On October 19 in Baseball History...
1913 - The Giants and White Sox, fortified with other players, start their world tour in Cincinnati. After a 31-game tour to Seattle, they will head for the Philippines, Australia, China and Japan. 1932 - The BBWAA MVP awards are announced, with Jimmie Foxx winning in the AL and Chuck Klein in the NL.
1932 - Receiving all six first place votes, Chuck Klein (.348, 38, 137) is named the National League's Most Valuable Player. The 27-year outfielder becomes the first Phillies player to win the award.
1949 - In one of their best trades in franchise history, the White Sox obtain future Hall of Famer Nellie Fox from the A's in exchange for catcher Joe Tipton. The hard-nosed second baseman will lead the league in hits four times and will win the 1959 American League MVP during his 14-year tenure with the team. 1964 - Fred Hutchinson, who compiled a 443-372 (.544) record and won the 1961 National League pennant during his six seasons with the team, formally resigns as manager the Reds. The 44 year-old much-respected skipper, after a courageous battle against lung cancer, will die three weeks later in Bradenton, Florida.
1964 - Harry Walker is named as the skipper of the Pirates replacing Danny Murtaugh, who will return to the field as an interim manager when his successor is fired during the 1967 season. During his two-plus years in the Pittsburgh dugout, 'the Hat' compiles a respectable 224-184 (.549) record, but is let go after his team plays .500 ball after competing for the National League flag the previous two seasons.
1972 - The Oakland A's rallied for two ninth-inning runs for a 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds to even the World Series after four games.
1976 - The Cincinnati Reds took a commanding 3-0 lead over the New York Yankees in the World Series with a 6-2 victory at Yankee Stadium. Cincinnati's designated hitter Dan Driessen had a single, double, home run and a walk to lead the attack. Jim Mason had a solo homer in the seventh inning for the only home run by the Yankees in the Series.
1978 - The White Sox fire Larry Doby‚ who posted a 37-50 record for the fifth-place team as a mid-season replacement for skipper Bob Lemon. Owner Bill Veeck names 35 year-old shortstop Don Kessinger, who was obtained from St. Louis at end of the 1977 campaign, as the club's player-manager for next season. 1980 - A ninth-inning rally for two runs against Kansas City's Dan Quisenberry gives Game Five to the Phillies by a 4-3 margin.
1981 - The first Canadian pennant hopes are dashed when Dodger Rick Monday's ninth inning two-out dramatic home run beats the Expos, 2-1, in the deciding game of the NLCS. It will be the first and last time in franchise history the team makes it into the postseason until 2012 when the Washington Nationals, the team's new name and home for past seven seasons, finishes first in the National League East Division.
1982 - The Cards sit through two rain delays to easily win Game Six of the World Series by a 13-1 score over Milwaukee.
1985 - St. Louis ace John Tudor is a 3-1 winner in the World Series opener against in-state opponent Kansas City.
1986 - At Shea Stadium, Steve Crawford is the winning pitcher in the Red Sox 9-3 victory over the Mets in Game 2 of the World Series. The right-handed reliever, who was 0-2 before the start of the postseason, becomes the first hurler to win a Fall Classic contest after being winless during the regular season. The Red Sox had 18 hits, and battered Dwight Gooden for six runs in five innings.
1987 - Billy Martin is named manager of the Yankees for a fifth time, replacing Lou Piniella, who replaced Martin and is moved to general manager. Piniella led the Yankees to an 89-73 record in 1987, fourth in the AL East.
1988 - The Dodgers take advantage of Oakland errors to beat Dave Stewart 4-3 in Game Four.
1990 - Cincinnati moves within one game of a shocking World Series sweep by beating Oakland 8-3 in Game Three. Chris Sabo slugs a pair of home runs for the Reds.
1993 - Paul Molitor comes within a double of hitting for the cycle as Toronto takes a 2-1 World Series lead in Philadelphia. Roberto Alomar adds four hits to back winner Pat Hentgen in a 10-3 romp.
2000 - Dusty Baker, who led the Giants to a National League West flag with baseball's best record (97-65), reaches agreement with the Giants on a two-year contract extension. The pact makes the two-time National League Manager of the Year the second highest-paid skipper in the majors.
2002 - Tsuyoshi Shinjo, the Giants' designated hitter, becomes the first Japanese-born player to appear in the World Series. The Osaka native gets a hit in his three trips to the plate in the team's 4-3 victory over the Angels in Game 1 of the Fall Classic.
2002 - At Edison International Field of Anaheim, the Giants edge the Angels in Game 1 of the Fall Classic, 4-3. It is the first time two wild card teams have faced one another in the World Series.
2004 - In an ALCS game which features two reversed calls by the umpires, the Red Sox become the first team in baseball history after trailing the series 0-3 to force a Game 7. Boston, who was three outs from being swept in Game 4, gets an outstanding pitching performance from Curt Schilling, playing with a dislocated ankle tendon, to beat the Yankees at the stadium, 4-2.
2004 - In a pivotal play of Game 6 of the ALCS played at Yankee Stadium, Alex Rodriguez is ruled out for interference after slapping the ball from Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo's glove. As a result Derek Jeter, who had scored, is ordered back to first with two outs rather than one, killing a potential rally in New York's eventual 4-2 loss to Boston.
2005 - The Astros, one of six teams to never to have played in the World Series, break the franchise’s 43-year drought and advance to the Fall Classic beating the Cardinals in the NLCS, 5-1. Houston had been close before, coming up short five times in their history in a game with the NL flag on the line, including being one strike away in Game 5 before Albert Pujols dashed the hometown dreams by hitting a two-strike, two out three-run ninth-inning homer forcing a Game 6 in St. Louis.
2006 - For a new generation of fans, the term "the Catch" may conjure up memories of Endy Chavez's NLCS Game 7 leaping catch at Shea's left field fence with his outstretched glove grabbing a ball destined to be a Scott Rolen two-run home run and starting an unbelievable double play. The heroics are overshadowed in the ninth inning as Yadier Molina hits a two-run homer and Carlos Beltran, who has the best HR ratio (11/81) in postseason history, looks at a third strike with the bases loaded with Mets giving the Cardinals a 3-1 victory and the pennant.
2006 - Nicole Sherry becomes the second woman to be named the head groundskeeper of a major league team when the Orioles ask her to lead the crew taking care of Camden Yards. The Wilmington, Delaware native joins Heather Nabozny, who has been in the same position with the Tigers since 1999.
2007 - After 12 seasons and 12 playoff appearances including 10 AL East titles, six pennants and four world championships, manager Joe Torre rejects the Yankees' overture which calls for a pay cut. The non-negotiable offer - a one-year, $5 million deal with $1 million incentives per playoff round and an $8 million option for 2009 if the Yankees reached next year's World Series - was considered by many to be insulting and a ploy to oust the popular manager without upsetting the team's fans.
2007 - Trey Hillman, a successful skipper in the minors and in Japan, is hired by the Royals to manage their club. The 44-year old current Nippon Ham Fighters manager, who has never played, coached or managed in the big leagues, spent 13 years in the dugout in the Yankees' minor leagues and was named manager of the year three times.
2008 - Behind the solid performance of starter Matt Garza and the stellar relief work of rookie David Price to finish the game, which included striking out J.D. Drew with the bases loaded to end the eighth, the hometown Rays beat the defending world champion Red Sox, 3-1, in the decisive Game 7 of the ALCS to win their first American League pennant. After posting the worst record in baseball last season, the Rays advance to the World Series and will host the Phillies in Game 1 of the Fall Classic at Tropicana Field.
2009 - Kenji Johjima, the first Japanese catcher in major league history, surprises the Mariners by opting out of the final two seasons of his three-year deal. Unhappy of being benched, the 33-year old struggling backstop walks away from $15.8 million to finish his career in Japan.
2010 - The Yankees pay tribute to Freddy Schuman, a fan favorite at the ballpark since 1988 due to his signs and the rhythmic banging of a spoon against a skillet, by putting some of his memorabilia inside Gate 4 at the Stadium, and with a moment of silence prior to Game 4 of the ALCS. The fans also show their appreciation of 85-year old iconic “Freddy Sez” when they photographed friends banging his displayed pan, and with their chanting of “Fred-dy! Fred-dy!” during the contest against the Rangers.
2010 - The Nationals sign general manager Mike Rizzo to a five-year contract extension, promoting him to the executive vice president of baseball operations for the organization. The new position, made available when team president Stan Kasten resigned, gives the 48-year old more control over the franchise as well as a direct line to the team's ownership, including principal owner Ted Lerner.
2010 - The Cubs select Mike Quade, Lou Pinella's interim replacement who guided the team to a 24-13 record during the last six weeks of the season, as the franchise's newest manager. Triple-A Iowa skipper and a Hall of Fame icon Ryne Sandberg, a finalist in the selection process, was thought to be the front-runner for the position.
2012 - Rays closer Fernando Rodney is named the AL Comeback Player of the Year after the reliever establishes the all-time MLB mark with a 0.60 ERA and sets the franchise’s saves record with 48. Prior to playing for Tampa Bay, the 35 year-old right-hander struggled for two seasons with the Angels, saving just 17 games during his tenure with the Halos.
Baseball Birthdays on October 19... 1874 - McCreery, Tom
1876 - Brown, Mordecai
1884 - Miller, Walt
1887 - Snodgrass, Fred
1890 - Sawyer, Carl
1892 - Driscoll, Michael
1893 - Christenbury, Lloyd
1894 - McCabe, Tim
1896 - O'Farrell, Bob
1897 - Lovelace, Tom
1898 - Welch, Herb
1905 - Meola, Mike
1913 - Brazle, Al
1915 - Nahem, Sam
1916 - McLeod, Ralph
1917 - Zachary, Chink
1919 - Niemes, Jack
1930 - Koppe, Joe
1931 - Leppert, Don
1933 - Alvarez, Ossie
1937 - Bond, Walt
1938 - Roznovsky, Vic
1943 - Davis, Brock
1943 - Alomar, Sandy 1945 - Taylor, Gary
1945 - Gallagher, Al
1946 - Bogle, Warren
1948 - Lanier, Rimp
1956 - Barranca, German
1957 - Palmer, David
1960 - Davis, Mark
1961 - Belcher, Tim 1962 - Peraza, Oswaldo
1964 - Perez, Mike
1965 - Taylor, Wade
1965 - Gardiner, Mike
1965 - Haas, Dave
1966 - Veres, Dave
1969 - Dickson, Lance
1972 - Foulke, Keith
1972 - McEwing, Joe 1972 - Newfield, Marc
1975 - Estrada, Horacio
1976 - Austin, Jeff
1976 - Shiell, Jason
1976 - Young, Mike
1977 - Ramos, Mario
1977 - Ruiz, Randy
1980 - Bautista, Jose
1980 - Davis, Rajai
1982 - Happ, J.A.
1984 - McDonald, James
1984 - Schlichting, Travis
1984 - Tomlin, Josh
1986 - Descalso, Daniel
1987 - Holdzkom, John
1989 - Mazzoni, Cory
1989 - Smith, Carson
1990 - Lyles, Jordan
1990 - Matzek, Tyler
1991 - Cordero, Jimmy
1992 - Tuivailala, Samuel
1993 - Gurriel, Lourdes
1994 - Santander, Anthony
Baseball Deaths on October 19... 1915 - McKelvy, Russ
1925 - Carney, John
1928 - DeMiller, Harry
1935 - Doan, Walt
1936 - Jones, Jack
1939 - Downs, Red
1949 - Steele, Bill
1950 - Gervais, Lefty
1951 - Haberer, Emil
1954 - Duffy, Hugh
1960 - McCreery, Ed
1964 - Hartley, Grover
1967 - Garibaldi, Art
1975 - Kibbie, Hod
1982 - Bradley, George
1984 - Lundgren, Del
1986 - Pipgras, George
1988 - Burgo, Bill
1992 - Donald, Atley
1993 - Kerr, John 1999 - Katt, Ray
2001 - Mulcahy, Hugh
2001 - Murray, Joe
2005 - Carpenter, Bob
2005 - Mrozinski, Ron
2008 - Stringer, Lou
2014 - Keegan, Ed
2016 - Kirrene, Joe