November 28
From BR Bullpen
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Events, births and deaths that occurred on November 28.
Events[edit]
- 1885 - Former National League President Arthur Soden buys the Providence franchise and players for $6,600. Soden will move the near-bankrupt team to the Eastern League while keeping its two best players, P Old Hoss Radbourn and C Con Daily, for his own franchise, the Boston Beaneaters.
- 1889 - On Thanksgiving Day, Boston (National League) opens a California tour with an 8 - 3 win over San Francisco before a crowd of 7,000.
- 1927:
- The Pittsburgh Pirates trade future Hall of Fame outfielder Kiki Cuyler to the Chicago Cubs for infielder Sparky Adams and outfielder Pete Scott. Cuyler, who had drawn the wrath of manager Donie Bush for his failure to slide in a game, will hit only .285 next season, well below his lifetime average of .321. He became expendable after rookie Lloyd Waner became a starter, but will be a great addition to the Cubs. Adams will have two seasons in Pittsburgh before going to the Cardinals.
- Billy Evans quits as an American League umpire to becomes business manager (effectively the first General Manager) of the Cleveland Indians following the purchase of the club by a group headed by Alva Bradley.
- The New York Yankees release pitchers Bob Shawkey and Dutch Ruether.
- 1928 - The National League buys George Magerkurth from the Pacific Coast League for $2,000. This is the highest price paid for a new umpire.
- 1938 - The Chicago White Sox's 25-year-old pitching star Monty Stratton has his right leg amputated as a result of a hunting accident in Greenville, Texas. Stratton's attempted comeback will be chronicled in the 1949 movie The Stratton Story.
- 1939 - Ken Keltner is turned down in Cleveland in his attempt to collect off-season unemployment benefits.
- 1944 - Detroit Tigers pitcher Hal Newhouser is named Most Valuable Player in the American League, gathering four more votes than teammate Dizzy Trout. Newhouser's 29 wins contrast with his 34 combined wins the previous four years, as his 2.22 ERA is bettered by Trout (2.12), who also has 27 wins.
- 1950 - Having already relieved general manager Branch Rickey of his duties, Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley continues his house cleaning as he names Pacific Coast League Oakland manager Chuck Dressen to replace Burt Shotton, who compiled a 326-215 record during his four-year tenure as the Dodgers skipper.
- 1951 - The St. Louis Browns trade C Gus Niarhos, acquired yesterday, along with OF Ken Wood to the Boston Red Sox for C Les Moss and OF Tom Wright. The Browns also sign shortstop Marty Marion, former St. Louis Cardinals manager.
- 1952 - International League President Frank Shaughnessy reveals plans to form two new major leagues by merging the top teams in the American Association and the top teams from the IL. Shaughnessy thinks that in five to six years, major league baseball will elevate these two leagues, along with the Pacific Coast League, which nearly has major league status now.
- 1955 - The Chicago Cubs trade pitcher Hal Jeffcoat to the Cincinnati Redlegs for catcher Hobie Landrith.
- 1956 - The Cleveland Indians name Kerby Farrell to replace Al Lopez as the team manager. Farrell won the Junior World Series as the pilot of the American Association's Indianapolis Indians.
- 1957 - Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves wins the Cy Young Award as the major leagues' top pitcher almost unanimously. His only competition for the title is Dick Donovan, of the Chicago White Sox, who receives one vote.
- 1958:
- The American League announces that its Opening Day will be April 9th, making it the earliest date ever to open the junior circuit's regular season.
- The Boston Red Sox sign teenage sensation Carl Yastrzemski to a reported bonus of $100,000. The future Hall of Famer will make his major league debut with Boston in three years.
- Shigeru Chiba becomes manager of the Kintetsu Pearls. The team's fans will change the club's name to the Kintetsu Buffalo (and later Buffaloes) in honor of Chiba's nickname.
- 1961:
- The Philadelphia Phillies send pitcher John Buzhardt and infielder Charley Smith to the Chicago White Sox for first baseman Roy Sievers. The Sievers trade is announced by the Sox after the Joe Cunningham trade, as they don't want to appear to need a first baseman.
- The Milwaukee Braves trade slugger Frank Thomas to the New York Mets for a player to be named later (Gus Bell) and a reported $125,000.
- 1965 - Future Boston Red Sox owner Haywood Sullivan resigns as Kansas City Athletics manager to become the Red Sox director of player personnel and vice president of the club. Sullivan is replaced by Alvin Dark.
- 1966 - The Pittsburgh Pirates purchase P Juan Pizarro from the Chicago White Sox, completing a deal that sends P Wilbur Wood to Chicago. The knuckleballing Wood was 14-8 for Columbus in 1966 after going 1-3 for the Pirates over the previous two years.
- 1967 - The Minnesota Twins send shortstop Zoilo Versalles and pitcher Mudcat Grant to the Los Angeles Dodgers for catcher John Roseboro and pitchers Bob Miller and Ron Perranoski.
- 1969:
- Second baseman Ted Sizemore becomes the seventh Dodgers player to win National League Rookie of the Year honors.
- Masayuki Nagayasu of the Nishitetsu Lions is banned for life from Nippon Pro Baseball, the first player so penalized, for his throwing games. Over the next couple of years, the scandal will become revealed to be widespread and become known as the Black Mist Scandal.
- 1972 - In a blockbuster intrastate trade good for both teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers send Frank Robinson, Bill Singer, Mike Strahler, Bobby Valentine and Bill Grabarkewitz to the California Angels in exchange for Andy Messersmith and Ken McMullen, who returns to the team that signed him. Next season, Robinson will play 147 games, hitting 30 home runs with 97 RBI and Singer will combine with Nolan Ryan to strike out 674 batters, a 20th Century major league record for two teammates. Messersmith will win 39 games in the next two seasons for the Dodgers and finish second in the Cy Young Award voting in 1974.
- 1973 - Baltimore Orioles outfielder Al Bumbry beats out five other vote-getters to win American League Rookie of the Year honors. Bumbry played just 110 games, but tied for the AL lead in triples (11) and batted .337.
- 1977 - Former major league star Bob Meusel dies at the age of 81. Meusel batted over .300 seven times, including a career-high mark of .337 in 1927. He also participated in six World Series with the New York Yankees.
- 1978:
- The Cincinnati Reds fire their nine-year manager, Sparky Anderson, who had led the team to five division titles, four National League pennants and two World Series wins (in 1975 and 1976), and averaged 96 wins per season. The surprise move comes six days after the Reds returned from a trip to Japan. Anderson has one year left on a contract and had no idea he'd be fired. He will become the manager of the Detroit Tigers on June 12, 1979, replacing Les Moss.
- The Baltimore Orioles sign pitcher Steve Stone, a reentry free agent formerly with the Chicago White Sox.
- 1979 - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Rick Sutcliffe, who posted a 17-10 record for a sub-.500 team, receives 20 of 24 votes to earn National League Rookie of the Year honors.
- 1988:
- Rich Gedman becomes the highest-paid catcher in the American League when he signs a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox for $1.2 million.
- The American League champion Oakland Athletics sign free agent pitcher Mike Moore, formerly with the Seattle Mariners.
- 1994 - The Houston Astros trade All-Star pitcher Pete Harnisch to the New York Mets for two players to be named later.
- 2000 - Relief pitcher Curt Leskanic, who posted a 9-3 record with a 2.56 ERA and 12 saves, agrees to a $7.2 million, three-year incentive-laden contract with the Milwaukee Brewers which can almost double based on performance. Leskanic converted 11 of 12 save chances after former Milwaukee closer Bob Wickman was traded to the Cleveland Indians on July 28th.
- 2005 - Toronto Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi signs former Baltimore Orioles standout B.J. Ryan to the richest contract ever for a reliever in a five-year, $47 million deal.
- 2010:
- The Florida Marlins agree to terms with free agent pitcher Javier Vazquez on a one-year contract, pending a physical. It will be the seventh team for the veteran starter, and the fourth in the last four years. He was 10-10, 5.32, for the New York Yankees last season, and has won ten or more games every year since 2000.
- The 2010-2011 Cuban Serie Nacional opens. The Villa Clara Orangemen beat the defending champion Industriales, 6 - 5, in an exciting 11-inning affair.
- 2011 - The Rays sign veteran C Jose Molina as a free agent, one day after trading John Jaso. Youngsters Jose Lobaton and Robinson Chirinos are expected to compete for the starting job next year, but the experienced Molina will turn out to be the most used at the position.
- 2012:
- The Braves sign CF B.J. Upton to a five-year deal worth $75.25.
- With the deadline to set the 40-man roster before next week's Rule V Draft approaching, a number of deals are made. The Pirates acquire 1B Clint Robinson and P Vin Mazzaro from Kansas City in exchange for two young pitchers still in the Dominican Summer League, as well as P Zach Stewart from Boston for a player to be named later. The Padres trade P Cory Burns to the Rangers for future considerations and the Orioles get IF Danny Valencia from Boston, also for future considerations.
- 2013 - It took eight months, but the Dominican Republic national team players who swept through the 2013 World Baseball Classic finally get their parade as fans line the streets of Santo Domingo to greet them after President Danilo Medina holds a reception at the National Palace where they receive their championship rings. With the tournament ending in the middle of spring training, the winning nation was unable to properly honor its heroes at the time.
- 2014:
- The Blue Jays continue to be one of the most active teams this off-season, as they acquire 3B Josh Donaldson from Oakland for four players - oft-injured 3B Brett Lawrie and prospects Kendall Graveman, Sean Nolin and Franklin Barreto.
- The Royals trade P Aaron Crow, who became a forgotten man in their run to the 2014 World Series, to the Marlins in return for Brian Flynn and Reid Redman. They then re-sign veteran reliever Jason Frasor to a one-year deal for $1.8 million.
- 2016:
- The four big awards in Nippon Pro Baseball are given out and present a contrast of players. 22-year-old Shohei Otani is almost a unanimous winner (253 of 254 first-place votes) of the 2016 Pacific League MVP after a dazzling two-way season in which he had a 1.86 ERA, 170 K in 140 IP while hitting .322/.416/.588 with 22 HR. He just missed the ERA title (he needed four more innings to qualify) and would have led in slugging had he qualified. He is the first two-way player to win an MVP in Japan. The 2016 Central League MVP goes to a much older player, 39-year-old Takahiro Arai. Seemingly washed up and a bench player two years prior, Arai posted one of his best seasons, helping the Hiroshima Carp win the Central League title for the first time in 25 years; he drove in 101 while hitting .300. Hanshin Tigers outfielder Shun Takayama wins the 2016 Central League Rookie of the Year Award while Nippon Ham Fighters pitcher Hirotoshi Takanashi takes the 2016 Pacific League Rookie of the Year. Takayama wins handily, while Takanashi is the winner in a closer vote.
- Representatives of the Players' Association and major league owners meet in Irving, TX to renew the Collective bargaining agreement, which is set to expire at the end of the week. At issue are free agent compensation and particularly the qualifying offer system, the possibility of extending the amateur draft to international players, a possible raise in the threshold for luxury tax payments, roster size, the level of the minimum salary, revenue sharing and salary arbitration.
- The Marlins sign free agent P Edinson Volquez for two years at $22 million.
- 2018 - The Oakland A's announce that they have identified a site for a new ballpark to replace the aging Oakland Coliseum. The proposed site is located on the downtown waterfront, near Jack London Square. Ownership is hopeful that this proposal is the right one, after a bid for another site next to a campus of Laney College fell through a year ago because of opposition from the school's staff and users. However, this plan will fall through as well.
- 2019 - The 2019 Nippon Pro Baseball Gold Gloves are given out. Nobuhiro Matsuda becomes the first eight-time winner at third base in the Pacific League while José López wins the award at first base in the Central League, becoming the first gaijin to win five Gold Gloves.
- 2021 - It's a wild day of free agent signings in Major League Baseball, belying fears that the upcoming expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement would make teams hesitant to commit to new players. Among the major deals are IF Marcus Semien, who goes to the Rangers for seven years and Jon Gray who joins him on a four-year deal; P Kevin Gausman who signs with the Blue Jays for five years; OF Byron Buxton, who signs a seven-year extension with the Twins; and P Corey Kluber who signs with the Rays for one year. In addition, P Max Scherzer is reported to be on the verge of signing a long-term deal with the Mets, while OF Avisail Garcia is said to have signed with the Marlins for four years in a deal to be finalized very shortly.
- 2022 - The Astros sign free agent 1B José Abreu to a three-year deal.
- 2023:
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Orix Buffaloes is the runaway winner of the 2023 Pacific League MVP after another pitching Triple Crown; the last player to win three straight PL MVPs had been Ichiro Suzuki in the 1990s. The 2023 Central League MVP and Rookie of the Year Awards both go to Shoki Murakami of the Hanshin Tigers, who set the NPB WHIP record; he is the first player to take both honors the same year. The 2023 PL Rookie of the Year goes to Shunpeita Yamashita, another pitcher; he was 9-3 with a 1.61 ERA.
- In MLB, P Liam Hendriks, who battled back successfully from cancer, is the winner of the Comeback Player of the Year Award in the American League, while in the National League, Cody Bellinger, who bounced back to his previous level of excellence after two very sub-par seasons, is the one honored.
Births[edit]
- 1812 - Duncan Curry, pre-MLB player + pioneer (d. 1894)
- 1858 - Daisy Davis, pitcher (d. 1902)
- 1861 - Bill Conway, catcher (d. 1943)
- 1865 - Dan Minahan, infielder (d. 1929)
- 1866 - Sy Sanborn, writer (d. 1932)
- 1870 - Heinie Peitz, catcher (d. 1943)
- 1874 - Stan Yerkes, pitcher (d. 1940)
- 1876 - Lee Fohl, catcher, manager (d. 1965)
- 1877 - Jim Jackson, outfielder (d. 1955)
- 1882 - Roxey Roach, infielder (d. 1947)
- 1883 - Fred Osborn, outfielder (d. 1954)
- 1887 - Bill Prough, pitcher (d. 1936)
- 1891 - Frank O'Rourke, infielder (d. 1986)
- 1893 - Benn Karr, pitcher (d. 1968)
- 1895 - Bill Anderson, pitcher (d. 1983)
- 1895 - Molly Craft, pitcher (d. 1978)
- 1900 - Jim Busby, infielder (d. 1960)
- 1905 - Ed Chapman, pitcher (d. 2000)
- 1907 - Lynn King, outfielder (d. 1972)
- 1910 - Ed Gallagher, pitcher (d. 1981)
- 1910 - Bill McWilliams, pinch hitter (d. 1997)
- 1911 - Bill DeLancey, catcher (d. 1946)
- 1911 - Gene Smith, infielder; All-Star (d. 1995)
- 1916 - Max West, outfielder; All-Star (d. 2003)
- 1916 - John Wright, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1990)
- 1918 - Russ Meers, pitcher (d. 1994)
- 1920 - Jerry Gardner, minor league player and manager (d. 2006)
- 1922 - Wes Westrum, catcher, manager; All-Star (d. 2002)
- 1924 - Cal Irvin, infielder (d. 2017)
- 1927 - Carlos Paula, outfielder (d. 1983)
- 1928 - Billy Queen, outfielder (d. 2006)
- 1929 - Teruo Ishihara, NPB infielder (d. 2006)
- 1933 - J.L. Smith, college pitcher (d. 2016)
- 1937 - Purnal Goldy, outfielder (d. 2009)
- 1937 - Corky Withrow, outfielder
- 1941 - Fritz Fisher, pitcher
- 1941 - Gregorio Pérez, Cuban league pitcher (d. 2021)
- 1942 - Mal Fichman, scout
- 1947 - Kazuhiro Fujimoto, NPB pitcher
- 1949 - Dave Augustine, outfielder
- 1949 - Sin-keun Lim, KBO outfielder and manager (d. 1991)
- 1949 - Robert Spinner, minor league outfielder
- 1950 - Jim Fuller, outfielder
- 1952 - Alfonso Barrué, Division Honor coach
- 1953 - Sixto Lezcano, outfielder
- 1956 - Bill Swiacki, minor league pitcher
- 1957 - Pat Rooney, outfielder
- 1958 - Pat Murphy, manager
- 1958 - Dave Righetti, pitcher; All-Star
- 1959 - Jeff Datz, catcher
- 1960 - Ken Howell, pitcher (d. 2018)
- 1961 - Jim Toman, college coach
- 1962 - Rich Buonantony, minor league pitcher
- 1962 - Steve Fincher, minor league pitcher
- 1963 - Walt Weiss, infielder, manager; All-Star
- 1964 - John Burkett, pitcher; All-Star
- 1964 - Craig Wilson, infielder
- 1965 - Matt Williams, infielder, manager; All-Star
- 1966 - René Duarte, minor league catcher
- 1968 - Terry Burrows, pitcher
- 1968 - Paul Ellis, minor league catcher
- 1968 - Scott Sheldon, infielder
- 1969 - Pedro Astacio, pitcher
- 1969 - Pedro Grifol, manager
- 1969 - Robb Nen, pitcher; All-Star
- 1971 - Bill Simas, pitcher
- 1972 - Geraldo Guzman, pitcher
- 1972 - Jose Parra, pitcher
- 1973 - Edgar Tovar, minor league infielder
- 1975 - Stanley Loáisiga, Nicaraguan national team outfielder
- 1975 - Kyung-hyun Shin, KBO catcher
- 1976 - Adam Bernero, pitcher
- 1976 - Billy Gasparino, scout
- 1977 - Mark Austry, minor league infielder (d. 2010)
- 1977 - Joe Hogarty, coach
- 1978 - Orlando Román, NPB pitcher
- 1979 - Brad Hassey, minor league infielder
- 1979 - Nook Logan, outfielder
- 1979 - Javier Ortiz, minor league pitcher
- 1979 - Mike Schultz, pitcher
- 1979 - Ryan Wardinsky, scout
- 1980 - Jayce Tingler, manager
- 1983 - Jorge Guzman, minor league outfielder
- 1983 - Steve Less, college coach
- 1983 - Carlos Villanueva, pitcher
- 1985 - Christopher Hicks, minor league player
- 1985 - Deivis Rivadeneira, minor league infielder
- 1987 - Pablo Menchaca, minor league pitcher
- 1987 - Pau Sancho, Bundesliga infielder
- 1988 - Joseph Mahalic, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Kevin Quackenbush, pitcher
- 1988 - Ya-Lin Wu, Taiwanese women's national team catcher
- 1989 - Taylor Davis, catcher
- 1989 - Chuck Ghysels, minor league pitcher
- 1989 - Danny Hultzen, pitcher
- 1989 - Jesus Montero, catcher
- 1989 - Seung-wan Moon, KBO pitcher
- 1989 - Angel Sanchez, pitcher
- 1990 - Roemon Fields, minor league outfielder
- 1992 - Jose Trevino, catcher; All-Star
- 1993 - Ben Cone, New Zealand national team pitcher
- 1993 - Jacob Lemoine, pitcher
- 1993 - Yefry Ramirez, pitcher
- 1993 - Ronald Rivera, Nicaraguan national team catcher
- 1994 - Joseph Boyce, New Zealand national team pitcher
- 1994 - Miguel Diaz, pitcher
- 1994 - Cooper Hummel, outfielder
- 1994 - Keita Sano, NPB outfielder
- 1995 - Yun-Wen Chen, CPBL pitcher
- 1996 - Wataru Matsumoto, NPB pitcher
- 1997 - Famke Gildemacher, Dutch women's national team infielder
- 1997 - Kevin Kelly, pitcher
- 1998 - Cristian Pache, outfielder
- 1999 - Will Klein, pitcher
- 2000 - Ching-Hung Yen, CPBL outfielder
- 2003 - Druw Jones, minor league outfielder
- 2003 - Xiang Wang, China Baseball League pitcher
Deaths[edit]
- 1901 - Bob McNichol, umpire (b. 1852)
- 1903 - Jack Easton, pitcher (b. 1865)
- 1914 - Tug Wilson, outfielder (b. 1861)
- 1930 - Ed Hendricks, pitcher (b. 1885)
- 1936 - Bob Casey, infielder (b. 1859)
- 1938 - Jim Jeffries, pitcher (b. 1893)
- 1944 - Elmer Miller, outfielder (b. 1890)
- 1946 - Bill DeLancey, catcher (b. 1911)
- 1948 - George Horine, USA national team outfielder (b. 1890)
- 1949 - Art Kruger, outfielder (b. 1881)
- 1953 - Max Rosner, semipro owner (b. 1876)
- 1957 - Ed Donnelly, pitcher (b. 1880)
- 1959 - Ed McFarland, catcher (b. 1873)
- 1959 - Blondy Ryan, infielder (b. 1906)
- 1960 - Si Bennett, minor league outfielder (b. 1882)
- 1960 - Abbie Johnson, infielder (b. 1874)
- 1961 - Earl Moore, pitcher (b. 1877)
- 1962 - Harry Moran, pitcher (b. 1889)
- 1965 - Edward McLaughlin, umpire (b. 1893)
- 1970 - Orlie Weaver, pitcher (b. 1886)
- 1977 - Bob Meusel, outfielder (b. 1896)
- 1979 - Herb Bremer, catcher (b. 1913)
- 1983 - Chet Boak, infielder (b. 1935)
- 1984 - Maurice Young, pitcher (b. 1904)
- 1988 - Butch Davis, outfielder (b. 1916)
- 1989 - Bill Posedel, pitcher (b. 1906)
- 1990 - Tommy Hughes, pitcher (b. 1919)
- 1990 - Garcia Massingale, player (b. 1928)
- 1991 - Stan Wentzel, outfielder (b. 1917)
- 1993 - George Piktuzis, pitcher (b. 1932)
- 1995 - Saburo Yokozawa, NPB infielder, manager and umpire; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1904)
- 1998 - Donald Grant, executive (b. 1904)
- 1999 - Dick Errickson, pitcher (b. 1912)
- 1999 - Jodie Phipps, minor league pitcher (b. 1918)
- 2001 - Kelly Wingo, minor league infielder and manager (b. 1914)
- 2004 - Connie Johnson, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1922)
- 2006 - Sam Calderone, catcher (b. 1926)
- 2007 - Bob Marquis, outfielder (b. 1924)
- 2008 - Red Murff, pitcher (b. 1921)
- 2010 - Cal Emery, infielder (b. 1937)
- 2010 - Gil McDougald, infielder; All-Star (b. 1928)
- 2017 - Paul Solberg, college coach (b. 1938)
- 2017 - Ken Tippery, minor league infielder (b. 1935)
- 2019 - John Strohmayer, pitcher (b. 1946)
- 2021 - Marlon Mesa, Panamanian national team outfielder (d. ~1988)
- 2023 - Dan Dobbek, outfielder (b. 1934)
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