On March 22 in Baseball History...

    1939 - In his second exhibition game, Dodger Pete Reiser homers in his first at-bat against the Cardinals to begin a streak of 10 consecutive hits.

    1962 - Roger Maris declines to pose with Mets coach Rogers Hornsby because the Hall of Famer had criticized him in the Rajah's' book, My Wars with Baseball.

    1962 - In the first meeting between the two clubs, the Mets defeat the World Champion Yankees in a spring training game. Casey Stengel, the former skipper of the Bronx Bombers, now the manager of the new National League expansion team in New York, clearly wanting to beat his old club, calls upon veteran outfielder Richie Ashburn, who delivers a ninth-inning pinch-hit single giving the Amazins' the dramatic walk-off 4-3 victory at Al Lang Field.

    1962 - A former Giant, requesting anonymity, reveals that Bobby Thomson's home run in the 1951 playoffs against the Dodgers was helped by a sign-stealing clubhouse spy. The spying is claimed to have gone on for the last three months of the season. Thomson and former manager Leo Durocher vehemently deny that any help was received, but a source close to the team confirms the spy operation.

    1972 - The Yankees trade first baseman Danny Cater to the Red Sox for lefty reliever Albert Walter Lyle. Over the next seven years, Sparky will pitch in 420 games in relief with a 57-40 record and a 2.41 ERA notching 141 saves as he helps the Bronx Bombers to appear in three World Series.

    1990 - Major league umpires announce that they will boycott exhibition games to protest not having been consulted in the revision of the regular season schedule after the lockout. They will return to work on April 1.

    1993 - In a tragic accident, Indian pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews are killed when their motorboat strikes a pier. Bob Ojeda is severely injured, but will return to play major league baseball.

    2002 - After a poor spring trying to make the Dodgers as a bench player, 38-year-old Dante Bichette (.299, 274, 1,141) announces his retirement. The four-time All-Star played with the Angels, Brewers, Rockies, Reds and Red Sox during his 14-year major league career.

    2005 - Eleven home runs shy of passing Babe Ruth on the all-time list, Giants' slugger Barry Bonds indicates he may not play this season. The 40-year old National League MVP, who has two knee operations and has been implicated in the sport's steroids scandal, cites being physically and mentally "done" and blames the media for much of his unhappiness.

    2010 - With the same pen he used to sign his rookie contract in 2001, Twins catcher Joe Mauer (.365, 28, 96) signs a $184 million, eight-year contract extension keeping him with the small market team through 2018. Last year, the 26-year-old backstop, after starting the season on the DL as result of back surgery the previous year, captured his third batting crown and was named the American League's Most Valuable Player.

    2014 - The Texas Rangers released Jose Contreras.

    2016 - In a game attended by Barack Obama, the first sitting United States president on Cuban soil since 1928, the Rays beat the Cuban National team, 4-1, marking the first time in 17 years a major league team has visited the island nation. In 1999 at Havana's Estadio, the Orioles edge the home team, 3-2, thanks to a Harold Baines' eventual game-winning hit in the 11th inning.



    Baseball Birthdays on March 22...

    1854 - Allen, Myron
    1856 - McClellan, Bill
    1866 - Boyle, Jack
    1867 - Reeder, Nick
    1868 - Fuller, Ed
    1869 - Bausewine, George
    1882 - Sebring, Jimmy
    1884 - Chappelle, Bill
    1889 - Shafer, Tillie
    1892 - Wendell, Lew
    1896 - Holmes, Chick
    1898 - Urban, Luke
    1906 - Tremper, Overton
    1906 - Solters, Moose
    1906 - Owen, Marv
    1907 - Scalzi, Johnny
    1909 - Cole, Ed
    1913 - Steinbacher, Hank
    1915 - Branch, Norm
    1918 - Miles, Carl
    1918 - Butland, Bill
    1921 - Crowe, George
    1926 - Goodman, Billy
    1927 - Stuffel, Paul
    1928 - Schramka, Paul
    1932 - Schroll, Al
    1935 - Oliver, Gene
    1940 - Ellsworth, Dick
    1948 - Velazquez, Carlos
    1948 - Brown, Jake
    1949 - Wilshusen, Terry
    1952 - Bane, Eddie
    1952 - Rasmussen, Eric
    1953 - Boitano, Dan
    1960 - Sinatro, Matt
    1960 - Bradley, Scott
    1963 - Monteleone, Rich
    1965 - Hill, Glenallen
    1966 - Berry, Sean
    1968 - Martinez, Ramon
    1972 - Lidle, Cory
    1973 - Rodriguez, Nerio
    1974 - Phillips, Jason
    1978 - Griffiths, Jeremy
    1979 - Uribe, Juan
    1982 - Morse, Mike
    1984 - Smith, Joe
    1985 - Masterson, Justin
    1986 - Fowler, Dexter
    1987 - Davis, Ike
    1990 - Marshall, Brett
    1990 - Susac, Andrew
    1994 - Anderson, Drew
    1994 - Diaz, Edwin
    1994 - Robertson, Daniel



    Baseball Deaths on March 22...

    1897 - Anderson, Dave
    1902 - Ryan, Johnny
    1904 - McCoy, Art
    1905 - Krock, Gus
    1912 - Kenna, Ed
    1918 - Holdsworth, Jim
    1940 - Washburn, Libe
    1942 - Vail, Bob
    1944 - Hendrix, Claude
    1947 - Von Fricken, Tony
    1949 - Livingstone, Jake
    1953 - Driscoll, Michael
    1954 - LaRoss, Harry
    1957 - Babington, Charlie
    1960 - Rhodes, Gordon
    1962 - DeMontreville, Lee
    1962 - Martina, Joe
    1962 - Thomas, Red
    1969 - Speer, Floyd
    1973 - McCorry, Bill
    1980 - Foley, Ray
    1983 - Savidge, Don
    1993 - Olin, Steve
    1996 - Whisenant, Pete
    2001 - Kimball, Newt
    2007 - Dennis, Don
    2007 - Schmidt, Willard
    2011 - Roy, Normie
    2017 - Green, Dallas
    2017 - Higgins, Mark