March 3
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 3.
Events[edit]
- 1860 - John Montgomery Ward is born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. During his illustrious career in the majors, Ward will hit for a .371 batting average twice, will win 40-plus games as a pitcher twice, including the second perfect game in baseball history, will be the captain and manager of the first and original New York Giants, and will be one of the prime movers in the constitution of the Brotherhood and of the Players League. Ward will gain election to the Hall of Fame in 1964.
- 1872 - Willie Keeler is born in Brooklyn, New York. A remarkable hitter, Keeler will hit over .300 16 times in 19 seasons, hit over .400 once, and will finish with a .341 batting average over his career. Keeler will be selected to the Hall of Fame in 1939 with 75.55% of the vote.
- 1889 - Pitcher Bobby Mathews goes to court to try and collect $600 that he claims is owed to him by the Philadelphia Athletics of the American Association for his services as a coach in 1888. If Matthews collects, it will make him the first paid coach in major league history.
- 1916 - Jack Dunn, owner of the International League Baltimore Orioles, buys Terrapin Park, built by the Baltimore Terrapins of the Federal League; it will be renamed Oriole Park to reflect its new occupant.
- 1932 - In Century, Florida, Boston Red Sox pitcher Ed Morris dies at age 32 of knife wounds inflicted in a fight at a party given in his honor two days ago in Brewton, Alabama. Boston owner Bob Quinn is reported to have had a New York Yankees offer of almost $100,000 for the pitcher.
- 1940 - The Boston Bees sell outfielder Debs Garms to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Garms will get only 358 at bats for Pittsburgh but, nevertheless, will lead the National League in hitting with a .355 average. Unlike what is the case in the American League, where 400 at bats are required to be eligible for the batting title, the NL rules state that a player must appear in at least a hundred games: Garms will play in 103. Ford Frick, NL president, will clarify this in September when it is clear that Garms will not reach the 400 at bats. Pirates teammate Virgil Davis will be the nominal runner-up at .326, but will play just 99 games. Garms will drop to .264 in 1941 and he will be out of baseball a year later.
- 1946 - The St. Louis Browns sign veteran Joe Medwick, who has been released by the Boston Braves. St. Louis will release Medwick before the season starts and he will sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
- 1953 - The Boston Braves, owners of the Milwaukee minor league franchise, block the St. Louis Browns' attempt to shift their franchise to Milwaukee. Lou Perini, the Braves' owner, invokes his territorial privilege, stating he has not been offered enough for the rights. By the time the season starts, it is the Braves who will have made Milwaukee their new home.
- 1956:
- In an effort to keep the Giants in New York, Manhattan Borough President Hulan Jack makes plans for a new 110,000-seat stadium over the New York Central railroad tracks, on a 470,000-foot site stretching from 60th to 72nd streets on Manhattan's West Side. The estimated cost of $75 million for the stadium eventually dooms the project and will be a major factor in Horace Stoneham's decision to move to San Francisco.
- The New York Giants and Cleveland Indians cancel an exhibition game in Meridian, Mississippi, because of mass racial violence in neighboring Alabama.
- 1959 - The Cleveland Indians send OF Larry Doby to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for OF Tito Francona. Francona will hit .363 for the Indians, while Doby will be released after playing just 16 games for Detroit.
- 1983 - Steve Carlton agrees to a four-year, $4.15 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies that will make him the highest-paid pitcher in major league history.
- 1984 - Peter Ueberroth, the highly successful chairman of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the upcoming Summer Games, is elected to a five-year term as Commissioner of Baseball. Ueberroth will take office on October 1st, succeeding Bowie Kuhn.
- 1987:
- Ray Dandridge, an outstanding third baseman from the Negro Leagues, is the only player elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.
- Entertainer Danny Kaye, part owner of the Seattle Mariners, dies of heart failure in Los Angeles, California, at age 74.
- 1988 - Los Angeles Dodgers star Kirk Gibson walks out of training camp after teammate Jesse Orosco plays a practical joke by placing "eyeblack" in his cap. The incident illustrates Gibson's intensity and no-nonsense approach to the game. Gibson, who returns to camp the next day, will be the National League MVP and help the Dodgers win the World Series this season.
- 1993 - 200-game winner Yutaka Enatsu is arrested for possession of metamphetamines. He will withdraw from the meikyukai due to the scandal.
- 1997 - The New York Yankees offer the San Diego Padres a choice of one from a list of players for the negotiating rights to Japanese pitcher Hideki Irabu. The list includes Brian Boehringer, David Weathers, Chris Cumberland, Andy Fox and Matt Luke. The Yankees also offer one player from a list of five minor leaguers, plus $3 million. The Padres are talking to several other teams beside the Yankees.
- 1998:
- Larry Doby, the first African-American to play in the American League, is elected to the Hall of Fame along with former AL President Lee MacPhail. Also chosen by the Veterans Committee are Negro League pitcher Bullet Joe Rogan and turn-of-the-century shortstop Gorgeous George Davis.
- Ford Frick Award-winning broadcaster Jack Brickhouse undergoes surgery to remove a tumor from the lining of his brain.
- 1999 - Houston Astros outfielder Moises Alou undergoes surgery to repair ligaments in his left knee. He will be out for five to six months. Alou was injured when he fell while trying to adjust the speed of his treadmill while in the Dominican Republic.
- 2001 - Rusty Greer signs a $21.8 million, three-year contract extension with the Texas Rangers. A .307 career hitting outfielder, Greer could make as much $36 million with incentives and options.
- 2006:
- In the first-ever World Baseball Classic game, Jae-Weong Seo pitches two-hit ball and Chan Ho Park works three effective innings for a save to lead South Korea past Taiwan, 2 - 0. The 16-nation tournament starts at 11:30 a.m. local time and is played before a sparse crowd of 5,193 at the Tokyo Dome.
- In the second game of the World Baseball Classic, playing before a crowd of 15,869, Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Kosuke Fukudome hit back-to-back home runs in the 5th inning to lead Japan to an 18 - 2 rout of China.
- 2010:
- In a Cuban playoff game, Ciego de Ávila hurler Alien Mora retires the first 26 Indios de Guantánamo batters before a single by Onelkis Escalante on a 2-2 count ruins the perfect game bid. It's the only blemish on Mora's day as his club cruises to a 7 - 0 win.
- The Diamondbacks sign OF Justin Upton to a long-term contract, inking the youngster to a six-year deal worth $51.25 million. The 22-year-old hit .300 with 26 homers and 86 RBI in 2009, making the All-Star team.
- The Dodgers sign veteran OF Garret Anderson to a one-year contract. Anderson played for Atlanta in 2009 after 15 seasons spent with the Angels. If he makes the team, it will likely be as a pinch-hitter.
- 2011 - Former top OF prospect Elijah Dukes, whose once-promising career was derailed by behavioral problems, is once again in trouble with the law. Dukes, 26, is arrested in Tampa, FL on charges of aggravated battery against his pregnant former girlfriend and driving with a revoked or suspended license.
- 2013:
- Cuba wins its opening game in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, defeating the pesky Brazilians, 5 - 2, but not before being held hitless through four innings by Andre Rienzo. However, their ace, Ismel Jiménez, is also strong, and they record the win in spite of being limited to a single extra-base hit all afternoon.
- Taiwan gets its second win in as many days, defeating the Netherlands, 8 - 3, even though they fall behind, 3 - 0, after two innings. The Dutch manage their only hit of the game during that outburst, however, and can't reply when Tom Stuifbergen gives up four runs in the 4th and Dai-Kang Yang hits a two-run homer off Shairon Martis in the 6th. Reliever Wei-Lun Pan is the winner, giving up only one hit and a walk over 4 2/3 innings.
- In the third game of the day, Japan beats China as expected, although once again, the two-time defending champions do not particularly impress, having to settle for a 5 - 2 win. Starting pitcher Kenta Maeda gets the Japanese off to a strong start, giving up a single hit over the first five innings, but his teammates only score once within that span, before finally erupting for four runs in the 5th, with Yoshio Itoi's three-run double being the key blow.
- 2015 - The Grapefruit League and Cactus League both begin play with a slate of five games between major league teams.
- 2016 - The first spring training injuries hit the Dodgers and Tigers. Los Angeles P Brett Anderson will be out three to five months after undergoing surgery for a bulging disc in his back, while Detroit OF Cameron Maybin is diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist one day after being hit by a pitch in his team's first exhibition game and will miss at least a month.
- 2023:
- It may just be the Cactus League, but it's still a no-hitter: seven Cubs pitchers combine to pull off the feat against the Padres in a 4 - 0 win. It the first no-hitter in spring training action since 2017. Justin Steele starts things off with two perfect innings, needing just 18 pitches, and Javier Assad also pitches two frames. They are followed by Brad Boxberger, Adbert Alzolay, Jeremiah Estrada, Cam Sanders and Nick Burdi.
- In their home opener, the University of Washington score 21 runs in the first two innings against the University of Northern Colorado, finishing with an easy 32 - 7 victory. It's the highest run total for the Huskies since at least 1973.
Births[edit]
- 1858 - Monk Cline, outfielder (d. 1916)
- 1858 - Emil Gross, catcher (d. 1921)
- 1858 - Harry Wheeler, outfielder, manager (d. 1900)
- 1857 - Sam Trott, catcher, manager (b. 1925)
- 1859 - John Kelly, catcher, manager (d. 1908)
- 1860 - John Ward, infielder, manager; Hall of Famer (d. 1925)
- 1862 - Jumbo Schoeneck, infielder (d. 1930)
- 1872 - Willie Keeler, outfielder; Hall of Famer (d. 1923)
- 1875 - John Kerin, umpire (d. 1946)
- 1877 - Arthur Hillebrand, minor league outfielder (d. 1941)
- 1879 - Ed Phelps, catcher (d. 1942)
- 1880 - Joe Koukalik, pitcher (d. 1947)
- 1884 - Joe Knotts, catcher (d. 1950)
- 1886 - Les Channell, outfielder (d. 1954)
- 1886 - Pop Kitchens, minor league catcher/manager (d. 1965)
- 1888 - Art Bues, infielder (d. 1954)
- 1895 - Joe Devine, scout (d. 1951)
- 1895 - Joe Jaeger, pitcher (d. 1963)
- 1896 - Bert Griffith, outfielder (d. 1973)
- 1899 - Percy Wilson, infielder (d. 1979)
- 1903 - Apolinar Pulido, minor league infielder; Salon de la Fama (d. 1968)
- 1907 - Jim Tennant, pitcher (d. 1967)
- 1910 - Bill Brenzel, catcher (d. 1979)
- 1910 - Ormond Sampson, infielder (d. 1966)
- 1912 - Aubrey Epps, catcher (d. 1984)
- 1914 - Shoji Kato, NPB outfielder (d. 1958)
- 1914 - Katsuki Tokura, NPB outfielder and manager (d. 1997)
- 1916 - Johnny Johnson, outfielder (d. 1944)
- 1916 - Bill Kalfass, pitcher (d. 1968)
- 1918 - Bill Hoffman, pitcher
- 1918 - Forrest Thompson, pitcher (d. 1979)
- 1919 - Steve Souchock, outfielder (d. 2002)
- 1920 - Dick Adkins, infielder (d. 1955)
- 1921 - Roy Nichols, infielder (d. 2002)
- 1923 - Barney Martin, pitcher
- 1925 - George Eyrich, pitcher (d. 2006)
- 1927 - Tony Stiel, scout (d. 2010)
- 1932 - John Noce, minor league player and college coach
- 1933 - Pete Smith, scout (d. 2018)
- 1934 - Bobby Locke, pitcher (d. 2020)
- 1938 - Tetsuya Yoneda, NPB pitcher; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
- 1942 - Don Dennis, pitcher (d. 2007)
- 1942 - Bob Garibaldi, pitcher (d. 2023)
- 1943 - Paul Schaal, infielder (d. 2017)
- 1943 - Ed Sukla, pitcher (d. 2015)
- 1947 - Dan Gooley, college coach
- 1948 - David Hall, college coach (d. 1997)
- 1949 - Lambert Ford, minor league outfielder (d. 2022)
- 1949 - Jesse Jefferson, pitcher (d. 2011)
- 1949 - Yoshikazu Takagi, NPB outfielder
- 1950 - Rick Reed, umpire (d. 2020)
- 1954 - Clint Brown, minor league owner (d. 2018)
- 1955 - Jim Wright, pitcher
- 1956 - Dennis Sherrill, infielder
- 1959 - Mike Jirschele, minor league infielder and manager
- 1960 - Chuck Cary, pitcher
- 1960 - Neal Heaton, pitcher; All-Star
- 1961 - Ron Wotus, infielder
- 1964 - Larry Beinfest, General Manager
- 1964 - Marvin Hudson, umpire
- 1964 - Trent Jewett, coach
- 1964 - Hirotami Kojima, Japanese national team infielder and manager
- 1965 - Bert Heffernan, catcher
- 1965 - A.J. Sager, pitcher
- 1966 - Francisco de la Rosa, pitcher (d. 2011)
- 1966 - Stephen Sabo, Croatian national team infielder
- 1967 - Fritz Hamburg, college coach
- 1967 - Don Lozano, agent
- 1967 - Takeshi Shimazaki, NPB pitcher
- 1968 - Troy Buckley, college coach
- 1968 - Bobby Munoz, pitcher
- 1968 - Scott Radinsky, pitcher
- 1969 - Yevgeny Puchkov, minor league infielder
- 1971 - Jose Oliva, infielder (d. 1997)
- 1972 - Mike Romano, pitcher
- 1976 - Matt Treanor, catcher
- 1978 - Matt Diaz, outfielder
- 1978 - Matt Halloran, minor league infielder
- 1979 - Jorge Julio, pitcher
- 1979 - John Nelson, infielder
- 1979 - Jayson Drobiak, minor league infielder
- 1979 - Buddy Hernandez, minor league pitcher
- 1981 - Iker Franco, minor league catcher
- 1981 - Roberto Gutiérrez, minor league infielder
- 1981 - Honeudis Pereyra, minor league pitcher
- 1983 - Jesus Castillo, minor league infielder
- 1983 - Brent Dlugach, infielder
- 1984 - Emosi Gotegote, Fijian national team pitcher-infielder
- 1985 - Paul Astl, Austrian national team pitcher
- 1985 - Jeff Flaig, minor league infielder
- 1986 - Eric Farris, infielder
- 1986 - Lukáš Žilavy, Slovakian national team pitcher
- 1987 - Umair Imdad Bhatti, Pakistani national team catcher
- 1988 - Masaru Misawa, NPB infielder
- 1989 - Reinier Casanova, minor league pitcher
- 1989 - Seth Blair, minor league pitcher
- 1989 - Chu-Pok Ting, Hong Kong national team pitcher
- 1990 - Kes Carter, minor league outfielder
- 1990 - Nathanael Santiago, minor league pitcher
- 1991 - Isaac Rodríguez, minor league infielder
- 1991 - Samuel Ruiz, Panamanian national team pitcher
- 1992 - Fumihito Haraguchi, NPB catcher
- 1992 - Harrison Musgrave, pitcher
- 1994 - Dilson Herrera, infielder
- 1994 - Wilmer Ríos, minor league pitcher
- 1994 - Jose Rondon, infielder
- 1995 - Kisho Iwamoto, Japanese national team pitcher
- 1995 - Zack Kelly, pitcher
- 1995 - Yelmison Peralta, minor league pitcher
- 1995 - Roberto Valenzuela, minor league infielder
- 1997 - Martin Červinka, Extraliga infielder
- 1997 - Kyle Isbel, outfielder
- 1997 - Humberto Mejía, pitcher
- 1997 - Sang-un Park, KBO catcher
- 1997 - Iván Prieto, Cuban National League catcher
- 2000 - José Ferrer, pitcher
- 2000 - Maikel García, infielder
- 2000 - Chris Williams, minor league pitcher
- 2001 - Gabriel Rincones Jr., drafted outfielder
- 2003 - Yu-Chi Tsao, CPBL pitcher
Deaths[edit]
- 1894 - Ed Williamson, infielder (b. 1857)
- 1901 - Charles Snyder, catcher/outfielder (b. 1873)
- 1903 - William Shuttleworth, Canadian baseball pioneer (b. 1834)
- 1913 - Jack Fee, pitcher (b. 1867)
- 1923 - Harry Clarke, outfielder (b. 1861)
- 1932 - Ed Morris, pitcher (b. 1899)
- 1941 - Doc Parker, pitcher (b. 1872)
- 1942 - Clay Fauver, pitcher (b. 1872)
- 1942 - Dan O'Connor, infielder (b. 1868)
- 1943 - Bill Whaley, outfielder (b. 1896)
- 1946 - Hick Cady, catcher (b. 1886)
- 1951 - Dan Bickham, pitcher (b. 1864)
- 1953 - Clyde Milan, outfielder, manager (b. 1887)
- 1960 - Toussaint Allen, infielder (b. 1896)
- 1960 - Noel Casbier, minor league infielder and manager (b. 1913)
- 1964 - Lefty Scott, pitcher (b. 1915)
- 1970 - Jimmy Claxton, pitcher (b. 1892)
- 1970 - Bill McAllester, catcher (b. 1889)
- 1977 - Tenny Edwards, catcher (b. 1904)
- 1977 - Cecil Johnson, outfielder (b. 1893)
- 1977 - Stubby Overmire, pitcher (b. 1919)
- 1978 - Ted Strong, infielder/outfielder, manager; All-Star (b. 1917)
- 1980 - Jerry Priddy, infielder (b. 1919)
- 1982 - Bill DeWitt, owner (b. 1902)
- 1982 - Jay Haney, minor league outfielder and manager (b. 1920)
- 1983 - Jennings Poindexter, pitcher (b. 1910)
- 1986 - Paul Castner, pitcher (b. 1897)
- 1987 - C.V. Davis, scout (b. 1929)
- 1987 - Danny Kaye, owner (b. 1913)
- 1991 - Dizzy Royal, pitcher (b. 1914)
- 1992 - George Giles, Negro League infielder and manager (b. 1909)
- 1992 - Allan Roth, writer (b. 1917)
- 1993 - Joseph Cairnes, executive (b. 1907)
- 1993 - James O'Neill, college pitcher (b. ????)
- 1996 - Al Wilmore, pitcher (b. 1924)
- 1997 - Jake Bell, infielder (b. 1918)
- 1997 - Harry Davis, infielder (b. 1908)
- 1997 - Billy Jurges, infielder, manager; All-Star (b. 1908)
- 1999 - John Brown, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1918)
- 2007 - Gene Oliver, catcher (b. 1935)
- 2009 - Donald Boseo, minor league outfielder (b. 1929)
- 2010 - Frank Bertaina, pitcher (b. 1944)
- 2010 - Hank Small, infielder (b. 1953)
- 2012 - Lloyd Hittle, pitcher (b. 1924)
- 2012 - Helen Kiely, AAGPBL pitcher (b. 1929)
- 2012 - Jim Obradovich, infielder (b. 1949)
- 2013 - Ray Mantle, minor league outfielder (b. 1936)
- 2015 - Red Miller, college coach (b. 1924)
- 2018 - Curt Raydon, pitcher (b. 1933)
- 2019 - Tim Andi, college coach (b. 1955)
- 2021 - Joe Altobelli, infielder, manager (b. 1932)
- 2021 - Hideshi Miyake, NPB infielder (b. 1934)
- 2022 - Jun Misawa, NPB pitcher (b. 1962)
- 2024 - Ed Ott, catcher (b. 1951)
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