The St. Louis Cardinals, needing help due the departures of infielder Shawon Dunston and outfielder Eric Davis, sign their first free agents of the off-season: outfielders Bobby Bonilla, Bernard Gilkey and John Mabry, and infielder Shane Andrews.
Free agent signings include outfielder Reggie Sanders by the Diamondbacks; infielder Greg Norton by the Rockies, both for one year; and pitcher Mark Guthrie by the Athletics for two years.
Yogi Berra, after receiving an apology from Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for his 1985 dismissal as the team’s manager 16 games into the season, ends his self-exile from Yankee Stadium and the organization. The Bronx Bomber legend is expected to participate in future Opening Day and Old Timers’ ceremonies.
In their first year of eligibility, George Brett, Nolan Ryan and Robin Yount are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Carlton Fisk finishes fourth in the voting, missing election by 43 votes. It is the only time since the first inductees were selected in 1939 that more than two first-timers have made it into Cooperstown in the same year.
1998 – Don Sutton gets into the Hall of Fame on his fifth try. With 324 wins, Sutton had the most victories of any eligible pitcher not in the Hall. He reached the postseason with three different clubs (the Dodgers, Brewers and Angels), and struck out 3,574 batters in 23 seasons. Sutton receives 386 votes of the record 473 ballots cast for 81.6 percent. Tony Perez falls short with 355 votes, and Ron Santo, on the ballot for the 15th and final time, gains 204 votes.
1997 – Boston Red Sox knuckleball pitcher Tim Wakefield escapes serious injury when he is hit by a car while out jogging. He is released from the hospital after being treated for bruises.
1995 – According to players’ union chief Donald Fehr, all 835 unsigned major league players are free agents since the owners unilaterally changed the uniform contract.
The Mets trade Vince Coleman to the Royals along with $500,000, a sum that will make up the difference between the two salaries, reacquiring Kevin McReynolds. New York’s co-owner Fred Wilpon had clearly indicated that Coleman would never wear his team’s uniform again due to the outfielder’s role in last season’s firecracker incident at Dodger Stadium, that was reported to injure three fans in the Chavez Ravine parking lot.
Reggie Jackson is the lone player elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America to the Hall of Fame. Jackson, whose .262 lifetime batting average is the lowest of any outfielder in the Hall, receives 93.6 percent of the vote. His 563 career home runs make him a hit with voters in his first year of eligibility.
1989 – Three weeks after signing a record four-year, $1.1 billion network television contract with CBS, Major League Baseball signs a $400 million contract with ESPN. The deal will put 175 games per year on cable television beginning in 1990.
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