March 21
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 March 21.
Events[edit]
- 1903 - Sporting Life, the U.S.'s oldest baseball publication, begins its 21st year. It will close during World War I.
- 1908 - Ty Cobb signs with the Detroit Tigers for $4,000 plus an $800 bonus if he hits over .300. He will collect the bonus with a league-leading .324 average, becoming one of only three American League regulars to top .300 this year - the National League will have five.
- 1921 - First baseman Gene Paulette is barred from organized baseball for life for taking part in throwing games. He played in 500 games with the New York Giants, St. Louis Browns and Philadelphia Phillies.
- 1931: - The Chicago White Sox and the New York Giants become the first teams from the AL or NL to meet in a night game. They collect 23 hits in a ten-inning exhibition game played at Buff Stadium in Houston, TX.
- 1936:
- The Cincinnati Reds trade first baseman Jim Bottomley to the St. Louis Browns in exchange for utility player Johnny Burnett. Bottomley will have a strong season this year and, midway through the 1937 season, will be named manager.
- New York Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio runs his spring training record to 12 for 20, in an 11 - 2 Yankees victory over the newly-named Boston Bees. Before the next game is played, the prize rookie is left unattended with his foot in a diathermy machine. The resulting burn ends his spring training and delays his major league debut until May.
- 1951 - Pittsburgh Pirates left-handed first baseman Dale Long makes his first appearance as a catcher in an exhibition game against the minor league San Diego Padres.
- 1954 - Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella injures his left hand in an exhibition game against the Yankees. Though he will hit two home runs on Opening Day, Campanella will have surgery in early May for the bone chips, returning on May 30th. The injury started earlier when he was hit on the hand in the 1953 World Series.
- 1957 - Television Age reports that Major League Baseball will get $9.3 million for TV-Radio rights this year.
- 1958 - The Chicago White Sox obtain outfielder Don Mueller from the San Francisco Giants for cash.
- 1962 - The Philadelphia Phillies retire Robin Roberts' uniform number 36. The Phillies sold Roberts to the Baltimore Orioles after the 1961 season. Roberts spent 14 seasons with the Phillies, winning 20 or more games from 1952 to 1955.
- 1968 - One of the two American League expansion teams announces its nickname. The Kansas City franchise, now known as the "Royals", will begin play in 1969. Kansas City's last major league franchise, the Athletics, moved to Oakland after the 1967 season. The name evokes the Negro League Kansas City Monarchs and the annual "American Royal" Horse Show, held in Kansas City.
- 1971 - The Kansas City Royals' new baseball academy is officially dedicated. Its stated purpose is "to provide youth with the dual opportunity to pursue an education and at the same time learn the skills of our national pastime." Run by Syd Thrift, it is designed for players with minimal amateur experience but with athletic talent. Frank White will be its most notable graduate.
- 1975:
- Joe Medwick dies in Saint Petersburg, Florida, at the age of 63. As one of the feared hitters on the famed Gashouse Gang, Medwick clubbed 205 home runs and batted .324 over a 17-year career. Medwick gained election to the Hall of Fame in 1968.
- Georgia Tech shuts out Earlham, 41 - 0, setting the NCAA mark for the largest margin of victory.
- 1977 - Detroit Tigers pitching sensation Mark Fidrych tears cartilage in his left knee. The injury will require surgery, which will effectively end his promising career. Fidrych, who was elected the 1976 American League Rookie of the Year, gained national attention for his strange gyrations and mannerisms on the mound, which earned him the nickname "The Bird."
- 1978 - The San Diego Padres fire manager Alvin Dark, replacing him with pitching coach Roger Craig. Dark becomes the second manager ever fired during spring training. Phil Cavarretta, fired by the Chicago Cubs in 1954, was the other.
- 1986:
- Pittsburgh Associates, a coalition of 13 public and private investors, purchases the Pirates from the Galbreath family for $21.8 million.
- The New York Yankees announce that their most celebrated off-season acquisition, 26-year-old pitcher Britt Burns, will not pitch at all this season because of a chronic deteriorating hip condition. He will never pitch again in the major leagues.
- 1988 - Edd Roush dies in Bradenton, Florida, at the age of 94. A two-time National League batting champion and a .323 hitter over an 18-year career, Roush entered the Hall of Fame in 1962.
- 1995 - The Maryland House of Delegates approves legislation to bar teams playing at Camden Yards from using replacement players.
- 1997:
- The pitching-poor Detroit Tigers release pitcher Jason Grimsley, who posted a 5-7 record with a 6.84 ERA with the California Angels last season, but was 0-3 this spring training.
- In an exhibition game, Chicago White Sox third baseman Robin Ventura dislocates his right ankle and suffers a compound fracture in his lower leg. He will be out of action until July 24th.
- 1999 - In the 2nd inning of a Chicago White Sox/San Diego Padres game, country singer Garth Brooks earns his only hit of the spring; he had been hitless in his previous ten at bats. Brooks's pinch-hit single comes off Mike Sirotka. Sox first baseman Frank Thomas gives Brooks the ball and a bear hug as congratulations. Chicago goes on to win, 11 - 8.
- 2001 - In a trade of highly-touted prospects, the New York Yankees re-obtain third baseman Drew Henson along with outfielder Michael Coleman from the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Wily Mo Peña and cash considerations.
- 2002 - The Philadelphia Phillies make public the one-day regular-season suspension of their manager, Larry Bowa, handed down by Major League Baseball vice president for on-field operations Bob Watson. The action was taken as a result of "inappropriate conduct toward the umpire" when Bowa became enraged with the home plate umpire over two close calls on March 9th.
- 2006:
- Second baseman Alfonso Soriano refuses to play the outfield for the Washington Nationals in what was supposed to be his first exhibition game with the team. General manager Jim Bowden says his biggest offseason acquisition could go on the disqualified list if he doesn't agree to switch positions this week.
- The Cincinnati Reds acquire catcher David Ross in a trade with the San Diego Padres for pitcher Bobby Basham.
- The Seattle Mariners trade pitcher Matt Thornton to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for outfielder Joe Borchard.
- 2009 - In the semifinals of the 2009 World Baseball Classic, South Korea scores five runs in the 1st and goes on to a 10 - 2 romp over Venezuela. Suk-min Yoon and four relievers shut down the All-Star-loaded Venezuelans, while Hyun-soo Kim, who is 3 for 3 with a walk, and Tae-kyun Kim, who scores three runs, lead South Korea's offense.
- 2010:
- The Minnesota Twins get some bad news as they learn that closer Joe Nathan will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a tear in a ligament in his elbow. He will miss the entire season.
- Eric Gagné's return to the Dodgers is short-lived, as the team releases him. He had accepted an assignment to the minor leagues a few days ago, but reconsidered and asked for his release in order to find another opportunity to return to the major leagues. He will retire instead.
- 2011:
- The perjury trial of Barry Bonds, officially named "USA vs. Bonds", begins in San Francisco, CA with jury selection. The past few weeks have been spent arguing over what evidence would be admissible as the prosecution seeks to demonstrate that Bonds lied to a grand jury in 2003 during the BALCO investigation when he stated that he had never knowingly used steroids. Bonds also faces a charge of obstruction of justice.
- The Mets get rid of a second highly-paid player in less than a week, handing P Oliver Perez his release a few days after doing the same to 2B Luis Castillo. Perez is still owed $12 million on a three-year contract that turned out to be a colossal bust. He will be immediately picked up by the Nationals, while the Mets continue to pay the bulk of his salary.
- 2012 - Cardinals World Series hero Chris Carpenter will not be ready for the start of the season, complaining of weakness in his throwing shoulder and stiffness in his neck. Veteran journeyman Kyle Lohse will be given the Opening Day starting assignment, while Lance Lynn will move to the starting rotation until Carpenter's return.
- 2013 - The New York Mets name 3B David Wright as team captain, the fourth in franchise history, the first since John Franco last played for the team in 2004.
- 2017 - In the second semi-final game of the 2017 World Baseball Classic, the United States defeats Japan, 2 - 1, to reach the finals for the first time, where they will face unbeaten Puerto Rico. In a game dominated by pitching, the U.S. goes ahead in the 4th as Andrew McCutchen singles in Christian Yelich, but that is all that they manage in six innings against Japanese starter Tomoyuki Sugano. Japan ties the score in the 6th on a homer by Ryosuke Kikuchi, but a bobble by 3B Nobuhiro Matsuda in the 8th allows Brandon Crawford to score the go-ahead run. Mark Melancon, Pat Neshek and Luke Gregerson then get the final six outs to close out the win.
- 2018 - The Orioles make a late spring training addition to their pitching staff as they sign free agent Alex Cobb to a four-year deal worth $57 million. Cobb made a nice comeback from Tommy John surgery, winning 12 games for the Rays last season.
- 2019 - The Mariners complete a season-opening two-game sweep of their series against the Athletics at the Tokyo Dome with a 5 - 4 win in 12 innings in the second game. Domingo Santana, whose grand slam was the decisive blow in the first game yesterday, beats out a potential double play grounder to drive in the winning run. Ichiro Suzuki goes 0 for 4 as Seattle's right fielder, then leaves after the 8th inning. He announces after the game that he will now retire from baseball for good.
- 2021 - Shohei Ohtani does something unseen in ages in North American baseball, as he is both the lead-off hitter and the starting pitcher in the Angels' Cactus League game against the Padres. Given a last opportunity this year to prove he can succeed as a two-way player, he goes 2-for-2 with a walk at the plate, and strikes out five batters in four innings. He is hitting an unbelievable .636 at this point, with plenty of power, and is regularly throwing pitches at 100 mph or more as well. "The dude's a freak", comments his opponent, defending Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell.
- 2023 - Japan wins the 2023 World Baseball Classic, defeating the U.S., 3 - 2, for its third title in five editions. The game ends in classic fashion, with Shohei Ohtani, who is named tournament MVP, striking out Mike Trout on a full count for the final out - the two being normally teammates with the Los Angeles Angels. Trea Turner opens the scoring for the U.S. with a solo homer off Shota Imanaga in the 2nd, his record-tying fifth long ball of the tourney, but Munetaka Murakami ties the score with a homer of his own in the bottom of the inning. Japan then adds two runs on a single by Lars Nootbaar and another solo homer, by Kazuma Okamoto, before Kyle Schwarber hits a monster shot, this one off Yu Darvish in the 8th, to bring the U.S. within one run. However, Ohtani then comes out to successfully close out Japan's win in the 9th.
- 2024 - In the two-game season-opening series between the Padres and Dodgers in Seoul, San Diego wins the second game by a score of 15 - 11 in a slugfest. The Padres score five times off the Dodgers' prize free agent signing, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in the 1st, but the game remains tight until a three-run homer by Manny Machado in the 9th gives the Padres some breathing room. For all the scoring, only one other long ball is hit, by L.A's Mookie Betts - the first of this MLB season and the first ever to be hit in South Korea.
Births[edit]
- 1847 - Oscar Bielaski, outfielder (d. 1911)
- 1855 - William Coon, outfielder (d. 1915)
- 1867 - Bill Collver, outfielder (d. 1888)
- 1874 - Billy Kinloch, infielder (d. 1931)
- 1877 - Jack Herbert, minor league infielder and manager (d. 1941)
- 1881 - John Caddell, college coach (d. 1940)
- 1884 - Mysterious Walker, pitcher (d. 1958)
- 1890 - John Sullivan, outfielder (d. 1966)
- 1892 - Bill Stumpf, infielder (d. 1966)
- 1892 - Butler White, infielder (d. 1954)
- 1896 - Bill McGowan, umpire; Hall of Famer (d. 1954)
- 1897 - Gus Ketchum, pitcher (d. 1980)
- 1897 - Bill Lamar, outfielder (d. 1970)
- 1904 - Red Rollings, infielder (d. 1964)
- 1904 - Frank Sigafoos, infielder (d. 1968)
- 1905 - Joe Samuels, pitcher (d. 1996)
- 1906 - Shanty Hogan, catcher (d. 1967)
- 1906 - Gus McIsaac, minor league infielder (d. 1977)
- 1913 - Bucky Jacobs, pitcher (d. 1990)
- 1914 - Boyd Perry, infielder (d. 1990)
- 1915 - Bill Brandt, pitcher (d. 1968)
- 1916 - Pedro Septién, writer; Salon de la Fama (d. 2013)
- 1918 - Ed Klieman, pitcher (d. 1979)
- 1920 - Mabel Holle, AAGPBL player (d. 2011)
- 1921 - Edward Henry, minor league pitcher (d. 2009)
- 1923 - Jim Hughes, pitcher (d. 2001)
- 1923 - Merle Keagle, AAGPBL outfielder (d. 1960)
- 1926 - Arthur Richman, writer/executive (b. 2009)
- 1927 - George Cook, minor league pitcher (d. 2013)
- 1927 - Bernie Creger, infielder (d. 1997)
- 1927 - Owen Friend, infielder (d. 2007)
- 1927 - Bienvenido Rodríguez, outfielder (d. 2014)
- 1929 - Pidge Browne, infielder (d. 1997)
- 1930 - Robert Knoke, minor league catcher and manager (d. 2012)
- 1930 - Ben Mateosky, minor league outfielder (d. 2020)
- 1934 - Kenichi Nakano, NPB infielder
- 1934 - Akira Owada, NPB outfielder (d. 2001)
- 1935 - Phil Pepe, author (d. 2015)
- 1935 - Katsutoyo Yoshida, NPB outfielder (d. 2016)
- 1937 - Dave Thies, pitcher
- 1938 - Katsuji Sakai, NPB pitcher
- 1939 - Tommy Davis, outfielder; All-Star (d. 2022)
- 1942 - Len Church, pitcher (d. 1988)
- 1944 - Manny Sanguillen, catcher; All-Star
- 1945 - Pablo Cruz, scout
- 1946 - Rickey Clark, pitcher
- 1946 - Al Fitzmorris, pitcher
- 1947 - Bill Plummer, catcher, manager (d. 2024)
- 1949 - Don Durham, pitcher
- 1952 - Fernando Arroyo, pitcher
- 1953 - Ron Wrona, minor league pitcher
- 1955 - Jim Wells, college coach
- 1956 - Enrique Aguilar, minor league infielder
- 1957 - Oscar Acosta, coach (d. 2006)
- 1957 - Luis Leal, pitcher
- 1957 - Greg Sabat, minor league coach
- 1960 - Roberto Mari, Serie A1 pitcher
- 1963 - Ricky Barlow, minor league pitcher
- 1963 - Shawon Dunston, infielder; All-Star
- 1965 - Pierfranco Leone, Italian Baseball League umpire
- 1965 - Tim McIntosh, catcher
- 1966 - Roger Smithberg, pitcher
- 1970 - Rick DeHart, pitcher
- 1970 - Brian Hostetler, minor league catcher
- 1970 - José Rodríguez, Panamanian national team infielder
- 1974 - Seung-min Choi, KBO pitcher
- 1976 - Dong-jin Choi, CPBL pitcher
- 1976 - Mike Darr, outfielder (d. 2002)
- 1978 - Jeff Bajenaru, pitcher
- 1978 - Min-Che Chuang, CPBL pitcher
- 1978 - Cristian Guzman, infielder; All-Star
- 1978 - Min Yang, China Baseball League infielder
- 1979 - Matt Heath, college coach
- 1979 - Min-woo Kim, KBO infielder
- 1979 - Matt Palmer, pitcher
- 1980 - Douglas Assada, Brazilian national team pitcher
- 1980 - Chad Chop, coach
- 1980 - Hsien-Ming Yu, CPBL outfielder
- 1981 - David Mead, minor league pitcher
- 1982 - Aaron Hill, infielder
- 1983 - Miles Durham, minor league outfielder
- 1984 - Warner Madrigal, pitcher
- 1985 - Jae-ho Kim, KBO infielder
- 1985 - Dario Latković, Croatian national team catcher
- 1985 - Johnnie Lowe, minor league pitcher
- 1985 - Scott Thomas, minor league catcher
- 1986 - Rafael Gonzalez, minor league pitcher
- 1986 - Hung-Yu Lin, CPBL catcher
- 1986 - Carlos Monasterios, pitcher
- 1987 - Michael Brady, pitcher
- 1987 - Carlos Carrasco, pitcher
- 1987 - Tao Guo, Chinese national team infielder
- 1988 - Antoine Gosselin, Division Elite catcher
- 1989 - Ryo Akiyoshi, NPB pitcher
- 1989 - Brandon Bouillon, South African national team outfielder
- 1989 - Bobby Doran, minor league pitcher
- 1989 - Mathew Kennelly, minor league catcher
- 1989 - Bon-ki Shin, KBO infielder
- 1990 - Francisco Diaz, minor league catcher
- 1990 - Rene Garcia, minor league catcher
- 1990 - Kenny Hart, minor league outfielder
- 1990 - Sean McGrath, minor league pitcher
- 1991 - Andrew Aplin, minor league outfielder
- 1991 - Chiao-Yun Huang, Taiwanese women's national team pitcher
- 1991 - Shih-Hao Liu, CPBL catcher
- 1991 - Antonio Valerio, minor league catcher
- 1992 - Esdras Abreu, minor league outfielder
- 1992 - Corey Littrell, minor league pitcher
- 1992 - Dylan Rheault, minor league pitcher
- 1992 - Bobby Wahl, pitcher
- 1992 - Jimmy Yacabonis, pitcher
- 1993 - Frankie Montas, pitcher
- 1995 - Fernando Cancelare, Argentinian national team pitcher
- 1995 - Anthony Kay, pitcher
- 1995 - Pedro García, minor league pitcher
- 1995 - Carlo Pastorelli, Peruvian national team pitcher
- 1995 - Chadwick Tromp, catcher
- 1996 - J.P. Martínez, outfielder
- 2002 - Youna Pean, French women's national team pitcher
- 2002 - Masyn Winn, infielder
- 2004 - Markus Racík, Slovakian national team pitcher
Deaths[edit]
- 1889 - Edwin Dikeman, pre-MLB player (b. 1835)
- 1897 - Andy Allison, infielder (b. 1848)
- 1921 - Tom Vickery, pitcher (b. 1867)
- 1925 - Tom Evers, infielder (b. 1852)
- 1925 - Harry Raymond, infielder (b. 1862)
- 1930 - Bill Fagan, pitcher (b. 1865)
- 1932 - Kanoe Chuma, author; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1870)
- 1933 - Bob Black, outfielder (b. 1862)
- 1934 - Pea Ridge Day, pitcher (b. 1899)
- 1936 - William McLaughlin, infielder (b. 1861)
- 1943 - Joe Daly, outfielder (b. 1868)
- 1947 - Takeji Nakano, college coach; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1884)
- 1953 - Harry Truby, infielder (b. 1868)
- 1960 - Mack Stewart, pitcher (b. 1914)
- 1967 - Pat Parker, outfielder (b. 1893)
- 1969 - Pinky Higgins, infielder, manager; All-Star (b. 1909)
- 1970 - Bob Cobb, minor league owner (b. 1899)
- 1975 - Joe Medwick, outfielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer (b. 1911)
- 1976 - Heinie Scheer, infielder (b. 1900)
- 1978 - Fritz Coumbe, pitcher (b. 1889)
- 1978 - Buck Lai, minor league infielder (b. 1894)
- 1982 - Ollie Sax, infielder (b. 1904)
- 1984 - Bob Rothel, infielder (b. 1923)
- 1988 - Edd Roush, outfielder; Hall of Famer (b. 1893)
- 1989 - Otis Douglas, coach (b. 1911)
- 2003 - Harry Eisenstat, pitcher (b. 1915)
- 2005 - Bob Montag, minor league player (b. 1923)
- 2007 - Tommy Johnson, pitcher (b. 1917)
- 2014 - Bill Cope, minor league infielder and manager (b. 1923)
- 2014 - Joe DiFabio, minor league pitcher (b. 1944)
- 2016 - Ron Clark, college coach (b. 1953)
- 2016 - Don Heap, college coach (b. 1912)
- 2017 - Jerry Krause, scout (b. 1939)
- 2017 - Jose Zardon, outfielder (b. 1923)
- 2018 - Larry Miller, pitcher (b. 1937)
- 2018 - Saul Montoya, minor league pitcher (b. 1951)
- 2022 - John Barrett, Hoofdklasse catcher and manager (b. 1939)
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