December 15

From BR Bullpen


January	February
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
March	April
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
May	June
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
July	August
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
September	October
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
November	December
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Stats of players who were born this day
Stats of players who died on this day
Standings on this day
Permanent link to Today's Entry
Sources
Baseball Library Chronology
Today in Baseball History

Events, births and deaths that occurred on December 15.

[edit] Events

1883 - In Louisville a "first-class colored team" is formed. The team, later known as the Falls Cities, becomes one of the nation's best black teams. It joins the National Colored Base Ball League (NCBBL) in 1887, but apparently disbands shortly after the collapse of the NCBBL in the first week of its season.
1886 - The AA meets and ratifies the new rules. It also approves the new clause that allows a club to reserve a player for as long as it wants, not just for next year's contract.
1887 - The Texas League is organized at a meeting in Austin, thanks largely to the efforts of John J. McCloskey.
1888 - The Tourists play their first game in Australia, drawing a crowd of 5,500 in Sydney.
1894 - Veteran manager John Chapman expresses his support of a proposed rule change forbidding all but catchers and 1B from wearing gloves. Citing Cincinnati's Bid McPhee as an example of one of the few remaining outstanding gloveless fielders, Chapman remarks that "as it is now, inferior players with big gloves can get into the game and force good men out."
1896 - The first pitching machine, created by Princeton professor Charles E. Hinton, is demonstrated in the university's gymnasium. The mathematics instructor's device resembles a rifle which shoots the ball toward the batter.
1899 - The NL rules Brooklyn's purchase of Zeke Wrigley in September is illegal and nullifies the 16 games he played for Brooklyn. But Brooklyn still wins the pennant.
1900 - Amos Rusie, out for the past two years with arm problems, is traded to the Reds by the Giants for young Christy Mathewson. Though only 30, Rusie, a future Hall of Fame pitcher, will not have the ability that brought him eight straight 20-game seasons, and he will not add to the 245 wins he collected in nine seasons. Appearing in just three games in 1901, he will finish with an 0-1 record. Mathewson, 0-3 with the Giants but 20-2 with Norfolk (Virginia League), is much coveted by Cincinnati owner John T. Brush, who is currently negotiating to buy control of the Giants from the unscrupulous Andrew Freedman. Before he takes over, Brush wants Mathewson in place as a Giants starter, rather than the "pitched out" Amos Rusie.
1905 - Boston (NL) continues trading, sending C Pat Moran to the Cubs for C Jack O'Neill and P Big Jeff Pfeffer.
1905 - After losing a record 29 games this year, veteran righthander Vic Willis is traded by 7th-place Boston National League to Pittsburgh for three players: Del Howard, infielder Dave Brain, and Vive Lindaman. Willis will rebound with four straight 20-win seasons.
1909 - Kid Elberfeld, who helped make the Highlanders a winner, is sold to Washington for $5,000.
1920 - The Giants hand a release to 2B Larry Doyle so that he can manage the Toronto team.
1920 - Brooklyn's Rube Marquard is traded to the Reds for Dutch Ruether. Marquard had been fined for scalping World Series tickets in Cleveland.
1920 - The National League reveals a most telling statistic, pointing out the changes in the game: the use of 27,924 baseballs during the season, an increase of 10,248 over 1919.
1920 - Brooklyn sends Rube Marquard to the Reds for Dutch Ruether. Marquard was in the Ebbets doghouse after being arrested in a Cleveland hotel lobby for scalping World Series tickets.
1920 - The Yankees' Ed Barrow pries future Hall of Fame P Waite Hoyt, C Wally Schang, lefty Harry Harper, and IF Mike McNally from his former Boston team in exchange for 2B Del Pratt, C Muddy Ruel, P Hank Thormahlen, OF Sammy Vick, and cash.
1923 - Al Szymanski, 21, who signed with his hometown Milwaukee club in the spring and was farmed out to Shreveport, is traded. Connie Mack secured the rights to his contract while he was at Shreveport; at the end of the season he reported to Milwaukee and hit .398 in 24 games. Scorekeepers change his name to Al Simmons. The A's send IF Heinie Scheer and outfielders Wid Mathews and Frank "Beauty" McGowan to Milwaukee for the Simmons sleeper.
1927 - The Browns sell home run-hitting Ken Williams to the Red Sox. At 38, Williams is still a .300 hitter, but his home run production will drop to 8.
1927 - In a joint meeting, the major leagues turn over $5,000 to the Association of Professional Ball Players to aid ill or disabled former players.
1928 - The Red Sox trade Buddy Myer back to Washington for P Hod Lisenbee, P Milt Gaston, IF Bobby Reeves, IF Grant Gillis, and OF Elliot Bigelow. Myer will become a top player in the 1930s.
1930 - Chief Bender is signed by the New York Giants as a pitching coach. He had coached baseball at the Naval Academy in 1930.
1932 - The Red Sox swap P Ed Durham and infielder Hal Rhyne to the White Sox for outfielders Fats Fothergill, Bob Seeds, and infielders Urban Hodapp and Greg Mulleavy.
1932 - The Phils send Ray Benge and $15,000 to the Dodgers for Cy Moore, Mickey Finn, and Jack Warner. Finn will have a great spring and Brooklyn's Max Carey will admit in April that Burt Shotton outguessed him on the deal.
1932 - A joint meeting of American League and National League owners approves the concept of "chain store" baseball, developed as the St. Louis Cardinal farm system, despite strenuous objections by Judge Landis.
1933 - The major leagues agree on a uniform ball to be livelier than the National League ball of recent seasons, to match the American League balls. Owners also agree to ban Sunday doubleheaders until after June 15th.
1938 - The Red Sox send Pinky Higgins and P Archie McKain to the Tigers for pitchers Eldon Auker and Jake Wade, and OF Chet Morgan. The Sox also ship OF Ben Chapman to the Indians in exchange for P Denny Galehouse and SS Tom Irwin.
1948 - The Dodgers trade the much heralded, but injury prone Pete Reiser to the Braves for outfielder Myron McCormick.
1948 - The Dodgers trade Pete Reiser to the Braves for Mike McCormick. The marvelously talented but reckless Reiser crashed into too many outfield walls and, according to Red Smith, was carried off on a stretcher 11 times.
1955 - The Cards sign C Walker Cooper who started his career with St. Louis in 1940.
1959 - The Reds send 2B Johnny Temple to the Indians for 2B Billy Martin, P Cal McLish, and 1B Gordy Coleman.
1960 - The Reds acquire pitchers Joey Jay and Juan Pizarro from the Braves for SS Roy McMillan and a player to be named later. Cincy then trades Pizarro and P Cal McLish to the White Sox for 3B Gene Freese. The two pitchers will win 24 games between them for the Sox in 1961, while Freese will have one good year in Cincy.
1960 - The biggest trade in history? The Phils lose more than two 1/2 inches when they acquire P Frank Sullivan from the Red Sox for 6' 9" Gene Conley. In the next two years, Conley will win 26 games for the Sox, the 3rd Boston team he will play for: Conley started with the Boston Braves in their last year before moving to Milwaukee, and played several seasons with the Celtics as Bill Russell's backup.
1961 - The Mets continue spending, sending Lee Walls and $100,000 to the Dodgers for Charlie Neal. Neal, the 5th ex-Dodger on the roster, was downed by the measles in the Spring and a knee spur later on.
1961 - Charles Comiskey, Jr., sells his 46 percent interest in the White Sox to a group of 11 investors.
1961 - The Braves send veteran minor league 3B Ed Charles, C Joe Azcue and Manny Jimenez to the Athletics for Bob Shaw and Lou Klimchock. With Mathews at 3B, Charles was expendable. He will hit .288 with 17 home runs in 1962, his rookie year.
1961 - The Reds reacquire P Johnny Klippstein, along with OF Marty Keough, from the Senators. Washington gets C Bob Schmidt and P Don Stenhouse.
1962 - The San Francisco Giants trade pitchers Stu Miller and Mike McCormick, along with C Johnny Orsino, to Baltimore for pitchers Jack Fisher and Billy Hoeft, and C Jim Coker.
1964 - Tigers owner John Fetzer announces a 2-year television pact between ML baseball and ABC-TV. The network pays $12.2 million to telecast games on 25 Saturdays, Independence Day, and Labor Day.
1964 - The Cards purchase OF Tito Francona from the Indians.
1965 - Detroit trades P Phil Regan to the Dodgers for IF Dick Tracewski. Regan will lead the National League in saves in 1966 while winning 14 of 15 decisions.
1967 - The Mets trade OF Tommy Davis, P Jack Fisher, P Billy Wynne, and C Dick Booker to the White Sox for OF Tommie Agee and IF Al Weis.
1967 - Pittsburgh acquires P Jim Bunning from the Phillies for pitchers Woody Fryman, Bill Laxton, and Harold Clem, and IF Don Money.
1967 - The Red Sox trade C Mike Ryan and cash to the Phillies for P Dick Ellsworth and C/1B Gene Oliver.
1968 - The Dodgers send C Jim Campanis, son of Dodger executive Al Campanis, to the Royals for two minor leaguers.
1969 - The National Labor Relations Board accepts the case of fired umpires Bill Valentine and Al Salerno, thereby issuing a challenge to baseball's antitrust status.
1970 - The Reds trade former ace Jim Maloney to the Angels for Greg Garrett. Maloney was just 0-1 this year and will do no better in California.
1974 - Arbitrator Peter Seitz rules in favors of Cy Young winner Jim Hunter in a dispute with A's owner Charlie O. Finley making 'Catfish' a very attractive unrestricted free agent.
1976 - Pirate free agent Richie Hebner signs with the Phillies.
1980 - Dave Winfield (.276, 20, 87) becomes the highest-paid player in the history of sports. The former Padre signs a ten-year free-agent deal with Yankees worth a record $16 million.
1980 - Outfielder Dave Winfield becomes the highest-paid player when he signs a 10-year, $15 million contract with the New York Yankees.
1981 - Free-agent Ron Guidry re-signs with the Yankees to a four-year $3.6 million pact.
1981 - Free-agent P Ron Guidry re-signs with the Yankees for a reported $3.6 million over four years.
1983 - Commissioner Kuhn suspends convicted Kansas City Royals Willie Wilson, Willie Aikens, and Jerry Martin, and Dodgers pitcher Steve Howe for one season without pay for their use of illegal drugs. The suspensions will be shortened by an arbitrator and lifted on May 15th.
1990 - The Mets send veteran lefty Bob Ojeda and minor leaguer Greg Hansell to the Dodgers for OF Hubie Brooks.
1990 - American League Cy Young Award winner and free agent Bob Welch re-signs with Oakland, while "free look" free agents Jack Clark and Brett Butler sign with the Red Sox and Dodgers, respectively.
1992 - The Yankees sign free agent 3B Wade Boggs to a 3-year contract.
1992 - The Rangers sign free agent reliever Tom Henke to a 2-year $8 million contract. Henke, who started his career with Texas, had 34 saves in 37 tries with Toronto.
1993 - The White Sox sign free agent DH Julio Franco.
1994 - The owners approve a salary cap plan by a vote of 25-3, but agree to delay implementing it so that another round of talks with the players can be held.
1994 - The Yankees sign free agent SS Tony Fernandez.
1995 - The Ted Williams Tunnel in Boston is opened as the Splendid Splinter leads the way.
1995 - The Blue Jays sign free agent C Charlie O'Brien to a 2-year contract.
1997 - The Marlins trade ace Kevin Brown to the Padres for 1B Derrek Lee and pitchers Rafael Medina and Steve Hoff. In the next two days the Fish send P Dennis Cook to the Mets for OF Fletcher Bates and P Scott Comer, and trade IF Kurt Abbott to the Athletics in exchange for P Eric Ludwick.
2000 - The Tigers acquire P Matt Perisho from the Rangers for pitchers Kevin Mobley and Brandon Villafuerte.
2000 - The Red Sox sign free agent P Hideo Nomo to a contract.
2000 - In their third free agent signing in the last eight days, the Red Sox come to terms pitcher Hideo Nomo signing the 1995 NL Rookie of the Year to a one-year deal worth 4.5 million dollars.
2001 - The Mariners acquire 32-year old two-time All-Star third baseman Jeff Cirillo (.312, 17, 83) from the Rockies in exchange for reliever Jose Paniagua and minor leaguers Dennis Stark and Brian Fuentes.
2001 - The Mariners get 2-time All-Star 3B Jeff Cirillo from the Rockies in exchange for Ps Jose Paniagua, Dennis Stark, and Brian Fuentes.
2002 - The Pirates agree to terms with free agent OF Matt Stairs.
2002 - The Mets trade slick fielding SS Rey Ordonez to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for two minor leaguers to be named. The Mets also throw in $4.25 million to help offset Ordonez's $6.25 million salary. Ordonez, who had called the Mets fans "stupid", departs as 3B Edgardo Alfonzo signs a 4-year deal with the Giants, opening up the left side of the Mets infield. Nineteen-year - old Jose Reyes, the Mets top prospect, is expected to have first shot at the shortstop's job.
2002 - The Giants announce that free agent 3B Edgardo Alfonzo has agreed to a 4-year deal.
2002 - The Red Sox acquire Jeremy Giambi from the Phillies for P Josh Hancock, 24, For Giambi, it is his 3rd uniform this year.
2002 - The Padres traded P Brett Tomko to the Cardinals for P Luther Hackman and a player to be named later.
2002 - With the threat of losing their heavy-hitting second baseman, Jeff Kent, the Giants sign former All-Star free agent Edgardo Alfonzo (.308, 16, 56) to a four-year deal. The 29-year-old infielder, who was named the Mets All-time second baseman in August, was not tendered arbitration after turning down a number of contract proposals from the team.
2002 - A four-way trade is announced at the winter meetings in Nashville. The A's get 1B Erubiel Durazo from the Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks get P Elmer Dessens, who sported the 5th best ERA (3.03) in the National League, from the Reds. The Reds get SS Felipe Lopez from the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays get Jason Arnold from Oakland.
2004 - Coming off an injury-shortened season with the Diamondbacks, Richie Sexson (.233, 9, 23) agrees to a $50 million, four-year deal with the Mariners. The 29-year old free-agent first baseman will be reunited with Seattle's new manager Mike Hargrove, his former skipper in Cleveland from 1997-2000.
2004 - After the District of Columbia Council votes to require private financing for at least half of the construction costs of a Nationals' new ballpark, major league baseball suspends all sales of the team's merchandise and tickets. The decision may make any thing with the National League's newest logo quite a collector's item.
2004 - After offering a four-year deal worth approximately $53 million, the Mets announce officially the club has come to terms with Pedro Martinez (16-9, 3.90 ERA). The former Red Sox ace, who posted 117-37 record in seven seasons with Boston, criticizes his former team for not being more aggressive in retaining his services.
2007:
- The 2007 Hoofdklasse awards are given out. Fausto Álvarez, a 47-year-old Cuban slugger for the Amsterdam Pirates, wins MVP honors. He had set a new league home run record in the wood-bat era with 12, easily breaking Ivanon Coffie's record. David Bergman of Corendon Kinheim, the league leader in wins, is named Pitcher of the Year.
- Andy Pettitte (career record of 211-113 in the majors through 2007) admits to using Human Growth Hormone in 2002 to recover from an elbow injury. Pettitte had been named in the Mitchell Report earlier in the week.
- The St. Louis Cardinals trade long-time center fielder Jim Edmonds to the San Diego Padres for about $1 million and David Freese.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers sign Hiroki Kuroda for 3 years and between $36 million and $40 million. Kuroda had been the top pitcher in the central League in 2006 before fading in 2007. He was deemed to be the second-best Japanese free agent seeking to come to the US for 2007, after Kosuke Fukudome. Hitoki Iwase, another top free agent, had decided to stay in Japan.