Baseball Digest Birthdays: Phil Hughes | Baseball Digest

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Phil Hughes | Baseball Digest

Phil Hughes will celebrate his 25th birthday today by making a rehab start for the Double-A Trenton Thunder against the New Britain Rock Cats. Hughes is attempting to come back from shoulder trouble that zapped him of his fastball earlier this year and led to a 13.94 ERA in three starts. The right-hander is hoping to build off his first rehab start in which he touched 95-mph on the radar gun. Things weren’t always so do difficult for the California native.

Hughes was born in Mission Viejo and was an All-American at Foothill High School in Santa Ana, CA. He capped off his scholastic career with a 9-1, 0.69 mark as a senior and committed to Santa Clara University. But Hughes was selected as the 23rd overall pick in the first round of the 2004 draft by the New York Yankees and found himself making three appearances in the Gulf Coast League that summer. The 19-yr old spent the 2005 season split between Charleston and Tampa, posting a combined 9-1, 2.19 record with 93 strikeouts in 86.1 innings.

Hughes followed it up with a 12-6, 2.16 record with 168 strikeouts in 146 innings at Tampa and Trenton the following season. Expectations in the Bronx were through the roof and Hughes was ranked as the number two prospect in Baseball America prior to the 2007 season. Hughes started the season at Triple-A Scranton, but was called to make his Major League debut on April 26 against the Toronto Blue Jays and current teammate A.J. Burnett.

Hughes was touched up for a pair of runs in the 1st inning before cruising through the next three frames. But Hughes didn’t make it out of the 5th inning and was charged with four runs in 4.1 innings. The much anticipated debut was less than stellar, but his second time out would be a game to remember in more ways than one.

It was May 1st at the Ballpark in Arlington when Hughes took the mound against the Texas Rangers. Hughes walked the lead off hitter Kenny Lofton, but got a quick double play and a strikeout to end the 1st inning. Except for an additional pair of walks, Hughes tossed zeros through the 6th inning and had not allowed a hit. The Yankees offense had handEd Hughes a 9-0 lead as he strode to the mound in the 7th inning. Hughes quickly retired the lead off hitter, Michael Young, and faced future teammate Mark Teixeira. That’s when Hughes’ season turned upside down. Hughes over extended himself in attempt to get more torque on his curve ball and pulled his hamstring. He was done for the night (Hank Blalock broke up the no-hitter with a double off Mike Myers to start the 8th) and would not return to the Major Leagues until August the 4th.

It was a rocky return when Hughes did come back to the Bronx. He was just 1-2, 6.40 in six August starts and struggled with his command. But Hughes once again gave hope for the future with a strong final month of the season (3-0, 2.73 in five starts) and an impressive pair of post-season appearances against the Cleveland Indians, which included a victory in the ALDS. But just when you think things are on the upswing, life can kick you where it hurts.

Hughes would make just eight appearances in 2008 due to a variety of injuries and didn’t win a game. Suddenly many of the expectant fans thought Hughes was done or wouldn’t amount to anything. That he was fragile and another Carl Pavano in the making. It didn’t help matters that fellow rookie Ian Kennedy also struggled and the team didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in a dozen years. But each spring training brings renewal and 2009 would be a re-birth for both Hughes and the Yankees.

With the team in need of bullpen help, the Yankees decided to shift Hughes into a relief role. The now 23-yr old responded with dominance. He struck out 10 batters per nine innings and walked just 2.9 per nine innings. The third year player established himself as the 8th inning man in front of Mariano Rivera and was one of the keys to the Yankees return to the playoffs. Though Hughes personally struggled in the post-season, the Yankees captured their first World Series title in nine years and their 27th overall. Hughes had a magnificent year, but GM Brian Cashman was quick to point out that his former first round pick was still considered a starter and would resume that role in 2010.

Hughes not only returned to a starting role, but had a tremendous first half and made his first All-Star team. He wasn’t as consistent in the second half, perhaps some of his shoulder issues were beginning, but he still finished with an 18-8, 4.19 record and set career highs in innings pitched (176.1) and strikeouts (146). The Yankees makeshift rotation of 2011 has overachieved thus far, but if Hughes can return healthy and throwing hard, the team should be a post-season factor once again.

Also Born On This Date:

Doug Jones (1957 Covina, CA): The pitcher was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Butler University in 1978. He spent 16 seasons in the Major Leagues with all but four of his 846 career appearances coming in relief. Jones career took him to Milwaukee and Cleveland twice, Houston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago (NL), and Oakland. He saved 303 games in his career, currently the 21st highest total in Major League Baseball. Before Jones retired following the 2000 season, he was named to five All-Star games and finished in the top 15 in MVP voting twice.

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Dazzy Vance | Baseball Digest

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Dazzy Vance | Baseball Digest

Dazzy Vance was born on March 4, 1891 in Orient, IA and raised in Nebraska. Baseball was not actually a part of his life until he was a teenager and he would be a late bloomer in his career as well. He broke into the big leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1915, but lasted only one game. He was then bought out by the New York Yankees, whom he didn’t do much to impress over a 10 game span in 1915 and 1918. An elbow injury from his off-season boxing/training regimen also slowed his progress to “The Show”.

It would be four years before Vance returned to the Major Leagues. That’s when the Brooklyn Robins (who would later become the Dodgers) bought him from the New Orleans Pelicans of the Southern Association. No longer a kid at 31, Vance started to become the player that would eventually be elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA in 1955.

He won 86 games in a four year stretch, and led the league in victories in 1924 (28) and 1925 (22). He would average just under 15 wins a game over the next seven seasons (topping 20 wins one more time in 1928), leading the league in ERA twice. From 1922-1928 Vance led the National League in strikeouts, topping the 200 mark three times. Nothing topped the ’24 season though when Vance led the NL in every major category and captured the MVP award.

Vance spent parts of the 1933-34 seasons with St. Louis, which does indeed mean the Cardinals had a Dizzy (Dean), Daffy (Dean), and Dazzy on their roster. Dazzy actually was given his nickname as a child though his given name differs depending on the source. Baseball-Reference.com has him listed as Charles Arthur Vance while the Baseball Hall of Fame has him listed as Clarence Arthur Vance. His biography points out the reason for the confusion (toh to Neil of Baseball Reference). At birth, no first name is listed- apparently the doctor left before Dazzy’s parents chose a first name. His mother Sarah kept the children’s names (they had six) in a bible and listed it as “Charles Arthur Vance”. However, about the time he started playing minor league ball, Dazzy started going by “Arthur Charles Vance”.

Later on as a Major Leaguer, he jokingly told a reporter (who was unaware) that his real name was “Clarence”, which led to him being known as either “Arthur Clarence Vance” or “Clarence Arthur Vance”. However, when the BBWAA elected him to the Hall of Fame in 1955, Vance told them to use “Arthur Charles Vance”. He may be Dazzy, but I can’t blame you if you are dizzy right now. As for the Dazzy nickname, the Vances had a neighbor who would mispronounce the word “daisy” as dazzy. He also meant it as “Isn’t she a beaut? (daisy)”. As a child Dazzy picked up on the expression, was tagged with the nickname and it stuck.

Michael Gaven of the New York Journal-American wrote “His Curve Was The Most”, an article discussing Vance’s great curveball that helped pave the way to his 1955 election to the Hall. Click here to read all about it.

Vance was also part of the infamous “three men at 3rd base” play. With Vance on 2nd base and Chick Fewster at 1st, Babe Herman hit a gapper in the outfield. The 3rd base coach yelled for Herman to hold up because he would catch Fewster, but Herman didn’t hear him and continued on. Unfortunately, Vance did hear him, thinking it was intended for him, stopped on the way home and returned to 3rd…where he met Fewster and Herman. The two were tagged out for a double play while Vance was ruled safe. Truly Dazzy.

Vance retired after returning to Brooklyn for one more season in 1935 (he was 44-yrs old). He finished with 197 career wins, a 3.24 ERA, one no-hitter, and 2,045 strikeouts. He passed away in 1961.

Also Born Today

Lefty O’Doul (1897-1969): Born Francis Joseph in San Francisco, CA, O’Doul was a .349 career hitter (.945 OPS) as a member of the Yankees, Red Sox, Giants, Phillies, and Dodgers from 1919-1934. His best season was in 1929 when he finished second in the NL MVP voting after he hit .398 with 32 HR, 122 RBI, and 254 hits.

Like Vance, O’Doul’s career did not take off until he was in his 30′s. In addition to playing the outfield, he also pitched 34 games (all but one in relief), with 23 of the appearances for the Red Sox in 1923. He played the inaugural All-Star game in 1933 and retired after the following season.

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Alan Trammell | Baseball Digest

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Alan Trammell | Baseball Digest

There are certain hitters in Major League Baseball that you never want to face in clutch situations. Today’s fans think of names like David Ortiz, Albert Pujols, Manny Ramirez, and Joey Votto. But in the 1980′s, no one wanted to face Alan Trammell with the game on the line. If it were up to me, he would already be in the Baseball Hall of Fame (he received his highest vote total, 23%, in the latest balloting), something I believe the Veterans Committee will eventually recognize down the road (he can only remain on the BBWAA ballot through 2016).

Alan Stuart Trammell was born in Garden Grove, California on February 21, 1958. He was a two-sport star at Kearny High School in San Diego, and had several basketball scholarship offers, including one from the prior year’s NCAA champion, UCLA. But being just six-feet tall, he felt he could go further in baseball and opted to sign with the Detroit Tigers after they made him a second round selection in the 1976 amateur draft. Scouting reports pointed to the prospect of a good fielding shortstop who probably wouldn’t hit much. One even compared him to Tigers’ shortstop Ray Oyler, a career .175 hitter at the time.

Right out of high school, Trammell hit a respectable .271 in rookie ball before receiving a promotion to Double-A Montgomery of the Southern League. Trammell was overmatched at the plate (.171 avg) in a 21 game stint, but when he returned a year later it would be his last year in the minor leagues. 1977 was also the start of a long-lasting friendship/double-play combo with another kid in the Tigers’ system, Lou Whitaker.

Whitaker had played 3rd base the prior two years, but was shifted to 2nd base in 1977 (which would be his last season in the minors as well). The two hit it off immediately, both realizing they had something special going on and pushed each other to be better. Trammell also began to prove the doubters wrong about his batting skills. He hit .291, drove in 50 runs, and with 19 triples, he broke the league’s record (held by Reggie Jackson). The next stop for the duo was the Motor City.

Though Trammell finished fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting in 1978, his offense was rather modest his first two seasons in the bigs. His third season in the Majors provided a little more indication of his potential when he hit .300 and slugged .404. Trammell had no issues in the field- he quickly won three Gold Gloves, but it wasn’t until 1983 that he became the consistent offensive force that caused pitchers to think twice about facing him.

Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times wrote about Trammell earning his stripes with the Tigers in a 1985 piece. Click here to read all about it.

Trammell went on to play 20 big league seasons, in which he compiled 2,365 hits, stole 236 bases, and drove in 1,003 runs. He batted over .300 seven times, was a six-time All-Star, a four-time Gold Glove winner, and was the 1984 World Series MVP (.450-2-6) when he and the Tigers clobbered the Padres in five games to capture Detroit’s first title in 16 years, and just the second since 1945. He finished second (by 21 points) to George Bell in the 1987 AL MVP voting when he set career highs for average (.343), HR (28), and RBI (105).

After he retired following the 1996 season (the only year he played without Whitaker, who had retired after the ’95 season), Trammell went on to coach the Tigers and San Diego Padres before becoming Detroit’s manager in 2003. Unfortunately, Trammell’s managerial career didn’t have the success of his playing career. The team was rebuilding, and lost 119 games in Trammell’s first year. They improved by 29 wins the next season, but when they managed one less win in 2005, Trammell was let go. He’s back in the dugout though, having recently been hired as the Arizona Diamondbacks’ bench coach by his former teammate Kirk Gibson.

Happy Birthday Alan Trammell!

Also Born Today

Franklin Gutierrez (Caracas, VE, 1983): Originally signed by the Dodgers as a 17-yr old, the outfielder was dealt to the Indians in a deal that brought Milton Bradley to the west coast. He saw part-time duty until a three team deal with the the Mariners and the Mets landed him in Seattle prior to the 2009 season. Gutierrez has begun to blossom in the Emerald City, and has been one of the few productive bats on the weak-hitting Mariners teams of the last two seasons. He has 20-20 (HR-SB) ability and plays a graceful centerfield. The latter helped earn him his first Gold Glove Award in 2010.

Jack Billingham (Orlando, FL, 1943): A talented right-hander that signed with the Houston Astros as an amateur free agent in 1961. His best years were with the Cincinnati Reds in the early to late 1970′s. It was there that he twice won a career-high 19 games and led the league in starts, innings pitched, and shutouts in 1973. He was a member of the Big Red Machine that won four division titles, three NL pennants, and back-to-back World Series in 1975-1976. Billingham allowed just nine earned runs in 42 post-season innings (1.93). He’s also well known for giving up Hank Aaron’s 714th career home run on April 4, 1974. After playing with Detroit and Boston, Billingham hung up his baseball mitt in the middle of the 1980 season, but remained involved in baseball as a minor league coach and instructor until his retirement in 2004.

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Joe Gordon | Baseball Digest

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Joe Gordon | Baseball Digest

Joe “Flash” Gordon was one of the most versatile athletes to ever come out of the Pacific Northwest. After graduating high school he attended the University of Oregon in Eugene where he became one of their most revered student athletes. Gordon starred in baseball, football, and gymnastics. The latter was said to have contributed to his dazzling footwork as a 2nd baseman. He also played soccer and competed in the long jump in track. To round things out, Gordon played violin in the school’s orchestra.

Baseball would win out in the end though, and so would Oregon, as Gordon helped the Ducks win back-to-back Northwest Division college championships in 1934-1935. He signed with the New York Yankees in 1936 and made his major league debut two years later. At 23 years of age, Gordon had the unenviable task of replacing future Hall of Fame member Tony Lazzeri in the Yankees lineup. But Gordon was up to the task.

Had the Rookie of the Year Award existed then, Gordon would have likely captured the trophy with ease. He smacked 25 home runs, drove in 97 runs and scored 83. His season was so good that he finished 12th in the AL MVP voting. Gordon’s bat was even better in the World Series victory over the Chicago Cubs when he drove in six runs and recorded an 1.171 OPS.

In 1939 Gordon began a streak of nine straight all-star seasons despite missing two years (1944-1945) during World War II. He won the AL MVP Award in 1942 when he hit a career high .322, belted 18 HR and knocked in 103 runs. But after a solid season in ’43, Gordon was rusty when he returned from the war. He hit just .210 and struck out more often than not. It led to the Yankees’ decision to deal him that off-season to the Cleveland Indians for pitcher Allie Reynolds. The “Big Chief” would have a stellar career as a Yankee, but Gordon had something to prove as a member of the Indians. He would do just that.

In his first two seasons in Cleveland, Gordon averaged 30 HR and 108 RBI (with career highs in both categories in 1948), finished in the top 10 in the AL MVP voting, and helped lead the Tribe to the 1948 AL pennant and their first World Series win in 28 years. Gordon was also instrumental in helping Larry Doby, the first African-American to play in the American League, integrate with the ball club. Gordon’s simple gesture to play catch with Doby exemplified his leadership and made Doby one of the guys.

In Gordon’s first year as the Indians’ manager, the Cleveland News’ Ed McAuley talked about his natural leadership. Click here to read all about it!

Gordon made one more All-Star appearance, but after his second-worst offensive season, the Indians released him in October, 1950. He still holds the AL record for home runs by a 2nd baseman (246) and was also the league’s first 2nd baseman to hit 20 home runs in a season.

Gordon spent the next several years as a player-manager, scout, and manager in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). He returned to Cleveland in 1958, this time as their manager. However, he often clashed with GM Frank Lane, who liked to micromanage. Despite finishing second to the Yankees in 1959, one of the oddest trades in baseball history was made in the midst of the 1960 season. Gordon would not have been back for the ’60 season, but talks to hire Leo Durocher didn’t work out. So after 95 games, Cleveland sent Gordon to the Detroit Tigers for their skipper, Jimmy Dykes. After finishing the season with the Tigers, Gordon went on to manage the Kansas City Athletics in 1961, but was fired in mid-season by the always fickle Charlie Finley. Gordon managed one final season in the Major Leagues as the skipper of the expansion Kansas City Royals in 1969.

Unfortunately, Gordon died of a heart attack at age 63 in 1978, 31 years before the Veteran’s Committee honored him with an election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

We remember Joe Gordon on his date of birth, February 18, 1915.

Also Born Today:

Alex Rios (1981, Guaynabo, PR): Was selected with the 19th overall pick (San Pedro Martin HS) in the 1999 amateur draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto’s front office looked at Rios as a young Dave Winfield; a player who could hit for power and average, drive in runs, steal bases, play stellar defense and throw out base runners with his strong arm. Rios progressed nicely, turning out very productive back-to-back All-Star seasons in 2006-2007.

That led the team to sign Rios to a long-term deal, buying up his remaining arbitration years and first years of free agent elibility. The seven year deal guaranteed Rios over $69MM. Though he hit .291 in 2008, Rios’ overall production was down from the prior year and his numbers took an even bigger dip the following season. In August 2009, the Blue Jays decided to put Rios on waivers. When the Chicago White Sox put in a claim, the Blue Jays decided to give their bank account a break and allowed the White Sox to keep him. With no player transaction in return, the White Sox would have to assume the remainder of the contract.

Rios went into an awful slump after the move to Chicago, but in 2010 produced stats (.284-21-88, 34 steals) more in line with his pre-contract form. The White Sox are banking on Rios to repeat those figures for several years to come.

John Mayberry (1949, Detroit, MI): Was one of the most fearsome sluggers of the 1970′s. The 6th overall pick in the 1967 amateur draft (Houston Astros), never played more than 50 games in a season until he was dealt to the Kansas City Royals after the 1971 season. There he became a star, averaging 24 HR and 92 RBI over the next six seasons. He finished second in the 1975 AL MVP voting to rookie Fred Lynn of Boston when he reached career highs in home runs (34), RBI (106), and OPS (.963). He helped lead the Royals to their first three American League West Division titles, but unfortunately for Mayberry and his teammates, they lost all three ALCS series to the New York Yankees.

Mayberry spent four-plus seasons in Toronto and finished out his final season with the Yankees in 1982. In the coming season, he will continue to watch his son John Mayberry Jr. try to make the Major Leagues as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Dom DiMaggio | Baseball Digest

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Dom DiMaggio | Baseball Digest

Had Dominic Paul DiMaggio been born into a different family he may have gained much more notoriety, but being the younger brother of Joe DiMaggio, Dominic was often overlooked by the media and the fans outside of Boston. However, Dom DiMaggio was beloved in front of his hometown Fenway fans and was an outstanding player in his own right.

The youngest of nine children born (Feb 12, 1917) in San Francisco, Dom had ideas of becoming a chemical engineer. His father hoped he would be a lawyer. But just like brothers Joe and Vincent, Dom had a talent that would take him to the minor league San Francisco Seals and then to the Major Leagues.

Dom was 19-yrs old when Joe made his Yankees debut. Just four years later, Dom made his first appearance for the rival Boston Red Sox. There another great outfielder, Ted Williams, would cast a long shadow over the younger DiMaggio’s career. It wouldn’t take Dom long to establish his own identity, though.

As a rookie, DiMaggio, nicknamed “The Little Professor” by his teammates due to his glasses and scholarly look, hit .301 with 32 doubles, eight home runs, 46 RBI, 46 walks, and six triples. (The Rookie of the Year Award wasn’t established until 1941.) It would be the start of a career that saw DiMaggio named to the AL All-Star team seven times. He led the league in runs scored twice, topped the AL in stolen bases and triples once, and finished in the top 20 in MVP voting four times. He was one of the best leadoff men in the game and was also a superb centerfielder. Williams had this to say, “He was the easiest outfielder I ever played with. When he yelled ‘Mine!’ you didn’t have to worry about the rest of that play.” Author David Halberstram called Dom the most underrated player of his era.

The Boston Globe’s Bob Holbrook spoke to DiMaggio in 1948 about his prowess in centerfield. Click here to read all about it!

In the years following his playing career, Dom revealed how hard it was to play in his brother’s shadow. “Yes, he’s my brother — and I’m his brother,” Mr. DiMaggio liked to say. “It’s been a struggle all my life…. It followed me all through my major league career. I was always Joe’s kid brother…. I never encouraged my two sons to get into baseball. I knew it would be twice as hard on them as it was on me. The Joe DiMaggio legend was just too strong.”

Dom played 11 seasons in the majors, sitting out three years (1943-1945) to serve during World War II. He finished as a .298 career hitter and played in one World Series in 1946 against the St. Louis Cardinals. He was part of one of the most famous plays in World Series history due to his absence. Having been removed from the game due to a pulled hamstring, Dom could only watch as his replacement, Leon Culbertson, couldn’t throw out the Cardinals’ Enos Slaughter during his famous “Mad Dash” home from 1st base to score the game’s and the World Series’ winning run.

In his post-baseball life, DiMaggio became a plastics manufacturer and was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1995. He and his wife Emily raised two sons and a daughter. He passed away in 2009 at 92 years of age.

Also Born Today

Ruben Amaro Jr. (Philadelphia, PA 1965): The 11th round pick in the 1987 amateur draft had a nondescript eight-year career with the Angels, Phillies, and Indians. Amaro, whose father played in the big leagues for 11 seasons, has found great success in the front office. After serving as an assistant GM for the Phillies for a decade, he was named general manager in November, 2008. He helped shape the team that won its second straight NL pennant in 2009, engineered the trade that brought 2010 CY Young winner Roy Halladay to Philly, and this winter gave the Phillies the best starting rotation in baseball by signing free agent pitcher Cliff Lee.

Chet Lemon (Jackson, MS 1955): The centerfielder had a steady 16-year career split between the Chicago White Sox (7) and Detroit Tigers (9). He was a three time All-Star who didn’t mind taking one for the team- he led the league in hit-by-pitches four times. A .273 lifetime hitter, Lemon hit 215 career home runs and played in 1,988 games. After going hitless in 13 at-bats in the 1984 ALCS, Lemon made up for it in the Tigers’ World Series win over the Padres, hitting .294 with an RBI, two walks, and two stolen bases. Though his team lost the 1987 pennant to the Twins, he enjoyed a fine ALCS, hitting .278-2-4. Lemon, who was always commended for his work ethic, is now passing on his knowledge of the game as the coach of two AAU baseball teams in Florida.

Joe Garagiola (St. Louis, MO 1926): The catcher never had the talent of his good Missouri buddy Yogi Berra, but Joe Garagiola parlayed a nine-year career in baseball into a successful post-baseball career. Garagiola became a baseball announcer, teaming with legends like Mel Allen and Curt Gowdy, and a television personality who was seen regularly on the Today Show. He became a fixture on NBC’s MLB Game of the Week before resigning in 1988 as the network was on the verge of losing broadcast rights. In 1991 he received the Ford Frick Award for his outstanding contributions to baseball broadcasting.

Garagiola still gives back to the game in many ways, including visiting teams during spring training to warn of the dangers of chewing tobacco. He has also contributed his time to the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.)

Charles “Chick” Hafey (Berkeley, CA 1903-1973): Played 13 seasons (1924-1935, 1937) with the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals. To look at his numbers you would not think the outfielder had the statistics to reach the Baseball Hall of Fame, but he did just that, elected by the veterans committee in 1971. Hafey was a solid player; he hit .317 lifetime and over a three year stretch (1928-1930) averaged 28 HR and 114 RBI. He won the 1931 batting title by getting a hit in his final at-bat. But Hafey suffered from a serious sinus condition that affected his vision and caused him to wear different eyeglasses depending on what his condition was at the time. He was a member of the 1928 Cardinals World Series winner and two other pennants, but was dealt to the Reds prior to the 1932 season after back-to-back salary disputes.

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Hank Aaron | Baseball Digest

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Hank Aaron | Baseball Digest

I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was sitting on our couch, eyes glued to the television set. Al Downing of the LA Dodgers delivered the pitch and the Atlanta Braves’ Hank Aaron sent it deep to left-center field. Left fielder Bill Buckner, (yes, that Bill Buckner!) leaped on top of the fence, but the ball easily cleared the wall to the right of the 385-ft sign and landed in the glove of pitcher Tom House in the Braves bullpen. Hank Aaron had just broken Babe Ruth’s career record for home runs with his 715th blast.

Aaron was greeted by a pair of overeager fans as he rounded the bases and was swarmed by his teammates when he reached home plate. Also waiting there was his wife and parents and a throng of photographers. Craig Sager, who was fashionably challenged even then, interviewed Aaron for the raucous Fulton County Stadium crowd of 53,775. It was April 8, 1974 and it seems like yesterday.

Henry Louis Aaron was born (February 5, 1934) in Mobile, Alabama to Herb and Estella Aaron. Hank was one of seven children, including his brother Tommie who would one day become his teammate on the Braves. Aaron and his family picked cotton by day and young Hank played sports when he could. His family couldn’t afford equipment, so Aaron practiced by hitting bottle caps and fashioned bats and balls out of materials he found on the street.

As he grew up, Aaron excelled at sports, prompting him to quit high school to join the Negro Leagues when he was 17. After a year of playing for the Independent League Mobile Black Bears, Aaron helped the Indianapolis Clowns to the 1952 Negro League championship. His performance led to offers from the Boston Braves and New York Giants. Aaron chose the Braves because their offer was $50 higher. Imagine that… Hank Aaron and Willie Mays could have been teammates!

Aaron made the majors with the Braves, who were in Milwaukee by then, in 1954 and finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting after a .280-13-69 season. It was the last time he hit under 20 home runs in a season until his next-to-last year in 1975.

Aaron’s home run record was criticized at times over the years because he never hit more than 50 home runs in a season, played most of his career in a 162 game schedule (not crediting him for his remarkable durability), and sadly, because he is African-American. Racial bias directed towards him was never more evident than when Aaron was approaching Ruth’s home run record.

During the 1973 off-season, Aaron received a large amount of hate mail and death threats, as did members of the media who supported him. Sports Illustrated summed it up best, saying “Is this to be the year in which Aaron, at the age of thirty-nine, takes a moon walk above one of the most hallowed individual records in American sport…? Or will it be remembered as the season in which Aaron, the most dignified of athletes, was besieged with hate mail and trapped by the cobwebs and goblins that lurk in baseball’s attic?” The public in general was behind Aaron, including Babe Ruth’s widow Claire Hodgson, who denounced the racism.

In December, 1973, the Washington Post’s Paul Attner marveled at Aaron’s soon-to-happen accomplishment and pondered who might possibly break the new record. Click here to read all about it.

In all, Hank Aaron finished with 755 home runs, playing his last two years back in Milwaukee as a member of the American League’s Brewers. (I had the privilege of seeing Aaron tie Babe Ruth’s all-time RBI record against the Yankees at Shea Stadium on April 27, 1975). He hit more than 40 home runs – seven times, drove in 2,297 runs, hit .305 lifetime, was a 25-time All-Star and the 1957 NL MVP (he finished in the top five in voting seven times) when the Braves won their only World Series in Milwaukee. He was an outstanding defender in right field (3-time Gold Glove winner) and base runner (he stole 31 bases in 1962).

Hammerin’ Hank Aaron was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982 with the third highest percentage (97.8) of all-time. His post-playing career life has included a number of different positions in the Atlanta Braves organization and he has served as an ambassador for Major League Baseball. When Barry Bonds approached and eventually surpassed his home run record, Aaron carried himself with the same dignity and class that he always had despite some personal reservations regarding accusations against Bonds.

A very Happy 77th Birthday to Hank Aaron.

Also born on this day:

Roberto Alomar (Ponce, Puerto Rico, 1968): Alomar will be joining Aaron in the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 24, 2011. Alomar posted a .300 career average over 17 seasons with a career .814 OPS. He topped 500 doubles, 200 home runs, 1000 RBI (1,134), and stole 474 bases. More notable was his defense at 2nd base, where he won 10 Gold Glove awards. Alomar was a 12 time All-Star and helped the Toronto Blue Jays to back-to-back World Series titles in 1992-1993.

Roger Peckinpaugh(1891-1910): The native of Wooster, Ohio played 17 seasons in the major leagues with the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Washington Senators, and Chicago White Sox. He won the AL MVP award in 1925, at age 34, when the Senators lost the World Series to the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games. After his acquisition from the Indians, Peckinpaugh served as player-manager for 20 games in New York’s first season where they were known as the Yankees. After retiring as a player, Peckinpaugh managed the Indians for seven years (1928-1993, 1941).

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Bob Uecker | Baseball Digest

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Bob Uecker | Baseball Digest

Listen to the broadcast of any major, minor, or college league game and there’s a good chance you’re going to hear a reference to Bob Uecker. A pitcher’s delivery is well out of the strike zone and you’ll hear “Jussssst outside” said in a sarcastic tone. The announcer in question is paying homage to Uecker’s famous tag line from the “Major League” movie franchise in which he played announcer Harry Doyle.

Younger fans may think that Uecker has always been a baseball announcer or actor. Particularly after he starred as George Owens on the ABC comedy “Mr. Belvedere” and was part of a long running beer campaign (which led to another tag line “I must be in the front roooow”.). But first and foremost, Bob Uecker was a baseball player. Not a very good player, but a major league player nonetheless.

Robert George Uecker is Wisconsin through and through. Born in Milwaukee in 1935, he watched the then minor league Milwaukee Brewers in his formative years, played for the Milwaukee Braves (1962-1963), and began broadcasting in Milwaukee in 1971. He’s even promoted the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League.

Uecker spent six seasons in the minors, toiling in far flung spots like Boise, ID, Eau Claire, WI, and Evansville, IL. He showed some power, epitomized by a 22 home run season in 1958. But Uecker’s minor league success never translated to the major leagues. He would spent six seasons as a back up catcher with the Braves, St. Louis Cardinals (with which he won a World Series ring in 1964), Philadelphia Phillies, and the Braves again when they moved to Atlanta. He would play in just 297 games in “The Show”.

Neal Russo of the St. Louis Dispatch spoke with Uecker for Baseball Digest in 1964 about his shaky baseball career. Click here to read all about it!

Uecker batted just .200 lifetime with 14 home runs, half of them coming in his best offensive season with the Phillies in 1966. He drove in 30 runs that year in 78 games. But baseball was more than just games played for “Uke”. He forged a number of relationships, was in on a number of comical situations, and was building his post-baseball career as he played. Many of his antics and stories can be found in his two books, “Catcher in the Wry” (An autobiography that I highly recommend.) and “Catch 222″.

“The cops picked me up at 3 a.m. once and fined me $200 for being slightly inebriated and $100 for being with the Phillies.”

Four years after his playing career ended, Uecker returned to Milwaukee as an announcer for the Brewers, who were in just their third season of existence after beginning as the Seattle Pilots in 1969. He also worked semi-regularly on national broadcasts, made numerous personal appearances, such as guesting on “The Tonight Show”, and was part of a series of television ad campaigns. It would all lead to his television and theatrical acting careers. Popular in any venue, he’s even in the World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) Hall of Fame for his time as an in-ring announcer in the late 1980′s.

But first and foremost, Bob Uecker has always been about baseball. In 2003, he was awarded the Ford C. Frick Award by the Baseball Hall of Fame in recognition for his major contributions to baseball. He’s also in the Radio and Wisconsin Sports Hall of Fames, and in recognition of his 50 years in baseball, the Brewers placed a number 50 in their “Ring of Honor” in 2005.

Uecker gave all of his fans a scare last April when he had to undergo aortic valve replacement surgery. He returned to his broadcasting duties in July, but needed additional surgery in October to repair a tear from his original surgery. He’s expected to be in fine fettle when the 2011 season starts. Milwaukee Brewers baseball wouldn’t be the same with out him.

Happy 76th birthday and many more to come to Bob Uecker!

Also celebrating birthdays today:

Brian Doyle in Glasgow, KY, 1955: Doyle’s career was even shorter than Uecker’s, just 110 games over four seasons (1977-1981) with the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics. In 1978 Doyle caught lightning in a bottle, helping the Yankees to the second of back to back world championships. Starting 2nd baseman Willie Randolph went down with an injury, but Doyle stepped in and stepped up, hitting .438 with two RBI and four runs scored against the Dodgers as the Yankees rallied from a 2-0 deficit in games to capture the title. Today, Doyle, along with brothers Denny and Blake, runs one of the most highly respected baseball schools (Doyle Baseball Academy) in the country.

Ryland Rowland-Smith: The left-hander who really does come from down under- New South Wales, Australia- was born in 1983. Rowland-Smith recently signed with the Houston Astros, hoping to rebound from a less than stellar 2010 campaign with the Seattle Mariners. He emerged as a solid starter, in his third season in the bigs, in 2009 with a 5-4, 3.74 mark and a 2:1 strikeout to walk ratio.

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Don Zimmer | Baseball Digest

If you look up the word “character” in the dictionary, there’s a good chance you’ll see a picture of Don Zimmer next to the definition. With over 60 years in baseball as a player, coach, and manager, and one of the most recognizable faces on the planet, the man called “Popeye” has become one of the most beloved figures in the sport.

The Cincinnati, OH native started his career in the minor leagues as a player in Cambridge, MD as part of the Eastern Shore League. He made a number of stops, including Elmira, NY, where he married his wife Jean, better known as Scoot, in 1951. But it was a stop in St. Paul, MN that nearly ended Zimmer’s career and his life. Long before the days of batting helmets, Zimmer lost a pitch in the sun and was hit in the temple. He wasn’t fully conscious for 13 days.

Holes were drilled into his head to relieve the pressure on his brain. He couldn’t talk, walk, and had blurred vision. The stocky 5’9″ infielder lost 35 pounds. He was lucky to be alive, but doctors told him his career as a player was finished. But Don Zimmer would prove them wrong.

He reached the big leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954 and became a utility infielder for the next three seasons. In 1958 he became the regular shortstop as Pee Wee Reese played his final season with the then-Los Angeles Dodgers. It was arguably the best season of Zim’s career – 17 HR, 60 RBI, .720 OPS. Zimmer was traded after the ’59 World Series championship to the Cubs and then played for the Mets (an original member), the Reds, one more brief stint with the Dodgers, and the Washington Senators before retiring after the 1965 season (He would play one final year in Japan in 1966). It was an ordinary career by numbers – a .235 career average – but Zimmer was a student of the game and made many connections along the way.

The transition to managing was a natural one and Zimmer spent a handful of years at the helm in the minor leagues before taking a 3rd base coaching job for the Montreal Expos in 1971. He was on the Padres staff a year later when manager Preston Gomez was fired and Zimmer was named his replacement. He managed through the end of the ’73 season before he too was let go.

Zimmer’s next managerial stop was his most famous, or possibly, infamous. He was the skipper for the Boston Red Sox from 1976 (replacing Darrell Johnson after 86 games) to 1980. That means, of course, that he was running the team that blew a 14 1/2 game lead in July, 1978 before losing a one game divisional playoff to the rival New York Yankees. He also led the Texas Rangers (1981-1982) and the Chicago Cubs (1988-1991) and was a member of a number of coaching staffs until one fateful day when Joe Torre, whom he didn’t know at the time, asked him to be the bench coach for his new gig as manager of the New York Yankees in 1996.

The late Arthur Daley, of the New York Times and the first sportswriter to win a Pulitzer Prize, wrote an article for Baseball Digest in September of 1958 centered around Don Zimmer's breakout season. Click here to read the article!

Just like Rick and Captain Renault in Casablanca, it was the start of a beautiful friendship. Zimmer’s time in New York would make him a folk hero and led to a pair of books on his life and career. His time in the Big Apple was marked by supreme loyalty to Torre, the infamous brawl in Boston during the 2003 ALCS when he was thrown to the ground by Pedro Martinez, and an abrasive relationship with George Steinbrenner that helped lead to his voluntary departure after the 2003 season. Zimmer became a senior advisor for the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays in 2004 and still holds that position today.

Happy 80th birthday Zim. You are a true gem!

Also Celebrating A Birthday Today:

Chili Davis (b. Kingston, Jamaica 1960): One of the best hitters in baseball, Charles “Chili” Davis spent 19 season in the major leagues. His stops included San Francisco, Anaheim, Minnesota (WS ring ’91), Kansas City, and New York (AL, WS rings ’98-’99). He finished his career with 350 home runs, 1,372 RBI, and 2,380 hits. He was a three time All-Star and finished fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 1982.

Also Born Today:

Darrell Porter: The Joplin, MO (1952) native would become a hometown hero when he was named the MVP of the 1982 World Series while a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. A catcher, Porter played 17 seasons with the Brewers, Royals, Cardinals, and Rangers. He’s 29th all-time in games caught with 1,506, and was a four time All-Star. His best season came for he Royals in 1979 when he hit .291-20-112 with an AL-leading 121 walks. Troubled by drug and alcohol addiction, Porter tragically died as a result of a drug-related incident in 2002.

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Willie McCovey | Baseball Digest

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Willie McCovey | Baseball Digest

Willie Lee McCovey is one of the best ball players that many people don’t know much about. That’s what happens when your a soft spoken southern (Mobile, AL) gentleman playing on a team of stars, including fellow Hall of Fame members Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, and Juan Marichal.

For instance, did you realize that McCovey spent a good deal of his early days in San Francisco playing the outfield due to Cepeda and others occupying 1st base? He wouldn’t become a full time 1st baseman until 1965, but played there for the remainder of his career (with a 9 game stint as a DH thrown in there for the Oakland A’s in 1976).

McCovey came on the scene with a fury in 1959, winning the Rookie of the Year award despite playing in only 52 games. But a .354 average, 13 HR, and 38 RBI earned him all 24 first place votes for the award.

He would have his struggles too though, getting sent down to the minors the very next year when he went from hero to zero at age 22 and was met with boos on a regular basis by the Giants fan base. He was demoted in mid-July and hit just .238 for the season, matching his rookie home run total despite 88 more plate appearances.

McCovey’s prodigious slugging was not to be denied. The man known as “Stretch” had a run from 1963-1970 in which he averaged 36 home runs, 99 RBI, and 82 walks. The final three years of that period was McCovey at his best.

His 36 HR, 105 RBI, .923 OPS season in 1968 was topped by an MVP campaign in 1969, the first year of divisional play. The Giants were in first place with eight games left in the season, but finished 3-5 to fall three games behind Atlanta. It should be noted that the Giants were in that position due to the amazing offensive display McCovey put on all year.

“Stretch” smacked 45 home runs and drove in 121 runs despite leading the lead with 121 walks (45 of which were intentional) in 1969. Throw in a .320 batting average and a .656 slugging percentage and you can understand why McCovey beat out Tom Seaver (25 wins, 2.21 ERA) by 22 points to capture the NL MVP award. For an encore in 1970, McCovey matched his ’69 RBI total, posted a 1.056 OPS, and hit “just” 39 home runs while walking 137 times.

In 1970 the NY Post’s Milton Gross wrote “Why McCovey Won the MVP Award” by basically carrying the team on his back. Check it out here.

The Giants would reach the World Series just once (1962) in McCovey’s tenure, but he provided one of the most famous highlights in post-season play. The series was tied at three games apiece against the Yankees with the finale in Candlestick Park. The Giants trailed 1-0 in the 9th inning and were down to their final out. With two men aboard, Yankees starter Ralph Terry elected to face McCovey rather than walk him and pitch to Cepeda. McCovey nearly made him pay, hitting one of the hardest balls you will ever see…right at 2nd baseman Bobby Richardson for the final out of the series. It was doubly heartbreaking for McCovey because he would reach the post-season just one other time in his illustrious career, losing in the NLCS to the Pirates in 1971.

The big man was dealt to the San Diego Padres after the ’73 season as the Giants looked to get younger. He would spend the next two plus seasons with the lowly Pads before spending the final month of the 1976 season with the Oakland Athletics. McCovey was welcomed back into the Giants fold as a 39-yr old free agent a year later and spent the last four seasons of his career calling Candlestick Park his home once again. McCovey’s final home run in the major leagues tied him with Ted Williams for, at the time, 10th place on the all-time list with 521. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986 in his second year of eligibility (Lou Brock and Hoyt Wilhelm took the majority of the votes the prior year).

His knees are in bad shape and he often uses crutches, but McCovey can still be seen semi-regularly at the Giants’ Pac Bell Park watching long home runs hit into the area of San Francisco Bay dubbed “McCovey Cove” in honor of the now 73-yr old slugger.

Happy Birthday Willie McCovey.

Also celebrating a birthday today:

Ervin Santana is 28. The right-hander has won 76 games in his six big league seasons with the Angels. The Dominican native loves even numbers years, winning 16 games twice and 17 last season. He was an All-Star in 2008 and finished sixth in the AL CY Young voting that season.

Adam Kennedy turns 35. The veteran of 12 seasons is a free agent still seeking employment for 2011. Originally a draft choice of the St. Louis Cardinals, he was dealt to the Anaheim Angels prior to the 2000 season in a deal that brought Jim Edmonds to Missouri. He finished sixth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting that season when he drove in 72 runs and stole 22 bases in 30 attempts. Kennedy was a key to the Angels lone World Series championship in 2002, hitting a combined .409 with four home runs and eight RBI in the division and championship series. After seven seasons with the Halos, Kennedy was a utility man back in St. Louis for a couple of years before spending a year each with Oakland and Washington.

Also born on this day- Hall of Fame member Harry Wright (1835-1895), who was a player/manager for the Boston Red Stockings (National Association) and Boston Red Caps (NL) from 1871-1877. A rookie at age 36, he retired and became a full time manager in 1878. He would manage for 25 years and was inducted in the Hall as a Pioneer/Executive in 1953.

Happy 75th to the All-Time Home Run King

Yeah, you heard me. Happy 75th birthday to Hank Aaron. Among the attendees at a party for Hammerin' Hank tonight will be Bill Clinton, Dave Winfield, and Bud Selig.