March 29 in Tigers and mlb history:
1867: Denton True "Cy" Young is born in Gilmore, a tiny village near Newcomerstown, Ohio. Young will earn his nickname for his cyclone-like pitching motion and he will win (and lose) more games than any pitcher in major league history with a 511-316 record and a 2.63 ERA over 22 seasons. Young will win 20 or more games 15 times, and top the 30-win mark five times. He will be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America in 1937, with 153 votes on 201 ballots.
1933: Chicago Cubs outfielder and future hall of famer Kiki Cuyler breaks his leg and will miss nearly three months of the season. Cuyler also missed half of last season when he broke his other leg.
1935: The St. Louis Cardinals release Dazzy Vance. The future Hall of Fame pitcher will spend his last season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the team where he blossomed in 1922.
1954: Chicago Cubs manager Phil Cavarretta gives team owner Phil Wrigley an honest assessment of the Cubs' chances, and is fired for his defeatist attitude, becoming the first manager ever to be given the gate during spring training. Stan Hack replaces him. Cavarretta is right: the Cubs will drop to seventh place this year.
1956: "The Catch", Part 2. A year and a half after one of baseball's most celebrated moments, Willie Mays again robs Vic Wertz. New York Times beat writer Louis Effrat reports: "Those who saw Willie Mays of the Giants rob Vic Wertz of the Indians in the first game of the 1954 World Series should have seen what the Say Hey Kid did to the same man today. The occasion was a Cactus League expedition, which the Tribe won, 10 - 5. With the Giants five runs behind in the 5th inning, Willie ran from center to right center and reached a spot 400 feet away from home plate a fraction of a second before the ball would have hit the wall. Mays caught the ball in his gloved hand and cushioned his crash against the fence with his other hand. He lost his cap but held tightly to the ball for the third out. There were two Indians aboard, so Mays' catch blocked a couple of runs."
1971: The Detroit Tigers traded a player to be named later and Mike Adams to the Minnesota Twins for Bill Zepp. The Detroit Tigers sent Arthur Clifford (minors) (May 16, 1971) to the Minnesota Twins to complete the trade.
1973: The "Alert Orange Baseball" is used for the first time in major league history. The unique baseball, an invention of Oakland Athletics owner Charlie Finley, is used in an exhibition game between Oakland and the Cleveland Indians. Finley contends the ball, painted the color of a construction worker's hat, will be easier for both players and fans to see. But pitchers complain that the ball is slippery and hard to grip, while batters are unable to pick up the spin of the ball without seeing the seams. Although Finley pushes for the use of colored baseballs during the regular season, the idea will never come to fruition.
1975: Pitcher Mel Stottlemyre, suffering from a torn rotator cuff, is given his unconditional release by the New York Yankees. He compiled a 164-139 record and a 2.97 ERA as well as 40 shutouts in an eleven-season major league career with the Yankees. Stottlemyre will become a successful pitching coach for about 30 years with the Mariners, Mets, Astros, and Yankees.
1975: The Detroit Tigers traded Reggie Sanders to the Atlanta Braves for Jack Pierce.
1979: Former Negro Leagues and Cleveland Indians star Luke Easter is murdered in Euclid, Ohio, at the age of 63. Easter starred for the Homestead Grays and several minor league teams before arriving in the major leagues at age 34.
1981: The Detroit Tigers released Jim Lentine.
1983: While some clubs are concerned about low attendance at the start of the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers become the first team in major league history to cut off season ticket sales before the start of the season. The Dodgers, with 27,000 season tickets already sold, implement the cutoff so that group sales won't be impeded and fans will be able to buy tickets for individual games.
1988: Popular slugger Ted Kluszewski dies in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the age of 63. In a 15-season career, Kluszewski hit 279 home runs, including a National League leading 49 in 1954. Big Klu had plenty of power - he is perhaps best remembered for his massive arms, forgoing a T-shirt beneath the sleeveless uniforms that the Cincinnati Redlegs wore in those days. However, he also posted high batting averages and had excellent bat control. Johnny Mize is the only man ever to have 50 homers in a season while striking out fewer than 50 times, but Klu is the one who has come closest since. That was in his most successful year, 1954, when he was second in the MVP voting behind Willie Mays after leading the league in home runs (49) and RBI (141). He struck out just 35 times.
1988: The Detroit Tigers returned John Wetteland (earlier draft pick) to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
1995: Four-time All-Star Terry Moore dies in Collinsville, Illinois, at the age of 82. An outstanding defensive center fielder, Moore played 11 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals and was a member of the World Championship teams in 1942 and 1946.
2001: First baseman Todd Helton signs a nine-year, $141.5 million contract extension making him the highest-paid player in Colorado Rockies history. in 2000, Helton posted a .372 average with 42 home runs and 147 RBI.
2001: The Detroit Tigers signed Terry Pearson as an amateur free agent.
2003: The Detroit Tigers purchased A.J. Hinch from the Cleveland Indians.
2004: The Detroit Tigers signed Ugueth Urbina as a free agent.
2005: First baseman Andres Galarraga announces his retirement. A five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner in a 19-year major league career, Galarraga was a .288 hitter with 399 home runs and 1425 RBI in 2,257 games played.
2006: Outfielder Marquis Grissom announces his retirement after a 17-year major league career that saw him play with six teams. A two-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner, he finished with 429 stolen bases, including a career-high 78 in 1992. Grissom leaves as one of seven players with 2,000 hits, 200 home runs and 400 stolen bases.
2006: The Detroit Tigers selected Rob Bowen off waivers from the Minnesota Twins.
2008: The Dodgers celebrate the 50th anniversary of their move to Los Angeles, CA by playing an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox in their original home, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. A crowd of 115,300 is present, the largest ever assembled at a baseball game anywhere. The previous record of 93,103 had been set in the Dodgers' second season in L.A., for an exhibition game against the New York Yankees in honor of paralyzed catcher Roy Campanella on May 7, 1959.
2010 - The Nationals announce that President Barack Obama will throw the ceremonial first pitch on opening day, April 5th, against the Phillies at Nationals Park. It will mark the 100th anniversary of the first presidential first pitch, by William Howard Taft, at the Washington Senators' home opener on April 14, 1910.
2011: Major League Baseball creates a new 7-day disabled list for players who have suffered concussions, following a number of serious incidents last season, and controversy about concussions in professional football and hockey. Players will need to be evaluated by a medical specialist before they are allowed to return to action.
2013: With Opening Day just around the corner, teams ink star players to long-term deals. In Detroit, P Justin Verlander agrees to a $120 million extension for 5 years, with an option for a sixth at $22 million.
2016: The Detroit Tigers traded Bryan Holaday to the Texas Rangers for Myles Jaye (minors) and Bobby Wilson.
2017: The Detroit Tigers released Travis Blackley.
2017: The Detroit Tigers released Thad Weber.
Tigers players birthdays:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lochhha01.shtml
Harry Lochhead 1901.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/schialo01.shtml
Lou Schiappacasse 1902.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cooledu01.shtml
Duff Cooley 1905.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wilsosq01.shtml
George 'Squanto' Wilson 1911.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gorsijo01.shtml
Johnny Gorsica 1940-1944, 1946-1947.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fainfe01.shtml
Ferris Fain 1955.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Denny_McLain
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mclaide01.shtml
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/6bddedd4
Denny McLain 1963-1970.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/beanebi01.shtml
Billy Beane 1988.
Tigers players who passed away:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Jimmy_Archer
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/archeji01.shtml
Jimmy Archer 1907.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Ray_Narleski
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/narlera01.shtml
Ray Narleski 1959.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/barera01.shtml
Ray Bare 1975-1977.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Rusty_Staub
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/staubru01.shtml
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/fe3589cd
Rusty Staub 1976-1979.
Baseball Reference
