December 10 in Tigers and mlb history:
1900: At the National League meetings at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York, rumors fly. Ban Johnson says the American League has signed a lease on a park in Detroit. The Players Protective Association says its members will not sign with the NL.
1911: Tiger manager Hughie Jennings nearly dies in an automobile accident near his home in Pennsylvania. Jennings flips the car he is driving while crossing a bridge over the Lehigh River, throwing himself from the vehicle.
He suffers a fractured skull, concussion, and breaks his arm and both of his legs. For several days doctors worry that he will succumb to his injuries. Jennings rallies and is back in the dugout to manage Detroit in April of 1912.
1919: With the opposition led by New York, Boston, and Chicago owners, the American League directors pass a resolution accusing Ban Johnson of overstepping his duties. They demand that league files be turned over to them and that an auditor review all financial accounts. The three teams' disatisfaction with Johnson can be traced back to his attempt to suspend pitcher Carl Mays after he left his team without authorization during the past season.
1919: The National League votes to ban the spitball's use by all new pitchers. The ban will be formally worked out by the Rules Committee in February.
1924: The two leagues agree on a permanent rotation for World Series play proposed by Charles Ebbets: the first two games at one league's park, the next three at the other league's park, and the last two if needed back at the first league's park, with openers to alternate between leagues. Next year's World Series will commence at the National League city.
1925: The American League goes on record as opposing the use of rosin by pitchers, but the joint rules committee finally votes it in.
1925: The Detroit Tigers traded players to be named later to Fort Worth (Texas) for Augie Johns and Billy Mullen. The Detroit Tigers sent Homer Ezzell (December 10, 1925) and Tex Vache (December 10, 1925) to Fort Worth (Texas) to complete the trade.
1930: The Detroit Tigers signed Joe Dugan as a free agent.
1930: The Detroit Tigers signed Wally Schang as a free agent.
1935: Ford Frick is reelected National League president for two years and given a raise.
1935: The American League votes down night ball and awards a $500 cash prize for batting leaders retroactive to include Buddy Myer in 1935.
1935: After three years in Chicago, Al Simmons is sold by the White Sox to the Tigers for $75,000.
1936: Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis announces his ruling on the Bob Feller case. Feller joined Cleveland in July and Des Moines (Western League) protested, claiming the pitcher for themselves. Landis let Feller stay with Cleveland, pending his final ruling, which is announced today in favor of the Indians.
1940: In Chicago, a curious rule that was designed to "break up the Yankees" is continued by the American League, a rule which prohibits the team winning the championship from trading with any other club. The rule was voted in at the December, 1939 meetings by the seven other AL owners after the New York Yankees won four straight World Series. The major and minor leagues agree that players taken into the military will not count against roster limits.
1940: The sacrifice fly rule, reinstituted last year, is eliminated for the 1941 season. Though he would hit .400 without the rule change, Ted Williams will have six flies that score runners from third base in 1941.
1945: For the majors, returning servicemen are given increased protection for one year and the limiting of rosters to 25 players will be delayed until June 15th.
1948: The minors started 58 leagues and 438 clubs this year. All the leagues finished their schedules, but when the minor leagues ask for curbs on television broadcasts into their areas, the Major League clubs sidestep the issue.
1956: Similar to the National League, the Junior Circuit opts for a three-game playoff in case of a tie at the end of the regular season. Previously, a deadlock in the American League had been broken with one-game winner-take-all format. However, the new format will never need to be used until the leagues break into two divisions in 1969.
1967: In a Puerto Rican League game, San Juan beats Arecibo, 6 - 3 behind Pat Dobson. The Detroit rookie strikes out 21 Arecibo batters.
1968: The Detroit Tigers traded players to be named later to the Houston Astros for Eddie Mathews. The Detroit Tigers sent Leo Marentette (December 10, 1968) and Fred Gladding (November 22, 1967) to the Houston Astros to complete the trade.
1971: The Mets trade Nolan Ryan and three prospects to the California Angels for six-time All-Star shortstop Jim Fregosi. The fireballer from Texas will set the all-time strikeout record (5,714) and become a member of the Hall of Fame.
1972: The major leagues make modifications to the official save rule, a statistic officially adopted before the 1969 season. A pitcher shall be credited with a save if, when entering a game as a reliever, he finds the tying or winning run on base or at the plate, and he preserves the lead. Or he pitches three effective innings and preserves the lead.
The rule will be tweaked again, to take its lasting form, before the 1975 season.
1973: The Detroit Tigers traded Paul Jata to the Minnesota Twins for Jim Nettles.
1980: The Texas Rangers traded Kevin Saucier to the Detroit Tigers for Mark Wagner.
1991: The Detroit Tigers signed Dave Bergman as a free agent.
1992: The Detroit Tigers signed Tom Bolton as a free agent.
1996: The Tigers make their biggest trade since 1957, sending four players to Houston in exchange for five Astros. Detroit C Brad Ausmus, P Jose Lima, lefties C.J. Nitkowski and Trever Miller, and IF Daryle Ward go to the National League for OF Brian Hunter, IF Orlando Miller, and P Doug Brocail and Todd Jones, and a player to come later. Brocail, also involved in the 1994 12-player swap between San Diego and Houston, will be Detroit's Opening Day pitcher in April.
1998: After 24 years and 1,071 appearances, Dennis Eckersley, 44, who has pitched in more major league games than any other player, retires as an active player.
1998: The Boston Red Sox purchased Marino Santana from the Detroit Tigers.
2008: The Tampa Bay Rays traded Edwin Jackson to the Detroit Tigers for Matthew Joyce.
2009: The Detroit Tigers signed Macay McBride as a free agent.
2011: ESPN reveals that Ryan Braun, the reigning National League MVP, tested positive for PEDs during the postseason. Facing a 50-game suspension, Braun claims his innocence and announces he is appealing the test result.
2012: The Detroit Tigers signed Brayan Pena as a free agent.
2015: The Detroit Tigers traded a player to be named later and Javier Betancourt (minors) to the Milwaukee Brewers for Francisco Rodriguez. The Detroit Tigers sent Manny Pina (December 10, 2015) to the Milwaukee Brewers to complete the trade.
2017: The Veterans Committee of the Hall of Fame, looking at players from the "Modern Era" fropm 1970 to 1987, elects long-time Detroit Tigers teammates Jack Morris and Alan Trammell. They receive 14 and 13 of 16 votes respectively and will be inducted into Cooperstown in 2018 along with anyone elected via the BBWAA ballot.
2018: The Detroit Tigers signed Tyson Ross as a free agent.
2018: The San Francisco Giants selected Mike Gerber off waivers from the Detroit Tigers.
Tigers players birthdays:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/griggar01.shtml
Art Griggs 1918.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Bots_Nekola
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/nekolbo01.shtml
Bots Nekola 1933.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Floyd_Giebell
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/giebefl01.shtml
Floyd Giebell 1939-1941.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cookea01.shtml
Earl Cook 1941.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Leo_Cristante
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cristle01.shtml
Leo Cristante 1955.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Jack_Feller
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/felleja01.shtml
Jack Feller 1958.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesda03.shtml
Dalton Jones 1970-1972.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Pat_Ahearne
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/ahearpa01.shtml
Pat Ahearne 1995.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rojasme01.shtml
Mel Rojas 1999.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/polonlu01.shtml
Luis Polonia 1999-2000.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Christin_Stewart
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stewach02.shtml
Christin Stewart 2018-present.
Tigers players, coaches, and executives who passed away:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/covinte01.shtml
Tex Covington 1911-1912.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wheatch01.shtml
Charlie Wheatley 1912.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fischca01.shtml
Carl Fischer 1933-1935.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Don_Lund
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lunddo01.shtml
Don Lund 1949, 1952-1954, coach 1957-1958, farm director 1963, scouting director 1964, director player development 1965-1970.
Baseball Reference