March 8 in Tigers and mlb history:
1900: In New York, the National League meets, voting to shrink to eight teams. They pay the Baltimore owners $30,000 for their franchise, with Charles Ebbets and Ned Hanlon reserving the right to sell the players. Cleveland, Louisville, and Washington receive $10,000 each, with Louisville owner Barney Dreyfuss sending most of his players to his Pittsburgh Pirates team. The circuit will remain the same until the Boston Braves move to Milwaukee, WI in 1953.
1913: The Federal League is organized as a six-team outlaw circuit and elects John T. Powers president. It will play 120 games at a level equivalent to the lower minor leagues, but will enhance its status considerably in 1914 to challenge the major leagues.
1918: The New York Yankees purchased George Burns from the Detroit Tigers.
1930: Babe Ruth signs a two-year contract with the New York Yankees for $160,000. At $80,000 per year, he becomes the highest-paid player of all time.
1938: Lou Gehrig rejects the latest contract offer from the New York Yankees to a one-year deal worth $39,000. Four days later, Gehrig will agree to the same Yankees offer and end his spring training holdout.
1941: Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Hugh Mulcahy becomes the first major league player to be drafted into the Armed Forces. The newest member of the 101st Artillery at Cape Cod's Camp Edwards lost 22 games last season and 20 in 1938 to lead the National League in defeats both years.
1953: OF Jim Rice is born in Anderson, SC. He will gain fame as a slugger with the Boston Red Sox, starting with an outstanding rookie campaign in 1975, when he will finish second to teammate Fred Lynn for the Rookie of the Year Award. He will be the American League MVP in 1978 and retire in 1989 with 382 homers and 1451 RBI, having played his entire career with the Sox. Rice will be elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA in 2009, in his last year of eligibility.
1966: The Hall of Fame Special Veterans Committee waives one of its election rules and selects manager Casey Stengel as the newest member of the Hall. Stengel managed the New York Mets for much of the 1965 season before falling and breaking his hip. The injury ended the elderly Stengel's career. Given his age, the Veterans Committee decides to make him immediately eligible for Cooperstown.
1985: Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dave Stieb signs an unusual 11-year contract. The deal carries an estimated value of $25 million, based on deferred payments and incentives.
1999: Hall of Fame centerfielder Joe DiMaggio dies of a lung cancer at age 84. Born in Martinez, California, DiMaggio arrived in the major leagues at the age of 21. He batted .323 in his first season and helped the New York Yankees to the 1936 World Championship. His rookie performance served as an indicator of future success, both for him and the Yankees. During his 13-year career, DiMaggio participated in 10 World Series, with his team winning the Championship nine times. In 1941, DiMaggio achieved his most famous milestone when he compiled a major league record 56-game hitting streak.
2004: The Detroit Tigers released Tim Christman.
2018: The Detroit Tigers released Travis Wood.
2019: Major League Baseball announces that it has reached an agreement with the independent Atlantic League to have the circuit test out some potential rule changes this year, including larger bases, moving back the pitcher's mound by two feet, limiting defensive shifts and imposing a minimum numbers of batters faced a by a relief pitcher brought into the game. All balls and strikes will also be called by an automated system, and not the home plate umpire, except for a few specific exceptions.
Tigers players birthdays:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/o'marol01.shtml
Ollie O'Mara 1912.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/francra01.shtml
Ray Francis 1923.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Pete_Fox
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/foxpe01.shtml
Pete Fox 1933-1940.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Jim_Small
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/smallji01.shtml
Jim Small 1955-1957.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/statojo01.shtml
Joe Staton 1972-1973.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stoddbo01.shtml
Bob Stoddard 1985.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mcculla01.shtml
Lance McCullers 1990.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/salasma01.shtml
Mark Salas 1990-1991.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Justin_Thompson
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thompju02.shtml
Justin Thompson 1996-1999.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/encarju01.shtml
Juan Encarnacion 1997-2001.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lambech01.shtml
Chris Lambert 2008-2009.
Tigers players who passed away:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Ossie_Álvarez
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/alvaros01.shtml
Ossie Alvarez 1959.
Baseball Reference
