1990 – Astros Special Assistant Donald Davidson dies in Houston at age 64. Only four-feet-tall after contracting a childhood illness, Davidson spent 50 years in baseball, working his way up from batboy to baseball executive. Davidson came to Houston in 1976 and served a number of front-office roles. His body was donated to science.
1990 – A plan to allow starting pitchers to earn victories with only three innings pitched (because of the abbreviated spring training period) is scrapped, but teams will be allowed to open the regular season with 27-man rosters instead of the allowed maximum of 25.
1989 – American League umpire Nick Bremigan dies of a heart attack at the age of 43.
Four days shy of his 47th birthday, Phil Niekro’s 24-year Hall of Fame career comes to an end when the Yankees put him on waivers at the end of spring training. The right-handed knuckleballer, best known for his tenure with the Braves, compiled a 318-274 record along with a 3.35 ERA while hurling for four teams, that also included the Yankees, Indians, and Blue Jays.
On March 28, 1986, the Boston Red Sox acquire designated hitter Don Baylor from the New York Yankees for outfielder-designated hitter Mike Easler. Baylor will hit 31 home runs and drive in 94 runs, helping the Red Sox to the AL East title.
On March 28, 1985, Sports Illustrated releases its April 1st issue, which contains a fictitious article about a New York Mets pitcher named Sidd Finch. The George Plimpton article, which contends that Finch throws a 168-mile-per-hour fastball, fools numerous readers around the country.
Sports Illustrated’s April 1st edition tricks the nation when author George Plimpton weaves a fictitious tale of Sidd Finch, a Mets rookie phenom who throws a 168 mph fastball. Staged photographs and quotes from Mets in real life help to give the story a realistic edge.
On March 28, 1978, The Oakland A’s release veteran first baseman Dick Allen, ending his 15-year career. The Wampum, Pennsylvania native finishes his stormy relationship with major league baseball with 351 HRs, 1,192 RBIs, and a .292 batting average. The highlight of Allen’s career occurred in 1972, when he earned the MVP Award with the…
On March 28, 1977 – Texas Rangers second baseman Lenny Randle, upset at losing his second base job to Bump Wills during spring training,(Wills batted 324 with Sacramento of the Pacific Coast League last year.) physically confronts manager Frank Lucchesi, sending him to the hospital with a shattered cheekbone. Lucchesi helps precipitate the incident, which…
The Cincinnati Reds send outfielder Joel Youngblood and pitcher Pat Darcy to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for pitchers Bill Caudill and Mike Caldwell.
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