1997 – Houston wins and loses their arbitration case with Darryl Kile. The inconsistent pitcher asks for a salary $1.27 million dollars more than what the Astros offer. The club prevails but, under the instruction of new Astro manager Larry Dierker and pitching coach Vern Ruhle, Kile goes on to have an outstanding year only to shun Houston and leave as a free agent after the season.
1997 – General Mills, the makers of Wheaties breakfast cereals, unveil three new Jackie Robinson boxes to be sold in stores nationwide. Robinson will be the first athlete to be honored on all three varieties of Wheaties: Original Wheaties, Honey Frosted Wheaties, and Crispy Wheaties ‘n’ Raisins.
1997 – Astros avoid arbitration with pitcher Mike Hampton, agreeing to a $1.3 million dollar contract, halfway between what both sides wanted. Hampton responds with a 15-10 record and becomes a critical member of three division-winning Houston teams.
After stints with the Rangers and Red Sox, Jose Canseco returns to his first major league team when Boston trades the slugger to the A’s for pitcher John Wasdin and cash. The 32 year-old DH/outfielder will bat .235 and hit 23 home runs for Oakland, and Boston’s new right-hander will post a 4-6 record with a 4.40 ERA.
The Devil Rays sign Gregg Blosser, the organization’s first player with major league experience. The former Boston Red Sox outfielder, a Florida native, will never appear in a game for Tampa Bay.
1997 – All-Star first baseman Don Mattingly officially announces his retirement at a media conference in Yankee Stadium.
Former outfielder Curt Flood, who played most notably with the Cardinals, dies of throat cancer at the age of 59. The baseball pioneer, after being traded to the Phillies in 1969, refused to play for Philadelphia and challenged the owners’ reserve clause, taking the matter as far as the U.S. Supreme Court, where he lost the case but laid the groundwork which would lead to free agency in professional sports.
Ivan Rodriguez, avoiding salary arbitration, agrees to a contract worth $6.65 million to catch for the Rangers. ‘Pudge’ set the record for most doubles by a catcher with 44 last season, and the All-Star receiver also set the major league mark for at-bats by a backstop, with 639, surpassing Johnny Bench’s 621, established in 1970.
1997 – Free agent pitcher Doug Drabek is signed by the Chicago White Sox.
1997 – The San Diego Padres acquire the rights to 27-year-old Japanese hard-throwing pitcher Hideki Irabu from the Chiba Lotte Marines. Irabu says he only wants to play for the New York Yankees and will force a trade to the Bronx Bombers.
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