February 6
From BR Bullpen
| Stats of players who were born this day | |
| Stats of players who died on this day | |
| Standings on this day | |
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| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on February 6.
[edit] Events
- 1887 - At Hot Springs, Arkansas, Albert Spalding meets with the Chicago White Stockings players and exacts from each man a pledge of total abstinence from drinking during the coming season. With the entire outfield gone from last year's team and pitcher Jim McCormick holding out at home in New Jersey, the champion White Stockings will have to rely on young players.
- 1891 - The New York Giants' salary list is leaked to the press. It shows a total player payroll of $54,600 with Buck Ewing's $5,500 salary topping the scale.
- 1895 - Babe Ruth is born in Baltimore, Maryland. Ruth will amass 714 home runs with 2217 RBI and a lifetime batting average of .342 on his way to Hall of Fame election in 1936.
- 1926 - The St. Louis Browns acquire catcher Wally Schang from the New York Yankees for pitcher George Mogridge and cash. Although Schang is 36 of age, he will hold the job as catcher for the Browns for four seasons.
- 1934:
- New York sportswriter and broadcaster Ford Frick is named the public relations director of the National League. In nine months, Frick will become president of the National League, and will later become commissioner, succeeding Happy Chandler. Frick had previously played an instrumental role in promoting the birth of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
- The Cincinnati Reds purchase 43-year-old pitcher Dazzy Vance from the St. Louis Cardinals for $7,500. The future Hall of Famer will pitch for two more seasons, although he will only make two starts for the Reds and he will be waived back to St. Louis in midseason.
- 1935 - Demanding a yearly salary of $25,000, future Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean becomes a holdout. The St. Louis Cardinals right-handed ace will sign for $19,500 the following day.
- 1951 - Gabby Street dies in Joplin, Missouri, at age of 67. Nicknamed "The Old Sarge", he had a prolific baseball career as a catcher, manager, coach and play-by-play broadcaster. As a manager, Street led the St. Louis Cardinals to two National League championships and one World Championship in 1932.
- 1956 - Supporting the Wagner-Cashmore plan to build a $30-million downtown Brooklyn sports center, Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley promises to buy four million dollars worth of bonds.
- 1958 - Ted Williams signs a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox. Reports on the worth of the contract estimate from $135,000 to $150,000. Either way, Williams becomes the highest paid player in major league history.
- 1968 - Voters in King County, Washington, approve by 62 percent a $40 million bond issue to build a domed, multipurpose stadium.
- 1976 - The American League grants the new expansion franchise in Seattle to a six-man investment group that includes movie star and entertainer Danny Kaye. The new franchise, called the Mariners, will start play in 1977.
- 1986 - The New York Yankees sign free agent relief pitcher Al Holland.
- 1995 - US President Bill Clinton's deadline for a resolution to the baseball strike passes without a resolution. On January 26, Clinton had told the players and owners to resume bargaining and reach an agreement by the 6th. The strike will continue for nearly two more months.
- 1998:
- The New York Yankees acquire All-Star second baseman Chuck Knoblauch from the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Eric Milton, shortstop Cristian Guzman and minor leaguers Brian Buchanan and Danny Mota, plus $3 million in cash. Knoblauch will bat .265 with 17 home runs in 1998 and help the Yankees to the World Championship.
- The New York Mets obtain pitcher Al Leiter and minor leaguer Ralph Milliard from the Florida Marlins in exchange for pitcher A.J. Burnett and two minor leaguers, Jesus Sanchez and Rob Stratton.
- 2001 - Anaheim Angels first baseman Mo Vaughn undergoes surgery to repair a ruptured biceps tendon in his left arm. Vaughn will miss the entire 2001 season.
- 2005 - At Mazatlan, Mexico, pitcher Francisco Campos turns in another brilliant outing, and the Mexican champion Mazatlan Deer hold on in the final game, edging the Dominican Republic, 4 - 3, to win the 56th Caribbean World Series.
- 2006 - Daniel Cabrera allowed only one run and two hits in five innings, pitching the Dominican Republic's Licey Tigers past Mexico's Mazatlan 3-1 in the Caribbean Series. In the second game, the Caracas Lions of Venezuela remained undefeated after five games with a 5 - 1 victory over Puerto Rico's Carolina Giants. Home field advantage aside, Venezuela is heavily favored in tomorrow's decisive game against Dominican Republic.
- 2008:
- The Tigres del Licey take their first loss of the 2008 Caribbean Series. After starting off the Series 4-0, they are stunned by the previously 0-4 Yaquis de Obregón in a 10-inning game. Licey held a comfortable 4-1 lead entering the 9th but closer Carlos Marmol allowed a single to Armando Rios. A Ronnie Belliard error put Reggie Taylor on board and both runners came home on a triple by Carlos Valencia. Valencia scored on a Oscar Robles single to tie the score. In the bottom of the 9th, Licey got runners on the corners but Nelson Figueroa came in and retired Matt Tupman and Emilio Bonifacio to end the inning. Against Oneli Perez, Obregón got two men on in the 10th for Robert Saucedo, the 2006 Mexican League home run king. Saucedo hit his second homer of the game to make it 7-4 and Figueroa finished the game with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th.
- In the other Caribbean Series game, the Aguilas Cibaeñas lose 8-5 to the Tigres de Aragua as Bartolo Colon and a slew of relievers prove incapable of stopping the Venezuelans.
[edit] Births
- 1856 - Bobby Mitchell, pitcher (d. 1933)
- 1867 - Mike Morrison, pitcher (d. 1955)
- 1869 - George Darby, pitcher (d. 1937)
- 1876 - Andy Sommerville, pitcher (d. 1931)
- 1879 - Rube Ward, outfielder (d. 1945)
- 1880 - Frank LaPorte, infielder (d. 1939)
- 1887 - John Potts, outfielder (d. 1962)
- 1889 - Red Downey, outfielder (d. 1949)
- 1892 - Goldie Rapp, infielder (d. 1966)
- 1894 - Pelham Ballenger, infielder (d. 1948)
- 1895 - Babe Ruth, outfielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1948)
- 1899 - Walt Huntzinger, pitcher (d. 1981)
- 1900 - Jake Levy, minor league pitcher
- 1901 - Glenn Wright, infielder (d. 1984)
- 1905 - Eddie Hunter, infielder (d. 1967)
- 1913 - Ken Weafer, pitcher (d. 2005)
- 1916 - Don Fisher, pitcher (d. 1973)
- 1918 - Ernie Kish, outfielder (d. 1993)
- 1926 - Sam Calderone, catcher (d. 2006)
- 1926 - Dale Long, infielder; All-Star (d. 1991)
- 1927 - Smoky Burgess, catcher; All-Star (d. 1991)
- 1928 - Charlie Gorin, pitcher
- 1932 - Bill Koski, pitcher
- 1948 - Doug Howard, infielder
- 1949 - Richie Zisk, outfielder; All-Star
- 1954 - Larry Young, umpire
- 1955 - Larry Jones, minor league pitcher
- 1958 - Bill Dawley, pitcher; All-Star
- 1958 - Rusty Hamric, minor league infielder
- 1969 - Bob Wickman, pitcher; All-Star
- 1969 - Mike Zimmerman, minor league pitcher
- 1970 - Mark Hutton, pitcher
- 1975 - Chad Allen, outfielder
- 1977 - Ronald Jaarsma, Hoofdklasse outfielder
- 1977 - Andrei Selivanov, Russian national team catcher
- 1977 - Pete Zoccolillo, outfielder
- 1978 - Steve Andrade, pitcher
- 1978 - Adam Shabala, outfielder
- 1983 - Stephen Spragg, minor league pitcher
- 1985 - Cody Bunkelman, minor league player
- 1985 - Yusuf Carter, minor league outfielder
- 1987 - Pedro Alvarez, drafted infielder
- 1987 - Will Inman, minor league pitcher
- 1989 - Donald Lutz, minor league outfielder
[edit] Deaths
- 1891 - Tom Healey, pitcher (b. 1853)
- 1903 - Hardie Henderson, pitcher (b. 1862)
- 1905 - Ned Cuthbert, outfielder, manager (b. 1845)
- 1920 - Jack Lapp, catcher (b. 1884)
- 1922 - Frank Barrows, outfielder (b. 1844)
- 1932 - Lyman Drake, outfielder (b. 1852)
- 1946 - Charlie Knepper, pitcher (b. 1871)
- 1950 - Art Fletcher, infielder, manager (b. 1885)
- 1951 - Gabby Street, catcher, manager (b. 1882)
- 1952 - Del Paddock, infielder (b. 1887)
- 1955 - Rosey Rowswell, announcer (b. 1884)
- 1955 - Hank Thormahlen, pitcher (b. 1896)
- 1960 - Noodles Hahn, pitcher (b. 1879)
- 1962 - Ernest Lanigan, researcher (b. 1873)
- 1968 - Leroy Matlock, Negro League pitcher (b. 1907)
- 1970 - Dick Mauney, pitcher (b. 1920)
- 1972 - Frankie Zak, infielder; All-Star (b. 1922)
- 1974 - Benny Meyer, outfielder (b. 1885)
- 1978 - Babe Ganzel, outfielder (b. 1901)
- 1979 - Bill Schindler, catcher (b. 1896)
- 1980 - George Woodend, pitcher (b. 1917)
- 1981 - Cactus Keck, pitcher (b. 1899)
- 1983 - Manuel Oliveros, minor league manager; Salon de la Fama (b. 1895)
- 1984 - Osamu Mihara, NPB infielder and manager; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1911)
- 1991 - Alex McColl, pitcher (b. 1894)
- 1994 - Bill Chamberlain, pitcher (b. 1909)
- 1994 - Ross Grimsley, pitcher (b. 1922)
- 1994 - Frank Whitman, infielder (b. 1924)
- 1995 - Elmer Burkart, pitcher (b. 1917)
- 1996 - Bob Muncrief, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1916)
- 1997 - Amby Murray, pitcher (b. 1913)
- 2007 - Lew Burdette, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1926)
