Today in Baseball History
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Historical Events
Results 1 - 100 of 578
1839-06-12 - 1st baseball game played in America
1845-09-23 - 1st baseball team, NY Knickerbockers organize, adopt rule code
1845-09-24 - 1st baseball team is organized
1846-06-19 - 1st baseball game (Cartwright Rules)-NY Nines 23, Knickerbockers 1
1848-09-18 - Baseball rules 1st baseman can tag base for out instead of runner
1851-06-03 - 1st baseball uniforms worn, NY Knickerbockers wear straw hat, white shirt & blue long trousers
1857-01-22 - National Association of Baseball Players founded, NY
1857-03-07 - Baseball decides 9 innings constitutes an official game, not 9 runs
1858-07-20 - Fee 1st charged to see a baseball game (50 cents) (NY beats Bkln 22-18)
1859-05-31 - Phila A's organize to play "town ball" became baseball 20 years later
1859-07-01 - 1st intercollegiate baseball game, Amherst beats Williams 66-32
1860-02-22 - Organized baseball played in SF for 1st time
1862-05-15 - Union Grounds, Brooklyn, 1st baseball enclosure, opens
1862-10-14 - Baseballer James Creighton ruptures bladder hitting HR, dies 10/18
1862-12-25 - 40,000 watch Union army men play baseball at Hilton Head, SC
1866-07-23 - Cincinnati Baseball club (Red Stockings) forms
1868-11-26 - 1st baseball game played in enclosed field in SF, at 25th & Folsom
1869-03-15 - Cincinnati Red Stockings become the 1st pro baseball team
1869-04-17 - 1st pro baseball games-Cin Reds 24, Cin amateurs 15
1869-05-16 - Cincinnati Reds play their 1st baseball game, win 41-7
1870-11-27 - NY Times dubs baseball "The National Game"
1871-05-04 - 1st baseball league game (National Association of Baseball Players), (Ft Wayne 2, Cleveland 0) Deacon Jim White gets 1st hit, a double
1871-10-30 - Phila Athletics beat Chicago for 1st Natl Assn baseball pennant
1874-02-27 - Baseball 1st played in England, at Lord's Cricket Grounds
1874-03-02 - Baseball batter's box is officially adopted
1874-07-30 - 1st baseball teams to play outside US, Boston-Phila in British Isles
1875-05-12 - 1st recorded shutout in pro baseball, Chicago 1, St Louis 0
1876-02-02 - Baseball's National League forms with teams in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia, St Louis
1876-02-03 - Albert Spalding with $800 starts sporting goods co, manufacturing 1st official baseball, tennis ball, basketball, golf ball, & football
1876-04-01 - 1st official NL baseball game (Boston-6, Phila-5)
1876-04-22 - Phila Nationals Wes Fisler scores baseball's 1st run
1876-07-15 - Baseball's 1st no-hitter, St Louis' George W Bradley no-hits Hartford
1877-02-20 - International Association (minor baseball league) organizes
1877-04-12 - Catcher's mask 1st used in a baseball game
1878-05-08 - 1st unassisted triple play in organized baseball, by Paul Hines
1879-01-02 - Northwestern League (minor baseball league) organized, Rockford, Ill
1879-10-01 - Cincinnati Enquirer publishes 1st report on baseball reserve clause
1880-06-12 - 1st baseball perfect game-John Richmond of Worcester beats Cleve
1882-09-25 - 1st baseball doubleheader (Providence & Worcester)
1883-05-01 - Baseball returns to Phila, 1st NL game since 1876
1883-05-23 - Baseball game between one-armed & one-legged players
1883-06-02 - 1st night baseball under lights, Ft Wayne Indiana
1883-06-16 - 1st baseball "Ladies' Day" (NY Gothams beat Cleve Spiders 5-2)
1884-10-22 - Sporting Life announces that both pennant winners will meet in 3 game series Oct 23-25 at Polo Grounds NYC to determine baseball champion
1885-10-17 - Baseball sets all players salaries at $1,000-$2,000 for 1885 season
1885-10-22 - John Ward & several teammates secretly form Brotherhood of Prof Base Ball Players, 1st baseball union
1887-02-20 - 1st minor league baseball association organizes (Pittsburgh)
1888-10-20 - Chicago & All America baseball teams play exhibition in Auckland, NZ
1888-12-25 - 1st indoor baseball game played at fairgrounds in Philadelphia
1889-06-22 - Louisville Colonels set ML baseball record with 26th consecutive loss
1889-10-24 - Softball rules adopted by Mid Winter Indoor Baseball League
1889-11-04 - Players League begins, declaring independence from baseball's NL
1890-08-06 - Denton True "Cy" Young pitched his 1st major league baseball game
1890-09-01 - 1st baseball tripleheader-Boston vs Pittsburgh
1890-09-29 - 1st pro baseball game, NY Metropolitans beat Washington Nationals 4-2 in 5 innings at Polo Grounds in NYC
1892-04-17 - 1st Sunday NL baseball game, Reds beat Cards 5-1
1892-04-29 - Charlie Reilly is baseball's 1st pinch hitter
1892-06-07 - John J Doyle of Clev Spiders is 1st to pinch hit in a baseball game
1894-05-16 - Fire in Boston destroys baseball stadium & 170 other buildings
1894-05-30 - Bobby Lowe is 1st to hit 4 HRs in 1 baseball game
1897-06-29 - Chicago beats Louisville 36-7 (baseball)
1900-07-08 - 1st night baseball, league game (Zanesville at Grand Rapids)
1900-11-13 - Baltimore Orioles (now NY Yankees) enter baseball's American League
1901-01-24 - 1st games played in baseball's American League
1901-04-25 - In last of 9th, Detroit Tigers, trailing by 13-4, score 10 runs to win one of greatest comebacks in baseball (1st game in Detroit)
1901-09-05 - National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues forms
1901-09-19 - 11 baseball games canceled due to funeral of Pres William McKinley
1902-06-15 - Minor League's most lopsided baseball game: Corsicana 51; Texarkana 3 Justin Clark of Corsicana, Tx minors hits 8 home runs in 1 game
1902-11-21 - Baseball's Phila Athletics & Phillies form pro football teams, joining Pitts Stars in 1st attempt at a National Football League
1903-01-09 - 2 NYers buy Baltimore baseball franchise for $18,000 & moved it to NY
1903-01-09 - Baseball's National & American Leagues make peace
1903-09-24 - Bill Bradley becomes 1st Cleveland baseball player (Cleveland Naps) to hit for cycle
1903-10-01 - 1st baseball World Series, Pitts Pirates vs Boston Pilgrims (Red Sox)
1904-09-09 - Boston Herald again refers to NY baseball club as Yankees, when it reports "Yankees take 2," Yankee name not official till 1913
1905-01-16 - Baseball outfielder Frank Huelsman traded for 6th time in 8 months
1905-05-17 - Waseda U of Tokyo defeats LA High School 5-3 in baseball
1907-12-30 - Abraham Mills' commission declares Abner Doubleday invented baseball
1908-04-02 - Mills Committee declares baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday
1908-08-24 - NY Giants scores shown on electric diamonds known as "Compton's Baseball Bulletin" at MSG
1908-10-10 - Baseball Writers Association, formed
1908-10-14 - Baseball Writers Association of America, forms
1908-11-22 - 1st US-Japanese baseball game Reach All-Americans defeat Waseda U, 5-0
1909-03-31 - Baseball rules players who jump contracts are suspended for 5 years
1909-06-16 - Jim Thorpe makes his pro baseball pitching debut for Rocky Mount (ECL) with 4-2 win, this will cause him to forfeit his Olympic medals
1909-07-08 - 1st pro baseball game (minor league) played under lights
1909-07-30 - John A Heyder becomes president of baseball's National League
1909-08-31 - A J Reach Co patents cork-centered baseball
1909-09-18 - Largest paid baseball attendance (35,409), A's beat Tigers, 2-0 in Det
1909-12-15 - Thomas J Lynch becomes president of baseball's National League
1910-04-15 - Taft is 1st pres to throw out a 1st ball at a baseball game
1910-08-27 - Using 20, 137,000 candlepower arc lights, 2 amateur baseball teams play a night game at White Sox Park
1910-10-20 - 1st appearance of cork centered baseball in World Series
1911-04-04 - Hugh Chalmers, automaker, suggests idea of baseball MVP
1911-10-14 - Largest baseball crowd ever 38,281 (Polo Grounds) see Giants beat A's, 2-1 (gate is record $77,379)
1912-03-15 - Pitcher Cy Young retires from baseball with 511 wins
1912-04-09 - 1st exhibition baseball game at Fenway Park (Red Sox vs Harvard)
1912-05-19 - AL Pres Ban Johnson tells Tigers if they continue protest of Ty Cobb's suspension, they will be banned from baseball
1913-12-09 - John K Tener becomes president of baseball's National League
1914-02-01 - NY Giants & Chic White Sox play an exhibition baseball game in Egypt
1914-07-12 - Babe Ruth makes his baseball debut, pitches for Red Sox
Famous Birthdays
Results 1 - 100 of 1,625
1819-01-26 - Abner Doubleday, Union general-major/inventor (baseball) [or Jun 26]
1819-06-26 - Abner Doubleday, Mjr Gen (Union)/inventor (baseball) [or 1/26]
1824-10-06 - Henry Chadwick, baseball pioneer, developed 1st rule book
1837-12-26 - Morgan Bulkeley, American politician and baseball commissioner (d. 1922)
1842-10-14 - Joe Start, American baseball player (d. 1927)
1845-05-25 - Lip Pike, American baseball player (d. 1883)
1850-05-08 - Ross Barnes, baseball player (d. 1915)
1850-09-02 - Albert Spaulding, baseball player/founded Spaulding sports company
1852-04-11 - Cap Anson, American baseball player (d. 1922)
1852-08-24 - Deacon White, American baseball player (d. 1919)
1853-05-08 - Dan Brouthers, baseball player (d. 1932)
1856-11-03 - Jim McCormick, baseball player (d. 1918)
1857-05-03 - George Gore, American baseball player (d. 1933)
1857-08-22 - Ned Hanlon, American baseball player and manager (d. 1937)
1857-10-24 - Ned Williamson, American baseball player (d. 1894)
1857-12-31 - King Kelly, American baseball player (d. 1894)
1859-01-30 - Tony Mullane, Irish-born American baseball player (d. 1944)
1860-01-12 - Henry Larkin, American baseball player (d. 1942)
1860-03-03 - John Montgomery Ward, American baseball player (d. 1925)
1860-12-15 - Abner Powell, American baseball player (d. 1953)
1861-06-17 - Pete Browning, American baseball player (d. 1905)
1862-05-23 - William "Dummy" Hoy, professional baseball player who lived to 99
1862-12-22 - Connie Mack, HOF baseball executive/manager (Phila A's 1900-1950)
1864-01-05 - Bob Caruthers, American baseball player (d. 1911)
1864-01-06 - Ban Johnson, Norwalk Ct, baseball founder (American League)
1865-02-23 - Barney Dreyfuss, baseball owner (Pitts Pirates)
1865-03-16 - Patsy Donovan, Irish-American baseball player (d. 1953)
1866-02-16 - William "Sliding Billy" Hamilton, NJ, hall of fame baseball player
1866-03-22 - Jack Boyle, American baseball player (d. 1913)
1866-11-20 - Kenesaw Mountain Landis, judge/1st commissioner of baseball
1867-03-29 - Cy Young, American baseball player (d. 1955)
1867-08-04 - Jake Beckley, American baseball player (d. 1918)
1867-08-14 - Cupid Childs, American baseball player (d. 1912)
1868-05-10 - Ed Barrow, American baseball manager (d. 1953)
1868-12-04 - Jesse Burkett, American baseball player (d. 1953)
1869-01-04 - Tommy Corcoran, American baseball player (d. 1960)
1869-06-02 - Jack O'Connor, baseball player (d. 1937)
1869-09-14 - Kid Nichols, American baseball player (d. 1953)
1869-11-20 - Clark Griffith, Mo, baseball player/manager (NY Yankees)
1870-12-31 - Thomas Connolly, baseball's major league umpire for 50 years
1871-03-19 - Joseph McGinnity, Rock Island Ill, baseball pitcher (NY Giants)
1871-10-30 - Buck Freeman, American baseball player (d. 1949)
1871-12-09 - Joe Kelley, American baseball player (d. 1943)
1872-02-03 - Lou Criger, American baseball player (d. 1934)
1873-01-10 - Jack O'Neill, Irish-born baseball player (d. 1935)
1873-04-07 - John McGraw, American baseball player and manager (d. 1934)
1874-02-22 - Bill Klem, American baseball umpire (d. 1951)
1874-06-05 - Jack Chesbro, baseball pitcher (NY Yankees - won 41 in 1904)
1874-09-05 - Nap Lajoie, American baseball player (d. 1959)
1874-10-12 - Jimmy Burke, American baseball player (d. 1942)
1875-12-04 - Joe Corbett, American baseball player (d. 1945)
1876-01-11 - Elmer Flick, American baseball player (d. 1971)
1876-02-13 - Fritz Buelow, German-born American baseball player (d. 1933)
1876-10-13 - Rube Waddell, American baseball player (d. 1914)
1877-09-07 - Mike O'Neill, Irish baseball player (d. 1959)
1877-09-09 - Frank Chance, baseball player/manager, Tinkers to Evers to Chance
1877-10-28 - Joe Adams, American baseball player (d. 1952)
1878-05-14 - James L. Wilkinson, American baseball executive (d. 1964)
1878-05-30 - Mike Donlin, American baseball player (d. 1933)
1879-03-27 - Miller Huggins, American baseball player and manager (d. 1929)
1879-06-11 - Roger Bresnahan, baseball player (d. 1944)
1879-09-17 - Rube Foster, American baseball player, manager and executive (d. 1930)
1880-02-16 - Frank Burke, American baseball player (d. 1946)
1880-04-18 - Sam Crawford, baseball player (d. 1968)
1880-07-27 - Joseph Tinker, baseball Hall of Famer, 1/3 of fame double play combo
1880-08-12 - Christy Mathewson, HOF baseball pitcher (Won 37 in 1908)
1880-11-20 - George McBride, baseball player (d. 1973)
1880-12-31 - Fred Beebe, American baseball player (d. 1957)
1881-05-11 - Al Cabrera, Spanish-born Cuban baseball player (d. 1964)
1881-05-14 - Ed Walsh, American baseball player (d. 1959)
1881-06-29 - Harry Frazee, American baseball team owner (d. 1929)
1881-07-18 - Larry McLean, baseball player (d. 1921)
1881-12-20 - Branch Rickey, baseball executive (Dodgers)
1881-12-25 - Joseph V McCarthy, baseball manager (NY Yankees)
1882-05-18 - Babe Adams, American baseball player (d. 1968)
1882-08-02 - Red Ames, baseball player (d. 1936)
1882-10-15 - Charley O'Leary, American baseball player (d. 1941)
1882-11-20 - Andy Coakley, baseball player and long-time coach at Columbia University (d. 1963)
1883-02-13 - Harold "Hal" Chase, baseball player/manager
1883-05-05 - Charles Bender, only American Indian in baseball's Hall of Fame
1884-03-04 - Red Murray, American professional baseball player (d. 1958)
1884-12-31 - Bobby Byrne, American baseball player (d. 1964)
1885-01-15 - Grover Lowdermilk, American baseball player (d. 1968)
1885-02-17 - Steve Evans, American baseball player (d. 1943)
1885-03-09 - Ringgold "Ring" Lardner, baseball player
1885-04-13 - Vean Gregg, American baseball player (d. 1964)
1886-04-07 - Ed Lafitte, American baseball player (d. 1971)
1886-10-09 - Rube Marquard, American baseball player (d. 1980)
1886-12-18 - Ty Cobb, American baseball player (d. 1961)
1887-02-09 - Henry Zimmerman, baseball player (1912-batted .372 with 14 HRs)
1887-02-26 - Grover Cleveland Alexander, HOF baseball pitcher (Phillies, Cubs)
1887-04-21 - Joe McCarthy, American baseball manager (d. 1978)
1887-05-02 - Eddie Collins, American baseball player (d. 1951)
1887-08-24 - Harry Hooper, American baseball player (d. 1974)
1888-03-04 - Jeff Pfeffer, American professional baseball pitcher (d. 1972)
1888-04-04 - Tris Speaker, baseball great, hit more doubles than Pete Rose
1888-04-18 - Duffy Lewis, American baseball player (d. 1979)
1888-05-23 - Zack Wheat, American baseball player (d. 1972)
1888-12-20 - Fred Merkle, American baseball figure (d. 1958)
1889-09-22 - Hooks Dauss, American baseball player (d. 1963)
Famous Deaths
Results 1 - 100 of 339
1893-01-26 - Abner Doubleday, credit with inventing baseball, dies on 74th birthday
1893-10-10 - Lip Pike, American baseball player (b. 1845)
1894-03-03 - Ned Williamson, American baseball player (b. 1857)
1903-07-02 - Ed Delahanty, American Hall of Fame baseball player (b. 1867)
1905-09-10 - Pete Browning, American baseball player (b. 1861)
1908-04-20 - Henry Chadwick, sports reporter (baseball), dies at 85
1911-04-14 - Addie Joss, American baseball player (b. 1880)
1911-08-05 - Bob Caruthers, American baseball player (b. 1864)
1913-01-07 - Jack Boyle, American baseball player (b. 1866)
1913-06-05 - Chris von der Ahe, baseball pioneer (b. 1851)
1914-04-01 - Rube Waddell, baseballer, dies at 37 of TB
1915-02-05 - Ross Barnes, baseball player (b. 1850)
1915-09-09 - Albert Spalding, American baseball player and sporting goods manufacturer (b. 1850)
1918-06-25 - Jake Beckley, baseball player (b. 1867)
1920-08-17 - Ray Chapman, American baseball player (b. 1891)
1921-03-24 - Larry McLean, Canadian baseball player (b. 1881)
1922-11-07 - Sam Thompson, baseball player (b. 1860)
1925-03-04 - John Montgomery Ward, American baseball player (b. 1860)
1925-10-07 - Christy Mathewson, American baseball player (b. 1880)
1927-03-27 - Joe Start, American baseball player (b. 1842)
1927-10-22 - Ross Youngs, Hall of Fame baseballer, dies of Bright's disease at 30
1928-02-01 - Hughie Jennings, American baseball player and manager (b. 1869)
1929-11-14 - Joseph McGinnity, baseball pitcher (NY Giants), dies at 58
1931-02-28 - Ban Johnson, created (baseball's AL), dies after a long illness
1931-03-22 - Ban Johnson, founder of baseball's American League, dies at 67
1931-10-26 - Charles Comiskey, baseball team owner (b. 1859)
1932-07-21 - Bill Gleason, late 19th century baseball player
1933-09-16 - George Gore, baseball player (b. 1857)
1933-09-24 - Mike Donlin, baseball player (b. 1878)
1934-05-14 - Lou Criger, American baseball player (b. 1872)
1934-08-08 - Wilbert Robinson, baseball manager (Bkln Dodgers), dies
1935-06-29 - Jack O'Neill, American baseball player (b. 1873)
1936-10-08 - Red Ames, American baseball player (b. 1882)
1937-11-14 - Jack O'Connor, American baseball player (b. 1869)
1938-03-04 - Jack Taylor, American baseball player (b. 1874)
1939-01-19 - Cliff Heathcote, American baseball player (b. 1898)
1939-06-17 - Allen Sothoron, American baseball player (b. 1893)
1940-12-16 - Billy Hamilton, American baseball player (b. 1866)
1941-01-06 - Charley O'Leary, American baseball player (b. 1882)
1941-06-02 - Lou Gehrig, American baseball player (b. 1903)
1941-10-29 - Harvey Hendrick, American baseball player (b. 1897)
1942-01-31 - Henry Larkin, American baseball player (b. 1860)
1942-03-26 - Jimmy Burke, American baseball player (b. 1874)
1943-08-14 - Joe Kelley, American baseball player (b. 1871)
1943-12-28 - Steve Evans, American baseball player (b. 1885)
1944-04-25 - Tony Mullane, Irish-born American baseball player (b. 1859)
1944-11-25 - Kenesaw Mountain Landis, judge/baseball commisioner, dies at 78
1944-12-04 - Roger Bresnahan, American baseball player (b. 1879)
1945-05-02 - Joe Corbett, baseball player (b. 1875)
1946-03-28 - Chick Fullis, baseball player (b. 1904)
1946-08-06 - Tony Lazzeri, American baseball player (b. 1903)
1946-09-17 - Frank Burke, American baseball player (b. 1880)
1947-05-05 - Ty LaForest, Canadian baseball player (b. 1917)
1947-05-27 - Ed Konetchy, American baseball player (b. 1885)
1948-02-14 - Mordecai Brown, American baseball player (b. 1876)
1948-04-16 - Babe Ruth, baseball legend, dies
1948-08-16 - Babe Ruth, Baseball legend (NY Yankees), dies in NY at 53
1948-11-23 - Hack Wilson, American baseball player (b. 1900)
1949-06-25 - Buck Freeman, baseball player (b. 1871)
1950-11-04 - Grover Cleveland Alexander, American baseball player (b. 1887)
1951-03-25 - Eddie Collins, American baseball player (b. 1887)
1951-07-09 - Harry Heilmann, baseball hall of famer outfielder (Det), dies at 56
1951-12-05 - "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, of baseball's black sox scandal, dies
1952-10-08 - Joe Adams, American baseball player (b. 1877)
1953-04-11 - Kid Nichols, American baseball player (b. 1869)
1953-05-27 - Jesse Burkett, American baseball player (b. 1868)
1953-08-22 - Jim Tabor, American baseball player (b. 1916)
1953-12-25 - Patsy Donovan, Irish-born American baseball player (b. 1865)
1954-01-05 - Rabbit Maranville, American baseball player (b. 1891)
1954-11-26 - Bill Doak, former Major League Baseball pitcher (b. 1891)
1955-10-27 - Clark Griffith, baseball player/manager (NY Yankees), dies at 85
1955-11-04 - Cy Young, American baseball player (b. 1867)
1955-12-06 - Honus Wagner, baseball player (b. 1874)
1956-02-08 - Connie Mack, baseball manager (Phila A's, 1901-50), dies at 93
1956-07-10 - Joe Giard, American baseball player (b. 1898)
1957-07-03 - Dolf Luque, baseball player (b. 1890)
1957-10-30 - Fred Beebe, baseball player (b. 1880)
1958-03-02 - Fred Merkle, American baseball figure (b. 1888)
1958-08-10 - Frank Demaree, baseball player (b. 1910)
1958-11-17 - Mort Cooper, baseball player (b. 1913)
1958-11-21 - Mel Ott, NY Giant baseball star (1926-1947), dies at 49
1958-12-08 - Tris Speaker, American baseball player (b. 1888)
1959-02-07 - Napoleon Lajorie, baseball player, dies at 83
1959-05-26 - Ed Walsh, baseball pitcher (1.82 ERA), dies at 78
1959-08-12 - Mike O'Neill, Irish-born American baseball player (b. 1877)
1959-12-11 - Jim Bottomley, American baseball player (b. 1900)
1961-07-17 - Ty Cobb, baseball great (Det Tigers), dies of cancer at 74
1961-08-28 - Thomas Connolly, 1st baseball umpire elected to hall of fame, dies
1961-12-15 - William "Dummy" Hoy, professional baseball player, dies at 99
1962-03-04 - George Mogridge, Major League Baseball pitcher (b. 1889)
1962-06-28 - Mickey Cochrane, baseball hall of fame catcher, dies at 59
1963-01-05 - Rogers Hornsby, baseball player, dies of a heart ailment at 66
1963-03-01 - Irish Meusel, American baseball player (b. 1893)
1964-04-20 - Eddie Dyer, baseball player (b. 1899)
1964-07-29 - Vean Gregg, American baseball player (b. 1885)
1964-12-31 - Bobby Byrne, baseball player (b. 1884)
1965-03-05 - Pepper Martin, American baseball player (b. 1904)
1965-05-23 - Earl Webb, American baseball player (b. 1897)
1965-08-25 - Moonlight Graham, American baseball player
1965-12-09 - Branch Rickey, American baseball executive (b. 1884)
