1. materials characteristic of baseball and the culture of baseball; 2. collectible baseball Americana
1978
The Red Sox trade catcher Bo Diaz, third baseman Ted Cox, and pitchers Rick Wise and Mike Paxton to the Indians for catcher Fred Kendall and pitcher Dennis Eckersley. Eckersley will win 20 for the Bosox that season and place 4th in Cy Young voting.
1978
The Oakland A’s release Dick Allen, ending a sometimes stormy 15-year MLB career which produced 351 home runs, 1,119 RBI, a .292 batting average, and a .534 slugging mark.
1959
Future N.L. President Bill White comes to St. Louis along with third baseman Ray Jablonski from the Giants for pitchers Sam Jones and Don Choate. White will win six consecutive Gold Gloves with the Cardinals plus one more later in Philadelphia.
1972
The Yankees trade first baseman-outfielder Danny Cater to the Red Sox for relief pitcher Sparky Lyle. In seven years with the Yanks, Lyle will post a 57-40 record with 141 saves and a 2.41 ERA, win the 1977 AL Cy Young award, and help the team to three World Series appearances.
1962
The Philadelphia Phillies retire pitcher Robin Roberts number 36. It was the first uniform number to be retired by the organization, and Roberts was still pitching in MLB (though in the A.L. at the time).
1984
White Sox coach Charlie Lau, renowned hitting instructor, dies at age 50 after a long bout with cancer. Lau, whose major league average was .255, earned his fame as the Royals batting coach from 1971-78, where his star pupil was George Brett.
1978
The A’s trade Vida Blue to the Giants for seven players and an estimated $390,000 in cash. in 6 seasons with the Giants (broken up by a brief trip to KC and jail), he would go 72-58 with a 3.52 ERA
1964
Will “The Thrill” Clark was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Clark was 22 years old when he broke into MLB with the San Francisco Giants. The six-time All-Star had a lifetime slash line of .303/.384/.497 with 284 home runs. More than just a slugger, Clark won a Gold Glove in 1991.
1985
Dave Stieb, the ace of the Blue Jays staff, signs an 11-year contract that could be worth up to $25 million with deferred payments and incentives. He would not pitch for the full contract length, but his record is 85-56 over the next six full seasons.
