Category: December

DEC 10 – Spitter banned

DECEMBER 10, 1919 | NEW YORK, NEW YORK • National League owners went on record on this date in 1919 to ban the spitball and other “freak” pitches. It was considered an unfair advantage for the pitcher to put a “foreign” substance, such as saliva, petroleum jelly or mud on the ball because it changed its aerodynamics making it harder to hit.

The spitball was mastered by a number of pitchers in the early 1900’s. According to Baseball-Reference the pitch was invented by a collaboration of George Hildebrand and Frank Corridon in 1902.

Jack Chesbro of the New York Yankees and Ed Walsh of the Chicago White Sox got the most out of the spitter, each winning at least 40 games in a year – the only American League pitchers to do so.

The spitball was always controversial. There had been rules against altering the baseball since the 1870’s, but they weren’t enforced. The National League owners’ vote at their annual meeting on this date in 1919 was a big step toward finally cracking down.

In fairness to established pitchers who relied on the now illegal pitch, those who had been using the spitter could continue using it for the rest of their careers.

The Major League Baseball Rules Committee formally banned the spitball before the start of the 1920 season, and enacted tough penalties. Pitchers caught using a “foreign substance” on the ball faced a ten game suspension.

In fairness to established pitchers who relied on the now illegal pitch, those who had been using the spitter could continue using it for the rest of their careers. Burleigh Grimes was the last pitcher to legally throw a spitball in 1934.

Contributing sources: 
The New York Times, New York, NY, December 11, 1919 
The Spitball: wikipedia

Dec 16 – Circus back in town

DECEMBER 16, 1975 | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – Baseball showman Bill Veeck got the keys to the Chicago White Sox on this date in 1975. Veeck’s group bought the team for $10-million (The White Sox estimated value today is more than $900-million).

This was Veeck’s second tour as owner of the team. He purchased the Sox in 1959, which turned out to be good timing because they won their first American League pennant in 40 years that season.

William Louis Veeck left his mark on major league baseball with all kinds of attention-grabbing stunts, some appreciated by his fellow owners, some not. One that drew the ire of many was while owner of the St. Louis Browns he had a midget pinch-hit. He, of course, walked. Other “gimmicks” have become standard baseball attractions. He introduced the exploding scoreboard, fireworks displays, Fan Appreciation Day, and player’s names on uniforms.

There is one baseball attraction Veeck had a hand in – literally – that has become an endearing highlight of one of baseball’s great ballparks. As a teenager he helped plant the ivy on the outfield wall of Wrigley Field when his father, William Veeck Sr., was president of the Chicago Cubs. Many say the ivy was young Bill’s idea.

Contributing sources:
MLB team valuations, Bloomberg
The Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, December 17, 1975
Bill Veeck: A Baseball Mastermind, BusinessWeek, October 27, 2004

DRAFT – DEC 15: NL decides to play ball

[TRIBUNE PROQUEST SEARCH SHOWS VOTE ON UNIFORM BALL WAS DEC 14, NOT DEC 15]

DECEMBER 15, 1933| CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – Major League Baseball owners meeting in Chicago decided on a uniform baseball on this date in 1933. For several years the American League used a more lively ball, but the National League decided to conform.

Contributing sources:
Associated Press, Paul Mikelson, December 16, 1933

 

DEC 31: Roberto Clemente hero

DECEMBER 31, 1972 | SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO  – Roberto Clemente was an outstanding baseball player. He was a better human being. He was on a plane bringing relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua on this date in 1972. The plane crashed shortly after take-off from his native Puerto Rico. His body never found.

Clemente was a winner of Major League Baseball’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

He was the type of baseball player who came across once in a lifetime. Clemente was what the scouts call a 5-tool player, meaning he could run, throw, catch, hit and hit for power.

It may be more accurate to say Clemente was a 10-tool player because he did all those things with an entertaining flair. It was exciting to see him hit a triple, throw a baserunner out at 3rd from right field, even take a ferocious swing and miss.

On the field, Clemente finished with a .317 lifetime batting average, 1,406 runs scored, exactly 3,000 hits, 12 all-star appearance and 12 Gold Gloves. But he didn’t intend for the ’72 season to be his last. Nor would he expect helping organize an earthquake relief effort be his last act of generosity. But he had to get on that plane to make sure the supplies got to the people who really needed them.

His legacy lives on in the Roberto Clemente Award given each year to the MLB player who “best exemplifies baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to the team,” someone who, like Clemente, is a great player and a great man.

DEC 29 – The Bithorn Mystery

DECEMBER 29, 1951 | EL MANTE, MEXICO • It was a mystery then. It’s a mystery today. A one-time rising star for the Chicago Cubs was shot and killed in El Mante (Ciudad, Mante in Spanish) Mexico on this date in 1951.

Thirty-five year old Hi Bithorn, a native of Puerto Rico, was playing in the Mexican Winter League trying to make a comeback when he was killed.

According to an article written by Jane Allen Quevedo for the Society of American Baseball Research, the Bithorn family believes Officer Cano’s motive for shooting Bithorn was because he wanted to steal his car.

According to several articles in The Chicago Tribune in the days after the shooting, Bithorn was broke and trying to sell a car for cash. El Mante policeman Ambrosio Castillo Cano asked Bithorn for the car’s registration papers. There was an altercation and Bithorn was shot in the stomach. Cano said Bithorn attacked him.

According to an article written by Jane Allen Quevedo for the Society of American Baseball Research, the Bithorn family believes Officer Cano’s motive for shooting Bithorn was because he wanted to steal his car.

For some unknown reason, Bithorn was driven to a hospital more than 80 miles away. He died enroute. Cano was charged with homicide and sentenced to eight years in prison.

Bithorn was a shining star early in his career. He came up with the Chicago Cubs in 1942. He won 18 games in ’43, including a league leading 7 shutouts. It was the midst of World War II and Uncle Sam called. He missed the 1944 and ’45 seasons.

The luster Bithorn showed before entering the military wasn’t there when he got out in 1946. He bounced around the majors for a couple years, pitching two innings for the Chicago White Sox in 1947 until a sore arm put him out of action. He would never pitch in the major leagues again.

His attempt at a comeback in the Mexican Winter League ended violently, but the Bithorn mystery lives on. The largest baseball stadium in Puerto Rico is named after Hi Bithorn.

Contributing sources:
The Chicago Tribune, January 1-5, 1952
Hi Bithorn stats