On April 17, 1956, three future Hall of Famers make their major league debuts. Luis Aparicio of the Chicago White Sox, Don Drysdale of the Brooklyn Dodgers and Frank Robinson of the Cincinnati Reds play the first games of their brilliant careers. The 19 year old Drysdale pitches 1 inning of scoreless relief vs Philadelphia….
Brooklyn Dodgers at spring training. Vero Beach, Florida – 1956.
On March 14, 1956, 50-year-old pitching star Satchel Paige signs a contract to play for the Birmingham Barons of the Negro National League. Paige also agrees to manage the team in 1956.
Dale Murphy Positions: Outfielder, First Baseman and Catcher Bats: Right • Throws: Right 6-4, 210lb (193cm, 95kg) Born: March 12, 1956 in Portland, OR Draft: Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 1st round (5th) of the 1974 MLB June Amateur Draft from Woodrow Wilson HS (Portland, OR). High School: Woodrow Wilson HS (Portland, OR) School: Brigham Young University (Provo, UT) Debut: September 13, 1976 (13,827th in major league history) vs. LAD 4 AB,…
1956 – Pirates second-year man Roberto Clemente hits Pittsburgh’s inaugural dinger of spring training in an in-house affair, coached by two key figures in Clemente’s career: “Roberto Clemente slammed three hits today,” reports the Associated Press, “including the first homer by a Pittsburgh Pirate, as the ‘Sukeforths’ defeated the ‘Murtaughs’ 9 – 3 in an intra-squad game.”
In an effort to keep the Giants in New York, Manhattan Borough President Hulan Jack makes plans for a new 110,000-seat stadium over the New York Central railroad tracks, on a 470,000-foot site stretching from 60th to 72nd streets on Manhattan’s West Side. The estimated cost of $75 million for the stadium eventually dooms the project and will be a major factor in Horace Stoneham’s decision to move to San Francisco.
Kansas City A’s and Pittsburgh Pirates cancel an exhibition game
On February 8, 1956, one of baseball’s most prominent figures, Connie Mack, dies at the age of 93 from old age and hip surgery. He was known as “The Tall Tactician” and was baseball’s grand old gentleman for more than a generation. Statuesque, stately, and slim, he clutched a rolled-up scorecard as he sat or…
On January 31, 1956, former major leaguer Buck Weaver dies at the age of 65. One of the eight members of the Black Sox to be banned for life, Weaver batted .324 in the 1919 World Series. Although Weaver maintained that he did not participate in the fix, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banished him for…
On January 23, 1956, Hall of Fame umpire Billy Evans dies in Miami, Florida. Evans began his major league umpiring career in 1906, when he was only 22 years old. @ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiTGVhcm4gTW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgdGVhbXMsIHBsYXllcnMsIGJhbGwgcGFya3MgYW5kIGV2ZW50cyB0aGF0IGhhcHBlbmVkIG9uIHRoaXMgZGF0ZSBpbiBoaXN0b3J5IC0gLSAtIC0gLSAtIC0gIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6InBvc3RfdGFnIn19@ Other Resources & Links [et_pb_signup provider=”getresponse” getresponse_list=”Thomas Hannon|zs45L” success_action=”redirect” success_redirect_url=”https://thisdayinbaseball.com/join-the-community/” success_redirect_query=”on|off|off|off|off” title=”Baseball history from Doubleday to Present Day” button_text=”Join us!” description=”…
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