January 11

Events, births and deaths that occurred on January 11.

[edit] Events

• 1881 - The first of a series of Tuesday games on ice is played in Chicago, Illinois, using professional and amateur players. These games will be a regular winter feature.
• 1909 - The National Commission approves owner Charles Murphy's payment of a $10,000 bonus to his Chicago Cubs players for their 1908 World Series triumph.
• 1913 - With the Philadelphia Phillies franchise in disarray following the expulsion of President Horace Fogel, William H. Locke and his cousin William F. Baker buy the club.
• 1915 - Jacob Ruppert and Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston buy the New York Yankees from Frank Farrell and Bill Devery for $460,000. Ruppert, who owns a brewery, is thinking of renaming the team the "Knickerbockers" to promote his product, but is dissuaded by newspaper men.
• 1926 - The Pacific Coast League shifts two franchises, moving the Vernon Tigers to San Francisco, where they become the Mission Reds, and the Salt Lake Bees from Utah to Hollywood, where they become the Hollywood Stars.
• 1932 - Bill Terry sends his $13,500 contract back to the New York Giants, telling writers he is "thoroughly disgusted." Terry, who just missed the National League batting title, led the league in runs (121) and triples (20), and collected a second-best 254 hits, was offered a $9,000 cut from his 1931 contract of $22,500. The Giants counter by saying that the combined salaries of Chick Hafey and Jim Bottomley, the two Cardinals who joined Terry in the batting race, is only $24,000. Hafey, the champion bat, finished with 0.34888 ahead Terry (0.34860) and Bottomley (.34816).
• 1934 - The St. Louis Cardinals send catcher Bob O'Farrell and pitcher Syl Johnson to the Philadelphia Phillies for pitcher Glenn Spencer and cash. The Phillies immediately name O'Farrell as player-manager.
• 1949 - The Story Quarry site is selected as the site for the new Milwaukee County Stadium. Construction will begin on October 19, 1950.
• 1955:
  • Before an exhibition game in San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays and teammate pitcher Ruben Gómez get into a brawl. It starts when Gómez slips into the batting cage ahead of Mays, and batting practice pitcher Milt Ralat then refuses to throw. The sulking Gómez sits down on the plate, and Mays then steps to the side and directs the pitcher to throw to him there. Ralat then throws an insulting slow pitch which Mays barehands and fires back. Mays and Ralat exchange words and when Mays walks towards the mound, Gómez, brandishing a bat, attempts to interfere. Mays drops him with a right. The two later apologize to each other.
  • The St. Louis Cardinals trade P Ben Wade to the Pittsburgh Pirates for P Paul LaPalme.
• 1958 - US Representatives Kenneth Keating and Patrick Hillings drop their plan to bring baseball under the nation's antitrust laws.
• 1960 - The Philadelphia Phillies send outfielder Richie Ashburn to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for infielders Alvin Dark and Jim Woods, and pitcher John Buzhardt.
• 1965 - Wally Pipp, the predecessor of Lou Gehrig at first base for the New York Yankees, dies in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Pipp, who, as legend has it, had asked out of the Yankees lineup with a headache in 1925 (in fact he had been beaned in a previous game), was 71 years old. After giving way to Gehrig, Pipp never again played a game at first base for New York.
• 1968:
  • Ewing Kauffman becomes owner of the new Kansas City Royals club of the American League.
  • In a trade of outfielders, the St. Louis Cardinals send Alex Johnson to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Dick Simpson.
• 1969 - The Chicago Cubs acquire veteran reliever Ted Abernathy from the Cincinnati Reds for three minor league players. The trade marks the return of the side-arming Abernathy to Chicago, where he led the National League with 31 saves in 1965.
• 1971 - 27-year-old Detroit Tigers reliever John Hiller suffers chest pains that doctors will later diagnose as a heart attack. Hiller will miss the entire 1971 season but will make an incredible comeback in 1973, saving a then major league record 38 games.
• 1973:
  • Major League owners approve one of the game's most controversial rules: the designated hitter. The owners decide to allow American League teams to implement the rule on an experimental three-year basis, but the rule will become a permanent addition to the AL while the National League never adopts it.
  • Attorney Louis Nippert assumes control of the Cincinnati Reds when he purchases 51% of the stock from the Gamble and Williams families. Nippert was part of the group that bought the Reds in 1966.
• 1977 - The Chicago Cubs trade outfielder Rick Monday to the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of a five-man deal that brings Bill Buckner and Ivan DeJesus to the Windy City. In 1976, Monday gained national fame when he saved an American flag from being burned during a game in Los Angeles. The trade solidifies the Cubs infield for the next five years, and Buckner will hit .300 for the team over the next seven seasons, but the Dodgers will win three National League pennants in that span, with Monday a major contributor.
• 1983:
  • The New York Yankees name Billy Martin their manager for the third time in eight years. Martin takes over for Clyde King, who is bumped up to the Yankees' front office. Martin will lead the team to a record of 91-71 this season.
  • Ellis Burks is one of the few good players to be drafted and also signed in the January free agent draft. Burks is picked in the first round by the Red Sox as the Yankees pick and sign a Canseco, Ozzie, with their fourth pick.
• 1993 - The Rev. Jesse Jackson tells baseball owners that unless a plan to hire more minorities for front-office jobs is in place by April 5th, he will call for selective boycotts.
• 1997 - Free agent pitcher Steve Avery is signed by the Boston Red Sox.
• 1999 - The Milwaukee Brewers sign free agent outfielder Rich Becker to a contract.
• 2000:
  • Bob Lemon dies at the age of 79. Lemon was a seven-time 20-game winner with the Cleveland Indians. He teamed with Bob Feller, Early Wynn and Mike Garcia to form one of the game's greatest starting rotations. In 1954, Lemon went 23-7 and helped the Indians to a 111-win season. In 1970, Lemon became a major league manager for the first time when he assumed leadership of the Kansas City Royals. He later managed the Chicago White Sox before enjoying his greatest success with the New York Yankees. On July 25, 1978, Lemon replaced Billy Martin and helped the Yankees orchestrate a miraculous comeback. Under Lemon's calming hand, the Yankees won their second straight World Championship that year. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1976.
  • Carlton Fisk, in his second year of eligibility, and Tony Perez, on his ninth try, are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
• 2001 - David Cone agrees to a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox. The former Cy Young Award winner could make between $4 million and $5 million with Boston, compared to $500,000 guaranteed-offer made by the Yankees, if he makes the roster and pitches regularly during the season. He will win just 9 games in 25 starts.
• 2002:
  • After a one-year experiment, the Baltimore Orioles plan to return Camden Yards to its original dimensions by moving in the fences. The team, which hit only 58 homers at home - 44 less than in the previous season, said the fences are returning to their initial distances because the new configuration "adversely affected the viewing angle of the batter's eye."
  • Two free agent pitchers sign one-year contracts, Todd Jones with the Colorado Rockies and Shigetoshi Hasegawa with the Seattle Mariners.
• 2005 - The Arizona Diamondbacks trade five-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson to the New York Yankees in a three-team deal that includes the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shawn Green, Javier Vazquez and Dioner Navarro also move in the transaction. Arizona receives Vazquez, Navarro and Brad Halsey from the Yankees, and later sends Navarro and three minor league prospects to Los Angeles for Green.
• 2006: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays agree to a $1.4 million, two-year contract with Japanese relief pitcher Shinji Mori, who was posted earlier in the year. He will never pitch in the major leagues, however.
• 2008 - The Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame announces its three newest members. Slugger Koji Yamamoto of the Hiroshima Carp and pitcher Tsuneo Horiuchi of the Yomiuri Giants are chosen as well as amateur star Seiichi Shima, who was killed in World War II.
• 2010:
  • After years of rumors and speculation which have stalled his candidacy for the Hall of Fame, retired slugger Mark McGwire comes clean in an interview, confirming that he was a user of steroids and human growth hormone starting in 1990, including during his record-setting 1998 season. He had refused to broach the subject when called before a Congressional committee hearing in March, 2005, but decides to speak to the media a few months after accepting a position as hitting coach with the St. Louis Cardinals.
  • 21-year-old Cuban lefthanded pitching star Aroldis Chapman signs a 6-year, $30.25 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds after weeks of auditioning for a number of interested teams. Chapman defected in July, before taking part in the 2009 World Port Tournament and established residency in Andorra, making him a free agent. The package offered by the Reds is comparable to that given by the Washington Nationals to Stephen Strasburg, the top pick in the 2009 amateur draft.
• 2011:
  • Trevor Hoffman, who staked his claim as the all-time saves leader in the majors thanks to an outstanding change-up, announces his retirement after 18 seasons. He recorded his 600th save with the Brewers last season, and retires with 601, but had a tough year overall and found little interest in his services for next season. He will not hold the saves record for long, however, as Mariano Rivera has 559 and will pass him before the end of the coming season.
  • The Tigers sign P Brad Penny to a one-year contract. A back injury ended his last season prematurely after he had pitched well for the Cardinals in the early going.
  • Roberto De Franceschi, Italy's all-time leader in hits, games played and doubles, announces his retirement at age 45 after 27 years. The two-time Olympian had spent most of his career with Nettuno and transitioned into a role as their hitting coach upon retirement.
• 2012:
  • Three new members are picked for the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. Yutaka Ono, a 10-time All-Star and the Sawamura Award winner in 1988, is selected, as is Yoshiro Sotokoba, a five-time All-Star who was 131-138 on mostly bad teams. Sotokoba shared the Nippon Pro Baseball record for career no-hitters (3). The final selection is 1940s high school star Kazuo Fukushima.
  • The Astros­ claim former top prospect, OF Fernando Martinez, on waivers from the Mets; multiple injuries and chronic knee problems have prevented Martinez from reaching his potential.
  • The Yankees sign OF Preston Mattingly, the son of franchise great Don Mattingly, to a minor league contract. Ironically, Preston was under employ of the Dodgers, the team his father is now managing.
  • In other signings, the Cardinals add C Koyie Hill and the Mariners sign 8-time Pacific League All-Star infielder Munenori Kawasaki to a minor league deal. Kawasaki says he accepted such a lowly deal in order to play alongside Ichiro Suzuki, his teammate on the Japanese national team.

[edit] Births

• 1859 - George Pinkney, infielder (d. 1926)
• 1867 - Bill Niles, infielder (d. 1936)
• 1868 - Silver King, pitcher (d. 1938)
• 1876 - Elmer Flick, outfielder; Hall of Famer (d. 1971)
• 1877 - Ed Murphy, pitcher (d. 1935)
• 1879 - Harry McIntire, pitcher (d. 1949)
• 1884 - Art Watson, catcher (d. 1950)
• 1888 - Skipper Roberts, catcher (d. 1963)
• 1888 - Bobby Stow, minor league infielder (d. 1963)
• 1890 - Max Carey, outfielder, manager; Hall of Famer (d. 1976)
• 1890 - Mickey Keliher, infielder (d. 1930)
• 1890 - George Trautman, minor league executive (d. 1963)
• 1892 - Don Eugenio Garza Sada, minor league executive; Salon de la Fama (d. 1973)
• 1895 - Paddy Driscoll, infielder (d. 1968)
• 1898 - Gene Lansing, pitcher (d. 1945)
• 1899 - Alvin Crowder, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1972)
• 1900 - Lefty Taber, pitcher (d. 1983)
• 1901 - George McNamara, outfielder (d. 1990)
• 1910 - Schoolboy Rowe, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1961)
• 1911 - Roy Hughes, infielder (d. 1995)
• 1915 - Dutch Mele, outfielder (d. 1975)
• 1918 - Ernie Andres, infielder (d. 2008)
• 1918 - Al Gardella, infielder (d. 2006)
• 1919 - Lou Rochelli, infielder (d. 1992)
• 1921 - Al Kvasnak, outfielder (d. 2002)
• 1922 - Neil Berry, infielder
• 1923 - Frank Fanovich, pitcher (d. 2011)
• 1928 - Loren Babe, infielder (d. 1984)
• 1928 - Carl Powis, outfielder (d. 1999)
• 1929 - Don Mossi, pitcher; All-Star
• 1929 - Arnulfo Rodríguez, minor league executive; Salon de la Fama (d. 1982)
• 1932 - Gene Cook, minor league executive (d. 2002)
• 1936 - Masahiko Oishi, NPB pitcher
• 1937 - Jack Curtis, pitcher
• 1939 - Arnoldo Castro, minor league infielder; Salon de la Fama
• 1940 - Hank Fischer, pitcher
• 1942 - Danny Napoleon, outfielder (d. 2003)
• 1944 - Frank Baker, outfielder (d. 2010)
• 1944 - Jim McAndrew, pitcher
• 1948 - Rick Henninger, pitcher
• 1948 - Glenn Redmon, infielder
• 1951 - Jack Zduriencik, scout
• 1953 - Stan Meek, minor league pitcher
• 1955 - Dan Norman, outfielder
• 1955 - Rocket Wheeler, minor league infielder and manager
• 1957 - Koju Hirohashi, NPB infielder
• 1959 - Lloyd McClendon, outfielder, manager
• 1961 - Bill Wrona, minor league infielder
• 1962 - Donn Pall, pitcher
• 1965 - Terry Gilmore, minor league pitcher
• 1967 - Nikco Riesgo, outfielder
• 1968 - Rafael Chaves, coach
• 1968 - Ben Rivera, pitcher
• 1969 - Manny Acta, manager
• 1970 - Antonio Grissom, minor league outfielder
• 1971 - Alex Delgado, catcher
• 1972 - Jermaine Allensworth, outfielder
• 1972 - Scott Metcalf, minor league infielder
• 1973 - Wonderful Monds, minor league outfielder
• 1974 - Cody McKay, catcher
• 1974 - Warren Morris, infielder
• 1977 - Rick Guttormson, NPB and minor league pitcher
• 1978 - Greg Aquino, pitcher
• 1980 - Maikel Folch, Cuban league pitcher
• 1980 - Yaile Luis, Cuban womens' national team outfielder
• 1981 - Habelito Hernández, minor league infielder
• 1985 - Dennis Dixon, minor league outfielder
• 1985 - Frank Montieth, Cuban league pitcher
• 1986 - Joshua Johnson, minor league infielder
• 1987 - Brad Agustin, minor league infielder
• 1989 - Jong-wook Ko, South Korean national team outfielder
• 1990 - Danny Salazar, minor league player
• 1992 - Scott Ronnenbergh, minor league pitcher

[edit] Deaths

• 1912 - Lefty Marr, outfielder (b. 1862)
• 1914 - Walt Goldsby, outfielder (b. 1861)
• 1922 - Miah Murray, catcher (b. 1865)
• 1929 - Mike Golden, outfielder (b. 1851)
• 1936 - Turkey Gross, infielder (b. 1896)
• 1945 - Harry McNeal, pitcher (b. 1878)
• 1951 - Bill Wagner, catcher (b. 1894)
• 1953 - Doc Moskiman, infielder (b. 1878)
• 1954 - Sumner Bowman, pitcher (b. 1867)
• 1955 - George Muehlebach, minor league owner (b. ????)
• 1961 - Lionel Rodgers, minor league player (b. ????)
• 1965 - Babe Peebles, minor league player and manager (b. 1885)
• 1965 - Wally Pipp, infielder (b. 1893)
• 1968 - George Hunter, outfielder (b. 1887)
• 1969 - Ollie Fuhrman, catcher (b. 1896)
• 1970 - Eddie Glinnen, minor league player (b. 1948)
• 1973 - Rivington Bisland, infielder (b. 1890)
• 1973 - Doc Hamann, pitcher (b. 1900)
• 1977 - Stuart Holcomb, general manager (b. 1910)
• 1986 - Grover Resinger, coach (b. 1915)
• 1992 - Orville Jorgens, pitcher (b. 1908)
• 1993 - Frank Quinn, pitcher (b. 1927)
• 1994 - Joe Sprinz, catcher (b. 1902)
• 1994 - Lucas Turk, pitcher (b. 1898)
• 1997 - Carol Habben, AAGPBL outfielder (b. 1933)
• 1997 - Stu Martin, infielder; All-Star (b. 1913)
• 1997 - Jerry Neudecker, umpire (b. 1930)
• 1998 - Joe Becker, catcher (b. 1908)
• 1999 - Jim Dyck, outfielder (b. 1922)
• 2000 - Bob Lemon, pitcher, manager; All-Star, Hall of Famer (b. 1920)
• 2003 - Durwood Merrill, umpire (b. 1938)
• 2009 - Red Rush, announcer (b. 1927)
• 2009 - Joe Caputo, minor league pitcher (b. 1932)
• 2010 - Edward Scott, scout (b. 1917)
• 2013 - Fred Talbot, pitcher (b. 1941)