January 31

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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 31.

Events

• 1898 - Cap Anson is released after 19 years as first baseman/manager with the Chicago National League teams. Strong-minded Cap, with a record of 1,288 victories and five NL pennants, was enormously popular in Chicago. Former infielder Tom Burns takes over as manager of the team, which is now dubbed the "Orphans" by reporters.
• 1919 - Future Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson is born to Jerry and Mallie Robinson near Cairo, Georgia. Robinson will become the first black player in 20th century major league history when he debuts for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
• 1927 - National League President John Heydler rules that Rogers Hornsby cannot continue to both hold stock in the St. Louis Cardinals and play for the New York Giants. Seemingly oblivious, the Cards' board of directors, meeting in St. Louis, votes stockholders a 10% dividend, earning Hornsby $2,916 for his 1167 shares.
• 1931 - Hall of Fame shortstop Ernie Banks is born in Dallas, Texas. Banks will make his debut with the Chicago Cubs in 1953 and hit 512 home runs during a 19-year career.
• 1941 - Paul Waner, released by the Pittsburgh Pirates last December, signs with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Waner will play 11 games before moving to the Boston Braves, but he will return to Brooklyn in 1943.
• 1947 - Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan is born in Refugio, Texas. Ryan will make his major league debut in 1966 with the New York Mets, kicking off a major league record 27-year career. He will win 324 games with the Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers.
• 1950 - The Pittsburgh Pirates sign high school pitcher Paul Pettit for a record $100,000 after buying his contract from a film producer, who had signed him to an exclusive contract as an athlete/actor. Under Major League Baseball's "high-school rule", scouts are barred from doing so prior to graduation. Unfortunately, with an eventual 1-2 career mark, Pettit will prove not to be worth the trouble.
• 1952:
  • The Hall of Fame elects two new members: Harry Heilmann, with 203 votes, and Paul Waner with 195. Waner, a .333 career hitter, rapped out 3,152 hits and struck out just 376 times in 9,459 career at-bats. Heilmann was similarly skilled with the bat, winning four batting titles with the Detroit Tigers and finishing his career with a .342 average.
  • A U.S. Federal Jury awards Mexican League owner Jorge Pasquel $35,000 for breach of contract by former Brooklyn Dodgers star catcher Mickey Owen.
• 1953 - The New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and Boston Red Sox retaliate at Bill Veeck, forcing the St. Louis Browns to play afternoon games to avoid sharing TV revenues. Veeck takes his plan to the American League office to make them pay. The plan is rejected.
• 1956:
  • Former major leaguer Buck Weaver dies at the age of 65. One of the eight members of the Black Sox to be banned for life, Weaver batted .324 in the 1919 World Series. Although Weaver maintained that he did not participate in the fix, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banished him for failing to report those players who had met with gamblers.
  • The Cincinnati Redlegs send pitcher Jackie Collum to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for pitcher Brooks Lawrence and a prospect. Lawrence, who finished the year at 5-1 after spending time in the minors, will open the 1956 season with 13 straight victories.
• 1959:
  • Former major league star Joe Cronin succeeds Will Harridge as president of the American League. A Hall of Fame shortstop who played for the Pirates, Senators and Red Sox, Cronin batted .301 over a 20-year playing career. He signs a seven-year pact and will remain in office until his retirement in 1973.
  • Caribbean countries agree to use native players in Winter Baseball, no matter how many years they have played in the United States. Previously, major league teams had forbidden some of their players from winter ball.
• 1961 - Houston voters approve a bond to finance the construction of a luxury domed stadium, clearing the final hurdle standing between the city and major league baseball.
• 1962:
  • San Francisco Giants star Willie Mays signs the largest contract in major league baseball, reportedly $90,000 for the upcoming season. Mays will earn every penny in 1962, when he bats .304 with 49 home runs and 141 RBI and helps the Giants to the National League pennant.
  • The Mets sign former slugger Ralph Kiner, who joins Lindsey Nelson and Bob Murphy in the announcing booth.
• 1965:
  • Pitcher Pud Galvin is chosen for Hall of Fame induction by the Special Veterans Committee. Galvin had 20 victories in ten out of 14 seasons and won 46 games in both 1883 and 1884 for the Buffalo Bisons of the National League.
  • Masanori Murakami, the first Japanese player in the major leagues, says he will not play for the San Francisco Giants this season, instead returning to the Nankai Hawks. This ends a long dispute over the rights to Murakami and no Nippon Pro Baseball player will try to come to the US for almost 30 years due to the legal and cultural barriers on both sides.
• 1969:
  • The National Association approves the use of the Designated Hitter for the International, Eastern, Texas and New York-Pennsylvania leagues. The rules vary slightly for each league. The Texas League will be the first to use the DH, in April.
  • The American and National leagues agree to try an experimental rule change in spring training using a designated pinch hitter, but they don't agree on the implementation. The AL tells the teams to use the DPH when they are the home team; the NL gives the home manager the choice of which rules to use, but the visiting manager has to agree. The Mets, Giants, and Cardinals say that they will not use the rules, and the Astros and Reds follow suit.
• 1971 - The Special Veterans Committee selects seven men for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame: former players Jake Beckley, Joe Kelley, Harry Hooper, Rube Marquard, Chick Hafey, and Dave Bancroft, as well as executive George Weiss. A number of this year's choices will later be derided as some of the worst ever made by the Veterans Committee.
• 1977 - Joe Sewell, Amos Rusie, and Al Lopez are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Sewell batted .312 over 14 seasons with the Indians and Yankees. Rusie won 246 games over nine seasons from 1889 to 1898. Lopez won four fielding titles in 19 years as a catcher, but it is his .584 winning percentage in 17 seasons as a manager that gets him into Cooperstown.
• 1980 - The Houston Astros sign free agent second baseman Joe Morgan. Houston was the first major league team the two-time National League MVP played with before he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds and became a force in the Big Red Machine.
• 1983 - Veteran first baseman Tony Perez signs a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
• 1992 - The Pittsburgh Pirates sign outfielder Barry Bonds to a one-year contract worth $4.7 million, the largest-ever one-year deal.
• 1994 - The California Angels sign free agent outfielder Bo Jackson to a one-year contract worth $1 million.
• 1996 - Ken Griffey, Jr. becomes the highest-paid major league player by signing a four-year, $34 million contract with Seattle.
• 1999 - Shohei Baba dies of liver cancer. A former Yomiuri Giants hurler, he became Japan's most famous wrestler as "Giant Baba" after his baseball career ended.
• 2000 - Atlanta Braves reliever John Rocker is suspended from baseball until May 1st by Commissioner Bud Selig for his racial and ethnic remarks in an article published in Sports Illustrated last month. Rocker is also fined an undisclosed amount and ordered to attend sensitivity training.
• 2001 - A story in the Wall Street Journal quotes players Monte Irvin, Sal Yvars and Al Gettel, three former members of the 1951 New York Giants, as admitting that they stole catchers' signs at the Polo Grounds to help the club overtake the 13 1/2-game lead of the Brooklyn Dodgers and win the National League pennant. Except for Yvars, all the participants will deny using the system during the three-game playoff with the Dodgers. According to the report, Bobby Thomson, whose three-run, ninth-inning home run in Game 3 of the playoff won the pennant for the Giants, did not, however, steal a sign before hitting his historic home run.
• 2002 - Philadelphia Phillies announcer Harry Kalas is chosen as recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award.
• 2003 - In an effort to secure funding for a major re-design of the 12-year old "New" Comiskey Park, the Chicago White Sox announces the ballpark will now be known as "U.S. Cellular Field". The 23-year deal with the wireless service provider, which will pay the White Sox $68 million, changes the name used for home by the Southsiders since 1910.
• 2005 - The Seattle Mariners sign relief pitcher Jeff Nelson to a minor league contract, his third stint with the club. The reliever previously pitched with the Mariners from 1992 to 1995 and again from 2001 to 2003. He is Seattle's all-time record holder for most games pitched with 383 and has a 23-20 record with the team.
• 2006:
  • ESPN and ESPN2 will broadcast the World Baseball Classic, offering 16 live telecasts that include the semifinals on March 18th and the championship game on March 20th.
  • Two players agree to a one-year contracts and avoid a salary arbitration hearing: 2B/OF Jerry Hairston, Jr., with the Chicago Cubs, and reliever Travis Harper with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
• 2010:
  • The Rockies sign 3B Melvin Mora to a one-year deal. The 38-year-old was released by the Orioles earlier this offseason and will take the roster spot of Garrett Atkins, whom the O's signed as a free agent.
  • It is reported that the Athletics have reached a deal with OF Gabe Gross, who played for Tampa Bay last year.
• 2012 - The Phillies continue the overhaul of their bullpen, signing Chad Qualls to a one-year contract, while the Astros­ ink veteran starting pitcher Livan Hernandez.
• 2014:
  • Michael Young announces his retirement after 14 seasons at a news conference at the Ballpark in Arlington. Young retires as the Texas Rangers' all-time leader for games played, hits and runs scored, among others.
  • San Diego's Petco Park gets transformed into a tennis stadium to host the USA's first-round Davis Cup match against the United Kingdom. The ballpark gets rave reviews in its new configuration, but the U.S. ends the day down two matches to none.
• 2017 - In the first salary arbitration case to be decided this year, Fernando Abad sees his request for a salary of $2.7 million rejected, as the arbitrators rule in favor of the offer of $2 million from the Red Sox.
• 2018:
  • OF Mookie Betts of the Red Sox wins the first salary arbitration filing to be decided this off-season and will earn $10.5 million, a significant raise over his previous salary of $950,000. He will still be a huge bargain, as he will win the MVP Award and lead the Sox to a World Series title.
  • The Águilas Cibaeñas win their 21st Dominican League title, but first in a decade. In Game 7 of the finals against rival Licey, they win handily, 11 - 5. Juan Perez drives in four and Jhan Marinez gets the victory.
• 2019 - The Rockies and Nolan Arenado agree on a one-year deal worth $26 million, thus avoiding an arbitration hearing. The amount sets a record for an arbitration-eligible player, topping the $23 million obtained by Josh Donaldson a year ago.
• 2020 - The Tomateros de Culiacán win the Mexican Pacific League title. In Game 7 of the finals, they rout the Venados de Mazatlan, 11 - 0. Anthony Vasquez and four relievers scatter 11 hits, while Ramiro Pena has three hits and five RBI to pace the offense.
• 2022 - On Day 4 of the Caribbean Series, three teams clinch a spot in the next round. In the opening game, Caimanes de Barranquilla inflict their first defeat on the host Gigantes del Cibao, 2 - 1, behind a strong performance by starting pitcher Fernando Perez and four relievers. Both teams are now 3-1 and will advance. In the second game, Navegantes del Magallanes punch their ticket with a close 2 - 1 win over Astronautas de Los Santos thanks to a two-run homer by Angel Reyes. In the final game, Charros de Jalisco even their record to 2-2 with a 5 - 0 blanking of Criollos de Caguas, who remain winless and are eliminated from further contention as a result. It is a second straight shutout win for the Mexicans, who had started the tournament poorly and will now compete with Los Santos for the final spot in the next stage in a head-to-head match-up tomorrow.
• 2024 - John Angelos, speaking in behalf of the Angelos family, announces a deal to sell majority ownership in the Baltimore Orioles to a group headed by businessman David Rubenstein and that would also include former Orioles great Cal Ripken Jr. The price is $1.725 billion and the sale still requires the approval of MLB's owners.

Births

• 1845 - Freeman Brown, manager (d. 1916)
• 1845 - Bob Ferguson, infielder, manager (d. 1894)
• 1861 - Al Buckenberger, manager (d. 1917)
• 1862 - Jim Manning, outfielder, manager (d. 1929)
• 1863 - Rasty Wright, outfielder (d. 1922)
• 1866 - Pat Flaherty, infielder (d. 1946)
• 1870 - Jot Goar, pitcher (d. 1947)
• 1872 - Zane Grey, minor league outfielder (d. 1939)
• 1880 - Walter Morris, infielder (d. 1961)
• 1882 - George Bonhag, USA national team infielder (d. 1960)
• 1882 - Rip Williams, catcher (d. 1933)
• 1885 - Drummond Brown, catcher (d. 1927)
• 1885 - Eddie Hohnhorst, infielder (d. 1916)
• 1889 - Ray Brown, pitcher (d. 1955)
• 1889 - Carl Ray, pitcher (d. 1970)
• 1890 - Goat Cochran, pitcher (d. 1947)
• 1891 - Tim Hendryx, outfielder (d. 1957)
• 1891 - Tex McDonald, outfielder (d. 1943)
• 1892 - Steamboat Williams, pitcher (d. 1979)
• 1893 - George Burns, infielder (d. 1978)
• 1894 - Stuffy Stewart, infielder (d. 1980)
• 1895 - Jimmy Zinn, pitcher (d. 1991)
• 1896 - Pinky Hargrave, catcher (d. 1942)
• 1896 - Charlie Robertson, pitcher (d. 1984)
• 1897 - Jeff Jones, minor league player and scout (b. 1992)
• 1898 - Webb Schultz, pitcher (d. 1986)
• 1900 - Honey Barnes, catcher (d. 1981)
• 1900 - Don Songer, pitcher (d. 1962)
• 1903 - Buck Ewing, catcher (d. 1979)
• 1903 - Abie Hood, infielder (d. 1988)
• 1906 - Perucho Cepeda, winter league infielder (d. 1955)
• 1908 - Connie Desmond, announcer (d. 1983)
• 1909 - Emil Planeta, pitcher (d. 1963)
• 1912 - Jerry McQuaig, outfielder (d. 2001)
• 1913 - Toshihide Hatafuku, NPB pitcher (d. 1981)
• 1913 - Don Hutson, minor league player (d. 1997)
• 1914 - Mel Mazzera, outfielder (d. 1997)
• 1914 - Pedro Orta, minor league outfielder
• 1914 - Charlie Wiedemeyer, pitcher (d. 1979)
• 1918 - Eddie Knoblauch, minor league outfielder (d. 1991)
• 1918 - Sid Peterson, pitcher
• 1919 - Ken Gables, pitcher (d. 1960)
• 1919 - Jackie Robinson, infielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1972)
• 1926 - Tom Alston, infielder (d. 1993)
• 1926 - Harry Musselman, minor league infielder (d. 2015)
• 1929 - Duke Maas, pitcher (d. 1976)
• 1931 - Hank Aguirre, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1994)
• 1931 - Ernie Banks, infielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 2015)
• 1945 - John Schulian, author
• 1947 - Joe McCarthy, minor league infielder (d. 1969)
• 1947 - Nolan Ryan, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer
• 1949 - Mark Ballinger, pitcher (d. 2014)
• 1949 - Fred Kendall, catcher
• 1949 - Jim Willoughby, pitcher
• 1950 - Bob Apodaca, pitcher
• 1953 - Mike Rowland, pitcher
• 1954 - Juan Castro, Cuban league catcher and manager (d. 2020)
• 1955 - Brad Kelley, scout
• 1955 - Ted Power, pitcher
• 1956 - Timothy Banner, college coach (d. 2020)
• 1956 - Ed Wade, General Manager
• 1958 - Rafael Santana, infielder
• 1960 - George Dummar, minor league infielder (d. 2014)
• 1962 - Tetsuya Horii, Japanese national team coach
• 1963 - Dave Cochrane, infielder
• 1963 - Andre De Wit, First Division pitcher
• 1963 - Francisco Oliveras, pitcher
• 1965 - Craig Lewis, minor league pitcher
• 1965 - Mark Maloney, minor league outfielder
• 1966 - Nobuyuki Hoshino, NPB pitcher
• 1967 - Adonis Kemp, Hoofdklasse outfielder and coach
• 1967 - Ken Shamburg, minor league infielder
• 1968 - Steve Phoenix, pitcher
• 1968 - Mitsujiro Sakai, NPB pitcher
• 1969 - Scot Engler, scout
• 1970 - Joel Bennett, pitcher
• 1970 - Ben Burlingame, minor league pitcher
• 1970 - Chris Pritchett, infielder
• 1972 - Brett Bakner, minor league outfielder-pitcher
• 1973 - Francisco Morales, minor league catcher and manager
• 1973 - Jing Xie, China Baseball League infielder
• 1974 - Victor Bojorquez, minor league outfielder and manager
• 1974 - Eddie Pearson, minor league infielder
• 1974 - Ariel Pestano, Cuban league catcher
• 1975 - John Challinor, minor league pitcher
• 1977 - Chih-Hui An, CPBL pitcher
• 1978 - Giovanni Ouin, Division Elite pitcher
• 1981 - Hichori Morimoto, NPB outfielder
• 1982 - Mitchell Arnold, minor league pitcher
• 1982 - Yuniesky Betancourt, infielder
• 1982 - Nicolas Dubaut, Division Elite pitcher
• 1982 - Brad Thompson, pitcher
• 1983 - Juan Diaz, minor league player
• 1984 - Josh Johnson, pitcher; All-Star
• 1985 - Cheng-Yu Chung, CPBL outfielder
• 1985 - Kyle Gunderson, minor league pitcher
• 1986 - Max Limonick, minor league pitcher (d. 2009)
• 1986 - Amadeo Zazueta, minor league infielder
• 1987 - Ramon Acosta, minor league pitcher
• 1987 - Melky Mesa, outfielder
• 1987 - Caleb Thielbar, pitcher
• 1988 - Vance Albitz, minor league infielder
• 1989 - Tommy La Stella, infielder; All-Star
• 1990 - Manuel Zapata, minor league infielder
• 1991 - Jeff Ames, minor league pitcher
• 1991 - Guillermo Heredia, outfielder
• 1991 - Tyler Kinley, pitcher
• 1991 - David Richardson, minor league pitcher
• 1992 - Taylor Brennan, minor league infielder
• 1992 - Alex Claudio, pitcher
• 1992 - Evan Rutckyj, minor league pitcher
• 1992 - Ben Verlander, minor league outfielder
• 1993 - Bryant Flete, minor league infielder
• 1993 - Locke St. John, pitcher
• 1993 - Marko Vykoukal, Extraliga pitcher
• 1994 - Cole Irvin, pitcher
• 1994 - Jake Thompson, pitcher
• 1994 - Nick Travieso, minor league pitcher
• 1994 - Rob Whalen, pitcher
• 1996 - Junmar Diarao, Philippines national team pitcher
• 2000 - Keny Cruz, Nicaraguan national team pitcher
• 2001 - Zach Neto, infielder
• 2001 - Brayan Rocchio, infielder

Deaths

• 1900 - Ed Stratton, pitcher (b. 1854)
• 1904 - Dan Mahoney, catcher (b. 1864)
• 1906 - Frank Wash, umpire (b. 1853)
• 1912 - Ed Taylor, pitcher (b. 1877)
• 1913 - Joe Dorsey, pitcher/outfielder (b. 1864)
• 1917 - Pete O'Brien, infielder (b. 1877)
• 1922 - José Leblanc, pitcher (b. 1894)
• 1926 - Lou Bierbauer, infielder (b. 1865)
• 1930 - Joe Cantillon, manager (b. 1861)
• 1933 - Beany Jacobson, pitcher (b. 1881)
• 1938 - Charlie Chech, pitcher (b. 1878)
• 1938 - Jim Gray, infielder (b. 1862)
• 1940 - Red Fisher, outfielder (b. 1887)
• 1942 - Henry Larkin, infielder, manager (b. 1860)
• 1942 - Ed Phelps, catcher (b. 1879)
• 1947 - Johnny Kling, catcher, manager (b. 1875)
• 1948 - Clarence Lehr, infielder (b. 1886)
• 1953 - Al Handiboe, outfielder (b. 1887)
• 1956 - Buck Weaver, infielder (b. 1890)
• 1957 - Chick Maynard, infielder (b. 1896)
• 1958 - Harry O'Donnell, catcher (b. 1894)
• 1961 - Guy Cantrell, pitcher (b. 1904)
• 1963 - Ossie Vitt, infielder, manager (b. 1890)
• 1964 - John Huber, catcher/pitcher (b. 1908)
• 1966 - Pat Donahue, catcher (b. 1884)
• 1971 - Steve Yerkes, infielder (b. 1888)
• 1973 - Charles Zomphier, infielder (b. 1906)
• 1980 - Ed Head, pitcher (b. 1918)
• 1981 - John Dowd, infielder (b. 1891)
• 1982 - Marvin Milkes, general manager (b. 1923)
• 1983 - Sam Gibson, pitcher (b. 1899)
• 1985 - Joe Bradshaw, pitcher (b. 1897)
• 1993 - Willie Duke, minor league outfielder and manager (b. 1909)
• 1996 - Jesse Williams, catcher (b. 1923)
• 1999 - Shohei Baba, NPB pitcher (b. 1938)
• 1999 - Norm Zauchin, infielder (b. 1929)
• 2002 - Harry Chiti, catcher (b. 1932)
• 2003 - Tom Swayze, minor league pitcher, college coach (b. 1909)
• 2004 - Ernest Burke, pitcher (b. 1924)
• 2005 - Bill Voiselle, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1919)
• 2009 - Edward Henry, minor league pitcher (b. 1921)
• 2009 - Bob Scherbarth, catcher (b. 1926)
• 2012 - Rick Behenna, pitcher (b. 1960)
• 2012 - Hank Nasternak, minor league infielder (b. 1922)
• 2013 - Tony Pierce, pitcher (b. 1946)
• 2013 - Brian Rose, minor league coach (b. 1978)
• 2013 - Fred Whitfield, infielder (b. 1938)
• 2014 - Wenceslao Tejeda, Dominican national team pitcher (b. 1937)
• 2018 - John Alusik, minor league infielder (b. 1921)
• 2018 - Oscar Gamble, outfielder (b. 1949)
• 2019 - Mike Kimbrell, minor league infielder (b. ~1950)
• 2020 - José Amador, minor league outfielder (b. 1948)
• 2021 - Satoshi Takahashi, NPB pitcher (b. 1948)
• 2022 - Jerry Snyder, infielder (b. 1929)
• 2023 - Dave Elder, pitcher (b. 1975)
• 2024 - Al McBean, pitcher (b. 1938)
• 2024 - John Pregenzer, pitcher (b. 1932)