Today In Baseball History: March

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 1st:

1909: Construction begins on Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

1954: Ted Williams breaks his collarbone on the first day of Red Sox Spring Training, forcing him to miss the first six weeks of the season.

1967: Commissioner Eckert approves the plan of the BBWAA to have a Cy Young Award winner from both leagues.

1969: Mickey Mantle announces his retirement.

1993: After serving two and a half years of a lifetime ban, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is reinstated. He had been banned in 1990 for hiring gambler Howie Spira to snoop into the life of Dave Winfield.

1994: Leonard Coleman is named to replace Bill White as president of the National League.

1995: In the first game since 1912 to feature replacement players, the Angels defeat Arizona State University 13-5.

2005: The Braves and Tim Hudson agree to a four year deal worth $47 million.

2012: The Cardinals and catcher Yadier Molina agree to a five year extension worth $75 million.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 2nd:

1909: Hall of Famer Mel Ott is born in Gretna, Louisiana.

1927: Babe Ruth signs a deal with the Yankees that will make him the game's highest paid player in history, earning $70,000 per season.

1966: Citing a rule that says teams are not allowed to sign players while in college, Commissioner Eckert voids the deal between the Braves and Tom Seaver.

1992: The Cubs Ryne Sandberg becomes the game's highest paid player, signing a four year deal worth $7.1 million per season.

2007: The Rangers sign Michael Young to a five year extension worth $80 million.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 4th:

1912: Ground is broken in Brooklyn on the Dodgers future home, Ebbets Field.

1948: Stan Musial ends his holdout with the Cardinals, signing for the same $31,000 salary he earned the last season after getting assurances by new team owners that it will increase based on performance.

1976: Thanks to intervention from San Francisco mayor George Moscone, the Giants are bought by Bob Lurie and Bob Herseth instead of the Labbats Brewery Company, who wanted to move the team to Canada.

1984: The Veterans Committee elects Pee Wee Reese and Rick Ferrell to the Hall of Fame.

2004: Commissioner Bud Selig announces every ballpark will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on April 15th.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 5th:

1922: Babe Ruth signs a three year deal with the Yankees worth $52,000 per season.

1966: Marvin Miller is named the first president of the Players Association.

1982: Three wins shy of 300, 43-year old Gaylord Perry signs a one year deal with the Mariners.

2002: The Red Sox fire manager Joe Kerrigan.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 6th:

1940: Hall of Famer Willie Stargell is born in Earlsboro, Oklahoma.

1948: The Dodgers trade Eddie Stankey to the Braves for Bama Rowell and $60,000.

1973: In a Spring Training game against the Pirates, the Twins Larry Hisle becomes the first designated hitter in M.L. history.

1987: Andre Dawson signs a blank contract to play for the Cubs.

2001: Bill Mazeroski is elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. Mazeroski hit the famous walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Sries against the Yankees.

2005: Suzyn Waldman makes her debut with John Sterling broadcasting Yankees games on WCBS-AM radio, making her the first woman in M.L. history to be a full time commentator.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 7th:

1923: The request by the American Legion to discontinue games on Memorial Day morning is denied by Commissioner Landis.

1979: The Veterans Committee elects Hack Wilson and former N.L. President Warren Giles to the Hall of Fame.

1995: Richie Ashburn, Vic Wills, Leon Day, and William Hurlbert are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

2006: Team USA defeats Mexico 2-0 in their first ever World Baseball Classic game.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 8th:

1930: Babe Ruth signs a two year deal worth $160,000 with the Yankees. The team's GM Ed Barrow predicts at the time "No one will ever be paid more".

1946: The Indians defeat the Giants 3-1 at Tucson's Hi Corbett Field, marking the first Spring Training game to be played in Arizona.

1953: Hall of Famer Jim Rice is born in Anderson, South Carolina.

1966: The Veterans Committee elects Casey Stengel to the Hall of Fame.

1999: Joe DiMaggio dies at age 84.

2006: In the World Baseball Classic, a Canadian team made up of mostly minor league players upsets Teams USA 8-6.

2013: The Cardinals and Allen Craig agree to a five year deal worth $31 million.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 9th:

1922: Rogers Hornsby signs a three year deal with the Cardinals.

1979: Fearing legal issues, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn allows access to the clubhouses for female reporters.

1995: With a 28-0 vote, the league owners approve new expansion franchises in Arizona and Tampa Bay.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 10th:

1951: FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover declines an offer to become Commissioner of Baseball.

1963: Pete Rose makes his first appearance with the Reds, going 2-2 in an exhibition against the White Sox.

1992: The Pirates trade Neal Heaton to the Royals for Kirk Gibson.

1995: Michael Jordan announces he is leaving the White Sox and resuming his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls.

2006: The Indians and Jhonny Peralta agree to a five year deal worth $13 million.

2010: The Diamondbacks and Justin Upton agree to a six year deal worth $51.25 million.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 11th:

1933: After being fired as Cubs manager last August, Rogers Hornsby returns to the Cardinals as a player.

1988: Due to health concerns, Angels manager Gene Mauch takes a leave of absence and is replaced by Cookie Rojas.

2001: Preston Wilson signs a five year deal worth $32 million with the Marlins.

2002: The Red Sox name Grady Little manager.

2010: The Rockies and Todd Helton agree to a two year extension worth $9.9 million.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 13th:

1953: Braves owner Lou Perini announces he will seek permission to move the team from Boston to Milwaukee.

1954: During an exhibition game against the Yankees, Bobby Thomson, recently acquired by the Braves, breaks his ankle. He would be replaced in the lineup by a prospect named Hank Aaron.

1960: Bill Veeck makes the White Sox the first team to put the players last names on the back of their uniforms.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 14th:

1960: Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett is born in Chicago, Illinois.

2003: Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker is named winner of the Ford Frick Award.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 15th:

1975: Juan Marichal signs a free agent deal with the Dodgers.

1999: Don Zimmer is named Yankees interim manager. He takes over while Joe Torre undergoes treatment for prostate cancer.

2000: In a Spring Training game, six Red Sox pitchers combine for a perfect game in a 5-0 win over the Blue Jays. The Boston hurlers were Pedro Martinez, Fernando De La Cruz, Dan Smith, Rheal Cormier, Rich Garces, and Rod Beck.

2008: The Padres and Dodgers play to a 3-3 tie in the first M.L. game to be played in mainland China. 12,224 fans attended the game at the newly constructed Olympic Stadium in Beijing.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 16th:

1908: The Pirates Honus Wagner announces the upcoming season will be final as a player.

1932: Babe Ruth signs a deal with the Yankees worth $75,000 and a portion of the exhibition gate.

1953: By a 6-2 vote, the A.L. owners deny Bill Veek's request to move the Browns from St. Louis to Baltimore.

2006: In a stunning upset, Mexico defeats Team USA 2-1, eliminating the Americans from The World Baseball Classic.

2006: Roy Halladay signs a three year extension worth $40 million with the Blue Jays.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 17th:

1936: In a Yankees 8-7 exhibition loss to the Cardinals, Joe DiMaggio makes his debut with the team, collecting four hits.

1969: The Braves trade Joe Torre to the Cardinals for Orlando Cepeda.

1999: The Blue Jays fire manager Tim Johnson and replace him with Jim Fregosi.

2005: Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Sammy Sosa, Curt Schilling, and Rafael Palmerio take part in an 11 hour hearing from the Committee on Government Reform at the Capitol regarding steroid use in baseball. A book by Canseco, in which he said he took steroids, prompted the hearing.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 18th:

1937: Lou Gehrig ends his holdout, signing a $36,000 deal with the Yankees with also a $750 signing bonus, making him the game's highest paid player.

1953: The Braves move to Milwaukee, becoming the first team in 77 years to relocate.

1981: Carlton Fosk signs a deal worth $3.5 million deal with the White Sox.

1985: Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle are reinstated by Commissioner Peter Uberroth. The two had been banned from associating with baseball due to their employment with Atlantic City casinos.

1990: The players and owners agree to a new four year contract, ending a 32 day lockout.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 20th:

1934: Renowned female athlete Babe Didrickson pitches an inning for the A's in a Spring Training game, allowing no hits and walking one Dodger hitter.

1973: In a special election, the BBWAA elects Roberto Clememte to the Hall of Fame, waiving the usual five year wait for the late Pirate.

1989: Commissioner Peter Uberroth announces MLB is conducting a investigation into "serious allegations" that Pete Rose bet on baseball games.

2002: MLB announces "God Bless America" will continue to be performed during each team's first homestand.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 21st:

1959: The Indians trade Larry Doby to the Tigers for Tito Francona.

1966: A Spring Training game in the Astrodome between the Dodgers and Astros is the first in baseball history to be played on the artificial surface known as AstroTurf.

1975: In the largest margin of victory in NCAA history, Georgia Tech defeats Earlham 41-0.

1978: The Padres fire manager Alvin Dark. Pitching coach Roger Craig is named interim manager.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 25th:

1966: Hall of Famer Tom Glavine is born in Concord, Massachusetts.

1981: the Phillies trade pitcher Bob Walk to the Braves for outfielder Gary Matthews.

1989: In a deal for shortstops, the Indians trade Jay Bell to the Pirates for Felix Fermin.

1997: The Indians trade Kenny Lofton and Alan Embree to the Braves for David Justice and Marquis Grissom.

2008: In the earliest season opener in M.L. history, the Red Sox defeat the A's 6-5. The game was played at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

2008: The Tigers and Miguel Cabrera agree to an eight year deal worth $152.3 million.

[CrimsonCowboy]

March 26th:

1957: Yankees manager Casey Stengel is arrested and released on $50 bail after he allegedly cursed and kicked at a St. Petersburg photographer during an exhibition game.

1960: Political unrest forces the Orioles/Reds series to move from Havana, Cuba to Miami.

1974: The Red Sox release future Hall of Famers Luis Aparaicio and Orlando Cepeda.

1976: The American League owners vote to place an expansion team in Toronto.

1984: Jackie Robinson is posthumously presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan. Jackie's widow Rachel accepts the honor on his behalf.