015:
- The Pirates sign South Korean infielder Jung-ho Kang to a four-year deal worth $11 million after submitting the winning bid for his rights through the posting system.
- The Giants sign free agent OF Nori Aoki, who faced them in the 2014 World Series, to a one-year contract.
- The Australian Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2015 is announced. The new inductees are Trent Durrington and John Galloway. Durrington was the third Australian position player to make the majors and spent over 1,000 games in the US pro ranks. Galloway was MVP of the 1980 Claxton Shield and later managed two national champions, while also spending several years with the Australian national team.
- 2016:
- The Orioles grant the largest contract in their history when they re-sign 1B Chris Davis for seven years and $161 million. Meanwhile, the Royals ink P Ian Kennedy for five years and $70 million.
- The Adelaide Bite beat the Melbourne Aces, 2 - 1. Adelaide closer Ryan Searle notches his 16th save of the season to break the Australian Baseball League's three-year-old single-season save record previously held by Matthew Williams.
- 2017 :
- In one of his last gestures as President, Barack Obama receives the World Champion Cubs at the White House. Reporters note it's the first time the team visits the hallowed mansion since 1888, while the President, known to be a fan of the rival White Sox, states: "I can't claim that I have the same just visceral joy of some in this White House," alluding to first lady Michelle Obama, who does root for the Cubbies.
- The Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame announces its 2017 class. Tsutomu Itoh, a ten-time Best Nine pick at catcher noted for his defense, is the only selection by the Sportswriters. The Expert Committee picks eight-time All-Star pitcher Masaji Hiramatsu, winner of over 200 games and Senichi Hoshino, who won 146 games as a pitcher and 1,181 as a manager (among the top ten all-time). The Special Committee picks amateur umpire Hiroshi Goshi and rules codifier Mirei Suzuki.
- The Phillies sign free agent OF Michael Saunders, coming off the best season of his career with the Blue Jays, to a one-year contract worth $9 million, coupled to an $11 million option for the following season.
- 2018 - The Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame announces the class of 2018. The Players Division picks Hideki Matsui, a three-time Central League MVP and 2009 World Series MVP and Tomoaki Kanemoto, the 2005 CL MVP who set the Nippon Pro Baseball record for consecutive games without missing an inning. Another former CL MVP, Tatsunori Hara, winner in 1983, is picked by the Expert Division; Hara later managed three Japan Series winners and the Japanese national team to the 2009 World Baseball Classic title. The fourth inductee, college coach Masao Taki, is picked by the Special Committee; he guided Chukyo University to 28 Aichi University Baseball League championships.
- 2020:
- Carlos Beltran becomes the third manager to lose his job as a result of the sign-stealing scandal linked to the 2017 Astros. He is dismissed by the Mets after being the only player named in the investigation report made public by the Commissioner's office. His firing follows that of A.J. Hinch and Alex Cora a few days earlier. Having been named to the position after the 2019 season, he never had an opportunity to actually manage a game.
- The Giants announce the hiring of the first female coach in major league history as Alyssa Nakken is named assistant coach on a staff numbering 13 coaches under new manager Gabe Kapler. A former softball player at Sacramento State University who was first hired by the team as an intern in 2014, Nakken will "focus [her] talents on helping to build a winning culture in the clubhouse".
- The Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame names its class of 2020: Buster Clarkson, Armando Ríos, Bob Thurman, Julio Valera and Roberto Vargas.
Births[edit]
- 1855 - Jimmy Macullar, infielder, manager (d. 1924)
- 1858 - Art Whitney, infielder (d. 1943)
- 1863 - Lem Hunter, pitcher/outfielder (d. 1956)
- 1870 - Jimmy Collins, infielder, manager; Hall of Famer (d. 1943)
- 1873 - Tom Hess, catcher (d. 1945)
- 1877 - Lou Bruce, outfielder (d. 1968)
- 1878 - Jim Murray, outfielder (d. 1945)
- 1885 - Joe Kutina, infielder (d. 1945)
- 1886 - Allie Moulton, infielder (d. 1968)
- 1888 - Brad Kocher, catcher (d. 1965)
- 1889 - Ray Jansen, infielder (d. 1934)
- 1889 - Erskine Mayer, pitcher (d. 1957)
- 1891 - Marv Goodwin, pitcher (d. 1925)
- 1891 - Ferdie Schupp, pitcher (d. 1971)
- 1892 - Fred Bratschi, outfielder (d. 1962)
- 1893 - Arthur Karpus, minor league infielder (d. 1983)
- 1894 - Moxie Divis, outfielder (d. 1955)
- 1895 - Lou Guisto, infielder (d. 1989)
- 1897 - Herschel Bobo, minor league infielder and manager (d. 1975)
- 1899 - Showboat Fisher, outfielder (d. 1994)
- 1900 - Joe Rabbitt, outfielder (d. 1969)
- 1902 - Joe Connell, pinch hitter (d. 1977)
- 1902 - Pip Koehler, outfielder (d. 1986)
- 1904 - Jo-Jo Morrissey, infielder (d. 1950)
- 1906 - Jim Williams, outfielder, manager; All-Star (d. ????)
- 1907 - Buck Jordan, infielder (d. 1993)
- 1908 - Johnny Watson, infielder (d. 1965)
- 1910 - Dizzy Dean, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1974)
- 1911 - Hank McDonald, pitcher (d. 1982)
- 1915 - Johnny Bittner, minor league pitcher (d. 2007)
- 1917 - Bob Ramazzotti, infielder (d. 2000)
- 1920 - Ray Poole, pinch hitter (d. 2006)
- 1920 - Roy Talcott, pitcher (d. 1999)
- 1921 - Kiyoshi Yamada, NPB infielder (d. 1984)
- 1922 - William Adams, minor league player and manager (d. 1996)
- 1922 - Hal Dedmon, minor league outfielder and manager (d. 2019)
- 1923 - Dick Sipek, outfielder (d. 2005)
- 1924 - Luther Clifford, catcher (d. 1990)
- 1924 - Jack Sweeting, minor league catcher (d. 2000)
- 1924 - Junior Wooten, outfielder (d. 2006)
- 1927 - Maybelle Blair, AAGPBL pitcher
- 1927 - Kazuo Kageyama, NPB infielder and manager (d. 1965)
- 1934 - Jim Owens, pitcher (d. 2020)
- 1937 - Moe Morhardt, infielder
- 1938 - Dick Bresciani, executive (d. 2014)
- 1938 - Ron Herbel, pitcher (d. 2000)
- 1940 - Bob Baird, pitcher (d. 1974)
- 1940 - Rod Miller, pinch hitter (d. 2013)
- 1941 - Joe Bonikowski, pitcher
- 1944 - Gene Stone, infielder (d. 2009)
- 1948 - Tsuneo Horiuchi, NPB pitcher and manager; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
- 1949 - An-Keng Chang, CPBL coach
- 1952 - Don Kreke, minor league pitcher
- 1953 - Dennis DeBarr, pitcher
- 1954 - Dave Stapleton, infielder
- 1956 - Joe Del Sardo, Serie A1 outfielder
- 1957 - Steve Balboni, infielder
- 1957 - Marty Castillo, infielder
- 1957 - Rod Heisler, Canadian national team pitcher
- 1957 - Dave Jauss, coach
- 1959 - Kevin Buckley, designated hitter
- 1963 - Joe Cunningham, minor league infielder and manager
- 1964 - Bil Shamblin, minor league pitcher
- 1964 - Masahiro Taijun, NPB infielder
- 1966 - Brad DeJardin, minor league outfielder
- 1966 - Jack McDowell, pitcher; All-Star
- 1966 - Todd Provence, minor league pitcher-outfielder
- 1967 - Chris Whitehead, minor league infielder (d. 1991)
- 1968 - Sean Doty, minor league pitcher
- 1969 - Richard Orman, minor league pitcher
- 1970 - Ron Villone, pitcher
- 1971 - Matt Apana, minor league pitcher
- 1971 - Randy Curtis, minor league outfielder
- 1973 - Jesus Azuaje, minor league infielder and manager
- 1973 - Ryan Coe, scout
- 1975 - Kevin Boles, minor league manager
- 1975 - Lee Gardner, pitcher
- 1975 - Edison Hirano, Brazilian national team infielder
- 1977 - Colter Bean, pitcher
- 1978 - Alfredo Amezaga, infielder
- 1978 - Se-wan Hong, KBO infielder
- 1978 - Rubén Salazar, minor league infielder
- 1979 - Jack Cust, designated hitter
- 1979 - David González, Panamanian national team catcher
- 1979 - Bill Peavey, minor league player
- 1980 - Brooks Conrad, infielder
- 1980 - Albert Pujols, infielder; All-Star
- 1981 - Mitch Stetter, pitcher
- 1983 - Eider Torres, infielder
- 1984 - Matt Maloney, pitcher
- 1985 - Bobby Blevins, minor league pitcher
- 1985 - Junior Guerra, pitcher
- 1985 - Gunawan Pandu Khallista, Indonesian national team pitcher
- 1985 - Jeff Manship, pitcher
- 1986 - Reid Brignac, infielder
- 1986 - Mark Trumbo, infielder; All-Star
- 1986 - Sape Wagenaar, Hoofdklasse catcher
- 1986 - Ching-Ming Wang, CPBL pitcher
- 1987 - Hernán Guzmán, Colombian national team pitcher-infielder
- 1987 - Zelous Wheeler, infielder
- 1988 - Luis Bernardo, minor league catcher
- 1988 - Cannon Lester, college coach
- 1988 - Ron Rivas, minor league infielder
- 1988 - John Wiedenbauer, scout
- 1990 - Bengie Gonzalez, minor league infielder
- 1990 - Jason Kilby, signed pitcher
- 1990 - Héctor Ponce, Puerto Rican national team outfielder
- 1990 - Warwick Saupold, pitcher
- 1991 - Takuaki Iguchi, Japanese national team pitcher
- 1991 - Guillaume Lafeuille, Division Elite catcher
- 1992 - Daniel Ponce de Leon, pitcher
- 1993 - Keon Barnum, minor league infielder
- 1993 - Yewry Guillén, signed infielder (d. 2011)
- 1994 - Austin Allen, catcher
- 1994 - Kevin Canelon, minor league pitcher
- 1994 - Tyler Krieger, minor league infielder
- 1994 - Jefferson Olacio, minor league pitcher
- 1995 - Dylan Gleeson, Division Elite infielder
- 1995 - Kyle Ulanday, minor league infielder and pitcher
- 1995 - Sergio Velis, minor league pitcher
- 1996 - Garrett Hill, pitcher
- 1996 - Chenchen Luan, minor league catcher
- 1997 - Brendan Donovan, infielder
- 1997 - T.J. Hopkins, outfielder
- 1997 - Thaddeus Ward, pitcher
- 1998 - Duke Ellis, outfielder
- 1998 - Che-Yen Hsu, CPBL infielder
- 1998 - Raymond Nerosa, Philippines national team pitcher
- 1998 - Roniel Raudes, minor league pitcher
- 1999 - Frank Álvarez, Cuban league pitcher
- 1999 - Jose King, minor league infielder
- 1999 - Andrés Muñoz, pitcher; All-Star
- 2001 - D'Shawn Knowles, minor league outfielder
- 2002 - Simon Bäumer, Bundesliga infielder-pitcher
- 2002 - Alan Espinal, drafted catcher
- 2002 - Huadancairang, Chinese national team pitcher
- 2003 - Chase Burns, drafted pitcher
- 2003 - Niki Eckert, USA women's national team pitcher
- 2004 - Paul Schmitz, Bundesliga pitcher
Deaths[edit]
- 1907 - Jake Evans, outfielder (b. 1856)
- 1913 - Tom Dolan, catcher (b. 1855)
- 1917 - Charlie Geggus, pitcher (b. 1862)
- 1925 - George Bignell, catcher (b. 1858)
- 1928 - Claude Rossman, infielder (b. 1881)
- 1932 - Chino Smith, Negro League outfielder (b. 1903)
- 1934 - Wiley Dunham, pitcher (b. 1877)
- 1938 - Earl Clark, outfielder (b. 1907)
- 1938 - Joe Sommer, outfielder (b. 1858)
- 1950 - Rudy Hulswitt, infielder (b. 1877)
- 1951 - Pid Purdy, outfielder (b. 1904)
- 1954 - Fred Payne, catcher (b. 1879)
- 1963 - Carl Thompson, pitcher (b. 1889)
- 1964 - Howard Baker, infielder (b. 1888)
- 1965 - Jimmy Williams, infielder (b. 1876)
- 1968 - Liz Funk, outfielder (b. 1904)
- 1973 - Frank Calo, scout (b. 1973)
- 1976 - Chick Autry, infielder (b. 1885)
- 1977 - Jim Hamilton, infielder (b. 1922)
- 1977 - Baby Doll Jacobson, outfielder (b. 1890)
- 1982 - Arnulfo Rodríguez, minor league executive; Salon de la Fama (b. 1929)
- 1985 - Ken Chase, pitcher (b. 1913)
- 1988 - Dutch Kemner, pitcher (b. 1899)
- 1989 - Frank Trechock, infielder (b. 1915)
- 1990 - Earl Naylor, outfielder (b. 1919)
- 2000 - Byrum Saam, broadcaster (b. 1914)
- 2001 - Bob Latshaw, minor league infielder and manager (b. 1917)
- 2003 - Phil McCullough, pitcher (b. 1917)
- 2003 - Taketoshi Ogami, NPB pitcher (b. 1932)
- 2006 - Frederick Minnis, minor league infielder and manager (b. 1924)
- 2006 - Willie Smith, outfielder (b. 1939)
- 2009 - Bob Fowler, writer (b. 1939)
- 2009 - Bob Kruthoffer, minor league pitcher, college coach (b. 1939)
- 2009 - Craig Stimac, catcher (b. 1954)
- 2013 - Dionisio Acosta, minor league catcher (b. 1929)
- 2014 - Robert Hartranft, minor league infielder (b. 1928)
- 2016 - David Voigt, author (b. 1926)
- 2017 - Dan O'Brien, Sr., executive (b. 1929)
- 2018 - Clint Brown, minor league owner (b. 1954)
- 2018 - Syed Khawar Shah, international executive (b. ~1950)
- 2019 - Tom Hausman, pitcher (b. 1953)
- 2021 - William Berzunza, minor league infielder; Salon de la Fama member (b. 1936)
- 2022 - Ethan Blackaby, outfielder (b. 1940)
- 2022 - Brian DeLunas, coach (b. 1975)
- 2022 - Ruben Leysner, Hoofdklasse infielder and coach (b. 1934)
- 2022 - Gale Wade, outfielder (b. 1929)
- 2023 - Hidetoshi Ikeda, NPB pitcher (b. 1937)
- 2023 - Frank Thomas, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1929)
- 2024 - Johnny Jeter, outfielder (b. 1944)
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