November 25
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Today in Baseball History |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on November 25.
Events[edit]
- 1889:
- Jack Glasscock, claiming that his pledge to the Brotherhood does not constitute a binding contract, signs with the Indianapolis Hoosiers of the National League, thus becoming the first "double jumper."
- Sporting Life reports that New York Giants owner Andrew Freedman wants to reduce the National League to eight clubs and purify the game by eliminating "certain parties who have been unduly prominent in the sport for cheap notoriety and the money there is in it."
- 1914 - Future Hall of Fame outfielder Joe DiMaggio is born in Martinez, California. The son of Italian immigrants, DiMaggio will make his major league debut in 1936 after starring in the Pacific Coast League and will spend his entire big league playing career with the New York Yankees.
- 1930 - The Sporting News, acting to fill the Most Valuable Player void, announces its selection of New York Giants first baseman Bill Terry as the MVP in the National League, and Washington Senators shortstop Joe Cronin in the American League.
- 1941 - With only three years of major league experience, shortstop Lou Boudreau is named as the Cleveland Indians' manager. He takes over for Roger Peckinpaugh, who moves up to the front office as the Indians' general manager. At the age of 24 years, four months, and eight days, Boudreau becomes the youngest skipper to pilot a team in the 20th century. Scotland-born Jim McCormick managed Cleveland in 1879 at age 23.
- 1944 - Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the first Major League Baseball Commissioner, dies of a heart attack at age 78 in Chicago. Landis had ruled over baseball since November 1920 in the wake of the Black Sox scandal, and wielded authority perhaps unparalleled in any other industry. Landis had entered the hospital on October 2nd. He will elected to the Hall of Fame on December 9th in a special ballot.
- 1947 - Sam Breadon sells the St. Louis Cardinals empire to Robert Hannegan and Fred Saigh. The price is in excess of $4 million with the new owners getting the Cardinal players, physical assets, 16 minor league franchises, $2.1 million in reserve funds and payment on a new ballpark site, four minor league parks, and the lease on Sportsman's Park. Breadon had first acquired an interest in the Cardinals in 1917 and bought control in 1920 for an investment of $350,000.
- 1949 - Ted Williams, who lost the Triple Crown when his batting average was .0002 below that of George Kell, wins the American League MVP Award vote in a landslide. Phil Rizzuto and Joe Page finish second and third in the voting.
- 1952 - The St. Louis Cardinals seek payment from the New York Giants for two televised games in an effort to determine the TV and radio rights of visiting teams for revenue.
- 1957 - Hawaiian Yoshio Tanaka is hired as manager of the Hanshin Tigers. He is the first foreign manager in Nippon Pro Baseball history.
- 1958 - The Baseball Writers Association of America names Chicago Cubs slugger Ernie Banks as the National League Most Valuable Player. Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants is the runner-up.
- 1966 - Cincinnati Reds infielder Tommy Helms is voted National League Rookie of the Year.
- 1969:
- Outfielder Lou Piniella of the Kansas City Royals wins the American League Rookie of the Year Award.
- The Cincinnati Reds trade outfielder Alex Johnson and infielder Chico Ruiz to the California Angels for pitchers Pedro Borbón, Jim McGlothlin and Vern Geishert. The talented but troubled Johnson, who hit over .300 in his two seasons with the Reds, will win the American League batting title in 1970. Borbón and McGlothlin will be valuable additions to the "Big Red Machine" .
- 1970 - New York Yankees catcher Thurman Munson receives 23 of 24 votes and is named American League Rookie of the Year. Munson batted .302 during the regular season. Cleveland Indians outfielder Roy Foster is also named on a ballot.
- 1972 - The Sporting News announces Gold Glove Award winners. Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Roberto Clemente wins his 12th straight, and Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Wes Parker his sixth in a row. Neither will play in 1973.
- 1974 - Mike Hargrove of the Texas Rangers takes American League Rookie of the Year honors.
- 1980 - Gene Michael becomes the 25th manager in New York Yankees history, replacing a resigning Dick Howser. Under Michael, the Yankees will finish first in the first half of the strike-shortened 1981, season, but Michael will already be gone by the time the postseason rolls around.
- 1981 - Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first relief pitcher ever to win the AL Most Valuable Player Award, edging Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics, 319-308. Fingers saved 28 games while posting an outstanding 1.04 ERA.
- 1985 - Chicago White Sox shortstop Ozzie Guillen, who hit .273 with just 12 errors in 150 games, is named American League Rookie of the Year. Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Teddy Higuera, who posted a 15-8 record and a 3.90 ERA, finishes second in the voting.
- 1986 - Oakland Athletics outfielder Jose Canseco wins the American League Rookie of the Year Award, becoming the first Athletics player to do so since pitcher Harry Byrd in 1952.
- 1991 - The Montreal Expos trade first baseman Andres Galarraga to the St. Louis Cardinals for starting pitcher Ken Hill. Galarraga will struggle for St. Louis before enjoying a career renaissance with the Colorado Rockies in Rockies, while Hill will emerge as one of the the league's best starting pitchers with his new team.
- 1993 - The last surviving member of the St. Louis Cardinals' "Gashouse Gang" passes away. 83-year old Burgess Whitehead dies from a heart attack in Windsor, North Carolina. Whitehead served the Cardinals as a backup in 1934, when they won the World Series.
- 1998 - The Anaheim Angels sign free agent first baseman Mo Vaughn to a six-year contract, a year longer than the Boston Red Sox were willing to give him.
- 2002:
- The Boston Red Sox hire 28-year-old Theo Epstein as their new general manager. Epstein, a life-time Red Sox fan who grew up about a mile away from Fenway Park, becomes the youngest GM in major league history.
- Detroit sends 1B Randall Simon to Pittsburgh in exchange for Adrian Burnside and a player to be named later (Roberto Novoa).
- 2003 - The Chicago Cubs trade first baseman Hee Seop Choi (who hit .210 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI) and Mike Nannini to the World Champion Florida Marlins in exchange for Gold Glove first baseman Derrek Lee (.271, 31, 92).
- 2004 - After spending $67 million to acquire its former president's shares of the Seattle Mariners, Nintendo's U.S. subsidiary now owns more than 50 percent of the franchise. Due to the presence of superstar Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle is one of the favorite major league teams in Japan.
- 2005:
- The cost-cutting Florida Marlins finalize their big trade with the New York Mets, sending slugger Carlos Delgado to New York for first baseman Mike Jacobs and prospects pitcher Yusmeiro Petit and infielder Grant Psomas. The Mets will also receive $7 million from the Marlins to help cover the $48 million Delgado is owed over the next three seasons.
- The Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago White Sox complete their deal that sends slugger Jim Thome and cash to Chicago for center fielder Aaron Rowand. Philadelphia also gets two minor leaguers.
- 2010 - IF Kazuo Matsui signs a contract with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Pro Baseball, ending his seven-year stint in Major League Baseball.
- 2012 - The 2012-2013 Serie Nacional kicks off. Defending champion Ciego de Ávila beats 2011-2012 runner-up Industriales, 1 - 0. Vladimir García tosses eight no-hit innings, while Odrisamer Despaigne gives up three hits in 8 1/3 IP for the losing side. The game is scoreless until the 12th, when Yoelvis Fiss drives in the only run.
- 2013:
- The Nippon Pro Baseball Rookie of the Year awards are given out, both going to starting pitchers in landslide votes. Takahiro Norimoto (15-8, 3.34) wins the 2013 Pacific League Rookie of the Year Award with 223 of 233 votes, while Central League win leader Yasuhiro Ogawa (16-4, 2.93) gets 252 of 273 votes for the 2013 Central League Rookie of the Year Award.
- The Athletics acquire P Fernando Abad from Washington in return for minor league OF John Wooten, while the Pirates send OF Alex Dickerson to San Diego and receive OF Jaff Decker and P Miles Mikolas in a trade of prospects,
- Unipol Bologna 2B Alessandro Vaglio is the winner of the Italian Baseball League MVP for 2013, beating out Alex Romero 55% to 26% with former winner Carlos Duran finishing third. Vaglio had hit .410 (third in the league) with a league-high 42 RBI while manning a more important defensive position than the two Latinos. He is the first native Italian to win since Giuseppe Mazzanti in 2008.
- 2014 - The Red Sox sign 3B Pablo Sandoval, a three-time World Champion with the San Francisco Giants, to a five-year free agent contract. They also confirm the signing of another free agent, SS Hanley Ramirez, pending a physical exam.
- 2015 - The 2015 NPB awards are given out. Yakult Swallows second baseman Tetsuto Yamada and Softbank Hawks outfielder Yuki Yanagita are runaway winners of the 2015 Central League MVP and 2015 Pacific League MVP respectively. Yamada was the first player to lead the Central League in home runs and steals and also led in OBP and slugging, while Yanagita was the first 30-30 player to win a batting title in NPB history (he also led in OBP and slugging). Yokohama BayStars closer Yasuaki Yamasaki (37 Sv, 1.92 ERA) is also an easy winner, of the 2015 Central League Rookie of the Year Award. The 2015 PL Rookie of the Year goes to Kohei Arihara (8-6, 4.79), who doesn't get even half the votes.
- 2016 - The NPB Best Nine awards for 2016 are announced. The most notable selection is Shohei Otani of the Nippon Ham Fighters being named the top pitcher and the top DH in the Pacific League for his incredible two-way season, hitting .322/.416/.588 while going 10-4 with a 1.86 ERA.
- 2019:
- Josh Lindblom is named KBO MVP for 2019 after going 20-3 with a 2.50 ERA, leading the league in wins, strikeouts (189) and WHIP and finishing second in ERA. The KBO Rookie of the Year goes to Woo-young Jung, who was 4-6 with 1 save and a 3.72 ERA for the LG Twins.
- In a move that receives little notice at the time, the Marlins release P Wei-Yin Chen, coming off an awful season in which he put up an ERA of 6.59 with no wins or saves as a reliever. They are on the hook for the final year of his three-year contract, worth $22 million. That will actually make him the highest-paid major league player in 2020, as in the abbreviated season caused by the coronavirus pandemic, every major leaguer with a higher salary will see his earnings scaled back on a pro-rated scale, to fall below the inactive Chen's salary.
- 2020:
- The Softbank Hawks become the first team to sweep the Japan Series in back-to-back seasons. The Hawks top the Yomiuri Giants, 4 - 1, in Game 4. The Giants get their only lead in the 1st when Hayato Sakamoto doubles in a run off veteran Tsuyoshi Wada, but the Hawks' Yuki Yanagita hits a two-run shot in the bottom of the inning and Takuya Kai tacks on another two-run homer an inning later. Six relievers combine on seven shutout innings for the Hawks. Ryoya Kurihara is named Japan Series MVP thanks to seven hits in the first two games.
- One month after the end of the World Series, the first trade of major leaguers of the off-season finally tales place, with the Reds sending former #1 pick Robert Stephenson to the Rockies in return for a very similar player in Jeff Hoffman, also a former top pitching prospect drafted in the first round who has not quite managed to find his footing at the major league level in spite of superior stuff. The two teams also swap a minor league prospect in the deal.
- 2021 - A dramatic Japan Series continues with the fourth one-run game in five contests (the other was a 2 - 0 affair). In Game 5, the Orix Buffaloes stay alive and take the Series back home by beating the Yakult Swallows, 6 - 5. Adam Jones hits a pinch homer off Scott McGough to open the 9th and win it. Yoshihisa Hirano saves the victory for Taisuke Yamaoka. Orix overcomes homers from Munetaka Murakami and Tetsuto Yamada.
- 2022 - For the first time since 1977, both the Central League and Pacific League MVPs are repeats of the past year. The unanimous 2022 CL MVP is Yakult Swallows third baseman Munetaka Murakami, who not only won a Triple Crown but set a NPB record for homers by a Japanese native (56), breaking Sadaharu Oh's decades-old mark. Murakami is the first unanimous CL MVP since Oh in '77. The 2022 PL MVP is not quite unanimous but is also a runaway win as the Orix Buffaloes' Yoshinobu Yamamoto became the first pitcher to repeat a pitching Triple Crown. Seibu Lions reliever Yoshinobu Mizukami wins the 2022 PL Rookie of the Year, the first development-round draft pick to take that honor. The 2022 CL Rookie of the Year, on the other hand, was a first-round pick - Taisei Ota of the Yomiuri Giants, who goes by the single name "Taisei" and who recorded 37 saves in 38 tries.
- 2024 - It appears that the first big name free agent to sign with a new team this off-season is Yusei Kikuchi, as reports indicate that he has agreed to a three-year deal with the Angels for $63 million.
Births[edit]
- 1848 - Sam Wright, infielder (d. 1928)
- 1858 - Harry McCaffery, outfielder (d. 1928)
- 1859 - Jimmy Woulfe, outfielder (d. 1924)
- 1865 - Bert Cunningham, pitcher (d. 1952)
- 1876 - Lou Castro, infielder (d. 1941)
- 1880 - Frank Corridon, pitcher (d. 1941)
- 1880 - Art Lizzette, minor league catcher/first baseman (d. 1935)
- 1882 - Art Brouthers, infielder (d. 1959)
- 1887 - John Baggan, minor league outfielder and manager (d. 1976)
- 1889 - Dick Crutcher, pitcher (d. 1952)
- 1889 - Joe Vernon, pitcher (d. 1955)
- 1892 - Fujio Nakazawa, Japanese Hall of Fame member (d. 1965)
- 1893 - Gene Bailey, outfielder (d. 1973)
- 1895 - Jakie May, pitcher (d. 1970)
- 1896 - Clint Thomas, outfielder (d. 1990)
- 1902 - Bert Wells, scout (d. 1979)
- 1903 - Jim Weaver, pitcher (d. 1983)
- 1909 - Ed Rogell, minor league infielder (d. 2008)
- 1912 - Charles Baron, minor league infielder and manager (d. 1997)
- 1914 - Buddy Allen, outfielder (d. 1989)
- 1914 - Joe DiMaggio, outfielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1999)
- 1914 - Gene Handley, infielder (d. 2009)
- 1914 - Jamuel Tarrant, pitcher (d. 2012)
- 1915 - Bob Finley, catcher (d. 1986)
- 1916 - Duke Cleveland, outfielder; All-Star (d. 1970)
- 1916 - Oscar Georgy, pitcher (d. 1999)
- 1917 - Len Perme, pitcher (d. 2009)
- 1920 - Red Zar, scout (d. 2008)
- 1921 - Toshiaki Takemiya, NPB catcher (d. 2010)
- 1922 - Doc Alexson, minor league infielder/manager (d. 2003)
- 1922 - Pedro Comas, minor league infielder (d. 2014)
- 1922 - Tetelito Vargas, Dominican national team outfielder (d. ????)
- 1922 - John Wells, pitcher (d. 1993)
- 1923 - Archie Wilson, outfielder (d. 2007)
- 1924 - Sam Amoriello, minor league pitcher (d. 2013)
- 1927 - Héctor Mayer, minor league infielder and manager (d. 2014)
- 1928 - Ray Narleski, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2012)
- 1931 - Ron Kump, minor league pitcher (d. 2013)
- 1931 - John Pyecha, pitcher
- 1932 - Don Slattery, umpire (d. 2004)
- 1933 - Dan Lynk, minor league infielder (d. 2018)
- 1933 - Cholly Naranjo, pitcher (d. 2022)
- 1933 - Jim Waugh, pitcher (d. 2010)
- 1934 - Sadao Nishimura, NPB pitcher (d. 2015)
- 1934 - John Ivory Smith, minor league pitcher (d. 2019)
- 1935 - Jim Duffalo, pitcher
- 1940 - Dennis Aust, pitcher
- 1941 - Mike Moore, minor league executive (d. 2022)
- 1941 - Mike Ryan, catcher (d. 2020)
- 1942 - Bobby Etheridge, infielder (d. 2015)
- 1945 - Wayne Redmond, outfielder (d. 2020)
- 1946 - Wenty Ford, pitcher (d. 1980)
- 1946 - Don Leshnock, pitcher (d. 2012)
- 1949 - Mike Weathers, minor league infielder
- 1951 - Bucky Dent, infielder, manager; All-Star
- 1957 - Dave Baker, infielder
- 1957 - Tony Brewer, outfielder
- 1957 - Victor Mendez, minor league infielder
- 1957 - Chico Walker, infielder
- 1960 - Masafumi Nishi, Japanese national team infielder
- 1963 - Marty Foster, umpire
- 1964 - Elry Britton, Nicaraguan national team outfielder
- 1964 - Mark Davis, outfielder
- 1965 - Erasmo Baca, Nicaraguan national team infielder
- 1965 - Royal Clayton, minor league pitcher
- 1965 - Mike House, minor league outfielder (d. 2021)
- 1965 - Randy Veres, pitcher (d. 2016)
- 1966 - Mark Whiten, outfielder
- 1967 - Jeff Hoffman, minor league pitcher (d. 1992)
- 1968 - John Johnstone, pitcher
- 1968 - Shingo Takatsu, pitcher
- 1971 - Tavo Alvarez, pitcher
- 1971 - Po-Hsun Wu, CPBL catcher
- 1972 - Robbie Crabtree, minor league pitcher
- 1972 - Ramon Fermin, pitcher
- 1972 - Johnny Martinez, minor league player
- 1973 - Hok-Leung Au, Hong Kong national team manager
- 1973 - Wellington Cepeda, coach
- 1973 - Octavio Dotel, pitcher
- 1973 - Jason Flach, minor league pitcher
- 1975 - Glenn Davis, minor league infielder
- 1975 - Elvin Nina, minor league pitcher
- 1978 - Joe Borchard, outfielder
- 1978 - Zach McClellan, pitcher
- 1979 - Matt Tupman, catcher
- 1980 - Nick Swisher, outfielder; All-Star
- 1981 - Florian Gabler, Austrian national team infielder
- 1981 - Bum-ho Lee, NPB infielder
- 1981 - Mackenzie Vandergeest, USA womens' national team catcher
- 1982 - Ole Sheldon, minor league infielder
- 1983 - Nathaphong Phosringam, Thai national team player
- 1983 - Waraphob Sampahangsit, Thai national team infielder
- 1984 - Sébastien Morgavi, Division Elite infielder
- 1985 - Carlos Alvarez, minor league infielder
- 1987 - Grant Dayton, pitcher
- 1987 - Chris Garcia, minor league infielder
- 1987 - Nate Karns, pitcher
- 1987 - Edgar Osuna, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Chris Jacobs, minor league infielder
- 1988 - Torrey Jacoby, drafted infielder
- 1988 - Douglas Landaeta, minor league outfielder
- 1988 - Jimmy Paredes, infielder
- 1988 - Bart Sabel, Hoofdklasse infielder-outfielder
- 1989 - Bryan Kloppe, minor league pitcher and manager
- 1990 - Alex Bassani, Serie A1 pitcher
- 1991 - Jorge Flores, minor league infielder
- 1991 - Ren Kajiya, NPB pitcher
- 1992 - Forrest Herrmann, minor league coach
- 1993 - Sandy Baez, pitcher
- 1993 - Teddy Stankiewicz, minor league pitcher
- 1994 - Seranthony Dominguez, pitcher
- 1994 - Kuo-Chen Fan, CPBL infielder
- 1994 - Justin Lawrence, pitcher
- 1995 - Trevor Stephan, pitcher
- 1997 - Estevan Florial, outfielder
- 1998 - Alec Burleson, outfielder
- 1998 - Roberto Mejía Jr., minor league infielder
- 1999 - Cole Winn, pitcher
- 2000 - José Pastrano, minor league infielder
- 2001 - Sena Catterall, Canadian women's national team outfielder
- 2002 - Mohammad Ridzuwan Raiyan Lee Shukran, Singaporean national team catcher
- 2004 - Dmytro Terekhin, Ukrainian national team pitcher
Deaths[edit]
- 1903 - George Wetzell, pitcher (b. 1865)
- 1918 - Patrick Larkin, infielder (b. 1860)
- 1919 - Grover Gilmore, outfielder (b. 1888)
- 1929 - Doak Roberts, minor league manager (b. 1870)
- 1932 - Charlie Carr, infielder (b. 1876)
- 1937 - Ben Conroy, infielder (b. 1871)
- 1944 - Kenesaw Landis, executive; Hall of Famer (b. 1866)
- 1945 - Ham Patterson, infielder (b. 1877)
- 1955 - Les Hinckle, minor league pitcher (b. 1910)
- 1963 - Rube Parnham, pitcher (b. 1894)
- 1970 - Gerry Nugent, owner (b. 1892)
- 1974 - Herb Brett, pitcher (b. 1900)
- 1974 - Eddie Dent, pitcher (b. 1887)
- 1974 - Frank Wilson, outfielder (b. 1901)
- 1975 - Cecil Coombs, outfielder (b. 1888)
- 1975 - Carlos Lavaud, Venezuelan League owner (b. 1904)
- 1975 - Red Sheridan, infielder (b. 1896)
- 1976 - John Andre, pitcher (b. 1923)
- 1977 - Andy Childs, infielder (b. 1905)
- 1979 - Elbert Andrews, pitcher (b. 1901)
- 1980 - Art Jones, pitcher (b. 1906)
- 1981 - Eddie Berry, pitcher (b. 1918)
- 1984 - Ival Goodman, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1908)
- 1985 - Ray Jablonski, infielder; All-Star (b. 1926)
- 1993 - Burgess Whitehead, infielder; All-Star (b. 1910)
- 1994 - Bunjiro Sakamoto, NPB infielder (b. 1926)
- 1996 - Mike Hunt, minor league outfielder (b. 1907)
- 1999 - Twila Shively, AAGPBL outfielder (b. 1920)
- 2000 - Hugh Alexander, outfielder (b. 1917)
- 2004 - Bob Romby, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1918)
- 2005 - Mal Mallette, pitcher (b. 1922)
- 2008 - Randy Gumpert, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1918)
- 2011 - Yukio Nishimoto, NPB infielder and manager; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1920)
- 2012 - Jim Temp, USA national team player (b. 1933)
- 2013 - Lou Brissie, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1924)
- 2013 - Ken Peters, minor league infielder (b. 1915)
- 2016 - Roy Sims, college coach (b. 1931)
- 2017 - Cal Irvin, infielder (b. 1924)
- 2018 - Willie Broughton, minor league infielder (b. 1936)
- 2020 - Juan Jiménez, Colombian national team infielder (b. ~1959)
- 2022 - Ed Leier, minor league player (b. 1927)
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