The history of sports is both vast and rich, thanks to the existence of so many different events and the longevity associated with them. With so much history to cull through, We offer the opportunity to look back and see what memorable things happened or milestones were reached on his Day In Baseball February 19.
his Day In Baseball February 19 highlights
- On February 19 1942 — Hal Trosky, whose season ended last August when he injured his finger and suffering from migraine headaches that cannot be treated, retires as first baseman of the Indians. Trosky, who batted .294 for Cleveland in 1941, retires from the game with 228 career home runs and a lifetime batting mark of .302. Trosky will come back to play for the Chicago White Sox in 1944 and 1946, but the Hall of Fame-type brilliance he showed in the 1930s is gone.
- On February 19 1954 — 19-year-old Roberto Clemente signs with the Brooklyn Dodgers for one year at $5,000 with a $10,000 signing bonus. The Dodgers thus beat out a number of other clubs in the Clemente sweepstakes. They’ve outspent the prior two entrants, their cross-river rivals in Manhattan and the Bronx, and simply beaten the Milwaukee Braves to the punch. By far the biggest spenders of the bunch (by all accounts exceeding Brooklyn’s offer by at least 150%), the Braves were just a tad tardy, Clemente having already accepted the Dodgers’ terms. The Dodgers may have won the first battle, but they will lose Clemente’s services in one year when they fail to protect him in the 1954 Rule V Draft.
- On February 19, 1970, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces the suspension of Detroit Tigers ace Denny McLain, effective April 1st, for McLain’s alleged involvement in a bookmaking operation. The suspension will last three months, setting off what will basically be a lost season for the two-time Cy Young Award winner.
- On February 19, 1983, Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers becomes the first player to earn a $1 million salary through arbitration. Valenzuela’s victory makes him the third highest-paid player in the game. The Dodgers had offered Valenzuela $750,000 for this season.
- Born: February 19, 1912 in Fall River, MA A flashy fielder, Dick Siebert led the AL in assists in 1945. He later became baseball coach at the University of Minnesota for 31 years, and won the College World Series in 1956 and 1960-64. He was named Coach of the Year twice, and in 1978 he won the Lefty Gomez award for his contribution to college baseball. His son, Paul, pitched in the 1970s
- Born: Tuesday, February 19, 1957 in Oakland, CA . . . Dave Stewart’s big-league career lasted 15 seasons, but he is best known for a four-year stretch with the Oakland Athletics from 1987 to 1990 in which he notched 84 wins – all 20-victory seasons – and led the Athletics to three consecutive World Series appearances. In 1989, “Smoke” won 21 games, two more in the American League Championship Series and two more in the World Series, winning the Series MVP award as the A’s captured their fourth Series championship in Oakland. Stewart left the A’s after the 1992 season for the Toronto Blue Jays. At age 36, Stewart was no longer a dominant pitcher, but still won a dozen games for the Jays in 1993 as they went on to win the 1993 Fall Classic.
- Passed away, Died: February 19, 2019 in Sherman Oaks, CA . . . A three-time 20-game winner, big Don Newcombe was unable to sustain his success, winning 149 games in a career interrupted by military service and injury. One of the best athletes to take the mound, Newcombe hit seven homers in 117 at-bats for the Dodgers in 1955, and batted .271 for his career. In 1956 he won 27 games on his way to the National League Cy Young and Most Valuable Player Awards. He was the first african-american pitcher to win 20 games in the major leagues.
