March 31
From BR Bullpen
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| Stats of players who died on this day | |
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Events, births and deaths that occurred on March 31.
Events[edit]
- 1880 - The Worcester Ruby Legs offer the Providence Grays the sum of $1,000 for the right to negotiate with George Wright.
- 1883 - The Olympic Town-Ball Club of Philadelphia, PA, the nation's oldest ball club, celebrates its 50th anniversary.
- 1909 - The National Commission rules that players who jump contracts will be suspended for five years. Players joining outlaw organizations will be suspended for three years as punishment for going outside organized baseball.
- 1945 - Vince DiMaggio is sent by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for pitcher Al Gerheauser.
- 1958:
- The Cleveland Indians trade Gene Woodling, Dick Williams and Bud Daley to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Larry Doby and Don Ferrarese.
- The Milwaukee Braves purchase veteran Dick Littlefield from the Chicago Cubs. The well-traveled pitcher will be wearing his tenth and last major league uniform.
- 1959 - The Milwaukee Braves send pitcher Gene Conley and infielders Joe Koppe and Harry Hanebrink to the Philadelphia Phillies for catcher Stan Lopata, shortstop Ted Kazanski and infielder Johnny O'Brien. Conley will go 12-7 before going on the disabled list from August to the close of the season.
- 1962:
- The Pacific Coast League proposal to use a designated hitter is voted down 8-1 by the Professional Baseball Rules Committee. Prompted by the Cubs' college of coaches, the committee also rules each team must name a manager 30 minutes prior to the game. The DH will not come into major league use until 1973, when it is adopted by the American League.
- The Milwaukee Braves send infielders Andre Rodgers and Daryl Robertson to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for pitchers Moe Drabowsky and Seth Morehead.
- 1968 - The American League's new franchise in Seattle, WA chooses the "Pilots" as its nickname. The team will last only one season in Seattle before becoming the Milwaukee Brewers.
- 1969 - Veteran utility player Chico Salmon is traded from the expansion Seattle Pilots to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for pitcher Gene Brabender and infielder Gordy Lund. Salmon will play for three consecutive pennant winners in Baltimore from 1969 to 1971, while Brabender will be the Pilots' top winner in their only season in Seattle.
- 1971 - In a four-player trade, the New York Mets send 1969 World Series hero Ron Swoboda to the Montreal Expos. Swoboda will go to the Yankees in June.
- 1980 - The Montreal Expos trade 1B/OF Rusty Staub to the Texas Rangers in exchange for infielders Chris Smith and LaRue Washington.
- 1982 - The Texas Rangers trade 1B/OF Al Oliver to the Montreal Expos in exchange for 3B Larry Parrish and minor league 1B Dave Hostetler.
- 1993:
- Bill White, the first African-American to serve as a league president, resigns from his National League post. He will remain at the job until March of 1994, however.
- The St. Louis Cardinals send pitcher Mark Clark and a minor leaguer to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for outfielder Mark Whiten. Whiten will have a career season for St. Louis this year.
- 1994:
- The New York Mets trade hard-luck righthander Anthony Young to the Chicago Cubs for shortstop Jose Vizcaino. Young holds the major league record for the most consecutive losses by a pitcher.
- The Chicago White Sox assign NBA superstar Michael Jordan to the Double-A Birmingham Barons of the Southern League.
- 1995 - The longest strike action in sports history ends - in a courtroom. U.S. District Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor grants an injunction forbidding owners from implementing new financial working conditions unilaterally in the wake of the impasse in negotiations. The court decides that conditions will revert to the old rules from the previous season. The owner will cave in and reach an agreement on that basis with the Players Association tomorrow. Because of the timing of the court order, 18 games will have to be trimmed from the major league schedule.
- 1996 - For the first time in major league history, the regular season opens in March with the Seattle Mariners beating the Chicago White Sox in 12 innings, 3 - 2, at the Kingdome. Five Mariners pitchers strike out 21 batters, with Randy Johnson collecting 14 Sox in seven innings. The American League unveils its new colorful red polo shirts for the umpires, part of the "What a Game" campaign to lure fans back to the parks. The last sartorial change was in the 1970s when AL umps wore red blazers for several years. National League umpires will stick with traditional blue.
- 1998:
- In their first game ever, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays lose to the Detroit Tigers, 11 - 6. Pitcher Wilson Alvarez takes the loss for Tampa while third baseman Wade Boggs hits the first home run in team history and drives in three runs.
- The Arizona Diamondbacks drop a 9 - 2 decision to the Colorado Rockies in their first game ever. Andy Benes is tagged with the loss, and rookies Travis Lee, who gets three hits, and Karim Garcia, hit home runs. Vinny Castilla drives in five runs for Colorado.
- The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies tie the National League mark for the longest Opening Day game, with New York coming out on top with a 1 - 0 victory in 14 innings on pinch-hitter Alberto Castillo's single. Curt Schilling shuts out the Mets for the first eight innings on only two hits, while striking out nine.
- Cincinnati Reds shortstop Pokey Reese, starting in place of Barry Larkin who is on the disabled list, commits four errors on his first three chances in the field as the Reds lose their opener, 10 - 2, to the San Diego Padres.
- Florida Marlins catcher Charles Johnson, who had not committed an error in a record 172 consecutive regular season games, is charged with one on a wild throw in the 1st inning of Florida's opening day 11 - 6 victory over the Cubs. Johnson hits a three-run home run in Florida's six-run 1st inning to atone for his miscue. The defending champs, who are in the middle of a fire sale, will lose their next ten games.
- The Milwaukee Brewers play their inaugural game as a National League team and lose to the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field, 2 - 1. Milwaukee is the first team since the inception of the American League in 1901 to switch leagues. All-time home run leader and fan favorite Hank Aaron helps to mark Milwaukee's historic return to the NL with a rare on-the-field appearance.
- 1999 - Commissioner Bud Selig confirms that discussions are underway which could lead to advertising space being sold on the sleeves of players uniforms. The proposed change will not be implemented until 2023, however.
- 2001 - After 31 years in Three Rivers Stadium, the Pittsburgh Pirates move into their new $262 million home at PNC Park, losing to the New York Mets, 4 - 3, in an exhibition game. The 38,000 seat stadium is nestled at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers with a spectacular view of the city.
- 2005 - The Orioles and Major League Baseball agree on a deal which will allow Nationals games to be televised. A joint venture backed by MLB will allow fans in the Baltimore-Washington area to enjoy telecasts of both franchises and will ensure the Orioles fans in the nation's capital will still have an opportunity to watch their "Birds".
- 2008:
- In one of the wildest Opening Days in Pittsburgh Pirates franchise history, Pittsburgh beats the Braves, 12 - 11, in 12 innings. They lead, 9 - 4, entering the bottom of the 9th but their top two relief pitchers, Damaso Marte and Matt Capps, blow the lead with a fly ball falling between LF Jason Bay and CF Nate McLouth with two outs. Pittsburgh scores three in the 12th on a Xavier Nady home run, but Atlanta almost ties it again with two runs in the bottom of the frame.
- The Chicago Cubs unveil a statue of Ernie Banks outside of Wrigley Field. Unfortunately, sculptor Lou Cella engraved "Lets play two" on the sculpture instead of "Let's play two."
- 2009 - The Detroit Tigers surprisingly cut slugger Gary Sheffield, who is one home run shy of 500 for his career. Sheffield, a nine-time All-Star, is 25th on the all-time home run list and 27th in RBI (1,633). He only hit .178 in spring training, but went deep in 5 of 45 at-bats. He says he is not shocked, but is surprised. Marcus Thames will replace Sheffield as Detroit's starting DH.
- 2010:
- The Industriales win their record 12th Cuban Serie Nacional title, topping Villa Clara, 7 - 5, in ten innings in Game 7 of the 2009-2010 Serie Nacional finals. It is their second straight back-to-the-wall win on the road in the series. Raiko Olivares drives in the winner, Rudy Reyes gets three hits (including a homer) and youngster Joan Socarrás fans five in 2 1/3 hitless relief innings for the win. In a losing cause, Yandy Canto hits a three-run homer.
- In a Grapefruit League game in Tampa, FL, Twins OF Denard Span proves to be a bad son, fouling a pitch straight at his mother, sitting in the third base stands, in the 1st inning against the Yankees. Span rushes to the stands to his mom's aid, but Wanda Wilson is all right after being checked over by medical staff. Span, playing in his hometown, leaves the game two innings later to be at his mother's side for the rest of the contest.
- With spring training coming to an end, the disabled list is getting crowded. Among those who will miss the beginning of the season are Mets SS Jose Reyes, who missed most of 2009 with injuries and joins teammates Daniel Murphy, Carlos Beltran and Kelvim Escobar on the list; Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler, suffering from a sprained ankle; Astros 1B Lance Berkman, recovering from knee surgery, and two Houston pitchers, Alberto Arias and Yorman Bazardo; Rockies closer Huston Street, shelved by shoulder stiffness; and Toronto P Mark Rzepczynski, out with a broken finger, the result of being struck on his pitching hand by a ball batted by the Yankees' Ramiro Pena a day earlier.
- Shingo Takatsu saves his first game in the Chinese Professional Baseball League, becoming the first player with saves in the CPBL, Major League Baseball, Nippon Pro Baseball and the Korea Baseball Organization.
- 2011:
- It's Opening Day in Major League Baseball and the Reds win in dramatic fashion in Cincinnati to start off the National League's schedule. Trailing 6 - 3 in the bottom of the 9th, they rally for four runs against Brewers closer John Axford when Ramon Hernandez slugs a three-run walk-off homer with two outs for a 7 - 6 win. Milwaukee starts the game with a bang as Rickie Weeks and Carlos Gomez open the contest with back-to-back homers off Edinson Volquez; Ryan Braun, Drew Stubbs and Joey Votto also go yard in the wild contest.
- The Yankees are successful on opening day, beating Detroit, 6 - 3, at home. Curtis Granderson, whose health was a concern before the start of the game because of a strained right oblique muscle, makes a diving catch of a line drive hit by Will Rhymes in the 1st, then breaks a 3 - 3 tie with a solo homer off Phil Coke in the 7th. Mark Teixeira had earlier hit a three-run blast to tie the score in the 3rd. New Yankee starting C Russell Martin scores twice in his debut in pinstripes as Joba Chamberlain picks up the win and Mariano Rivera the save.
- The day is marred by a tragic incident at Dodger Stadium after the opener between the Giants and Dodgers. Bryan Stow, a 42-year-old paramedic and father of two, is assaulted by Dodger fans for nothing more than wearing a Giants cap and suffers injuries that leave him in a coma. His family will later sue Dodgers owner Frank McCourt for cutting back on security and lighting in the parking lot where the assault occured. After an intensive investigation, Los Angeles Police will arrest a suspect on May 22nd.
- 2012:
- The Athletics' Tom Milone pitches six perfect innings in a Cactus League game against the A's AAA affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats. Reliever Andrew Carignan walks a pair of batters in the 7th, but gives up no hits, and the game is then called on account of rain, giving Oakland a 9 - 0 no-hit victory. Sacramento's Jarrod Parker, who is auditioning for the A's fifth starter job, is a lot less impressive than his counterpart, giving up six runs in two innings.
- The German Bundesliga season begins, with the Buchbinder Legionaere Regensburg winning the opener, 7 - 1, over the Mainz Athletics. Former Phillies farmhand Mike Bolsenbroek allows one hit and fans 11 for the win, while Chris Howard hits a two-run homer.
- 2013 - Houston wins its first game as an American League team, overpowering cross-state rivals Texas, 8 - 2, in the opening game of the season. Justin Maxwell hits a pair of triples, only the sixth player to do so on Opening Day, and Rick Ankiel pinch-hits a three-run homer in the 6th. Bud Norris is the winner and Erik Bedard records his first career save with 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. This will be a rare highlight in a season in which the Astros set a franchise record for losses for the third straight year.
- 2014:
- With the majority of teams opening their season today, expanded instant replay is used for the first time in a major league game. Manager Rich Renteria of the Cubs is the first to challenge an umpire's decision on calling Jeff Samardzija out on a close play at first base, but the replay confirms the call. Shortly thereafter, the Braves' Fredi Gonzalez issues the first successful challenge, as umpire Greg Gibson's safe call at first base on Milwaukee's Ryan Braun is overturned after a quick review. And Mike Winters is the first umpire to ask for a review himself, making sure that A's catcher John Jaso correctly blocked the plate in tagging out the Indians' Michael Brantley at home.
- A new attendance record is set at Marlins Park when 37,116 show up to watch the Marlins manhandle the Rockies, 10 - 1. No doubt many of the fans are there to watch Jose Fernandez, the youngest opening day starter since Dwight Gooden started the Mets' 1986 season. Fernandez doesn't disappoint, striking out nine in six innings to earn the win, while Casey McGehee, back in the majors after a season in Japan, drives in four runs with a pair of doubles and Marcell Ozuna has three hits including a homer.
- Coach Don Baylor suffers a freak injury catching the ceremonial first pitch before the Angels' opener. Vladimir Guerrero is back in Anaheim to throw the pitch after signing a one-day contract to retire as an Angel, but Baylor twists his leg catching the soft toss and suffers a broken femur. The pair are the only two players to win the MVP award in franchise history.
- 2015 - As teams round out their rosters in preparation for Opening Day, the Mariners trade P Erasmo Ramirez, who is out of options, to Tampa Bay in return for minor league LhP Mike Montgomery.
- 2016 - In a 6 - 6 tie between the Hanshin Tigers and Yakult Swallows, Hanshin rookie Shun Takayama goes 4 for 6. He leads off the game with a homer, becoming only the second NPB rookie to hit their first career homer on the first pitch of the game, following Yoshito Fujino way back in 1944. He takes Kyle Davies deep for the historic hit.
- 2017:
- Tim Raines, recently elected to the Hall of Fame, is honored before a huge crowd gathered for a pre-season exhibition game featuring the Blue Jays and Pirates at Stade Olympique. Stephen Bronfman, former Montreal Expos minority owner and spokesman for the "Montreal Baseball Group" tells the media the group has assembled the needed capital and has plans for building a ballpark in Montreal, QC, adding that when Commissioner Rob Manfred calls on them to ether relocate a team or proceed with expansion, the group will be ready.
- SunTrust Park, located in Cobb County, GA, is inaugurated with an exhibition game between the Braves and Yankees. The contest is held in spite of the collapse of a span of Interstate 85, which bisects downtown Atlanta, GA, creating huge traffic problems. The new suburban ballpark will get its official opening in two weeks.
- 2019:
- 19-year-old Elvis Luciano becomes the first player born in the 21st century to appear in a major league game when he makes his debut for the Blue Jays against the Tigers. Never having pitched above Rookie-class before this season, he allows just one hit in 1 1/3 inning in a successful outing. This coincides with the last two players who were active in the previous century, Adrian Beltre and Bartolo Colon, both being out of the majors as a page has clearly turned.
- The Brewers' Christian Yelich ties a major league record by homering in his fourth straight game from the start of the season. He is the sixth player to accomplish the feat.
- 2021 - Federal Judge J. Paul Oetken dismisses umpire Angel Hernandez's lawsuit against Major League Baseball, filed in 2017, alleging that he was a victim of racial discrimination and as a result was passed over for promotion and prestigious assignments. The judge rules that the evidence presented does not support the allegations, as MLB's decisions were based on objective performance evaluations, and other senior umpires were also not promoted for similar reasons.
Births[edit]
- 1842 - Al Wright, manager (d. 1905)
- 1852 - Tom Evers, infielder (d. 1925)
- 1853 - Jim Pirie, infielder (d. 1934)
- 1862 - Art Benedict, infielder (d. 1948)
- 1867 - Bill Hallman, infielder, manager (d. 1920)
- 1868 - Jack Stivetts, pitcher (d. 1930)
- 1880 - Ernie Ross, pitcher (d. 1950)
- 1882 - Big Jeff Pfeffer, pitcher (d. 1954)
- 1884 - Frank Truesdale, infielder (d. 1943)
- 1885 - Brick Owens, umpire (d. 1949)
- 1886 - Fred Kommers, outfielder (d. 1943)
- 1887 - Chick Brandom, pitcher (d. 1958)
- 1888 - Harlan Holden, Olympic player (d. 1962)
- 1890 - Ben Adams, Olympic pitcher (d. 1961)
- 1891 - Jim Brown, outfielder (d. 1944)
- 1891 - Johnny Couch, pitcher (d. 1975)
- 1894 - Ben Mallonee, outfielder (d. 1978)
- 1894 - Tom Sheehan, pitcher, manager (d. 1982)
- 1895 - Carson Bigbee, outfielder (d. 1964)
- 1899 - Ed Johnson, outfielder (d. 1975)
- 1900 - George Mitchell, pitcher, manager; All-Star (d. 1953)
- 1900 - Robert Mitchell, catcher (d. 1971)
- 1901 - Mule Suttles, infielder, manager; All-Star, Hall of Fame (d. 1966)
- 1902 - Ikushi Yamanouchi, author; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1972)
- 1904 - Frederick Bedore, minor league infielder and manager (d. 1983)
- 1904 - Sam Dailey, pitcher (d. 1979)
- 1906 - Morrow Massey, outfielder (d. 1966)
- 1906 - Frank McCoy, catcher (d. 1982)
- 1907 - George Nash, pitcher (d. 1976)
- 1909 - Balbino Inojosa, Venezuelan League pitcher (d. 1974)
- 1911 - Ralph DiLullo, minor league catcher and manager (d. 1999)
- 1915 - Felle Delgado, outfielder (d. 2001)
- 1917 - Bob Trocolor, minor league pitcher (d. 1984)
- 1918 - Jimmy Boyd, pitcher (d. 1965)
- 1918 - Marv Grissom, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2005)
- 1920 - Dave Koslo, pitcher (d. 1975)
- 1928 - Armando Crizon, Colombian national team outfielder
- 1930 - Roger Wickman, college coach (d. 2017)
- 1931 - Gene Snyder, pitcher (d. 1996)
- 1932 - Moises Camacho, minor league infielder and manager
- 1938 - John Herrnstein, outfielder (d. 2017)
- 1938 - Moose Stubing, pinch hitter, manager (d. 2018)
- 1940 - Gonzalo Marquez, infielder (d. 1984)
- 1946 - Bill Denehy, pitcher
- 1948 - Kenji Furusawa, NPB pitcher (d. 2023)
- 1951 - Albino Diaz, minor league outfielder (d. 2014)
- 1953 - Tom Hausman, pitcher (d. 2019)
- 1954 - Amado Dinzey, minor league outfielder
- 1956 - Julio Espinoza, Nicaraguan national team pitcher (d. 2015)
- 1961 - Tracy Jones, outfielder
- 1961 - Joe Molloy, owner
- 1964 - Chris Cron, infielder
- 1964 - Balvino Galvez, pitcher
- 1964 - Rafael Montalvo, pitcher
- 1964 - Greg Sparks, coach
- 1969 - Alexander Ramos, Cuban league infielder
- 1970 - Tim Cossins, minor league catcher and manager
- 1974 - Roger Machado, Cuban league catcher and manager
- 1975 - Tim Christman, pitcher
- 1975 - Ryan Rupe, pitcher
- 1976 - Matt Magers, college coach
- 1977 - Jamie Brown, pitcher
- 1979 - Josh Kinney, pitcher
- 1979 - Charlie Manning, pitcher
- 1980 - Marijke van Veen, Dutch women's national team pitcher
- 1980 - Rafael Lazo, minor league pitcher
- 1980 - Chien-Ming Wang, pitcher
- 1982 - Mark Lollo, umpire
- 1983 - Jeff Mathis, catcher
- 1984 - Kyung-su Park, KBO infielder
- 1985 - Carlos Alvarez, minor league pitcher
- 1985 - Jae-young Oh, KBO pitcher
- 1987 - Peter Bourjos, outfielder
- 1987 - Clayton Cooper, Division Elite pitcher
- 1987 - Brett Lorin, minor league pitcher
- 1989 - David Chester, minor league infielder
- 1989 - Alfredo Marte, outfielder
- 1989 - Dylan Nasiatka, minor league coach
- 1989 - Josmil Pinto, catcher
- 1990 - Erick Epifano, minor league infielder
- 1990 - Carlos Fortuna, minor league pitcher (d. 2013)
- 1990 - Nelson Izaguirre, minor league player
- 1990 - Javier Solano, minor league pitcher
- 1992 - Ryan Cordell, outfielder
- 1992 - Justin O'Conner, minor league catcher
- 1993 - Ty Buttrey, pitcher
- 1993 - Jonatan Isenia, minor league pitcher
- 1993 - Nick Valenza, minor league pitcher
- 1994 - Ryan Borucki, pitcher
- 1995 - Brent Honeywell, pitcher
- 1995 - Mason McCoy, infielder
- 1995 - David McKay, pitcher
- 1998 - Cam Eden, outfielder
- 1998 - Elvin Rodríguez, pitcher
- 2003 - Haruka Nemoto, NPB pitcher
Deaths[edit]
- 1878 - Henry Burroughs, outfielder (b. 1845)
- 1901 - George Popplein, infielder/outfielder (b. 1840)
- 1921 - John Fitzgerald, pitcher (b. 1870)
- 1929 - Oran Dodd, minor league outfielder (b. 1889)
- 1935 - Steve Libby, infielder; umpire (b. 1853)
- 1936 - Anton Falch, outfielder (b. 1860)
- 1941 - Kit McKenna, pitcher (b. 1873)
- 1942 - Ray O'Brien, outfielder (b. 1894)
- 1951 - Phil Cockrell, pitcher, manager (b. 1895)
- 1957 - Billy Meyer, catcher, manager (b. 1892)
- 1966 - Grady Adkins, pitcher (b. 1897)
- 1968 - Grover Lowdermilk, pitcher (b. 1885)
- 1971 - Sam Post, infielder (b. 1896)
- 1973 - Roland Howell, pitcher (b. 1892)
- 1974 - Doc Bennett, scout (b. 1891)
- 1974 - Bunny Hearn, pitcher (b. 1904)
- 1974 - Balbino Inojosa, Venezuelan League pitcher (b. 1909)
- 1977 - Johnny Mann, infielder (b. 1898)
- 1979 - Bob Schultz, pitcher (b. 1923)
- 1992 - Ken Silvestri, catcher, manager (b. 1916)
- 1993 - Jimmie Crutchfield, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1910)
- 1999 - Ike Kahdot, infielder (b. 1899)
- 2000 - Curtis Hardaway, minor league infielder (b. 1928)
- 2001 - Brian Cole, minor league outfielder (b. 1978)
- 2007 - Pat Barringer, AAGPBL infielder (b. 1924)
- 2015 - Riccardo Ingram, outfielder (b. 1966)
- 2016 - Orlando Alvarez, outfielder (b. 1952)
- 2016 - Tom Butters, pitcher (b. 1938)
- 2017 - Ruben Amaro, infielder (b. 1936)
- 2019 - Jake Jaeckel, pitcher (b. 1942)
- 2021 - Ken Reitz, infielder; All-Star (b. 1951)
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