At spring training, 86-year-old Red Sox special instructor Johnny Pesky is injured when a foul ball breaks a bone in his left ankle as he watches a college game.
In his first appearance in a Nationals uniform, Alfonso Soriano refuses to play the outfield in an exhibition game against the Dodgers. The one-time All-Star second baseman, who was listed on Frank Robinson’s lineup to start in left field, could be placed on the disqualified list for his insubordination, preventing him from getting paid his $10 million salary and accruing service time, which is used to determine a player’s free agent status.
On March 20, 2006, Japan scores four runs in the first inning and hangs on to defeat Cuba in the championship game of the first World Baseball Classic. The tournament, featuring teams from 16 nations, draws large crowds and proves a major success for international baseball.
2006 – When the Oakland Athletics open their season at home against the New York Yankees next month, the entire upper deck will be covered by green tarpaulins, making McAfee Coliseum the midget of the major leagues in terms of seating capacity.
Washington Nationals reliever Luis Ayala, who faced only one batter in his final appearance in the WBC, will have reconstructive surgery on his right elbow and is expected to miss the entire season.
Toronto Blue Jays starter Roy Halladay signs a three-year, $40 million contract extension that will keep him with the club through the 2010 season.
Roy Halladay (12-4, 2.41) agrees to a $40 million, three-year contract extension which could keep the ‘Doc’ with the Blue Jays through the 2010 season. The 2003 American League Cy Young winner’s season was cut short after getting drilled by a line drive hit by Ranger Kevin Mench, resulting in a broken leg.
The Washington Nationals can keep their nickname. Major League Baseball settles a lawsuit with a company that says it owns the trademark rights to the name Washington Nationals. Designs for a 41,000-seat ballpark for Washington are also unveiled by District of Columbia officials, a glass-and-steel structure clad in pale stone chosen to complement the world famous skyline of the nation’s capital.
Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona agrees to a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2008 season.
Major League Baseball agrees to a five-year contract with the North American Sports Network to televise about 275 games live each season. NASN, which gained rights to the All-Star Game, the playoffs and the World Series, is televising the World Baseball Classic. The subscription network, based in Dublin, Ireland, broadcasts in Britain, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Iceland and the Netherlands. The deal is valued at $18 to $20 million, according to Sports Business Journal.
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