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January 23
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 January 23.
[edit] Events
- 1881 - Third baseman Jerry Denny is feted at a benefit in his hometown of San Francisco, CA just before he leaves for the East Coast to launch a professional career that will last into the 20th century.
- 1887 - In Alameda, California, Dave Foutz and a touring team based in Louisville are accused of throwing a game against another touring team of Eastern pros. These exhibitions and the local California League competition are making for a lively winter in the San Francisco Bay Area.
- 1888 - Harry Spence is hired to manage the Indianapolis Hoosiers of the National League.
- 1912 - The Imperial Japanese Army announces it will send a baseball team to the Philippines to play with American soldiers; a U.S. team may go to Japan.
- 1921 - The Pittsburgh Pirates obtain veteran SS Rabbit Maranville from Boston. They give up OF Billy Southworth, OF Fred Nicholson, IF Walter Barbare, and $15,000.
- 1927 - In the continuing clash between Commissioner Kenesaw Landis and American League President Ban Johnson, the AL owners are prepared to censure Johnson. But his serious health problems convince them to change their stance and Johnson is given an indefinite leave of absence instead. Detroit Tigers President Frank Navin takes over control of the league on an interim basis and the owners adopt a resolution repudiating the charges that Johnson made against Landis.
- 1928 - Alfonso (Chico) Carrasquel is born in Caracas, Venezuela. Carrasquel, the first in a great line of Venezuelan shortstops that includes Luis Aparicio, Dave Concepción, Ozzie Guillen and Omar Vizquel, will become the first Hispanic to appear in an All-Star Game, in 1951, at Briggs Stadium.
- 1932 - The Brooklyn Dodgers acquire slugger Hack Wilson from the St. Louis Cardinals. Wilson, who costs only $45,000 and a minor league pitcher, will sign for $16,500, half his previous year's salary. He will hit .297 with 23 home runs and 123 RBI for Brooklyn this season.
- 1950 - The Associated Press picks the 1914 Miracle Braves as the greatest sports upset in the 20th century.
- 1951 - Guido Rujo sells his interest in the Boston Braves to co-partners Lou Perini and Treasurer Joe Many.
- 1956 - Hall of Fame umpire Billy Evans dies in Miami, Florida, at the age of 71. Evans began his major league umpiring career in 1906, when he was only 22 years old.
- 1958 - The Washington Senators trade shortstop Pete Runnels to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for first baseman Norm Zauchin and outfielder Albie Pearson. Runnels will win two batting titles, in 1960 and 1962, and just miss a third by six points this season.
- 1962:
- Pitcher Bob Feller and infielder Jackie Robinson are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America in their first year of eligibility.
- Lawyer Melvin Belli wins a breach-of-warranty suit against the San Francisco Giants on the grounds that his box seat at Candlestick Park is too cold. Belli's suit contends that the seat he bought in 1960, at the cost of $1,597, was supposed to have radiant heating.
- 1967 - The St. Louis Cardinals name future Hall of Famer Stan Musial as their new general manager.
- 1968 - Outfielder Joe Medwick is voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In his brilliant 17-season career Medwick was a .324 hitter with 205 home runs and 1383 RBI. A ten-time All-Star, in 1937 he won the Triple Crown and was named the National League MVP.
- 1975 - Former Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Ralph Kiner gains election to the Hall of Fame in his final year on the ballot. Kiner hit 369 home runs over a 10-year career, leading the National League in home runs each season from 1946 to 1952. In one of the narrowest margins ever, Kiner is elected by just one vote over the 75 per cent minimum required for induction.
- 1979 - Outfielder Willie Mays, considered one of the greatest players of all time, is elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA. Mays garners 409 out of 432 votes and becomes the 14th man to gain election in his first year on the ballot. Mays will be officially inducted on August 5th, along with Veterans Committee selections Warren Giles and Hack Wilson.
- 1981 - The Boston Red Sox trade one-time American League MVP Fred Lynn, along with pitcher Steve Renko, to the California Angels for outfielder Joe Rudi, pitcher Frank Tanana and a minor league prospect.
- 1992 - A group calling itself The Baseball Club of Seattle announces that it will attempt to buy the Mariners for $100 million. Some $75 million of the money will come from Hiroshi Yamauchi, president of Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Osaka, Japan.
- 2010:
- A group headed by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan and including a number of prominent business people from the Dallas, TX-Ft. Worth area purchases the Texas Rangers from Tom Hicks for a price rumored to exceed $500 million. Ryan will continue as team President, while attorney Chuck Greenberg will be managing partner and Chief Executive Officer. The corporation will be known as Rangers Baseball Express, in honor of Ryan's famed fastball. Because of complications caused by Hicks's bankruptcy proceedings, the deal will not be finalized for another six months.
- The Orioles reach a one-year deal worth $6 million with former star shortstop Miguel Tejada. Tejada, who put up great numbers while playing for the Orioles from 2004 to 2007 before being traded to the Houston Astros, will move to third base.
- Two veteran left-handed sluggers are signed today, Jason Giambi by the Colorado Rockies and Matt Stairs by the San Diego Padres. Both have become mainly pinch-hitters by this point of their careers.
- 2011 - The Toros del Este take advantage of three costly errors by the Estrellas Orientales in the 7th inning to score all their runs, winning, 4 - 2, to claim a five-game sweep in their best-of-nine series for the Dominican League championship. Jairo Asencio is the winner, with Julio Manon getting the save, while Eulogio de la Cruz is charged with the loss.
- 2012:
- The Blue Jays ink 44-year-old Omar Vizquel, the all-time major league leader in games played at shortstop, to a minor league contract that will have him compete with Mike McCoy and Luis Valbuena to be the Jays' utility infielder. Meanwhile, the Orioles sign utility player Wilson Betemit to a one-year deal.
- Aragua takes the first game of the Venezuelan League finals, 2 - 0, over La Guaira. Yusmeiro Petit alows only 4 hits over 6 scoreless innings, and C Wilson Ramos opens the scoring with a run-scoring single in the 7th, making a winner of reliever Wilfredo Ledezma; Les Walrond is the hard luck loser.
- 2013:
- Coming off the best season of his career, free agent OF Scott Hairston signs a two-year deal with the Chicago Cubs.
- Caguas moves to within one win of the Puerto Rican League title with a 4 -2 victory over Mayagüez. Michael Nix pitches 6 strong innings while Johnny Monell Jr. hits a two-run homer and Carlos Rivera adds a pair of doubles and scores twice.
- Obregón draws first blood in the Mexican Pacific League finals, scoring three times in the 1st on their way to a 5 - 3 win over Mexicali in Game 1. Luis Mendoza strikes out 11 in picking up the win over Jorge Campillo, while Luis Ayala gets the save. Carlos Valencia has 3 RBI for the winners.
- In the Venezuelan League finals, Magallanes win the opener, 5 - 2, over Lara. World Series MVP Pablo Sandoval opens the scoring by driving in Endy Chavez with a single in the 1st and collects another RBI in the 7th. Chavez and Juan Rivera add solo homers to make a winner of Carlos Zambrano; Ken Ray is tagged with the loss.
[edit] Births
- 1838 - Ben Shibe, owner (d. 1922)
- 1855 - Art Croft, infielder (d. 1884)
- 1867 - Bill Bowman, catcher (d. 1944)
- 1873 - Red Donahue, pitcher (d. 1913)
- 1875 - Carney Flynn, pitcher (d. 1947)
- 1880 - Rip Cannell, outfielder (d. 1948)
- 1880 - Julián Castillo, Negro League infielder (d. 1948)
- 1882 - Fred Winchell, pitcher (d. 1958)
- 1887 - Mack Allison, pitcher (d. 1964)
- 1890 - Ed Barney, outfielder (d. 1967)
- 1890 - Bill Morley, infielder (d. 1985)
- 1891 - Ray Haley, catcher (d. 1973)
- 1891 - Orie Kerlin, catcher (d. 1974)
- 1891 - King Lear, pitcher (d. 1976)
- 1896 - Billy Mullen, infielder (d. 1971)
- 1898 - Speed Walker, infielder (d. 1959)
- 1899 - Haddie Gill, pitcher (d. 1932)
- 1899 - Bill Regan, infielder (d. 1968)
- 1903 - Jack Saltzgaver, infielder (d. 1978)
- 1907 - Bobby Burke, pitcher (d. 1971)
- 1914 - Merv Connors, infielder (d. 2006)
- 1916 - Johnny Sturm, infielder (d. 2004)
- 1918 - Randy Gumpert, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2008)
- 1923 - Cot Deal, pitcher
- 1923 - Hank Stram, college coach (d. 2005)
- 1927 - Jack Quinlan, announcer (d. 1965)
- 1928 - Chico Carrasquel, infielder; All-Star (d. 2005)
- 1930 - Primitivo Colina, Venezuelan national team infielder
- 1930 - Frank Sullivan, pitcher; All-Star
- 1933 - Wally Shannon, infielder (d. 1992)
- 1934 - Joey Amalfitano, infielder, manager
- 1936 - Don Nottebart, pitcher (d. 2007)
- 1938 - Shohei Baba, NPB pitcher (d. 1999)
- 1938 - Bob Moorhead, pitcher (d. 1986)
- 1939 - D.L. Williams, Negro League pitcher (d. 2009)
- 1940 - Dick Burwell, pitcher
- 1944 - Paul Ratliff, catcher
- 1945 - Kinji Shimatani, NPB infielder
- 1947 - Kurt Bevacqua, infielder
- 1951 - Charlie Spikes, outfielder
- 1952 - Koji Ohta, NPB pitcher
- 1954 - Robert Claesson, Elitserien pitcher
- 1954 - Garry Hancock, outfielder
- 1957 - Alfonso Pulido, pitcher
- 1960 - Reggie Ritter, pitcher
- 1962 - Benny Distefano, infielder
- 1962 - Tom Signore, minor league pitcher
- 1963 - Marty Brown, infielder
- 1963 - Keli McGregor, executive (d. 2010)
- 1965 - Cornelio Garcia, minor league infielder
- 1965 - Lonnie Phillips, minor league pitcher
- 1966 - John Massarelli, minor league catcher and manager
- 1968 - Victor Cole, pitcher
- 1969 - Darryl Kennedy, minor league catcher and manager
- 1969 - Mark Merchant, minor league outfielder
- 1970 - Alan Embree, pitcher
- 1970 - Sherman Obando, outfielder
- 1970 - Mark Wohlers, pitcher; All-Star
- 1971 - Charlie Greene, catcher
- 1972 - Mike Murphy, minor league outfielder
- 1974 - Jay Ahrendt, minor league catcher
- 1974 - Erubiel Durazo, designated hitter
- 1974 - Yosvani Pérez Ruiz, Cuban league pitcher
- 1974 - Mark Watson, pitcher
- 1975 - Diego Ricci, Serie A1 pitcher
- 1976 - Andro Cuyugan, Philippines national team outfielder
- 1976 - Brandon Duckworth, pitcher
- 1976 - Michiel van Kampen, Hoofdklasse pitcher
- 1976 - Igor Schiavetti, Italian Baseball League infielder
- 1979 - Chairon Isenia, minor league catcher
- 1979 - Charlie Labrador, Philippines national team pitcher
- 1979 - Juan Rincon, pitcher
- 1982 - Gustavo López, Nicaraguan national team catcher
- 1982 - Ben May, minor league umpire
- 1982 - Wily Mo Pena, outfielder
- 1983 - Saidel Beltran, minor league pitcher
- 1984 - Dennis Kelly, Division Elite infielder
- 1985 - Jeff Samardzija, pitcher
- 1986 - Erin Collins, Australian women's national team pitcher
- 1986 - Carlton Smith, minor league player
- 1986 - Ihsan Ullah, Pakistani national team pitcher
- 1987 - Kyle Cofield, minor league pitcher
- 1987 - Cord Phelps, infielder
- 1987 - Kiel Roling, minor league infielder
- 1987 - Nick Soubiea, Elitserien pitcher
- 1988 - Ricardo Hernandez, minor league pitcher
- 1989 - Robert Carson, pitcher
- 1989 - Jonathan Roof, minor league infielder
- 1991 - Daniel Fields, minor league outfielder
- 1991 - Chad James, minor league pitcher
- 1994 - Addison Russell, minor league infielder
[edit] Deaths
- 1919 - John Newell, infielder (b. 1868)
- 1943 - Farmer Weaver, outfielder (b. 1865)
- 1946 - William Matthews, pitcher (b. 1878)
- 1948 - Frank Doljack, outfielder (b. 1907)
- 1949 - Walt Herrell, pitcher (b. 1889)
- 1955 - Elmer Brown, pitcher (b. 1883)
- 1956 - Billy Evans Hall of Famer (b. 1884)
- 1958 - Harry Baldwin, pitcher (b. 1900)
- 1958 - Walter Lonergan, infielder (b. 1885)
- 1958 - Al Tedrow, pitcher (b. 1891)
- 1968 - Patsy Flaherty, pitcher (b. 1876)
- 1969 - Al Bridwell, infielder (b. 1884)
- 1970 - Bill Conroy, infielder (b. 1899)
- 1972 - Fred Nicholson, outfielder (b. 1894)
- 1973 - Ray Callahan, pitcher (b. 1891)
- 1974 - Spoon Carter, Negro League pitcher (b. 1902)
- 1975 - Heinie Mueller, outfielder (b. 1899)
- 1982 - Jim Hopper, pitcher (b. 1919)
- 1983 - Cookie Cuccurullo, pitcher (b. 1918)
- 1983 - Phil Piton, minor league executive (b. 1903)
- 1988 - Johnny Gee, pitcher (b. 1915)
- 1989 - George Case, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1915)
- 1994 - Stan Landes, umpire (b. 1923)
- 1995 - Saul Rogovin, pitcher (b. 1923)
- 2007 - Dick Joyce, pitcher (b. 1943)
- 2012 - Bill Mardo, writer (b. 1923)
- 2013 - Ed Bouchee, infielder (b. 1933)
