1900 – At an American League meeting in Chicago, Ban Johnson announces that an A.L. team will be placed in the Windy City to ensure the stability of the league. Other franchises are in Kansas City, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo. In an agreement with Chicago N.L. officials, the A.L. club will be situated on the south side of the city and will be permitted to use the nickname White Stockings, formerly used by the N.L. team. However, the White Stockings will not be able to use the word Chicago in their official name.
1953 – The American League rejects Bill Veeck’s request to move the St. Louis Browns to Baltimore. The rejection is designed to force Veeck out of the A.L.
1961 – New York State greenlights a bond issue to fund the building of a 55,000-seat stadium at the former site of the 1939-40 World’s Fair in Queens’ Flushing Meadow. The venue will bear the name Shea Stadium in tribute to William Shea, a pivotal figure in the revival of the National League in New York.
1985 – Denny McLain, winner of the American League Cy Young Award in 1968, is convicted of racketeering, extortion, and cocaine possession in Tampa, Florida. He will serve 29 months of a 23-year sentence before an appeals court overturns the decision.
1994 – Eric Show, who won 100 games pitching for the Padres, dies of a drug overdose at age 37.
2012 – Pitcher Andy Pettitte ends his retirement after one year when he signs a minor league contract with the New York Yankees.
