1970 – Pitcher Miguel Fuentes, at age 20, is shot and killed during a bar fight in Loiza Aldea, Puerto Rico. On October 2, 1969, against the Oakland Athletics, Fuentes pitched what will turn out to be the last inning in the history of the Seattle Pilots.
On January 25, 1970, future Hall of Famer Phil Niekro is taken to a hospital to undergo an emergency appendectomy. In 1969, Niekro won 23 games for the Atlanta Braves and finished second in the National League’s Cy Young voting. Perhaps as a result of the surgery, Niekro will fall off to 12-18 in 1970.
1970 – Shortstop Lou Boudreau achieves election to the Hall of Fame, receiving 232 of a possible 300 votes from the BBWAA. Boudreau led the American League eight times in fielding percentage, won a batting title, and was named AL Most Valuable Player as player-manager of the 1948 World Champion Cleveland Indians.
January 17, 1970: The Washington Senators select Bill Madlock in the 5th round of the 1970 amateur draft. As a September call-up in 1973, he bats .351 in 21 games for the Texas Rangers. In the offseason he is dealt to Chicago Cubs for legendary pitcher Ferguson Jenkins. He wins batting titles for the…
The Sporting News names San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays as its “Player of the Decade” for the 1960s. Mays beats out the likes of Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente in the voting.
Major league teams select a record 357 players in the January phase of the annual free agent draft, including top pick Chris Chambliss, by Cleveland, and Chris Speier. Fred Lynn, drafted by the Yankees in the first round, will not sign.
On January 16 1970 — Gold Glove outfielder Curt Flood files a lawsuit challenging the reserve clause, which binds major league players to teams perpetually. Flood had been traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies on October 7, 1969, but has refused to report to the Phillies. Flood contends that the…
1970 – The Oakland Athletics trade catcher Phil Roof, outfielder Mike Hershberger and pitchers Lew Krausse and Ken Sanders to the Seattle Pilots for first baseman Don Mincher and infielder Ron Clark.
On January 14, 1970, New York Mets general manager, Johnny Murphy, age 61 dies of a heart attack 3 months after seeing the Miracle Mets rise from the National League cellar to win the 1969 World Series Championship. Murphy starred as a relief pitcher for the New York Yankees in the 1930s and early ’40s,…
On January 1, 1970, Charles “Chub” Feeney assumes command of the National League. Feeney succeeds Hall of Famer Warren Giles, who had served as National League President since 1951.
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