On November 26 in Baseball History...

    1948 - National League president Ford Frick steps in and pays $350 for funeral services, including the cost of a coffin, for the unclaimed body of Hack Wilson. The former slugger, who had died probably of alcohol abuse a few days earlier in a Baltimore hospital, is identified only as a white male.

    1960 - Moving from Washington, D.C. to an area near Minneapolis and St. Paul, known in Minnesota as the Twin Cities, the state's newly arrived major league team changes its name and will be known as the Twins. The new American League expansion team now in the nation's capital will continue to use the name Senators, but will be a totally different franchise.

    1961 - The Professional Baseball Rules Committee votes 8-1 against legalizing the spitball. Only National League supervisor of umpires Cal Hubbard votes in favor.

    1962 - Batting champ Pete Runnels (.326) is traded by the Red Sox to the Colt .45s for outfielder Roman Mejias. The Texas native will hit only .252 in Houston next season and will retire in May of 1964.

    1962 - The Dodgers trade pitcher Stan Williams (14-12, 4.46) for Yankee first baseman Bill Skowron (.270, 23, 80). In Game 2 of the World Series 'Moose' will homer against his former teammates.

    1963 - Cincinnati second baseman Pete Rose is a landslide winner of National League Rookie of the Year honors, taking 17 of 20 votes.

    1965 - Dodgers second baseman Jim Lefebvre is voted National League Rookie of the Year.

    1974 - Catfish Hunter, who claims his contract has been violated by the A's for failing to pay $50,000 into a long term annuity fund, meets with an arbitator and team owner Charlie Finley in New York. Peter Seitz of the American Arbitration Association will eventually rule in favor of the right-hander making the Oakland hurler the first big-name star to become a free agent in modern times.

    1975 - Getting 22 of the 24 first place votes, Fred Lynn easily outdistances Royals' first baseman/DH John Mayberry for the American League's Most Valuable Player award. The 22-year old Red Sox flycatcher becomes the first player in baseball history to win the MVP after being named Rookie of the Year in the same season.  Lynn batted .331 with 21 home runs, 105 RBI, and league-leading figures in runs (103), doubles (47), and slugging (.566).

    1979 - Third baseman John Castino, who batted .285 for the Twins, and shortstop Alfredo Griffin, who hit .287 for the Blue Jays, tie for the American League Rookie of the Year award, each receiving seven of the 28 votes. The deadlock precipitates a change in the voting system, effective in 1980.

    1980 - Receiving all 24 first place votes, Mike Schmidt, (.286, 48, 121) wins the Most Valuable Player award as the unanimous choice of the baseball writers. Joining outfielder Chuck Klein (1932) and pitcher Jim Konstanty (1950), the 30-year old hard-hitting third baseman becomes the third Phillies player to be selected as the National League's MVP.

    1986 - The Yankees trade prospects including Doug Drabek to the Pirates for veterans Rick Rhoden, Cecilio Guante and Pat Clements. Drabek will win the Cy Young Award after posting a 22-6 record for the Bucs in 1990.

    1996 - Less than three weeks after major league owners voted 18-12 against ratification of baseball's new collective bargaining agreement, owners voted again and this time approved it by a vote of 26-4. The landmark agreement brings interleague play to the regular season for the first time as well as revenue sharing among owners and a payroll tax on players.

    2002 - Prior to playing two regular-season games against the A's to open the major league season in Japan, MLB announces the Mariners will face the Seibu Lions and Yomiuri Giants in exhibition contests on March 22 and 23. Seattle features former Japanese superstar Ichiro Suzuki, who signed a three-year deal with the team in 2001.

    2003 - Hoping to add punch to their outfield, the A's trade catcher Ramon Hernandez and disgruntled flychaser Terrence Long to the Padres for outfielder Mark Kotsay. The deal will be delayed until Kotsay's back gets a clean bill of health.

    2007 - The Cubs re-signed free agent Kerry Wood to a one-year, $4.2 million deal which includes additional incentives for finishing games. The 30-year fragile former right-handed starter, who turned down multi-year offers from other clubs to stay with Chicago, will be given an opportunity to become the club's closer.

    2010 - The Dodgers complete their starting rotation by signing Jon Garland to a $5 million, one-year deal that includes a club option for an additional season. The 31-year-old right-hander joins the formidable foursome of Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda and Ted Lilly.



    Baseball Birthdays on November 26...

    1866 - Canavan, Jim
    1866 - Twineham, Art
    1866 - Slattery, Mike
    1866 - Duffy, Hugh
    1871 - Tenney, Fred
    1873 - Gannon, Gussie
    1876 - Smith, Stub
    1878 - Malarkey, Bill
    1883 - Lobert, Frank
    1889 - Horsey, Hanson
    1895 - Tomer, George
    1897 - Warwick, Bill
    1898 - Kerr, John
    1900 - Churry, John
    1906 - Johnson, Bob
    1907 - Claset, Gowell
    1908 - Gomez, Lefty
    1913 - Del Savio, Garton
    1914 - Cuccinello, Al
    1914 - Weiland, Ed
    1916 - Miller, Eddie
    1916 - Elliott, Bob
    1916 - Ripley, Walt
    1917 - Cooper, Pat
    1920 - Sheely, Bud
    1921 - Beeler, Jodie
    1921 - McGowan, Mickey
    1922 - Muir, Joe
    1922 - Wade, Ben
    1927 - Taylor, Pete
    1937 - Lee, Bob
    1938 - Rojas, Minnie
    1941 - Torborg, Jeff
    1947 - Hebner, Richie
    1947 - Gura, Larry
    1950 - Orta, Jorge
    1955 - Mendoza, Mike
    1955 - Howell, Jay
    1956 - Walk, Bob
    1956 - Meridith, Ron
    1959 - Moore, Mike
    1960 - Reynolds, Harold
    1962 - Finley, Chuck
    1968 - Wagner, Hector
    1969 - Militello, Sam
    1976 - Schneider, Brian
    1977 - Parrish, John
    1979 - Fulchino, Jeff
    1985 - Nunez, Jhonny
    1985 - Brown, Corey
    1985 - Carpenter, Matt
    1988 - Smoker, Josh
    1988 - Tracy, Matt
    1988 - Velazquez, Hector
    1991 - Knebel, Coret
    1991 - Waldrop. Kyle



    Baseball Deaths on November 26...

    1907 - Burke, Eddie
    1928 - Wagner, Butts
    1937 - Bednar, Andy
    1939 - Harris, Frank
    1952 - Gill, Warren
    1954 - Doak, Bill
    1962 - Carson, Al
    1969 - Kush, Emil
    1973 - Kane, Tom
    1982 - Walker, Hub
    1985 - Sherlock, Monk
    1989 - Fonseca, Lew
    2004 - Haller, Tom
    2012 - Kume, Mike
    2016 - Endicott, Bill