January 6 in Tigers and mlb history:
1914: The National Commission grants some demands of the Players' union: players are to be notified in writing of their transfer or release and to receive a copy of their contract; players with 10 years in the Major Leagues are eligible to become free agents; clubs will pay traveling expenses to spring training and furnish all uniforms.
1914: To help the players pick up the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand, baseball decrees all big league parks must have a center field wall that is green and blank. The safety measure will become known as the batter's eye.
1920: Future Hall of Fame pitcher Early Wynn is born in Hartford, AL. Wynn will make his major league debut in 1939 and will go on to win 300 games during a career with the Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.
1932: New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth puts on boxing gloves and gets into fighting shape for the upcoming season at Artie McGovern?s Gym in NYC.
1942: Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller reports to Norfolk, Virginia for duty in the United States Navy. Feller, who led the American League in victories in three previous seasons, will miss this season, as well as the 1943 and 1944 seasons before returning for nine games in 1945. Despite missing the time due to the World War II effort, Feller will lead the league in wins in 1946, 1947 and 1951, amassing 266 victories during an 18-year major league career.
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1956: A Federal Court bars former Little League Commissioner Carl Stotz from forming a rival group. Stotz initiated the suit because he felt the league had grown too big, and that increasing team rosters to 15 players was preventing less able players from getting any real playing time.
1958: Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants signs a contract worth $65,000. It's the largest deal ever signed by a member of the Giants.
1969: Umpires Al Salerno and Bill Valentine file a grievance against the American League and its president, Joe Cronin, over their dismissal last year. The grievance is filed by the new umpires union with the National Labor Relations Board.
1997: Former Atlanta Braves knuckleballer Phil Niekro is elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America, becoming the 227th member of the Hall. He receives 80.34% of the vote, as former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton falls nine votes short of election. Niekro is only the 87th player to be elected by the BBWAA.
1999: Nolan Ryan is the first passenger to board the Nolan Ryan Express, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737. Ryan autographs both sides of the aircraft's nose on two specially designed decals each featuring a baseball with airplane wings and a Southwest colored tail. In July, Ryan will again board the NLE to fly to the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York.
2000: Gene Budig resigns as American League president and is appointed a senior adviser to Commissioner Bud Selig. The American and National Leagues will be disbanded as legal entities later this month, with their functions consolidated in the commissioner's office.
2004: The Detroit Tigers signed Brent Abernathy as a free agent.
2004: The Detroit Tigers signed Brandon Harper as a free agent.
2005: The Detroit Tigers signed Andrew Good as a free agent.
2005: The Detroit Tigers signed Mike Rivera as a free agent.
2008: Roger Clemens files a defamation lawsuit against trainer Brian McNamee for statements McNamee made in the Mitchell Report. McNamee had said he injected Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs.
2010: Andre Dawson, "The Hawk", is elected to the Hall of Fame getting 77.9% of the votes cast by the BBWAA. P Bert Blyleven and 2B Roberto Alomar fall agonizingly short of election, missing the honor by 5 and 8 votes respectively. Dawson, the 1987 National League MVP, played 21 seasons in the majors, principally with the Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs, hitting .279 with 438 home runs, 1591 RBI and 314 stolen bases.
2015: The Detroit Tigers signed Tom Gorzelanny as a free agent.
2015: The BBWAA elects four players to the Hall of Fame, one of the largest classes ever. Three dominant pitchers all make it on their first try - Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz - while 2B Craig Biggio makes the grade on his third attempt.
2016: Ken Griffey, Jr. is elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA with the highest percentage of votes ever - 99.3%. Joining him in this year's class is Mike Piazza, who makes it on his fourth attempt. Griffey is the first #1 overall draft pick to make the Hall, while Piazza is the lowest pick (62nd round).
2023: The Dodgers decide to cut ties with P Trevor Bauer, who is currently serving a 194-game suspension for domestic violence. They are forced to make a decision after arbitrator Martin Scheinman reduced the length of the punishment from 324 games on December 22nd, forcing the club to either place him back on the 40-man roster or have him designated for assignment. Bowing to pressure from various groups who do not want to see the club associated with Bauer given the revelations that came out of the investigation into his case - even if authorities declined to press criminal charges - they choose the second option. They now have seven days to either trade him or grant him his unconditional release. In the latter case, the move will cost the Dodgers $22.5 million still owed on the three-year contract Bauer signed before the 2021 season.
Tigers players and coaches birthdays:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Joe_Lake
Joe Lake Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com
Joe Lake 1912-1913.
Billy Purtell Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com
Billy Purtell 1914.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Ralph_Branca
Ralph Branca Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com
Ralph Branca 1953-1954.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Tom_Ferrick
Tom Ferrick coach, 1960-1963.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Lenny_Green
Lenny Green Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com
Lenny Green 1967-1968.
Bob Adams Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com
Bob Adams 1977.
Casey Fossum Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com
Casey Fossum 2008.
Tigers players who passed away:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Charley_O'Leary
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/o'leach01.shtml
Charlie O'Leary 1904-1912.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Dick_Donovan
Dick Donovan Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com
Dick Donovan 1954.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Lenny_Green
Lenny Green Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com
Lenny Green 1967-1968.
Bill Campbell Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com
Bill Campbell 1986.
Baseball Reference
