January 6
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 January 6.
Events[edit]
- 1885 - Millionaire Henry Lucas purchases the Cleveland Blues and plans to fill the vacancy in the National League with his own St. Louis Maroons.
- 1914 - The National Commission grants some demands of the Players' union: players are to be notified in writing of their transfer or release and to receive a copy of their contract; players with ten years in the Major Leagues are eligible to become free agents; clubs will pay traveling expenses to spring training and furnish all uniforms, and outfield fences in major league ballparks should be painted green to provide a better hitting background for batters.
- 1916 - King Cole, the pitcher who gave up Babe Ruth's first hit in 1914, dies in Bay City, MI at age 29. Cole was a stellar pitcher while playing for the Chicago Cubs, helping his team to the 1910 World Series.
- 1917 - With Bill Carrigan reaffirming his decision to leave the Boston Red Sox, shortstop Jack Barry is named the team's new manager.
- 1920 - Future Hall of Fame pitcher Early Wynn is born in Hartford, AL. Wynn will make his major league debut in 1939 and will go on to win 300 games during a career with the Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.
- 1926 - Future All-Star pitcher Ralph Branca is born in Mount Vernon, NY. Although Branca will win 21 games in 1947, he will become best known for giving up Bobby Thomson's pennant-winning home run in 1951.
- 1936 - New York Giants President Charles Stoneham dies of Bright's disease. He was the last surviving member of the trio that purchased the team in 1919.
- 1937 - The New York Giants buy shortstop Tommy Thevenow from the Cincinnati Reds.
- 1942 - Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller reports to Norfolk, Virginia for duty in the United States Navy. Feller, who led the American League in victories in three previous seasons, will miss this season, as well as the 1943 and 1944 seasons before returning for nine games in 1945. Despite missing the time due to the World War II effort, Feller will lead the league in wins in 1946, 1947 and 1951, amassing 266 victories during an 18-year major league career.
- 1946 - The Boston Red Sox announce that they have signed a working agreement with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans are managed by Johnny Peacock, a former Boston catcher.
- 1950 - Charlie Grimm resigns as vice president of the Chicago Cubs to sign a three-year contract to manage the Dallas franchise in the Texas League for a record salary of $90,000. Grimm comments, "these hands were never intended to carry a brief case."
- 1956:
- A Federal Court bars former Little League Commissioner Carl Stotz from forming a rival group. Stotz initiated the suit because he felt the league had grown too big, and that increasing team rosters to 15 players was preventing less able players from getting any real playing time.
- The Boston Red Sox sell their Louisville farm club, the Louisville Colonels, to a Cuban cartel led by Havana businessman Edward F. Wheeler.
- 1958 - Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants signs a contract worth $65,000. It's the largest deal ever signed by a member of the Giants.
- 1964:
- Charlie Finley signs a two-year pact to move the Athletics from Kansas City to Louisville, pending American League approval. He is later denied and the Athletics will stay put in Kansas City until after the 1967 season.
- The Chicago White Sox introduce powder-blue road uniforms, starting a fashion trend that will last into the early 1980s.
- 1967 - Former major league manager Johnny Keane dies in Chicago, IL from a heart attack at the age of 55. Keane guided the St. Louis Cardinals to the 1964 World Series, but left to become the manager of the New York Yankees, whom the Cardinals had beaten in the World Series. After an unsuccessful stint with the Yankees, Keane became a scout with the California Angels.
- 1969 - Umpires Al Salerno and Bill Valentine file a grievance against the American League and its president, Joe Cronin, over their dismissal last year. The grievance is filed by the new umpires union with the National Labor Relations Board.
- 1976 - Ted Turner, owner of UHF television station WTCG which already broadcasts Atlanta Braves games, buys the team for $12 million, largely with borrowed funds. He will soon turn his television station into a national superstation, on which Braves games are a staple product.
- 1977 - California Angels reserve shortstop Mike Miley is killed in an auto crash in Baton Rouge, LA, at age 23. Miley had been a star football player for the LSU Tigers and was chosen twice in the first round of the June free agent draft.
- 1988 - Free agent slugger Jack Clark signs with the New York Yankees, while Paul Molitor re-signs with the Milwaukee Brewers.
- 1992 - The Yankees sign free agent outfielder Danny Tartabull to a five-year contract.
- 1994 - Free agent signings include pitchers Jay Howell by the Texas Rangers, Jeff Brantley by the Cincinnati Reds, and shortstop Walt Weiss by the Colorado Rockies.
- 1997:
- Former Atlanta Braves knuckleballer Phil Niekro is elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America, becoming the 227th member of the Hall. He receives 80.34% of the vote, as former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton falls nine votes short of election. Niekro is only the 87th player to be elected by the BBWAA.
- Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley announces plans to sell the team, which has been controlled by his family since 1950. The club is expected to command a record price.
- 1999:
- Surgery makes the news as the New York Mets prize rookie outfielder Jay Payton undergoes arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder. Also, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Paul Quantrill has surgery to repair a fractured right thigh and a metal rod is inserted in his leg. He was injured in a snowmobile accident at his home in Port Hope, ON.
- Nolan Ryan is the first passenger to board the Nolan Ryan Express, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737. Ryan autographs both sides of the aircraft's nose on two specially designed decals each featuring a baseball with airplane wings and a Southwest colored tail. In July, Ryan will again board the NLE to fly to the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York.
- 2000:
- Major League Baseball officials order Atlanta Braves reliever John Rocker is to undergo psychological testing following derogatory remarks he made in an interview with Sports Illustrated magazine. Commissioner Bud Selig says he will listen to what the doctors say before deciding what punishment - if any - will be handed down to the pitcher.
- Gene Budig resigns as American League president and is appointed a senior adviser to Commissioner Bud Selig. The American and National Leagues will be disbanded as legal entities later this month, with their functions consolidated in the commissioner's office.
- 2006 - Bob Watson, the general manager of the United States team for the World Baseball Classic, expects to find out by next week whether Alex Rodriguez will play for the Americans at the tournament. Rodriguez is eligible to play for both the US and the Dominican Republic.
- 2008 - Roger Clemens files a defamation lawsuit against trainer Brian McNamee for statements McNamee made in the Mitchell Report. McNamee had said he injected Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs.
- 2009:
- The Baltimore Orioles sign former Yomiuri Giants right-hander Koji Uehara to a two-year, $10 million deal with incentives reaching $16 million. The deal, pending a physical, brings the two-time Olympic hurler to the USA. Uehara struggled in 2008 and had the highest ERA of his ten-year career.
- The New York Yankees finalize their deal with Mark Teixeira for $180 million over eight years, joining Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Derek Jeter and A.J. Burnett on the payroll-heavy Yanks.
- The Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs exchange pitchers, with Jason Marquis going to Chicago in return for Luis Vizcaino.
- 2010:
- Andre Dawson, "The Hawk", is elected to the Hall of Fame getting 77.9% of the votes cast by the BBWAA. P Bert Blyleven and 2B Roberto Alomar fall agonizingly short of election, missing the honor by five and eight votes respectively. Dawson, the 1987 National League MVP, played 21 seasons in the majors, principally with the Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs, hitting .279 with 438 home runs, 1,591 RBI and 314 stolen bases.
- The Twins sign P Clay Condrey to a one-year contract and release P Bobby Keppel to allow him to sign with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Japanese Pacific League.
- 2011 - P Brian Bannister, who played for the Royals last season, signs a one-year deal with an option for 2012 to play for the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese Central League.
- 2012:
- The Padres trade 1B prospect Anthony Rizzo and minor league P Zach Cates to the Cubs for P Andrew Cashner and OF Kyung-Min Na. The move seems to confirm that the Cubs have no interest in signing free agent 1B Prince Fielder.
- Two free agents find new homes today: the Angels sign IF Jorge Cantu while the Mets ink SS Ronny Cedeno.
- 2015 - The BBWAA elects four players to the Hall of Fame, one of the largest classes ever. Three dominant pitchers all make it on their first try - Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz - while 2B Craig Biggio makes the grade on his third attempt.
- 2016:
- Ken Griffey, Jr. is elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA with the highest percentage of votes up to that point - 99.3%. Joining him in this year's class is Mike Piazza, who makes it on his fourth attempt. Griffey is the first #1 overall draft pick to make the Hall, while Piazza is the lowest pick (62nd round).
- The Royals re-sign LF Alex Gordon to a four-year deal worth $72 million.
- 2017 - The Mariners pull off a couple of trades, first acquiring OF Jarrod Dyson from the Royals for P Nathan Karns, then getting P Yovani Gallardo from Baltimore for OF/DH Seth Smith.
- 2018 - The Blue Jays obtain IF Yangervis Solarte from the Padres for minor leaguers Edward Olivares and Jared Carkuff. In a separate move, the Padres ink Japanese side-arming reliever Kazuhisa Makita to a two-year deal.
- 2020 - The Reds sign veteran Japanese OF Shogo Akiyama to a three-year deal worth $21 million. The 31-year-old was a free agent and did not need to go through the posting system. He is the first Japanese player to be signed by the Reds, who are the last team in the majors never to have had a player from Japan wear their uniform.
- 2023 - The Dodgers decide to cut ties with P Trevor Bauer, who is currently serving a 194-game suspension for domestic violence. They are forced to make a decision after arbitrator Martin Scheinman reduced the length of the punishment from 324 games on December 22nd, forcing the club to either place him back on the 40-man roster or have him designated for assignment. Bowing to pressure from various groups who do not want to see the club associated with Bauer given the revelations that came out of the investigation into his case - even if authorities declined to press criminal charges - they choose the second option. They now have seven days to either trade him or grant him his unconditional release. In the latter case, the move will cost the Dodgers $22.5 million still owed on the three-year contract Bauer signed before the 2021 season.
Births[edit]
- 1827 - Hicks Hayhurst, umpire (d. 1882)
- 1858 - Joe Cross, outfielder (d. 1933)
- 1859 - George Shoch, infielder (d. 1937)
- 1863 - Gene Moriarty, outfielder (d. 1904)
- 1864 - Jake Drauby, infielder (d. 1916)
- 1864 - Andy Knox, infielder (d. 1940)
- 1865 - Sun Daly, outfielder (d. 1938)
- 1867 - James Donnelly, infielder (d. 1933)
- 1870 - Joe Sullivan, infielder (d. 1897)
- 1878 - Jack Slattery, catcher, manager (d. 1949)
- 1881 - Joe Lake, pitcher (d. 1950)
- 1882 - Willis Cole, outfielder (d. 1965)
- 1886 - Billy Purtell, infielder (d. 1962)
- 1890 - Vern Duncan, outfielder (d. 1954)
- 1895 - Charlie Blackburn, pitcher (d. 1984)
- 1897 - Buck Crouse, catcher (d. 1983)
- 1897 - By Speece, pitcher (d. 1974)
- 1899 - Eddie Mooers, minor league infielder and owner (d. 1989)
- 1900 - Clyde Beck, infielder (d. 1988)
- 1902 - Bob Barnes, pitcher (d. 1993)
- 1902 - Bob Saunders, pitcher (d. 1983)
- 1903 - Ike Eichrodt, outfielder (d. 1965)
- 1903 - George Grant, pitcher (d. 1986)
- 1903 - Mul Holland, pitcher (d. 1969)
- 1910 - Archie Cochrane, minor league player and owner (d. 1977)
- 1912 - Hal Warnock, outfielder (d. 1997)
- 1915 - Tom Ferrick, pitcher (d. 1996)
- 1915 - Chuck Workman, outfielder (d. 1953)
- 1916 - Phil Masi, catcher; All-Star (d. 1990)
- 1918 - John Corriden, pinch runner (d. 2001)
- 1918 - Bill Zinser, pitcher (d. 1993)
- 1920 - Jiro Noguchi, NPB pitcher; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 2007)
- 1920 - Early Wynn, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1999)
- 1923 - Red Hardy, pitcher (d. 2003)
- 1923 - Zenzo Hasegawa, NPB infielder (d. 1998)
- 1925 - Hachiro Abe, NPB pitcher
- 1926 - Ralph Branca, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2016)
- 1928 - Dan Lewandowski, pitcher (d. 1996)
- 1928 - Goliardo Zanella, Italian executive; Italian Baseball Hall of Fame
- 1929 - George Luffey, college coach (d. 2016)
- 1929 - Dick Pierucci, college coach (d. 2016)
- 1930 - Walt Yowell, minor league pitcher (d. 2012)
- 1931 - Fern Battaglia, AAGPBL infielder (d. 2001)
- 1931 - Kazuo Fukushima, amateur pitcher; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 2020)
- 1931 - Dick Tomanek, pitcher (d. 2023)
- 1933 - Lenny Green, outfielder (d. 2019)
- 1933 - Lee Walls, outfielder; All-Star (d. 1993)
- 1935 - Ed Bauta, pitcher (d. 2022)
- 1936 - Ruben Amaro, infielder (d. 2017)
- 1940 - Elvio Jimenez, outfielder
- 1944 - Kit Putnam, minor league outfielder-pitcher (d. 2014)
- 1947 - Juan Ortiz, Dominican national team catcher
- 1950 - Roy Staiger, infielder
- 1951 - Jack Fleming, minor league catcher (d. 2013)
- 1951 - Don Gullett, pitcher
- 1951 - Joe Lovitto, outfielder (d. 2001)
- 1952 - Bob Adams, infielder
- 1952 - Greg Schofield, college coach
- 1953 - Jimmie Hacker, minor league infielder
- 1954 - Kiyoshi Nakahata, NPB infielder
- 1955 - Rey Vicente Anglada, Cuban league infielder and manager
- 1955 - Doe Boyland, infielder
- 1957 - Greg Field, minor league pitcher
- 1962 - Un-hak An, KBO infielder
- 1962 - Tony Woods, minor league infielder
- 1962 - Fu-Lien Wu, CPBL infielder and manager
- 1963 - Norm Charlton, pitcher; All-Star
- 1963 - Bob Davidson, pitcher
- 1964 - Ming-Te Chen, CPBL pitcher
- 1964 - Manny Jose, minor league outfielder
- 1964 - Yasunori Takami, Japanese national team catcher
- 1965 - Jose DeJesus, pitcher
- 1965 - Mark Jackson, minor league outfielder
- 1965 - Junior Vizcaino, scout
- 1967 - Darin Loe, college coach
- 1969 - Alvin Morman, pitcher
- 1970 - Dan Naulty, pitcher
- 1970 - Kun-Hong Pai, CPBL catcher
- 1971 - Steve Eddie, college coach
- 1971 - Mitsuru Manaka, NPB outfielder and manager
- 1971 - Eric Moody, pitcher
- 1971 - Basit Murtaza, Pakistani national team infielder
- 1972 - John Gaynor, Australian women's national team manager
- 1973 - Marc Deschenes, minor league pitcher
- 1974 - Marlon Anderson, infielder
- 1975 - Walter Miranda, minor league pitcher
- 1976 - Tom Caputo, college coach
- 1976 - Francisco Montero, minor league pitcher
- 1976 - Jeff Pickler, coach
- 1977 - Marlon Caspillo, Philippines national team catcher
- 1978 - Jair Fernandez, minor league umpire
- 1978 - Casey Fossum, pitcher
- 1978 - Francisco Mendez, minor league infielder
- 1978 - Shigetoshi Yamakita, NPB pitcher
- 1979 - Kevin Knollenburg, First Division catcher
- 1980 - Dennis Malave, minor league outfielder and manager
- 1981 - Syed Dur I Hussain, Pakistani national team infielder
- 1981 - Shinichiro Uchino, minor league infielder
- 1982 - Brian Bass, pitcher
- 1982 - Takaya Kawauchi, NPB pitcher
- 1982 - John Odom, minor league pitcher (d. 2008)
- 1982 - Júlio Takahashi, Brazilian national team infielder
- 1982 - Scott Thorman, infielder
- 1983 - Soichi Kamimura, minor league pitcher
- 1984 - Jimmy Barthmaier, pitcher
- 1984 - Sammy Lauwers, First Division catcher
- 1984 - Paul Oseguera, NPB pitcher
- 1984 - Anthony Slama, pitcher
- 1985 - Manuel Rodriguez, minor league player
- 1986 - Karen Costes, USA womens' national team batter
- 1986 - Ayako Imai, Japanese women's national team pitcher
- 1986 - Kohei Iwamoto, Japanese national team infielder
- 1988 - Cody Hall, pitcher
- 1989 - Yordanis Linares, Cuban league outfielder
- 1989 - Michael Mergenthaler, minor league outfielder
- 1989 - Ricardo Penalba, minor league pitcher
- 1991 - Kevin Gausman, pitcher; All-Star
- 1991 - Ranjani, Indonesian national team outfielder
- 1991 - Keyvius Sampson, pitcher
- 1992 - Stephen Landazuri, minor league pitcher
- 1993 - Andrew Case
- 1993 - Pat Connaughton, minor league pitcher
- 1993 - Reyes Moronta, pitcher
- 1994 - Nick Halamandaris, minor league infielder
- 1994 - Jameis Winston, drafted outfielder
- 1995 - Yat-Sze Cheng, Hong Kong national team outfielder
- 1998 - Jason Flores, Salvadoran national team outfielder
- 1999 - Kyle Glogoski, minor league pitcher
- 1999 - Chris Seise, minor league infielder
- 2000 - Carlos Chouri, Venezuelan national team pitcher
- 2000 - Victor Nova, minor league infielder
Deaths[edit]
- 1894 - Marty Sullivan, outfielder (b. 1862)
- 1899 - John Smith, infielder (b. 1858)
- 1913 - Jack Boyle, infielder (b. 1867)
- 1916 - King Cole, pitcher (b. 1886)
- 1919 - Jake Stenzel, outfielder (b. 1867)
- 1929 - Joseph Gordon, executive (b. 1855)
- 1929 - Calvin Stambaugh, umpire (b. 1848)
- 1932 - George Sharrott, pitcher (b. 1869)
- 1936 - Charles Stoneham, owner (b. 1876)
- 1941 - Charley O'Leary, infielder (b. 1875)
- 1943 - Ted Welch, pitcher (b. 1892)
- 1951 - Harry Camnitz, pitcher (b. 1884)
- 1952 - Jack Kotzelnick, minor league pitcher (b. 1893)
- 1952 - Frank Oberlin, pitcher (b. 1876)
- 1957 - Ed Abbaticchio, infielder (b. 1877)
- 1957 - Gil Gallagher, infielder (b. 1896)
- 1967 - Joe Haynes, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1917)
- 1967 - Johnny Keane, manager (b. 1911)
- 1967 - Joe Walsh, catcher (b. 1886)
- 1969 - Larry Cheney, pitcher (b. 1886)
- 1969 - Hank Olmsted, pitcher (b. 1879)
- 1969 - Clint Rogge, pitcher (b. 1889)
- 1969 - Jim Viox, infielder (b. 1890)
- 1977 - Mike Miley, infielder (b. 1953)
- 1978 - Tony Rego, catcher (b. 1897)
- 1979 - Jesse Douglas, infielder (b. 1916)
- 1981 - Fred Stiely, pitcher (b. 1901)
- 1982 - Wally Post, outfielder (b. 1929)
- 1984 - Billy Lee, outfielder (b. 1892)
- 1988 - Ralph Buxton, pitcher (b. 1914)
- 1990 - Walter Anderson, pitcher (b. 1897)
- 1991 - Bobby Estalella, outfielder (b. 1911)
- 1991 - Alan Wiggins, infielder (b. 1958)
- 1993 - Townsend Tapley, infielder (b. 1913)
- 1997 - Dick Donovan, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1927)
- 1998 - Ronnie Miller, pitcher (b. 1918)
- 1999 - Jim Dunn, pitcher (b. 1931)
- 2001 - Tom Poholsky, pitcher (b. 1929)
- 2001 - Tot Pressnell, pitcher (b. 1906)
- 2002 - Fred Taylor, infielder (b. 1924)
- 2003 - Jarvis Tatum, outfielder (b. 1946)
- 2008 - Keith Little, minor league infielder (b. 1929)
- 2008 - Marjorie Pieper, AAGPBL player (b. 1922)
- 2009 - Nino Bongiovanni, outfielder (b. 1911)
- 2011 - Francisco de la Rosa, pitcher (b. 1966)
- 2013 - Sung-min Cho, NPB pitcher (b. 1973)
- 2015 - Phillip Brown, minor league pitcher (b. 1934)
- 2017 - Greg Jelks, infielder (b. 1961)
- 2017 - Ed Moeller, minor league pitcher (b. 1928)
- 2017 - Bob Sadowski, infielder (b. 1937)
- 2018 - Wayne Norton, minor league outfielder; Baseball Canada executive; Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1942)
- 2019 - Lenny Green, outfielder (b. 1933)
- 2021 - Rich Alday, college coach (b. 1949)
- 2023 - Bill Campbell, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1948)
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