<— APRIL 14     APRIL 16 —>

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1862 Sy Sutcliffe
1864 Hub Collins
1865 Mike Lehane
1867 Cinders O’Brien

This O’Brien was a pitcher of some repute for four different teams between 1888 and 1891 (and three different leagues – the NL, AA, and Players League) and who died of pneumonia in 1892.  John F. O’Brien was sometimes confused with a Darby O’Brien, who had a similar career and life trajectory – five years as an outfielder with a couple of different teams, and died in 1893 of tuberculosis, which may have had help from a previous case of typhoid fever.  There was a second Cinders O’Brien who found his way through the low level minors in Ohio and New York during the same time period, but I didn’t see that he had died in his mid-20s.

1871 Bill Gray
1877 Ed Abbaticchio
1886 King Cole
1890 Buck Sweeney
1893 Jack Sheehan
1893 Vern Hughes
1894 Red Gunkel
1896 Dutch Distel
1897 Walt Lynch
1910 Eddie Mayo
1915 Joe Hoover
1917 Elmer Gedeon
1926 Bill Pierro
1931 Ed Bailey
1934 J C Hartman
1936 Leo Posada
1940 Willie Davis
1945 Ted Sizemore
1949 Ray Bare
1950 Dick Sharon
1956 Barry Cort
1960 Mike Diaz
1968 Billy Brewer
1969 Jeromy Burnitz
1972 Ricky Otero
1974 Reynaldo Garcia
1977 Paul Phillips
1978 Milton Bradley
1978 Tim Corcoran
1980 Yoel Hernandez
1982 Michael Aubrey
1985 John Danks
1985 Aaron Laffey
1988 Chris Tillman
1989 Adeiny Hechavarria
1993 Cody Reed
1993 Daniel Zamora
1994 Trey Wingenter
1995 Jesus Cruz
1995 Danny Jensen
1997 Luis Madero

OBITUARIES:

1915 Frank Figgemeier
1929 Harry Wilson
1937 Emmet McCann
1946 Pete Allen
1954 Chick Holmes
1957 Jack Coombs
1957 Rube Schauer
1957 Ernie Padgett
1959 Win Clark
1961 Nick Cullop
1961 Jess Doyle
1961 Cy Falkenberg
1970 Ripper Collins
1971 Mickey Harris
1975 Dutch Schliebner
1976 Floyd Newkirk
1983 Bill Sarni
1992 Ralph Weigel
1997 Bob Friedrichs
1997 Jim Holloway
1999 Bernie Snyder
2007 Chip Marshall
2009 Ed Blake
2011 Bobo Osborne
2011 Reno Bertoia

Prior to Dustin Pedroia, the only other major league player to have a last name that rhymed with mine.

2016 Ron Theobald
2020 Damaso Garcia
2020 Dick Hyde

YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!!!

1947 Jackie Robinson makes his debut for the Dodgers, breaking the color barrier (finally!).

I wrote about it here.

1994 Beloit’s Kelly Wunsch strikes out FIVE guys in an inning – the third time it had happened in a professional game.  Two wild pitches on strike three aided the cause.

2000 Cal Ripken’s single off Hector Carrasco marks his 3000th career hit.

2009 Ian Kinsler hits for the cycle – he had six hits – as Texas clobbers Baltimore, 19 – 6.

TRANSACTION WIRE:

1972 Houston sends Scipio Spinks and Lance Clemons to St. Louis for Jerry Reuss.

1979 The Mets sign amateur free agent infielder Jose Oquendo.