This Day In Baseball January 17

January

On January 17 on this day in baseball history, there were over 75 notable events.  There were over 59 Birthdays and 27 Deaths, all on January 17 on this Day In Baseball history.

 

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1885 – The New York Clipper reports that Paul Hines has canceled his Washington Monument ball-drop exhibition. “The experiment of trying to catch a ball thrown from the top of the Washington Monument has proved to be a failure. The ball reaches the ground with such great speed that it indents the ground almost as much as a heavy cannon ball would dropped from a proportionate height. The fact is that, independently of the difficulty of judging the ball falling from such a height, the speed is too great to allow of any one holding it when it nears the ground.”

1888 – The Kansas City Cowboys franchise is admitted to the American Association to replace the New York Metropolitans. Even though the Mets were bought out by the Brooklyn Grays, their franchise is only considered suspended until suitable playing facilities in Manhattan can be found.

Future Hall of Famer Louis Santop is born in Tyler, Texas

1915 – Chalmer Luman Harris is born in New Castle, AL. He would become the first manager of an indoor baseball team when the Colt .45s move into the Astrodome and become the Houston Astros in 1965.

Nap Lajoie

The Naps are renamed the Indians

New York Giants purchase three stars from the Federal League

New York Giants purchase three stars from the Federal League

1916 – The New York Giants purchase three stars from the defunct Federal League: pitcher Fred Anderson, outfielder Benny Kauff, and catcher Bill Rariden.

Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis

Benny Kauff’s suit for an injunction to restrain the decision to keep him out of baseball is rejected by the appellate court

allstar game 1934 Carl Hubbell

New York Giants come to contract terms with National League Most Valuable Player Carl Hubbell

Jimmie DeShong

The New York Yankees trade Jimmie DeShong and Jesse Hill to the Washington Senators for Bump Hadley and Roy Johnson.

1937 – The Cleveland Indians receive Moose Solters, Ivy Andrews and Lyn Lary from the St. Louis Browns, for Joe Vosmik, Bill Knickerbocker and Oral Hildebrand. The three departing Brownies are termed “real playboys” by manager Rogers Hornsby. Solters and Andrews were also the RBI and ERA leaders for St. Louis.

New York Yankees Elect Ed Barrow as President

New York Yankees Elect Ed Barrow as President

Walter O. Briggs, owner of the Detroit Tigers, dies of heart failure at the age of 74

Walter O. Briggs, owner of the Detroit Tigers, dies of heart failure at the age of 74

Martin Aarjan Jole, a Dutch player, gets a tryout with a Cincinnati Reds farm club, the Columbia Reds. The 22-year-old, reputed to be a power hitter, wrote to Rogers Hornsby, the new Reds manager, asking for a tryout.

The Brooklyn Dodgers send Andy Pafko to the Milwaukee Braves for Roy Hartsfield and $50,000.

The Brooklyn Dodgers send Andy Pafko to the Milwaukee Braves for Roy Hartsfield and $50,000.

1961 – The Houston Sports Association buys the minor league Houston Buffs, a team affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals for decades. The HSA runs the team for the rest of the season while building a transition to National League play the following year. 

January 17, 1962 – Warren Spahn, the highest-paid pitcher in baseball, met briefly at County Stadium with general manager John McHale before signing his 1962 contract. Terms of the contract were not released, but reportedly Spahn was in the $65,000 range.

Warren Spahn, the highest-paid pitcher in baseball, met briefly at County Stadium with general manager John McHale before signing his 1962 contract. Terms of the contract were not released, but reportedly Spahn was in the $65,000 range.

1964 – Jeff Tabaka is born in Barberton, OH. The southpaw reliever compiles a 1-2 record with one save over the 1995 and 1996 seasons as an Astro. 

In the Puerto Rican Winter League, Fred Beene of Santurce pitches a 6 – 0 no-hitter over Arecibo.

Major league teams select a record 357 players in the January phase of the annual free agent draft, Chris Chambliss, Chris Speier and Fred Lynn,

Major league teams select a record 357 players in the January phase of the annual free agent draft, Chris Chambliss, Chris Speier and Fred Lynn,

Willie Mays Sport News

The Sporting News names San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays as its “Player of the Decade” for the 1960s. Mays beats out the likes of Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente in the voting.

1973 – The Astros sign catcher Luis Pujols as a free agent. He would be a reserve for the Astros for seven seasons, hitting above .200 only twice. 

tommy-davis

KANSAS CITY ROYALS RELEASE 18-YEAR VETERAN TOMMY DAVIS, ENDING HIS CAREER

1979 – Danny O’Brien signs a contract as president and chief executive officer of the Seattle Mariners, nine days after resigning as the Rangers’ General Manager.

1983 – Bob Horner agrees to a four-year contract with the Atlanta Braves that will pay him up to $6 million, including $400,000 in bonuses if he keeps his weight below 215 pounds.

The Braves and Chief Noc-A-Homa, the team mascot who has become a huge fan favorite in Atlanta with his spirited dances when a homer is hit by the home team, agree to end their 17-year association. Levi Walker, the third person to play the role for the franchise, is reportedly dissatisfied with his pay of $60 a game, and club officials were unhappy with the Georgia native’s failure to attend seven scheduled appearances last year.

1989 – Free agent Claudell Washington leaves the Yankees to sign a three-year contract with the Angels.

2000 – Free agent catcher Dave Nilsson signs a contract to play with the Chunichi Dragons of the Central League. This will allow him to play for Australia in the upcoming 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

Avoiding arbitration, OF/1B Darin Erstad and the Anaheim Angels agree on a one-year contract worth $6.25 million. The Angels also obtain designated hitter Brad Fullmer from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for pitcher Brian Cooper.

Commissioner Bud Selig indicates that the Washington, DC area is a “prime candidate” to get a team if a franchise relocates in the near future. The nation’s capital has two lost major league teams, the original franchise shifted to Minnesota and became the Twins in 1961 and were replaced by the expansion Senators who moved to Texas a decade later, becoming the Rangers.

OF Jermaine Dye agrees to a three-year extension worth $32 million to stay with the Oakland Athletics. Oakland is counting on Dye to fill the void created by the departure of Jason Giambi to the New York Yankees.

Jermaine Dye agrees to a three-year extension worth $32 million to stay with the A’s. Oakland is counting on the injured outfielder, who shattered his left tibia fouling a ball off his leg just below the knee in Game 4 of the ALDS, to fill the void created by Jason Giambi’s departure to New York.

Despite his ban from the Hall of Fame, Pete Rose is nominated for induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Rose banged out his 4,000th career hit, a double off pitcher Jerry Koosman, as a member of the 1984 Montreal Expos squad. Rose was named by the chairman of the newly-formed Canadian Baseball League, Tony Riviera.

Despite his ban from the Hall of Fame, Pete Rose is nominated for induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Rose banged out his 4,000th career hit, a double off pitcher Jerry Koosman, as a member of the 1984 Montreal Expos squad. Rose was named by the chairman of the newly-formed Canadian Baseball League, Tony Riviera.

Gold Glove outfielder Torii Hunter, who hit .289 with 29 home runs and 94 RBI in 2002, agrees to a four-year, $32 million deal to stay with the Minnesota Twins.

denny graves

Avoiding arbitration, the Reds give Danny Graves (7-3, 3.19, 32 saves) a three-year deal

Former major leaguer Ray Cunningham celebrates his 100th birthday. The oldest living major league player, who made his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1931, played in 14 games during two seasons hitting .154 in 26 plate appearances.

Roger Clemens asks for $22 million in salary arbitration the highest amount ever.

Roger Clemens asks for $22 million in salary arbitration the highest amount ever.

After witnessing an exodus of leading players, the Florida Marlins secure the services of ace starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis on a one-year deal worth a reported $4.35 million.

Team USA unveils an All-Star line-up for the 2006 World Baseball Classic, with a roster that includes slugger Barry Bonds and pitcher Roger Clemens. The team will not win the tournament despite the high hopes.

The Cubs and Mark Prior (11-7, 3.67) come to an agreement on a one-year $3.65 million contract, making his salary $900,000 more than the right-hander would have earned under the $3.3 million contract offer he voided in November. The fireballer’s previous contract gave him the right to terminate the deal once he became eligible for salary arbitration.

2008 – Major League Baseball owners unanimously vote to extend commissioner Bud Selig’s contract through the 2012 season. The contract extension will make Selig baseball’s second-longest-serving commissioner, behind only Kenesaw Mountain Landis. The vote comes in a week when Selig has been criticized by the U.S. Congress for not cracking down hard enough on steroids.

The Blue Jays sign reliever Jon Rauch to a one-year contract. He will compete for the vacant closer job with Octavio Dotel, who was signed earlier this off-season.

The Nationals acquire P Tom Gorzelanny from the Cubs in return for three minor leaguers, OF Michael Burgess and Ps A.J. Morris and Graham Hicks.

A record is set as eligible players file for salary arbitration today. Giants P Tim Lincecum asks for a salary of $21.5 million – which is not a record – and his team offers him $17 million – which is. Roger Clemens had requested $22 million from the Astros before the 2005 season. Meanwhile, some 80 eligible players sign deals with their teams, the largest being the $15 million agreed to between the Phillies and P Cole Hamels.

Bad news for the Tigers as they learn that DH/C Victor Martinez suffered a torn ACL during off-season training and is likely lost for the season. Also on the injury front, Boston’s Carl Crawford has surgery on his left wrist and is doubtful for Opening Day.

The Brewers agree to a two-year contract with Norichika Aoki, a three-time batting champion in Japan. The Brewers had won the right to negociate with Aoki through the posting system and the contract agreement just beats a 4 p.m. deadline to reach a deal, barring which Aoki would have returned to the Yakult Swallows.

2013 – Rosters for the 2013 World Baseball Classic are officially announced. The tournament will once again be star-studded, with reigning American League MVP Miguel Cabrera playing for Venezuela, Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey pitching for Team USA, and All-Stars such as Robinson Cano, Carlos Beltran, Adrian Gonzalez and Yadier Molina all committing to their respective national teams. Among players donning less familiar uniforms will be P Bruce Chen, who will toil for China after representing his native Panama in previous editions of the tournament, and 1B Anthony Rizzo who will be suiting up for Italy.

2014 – The Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame announces three inductees for 2014: Kazuhiro Sasaki, Hideo Nomo, Koji Akiyama and Choichi Aida. Sasaki and Nomo become the first major leaguers to be inducted other than Lefty O’Doul, who was noted inducted for his playing career. Sasaki had been the Central League MVP in 1998 and had once been the Nippon Pro Baseball career save leader; he went on to win the AL Rookie of the Year and be a two-time All-Star in the US. Nomo was the Sawamura Award winner and Pacific League MVP in 1990, the 1995 NL Rookie of the Year and a 100-game winner in the US. Nomo is the youngest inductee and joins Sadaharu Oh and Victor Starfin as the only people picked on the first ballot. Akiyama was the second player in NPB history to 400 career homers/300 career steals and won the Matsutaro Shoriki Award as a player and a manager, only the second person to do so. Aida had coached Waseda University in the 1940s.

2018 – Las Tunas wins its first Cuban Serie Nacional title, defeating Villa Clara 4 games to 1 in the finals. In Game 5 today, Las Tunas wins 8-4 as Alexander Ayala goes 4 for 4 (a triple shy of the cycle) with two runs and two RBI and Jorge Jhonson has 4 RBI and 3 hits. Yadián Martínez got his second win in a row while veteran Yoalkis Cruz saved it.

Major League Baseball Birthdays on January 17

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Major League Baseball Deaths On January 17