March 25
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 March 25.
Events[edit]
- 1882 - A fence has been erected on the Recreation Ground in San Francisco which forces the left fielder "to play over the fence, causing the players much inconvenience."
- 1885 - A new rule is adopted stating that the pitcher must "do all his throwing to bases before he has taken his stride as if to pitch ball."
- 1888 - The St. Louis Browns of the American Association open the training season with an exhibition game versus the St. Louis Whites, a new Western Association team. Among the 10 cities in the W.A., four also host major league clubs
- 1891 - Albert Spalding retires from active participation in the affairs of the Chicago Colts club and the National League. James A. Hart will assume the club presidency.
- 1893 - The Louisville Colonels National League club is forced to transfer its only three Sunday games because the suburb of Parkland, in which the Colonels' new ballpark is located, does not permit Sunday play.
- 1910 - The Chalmers Auto Company of Detroit agrees to award a new car to the player who owns the highest batting average at season's end. Nap Lajoie will win a disputed batting title over Ty Cobb in a controversial finish, but Chalmers will award cars to both players in an effort to save face.
- 1916 - An unsigned Tris Speaker arrives at the Boston Red Sox training camp in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in time for an exhibition game. Speaker goes 4 for 4 with a home run and a triple.
- 1917:
- Manager John McGraw is signed by the New York Giants to a five-year contract for $40,000 a year plus bonuses. The contract makes him the highest-paid figure in major league baseball.
- Babe Ruth pitches four innings against the Brooklyn Robins, allowing just one hit, before giving way to a group of inept Boston Red Sox relievers. Brooklyn wins, 11 - 2, and reigns as "Hot Springs Champs."
- 1920 - In a spring training match between the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Robins, a sweeping inside curve ball throw by Dodgers pitcher Jeff Pfeffer hits Chick Fewster, striking the Yankees' shortstop behind the ear and flattening him. Fewster revives ten minutes later but soon loses the ability to speak. Taken to the hospital with a skull fracture and a blood clot on his brain, Fewster will recover slowly and return to play in mid-season.
- 1934 - In New Orleans, Louisiana Mildred Didrickson (Babe Zaharias) pitches again, this time for the New Orleans Pelicans against a split squad of the Cleveland Indians. She throws two scoreless innings and lines out in her only plate appearance. In nearby Lafayette, manager Walter Johnson pitches for the other Cleveland squad against the minor league Kansas City Blues.
- 1935 - The New York Yankees purchase starting pitcher Pat Malone, who led the National League in wins in 1929, with 22, and in 1930 with 21 (115 in a seven-year span). But Malone will only post a 19-13 record with the Yankees for the next three seasons.
- 1945 - Tryouts are granted to pitcher Terris McDuffie and first baseman Dave Thomas when a group of black players appear at the Brooklyn Dodgers' offices. The two players will work out at Ebbets Field in front of general manager Branch Rickey on April 7th.
- 1951 - Hall of Fame player/manager Eddie Collins dies in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of 63. Collins batted .333 and stole 744 bases over a 25-year career, and batted .328 in six World Series with the Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Athletics.
- 1953 - The St. Louis Browns sign free agent Bob Elliott. The veteran third baseman will play just 48 games before being dealt to the Chicago White Sox.
- 1956 - Down 3 - 0 in the bottom of the 9th, Yomiuri Giants player Kazuo Higasa hits a pinch-hit, grand-slam, come-from-behind, sayonara home run, the first of its type in Nippon Pro Baseball history. Shigeru Sugishita allows the winning blast.
- 1959 - The St. Louis Cardinals trade P Sad Sam Jones and minor leaguer Don Choate to the San Francisco Giants for 1B/OF Bill White and 3B Ray Jablonski.
- 1962 - Elvin Tappe is named as the Chicago Cubs' first "head coach" of the season in team's college of coaches plan. Chicago hasn't had a manager since 1960.
- 1963 - The Cincinnati Reds sell veteran pitcher Johnny Klippstein to the Philadelphia Phillies. After going 7-7 over two seasons with Philadelphia, Klippstein will help the Minnesota Twins win the American League pennant in 1965, posting a 9-3 record.
- 1965 - In spring training, Bill Mazeroski of the Pittsburgh Pirates suffers a broken bone in his right foot. The injury will sideline the Gold Glove second baseman until May, allowing him to play in only 130 games during the regular season.
- 1966 - For the second straight day, fans at Fort Myers' Terry Park are treated to a tie-breaking, game-winning 500-foot homer. Unfortunately, unlike yesterday's Met-killing clout (courtesy of Roberto Clemente), today's bomb benefits the visiting Washington Senators, thanks to their very large left fielder, Frank Howard.
- 1981 - The defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies acquire veteran outfielder Gary Matthews from the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Bob Walk. Matthews will hit .301 and compile a .398 on-base percentage in 101 games in his first season with the Phillies.
- 1985 - A judge in Illinois rules that state laws prohibiting night baseball at Wrigley Field are constitutional. The Chicago Cubs had previously sued to have the laws overturned after Major League Baseball took away one of the Cubs' home games during the 1984 NLCS due to the lack of lights.
- 1989 - The Pittsburgh Pirates make one of their better trades in recent memory, acquiring shortstop Jay Bell from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for fellow shortstop Felix Fermin. Bell will serve as the Pirates' starting shortstop for the next eight seasons, twice leading the National League in fielding percentage.
- 1997:
- In a trade reflecting current baseball economics, the Atlanta Braves send right fielder David Justice and center fielder Marquis Grissom to the Cleveland Indians for center fielder Kenny Lofton and relief pitcher Alan Embree. Atlanta and Cleveland faced each other in the 1995 World Series. The swap of the two Gold Glove center fielders and the three-time All-Star Justice reduces the Braves' payroll by an estimated $6.8 million. Both players have several years left on their contracts, while Lofton, considered the best leadoff hitter in major league baseball, is in the last year of his.
- The Kansas City Royals release Bob Hamelin, the 1994 American League Rookie of the Year. The 29-year-old Hamelin never lived up to his first year, when he smacked 24 home runs in a strike-shortened season. The Detroit Tigers will sign Hamelin to a minor league contract.
- 1999:
- Anaheim Angels pitcher Jason Dickson undergoes surgery to repair torn tissue in his right shoulder. He will miss the entire season.
- The New York Mets sign free agent pitcher Orel Hershiser to a contract.
- 2001 - Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson accidentally kills a dove with a pitch during his team's 10 - 6 exhibition win over the San Francisco Giants. The dove makes the mistake of darting in front of a 95 mph fastball.
- 2008 - Opening Day in Major League Baseball is held in the Tokyo Dome. The game was put in doubt earlier in the month when the Red Sox planned to "strike" due to disagreements with MLB over payment for coaches who make the trip. Daisuke Matsuzaka battles control problems, walking five, and allows two runs in five innings in a homecoming of sorts. In the 6th inning, Manny Ramirez hits a two-run double off Joe Blanton to tie the score and Brandon Moss singles him in for the lead. Oakland retakes the lead, 4 - 3, entering the 9th. Moss then delivers more heroics with one out in the 9th, homering off A's closer Huston Street to tie the score. Hideki Okajima tosses a scoreless bottom of the inning for the win. In the 10th, Ramirez hits a two-run, two-out double off Street for a 6 - 4 lead. Oakland scores once off Jonathan Papelbon in the 10th, but he hangs on for the save.
- 2010 - The Yankees release P Chad Gaudin, who was competing for the team's fifth starter position, and, failing that, was expected to make the staff as a long reliever. Philip Hughes, who shined as a set-up man in 2009, is announced as the winner of the fifth starter competition, while Joba Chamberlain returns to the bullpen. Gaudin will sign a minor league deal with Oakland on March 28th but will be back with the Yanks before the end of the year.
- 2011:
- Injuries are the story of the day as spring training nears its end. Phillies closer Brad Lidge is shut down with shoulder soreness and will begin the season on the disabled list, where his teammate, All-Star 2B Chase Utley has already claimed a spot. Blue Jays reliever Octavio Dotel has an injured hamstring and also appears headed for the DL, and young Padres ace Mat Latos has an inflamed bursa sack in his right shoulder and will miss his scheduled Opening Day start as a result.
- The Brewers send OF Chris Dickerson to the Yankees in return for P Sergio Mitre, who is expected to take the place of the injured Zack Greinke in the Brewers' rotation when the season begins. Dickerson serves as insurance for the Yanks, who are concerned over a rib injury to starting CF Curtis Granderson, but unfortunately, he will pull a muscle in his first game for his new team. Mitre's departure means that three pitchers are now competing for the last two spots in the Yanks' starting rotation - rookie Ivan Nova and veterans Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. They also sign veteran P Kevin Millwood to a minor league contract, as further insurance in case the trio fails to perform up to expectations, but his services will not be required as all three will pitch well.
- Blue Jays OF Corey Patterson is sent to the hospital when he is hit in the head by a Daniel Bard fastball during a Grapefruit League game with the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers, FL.
- 2013 - The Brewers sign pitcher Kyle Lohse to a three-year contract worth $33 million. Coming off a great season for the Cardinals, Lohse was the last remaining unsigned free agent of the spring, as agent Scott Boras decided to take his client to the brink in the hope that a team desperate for pitching would make him an offer.
- 2021:
- The White Sox are the victims of what every team dreads in the final days of spring training: a serious injury to a key player. OF Eloy Jimenez ruptures his left pectoral tendon in attempting a catch against the outfield fence in the Cactus League and will be out until late July.
- Lisbán Correa becomes the first former defector to be named Serie Nacional MVP (Cuba had only begun allowing former defectors to play in the league in 2019). Correa led the 2020-2021 Serie Nacional in both dingers and slugging. The Rookie of the Year, meanwhile, goes to pitcher Marlon Vega (9-2, 3 Sv, 4.36).
Births[edit]
- 1856 - Martin Powell, infielder (d. 1888)
- 1861 - Patrick Scanlan, outfielder (d. 1913)
- 1862 - Charlie Geggus, pitcher (d. 1917)
- 1866 - Harry Lyons, outfielder (d. 1912)
- 1866 - Larry McKeon, pitcher (d. 1915)
- 1868 - Frank Dwyer, pitcher, manager (d. 1943)
- 1874 - Bill Carney, outfielder (d. 1938)
- 1875 - Dorsey Riddlemoser, pitcher (d. 1954)
- 1879 - John Walsh, infielder (d. 1947)
- 1881 - Chappy Charles, infielder (d. 1959)
- 1882 - Jimmy Sebring, outfielder (d. 1909)
- 1886 - Jimmy Walsh, infielder (d. 1947)
- 1887 - Clyde Milan, outfielder, manager (d. 1953)
- 1891 - Polly McLarry, infielder (d. 1971)
- 1898 - Mojuro Tonoka, college coach; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1986)
- 1900 - Russ Miller, pitcher (d. 1962)
- 1901 - John Fetzer, owner (d. 1991)
- 1901 - Denver Grigsby, outfielder (d. 1973)
- 1903 - Isamu Saeki, NPB owner; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1989)
- 1907 - Norm Daniels, college coach (d. 2009)
- 1909 - Dutch Leonard, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1983)
- 1910 - Jimmie Crutchfield, outfielder; All-Star (d. 1993)
- 1910 - Edward Marleau, minor league pitcher and manager (d. 1974)
- 1911 - Clarence Locke, pitcher (d. 1971)
- 1912 - Lester Lockett, outfielder; All-Star (d. 2005)
- 1913 - Buster Maynard, outfielder (d. 1977)
- 1915 - Chris Hartje, catcher (d. 1946)
- 1915 - Rudy Laskowski, minor league infielder and manager (d. 1993)
- 1916 - Kozo Naito, NPB pitcher (d. 2002)
- 1918 - Howard Cosell, announcer (d. 1995)
- 1919 - Bill Evans, pitcher (d. 1983)
- 1920 - Sam Lowry, pitcher (d. 1992)
- 1922 - Billy Bowers, outfielder (d. 1996)
- 1922 - Jim Hamilton, infielder (d. 1977)
- 1922 - Jeep McClain, infielder (d. 1997)
- 1927 - Nick Adzick, minor league catcher (d. 2006)
- 1927 - Howard Boles, minor league outfielder (d. 2013)
- 1930 - Ryohei Hasegawa, NPB pitcher and manager; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 2006)
- 1930 - Rudy Minarcin, pitcher (d. 2013)
- 1932 - Walt Craddock, pitcher (d. 1980)
- 1932 - Woodie Held, infielder (d. 2009)
- 1933 - Nelson Chittum, pitcher
- 1935 - Jimmy Davis, minor league player (d. 2014)
- 1937 - Tom Monaghan, umpire
- 1938 - Alan Koch, pitcher (d. 2015)
- 1939 - Filomeno Codiñera Jr., Philippines national team infielder (d. 2016)
- 1944 - Jim Britton, pitcher
- 1944 - Frank Peters, minor league infielder
- 1945 - Jim Ellis, pitcher
- 1948 - Mike Nagy, pitcher
- 1949 - Jerry Lundin, minor league infielder
- 1953 - Roger Quiroga, minor league pitcher
- 1955 - Lee Mazzilli, outfielder, manager; All-Star
- 1958 - Ray Tanner, college coach
- 1962 - Jeff Kunkel, infielder
- 1963 - John Verducci, minor league infielder
- 1965 - Jerry Kutzler, pitcher
- 1966 - Tom Glavine, pitcher; All-Star; Hall of Fame
- 1966 - Jeff Knox, minor league pitcher
- 1967 - Brian Barnes, pitcher
- 1968 - Roderick Hopkins, Elitserien pitcher
- 1969 - Travis Fryman, infielder; All-Star
- 1969 - Eric Helfand, catcher
- 1969 - Paul Menhart, pitcher
- 1969 - Scott Sanders, pitcher
- 1969 - Erik Schullstrom, pitcher
- 1969 - Terunobu Seto, NPB catcher
- 1969 - Dan Wilson, catcher; All-Star
- 1970 - Rob Montalvo, minor league infielder
- 1972 - Howard Battle, infielder
- 1972 - Mario Cruz, Guatemalan national team infielder
- 1972 - Juan Indriago, scout
- 1972 - Jean-François Lacroix, Canadian women's national team coach
- 1974 - George Freeberger, minor league catcher (d. 2002)
- 1975 - Adrian Hernandez, pitcher
- 1975 - Miguel Mejia, outfielder
- 1975 - Danilo Sotelo, minor league infielder
- 1977 - Brett Jodie, pitcher
- 1977 - Jose Vargas, minor league pitcher
- 1978 - Mike Gmetro, college coach
- 1978 - Alex Marconi, college coach
- 1980 - Neal Cotts, pitcher
- 1980 - Raphaël Auriac, Division Elite infielder-outfielder
- 1981 - Joo-chan Kim, KBO outfielder
- 1981 - En-Yu Lin, NPB pitcher
- 1981 - Sen Yang, NPB infielder
- 1983 - Humberto Cardenas, minor league pitcher
- 1983 - Chao Wang, minor league pitcher
- 1985 - Hassan Pena, minor league pitcher
- 1986 - Maikol Gonzalez, minor league infielder and manager
- 1986 - Rubi Koko, minor league outfielder
- 1986 - Ari Ronick, minor league pitcher
- 1987 - Hyun-Jin Ryu, pitcher; All-Star
- 1987 - Kirby Yates, pitcher; All-Star
- 1988 - Ryan Doolittle, minor league pitcher
- 1989 - Scott Wingo, minor league infielder
- 1990 - Erisbel Arruebarrena, infielder
- 1991 - Oriel Caicedo, minor league pitcher
- 1991 - Mike Zunino, catcher; All-Star
- 1993 - Phil Maton, pitcher
- 1995 - Nick Green, minor league pitcher
- 1995 - Chia-Jung Liang, CPBL infielder
- 1996 - Tucker Davidson, pitcher
- 1996 - Scott Hurst, outfielder
- 1998 - Fred Walter, French Division I infielder
- 2002 - Pete Crow-Armstrong, outfielder
- 2003 - Matias Miyagusuku, Peruvian national team pitcher
- 2004 - Hue Thor, Laotian national team pitcher-infielder
Deaths[edit]
- 1897 - Bill Quarles, pitcher (b. 1870)
- 1904 - Harry Arundel, pitcher (b. 1855)
- 1906 - Joe Cassidy, infielder (b. 1883)
- 1911 - Stanley Robison, manager (b. 1854)
- 1916 - John Hunt, umpire (b. 1866)
- 1921 - Harry Arndt, infielder (b. 1879)
- 1924 - Terry Connell, catcher; umpire (b. 1855)
- 1928 - Homer Smoot, outfielder (b. 1878)
- 1929 - Roy Meeker, pitcher (b. 1900)
- 1930 - Bill Krieg, catcher (b. 1859)
- 1933 - Tom Donovan, outfielder (b. 1873)
- 1936 - Art Hagan, pitcher (b. 1863)
- 1937 - Jackson Brady, umpire (b. 1858)
- 1938 - Al Burris, pitcher (b. 1874)
- 1939 - Tiny Chaplin, pitcher (b. 1905)
- 1941 - Eddie Hickey, infielder (b. 1872)
- 1942 - Masao Matsukata, NPB executive; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1868)
- 1946 - Hack Schumann, pitcher (b. 1884)
- 1949 - Jim Riley, outfielder (b. 1886)
- 1950 - Pussy Tebeau, outfielder (b. 1870)
- 1951 - Eddie Collins, infielder, manager; Hall of Famer (b. 1887)
- 1951 - Dan Daub, pitcher (b. 1868)
- 1953 - Tim Griesenbeck, catcher (b. 1897)
- 1956 - Steel Arm Johnny Taylor, pitcher (b. 1879)
- 1958 - Clarence Kraft, infielder (b. 1887)
- 1958 - Al Shaw, catcher (b. 1873)
- 1966 - Bill Morrisette, pitcher (b. 1894)
- 1981 - Red Morgan, infielder (b. 1883)
- 1985 - Curt Barclay, pitcher (b. 1931)
- 1985 - Joe Wood, infielder (b. 1919)
- 1986 - George Grant, pitcher (b. 1903)
- 1987 - Alvin Gipson, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1914)
- 1989 - Harrison Wickel, scout (b. 1912)
- 1994 - Bob Fontaine, scout (b. 1923)
- 1999 - Sonny Hirsch, minor league executive (b. 1933)
- 1999 - Cal Ripken Sr., manager (b. 1935)
- 2005 - Frank Zupo, catcher (b. 1939)
- 2008 - Jim DeBell, college coach (b. 1929)
- 2009 - Johnny Blanchard, outfielder/catcher (b. 1933)
- 2009 - Arthur Richman, writer/executive (b. 1926)
- 2009 - Renato Vega, Mexican executive (b. 1937)
- 2013 - Lou Sleater, pitcher (b. 1926)
- 2015 - Bill Slayback, pitcher (b. 1948)
- 2017 - Jack Faszholz, pitcher (b. 1927)
- 2019 - Jerry Schypinski, infielder (b. 1931)
- 2019 - Jack Weisenburger, minor league infielder (b. 1926)
- 2020 - Bill Bartholomay, owner (b. 1928)
- 2020 - Bob Lee, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1937)
- 2021 - Bobby Brown, infielder (b. 1924)
- 2021 - Joe Cunningham, infielder; All-Star (b. 1931)
- 2021 - Tom Hilgendorf, pitcher (b. 1942)
- 2021 - Peter Kostacopoulos, college coach (b. 1934/1935)
- 2021 - Randy Tate, pitcher (b. 1952)
- 2022 - John Gergle, college coach (b. 1932)
- 2023 - Kazuharu Abe, NPB pitcher (b. 1940)
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