April 3

From BR Bullpen

Events, births and deaths that occurred on April 3.

[edit] Events

• 1901 - Connie Mack accuses Christy Mathewson of reneging on a Philadelphia Athletics contract signed in January. Mathewson had accepted advance money from Mack, but jumped back to the New York Giants in March. Mack considers going to court, but eventually accepts the loss of the young pitcher.
• 1902 - The National League names club owners Arthur Soden, John T. Brush, and James Hart as an interim committee to run the league.
• 1919 - One of the most bizarre off-the-field incidents in history takes place in Jacksonville, Florida. New York Yankees outfielder Ping Bodie competes against an ostrich named "Percy" in a spaghetti-eating contest! Bodie wins the competition when Percy passes out after its 11th plate of pasta.
• 1923 - In Chicago, IL, two Black Sox sue the White Sox. Swede Risberg and Happy Felsch seek $400,000 in damages and $6,750 in back salary for conspiracy and injury to their reputation in the aftermath of the scandalous 1919 World Series court case. Their suit will be unsuccessful.
• 1938 - Goose Goslin returns to the Washington Senators for his third stint with the team. Goslin, who had batted a career-low .238 in 1937, has been released by the Detroit Tigers.
• 1950 - Considered a well-guarded secret, Mel Parnell reveals he pitched all but three of his 39 games with a sore elbow last season. The 27-year "Dusty" finished the season with a 25-7 record and a 2.77 ERA for the second-place Boston Red Sox.
• 1960 - The Baltimore Orioles trade second baseman Billy Gardner to the Washington Senators in exchange for catcher Clint Courtney and shortstop Ron Samford.
• 1961 - It is announced that Connie Mack Stadium (formerly known as "Shibe Park") has been sold and will be torn down after the 1963 season to make room for bowling alleys. In fact, the venerable Philadelphia ballpark will be kept in use until the end of the 1970 season.
• 1964 - New York Mets pitcher Carl Willey suffers a broken jaw when he is hit by a line drive batted by Detroit Tigers outfielder Gates Brown during a spring training loss. Willey will be out until June 6th but his career will be effectively ended.
• 1966 - The New York Mets sign University of Southern California star Tom Seaver to his first contract, including a $50,000 bonus. Seaver had been selected by the Atlanta Braves in the January draft, but Commissioner Spike Eckert voided the deal when he signed a contract after USC's season had already begun. The Mets beat out the Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies in a lottery for Seaver's services.
• 1969 - First baseman Donn Clendenon ends his retirement and reports to the Montreal Expos. Clendenon, who had refused a trade to the Houston Astros, will eventually be traded to the New York Mets where he will hit 12 home runs and help them win the World Series,
• 1974 - The Los Angeles Dodgers make one of the best trades in franchise history, acquiring minor league infielder/outfielder Pedro Guerrero from the Cleveland Indians for pitcher Bruce Ellingsen. The 17-year-old Guerrero will make his major league debut in 1978 and will compile 100-RBI seasons for the Dodgers in 1982 and 1983.
• 1976 - Angels outfielder Bobby Bonds suffers a fractured finger during an exhibition game with the Dodgers. After 99 painful games, Bonds will have surgery on August 9th.
• 1984:
  • Arbitrator Richard Bloch rules that the Royals' Willie Wilson and the Mets' Jerry Martin can return to action on May 15th, the day their year-long suspensions for cocaine abuse are first due to be reviewed.
  • After rain washed out yesterday's opener at Royals Stadium, Yul Brynner tosses out the first ball and Kansas City opens with a 4 - 2 win over the Yankees. The threat of snow holds the crowd to just 10,006. Starter Bud Black, with relief help from Dan Quisenberry, tops Ron Guidry, still winless in Openers. Onix Concepción hits Guidry's first pitch of the game for a home run, while Dave Winfield has a two-run homer for the Yankees.
• 1985 - A major league owners' proposal is agreed to by the Players Association. The American and National leagues playoff formats are changed to best-of-sevens. The League Championship Series had been played as a best-of-five since its inception in 1969.
• 1986 - Pedro Guerrero, the Dodgers' most productive hitter, ruptures a tendon in his left knee while sliding into third base in an exhibition game. Guerrero will be sidelined for more than three months and not have his first hit until September.
• 1987 - The Chicago Cubs trade starting pitcher Dennis Eckersley to the Oakland Athletics for three minor leaguers. Eckersley will emerge as the game's dominant closer, saving 291 games over the next eight seasons.
• 1989:
  • At Shea Stadium, the New York Mets win their 11th consecutive home opener, an 8 - 4 decision over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Mets have now won on Opening Day in 18 of the last 20 seasons.
  • Ken Griffey, Jr. of the Seattle Mariners makes his major league debut. The rookie outfielder hits a double in his first at-bat against Dave Stewart of the Oakland Athletics.
• 1991:
  • Nolan Ryan and his son, Reid, pitch against each other as the Texas Rangers take on the University of Texas at Austin. Reid, a 19-year-old freshman, gives up four runs in two innings, and is down 4 - 1 to his father when he leaves the game. Nolan gives up five hits, three runs, and strikes out seven in five innings, as the Rangers win, 12 - 5.
  • The Chicago White Sox sign injured free agent outfielder Bo Jackson to a one-year contract worth $700,000. The Kansas City Royals had released Jackson on March 15th, citing his inability to play baseball due to a football-related hip injury.
• 1992 - The Red Sox conclude 27 years of spring training at Winter Haven, Florida, by beating the Tigers, 14 - 4.
• 1993 - The Colorado Rockies sign free agent veteran Dale Murphy. The two-time National League MVP will hit just .143 in 26 games for the Rockies.
• 1994 - In the first Sunday night major league season opener, St. Louis Cardinals OF Ray Lankford hits a home run as the first batter of the 1994 season. St. Louis goes on to defeat the Cincinnati Reds, 6 - 4, with Bob Tewksbury gaining the win.
• 1996 - Saint Francis College sets 71 NCAA records with a 71 - 1, four-inning defeat of Robert Morris University. The Fighting Saints score 26 runs in the 1st inning, 22 more in the second, four in the third and 19 in the fourth, collecting 44 hits along the way. 1B Brian Mazurek hits for the cycle, while freshman shortstop Mike Palermo ties an NAIA record with seven hits. Left fielder Mike Holcomb sets a NCAA mark with nine runs scored.
• 1997 - Pitcher Jimmy Key makes his debut with the Orioles beating the Royals, 4 - 2, to run his opening day record to 7-0, the best ever. Previously, Key won three with the Yankees and three with the Blue Jays.
• 1998:
  • Milwaukee Brewers SS Jose Valentin strokes three home runs, and drives in five runs, to lead Milwaukee to a 7 - 1 victory over the Florida Marlins.
  • Just four days after being obtained in a trade with Cleveland, Reds 1B Sean Casey is hit in the eye by a ball thrown by Damian Jackson during batting practice. His eye orbit is fractured, and will require surgery on April 8th.
• 2000:
  • Andres Galarraga hits a home run in his first game back after missing the entire 1999 season following cancer surgery as the Braves defeat the Rockies, 2 - 0.
  • A new major league record for Opening Day is set with five players having multiple home run games. Gabe Kapler becomes the first player to hit home runs in his first two at-bats in a Texas Rangers uniform and his teammate Ivan Rodriguez also hits a pair of homers in a 10 - 4 Texas victory against the Chicago White Sox. Vladimir Guerrero hits a pair of homers for the Montreal Expos but the Dodgers defeat Montreal, 10 - 4, behind Eric Karros' grand slam. Jason Giambi of the Oakland Athletics hits two home runs against the Detroit Tigers. Despite Giambi's effort, Detroit edges the Athletics, 7 - 4.
• 2002:
  • The Giants defeat the Dodgers, 12 - 0, as Barry Bonds hits a pair of home runs for the second day in a row. He becomes only the second player in major league history to begin a season with a pair of 2-homer games. Eddie Mathews was the other.
  • At McAfee Coliseum, the Texas Rangers defeat the Oakland Athletics, 9 - 6. The loss snaps the Athletics' string of 20 straight wins at home, stretching back to August 24th of last year. Oakland moves past the 1974-1975 Cincinnati Reds for most consecutive home wins over two seasons. The Reds' mark was 17.
• 2003 - At 27 years, 249 days of age, Alex Rodriguez becomes the youngest player in major league history to hit 300 home runs. The Texas Rangers shortstop's 5th-inning three-run blast surpasses Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx's mark, which had been accomplished at 27 years, 328 days of age.
• 2005:
  • In his first outing for the New York Yankees, Randy Johnson allows a run and five hits in six innings as New York open the major league season with a 9 - 2 triumph over the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
  • Alex Sanchez becomes the first major leaguer to be publicly identified under baseball's new steroid policy. The Tampa Bay outfielder will be suspended for 10 days for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
• 2006:
  • The Chicago Cubs roll to their fourth straight opening day victory, 16 - 7, over a Cincinnati Reds team that can bring the president to town but can't stop the Cubs' run of first-game success. US President George W. Bush throws a ceremonial pitch at the invitation of new Reds owner Bob Castellini, one of his former ownership partners with the Texas Rangers. No current president had ever thrown an opening day pitch in Cincinnati, the traditional site of the National League's opener.
  • At Ameriquest Field in Arlington, Curt Schilling strikes out five and allows two runs over seven strong innings and David Ortiz is 3 for 5 with a home run and three RBI as the Boston Red Sox win on Opening Day for the first time since 2000 with a 7 - 3 victory over the Texas Rangers.
  • At Safeco Field, Seattle Mariners rookie Kenji Johjima, the first catcher from Japan to start a major league game, hits a home run for his first hit in Seattle's 5 - 4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.
• 2010:
  • The 2010 Bundesliga season kicks off. Tim Henkenjohann is the big star of the day, striking out 18 in 7 2/3 innings after battling injuries in 2009. His Bonn Capitals beat the Dohren Wild Farmers, 9 - 2.
  • A number of players are placed on the disabled list in advance of tomorrow's season opener. They include P Scott Kazmir of the Los Angeles Angels, P Koji Uehara of the Baltimore Orioles, OF Coco Crisp of the Oakland Athletics and P Clay Condrey of the Minnesota Twins.
• 2011:
  • In his first career start at 1B, the Indians' Carlos Santana starts a triple play in the 4th by diving to catch a pop-up bunted down the first base line by the White Sox's Alexei Ramirez. The two Sox baserunners are running on the play and are doubled off easily. In the bottom of the frame, Orlando Cabrera hits a two-run homer to send the Indians on their way to a 7 - 1 victory, with Justin Masterson getting the best of John Danks.
  • Orioles P Zach Britton is masterful in his major league debut, giving up a run on three hits while striking out six in as many innings as the Birds complete a three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field with a 5 - 1 win. The Rays get more bad news before the game when they place All-Star 3B Evan Longoria on the disabled list with a strained left oblique muscle that will keep him out of action for three weeks.
  • In one of the few Japanese sporting events not affected schedule-wise by the recent earthquake and tsunami, the spring Koshien is wrapped up. Tokaidai Sagami High School wins its second spring Koshien with a 6 - 1 victory in the finale; they set a record with 74 hits for the event. Both Hirotsugu Sato and Tsuyoshi Sugano homer in the championship game.
• 2012 - Alfredo Despaigne of Granma hits his 34th homer of the year, going 400 feet off Ian Rendón. He reclaims the Cuban single-season home run record he had previously held, topping José Dariel Abreu and Yoennis Céspedes's mark set last year.

[edit] Births

• 1854 - Joe Ellick, outfielder, manager (d. 1923)
• 1856 - Guy Hecker, pitcher, manager (d. 1938)
• 1858 - Ben Holmes, Negro League and minor league infielder (d. ????)
• 1860 - Tom Lynch, outfielder (d. 1955)
• 1864 - Bill Schwartz, catcher (d. 1940)
• 1867 - Paul McSweeney, infielder (d. 1951)
• 1875 - John Pappalau, pitcher (d. 1944)
• 1879 - John Frill, pitcher (d. 1918)
• 1886 - Bert Graham, infielder (d. 1971)
• 1892 - Harry Kingman, infielder (d. 1982)
• 1892 - Poke Whalen, scout (d. 1979)
• 1905 - Gordie Hinkle, catcher (d. 1972)
• 1910 - James Enright, writer (d. 1981)
• 1910 - Henry McHenry, Negro League pitcher (d. 1981)
• 1915 - Chuck Hawley, minor league pitcher and manager
• 1919 - Larry Shepard, manager (d. 2011)
• 1921 - Dick Conger, pitcher (d. 1970)
• 1922 - Yasuo Hayashi, NPB pitcher (d. 1944)
• 1922 - Ernie Hrovatic, minor league outfielder (d. 1945)
• 1926 - Alex Grammas, infielder, manager
• 1929 - Art Ditmar, pitcher
• 1930 - Wally Moon, outfielder; All-Star
• 1933 - Jerry Dale, umpire
• 1936 - Don Rowe, pitcher (d. 2005)
• 1939 - Hawk Taylor, catcher
• 1940 - Jose Vidal, outfielder (d. 2011)
• 1943 - Barry Moore, pitcher
• 1944 - Gomer Hodge, infielder (d. 2007)
• 1946 - Rod Gaspar, outfielder
• 1954 - Larry Littleton, outfielder
• 1956 - Darrell Jackson, pitcher
• 1956 - Rick Aponte, coach
• 1958 - Gary Pettis, outfielder
• 1960 - Tim Conroy, pitcher
• 1961 - Doug Baker, infielder
• 1961 - Tim Crews, pitcher (d. 1993)
• 1961 - Ricardo Solís, minor league pitcher
• 1962 - Marty Clary, pitcher
• 1962 - Dave Miley, , manager
• 1963 - Chris Bosio, pitcher
• 1967 - Miguel Garcia, pitcher
• 1967 - Danilo Leon, pitcher
• 1967 - Mark Shapiro, General Manager
• 1968 - Tomoaki Kanemoto, NPB outfielder
• 1968 - Mike Lansing, infielder
• 1969 - Russell Vasquez, minor league infielder and manager
• 1971 - Quilvio Veras, infielder
• 1972 - Steve Soderstrom, pitcher
• 1974 - Jim Pittsley, pitcher
• 1974 - Chris Weidert, minor league pitcher
• 1975 - Jason Childers, pitcher
• 1975 - Yoshinobu Takahashi, NPB outfielder
• 1975 - Koji Uehara, pitcher
• 1976 - Carl Randall, South African national team infielder
• 1977 - Mattia Salsi, Serie A1 pitcher
• 1978 - Bobby Hill, infielder
• 1979 - Geoff Goetz, minor league pitcher
• 1979 - Masato Watanabe, NPB infielder
• 1980 - Justin Christian, outfielder
• 1981 - Ryan Doumit, catcher
• 1982 - Petr Baroch, Hoofdklasse infielder
• 1983 - Ray Liotta, minor league pitcher
• 1983 - Nick Markakis, outfielder
• 1984 - Tomohisa Iwashita, Japanese national team infielder
• 1984 - Kyle Phillips, catcher
• 1985 - Michael Anton, minor league pitcher
• 1985 - Tyrone Lamont, minor league pitcher
• 1985 - Mike McClendon, pitcher
• 1987 - Jay Bruce, outfielder; All-Star
• 1987 - Adalberto Ibarra, minor league infielder
• 1987 - Ophir Katz, Israeli national team infielder
• 1987 - Jason Kipnis, infielder
• 1988 - Hirokazu Sawamura, NPB pitcher
• 1989 - Marco Carrillo, minor league pitcher
• 1992 - Andy Pitcher, Division Elite outfielder
• 1992 - Blake Swihart, minor league catcher

[edit] Deaths

• 1894 - Billy Redmon, infielder (b. 1853)
• 1900 - Foghorn Bradley, pitcher (b. 1855)
• 1909 - George Barclay, outfielder (b. 1876)
• 1938 - Charlie Brown, pitcher (b. 1871)
• 1938 - Count Campau, outfielder, manager (b. 1863)
• 1942 - John Rudderham, outfielder (b. 1863)
• 1944 - Yonekichi Naya, NPB outfielder (b. 1914)
• 1948 - Candy Jim Taylor, Negro League infielder and manager (b. 1884)
• 1952 - Dick Harley, outfielder (b. 1872)
• 1952 - Phenomenal Smith, pitcher (b. 1864)
• 1953 - Larry Benton, pitcher (b. 1897)
• 1969 - Charley Stanceu, pitcher (b. 1916)
• 1970 - Carl Ray, pitcher (b. 1889)
• 1971 - Jack Boyle, infielder (b. 1889)
• 1972 - Alvin Crowder, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1899)
• 1975 - Sugar Cain, pitcher (b. 1907)
• 1977 - Hank Steinbacher, outfielder (b. 1913)
• 1978 - Ray French, infielder (b. 1895)
• 1979 - Harry Simpson, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1925)
• 1980 - Bob Linton, catcher (b. 1903)
• 1980 - Bob Trowbridge, pitcher (b. 1930)
• 1981 - Clayton Lambert, pitcher (b. 1917)
• 1983 - Mickey Livingston, catcher (b. 1914)
• 1991 - Whitey Miller, pitcher (b. 1915)
• 1994 - Ismael Ruiz, minor league umpire; Mexican League Hall-of-Famer (b. 1931)
• 2002 - Roy Nichols, infielder (b. 1921)
• 2002 - Karl Swanson, infielder (b. 1900)
• 2003 - Chuck Anderson, college coach (b. ????)
• 2006 - Royce Lint, pitcher (b. 1921)
• 2008 - Glen Schaeffer, minor league infielder and manager (b. 1920)
• 2010 - Jim Pagliaroni, catcher (b. 1937)