TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

On April 9, 1981, the baseball season opened in Fenway Park. With Carlton Fisk, the heart and soul of the Boston Red Sox, the 1975 Game 6 World Series hero had changed his socks from red to white. Fisk hit one of the most memorable World Series homeruns in history (relive it here) and the Red Sox eventually name the leftfield foul pole his!

He had signed a new contract on March 18 to play for the Chicago White Sox. In the season opener and a scene only fit for the movies, the White Sox were down 2-0 in the top of the eighth. And with two men on and one out, Fisk was facing longtime teammate Bob Stanley, who had relieved Dennis Eckersley. Fisk wasted no time swinging at the first pitch from his former battery mate and sending it into the screen above the left field wall and back then there were no seats there was a screen. As Fisk saw the ball land into the net, he broke into his famous homerun trot. Hands held down, elbows stiff, head high as he rounded the bases in an elegant, almost regal demeanor. The trot could be seen as arrogant to his opponents, but the fans in Boston knew better as they cheered their lost star. (Watch it here)

Teammate and fellow new Southsider sider Ron LeFlore said, "I didn't know he had that much left in it. It was great for him to play in this park and do what he did. They were booing him to start the game and gave him that standing ovation."

This home run was the crucial blow as the White Sox would go on to win the game 5 to 3.

The Contract:

The Red Sox had offered Fisk a contract renewal at less than market value early in 1980. But in Fisk's mind, the effort to win extended beyond the players on the diamond. Commitment to excellence was also a top-brass requisite. Fisk felt this was simple. He had performed for the Red Sox and performed well. So why should contract renewals be a battle all the time?

He started to feel estranged from the Boston organization, and his confidence in it began to wane for the first time in his career. The Red Sox had begun to dismantle this group of World Series contenders from the 1970s.

Fred Lynn, Rick Burleson, and Butch Hopson had been traded, and his own contracts were stalled. And then the unthinkable happened. Red Sox general manager Haywood Sullivan blundered by failing to mail his contract on time. The contract was mailed on December 22, 1980,

two days later than the required December 20, 1980 deadline. Rendering Fisk as a free agent. Sullivan would make several false claims during this time period, and the dispute would go on to an arbitrator who ruled in favor of Fisk.

Fisk would say, "Haywood claimed he offered me more money, more years, more everything. Again, there's an easy answer to that. If he had, I would have taken it and stayed in Boston my entire career. It's funny; at the time, people were talking about me betraying the Boston Red Sox. Everyone made a big deal about the December 20th date, like it was some fluke, and the Red Sox got cheated because of the deadline. What no one talks about is that the Red Sox had several months to offer me a contract, but they never did. Even during the hearing, the Red Sox could have made it all go away with the fair offer, and they didn't. I wasn't interested in beating the Red Sox, but I did what was fair.

In poetic fashion in 1980, Baltimore Orioles manager and future Hall of Famer Earl Weaver would say, "The guy they'd hate to lose the most, even more than Jim Rice, is Fisk." Well, as the Red Sox found out, Earl Weaver was right.

As a result, the perennial non-contending Chicago White Sox offered a $3.5 million deal, which was almost twice what the Red Sox offered. New owners Eddie Einhorn and Jerry Reinstoff figured Fisk's acquisition would create instant credibility for the team.

Chicago would become a perennial contender and win the division in 1983. Although they lost the ALCS to Baltimore, Fisk himself would finish third in MVP voting, and they would be a contending team for the first half of the 1980s.

Fisk will finish his Hall of Fame career in Chicago. He will play more games with the White Sox than the Red Sox. Fisk enjoyed sticking it to the Red Sox, especially at Fenway. In over 107 games against the Red Sox, Fisk hit .310 with 27 home runs and 68 RBIs. (Fisk HOF Speech)

April 10, 1913 New York Highlanders become the New York Yankees

April 10, 1947, in one of the most significant moments in baseball history, Jackie Robinson becomes the first black player of the 20th century to sign a major league contract. Robinson signs a one-year deal with the Brooklyn Dodgers, whose general manager, Branch Rickey, had personally recruited Robinson from the Negro Leagues

April 10, 1959 — On Opening Day at Briggs Stadium, Chicago White Sox second baseman Nellie Fox goes 5 for 7 and hits an unlikely 14th-inning two-run home run off Don Mossi to beat the Detroit Tigers, 9 – 7. Fox did not homer in 623 at-bats last season.

April 10, 1961, In the last opener ever to be played at Griffith Stadium, the Washington Senators play the first game in franchise history. Rookie President John F. Kennedy throws out the longest and hardest thrown ceremonial first pitch in history as the ball sails over the heads of the players lined up in front of the presidential box. Senators lost to the White Sox, 4-3, on Roy Sievers’ sacrifice fly.

April 10, 1964 - Demolition begins on the Polo Grounds in New York City to clear the way for a housing project.

April 10, 1969 -- Tommie Agee of the New York Mets hits a monster shot into the upper deck in left field making it the longest home run to reach the seats in Shea Stadium history. The Mets place a disc in the upper deck at the Flushing ballpark to commemorate the Mets center fielder’s historic homer. Agee will hit two home runs both came off Larry Jaster of the Montreal Expos, in the 3rd and seventh innings.

The Mets came out on top vs the expansion Expos 4-2. Both Expo runs came off a Bateman home run in the 2nd inning.

April 10, 1971 — The Philadelphia Phillies debut in their new $49.5 million Veterans Stadium by beating Montreal, 4 – 1. Despite temperatures in the low 40s, a crowd of 55,352, the largest in the history of Pennsylvania ever to watch a baseball game, Jim Bunning throws the first pitch, and Larry Bowa singles for the park’s first hit, Don Money of the Phillies connects for the park’s first home run.

April 10, 1973, the first game in the history of Royals Stadium is played. John Mayberry homers in Kansas City’s 12-1 rout of Texas. A crowd of 39,476 attend the chilly game at the state-of-the-art ballpark, which features water fountains beyond the outfield fence. The ballpark, which will be renamed Kauffman Stadium in 1993 to honor the team's beloved owner, is recognized as one of the most beautiful ballparks in baseball.

April 10 1976-- On the second day of the season in Milwaukee, Don Money batted with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and the Brewers behind the Yankees 9-6. Before Dave Pagan delivered his second pitch to Money, New York manager Billy Martin yelled to the first baseman Chris Chambliss to call time. Chambliss asked umpire Jim McKean. Money hit the pitch and circled the bases. The Brewers celebrated and went into the clubhouse thinking they had won for the second time in two games. However, before Money crossed the plate Martin was on the field arguing with McKean. After a couple of minutes of Martin's tirade, the umpires sent for the Brewers to come back on the field. The Brewers were obviously upset about the call. First base coach Harvey Keunn said that the pitcher was already in his motion when Chambliss yelled for time. Some Brewers went so far as to say that Martin intimidated McKean into reversing the homer. Money returns to the plate and flies out to right. The Brewers lose, 9 - 7.

April 10, 1980 — On Opening Day at County Stadium, Sixto Lezcano hits a grand slam off Dick Drago with two outs in the 9th inning, to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 9 – 5 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Lezcano also opened the 1978 season with a grand slam, becoming the first player in major league history to do it twice on Opening Day.

April 10, 1989 — Ken Griffey Jr., the youngest player in the majors, hits his first career homer on the first pitch he ever sees at the Kingdome, his home field. The 19 year-old, son of the Reds outfielder with the same name, takes White Sox’s Eric King‘s pitch deep on his father’s 39th birthday. 11 years later, On April 10, 2000 — On his father’s 50th birthday, Ken Griffey, Jr., With is opposite field homerun came off Colorado Rockies Rolando Arrojo in the 4th inning. becomes the youngest player, at 30 years and 141 days, to hit 400 career home runs, beating the previous mark set by Jimmie Foxx, who was 30 years and 248 days old.

April 10, 2012 — Vin Scully misses the Dodgers’ home opener for the first time in 35 years when doctors order the 84 year-old Hall of Fame broadcaster to rest as he recovers from a bad cold. The last time the team’s play-by-play announcer was absent from the season’s first home game he was calling the first round of the Masters in 1977.

TRIVIA

TRIVIA: When Fisk retired he set the record for games caught. Who’s record did he break?

IF you think you know the answer and bonus points for how many respond with details and if you are right I will give you a shut out! No Googling!

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 ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’S TRIVIA

YESTERDAY'S TRIVIA: Who was the first rookie to start Opening Day for the Dodgers?

Answer: Fernando of course in 1981. He was unexpectedly named the Dodgers' Opening Day starter as a rookie after Jerry Reuss was injured 24 hours before his scheduled start, and Burt Hooton was not ready to fill in. At first, Valenzuela did not think manager Tommy Lasorda was serious. However, he filled in and shut out the Houston Astros 2–0. He was the first rookie to start Opening Day for the Dodgers.

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