January 9

Events, births and deaths that occurred on January 9.

[edit] Events

• 1890 - Brooklyn is selected by the American Association as a new franchise. Syracuse, Rochester, and Toledo were selected earlier. However, the Brooklyn team will be transferred to Baltimore before the end of the season.
• 1892:
  • Slide, Kelly, Slide, composed by George Gaskin, makes the popular music charts, the first baseball song to do so.
  • Cap Anson is quoted in the New York Clipper as saying that "I don't care if they can't field a little bit. In my experience I have found that a man can be taught to almost stop cannon balls, but it is a very difficult task to teach them to line 'em out."
• 1894 - Boston Beaneaters catcher Charlie Bennett loses both legs in a horrific train accident. In 1900, the Detroit Wolverines, Bennett's first team, will name its ballpark Bennett Park in his honor.
• 1903 - The defunct Baltimore franchise is purchased by Frank Farrell and Bill Devery for $18,000 and moved to Manhattan where they will become the New York Highlanders, who are the ancestors of today's New York Yankees.
• 1908 - The Detroit Tigers name Frank Navin president of the team. The Tigers' home ballpark, Bennett Park, will be re-named "Navin Field", which will later become Tiger Stadium.
• 1915 - The National Commission declares University of Michigan senior George Sisler a free agent after a two-year fight. Pittsburgh Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss claimed rights to Sisler, who had signed a contract as a minor leaguer but never played pro ball. After graduating, Sisler will sign with the St. Louis Browns, managed by his former college coach, Branch Rickey.
• 1918 - The Brooklyn Robins send outfielder Casey Stengel and infielder George Cutshaw to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitchers Burleigh Grimes and Al Mamaux, and infielder Chuck Ward.
• 1927 - In a three-way deal, pitcher Burleigh Grimes goes from the Brooklyn Robins to the New York Giants, catcher Butch Henline goes from the Philadelphia Phillies to Brooklyn, and Giants second baseman Fresco Thompson and pitcher Jack Scott wind up with the Phillies.
• 1928 - The Giants sign Chinese-Hawaiian infielder William "Buck" Lai, to a major league contract. Lai had been signed by the Phillies in 1918 but never appeared in a game, and since then has played in the minors and for the semipro Brooklyn Bushwicks. Alas, he'll be on the Giants for a month but never appear in a game.
• 1952 - the U.S. Marines announce they will recall Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams into active duty to serve in the Korean War. Williams will play briefly during the 1952 season but will not return to the Red Sox lineup on a full-time basis until late in 1953. As a pilot in Korea, Williams will fly 39 missions and will survive a crash-landing brought about by enemy fire.
• 1961:
  • Leo Durocher joins the Los Angeles Dodgers as third base coach. Previously, Durocher managed the Dodgers in Brooklyn and the Giants in New York.
  • The new Minnesota Twins of the American League and the American Association finally agree on a $500,000 indemnity payment to minor league baseball for the Minneapolis/St. Paul territory, ending two months of negotiation.
• 1971 - Hall of Fame outfielder Elmer Flick dies at the age of 94. Flick batted over .300 eight times and won a batting title in 1905. During a 13-year career, Flick stole 330 bases.
• 1974 - Picking first in the January amateur draft, the Texas Rangers select shortstop Roy Smalley, son of 10-year major league veteran SS Roy Smalley and nephew of manager Gene Mauch. Smalley, who dropped out of USC in the fall to make himself eligible, will sign for $100,000.
• 1976 - Charles Ruppert, Giants vice president and son-in-law of Horace Stoneham, announces the sale of the team to a Toronto, ON group for $13.3 million. Outrage by the fans prompts San Francisco mayor George Moscone to get a preliminary injunction preventing the move.
• 1979 - In the January draft, secondary phase, the Phillies take pitcher Mark Davis with the top pick.
• 1980 - Al Kaline and Duke Snider are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Kaline is the 10th player to be elected in his first year of eligibility, while Snider is making his 11th appearance on the ballot.
• 1982 - Former Boston Red Sox OF Tony Conigliaro, in Boston to interview for a broadcasting position, suffers a massive heart attack while riding in a car with his brother, Billy. The 37-year-old Conigliaro, nicknamed "Tony C," falls into a coma and will remain hospitalized until early March.
• 1989:
  • First baseman Bill Terry dies at the age of 92. Terry batted .341 over a 14-year tenure with the New York Giants, including a career-high .401 in 1930. Terry also served as the Giants' manager for 10 seasons, leading the team to three consecutive pennants. He gained election to the Hall of Fame in 1954.
  • Johnny Bench and Carl Yastrzemski are elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA in their first year of eligibility. Bench and Yastrzemski, who faced each other in the classic 1975 World Series, each spent their entire careers (40 years combined) with one club (Cincinnati and Boston, respectively). Bench set new standards for catchers both offensively (348 home runs) and defensively (10 straight Gold Gloves). Yastrzemski hit 452 home runs, collected 3,308 hits, and won the 1967 Triple Crown. Bench is named on 96.4% of the ballots, making Ty Cobb and Hank Aaron the only players to ever receive a higher percentage of the vote.
• 1990:
  • Pitcher Jim Palmer, a three-time American League Cy Young Award winner, and second baseman Joe Morgan, a two-time National League MVP, are elected to the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.
  • A spring training lockout of major league players will begin February 15th unless there is a new agreement, according to an announcement made by the owners. The work stoppage will last 32 days.
• 1991 - Former Padres and Orioles infielder Alan Wiggins dies in a Los Angeles, CA hospital at age 32, reportedly from complications due to AIDS.
• 1994 - Former All-Star pitcher Harvey Haddix dies at the age of 68 from emphysema. Haddix, who won 136 games over a 14-year career, was best known for pitching 12 perfect innings against the Milwaukee Braves in a game in 1959, only to lose in the 13th inning.
• 1996 - Free agent IF Mike Gallego is signed by the Cardinals. In other transactions, Atlanta trades OF Mike Kelly to Cincinnati for minor league pitcher Chad Fox, and Oakland sends P Todd Stottlemyre to the Cardinals in exchange for P Jay Witasick and three prospects.
• 1997 - Free agent outfielder Mark Whiten is signed by the New York Yankees.
• 2001:
  • The Montreal Expos agree to a one-year contract to telecast 55 games this season - 46 on Réseau des sports, 12 on The Sports Network, and three on both. The approximately $2 million pact with French-language RDS ends the year-long local television blackout imposed by owner Jeffrey Loria which resulted in the departure of Dave van Horne, a respected play-by-play announcer, and the loss of the team's main sponsor, Labatt Brewery, which cited the lack of local TV rights as a factor in ending its 15-year relationship with the club.
  • Free agent signings include outfielder Juan Gonzalez by the Cleveland Indians, and catcher Kelly Stinnett and infielder Wilton Guerrero by the Cincinnati Reds.
  • The Chicago White Sox announce that pitcher Bill Simas will miss the entire season following ligament replacement surgery on his elbow last month.
• 2002:
  • Signing a $27 million deal with the Houston Astros, Billy Wagner becomes one of the major leagues' highest-paid relief pitchers. Wagner will get $8 million in each of the next three seasons with a $9 million club option for 2005 with a $3 million buyout clause.
  • Postseason spark plug Craig Counsell signs a three-year, $7.25 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Cut by the Dodgers in 2000, the NLCS MVP played the infield in 141 games for the 2001 World Series champion Diamondbacks.
  • Congressman John Conyers, Jr. of Michigan says Bud Selig should resign because he appeared to violate major league rules in a 1995 loan from a company controlled by the owner of the Minnesota Twins. Conyers, the House Judiciary Committee's ranking Democrat says the loan created an "irreparable conflict of interest" for Selig in his plan to fold two franchises, a proposal that most likely would include the Twins." Selig rejects the suggestion saying, "The suggestions made in your letter are wholly unacceptable."
• 2005 - Center fielder Carlos Beltran becomes the tenth $100 million player in major league history as the 27-year old native of Puerto Rico agrees to a seven-year deal for $119 million with the New York Mets. The five-tool player, who had his market value increase in the postseason by helping the Houston Astros come within a win of the first World Series appearance in franchise history, goes to New York after Houston refuses to include a no-trade clause in their very attractive monetary offer to keep him on the club.
• 2009 - Fu-Te Ni, a member of Taiwan's club in the 2008 Olympics and the 2008 CPBL leader in strikeouts, makes history. Ni becomes the first Chinese Professional Baseball League player to sign a deal directly with a major league team, inking a contract with the Detroit Tigers.
• 2010:
  • The Texas Rangers sign slugger Vladimir Guerrero, who is coming off an injury-filled season with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He is expected to be the starting designated hitter in Texas. The Rangers also sign free agent infielder Khalil Greene to a one-year contract.
  • The Blue Jays acquire P Zach Jackson from the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later.
  • The Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation hands out its awards for 2009. Ryan Murphy, a two-way star for the Konica Minolta Pioniers, is named 2009 Hoofdklasse MVP while Steve Janssen is named Coach of the Year. Benjamin Dille is honored as 2009 Holland Series MVP while Björn Hato wins the Ron Fraser Award given to the top junior player in the Netherlands.
• 2012:
  • Barry Larkin, who spent his entire 19-year career with the Cincinnati Reds, is elected to the Hall of Fame with 86.4% of the vote by the Baseball Writers Association of America in his third year of eligibility. Larkin won the 1995 National League Most Valuable Player Award and was a 12-time All-Star, as well as the first shortstop to join the 30-30 club.
  • The Caribes de Anzoátegui explode for 19 hits in an emphatic 16 - 8 win over the Tigres de Aragua in the Venezuelan League playoffs. Gorkys Hernandez, with a homer, 2 runs and 2 RBI, and Alexi Amarista, with 4 hits, 2 runs and 4 RBI, lead the Caribes' attack against Sergio Perez. Anzoátegui is now 6-1 and leads the 5-team postseason tournament by 2 games.
• 2013:
  • For only the second time since 1971 (the other was in 1996), no one is elected in the BBWAA voting for the Hall of Fame. In what was dubbed the "steroids ballot", because a number of leading contenders for induction were considered by many to be tainted by association with the steroids scandal of the late 1990s and early 2000s, Craig Biggio is the leading vote getter in his first year of eligibility, with 68.2%, followed by Jack Morris, who is down to one final year of eligibility, with 67.7%, with 75% needed for election. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, who would have been elected without a second thought were it not for the taint of steroids, finish well down in the ballot, as voters continue to give a clear message regarding their discomfort with players alleged to have used performance-enhancing drugs.
  • OF Kosuke Fukudome is headed back to Japan after five season in the major leagues, signing a contract with the Hanshin Tigers.
  • The Indians trade P Jeanmar Gomez to Pittsburgh for OF Quincy Latimore.

[edit] Births

• 1854 - Bill Devery, owner (d. 1919)
• 1860 - Frank Olin, outfielder (d. 1951)
• 1868 - Harley Payne, pitcher (d. 1935)
• 1872 - Lem Cross, pitcher (d. 1930)
• 1876 - Barney Wolfe, pitcher (d. 1953)
• 1882 - Jack Bliss, catcher (d. 1968)
• 1885 - George Crable, pitcher
• 1887 - Harry Hoch, pitcher (d. 1981)
• 1888 - Chet Carmichael, pitcher (d. 1960)
• 1892 - Billy Lee, outfielder (d. 1984)
• 1894 - Ira Townsend, pitcher (d. 1965)
• 1895 - Ray French, infielder (d. 1978)
• 1897 - Dave Keefe, pitcher (d. 1978)
• 1898 - Frank Parenti, minor league infielder and manager (d. 1976)
• 1899 - Bill Conroy, infielder (d. 1970)
• 1900 - Frank Barnes, pitcher (d. 1967)
• 1900 - Bud Shaney, minor league pitcher (d. 1982)
• 1903 - Nobuo Fujita, college coach; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1992)
• 1904 - Harry Else, Negro League catcher (d. 1986)
• 1905 - Bill Thomas, minor league pitcher
• 1911 - Jim Tyack, outfielder (d. 1995)
• 1914 - Jonas Gaines, Negro League and NPB pitcher
• 1916 - Charley Stanceu, pitcher (d. 1969)
• 1916 - Johnny Washington, Negro League infielder (d. 1984)
• 1917 - Johnny Echols, pinch runner (d. 1972)
• 1918 - Ferrell Anderson, catcher (d. 1978)
• 1919 - Ed Dunn, scout (d. 1990)
• 1919 - Ford Smith, Negro League and minor league pitcher (d. 1983)
• 1919 - Charlie Sproull, pitcher (d. 1980)
• 1924 - John Hall, pitcher (d. 1995)
• 1928 - John Kibler, umpire (d. 2010)
• 1930 - David Gennoe, minor league player (d. 2012)
• 1931 - Roy Dietzel, infielder
• 1935 - Bob Duliba, pitcher
• 1936 - Julio Navarro, pitcher
• 1936 - Charles Secrest, minor league outfielder
• 1936 - Ralph Terry, pitcher; All-Star
• 1937 - Masaaki Mori, NPB catcher and manager; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
• 1939 - Guido Grilli, pitcher
• 1944 - Dick Thoenen, pitcher
• 1948 - Al Clark, umpire
• 1952 - Don Hopkins, designated hitter
• 1952 - Tony Salin, writer (d. 2001)
• 1952 - Joe Wallis, outfielder
• 1953 - Ivan DeJesus, infielder
• 1953 - Phil Mankowski, infielder
• 1955 - Pat Rockett, infielder
• 1958 - Bill Bordley, pitcher
• 1959 - Otis Nixon, outfielder
• 1960 - Norifumi Nishimura, NPB infielder and manager
• 1964 - Stan Javier, outfielder
• 1965 - Muggsy Bogues, minor league infielder
• 1965 - Ron DeLucchi, minor league outfielder
• 1968 - Tom Kramer, pitcher
• 1969 - Domingo Jean, pitcher
• 1970 - T.J. Mathews, pitcher
• 1972 - Jay Powell, pitcher
• 1972 - Nick Skuse, minor league pitcher
• 1973 - Aaron Holbert, infielder
• 1974 - Curtis Whitley, minor league pitcher
• 1975 - Kiko Calero, pitcher
• 1975 - Ken Cloude, pitcher
• 1976 - Ryan Kearney, minor league pitcher
• 1977 - Alvaro López, Nicaraguan national team pitcher
• 1978 - Paul Wilder, minor league outfielder
• 1980 - Michitaka Nishiyama, NPB pitcher
• 1980 - Justo Rivas, minor league outfielder
• 1981 - Luis Urueta, minor league infielder
• 1982 - Tony Pena, pitcher
• 1983 - Brandon Boggs, outfielder
• 1983 - Freddy Dolsi, pitcher
• 1984 - Dustin Richardson, pitcher
• 1986 - Shiro Mori, Japanese national team infielder
• 1986 - Robert Palencia, Italian Baseball League pitcher
• 1986 - Brendan Wise, minor league pitcher
• 1988 - Max Boldt, Bundesliga infielder
• 1989 - Benedikt Antwi, Bundesliga pitcher
• 1989 - Nestor Molina, minor league pitcher
• 1989 - Reinier Roibal, minor league pitcher
• 1989 - Tahlia Wellington, Australian women's national team outfielder
• 1990 - Pedro Guerra, minor league pitcher
• 1990 - Alex Meyer, minor league pitcher
• 1992 - Chevy Clarke, minor league outfielder
• 1995 - Stephanie Gaynor, Australian women's national team pitcher
• 1995 - Robin Roevens, First Division infielder

[edit] Deaths

• 1900 - Henry Kessler, infielder (b. 1847)
• 1913 - George Crosby, pitcher (b. 1857)
• 1918 - George Ulrich, outfielder (b. 1869)
• 1924 - George Hodson, pitcher (b. 1868)
• 1929 - Frank Bliss, catcher/infielder (b. 1852)
• 1934 - Perry Werden, infielder (b. 1861)
• 1936 - Joe Delahanty, outfielder (b. 1875)
• 1939 - Louis Pelouze, outfielder (b. 1863)
• 1948 - Art Jahn, outfielder (b. 1895)
• 1949 - Harry McIntire, pitcher (b. 1879)
• 1953 - Pat Carney, outfielder (b. 1876)
• 1954 - Skeeter Shelton, outfielder (b. 1888)
• 1957 - Billy Gleason, infielder (b. 1894)
• 1968 - Ed Strelecki, pitcher (b. 1905)
• 1970 - Ray Collins, pitcher (b. 1887)
• 1971 - Elmer Flick, outfielder; Hall of Famer (b. 1876)
• 1973 - Al Cypert, infielder (b. 1889)
• 1973 - Lyn Lary, infielder (b. 1906)
• 1975 - Walton Cruise, outfielder (b. 1890)
• 1975 - Curt Fullerton, pitcher (b. 1898)
• 1979 - Hinkey Haines, outfielder (b. 1898)
• 1979 - Charley Stis, scout (b. 1884)
• 1983 - Eddie Palmer, infielder (b. 1893)
• 1983 - Stan Spence, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1915)
• 1989 - Bill Terry, infielder, manager; All-Star, Hall of Famer (b. 1898)
• 1990 - Spud Chandler, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1907)
• 1994 - Johnny Temple, infielder; All-Star (b. 1927)
• 1996 - Roger Freed, outfielder (b. 1946)
• 1996 - Overton Tremper, outfielder (b. 1906)
• 2003 - Don Landrum, outfielder (b. 1936)
• 2005 - Bob Mabe, pitcher (b. 1929)
• 2005 - Henk Ronnenbergh, Hoofdklasse umpire (b. 1924)
• 2007 - Ben Callahan, pitcher (b. 1957)
• 2009 - Dave Roberts, pitcher (b. 1944)
• 2009 - Frank Williams, pitcher (b. 1958)
• 2012 - Tubby Bacon, owner (b. 1930)
• 2013 - Dick Barnhart, minor league infielder (b. 1930)