March 17
From BR Bullpen
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Events, births and deaths that occurred on March 17.
Events[edit]
- 1871 - The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players is founded, setting the stage for the future National League in 1876. The entry fee for a National Association franchise is set at $10.
- 1884 - The Union Association admits the Boston Reds club organized by George Wright, bringing the number of teams to eight. The UA also decides to stick with the seven-ball walk rule, and the schedule is expanded to 112 games, with the percentage system adopted for determining the champion team. The regular season opens with three games. Baltimore Monumentals pitcher Bill Sweeney throws a five-hit, 7 - 3 victory over the Washington Nationals. It is the first of what will be a season-high 40 victories for Sweeney, 12 more than his closest rival, Hugh Daily.
- 1886 - The Sporting News, the weekly that will become "The Baseball Paper of the World," publishes its first issue.
- 1911 - Plumbers at work on the drain pipes at Washington's Griffith Stadium start a fire that burns down the grandstand. Since the water has been shut off, firemen can do nothing. Stands will be rebuilt to play the home opener on schedule.
- 1919 - The Boston Red Sox, minus holdouts Carl Mays and Babe Ruth, sail from New York aboard the USS Arapahoe. The trip to spring training is stormy and most of the players will be seasick. Ruth will sign on the 21st in New York and leave that night for Florida. Mays, unsigned, will join Ruth and the Sox in Tampa.
- 1921:
- The New York Yankees, training in Shreveport, Louisiana, journey to Lake Charles to play a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, based in Orange, Texas. The game is proclaimed "Ruth-Hornsby Day," but Hornsby hits only a single while Ruth lofts a home run over the short right field fence. The Yankees win, 14 - 5.
- Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Gene Paulette, ordered to appear before Commissioner Landis regarding alleged gambling, decides to retire from Organized Baseball instead. He signs with a Massillon, Ohio semipro team.
- 1927 - In a battle of Irish managers on St. Patrick's Day, the St. Louis Cardinals of Bob O'Farrell beat the New York Giants of John McGraw, 3 - 0, in a Grapefruit League contest. Cardinals manager O'Farrell also clouts a home run.
- 1936 - Much-heralded rookie Joe DiMaggio makes his debut with the New York Yankees, collecting four hits including a triple. The day is marred when the St. Louis Cardinals win, 8 - 7.
- 1940 - An inter-league exhibition All-Star Game is played in Florida for the benefit of Finland, which has been attacked by the Soviet Union. Over $20,000 is raised, but the Finlanders give up their battle within a few days of the benefit.
- 1946 - In Daytona Beach, the Brooklyn Dodgers take the field against their minor-league farm team, the Montreal Royals. With Jackie Robinson in the lineup for Montreal, the game marks the first appearance of an integrated team in Organized Baseball in this century. A crowd of 3,100 attends the game at City Island Park, which will be renamed "Jackie Robinson Stadium" in 1990.
- 1953:
- Bill Veeck says that he will accept an offer of $2.475 million for his 80 percent of the St. Louis Browns stock. Baltimore Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro seeks a syndicate to buy Veeck out. The group will eventually purchase 206,250 shares at $12 per share.
- Milwaukee County Stadium will be available to the Boston Braves at a very reasonable rental rate.
- 1965 - Jackie Robinson is signed as a member of the ABC-TV major league baseball broadcast team, becoming the first black broadcaster to receive a network position. ABC provides the first-ever nationwide baseball coverage with weekly Saturday broadcasts on a regional basis.
- 1966 - Pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale play hardball when negotiating with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The duo signs movie contracts showing they are serious about retiring from baseball if their salary demands are not met.
- 1969 - The St. Louis Cardinals trade former National League MVP Orlando Cepeda to the Atlanta Braves for catcher/first baseman Joe Torre. The trade will benefit both teams; Cepeda will help the Braves win a division title this year and Torre will win the MVP Award in 1971.
- 1972 - In Caracas, Venezuela, the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates play the first of a three-game series.
- 1976 - Commissioner Bowie Kuhn orders teams to open spring training camps as soon as possible, ending the current lockout. All teams will comply within 48 hours.
- 1977 - U.S. Federal Judge Frank McGarr rules in favor of Bowie Kuhn, saying that the baseball commissioner acted within his authority in voiding the 1976 player sales engineered by Oakland Athletics owner Charlie Finley.
- 1978 - For a St. Patrick's Day exhibition game, the Cincinnati Reds wear special green uniforms, rather than their traditional red, starting an annual ritual. The good luck works and the Reds beat the New York Yankees, 9 - 2. The St. Louis Cardinals, among other teams, will be next to follow suit. Although the Reds will never use the uniforms in regular season play, the green colors will become a spring training tradition for the team.
- 1984 - Ferguson Jenkins announces his retirement. The 1971 National League Cy Young Award winner, Jenkins posted a record of 284-226 with 3,192 strikeouts and a 3.34 ERA in 4,500 innings pitched in a 19-season major career. He will be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America in 1991 - the first Canadian to be so honored.
- 1988 - Recently-acquired slugger Jack Clark tears a calf tendon while hitting a home run for the New York Yankees in an exhibition game. The oft-injured Clark signed a free agent contract during the winter. He will miss the start of the season, but will return to hit 27 home runs with 93 RBI.
- 1990 - The first game in the history of the Chinese Professional Baseball League is played. The President Lions top the Brother Elephants, 4 - 3. Fu-Ming Tu gets the win and Jung-Tai Sung the first hit. Enrique Burgos notches the first save. Chun-Liang Wang hits the first homer.
- 1992 - Pitcher Hal Newhouser and umpire Bill McGowan are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.
- 1999 - The Toronto Blue Jays fire manager Tim Johnson and replace him with Jim Fregosi. Johnson had been under fire since admitting he had lied when he said he had seen combat duty in the Vietnam War.
- 2001 - Third baseman Joe Randa agrees to a two-year contract extension with the Kansas City Royals. Randa batted .304 with 106 RBI for the Royals in 155 games last season.
- 2005 - During more than 11 hours of hearings by the Committee on Government Reform concerning major league players' use of steroids, Mark McGwire refuses to talk about the past and does not deny taking performance enhancing drugs. Other players testifying include Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, and former big leaguer Jose Canseco, whose recent book, Juiced, prompted the congressional hearing. Palmeiro will be found guilty of steroid usage later this year.
- 2006:
- The government of South Korea decides to exempt national baseball team members competing at the World Baseball Classic from mandatory military service as a reward for advancing to the tournament's semifinals. In a sour note, pitcher Myung Hwan Park tests positive for a banned substance and is thrown out of the Classic.
- Washington Nationals reliever Luis Ayala, who faced only one batter in his final appearance in the WBC, will have reconstructive surgery on his right elbow and is expected to miss the entire season.
- Toronto Blue Jays starter Roy Halladay signs a three-year, $40 million contract extension that will keep him with the club through the 2010 season.
- 2009:
- Team USA eliminates the Puerto Rican national team from the 2009 World Baseball Classic while locking up a spot in the semifinals. They trail 5 - 3 entering the bottom of the 9th, but J.C. Romero allows three of four batters to reach. Fernando Cabrera then walks Kevin Youkilis with the bases loaded and gives up a two-run single to David Wright to end the game.
- South Korea also advances to the semifinals, topping defending champion Japan, 4 - 1. They score three in the 1st against Yu Darvish to put it away. Jung Bong, Suk-min Yoon, Kwang-hyun Kim and Chang-yong Lim combine to hold Japan to one run.
- 2010:
- Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington admits that he tested positive for cocaine last summer and apologizes. He submits his resignation, but top management rejects it.
- Two troubled outfielders are in trouble again. Seattle's off-season acquisition, Milton Bradley, is ejected from an exhibition game for protesting a strikeout call from umpire Dan Bellino, while the Nationals' Elijah Dukes, who has seen his career derailed by legal and behaviorial problems, is released because of poor hitting. He had been expected to be Washington's starting right fielder this year.
- 2011 - Injured Philles All-Star 2B Chase Utley is absent from spring training today, visiting a specialist to look at his injured right knee, which has kept him off the playing field since the beginning of camp. As the knee is apparently not healing, surgery is becoming more likely, and no one in the Phillies' front office dares to set a timetable for Utley's return to the line-up. He will only play his first game on May 23rd.
- 2012 - Padres OF Carlos Quentin receives MRI results on his ailing knee and the news is not good, as he faces immediate surgery. While he will miss the start of the season, having surgery now should ensure that he will be healthy for the bulk of the year, once he has worked himself back into playing shape.
- 2013 - Puerto Rico defeats two-time champions Japan, 3 - 1, in the first semi-final of the 2013 World Baseball Classic to earn a spot in the finals for the first time. Alex Rios hits a two-run homer off Atsushi Nohmi in the 7th for the key blow. Mario Santiago gets his team off to a good start by shutting out the Japanese into the 5th inning, then five relievers combine to finish the job. Mike Aviles drives in the first run against Kenta Maeda in the 1st and is on board for Rios's shot. Takashi Toritani triples and scores for Japan in the 8th, but it's not enough as Fernando Cabrera picks up the save by retiring Kaz Matsui for the game's last out.
- 2015 - Agent Scott Boras lashes out at the Cubs, convinced that they want to send the hottest prospect in baseball, 3B Kris Bryant, to the minor leagues to start the season. Boras is convinced this is simply a cost-cutting move that makes no sense if the Cubs really want to win. Fans are also clamoring to see Bryant make the team, given he's leading all players with six homers in spring training games so far. However, team President Theo Epstein explains that he is concerned that Bryant needs more work on his defense before he's ready for the Show.
- 2016 - Groups B and C of the 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers get under way. In Mexicali, Baja California, the Czech national team gives host Mexico a run for its money, only losing 2 - 1 after allowing a pair of 1st-inning runs, while in the other game, it takes ten innings for Nicaragua to best Germany, 5 - 4, on a walk-off double by Alex Blandino. In the other group, playing in Panama City, Colombia launches its bid for a first participation in the main tournament, with an emphatic 9 - 2 win over Spain; Colombia draws 12 walks to pad its run total. In the final game, host Panama defeats France, 9 - 2, behind two homers and four RBIs by veteran catcher Carlos Ruiz.
- 2017:
- Puerto Rico qualifies for the final round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic by defeating Team USA, 6 - 5, in a second-round game. The undefeated Puerto Ricans score four times against Marcus Stroman in the 1st as their first six batters all collect singles. The U.S. manages to chip away at the lead with three runs in the middle innings, thanks in part to solo homers by Buster Posey and Adam Jones, but Puerto Rico adds two more runs in the bottom of the 6th. The U.S. makes a last push in the 9th when Brandon Crawford hits a two-run triple with two outs, but Edwin Diaz ends the game by striking out Josh Harrison.
- The Yankees no-hit the Tigers in a Grapefruit League game, 3 - 0. Masahiro Tanaka strikes out 6 in 4 1/3 innings, Chasen Shreve finishes the 5th inning, and rookie Jordan Montgomery completes the feat with four perfect innings.
- 2018:
- In the sort of weirdness that only happens in spring training, the Rangers play a couple of innings against the Royals with a double play combination composed of Rougned Odor at second base and Rougned Odor at shortstop. It is a first time the two brothers, who share a first name but have different middle names, have played together in a professional game.
- Not to be outdone, the Blue Jays field a line-up straight out of the 1990s in their 11 - 3 win over the Canadian junior national team. The team features an infield of Clemens, Biggio, Bichette and Guerrero, with Dwight Smith Jr. in left field and Grudzielanek at DH. They are all sons of major leaguers, except for Grudzielanek, who is Mark's nephew. Joining them by pitching a perfect 8th inning in 17-year-old Braden Halladay, son of the late Roy Halladay, who qualifies to play for the Canadians by virtue of having been born in Toronto, ON.
- 2023:
- Olivia Pichardo becomes the first woman to play NCAA Division I baseball when she appears as a pinch-hitter for Brown University against Bryant University. The first-year player grounds out to first base on the first pitch she sees with Brown trailing, 10 - 1, in the 9th inning. A number of women have appeared in college games at lower levels since 1987, including seven others who are presently active.
- Puerto Rico fails to repeat its 2017 WBC turn six years and one tournament later; they jump to a 4 - 0 1st-inning lead against Julio Urías on homers by Javier Báez and Eddie Rosario but Mexico allows nothing further and rallies for a 5 - 4 win. Isaac Paredes drives in three, while Luis Urías singles in Alex Verdugo with the winner in the 7th. Giovanny Gallegos saves it for winning hurler JoJo Romero.
- 2024 - In a split-squad Grapefruit League game against the Tigers, Orioles prospect Kyle Stowers becomes the first player since 2018 to hit three homers in a spring training game. Stowers leads all Orioles hitters in homers and RBIs thus far, but is in a stiff competition with two other top prospects, Heston Kjerstad and Colton Cowser, for only one available spot in the O's outfield. Two others, Giancarlo Stanton and Willie Adames, will also have a three-homer game before teams head north next week.
Births[edit]
- 1848 - R.F. Cook, umpire (d. 1923)
- 1857 - Larry Murphy, outfielder (d. 1911)
- 1860 - Fred Pfeffer, infielder, manager (d. 1932)
- 1863 - Art Hagan, pitcher (d. 1936)
- 1867 - Ernie Beam, pitcher (d. 1918)
- 1869 - George Hogreiver, outfielder (d. 1961)
- 1876 - Daff Gammons, outfielder (d. 1963)
- 1877 - Jesse Hoffmeister, infielder (d. 1933)
- 1881 - Jim Fairbank, pitcher (d. 1955)
- 1883 - Oscar Stanage, catcher (d. 1964)
- 1885 - Eddie Hooper, college coach (d. 1967)
- 1885 - Paddy Mayes, outfielder (d. 1962)
- 1885 - Ducky Pearce, catcher (d. 1933)
- 1888 - Ed Klepfer, pitcher (d. 1950)
- 1892 - Hardin Herndon, minor league player and manager (d. 1958)
- 1894 - Ralph Shafer, pinch runner (d. 1950)
- 1895 - Lyman Lamb, infielder (d. 1955)
- 1897 - Joe Fitzgerald, coach (d. 1967)
- 1897 - Harry Riconda, infielder (d. 1958)
- 1899 - Charley Root, pitcher (d. 1970)
- 1900 - Albert McNeal, catcher (d. ????)
- 1906 - Hy Vandenberg, pitcher (d. 1994)
- 1912 - Blanch Moody, pitcher (d. 1940)
- 1912 - Whitey Ock, catcher (d. 1975)
- 1914 - Sammy Baugh, minor league infielder (d. 2008)
- 1916 - Lyle Smith, college coach (d. 2017)
- 1917 - Hank Sauer, outfielder; All-Star (d. 2001)
- 1918 - Ray Battle, infielder (d. 1973)
- 1919 - Del Ballinger, minor league catcher and manager
- 1919 - Pete Reiser, outfielder; All-Star (d. 1981)
- 1923 - Pat Seerey, outfielder (d. 1986)
- 1926 - Jaynne Bittner, AAGPBL pitcher
- 1929 - Robert Zimmerman, minor league pitcher (d. 2017)
- 1933 - Jim Mitchell (d. 2020)
- 1934 - Pete Alborano Sr., college coach (d. 2021)
- 1938 - Jimmie Hall, outfielder; All-Star
- 1941 - Vic Voltaggio, umpire
- 1944 - Cito Gaston, outfielder, manager; All-Star
- 1950 - Damon Howell, minor league outfielder
- 1951 - Kurt Russell, minor league infielder
- 1951 - Richard Young, minor league pitcher
- 1952 - Jerry Tabb, infielder
- 1956 - Rick Lisi, outfielder
- 1956 - Tim Lollar, pitcher
- 1956 - Rod Scurry, pitcher (d. 1992)
- 1958 - Frank Wren, general manager
- 1959 - Danny Ainge, infielder
- 1959 - Pat Casey, college coach
- 1961 - Hector Rincones, scout
- 1962 - Jim Howard, scout
- 1962 - Lance Hudson, minor league infielder
- 1962 - Don Long, coach
- 1963 - Tony Laird, minor league infielder
- 1963 - Jason Maas, minor league outfielder
- 1965 - Pat Abbatiello, minor league infielder
- 1965 - Mike Hinkle, minor league pitcher
- 1965 - John Smiley, pitcher; All-Star
- 1967 - Johan Hasselström, Bundesliga catcher
- 1967 - Takeshi Nakamura, NPB catcher
- 1968 - Pat Gomez, pitcher
- 1968 - Dan Masteller, infielder
- 1968 - Dave Proctor, minor league pitcher
- 1968 - Orlando Stewart, Hoofdklasse pitcher
- 1969 - Scott Brow, pitcher
- 1970 - Marc Marini, minor league outfielder
- 1970 - Naoya Shimada, NPB pitcher
- 1971 - Marino Castillo, minor league pitcher (d. 1997)
- 1971 - Woong-cheon Cho, KBO pitcher
- 1971 - Bill Mueller, infielder
- 1972 - Pedro Pablo Belmonte, minor league pitcher
- 1972 - Adam Burton, minor league infielder
- 1973 - Raul Chavez, catcher
- 1973 - Teodoro Novas, minor league catcher
- 1973 - Vance Wilson, catcher
- 1975 - Yasuo Ishii, Japanese national team outfielder
- 1975 - Clint Weibl, minor league pitcher
- 1976 - Scott Downs, pitcher
- 1976 - Matt Gilbert, Great Britain national team pitcher
- 1976 - Dave Steffler, drafted pitcher
- 1977 - Robb Quinlan, infielder
- 1979 - Yong-joon Cho, KBO pitcher
- 1979 - Lester Ramirez, Guatemalan national team infielder
- 1981 - Shohei Tateyama, NPB pitcher
- 1982 - A.J. Murray, pitcher
- 1982 - Brian Snyder, minor league infielder
- 1983 - Chris Falls, Bundesliga infielder
- 1984 - Florian Arnold, Bundesliga infielder
- 1984 - Eun-beom Song, KBO pitcher
- 1985 - Kenny Berkenbosch, minor league pitcher
- 1985 - Yu-An Liu, CPBL outfielder
- 1985 - Taylor Mattingly, minor league infielder
- 1985 - Kenny Rodríguez, minor league pitcher
- 1985 - Cesar Valdez, pitcher
- 1986 - Chris Davis, infielder; All-Star
- 1986 - Adam Dimino, minor league outfielder
- 1986 - Tae-won Lee, KBO catcher
- 1986 - Sakda Nontachai, Thai national team outfielder
- 1986 - Kensuke Uchimura, NPB infielder
- 1987 - Derek Bayliss, South African national team pitcher
- 1988 - Matteo D'Angelo, Serie A1 pitcher
- 1988 - Wendell Fairley, minor league outfielder
- 1988 - Shawn Hetherington, minor league pitcher
- 1989 - José Guevara, minor league catcher
- 1989 - Casey Harman, minor league pitcher
- 1989 - Juan Lagares, outfielder
- 1989 - Elián Leyva, minor league pitcher
- 1989 - Mitch Mormann, minor league pitcher
- 1990 - Andrew Kittredge, pitcher; All-Star
- 1990 - Leandro Mateo, minor league infielder
- 1990 - Jean Segura, infielder; All-Star
- 1992 - Orlando Castro, minor league pitcher
- 1992 - Min-gu Choi, KBO outfielder
- 1992 - Joey DeNato, minor league pitcher
- 1993 - Rhys Hoskins, outfielder
- 1993 - Kevin Trisl, Bundesliga pitcher
- 1995 - Shotaro Kasahara, NPB pitcher
- 1995 - Erick Leal, minor league pitcher
- 1996 - Stuart Fairchild, outfielder
- 1996 - Matt Lloyd, minor league infielder
- 1997 - Abraham Atencio Jr., Panamanian national team pitcher
- 1997 - Donovan Castilla, Colombian national team outfielder
- 1998 - Sam Benschoter, minor league pitcher
- 1998 - Mitchell Hughson, New Zealand national team pitcher
- 1999 - José Herrera, Peruvian national team pitcher
- 2000 - Gordon Graceffo, pitcher
- 2000 - Kevin Kawin Irwin, Thai national team pitcher
Deaths[edit]
- 1872 - Elmer White, outfielder (b. 1849)
- 1908 - John Conkey, executive (b. 1839)
- 1914 - Mike Ledwith, catcher (b. 1851)
- 1923 - Ed Hogan, outfielder (b. 1862)
- 1931 - Tom Gunning, catcher (b. 1862)
- 1936 - Grant Thatcher, pitcher (b. 1877)
- 1937 - Billy Murray, manager (b. 1864)
- 1939 - Bill Burke, pitcher (b. 1862)
- 1944 - Rube Kroh, pitcher (b. 1886)
- 1945 - Rip Ragan, pitcher (b. 1879)
- 1948 - Ike Butler, pitcher (b. 1873)
- 1958 - Bob Blewett, pitcher (b. 1877)
- 1959 - Howard Ehmke, pitcher (b. 1894)
- 1960 - Bob Thorpe, pitcher (b. 1935)
- 1962 - George Orme, outfielder (b. 1891)
- 1962 - Billy Purtell, infielder (b. 1886)
- 1965 - Amos Alonzo Stagg, college coach (b. 1862)
- 1969 - Jim Mains, pitcher (b. 1922)
- 1969 - Poindexter Williams, catcher, manager (b. 1897)
- 1975 - Diamond Pipkins, pitcher (b. 1907)
- 1980 - Bob Hooper, pitcher (b. 1922)
- 1981 - Paul Dean, pitcher (b. 1912)
- 1981 - Joe Giebel, catcher (b. 1891)
- 1982 - Lunie Danage, infielder (b. 1895)
- 1985 - Ike Pearson, pitcher (b. 1917)
- 1988 - Sal Margaglione, scout (b. 1922)
- 1993 - Joe Abreu, infielder (b. 1913)
- 1995 - Jimmy Uchrinscko, pitcher (b. 1900)
- 1998 - Milo Candini, pitcher (b. 1917)
- 1998 - Ed Finney, infielder (b. 1924)
- 2002 - Lefty Bertrand, pitcher (b. 1909)
- 2003 - Hirokuni Kataoka, NPB infielder (b. 1916)
- 2007 - Des Hamilton, scout (b. 1954)
- 2007 - Hideaki Sato, NPB pitcher (b. 1960)
- 2009 - Whitey Lockman, infielder, manager; All-Star (b. 1926)
- 2010 - Van Fletcher, pitcher (b. 1924)
- 2013 - Ben Phillips, (b. 1921)
- 2014 - Troyce Cofer, minor league infielder (b. 1920)
- 2014 - Charley Feeney, writer (b. 1924)
- 2020 - Bob Polinsky, minor league pitcher (b. 1951)
- 2021 - Ed Armbrister, outfielder (b. 1948)
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