Braves Franchise History
1931: The Boston Braves release veteran pitcher Johnny Cooney. Cooney would later return to the majors as an outfielder and finish second in the batting race in 1940.
2023: The Astros hire Dana Brown as their new General Manager, replacing James Click who was fired shortly after winning the 2022 World Series. Brown, a former minor league outfielder and Director of Scouting for the Atlanta Braves, becomes the only African American GM in the majors currently.
MLB History
1919: The St. Louis Cardinals name team president Branch Rickey as the team’s new manager.
1932: Cubs owner William Wrigley dies at the age of 70. Wrigley had owned the team since 1919. His son Philip inherits a controlling interest in the Cubs.
1951: Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx are voted into the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA. Ott hit .304 with 511 home runs during his career. Foxx hit .325 and slugged 534 home runs.
1963: Major League Baseball’s Rules Committee increases the size of the strike zone. The new zone will stretch from the top of the batter’s shoulders to the bottom of the knees. The committee was hoping that the return of the 1950s style strike zone would suppress offense.
1989: The tougher balk rules initiated last season are rescinded and are replaced with the pre-1988 rules.
1994: The Houston Astros sign free agent first baseman Sid Bream.
1995: President Bill Clinton tells players and owners to resume bargaining and to reach an agreement and resolve the players strike by February 6.
2006: Fidel Castro confirms that Cuba will take part in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.
2011: The Yankees sign Bartolo Colon to a minor league contract. Colon didn’t pitch in 2010 but returned to the majors and put up a 4.00 ERA and a 3.83 FIP in 164 1/3 innings.
2020: The Reds agree to a four-year, $64 million deal with Nicholas Castellanos.
2021: For the first time since 1960, no one was inducted into the Hall of Fame. The BBWAA failed to elect anyone and the Veterans Committee postponed its vote by a year.
2021: The Blue Jays sign infielder Marcus Semien to a one-year, $18 million deal and the Phillies re-sign catcher J.T. Realmuto to a five-year, $115 million deal.
Information for this article was found via Baseball Reference, NationalPastime.com and Today in Baseball History.
