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This Day in Baseball History
November 2nd

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18 Fact(s) Found
1938 Receiving 19 of 22 first-place votes, Red Sox first baseman Jimmie Foxx (.349, 50, 175) becomes the first player to win the Most Valuable Player award three times. The 31-year old slugger was also the recipient of the honor in 1932 and '33 playing for the Philadelphia A's.
1944 Japan, where baseball has been banned as an undesirable enemy influence, mourns the death of Eiji Sawamura. The Japanese pitcher, who is killed in action in the Pacific, became a national hero by striking out Babe Ruth in an exhibition game.
1950 Jim Konstanty (16-7, 2.66, 22 saves) is selected as the National League's Most Valuable Player by the BBWAA. The 33-year old Philadelphia reliever joins Chuck Klein as the only Phillies to have won the MVP award.
1964 The Columbia Broadcasting System becomes the first corporate owner of a major league team by buying eighty percent of the Yankees from Dan Topping and Del Webb for $11.2 million. During the first year under CBS, the Bronx Bombers will come in sixth place with a 77-85 record, finishing in the second division for the first time in 40 years.
1972 Leading the league in victories (27), ERA (1.97), starts (41), complete games (30), and strike outs (310), Steve Carlton wins the NL's Cy Young Award. 'Lefty's' 27 victories accounts for nearly half (45.8%) of the last-place Phillies wins.
1972 Freddy Parent, who hit the first grand slam in Red Sox history, dies at the age of 96. The former shortstop had been the last surviving participant from the first-ever World Series played in 1903 between Boston and Pittsburgh.
1974 The Braves trade Hank Aaron to the Brewers for Dave May and Roger Alexander. The move allows the all-time career home run champ to finish his career in Milwaukee, the city in which he started in the majors.
1976 After winning 22 games, Randy Jones captures the National League's Cy Young Award. Two years ago the Padre hurler had lost 22 games.
1983 John Denny wins the National League's Cy Young Award. The Prescott, Arizona native posted a 19-6 record with a 2.37 ERA for the National League Champion Phillies.
1995 The expansion Devil Rays unveil their official game uniforms during a special fashion show staged at the Florida Aquarium. The black, green and blue jersey, which the team will start wearing in 1998, features a manta ray as its logo.
1999 Ken Griffey Jr. asks the Seattle Mariners to trade him. The superstar outfielder wants be closer to Orlando, Florida, where his family resides.

2000 After a 15-year big league career, first baseman Will Clark announces his retirement. 'The Thrill' ends his playing days with the McGwire-less Cardinals supplying the Redbirds with much needed offense (.345, 12 HRs and 42 RBIs) in a two-month span after being traded from Baltimore.
2000 Former Blue Jay catcher (1981-86) and the team's present TV color analyst, Buck Martinez, is hired as the Toronto manager. Replacing Jim Fregosi, the 51-year old ESPN commentator joins Astros' Larry Dierker and Diamondbacks' Bob Brenly as first-time major league skippers hired from the broadcast booth.
2000 Wrigley Field is granted preliminary landmark status by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. Any plans to refurbish or tear down Cubs' home since 1916 will have to be reviewed by this panel.
2004 After a groundskeeper finds a grenade in the Wrigley Field turf, police bomb and arson investigators are called to evaluate the right field discovery. The rusty, hollowed-out shell turns out to be harmless and its origins remain a mystery.
2005 Pat Gillick signs a three-year deal becoming the Phillies' general manager. The 68-year old, who has held the same position with the Orioles, Blue Jays and Mariners, has led his teams to two World Series titles and nine playoff appearances.
2011 Matt Wieters becomes the first Baltimore backstop to win the Rawlings Gold Glove Award. The 25 year-old all-star catcher, who appeared in 132 games behind the plate last season for the Orioles, was voted by the American League managers and coaches as the best defensive player in his position.
2012 The Astros reveal a new look to coincide with the franchise's shift to the American League next season having their brick red jerseys replaced by orange and navy blue, the color scheme used by the club from 1962-93. A redesigned Orbit, the green space creature that was Houston's mascot from 1990-99, is also coming out of retirement to replace a rabbit character named Junction Jack, the team's current good luck charm.
18 Fact(s) Found