On March 30, 1978 — The Boston Red Sox acquire pitcher Dennis Eckersley and catcher Fred Kendall from the Cleveland Indians for pitchers Rick Wise and Mike Paxton, catcher Bo Diaz and infielder Ted Cox. Eckersley will win 20 games this year. Eckersley, will also finish 4th and 7th respectively in the Cy Young race…
1972 – Marvin Miller, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, completes his canvass of players on the strike issue. 663 vote in favor of a strike, ten vote against, and two players abstain.
On March 30, 1966 — Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale’s refusal to report to spring training ends when the hurlers agree to the Dodgers’ offer of $235,000, signing for $130,000 and $105,000, respectively. The LA starters’ joint holdout lasts for 32 days, threatening retirement in an effort to acquire pay raises. The pair had begun…
1961 – Rumors swirl that legendary manager Leo Durocher, currently a coach with the Dodgers, would be named the first manager of the new Houston franchise. Reports of phone conversations between Durocher and General Manager Gabe Paul are true but nothing materializes beyond that. Durocher would eventally lead the club in 1972 after several years as skipper of the Cubs.
1955 – The New York Yankees sell pitcher Ewell Blackwell to the Kansas City Athletics. Blackwell, who was injured in 1954, will pitch in only two games for the Athletics this season before retiring.
On March 30, 1948, Murry Dickson of the St. Louis Cardinals achieves a rarity: a spring training no-hitter. Dickson shackles the New York Yankees, becoming the first pitcher to throw a nine-inning no-hitter in spring training. Prior to Dickson, two no-hitters had taken place in the spring, but both were shared by more than one…
1944 – Branch Rickey suggests the pooling of surplus players if major league 4F players are drafted for military service. Nothing comes of the suggestion.
A frail-looking Christy Mathewson, who served as class president in 1899, is elected as Bucknell’s “B” Club first president. The beloved future Hall of Famer, who will die prematurely in 1925 from tuberculosis after being accidentally gassed in a training exercise during WWI, played on the school’s football team as a placekicker and excelled as a pitcher on the baseball team.
Enjoy our free trial and start listening to games, interviews and shows! Ruth, Mantle, Aaron, and Seaver!