Roberto Clemente

Kansas City and Pittsburgh battle through 18 innings to a scoreless tie in spring training

ByThis Day in Baseball

1957 – Called by Les Biederman of The Sporting News “one of the most unusual games in modern spring training history,” Kansas City and Pittsburgh battle through 18 innings to a scoreless tie “before probably one of the smallest crowds of the season anywhere, only 432 paid admissions.” Starting at 1:30 p.m., the game is called by mutual agreement at 5:27 because of impending darkness and high winds. Each team uses three pitchers, with the Athletics managing eleven safeties and the Bucs held to seven. Of the latter total, Roberto Clemente accumulates three, including the contest’s only extra-base hits, a leadoff double to begin the game and a one-out double in the top of the 18th. Clemente then saves the game in the bottom of the frame by gunning down Clete Boyer trying to go from first to third on Vic Power’s single with none out.

The Kansas City Athletics and Yankees trade 13 players including Clete Boyer

The Kansas City Athletics and Yankees trade 13 players including Clete Boyer

ByThis Day in Baseball

1957 – The Kansas City Athletics ship pitchers Art Ditmar, Bobby Shantz, and Jack McMahan, and infielders Clete Boyer, Curt Roberts and Wayne Belardi to the Yankees. In return they receive pitchers Mickey McDermott, Tom Morgan, Rip Coleman and Jack Urban, OF Irv Noren, plus infielders Billy Hunter and Milt Graff. Roberts will not go to New York City till May 4th, while Boyer goes a month later, conveniently just when his mandatory service time in the majors as a result of the bonus rule expires. Hunter and Urban don’t switch until April 5th. The veteran Shantz and Boyer will be valuable pick-ups for New York, with Shantz leading the American League in ERA this year, and Boyer a tough defensive 3B for eight years in pinstripes. The A’s will eventually admit that when they signed Boyer for a $40,000 bonus in 1955, it was on behalf of the Yankees, with the understanding that they’d ship him to NY as soon as he became eligible to be sent down to the minors.

lou boudreau athletics

The Kansas City Athletics hire Lou Boudreau as manager, replacing Eddie Joost, who is given his unconditional release

ByThis Day in Baseball

The Kansas City Athletics hire Lou Boudreau as manager, replacing Eddie Joost, who is given his unconditional release. During his three-year tenure in Kansas City, the future Hall of Famer will pilot the second-division club to a 151-260 record.