1960 – The family feud continues in Chicago as a court rules in favor of Dorothy Rigney, sister of Charles Comiskey, Jr., allowing her to sell her mother’s shares of the White Sox to Bill Veeck. Comiskey had brought suit in order to gain control of the club.
On January 26, 1960, 32 year old Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Jensen announces his retirement a year after winning the MVP award, only months after enjoying one of his best seasons-28 home runs, 112 RBIs, and a .277 average. The Red Sox right fielder retired because of an intense fear of flying…
On January 21, 1960, future Hall of Famer Stan Musial makes an unusual request – asking for a pay cut. Musial tells St. Louis Cardinals management that he is overpaid and should have his salary reduced after a subpar 1959 season. The Cardinals cut his salary from $100,000 to $80,000, believing that he…
The NFL Steelers beat the Pirates, 22-20 in a benefit basketball game played at the Field House for the Children’s Hospital. The Bucs’ very competitive shortstop Dick Groat, a Duke University hoop standout, scores 14 points, but takes exception to the foul called on him by Bob Prince, the team’s broadcaster refereeing the game, that allows their football rivals to tie the score in the final few seconds of the contest and eventually win the scheduled 15-minute exhibition in overtime.
1960 – Charles Comiskey, Jr., says Bill Veeck has turned down his offer to buy the Chicago White Sox.
The Phillies send fan-favorite Richie Ashburn, the National League’s top hitter in 1958, to the Cubs in exchange for infielders Alvin Dark and Jim Woods along with right-hander John Buzhardt. ‘Whitey,’ a future Hall of Famer, will play center field and hit .291 batting leadoff for Chicago this season.
In the first episode of Home Run Derby ever aired, Mickey Mantle overcomes an 8-2 deficit to beat Giants superstar Willie Mays, 9-8, when he goes deep in the bottom of the ninth at LA’s Wrigley Field. The ‘Say Hey Kid,’ who had hit four homers before the Yankee slugger stepped up to the plate, agrees to double their $500 side bet when he is ahead by five runs in the seventh, enabling his opponent to walk away with both the winning and losing share of the contest.
Julio Solano is born in Agua Blanca, DR. The pitcher would spend his first five big league seasons with the Astros followed by two years in Seattle.
1960 – The Continental League, a proposed third major league, gets an assurance of congressional support from New York Senator Kenneth Keating.