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This Day In Baseball History

This Day in Baseball History - March 19th
 
1951 - In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, Fred Hutchinson, the American League player representative, says the players should have input in the selection of the new commissioner replacing A. B. "Happy Chandler," who was recently ousted by the owners. The Tigers right-hander suggests that the major leaguers, if not given input, would be incline to hire and pay their own commissioner, with Chandler being their first choice.
 
1970 - During a spring training game against Oakland, Indians first baseman Ken Harrelson fractures his leg and will not play until September, appearing in only 17 games. Next season, after losing his starting position to Chris Chambliss, the eventual AL Rookie of the Year, the 'Hawk' will retire in June to pursue a professional golf career.
 
1989 - Hoping to replace the injured Dave Winfield, the Yankees trade catcher Joel Skinner and a minor leaguer to the Indians for outfielder Mel Hall. The future Hall of Fame outfielder will miss the entire season due to back surgery.
 
2002 - The Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (YES) makes its debut as a regional cable TV channel. The team-owned network, similar to NESN of the Red Sox, will carry Bronx Bombers games as well as covering New Jersey Nets NBA contests.
 
2008 - The Red Sox players voted to boycott playing in their exhibition game, scheduled to be televised nationally from the City of Palms Park, and tomorrow’s flight to Japan for the season-opening series against the A's. The dispute, which is over coaches not receiving the same $40,000 stipend negotiated by the players union, is resolved within a few hours with the game against the Blue Jays starting an hour later than planned.
 
 
This Day in Baseball History - March 20th
 
1934 - Babe Didrickson, a renowned female athlete, gives up no hits and walks only one Dodger when she pitches the first inning of the Philadelphia A's spring training game at McCurdy Field in Fredrick, Maryland. The founder of the LPGA and Olympic track and field Gold Medalist will also participate in exhibition contests with the Indians and Cardinals.
 
1937 - In one of the biggest trades in Negro League history, Josh Gibson and Judy Johnson are traded to the Homestead Grays for $25,000 and two journeymen. Both Gibson (1972) and Johnson (1975) will be inducted into the baseball's Hall of Fame.
 
1953 - U.S. Senator Edwin C. Johnson proposes a bill which will ban broadcasts of major league games in minor league territories. The justice department outlawed this practice in 1949.
 
1961 - The Yankees announce the team will oppose any plan that would enable the new National League expansion franchise to use Yankee Stadium. This decision leaves the Polo Grounds as the only viable option for the new team.
 
1973 - In an exhibition game played in Puerto Rico, Willie Mays, subbing for manager Yogi Berra, pilots the Mets to an 8-3 win over the Pirates.
 
1973 - In a special election, the BBWAA select (393 out 424 votes) the late Roberto Clemente to be a member of the Hall of Fame. The usual five-year rule had been previously waived by the organization's board of directors.
 
1989 - The office of baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth announces MLB is conducting an inquiry into "serious allegations" concerning Reds' manager Pete Rose and gambling.
 
2002 - The Commissioner's office announces MLB will continue the practice that began after the September 11 attacks of singing 'God Bless America' during the seventh-inning stretch in each team's first homestand. In addition, an American flag patches will be worn on the jackets of all 30 major league teams this season and special logos will be used on Opening Day, Memorial Day weekend and the Fourth of July with Canadian versions designed for the Blue Jays and Expos.
 
2006 - At San Diego's Petco Park, Japan, managed by all-time international home-run king, Sadaharu Oh, captures the first World Baseball Classic crown beating Cuba, 10-6. The 16-team tournament, which will take place again in the year 2009, ends with just two major leaguers still in the game.
 
This Day in Baseball History - March 21st
 
1908 - Tigers' outfielder Ty Cobb signs for $4000 with an $800 bonus if he hits over .300.
 
1957 - It is reported the owners will get 9.3 million dollars for the 1957 TV-Radio rights.
 
1959 - The Indians trade Larry Doby to the Tigers for Tito Francona. It turns out to be a great swap for the Tribe as their new outfielder will hit .363‚ while Doby will play in just 16 games for Detroit.
 
1968 - The new American League team in Kansas City announces its nickname. The expansion club, which will join the circuit in 1969, will be now known as the "Royals", paying tribute to the Negro League Monarchs that played in the City of Fountains from 1920 through 1965.
 
1975 - Georgia Tech blanks Earlham, 41-0, setting the NCAA mark for the largest margin of victory.
 
1978 - In a surprise move, Padres manager Alvin Dark becomes the second manager ever fired during spring training after being told that he was having difficulties communicating with his players. San Diego names Roger Craig, the club's pitching coach, as the interim skipper.
 
2002 - The Phillies make public the one-day regular-season suspension of Larry Bowa handed down by Major League Baseball vice president for on-field operations Bob Watson. The action was taken as a result of the Philadelphia's manager's "inappropriate conduct toward the umpire" when he became enraged with the home plate umpire over two close calls on checked swings during an exhibition game against the Indians on March 9.
 
This Day in Baseball History - March 22nd
 
1962 - Roger Maris declines to pose with Mets coach Rogers Hornsby because the Hall of Famer had criticized him in the Rajah's' book, My Wars with Baseball.
 
1962 - In the first meeting between the two clubs, the Mets defeat the World Champion Yankees in a spring training game. Casey Stengel, the former skipper of the Bronx Bombers, now the manager of the new National League expansion team in New York, clearly wanting to beat his old club, calls upon veteran outfielder Richie Ashburn, who delivers a ninth-inning pinch-hit single giving the Amazins' the dramatic walk-off 4-3 victory at Al Lang Field.
 
1972 - The Yankees trade first baseman Danny Cater to the Red Sox for lefty reliever Albert Walter Lyle. Over the next seven years, Sparky will pitch in 420 games in relief with a 57-40 record and a 2.41 ERA notching 141 saves as he helps the Bronx Bombers to appear in three World Series.
 
2002 - After a poor spring trying to make the Dodgers as a bench player, 38-year-old Dante Bichette (.299, 274, 1,141) announces his retirement. The four-time All-Star played with the Angels, Brewers, Rockies, Reds and Red Sox during his 14-year major league career.
 
 
This Day in Baseball History - March 23rd
 
1938 - Commissioner Landis frees seventy-four Cardinal minor leaguers to halt the cover up he perceives taking place in the St. Louis farm system.
 
1951 - The Dodgers sign a 21-year lease with the City of Vero Beach for use of their spring training site.
 
1990 - Howard Spira is arrested for extorting money from George Steinbrenner. The Yankee owner paid the Bronx gambler $40,000 in January to dig up dirt on outfielder Dave Winfield.
 
2009 - Thanks to Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki’s two-out, two-run single in the top of the 10th inning, Japan defeats South Korea, 5-3, to win its second consecutive World Baseball Classic title. South Korea, the reigning Olympic champion, had tied the game 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth on Lee Bum-ho's two-out RBI single off Japanese closer Yu Darvish in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 54,846 at Dodger Stadium.
 
2009 - The Miami-Dade County commissioners approve the final documents necessary to move forward on the Marlins’ new 37,000-seat home which will be located on the present grounds of Miami’s Orange Bowl. The long-anticipated retractable-roof ballpark will become a reality in 2012, with the team breaking ground this July.
 
 
This Day in Baseball History - March 24th
 
1933 - Babe Ruth takes a $23,000 pay cut, which is indicative of the depression era.
 
1946 - In Birmingham, Alabama, police pull Edward Klep from the lineup of the Buckeyes, a visiting Negro American League team. The first white player in organized black baseball is told to change into his civilian clothes and sit away from his teammates in the "whites only" section of Rickwood Field.
 
1947 - During a four-hour hearing with Commissioner Chandler at the Sarasota Terrace Hotel, Leo Durocher admits to playing occasional card games for money with Kirby Higbe.
 
1959 - Prior to an exhibition game played against the Dodgers in Havana, Cuba, a photo of Pete Whisenant is taken that shows the Reds outfielder toting a machine gun. The weapon for the posed photo is supplied by a rebel from Fidel Castro's revolutionary army.
 
1982 - The Dodgers automatically renew Fernando Valenzuela's contract when he ends his three-week holdout, but the Mexican southpaw refuses to sign it.
 
1984 - The Tigers trade utility player John Wockenfuss and outfielder Glenn Wilson to the Phillies for relief pitcher Willie Hernandez and first baseman Dave Bergman.
 
2001 - During an exhibition game against the Giants, Diamondback hurler Randy Johnson's fastball hits and instantly kills a dove flying in front of home plate. The bird appears to explode as the National League Cy Young winner's pitch sends it over catcher Rod Barajas' head.
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This Day in Baseball History - March 25th
 
1910 - Hugh Chalmers, the president of the Chalmers Motor Car Company of Detroit, announces his Model 30, one of the most luxurious autos of its day, will be awarded to the player with the highest batting average this season. The prize will lead to controversy when Cleveland infielder Nap Lajoie beats out seven bunts, thanks to the Browns' Red Corriden purposely playing deep at third base, to go 8-for-9 on the last day of the season raising his average to .384 in an attempt to surpass Ty Cobb for the batting title.
 
1963 - The Reds sell journey man pitcher Johnny Klippstein to the Phillies. After going 7-7 over two seasons with Philadelphia, the 37-year old box salesman will help the Twins win the pennant in 1965 posting a 9-3 record.
 
1981 - Phillies trade Bob Walk to the Braves for outfielder Gary Matthews. The team's new center fielder will play outstanding defense along with three solid seasons at the plate for Philadelphia while Atlanta's new right-hander will compile a 12-13 record with a 4.85 during his three-year tenure with the club.
 
1997 - The Indians send Kenny Lofton (.317, 14, 67) and Alan Embree (3-1, 2.79) to the Braves for Marquis Grissom (.262, 10, 57) and David Justice (.337, 30, 88). The deal saves $5.8 million in salaries for Atlanta and helps the team to sign hurlers Greg Maddux ($57.5 million, five-year) and Tom Glavine ($34 million, four-year).
 
2006 - Acknowledging he may never play again, Jeff Bagwell announces he will start the season on the disabled list and will seek consultation to find out if removing bone spurs from his shoulder would be beneficial in prolonging his career. The 37-year old first baseman must stay on the injured list all season for the Astros to collect $15.6 million of the $17 million guaranteed contract from an insurance claim filed in January.
 
2008 - At the Tokyo Dome in Japan, the Red Sox beat the A's, 6-5, in the earliest major league opener ever played. Manny Ramirez's tenth inning double gives the victory to Hideki Okajima, who used to pitch in this stadium for the hometown Yomiuri Giants.
 
2008 - Miguel Cabrera (.320, 34, 119), acquired by the Tigers in a trade at the winter meetings with the Marlins, agrees to a $152.3 million, eight-year deal to play with the team. The All-Star third baseman had previously agreed to an $11.3 million, one-year contract in January.
 
 
This Day in Baseball History - March 26th
 
1936 - Two future Hall of Famers ink modest contracts with their respective teams. The Tigers sign Hank Greenberg for $20,000 and Red Ruffing comes to terms with the Yankees for $12,000.
 
1951 - During a spring exhibition game against the University of Southern California at Bovard Field, Mickey Mantle hits a home run which is estimated to travel 650 feet. The rookie's performance, which includes a single, triple and another homer, is one of the highlights of the Yankees' first ever West Coast trip.
 
1957 - Yankee manager Casey Stengel is arrested and is released on $50 bail after he allegedly curses at and kicks a newspaper photographer during an exhibition game in St. Petersburg.
 
1960 - Due to political unrest in the area, the Orioles-Reds series scheduled to be played in Havana is moved to Miami. Cincinnati, which has a farm team in Cuba, wanted the exhibition games to stay on the island, but Baltimore's team president Lee MacPhail feared for his players' safety.
 
1974 - The Red Sox release future Hall of Famers Orlando Cepeda (1999) and Luis Aparicio (1984).
 
1977 - The Red Sox released fan-favorite Rico Petrocelli. The two-time all-star shortstop will call it quits ending his 13-year career, all with Boston, with a .251 batting average.
 
1984 - In a spring training deal, the Phillies trade outfielders Gary Matthews and Bob Dernier along with right-handed reliever Porfi Altamirano to the Cubs for right-hander Bill Campbell and Mike Diaz, a utility player. The former Philadelphia fly chasers, who will each receive consideration for the MVP award, both play a pivotal role in Chicago's first-place finish this season in the National League Eastern Division.
 
1984 - Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color line playing for the Dodgers in 1947, is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously by President Reagan. Rachel Robinson, on behalf of her late husband, accepts the award, the highest civilian honor given in the United States.
 
2000 - In less than 20 seconds, the Kingdome is demolished thanks to 5,800 holes filled with gelatin dynamite ignited by 21.6 miles of detonation cord. The former home of the Mariners is now a mound of rubble over 65 feet high.
 


 
This Day in Baseball History - March 27th
 
1967 - Giants' right-hander Juan Marichal ends his 29-day holdout when he becomes the third $100,000 major league hurler in history. The 'Dominican Dandy' also reported to spring training late last season, but proceeded to win his first ten games en route to 25-6 record.
 
1973 - Twins' pitcher Jim Perry becomes the first player to use the '10 and 5 rule' when he okays his own trade to the Tigers for minor league pitcher Dan Fife and cash. During his one season in Detroit, Gaylord's brother will post a 14-13 (.519) record along with an ERA of 4.03 in 35 apperances with the team.
 
1973 - Hoping to make the team in spring training, right-hander Denny McLain is released by the Braves in effect ending his career two days before his 29th birthday. During his ten-year major league tenure, the former 30-game winner compiled a 131-92 career record with an ERA of 3.39.
 
1981 - Much to the chagrin of the Fenway Faithful, Gold Glove catcher Carlton Fisk is declared a free agent by major league baseball. The 33-year old backstop can now negotiate with other teams for his services because he received his contract from the Red Sox two days after the deadline.
 
1989 - Sports Illustrated exposes Pete Rose's gambling activities. The article alleges 'Charlie Hustle' bet from the Riverfront Stadium dugout using hand gestures with an associate.
 
2002 - After being told he would not be an everyday player, thirty-seven year old Jose Canseco is given his release by the Expos. The 1988 American League MVP, who needs 38 homers to reach 500, batted .258 and hit 16 home runs for the White Sox last season while appearing in 76 games.
 
2008 - At the start of spring training, Hideki Matsui, who already had plans to be wed in a few weeks, a fact not known to the team, makes a wager with some of his teammates about who would be the first to get married. A very surprised Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu agree to pay off the bet after learning the Yankee slugger pulled a fast one of them by getting 'hitched' in New York on the club's off day yesterday.
 
2009 - In a Kansai Independent League game played at the Osaka Dome, knuckleballer Eri Yoshida makes her debut becoming Japan’s first female professional baseball player. The 17-year-old faces two batters on Opening Day, walking one and striking out the other, in the ninth inning of the Kobe 9 Cruise’s 5-0 victory over the hometown Gold Villicanes.
 
 
This Day in Baseball History - March 28th
 
1970 - Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces the return of the All-Star selection to the fans. The over-exposure of the Mid-summer Classic, two games each season between 1959-1962, and the lack of fan input prompt the MLB Promotion Corporation to modernize the marketing of the game by restoring fan balloting for the starting eight position players.
 
1978 - By releasing the aging superstar, the A's end the fifteen-year career of Dick Allen. The Wampum, Pennsylvania native finishes his stormy relationship with major league baseball with 351 HRs, 1,192 RBIs and a .292 batting average.
 
1985 - Sports Illustrated's April 1st edition tricks the nation as author George Plimpton weaves a fictitious tale of Sidd Finch, a Mets rookie phenom who throws a 168 mph fastball. Staged photographs and quotes from Mets in real life help to give the story a realistic edge.
 
1986 - The Red Sox trade designated hitter Mike Easler to the Yankees for designated hitter Don Baylor.
 
1999 - In Cuba, the Orioles beat the Cuban National team, 3-2 thanks to a Harold Baines 11th inning game-winning hit. It is the first time a U.S team has played in Cuba since the 1950's.
 
2003 - The commissioner's office announces teams will pay tribute to the U.S. Armed Forces during the seventh-inning stretch of all home openers by having `God Bless America' performed. Although the song has been part of all games since the September 11th terrorist attacks, it will be heard only in major league ballparks at the home openers, Sunday and holidays games.
 
2008 - The decision to have manager Manny Acta catch the ceremonial first pitch from President Bush at the Nationals' home opener is reported not to have been made by the White House. Traditionally, the starting catcher is given the honor, but Paul Lo Duca, whose name who is cited in the Mitchell Report on drug use in baseball, instead will watch his manager receive the toss from the commander-in-chief.
 
This Day in Baseball History - March 29th
 
1933 - After missing half of last season when he broke his leg, Cubs outfielder Kiki Cuyler breaks his other leg and will miss nearly three months of this season. The 36 year-old future Hall of Famer has led the league in stolen bases four times and will finish with 328 career steals.
 
1948 - Thirty-four players participate in an unusually long exhibition game when the Yankees and the Red Sox take 17 innings to play a 2-2 tie. The four-hour, two minute contest, which is called by umpire Bill Summers to allow Boston to catch a bus back to Sarasota, featured the Bronx Bombers scoring runs in the bottom of the ninth and tenth innings to keep the score knotted, but failed to push the winning run across the plate in the final frame when Frank Crosetti attempted a two-out bunt to squeeze in the runner on third base.
 
1954 - After telling reporters his team had little chance to finish in the first division, skipper Phil Cavarretta is fired by the Cubs. The 36-year old player-manager, who compiled a 169-213 (.442) record during his three years at the helm, is the first person to lose a managerial position during spring training.
 
1973 - At the suggestion of A’s owner Charlie Finley, orange-colored balls are used in an 11-5 exhibition game loss to the Indians. The concept is dropped when Cleveland outfielder George Hendrick, who hit three home runs in the contest, claimed he had difficulty picking up the ball due to the lack of red seams on a white sphere.
 
1975 - Mel Stottlemyre, suffering from a torn rotator cuff, is given his unconditional release by the Yankees. The team's future pitching coach compiled a 164-139 record and a 2.97 ERA as well as tossing 40 shutouts.
 
2002 - Rickey Henderson is added to the Red Sox Opening Day roster when his contract is purchased from Triple-A Pawtucket. The future Hall of Fame outfielder, who joined the exclusive 3,000-hit club on the final day of last season, will begin his 24th year in the majors appearing with his eighth different club.
 
2002 - Major League baseball announces there will be a minute of silence at 9:11 at every major league team's first night game this season to remember September 11th's tragic events. The song 'God Bless America' will continue to be sung during the seventh-inning stretch of all games.
 
2002 - The night before the an exhibition game scheduled to be played at Miller Park, team officials announce that the stadium's retractable roof will be used only on a limited basis at the start of the season as engineers try to eliminate persistent noise coming from the year-old roof. The problem in the pivot system, located behind and above home plate in the so-called Uecker seats, is not a hazard according the engineers who designed the structure.
 
2009 - The Yankees dedicate a permanent September 11 memorial at the entrance of George M. Steinbrenner Field, the team's Spring Training home in Tampa, Florida. The tribute to the victims and their families of the terrorist attacks of 2001 features a foundation in the shape of the Pentagon which supports two towers made from steel from the World Trade Center placed on a grassy spot representing the heroes of United Flight 93, who perished in a field in Pennsylvania.
 
2009 - In the first baseball game ever played at Citi Field, 22,397 patrons witnessed John Franco throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to a standing ovation from the crowd attending the collegiate match up between St. John’s and Georgetown. The former reliever, who spent 15 seasons with the Mets, goes to the mound wearing a familiar blue and orange jacket, but takes it off revealing the colors of his alma mater, a Red Storm jersey with his No. 45, before throwing his signature pitch to catcher Danny Benedetti, a breaking ball in the dirt. It was a damp and chilly afternoon, and the weather dampened the schools’ hope of breaking the NCAA attendance record of 40,106, set during a game between San Diego State and Houston played at Houston played at Petco Park in 2004.
 
2009 - Dontrelle Willis is placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Tigers. D-Train, unsuccessful since winning 22 games with the Marlins in 2003, has been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, believed by the doctors to be easily treatable, according to the southpaw.
 
2013 - Tiger right-hander Justin Verlander agrees to a seven-year $180 million contract, the richest deal for a pitcher in baseball history. The 2011 American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner, already signed through 2014 under a previous $80 million, five-year deal, decides not to test free agency in two years, stating that "the pull of Detroit was too much".
 
 
This Day in Baseball History - March 30th
 
1966 - Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale's refusal to report to spring training ends when the hurlers agree to the Dodgers' offer of $235,000, signing for $130‚000 and $105‚000 respectively. The LA starters' joint holdout lasts for 32 days and paves the way for other players to be more aggressive when negotiating with owners.
 
1978 - The Red Sox obtain Dennis Eckersley and catcher Fred Kendall from the Indians for pitchers Rick Wise and Mike Paxton along with designated hitter Ted Cox and catcher Bo Diaz. The 'Eck' will win 20 games for Boston next season.
 
1991 - A sold-out Joe Robbie Stadium plays host to the Yankees and the Orioles exhibition game that draws 67,654 fans, a spring training attendance record. The two-day series between the AL East rivals is part of South Florida’s efforts to be awarded a National League expansion team.
 
1993 - Peanuts character Charlie Brown hits a game-winning home run, his first round tripper in 43 years. Almost ten percent of the nearly 18,000 Peanuts strips created by Charles Schulz focused on baseball.
 
2001 - Kids will be invited from all over the nation to play baseball on the White House lawn as President George W. Bush, former owner of the Rangers, announces to a group of Hall of Famers in the East Room he has ordered a junior-size baseball field to be built outside the Oval Office.
 
2001 - Choosing to end his career as a member of a World Champion team, 36-year old Dwight Gooden announces his retirement from baseball. 'Doc', who compiles a 194-112 record in 16 seasons playing for the Mets, Yankees, Indians, Astros, and Devil Rays, will remain on the Bronx Bombers' payroll and will have a position within the organization.
 
2012 - Jamie Moyer becomes the oldest starting pitcher to make an Opening Day roster when the Rockies announce that the 49-year old southpaw will face Houston in the second game of the season. Knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm was the same age as the Colorado left-hander when he opened the season with L.A. in 1972, but 'Old Sarge' appeared strictly in relief for the Dodgers.
 
This Day in Baseball History - March 31st
 
1948 - At Ebbets Field No. 2, the Dodgers play their first exhibition game at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, which will remain the team's home for 61 years. Amidst much fanfare, including Governor Millard Caldwell throwing the ceremonial first pitch, Jackie Robinson homers in the first inning as Brooklyn beats its top farm club, the Montreal Royals, 5-4.
 
1961 - The Pacific Coast League's proposal to use a designated hitter for the pitcher is rejected by the Professional Baseball Rules Committee by a vote of 8-1. The first use of the DH will occur in the American League in 1973.
 
1968 - The American League's new franchise in Seattle chooses Pilots as its nickname.
 
1984 - On a televised episode of ABC’s Sports Beat, Howard Cossell informs interviewee Roger Maris of the Yankees' plan to retire the slugger's number 9 at the Old Timers' Game ceremonies in July. The former Bronx Bombers' reaction is at first is disbelief, followed by a genuine pleasure for being recognized for his achievements during his seven years with the team.
 
1994 - The White Sox assign NBA superstar Michael Jordan to the Birmingham Barons of the Class AA Southern League.
 
1996 - For the first time in history, the major league season opens with a game played in the month of in March. At the Kingdome, the Mariners beat the White Sox in 12 innings, 3-2.
 
1998 - In front of a sellout crowd of 47,484 at Bank One Ballpark, the Arizona Diamondbacks lose to the Rockies, 9-2. The seven run difference matches the '62 Mets and the '77 Mariners for the most-lopsided loss by an expansion team in their first game.
 
1998 - The Tigers spoil the Devil Rays' major league debut beating the American League's newest team, 6-2 at Tropicana Field in Tampa.
 
1998 - With a rare on-the-field appearance, Hank Aaron helps to mark Milwaukee's historic return to the Senior Circuit as the Brewers play their inaugural game as a National League team losing to the Braves at Turner Field, 2-1. Milwaukee is the first team since the inception of the American League in 1901 to switch leagues.
 
2003 - Substituting for his son, a former lefty first baseman at Yale named George Bush throws the Great American Ball Park's ceremonial first pitch when the Reds make their debut in their new ballpark. The former president and the sell-out crowd of 42,263 flag-waving fans enjoy the patriotic pre-game ceremonies and then watch the Pirates rout Cincinnati, 10-1.
 
2004 - With a 12-1 defeat of the Devil Rays in Tokyo, Kevin Brown becomes the second pitcher in history to have defeated all of the thirty major league teams. The 39-year old right-hander joins Al Leiter who accomplished the feat last season pitching for the Mets.
 
2008 - On Opening Day, the Reds pay tribute to Joe Nuxhall by wearing the number 41 on their uniforms. The team’s beloved broadcaster, who spent over 60 years with the organization, including his major debut as a 15-year old hurler, died during the off-season at the age of 79.
 
2008 - Outside of Wrigley Field, the Cubs unveil a statue of Ernie Banks done by Lou Cella. The typographical error on the base of the statue, "Lets play two", is quickly corrected when the sculptor comes down to the ballpark two days later and carves the needed apostrophe.
 
2009 - The Tigers unexpectedly release Gary Shefield despite having $14 million left on the $28 million, two-year contract extension given to the DH/outfielder after being acquired from the Yankees in a trade for prospects. The 40-year old nine-time All-Star needs to hit one more dinger to become the 25th major league player to hit 500 career home runs.
 
2010 - Denard Span hits a hard foul line drive into the stands that strikes his mother in the first inning of an exhibition game in Tampa. The Twins' stunned leadoff batter runs into the crowded stands and stays with his mom while she is treated by paramedics until she returns to her seat, slightly shaken but intact.
 
2013 - The Astros beat the Rangers in their American League debut, an 8-3 victory in a nationally televised game played at Minute Maid Park. After 51 years of playing in the National League, Houston agreed to move from the NL Central to the AL West to give each league 15 teams with an equal number teams in each division, as a condition of the approval of the sale of the team to Jim Crane.
 
 
This Day in Baseball History - April 1st
 
1937 - The Reds sell Babe Herman to the Tigers. The 34-year outfielder, batting .300 for his new team, will appear in only 17 games with Detroit before effectively retiring from game, although he returned to play briefly for the war-time Dodgers in 1945.
 
1938 - Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, not a fan of Branch Rickey's farm system, grants free agency to a group of nine Cardinal minor leaguers that includes Pete Reiser. A reported gentlemen's agreement, that has Brooklyn signing and hiding the 19-year old in the low minors to be traded back to St. Louis at a later date, doesn't work when Brooklyn manager Leo Durocher disobeys orders allowing the phenom to display his amazing ability in spring training exhibition games.
 
1950 - Pacific Coast League Hollywood Stars wear shorts and rayon shirts as their Opening Day uniform. In 1976, the White Sox will also don shorts in the first game of a doubleheader against Kansas City.
 
1962 - Dave DeBusschere, a hoop star at the University of Detroit, signs with the White Sox as a pitcher. The 21-year old right-hander will compile a 3-4 record in 36 appearances with Chicago before moving to the National Basketball Association, where he will be named as one of the 50 greatest players in the history of the league.
 
1969 - After acquiring Lou Piniella from the Indians in the expansion draft, the Seattle Pilots trade him to the Royals in exchange for Steve Whitaker and John Gelna. The 25-year old outfielder will have a stellar season in Kansas City being named the league's Rookie of the Year.
 
1970 - Ruling the team is bankrupt, Judge Sidney Volinn orders the Seattle Pilots be sold to a group headed by mid-western businessman Bud Selig. The American League expansion team's tenure in the Northwest is over after just one season when the club is hastily moved to Milwaukee to start the new season as the Brewers.
 
1982 - The Mets send outfielder Lee Mazzilli to Texas for rookie starters Ron Darling and Walt Terrell. This deal isn't well-received at the time, but the trade turns out to be a steal for New York when the two right-handers combine for a 118 victories during their tenure with the team.
 
1989 - Former Yale University and National League president Bart Giamatti becomes the seventh commissioner of major league baseball. Baseball's new leader, a lifelong Red Sox fan, is the author of "The Green Fields of the Mind", an essay which laments the end of a season in Boston.
 
1996 - The Opening Day game in Cincinnati is postponed when home plate ump John McSherry, who is noticeably overweight, suffers a fatal heart attack after calling the first seven pitches of the contest. The respected veteran arbitrator's death prompts Major League Baseball to compel its umpires to be more physically fit.
 
2001 - In the first major league game ever played in Puerto Rico, the Blue Jays defeat the Rangers, 8-1 in the major league season opener. Making his Texas debut, $252 million shortstop Alex Rodriguez gets the season's first hit and scores the first run, but also makes a throwing error on his first chance.
 
2009 - After tallying a run in the top of the first, the Kentucky State baseball team finds themselves on the short end of a 22-1 score at the end of the inning. After the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky University score 27 more times in the next three frames, the teams decide to halt the contest in the middle of the fifth giving EKU a 49-1 triumph over the Thorobreds.
 
2013 - On Opening Day, Jackie Bradley Jr. has a memorable major league debut when he walks three times, scores twice, and robs Robinson Cano of an extra-base hit with an outstanding defensive play in the Red Sox’s 8-2 victory over New York at Yankee Stadium. The 22 year-old Boston rookie outfielder also makes uniform history becoming the first major leaguer to wear "Jr." on the back of his jersey.
 
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This Day in Baseball History - April 2nd
 
1962 - The Indians trade Gold Glove first baseman Vic Power and left-handed pitcher Dick Stigman to the Twins for pitcher 20-game loser Pedro Ramos, who will compile a 26-30 record during his 2+ seasons with the Tribe. Power will contribute 2+ solid seasons with Minnesota batting .278, and their new southpaw will post a .702 winning percentage, the best in the American League this season, winning 12 of 17 decisions.
 
1972 - Hank Aaron, Rico Carty, and Orlando Cepeda all start in an exhibition game. It is the first time the trio of sluggers, sidelined with a variety of injuries over the past two seasons, have appeared together in the Braves lineup since 1970.
 
1976 - In a blockbuster trade a week before the season starts, the Orioles deal Don Baylor, Paul Mitchell, and Mike Torrez to the A's in exchange for Ken Holtzman, Reggie Jackson, and Bill Van Bommel. A month will pass before Jackson will report to his new team accounting for Baltimore's slow start in April.
 
1992 - The Phillies acquire Curt Schilling from Houston in exchange for Jason Grimsley. Schilling will play nine seasons in the City of Brotherly Love becoming the team's ace while Grimsley will never throw a pitch in an Astros uniform.
 
1995 - Having the first 23 days of this season canceled and 252 games of the last season lost, the owners accept the players' March 31 unconditional offer to return to work. The players’ decision to return to work is made after a U.S. District judge issues an injunction restoring terms and conditions of the expired agreement. Teams will play 144-game schedules.
 
1996 - Tiger first baseman Cecil Fielder steals the first base of his eleven-year career. The swipe of second comes in the 1,097th game 'Big Daddy' has played in the majors establishing the longest duration a player has ever gone without a stolen base.
 
1997 - For the first time in major league history, the salary of one player is more than the payroll of an entire team. The White Sox will pay Albert Belle $10 million for the season which is $928,333 more than the entire Pirate payroll.
 
2001 - On Opening Day, Yankee fireballer Roger Clemens becomes the all-time AL career strike out leader moving ahead of Walter Johnson when he whiffs Royals' Joe Randa for his 3,509 Junior Circuit victim. Passing the 'Big Train', the 'Rocket' now takes over the seventh spot in major league history.
 
2001 - For the first time in major league history, a Japanese-born position player participates in a regular-season major league game. Ichiro Suzuki, hitless in his first three at-bats, singles in the seventh inning to ignite a two-run rally and bunts for a hit in the eighth in his Mariner debut at Safeco Field.
 
2003 - According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Tigers become the first major league team to have four pitchers make their big league debuts during the same game. Twenty-year old starter Jeremy Bonderman, who gives up six runs on nine hits in four innings, is followed by rookies Wilfredo Ledezma, Chris Spurling and Matt Roney in the 8-1 loss the Minnesota Twins.
 
2003 - Todd Zeile homers in his first at-bat as a Yankee becoming the only major leaguer to hit a home run for ten different teams, surpassing Tommy Davis who went deep for nine different clubs. In addition to homering with the Bronx Bomber, the infielder has also gone deep for the Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies, Orioles, Dodgers, Marlins, Rangers, Mets, and Rockies.
 
2007 - For only the fourth time in major league history, a hurler under the age of 21 wins an Opening Day assignment as 20-year old Venezuelan right-hander Felix Hernandez pitches eight strong innings in the Mariners' 4-0 victory over the A's at Safeco Field. Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers was the last pitcher 'not of age' to accomplish the feat beating the Astros, 2-0, in 1981.
 
2007 - Cincinnati mayor Mark Mallory's ceremonial first pitch in the Reds' home opener lands thirty feet up the first base line from home plate, widely missing its intended target, a bewildered Eric Davis. The terrible toss will receive national media attention including the politician receiving a second chance on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, an opportunity in which His Honor will also widely miss the mark.
 

 
This Day in Baseball History - April 3rd
 
1923 - Expelled players Happy Felsch and Swede Risberg file suit against the White Sox for back salary and $400,000 in damages. Both players were acquitted for allegedly fixing the 1919 World Series, but were still banned from baseball by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, even though they were found not guilty of the wrong doing in a much-publicized court case.
 
1968 - The Tigers trade left-hander Hank Aguirre to the Dodgers for a player to be named later, minor leaguer Fred Moulder. The All-Star southpaw, better known for being the worst hitter in major league history, will compile an .085 batting average during his 16-year major league career, striking out an astounding 61% of his 388 at-bats.
 
1974 - The Indians trade Pedro Guerrero to Dodgers for pitcher Bruce Ellingsen. The 17-year old infielder/outfielder will compile a .309 batting average and will be named to the All-Star team five times during his 11 seasons with the team.
 
1984 - On Opening Day, Tiger rookie Barbaro Garbey becomes the first Cuban refugee to play in the majors when he grounds out in the seventh inning as a pinch-hitter for Dave Bergman. The 27 year-old utility player will stay in the game playing first base in Detroit’s 8-1 rout of Minnesota in the Metrodome.
 
1985 - The owners' proposal of expanding the 1985 League Championship Series from the best-of-five games to best-of-seven is agreed to by the Players' Association.
 
1987 - The Cubs trade starter Dennis Eckersley and minor leaguer Dan Rohn to the A's for three minor leaguers. The 'Eck' will become one of the game's top relievers in Oakland.
 
1989 - In his first major league at bat, Mariners' center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. doubles off of Oakland's Dave Stewart. The 19-year old 'Junior', the son of an active major leaguer outfielder playing with the Reds, will establish himself as one of the game's superstars before retiring in 2010.
 
2000 - With their 8-0 and 21-1 victories over the Clafin Panthers, the Savannah State nine extends its consecutive-game winning streak to 42 games. The Tigers' twin sweep sets an NCAA record, eclipsing the Marietta College of Ohio record of 40 straight wins established by the Division II school last year.
 
2008 - During a tour of Fenway Park with her classmates, a Memorial Boulevard Middle School student is attacked by a 3 1/2-pound red-tailed hawk known to nest at the historic ballpark. The 13-year old eighth grader from Bristol, Connecticut, who is treated for a small scratch on her scalp at a local hospital, has a familiar name to Red Sox fans, Alexa Rodriguez, similar to the much detested third baseman of the Yankees, who also is 13 (uniform number).
 


 
This Day in Baseball History - April 4th
 
1911 - The Most Valuable Player award is introduced and sponsored by Hugh Chalmers, an auto manufacturer. The first winners of the MVP, selected by a vote of one baseball writer representing each franchise in the league, will be Tigers' outfielder Ty Cobb and Frank Schulte of the Cubs.
 
1948 - A's manager Connie Mack, who is 84-years-old, challenges Clark Griffith, the 78-year-old owner of the Senators, to a foot race from home plate to first base. The contest ends in a photo finish tie.
 
1963 - The first reported use of the familiar refrain "Let's Go Mets" is heard at the Polo Grounds in the bottom of ninth inning during a rout by San Francisco. With the Amazins' trailing by 13 runs and down to their last out with no one on base, the rally cry is begins to be chanted some of the 'New Breed', the affectionate name give the fans of the National League expansion team.
 
1968 - Due to today's assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King most of the major league teams will decide to postpone their opening day games until the reverend's funeral takes place in five days. Surprisingly, the Dodgers, at first, are the notable exception, even though the Phillies, their opponents on April 9th, say they will forfeit rather than play on the national day of mourning.
 
1974 - In front a crowd of 52,000 at Riverfront Stadium on Opening Day in Cincinnati, Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth's all-time home run record of 714 by hitting a first-inning two-run homer off Jack Billingham. The Atlanta front office had considered keeping 'Hammerin' Hank' on the bench during road games so the slugger could try to equal the mark in front of the hometown fans, but commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordered the Braves to put the outfielder into the lineup for at least two of the three games against the Reds.
 
1988 - In a 10-6 victory over the Expos, Kevin McReynolds and Darryl Strawberry each hit a pair of home runs helping the Mets to establish an Opening Day record with six homers. The 'Strawman's' second shot, estimated at 525 feet, hits above the dome’s light rim, and is believed to be the longest dinger ever stroked at Olympic Stadium.
 
1988 - Blue Jay designated hitter George Bell becomes the first player to hit three home runs on Opening Day helping Toronto defeat the Royals 5-3. All of the homers are off Bret Saberhagen.
 
1989 - On Opening Day, Tommy John ties a record by playing in 26 seasons. The Yankee veteran hurler beats the Twins, 4-2 for his 287th win putting him 19th overall in career wins.
 
1994 - In the inaugural game played at Jacobs Field, President Clinton throws out the first ball, and 'El Presidente' Dennis Martinez throws the first pitch when the Indians defeat the Mariners in 11 innings, 4-3. With Bob Feller, the author of the only Opening Day no-hitter game in major league history in attendance, Mariner southpaw Randy Johnson holds the Tribe hitless for the first seven innings. And by playing his 2,403rd game at first base, Indian infielder Eddie Murray becomes baseball's all-time leader in games played at that position. In addition, the Indians retire Larry Doby’s uniform number 14. An usually reserved Doby becomes emotional speaking to the Opening Day crowd.
 
2001 - Throwing the earliest no-hitter in major league history, Hideo Nomo blanks the Orioles, 3-0 at Camden Yards in his first start in a Red Sox uniform. Second baseman Mike Lansing makes an outstanding play with one out in the ninth to preserve the Japanese-born hurler's second career no-hitter.
 
2006 - The Padres are rained out at home for first time since May 12, 1998
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 a span of 635 consecutive home games played, mostly played at Qualcomm Stadium. The postponement, just the 16th rainout in the franchise's' 38-year history, is the first washout at the club's new home, Petco Park, which opened two seasons ago.
 
This Day in Baseball History - April 5th
 
1913 - In an exhibition game against the Yankees, 25,000 fans watch the Dodgers play their first game in Ebbets Field. Brooklyn beats New York, 3-2, with Casey Stengel hitting the park's first home run, an inside-the-parker.
 
1925 - Babe Ruth collapses at a railroad station in Asheville, North Carolina. The "bellyache heard round the world," so dubbed when a writer suggests that illness was caused by a hot dogs and soda binge, will require hospitalization and an operation keeping the Yankees slugger out of the line up until May.
 
1934 - Babe Ruth, sponsored by Quaker Oats, agrees to do weekly NBC broadcasts. His thirteen week radio salary will be $4000 more than his Yankee contract.
 
1934 - Reds president Larry MacPhail hires Red Barber to broadcast the team games on WSAL. The not-so-old "Ol' Redhead" will spend the first four years of his Hall of Fame career in Cincinnati calling games from the stands of Crosley Field.
 
1989 - At Riverfront Stadium, Dodgers' hurler Orel Hershiser's scoreless-inning streak ends at 59. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Todd Benzinger's single scores Barry Larkin, who had been picked off after getting a base hit to lead off the game, but was safe on the 'Bulldog's' throwing error.
 
2005 - The Nationals, formerly known as the Expos, lose their inaugural season opener bowing to the Phillies, 8-4. The franchise, which played its initial 36 years in Montreal, becomes the first team to represent the nation’s capital since the Senators left Washington to become the Texas Rangers in 1971.
 
2010 - Jason Heyward becomes the eleventh Braves player in franchise history to homer in his first major league at-bat. The much touted 20-year old rookie, with the hometown fans chanting, “Let’s go, Heyward!”, hits a three-run homer in the first inning off Chicago's Carlos Zambrano at Turner Field.
 


 
This Day in Baseball History - April 6th
 
1970 - A delayed President Richard Nixon is unable to throw the ceremonial first pitch in the Senators home opener at RFK Stadium. David Eisenhower, his son-in-law and the grandson of the former president, throws out the first pitch prior to Washington's 5-0 loss to the Tigers.
 
1971 - Willie Mays, a month shy of his fortieth birthday, homers on Opening Day and will hit home runs in the next three games to tie a major league record.
 
1973 - On Opening Day at Three Rivers Stadium in front of a record crowd of 51,695, the Pirates retire Roberto Clemente's uniform number 21 posthumously. The Pittsburgh right fielder died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve attempting to bring relief aid to earthquake-stricken Managua, Nicaragua.
 
1973 - At Fenway Park, Ron Blomberg of the Yankees becomes the first designated hitter in major league history. In the historic plate appearance, Boomer draws a first-inning bases-loaded walk on a 3-1 pitch off Luis Tiant, and will become the first DH to get a hit when he singles in the third frame of the 15-5 Red Sox rout of the Bronx Bombers.
 
1973 - At the Oakland Coliseum, Tony Oliva becomes the first designated hitter ever to homer. The Twins DH's first inning two-run round-tripper off future Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter helps to defeat the A's, 8-3.
 
1973 - Orlando Cepeda, who was specifically signed to fill the role of the newly created position of designated hitter goes 0-for-6 when the Red Sox pound out 20 hits in a 15-5 of the Yankees at Fenway Park on Opening Day. The future Hall of Famer misses out on a place in baseball history after the top of the first inning is extended by a misjudged bloop hit and two walks giving Ron Blomberg, batting sixth for the Bronx Bombers, the opportunity to be the first player to come to the plate as the DH.
 
1973 - The Yankees become the final American League team to abandon their flannel uniforms in favor of polyester. The team's new look on the road features white piping around the words New York on the front as well as around the numbers on the back.
 
1974 - At Veterans Stadium, Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt hits a ninth inning two-run home run off Tug McGraw to beat the Mets on Opening Day, 5-4. The walk-off homer is the first of the league-leading 36 dingers the third baseman will hit this season.
 
1977 - For the second time in nine years, a new franchise makes its major league debut in Seattle. The Mariners lose their first regular-season game at the Kingdome to Frank Tanana and the Angels, 7-0.
 
1982 - A freak heavy spring snow storm brings subfreezing temperatures across the northeast and midwest and causes the postponement of home openers for the Yankees, Tigers, White Sox, Brewers, Indians, Phillies and Pirates.
 
1997 - With a 3-2 loss to Houston at the Astrodome, the Cardinals remain winless after the first six games of the season. It is the Redbirds' worst start in the 106-year history of the franchise.
 
2001 - In the home opener at Veterans Stadium, Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning's number 14 jersey is retired. Kentucky's Republican U.S. senator, who compiled a 224-184 record in his 17-year career pitching for the Tigers, Phillies, Pirates and Dodgers, joins Richie Ashburn (1), Robin Roberts (36), Steve Carlton (32) and Mike Schmidt (20) as the fifth player to have his number retired by the Phillies.
 
2004 - In an on-line poll in which nearly 8,000 fans participated, "Still, We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie'' is selected as the title of a documentary about the 2003 season. Other choices offered by the team and Boston Globe web sites included "This Is the Year,'' "The Ecstasy and the Agony'' and "Always the Bridesmaid'' in addition to a fan’s wry suggestion of "I Know What You Did Last Summer, I Wish I Didn't Know What You Did Last Fall.''
 
2004 - It took a nearly a half of a century, but Hank Aaron is finally surpassed in an unlikely category. ‘Hammerin’ Hank’ will no longer be the first player named alphabetically in baseball history books when Giants’ pitcher David Aardsma makes his major-league debut against the Astros.
 
This Day in Baseball History - April 7th
 
1948 - The Phillies trade infielder Ralph LaPointe and give the Cardinals $30,000 to obtain first baseman Dick Sisler. The son of Hall of Famer George Sisler will hit .287 during his four-year tenure in Philadelphia and will play a pivotal role in the team's 1950 National League championship.
 
1969 - At Washington's RFK Stadium, Ted Williams makes his managerial debut in front of President Nixon and a crowd of 45,113, a city record for an opener. The Commander-in-Chief throws out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Yankees' 8-4 defeat of the 'Splendid Splinter's' Senators.
 
1973 - The Indians set an Opening Day American League attendance mark. A crowd of 74,420 watches Gaylord Perry go the the distance when the Tribe trims the Tigers at Cleveland Stadium, 2-1.
 
1977 - In his first major league at-bat, Al Wood becomes the first player to pinch-hit a home run on Opening Day. The round-tripper contributes to the Blue Jays' 9-5 win over the the White Sox, giving the team its first victory in franchise history. After a lengthy snow delay on Opening Day at Exhibition Stadium, Doug Ault, acquired in the expansion draft, would also hit two home runs in his first two at-bats in a Blue Jay uniform. The first baseman's pair of round-trippers will be the first two of only the 17 he will hit during his four-year big league career.
 
1984 - Jack Morris no-hits Chicago blanking the White Sox in Comiskey, 4-0. The 29-year old right-hander becomes the first Tiger to accomplish the feat since 1958 when Jim Bunning held Boston hitless at Fenway Park.
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1986 - Boston outfielder Dwight Evans becomes the first player to hit the first pitch of the first game on Opening Day for a home run. Jack Morris throws the gopher ball but gets the win when the Tigers edge the Red Sox, 6-5.
 
1999 - Bob Cranmer, chairman of the Allegheny County Commissioners, announces the Sixth Street Bridge, which joins downtown Pittsburgh to the North Side at Federal Street by crossing the Allegheny River, will now be known as the Roberto Clemente Bridge. During home games at PNC Park the 995-foot suspension bridge, built in 1928, will serve as a pedestrian walkway allowing Pirates fans to enter the new ballpark directly from the span.
 
2000 - In a ceremony prior to the team's home opener, the Devil Rays retire Wade Boggs' uniform number 12. Although the former Red Sox and Yankees infielder spent only two years with Tampa Bay, he hit the first home run in franchise history and collected his 3,000-hit club with the team at Tropicana Field.
 
2010 - According to its annual report, Forbes magazine estimates the value of the Yankees to be worth approximately $1.6 billion, nearly twice as much as any other major league franchise. The World Champs, who moved into a new ballpark last season, made $441 million in net revenue after adjustments were made for its payment to baseball’s revenue sharing program and the costs of financing its new stadium.
 
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