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February 21
From BR Bullpen
| 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 February 21.
[edit] Events
- 1886 - Close to 8,000 fans jam the little ballpark in Havana to see the home team beat Almendares, 9 - 5, to win the Cuban Championship.
- 1891 - The National Board of Control, which manages the National Agreement between the two major leagues, with Allen W. Thurman still acting as chairman although he was replaced as President of the American Association three days earlier, declares all AA players fair game for contract raiding.
- 1903 - Tom Yawkey is born in Detroit, Michigan. Born under the name Thomas Austin, Yawkey will own and operate the Boston Red Sox for 44 years. He will gain Hall of Fame election in 1980.
- 1931:
- The Chicago White Sox and the New York Giants become the first major league teams to meet in a night game. They collect 23 hits in a 10-inning exhibition game played at Buffs Stadium in Houston, TX.
- The Brooklyn Robins arrive in Cuba to start a series of five inter-squad games.
- 1951 - The South Carolina House of Representatives introduces a resolution urging that Shoeless Joe Jackson, who was banished from baseball because of his part in the Black Sox Scandal of 1919, be reinstated.
- 1957 - Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley trades minor league franchises with Phil Wrigley of the Chicago Cubs. Brooklyn gives up its Ft. Worth club (Texas League) in return for the Los Angeles Angels (Pacific Coast League). In a year's time, Brooklyn will be without a team and Los Angeles will be a major league city.
- 1968 - Major League Baseball owners and the Players Association sign the first "Basic Agreement" in the game's history. The agreement will serve as a working contract between players and owners, dictating the working relationship between the two sides along with financial rules and parameters.
- 1969 - Hall of Famer Ted Williams makes a return to baseball by signing a five-year contract to manage the Washington Senators. Williams will lead the Senators to their best record ever, a mark of 86-76, and be named American League Manager of the Year.
- 1974 - New York Mets pitcher Tom Seaver becomes the highest-paid player in major league history signing a one-year contract worth $172,500. In 1973, Seaver won 19 games while leading the National League in ERA.
- 1985:
- New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner gives manager Yogi Berra the dreaded vote of confidence. Steinbrenner says that Berra will remain Yankee skipper for the entire season, regardless of how badly the team might struggle. Berra will last only 16 games before being fired.
- Tim Raines is awarded a $1.2 million salary for 1985 by arbitrator John Roberts. This is the largest award to date through the salary arbitration process. The 25-year-old Raines hit .309 for the Montreal Expos last season and led all major league players with 75 stolen bases.
- 1986 - Rollie Fingers passes up an opportunity to return to the majors. Fingers is invited to spring training by the Cincinnati Reds, who ask him to shave off his trademark handlebar mustache to comply with team rules. Fingers refuses to do so and decides to retire.
- 1989 - Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose meets with Commissioner Peter Ueberroth and Commissioner-elect Bart Giamatti to discuss his gambling habits.
- 2000 - The Cincinnati Reds announce the team has dropped its ban on earrings but denies that the acquisition of Ken Griffey, Jr. is the reason. Players have worn them in the clubhouse, but weren't allowed on the field with them.
- 2006 - Gene Elston is selected by the Hall of Fame to receive the Ford C. Frick Award. During his 47 years in the broadcast booth, the former Houston Astros announcer brought a no-nonsense approach to reporting the happenings on the diamond.
- 2008 - Ryan Howard equals a new record for a first-time eligible player by winning a salary of $10 million through arbitration. Alfonso Soriano had previously won $10 million in arbitration as well.
- 2010 - The Yankees sign veteran Korean P Chan Ho Park to a one-year contract. Park pitched against the Yanks for the Phillies in last year's World Series.
- 2011:
- 36-year-old Justine Siegal makes a bit of history at the Cleveland Indians spring training complex in Goodyear, AZ. The former assistant coach at Springfield College and first base coach with the Brockton Rox is believed to be the first woman to throw batting practice to a group of major league hitters.
- Bryce Harper, the first overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft, creates a stir on his first day at the Washington Nationals camp in Viera, FL. He hits nothing but hard line drives in his first batting practice session, then is mobbed by autograph-seekers as he tries to leave the field. Harper has yet to make his minor league debut, but observers are already wondering how quickly he will make it to the big leagues.
- Seven new members of the College Baseball Hall of Fame are announced, including four former Golden Spikes Award winners (Oddibe McDowell, Tim Wallach, Terry Francona and Dave Magadan). Also inducted are 1950s All-American Dick Groat and longtime coaches Prez Jones and Bill Wilhelm.
- 2012 - The Cubs and Red Sox finally agree on compensation for the Cubs' hiring of Boston GM Theo Epstein to be their team President while Epstein was still under contract earlier this off-season. The Cubs agree to send pitcher Chris Carpenter to the BoSox, and the two teams will also exchange players to be named later to complete the deal.
- 2013 - A former Florida Marlins top prospect at third base in the 1990s, Josh Booty is back in baseball after winning a reality television show produced by the MLB Network called "The Next Knuckler". Booty's knuckleball wins him an invitation to spring training with the Diamondbacks. He is now 38 years old and was a star quarterback in college football after washing out of the major leagues.
[edit] Births
- 1867 - Jouett Meekin, pitcher (d. 1944)
- 1870 - Bill Duzen, pitcher (d. 1944)
- 1875 - Dummy Taylor, pitcher (d. 1958)
- 1876 - John Titus, outfielder (d. 1943)
- 1879 - Ed Smith, pitcher (d. 1956)
- 1880 - Joe Hughes, outfielder (d. 1951)
- 1880 - Lucky Wright, pitcher (d. 1941)
- 1881 - Ed Rodebaugh, minor league pitcher (d. 1972)
- 1886 - Alex Remneas, pitcher (d. 1975)
- 1890 - George Beck, pitcher (d. 1973)
- 1893 - Norman Plitt, pitcher (d. 1954)
- 1893 - Marsh Williams, pitcher (d. 1935)
- 1896 - Turkey Gross, infielder (d. 1936)
- 1896 - Dick McCabe, pitcher (d. 1950)
- 1903 - Tom Yawkey, owner; Hall of Famer (d. 1976)
- 1904 - Komajiro Tamura, NPB owner; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1961)
- 1907 - Snipe Hansen, pitcher (d. 1978)
- 1908 - Kisaku Kato, NPB infielder and manager (d. 1981)
- 1911 - Charlie Puckett, Baseball Australia Hall of Fame (d. 2002)
- 1911 - George Wolfman, college coach (d. 1983)
- 1913 - Pedro Pages, Negro League outfielder
- 1914 - Milt Gray, catcher (d. 1969)
- 1915 - Mark Scott, actor (d. 1960)
- 1919 - Bill Cash, Negro League catcher (d. 2011)
- 1924 - Lloyd Hittle, pitcher (d. 2012)
- 1925 - Jack Ramsay, college coach
- 1936 - Ted Savage, outfielder
- 1940 - Doug Gallagher, pitcher
- 1942 - Fred Newman, pitcher (d. 1987)
- 1943 - Jack Billingham, pitcher; All-Star
- 1943 - Joe Foy, infielder (d. 1989)
- 1944 - Atsushi Nagaike, NPB outfielder
- 1945 - Kosuke Maeda, NPB pitcher
- 1945 - Tom Shopay, outfielder
- 1947 - Terry Ley, pitcher
- 1947 - Charlie Walters, pitcher
- 1948 - Bill Slayback, pitcher
- 1953 - Rick Lysander, pitcher
- 1958 - Alan Trammell, infielder, manager; All-Star
- 1959 - Francisco Cruz, Nicaraguan national team pitcher
- 1961 - Joel Skinner, catcher, manager
- 1962 - Emilio Carrasquel, scout
- 1963 - Jim Olander, outfielder
- 1965 - Oscar Azocar, outfielder (d. 2010)
- 1969 - John Moore, Australian national team catcher-outfielder
- 1970 - Javier Delahoya, minor league pitcher
- 1971 - Jeff Schmidt, pitcher
- 1975 - Brandon Berger, outfielder
- 1977 - Chad Hutchinson, pitcher
- 1978 - Jon Cahill, minor league infielder and manager
- 1978 - Rene Reyes, outfielder
- 1979 - Yosnel Garcia, minor league catcher
- 1980 - Hyun-gon Lee, KBO infielder
- 1980 - Henry Yap, Great Britain national team infielder
- 1980 - Ian Young, Great Britain national team infielder
- 1981 - Adam Greenberg, outfielder
- 1981 - Tsuyoshi Wada, NPB pitcher
- 1982 - Edwin Bellorin, catcher
- 1983 - Franklin Gutierrez, outfielder/designated hitter
- 1983 - Kenny Holmberg, minor league infielder
- 1983 - Chris Nowak, minor league infielder
- 1983 - Steve Sakosits, college coach
- 1984 - Víctor Almengor, Panamanian national team catcher
- 1985 - Matthew Brown, minor league player
- 1986 - Bob Buskett, Chinese national team coach
- 1986 - Orlando Yntema, minor league pitcher
- 1987 - Mike Gedman, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Chih-Hsien Chiang, minor league infielder
- 1988 - Tyler Lyons, pitcher
- 1988 - Max Sapp, minor league catcher
- 1990 - Hao Chen, Chinese national team outfielder
- 1990 - Jack Marder, minor league utility man
- 1991 - Paola Rosa, Puerto Rican womens' national team infielder
[edit] Deaths
- 1901 - Dennis Driscoll, infielder (b. 1862)
- 1914 - Farmer Vaughn, catcher (b. 1864)
- 1918 - Joe Fogarty, outfielder (b. 1864)
- 1927 - Ike Rockenfield, infielder (b. 1876)
- 1932 - John Peters, catcher (b. 1893)
- 1934 - Doc Adkins, pitcher (b. 1872)
- 1934 - Jim Roxburgh, catcher (b. 1858)
- 1938 - George Merritt, outfielder (b. 1880)
- 1940 - John Taber, pitcher (b. 1868)
- 1941 - Frank Corridon, pitcher (b. 1880)
- 1944 - Jack Enzenroth, catcher (b. 1885)
- 1945 - Paul Radford, outfielder (b. 1861)
- 1946 - Bill Cunningham, infielder (b. 1888)
- 1948 - Irv Ray, infielder (b. 1864)
- 1953 - Buck Freeman, pitcher (b. 1893)
- 1953 - Andy Lotshaw, minor league outfielder and infielder (b. 1880)
- 1959 - Hunter Hill, infielder (b. 1879)
- 1969 - Eddie Murphy, outfielder (b. 1891)
- 1970 - Tom Carey, infielder (b. 1906)
- 1970 - Joe Shaute, pitcher (b. 1899)
- 1972 - Phil Hensiek, pitcher (b. 1901)
- 1973 - Gilly Campbell, catcher (b. 1908)
- 1975 - Steve Filipowicz, outfielder (b. 1921)
- 1978 - Slicker Parks, pitcher (b. 1895)
- 1982 - Ray Shearer, outfielder (b. 1929)
- 1989 - Chet Ross, outfielder (b. 1917)
- 1998 - John Lennon, minor league player (b. 1937)
- 1999 - George Gill, pitcher (b. 1909)
- 1999 - Vinegar Bend Mizell, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1930)
- 2002 - Bill Faul, pitcher (b. 1940)
- 2003 - Rusty Peters, infielder (b. 1914)
- 2006 - Scott Breeden, coach (b. 1937)
- 2006 - Mark Freeman, pitcher (b. 1930)
- 2007 - Sherman Jones, pitcher (b. 1935)
- 2010 - George Strickland, infielder, manager (b. 1926)
- 2012 - Yasuhiko Kawamura, NPB pitcher (b. 1940)
