February 28
From BR Bullpen
| Stats of players who were born this day | |
| Stats of players who died on this day | |
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| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on February 28.
[edit] Events
- 1900 - John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson sign contracts with the Baltimore Orioles of the National League. When the long-rumored move by Baltimore to disband occurs, the two players are assigned to the Brooklyn Superbas, but they will refuse and sit out the first third of the season instead. Finally, McGraw and Robinson are sold to the St. Louis Cardinals.
- 1903 - A syndicate headed by Pittsburgh Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss and James Potter buys the Philadelphia Phillies from John Rogers and A. J. Reach for $170,000. It will be another seven years before ownership interest in more than one team is prohibited.
- 1926:
- Arriving for spring training, a chastened John McGraw announces that he is through with the real estate business. McGraw's involvement with Pennant Park last year cost him more than $100,000.
- At Crescent City, Florida, a train carrying several Cleveland Indians players derails. No players are injured and pitcher George Uhle sleeps through the incident.
- 1929 - The Chicago White Sox send veteran outfielder Bibb Falk to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for catcher Chick Autry. Falk will hit over .300 in each of his three years with Cleveland.
- 1931 - Ban Johnson dies in St. Louis, Missouri, at age 57. Johnson had served as the founder and first president of the American League from 1901 to 1927. He a dynamic and dictatorial leader until subdued by the advent of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who took office as the first Baseball commissioner in January 1921. Johnson will gain election to the Hall of Fame in 1937.
- 1941 - The Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants open the spring training schedule with a 4 - 3 Brooklyn victory in Havana, Cuba. Pitcher Paul Dean takes the loss.
- 1946 - Alex Carrasquel, Chicago White Sox pitcher, signs a three-year contract with the Mexican League - the first shot in the event that will dominate baseball even more than the return of World War II veterans.
- 1955 - The National League fines the Milwaukee Braves $500 for opening their spring training camp before the official March 1st date.
- 1959 - Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees ends his holdout after one day. Mantle agrees to a salary of $72,000 and a bonus of $2,000. He had been asking the Yankees for $85,000 after batting .304 with 42 home runs and 97 RBI in 1958.
- 1985 - Pitcher Rick Reuschel signs as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates and spends the first two months in the minors. After being called up in May, Reuschel wins 14 games for Pittsburgh and gains the Comeback Player of the Year Award.
- 1986 - In major league baseball's sternest disciplinary move since the 1919 Black Sox were banished for life, Commissioner Peter Ueberroth gives seven players who were admitted drug users a choice of a year's suspension without pay or heavy fines and career-long drug testing, along with 100 hours of drug-related community service. Joaquin Andújar, Dale Berra, Enos Cabell, Keith Hernandez, Jeffrey Leonard, Dave Parker, and Lonnie Smith will be fined 10 percent of their annual salaries to drug abuse programs. The commissioner also doles out lesser penalties to 14 other players for their use of drugs.
- 1989 - The Veterans Committee elects Red Schoendienst and Al Barlick to the Hall of Fame. Schoendienst served as a second baseman and manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Barlick was a major league umpire for over 29 seasons.
- 1999 - Diamondbacks minor league pitcher Kenny Robinson is killed in a car crash. Teammate John Rosengren is arrested and charged with second - degree murder in the alcohol - related accident. Robinson have pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals from 1995 through 1997.
- 2000 - American League umpire John Hirschbeck is elected as the first president of the World Umpires Association.
- 2002 - Major league baseball announces it has rehired five umpires: Gary Darling, Bill Hohn, Larry Poncino, Larry Vanover and Joe West, who had resigned during the 1999 season. Four other umpires, Drew Coble, Greg Kosc, Terry Tata, and Frank Pulli, are allowed to retire.
[edit] Births
- 1867 - Jack Easton, pitcher (d. 1903)
- 1867 - Joe Yingling, pitcher (d. 1903)
- 1872 - Gene McAuliffe, catcher (d. 1953)
- 1875 - George Gillpatrick, pitcher (d. 1941)
- 1879 - Frank Martin, infielder (d. 1924)
- 1881 - Moose McCormick, outfielder (d. 1962)
- 1881 - Terry Turner, infielder (d. 1960)
- 1885 - J. Vincent Jamison, Jr., minor league executive (d. 1954)
- 1885 - Tom Walsh, catcher (d. 1963)
- 1886 - Al Humphrey, outfielder (d. 1961)
- 1887 - Joe Fautsch, pinch hitter (d. 1971)
- 1893 - Sam Mayer, outfielder (d. 1962)
- 1896 - Homer Ezzell, infielder (d. 1976)
- 1897 - Jud Wilson, Negro League infielder; Hall of Fame (d. 1963)
- 1898 - Jake Miller, pitcher (d. 1975)
- 1899 - Lil Stoner, pitcher (d. 1966)
- 1900 - Doc Wood, infielder (d. 1974)
- 1906 - Al Baker, pitcher (d. 1982)
- 1907 - Pete Daglia, pitcher (d. 1952)
- 1909 - Lefty Bertrand, pitcher (d. 2002)
- 1909 - Whitey Hilcher, pitcher (d. 1962)
- 1912 - Marc Filley, pitcher (d. 1995)
- 1916 - Howie Krist, pitcher (d. 1989)
- 1918 - Bob Howsam, general manager (d. 2008)
- 1923 - Bunny Mick, minor league outfielder, infielder and manager (d. 2005)
- 1928 - Dick Kokos, outfielder (d. 1986)
- 1928 - George Maloney, umpire
- 1929 - Ed Albrecht, pitcher (d. 1979)
- 1930 - Frank Malzone, infielder; All-Star
- 1930 - Dolan Nichols, pitcher (d. 1989)
- 1930 - Ron Samford, infielder
- 1933 - Bill Kern, outfielder
- 1935 - Bill Haller, umpire
- 1947 - Marty Perez, infielder
- 1948 - Tom Gamboa, coach
- 1948 - Jim Kremmel, pitcher
- 1948 - Mark Wiley, pitcher
- 1951 - Rufino Linares, outfielder (d. 1998)
- 1951 - Tom Spencer, outfielder
- 1951 - Jim Wohlford, outfielder
- 1952 - Orlando Alvarez, outfielder
- 1954 - John Poloni, pitcher
- 1958 - Dave Pano, scout
- 1958 - Dallas Williams, outfielder
- 1963 - Tony Adamson, Olympic infielder
- 1966 - Keith LeClair, minor league outfielder (d. 2006)
- 1968 - Mike Milchin, pitcher
- 1970 - Stephan Rapaglia, minor league pitcher and manager
- 1971 - Todd Pridy, minor league infielder
- 1973 - Mat Erwin, minor league catcher (d. 1997)
- 1975 - Juan Moreno, pitcher
- 1975 - Ricky Stone, pitcher
- 1976 - Bobby Madritsch, pitcher
- 1977 - Sung-heon Hong, KBO catcher
- 1978 - Cesar King, minor league catcher
- 1978 - Brian Reith, pitcher
- 1978 - Sam Swenson, minor league outfielder
- 1979 - Evel Bastida-Martinez, minor league infielder
- 1981 - Brian Bannister, pitcher
- 1983 - Trent Oeltjen, minor league outfielder
- 1983 - Tug Hulett, infielder
- 1983 - Jeff Niemann, pitcher
- 1987 - Jung Choi, KBO infielder
- 1989 - Jason Halman, Hoofdklasse catcher
[edit] Deaths
- 1894 - Edgar McNabb, pitcher (b. 1865)
- 1914 - Art Sladen, outfielder (b. 1860)
- 1917 - Parson Nicholson, infielder (b. 1863)
- 1922 - Walt Walker, catcher (b. 1860)
- 1923 - Jim Britt, pitcher (b. 1856)
- 1934 - John Irwin, infielder (b. 1861)
- 1935 - Harry Schafer, infielder (b. 1846)
- 1941 - Wilson Collins, outfielder (b. 1889)
- 1945 - Clarence Stephens, pitcher (b. 1863)
- 1947 - Newt Fisher, catcher (b. 1871)
- 1958 - Henry Smoyer, infielder (b. 1890)
- 1963 - Eppa Rixey, pitcher; Hall of Famer (b. 1891)
- 1971 - Lou Chiozza, infielder (b. 1910)
- 1972 - Dizzy Trout, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1915)
- 1973 - Syl Simon, infielder (b. 1897)
- 1982 - Roy Sherid, pitcher (b. 1907)
- 1988 - Harvey Kuenn, infielder, manager; All-Star (b. 1930)
- 1995 - Wally Millies, catcher (b. 1906)
- 1997 - Les Munns, pitcher (b. 1908)
- 1997 - Hal Turpin, minor league pitcher (b. 1902)
- 1999 - Kenny Robinson, pitcher (b. 1969)
- 2003 - Jim Fridley, outfielder (b. 1924)
- 2008 - Shinichi Etoh, NPB outfielder and manager (b. 1937)
