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1919: 100 years ago in MLB

News Headlines from 1919

--Prohibition ratified
--Teddy Roosevelt dies
--Peace Conference Convenes in Paris
--Communist Labor Party founded in US
--Senate Votes Down Treaty of Versailles
--Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge Puts Down Police Strike in Boston
--British Scientist Ernest Rutherford splits atom

MLB News:

January 30th: NL President John Heyder holds a hearing on charges that Hal Chase attempted to bribe a teammate in a game last season and was throwing games. Christy Mathewson was in military service in Europe and unable to testify though he submits an affidavit.

February 5th: Heyder finds in favor of Chase who said the money he gave pitcher Jim Ring was a gift. He cites insufficient evidence.

February 25th: Merrill Monford "Monty" Irvin is born in Columbia, Alabama.

January 31st: Jack Roosevelt Robinson is born in Cairo, Georgia

April 23rd: The Senators Walter Johnson shuts out the A's 1-0 in 13 innings on opening day. It is his record fifth opening day shutout.

May 20th: Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth hits his first career grand slam. The bomb comes against Dave Davenport of the St. Louis Browns. Boston wins 6-4.

June 23rd: The Phillies Clifford "Gavvy" Cravath ties the ML record for doubles in a game for the second time in his career banging out four two-baggers. He previously accomplished the feat on August 8, 1915.

July 9th: Yankees' shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh hits in his 29th straight game.

July 21st: In Detroit, Babe Ruth clears the right field fence with the longest homer ever hit at Navin Field.

July 29th: The Yankees acquire unhappy Carl Mays from the Red Sox for pitchers Allan Russell and Bob McGraw, plus $40,000. Mays walked off the field and returned to his home in Pennsylvania following a 5-0 loss to the White Sox on July 12th. He said "I have pitched the best ball of my life but I am not winning...the team just doesn't win when I'm pitching so I'm going home to Pennsylvania". AL President Ban Johnson intervenes and orders Mays back to Boston. The Yankees seek an injunction on August 3rd and on August 6th win a temporary one. Mays makes his Yankee debut on August 9th beating the Indians 6-4.

August 9th: Casey Stengel is traded from the Pirates to the Phillies for George "Possum" Whitted. When his demands for a raise are turned down, Stengel returns to his home in Kansas City and embarks on a barnstorming tour for the remainder of the season.

August 24th: Lightning strikes Indians pitcher Ray Caldwell - literally - during his windup. He recovers and pitches Cleveland to a 2-1 win over the A's.

September 18th: The World Series fix is born in Boston's Hotel Buckminster when White Sox first baseman Arnold "Chick" Gandil tells bookmaker Joseph "Sport" Sullivan, "I think we can put it in the bag". He asks Sullivan for $80,000 (some sources claim $100,000. Eliot Asinof, author of Eight Men Out puts it at $80,000).

September 24th: Babe Ruth breaks Ned Williamson's home run mark (27 in 1884) when he hits his 28th of the season, a 9th inning drive over the right field roof of the Polo Grounds. The NY Times describes the blast as the "longest ever hit at the Polo Grounds".

September 24th: The White Sox are "officially" in the World Series with a 6-5 defeat of the Browns, winning the AL pennant.

October 9th: The Reds defeat the White Sox 10-5 to win the 1919 World Series.

October 15th: Charles Comisky offers a $20,000 reward for a 'single clue' about a World Series fix. Detectives hired by Comisky report back...Chick Gandil has purchased a home, a car and jewelry.

December 29th: A secret deal is made between Harry Frazee and Jacob Ruppert for Babe Ruth to go from the Red Sox to the Yankees. He went to NY for $125,000 and a $300,000 mortgage on Fenway Park. The Curse of the Bambino was on even though it wasn't made public until January 3rd, 1920. At the time of the deal the Red Sox had won 6 pennants and 5 World Series. For the next 84 years they would win 4 pennants but no World Series.

League Leaders:

Average:
NL/Edd Roush .321
AL/Ty Cobb .384

Homers:
NL/Gavvy Cravath, 12
AL/Babe Ruth 29

Rbi:
NL/ Henry Myers 73
AL/ Babe Ruth 114

Wins:
NL/Jesse Barnes 25
AL/Eddie Cicotte 29

Stikeouts:
NL/Hippo Vaughn 141
AL/Walter Johnson 147

ERA:
NL/ Grover Cleveland "Pete" Alexander 1.72
AL/ Walter Johnson 1.49

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News Headlines:

Allie Invade France
Paris is Liberated
US Forces withstand last Nazi offensive in Battle of the Bulge
Circus fire kills 167 in Hartford, Connecticut
Glenn Miller's Plane Lost between Paris and London
Harvard Scientists Build First Computer
Congress passes GI Bill


MLB Headlines:

April 20th: Elmer John Gedeon, who played five games in 1939 as an outfielder for the Senators, is killed 5 days before his 27th birthday when his plane is shot down over France. He becomes the first major leaguer killed in WWII.

April 28th: The St. Louis Browns now own the AL record for consecutive wins to start a season (8) when they beat the Indians 5-1.

May 2nd: Ted Williams is commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Air Corps and is awarded his wings.

May 4th: The last bastion of segregated seating in the major leagues-----Sportsman's Park in St. Louis-----has a new ticket policy. The Browns and Cardinals announce "Negroes" now will be allowed to buy grandstand tickets. Previously, blacks were restricted to the bleachers.

May 7th: Charlie Grimm takes over as the 1-10 Cubs manager his second stint with the team. He won pennants with the Cubs in 1932 and 1935. Supposedly a Cubs scout delivers a report to Grimm on a pitcher who allowed only one foul fly out of the infield. Grimm responds, "forget the pitcher. Send the guy who hit the foul fly. We need hitters!!!"

June 3rd: A crowd of 9,171 fans at the Polo Grounds for a Giants-Pirates game get word over the PA system that Allie Forces have invaded Europe. After massive cheers and prayer, the fans learn the bulletin is a mistake. The invasion takes place 3 days later on June 6th.

June 10th: The Joe Nuxhall, 15 years old, makes his major league debut. After getting the first hitter to fly out, he yields two singles, five walks, five runs and uncorks a wild pitch in 2/3's of an inning. Despite the rocky start and 67.50 ERA his first season, he will have a 16 year career going 135-117 with a 3.90 ERA.

July 4th: Historic Oriole Park in Baltimore burns to the ground. Built in 1914 for the Federal League's Baltimore Terrapins, it was the current home of the International League's Baltimore Orioles.

July 10th: Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis is inducted into the Hall of Fame. Landis, who is credited with saving baseball after the 1919-1920 Black Sox scandal, supervised the game in autocratic style. He banned 15 players, including the Chicago 8, in his first year as commissioner. ***(It is highly debatable who had a bigger part in saving Major League Baseball....Landis or Babe Ruth.)

July 23rd: In the nightcap at the Polo Grounds, Giants manager Mel Ott apparently deduces one run is less destructive than four. He intentionally walks Cubs slugger Bill Nicholson with the bases loaded. "Swish" Nicholson already has 4 homers on the day. It works and the Giants win 12-10. Nicholson had a homer in the opener and 3 in the nightcap.

July 28th: Walter Alston, whose ML career consisted of 1 at bat in 1936 is signed to manage the Dodgers Trenton farm team.

August 16th: In St. Louis, the Cardinals beat the Giants 5-0. It is their 80th win, the earliest any team has tallied that many victories.

Spetember 14th: Joe DiMaggio is discharged from the Army Air Corps and will rejoin the Yankees for the 1945 season.

September 29-October 1st: The St. Louis Browns sweep the Yankees winning 4-1, 1-0, 2-0 and 5-2 winning their first pennant when the Senators beat the Tigers 4-1.

October 9th: The Cardinals beat the Browns 3-1 in game 6 of the all St. Louis World Series to become Champions.

November 17th: Tom Seaver is born in Fresno, California

December 22nd: Steve Carlton is born in Miami, Florida

League Leaders:

Batting:
NL/Dixie Walker .357
AL/Lou Boudreau .327

Homers:
NL/ Swish Nicholson 33
AL/ Nick Etten 22

RBI:
NL/Nicholson 122
AL/Vern Stephens 109

Wins:
NL/Bucky Walters 23
AL/Hal Newhouser 29

Strikeouts:
NL/Bill Voiselle, 161
AL/ Newhouser 187

ERA:
NL/Ed Heusser 2.38
AL/Dizzy Trout 2.12

MVP:
NL/Marty Marion, St. Louis Cardinals
AL/Hal Newhouser, Detroit Tigers

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1969 New Headlines

--Neil Armstrong is first man to walk on the moon
--Former President Dwight Eisenhower dies at 78
--250,000 in Washington anti-war march
--Vietnamese civilians massacred by US troops at My Lai
--Actress Sharon Tate, eight others slain by Manson Cult
--Ted Kennedy pleads guilty in Chappaquidick car accident that killed Mary Jo Kopechne
--400,000 gather at Woodstock for Music Festival
--Hurricane Camille kills 400; Damage estimate at $1 Billion
--Chicago 7 go on trial
--Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh, Judy Garland and Jack Kerouac die.


MLB Headlines:

The "Save" for relief pitchers becomes an official ML statistic.

January 18: Ted Williams is named manager of the Washington Senators. He signs a 5 year contract @ $75,000 per season and 10% of the team's stock.

January 24th: Tom Zachary dies and in death, as in life, he's remembered for one thing. The NY Times Headline.....Tom Zachary, pitcher, Dead; Served Ruth's 60th Home Run

February 26th: Carl Yastrzemski signs a $130,000 contract for 1969 becoming the highest paid AL player in history. Last season he led the AL in hitting (.301, the lowest in history), hit 23 homers and drove in 74 runs.

March 1st: Mickey Mantle retires with a .298 batting average, 536 homers, 2415 hits, 1734 walks, 1710 strikeouts, 1676 runs scored, 1509 Rbi, 153 SB, .421 OB%, .977 OPS and 18 WORLD SERIES HOMERS. He tells the news media in Ft. Lauderdale, "I can't play anymore. I can't hit when I need to. I can't steal second when I need to. I can't go from first to third when I need to. I can't score from second when I need to. I have to quit". Later he reflected tongue in cheek on his career..."In my 18 year career I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1700. I walked about 1800. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at bats a season. That means I played 7 years without ever hitting the ball."

March 14th: Heinie Zimmerman, banned from baseball for life in 1919 for allegedly trying to fix games dies today at age 84. Zimmerman, a triple crown winner with the Cubs in 1912 played 13 years in the majors.

April 7th: On opening day Don Drysdale's first two pitches are hit out of the park by Pete Rose and Bobby Tolan of the Reds. Drysdale settles down and the Dodgers win 3-2.

April 8th: The Montreal Expos make their debut in New York beating the Mets 11-10. The Seattle Pilots also make their debut beating the Angels 4-3 in Anaheim. Tony Conigliaro is back in the Boston lineup for the first time since his beaning in 1967. He hits a 2 run homer in the 10th inning but Frank Robinson hits a game tying 2 run homer in the bottom of the 10th. In the 12th, Conigliaro walks and scores on a single by Dalton Jones for a 5-4 Red Sox win. Boston's Juan Pizzaro becomes the first ML pitcher credited with a save when he retires the Orioles in the bottom of the 12th.

April 9th: The Twins Rod Carew steals home in the 5th inning against Kansas City. With Graig Nettles batting Carew beats the second pitch of the at bat to home for his first career steal of home. He will go on to steal home 6 more times in 1969.

April 14th: In the first MLB game played outside the US, the Expos beat the Cardinals 8-4 before a crowd of 29,184 Montreal fans.

April 17th: The Expos Bill Stoneman no-hits the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium in a 7-0 win. He strikes out 8 and walks 5.

April 28th: Hank Aaron hits career homer number 513 passing ex-teammate Eddie Matthews for #6 all time.

May 5th: Eddie Cicotte, banned for life in the Black Sox scandel dies at age 84. In his 14 year career he was 208-119 with a 2.37 Era. Of the scandel and the $10,000 he received (about $305,000 today), he once said "I did it for wife and kiddies. I have played a crooked game and I have lost."

May 13th: Ernie Banks drives in 7 runs, among them his 1500th rbi.

May 22nd: Hank Aaron has a record day against the Mets. He hits his 519th career homer. He passes Ted Williams in lifetime extra base hits. He then singles for his 2480th hit passing Charlie Gehringer. He also comes to bat for the 9015th time, the most ever. The Braves win 15-3.

May 26th: Aaron hits his 500th double, joining only Babe Ruth and Ted Williams as the only players to hit 500 home runs and 500 doubles. During the game the tent that houses the Braves mascot Chief Noc-a-homa catches fire.

June 14th: Reggie Jackson has 10 rbi with 2 homers, a double and 2 singles in a 21-7 win over Boston.

June 24th: Dick Allen fails to show for a double header against the Mets in New York. He's suspended by Phillies manager Bob Skinner until July 20th.

July 4th: Willie Stargell sends a pitch from Tom Seaver over the right field roof and out of Forbes Field but the Mets win 11-6.

July 9th: The Dodgers Manny Mota fails in his bid to tie the NL record for hits over 3 consecutive games. He gets three today after 8 in a double header yesterday but falls 1 short of the record held by Milt Stock and Stan Musial. Tom Seaver takes a perfect game into the 9th but with 1 out gives up a single to Jimmy Qualls.

July 25th: Hank Aaron hits career homer #536 tying him with Mickey Mantle. Earlier in the game Aaron doubled for his 2900th career hit.

August 5th: Willie Stargell becomes the first player to hit a ball out of Dodger Stadium. He muscles a 506 foot drive over the right field pavilion against Alan Foster.

August 11th: Troubled by shoulder problems, Dodger right hander Don Drysdale retires. He was the last Dodger to play with the team in Brooklyn.

September 7th-13th: The Mets come from 3 and a half games back to lead the Cubs by 3 and a half games.

September 15th: Steve Carlton fans 19 at Busch Stadium in a 4-3 loss to the Mets. It is a new ML record passing Sandy Koufax, Bob Feller and Don Wilson.

September 22nd: Willie Mays' pinch hit 2 run homer is his 600th of his career. He trails only Babe Ruth.

September 23rd: Ernie Banks singles against the Cardinals for his 2500th hit.

September 28th: Hank Aaron's rbi today gives him 100 on the season. It's the 14th time Aaron has driven in 100, a ML record.

September 29th: Rico Petrocelli hits his 40th home run setting the AL record for homers by a shortstop. Ernie Banks holds the ML record with 47.

October 4th-6th: The Mets and Orioles complete 3 games sweeps of the Braves and Twins to set up a meeting in the World Series.

October 7th: The Cardinals trade Curt Flood, catcher Tim McCarver, pitcher Bob Hoerner and outfielder Byron Browne to the Phillies for Dick Allen, Cookie Rojas and Jerry Johnson. On December 24th, Flood refuses to report to Philadelphia and the rest is history. Free agency is coming soon.

October 11th - 16th: The Orioles win game one over the Amazing Mets 4-1 behind Mike Cuellar. The Mets would go on to win the next 4 in dramatic fashion....2-1, 5-0, 2-1 and 5-3. To some it is the equivalent of Superbowl win in January when the NY Jets upset the Baltimore Colts.

Quotes: Dick Allen said, "baseball is a form of slavery. Once you step out of bounds, that's it. They'll do everything possible to destroy your soul". Allen would play for 5 teams over the next 8 years (St. Louis, Los Angeles Dodgers, the White Sox where he would lead the AL in homer two of his three years there, the Phillies again and finally the A's). He was one of the best right hand hitters in ML history, finishing his career with 351 homers, 1099 runs scored, 1119 Rbi, 1848 hits, 894 walks, a .292 batting average and a .378 OB%. He won the NL rookie of the year in 1964 and the AL MVP in 1972.


League Leaders:

Average:
NL/Rose .348
AL/Carew .332

Homers:
NL/McCovey 45
AL/Killebrew 49

Rbi:
NL/McCovey 126
AL/Killebrew 140

Wins:
NL/Seaver 25
AL/McLain 24

Strikeouts:
NL/Jenkins 273
AL/McDowell 279

ERA:
NL/Marichal 2.10
AL/Bosman 2.19

MVP:
NL/McCovey
AL/Killebrew

CYA:
NL/Seaver
AL/Cuellar & McLain

ROY:
NL/Sizemore
AL/Piniella

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New Headlines:

Richard Nixon dies at age 81
Jackie Kennedy Onassis dies at 64
Ronald Reagan Afflicted with Alzheimers
Nelson Mandela elected President of S. Africa
Rabin / Arafat share Nobel Peace Prize
500,000 die in Rwanda civil war
LA earthquake kills 61
132 die in USAir Jet crash in Pittsburgh
Moscow Mole in CIA Arrested
OJ Simpson charged with double murders


MLB Headlines:

January 6th: The owners meet in Rosemont, Illinois and fall one vote short of approving revenue sharing plan developed by negotiator Richard Ravitch.

January 9th: Harvey Haddix , who pitched 12 perfect innings in a 1959 game only to lose in the 13th dies at age 68 in Springfield, Ohio.

January 19th: The owners make the prospects of a labor settlement more difficult. They amend the major league agreement giving complete power to the commissioner on labor negotiations. In addition 75% of the vote will be required to approve future collective bargaining issues if there is a strike.

February 7th: Michael Jordan decides to try his skills at baseball signing a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. After spring training he will be assigned to the minor league team in Nashville.

February 11th: Robin Yount retires after 21 years in MLB.

March 7th: Talks resume between owner's rep Richard Ravitch and 75 players in Tampa, Fl.

March 10th: Longtime ump Jim Honochick dies at age 75. He was an umpire from 1949-1973 and worked 6 World Series.

March 16th: Former ML pitcher Eric Show dies at age 37 of unknown causes at the Rancho L'Abri Drug and Alcohol treatment center in Dulzura, CA. Show was in the center for treatment of cocaine, alcohol and heroin use.

April 4th: Jacobs Field opens in Cleveland as the Indians beat the Mariners 4-3. Eddie Murray homers for Cleveland. Cubs rookie Karl Rhodes has an auspicious debut: he homers in his first 3 at bats against Dwight Gooden. The Dodgers place Darryl Strawberry on the disabled list because of substance abuse problems.

April 8th: Kent Mercker no-hits the Dodgers as the Braves win 6-0 at Dodger stadium. The Dodgers Chan Ho Park comes out of the bullpen in the ninth, bows to the umpire and becomes the first Korean born player to appear in a MLB game.

April 9th: Paul Molitor singles in the 9th against the Mariners. It is his 2500th hit.

April 11th: The Ballpark at Arlington opens as the Brewers beat the Rangers 4-3.

May 3rd: The NY Times reports that 708 home runs were hit in April - 210 more than in the comparable period in 1993.

May 18th: Marge Schott is at it again. The Reds' owner tells the Ohio County Treasurers Association, "Only fruits wear earrings." She then explains to the Cincinnati Enquirer, "I was raised to believe men who wear earrings were 'fruity'. I guess things have changed since then". She then assert her remarks were misconstrued.

May 24th: Cal Ripken, Jr hits his 300th homer

May 25th: The Dodgers unconditionally release Darryl Strawberry. On a cable TV show Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda tells the interviewer, "you're wrong. Darryl Strawberry is not a dog. A dog is loyal and runs hard after balls"

June 13th: The Cubs Ryne Sandberg rocks baseball by announcing his abrupt retirement. He explains, "I didn't have what I felt I needed to go on the field every day and live up to the standards I set for myself". He's 34 years old.

June 19th: The Giants sign Darryl Strawberry who finished drug rehabilitation treatment at the Betty Ford Clinic six weeks ago.

June 23rd: Oakland's Bobby Witt comes within an umpire's call of a no hitter. In the 6th inning of a perfect game, umpire Gary Cederstrom calls Greg Gagne safe at first on a ground ball. TV replays show Gagne was out. Witt wins the 1 hitter 4-0 David Cone takes the loss.

June 28th: Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden is suspended 60 games for violating the terms of his drug aftercare program when he fails two random tests. In 1987 he underwent treatment at NYC's Smithers Institute.

July 1st: Ken Griffey, Jr. homers 32 times by the end of June. It's the most in history for that time period.

July 11th: The Pirates unveil a statue of the late star Roberto Clemente outside Three Rivers Stadium.

July 14th: Cesar Tovar dies at 54. He is one of two players to play all 9 positions in one game. ------ After the NY Times publishes a remark made by Yankees manager Buck Showalter critical of Ken Griffey, Jr wearing his hat backwards, Seattle players all turn their hats around before a game at Yankee Stadium. ------- The Giants down the Expos 8-3 in Montreal. Darryl Strawberry hits a grand slam, his first homer in more than a year. Pedro Martinez takes the loss.

July 18th: The players turn down a proposed salary cap. They offer a counter proposal: salary minimums to be upped to $200,000 (from $175,000), arbitration after 2 years and elimination of certain restricitons on free agency.
Albert Belle is suspended for 10 days for using a corked bat. Rockies manager Don Baylor poses a rhetorical question.."Why would you want to cork your bat when they talk about the ball being juiced? How far do you want it to go? You have to clear the fence, but they want to clear the concession stands too!"
In Philadelphia Barry Bonds homers. It's the 250th of his career.

July 22nd: Dwight Gooden checks into the Betty Ford Clinic.

July 28th: The Players Association executive board unanimously approves August 12th as the date for a strike.

July 29th: Steve Carlton, Leo Durocher and Phil Rizzuto are inducted into the Hall of Fame.

August 1st: Cal Ripken becomes the 2nd player in history to appear in 2000 consecutive games. ---- At Fenway Park, Joe Carter homers, the 300th of his career. ------ At Candlestick Park, Matt Williams homers, the 200th of his career.

August 10th: Talks between the players and owners break off and a strike appears inevitable.

August 12th: Nobody blinks. Major league players go on strike.

August 25th: After 2 days of talks in NYC, no progress is reported.

September 7th: Bargaining resumes in NYC with secret meetings between management and union reps.

September 14th: The unbelievable becomes reality. The owners cancel the remainder of the season. For the first time since 1903, there will be no World Series played.

Leaders:

Who cares?