March 5
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 5.
Events[edit]
- 1860 - Sam Thompson is born in Danville, Indiana. An outstanding slugger and a fine right fielder in the deadball era, Thompson will collect 200 or more hits three times, finishing his 15-season major league career with a lifetime mark of .336, 126 home runs, and 1,299 RBI, including a batting crown (1887) and two home run titles (1889 and 1895). Thompson will be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1974.
- 1886 - A business wrangle in the National League ends in a weakening of the league's famous 50 cents admission standard. The St. Louis Maroons and Philadelphia Phillies, the two clubs facing rival American Association teams with an admission of 25 cents, are allowed to charge a minimum of a quarter. Newcomers Washington Nationals and Kansas City Cowboys are stuck with the 50 cents minimum, but are given the option of selling three tickets for a dollar.
- 1888 - The American Association meets in Brooklyn, New York, and votes to make use of turnstiles mandatory at all entrances to its parks.
- 1889 - Both the National League and American Association hold their spring meetings to adopt their schedules. The NL also hires a fifth umpire at a salary of $200 per month. The AA, to the surprise of many, does not adopt the NL's salary classification system.
- 1894 - St. Louis Browns owner Chris Von der Ahe, unable to hire either Harry Wright or Phil Powers as manager, announces that he will manage the club himself. Von der Ahe will eventually name starting infielder George (Doggie) Miller as manager.
- 1901 - The American League approves a 14-player limit to go into effect 14 days after the start of the season. The limit is changed at the last minute, the deadline postponed for two weeks, and the limit increased to 15 players by Ban Johnson, after six teams request the change.
- 1922 - New York Yankees star Babe Ruth becomes the highest-paid player in history when he signs a three-year contract that will pay him over $50,000 per season. In 1921, Ruth led the American League with 59 home runs and 171 RBI.
- 1936 - The St. Louis Cardinals - without the brothers Paul and Dizzy Dean, who are once again holdouts - visit Cuba and are beaten by the Cuban all-stars. Luis Tiant, Sr., whose son Luis Jr. will win 229 major league games, is the starting pitcher for the Cubans.
- 1941 - Brooklyn Dodgers president Larry MacPhail issues instructions that all Dodgers players must live in Brooklyn. MacPhail is also campaigning for visiting teams to stay in Brooklyn rather than Manhattan.
- 1942 - Variety, the weekly entertainment magazine, wades in against "droopy drawers". "Joe DiMaggio and Carl Hubbell are the silliest looking pair we've seen. Way back in the days when the speed boys were stealing 40 to 90 bases a year, you'll remember they used to roll their pants just below the knee. Now they've got 'em almost to their shoes. The theory here is that the constriction inherent in the new style can slow a player a full stride getting to first."
- 1945:
- Bert Shepard, a one-legged veteran of the war, tries out as a pitcher for the Washington Senators. The symbol of wartime baseball, outfielder Pete Gray of the St. Louis Browns, will field and bat with only one arm.
- With war-time travel restrictions still in effect, the Dodgers open spring training at Bear Mountain, New York with 15 players in camp. Seven teams - the Browns, Tigers, Reds, Indians, Cubs, Pirates and White Sox - are training in Indiana, the most of any state. The Red Sox are at Tufts College in Massachusetts, while the Braves are prepping at the Choate School in Connecticut.
- 1952 - Norman Bel Geddes, after designing a 5,000 seat complex for the Brooklyn Dodgers in Vero Beach, Florida, states that team owner Walter O'Malley has asked for a stadium design for the team. It is to have a retractable dome, garage, automatic hotdog vending machines, and artificial turf that can be painted in different colors.
- 1958 - Duke Snider, Johnny Podres, and Don Zimmer suffer minor injuries in an auto accident in Vero Beach, Florida, as they try to beat a 12:30 A.M. curfew. This is the third accident involving Dodgers players in the last two months; Jim Gilliam and his family had an accident shortly after Roy Campanella's.
- 1962 - Cincinnati Reds third baseman Gene Freese will be out until August 17th due to a severe ankle fracture suffered in the team's first intrasquad game.
- 1964 - Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr. says he has a verbal commitment from a major league baseball club to move there if a stadium is ready by 1965. Funding for a $15 million stadium is approved the next day by the city Board of Aldermen.
- 1965 - Former All-Star Johnny (Pepper) Martin dies at the age of 61. A member of the St. Louis Cardinals' legendary "Gashouse Gang," Martin batted .298 over a 13-year major league career. In 1933, Martin led the National League with 122 runs scored.
- 1966 - United Steelworkers union official Marvin Miller is named the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Under Miller's guidance, the players' union will make major gains such as salary increases, improvements in pension benefits, and the advent of free agency and salary arbitration.
- 1967 - The Chicago White Sox are given permission to use a partial designated hitter in training camp. With home club permission, each club will be allowed to use a designated pinch hitter twice in the same game.
- 1973 - New York Yankees pitchers Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson make a stunning declaration. The left-handers announce that they have traded wives, children, and family dogs. The announcement sends shock waves through the baseball world and beyond.
- 1975 - Former Boston Red Sox star Tony Conigliaro begins a comeback attempt by signing a contract with Triple-A Pawtucket, Boston's top affiliate in the International League. "Tony C" will make the Red Sox major league roster, but will hit only .123 in 57 at-bats before deciding to retire for good.
- 1982 - Needing just three wins to reach 300 for his career, pitcher Gaylord Perry signs a one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners. Some observers deride the move as a publicity stunt by the lowly Mariners, but Perry will turn out to be one of their most effective pitchers this year.
- 1986 - The Atlanta Braves acquire hard-hitting catcher Ted Simmons from the Milwaukee Brewers for defensive-minded catcher Rick Cerone and a pair of minor leaguers. Simmons hit .273 with 76 RBI in 1985.
- 1996 - The Veterans Committee elects four new members for the Hall of Fame, and just misses naming a fifth. The group elected includes fiery manager Earl Weaver, who had a .583 winning percentage in 17 seasons managing the Baltimore Orioles; pitcher Jim Bunning, who won 100 games in both leagues, including no-hitters in each circuit, one of them a perfect game; 19th-century manager Ned Hanlon, who won five National League pennants with the Baltimore Orioles (3) and Brooklyn (2); and Bill Foster, the top left-handed pitcher in the Negro Leagues. Nellie Fox receives the necessary 75% of the Committee's votes, but the rules allow just one modern player elected, and Bunning has more votes.
- 2003 - Although not agreeing to ban ephedra, a memo is sent to all major leaguers by the players' union strongly recommending players "be extremely reluctant to use any products" containing the substance. The diet supplement, which is available without a prescription, has been linked to the spring training death of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler.
- 2006:
- In today's opening game at the World Baseball Classic, Taiwan crushes China, 12 - 3, as the two underdogs are left playing for pride after losing their first two games. Taiwan (1-2) ends in third place, and China (0-3) is last.
- At Tokyo Dome, South Korea upsets fierce rivals Japan, 3 - 2, on a towering home run from slugger Seung Yeop Lee to sweep the Asian Pool A of the World Baseball Classic. As final-out duels go, between the most famous pitcher in Korean history versus Japan's most successful export, the San Diego Padres' Chan Ho Park secures a memorable victory for South Korea by retiring Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners on a pop-up fly. It matters little that both South Korea (3-0) and Japan (2-1) have already qualified for the next round of the 16-team tournament. Japan and South Korea will face the top two teams from a pool of the United States, Canada, Mexico and South Africa in the quarter-finals.
- 2009 - The 2009 World Baseball Classic begins at the Tokyo Dome. Japan beats China, 4 - 0, with Yu Darvish getting the win with four hitless innings. Shuichi Murata hits a two-run homer off Chenhao Li and Kosuke Fukudome walks four times in the victory.
- 2010 - Sancti Spíritus, after a league-best 63-27 regular season, gets dropped in the playoffs, four games to one, by the 47-43 Industriales. Sancti Spíritus' ace Ismel Jiménez carries a shutout into the 6th inning but a grand slam by Rudy Reyes turns the tide to complete the series upset.
- 2011 - Top Phillies OF prospect Domonic Brown breaks a hand in an exhibition game against the Pirates. Looking to succeed Jayson Werth as the Phils' starting rightfielder, Brown had started the Grapefruit League season 0 for 15. Ironically, he singles in the at-bat that follows the injury, but then comes out of the game. He will require surgery and will miss Opening Day.
- 2012 - Former OF Lenny Dykstra is sentenced to three years in a California state prison after pleading no contest to charges of grand theft auto and providing a false financial statement. Dykstra ran a scheme that involved leasing automobiles from high-end dealerships on the basis of false financial information.
- 2013:
- The Dutch national team gets a crucial win at the 2013 World Baseball Classic, eliminating Australia, 4 - 1; they advance to the second round for the second consecutive Classic. Rob Cordemans tosses five shutout innings while the Netherlands have a field day with Hoofdklasse veteran Dushan Ruzic. Jonathan Schoop's two-run homer is the big blow.
- In the only game in Pool A, China tops Brazil, 5 - 2, in a matchup of 0-2 teams. The lone Chinese-American on China's team, Ray Chang, goes 3 for 4 with two RBI, and China gets all its runs in the 8th, thanks in large part to five walks and a hit batsman. Murilo Gouvea takes the loss, while Jiangang Lu gets the win.
- Defending World Baseball Classic runner-up South Korea is eliminated despite a 3 - 2 win over Taiwan; they needed a victory by a bigger margin to get the tiebreaker in run differential over Taiwan. Jung-ho Kang hits a two-run homer in the 8th as Hong-Chih Kuo gives up all three runs.
- 2014 - The Dodgers' newest Cuban signee, 2B Alex Guerrero, makes his presence felt with a grand slam in a 10 - 3 win over the Reds in a Cactus League contest.
- 2015 - Bad news for the Giants as RF Hunter Pence suffers a broken left forearm after being hit by a pitch in a spring training game. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks of action.
- 2019 - After a second opinion, Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez resigns himself to undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a tear in his throwing elbow. He will miss the entire season as a result.
- 2020 - The White Sox sign IF Yoan Moncada to a five-year contract extension worth $70 million, following a break-out season that saw him hit .315 with 25 homers in 2019. He is the third young star signed to a large extension by the Pale Hose in recent months, following OFs Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert - who has yet to make his major league debut.
- 2021 - Commissioner Rob Manfred hands out a record sentence in a case of domestic violence, suspending free agent P Sam Dyson for an entire season. The allegations first surfaced after the 2019 season, and as a result Dyson did not play anywhere in 2020. MLB's investigation uncovered that in spite of no criminal charges being brought against Dyson, he displayed a pattern of abuse and violent behavior towards his girlfriend, and also prevented her from seeking assistance, justifying the severe punishment. He will also need to follow a comprehensive evaluation and treatment program before any reinstatement can be considered.
Births[edit]
- 1855 - John Richmond, infielder (d. 1898)
- 1860 - Sam Thompson, outfielder; Hall of Famer (d. 1922)
- 1869 - John Haskell, umpire (d. 1940)
- 1882 - Rabbit Robinson, infielder (d. 1915)
- 1888 - Jake Northrop, pitcher (d. 1945)
- 1889 - Jeff Tesreau, pitcher (d. 1946)
- 1891 - Walt Alexander, catcher (d. 1978)
- 1894 - Hen Jordan, catcher (d. 1948)
- 1896 - Bernie Hungling, catcher (d. 1968)
- 1897 - Virgil Barnes, pitcher (d. 1958)
- 1897 - Lu Blue, infielder (d. 1958)
- 1898 - Bill Grevell, pitcher (d. 1923)
- 1898 - Mo Harris, infielder; umpire (d. 1964)
- 1899 - Ping Gardner, pitcher (d. 1984)
- 1901 - Eddie Miller, pitcher/infielder (d. ????)
- 1903 - Chick Autry, catcher (d. 1950)
- 1904 - Lou Rosenberg, infielder (d. 1991)
- 1907 - Dick Burton, pitcher (d. ????)
- 1907 - Andy Drake, catcher (d. 1966)
- 1908 - Chester Bujaci, minor league catcher and manager (d. 1998)
- 1908 - Skin Down Robinson, infielder (d. ????)
- 1911 - Earl Browne, outfielder (d. 1993)
- 1912 - Dick Errickson, pitcher (d. 1999)
- 1912 - Jim Gleeson, outfielder (d. 1996)
- 1915 - Vic Bradford, outfielder (d. 1994)
- 1915 - Stan Ferens, pitcher (d. 1994)
- 1915 - Harry Shuman, pitcher (d. 1996)
- 1918 - Bernard Fernández, pitcher (d. 2014)
- 1919 - Don Savage, infielder (d. 1961)
- 1921 - Elmer Valo, outfielder (d. 1998)
- 1924 - Ramon Garcia, pitcher (d. 2001)
- 1924 - Ruby Heafner, AAGPBL catcher (d. 2010)
- 1929 - Floyd Lasser, US national team infielder (d. 2007)
- 1930 - Del Crandall, catcher, manager; All-Star (d. 2021)
- 1931 - Mamoru Otsu, NPB pitcher (d. 2007)
- 1934 - Max Nichols, writer
- 1936 - Jacke Davis, outfielder (d. 2021)
- 1938 - Larry Elliot, outfielder
- 1939 - Norifumi Kido, NPB infielder
- 1940 - Fred Brocklander, umpire (d. 2009)
- 1941 - Phil Roof, catcher
- 1945 - Dave Bakenhaster, pitcher (d. 2014)
- 1945 - Katsuo Osugi, NPB infielder; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1992)
- 1946 - Les Rohr, pitcher (d. 2020)
- 1947 - Kent Tekulve, pitcher; All-Star
- 1950 - Doug Bird, pitcher (d. 2024)
- 1950 - Don Dickerson, minor league infielder
- 1951 - Hisao Machida, NPB outfielder
- 1951 - Mike Veeck, minor league owner
- 1952 - Mike Squires, infielder
- 1952 - Daisuke Yamashita, NPB infielder and manager
- 1953 - Tom Holliday, college coach
- 1954 - Jack Leggett, college coach
- 1955 - Steve Burke, pitcher
- 1956 - Gary Pellant, minor league infielder and manager
- 1957 - Jerry Ujdur, pitcher
- 1959 - Andy Rincon, pitcher (d. 2023)
- 1960 - Alex DeJesús, minor league infielder
- 1961 - Dick Lloyd, minor league pitcher (d. 2014)
- 1961 - Steve Ontiveros, pitcher; All-Star
- 1963 - Scott Diez, minor league pitcher
- 1964 - Kwang-yoon Kim, KBO catcher
- 1966 - Kevin Brown, pitcher
- 1966 - Victor Mendez, minor league outfielder
- 1966 - Jose Padilla, Nicaraguan national team outfielder
- 1967 - Toru Kato, Japanese national team coach
- 1970 - Doug Bennett, minor league pitcher (d. 2022)
- 1970 - Brian Eldridge, minor league infielder
- 1970 - Carlos Molina, minor league catcher
- 1971 - Chad Fonville, infielder
- 1971 - Jeffrey Hammonds, outfielder; All-Star
- 1971 - Brian Hunter, outfielder
- 1971 - Brian Lesher, outfielder
- 1971 - Jose Mercedes, pitcher
- 1972 - Pat Spieler, umpire
- 1973 - Felipe Crespo, infielder/outfielder
- 1973 - Ryan Franklin, pitcher; All-Star
- 1973 - Norihisa Mori, Japanese national team pitcher
- 1974 - Jenny Dalton-Hill, USA womens' national team infielder
- 1974 - Craig Watts, minor league infielder
- 1976 - Doug Clark, pinch hitter
- 1976 - Paul Konerko, infielder; All-Star
- 1977 - Mike MacDougal, pitcher; All-Star
- 1978 - Mike Hessman, infielder
- 1979 - Erik Bedard, pitcher
- 1980 - Kennard Bibbs, minor league outfielder
- 1980 - Kun Chen, Chinese national team pitcher
- 1980 - Keith Ramsey, minor league player
- 1980 - Scott Thomas, minor league pitcher
- 1981 - Francisley Bueno, pitcher
- 1981 - Maikel Jova, minor league outfielder and manager
- 1982 - Wei-Lun Pan, CPBL pitcher
- 1985 - Blake Brannon, minor league pitcher
- 1985 - Jessie Mier, minor league catcher
- 1985 - Brad Mills, pitcher
- 1985 - Aaron Seuss, minor league outfielder
- 1986 - Martin Dewald, minor league pitcher
- 1987 - Sergio Miranda, minor league infielder
- 1988 - Joe Benson, outfielder
- 1988 - Héctor Gómez, infielder
- 1988 - Nick Robinson, minor league infielder
- 1989 - Rupeni Batai, Fijian national team outfielder
- 1989 - Mauricio Robles, pitcher
- 1989 - Mayumi Solano, Japanese womens' national team pitcher
- 1990 - Khureltulga Gankhuyag, Mongolian national team outfielder
- 1990 - L.J. Hoes, outfielder
- 1991 - Justin Brantley, minor league pitcher
- 1992 - Ben Lively, pitcher
- 1993 - Rafael Estrada, Nicaraguan national team catcher
- 1993 - Shunta Goto, NPB outfielder
- 1993 - Sam Howard, pitcher
- 1993 - Kyle Schwarber, outfielder; All-Star
- 1994 - Luis Lugo, minor league pitcher
- 1994 - Hector Mendoza, Cuban league pitcher
- 1994 - John Schreiber, pitcher
- 1995 - Bryan Delgado, minor league coach
- 1995 - Kevin Santa, minor league infielder
- 1996 - Lucas Gilbreath, pitcher
- 1996 - Lucas Sérafin, French Division I pitcher
- 1997 - Chung-yeon Choi, KBO pitcher
- 1998 - Bo Bichette, infielder; All-Star
- 1998 - Orlando Ribalta, pitcher
- 1999 - Tanner Bibee, pitcher
- 2004 - Yohan Xaiyaphone, Laotian national team infielder
Deaths[edit]
- 1897 - Dave Foutz, infielder, manager (b. 1856)
- 1912 - Harry Keener, pitcher (b. 1868)
- 1915 - Jim Donnelly, infielder (b. 1865)
- 1919 - Bill Yawkey, owner (b. 1875)
- 1920 - Alex Farmer, catcher (b. 1877)
- 1924 - Jim Reilly, infielder (b. 1860)
- 1928 - Mart McQuaid, infielder (b. 1861)
- 1929 - Lou Hardie, catcher (b. 1864)
- 1942 - Dutch Wetzel, outfielder (b. 1893)
- 1944 - Charles Wesley, infielder/outfielder, manager (b. 1896)
- 1950 - Effie Norton, pitcher (b. 1873)
- 1956 - Joe Berger, infielder (b. 1886)
- 1956 - Bruce Ogrodowski, catcher (b. 1912)
- 1956 - Leovigildo Xiqués, outfielder (b. 1917)
- 1963 - Lefty Lorenzen, pitcher (b. 1893)
- 1965 - Pepper Martin, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1904)
- 1965 - Tadashi Wakabayashi, NPB pitcher and manager; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1908)
- 1980 - Les Fleming, infielder (b. 1915)
- 1986 - Andy Love, infielder (b. 1907)
- 1989 - Bill Harvey, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1908)
- 1995 - Roy Hughes, infielder (b. 1911)
- 2000 - Dewey Williams, minor league pitcher (b. 1931)
- 2001 - Leo Thomas, infielder (b. 1923)
- 2002 - Clay Smith, pitcher (b. 1914)
- 2004 - Joseph Shaffer, minor league pitcher; scout (b. 1913)
- 2007 - Ken Beardslee, scout (b. 1930)
- 2009 - Billy Joe Davidson, minor league pitcher (b. 1933)
- 2009 - James Herndon, minor league pitcher (b. 1928)
- 2009 - Francisco Malarría, Division Honor pitcher (b. ????)
- 2009 - Toshihide Yamane, NPB pitcher; CPBL manager (b. 1928)
- 2014 - John Addison, minor league player (b. 1927)
- 2014 - Bob Becker, minor league pitcher (b. 1927)
- 2018 - Bob Engel, umpire (b. 1933)
- 2020 - Don Pavletich, catcher (b. 1938)
- 2021 - Don Gile, infielder (b. 1935)
- 2022 - Joe Durant, college coach (b. 1949)
- 2023 - Dave Wills, broadcaster (b. 1964)
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