This Day in Baseball History

1969 - Ted Williams signs contract to manage Washington Senators

After the original Senators moved to Minnesota and became the Twins in 1960, Major League Baseball awarded Washington a new franchise the following season. Taking back the Senators name, the team continued the tradition of losing (the original team had only 17 seasons above .500 in 60 years), averaging 96 losses in the eight seasons before Williams was hired.

After firing the staff and naming himself GM, new owner Bob Short brought in the legendary hitter to fix the team’s hitting — or at least boost attendance. The hire worked — at least in the beginning — as Williams led the Senators to an 86-76 record in his first season.

1974 - Tom Seaver becomes highest paid player in MLB history

After compiling a record of 135-76 in his first seven seasons in the majors and winning the NL Cy Young the previous year, the Mets rewarded Seaver with a one-year contract worth $172,500 — then a league record for annual salary.

While the 1974 season was one of the worst of his career (11-11, 3.20 ERA), Seaver followed it up with one of his best, winning another Cy Young after going 22-9 with an ERA of 2.38. He then signed a new three-year deal, making him the first pitcher in league history to make $200,000 per season.

2000 - Reds lift ban on players wearing earrings

During much of the 1990s, Reds players were banned from wearing earrings on the field because, according to team owner Marge Schott, “only fruits wear earrings.”

In 2000, after Schott had sold her controlling stake in the team, Cincinnati signed Ken Griffey Jr. to a nine-year, $112.5-million contract. A week later, the team reversed its ban on earrings, but denied the change was to accommodate the hometown hero.

Birthdays

1903 - Tom Yawkey

1943 - Jack Billingham