On January 10, 1938 — Future Hall of Fame first baseman Willie McCovey is born in Mobile, Alabama. McCovey will hit 521 home runs during a career that includes tenures with the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, and Oakland Athletics.
Before a gathering of writers, players and executives in Baltimore, Jimmie Foxx, Chuck Klein and Charlie Keller, representing the American League, National League and International League respectively, try out the balls to be used in the new season. The Sporting News reports that “… regarding the dead ball, as adopted by the National League, and the lively ball, as retained by the American and International Leagues… the NL ball has a distinctly ‘dead’ sound coming off the bat, compared to the livelier AL ball.”
Enjoy our free trial and start listening to games, interviews and shows! Ruth, Mantle, Aaron, and Seaver!