January 7
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 | |
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| Baseball Library Chronology | |
| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on January 7.
Events[edit]
- 1882 - The National League will continue the practice of using different color patterns on uniforms for the different positions. Third basemen will wear gray and white uniforms, as the blue and white uniforms originally sought were "impossible to obtain."
- 1913 - Future Hall of Fame first baseman Johnny Mize is born in Demorest, GA. Known as "The Big Cat," Mize will hit 359 home runs and will gain election to the Hall in 1981.
- 1915 - The Detroit Tigers waive Wally Pipp to the New York Yankees. Pipp hit .161 in 12 games, but he'll eventually anchor first base in New York for a decade until Lou Gehrig's appearance.
- 1920 - Babe Ruth reacts to his recent sale to the Yankees in the Boston Evening Standard saying, "Frazee is not good enough to own any ball club, especially one in Boston."
- 1924:
- The Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians make a seven-player deal involving star first baseman "Tioga" George Burns. A .328 batter in 1923, Burns joins second baseman Chick Fewster and catcher Roxy Walters in heading to the Indians, while catcher Steve O'Neill, second baseman Bill Wambsganss, outfielder Joe Connolly and pitcher Danny Boone join the Red Sox.
- The New York Yankees buy the contract of Louisville Colonels star outfielder Earle Combs, who hit .380 last year for Louisville. Colonels owner Bill Kneblekamp gets $50,000, outfielder Elmer Smith and another player, and demands that the Yankees play an exhibition game in Louisville with a guarantee that Babe Ruth is in the lineup. This reportedly nets Kneblekamp an additional $5,000.
- 1933:
- Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis announces that he is cutting his salary by 40 percent. Landis's action is a sign of the times during the Great Depression; most players will have their salaries reduced for the coming season.
- The Washington Senators get veteran catcher Luke Sewell from the Cleveland Indians.
- 1945 - In the most violent incident in Cuban baseball history, outfielder Roberto Ortiz of Almendares attacks umpire Bernardino Rodriguez in a dispute at home plate. Rodriguez is knocked unconscious and Ortiz is suspended for his actions.
- 1962 - The 61-year-old Three-I League is disbanded by the six remaining clubs.
- 1971 - Cincinnati Reds star Bobby Tolan ruptures his Achilles tendon while playing basketball. Tolan will miss the entire season and will never regain the form that he displayed in 1970, when he batted .316 and stole a league-leading 57 bases.
- 1981 - The Cincinnati Reds are the last major league club to enter the free agency market, signing their first free agent, back-up outfielder Larry Biittner. Biittner will prove a bust and be released after the 1982 season.
- 1985 - Lou Brock and Hoyt Wilhelm are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. During his career, Brock established the record for the most stolen bases in major league history (which will later be broken by Rickey Henderson), while the knuckleballing Wilhelm pitched in more games than any other major league pitcher (Jesse Orosco will eventually break that mark). Nellie Fox is named on 295 of the 395 ballots (74.7%), but the BBWAA and the Hall of Fame committee decline to round up Fox's total to the required 75%. As this is Fox's last year on the ballot, he will only be inducted when he becomes eligible to be considered by the Veterans Committee.
- 1991 - Pete Rose is released from federal prison in Marion, IL, after serving five months for tax evasion. He will now begin the second part of his sentence, consisting of 1,000 hours of community service at Cincinnati inner-city schools.
- 1992 - Starter Tom Seaver and reliever Rollie Fingers, two of the greatest pitchers of their generation, are elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA.
- 1993 - The Detroit Tigers sign first baseman Cecil Fielder to a five-year, $36 million contract, temporarily making him the highest-paid player in the majors.
- 2005:
- Boston Red Sox owner John Henry calls Doug Mientkiewicz to discuss the defensive replacement's possession of the game ball caught at first base for the last out of the 2004 World Series. Larry Lucchino, the club's president, has made it clear he wants the team to have ownership of the historic ball. The ball now resides in a safe deposit box along with the back-up infielder's Olympic gold medal.
- Commissioner Bud Selig announces Major League Baseball and the Players Association will donate $1 million to help the victims of last month's tsunami in Southeast Asia.
- 2006:
- Baseball's world governing body, the IBAF, threatens to withdraw its sanctioning of the World Baseball Classic unless the United States government allows Cuba to compete.
- The final 2005 payrolls are released, the New York Yankees finished last year with a record $207.2 million payroll, more than $90 million ahead of any other team, according to final figures compiled by the commissioner's office.
- Justin Upton, the top pick in the 2005 amateur draft, agrees to a contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks that includes a $6.1 million signing bonus payable over five years.
- The minimum salary for players in the major leagues is rising by $11,000 this year to $327,000.
- 2010:
- The Red Sox trade 1B Casey Kotchman to the Mariners for utility player Bill Hall and a player to be named later. Kotchman is expected to start at first for Seattle this year.
- The Royals sign 19-year-old Cuban pitcher Noel Arguelles, who immediately becomes one of the minor leagues' top pitching prospects.
- In other signings, the Braves ink veteran OF/1B Eric Hinske while the Athletics re-sign DH Jack Cust.
- 2011 - The Cubs and Rays engineer a big trade, with P Matt Garza, author of a no-hitter last season, OF Fernando Perez and a minor league player to be named are headed to Chicago in return for a slew of prospects. Those include P Chris Archer, OF Brandon Guyer, SS Hak-Ju Lee, C Robinson Chirinos and OF Sam Fuld, the only one in the group with major league experience. Archer and Guyer were the Cubs' 2010 minor league player and pitcher of the year, respectively.
- 2012 - Media in New York, NY report that C Jorge Posada is about to announce his retirement after a brilliant 17-season career during which he caught over 1,500 games and won four World Series titles. His final season was difficult, however, as he lost the starting catching job to Russell Martin and hit only .235 as the team's designated hitter. His retirement will become official on January 24th, when he calls a press conference at New Yankee Stadium.
- 2013 - Veteran infielder Jose Lopez signs a contract with the Yomiuri Giants.
- 2016:
- The Dodgers finalize the signing of Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda that was first reported on New Year's Eve. He signs for eight years at $25 million, but incentive bonuses could take the value of the deal to $106.2 million. The deal is structured that way because of concerns over a potential arm injury. The Dodgers will also pay $20 million to Maeda's former team, the Hiroshima Carp, through the posting system.
- The Giants make another splashy signing, inking CF Denard Span for $31 million over three years.
- 2020 - As Major League Baseball's investigation into allegations of sign stealing by the Houston Astros continues and punishment is expected to be announced soon, news reports indicate that there is evidence that a similar scheme was used by the Red Sox in their World Series-winning season in 2018, by using the video replay room to capture their opponents' signs and relay them to batters. Sox manager Alex Cora was on the coaching staff of the Astros in 2017, when the scheme that prompted the original investigation allegedly was put in place.
- 2021:
- The Mets pull off a blockbuster deal, acquiring SS Francisco Lindor and P Carlos Carrasco from the Indians for four younger players: IFs Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez, P Josh Wolf and OF Isaiah Greene. The Mets are expected to use the bottomless resources of new owner Steven Cohen to sign Lindor to a long-term deal before he becomes a free agent at the end of this season.
- Hall of Fame Manager Tommy Lasorda passes away at home at the age of 93.
- 2022 - Canadian women's national team star Amanda Asay dies in a skiing accident at age 33. She had won three Silver and two Bronze medals in international competitions from 2006-2018, was the All-Star first baseman in the 2006 Women's Baseball World Cup and was still an active member of the team (no women's international events were held in 2020-2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
- 2023 - The Phillies acquire two-time All-Star closer Gregory Soto in a five-player trade with the Tigers. Joining him is utility player Kody Clemens, while the Phils give up three prospects, OFs Matt Vierling and Nick Maton and C Donny Sands.
- 2024 - The Dodgers sign free agent outfielder Teoscar Hernández for one year at $23.5 million.
Births[edit]
- 1855 - Fred Warner, infielder (d. 1886)
- 1861 - George Frazier, manager (d. 1913)
- 1865 - Dad Clarke, pitcher (d. 1911)
- 1867 - George Keefe, pitcher (d. 1935)
- 1875 - Kitty Bransfield, infielder (d. 1947)
- 1877 - William Matthews, minor league infielder (d. 1928)
- 1882 - Heinie Berger, pitcher (d. 1954)
- 1885 - Willy Wilson, pitcher (d. 1925)
- 1889 - Leo Murphy, catcher (d. 1960)
- 1890 - Grover Baichley, pitcher (d. 1946)
- 1891 - C. C. Johnson, college coach (d. 1927)
- 1897 - Topper Rigney, infielder (d. 1972)
- 1900 - Johnny Grabowski, catcher (d. 1946)
- 1900 - Carlton Lord, infielder (d. 1947)
- 1902 - Cliff Knox, catcher (d. 1965)
- 1902 - Moose Woerber, minor league outfielder and manager (d. 1983)
- 1902 - Al Todd, catcher (d. 1985)
- 1904 - Clay Roe, pitcher (d. 1956)
- 1905 - Frank Grube, catcher (d. 1945)
- 1910 - Johnny McCarthy, infielder (d. 1973)
- 1913 - Johnny Mize, infielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1993)
- 1914 - Masayoshi Ishida, NPB infielder
- 1915 - Red Steiner, catcher (d. 2001)
- 1916 - Ed Butka, infielder (d. 2005)
- 1918 - Toshio Ohara, NPB catcher (d. World War II)
- 1920 - Dixie Howell, pitcher (d. 1960)
- 1921 - Ted Beard, outfielder (d. 2011)
- 1922 - Alvin Dark, infielder, manager; All-Star (d. 2014)
- 1922 - Don Griffin, minor league catcher and manager (d. 2009)
- 1924 - Jim Pendleton, outfielder (d. 1996)
- 1925 - Gene Collins, pitcher/outfielder (d. 1998)
- 1928 - Wim Oosterhof, Hoofdklasse player (d. 2021)
- 1931 - Terry Scalzitti, minor league infielder (d. 2018)
- 1931 - Ray Semproch, pitcher
- 1931 - Bunky Stewart, pitcher (d. 2007)
- 1935 - Dick Schofield, infielder (d. 2022)
- 1938 - Fred Whitfield, infielder (d. 2013)
- 1939 - Jim Hannan, pitcher
- 1940 - Roberta Fruhwirth, scorekeeper
- 1942 - Jim Lefebvre, infielder, manager; All-Star
- 1943 - Dave Gray, pitcher
- 1944 - Dick Calmus, pitcher
- 1945 - Tony Conigliaro, outfielder; All-Star (d. 1990)
- 1946 - Joe Keough, outfielder (d. 2019)
- 1947 - Scott Reid, outfielder (d. 2021)
- 1948 - Larry Hutton, minor league pitcher
- 1950 - Ross Grimsley, pitcher; All-Star
- 1952 - Doug Capilla, pitcher
- 1952 - Bob Gorinski, outfielder
- 1953 - Gene Menees, minor league infielder
- 1956 - Chin-Ming Wu, Taiwanese national team pitcher
- 1957 - Terufumi Kitamura, NPB outfielder
- 1958 - Carlos Diaz, pitcher (d. 2015)
- 1961 - Jeff Trout, minor league infielder
- 1962 - Bob Caffrey, minor league catcher
- 1962 - Jeff Montgomery, pitcher; All-Star
- 1963 - Craig Shipley, infielder
- 1964 - Allan Anderson, pitcher
- 1964 - Dave Meads, pitcher
- 1967 - Steve Callahan, minor league pitcher
- 1967 - Rob Maurer, infielder
- 1969 - Al Bennett, minor league outfielder
- 1969 - Chris Hatcher, outfielder
- 1970 - David Meurant, Division Elite infielder
- 1970 - Nate Rodriquez, minor league infielder
- 1971 - Frank Menechino, infielder
- 1971 - Jorge Toca, infielder
- 1973 - Juan Oviedo, Nicaraguan national team infielder
- 1974 - Gabby Martinez, minor league infielder
- 1974 - Rob Radlosky, pitcher
- 1975 - Jake Meyer, minor league pitcher
- 1976 - Eric Gagné, pitcher; All-Star
- 1976 - Mike Hazen, minor league outfielder; General Manager
- 1976 - Alfonso Soriano, infielder; All-Star
- 1977 - Meleti Melehes, minor league pitcher
- 1978 - Kevin Mench, outfielder
- 1980 - Jackson Melián, minor league outfielder
- 1981 - Randy Blood, minor league infielder
- 1981 - Mario Chiarini, minor league infielder
- 1982 - Brayan Pena, catcher
- 1982 - Francisco Rodriguez, pitcher; All-Star
- 1983 - Edwin Encarnacion, infielder; All-Star
- 1983 - César Quintero, minor league outfielder
- 1984 - Carlos Corporan, catcher
- 1984 - Jon Lester, pitcher; All-Star
- 1985 - José García, pitcher
- 1985 - Roy Gomez, minor league infielder
- 1985 - Maxim Monakhov, Russian national team outfielder
- 1986 - Jose Escalona, minor league pitcher
- 1987 - Brandon Bantz, catcher
- 1987 - Kyle Hudson, outfielder
- 1987 - Sean Toler, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Ryoichi Adachi, NPB infielder
- 1988 - Jhoulys Chacin, pitcher
- 1988 - Omar Diaz, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Taylor Kinzer, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Johana Perez, Venezuelan women's national team infielder
- 1989 - Phillippe Aumont, pitcher
- 1990 - Marc Hennep, Hoofdklasse pitcher
- 1990 - Sanjeewa Jayarathne, Sri Lankan national team pitcher
- 1990 - José Padilla, Honduran national team catcher
- 1991 - Tucker Barnhart, catcher
- 1991 - Fu-Lin Kuo, minor league infielder
- 1991 - Julianne Laporte, French women's national team outfielder
- 1991 - Toshihiko Kuramoto, NPB infielder
- 1992 - Brendan McCurry, minor league pitcher
- 1993 - Jonathan Reynoso, minor league outfielder
- 1993 - Matt Snyder, minor league pitcher
- 1993 - Thyago Vieira, pitcher
- 1994 - Chieh-Hsien Chen, CPBL outfielder
- 1994 - Denzel Richardson, minor league outfielder
- 1996 - Dean Kremer, pitcher
- 1996 - Drew Sannes, minor league coach, college coach
- 1997 - Ozzie Albies, infielder; All-Star
- 1997 - Mason Fox, minor league pitcher
- 1997 - Antoine Rault, French Division I pitcher
- 1997 - Isaiah White, minor league outfielder
- 1998 - Goffrey Bennett, Nicaraguan national team pitcher
- 1998 - Dermis García, infielder
- 1998 - Blake Sabol, outfielder
- 1998 - Tzu-Ting Yeh, CPBL infielder
- 1999 - Shane Drohan, minor league pitcher
- 1999 - Xavier Moore, minor league pitcher
- 2000 - Amir Asghar, Pakistani national team pitcher
- 2000 - Pei-Feng Dai, CPBL catcher
- 2000 - Eduardo Díaz, Honduran national team pitcher-infielder
Deaths[edit]
- 1892 - Ham Allen, outfielder (b. 1846)
- 1929 - Law Daniels, catcher (b. 1862)
- 1939 - Bert Weeden, pinch hitter (b. 1882)
- 1944 - George Mullin, pitcher (b. 1880)
- 1954 - Joe Maney, owner (b. ????)
- 1954 - Red Schillings, pitcher (b. 1900)
- 1956 - Davey Claire, infielder (b. 1897)
- 1957 - Ches Crist, catcher (b. 1882)
- 1962 - Ad Brennan, pitcher (b. 1881)
- 1962 - Dutch Lerchen, infielder (b. 1889)
- 1963 - Harl Maggert, outfielder (b. 1883)
- 1965 - George Smith, pitcher (b. 1892)
- 1969 - Bill Lobe, coach (b. 1912)
- 1970 - Jumbo Elliott, pitcher (b. 1900)
- 1971 - Dud Lee, infielder (b. 1899)
- 1971 - Hal Rhyne, infielder (b. 1899)
- 1978 - George Burns, infielder (b. 1893)
- 1981 - Irv Stein, pitcher (b. 1911)
- 1982 - Chet Falk, pitcher (b. 1905)
- 1985 - Rob Souza, minor league pitcher (b. ~1963)
- 1986 - Joe Burns, catcher (b. 1900)
- 1987 - Jackie Mitchell, female player (b. 1913)
- 1990 - Horace Stoneham, owner (b. 1903)
- 1990 - Shag Thompson, outfielder (b. 1893)
- 1995 - Kite Thomas, outfielder (b. 1923)
- 1995 - Lincoln Williams, outfielder (b. 1917)
- 1997 - Koichi Yamashita, NPB outfielder (b. 1912)
- 1998 - Hiker Moran, pitcher (b. 1912)
- 2001 - Steve Adair, college coach (b. 1943)
- 2001 - Admiral Walker, pitcher (b. 1898)
- 2002 - Harry Marnie, infielder (b. 1918)
- 2003 - Ed Albosta, pitcher (b. 1918)
- 2005 - Harry Boyles, pitcher (b. 1913)
- 2007 - Donald Fox, minor league pitcher (b. 1947)
- 2008 - Buddy LeRoux, owner (b. 1930)
- 2011 - Red Borom, infielder (b. 1915)
- 2011 - Ryne Duren, pitcher (b. 1929)
- 2011 - Jose Vidal, outfielder (b. 1940)
- 2012 - Don Trower, minor league infielder (b. 1919)
- 2013 - Richard Ben Cramer, author (b. 1950)
- 2013 - Jim Cosman, pitcher (b. 1943)
- 2013 - Al Kenders, catcher (b. 1937)
- 2014 - Louis Rennau, minor league player (b. 1939)
- 2015 - Bernie Keating, minor league pitcher (b. 1919)
- 2015 - Paul Schnieders, minor league pitcher (b. 1926)
- 2016 - Medardo Nava, minor league catcher (b. 1938)
- 2017 - Bill Champion, pitcher (b. 1947)
- 2018 - Jimmy Ward, minor league pitcher (b. 1939)
- 2018 - Dick Young, infielder (b. 1928)
- 2019 - Gil Downs, minor league pitcher (b. 1940)
- 2021 - Tommy Lasorda, pitcher, manager; Hall of Famer (b. 1927)
- 2022 - Amanda Asay, Canadian women's national team player (b. 1988)
- 2022 - George Gerberman, pitcher (b. 1942)
- 2023 - Emir Darce, Nicaraguan national team pitcher (b. ????)
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