On March 15, 1939 the New York Yankees face the Cincinnati Reds in a spring training game. These two teams will also face off in the 1939 World Series. The Yankees finished with a record of 106–45, winning their 11th pennant, finishing 17 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox, the Red Sox…
As thousands cheer on both sides of the river, 48 year-old Senator legend Walter Johnson throws a silver dollar to the far side of the Rappahannock, believed to be a 386-foot toss. The Washington, D.C. Sesquicentennial celebration, which includes commemorating the 204th anniversary of George Washington’s birth, stages the event to duplicate the alleged feat that the young Virginian accomplished when he threw a silver dollar across the Potomac River.
On October 20, 1931, future Hall of Fame outfielder Mickey Mantle is born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma. Mantle is named after another Hall of Famer-Philadelphia A’s catcher Mickey Cochrane. Mantle will make his major league debut in 1951…
National League President John Heydler’s designated hitter idea gets the backing of John McGraw, but the American League is against it.
1927 – Don Richard (Richie) Ashburn is born in Tilden, Nebraska. A five-time All-Star, Ashburn will be a solid center fielder and a solid hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies. He will hit over .300 during 9 of his 15 major league seasons, twice capturing the National League batting title and conclude his career with a .308 lifetime average. Following his playing career, he will call Phillies games for more than three decades. Ashburn will be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee in 1995.
1927 – The Giants send versatile George Kelly, along with cash, to the Reds for truculent holdout OF Edd Roush. The Giants sent Roush to the Reds in 1916.
The National League announces it will join the AL in awarding a thousand dollars to the player selected by writers as the league’s Most Valuable Player. Dazzy Vance, who posts a 28-6 record along with an ERA of 2.16 for the Dodgers, easily outpoints Rogers Hornsby to become the Senior Circuit’s first MVP.
1920 – The secret deal made on December 26th to sell Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $125,000 (twice the amount ever paid previously for a player) is announced publicly. Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee also secures a $350,000 loan from the Yankees as part of the deal.
March 17, 1918: A young Babe Ruth, still primarily a pitcher, slugs a pair of home runs during a spring training game at Whittington Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The second long ball is thought to be the first 500-plus foot blast in baseball history. The Herculean shot—hit off Brooklyn Robins hurler Norman Plitt—soared far…
On January 2, 1918, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquire outfielder Casey Stengel and infielder George Cutshaw from the Brooklyn Robins for pitcher Burleigh Grimes and Al Mamaux, and infielder Chuck Ward. Stengel will play only two seasons with the Pirates before moving on to Philadelphia, but will eventually enjoy a Hall of Fame career as a…
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