Braves Franchise History
1995 – Gaffney Street, near the former site of Braves Field in Boston, MA, is renamed Harry Agganis Way, after the former Boston University and Boston Red Sox star, who died during the 1955 season.
1996 – John Smoltz, who won a major league-high 24 games for the Atlanta Braves, wins the 1996 National League Cy Young Award in a runaway. Smoltz led the NL in strikeouts (276), innings pitched (253.2), and winning percentage (.750). He received 26 of 28 first-place votes. Kevin Brown of the Florida Marlins,
who led the majors in ERA (1.89), receives the other two first-place votes. Since 1991, five of the six Cy Young winners have been Braves.
1997 – Pedro Martinez of the Montreal Expos breaks the stranglehold the veteran Greg Maddux and the Atlanta Braves have on the National League Cy Young Award. Since 1991, either Maddux or a Braves pitcher has captured the award. Martinez posted a 17-8 record with 305 strikeouts, a 1.90 ERA, and 13 complete games, giving Canada a clean sweep of the Cy Young this year. Roger Clemens of the Toronto Blue Jays won the American League award a day earlier. It’s a bittersweet moment for Montreal, as Martinez will be traded away a week later.
2010 – Brian McCann is among the winners of the annual Silver Slugger Awards.
2016 – In off-season dealings, the Braves sign their second 40-something starting pitcher in two days, inking Bartolo Colon to a contract one day after adding R.A. Dickey.
2021 – The World Champion Atlanta Braves dominate the annual Silver Slugger Awards as three-quarters of their infield – 1B Freddie Freeman, 2B Ozzie Albies, and 3B Austin Riley – are honored, as is P Max Fried.
MLB History
1880 – In the National League, the Boston Red Caps sign Jim Whitney, considered one of the best pitchers in California, at a salary of $150 per month.
1948 – Joe DiMaggio undergoes surgery for bone spurs in his right heel. DiMaggio will miss 65 games in 1949 with continued issues from the injury.
1958 – The American League announces that the Kansas City Athletics will play 52 night games during the 1959 season.
1981 – Fernando Valenzuela becomes the first rookie to win a Cy Young Award. Cincinnati’s Tom Seaver finished second in the voting.
1996 – Milwaukee Brewers owner Bud Selig meets with Don Fehr, the players’ labor leader, in a futile attempt to convince Fehr to accept the owners’ demands. With the deadline for an agreement at midnight on the 14th, there is virtually no hope that the two sides will agree. If the two sides reach the deadline without an agreement, the interleague schedule for next year will be wiped out, and a traditional schedule will follow.
1998 – The Chicago White Sox trade outfielder Mike Cameron to the Cincinnati Reds for first baseman Paul Konerko.
2002 – Barry Bonds wins a record fifth MVP Award.
2011 – The re-named Miami Marlins unveil their new logo and team colors at the site of their new ballpark, scheduled to open in time for the start of the 2012 season.
Information for this article was found via Baseball Reference, NationalPastime.com and Today in Baseball History.
