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Happy birthday to Justin Speier, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 1886 – The Sporting News publishes the official National League averages, which show King Kelly as the batting champ with a .388 average, 17 points ahead of Cap Anson. The paper previously had printed its own stats showing Anson ahead, .374 to .367, as well as 1998 – Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kerry Wood, who posted a 13-6 record, wins the National League Rookie of the Year
Award. Wood held batters to a NL best .196 average and finished third in the league in strikeouts with 233 in just 166.2 innings pitched, and other stories as well.
Today in baseball history:
- 1962 – Answering rumors that senior consultant Branch Rickey wants Stan Musial to retire, St. Louis Cardinals owner August Busch says Musial will play until it is time to become a club vice president. Further, Bing Devine is still running the club.
- 1974 – Mike Marshall of the Los Angeles Dodgers becomes the first relief pitcher to win the Cy Young Award. Ironman Marshall set major league records that still stand with 106 appearances and 208 innings pitched in relief.
- 1984 – Willie Hernandez wins the American League Most Valuable Player Award, joining Rollie Fingers as the only relief pitchers to be named MVP and Cy Young Award winners in the same season.
- 1996 – Todd Hollandsworth of the Los Angeles Dodgers is voted the National League Rookie of the Year, for the fifth year in a row that the award has gone to a Dodgers player. The previous four were Eric Karros (1992), Mike Piazza (1993), Raúl Mondesi (1994) and Hideo Nomo (1995).
- 2001 – Gold Glove Award winners are announced. Ivan Rodriguez wins his tenth straight to tie Johnny Bench for the most by a catcher, Greg Maddux wins his 12th straight to extend his National League record for pitchers, and Roberto Alomar wins for the tenth time, the most ever for a second baseman.
- 2007 – The 2007 Gold Glove Awards are announced. Greg Maddux is honored for the 17th time, setting a new record for most Gold Gloves.
- 2023 – In an unexpected move, the Cubs announce that they have hired Craig Counsell, who until now was the manager of the rival Milwaukee Brewers, to replace David Ross as their skipper. Ross’s position was not considered to be in danger after he had led the Cubs back into respectability following a re-build this past season.
Cubs Birthdays: Matt Shaw, Justin Speier*, Don Wengert, Bob Addis, Joe Munson, Charles Tolson, Danny Green. Also notable: Walter Johnson HOF.
Today in history:
- 1861 – Jefferson Davis is elected to a six-year term as President of the Confederate States of America.
- 1869 – In the first US college football game, players use their hands, feet, heads, or sides to advance the ball, but they cannot run with it; Rutgers College beats New Jersey (now Princeton) 6-4.
- 1936 – RCA displays TV for press.
- 1947 – Debut of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the longest-running TV show in the US.
- 1975 – First performance by punk band the Sex Pistols at St. Martin’s College in London.
- 1981 – Larry Holmes TKOs Renaldo Snipes in 11 for heavyweight boxing title.
- 1990 – “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” the third studio album by Whitney Houston is released (Billboard Album of the Year 1991).
- 1993 – Evander Holyfield beats Riddick Bowe in 12 for the heavyweight boxing title.
- 1995 – Art Modell officially announces the Cleveland Browns are moving to Baltimore.
Today in presidential history:
- 1860 – Republican Abraham Lincoln of Illinois is elected the 16th President of the United States of America.
- 1888 – Benjamin Harrison is elected US President, defeating sitting President Grover Cleveland (D), 233 electoral votes to 168, Cleveland receives slightly more votes.
- 1900 – Republican US President William McKinley and his Vice President, Theodore Roosevelt, defeat Democrat William Jennings Bryan.
- 1928 – Republican candidate Herbert Hoover is elected President of the United States, defeating Democrat candidate Al Smith.
- 1940 – Franklin D. Roosevelt re-elected US President.
- 1956 – Dwight D. Eisenhower is re-elected President of the United States, defeating Democrat candidate Adlai Stevenson.
- 1984 – Incumbent Republican President Ronald Reagan re-elected President of the United States in a landslide; wins 49 states, and defeats Democrat Walter Mondale
- 2012 – Barack Obama is re-elected as US President, defeating Republican candidate Mitt Romney.
*pictured.
