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12 Fact(s) Found
1931 |
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1939 |
![]() Beginning of the Baseball Hall of Fame
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1955 | Cubs business manager Jim Gallagher, chairman of the nine-man rules committee, announces the two leagues will implement an existing rule during spring training that requires a hurler to throw the ball when the bases are empty within 20 seconds after taking a pitching position. The mandate, which results in the umpire calling a ball when the tosses are tardy, will not be in effect during the season. |
1961 | The A's trade Whitey Herzog and Russ Snyder to the Orioles for Wayne Causey, Jim Archer, Bob Boyd, and Al Pilarcik. The deal will not improve either club when both teams finish in the second division next season. |
1962 |
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1973 |
Warren Spahn becomes only the sixth player elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, receiving 316 of the 380 (83.2%) votes cast by the BBWAA scribes. The Buffalo (NY) native, who recorded thirteen 20-win seasons with the Braves, retired as the winningest left-handed pitcher in big-league history with 363 victories, a remarkable feat given he recorded his first victory at the age of 26.
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1980 | The Payson family sells the controlling interest of the Mets to book publisher Doubleday and Company, with Fred Wilpon of Sterling Equities and a group from City Investing becoming minority owners. The estimated $21.1 million price tag, twice as much as the sale of the Yankees to George Steinbrenner seven years ago, is the highest amount ever paid for a baseball franchise, far surpassing the $12 million needed to purchase the Orioles and Astros last season. |
2001 | Sixty-eight major league umpires participate in a preseason session, believed to be a historical first, to practice calling strikes as defined by the rule book. With the help of minor leaguers wearing tapes nine inches above their belts, the men in blue get a good look at pitches, commonly called balls, but are strikes when the proper enforcement of the zone is put into place this upcoming season. |
2006 | Jay Gibbons (.277, 26, 79) and the Orioles agree to a $21.1 million, four-year deal. The 28-year-old outfielder, who is getting married this weekend, could have taken his chances on the free-agent market next season. |
2007 | Cliff Floyd, coming off an injured Achilles tendon, signs a very flexible deal with the Cubs, beginning with a one-year guaranteed contract for $3 million to one, which could be worth as much as $17.5 million over two years. The Chicago native will platoon with Matt Murton, giving the Northsiders left-handed power off the bench. |
2008 | The Braves, avoiding arbitration, sign Rafael Soriano (3-3, 3.00) to a two-year deal worth $9 million. Atlanta plans to use the 29-year-old right-handed reliever, who recorded nine saves last year, as the team's closer this season. |
2023 | Receiving votes on 297 of 389 ballots (76.3%), the BBWAA narrowly elects Scott Rolen to the Hall of Fame in his sixth year of eligibility. The 17-year veteran, only the 18th third baseman to become a Hall of Famer, never appeared as a designated hitter, playing for the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays, and the Reds. |
12 Fact(s) Found