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FIRST FREE AGENT
Q: Who was baseball's first free agent? Was it Catfish Hunter?
-- GlennJeffers@aol.com
A: Catfish Hunter became baseball's first free agent after complaining that Oakland Athletics owner Charles O. Finley didn't honor his contract, which called for $50,000 to be transferred to a life insurance fund. On December 13, 1974, arbitrator Peter Seitz ruled that Hunter was a free agent, and could negotiate freely with any team, a new idea in baseball at the time.
During the offseason, Hunter signed a five-year, 3.5-million-dollar contract with the New York Yankees, becoming the highest-paid player at the time. He went on to help the Yankees win three straight pennants from 1976-78, and ended up with a 63-53 record after four seasons with them.
A: The last home run at Ebbets Field came on September 22, 1957, two days before the final game at Ebbets Field. Duke Snider hit his 39th and 40th homers of the season in a 7-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, giving him five straight seasons with 40 or more home runs. These two homers also went down in history as the last ones hit at Ebbets Field.
Two days later, after a 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Dodgers said goodbye to Ebbets Field, their home for 44 years. The field area was turned into housing developments in 1963, and was later re-named the Jackie Robinson Apartments in 1972.
Q: Who did Lou Gehrig replace at first base in the first game of his consecutive games played streak?
-- DinaLaurenFox@aol.com
A: When Lou Gehrig started in his first game as a New York Yankee on June 2, 1925 (he had pinch hit the day before to begin his streak), he replaced Wally Pipp at first base. Pipp had asked for a day off to recover from a headache, and played in only one game the rest of that season for the Yanks. He was released at the end of the year, and signed by the Cincinnati Reds, where he spent three years before retiring in 1928.
Q: Who is the only major-league player to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the same inning?
-- Kkeairnes@aol.com
A: The only player to homer from both sides of the plate in the same inning is Cleveland Indians second baseman Carlos Baerga, who did it in Yankee Stadium on April 8, 1993. It came as part of a nine run seventh inning for the Indians, who went on to beat the Yankees 15-5.
Q: Who was the first African-American to play for the New York Yankees?
-- dw1966@cs.com
A: The first black player to play for the Yankees was Elston Howard, who joined the team in 1955 and played with them for almost 13 full seasons. His accomplishments include nine All-Star appearances, two Gold Gloves, the 1963 MVP award, and playing in nine World Series.
Q: Did the Cubs have numbers on their uniforms when Hack Wilson set his RBI record? If so, what number did he wear?
-- Joel Rosen and MaryKay Waite-Rose
A: Hack Wilson set the single season RBI record at 191 in 1930, two years before the Chicago Cubs added numbers to their uniforms. In 1932, the year that many teams began adopting numbered uniforms, Wilson was playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He wore #4 from 1932-1934, his final three years in baseball.
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