1958 – Commissioner Ford Frick announces that players and coaches, rather than the fans, will vote on selections for the All-Star Game. The vote will not return to the fans until 1970, when Commissioner Bowie Kuhn reverses Frick’s action. The decision is a reaction to alleged ballot box stuffing by Cincinnati fans before last year’s All-Star Game.
The Cleveland Indians buy first baseman Mickey Vernon from the Boston Red Sox for the waiver price.
Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals signs a one-year contract worth $100,000. The deal makes Musial the highest-paid player in the National League. In 1957, Musial paced the NL with a .351 batting mark, while also hitting 29 home runs and driving in 102 runs.
Detroit trades infielder Jim Finigan and $25,000 to the Giants for first baseman Gail Harris and utility man Ozzie Virgil, who will become first non-white to play for the Tigers. The 26 year-old Dominican will make his debut at third base for the Motor City team at Griffith Stadium on June 6, doubling in the top of the eighth in the team’s 11-2 victory over Washington.
The San Francisco Giants trade infielders Gail Harris and Ozzie Virgil to the Detroit Tigers for outfielder Jim Finigan and $25,000. Virgil becomes the first black player in a Tigers uniform.
The Kansas City Athletics sign pitcher Murry Dickson as a free agent.
On January 28, 1958, Brooklyn Dodgers star Roy Campanella is paralyzed after suffering a broken neck and a damaged spinal cord when his rented 1957 Chevrolet sedan hit a telephone pole in an early morning auto accident on Long Island. Campanella suffers permanent paralysis of his legs, ending his career. In 10 seasons with the…
1958 – The Washington Senators trade shortstop Pete Runnels to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for first baseman Norm Zauchin and outfielder Albie Pearson. Runnels will win two batting titles, in 1960 and 1962, and just miss a third by six points this season.
In an effort to fill the void of National League baseball in New York City, the Phillies agree to televise 78 games in the metropolitan area, which is without a Senior Circuit team for the first time since the league’s inception in 1876. The Pirates and Cardinals will also beam games into the Big Apple, but their contests will only feature the departed Dodgers and Giants as opponents.
January 19, 1958- In a Milwaukee Sentinel article, Fred Haney said the Braves would be even stronger in 1958. “I sure think we’ll win the pennant, if we can get by without injuries. I think we’ve got a better ball club this season. We’ve got some young fellows and a year more experience. Our pitching…
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