April 1st:
1914: Hall of Famer Rube Waddell dies at age 37 of tuberculosis.
1939: Hall of Famer Phil Niekro is born in Blaine, Ohio.
1963: The Mets purchase Duke Snider for $40,000.
1964: Indians manager Birdie Tebbets suffers a heart attack. He will be out for three months with George Strickland taking over for him.
1969: After selecting him from the Indians in the expansion draft, the Pilots trade Lou Piniella to the Royals for Steve Whitaker and John Gelna.
1970: Federal Bankruptcy Referee Sidney Volinn orders the Seattle Pilots to be sold to a group led by businessman Bud Selig. The team is immediately moved to Milwaukee and becomes the Brewers.
1982: The Mets trade Lee Mazzili to the Rangers for Ron Darling and Walt Terrell.
1987: The Pirates trade Tony Pena to the Cardinals for Andy Van Slyke, Mike Dunn, and Mike LaValliere.
1987: Dwight Gooden avoids a suspension for substance abuse when he agrees to enter a drug rehab facility.
1989: Bart Giamatti becomes the seventh commissioner of baseball.
1996: After seven pitches of the Expos/Reds game, home plate umpire John McSherry suffers a fatal heart attack. The game would be postponed.
1997: In the sixth inning of the Padres 12-5 win over the Mets, the Padres score 11 runs, setting an Opening Day record for one inning.
2001: The Blue Jays defeat the Rangers 8-1 in the first regular season game played in Puerto Rico.
2006: The White Sox sign Jose Contreras to a three year extension worth $29 million.
2013: In the Nationals 2-0 win over the Marlins, 20 year old Bryce Harper becomes the youngest to homer twice on Opening Day.