January 22
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 | |
| Sources | |
| Baseball Library Chronology | |
| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on January 22.
Events[edit]
- 1889 - Facing over $30,000 in debts, the Indianapolis Hoosiers go bankrupt and surrender their franchise to the National League.
- 1901 - Philadelphia Athletics manager-GM Connie Mack signs a ten-year lease on grounds at 29th and Columbia to be called Columbia Park. A contract is set for construction of single-deck stands to hold 7,500.
- 1904 - William H. Yawkey, the 28-year-old heir to a lumber and mining fortune, buys the Detroit Tigers from S.F. Angus for $50,000. New money and Frank Navin's shrewd management will bring three straight pennants to the franchise within a few years.
- 1913 - The New York Giants give the Yankees permission to use the Polo Grounds for this season only, as the lease on the Hilltop grounds has expired. The team will no longer be known as the "Highlanders" as a result of the move and will remain as a tenant through 1922.
- 1918 - The Yankees trade catcher Les Nunamaker, third baseman Fritz Maisel, infielder Joe Gedeon, and pitchers Nick Cullop and Urban Shocker to the St. Louis Browns in exchange for pitcher Eddie Plank and second baseman Del Pratt. Plank, a 300-game winner, retires, but Pratt gives the Yankees three good years of services at second. Shocker is the gem, posting four straight seasons of 20 or more wins in St. Louis. Maisel, whom the Yankees refused to trade in early 1916 for either Boston Red Sox Tris Speaker (and cash) or Chicago White Sox Shoeless Joe Jackson, will hit just .232 in 90 games and be gone.
- 1929 - The New York Yankees announce they will put numbers on the backs of their uniforms, becoming the first baseball team to start continuous use of the numbers. The first numbers are based on positions in the batting order; thus, Babe Ruth will wear number 3 and Lou Gehrig number 4. In a few weeks, the Cleveland Indians announce that they, too, will put numbers on the uniforms. By 1931, all American League teams will use them. It will be 1933 before all National League players are numbered.
- 1935 - The Washington Senators receive pitcher Bump Hadley from the St. Louis Browns in a trade for catcher Luke Sewell, who is passed on to the Chicago White Sox.
- 1946 - The Boston Red Sox sell veteran third baseman Jim Tabor to the Philadelphia Phillies.
- 1953 - Under the McCarran-Walter Act, U.S. Immigration Commissioner Argyle R. Mackey warns alien players they will face deportation if found jumping U.S. pro contracts.
- 1962 - Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Jensen again announces his retirement from baseball. This time he means it.
- 1969 - The Montreal Expos trade first baseman Donn Clendenon and outfielder Jesús Alou to the Houston Astros for first baseman/outfielder Rusty Staub. Clendenon, however, refuses to report to Houston and announces that he is retiring instead. A few days later, Clendenon will decide that he would be willing to go to one of several other teams, a move which outrages the Astros. Meanwhile, Staub and Alou are caught in limbo between the two teams. It will be April before the issues are resolved, with Clendenon staying in Montreal and two other players (Ps Jack Billingham and Skip Guinn) headed to Houston in compensation.
- 1976 - Pitchers Robin Roberts and Bob Lemon are voted into the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Roberts led the National League in starts and innings pitched for five straight seasons and was tops in victories for four consecutive years on his way to 286 career wins. Lemon earned 20 victories six times and won 207 career games.
- 1982 - Free agent Reggie Jackson signs a four-year, nearly $4 million contract with the Angels, ending his five-year roller coaster ride with the Yankees.
- 1988 - As a result of the Players Association's 1985 collusion suit against the owners, arbitrator Thomas Roberts declares seven players no-risk free agents until March 1st, giving them a chance to sign with other clubs despite already having contracts. The seven are Juan Beniquez, Tom Brookens, Kirk Gibson, Carlton Fisk, Donnie Moore, Joe Niekro and Butch Wynegar. Gibson will jump to the Dodgers and become the National League MVP and a World Series hero to boot.
- 1992 - The New York Mets trade outfielder Mark Carreon and relief pitcher Tony Castillo to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for pitcher Paul Gibson and Randy Marshall.
- 1996:
- The Oakland Athletics send outfielder Danny Tartabull to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for pitcher Andrew Lorraine and Charles Poe.
- The St. Louis Cardinals send outfielder Bernard Gilkey to the New York Mets in exchange for pitchers Eric Ludwick, Erik Hiljus and Yudith Orozio.
- 1997:
- All-Star first baseman Don Mattingly officially announces his retirement at a media conference in Yankee Stadium.
- Katsuo Osugi is elected into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1998 - Free agent outfielder Rickey Henderson signs on for a fourth tour of duty with the Oakland Athletics.
- 2001:
- World Series standout Tommie Agee dies of a cardiac arrest in Manhattan at the age of 58. As the Mets' center fielder, the 1966 American League Rookie of the Year made two memorable catches (saving possibly five runs) and hit a home run in a 5 - 0 Game 3 victory over the Orioles in the 1969 Fall Classic.
- 2003:
- Former Minnesota Twins backup David Ortiz is signed by the Boston Red Sox, where he will start a successful and productive career over the coming years.
- Free agent and former Texas Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez signs a one-year deal worth $10 million to play in his hometown with the Florida Marlins. The Miami resident, who is a ten-time Gold Glove Award winner, will be replacing Charles Johnson who was traded to the Colorado Rockies during the off-season.
- 2006:
- Pitcher Jorge Sosa agrees to a $2.2 million, one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves, and the Minnesota Twins and utility player Michael Cuddyer agrees to a $1.3 million, one-year contract that avoids arbitration.
- The Baltimore Orioles add much-needed experience to their starting rotation, acquiring pitcher Kris Benson from the New York Mets for relief pitchers Jorge Julio and John Maine.
- 2010 - With centerfielder Carlos Beltran likely unavailable to start the season because of a knee operation, the Mets acquire Gary Matthews from the Angels for reliever Brian Stokes.
- 2011 - The 2010 Hoofdklasse awards are given out. Bryan Engelhardt is named MVP after leading the league in slugging, homers, RBI, steals, total bases and hits and Leon Boyd is the Pitcher of the Year. Australian Dushan Ruzic is honored as MVP of the 2010 Holland Series. Niels Harteveld wins the Roel de Mon Award and recent Rangers signee Nick Urbanus the Ron Fraser Award.
- 2012:
- The Mariners sign veteran starting pitcher Kevin Millwood.
- Escogido takes a two-games-to-none lead in the Dominican League finals with a 4 - 1 win over Aguilas Cibaeñas. Nelson Figueroa is the winner and Mauro Gomez leads the offense with a homer off Manauris Baez. Julio Lugo helps out by going 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles.
- In the Mexican Pacific League, Agustin Murillo hits a two-run homer in the bottom of the 8th to lead Ciudad Obregon to a 6 - 5 win over Guasave, for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven finals.
- 2013
- Free agent OF Delmon Young, MVP of the 2012 ALCS with the Tigers, signs a one-year contract with the Phillies for the surprisingly low salary of $750,000. Young's market value has plummeted because of his defensive struggles, but he remains a dangerous hitter who could prove to be a tremendous bargain.
- Mayagüez ties the Puerto Rican League finals at two games apiece with a 6 - 5 win over Caguas. SS Luis Mateo commits a critical error with two on and two outs in the bottom of the 11th, giving Mayagüez the win.
- The Leones del Escogido repeat as Dominican League champions after a 3 - 0 win over the Aguilas Cibaeñas to complete a sweep of the finals. Fernando Tatis hits a two-run double in the 2nd and a solo homer in the 7th to account for all the runs, while Kris Johnson pitches six scoreless innings for the win. It is the Lions' fifteenth title.
- 2014:
- Masahiro Tanaka reaches a seven-year, $155 million deal with the New York Yankees. Tanaka is fresh off one of the best seasons in Pacific League history (24-0, 1.27).
- The Rays and Padres make a seven-player trade, with Tampa Bay sending Ps Alex Torres and Jesse Hahn to San Diego for IF Logan Forsythe, Ps Brad Boxberger, Matt Lollis and Matt Andriese, and IF Maxx Tissenbaum.
- 2016:
- Greg Frady is named to the German Baseball Hall of Fame. He had managed the German national team to a Bronze Medal in the 2010 European Championship, their first European Championship medal in 35 years, and guided them to three Baseball World Cups after no Baseball World Cup appearances since the early 1970s.
- The Mets make a couple of moves to defend their National League pennant, re-signing free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and adding reliever Antonio Bastardo. Cespedes, the star of the team's late surge in 2015, returns after protracted negotiations, signing for three years and $75 million, while the price tag for Bastardo is $12 million over two years.
- 2017 - The Alazanes de Granma win the 2016-2017 Cuban title, winning their first pennant after 40 years of competition. They sweep the defending champion Ciego de Ávila in the finale. Guillermo Avilés drives in Alfredo Despaigne with the winning run in a 3 - 2 game while Miguel Lahera gets the win in relief.
- 2018 - The Giants sign veteran free agent OF Austin Jackson to a two-year deal worth $6 million. While second-tier free agents like Jackson have been able to find homes, an unusually large number of front-line ones remain unsigned at this late stage of the off-season.
- 2019 - Mariano Rivera becomes the first unanimous inductee in the Hall of Fame, being named on all 425 ballots cast by members of the BBWAA in the 2019 Hall of Fame Election. Joining him are fellow pitchers Roy Halladay, who becomes a posthumous first-ballot Hall of Famer, and Mike Mussina, and DH/3B Edgar Martinez, the latter in his tenth and final year of eligibility.
- 2020 - News emerges that Luis Rojas, son of major league outfielder and manager Felipe Alou and brother of Moises Alou, will be named manager of the Mets, in replacement of Carlos Beltran, who was dismissed for his role the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal before he could actually manage a game. Rojas has chosen to use his family's true last name, which was erroneously changed to the matrimonial name when his father became a professional ballplayer in the 1950s. In addition to belonging to baseball royalty, Rojas has found a lot of success managing in the minor leagues and in the Dominican Republic and was a quality control coach with the Mets.
- 2021 - Hank Aaron, who broke Babe Ruth's hallowed mark of 714 career homers and still stands second on the all-time list, passes away at age 86, the latest in a long list of Hall of Famers who have died over the past 12 months.
- 2022:
- The Gigantes del Cibao win the Dominican League title by defeating the Estrellas Orientales, 8 - 3, in Game 5 of the league championship. A three-run homer by Marcell Ozuna off Andy Otero in the 3rd inning sparks a six-run outburst. It is only the second league title for Cibao, the first one having come at the end of the 2014-15 season.
- The Charros de Jalisco take their second Mexican Pacific League title, beating the Tomateros de Culiacán, four games to three. Game 7 is one-sided, as the Charros win, 8 - 1. Brennan Bernardino allows four hits and one run in eight innings to win series MVP, while José Aguilar has three hits (two doubles) in the win.
- 2024 - The Pirates sign reliever Aroldis Chapman, who made an important contribution to the Rangers' first-ever World Series title last year, to a one-year deal worth $10.5 million.
Births[edit]
- 1863 - Charlie Hallstrom, pitcher (d. 1949)
- 1864 - Irv Ray, infielder (d. 1948)
- 1868 - Charles Murphy, owner (d. 1931)
- 1874 - Jay Hughes, pitcher (d. 1924)
- 1876 - Warren McLaughlin, pitcher (d. 1923)
- 1880 - John O'Neill, outfielder (d. 1920)
- 1881 - Ira Thomas, catcher (d. 1958)
- 1882 - Frank Sanger, minor league player, college coach (d. 1963)
- 1889 - Amos Strunk, outfielder (d. 1979)
- 1896 - Frank Fahey, outfielder (d. 1954)
- 1896 - Fred Long, outfielder (d. 1966)
- 1897 - Art Ehlers, general manager (d. 1977)
- 1901 - Leonard Henderson, infielder (d. 1979)
- 1904 - John Milligan, pitcher (d. 1972)
- 1906 - Ivey Shiver, outfielder (d. 1972)
- 1909 - Kenjiro Matsuki, NPB infielder and manager; Japanese Hall of Fame (d. 1986)
- 1910 - Prince Oana, pitcher/outfielder (d. 1976)
- 1917 - David Eavenson, college coach (d. 1988)
- 1917 - Huck Geary, infielder (d. 1981)
- 1918 - Chris Pelekoudas, umpire (d. 1984)
- 1919 - Diomedes Olivo, pitcher (d. 1977)
- 1922 - Annabelle Lee, AAGPBL pitcher (d. 2008)
- 1925 - Johnny Bucha, catcher (d. 1996)
- 1925 - Mark Wylie, minor league pitcher and manager
- 1925 - Bobby Young, infielder (d. 1985)
- 1929 - Dick Hager, scout (d. 2014)
- 1929 - Jack Littrell, infielder (d. 2009)
- 1941 - Dave Leonhard, pitcher
- 1945 - Jophery Brown, pitcher (d. 2014)
- 1947 - Senichi Hoshino, NPB pitcher and manager; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 2018)
- 1948 - Fred Cambria, pitcher
- 1949 - Ramon Aviles, infielder (d. 2020)
- 1949 - Mike Caldwell, pitcher
- 1951 - Leon Roberts, outfielder
- 1951 - Dick Runchey, umpire
- 1954 - Bill Nardi, college coach
- 1955 - Duane Gustavson, minor league catcher and manager
- 1957 - Brian Dayett, outfielder
- 1958 - Seiji Kobayashi, NPB pitcher
- 1958 - Daisuke Tsutsui, Japanese national team outfielder
- 1960 - Hsin-Sheng Cheng, CPBL infielder
- 1962 - Chang-Heng Hsieh, CPBL pitcher and manager
- 1963 - Javier Ortiz, outfielder
- 1963 - Jeff Treadway, infielder
- 1964 - Wayne Kirby, outfielder
- 1964 - Kenjiro Mori, NPB umpire
- 1964 - Tetsu Suzuki, NPB pitcher
- 1965 - Timber Mead, minor league pitcher
- 1967 - Kevin Higgins, catcher
- 1968 - José Estrada, Cuban league outfielder
- 1969 - Keith Gordon, outfielder
- 1972 - Kevin J. Young, minor league outfielder (d. 2008)
- 1972 - Eddie Williams, minor league catcher
- 1973 - Gaudencio Aguirre, minor league pitcher
- 1973 - Mat Buckley, minor league infielder
- 1973 - Junichi Kawahara, NPB pitcher
- 1973 - Willem Kemp, Bundesliga catcher
- 1974 - Shea Morenz, minor league outfielder
- 1974 - Branko Nenadic, Croatian national team outfielder
- 1975 - Óscar Chocarro, Division Honor outfielder
- 1976 - Jimmy Anderson, pitcher
- 1976 - Jacob Shumate, minor league pitcher
- 1977 - Rafael Alvarez, minor league outfielder
- 1977 - Anthony Marini, minor league pitcher
- 1977 - Aaron Rakers, pitcher
- 1978 - Chone Figgins, infielder; All-Star
- 1979 - Wei-Chu Lin, NPB outfielder
- 1979 - Peter Mak, Hong Kong national team infielder
- 1979 - Carlos Ruiz, catcher; All-Star
- 1979 - Matt Schaufert, minor league umpire
- 1980 - Masanori Ishikawa, NPB pitcher
- 1981 - Vince Faison, minor league outfielder
- 1982 - Nicki Holt, USA womens' national team outfielder
- 1982 - Dernier Orozco, minor league pitcher
- 1982 - Michael Weigl, Bundesliga infielder
- 1983 - Pedro Sanabria, Ecuadorian national team player
- 1983 - Jose Valdez, pitcher
- 1983 - Yao-Hsun Yang, NPB pitcher
- 1984 - Ubaldo Jimenez, pitcher; All-Star
- 1985 - Hayden Beard, minor league pitcher
- 1985 - Scott Cousins, outfielder
- 1985 - Shawn Nottingham, minor league player
- 1986 - Brock Kjeldgaard, minor league outfielder
- 1987 - Jeff Cowan, minor league infielder
- 1987 - Wilfredo Díaz, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Chen-En Hung, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Robbie Robinson, minor league manager
- 1988 - Josh Spence, pitcher
- 1990 - Jon Berti, infielder
- 1990 - Justin Erasmus, minor league pitcher
- 1990 - Mike Hauschild, pitcher
- 1990 - Laura Neads, Australian women's national team pitcher
- 1990 - Adolfo Reina, minor league catcher
- 1990 - David Rohm, minor league outfielder
- 1990 - Josue Rosario, Bolivian national team outfielder
- 1991 - Ashley Ponce, minor league infielder
- 1993 - Tyler Gonzales, minor league pitcher
- 1993 - Ramon Torres, infielder
- 1994 - Tyrone Taylor, outfielder
- 1995 - Chae-heung Choi, KBO pitcher
- 1999 - Donovan Benoit, minor league pitcher
- 2001 - Raúl Alcantara, minor league pitcher
- 2001 - Justin Fürböck, Austrian national team infielder
- 2002 - Gabriel Barbosa, minor league pitcher
Deaths[edit]
- 1896 - George Heubel, outfielder (b. 1849)
- 1910 - Sam Wise, infielder (b. 1857)
- 1922 - Orator Shaffer, outfielder (b. 1851)
- 1923 - Fred Cooke, outfielder
- 1932 - Bob Hogan, pitcher (b. 1860)
- 1940 - Charlie Berry, infielder (b. 1860)
- 1940 - Charles King, umpire (b. 1872)
- 1942 - Louis Santop, catcher; Hall of Fame (b. 1889)
- 1944 - Harry Hofer, minor league player and manager (b. 1875)
- 1955 - Bob Wicker, pitcher (b. 1877)
- 1956 - Ralph Mitterling, outfielder (b. 1890)
- 1957 - Petie Behan, pitcher (b. 1887)
- 1959 - Ken Williams, outfielder (b. 1890)
- 1962 - Lefty Russell, pitcher (b. 1890)
- 1966 - Joel Newkirk, pitcher (b. 1896)
- 1971 - Dorothy Comiskey, owner (b. ????)
- 1973 - Al Halt, infielder (b. 1890)
- 1982 - Les Willis, pitcher (b. 1908)
- 1984 - Johnny Spencer, outfielder (b. 1897)
- 1989 - Willie Wells, infielder, manager; Hall of Fame (b. 1908)
- 1991 - John Balquist, college coach (b. 1908)
- 1994 - Rudy Miller, infielder (b. 1900)
- 1996 - Dick Rand, catcher (b. 1931)
- 1997 - George Dockins, pitcher (b. 1917)
- 2001 - Tommie Agee, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1942)
- 2002 - Charlie Puckett, Baseball Australia Hall of Fame (b. 1911)
- 2005 - Cesar Gutierrez, infielder (b. 1943)
- 2008 - Lance Clemons, pitcher (b. 1947)
- 2008 - John Sanderson, infielder (b. 1927)
- 2009 - Billy Werber, infielder (b. 1908)
- 2011 - Curtis Moore, minor league outfielder (b. 1949)
- 2012 - Andy Musser, broadcaster (b. 1937)
- 2013 - Rich Ritzheimer, minor league infielder (b. 1931)
- 2015 - Don Bryant, catcher (b. 1941)
- 2016 - Juan Manuel Ley López, minor league executive; Salon de la Fama (b. 1933)
- 2017 - Andy Marte, infielder (b. 1983)
- 2017 - Yordano Ventura, pitcher (b. 1991)
- 2019 - Bob Gates, college coach (b. 1926)
- 2021 - Hank Aaron, outfielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer (b. 1934)
- 2022 - Gerry MacKay, minor league outfielder (b. 1930)
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