March 4
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 4.
Events[edit]
- 1884 - National League owners agree to provide two separate team benches to minimize fraternizing among opposing players during games.
- 1886 - The National League meets and adopts the stolen base and the four foot by seven foot pitcher's box. But the NL retains seven balls for a walk and rejects the American Association's rule giving a batter first base on a hit by pitch.
- 1891 - Clarence Arthur "Dazzy" Vance is born in Orient, Iowa. At age 31, Vance will become the dominant National League pitcher of the 1920s. After a decade in the minors, Vance will join the Brooklyn Robins in 1922. Named National League MVP in 1924, he will pitch a no-hitter the next year, lead the NL in wins twice, in earned run average three times, and be the only pitcher to top the NL in strikeouts seven consecutive seasons. Vance will be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America in 1955, with 205 votes out of 251 ballots.
- 1907 - A judgment of $52,000 is awarded to the Baltimore club from Brooklyn. When Baltimore left the National League in 1900, Brooklyn agreed to pay $40,000 for the franchise but never did. The award includes interest.
- 1912 - Ground is broken on a new ballpark in Brooklyn, New York. The $650,000 ballpark is scheduled to be called "Washington Park", but will be renamed for Brooklyn Dodgers president Charles Ebbets. Ebbets Field will open officially on April 9, 1913 and will serve as the Dodgers' home until 1957.
- 1913 - The New York Yankees become the first major league team to conduct spring training outside of the United States, when they begin the spring in Bermuda, where is projected a series of exhibition games.
- 1919 - New York Giants manager John McGraw sells left-handed pitcher Slim Sallee to the Cincinnati Reds, but the team will buy him back next year.
- 1921 - Twelve-year Boston Red Sox veteran outfielder Harry Hooper is traded to the Chicago White Sox for outfielders Nemo Leibold and Shano Collins.
- 1925 - John Montgomery (Monte) Ward dies in Augusta, Georgia, just a day after his 65th birthday. During his illustrious career in the majors, Ward hit for a .371 batting average twice, won 40-plus games as a pitcher twice, including the second perfect game in history, and was be the captain and manager of the first and original New York Giants. Ward will gain election to the Hall of Fame in 1964.
- 1941 - Grace Comiskey, widow of J. Louis Comiskey, is elected president of the Chicago White Sox. Her husband died on July 18, 1939.
- 1943 - The woeful Philadelphia Phillies announce their new nickname - the Blue Jays. The winning entry in the contest was submitted by a Mrs. Elizabeth Crooks, and was chosen over a number of names ranging from Daisies to Stinkers. Team president Bob Carpenter says he hopes to have the farm system identified by the same blue color, with the Wilmington club called the Blue Rocks and possibly the new Bradford team as the Blue Wings. The Blue Jays will be the official team name in 1943 and 1944, but will be abandoned in 1945, though the team will still occasionally be referred to in newspaper accounts as the Blue Jays through 1949. Ms. Crooks wins a $100 war bond and a season ticket to the Blue Jays.
- 1948 - Stan Musial ends his holdout with the St. Louis Cardinals and signs a one-year contract for $31,000. Musial, who in 1947 batted .312 with 19 home runs and 95 RBI, will lead the National League with a .376 batting average and 131 RBI this season.
- 1967 - Bullet Joe Rogan dies in Kansas City, Missouri, at age 77. One of the greatest pitchers in Negro league baseball, Rogan threw a devastating fastball which he complemented with a dizzying array of other pitches. He also played the outfield when he wasn't pitching, and in 1922 led the Negro National League with 16 home runs. Rogan will receive Hall of Fame honors in 1998.
- 1972 - The Texas Rangers, formerly the Washington Senators, trade former two-time Cy Young Award winner Denny McLain to the Oakland Athletics for two minor league pitchers. McLain, who lost a league-leading 22 games pitching for the Senators in 1971, will last only five starts in Oakland before being traded to the Atlanta Braves for Orlando Cepeda.
- 1976 - The San Francisco Giants are sold to businessmen Bob Lurie and Bud Herseth for an estimated $8 million. Lurie promises to keep the Giants in the Bay Area despite dwindling attendance.
- 1984 - Two outstanding defensive players, shortstop Pee Wee Reese and catcher Rick Ferrell, are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Reese hit .269 in 16 seasons with the Dodgers while Ferrell batted .281 with just 28 home runs in 18 seasons for the Browns, Red Sox, and Senators.
- 1994 - Michael Jordan comes to bat for the first time in a Chicago White Sox uniform. Playing in a spring training game, Jordan taps back to Texas Rangers pitcher Darren Oliver, who tags out the former National Basketball Association star. Jordan will eventually give up baseball after one season in the minor leagues and return to the NBA.
- 2000 - The Boston Red Sox sign Cuban first baseman Juan Diaz, who was declared a free agent after the Los Angeles Dodgers illegally signed him.
- 2002 - Cleveland Indians center fielder Alex Escobar will have reconstructive knee surgery, after he crashes into an outfield wall, and will miss the entire season. Escobar, who was acquired in the Roberto Alomar trade, was once a highly touted Mets prospect. His stock has fallen considerably in recent years, due to injury problems.
- 2004:
- Commissioner Bud Selig announces that Major League Baseball will celebrate "Jackie Robinson Day" in every ballpark on April 15th, the anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut as the first black player in the 20th Century. Robinson's uniform number "42" was retired for all time in a ceremony at Shea Stadium in April of 1997 to mark the 50th anniversary of his achievement.
- Osvaldo Martínez of the Sinon Bulls becomes the first Chinese Professional Baseball League player to strike out 1,000 batters.
- 2006:
- At the Tokyo Dome, South Korea beats China, 10 - 1, in the inaugural World Baseball Classic and advances to the second round of the 16-nation tournament. Seung Yeop Lee homers twice, drives in five runs and finishes with four hits for South Korea. Lee, who holds the Asian record of 56 home runs in a season, signed with the Yomiuri Giants of the Central League after spending two seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines.
- Meanwhile, Japan mauls Taiwan, 14 - 3, behind Hitoshi Tamura's slugging, giving the Asian hosts a spot in the next round of the World Baseball Classic. Tamura hits a three-run home run (his second homer of the series) and Tsuyoshi Nishioka drives in two runs. Taiwan and China are both 0-2 and will face each other tomorrow. Then Japan will play South Korea, although both teams are guaranteed to advance.
- 2008 - Carlos Yánes wins the 221st game of his Cuban career, tying Braudilio Vinent for third all-time behind Jorge Luis Valdés and Pedro Luis Lazo.
- 2009 - The last major free agent left on the market, Manny Ramirez, reaches terms with the Los Angeles Dodgers for two years and $45 million. Ramirez had been a key playoff run pick-up for LA in 2008.
- 2010:
- Major League Baseball organizes a symposium on "Science Behind Anti-Doping" at its New York City headquarters. The meeting shares information about the latest developments in testing and involves both leading scientists and officials responsible for labor policy from the United States Olympic Committee, the NHL, the NFL, the NBA, the PGA and the NCAA, as well as the US Anti-Doping Agency, all of which are members of the "Partnership for Clean Competition". MLB President Bob DuPuy gives the keynote address. The conference puts a particular focus on developments in the detection of human growth hormone.
- Top Boston Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland has to leave spring training for medical reasons and is diagnosed the next day with a cavernous malformation in the brain, a condition with effects similar to a stroke. He will undergo emergency surgery lasting five hours in Phoenix, AZ on March 16th.
- 2013:
- At the 2013 World Baseball Classic, one of the favored teams in Pool A finally breezes through. Cuba routs China, 12 - 0, as Danny Betancourt and three relievers combine on a three-hitter. José Dariel Abreu hits a grand slam and José Miguel Fernández scores four times. The game ends early due to the mercy rule. In the other match today, South Korea gets back on track, as Seung Song and five relievers shut out Australia, 6 - 0. Seung-yeop Lee and Dae-ho Lee collect three hits apiece.
- With the Yankees struck by a number of key players either injured, or trying to return from serious injuries, GM Brian Cashman joins the fray. He breaks his fibula and dislocates his right ankle while making a charity parachute jump with the U.S. Army's skydiving team, the Golden Knights, at Homestead Air Force Base.
- 2015 - The College Baseball Hall of Fame inducts eight new members. They are Joe Arnold (MVP of the 1966 NJCAA Baseball World Series and successful coach), Lance Berkman (Dick Howser Trophy winner in 1997 after leading NCAA Division I with 41 HR), Larry Hays (fifth coach to 1,400 wins), Al Holland (national ERA leader at both the NAIA and NCAA levels), Bill Holowaty (coach of four national champions in NCAA Division III), Mike Kelly (consensus Player of the Year in 1990 and three-time All-American), Rick Reichardt (.443 in 1964) and Frank Viola (26-2 at St. John's).
- 2019 - San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer takes a leave of absence from his duties after a video showing him physically abusing his wife Pamela in a public park a few days earlier surfaces on the web.
- 2021 - Commissioner Rob Manfred proclaims that June 2nd will now be Lou Gehrig Day, set to commemorate the life and legacy of Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig and to raise funds in the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the disease that claimed Gehrig's life.
Births[edit]
- 1846 - Lewis Meacham, umpire (d. 1878)
- 1856 - Clarence Cross, infielder (d. 1931)
- 1856 - Wheeler Wyckoff, executive (d. 1923)
- 1861 - Abe Wolstenholme, catcher (d. 1916)
- 1862 - Tom Gunning, catcher (d. 1931)
- 1863 - Bill Delaney, infielder (d. 1942)
- 1863 - Al McCauley, infielder (d. 1917)
- 1863 - Jack Wentz, infielder (d. 1907)
- 1864 - Jack Bellman, catcher (d. 1931)
- 1865 - Joseph Herr, infielder (d. 1936)
- 1870 - Bill Wittrock, pitcher (d. 1935)
- 1874 - Jim Korwan, pitcher (d. 1899)
- 1876 - Charlie Hickman, infielder (d. 1934)
- 1880 - Lefty Herring, infielder (d. 1965)
- 1883 - Chet Spencer, outfielder (d. 1938)
- 1884 - Red Murray, outfielder (d. 1958)
- 1885 - Walter Queisser, minor league pitcher (d. 1954)
- 1887 - Fred Herbert, pitcher (d. 1963)
- 1888 - Jeff Pfeffer, pitcher (d. 1972)
- 1890 - Earl Cummings, minor league pitcher (d. 1934)
- 1890 - Johnny Enzmann, pitcher (d. 1984)
- 1890 - Earl Tyree, catcher (d. 1954)
- 1891 - Jose Acosta, pitcher (d. 1977)
- 1891 - Dazzy Vance, pitcher; Hall of Famer (d. 1961)
- 1895 - Jesse Baker, infielder (d. 1976)
- 1897 - Neal Brady, pitcher (d. 1947)
- 1897 - Wayne Carr, pitcher (d. 1954)
- 1897 - Lefty O'Doul, outfielder; All-Star (d. 1969)
- 1899 - Dutch Kemner, pitcher (d. 1988)
- 1902 - Emmett McCann, infielder (d. 1937)
- 1906 - Buck Canel, announcer (d. 1980)
- 1908 - Alto Lane, pitcher (d. 1974)
- 1913 - Bill Hart, infielder (d. 1968)
- 1914 - Art Rebel, outfielder (d. 2004)
- 1916 - Popón López, Dominican national team pitcher (d. 2002)
- 1917 - Clyde McCullough, catcher; All-Star (d. 1982)
- 1918 - Mel Queen, pitcher (d. 1982)
- 1919 - Les Mueller, pitcher (d. 2012)
- 1922 - Seizo Furukawa, NPB outfielder (d. 2018)
- 1924 - Jack Brittin, pitcher (d. 1994)
- 1925 - Leo Righetti, minor league infielder (d. 1998)
- 1926 - Cass Michaels, infielder; All-Star (d. 1982)
- 1927 - George Watkins, infielder (d. 1957)
- 1933 - John Easton, pinch hitter (d. 2001)
- 1933 - Deni Pacini, scout (d. 2014)
- 1936 - Bob Johnson, infielder (d. 2019)
- 1938 - Jorge Calvo, minor league outfielder and manager (d. 2009)
- 1939 - Jim Enold, minor league pitcher (d. 2018)
- 1939 - Jack Fisher, pitcher
- 1946 - Danny Frisella, pitcher (d. 1977)
- 1947 - Bruce Miller, infielder
- 1948 - Tom Grieve, outfielder
- 1948 - Leron Lee, outfielder
- 1949 - Harry Saferight, minor league catcher
- 1950 - Rob Ruck, author
- 1951 - Sam Perlozzo, infielder, manager
- 1952 - Marty DeMerritt, coach
- 1952 - Jax Robertson, scout
- 1954 - Mark Wagner, infielder
- 1958 - Lorenzo Gray, infielder
- 1959 - Mike Brown, pitcher
- 1959 - Steve Liddle, coach
- 1960 - Jeff Dedmon, pitcher
- 1960 - Maury Ornest, minor league outfielder (d. 2018)
- 1962 - Tony Arias, scout
- 1964 - Tom Lampkin, catcher
- 1966 - Rick Falkner, minor league outfielder
- 1966 - Kevin Johnson, minor league infielder
- 1966 - Andy Mota, infielder
- 1967 - Kurt Brown, minor league catcher
- 1968 - Giovanni Carrara, pitcher
- 1968 - Brian Hunter, infielder
- 1969 - Ed Giovanola, infielder
- 1969 - Yasukatsu Shirai, NPB pitcher
- 1969 - Lee Tinsley, outfielder (d. 2023)
- 1970 - John Dettmer, pitcher
- 1970 - Dave Stevens, pitcher
- 1971 - Nerio Rodriguez, pitcher
- 1972 - Bruce Aven, outfielder
- 1972 - Mark Wegner, umpire
- 1973 - Brian Barber, pitcher
- 1973 - Rick Eckstein, coach
- 1974 - Tommy Phelps, pitcher
- 1975 - Alexander Bogatyrev, Russian national team infielder-outfielder
- 1975 - Andrei Bogatyrev, Russian national team pitcher
- 1975 - Kuei-Yu Huang, CPBL outfielder
- 1975 - Claudio Liverziani, minor league infielder
- 1976 - Hiram Bocachica, outfielder
- 1977 - Luis Landaeta, minor league outfielder
- 1978 - Patrick Beljaards, Hoofdklasse pitcher
- 1980 - Jack Hannahan, infielder
- 1980 - Matt Serafini, minor league catcher
- 1982 - Whitney Robinson-Pierce, minor league catcher
- 1982 - Seung-lak Son, KBO pitcher
- 1983 - Sandel Cuevas, Spanish Baseball League infielder
- 1983 - Sergio Romo, pitcher; All-Star
- 1983 - Feng-Hsin Wang, CPBL pitcher
- 1984 - Wilfrido Laureano, minor league pitcher
- 1984 - Leonardo Zileri, Italian Baseball League outfielder
- 1985 - Daniel Howard, minor league pitcher
- 1985 - Cory Luebke, pitcher
- 1985 - Michael McKenry, catcher
- 1986 - Jui-Mu Chen, Taiwanese national team catcher
- 1986 - Emmanuel Garcia, minor league infielder
- 1986 - Kyle Moore, minor league catcher and manager
- 1986 - Martin Schneider, Extraliga infielder-pitcher
- 1987 - Dan Cortes, pitcher
- 1988 - Jose De Paula, pitcher
- 1988 - Fabio Murakami, minor league outfielder
- 1988 - Ramón Ríos, minor league infielder
- 1988 - Ryan Strausborger, outfielder
- 1988 - Eduardo Zurbriggen, Argentinian national team outfielder
- 1989 - Rubby de la Rosa, pitcher
- 1990 - Juan Grullón, minor league pitcher
- 1990 - Richard Rodriguez, pitcher
- 1991 - Hiroya Kawamitsu, Japanese national team pitcher
- 1992 - Nick Castellanos, outfielder; All-Star
- 1993 - Jake Hager, infielder
- 1993 - Abdiel Velasquez, minor league pitcher
- 1994 - Guilherme Domingues, Brazilian national team pitcher
- 1994 - Anthony Gomez, minor league coach
- 1996 - Carlos Cordero, Honduran national team infielder
- 1997 - Luis Barrios, minor league pitcher
- 1998 - Alex Speas, pitcher
- 2004 - Pedro Quintana, signed pitcher
- 2004 - Hailong Sun, China Baseball League pitcher
Deaths[edit]
- 1886 - Tom Lee, pitcher (b. 1862)
- 1916 - Abe Wolstenholme, catcher (b. 1861)
- 1917 - Joe Dowie, outfielder (b. 1865)
- 1918 - Lon Ury, infielder (b. 1877)
- 1925 - John Ward, infielder, manager; Hall of Famer (b. 1860)
- 1927 - Horace Wilson, Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame member (b. 1843)
- 1934 - James Hassett, umpire (b. 1869)
- 1937 - Ben Tuthill, umpire (b. 1861)
- 1938 - Jack Taylor, pitcher (b. 1873)
- 1942 - Jack Hammond, infielder (b. 1891)
- 1945 - Malachi Hogan, outfielder (b. 1878)
- 1955 - Doc Reisling, pitcher (b. 1874)
- 1956 - Frank Kelliher, pinch hitter (b. 1899)
- 1962 - George Mogridge, pitcher (b. 1889)
- 1963 - Jess Cortazzo, pinch hitter (b. 1904)
- 1966 - Jack Niemes, pitcher (b. 1919)
- 1967 - Bullet Rogan, pitcher/outfielder, manager; All-Star, Hall of Fame (b. 1893)
- 1968 - Duke Reilley, outfielder (b. 1884)
- 1972 - Watty Clark, pitcher (b. 1902)
- 1974 - Les Sweetland, pitcher (b. 1901)
- 1983 - Kiddo Davis, outfielder (b. 1902)
- 1991 - Gready McKinnis, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1913)
- 1992 - Larry Rosenthal, outfielder (b. 1910)
- 1993 - Bill Antonello, outfielder (b. 1927)
- 1993 - Akira Iwamoto, NPB outfielder (b. 1921)
- 1994 - Louis Brower, infielder (b. 1900)
- 1995 - Irv Dickens, minor league infielder and manager (b. 1917)
- 2001 - Akira Owada, NPB outfielder (b. 1934)
- 2004 - Ed Preisler, college coach (b. ~1919)
- 2008 - Sixto Báez, minor league pitcher (b. 1967)
- 2008 - John Cappa, minor league outfielder (b. 1922)
- 2008 - Charles Fletcher, minor league pitcher (b. 1955)
- 2012 - Don Mincher, infielder; All-Star (b. 1938)
- 2013 - Vern Campbell, minor league outfielder and manager (b. 1927)
- 2013 - Glenn Rediger, minor league infielder (b. 1935)
- 2014 - Chuck Kress, infielder (b. 1921)
- 2014 - Brandon Young, drafted outfielder (b. 1982)
- 2015 - Steve Shea, pitcher (b. 1942)
- 2017 - Charles Balciulis, college coach (b. 1930)
- 2018 - Bruce Cranshaw, minor league outfielder (b. 1937)
- 2021 - Frank Massimo, minor league pitcher (b. 1920)
- 2022 - Terry Cooney, umpire (b. 1933)
- 2022 - Ulfrido García, minor league pitcher (b. 1994)
- 2022 - Arley Kangas, minor league player (b. 1938)
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