January 18 in Tigers and mlb history:
1896: Long before Marvin Miller and Curt Flood attacked the reserve clause, John Montgomery Ward, who has not played or managed for the last two seasons, objects to being reserved by the New York Giants. At the National League meeting in February, his appeal is upheld, and Ward becomes a free agent.
1934: Future Hall of Fame member Dizzy Dean predicts that he and his brother Paul will lead the St. Louis Cardinals to the National League pennant. Dean will prove to be a man of his word, as the starting pitcher brothers will combine for 49 victories in helping the Cardinals reach - and win - the 1934 World Series.
1938: Pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander is elected to the Hall of Fame, as the only player to get the required 75 percent of the Baseball Writers Association of America votes. In a 20-season major league career, Alexander posted a 373-208 record with 2198 strikeouts and a 2.56 ERA, including 30 or more wins in three seasons.
1947: The Detroit Tigers sell All-Star first baseman Hank Greenberg to the Pittsburgh Pirates for $75,000.
Walter Briggs makes the move after the publication of an old photo of Greenberg wearing a New York Yankees jersey for a wartime charity game.
In 1946, Greenberg led the American League with 44 home runs and 127 RBI, but will slump to 25 home runs and 74 RBI with the Pirates and will retire after the season.
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1950: Ace pitcher Bob Feller tells the Cleveland Indians that he should receive a cut in pay after a subpar 15-14 season in 1949. The Indians agree to the suggestion, cutting the future Hall of Famer's pay by $20,000. Feller will receive a salary of $45,000 this year.
1969: The last-place Washington Senators name former Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams as their new manager. Williams signs a five-year contract worth a reported salary of $75,000 per season. Under his leadership, the Senators will finish with a record of 86-76, the best mark in the franchise's history in Washington.
1973: The Boston Red Sox sign veteran slugger Orlando Cepeda to be their first designated hitter. The Red Sox become the first team to sign a player specifically for the role of DH, a new rule that will go into effect this season.
1994: Major league owners approve a new revenue-sharing plan keyed to a salary cap, which requires the players' approval. They will reject it, causing a strike.
2001: US President George W. Bush, in an interview with the Associated Press, says he is worried about baseball's labor contract, which expires on October 31st. Bush, once managing partner of the Texas Rangers, left the job to run for governor of Texas in 1994. He suggests, "Get rid of arbitration if possible and have, maybe, free agency occur at an earlier time, and if there's three shortstops and two bidders the price goes down, and vice versa, it goes up".
2001: The Detroit Tigers signed Heath Murray as a free agent.
2010: The Detroit Tigers signed Ruddy Lugo as a free agent.
2011: The Detroit Tigers signed William Bergolla as a free agent.
2011: The Detroit Tigers signed Brad Penny as a free agent.
2015: Reports circulate that the prime free agent of this off-season, P Max Scherzer, has agreed on a seven-year deal with the Washington Nationals. Terms of the deal released the next day indicate it is worth $210 million.
2016: The Tigers sign one of the last remaining marquee free agents on the market, inking OF Justin Upton to a six-year deal worth $132.75 million.
2017: The Baseball Writers Association of America elects three players to the Hall of Fame: former Houston Astros 1B Jeff Bagwell receives 86.2% of the vote to make it on his seventh try, while lead-off man Tim Raines is just behind him with 86% in his 10th and final year of eligibility. C Ivan Rodriguez also makes it, on his first attempt, clearing the 75% threshold by four votes.
2017: The Tampa Bay Rays traded Mikie Mahtook to the Detroit Tigers for a player to be named later. The Detroit Tigers sent Drew Smith (minors) (April 28, 2017) to the Tampa Bay Rays to complete the trade.
2018: Ignoring resistance from the Players Association, Commissioner Rob Manfred unilaterally announces two measures to speed up the pace of play: the introduction of a 20-second pitch clock with no runners on base, and a change to the definition of mound visits to include those made by the catcher or by an infielder.
Previously, only visits by a manager or coach would count, with the second resulting in the automatic replacement of the pitcher by a reliever. The players' reluctance is seen as a reaction to the slow free agent market this off-season that has resulted in a number of top-notch players still being unsigned a month before the opening of spring training.
On February 19th, the Commissioner will come to an agreement with the MLBPA not to introduce the clock, but to go ahead with other measures to speed up the pace of play.
Tigers players birthdays:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/clarkda04.shtml
Danny Clark 1922.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/richano01.shtml
Nolen Richardson 1929, 1931-1932.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cottich01.shtml
Chuck Cottier 1961.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lanema01.shtml
Marvin Lane 1971-1974, 1976.
Baseball Reference
