February 26
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 February 26.
Events[edit]
- 1887 - Grover Cleveland Alexander is born in Elba, Nebraska. Suffering from epilepsy, haunted by his experiences in combat during World War I, and shadowed by alcoholism, Alexander will still be able to win 373 games during a 20-year career, the third highest total in major league baseball history. He will lead the National League in ERA on four occasions, wins in six different seasons, complete games six times, and shutouts during seven seasons. He will also win 30 or more games in three consecutive seasons, and be the only pitcher in major league history to win the Triple Crown three years in a row. Alexander will gain election to the Hall of Fame in 1938.
- 1894 - In a series of rule changes designed to help pitchers, all foul bunts will now be called strikes, and the infield fly rule is instituted.
- 1901 - National League officials meet with Charles "Chief" Zimmer, Pittsburgh Pirates catcher and the president of the Players Protective Association, and agree to contract concessions granted by the American League for NL players who will agree not to sign with AL clubs. Zimmer promises suspensions for members of the union who jump to the new league.
- 1907 - The St. Louis Browns trade second baseman Pete O'Brien to the Cleveland Naps in exchange for catcher Fritz Buelow.
- 1909 - Charles Taft sells the Philadelphia Phillies to a group headed by Israel Durham. Durham will become president, but will pass away on June 28th.
- 1914 - The Chicago White Sox and New York Giants play an exhibition game in front of King George V in London, England. The White Sox win the game in 11 innings on Tom Daly's home run.
- 1935 - The New York Yankees release longtime star outfielder Babe Ruth, freeing him to sign a $20,000 contract with the Boston Braves of the National League. Ruth's new contract with the Braves also gives him a share of the team's profits. In 1934, Ruth endured one of his worst seasons with the Yankees - at least by his lofty standards - with a .288 batting average, 22 home runs and 84 RBI. This season, he will play just only 28 games for the Braves before announcing his retirement on June 2nd at the age of 40. Ruth will hit the final three home runs of his major league career on May 25th against the Pittsburgh Pirates, giving him a total of 714. His last home run will clear the right field grandstand at Forbes Field and will travel an estimated 600 feet.
- 1943 - The Philadelphia Blue Jays hire Bucky Harris as their manager. It is the fourth major league club Harris has led. He also managed the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox, not counting two stints - later three - with the Washington Senators. Clark Griffith, Rogers Hornsby, Donie Bush and Bill McKechnie have also managed four clubs. Harris will compile a record of 38-52 in 92 games before being fired, but will resurface as manager of the 1947 World Champions New York Yankees. He will finish his managing career with Detroit in 1956.
- 1950 - The Boston Red Sox sell pitcher Jack Kramer to the New York Giants for $25,000. Kramer will charge the Red Sox with railroading him out of the American League because of his differences with manager Joe McCarthy.
- 1952 - Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe is sworn into the Army. The 26-year-old New Jersey native, who posted a 56-28 record his first three years with the team, will miss two seasons.
- 1956 - The New York Giants trade knuckleball pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for 1B/OF Whitey Lockman.
- 1969 - Boston Red Sox star Carl Yastrzemski becomes the highest-paid player in American League history after signing a one-year deal worth $130,000. In 1968, Yastrzemski batted a league-leading .301 and also paced the AL with 119 walks.
- 1991 - Bill Veeck, the colorful owner of the Browns, Indians and White Sox (twice), and Yankees great Tony Lazzeri are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.
- 1992 - Boston Red Sox owner Jean R. Yawkey dies at the age of 83. For the first time in 59 years, someone other than a Yawkey will own the team. Mrs. Yawkey's husband, Tom, became president of the Red Sox in 1933, and was the sole owner of the team for 44 seasons, longer than anyone in major league baseball history.
- 1998 - Cleveland Indians pitcher Ben McDonald undergoes surgery on his right shoulder. He will be out for the season.
- 2001 - The Los Angeles Dodgers obtain OF Marquis Grissom from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for OF Devon White.
- 2004 - With hundreds of on-lookers, including a man covered in ivy, singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game, the foul ball made famous by Steve Bartman in the 2003 National League Championship Series is blown up at Harry Caray's restaurant in Chicago. The infamous ball's demise is executed by Michael Lantieri, a Cubs die-hard fan and Oscar Award winner who has worked on similar special effects in the films Jurassic Park and Back to the Future.
- 2005 - Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Hampton and his wife offer a $25,000 reward for the safe return of Jessica Marie Lunsford. The nine-year old, who disappeared from her Florida bedroom four days ago, is in the same grade as one of the Hamptons' two sons at Homosassa Elementary School.
- 2011 - Major League Baseball names former manager Joe Torre as executive vice-president for baseball operations, replacing Bob Watson who retired after last season. Torre will be in charge of supervising umpires and meting out discipline for on-field incidents.
- 2012:
- The Nationals and All-Star 3B Ryan Zimmerman agree on a $100 million contract extension that will keep him with the team until 2019.
- The Indians get some bad news as closer Chris Perez is sidelined with a strained oblique muscle and is out for four to six weeks. He blames the injury on going all-out during his first session on the mound in spring training.
- 2013:
- Trying to make the Royals' roster as a reliever, rookie P Donnie Joseph opens some eyes. After striking out the side in his first spring outing four days ago, he repeats the feat today against the Indians, needing only the minimum of nine pitches to turn the trick.
- Russell Martin withdraws from Team Canada four days before the start of the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Signed by the Pirates as a free agent over the off-season, the veteran catcher had wanted to play shortstop in the tournament, but both the Bucs and the national team brass were cool to the suggestion. He is replaced on the roster by John Suomi, a veteran backstop with 12 minor league seasons of experience.
- 2014 - It's only the first day of Cactus League games, but A's OF Josh Reddick is already in mid-season form. He twice robs the Giants' Mike Morse of home runs with spectacular catches over the fence in right field at Scottsdale Stadium.
- 2016 - Indians outfielder Abraham Almonte receives an 80-game suspension for testing positive for an anabolic steroid.
- 2019 - The Australian Baseball League has its first joint MVPs; the 2018-2019 honorees are Adelaide Bite hurler Markus Solbach (5-3, 1.10, 74 K in 65 1/3 IP) and Perth Heat outfielder Tim Kennelly (.338/.419/.531, 38 R in 38 G). Kennelly is the first two-time MVP in ABL history, while Solbach is the first pitcher to win MVP in the second edition of the ABL.
- 2022 - Freshman Tommy White of North Carolina State University is off to an other-worldly start to his college career, as he has now homered nine times in in his first eight games.
- 2023 - Ten days after stating that, following this season, he would opt out of the remaining five years on the contract he signed with the San Diego Padres back in 2019, Manny Machado comes to terms with the team on an 11-year extension worth $350 million.
Births[edit]
- 1857 - Frank Decker, infielder (d. 1940)
- 1863 - Sam LaRoque, infielder (d. 1933)
- 1863 - Ed Sixsmith, catcher (d. 1926)
- 1874 - Bill Banks, pitcher (d. 1936)
- 1877 - Max Fleischmann, owner (d. 1951)
- 1877 - Dick Nallin, umpire (d. 1956)
- 1881 - Frank Leary, pitcher (d. 1907)
- 1887 - Pete Alexander, pitcher; Hall of Famer (d. 1950)
- 1891 - Jack Hammond, infielder (d. 1942)
- 1892 - Harry Weaver, pitcher (d. 1983)
- 1896 - Rip Collins, pitcher (d. 1968)
- 1898 - Frank Callaway, infielder (d. 1987)
- 1898 - Carl Glass, pitcher, manager (d. 1972)
- 1898 - Sam Taylor, infielder (d. 1966)
- 1898 - Lee Thompson, pitcher (d. 1963)
- 1898 - Edgar Washington, infielder (d. 1970)
- 1899 - Felix Martin, pitcher (d. 1969)
- 1905 - Emmett Nelson, pitcher (d. 1967)
- 1906 - Joe Graves, infielder (d. 1980)
- 1907 - Cy Malis, pitcher (d. 1971)
- 1909 - Eldridge Mayweather, infielder; All-Star (d. 1966)
- 1909 - Irving Vincent, pitcher (d. 1977)
- 1915 - Stew Bowers, pitcher (d. 2005)
- 1915 - Bill Conroy, catcher (d. 1997)
- 1915 - Alejandro Crespo, outfielder; All-Star (d. ????)
- 1916 - Preacher Roe, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2008)
- 1917 - Steve Biras, infielder (d. 1965)
- 1917 - Johnny Grodzicki, pitcher (d. 1998)
- 1920 - Danny Gardella, outfielder (d. 2005)
- 1926 - Mickey Stubblefield, minor league pitcher (d. 2013)
- 1926 - Amos Watson, pitcher (d. 1997)
- 1928 - Robert Hartranft, minor league infielder (d. 2014)
- 1929 - Jim DeBell, college coach (d. 2008)
- 1930 - Tom Hank, minor league infielder (d. 2012)
- 1930 - Vic Janowicz, catcher (d. 1996)
- 1930 - Ron Negray, pitcher (d. 2018)
- 1931 - Isami Okamoto, NPB infielder and manager
- 1932 - Cecil Davis, minor league pitcher (d. 2008)
- 1933 - Johnny Blanchard, outfielder (d. 2009)
- 1933 - Shozo Watanabe, NPB pitcher (d. 1998)
- 1934 - Don Lee, pitcher
- 1941 - George Kopacz, infielder
- 1944 - Don Secrist, pitcher
- 1945 - Steve Hertz, infielder
- 1948 - Gary Cavallo, minor league pitcher
- 1948 - Hiromitsu Kadota, NPB outfielder; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
- 1950 - Jack Brohamer, infielder
- 1952 - Dennis Kinney, pitcher
- 1953 - Jeff Wehmeier, minor league pitcher
- 1954 - Jeff Yurak, outfielder
- 1955 - Rick Wieters, minor league pitcher
- 1958 - Bob Hegman, infielder
- 1958 - Darrell Miller, catcher
- 1959 - Will George, minor league pitcher and coach
- 1961 - Stan Kyles, coach
- 1962 - Kelly Gruber, infielder; All-Star
- 1964 - Phil Dillmore, minor league pitcher
- 1967 - Kiyoshi Hatsushiba, NPB infielder
- 1967 - David Howard, infielder
- 1967 - Scott Service, pitcher
- 1968 - David Samson, executive
- 1968 - J.T. Snow, infielder
- 1971 - Matt Luke, outfielder
- 1971 - Danny Perez, outfielder
- 1972 - Chris Granata, minor league pitcher
- 1972 - David Sawicki, college coach (d. 2019)
- 1976 - David Grewe, college coach
- 1976 - Celso Nakano, Brazilian national team outfielder
- 1977 - Mike Muchlinski, umpire
- 1977 - Josh Towers, pitcher
- 1978 - Michael Duursma, Hoofdklasse infielder
- 1979 - Seth Davidson, minor league infielder
- 1980 - Warren Herman, South African national team catcher
- 1980 - Gary Majewski, pitcher
- 1980 - Wei Kao, CPBL infielder
- 1982 - Ivan Naccarata, minor league infielder
- 1982 - Jesús Reyes, Venezuelan national team pitcher
- 1983 - Jose Reyes, catcher
- 1983 - Grant Richardson, minor league infielder
- 1983 - Joe Martinez, pitcher
- 1983 - Francisco Rodriguez, pitcher
- 1985 - Ty Wright, minor league outfielder
- 1986 - Maksym Kiiachenko, Ukrainian national team infielder
- 1986 - Moritz Sckaer, Bundesliga pitcher
- 1987 - Erick Bautista, Guatemalan national team pitcher
- 1987 - Matt Nevarez, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Dustin Ackley, infielder
- 1988 - Antonio Noguera, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Hector Rondon, pitcher
- 1988 - Jamie Rossouw, South African national team outfielder
- 1991 - Kevin Plawecki, catcher
- 1993 - Keivi Rojas, minor league pitcher
- 1994 - Argenis Angulo, minor league pitcher
- 1994 - Yi Chang, NPB pitcher
- 1996 - Michael Papierski, catcher
- 1996 - Richard Urena, infielder
- 1997 - Peyton Burdick, outfielder
- 1997 - Trevor Larnach, outfielder
- 1997 - Luis Rengifo, infielder
- 1997 - Ondřej Satoria, Extraliga pitcher
- 1997 - Seifu Suzuki, Japanese national team outfielder
- 1998 - Shuruendy Valeriano, minor league pitcher
- 1999 - Cole Percival, minor league pitcher
- 2001 - Lilian Amoros, French Division I pitcher
- 2002 - Dylan Crews, minor league outfielder
- 2003 - Dahian Santos, minor league pitcher
Deaths[edit]
- 1873 - Cy Bentley, pitcher (b. 1850)
- 1896 - Horace Phillips, manager (b. 1856)
- 1896 - Pat Sullivan, manager (b. 1854)
- 1913 - Mike Drissel, catcher (b. 1864)
- 1929 - Jim Moroney, pitcher (b. 1883)
- 1937 - Ernie Lush, outfielder (b. 1885)
- 1938 - Tex Jones, infielder (b. 1885)
- 1940 - Matt Broderick, infielder (b. 1877)
- 1940 - Shigeru Ohta, writer; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1881)
- 1942 - Murray Gillispie, pitcher (b. 1908)
- 1959 - Howie Fitzgerald, outfielder (b. 1902)
- 1961 - Happy Smith, outfielder (b. 1883)
- 1965 - Sec Taylor, writer (b. 1887)
- 1967 - Tommy Heath, catcher (b. 1913)
- 1967 - George Yantz, catcher (b. 1886)
- 1970 - Everett Bankston, outfielder (b. 1893)
- 1977 - Harry Welchonce, outfielder (b. 1883)
- 1979 - Forrest Thompson, pitcher (b. 1918)
- 1982 - Bill Miller, pitcher (b. 1910)
- 1983 - Ford Smith, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1919)
- 1984 - Joe Kuhel, infielder, manager (b. 1906)
- 1985 - George Uhle, pitcher (b. 1898)
- 1986 - Kenjiro Matsuki, NPB infielder and manager; Japanese Hall of Fame (b. 1909)
- 1987 - Eddie Jefferson, pitcher (b. 1922)
- 1988 - Tom Oliver, outfielder (b. 1903)
- 1991 - Eddie Knoblauch, minor league outfielder (b. 1918)
- 1991 - Emmett Wilson, outfielder (b. 1913)
- 1991 - Jimmy Zinn, pitcher (b. 1895)
- 1992 - Jean Yawkey, owner (b. 1909)
- 2006 - Ace Adams, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1912)
- 2008 - Alec McCullock, minor league pitcher (b. 1959)
- 2009 - Curtis Lloyd, Negro League player (b. 1909)
- 2011 - Steve Alcantara, Guam national team pitcher (b. ~1980)
- 2012 - Jim Mallon, college coach (b. 1944)
- 2017 - Ned Garver, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1925)
- 2018 - Jim Dobson, minor league infielder (b. 1939)
- 2021 - Al Naples, infielder (b. 1926)
- 2022 - Lambert Ford, minor league outfielder (b. 1949)
- 2023 - Sandy Valdespino, outfielder (b. 1939)
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