February 20 in Tigers and mlb history:
1890: Sam Rice is born in Morocco, Indiana. A quick outfielder with a great arm, Rice will lead the American League in hits twice, in stolen bases once, and collect at least 200 hits on six occasions, while finishing in the top ten in batting average eight times. Rice retires 13 hits shy of the 3,000 hit club. Rice will gain election to the Hall of Fame in 1963.
1920: The Chicago Cubs give his unconditional release to Lee Magee after having learned from him a week ago that he has been betting against his team. Magee will sue the Cubs for his salary of $4,500, charging that his livelihood as a ballplayer was destroyed through the sudden canceling of his contract. The Cubs will ask for a dismissal of the suit, saying that "previous to the making of the contract the plaintiff was guilty of betting against the team of which he was a member, and sought to win bets by intentional bad playing to defeat said team."
1923: Future Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson becomes president and owner of the Boston Braves. Mathewson purchases the team for $300,000 with New York attorney Judge Emil Fuchs and Bostonian James McDonough. The deal does not include Braves Field, which still belongs to James Gaffney. There are also 85 minority stockholders.
1929: The Boston Red Sox announce they will play Sunday games (allowed for the first time in Boston) at Braves Field, because Fenway Park is located too close to a church.
1943: Chicago Cubs owner Philip Wrigley and Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey draw up charter for the "All-American Girls Softball League", which will eventually become the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The league, originally conceived in the belief that the major leagues would suspend play because of World War II, will operate from 1943 to 1954 around the Chicago area. When the league changes its name and switches to hardball, the pitching distance is 40 feet and bases 68 feet apart. After struggling through poor attendance in its early seasons, the league will draw over one million fans in 1948.
1953: The U.S. Court of Appeals rules that organized baseball is a sport and not a business, affirming the 25-year-old Supreme Court ruling. This effectively dismisses the antitrust suits of Jack Corbett and former Brooklyn Dodgers minor leaguer Walter Kowalski. The $300,000 suit of Corbett, the owner of the El Paso Texans, is based on his belief that he lost money when Major League Baseball prohibited him from signing several players suspended for participation in the Mexican League. Kowalski's $150,000 suit is based on the general principles of the antitrust and restraint-of-trade laws. Their lawyer in these cases is Frederic Johnson, who also represents player Danny Gardella in his suit against Major League Baseball.
1958: The Los Angeles Coliseum Commission approves a two-year pact for use of its facility by the Dodgers.
1963: After leading the San Francisco Giants to the pennant the previous season, Willie Mays becomes the highest-paid player in baseball, signing a $100,000 contract.
1966: The American League officially announces the hiring of Emmett Ashford, who will become the first black umpire in major league history.
1971: Former slugger Ted Kluszewski hits a 500-foot three-run single to lead the National League team to a 5 - 3 victory in the annual March of Dimes Old Timers Game.
1979: The Detroit Tigers signed Fred Holdsworth as a free agent.
1988: The Detroit Tigers signed Luis Salazar as a free agent.
1990: The Detroit Tigers signed Felipe Lira as an amateur free agent.
2001: Longtime baseball figure Bill Rigney dies at the age of 83 after a long bout with cancer. After an eight-year playing career in the major leagues, Rigney went on to manage the New York and San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels, and Minnesota Twins. Rigney also worked as a scout, executive, and broadcaster in a career that began in 1938.
2002: The Detroit Tigers signed Bill Simas as a free agent.
2010: Free agent OF Johnny Damon reportedly signs a one-year $8 million contract with the Detroit Tigers.
2015: Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announces a series of measures to quicken the pace of the game. Chief among them are that a batter will need to keep at least one foot in the batter's box at all times during an at-bat, and that the intermission between half innings will be strictly timed. Pitchers will be required to complete their warm-up pitches before there are only 30 seconds left before resumption of play, or risk forfeiting any unmade pitches. More dramatic changes, such as adding a pitch clock, are not introduced at this time. Violation of the new guidelines will result in fines, and not in game-related penalties.
2017: The Detroit Tigers signed Daniel Muno as a free agent.
2017: The Detroit Tigers signed Matt Murton as a free agent.
Tigers players, coaches, and executives birthdays:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/suthesu01.shtml
Suds Sutherland 1921.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Muddy_Ruel
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ruelmu01.shtml
Muddy Ruel 1931-1932, general manager 1954-1956.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Tommy_Henrich
Tommy Henrich coach 1958-1959.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Roy_Face
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/facero01.shtml
Elroy Face 1968.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Bill_Gullickson
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gullibi01.shtml
Bill Gullickson 1991-1994.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/knudsku01.shtml
Kurt Knudsen 1992-1994.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Justin_Verlander
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/verlaju01.shtml
Justin Verlander 2005-2017.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Buck_Farmer
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/farmebu01.shtml
Buck Farmer 2014-present.
Tigers players and executives who passed away:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/highed01.shtml
Ed High 1901.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/johnssy01.shtml
Syl Johnson 1922-1925.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/John_Fetzer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fetzer
John Fetzer Tigers owner 1958-1983.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wiseca01.shtml
Casey Wise 1960.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/chrisbo01.shtml
Bob Christian 1968.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/collike01.shtml
Kevin Collins 1970-1971.
from Baseball Reference
