2002
» Barry Bonds wins his record 5th MVP award, becoming the unanimous choice of the baseball writers.
2001
» Cardinals' 1B Mark McGwire announces his retirement, saying "I am unable to perform at a level equal to the salary the orgainzation would be paying me." McGwire's 583 career home runs place him 5th on the all-time list.
1999
» Boston Red Sox skipper Jimy Williams is named the American League Manager of the Year.
The Blue Jays trade pitchers Pat Hentgen and Paul Spoljaric to the Cardinals in exchange for P Lance Painter, C Alberto Castillo, and OF Matt DeWitt.
1998
» The Diamondbacks sign free agent P Greg Swindell to a 3-year contract, and free agent 1B Greg Colbrunn to a 2-year contract.
The White Sox trade OF Mike Cameron to the Reds in exchange for 1B Paul Konerko.
In a swap of high-priced unwanteds, the Mets send P Mel Rojas to the Dodgers for OF Bobby Bonilla. Neither will help, but the little-used, outspoken Bonilla, with a 2-year contract, will be a heavier burden than Rojas.
The Tigers sign free agent 3B Dean Palmer to a 5–year contract.
1997
» Pedro Martinez is named National League Cy Young Award winner.
The Reds swap P Donne Wall and C Paul Bako to the Tigers in exchange for OF Melvin Nieves.
The Marlins trade OF Moises Alou to the Astros in exchange for pitchers Oscar Henriquez and Manuel Barrios and a player to be named.
The Yankees trade vet 3B Charlie Hayes to the Giants for OF Chris Singleton and P Alberto Castillo.
1996
» The Cy Young Award stays in Atlanta with the expected announcement of John Smoltz as the 1996 National League winner. Since 1991, five of the six Cy Young winners have been Braves. Smoltz is named first on 26 of 28 ballots, with Kevin Brown finishing second in the voting.
Owner Bud Selig meets with Don Fehr, the players' labor leader, in a futile attempt to convince Fehr to accept the owners' demands. With the deadline for an agreement at midnight on the 14th, there is virtually no hope that the two sides will agree. If the two sides reach the deadline without an agreement, the interleague schedule for next year will be wiped out, and a traditional schedule followed.
1995
» Minnesota's Marty Cordova is named American League Rookie of the Year, winning by six points over California's Garret Anderson, who outhit him by 44 points.
Gaffney Street, near the former site of Braves Field in Boston, is renamed Harry Agganis Way, after the former Boston University and Red Sox star who died during the 1955 season.
1990
» California's Chuck Finley and Seattle's Randy Johnson combine to pitch a no-hitter in the finale of an 8-game exhibition series between American and Japanese all-star teams. But Japan still wins the series 4-3 with one tie, the first time since 1970 that a touring US team has left Japan with a losing record.
1987
» Roger Clemens becomes the first pitcher since Jim Palmer in 1975-76 to win consecutive Cy Young Awards, collecting 21 of 28 first-place votes to easily beat runner-up Jimmy Key.
Jim Frey, who managed the Cubs to the 1984 National League East title and spent last season as a broadcaster for the club, is named the club's director of baseball operations. His first major move will be to hire longtime friend Don Zimmer as manager on November 20th.
1986
» Houston's Mike Scott (18-10) beats Fernando Valenzuela (21-11) for the National League Cy Young Award, garnering 15 first-place votes to Valenzuela's 9.
Forty-five-year-old player-manager Pete Rose is dropped from the Reds' 40-man ML roster to make room for pitcher Pat Pacillo. Rose will continue to manage the club.
1982
» Joe Altobelli succeeds the retired Earl Weaver as Oriole manager. Altobelli is the 2nd Yankee coach to take a managing job this month, and will be Baltimore's first new pilot since 1968.
1981
» Fernando Valenzuela becomes the first rookie ever to win a Cy Young Award, edging the Reds Tom Seaver 70-67 for National League honors. He was the first rookie since Herb Score in 1955 to lead his league in strikeouts with 180.
1970
» Boog Powell, who batted .297 with 35 homers and 114 RBI for Baltimore, is named American League MVP by a 234-157 margin over the Twins Tony Oliva.
1958
» The American League announces that Kansas City will play 52 night games in 1959, a new league mark.
1953
» Jimmy Dykes, recently released as the manager of the Athletics, succeeds Marty Marion as the manager of the Baltimore Orioles.
1943
» The MVPs for both leagues are named. Spud Chandler
wins it in the AL; Stan Musial, in the NL.
1940
» Brooklyn's Larry MacPhail still needs a starting
pitcher to make his Dodgers a threat to the Reds.
He gets Kirby Higbe from the Phils for $100,000, P
Vito Tamulis, and Bill Crouch.
1926
» Eddie Collins is released as White Sox manager; he'll rejoin the A's as a player-coach. C Ray Schalk takes his place.
1903
» Jimmy Collins signs a contract to manage the Pilgrims for three years. They will be called the Pilgrims, then the Red Sox during his tenure.
1899
» Chicago Orphans star Bill Lange returns to San Francisco and vows he will never appear on the diamond again. He is only 28 and hit .325 this year.
1891
» The National League meets and dismisses the charges of collusion and game throwing against the eastern clubs brought by Chicago, thereby formally giving Boston the pennant. The league also plans its strategy for conquering the association by consolidating the four strongest AA clubs into a 12-team league for next year.
1889
» The Joint Rules Committee of the National League and AA makes only minor changes in the playing rules, the most important of which is to allow two substitutes per team, up from one in 1889.
1886
» The Executive Council of the Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players, formed the previous year, meets and chooses officers. John M. Ward is re-elected president, Dan Brouthers vice president, and Tim Keefe secretary-treasurer.
1880
» Boston signs P Jim Whitney, considered one of the best hurlers in California, at a salary of $150 per month.