On February 25 in Baseball History... 1933 - Four days after turning thirty years old and acquiring a very generous inheritance from his step-father, Tom Yawkey purchases the Red Sox from Robert Quinn for $1.2 million. The acquisition of the Boston American League franchise, which lasts for 44 years, the longest by a sole owner in baseball history, is prompted by former school classmate and Hall of Fame infielder Eddie Collins, who will serve as the team's general manager until 1947.
1934 - At the age of 60, John McGraw dies at New Rochelle Hospital, two weeks after entering the facility with optimistic reports about his recovery. The renowned Giants skipper, known as 'Little Napolean' due to his style and stature, won ten pennants and three world championships during his 30 years as the team's manager.
1957 - The U.S. Supreme Court decides 6-3 that baseball is the only professional sport exempt from antitrust laws. The issue arises when pro football seeks similar protection from the laws.
1965 - The MLB owners refuse to raise the minimum salary requested by the players to $7,000 from the current $6,000, a level that is only $500 more since the first minimum salary was established 18 years ago. In 1968, thanks to the first-ever collective bargaining agreement in professional sport, the amount will be raised to $10,000, setting the tone for more rapid increases in the coming years.
1969 - Baseball avoids the first work stoppage in its history when the owners agree to increase their contribution to the newly revised pension plan, which changes the players ability to qualify from five years to four with the minimum age being lowered from fifty to forty-five to receive benefits. Other improvements include the players agreeing to collect $5.45 million per year, retroactive to 1959, as well as a percentage of the revenue generated by televised games.
1972 - Due to a salary impasse, the Cardinals trade 20-game winner Steve Carlton (20-9) to the last place Phillies for Rick Wise (17-14), who learns of the trade when Eddie Ferenz, the team's traveling secretary, knocks on the all-star hurler's condo door in Clearwater Beach early in the morning to inform the stunned pitcher of the spring training transaction. 'Lefty' will post a 27-10 record for Philadelphia and will win the National League Cy Young Award.
1973 - The spring training lockout ends when the players' union and the owners reach a three-year agreement. The new collective bargaining agreement establishes salary arbitration for players with two or more years of major league service, raises the minimum salary to $15‚000 and includes the new “10 and 5″ trade rule‚ that allows a player with ten years in the major leagues‚ in which the last five are with his current team‚ to block any trade involving him.
1981 - The Executive Board of the Players' Association votes unanimously to strike on May 29 if the issue of free-agent compensation remains unresolved. That deadline will be extended briefly, however, when the Players Association's unfair labor practices complaint is heard by the National Labor Relations Board.
1987 - Commissioner Ueberroth bans former Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt from major league baseball for the 1987 season due to multiple drug-related incidents during the past year. The penalty will be reduced to sixty days, and the Padres will be ordered to reinstate the right-hander by an arbitrator.
1993 - Resembling a marlin with arms and legs, 'Billy' is introduced as the mascot of the new National League franchise in Miami. Owner Wayne Huizenga selects the name partly because a dolphin is from the species of fish known as "billfish", and it was different from typical baseball mascot names like Smasher.
1994 - After a long campaign by Yankee fans, including owner George Steinbrenner, the Veterans Committee elects Phil Rizzuto to the Hall of Fame, along with posthumous selection of Leo Durocher. The former infielder and current television broadcaster's enshrinement, that causes much debate given the borderline career stats, became especially important to his supporters when Pee Wee Reese, a similar-styled shortstop of the rival crosstown Brooklyn Dodgers was inducted 1984.
2002 - Diamondbacks' third baseman Matt Williams breaks a bone in his left leg during the morning workout. Arizona will not issue a timetable for the return of the 36-year-old veteran.
2002 - The 84-year-old Hall of Fame broadcaster, Ernie Harwell, announces this season will be his last as the Tigers' radio play-by-play announcer. During his 62-year career behind the mike, the winner of the 1981 Ford Frick Award for baseball broadcasting excellence had worked for the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants and Baltimore Orioles before moving to Detroit.
2003 - Blue Jays' World Series hero Joe Carter is selected for a June induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Pete Rose, who played 95 games for the Expos and collected his 4000th hit with Montreal, was one of the 46 nominees considered, but was not chosen by 75 per cent of the voters.
2005 - After winning an auction for its one-day naming rights, Kerry Konrad originally planned to change the Fleet Center's name to honor Yankee captain Derek Jeter, but agrees to rename the Boston arena as the 'Jimmy Fund Center'. The New York fan's change of heart is prompted by a friend’s offer of an additional $6,275 for the childhood cancer charity, bringing the total amount to $8,600, reflecting the 86 years between Red Sox World Championships.
2008 - Terry Francona signs a three-year contract extension that runs through 2011, and includes team options for 2012 and 2013, to continue as manager of the Red Sox. After an eighty-six year drought, the BoSox skipper has led the club to a pair of World Series titles in four seasons at the helm.
2010 - The Rangers void Khalil Greene’s contract announcing the reason for the action is a private matter, and is being done in the best interest of the ballplayer. The 30-year old utility infielder, who missed 49 games with the Cardinals last season because of social anxiety, was unable to report to spring training last week as a result of his unidentified problem.
2012 - On their Twitter account, the Mets send out an image of the patch the team will wear this season in memory of Gary Carter, who died earlier in the month of brain cancer at the age of 57. The black oval will feature the nickname of the former New York catcher, Kid, and his number 8.
2013 - The Toronto Blue Jays claimed Lars Anderson from Chicago White Sox on waivers. 2015 - The Arizona Diamondbacks signed Erick Threets as a free agent.
2016 - The players' union and MLB agree to a slide rule in the aftermath of Ruben Tejada's broken leg during the NLDS. The new policy, the direct result of Chase Utley attempt to break up a double play that injured the Mets infielder, will be reviewable and will continue to allow contact to be permissible with the fielder, but the runner cannot change his path to disrupt the play deliberately.
Baseball Birthdays on February 25... 1854 - Cogswell, Ed
1856 - Britt, Jim
1863 - Allen, Hezekiah
1872 - McHale, Bob
1875 - Kling, Johnny
1883 - Hannifin, Jack
1884 - Bescher, Bob
1889 - Morey, Dave
1889 - Rieger, Elmer
1893 - Slattery, Phil
1897 - Vines, Bob
1899 - Rees, Stan
1900 - Burns, Joe
1900 - Gillespie, Duke
1908 - Hollingsworth, Al
1911 - Weir, Roy
1912 - Hayes, Jim
1915 - Weatherly, Roy
1918 - Diehl, George
1919 - Irvin, Monte
1921 - Pafko, Andy
1924 - Lohrke, Jack
1931 - Dunn, Jim
1934 - Schaive, Johnny
1936 - Reinsdorf, Jerry 1939 - Lemaster, Denny
1940 - Cater, Danny
1940 - Santo, Ron 1941 - Vineyard, Dave
1947 - Szotkiewicz, Ken
1951 - Cedeno, Cesar
1954 - Brenly, Bob
1956 - Lynch, Ed
1956 - Hickey, Kevin 1959 - Dayley, Ken
1961 - Kiecker, Dana
1963 - Arndt, Larry
1963 - O'Neill, Paul
1963 - McKeon, Joel
1964 - Rowland, Rich
1968 - Hulse, David
1969 - Flener, Huck
1969 - Norman, Les
1974 - Stewart, Shannon
1979 - Labandeira, Josh
1983 - Marshall, Jay 1985 - Paul, Xavier
1986 - Cordier, Erik
1987 - Irwin, Phillip
1987 - Rodriguez, Henry
1987 - Werner, Andrew
1988 - Adco¢k, Nathan
1988 - Mullee, Conor
1990 - Pena, Flex
1992 - Soler, Jorge
1993 - Fedde, Erick
Baseball Deaths on February 25... 1898 - Power, Tom
1899 - Wetzel, Shorty
1916 - Allison, Art
1926 - Hess, Otto
1934 - McGraw, John
1937 - Darby, George
1944 - Knowlton, Bill
1955 - Kamp, Ike
1956 - Lewis, Jack
1962 - Turner, Tink
1963 - Hughes, Bill
1966 - Braxton, Garland
1969 - Wrightstone, Russ
1981 - McCrea, Frank
1986 - Susce, George
1997 - Abrams, Cal
1998 - Gallagher, Joe
1999 - Huckleberry, Earl
2000 - Rikard, Culley
2001 - Mott, Bitsy
2005 - Colosi, Nick
2005 - LeJohn, Don
2008 - Wise, Roy
2012 - Cheadle, Dave