The following are the events that happened world-wide throughout the sport of baseball.
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1800s[]
- 1886 - The official American Association batting averages show Dave Orr with .346 edging Bob Caruthers and Guy Hecker, both at .342.
- 1899 - The National League announces starting next season there will be two umpires working each game.
1900s-1950s[]
- 1931 - New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert buys the Newark Bears International League franchise. The Bears will be very successful and will send many players to New York.
- 1934 - Bucky Harris, who managed the 1925 and 1925 American League champion Washington Senators, is hired back to D.C. to replace youthful Joe Cronin, who has been sold to the Boston Red Sox.
- 1951 - Lefty O'Doul's All-Stars, including Joe DiMaggio, Ferris Fain and Billy Martin, lose 3–1 to a Pacific League All-Star team. This is only the second time since 1922 that an American professional team has lost to Japan, and the first time to professional players.
- 1958 - Major Robert Wagner of New York announces preliminary plans for a third major league. Chairman William Shea, of what will become the Continental League, says it is apparent that the National League is going to ignore New York City. He implies that the new league will be free to raid major-league rosters.
1960s-1970s[]
- 1967 - Following a meeting of National League owners, president Warren Giles says the league will not stand in the way of American League expansion to Seattle and Kansas City.
- 1968 - St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson edges Pete Rose to win the National League MVP Award.
- 1974 - Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey is selected National League MXP, after hit a .312 batting average with 21 home runs and 111 RBI.
- 1978 - The New York Yankees sign free agent pitcher Luis Tiant to a two-year $875,000 contract. Tiant, formerly of the Boston Red Sox, becomes the first to sign with a new club following the reentry draft.
- 1979 - For the first time in MLB history, two players share the Most Valuable Player Award. The National League co-winners are Willie Stargell, the spiritual leader of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who hit .281 with 32 home runs, and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Keith Hernandez, who led the NL in runs (116), doubles (48) and batting average (.344).
1980s[]
- 1984 - Ryne Sandberg wins the National League MVP Award, becoming the first Chicago Cubs player to do so since Ernie Banks in 1959. Sandberg hit .314 with 19 home runs and 32 stolen bases and led the NL in runs (114) and triples (19).
- 1986 - Pitcher Dave Stewart, who went 9-5 for the Oakland Athletics after being released by the Phillies in May, signs a two-year contract with Oakland.
- 1989 - After 16 years with the same team, outfielder Jim Rice is released by the Boston Red Sox. Rice retires from the game with 382 home runs and a .298 average.
1990s[]
- 1990 - Oakland Athletics pitcher Bob Welch is named American League Cy Young Award. His 27 wins were the most in MLB since Steve Carlton in 1972.
- 1995:
- Atlanta Braves pitcher Greg Maddux wins the National League Cy Young Award for an unprecedented fourth straight time. Maddux had a remarkable 19–2 record with a 1.63 ERA, the second year his ERA is below 1.80. Only Hall of Famer Walter Johnson has done that.
- Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin is named National League MVP.
- 1996:
- San Diego Padres third baseman Ken Caminiti becomes the fourth unanimous winner of the National League MVP Award. Caminiti set team records for home runs (40), RBI (130) and slugging percentage (.621), while leading the Padres to the NL West Division title for the first time since 1984.
- The Cleveland Indians trade pitcher Julián Tavárez and infielders José Vizcaíno and Jeff Kent to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for slugging third baseman Matt Williams.
- 1997 - Larry Walker of the Colorado Rockies is named National League MVP, becoming the first Canadian in either league to win the honor. Walker, who hit .366 with 49 home runs and 130 RBI, caps off a big week for Canada. Earlier in the week, pitchers Roger Clemens of the Toronto Blue Jays and Pedro Martinez of the Montreal Expos each won the Cy Young Award.
- 1998 - The ball thrown by Boston Red Sox pitcher Howard Ehmke and hit by Babe Ruth for first home run in Yankee Stadium history is sold at an auction for $126,500 (110,000 bid + 15% commission). Mark Scala found the 1923 historic ball ago in the attic of his grandmother's home several years ago.
2000s[]
- 2000 - Pedro Martínez of the Boston Red Sox becomes the first pitcher to win the American League Cy Young Award unanimously in consecutive years. Martínez, who posted a 18-6 mark with a 1.74 ERA, has copped the 'top pitcher' honor three of the last four seasons.
- 2001 - Pitcher Randy Johnson, who posted a 21-6 record with a 2.49 ERA and 372 strikeouts, wins his fourth Cy Young Award, his third straight as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Previously, Johnson also won the honor in 1995 with Seattle, and is the second pitcher to win three consecutive Cy Young awards joining Greg Maddux who won four in a row from 1992-95.
- 2002 - The San Francisco Giants select former Montreal Expos veteran skipper Felipe Alou to replace Dusty Baker as their new manager. The 67-year-old Dominican Republic native compiled a 691-717 record during his ten years at the helm with Montreal and was selected as the National League Manager of the Year in the 1994 strike-shortened season.
Births[]
- 1912 - Alex Kampouris, infielder (d. 1993)
- 1915 - Ted Wilks, pitcher (d. 1989)
- 1928 - Steve Bilko, infielder (d. 1978)
- 1939 - Wes Parker, infielder
- 1941 - Mel Stottlemyre, All-Star pitcher
- 1958 - Dan Petry, All-Star pitcher
- 1968 - Pat Hentgen, All-Star pitcher
- 1970 - Vic Darensbourg, pitcher
- 1973 - Jason Simontacchi, pitcher
- 1979 - Gerald Laird, catcher
- 1986 - Wade Miley, All-Star pitcher
Deaths[]
- 1963 - Muddy Ruel, catcher (b. 1896)
- 1964 - Bris Lord, outfielder (b. 1883)