<< Yesterday

This Day in Baseball History
January 6th

Tomorrow>>
22 Fact(s) Found
1914 To help the players pick up the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand, baseball owners decree all big-league parks must have a center-field wall that is green and blank. The safety measure that will evolve into various colors, including blue, black, and red, will become known as the batter's eye.

1937 The Giants purchase the services of Tommy Thevenow from the Reds. The shortstop will never see action for New York when the team trades the 33-year-old to the Bees (Braves) for infielder Billy Urbanski, who will also never play a game for the club.
1942 Indians right-hander Bob Feller, who will serve for 44 months and compile eight battle stars, reports to Norfolk to begin his World War II enlistment in the Navy. The 23-year-old Rapid Robert, a 20-game winner for the Tribe for the last three seasons, enlisted in the United States Navy two days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Bob Feller arrives at Norfolk.

Bob Feller arrives at Norfolk
1950 Uncomfortable with front office duties, Charlie Grimm leaves the Cubs as a vice president to manage the Dallas Eagles. 'Jolly Cholly,' who led the team to National League pennants in 1932, 1935, and 1945, signs for a record salary of $90,000 to be the skipper of the Texas League team.
1964 Charlie Finley stuns Kansas City when he announces signing a two-year deal to move the team to Louisville to play at the city's Fairgrounds Stadium, having the state of Kentucky's promise to spend a half-a-million dollars on enlarging the 20,628-seat facility by another 10,000 seats. The American League will veto the A's owner's attempt to shift the franchise, planned for this upcoming season, and the team stays put in the City of Fountains until after the 1967 campaign when permitted to move to Oakland.
1976 WTCG-TV owner Ted Turner purchases 100% of the Atlanta Braves at the bargain price of $12 million to provide sports programming for his local channel 17. In December, when the FCC grants a permit to the station, later rechristened WTBS, to use a satellite to broadcast shows on cable networks, the franchise becomes available to millions of subscribers nationwide, making Atlanta known as America's Team.
1981 By a vote of 6-2, the city council approves changing the name of San Diego Stadium to San Diego - Jack Murphy Stadium. The Padres ballpark's new moniker is in honor of the late sports editor of the San Diego Union, who was instrumental in building the facility in the late 1960s and bringing major league baseball and football to the Southern California city.
1984 The Padres, outbidding a dozen teams, come to terms with Yankee free-agent Goose Gossage, agreeing to a five-year deal with the right-handed reliever reportedly worth more than $5.5 million. During his four seasons in San Diego as the team's closer, the 32-year-old will average close to 21 saves per season while winning 25 games, helping the Friars reach their first-ever World Series this year.
1997 Knuckleballer Phil Niekro, who compiled a 318-274 record during his 24 major league career, becomes the 227th player elected to the Hall of Fame. 'Knucksie,' who spent two-plus decades with the Braves, also had short stints with the Indians, Yankees, and Blue Jays.
1997 The Dodgers are for sale, according to Peter O'Malley, who owns virtually 100 percent of the club with his sister, Terry Seidler. The Fox Entertainment Group will purchase the franchise, giving media mogul Rupert Murdoch control of the last family-owned major league team.
2006 With the largest signing bonus in a minor-league contract for a drafted player who is not a free agent, the Diamondbacks came to terms with Justin Upton, the number one pick in the 2005 Major League amateur draft. The 18-year-old Great Bridge HS (Chesapeake, VA) shortstop, selected as the best five-tool player in the nation by Baseball America, will get $6.1 million over the next five years just for agreeing to play with Arizona.
2006 According to final figures released by the commissioner's office, the Yankees finished the year with a record payroll of $207.2 million, $90 million more than the Red Sox, who spent the second-largest amount on playing personnel. By comparison, the World Champion White Sox spent only $73.2 million, with the lowly Devil Rays writing checks for a mere $26.6 million, not much more than Alex Rodriguez makes as an individual playing third base for the Bronx Bombers.
2006 Corey Koskie, who became expendable when the Blue Jays acquired Troy Glaus from the Diamondbacks, is traded to the Brewers for minor league pitching prospect Brian Wolfe. The 32-year-old third baseman brings experience to a young Milwaukee infield, which includes first baseman Prince Fielder (21), second baseman Rickie Weeks (23), and shortstop J.J. Hardy (23).
2006 The commissioner's office informs the press of a fax from the International Baseball Federation informing Major League Baseball of their intent to withdraw the World Baseball Classic's sanction unless Cuba participates in the tournament. In mid-December, the Treasury Department denied the necessary license for Castro's countrymen to compete on American soil due to U.S. law, which restricts the financial gain of the communist nation in the United States.
2009 The Cubs acquire right-handed reliever Luis Vizcaino from the Rockies for starting pitcher Jason Marquis and cash. The deal frees up $9 million from Chicago's payroll in 2009 and gives the club more financial flexibility to sign free-agent outfielder Milton Bradley.
2009 The Indians sign the injury-plagued right-hander Carl Pavano to a one-year, $1.5 million deal. The 32-year-old free agent from Southington (CT) made only 26 starts, posting a 9-8 record over three seasons for the Yankees after signing a four-year contract in 2005 worth nearly $40 million.
2010 In his ninth year on the BBWAA's ballot, Andre Dawson is the only player to receive 75% or more of the writers' votes (77.9) necessary for election to the Hall of Fame. The former National League Rookie of the Year (1977 - Montreal) and MVP (1987 - Chicago), an outfielder for the Expos, Cubs, Red Sox, and the Marlins, is one of three players, along with Willie Mays and Barry Bonds, to exceed 400 homers and 300 stolen bases during his 21-year major league career.
2015 Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Craig Biggio, and John Smoltz are elected into the Hall of Fame, marking the first time since 1955 that the selection of four players has occurred in the same year. Martinez (91.1%) and Johnson (97.3%) received the mandatory seventy-five percent of the writers' votes to qualify for induction in their first year on the ballot.
2016 Alex Gordon agrees to a $72 million four-year deal to continue patrolling the outfield for the World Champion Royals. The contract is the richest in franchise history, surpassing the five-year, $55 million similar pacts signed by Gil Meche and Mike Sweeney.
2016 In his fourth year of eligibility, the BBWAA elects Mike Piazza into the Hall of Fame, with his name appearing on 83% of the writers' ballots. Many consider the 12-time All-Star, best known for his time with the Dodgers and Mets, one of the most accomplished offensive catchers in the game's history, but unfounded rumors of the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs derailed his early Hall of Fame candidacy.
2016 In his first year of eligibility, the Baseball Writers' Association of America name Ken Griffey, Jr. on 437 of 440 (99.32 percent) of their Hall of Fame ballots, surpassing the Hall of Fame record of 98.84 percent, set by Tom Seaver in 1992. Junior, a 13-time All-Star and the 1997 AL MVP Award recipient finished his 22 years in the major leagues with 630 home runs and a .284 batting average, playing mostly for the Mariners and Reds.
2018 Trenton Thunder GM/COO Jeff Hurley announces team bat dog Derby, twenty days shy of his tenth birthday, has died after losing a battle with cancer. In addition to retrieving bats, the fan-favorite brought water to umpires on the hot days and made regular Meet & Greet appearances with the patrons at Arm & Hammer Park and various school and community events during the year.
22 Fact(s) Found