The Pittsburgh Pirates retire Roberto Clemente’s uniform number 21 in a moving pre-game ceremony before 51,695 fans at Three Rivers Stadium. The 38-year-old Clemente died in a plane crash the previous New Year’s Eve. The Pirates then beat St. Louis‚ 7 – 5‚ with a 9th-inning rally.
Richard Nixon becomes the first president to throw the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day in a contest held outside of Washington, D.C. The Commander in Chief does the honors before Nolan Ryan and the Angels beat the Royals at Anaheim Stadium, 3-2.
At the Oakland Coliseum, Tony Oliva becomes the first designated hitter ever to homer. The Twins DH’s first inning two-run round-tripper off future Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter helps to defeat the A’s, 8-3.
On March 29, 1973, The “Alert Orange Baseball” is used for the first time in major league history. The unique baseball, an invention of Oakland Athletics owner Charlie Finley, is used in an exhibition game between Oakland and the Cleveland Indians. The A’s lost 11-5 exhibition game. After Cleveland outfielder George Hendrick, who hit three…
On March 27, 1973, veteran pitcher Jim Perry of the Minnesota Twins becomes the first player to approve of being traded under the new “ten and five” rule. The Twins send Perry to the Detroit Tigers for pitcher Dan Fife and cash. Perry, a 24-game winner in 1970, will win 14 games for the Tigers…
The Atlanta Braves release former 30-game winner Denny McLain, ending his career at the age of 28. In 1972, the Braves had acquired McLain from the Oakland Athletics in a straight-up swap for first baseman Orlando Cepeda. McLain won the American League Cy Young Award in 1968 and 1969.
On March 26, 1973, George Sisler dies in Richmond Heights, Missouri, at the age of 80. Sisler batted .340 with 2,812 hits over a 15-year major league career. In 1920, he set a major league record by collecting 257 hits, which will last into the next century. Sisler gained election to the Hall of Fame in 1939. @ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiTGVhcm4gTW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgdGVhbXMsIHBsYXllcnMsIGJhbGwgcGFya3MgYW5kIGV2ZW50cyB0aGF0IGhhcHBlbmVkIG9uIHRoaXMgZGF0ZSBpbiBoaXN0b3J5IGp1c3QgY2xpY2sgdGhlIHRhZ3MhICAiLCJhZnRlciI6IiIsImxpbmtfdG9fdGVybV9wYWdlIjoib24iLCJzZXBhcmF0b3IiOiIgfCAiLCJjYXRlZ29yeV90eXBlIjoicG9zdF90YWcifX0=@
On March 24, 1973, the Cleveland Indians trade former All-Star catcher Ray Fosse to the Oakland A’s for outfielder George Hendrick and catcher Dave Duncan. Fosse was once considered an untouchable before a serious injury suffered during a 1970 All-Star Game collision with Pete Rose.
In an exhibition game played in Puerto Rico, Willie Mays substitutes for New York Mets manager Yogi Berra and leads his team to a 8 – 3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Roberto Clemente becomes the first Hispanic American to gain election to the Hall of Fame. The Baseball Writers Association of America announces the results of a special ballot, with Clemente receiving 393 of 424 votes. Clemente died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve. In light of his tragic death, the Hall’s Board of Directors waived the five-year waiting period that is normally required before a player is eligible for election. A twelve-time All-Star, Clemente batted .317 and won a dozen Gold Gloves over an 18-year career, and batted .362 in World Series play. Named National League MVP in 1966, he was voted the outstanding player in the 1971 World Series, when the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the heavily-favored Baltimore Orioles in seven games.
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