1874 – At the fourth meeting of the Professional Association in Boston, the batter’s box is officially adopted. It is also decided that expulsion will be the penalty for any player betting on his own team and any player betting on any other team will forfeit his pay.
1902 – Moe Berg was born in New York City. He broke into the big leagues on June 27, 1923, with the Brooklyn Robins and later served as a spy for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. He was acknowledged in a book and a film about his life. The biographical film, The Catcher Was a Spy (2018), was based on Nicholas Dawidoff’s biography, The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg (1994).
1909 – Mel Ott was born in Gretna, LA. He was a 12-time All Star during a 22-year career with the New York Giants and was Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1951.
1927 – The baseball world erupts as the Yankees declare Babe Ruth the highest-paid player ever, with a jaw-dropping $70,000 salary guaranteed for the next three seasons.
1966 – Commissioner William Eckert throws a curveball, nullifying collegiate star Tom Seaver’s freshly inked contract. The Atlanta Braves’ $50,000 bonus violated rules against signing players mid-college season. A special draft will reallocate Seaver’s rights post-college. Mets snag the future Hall of Famer’s rights in a lottery, beating out the Phillies and Indians.
1992 – Ryne Sandberg becomes the highest paid player in baseball, signing a 4-year contract extension valued at $7.1 million a season.
2005 The Washington Nationals play their first game since leaving Montréal as the former Expos beat the Mets 5-3 in a Spring Training game.
2012 Major League Baseball expands the postseason from 8 to 10 teams. An extra Wild Card team will play the already established one in a one game payoff to determine who will face the Division winner with the League’s best record.
