BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1863 Sam Shaw
Baltimore and (briefly) Chicago pitcher, not to mention several minor league stops in between. The short story is that Shaw would routinely sign contracts with multiple teams and jump from one to another as needed (earning him the nickname of Slippery Sam Shaw). Temperamental, he had a rough run in 1893 with Augusta where he got into arguments with fans and umpires (and teammates), ending with a night in New Orleans where he tossed a ball into the grandstands in an effort to shut up a particularly unruly fan. That landed Shaw in jail and he was released by Augusta manager George Stallings. Oddly, that week Cap Anson needed a pitcher, gave him a tryout, and Shaw won that start. When a different option appeared a few days later (and after Shaw beaned four batters in his next start) that was the end of the road. By 1896, he had been kicked off enough teams to warrant never playing again.
Shaw was born to a house painter in Baltimore, married Susan (who was likely a teen when they married) and had a daughter, Irene, in 1895. After baseball he spent a number of years as a grocer before passing away in Upper Darby, PA in 1947.
1866 Joe Neale
1874 Casey Patten
1880 Mickey Doolin
1888 Gus Williams
1888 Paul Smith
1889 Wilson Collins
1892 Allan Travers
1893 Bill Hobbs
1896 Tom Zachary
Served up Babe’s 60th in 1927.
1899 Eddie Pick
1902 Sal Gliatto
1905 Dave Barbee
1906 Syd Cohen
1909 Ed Heusser
1913 Art Doll
1917 Al Papai
Late bloomer as a baseball player, not making it to the majors until after his 30th birthday. Won more than 180 games in the minors.
1918 Al Epperly
1924 Al Cihocki
1929 Dick Williams
Hall of Fame manager of many successful teams. Usually didn’t last long at any one gig, though. He was a bit feisty.
1937 Claude Raymond
1942 John Flavin
1943 Steve Whitaker
1944 Billy Murphy
1948 Ken Hottman
1955 Bob Ferris
1961 Manny Hernandez
1970 Mark Smith
USC grad and first round pick of the Orioles… Bounced around some but had a nice half season with the Pirates in 1997. Played with five teams in eight years, finishing with 32 homers and a .243 average in 1081 major league appearances…
1970 Brook Fordyce
One time Mets prospect who bounced around among five teams but wound up having a pretty nice career as a catcher. He hit .301 with 14 homers in 2000 with the White Sox and Orioles and had a couple of other decent seasons.
1982 Luis Jimenez
Venezuelan first baseman who got three weeks with the Mariners in 2012, getting a hit in 17 at bats (and a walk).
This Luis Jimenez bounced around for several years in the lower minors showing increased power and hitting skills, finishing with a 29 – 121 – .314 season in Tacoma which earned him his shot.
1982 Conor Jackson
Son of actor John M. Jackson (JAG and lots of other things), Jackson was a first baseman with Arizona when they were young and fun (2007, for example) – and then he got Valley Fever in 2009 and it sapped him. Well – he suffered through a smattering of injuries after that, too. Jackson, who has his own theater degree, retired in 2013 rather than spend another year in AAA trying to put it back together.
Brown, David. “Conor Jackson Calls It a Career at Age 30” Big League Stew, 14 April 2013.
1984 James Loney
First baseman with a fairly good defensive reputation and a good batting tool – though not a slugger. Spent seven years with the Dodgers, but has since become a bit of a nomad and is in AAA as an insurance policy for the Tigers.
1988 Sam Dyson
Tampa native first signed by the Blue Jays in 2010 (4th round draft pick out of South Carolina). Throws a good fastball, it keeps him in the majors. Now with Texas after a year with the Blue Jays and nearly three with the Marlins. Had 38 saves with the Rangers in 2016, but seems to have lost that job to Matt Bush.
1988 Osvaldo Martinez
Got a chance with the Marlins in 2010 and 2011, an infielder from Puerto Rico who is still hanging around in AAA.
1990 Keon Broxton
Current Brewers centerfield occupant. Came from Lakeland, FL and went to Sante Fe College in Florida. Originally a third round pick of the Diamondbacks in 2009. Very fast, some power, but strikes out a LOT.
1991 Emilio Pagan
1994 Angel Perdomo
OBITUARIES:
1905 Al Mays
1912 Gus Alberts
1935 Sid Farrar
1943 Bill Coughlin
1946 Bill Fincher
1946 Bill Fox
1947 Michael McDermott
1948 Hi Ladd
1949 James Durham
1951 Ezra Lincoln
1952 Red Bluhm
1954 Les Channell
1956 Tommy Atkins
1966 Bing Miller
1969 Ray Mack
1973 Ralph Miller
1979 Marty McHale
1979 Johnny Berger
1987 Boom-Boom Beck
1989 Howie Moss
1993 Thurman Tucker
1995 Gus Bell
2001 Dick Kimble
2006 Jeff James
2009 Danny Ozark
2014 Dick Welteroth
2020 Paul Doyle
YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!!!
1921 Bob Meusel hits for the cycle, driving in four runs in a win over the Nationals.
1925 Glenn Wright completes the first recorded unassisted triple play in league history against the Cardinals. Jim Bottomly lined into the three-out play.
1957 Gil McDougald’s line drive hits Herb Score in the face, ending Score’s season.
1970 Wes Parker’s triple in the tenth completes the cycle – and beats the Mets.
TRANSACTION WIRE:
1933 St. Louis sends Paul Derringer, Sparky Adams and Allyn Stout to the Reds for Leo Durocher, Jack Odgen and Dutch Henry.
1962 The Mets send Don Zimmer to the Reds for Bob Miller and Cliff Cook.
1975 The Phillies send Jim Essian, Barry Bonnell and cash to Atlanta for Dick Allen and Johnny Oates.
1985 The Giants send Johnnie LeMaster to the Indians for Luis Quinones and Mike Jeffcoat.
Mighty Casey Baseball 