February 27

Events, births and deaths that occurred on February 27.

[edit] Events

• 1886 - The Cincinnati Red Stockings of the American Association are sold by Aaron Stern to Louis Huack, a wealthy brewer and banker.
• 1895 - Responding to the complaints of senior citizens like Cap Anson, the National League restricts the size of gloves for all fielders, save catchers and first basemen, to 10 ounces, with a maximum circumference of 14 inches around the palm. In other words, less than 4 1/2 inches across. The NL also rescinds the rule forbidding "intentional discoloring" of the ball, thus allowing players to dirty the baseball to their satisfaction.
• 1901 - The National League Rules Committee decrees that all foul balls are to count as strikes, except after two strikes. To cut the cost of lost foul balls, the committee urges that batsmen who foul off good strikes are to be disciplined. The American League will not adopt this rule for several years. Other new rules: catchers must play within 10 feet of the batter; a ball will be called if the pitcher does not throw to a ready and waiting batter within 20 seconds, and players using indecent or improper language will be banished by the umpire. A ball will be called when a batter is hit by a pitch, but, in a mail vote, the owners will rescind this in April, and a HBP will earn a batter first base.
• 1907 - The New York Highlanders acquire catcher Branch Rickey from the St. Louis Browns in exchange for infielder Joe Yeager. The religiously-observant Rickey will not play on Sundays, while new catcher Fritz Buelow will.
• 1908:
  • The sacrifice fly rule is adopted. No time at bat is charged if a run scores after the catch of a fly ball. The rule will be repealed in 1931, then reinstated (or changed) several times before gaining permanent acceptance in 1954.
  • In Fullerton, California, Washington Senators pitcher Walter Johnson is operated on for an infection of the mastoid area behind the right ear. The doctors remove a section of the bone, and the recuperation will keep Johnson sidelined until late May.
• 1909 - The New York Giants release pitcher Joe McGinnity, despite his 11-7 record in 1908. The move ends his 10-year major league career. McGinnity finishes with a 246-142 record and 2.66 ERA. In 1946, McGinnity will win election to the Hall of Fame.
• 1931:
  • Finally cut loose by the New York Giants, for whom he refused to play in 1930 in a season-long holdout over salary terms, two-time National League batting champ Edd Roush returns to the Cincinnati Reds.
  • E.S. Barnard, recently reappointed American League president, dies at 57. He had succeeded Ban Johnson in 1927.
• 1935 - Babe Ruth signs a contract with the Boston Braves. Released by the New York Yankees only one day earlier, Ruth will serve the Braves as a player, coach, and team vice-president.
• 1937 - The Negro American League announces the schedule for its inaugural season.
• 1948 - Newly elected to the Hall of Fame are Herb Pennock and Pie Traynor. Needing 91 votes for selection, Pennock, who died a month before, gets 94 votes, and Traynor 93. Just missing are Al Simmons, Charlie Gehringer and Bill Terry.
• 1956 - The Piedmont League disbands after 37 years in operation.
• 1962 - An architect offers a proposal to encase Candlestick Park in a plastic screen "saran cloth" to shield it from the wind.
• 1963 - The Cleveland Indians trade outfielder Chuck Essegian to the Kansas City Athletics for pitcher Jerry Walker.
• 1973 - Chicago White Sox first baseman Dick Allen signs a three-year deal worth $250,000 per season, the richest contract in major league history. Allen won the American League MVP Award in 1972 after leading the league in home runs, runs batted in, and slugging percentage.
• 1984 - The San Francisco Giants send pitcher Fred Breining and outfielder Max Venable to the Montreal Expos in exchange for first baseman Al Oliver. Because Breining is found to be injured, the Giants will send pitcher Andy McGaffigan to Montreal on March 31st to complete the trade.
• 1985 - Infielder Toby Harrah, an original Texas Rangers member, is traded by the Yankees to Texas for outfielder Billy Sample and a player to be named later.
• 1986 - Nine days after being arrested on drug possession charges for the second time in a month, San Diego Padres pitcher LaMarr Hoyt checks into a drug rehabilitation program and will miss most of the Padres' spring training. Hoyt was 16-8 with a 3.47 ERA last season.
• 1988 - The Baltimore Orioles trade third baseman Ray Knight to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for pitcher Mark Thurmond.
• 1989 - Washington State University first baseman John Olerud undergoes brain surgery for the removal of an aneurysm. The left-handed first baseman had collapsed on January 11th after a workout. As a result of the aneurysm, he will wear a helmet at all times while on the playing field. Olerud will go on to enjoy a successful 17-season major league career with the Blue Jays, Mets, Mariners, Yankees and Red Sox, winning a batting title in 1993 and two All-Star berths.
• 1990 - The Special Veterans Committee fails to elect a single player to the Hall of Fame for the second time in three years.
• 2002:
  • The sale of the Boston Red Sox to a group headed by John Henry becomes official.
  • The Houston Astros buy back the stadium naming rights to Enron Field from bankrupt Enron for $2.1 million. The stadium will be known as "Astros Field" until the rights are resold.
• 2003 - The new Hall of Fame Veterans selection committee, made up of mostly Hall of Famers, fails to select any of the 41 players, executives and umpires being considered. Former Dodgers first baseman Gil Hodges is 11 votes shy of the 75 percent needed for induction receiving 50 votes of 81 cast (61.7%).
• 2010:
  • Spain's Division Honor becomes the first "summer" league to kick off its season. Highlights include a doubleheader sweep by defending champion Marlins Puerto Cruz and a 14-strikeout debut in Spain by Junior Guerra, a former minor leaguer and member of the Venezuelan national team.
  • The Cardinals sign free agent infielder Felipe Lopez to a one-year deal. He had played for the Cards in 2008 before splitting 2009 between Arizona and Milwaukee.
• 2011:
  • The "Duke of Flatbush", Hall of Famer Duke Snider dies in Escondido, CA at age 84. Snider was a power-hitting centerfielder for the great Brooklyn Dodgers teams of the 1950s and is immortalized in Terry Cashman's song "Willie, Mickey and the Duke".
  • The Division Honor begins its season. Former Marlins farmhand Ricardo Hernandez fans 17 for FC Barcelona in a no-hitter in his Spanish debut, shutting down the Astros Valencia.
• 2012 - The A's get some bad news when tests on the injured knee of 3B Scott Sizemore reveal a torn ligament, leaving the team without its starter at the hot corner for the entire season. He will undergo surgery once the swelling in his knee subsides.

[edit] Births

• 1858 - Joe Ardner, infielder (d. 1935)
• 1869 - Howard Earl, outfielder (d. 1916)
• 1877 - Walter Briggs, owner (d. 1952)
• 1877 - Art Goodwin, pitcher (d. 1943)
• 1881 - Walter Moser, pitcher (d. 1946)
• 1882 - Art McGovern, catcher (d. 1915)
• 1889 - Cy Pfirman, umpire (d. 1937)
• 1892 - Tatsuo Saeki, high school official; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1980)
• 1894 - Bob Cone, pitcher (d. 1955)
• 1896 - Will Koenigsmark, pitcher (d. 1972)
• 1896 - Cy Perkins, catcher, manager (d. 1963)
• 1899 - Pat McNulty, outfielder (d. 1963)
• 1902 - Roy Hutson, outfielder (d. 1957)
• 1904 - Chick Fullis, outfielder (d. 1946)
• 1904 - Bud Teachout, pitcher (d. 1985)
• 1906 - Leroy Herrmann, pitcher (d. 1972)
• 1907 - Hilton Smith Hall of Famer (d. 1983)
• 1916 - Don Hanski, infielder (d. 1957)
• 1917 - Rube Melton, pitcher (d. 1971)
• 1919 - Bill Capps, minor league infielder and manager (d. 2000)
• 1919 - Buck Elliott, minor league outfielder (d. 1995)
• 1919 - Johnny Pesky, infielder, manager; All-Star (d. 2012)
• 1920 - Bud Heslet, minor league outfielder (d. 2012)
• 1920 - Connie Ryan, infielder, manager; All-Star (d. 1996)
• 1933 - Sammy Taylor, catcher
• 1936 - Evans Killeen, pitcher
• 1937 - Carl Warwick, outfielder
• 1946 - Shinsaburo Tsuboi, NPB infielder
• 1947 - Dave Grangaard, minor league infielder
• 1949 - Mickey Bowers, minor league outfielder and manager
• 1949 - John Wockenfuss, catcher
• 1952 - Henry Cruz, outfielder
• 1953 - Ron Hassey, catcher
• 1953 - Gary Melson, minor league pitcher
• 1959 - Yukio Tanaka, NPB pitcher
• 1961 - Kang-don Lee, KBO outfielder
• 1962 - Greg Cadaret, pitcher
• 1965 - John Savage, college coach
• 1966 - Chris Howard, catcher
• 1966 - Pete Smith, pitcher
• 1968 - Matt Stairs, outfielder
• 1969 - Willie Banks, pitcher
• 1971 - Ned Darley, minor league pitcher
• 1971 - Erskine Kelley, minor league outfielder
• 1974 - Cliff Politte, pitcher
• 1977 - Craig Monroe, outfielder
• 1979 - Matt Teahen, minor league infielder
• 1980 - John Hattig, infielder
• 1981 - Alex Derhak, minor league catcher
• 1981 - Chih-Kang Kao, CPBL catcher
• 1981 - Pat Osborn, minor league player
• 1982 - Brad Marcelino, Hoofdklasse outfielder
• 1983 - Christopher Jones, minor league player
• 1983 - Anthony Seratelli, minor league infielder
• 1983 - Wolfgang Strini, Austrian national team pitcher
• 1984 - Scott Mathieson, pitcher
• 1984 - Anibal Sanchez, pitcher
• 1984 - Denard Span, outfielder
• 1986 - Tim Flattery, minor league pitcher
• 1986 - Yovani Gallardo, pitcher; All-Star
• 1986 - Jansy Infante, minor league player
• 1986 - Ji-young Lee, KBO catcher
• 1986 - James Parr, pitcher
• 1989 - Dwain Fox, Nicaraguan national team infielder
• 1990 - Carlos Triunfel, infielder
• 1991 - Carlos Melo, minor league pitcher
• 1994 - Denis Leonov, Russian national team pitcher

[edit] Deaths

• 1906 - John Peltz, outfielder (b. 1861)
• 1924 - Tom Lynch, umpire; executive (b. 1859)
• 1926 - Otis Clymer, outfielder (b. 1876)
• 1928 - Walt Schulz, pitcher (b. 1900)
• 1934 - Frank Shannon, infielder (b. 1873)
• 1947 - Jack Calhoun, infielder (b. 1879)
• 1947 - Ensign Cottrell, pitcher (b. 1888)
• 1952 - Julio Molina, minor league pitcher; Salon de la Fama (b. 1892)
• 1953 - Barney Wolfe, pitcher (b. 1876)
• 1960 - Al Lang, minor league executive (b. ~1870)
• 1963 - Lefty Schegg, pitcher (b. 1889)
• 1964 - Tony Smith, infielder (b. 1884)
• 1978 - Claral Gillenwater, pitcher (b. 1900)
• 1978 - Nig Lipscomb, infielder (b. 1911)
• 1979 - Fred Ankenman, minor league executive (b. 1887)
• 1981 - Pepper Bassett, Negro League catcher (b. 1919)
• 1988 - Doug Holmquist, coach (b. 1941)
• 1990 - Vern Freiburger, infielder (b. 1923)
• 1990 - Jesse Williams, Negro League infielder (b. 1913)
• 1996 - Vic Janowicz, catcher (b. 1930)
• 2000 - Lyle Olsen, minor league infielder (b. 1929)
• 2002 - Dykes Potter, pitcher (b. 1910)
• 2011 - Duke Snider, Outfielder, All-Star, Hall of Famer (b. 1926)