Happy Chandler lifts the five year ban on major league players who had jumped to the Mexican League

On June 5, 1949, Commissioner Happy Chandler lifts the five year ban on major league players who had jumped to the Mexican League. One of the main reasons was the result of the players’ plan to sue for reinstatement on the grounds of an antitrust violation, a courtroom challenge the owners do not want to defend due to the existing reserve clause.

Lou Klein, who left the first-place Cardinals two months into the 1946 season to play south of the border with Vera Cruz, will be the first exile to return to the major leagues when he singles and scores as a pinch-hitter in the Redbirds’ victory over Brooklyn at Sportsman’s Park on June 16. Only Sal Maglie will make a significant mark after the exile.
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