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Thu Dec 13, 2012 3:58 pm
The first pitching macine was demonstrated on December 15, 1896 by a Princeton University mathematics professor named Charles E. Hinton. He built it after seeing the college's pitchers get sore arms from pitching batting practice.
The first Amateur Draft was held in 1965. Prior to that year, each club signed whatever amateur players it could get. The first player selected in the 1965 draft was OF Rick Monday of Arizona State University by the Kansas City Athletics. Rick played 19 seasons with the A's (in KC and Oakland), Cubs, and Dodgers. Other well-known players drafted in the first round included OF Billy Conigliaro by the Red Sox, C Ray Fosse by the Indians, 1B Jim Spencer by the Angels, and 3B/OF Bernie Carbo by the Reds.
The first player to hit a HR from both sides of the plate in a game was C Wally Schang of the Philadelphia A's on September 8, 1916
The first woman to own a major league team was Helene Britton of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1911 to 1917.
Elston Howard, long-time C for the Yankees, invented the batting doughnut, officially called "Elston Howard's On-Deck Bat Weight." The patent was issued in 1967, his 13th and second-to-last season as a ML player. The on-deck hitter places the metal ring around the barrel of the bat to add weight and make the bat feel lighter when he steps into the box. The first club to buy Howard's invention was the St. Louis Cardinals. The device quickly caught on and ended the habit of players swinging two and three bats in the on deck circle. Howard and his backers failed to make the expected windfall on their invention because the bat companies made their own, flooding the market. Howard and company didn't have the money to fight the patent infringement in court.
The first switch-hitter was Bob Ferguson. The interesting nickname "Death to Flying Things"
The Star Spangled Banner was first played during the seventh-inning stretch at Game One of the 1918 World Series, which took place during World War I. The song became the official national anthem in 1931 but didn't become a standard feature at major league games until 1942, during World War II.
The first woman to sign a professional baseball contract in the 20th century was Jackie Mitchell. The LHP signed to play for the AA Chattanooga Lookouts in 1931. The owner, Joe Engel, looked for a novelty to draw fans at the height of the Great Depression. On April 2, she pitched in an exhibition game against the Yankees. The 17-year-old stunned the 4,000 fans by striking out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, who were the first batters she faced after coming in from the bullpen. Her repertoire consisted of a single pitch, a dropping curve ball that fooled both the future Hall-of-Famers. Babe was called out on a 1-2 pitch while Lou swung and missed three times! After a lengthy standing ovation, Jackie walked Tony Lazzeri and was removed from the game.
The next day, Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis voided Mitchell's contract. He claimed that baseball was "too strenuous for a woman to play."
The first Amateur Draft was held in 1965. Prior to that year, each club signed whatever amateur players it could get. The first player selected in the 1965 draft was OF Rick Monday of Arizona State University by the Kansas City Athletics. Rick played 19 seasons with the A's (in KC and Oakland), Cubs, and Dodgers. Other well-known players drafted in the first round included OF Billy Conigliaro by the Red Sox, C Ray Fosse by the Indians, 1B Jim Spencer by the Angels, and 3B/OF Bernie Carbo by the Reds.
The first player to hit a HR from both sides of the plate in a game was C Wally Schang of the Philadelphia A's on September 8, 1916
The first woman to own a major league team was Helene Britton of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1911 to 1917.
Elston Howard, long-time C for the Yankees, invented the batting doughnut, officially called "Elston Howard's On-Deck Bat Weight." The patent was issued in 1967, his 13th and second-to-last season as a ML player. The on-deck hitter places the metal ring around the barrel of the bat to add weight and make the bat feel lighter when he steps into the box. The first club to buy Howard's invention was the St. Louis Cardinals. The device quickly caught on and ended the habit of players swinging two and three bats in the on deck circle. Howard and his backers failed to make the expected windfall on their invention because the bat companies made their own, flooding the market. Howard and company didn't have the money to fight the patent infringement in court.
The first switch-hitter was Bob Ferguson. The interesting nickname "Death to Flying Things"
The Star Spangled Banner was first played during the seventh-inning stretch at Game One of the 1918 World Series, which took place during World War I. The song became the official national anthem in 1931 but didn't become a standard feature at major league games until 1942, during World War II.
The first woman to sign a professional baseball contract in the 20th century was Jackie Mitchell. The LHP signed to play for the AA Chattanooga Lookouts in 1931. The owner, Joe Engel, looked for a novelty to draw fans at the height of the Great Depression. On April 2, she pitched in an exhibition game against the Yankees. The 17-year-old stunned the 4,000 fans by striking out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, who were the first batters she faced after coming in from the bullpen. Her repertoire consisted of a single pitch, a dropping curve ball that fooled both the future Hall-of-Famers. Babe was called out on a 1-2 pitch while Lou swung and missed three times! After a lengthy standing ovation, Jackie walked Tony Lazzeri and was removed from the game.
The next day, Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis voided Mitchell's contract. He claimed that baseball was "too strenuous for a woman to play."
