March 3 in Tigers and mlb history:
1860: John Montgomery Ward is born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. During his illustrious career in the majors, Ward will hit for a .371 batting average twice, will win 40-plus games as a pitcher twice, including the second perfect game in baseball history, will be the captain and manager of the first and original New York Giants, and will be one of the prime movers in the constitution of the Brotherhood and of the Players League. Ward will gain election to the Hall of Fame in 1964.
1872: "Wee" Willie Keeler is born in Brooklyn, New York. A remarkable hitter, Keeler will hit over .300 16 times in 19 seasons, hit over .400 once, and will finish with a .341 batting average over his career, currently 14th on the all-time list. Keeler will be selected to the Hall of Fame in 1939 with 75.55% of the vote.
1953: The Boston Braves, owners of the Milwaukee minor league franchise, block the St. Louis Browns' attempt to shift their franchise to Milwaukee. Lou Perini, the Braves' owner, invokes his territorial privilege, stating he has not been offered enough for the rights. By the time the season starts, it is the Braves who will have made Milwaukee their new home.
1956: In an effort to keep the Giants in New York, Manhattan Borough President Hulan Jack makes plans for a new 110,000-seat stadium over the New York Central railroad tracks, on a 470,000-foot site stretching from 60th to 72nd streets on Manhattan's West Side. The estimated cost of $75 million for the stadium eventually dooms the project and will be a major factor in Horace Stoneham's decision to move to San Francisco.
1959: The Cleveland Indians send OF Larry Doby to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for OF Tito Francona. Francona will hit .363 for the Indians, while Doby will be released after playing just 16 games for Detroit.
1983: Steve Carlton agrees to a four-year, $4.15 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies that will make him the highest-paid pitcher in major league history.
1984: Peter Ueberroth, the highly successful chairman of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the upcoming Summer Games, is elected to a five-year term as Commissioner of Baseball. Ueberroth will take office on October 1, succeeding Bowie Kuhn.
1987: Ray Dandridge, a legendary third baseman from the Negro Leagues, is the only player elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.
1988: Los Angeles Dodgers star Kirk Gibson walks out of training camp after teammate Jesse Orosco plays a practical joke by placing "eyeblack" in his cap. The incident illustrates Gibson's intensity and no-nonsense approach to the game. Gibson, who returns to camp the next day, will be the National League MVP and help the Dodgers win the World Series this season.
1998: Larry Doby, the first black to play in the American League, is elected to the Hall of Fame along with former AL President Lee MacPhail. Also chosen by the Veterans Committee are Negro League pitcher Bullet Joe Rogan and turn-of-the-century shortstop Gorgeous George Davis.
1998: The Detroit Tigers released Robert Ellis.
2016: The first spring training injury hits the Tigers. Detroit OF Cameron Maybin is diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist one day after being hit by a pitch in his team's first exhibition game and will miss at least a month.
Tigers players, coaches, and scouts birthdays:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Steve_Souchock
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/souchst01.shtml
Steve Souchock 1951-1955, scout 1988-1995.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/carych01.shtml
Chuck Cary 1985-1986.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/barnesk01.shtml
Skeeter Barnes 1991-1994.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/A.J._Sager
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sagera.01.shtml
A.J. Sager 1996-1998, minor leagues coach 2002-2018, pitching coach 2018.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/treanma01.shtml
Matt Treanor 2009.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Brent_Dlugach
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dlugabr01.shtml
Brent Dlugach 2009.
Tigers players and coaches who passed away.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/davisha02.shtml
Harry Davis 1932-1933.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Stubby_Overmire
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/overmst01.shtml
Stubby Overmire 1943-1949, coach 1963-1966, Tigers' minor league manager 1954-1955, 1957-1960, 1962-1963, 1967, 1970-1975, scout 1976.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Jerry_Priddy
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/priddje01.shtml
Jerry Priddy 1950-1953.
Baseball Reference
