Braves Franchise History

1957: Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves wins the Cy Young Award as the major leagues’ top pitcher almost unanimously. His only competition for the title is Dick Donovan, of the Chicago White Sox, who receives one vote.

1961: The Milwaukee Braves traded slugger Frank Thomas to the New York Mets for a player to be named later (Gus Bell) and a reported $125,000.

2012: The Atlanta Braves signed CF B.J. Upton to a five-year deal worth $75.25 million.

MLB History

1927: The Pittsburgh Pirates trade future Hall of Fame outfielder Kiki Cuyler to the Chicago Cubs for infielder Sparky Adams and outfielder Pete Scott. Cuyler, who had drawn the wrath of manager Donie Bush for his failure to slide in a game, will hit only .285 next season, well below his lifetime average of .321. He became expendable after rookie Lloyd Waner became a starter but will be a great addition to the Cubs. Adams will have two seasons in Pittsburgh before going to the Cardinals.

1978: The Cincinnati Reds fire their nine-year manager, Sparky Anderson, who had led the team to five division titles, four National League pennants and two World Series wins (in 1975 and 1976), and averaged 96 wins per season. The surprise move comes six days after the Reds returned from a trip to Japan. Anderson has one year left on a contract and had no idea he’d be fired. He will become the manager of the Detroit Tigers on June 12, 1979, replacing Les Moss.

2021: It’s a wild day of free agent signings in Major League Baseball, belying fears that the upcoming expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement would make teams hesitant to commit to new players. Among the major deals are IF Marcus Semien, who goes to the Rangers for seven years and Jon Gray who joins him on a four-year deal; P Kevin Gausman who signs with the Blue Jays for five years; OF Byron Buxton, who signs a seven-year extension with the Twins; and P Corey Kluber who signs with the Rays for one year. In addition, P Max Scherzer is reported to be on the verge of signing a long-term deal with the Mets, while OF Avisail Garcia is said to have signed with the Marlins for four years in a deal to be finalized very shortly

Information for this article was found via Baseball Reference, NationalPastime.com and Today in Baseball History.