On November 28, 1944, Detroit Tigers pitcher Hal Newhouser was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player, gathering four more votes than teammate Dizzy Trout. Newhouser collected 29 wins on the season, as well as a league-leading 187 strikeouts. His 2.22 ERA was bettered by Trout (2.12 ERA), though Trout “only” collected 27 wins.
The Cubs hired future Hall of Fame catcher Roger Bresnahan on November 18, 1914 to manage the ballclub. The former Cardinal skipper would only stay one year, and Chicago finished the season in fourth place with a 73-80 record.
On November 11, 1948, Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio underwent surgery to remove bone spurs on his right heel at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. DiMaggio would not return to the Bronx Bombers’ lineup until June 28th of the following season.
Any opportunity to watch an interview with Buck O’Neil is always a treat, and this is no exception. I really love how Buck talks about Jackie Robinson in this, and the interview as a whole is so enjoyable.
In a trade with the Athletics on October 19, 1949, the Chicago White Sox added second baseman Nellie Fox to their roster, in exchange for catcher Joe Tipton. Fox would go on to lead the league in hits four times, winning the 1959 American League MVP during his fourteen-year tenure with the Sox.
On October 17, 1960, the National League formally awarded franchises to the New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, Inc., led by Joan Payson, and a Houston group led by Judge Roy Hofheinz. An expansion draft was held for the two new expansion clubs in 1961, and the New York Mets and the Houston Colt .45s would begin play in 1962.
The 1925 season ended on October 4th of that year, and for the first time in franchise history, the Chicago Cubs finished in eighth and last place in the National League. Managed by Bill Killefer, Rabbit Maranville, and George Gibson, the team compiled a 68-86 record to finish 27.5 games behind the first-place Pirates.
Brooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. was born May 18, 1937 in Little Rock, Arkansas. His father, Brooks Robinson, Sr., was a semi-pro second baseman who played with his son in his younger years. Brooks, Jr. went on to play third base for the Baltimore Orioles from 1955 to 1977. Nicknamed “the Human Vacuum Cleaner,” he is considered by many to have been the greatest defensive third baseman in major league history.
Robinson was an 18-time All-Star and also won sixteen Gold Glove Awards. He won two World Series with the Orioles, being named World Series MVP in 1970. Robinson also earned American League MVP honors in 1964 when he led the AL in RBIs for the season. In 1972, he was presented with the Roberto Clemente Award, and he was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 1977, with his number 5 being retired a year later.
Brooks Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983 with 91.98% of the vote in his first appearance on the ballot.
He passed away yesterday, September 26, 2023 at the age of 86. Rest in peace.
MLB Network has announce that this coming December, they will be featuring a documentary on the king of pine tar himself, George Brett. The feature is titled “MLB Network Presents: Brett,” and as 2023 marks 50 years since Brett made his MLB debut, MLB Network decided it was the perfect time to come out with this documentary. I look forward to it.
More information can be found here.
I thought the Hall of Fame was for superstars, not just average players like me.
~Earle Combs
