<— MAY 07     MAY 09 —>

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1843 Jack Chapman
1850 Ross Barnes
1856 Dasher Troy
1858 Dan Brouthers
1869 Tom Bannon
1874 Eddie Boyle
1880 John Skopec
1882 Barney Schreiber
1885 Bill Powell
1891 Red Hoff
1893 Edd Roush
1893 Roy Wilkinson
1893 Ed Hemingway
1895 Ed Murray
1899 Fritz Henrich
1900 Johnny Juran
1901 Turkey Stearns
1905 Columbus Vance
1917 Harry O’Neill

O’Neill replaced Frankie Hayes at catcher for the As on July 23, 1939.  He allowed a stolen base but didn’t bat.  That was his only MLB appearance.  He’s a war hero, one of two MLB players who died in World War II.  O’Neill’s death came about due to sniper fire on Iwo Jima.

1919 Bill Powell
1921 Jim McCurine
1921 Frank Russell
1937 Mike Cuellar
1937 Art Lopez
1948 Steve Braun
1948 Migel Puente
1950 Lloyd Allen
1951 Dennis Leonard
1959 Ricky Nelson
1962 Orestes Destrade
1964 Dave Rohde
1971 Todd Greene
1980 Jason Davis
1981 Alfredo Simon
1981 John Maine
1982 Adrian Gonzalez
1984 Adam Moore
1989 Wily Peralta
1990 Sean Gilmartin
1991 Cody Ege
1994 Lewis Brinson
1997 Bryan Hudson
1999 Brett Wisely

OBITUARIES:

1914 George Fox

Fox died of heart disease at 45, he had been running a cafe in Pottstown (the town of his birth and life when not playing baseball), but when his health turned he stayed with family in Philadelphia.

Fox’s career looks brief (two tryouts in 1891 and 1899) but he played and managed for two decades in lower levels and was generally well respected and liked wherever he played.

“George B. Fox,” Reading Times, May 9, 1914: 16.
“Former Mansfield Manager Died Friday,” Mansfield News, May 11, 1914: 9.

1927 Phil Bedgood
1931 George Noftsker
1937 Al Yeargin
1940 Chick Fraser
1941 Bill Joyce
1959 Basilio Cueria
1960 Howie Camp
1961 Weldon Wyckoff
1962 Buster Burrell
1963 Ben Glaspy
1967 Ossie Orwoll
1973 Yank Deas
1977 Frankie Pytlak
1978 Red Smith
1980 Fred Wigington
1981 Earle Brucker
1981 Eddie Onslow
1993 Al Tate
1997 Bob Whitcher
2003 Slick Coffman
2009 Dom DiMaggio
2010 George Susce
2014 Leo Marentette
2014 Charlie Mead
2016 John Young
2018 Al Stanek
2020 Ben Johnson
2023 Vern Holtgrave
2025 Chet Lemon

Played with the South Side Hitmen in Chicago, then was traded to Detroit for the remainder of a long and productive career. In his last years with the White Sox, he hit .300 (combined) and one year he set the record for most putouts by a centerfielder.

Chet Lemon was legitimately great, my friends. He finished with nearly 56 bWAR and was 21% better than his peers as a hitter. Not many in the HOF can say that. I’m not saying he should be in the Hall, but I’m not going to complain if some future veteran’s committee reviews Lemon’s career and sees just how great he really was.

While no specific cause of death was listed in any of the obits I had seen, Lemon suffered from polycythemia vera, a rare blood disease that causes bone marrow to make too many red blood cells. He suffered a number of strokes over the past several years – one hopes he finds peace, family and a ball game in the next league.

YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!!!

1878 Providence Gray outfielder (!) Paul Hines completes an unassisted triple play of sorts, making a daring grab of a sinking liner – and then running to third to get two runners out.

1907 Boston’s Frank Pfeffer throws a no-hitter to beat the Reds, 6 – 0.

1926 There used to be left field bleachers in Fenway Park. They were demolished after a fire burned them down (and part of the grandstand roof) on this date.

1929 Carl Hubbell’s no hitter blanks the Pirates, 11 – 0.

1930 Freddie Lindstrom goes 5 for 6, and completes the cycle.

1935 Ernie Lombardi’s five hit game includes four straight doubles in a Reds victory.

1968 Jim “Catfish” Hunter tosses a perfect game to beat the Twins, 4 – 0.

2001 Randy Johnson strikes out 20 in nine innings for Arizona – but is pulled after nine as the game goes into extra innings. (Arizona scored three in the 11th to top the Reds, 4 – 3.)

2010 Jody Gerut completes the cycle for the Brewers.

2012 Josh Hamilton crushes four homers in a win over Baltimore. He also doubled in the game… Hamilton drove in eight of the ten Ranger runs that day.

2016 Bryce Harper ties a major league record by drawing six walks – three of them intentional – in a loss to the Cubs.

TRANSACTION WIRE:

1895 Louisvile purchases Dan Brouthers from the Orioles for the low price of $500.

1940 Pittsburgh sends Johnny Rizzo to the Reds for outfielder Vince DiMaggio.

1966 The Cardinals acquire Orlando Cepeda from the Giants for Ray Sadecki.

1971 Oakland gets Darold Knowles and Mike Epstein from the Senators for Paul Lindblad, Don Mincher, and Frank Fernandez.