December 4 in Tigers and mlb history:
1914: Walter Johnson accepts a $6,000 bonus from the Federal League's Chicago Whales and signs a three-year contract for $17,500 per year. Clark Griffith threatens to take Johnson to court, claiming he has paid Johnson for the reserve option in his contract. American League President Ban Johnson asserts that Johnson was on the market and is "damaged goods," worth getting rid of. Griffith travels to Coffeyville, KS, to persuade his franchise player that the option clause is legal and binding. Two weeks later Griffith signs Johnson for three years at $12,500 per year and returns the bonus to the Feds.
1927: Pirates OF Paul Waner noses out Frank Frisch for National League MVP honors with 72 points to 66. Rogers Hornsby, Cubs P Charlie Root, and Giants SS Travis Jackson also score high.
1941: The Detroit Tigers traded players to be named later to the New York Yankees for Billy Hitchcock. The Detroit Tigers sent Tuck Stainback (December 4, 1941) and Boyd Perry (December 4, 1941) to the New York Yankees to complete the trade.
1943: After one disappointing season in Washington, the Senators sell veteran slugger Indian Bob Johnson to the Red Sox. Clark Griffith will later call it the worst trade he ever made. Johnson will have two solid years in Fenway before retiring.
1948: The Detroit Tigers released Al Benton.
1950: The Washington Senators drafted Alton Brown from the Detroit Tigers in the 1950 minor league draft.
1952 - Detroit trades P Virgil Trucks, who tossed two no-hitters during the year, along with P Hal White and OF Johnny Groth, to the Browns in exchange for 2B Owen Friend, OF Bob Nieman, and OF/C J.W. Porter.
1957: The major league owners raise the minimum salary to $7,000 and eliminate the bonus rule.
1957: The White Sox send fan favorite Minnie Minoso and infielder Fred Hatfield to the Indians for P Early Wynn and OF Al Smith. Wynn, coming off his first losing season, will rebound with the White Sox, topping the American League in wins and innings next season. The trade is the first for the new Indians' general manager, Frank Lane.
1963: Trade # 1 that stabbed this Tigers fan in the heart. (Number 2 is Verlander).
The Tigers trade pitcher Jim Bunning to the Phillies for catcher Gus Triandos, pitcher Jack Hamilton and outfielder Don Demeter. Bunning will go on and win 19 games four times and over another 100 games in the NL with over 1000 strikeouts becoming just the second pitcher in MLB history to accomplish the feat, along with Cy Young.
Bunning pitches a Perfect Game vs. the New York Mets on Fathers Day of the 1964 season. Bunning will also gain entry into the Hall of Fame.
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1964: The Dodgers trade OF Frank Howard, P Phil Ortega, P Pete Richert, and 3B Ken McMullen to the Senators for P Claude Osteen, IF John Kennedy, and cash.
1964: The major leagues restore to the commissioner's office all powers rescinded after Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis's death in 1944. Principally, they waive their right to take legal action in the event of disagreements with the commissioner and grant him authority to judge whether actions taken by the owners in concert are, automatically "in the best interests of baseball." Voting for the annual All-Star teams is turned back to the fans.
1964: The owners decide to use a free agent draft beginning next month. The inverse order of the previous year's standings will be used to select players every four months. This will eventually be scaled back to a twice yearly and then to an annual event.
1968: The Detroit Tigers traded Jack DiLauro to the New York Mets for Hector Valle.
1969: The Detroit Tigers traded Dave Campbell and Pat Dobson to the San Diego Padres for Joe Niekro.
1974: The Montreal Expos traded Terry Humphrey and Tom Walker to the Detroit Tigers for Woodie Fryman.
1974: In a dismal trade for Montreal, the Expos sed OF Ken Singleton and P Mike Torrez to the Orioles for P Dave McNally, OF Rich Coggins, and minor league pitcher Bill Kirkpatrick. McNally and Coggins will be gone before the end of June, while Kirkpatrick will never reach the majors; meanwhile, Torrez and Singleton will both be top-notch players for another decade.
1976: Aurelio Rodriguez becomes the first American League 3B since 1959 to beat out Brooks Robinson for the Gold Glove Award.
1978: The Detroit Tigers drafted Lynn Jones from the Cincinnati Reds in the 1978 rule 5 draft.
1978: The Detroit Tigers drafted Dave Machemer from the California Angels in the 1978 rule 5 draft.
1978: The Detroit Tigers released Chuck Scrivener.
1979: Detroit trades Rusty Staub back to the Expos, where he was the most popular player in franchise history during his first stint with the team.
1984: The Detroit Tigers signed Marv Foley as a free agent.
1988: The Detroit Tigers signed Larry See as a free agent.
1989: The Detroit Tigers drafted Johnny Paredes from the Montreal Expos in the 1989 rule 5 draft.
1989: The Detroit Tigers drafted Steve Wapnick from the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1989 rule 5 draft.
1990: The Tigers signs free agent pitcher Bill Gullickson, who will win 20 games for them in 1991.
1995: The Detroit Tigers drafted Greg Keagle from the Seattle Mariners in the 1995 rule 5 draft.
1995: The Detroit Tigers drafted Jon Ratliff from the Chicago Cubs in the 1995 rule 5 draft.
1998: The Detroit Tigers traded Joe Randa to the New York Mets for Willie Blair.
1998: The Detroit Tigers selected Bryan Corey off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
2007: The Florida Marlins and the Detroit Tigers pull of a blockbuster deal.
Florida sends 3B Miguel Cabrera (an All-Star in four of his five seasons) and 2-time All-Star P Dontrelle Willis for prospects Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller and Dallas Trahern. The Marlins also get Mike Rabelo, Eulogio De La Cruz and Burke Badenhop in the deal. Maybin and Miller had been Detroit's first-round picks in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
Over the last 12 years (through 2019), Miggy has been an All Star seven times, won five Silver Slugger Awards, was voted A.L. MVP twice and won a Triple Crown.
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2007: The Colorado Rockies traded Denny Bautista to the Detroit Tigers for Jose Capellan.
2009: The Detroit Tigers signed Enrique Gonzalez as a free agent.
2010: The Yankees and SS Derek Jeter agree on a three-year deal worth $51 million, with an option for a fourth year.
2012: The Detroit Tigers signed Trevor Bell as a free agent.
2013: The Detroit Tigers signed Joe Nathan as a free agent.
2016: The Veterans Committee elects two executives, former Commissioner Bud Selig and GM John Schuerholz from the "Today's Game" ballot featuring players and executives active after 1988.
Schuerholz is a unanimous choice, while Selig receives 15 of 16 votes. Both will be formally inducted in July, 2017.
2018: The Detroit Tigers signed Matt Moore as a free agent.
Tigers players birthdays:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/conkwal01.shtml
Allen Conkwright 1920.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Harvey_Kuenn
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kuennha01.shtml
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/a79cd3a2
Harvey Kuenn 1952-1959.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Bárbaro_Garbey
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/garbeba01.shtml
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/a7b39deb
Barbaro Garbey 1984-1985.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Pat_Sheridan
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sheripa01.shtml
Pat Sheridan 1986-1989.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Ángel_Nesbitt
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/nesbian01.shtml
Angel Nesbitt 2015.
Tigers players who passed away:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Jack_Smith_(smithja02)
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/smithja02.shtml
Jack Smith 1912.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/y/ydeem01.shtml
Emil Yde 1929.
Baseball Reference
Lou about to throw a rifle shot to first with Tram looking on at Lakeland.
