On October 30 in Baseball History... 1911 - Clark Griffith is named manager at Washington, beginning a stand in the nation's capitol as manager, then owner, that will last until his death in 1955.
1929 - The Cardinals name their coach Gabby Street as the team's field boss to replace Bill McKechnie, who left to manage the Boston Braves. In his first two seasons, the new Redbirds' manager will lead the club to two National League pennants and a World Series championship.
1945 - Branch Rickey signs Jackie Robinson to a contract with Montreal of the International League for 1946. Black pitcher John Wright also signs.
1956 - The sale of the historic, but out-of-date, Ebbets Field to real estate developer Marvin Kratter becomes one of the first indications the ballpark is nearing its end, and, perhaps, a harbinger of the Dodgers' exodus from Brooklyn. As part of the deal, club owner Walter O'Malley is given a three-year lease, with an additional two years to be added in January, to stay and play at the Flatbush facility, which means the 'Bums' have a potential home in the borough until 1961.
1963 - Sandy Koufax, who unanimously won the Cy Young Award six days ago, is also named the National League's MVP. The Dodger legend out points Cardinals' infielder Dick Groat, 237-190.
1964 - American hurler Joe Stanka wins the league's MVP award pitching for the Nankai Hawks. His three straight victories over the Yomiuri Giants help his team capture the Japanese Series.
1967 - Arthur Allyn announces that his White Sox will play nine games in Milwaukee in 1968. Chicago will become the first AL team to play regular season games outside its own city since 1905. 1974 - A's hurler Catfish Hunter is named the American League's Cy Young winner. The 25-game winner, due to a contract dispute with owner Charlie Finley, will be declared one of baseball's first free-agents and will become the game's highest paid pitcher in baseball when he signs a five-year contract with the Yankees for $3.75 million.
1975 - Giant pitcher John Montefusco (15-9, 2.88, 215), also known as 'The Count', wins the National League Rookie of the Year Award. The Expos' freshman catcher Gary Carter (.270, 18, 68), who will be elected into the Hall of Fame in 2003, receives nine of the first-place votes of the 24 cast by the writers to finish second in the balloting.
1984 - Tigers reliever Willie Hernandez wins the AL Cy Young Award, edging fellow reliever Dan Quisenberry of the Royals. Hernandez was 9-3 with 32 saves and a 1.92 ERA.
1986 - The Orioles trade Storm Davis to the Padres for catcher Terry Kennedy and minor leaguer Mark Williamson. After getting off to a 2-7 start with an ERA of 6.18 with San Diego, the right-hander will be dealt to Oakland in August for players to named later.
2000 - Signing a three-year, $2 million contract, broadcaster Bob Brenly, 46, is named as manager of the Diamondbacks. The former major league catcher replaces Buck Showalter, the club's only manager, who was let go at the end of the season.
2001 - George W. Bush becomes the eighth president to attend a World Series game and the first since Dwight D. Eisenhower to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Wearing a New York Fire Department windbreaker in honor of the heroes of the September 11 attacks, the Commander in Chief walks to the mound by himself, gives a thumbs up, and throws a perfect strike to the Yankees' backup catcher much to the delight of the stadium faithful.
2007 - The Yankees sign Joe Girardi to a three-year deal worth a reported $7.5 million to replace popular manager Joe Torre, who left earlier in the month rejecting a 29% pay cut after guiding his club to their 12th postseason appearance in 12 years. The 43-year old former catcher and broadcaster, the NL manager of the year with the 2006 Marlins, beat out coaches Don Mattingly and Tony Pena to become the team's 32nd skipper.
2007 - Calling it a mutual decision, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti announces Grady Little (170-154 , .525) has decided to leave the organization with a year left on his three-year contract to manage the club. The resignation fuels speculation of the club hiring former Yankee manager Joe Torre as the team's new skipper.
2007 - Citing the veteran catcher's ability to mentor younger players, the Astros re-sign Brad Ausmus to a one-year, $2 million incentive-laden deal. The 38-year Gold Glove backstop is expected to have a reduced role next season as rookie sensation J.R. Towles takes over behind the plate for Houston.
2007 - Ria Cortesio, professional baseball's only active female umpire and sixth overall, is released after nine years of making calls in the minors. The 31-year old crew chief, whose mask is in the Hall of Fame, worked the Futures Game and Home Run Derby at the 2006 All-Star game played in Pittsburgh, and she was on the bases for an exhibition game between the Diamondbacks and Cubs during spring training.
2008 - Ken Macha is hired by the Brewers to manage the team. The former A's skipper, fired by Oakland after the club was swept by Detroit in the 2006 ALCS, replaces Dale Sveum, the interim manager who took over when Ned Yost was let go with a dozen games left in the regular season.
2008 - Adding another first baseman to an already crowded field at that position, the Royals obtain Mike Jacobs (.247, 32, 93) from the Marlins in exchange for reliever Leo Nuñez (4-1, 2.98). The 28 year-old infielder from Florida gives Kansas City a much-needed left-handed slugger in the middle of the lineup.
2009 - Tom Ricketts, the Cubs' chairman, makes it clear that the intent of the new ownership is to win a World Championship. At at his introductory press conference, the investment banker tells the media he believes a thoughtful, long-range approach is needed for the team to succeed in overcoming its 101-year absence from the Fall Classic.
2009 - Freddy Sanchez signs a $12-million, two-year contract extension to stay with the Giants, the team the Pirates traded him to in mid-season in exchange for a minor league pitching prospect. Due to an ailing shoulder, the two-time all-star second baseman and former batting champ played in only 25 games with San Francisco.
2010 - Defeating San Francisco, the Rangers win their first World Series game in franchise history, 4-2. With the Astros being swept by the White Sox in 2005, the victory is also the first by any Texas team in the Fall Classic, snapping a Lone Star State losing streak of six games.
2012 - White Sox mid-season pick-ups Brett Myers and Kevin Youkilis are two of six MLB players that are granted free agency. 2012 - The Tigers announce Jim Leyland’s contract has been extended through 2013, after he managed the team to an American League pennant on a one-year deal this season. The 67-year-old skipper has been a major league manager for 21 years, including the last seven with Detroit, where he led the club to the postseason three times and the World Series twice.
2013 - Boston captures the World Championship at Fenway Park for the first time since 1918 when they beat the Cardinals, 6-1, in Game 6 of the Fall Classic. The team, that had suffered an 86-year drought between World Series titles, has now won three crowns in the past ten years.
2017 - The San Francisco Giants claimed Micah Johnson from the Cincinnati Reds on waivers.
Baseball Birthdays on October 30... 1857 - Fries, Pete
1865 - Nagle, Tom
1866 - Conway, Pete
1867 - Delahanty, Ed
1871 - Freeman, Buck
1874 - Curran, Sammy
1880 - Curtis, Fred
1886 - Sommers, Rudy
1888 - McHale, Marty
1891 - Deal, Charlie
1894 - Dillinger, Harley
1895 - Healy, Thomas
1896 - Manion, Clyde
1898 - Fowler, Jesse
1898 - Terry, Bill
1901 - Kellett, Al
1903 - Heath, Mickey
1906 - Joiner, Roy
1913 - Burrows, John
1914 - Wilkie, Lefty
1916 - Borom, Red
1917 - Bragan, Bobby
1918 - Ordenana, Tony
1921 - Kehn, Chet
1921 - Abernathy, Ted
1927 - Adc0ck, Joe
1930 - Nicholas, Don 1935 - Perry, Jim
1941 - Hart, Jim Ray
1945 - Skidmore, Roe
1951 - Poquette, Tom
1952 - Brennan, Tom 1957 - Jimenez, Houston
1959 - Leeper, Dave
1960 - Tunnell, Lee
1960 - Perry, Gerald
1960 - Escobar, Jose
1960 - Valle, Dave
1961 - Johnson, Joe
1961 - Garrelts, Scott
1962 - Portugal, Mark
1962 - Tartabull, Danny 1966 - Ettles, Mark
1968 - McCarthy, Greg
1968 - Plantenberg, Erik
1975 - Dominique, Andy
1975 - Scutero, Marco
1976 - Coggin, David
1978 - Matos, Luis
1979 - Bartlett, Jason
1980 - Jacobs, Mike
1980 - Nix, Laynce
1981 - Snell, Ian
1982 - Albaladejo, Jonathan
1982 - Hernandez, Anderson
1982 - Parra, Manny
1984 - Robinson, Shane
1986 - Jennings, Desmond
1987 - Kelly, Ryan
1990 - Panik, Joe
1990 - Schuster, Patrick
1992 - Morales, Osmer
Baseball Deaths on October 30... 1886 - Graham, Bernie
1919 - Lattimore, Bill
1931 - Hornung, Joe
1931 - Tyng, Jim
1935 - Brodie, Steve
1936 - Morrissey, Jack
1943 - Whitney, Frank
1951 - Woods, Walt
1956 - Midkiff, Dick
1957 - Beebe, Fred
1965 - Fohl, Lee
1966 - Pearson, Alex
1966 - Barrett, Dick
1966 - Cecil, Rex
1970 - Welsh, Jimmy
1971 - Harding, Charlie
1974 - Shevlin, Jimmy
1978 - Diggs, Reese
1982 - Woods, Pinky
1988 - Walter, Bernie
1996 - Thorpe, Bob
1998 - Schmees, George
2001 - Lucadello, Johnny
2005 - Allen, Bob
2005 - Lopez, Al 2009 - Schultz, Howie
2011 - Scott, Mickey
2013 - Currie, Bill
2015 - Siebern, Norm