December 13

Events, births and deaths that occurred on December 13.

[edit] Events

• 1883 - The Ohio League is formed.
• 1887 - Chris Von der Ahe completes his biggest deal, selling Bob Caruthers to Brooklyn for $8,250. The deal is delayed by Caruthers's negotiations with Brooklyn, but he finally agrees to a $5,000 salary for 1888.
• 1906 - The Athletics sell P Andy Coakley to Cincinnati. A 20-game winner in 1905, he slipped to 7-8 last season. He will be an effective but hard-luck pitcher for the next two years before starting a 37-year career as baseball coach at Columbia University.
• 1910 - Former New York Giant Dan McGann, 33, who ended his 13-year career in 1908, shoots himself in a Louisville hotel.
• 1911:
  • The Boston Rustlers (formerly the Doves) are bought by New York politician James E. Gaffney and former player, now attorney, John Montgomery Ward. The team will be called the Braves because of Gaffney's Tammany Hall connections.
  • At the National League meetings at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, NY, Sporting Life reports that "For the first time in history a woman sat in at a major league meeting. Mrs. H.H. Britton, owner of the St. Louis Cardinals, remained throughout the entire session of the National League meeting on the second day. Mrs. Britton took no voice in the meeting. She allowed President Edward A. Steininger to do all the voting."
• 1916 - American League owners unanimously approve the sale of the Red Sox to Harry Frazee and Hugh Ward.
• 1922:
  • Alarmed at the increase in home run hitting (1,054 in the major leagues, up from 936), some American League owners back a zoning system setting a minimum of 300 feet for a ball to be called a home run. The motion dies. In another action, the league requires each club to furnish two home uniforms per player, plus extra caps and stockings on the road, to improve the players' appearance. In National League meetings, Charles Ebbets proposes putting numbers on players' sleeves or caps. It's left to each club to do as it wishes.
  • The Phils buy IF Heinie Sand from Salt Lake City (Pacific Coast League) for four players and cash. A competent SS, Sand will be the object of an alleged bribery scheme that causes another scandal.
• 1923 - The Braves acquire 2B Cotton Tierney from the Phils for SS Hod Ford and OF Ray Powell. Powell is later replaced by OF Al Nixon.
• 1927:
  • Senators president Clark Griffith gains approval to have Washington open the American League season one day before the rest of the league, to celebrate a "National Day" with the U.S. president throwing out the first ball. The AL also installs Ernest S. Barnard as its president.
  • The Cards trade P Jimmy Ring to the Phils with C Johnny Schulte for C Bubber Jonnard, SS Jimmy Cooney Jr., and OF Johnny Mokan.
  • The Tigers trade OF Heinie Manush and 1B Lu Blue to the Browns for P Elam Vangilder and OF Harry Rice.
• 1930 - The 15-year career of George Sisler ends as the Boston Braves release him. A lifetime .340 hitter who twice led the American League with averages above .400, Sisler will be among the first to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, enshrined in 1939.
• 1934 - The Cardinals sell minor league prospect Johnny Mize to Cincinnati for $55,000. He is later returned because of a suspect knee and does not make his debut until 1936.
• 1938 - Fred Frankhouse returns to the Boston Bees, and Joe Stripp goes to Brooklyn in a player swap. In a separate transaction, the Dodgers send Buddy Hassett and Jimmy Outlaw to the Bees for Gene Moore and Ira Hutchinson.
• 1940 - Veteran umpire George Moriarty is removed from the active staff and transferred to the American League promotional department.
• 1941 - The Red Sox send P Jack Wilson and infielder Stan Spence to the Senators for Ken Chase and Johnny Welaj.
• 1948 - After a year in New York, Red Embree is traded, along with young C Sherm Lollar, Dick Starr and $100,000, to the Browns. Embree will slump to 3-13 in St. Louis after having his only winning major league season in New York. Lollar is the prize, and will catch in the majors through 1963. The Yankees receive Fred Sanford and Roy Partee. Partee is ticketed for the minors, but Sanford will help the Yanks as a starter/reliever next season.
• 1949 - The Browns send star 3B Bob Dillinger (.324) and OF Paul Lehner to the A's for a reported $100,000 and infielders Frankie Gustine and Billy DeMars, and outfielders Ray Coleman and Ray Ippolitto. Dillinger will play just a half-season in Philly before being swapped to Pittsburgh.
• 1954 - The Dodgers shed part of an era, sending P Preacher Roe and 3B Billy Cox to Baltimore for two unknowns and cash. The O's will complete this deal next March by sending OF Frank Kellert to Brooklyn for P Erv Palica.
• 1956 - The Dodgers trade Jackie Robinson to the cross-town rivals, the Giants, for pitcher Dick Littlefield and $35,000. Jackie, according to some accounts had already decided privately to leave the game to work for Chock Full of Nuts, publicly retires from baseball rather than accept the trade.
• 1961 - Mickey Mantle signs a 1962 contract for $82,000. Only Joe DiMaggio has been paid more by the Yankees.
• 1966 - The Washington Senators trade Mike McCormick to the Giants for Bob Priddy and Cap Peterson. The newly-acquired San Francisco hurler will win the Cy Young Award next season.
• 1969 - The Red Sox send 1B Syd O'Brien and pitcher Billy Farmer and cash to the White Sox for P Gary Peters and C Don Pavletich. Boston also picks up 3B Tom Matchick from the Tigers for Dalton Jones. Farmer will announce his retirement and in March the White Sox will replace him with P Jerry Janeski.
• 1980 - The Cubs send Mike Vail to the Reds in exchange for Hector Cruz.
• 1982 - Free agent P Floyd Bannister, who led the American League with 209 strikeouts at Seattle last season, signs a 5-year contract with the White Sox for a reported $4.5 million. As compensation, the M's will pick minor leaguer Danny Tartabull from the player pool on January 20th.
• 1983 - Forty-year-old Joe Morgan signs a one-year contract with the Oakland A's - his 5th club since 1979.
• 1988 - The Red Sox trade 1B-OF Todd Benzinger, P Jeff Sellers, and a player to be named later to the Reds for 1B Nick Esasky and P Rob Murphy.
• 1994:
  • Free agent relief pitcher Lee Smith, last year's major league saves leader with the Orioles, signs with the Angels to a 2-year contract. At the time of the deal, he has 434 career saves.
  • The Red Sox acquire 2B Terry Shumpert from the Royals in exchange for a player to be named.
  • The Rangers sign free agent P Kevin Gross and 2B Mark McLemore.
• 1996:
  • The Pirates trade IF Jeff King and SS Jay Bell to the Royals for 3B Joe Randa and pitchers Jeff Granger, Jeff Martin and Jeff Wallace.
  • The Blue Jays sign free agent P Roger Clemens (10-13) to a 3-year contract worth $24.75 million. The Red Sox's last-minute offer falls short and The Rocket's flirtation with the Yankees comes to naught. However, the Sox are successful in retaining Tim Naehring, who was minutes away from signing with Cleveland.
  • In other free agent news, the Cubs sign P Kevin Tapani to a 3-year contract and the Indians sign P Mike Jackson to a 2-year contract.
• 1997 - The Twins sign much-traveled free agent P Mike Morgan.
• 1998:
  • The Padres trade P Joey Hamilton to the Blue Jays for pitchers Woody Williams and Carlos Almanzar and OF Peter Tucci.
  • The Mets sign free agent OF Rickey Henderson.
• 1999:
  • The Diamondbacks obtain P Brad Clontz from the Pirates for a player to be named.
  • The Marlins obtain OF Brant Brown from the Pirates in exchange for OF Bruce Aven.
  • In what is believed to be baseball's first 4-team swap since 1985, the Rockies obtain 3B Jeff Cirillo, P Rolando Arrojo and Scott Karl, and IF Aaron Ledesma, the Devil Rays obtain 3B Vinny Castilla, the Brewers obtain P Jamey Wright and Jimmy Haynes and C Henry Blanco, and the Athletics obtain P Justin Miller.
  • The Rangers obtain OF Chad Curtis from the Yankees in exchange for minor league pitchers Sam Marsonek and Brandon Knight.
  • Red Sox P Tom Gordon has ligament reconstruction surgery on his right elbow, and will miss the 2000 season. According to the Red Sox, there is only a 15% to 20% chance that he will ever pitch again, but he will beat those odds and pitch until 2009, when he is done at age 41.
  • The Devil Rays sign free agent OF Greg Vaughn to a 4-year contract.
• 2000 - The Braves sign 1B Rico Brogna to a contract, the Padres sign IF Alex Arias for the next two years, and, outbidding the Indians, the Red Sox sign Manny Ramirez to a reported eight-year, $160 million contract.
• 2001:
  • The Phillies trade P Chris Brock to the Orioles for P John Wasdin.
  • The Dodgers obtain P Paul Quantrill and IF Cesar Izturis from the Blue Jays in exchange for P Luke Prokopec and Chad Ricketts.
  • The Red Sox send troubled OF Carl Everett to the Rangers in exchange for P Darren Oliver. The former all-star outfielder, who had his problems with players and managers in Boston, says he is looking forward to joining the veteran players in Texas.
  • The Pirates send P Todd Ritchie and C Lee Evans to the White Sox. In return, Pittsburgh gets pitchers Kip Wells, Sean Lowe, and Josh Fogg.
  • The Yankees sign free agent 1B Jason Giambi to a seven-year deal worth $120 million. The 2000 MVP and this year's runner-up drove in 120 runs, hit 38 home runs, and had a .342 batting average for the wild card Oakland A's this season. In another move, New York acquires OF John Vander Wal from San Francisco in exchange for P Jay Witasick.
  • In other free agent news, the Mets sign OF Roger Cedeno to a 4-year, $18 million contract and P David Weathers to a 3-year pact worth $9.4 million and the Tigers sign IF-OF Craig Paquette to a 2-year contract.
  • Writing a 24-page pun-filled opinion, U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle III upholds most of an arbitrator's decision declaring nine of 22 umpires who lost their jobs following a 1999 mass resignation must be reinstated. To make his point, the judge said it was his job to make sure the arbitrator hadn't "missed the ball" and both parties "make(s) a pitch that all or part of the arbitrator's ruling should be scored as an error and set aside".
• 2002 - The Cardinals sign free agent P Chris Carpenter to a contract.
• 2003:
  • Keith Foulke (9-1, 2.08) signs a three-year, $21 million contract with Red Sox. The 31-year-old All-Star closer had a league-leading 43 saves in 48 chances for Oakland last season.
  • The Dodgers trade 38-year-old Kevin Brown (14-9, 2.39) to the Yankees for Jeff Weaver, minor league pitching prospect Yhency Brazoban, a player to be named later and cash. Baseball's first 100-million dollar player, who will make $15 million next season, waives his no-trade clause to be closer to his family.
• 2007 - The Mitchell Report is released, naming 89 players as having used or been in possession of steroids. Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Miguel Tejada and Jason Giambi are among those named. The report calls for tighter regulation of performance-enhancing drugs.
• 2008:
  • Kerry Wood signs a two-year, $20.5 million deal (with a 2011 option) to play for the Cleveland Indians.
  • A.J. Burnett signs a $82.5 million, 5-year deal with the New York Yankees only 3 days after they inked another top free agent pitcher, CC Sabathia.
• 2009 - C John Buck signs a one-year deal with Toronto, one day after being non-tendered by Kansas City. He will have an excellent season in Toronto, making the All-Star team for the first time in his career.
• 2010:
  • Canada Post announces that it will feature Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins on a postage stamp that commemorates black history month next February.
  • The A's sign oft-injured starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy to a one-year contract.
• 2011:
  • The Associated Press reports a few more features of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement signed earlier this month. The All-Star break will go from three days to four beginning in 2013­, with the Mid-Summer Classic being played on a Wednesday; teams will no longer be allowed to have players on the 40-man roster share a room during spring training; and players are forbidden from displaying tattoos with corporate logos.
  • The Phillies sign P Dontrelle Willis and the Red Sox add C Kelly Shoppach­.
• 2012 - 2010 AL MVP Josh Hamilton, fresh off a 43-homer season, leaves the Texas Rangers to sign with the Los Angeles Angels for 5 years and $125 million, while Andres Torres signs with the Giants for one year and a considerably smaller salary.

[edit] Births

• 1860 - Leonidas Lee, outfielder (d. 1912)
• 1868 - Bill Everitt, infielder (d. 1938)
• 1873 - Jack Taylor, pitcher (d. 1938)
• 1874 - Kid Mohler, infielder (d. 1961)
• 1876 - Rube Kisinger, pitcher (d. 1941)
• 1877 - Leo Fishel, pitcher (d. 1960)
• 1877 - Frank Hershey, pitcher (d. 1949)
• 1882 - Gene Good, outfielder (d. 1947)
• 1886 - Jules Thomas, Negro League outfielder and manager (d. 1943)
• 1887 - Spec Harkness, pitcher (d. 1952)
• 1889 - Fritz Coumbe, pitcher (d. 1978)
• 1891 - Bob Wright, pitcher (d. 1993)
• 1892 - Pete Bigler, pinch runner (d. 1975)
• 1899 - Buckshot May, pitcher (d. 1984)
• 1899 - Denny Williams, outfielder (d. 1929)
• 1903 - Al Smith, pitcher (d. 1995)
• 1904 - Bill Windle, infielder (d. 1981)
• 1909 - Dick Newsome, pitcher (d. 1965)
• 1911 - Walt VanGrofski, minor league catcher and manager (d. 2000)
• 1913 - Scat Metha, infielder (d. 1975)
• 1916 - Hank Majeski, infielder (d. 1991)
• 1916 - Lou Thuman, pitcher (d. 2000)
• 1921 - Knute Dobkins, minor league outfielder (d. 2012)
• 1923 - Larry Doby, outfielder, manager; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 2003)
• 1924 - George Shuba, outfielder
• 1926 - Carl Erskine, pitcher; All-Star
• 1928 - Joe Landrum, pitcher
• 1929 - Billy Loes, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2010)
• 1931 - Don Erickson, pitcher (d. 2012)
• 1931 - Bubba Morton, outfielder
• 1935 - Joe Christopher, outfielder
• 1935 - Lindy McDaniel, pitcher; All-Star
• 1936 - J.C. Martin, catcher
• 1937 - Ron Taylor, pitcher
• 1940 - Nate Oliver, infielder
• 1942 - Fergie Jenkins, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer
• 1947 - Dave Hamilton, pitcher
• 1950 - Craig Scramuzzo, minor league pitcher
• 1951 - Clint Myers, college coach
• 1955 - Paul Boris, pitcher
• 1956 - Dale Berra, infielder
• 1956 - Jon Perlman, pitcher
• 1958 - Harvey Kuenn, Jr., scout
• 1960 - Hugh Kemp, minor league pitcher
• 1960 - Jeff Robinson, pitcher
• 1962 - Julio Medina, Nicaraguan national team infielder
• 1964 - Steve Wilson, pitcher
• 1965 - Ki-bum Kim, KBO pitcher
• 1967 - Mike Mordecai, infielder
• 1968 - Mitch Simons, minor league infielder
• 1969 - Doug Saunders, infielder
• 1971 - Greg Mullins, pitcher
• 1973 - Tomohiro Kuroki, NPB pitcher
• 1975 - Matt LeCroy, designated hitter
• 1976 - Josh Fogg, pitcher
• 1980 - Danny Lopaze, minor league infielder
• 1980 - Kurt Wilkinson, Virgin Islands national team outfielder
• 1982 - Ricky Nolasco, pitcher
• 1983 - Yannick Sel, First Division pitcher
• 1983 - Jun Zhang, China Baseball League pitcher
• 1984 - Motohiro Shima, NPB catcher
• 1987 - Aneury Rodriguez, pitcher
• 1989 - Tyler Pastornicky, infielder
• 1993 - Roman Boyko, Ukrainian national team infielder

[edit] Deaths

• 1904 - Bob Murphy, pitcher (b. 1866)
• 1908 - Frank Griffith, pitcher (b. 1872)
• 1910 - Dan McGann, infielder (b. 1871)
• 1918 - Frank Arellanes, pitcher (b. 1882)
• 1926 - Tom Needham, catcher (b. 1879)
• 1931 - Al Schulz, pitcher (b. 1889)
• 1934 - Doc Shanley, infielder (b. 1889)
• 1944 - Lloyd Christenbury, infielder (b. 1893)
• 1944 - Welcome Gaston, pitcher (b. 1874)
• 1949 - Orth Collins, outfielder (b. 1880)
• 1963 - Joe Jaeger, pitcher (b. 1895)
• 1964 - Hank Erickson, catcher (b. 1907)
• 1966 - Herman Young, infielder (b. 1886)
• 1969 - Jack Kibble, infielder (b. 1892)
• 1970 - George Baumgardner, pitcher (b. 1891)
• 1970 - Chick Gandil, infielder (b. 1888)
• 1971 - Mike Ryba, pitcher (b. 1903)
• 1981 - Jack Snyder, catcher (b. 1886)
• 1990 - Archie Ware, Negro League infielder (b. 1918)
• 1993 - Fausto Camusi, Serie A1 infielder and manager; Italian Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1929)
• 1993 - Billy Shantz, catcher (b. 1927)
• 2000 - Jake Jones, infielder (b. 1920)
• 2004 - Andre Rodgers, infielder (b. 1934)
• 2010 - James Belknap, minor league player (b. ~1933)