BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1845 George Fletcher
Dartmouth grad who got in two games in the National Association in 1872 for the Brooklyn Eckfords.
1855 Hardy Richardson
A great ballplayer of the 1880s; when acquired (along with Dan Brouthers, Jack Rowe, and Deacon White) by Detroit the Wolverines would win their only National League pennant and beat the St. Louis Browns in the post-season (1887). Played all over – infield, outfield, and pitcher, and all with some skill.
1865 Fred Hartman
1887 John Raleigh
1887 Joe McCarthy
My choice for greatest manager of all time.
1890 Wally Reinecker
1894 Charlie Maisel
1902 Lefty Weinert
1909 Bill Chamberlain
1913 Bert Hogg
1918 Jack Brewer
1919 John Britton
1919 George Minor
1919 Stan Rojek
1921 Bob Rinker
1935 Mack Burk
Phillies Bonus Baby Catcher while a student – got in 16 games for the Phillies, but only TWO at bats (one hit). If you want the whole story, you’ll have to click on the link…
1937 Bill Haywood
1937 Gary Peters
White Sox and Red Sox lefty – the John Tudor of the 1960s.
1940 Bill Faul
1941 Dick Green
A’s infielder during the glory days of the 1970s.
1947 Al Bumbry
Outfielder on many great Orioles teams.
1950 Greg Harts
1951 Randy Sterling
1953 Joe Keener
1957 Jesse Orosco
Just retired in 2015 after 41 years in the majors getting one or more guys out in an inning. Appeared in 4,136 games.
I’m kidding of course. I wish he could still pitch.
1960 Greg Legg
Phillies infielder in 1986 and 1987, has spent probably twenty years coaching in the minors and could tell great stories.
1962 Les Lancaster
Thought to be a Cubs prospect, had one really good year as a reliever but that was pretty much it.
1963 Ken Caminiti
There are but a handful of names that I only hear in the mellifluous tones of Harry Caray. This is one of them.
Chemically enhanced and chemically ruined as they didn’t help him contain his demons.
1966 Chris Donnels
1972 Keith Williams
1973 Kevin Brown
One of sixteen Kevin Browns who played during the 1980s and 1990s. This is the catcher who played for a few AL teams…
1974 Cliff Brumbaugh
1975 Aquilino Lopez
1975 Carlos Castillo
1977 Kip Wells
Is he really gone? Baylor grad, White Sox draft pick, and twice led the league in losses.
1978 Jack Taschner
One time Pirates pitcher (briefly) who now works for the Appleton police department.
1979 Terry Tiffee
Twins infielder, now a high school teacher and coach.
1980 Jeff Keppinger
Georgia alum, had a pretty nice career. He was Ike Futch with better luck and a stronger arm, but not quite the batting eye.
1981 Ronny Paulino
Decent hitting catcher back in the day for a few teams, including the Marlins…
1984 Zach Kroenke
One time Husker, drafted by the Yankees. A Rule five pick by the Diamondbacks, Kroenke had seven appearances and a start in 2010 and 2011. He split two decisions, but hasn’t seen the good life since then.
1987 Brent Morel
Used to be a Sox prospect. I’m guessing he’s no longer a prospect these days. Spent last two seasons in Pittsburgh.
1987 Ryan Adams
Made it to the majors, but has lost time to two suspensions – the last one was 100 games for his role in an alleged heroin distribution ring. One assumes that he’s either done with baseball, or he’s going to be Josh Hamilton. He hit some in the minors, but not with prodigious power…
1989 Josh Rutledge
One time Rockies prospect. Sent to the Angels and before he could play a game was moved to Boston. He can play, but in Boston there are guys with bigger contracts ahead of him in the infield, which makes Rutledge a valuable bench player.
1990 Zack Godley
Got his first taste with Arizona in 2015 – went 5 – 1 in nine appearances, six of them starts. After a brief run at AA, he came back to the Snakes and went 5 – 4, but was far more successful in relief. A University of Tennessee grad – he’s THIS close to being a regular but not quite there.
1992 Joc Pederson
Dodger outfielder – tremendous power, good range in the field. All athlete. Reminds me in some ways of Eric Davis without the distinctive stance and quick bat. One hopes he gets his batting average over .260, because if he does, he’s going to be in the running for an MVP award.
1993 Jordan Romano
1994 Edwin Rios
1994 Ryan Hartman
1996 Cionel Perez
1998 A. J. Alexy
2000 Wade Meckler
2000 Jack Leiter
OBITUARIES:
1881 Josh Snyder
According to his death certificate, Snyder – a longtime member of the Eckfords of Brooklyn – died of pneumonia in his late 30s. (His birthdate could be anywhere form 1842 to 1845, I see a project in my future.)
1895 Jim Tipper
1907 Nat Hicks
1915 Jack Allen
1917 Cooney Snyder
1918 Pete Woodruff
1921 Tom O’Brien
1923 Joe Ellick
1947 Steamer Flanagan
1949 Harry Morelock
1952 Sheldon Lejeune
1959 Clarence Simpson
1959 Don Black
1961 Lum Davenport
1962 Bill Norman
1965 Jock Somerlott
1965 Steve Biras
1968 Fred Applegate
1969 Clarence Palm
1979 Cliff Bolton
1980 Joe Page
1980 Ray Dobens
1990 Johnny Beazley
1991 Dick Weik
1993 Hal Schumacher
1996 Walker Cress
2001 Hal White
2001 Sandy Ullrich
2002 Sam Dente
2005 Ed Butka
I wrote about Ed back in Jan, 2012.
2011 Jim Heise
YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!
1961 Minnesota tops Washington in their home opener at Metropolitan Stadium 5 – 3. Eleven years later, the next “former Senators” – the Texas Rangers – play their first home game in Arlington Stadium, beating California, 7 – 3.
1976 Montreal’s Tim Foli hit for the cycle against the Cubs. Actually – he got three hits on the 21st, and finished the cycle later as the game was suspended after six innings. The next day, in the eighth inning, Foli homered to finish the trick.
2002 Atlanta’s Rafael Furcal tied a record with his third triple – going 3 for 5 with no RBIs, but scoring three runs.
2012 Philip Humber tosses a perfect game as the White Sox blanked Seattle, 4 – 0. The last out? A 3-2 pitch was thrown to the backstop, but umpire Brian Runge said that Brendan Ryan didn’t check his swing. Instead of running full out to first, Ryan stopped to argue the call and A.J. Pierzinski’s throw got Ryan at first to end the game.
TRANSACTION WIRE:
1917 Chicago purchases Fred Merkle from the Brooklyn Robins for about $3500. Merkle, of course, had erred on the bases in a very famous game for the Giants against the Cubs in 1908.
1958 Cincinnati releases pitcher Diego Segui. Segui would get another job, of course, and pitch until 1977.
1966 The Phillies trade Fergie Jenkins, Adolfo Phillips, and John Herrnstein to the Cubs for Bob Buhl and Larry Jackson.
Mighty Casey Baseball 