December 16
From BR Bullpen
| Stats of players who were born this day | |
| Stats of players who died on this day | |
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| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on December 16.
Events[edit]
- 1889 - The Players League is formally organized with Colonel E.A. McAlpin of New York as president. The league will not allow player transfers without the player's consent, excess profits will be split between the capitalists and the players, and prize money will be awarded to the teams in the order of their finish.
- 1905 - The Cubs trade OF Jack McCarthy and Billy Maloney, 3B Doc Casey, and P Buttons Briggs to Brooklyn for Jimmy Sheckard, who will take over LF for the National League champions of the next three years.
- 1922 - The Eastern Colored League (chartered as the "Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Baseball Clubs") is formally organized. The league will complete five seasons before folding in midsummer of 1928.
- 1926 - Judge Landis is given a new seven-year term as commissioner with a raise to $65,000.
- 1938 - The Bees trade catcher Ray Mueller to the Pirates for Al Todd and Johnny Dickshot.
- 1940 - The White Sox ship P Jack Knott to the A's for IF Dario Lodigiani.
- 1953 - In a ten-player trade, the Yankees send 1B Vic Power, infielders Jim Finigan and Don Bollweg, OF Bill Renna, C Jim Robertson, and P Johnny Gray to the A's. Philadelphia packs veteran 1B Eddie Robinson, Loren Babe, P Harry Byrd, and outfielders Tom Hamilton and Carmen Mauro to New York. Byrd, who won 26 games in two years for the A's, will never match his wins in New York. The stylish Power, the American Association batting leader this year, will win seven Gold Gloves and make the All-Star team four times.
- 1957 - The Redlegs land their fifth pitcher of the month when they acquire Harvey Haddix from the Phillies for OF Wally Post. A week ago they swapped pitchers with the Pirates, picking up veteran Bob Purkey for Don Gross.
- 1974 - Arbitrator Peter Seitz rules in favors of Cy Young Award winner Jim Hunter in a dispute with A's owner Charlie Finley making "Catfish" a very attractive unrestricted free agent.
- 1976:
- Court proceedings in Charlie Finley's $10 million damage suit against Commissioner Bowie Kuhn begin in Chicago. At issue is Kuhn's voiding of Finley's attempted player sales last June. The proceedings will take 15 days, and the decision will take three months, but it will uphold the Commissioner's authority to act "in the best interests of baseball."
- The Reds swap popular 1B Tony Perez and P Will McEnaney to the Expos for pitchers Woodie Fryman and Dale Murray.
- 1982 - Tom Seaver's trade back to the Mets from the Reds is completed when "Tom Terrific" comes to contract terms with the Mets. Cincinnati obtains pitcher Charlie Puleo and two minor leaguers (Lloyd McClendon and Jason Felice) in exchange for the "Franchise". Seaver will surprise the Reds by winning 47 more games before hanging it up in 1986.
- 1983 - George Steinbrenner fires Billy Martin as manager of the Yankees for the third time, replacing him with Yogi Berra and giving Martin a front-office job.
- 1991 - The Marlins sign their first player ever - 16-year-old Clemente Nunez.
- 1992:
- Dusty Baker, 44, is selected to replace Roger Craig in the dugout as manager of the Giants. During his ten-year tenure, the former hitting coach will compile a 840-715 (.540) record and will be named the National League Manager of the Year three times.
- The Marlins sign free agent C Benito Santiago to a two-year contract. Santiago, who went 272 games with the Padres without a passed ball, will have 11 this year trying to catch Charlie Hough.
- 1996:
- The Tigers trade 2B Mark Lewis to the Giants for 1B Jesse Ibarra.
- The Rangers sign free agent P John Wetteland to a four-year contract worth $23 million. Wetteland had 43 saves for the Yankees this year.
- Tsuneo Watanabe becomes owner of the Yomiuri Giants. He will become a major force in Nippon Pro Baseball for his high spending and open mouth.
- 1998 - The Athletics sign free agent C Mike Macfarlane.
- 1999 - In free agent signings, the Brewers sign IF Jose Hernandez to a three-year contract, the Cardinals sign C Mike Matheny and the Indians sign P Chuck Finley for three years.
- 2001:
- Giant southpaw Shawn Estes (9-8, 4.02) is traded to the Mets for outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo (.267, 10, 56) and utility man Desi Relaford (.302, 8, 36). The Mets also sign free agent P Pedro Astacio, suffering from a torn labrum, to a one-year contract worth $5 million.
- The Red Sox acquire P Dustin Hermanson from the Cardinals in exchange for three minor leaguers - OF Rick Asadoorian, and 1B Luis Alfonso Garcia and Dustin Brisson.
- 2002:
- After being invited to the Dominican Republic by President Hipolito Mejia, Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh meets one his favorite players, island resident Sammy Sosa. The Dominican outfielder, who is one homer shy of the coveted 500, will have to hit several hundred more to reach the mark of 868 set by the 62-year-old during his 22 seasons playing for the Yomiuri Giants.
- After declining the $4.6 million two-year December 7th contract offer by the Yankees, which he only had 15 minutes to consider, Mike Stanton (7-1, 3.00, 6 saves) still decides to stay in town by agreeing to a $9 million, three-year, no-trade contract with the cross-town rival Mets. The All-Star reliever wasn't offered salary arbitration by the Bronx Bombers after he failed to respond to their ultimatum.
- The Orioles sign free agent SS Deivi Cruz to a contract, the Padres sign IF Mark Loretta, and the Cardinals sign C Joe Girardi.
- The Twins release 1B David Ortiz. The unheralded player will soon be picked up by the Red Sox, for whom he will develop as one of the most accomplished sluggers in the game.
- 2003 - Miguel Tejada agrees to a six-year $72 million contract with the Orioles making it the largest deal in the history of the franchise. The shortstop batted .287 with 27 home runs while driving in 106 runs last season for the western division champions Oakland A's.
- 2008:
- The Philadelphia Phillies, fresh off their World Series title, sign Raúl Ibáñez for $31.5 million over three years. The veteran slugger had 43 doubles and 110 RBI in 2007 and will replace Pat Burrell in left field.
- The Baltimore Orioles sign César Izturis to fill their gap at shortstop. Izturis was third in the National League in fielding percentage at short.
- 2009:
- The Orioles sign two free agents, reliever Mike Gonzalez formerly of the Braves, and 3B Garrett Atkins, who was with the Rockies.
- The Angels sign DH Hideki Matsui, the MVP of the 2009 World Series, to a one-year deal.
- The Dodgers sign utility player Jamey Carroll to a two-year contract.
- 2010:
- In a Mexican Pacific League game, OF Jeff Salazar of the Yaquis de Obregon is on second base after a steal when P Alejandro Martinez of the Aguilas de Mexicali hits him in the leg on a pick-off attempt. While, the ball rolls in to the outfield, Salazar and 2B Oswaldo Morejon begin a heated conversation that turns into a fight, which ends with Morejon delivering a knock-out punch to Salazar. With Salazar lying unconscious behind the bag, the benches clear, resulting in the ejection of both players, and six suspensions being handed out.
- P Bobby Jenks changes the color of his socks, agreeing to a two-year deal with the Red Sox after spending his entire career with the White Sox.
- The Athletics trade for OF Josh Willingham with the Nationals, giving up youngsters Henry Rodriguez and Corey Brown in return. The patient power-hitting Willingham, like newly-signed DH Hideki Matsui, is a throwback to the "Moneyball" type of player whom A's general manager Billy Beane favored in the 2000s.
- In other deals, P Jesse Crain signs with the White Sox, P Matt Guerrier heads to the Dodgers, while the Red Sox add Ps Matt Albers, Andrew Miller, Lenny DiNardo and Rich Hill.
- 2011:
- Sentencing is announced in the trial of Barry Bonds. The major leagues' all-time leading home run hitter is handed a two-year probation with a term of house arrest after being found guilty of obstruction of justice on April 13th. He is also fined $4,000 and ordered to perform 250 hours of community service.
- The Rockies sign OF Michael Cuddyer, an All-Star with the Twins last season, to a three-year deal worth $31 million.
- The Padres trade OF Aaron Cunningham to Cleveland for P Cory Burns. The Tribe also sign OF Felix Pie to a minor league deal.
- 2012:
- The Mets trade Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey to Toronto, provided the Jays can reach a contract extension with Dickey. They will do so on December 17th, the two sides agreeing to a two-year deal worth $25 million, that will make the transaction official. Cs Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas accompany Dickey to Toronto, while Cs Travis d'Arnaud and John Buck and Ps Noah Syndergaard and Wuilmer Becerra head to the Big Apple.
- OF Andruw Jones, who played for the Yankees last season, signs with Japan's Rakuten Golden Eagles.
- 2013:
- The White Sox trade closer Addison Reed to the Diamondbacks in return for 3B Matt Davidson.
- In free agent signings today, the Cardinals sign 2B Mark Ellis, who will compete with rookie Kolten Wong for the starting job, the Indians sign Ps Shaun Marcum and John Axford, while the Braves ink P Gavin Floyd to a contract.
- The Baseball Australia Hall of Fame announces its 2014 class: 1970s Australian national team outfielder Phil Alexander, former national team player and doctor Kaye Greenham and 2004 Olympics Silver Medalist Brendan Kingman, who won the 1997-1998 ABL Triple Crown.
- 2014:
- The Dodgers sign free agent P Brandon McCarthy to a four-year deal worth $48 million. McCarthy had an excellent second half after being traded from the Diamondbacks to the Yankees in mid-year, leading to the big deal. The decision is even more costly for the Dodgers as they decide to release Brian Wilson to make room on the roster, swallowing the $9.5 million they owe him for the upcoming season.
- The Rays trade OF Matt Joyce to the Angels for P Kevin Jepsen.
- 2015 - The Dodgers acquire 3B Todd Frazier from Cincinnati for three prospects, the most heralded being IF Jose Peraza, then flip him to the White Sox for three other prospects, all with major league experience: Micah Johnson, Frankie Montas and Trayce Thompson.
- 2016:
- A record number of six teams are assessed luxury tax payments for the coming season. Not surprisingly, the Dodgers ($31.8 million) and Yankees ($27.4 million) lead the pack of profligate spenders by a long shot. They are joined by Boston, Detroit, San Francisco and the Cubs, who are all assessed penalties under $5 million. The Yankees have been assessed a penalty in each of the 14 years the system has been in existence.
- The Marlins sign two relievers who pitched for the Red Sox this year, Junichi Tazawa, who gets a two-year deal for $12 million, and Brad Ziegler, who will receive $16 million over two years.
- 2017:
- The Dodgers swing a big trade with the Braves, sending four players - 1B Adrian Gonzalez, SS Charlie Culberson and Ps Scott Kazmir and Brandon McCarthy - in return for OF Matt Kemp, a former star with Los Angeles. The objective seems to be to clear some payroll to allow the Dodgers to bid on high-ticket free agents in a year's time.
- Dustin Fowler, whose season with the Yankees ended after just one inning when he tore his knee at Guaranteed Rate Field on June 29th, is suing the Chicago White Sox and the ballpark for negligence. He claims the injury was caused by improper padding on a protruding electrical box, creating a "hidden and undetectable hazard" that has put his career in danger.
- 2020 - In a groundbreaking decision, Major League Baseball grants major league status to the Negro Leagues for the period 1920-1948, meaning that statistics compiled by their players will now be part of the official baseball record. The decision affects seven leagues and some 3,400 players, including 35 Hall of Famers.
- 2022 - Today's winner on the free agency bonanza show is OF Andrew Benintendi, who signs with the White Sox for five years and $75 million, the largest deal in team history. The Yankees were said to be interested in bringing him back, driving up his price. Less expensive is OF Joey Gallo, who joins the Twins on an $11 million one-year deal in the hope of getting his sputtering career back on track.
- 2023 - The MLB awards season ends with the awarding of the Hank Aaron Award honoring the best hitter in each league. Matching the recipients of the MVP Awards, the winners are Ronald Acuna in the National League and Shohei Ohtani in the American League.
Births[edit]
- 1844 - Luther Askin, pre-MLB player (d. 1929)
- 1856 - Pete Hotaling, outfielder (d. 1928)
- 1865 - John Schorling, Negro League owner (d. 1940)
- 1876 - Fred Crolius, outfielder (d. 1960)
- 1876 - Sammy Strang, infielder (d. 1932)
- 1879 - Jack Barnett, outfielder (d. 1923)
- 1884 - Charlie Girard, pitcher (d. 1936)
- 1886 - Bill Otey, pitcher (d. 1931)
- 1888 - Elmer Brown, infielder (d. 1973)
- 1891 - Fred Tyler, catcher (d. 1945)
- 1892 - Scrappy Moore, infielder (d. 1964)
- 1897 - Fred Wigington, pitcher (d. 1980)
- 1898 - Dee Cousineau, catcher (d. 1951)
- 1898 - Frank Shellenback, pitcher (d. 1969)
- 1900 - Tony Kaufmann, pitcher (d. 1982)
- 1901 - Hugh McMullen, catcher (d. 1986)
- 1902 - G.F. Laird, minor league pitcher; college coach (d. 1992)
- 1904 - Joe Berry, pitcher (d. 1958)
- 1904 - Saburo Yokozawa, NPB infielder, manager and umpire; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1995)
- 1906 - Henry Wright, pitcher (d. 1960)
- 1908 - Emil Mailho, outfielder (d. 2007)
- 1916 - Lefty Wilson, pitcher (d. 1965)
- 1917 - Jim Pruett, catcher (d. 2003)
- 1923 - Kazuo Hayashi, amateur executive; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 2009)
- 1928 - Doug Hansen, pinch runner (d. 1999)
- 1931 - Neil Chrisley, outfielder (d. 2013)
- 1934 - Jim Bailey, pitcher (d. 2022)
- 1936 - Duane Richards, pitcher
- 1941 - Adolfo Phillips, outfielder
- 1948 - Terry Bongiovanni, minor league pitcher
- 1948 - Tom Harmon, minor league catcher and manager
- 1949 - Jim Jachym, minor league pitcher
- 1951 - Mike Flanagan, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2011)
- 1952 - Tommy Bianco, infielder
- 1956 - Rick Sofield, outfielder
- 1957 - Tom Gorman, pitcher
- 1958 - Rondin Johnson, infielder
- 1958 - Ted Wilborn, outfielder
- 1959 - Paul Noce, infielder
- 1962 - John Love, minor league infielder
- 1962 - Donny Rowland, scout
- 1962 - John Skurla, minor league outfielder
- 1963 - Tim Green, author
- 1963 - Chris Jelic, outfielder
- 1964 - Rubiel Moreno, Panamanian national team pitcher
- 1964 - Billy Ripken, infielder
- 1965 - Randy Hennis, pitcher
- 1965 - Chris Jones, outfielder
- 1966 - Brian Johnson, minor league catcher
- 1969 - Jason Wood, infielder
- 1971 - Jeff Granger, pitcher
- 1972 - Charles Gipson, outfielder
- 1972 - Fu-Chuen Hsiao, CPBL catcher
- 1974 - Lance Burkhart, minor league catcher and manager
- 1974 - Christian Reyes, minor league infielder
- 1976 - Matt Kinney, pitcher
- 1977 - Chien-Wei Chen, CPBL infielder
- 1980 - Lawrence Alexander, minor league outfielder
- 1980 - Josh Hall, pitcher
- 1981 - Jean Ortega, Puerto Rican national team pitcher
- 1982 - Chris Britton, pitcher
- 1982 - Ivan Ochoa, infielder
- 1983 - Hyung-woo Choi, KBO outfielder
- 1983 - Kevin Dixon, minor league player
- 1983 - Mark Ori, minor league infielder
- 1983 - Tom Wilhelmsen, pitcher
- 1984 - Bart Gabriëls, Hoofdklasse infielder
- 1984 - Roberto Ortíz, umpire
- 1984 - Mario Santiago, NPB pitcher
- 1985 - Brian Friday, minor league infielder
- 1985 - Seth Loman, minor league outfielder
- 1986 - Bryan Anderson, catcher
- 1986 - David Berres, minor league outfielder
- 1986 - Alcides Escobar, infielder; All-Star
- 1986 - Ryan Lollis, outfielder
- 1986 - Jose Pena, minor league outfielder
- 1987 - Nick Additon, minor league pitcher
- 1987 - Mickey Jannis, pitcher
- 1987 - Hector Santiago, pitcher; All-Star
- 1987 - Jack Snodgrass, minor league pitcher
- 1987 - Steven van Groningen, Hoofdklasse pitcher
- 1988 - Chen-Hua Lin, CPBL pitcher
- 1989 - Tyler Chatwood, pitcher
- 1991 - Bradi Wall, Canadian women's national team infielder
- 1992 - Chris Garia, minor league outfielder
- 1992 - Jack López, infielder
- 1993 - Trey Bickel, college coach
- 1993 - Purevkhisig Davaa, Mongolian national team infielder
- 1993 - Pete Fairbanks, pitcher
- 1994 - Ryan Hendrix, pitcher
- 1994 - Oscar Mercado, outfielder
- 1995 - Jonah McReynolds, minor league infielder
- 1995 - Orlando Rodríguez, minor league pitcher
- 1995 - Matija Sertić, Croatian national team pitcher
- 1996 - Edwin Adon, Dominican national team pitcher
- 1996 - Bryan De La Cruz, outfielder
- 1997 - Alan Carter, signed pitcher
- 2001 - Ulises Ormeño, Chilean national team outfielder
- 2003 - Sulivan Ribeiro, minor league pitcher
Deaths[edit]
- 1899 - Fred Waterman, infielder (b. 1845)
- 1902 - Frank Buttery, outfielder (b. 1851)
- 1915 - Henry Fountain, umpire (b. 1850)
- 1915 - John Hofford, pitcher (b. 1863)
- 1916 - Jerry Sullivan, umpire (b. 1852)
- 1920 - Dick Bayless, outfielder (b. 1883)
- 1924 - Pat Dealy, catcher (b. 1861)
- 1926 - George Sleeman, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1841)
- 1937 - Frank Boyd, catcher (b. 1868)
- 1937 - Charlie Reilly, infielder (b. 1867)
- 1941 - Bill Garfield, pitcher (b. 1867)
- 1946 - Walter Ball, pitcher (b. 1878)
- 1949 - Jack Himes, outfielder (b. 1878)
- 1958 - Ivor Wagner, minor league pitcher (b. 1879)
- 1959 - Lee Dashner, pitcher (b. 1887)
- 1963 - Jimmy Cockerham, catcher (b. 1910)
- 1965 - Gus Henderson, college coach (b. 1889)
- 1966 - Morrow Massey, outfielder (b. 1906)
- 1970 - Jim Winford, pitcher (b. 1909)
- 1971 - Ferdie Schupp, pitcher (b. 1891)
- 1984 - Debs Garms, outfielder (b. 1907)
- 1986 - Jake Caulfield, infielder (b. 1917)
- 1987 - Chusuke Kizuka, NPB infielder (b. 1924)
- 1988 - Joe Hatten, pitcher (b. 1916)
- 1988 - Bob Kahle, pinch hitter (b. 1915)
- 1988 - Leonard Lindsay, infielder (b. 1909)
- 1990 - Wally Flager, infielder (b. 1921)
- 1996 - Lawrence Bucynski, minor league catcher and manager (b. 1921)
- 1998 - Johnny Gorsica, pitcher (b. 1915)
- 1999 - Scott Duff, minor league pitcher (b. 1966)
- 2000 - John Perkovich, pitcher (b. 1924)
- 2004 - Ted Abernathy, pitcher (b. 1933)
- 2004 - Bobby Mattick, infielder, manager (b. 1915)
- 2006 - Cecil Travis, infielder; All-Star (b. 1913)
- 2013 - Arnoldo Castro, minor league infielder and manager; Salon de la Fama (b. 1939)
- 2015 - Jim McAnany, outfielder (b. 1936)
- 2015 - Tookie Spann, minor league outfielder (b. 1967)
- 2019 - Rich Rundles, pitcher (b. 1981)
- 2020 - Etienne Artsen, Hoofdklasse outfielder (b. 1948)
- 2021 - Andres Melendez, minor league catcher (b. 2001)
- 2021 - Ubaldo Salinas, Colombian national team infielder (b. ~1942)
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