October 31
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 | |
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| Baseball Library Chronology | |
| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on October 31.
[edit] Events
- 1900 - Ban Johnson writes a letter to National League president Nicholas Young seeking peace, based on parity as a major league for the American League.
- 1931 - The St. Louis Cardinals release the last legal spitballer, pitcher Burleigh Grimes.
- 1953 - After touring Japan with the New York Giants, baseball commissioner Ford Frick compares the level of Japanese play to that of Class-A minor league baseball.
- 1957 - Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees says the team returned fine money to players involved in the Copacabana night club fight.
- 1960 - The San Francisco Giants acquire veteran shortstop Alvin Dark from the Milwaukee Braves and then sign Dark to a two-year contract as team manager. The Giants send infielder Andre Rodgers to the Braves as compensation for Dark.
- 1961 - A federal judge rules that Birmingham, Alabama laws against integrated playing fields are illegal, eliminating the last barrier against integration in the Southern Association.
- 1967 - San Francisco Giants pitcher Mike McCormick, the National League leader with 22 victories, is honored with the Cy Young Award. It is the first year in which pitchers are honored in both leagues.
- 1972 - Cleveland Indians pitcher Gaylord Perry wins the American League Cy Young Award by a 64-58 margin over Wilbur Wood of the Chicago White Sox. Perry won 24 games for the fifth-place Indians.
- 1973:
- Tom Seaver of the New York Mets wins the National League Cy Young Award, the first time the honor has gone to a pitcher with fewer than 20 victories. Seaver finished 19-10 and led the league in ERA (2.08) and strikeouts (251).
- The Philadelphia Phillies send third baseman Don Money and two others to the Milwaukee Brewers for four pitchers, including Jim Lonborg and Ken Brett. More importantly, the deal opens up third base for a young infielder named Mike Schmidt, who will embark on a Hall of Fame career.
- The Houston Astros trade pitcher Jerry Reuss to the Pittsburgh Pirates for catcher Milt May. Reuss will finally put it all together in Pittsburgh and win 58 games in four seasons.
- 1977 - In a trade of pitchers, Cincinnati sends Woodie Fryman and Bill Caudill to the Cubs for Bill Bonham.
- 1979 - Mike Flanagan, who posted a 23-9 record for the Baltimore Orioles, is named the winner of the American League Cy Young Award by a comfortable margin over Tommy John of the Yankees.
- 1995 - Retired second baseman Ryne Sandberg announces that he will return to the major leagues in 1996. The 10-time All-Star signs a one-year contract to play for the Chicago Cubs.
- 2000 - According to rankings of the Elias Sports Bureau, Randy Johnson is named the top player for the 2000 season.
- 2001 - For the first time since the Philadelphia Athletics's Mule Haas hit a game-tying two-run home run in Game Five of the 1929 World Series, a team comes from behind to tie a Fall Classic game in the ninth inning and goes on to win in extra innings. A two-out, two-run home run by Tino Martinez in the bottom of the ninth ties the game, and Derek Jeter hit a home run in the bottom of the 10th, giving the Yankees a 3 - 2 victory over Arizona and knots the World Series at two games apiece. Both homers come off Byung-Hyun Kim, who relieves Curt Schilling in the eighth inning. Mariano Rivera gets the win in relief for the Yankees.
- 2005:
- Silver Slugger Award winners are announced in each league. In the American League Jason Varitek (C), Mark Teixeira (1B), Alfonso Soriano (2B), Alex Rodriguez (3B), Miguel Tejada (SS), Manny Ramirez (OF), Gary Sheffield (OF), Vladimir Guerrero (OF) and David Ortiz (DH) are the winners. In the National League Michael Barrett (C), Derrek Lee (1B), Jeff Kent (2B), Morgan Ensberg (3B), Felipe López (SS), Miguel Cabrera (OF), Andruw Jones (OF), Carlos Lee (OF) and Jason Marquis (P) are selected.
- Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein resigns, a stunning move that surprises the baseball world one year after he helped build Boston's first world champion since 1918. No replacement is named for Epstein, who reportedly told friends he might take a year off from baseball. He will return as general manager a few months later.
- 2007 - Danny Rios of the Doosan Bears wins the Korea Baseball Organization MVP. He is the 4th straight pitcher to win the award and just the second foreigner to win it, following Tyrone Woods in 1998. Rios led the KBO in wins (22) and ERA (2.07).
- 2008 - The SK Wyverns win their second straight Korean Series, topping the Doosan Bears 4 games to 1 in the 2008 Korean Series. Kwang-hyun Kim tosses 6 1/3 shutout innings in the finale and Series MVP Jung Choi drives in one of two Wyverns runs.
- 2009 - The New York Yankees take the lead in the World Series by winning Game 3, 8 - 5 over the Philadelphia Phillies in a game in which 6 home runs are hit - three by each team. Andy Pettitte is the winner over Cole Hamels.
[edit] Births
- 1856 - Kick Kelly, catcher (d. 1926)
- 1862 - Hardie Henderson, pitcher (d. 1903)
- 1864 - Dan Bickham, pitcher (d. 1951)
- 1874 - Harry Smith, catcher, manager (d. 1933)
- 1876 - Ed Fisher, pitcher (d. 1951)
- 1882 - Bert Daniels, outfielder (d. 1958)
- 1886 - Alex Malloy, pitcher (d. 1961)
- 1888 - Ed Burns, catcher (d. 1942)
- 1893 - Bill Herring, pitcher (d. 1962)
- 1894 - Ken Crawford, infielder (d. 1976)
- 1894 - Ray O'Brien, outfielder (d. 1942)
- 1896 - Leo Dickerman, pitcher (d. 1982)
- 1897 - Tony Rego, catcher (d. 1978)
- 1897 - Kettle Wirts, catcher (d. 1968)
- 1900 - Cal Hubbard Hall of Famer (d. 1977)
- 1901 - Roy Flaskamper, infielder (d. 1978)
- 1904 - Allyn Stout, pitcher (d. 1974)
- 1907 - Ray Treadaway, infielder (d. 1935)
- 1913 - Warren Huston, infielder (d. 1999)
- 1916 - Ken Keltner, infielder; All-Star (d. 1991)
- 1924 - Dee Fondy, infielder (d. 1999)
- 1934 - Carl Boles, outfielder
- 1934 - Roger Sawyer, minor league pitcher
- 1937 - Dave Tyriver, pitcher (d. 1988)
- 1938 - Jim Donohue, pitcher
- 1939 - Ed Stroud, outfielder
- 1941 - Ed Spiezio, infielder
- 1942 - Dave McNally, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2002)
- 1943 - John Hoffman, catcher (d. 2001)
- 1943 - Fred Klages, pitcher
- 1943 - Bill Voss, outfielder
- 1948 - Mickey Rivers, outfielder; All-Star
- 1951 - Dave Freisleben, pitcher
- 1951 - Dave Trembley, manager
- 1958 - Ray Soff, pitcher
- 1958 - Paul Zuvella, infielder
- 1960 - Mike Gallego, infielder
- 1963 - Fred McGriff, infielder; All-Star
- 1963 - Matt Nokes, catcher; All-Star
- 1963 - Mike Smith, pitcher
- 1964 - Steve Rosenberg, pitcher
- 1966 - Brian Keyser, pitcher
- 1968 - Eddie Taubensee, catcher
- 1969 - Oreste Marrero, infielder
- 1969 - Damon Mashore, outfielder
- 1970 - Steve Trachsel, pitcher; All-Star
- 1972 - Chris Clemons, pitcher
- 1973 - Tim Byrdak, pitcher
- 1973 - David Dellucci, outfielder
- 1974 - Steve Cox, infielder
- 1975 - Tim Harrell, minor league pitcher
- 1978 - Chris Cooper, minor league player
- 1979 - Brandon Cashman, minor league player
- 1980 - Marcos Mendoza, minor league pitcher
- 1981 - Jared Wells, pitcher
- 1982 - Alex Hinshaw, pitcher
- 1983 - Luis Mendoza, pitcher
- 1987 - Yamaico Navarro, minor league infielder
[edit] Deaths
- 1901 - John Cahill, outfielder (b. 1865)
- 1916 - Nick Young, manager (b. 1840)
- 1918 - Charlie Hilsey, pitcher (b. 1864)
- 1922 - Dick Padden, infielder (b. 1870)
- 1933 - Charlie Loudenslager, infielder (b. 1881)
- 1936 - Deacon McGuire, catcher, manager (b. 1863)
- 1937 - Ed Walsh, pitcher (b. 1905)
- 1949 - Jack Lundbom, pitcher (b. 1877)
- 1956 - John Leighton, outfielder (b. 1861)
- 1966 - Elmer Johnson, catcher (b. 1884)
- 1968 - Ralph Glaze, pitcher (b. 1882)
- 1968 - Hub Perdue, pitcher (b. 1882)
- 1970 - Johnny Lucas, outfielder (b. 1903)
- 1974 - Buddy Myer, infielder; All-Star (b. 1904)
- 1976 - King Lear, pitcher (b. 1891)
- 1981 - Fred Archer, pitcher (b. 1910)
- 1982 - Sheriff Blake, pitcher (b. 1899)
- 1983 - George Halas, outfielder (b. 1895)
- 1991 - Dixie Parsons, catcher (b. 1916)
- 1997 - Sammy Hairston, catcher (b. 1920)
- 1998 - Bob Thurman, outfielder (b. 1917)
- 2000 - Andujar Cedeno, infielder (b. 1969)
- 2006 - Rocky Nelson, infielder (b. 1924)
