December 28
From BR Bullpen
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| Stats of players who died on this day | |
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| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on December 28.
[edit] Events
- 1885 - The American Association officially admits the New York Metropolitans club, having been forced by the courts to do so.
- 1888 - The Cuban Giants, the top colored team in the nation, announces its plans for 1889: Monday and Saturday games at Elysian Field in Hooboken, Wednesdays and Fridays in Trenton, and Sundays at Long Island Grounds in Maspeth, Queens.
- 1895 - Star Chicago Cubs shortstop Bill Dahlen breaks his left arm in a fall.
- 1900 - Future Hall of Fame pitcher Ted Lyons is born in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Lyons will make his major league debut in 1923 and will go on to win 260 games over a 21-year career with the Chicago White Sox.
- 1926 - National League MVP Bob O'Farrell is named to replace Rogers Hornsby as the St. Louis Cardinals manager. The job was reportedly first offered to Bill Killefer who, out of loyalty to Hornsby turned it down, and quit. Killefer will sign on as a coach of the St. Louis Browns.
- 1944 - Washington Senators third baseman Buddy Lewis wins the Distinguished Flying Cross for precision flying over the Burma War Theater.
- 1953 - The Pittsburgh Pirates sends flashy 2B Danny O'Connell to the Milwaukee Braves for 3B Sid Gordon, OF Sam Jethroe, P Max Surkont, and four minor league pitchers. Pittsburgh also get $100,000 from the Braves. According to historian Sean Lahman, this is the only six-for-one trade in major league history and surpassed only by the seven-for-one deal that will send Vida Blue from Oakland A's to SF Giants in 1978.
- 1956 - The New York City Board of Estimate votes $25,000 for a survey regarding the Brooklyn Dodgers proposed new stadium for downtown Brooklyn.
- 1957:
- CBS states that it will not broadcast baseball into any area at the time a minor league game is scheduled.
- The Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds exchange well-known first basemen. The Pirates acquire slugger Ted Kluszewski, known for wearing cut-off sleeves to accommodate his bulging biceps. In exchange, Pittsburgh surrender Dee Fondy, who batted .313 in 1957 while splitting the season between the Pirates and the Chicago Cubs.
- 1983 - Free agent Warren Cromartie signs a reported three-year, $2.5 million contract to play for the Yomiuri Giants of the Pacific League. The 30-year-old Cromartie, who hit .278 as a mainstay in the Montreal Expos outfield last season, is arguably the best American player to jump to Nippon Pro Baseball while still in his prime. He will play in Japan for seven seasons before returning for one more season in major league with the Kansas City Royals in 1991.
- 1994 - The Houston Astros and San Diego Padres swing a mammoth twelve-player trade. Houston obtain OF Derek Bell, IF Ricky Gutierrez, P Pedro Martinez, OF Phil Plantier, and IF Craig Shipley from San Diego in exchange for 3B Ken Caminiti, SS Andújar Cedeño, OF Steve Finley, 1B Roberto Petagine, P Brian Williams, and a player to be named. P Sean Fesh will go to the Padres next May to complete the biggest deal in the major leagues since 1957.
- 1995:
- The Chicago White Sox trade OF Tim Raines to the New York Yankees in exchange for future considerations and the Pittsburgh Pirates sign free agent 3B Charlie Hayes.
- 1998:
- The Detroit Tigers signs free agent Gregg Jefferies to a two-year contract and trades outfield prospect Luis Gonzalez to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Karim Garcia.
- St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire is named by the Associated Press as the Male Athlete of the Year.
- 2001 - Outgoing New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani announces the Yankees and Mets have reached a tentative agreement with the city to build a pair of $800 million, retractable-roof stadiums. Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg, who is concerned if the Big Apple can afford what is believed to be the largest private-public venture history, will have final word on the $1.6 billion cost of the proposed new ballparks agreements.
- 2005:
- Venezuela offered to host part of next year's World Baseball Classic in place of Puerto Rico and suggested moving the final to Canada, proposals aimed at keeping Cuba in the 16-team tournament.
- Outfielder Hideki Matsui has decided not to play for Japan at next year's World Baseball Classic so he can concentrate his efforts on winning a World Series with the New York Yankees.
- Pitcher Jon Garland agreed to a three-year, $29 million contract to stay with the 2005 World Series champion Chicago White Sox.
- Free agent OF Jeromy Burnitz and the Orioles agreed on a two-year contract; IF Miguel Cairo and the Yankees reached an agreement on a $1 million, one-year contract, and RP Chad Bradford agreed to a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the Mets.
- 2007 - Former major league player Jim Leyritz is arrested in Florida. He had crashed his car into another vehicle, killing the occupant. He was charged with DUI manslaughter. Leyritz was also driving with a suspended license.
[edit] Births
- 1847 - Count Sensenderfer, outfielder (d. 1903)
- 1860 - Cal Broughton, catcher (d. 1939)
- 1864 - Charlie Kalbfus, outfielder (d. 1941)
- 1875 - Bill Karns, pitcher (d. 1941)
- 1885 - Jiggs Parson, pitcher (d. 1967)
- 1887 - Pete Henning, pitcher (d. 1939)
- 1891 - Doc Carroll, catcher (d. 1983)
- 1898 - Bill Kelly, infielder (d. 1990)
- 1900 - Ted Lyons, pitcher, manager; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1986)
- 1901 - Wattie Holm, outfielder (d. 1950)
- 1906 - Tommy Bridges, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1968)
- 1912 - Otto Denning, catcher (d. 1992)
- 1915 - Hank Sweeney, infielder (d. 1980)
- 1920 - Leslie Aulds, catcher (d. 1999)
- 1921 - Nelson Burbrink, catcher (d. 2001)
- 1923 - Tony Daniels, infielder (d. 2005)
- 1923 - Don Thompson, outfielder (d. 2009)
- 1924 - Steve Kuczek, pinch hitter
- 1944 - Ray Lamb, pitcher
- 1946 - Bill Lee, pitcher; All-Star
- 1947 - Aurelio Rodriguez, infielder (d. 2000)
- 1949 - John Milner, infielder (d. 2000)
- 1950 - Steve Lawson, pitcher
- 1952 - Ray Knight, infielder, manager; All-Star
- 1952 - Jose Sosa, pitcher
- 1960 - Zane Smith, pitcher
- 1960 - Carl Willis, pitcher
- 1963 - Mel Stottlemyre, pitcher
- 1963 - Chien-Wen Su, CPBL umpire
- 1971 - Benny Agbayani, outfielder
- 1971 - Melvin Nieves, outfielder
- 1972 - Einar Diaz, catcher
- 1975 - B.J. Ryan, pitcher; All-Star
- 1979 - Bill Hall, infielder
- 1986 - Sam Wiley, Great Britain national team catcher
[edit] Deaths
- 1901 - George Flynn, outfielder (b. 1871)
- 1926 - Henry Blauvelt, pitcher (b. 1873)
- 1935 - Jack Corcoran, catcher (b. 1858)
- 1941 - Jack Hickey, pitcher (b. 1881)
- 1943 - Steve Evans, outfielder (b. 1885)
- 1944 - Bill Bowman, catcher (b. 1867)
- 1952 - Deacon Jones, pitcher (b. 1892)
- 1963 - Ray Keating, pitcher (b. 1891)
- 1967 - Bill Pertica, pitcher (b. 1898)
- 1970 - Doc Ozmer, pitcher (b. 1901)
- 1972 - Eddie Leishman, minor league infielder and manager (b. 1910)
- 1974 - Jack Salveson, pitcher (b. 1914)
- 1979 - Hank Butcher, outfielder (b. 1886)
- 1979 - Jim Mosolf, outfielder (b. 1905)
- 1979 - Red Tramback, outfielder (b. 1915)
- 1980 - Jim Britt, broadcaster
- 1981 - John Bischoff, catcher (b. 1894)
- 1992 - Sal Maglie, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1917)
- 1993 - Augie Galan, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1912)
