December 23
From BR Bullpen
| Stats of players who were born this day | |
| Stats of players who died on this day | |
| Standings on this day | |
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| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on December 23.
Events[edit]
- 1881 - The Western Inter-collegiate Base Ball Association is formed by Northwestern University, the University of Michigan and Racine College.
- 1886 - The Cleveland Blues hire outfielder Pete Hotaling and Jimmy Williams as manager of the new American Association team. The club has already secured a large park site on East 39th street, well removed from downtown.
- 1905 - The Philadelphia Athletics sell veteran third baseman Lave Cross to the Washington Senators. Cross had spent the last five seasons with the Athletics.
- 1913 - The Sporting News reports that 15 men died from baseball injuries during the 1913 season, according to a list compiled by J.R. Vickery of Chicago. The only name given is that of J. Whetstone of New Orleans, who suffered "a broken spine sustained in sliding to a base"; all other fatalities were the result of foul tips or pitched balls. The list "does not include a major league player or even a minor league athlete of sufficient experience to be widely known."
- 1953 - Junior Gilliam of the Brooklyn Dodgers is named National League Rookie of the Year. Gilliam, who led the National League with 17 triples, beats out Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Harvey Haddix.
- 1958 - The Philadelphia Phillies acquire infielder Sparky Anderson from the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder Rip Repulski and two other players. Anderson won't do much as a player, but will win three World Championships as a manager.
- 1975 - Arbitrator Peter Seitz declares Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally free agents. Both pitchers sat out the option years of their contracts in the hopes they would become free to sign with any team. Messersmith will sign with the Dodgers, while McNally, who announced his retirement in June, will not return. Seitz's decision will lead to an agreement with the owners whereby all players will become eligible for free agency after six seasons.
- 1980 - The Baltimore Orioles sign free agent outfielder Jim Dwyer.
- 1981 - The New York Yankees sign free agent OF/1B Dave Collins for a reported $750,000 a year for at least three seasons. Collins, who stole 79 bases for the Cincinnati Reds in 1979, will end up a bust in New York and will be traded to the Toronto Blue Jays after one season.
- 1986 - The Lotte Orions deal superstar Hiromitsu Ochiai to the Chunichi Dragons for Kazuhiko Ushijima, Sadaharu Hiranuma, Shigeru Kuwata and Seiji Kamikawa.
- 1990 - Lotte Orions first-round pick Hideo Koike refuses to report to the team, going to the industrial leagues instead.
- 1992 - The Seattle Mariners sign free agent catcher Mackey Sasser to a two-year contract.
- 1994 - With negotiations to resolve the strike at a standstill, Major League owners unilaterally implement a salary cap and revenue sharing on striking players.
- 1995 - The St. Louis Cardinals sign a pair of free agents, outfielder Ron Gant and pitcher Andy Benes. Gant hit 29 home runs and stole 23 bases for Cincinnati, and Benes won 11 games while splitting his season between San Diego and Seattle. Benes will join younger brother Alan in the Cardinals' rotation.
- 1997 - The Boston Red Sox sign free agent outfielder Darren Lewis and the Chicago Cubs trade outfielder Doug Glanville to the Philadelphia Phillies for second baseman Mickey Morandini.
- 1999 - The New York Mets obtain pitcher Mike Hampton and outfielder Derek Bell from the Houston Astros in exchange for outfielder Roger Cedeño and pitchers Octavio Dotel and Kyle Kessel.
- 2000:
- The San Francisco Giants sign Eric Davis as a free agent. The veteran outfielder, who played for the Cardinals the past two seasons, will end his 17-year career with San Francisco in 2001.
- Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers sign free agent OF Jeffrey Hammonds to a three-year contract, and the Minnesota Twins sign OF Quinton McCracken to a one-year contract.
- 2004:
- Free agent outfielder J.D. Drew, who hit .305 with 31 home runs and 118 RBI for the Atlanta Braves, signs a five-year, $55 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After being traded by the Cardinals to Atlanta last season, Drew, well-known to be injury prone, played in a career-high 145 games.
- The St. Louis Cardinals sign former Anaheim Angels shortstop David Eckstein to a three-year contract. Eckstein will replace Edgar Renteria, who signed with the Boston Red Sox a few days ago, making the Boston shortstop, Orlando Cabrera, available to Anaheim, the team Eckstein is leaving.
- 2005 - Several free agents agree to contracts terms: OF Johnny Damon with the New York Yankees (four-year); OF Juan Encarnación (three-year) and 2B Junior Spivey (one-year) with the St. Louis Cardinals; OF Reggie Sanders (two-years) and P Joe Mays (one-year) with the Kansas City Royals; C John Flaherty with the Boston Red Sox (one-year); OF Endy Chavez with the New York Mets (one-year), and IF Jose Vizcaino with the San Francisco Giants (one-year).
- 2009 - The Angels sign P Fernando Rodney for two years and the Athletics sign OF Coco Crisp for one year.
- 2010:
- Vladimir Baños of Pinar del Rio throws the 51st no-hitter in Castro-era Cuban play and also walks none in beating Matanzas. Unfortunately, his shortstop makes an error, costing him the perfect game.
- In player moves today, the Rangers sign veteran lefty reliever Arthur Rhodes, an All-Star for the first time at age 41 last year; the Rockies trade two minor leaguers to Houston to land reliever Matt Lindstrom; and the Diamondbacks sell utility player Rusty Ryal to the Yomiuri Giants.
- 2011:
- A U.S. District Court judge in Delaware deals a blow to Fox Sports in its quest to maintain an exclusive hold on broadcast rights for the Los Angeles Dodgers for another year. Judge Leonard Stark states that he will likely overturn a lower court ruling that authorized this provision, because the team's bankrupt status does not allow it to conclude deals that affect the long term, since the team is to be sold by April 30, 2012. The deal would have prevented the new Dodgers' owners from approaching competitors to bid for the broadcast rights before November 30th and would have given Fox the right of first refusal on any deal.
- Playing for the Leones del Caracas in the Venezuelan League, C Yorvit Torrealba strikes umpire Dario Rivero Jr. on the mask after striking out in a game. He will receive a hefty 66-game suspension for his actions.
- 2012 - Reports indicate that OF Nick Swisher has signed with Cleveland for four years and $56 million; the deal will be made official on January 3rd.
- 2013 - The Dodgers add some relief pitching, signing veterans Jamey Wright, Chris Perez and J.P. Howell to join a bullpen that is now quite crowded.
- 2014 - The Braves sign P Jason Grilli to a two-year contract.
- 2016 - The Dodgers re-sign 3B Justin Turner for four years and $64 million. The late-bloomer was the team's best offensive player in 2016 with 27 homers and 90 RBIs.
- 2019 - Free agent P Hyun-Jin Ryu, the major league ERA leader last year, finds an unlikely home as the rebuilding Blue Jays offer him $80 million over four years.
- 2022 - The Blue Jays address their glut of catchers by trading Gabriel Moreno and OF Lourdes Gurriel to the Diamondbacks in return for OF Daulton Varsho, who can also catch if need be.
- 2023 - Diminutive Japanese closer Yuki Matsui, one of the top free agent pitchers available this off-season, signs a five-year deal with the Padres for $28 million.
Births[edit]
- 1853 - Robert Ross, umpire (d. 1931)
- 1867 - Jack Fee, pitcher (d. 1913)
- 1867 - Jack Leiper, pitcher (d. 1960)
- 1869 - Mike Grady, catcher (d. 1943)
- 1869 - Mike Roach, catcher (d. 1916)
- 1871 - Sam Leever, pitcher (d. 1953)
- 1878 - Rick Adams, pitcher (d. 1955)
- 1879 - Frank Owen, pitcher (d. 1942)
- 1880 - Doc Gessler, outfielder, manager (d. 1924)
- 1882 - Cozy Dolan, outfielder (d. 1958)
- 1882 - Sam Frock, pitcher (d. 1925)
- 1882 - Al Schweitzer, outfielder (d. 1969)
- 1882 - George Whiteman, outfielder (d. 1947)
- 1884 - Palmer Hildebrand, catcher (d. 1960)
- 1885 - Bruce Petway, catcher, manager (d. 1941)
- 1887 - Bunny Fabrique, infielder (d. 1960)
- 1888 - Tom Cantwell, pitcher (d. 1968)
- 1888 - George Curry, pitcher (d. 1963)
- 1889 - Jimmie Humphries, minor league baseball player, manager and owner (d. 1971)
- 1889 - Fritz Maisel, infielder (d. 1967)
- 1897 - Nemo Gaines, pitcher (d. 1979)
- 1898 - Hinkey Haines, outfielder (d. 1979)
- 1899 - Waddy Macphee, infielder (d. 1980)
- 1899 - Tommy Thomas, pitcher (d. 1988)
- 1900 - Danny Taylor, outfielder (d. 1972)
- 1901 - Ox Eckhardt, outfielder (d. 1951)
- 1902 - Max Rosenfeld, outfielder (d. 1969)
- 1904 - Howie Williamson, pinch hitter (d. 1969)
- 1907 - Jabbo Andrews, outfielder (d. 1964)
- 1908 - Sol Carter, pitcher (d. 2006)
- 1908 - Willie Simms, outfielder (d. 2002)
- 1909 - Thomas Albright, pitcher (d. 1986)
- 1909 - Art Passarella, umpire (d. 1981)
- 1911 - Vet Barnes, pitcher (d. 1984)
- 1911 - James Keelty, owner (d. 2003)
- 1912 - Pat Ankenman, infielder (d. 1989)
- 1915 - Red Mincy, minor league outfielder and manager (d. 1999)
- 1917 - Lincoln Williams, outfielder (d. 1995)
- 1921 - Marge Callaghan, AAGPBL player (d. 2019)
- 1924 - Bob Marquis, outfielder (d. 2007)
- 1925 - Ed Blake, pitcher (d. 2009)
- 1928 - Tony Roig, infielder (d. 2010)
- 1929 - Al Cicotte, pitcher (d. 1982)
- 1933 - Noella Alverson, AAGPBL pitcher-outfielder (d. 2014)
- 1933 - Elder White, infielder (d. 2010)
- 1937 - Tim Harkness, infielder
- 1937 - Wilbur Huckle, minor league infielder
- 1941 - Ken Hubbs, infielder (d. 1964)
- 1942 - Jerry Koosman, pitcher; All-Star
- 1943 - Ron Allen, infielder
- 1943 - Fokke Jelsma, Hoofdklasse outfielder (d. 2012)
- 1943 - Dave May, outfielder; All-Star (d. 2012)
- 1944 - Vic LaRose, infielder (d. 2011)
- 1945 - Raúl Cano, minor league pitcher and manager
- 1948 - Alec Distaso, pitcher (d. 2009)
- 1952 - Santo Alcala, pitcher
- 1952 - Humberto Valenzuela, minor league pitcher
- 1953 - Jerry Manuel, infielder, manager
- 1955 - Keith Comstock, pitcher
- 1956 - Bert Bradley, pitcher
- 1958 - Tim Leary, pitcher
- 1959 - Frank Eufemia, pitcher
- 1968 - Jason Schwabe, Canadian national team utility man
- 1968 - Rick White, pitcher
- 1970 - Kevin Logsdon, minor league player
- 1974 - Pascual Matos, catcher
- 1976 - Brad Lidge, pitcher; All-Star
- 1977 - Shawn Chacon, pitcher; All-Star
- 1977 - Jesus Colome, pitcher
- 1977 - Dustin Delucchi, minor league outfielder
- 1978 - Victor Martinez, catcher; All-Star
- 1978 - Jon Stone, minor league catcher
- 1979 - Steve Stanley, minor league outfielder
- 1980 - Cody Ross, outfielder
- 1981 - Jordan Baker, umpire
- 1982 - Quan Cosby, minor league outfielder
- 1982 - Brad Nelson, infielder
- 1983 - Hanley Ramirez, infielder; All-Star
- 1983 - Toshio Saito, NPB catcher
- 1984 - Jurandy Girigori, Hoofdklasse pitcher
- 1984 - Josh Satin, infielder
- 1985 - Chris Fetter, minor league pitcher
- 1987 - Travis Adair, minor league player
- 1987 - Tyler Robertson, pitcher
- 1987 - Jordany Valdespin, infielder
- 1988 - Toshihito Abe, NPB infielder
- 1988 - Audry Perez, catcher
- 1988 - Roberto Perez, catcher
- 1990 - Mitch Haniger, outfielder; All-Star
- 1991 - Alan Fanhoni, French Division I infielder
- 1993 - Dany Jimenez, pitcher
- 1995 - Dalton Guthrie, outfielder
- 1998 - Kuan-Hsun Chen, CPBL pitcher
- 2003 - Dong-ju Moon, KBO pitcher
Deaths[edit]
- 1909 - Harry Gilbert, infielder (b. 1868)
- 1915 - John Lowell, umpire (b. 1837)
- 1916 - Erve Beck, infielder (b. 1878)
- 1937 - Walt Preston, outfielder (b. 1868)
- 1955 - Joe McManus, pitcher (b. 1887)
- 1967 - Conrad Kjerstad, college coach (b. 1883)
- 1969 - Ted Menze, outfielder (b. 1897)
- 1971 - Zelman Jack, minor league infielder (b. 1946)
- 1972 - Dutch Jordan, infielder (b. 1880)
- 1975 - Rae Blaemire, catcher (b. 1911)
- 1975 - Jim McGlothlin, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1943)
- 1978 - Mike Sime, minor league outfielder (b. 1909)
- 1981 - George Scharein, infielder (b. 1914)
- 1986 - Dan Wilson, outfielder/infielder; All-Star (b. 1915)
- 1992 - Jim Matthews, minor league outfielder and manager (b. 1921)
- 2000 - Marvin Williams, infielder; All-Star (b. 1920)
- 2002 - George Bullard, infielder (b. 1928)
- 2003 - Charlie Bowles, pitcher (b. 1917)
- 2004 - Wilmer Harris, pitcher (b. 1924)
- 2006 - Sol Carter, pitcher (b. 1908)
- 2008 - Cheng-Sheng Su, amateur outfielder and manager; Taiwan Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1912)
- 2012 - Dick Kashiwaeda, NPB infielder (b. 1920)
- 2010 - Gerard Salemink, Hoofdklasse pitcher (b. ~1944)
- 2016 - Jim Lehew, pitcher (b. 1937)
- 2017 - Angelo Dagres, outfielder (b. 1934)
- 2017 - Jerry Siegert, minor league infielder (b. 1937)
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