TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

March 16, 1972 — Hall of Fame third baseman Pie Traynor dies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the age of 72.He was the original "Mr. Pirate," Pie Traynor served for the Bucs as player, manager, sportscaster, and scout for more than half a century.

Traynor was widely considered the top third baseman in the history of baseball prior to the rise of Eddie Mathews.

Traynor led NL third basemen in putouts seven times, in double plays four times, and in assists three times; his 41 double plays in 1925 were an NL record until 1950, and his 226 putouts that year remain the highest NL total since 1905. He set major league records for career double plays (303) and games (1,863) at third base which were broken in 1945 and 1960 respectively, and which remained NL records until Eddie Mathews broke them in 1964 and 1965; his 2,289 putouts remain the NL record, and his 3,521 assists were the league record until Mathews passed him in 1964.

He batted .346 in the 1925 World Series to help the Pirates take their first championship in 16 years. A career .320 hitter over a 17-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates with a career-high .366 in 1930. He finished in the top ten in batting in the National League six times. when he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1948 he beat out Al Simmons, Charlie Gehringer, Jimmie Foxx, and over 25 others later enshrined in Cooperstown. He was the greatest defensive third baseman of his time.

In 1919, he played in what is now the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). Playing for both the Falmouth and Oak Bluffs town teams, he batted .447 for Falmouth and had a combined batting average of .322 for the two teams. In 2009, he was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame. (PS - Cape Cod Baseball is a must for those who have not attended a game to date)

Best Season: 1923

Just 23 years old, young Pie batted .338 with 208 hits and 108 runs scored. He also batted in 101 runners, stole 28 bases, and hit 19 triples to lead the league. Traynor was the #4 batter in the Bucs lineup for most of his career, surrounded by fellow Hall of Famers Lloyd Waner, Max Carey, Kiki Cuyler, Arky Vaughan, and Paul Waner. He had other years where he batted for a higher average - but he rarely played as many games (153) as he did in '23.

His given name is Harold, He received his nickname as a child in Somerville, Massachusetts, because he frequented a grocery store and often asked for pie. The store owner called him "Pie Face", which was later shortened to Pie by his friends or when his father (a printer) one day declared that the dirty boy resembled pied type. It is a bit of a mystery.

There is a tendency among baseball fans to discount Traynor's accomplishments when comparing him to successors who variously fielded better, hit with much more power, and or did both better. Traynor, however, was a product of his time, long before third base became a "power" position. Prior to Mathews, Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt, George Brett, and Chipper Jones, the good fielding/high average Traynor was generally considered the best the sport produced from 1876-1950. Modern fans would find a more appropriate parallel in Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, a five-time batting champ who however walked much more than Traynor.

An indication of how highly regarded Traynor was among his contemporaries is that even as he was winding down his time as a starter he was still good enough to be selected as an All-Star in baseball's very first Mid-Season Classic in 1933 and again the next year, his last two full campaigns. Six times voters placed him in the top ten in MVP balloting. While he rarely led the league in any offensive category, his .320 career batting average was #36 all-time among 20th Century players when he retired. His 164 triples stand #30 all-time today, and his 1273 RBI currently rank 130.

Traynor achieved all of this in an era when third base was considered a defensive position and second an offensive one. The emergence of the double play and relative decline of bunting as a key baseball strategy in favor of the long ball caused the roles to switch. What stars there were, such as Stan Hack, and Willie Kamm, typically got little respect for their efforts.

One example of how different the position was regarded and the game played in Traynor's day were his 35 sacrifices in 1927 and 42 in 1928, at the very peak of his batting prowess. In his entire career future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones sacrificed 3 times.

Traynor was a player-manager for the Pirates in 1934-35, managed only in 1936, then gave himself just a token dozen at-bats in 1937 before hanging up his spikes for good. He managed two more years, finishing as high as second in 1938 during his six year stretch at the Buc's helm. He served as a Pittsburgh scout from 1940 until his death. He was an announcer for much of the 1950s and 1960s, beginning with baseball then adding pro wrestling. He never learned to drive, and loved to walk everywhere. Once in New York City to report on the World Series he walked 127 blocks from his hotel to the stadium.

Notable Achievements
2-time NL All-Star (1933 & 1934)
NL Triples Leader (1923)
100 RBI Seasons: 7 (1923, 1925 & 1927-1931)
100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1923 & 1925)
200 Hits Seasons: 1 (1923)
Won a World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1925
Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1948

I created a full walk through for you to take a peak at our membership site, Classic Baseball Broadcasts. Here is the link and it has several videos, how tos, what’s in side and a link to the 25 greatest moments you can listen too!

Todays highlights and Historic Days!

March 16, 1906, future Hall of Famer Lloyd “Little Poison” Waner is born in Harrah, Oklahoma. Although Waner weighs only 150 pounds in his prime, he can hit for average, steal bases, field and throw as a center fielder, and beat opponents in countless ways. He does not draw many walks or hit for much power, however. He will make his major league debut in 1927, batting .355 while garnering 223 hits, the latter figure establishing a National League rookie record that will stand until the 21st century. Waner will hit over .300 in 10 of his first 12 seasons, compiling a career mark of .316 with 2,459 hits, striking out just 173 times in an 18-season major league career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers. Waner will be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1967 during one of their “open-door” perio

March 16, 1907 -- After watching Ty Cobb quarrel with a black groundskeeper and with teammate Charlie Schmidt, Tiger manager Hugh Jennings was tired of dealing with Cobb's abrasive behavior and tries to deal him to the Cleveland Naps for outfielder Elmer Flick. The Naps turned down a trade with the Tigers which would have exchanged Flick for the 21-year-old Cobb. They countered with Bunk Congalton, but the Tigers declined.

Born: March 16, 1943 in Madison, WI . . . Wooed by 18 ML teams, Rick Reichardt became the highest-priced bonus baby in baseball history when he signed with California for a reported $200,000 in 1964. A handsome and articulate scholar-athlete (Joe Garagiola: "The first time I saw him I thought he fell off a Wheaties box"), the fleet outfielder looked like he'd live up to expectations when he hit .288 with 16 homers in only 89 games in 1966, before illness forced the removal of a kidney in August. Although he led the Angels with 21 homers and 73 RBIs in 1968, he was an erratic fielder and much more was expected of him than his consistent .250 BAs.

March 16, 1953 — – American League owners turn down a bid made by Bill Veeck to move the St. Louis Browns to Baltimore, MD. Spearheaded by Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith, the vote is 6-2 against. The lack of support from his fellow owners, except for Charles Comiskey of the White Sox. Some observers speculate that the rejection is meant to force Veeck into selling his majority interest in the franchise. The next day, Veeck announces his willingness to sell the Browns for just under $2.5 million. The vote only delays the move by a year, however.

March 16, 1961 -- The state of New York approves a bond issue for the construction of a 55,000-seat stadium on the site of the 1939-40 World's Fair in the Queens Flushing Meadow area. The ballpark will be named Shea Stadium to honor William Shea, a lawyer who was instrumental in bringing the National League back to New York. Shea Stadium will be inaugurated three years later.

March 16, 1972, Oakland A’s holdout Vida Blue announces that he has rejected the team’s latest contract offer and will retire to work for a company that makes toilet fixtures. The “retirement” won’t last long. The “retirement” won’t last long, as Blue will eventually come to terms with Oakland and begin his season in May. A 24-game winner in 1971, Blue will have a 6-10 record in 1972 but redeem himself by saving Game 1 of the World Series.

March 16, 2001 — Slugger Sammy Sosa signs a four-year contract extension with the Chicago Cubs. In the last three seasons the prolific home run hitter has averaged nearly sixty homers per year (179).

March 16, 2017 — The Dominican Republic gets back to its winning ways in the second round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic as six pitchers combine to shut out Venezuela, 3 – 0. Edinson Volquez starts things off with 4 1/3 scoreless innings then in the 5th Gregory Polanco homers off Jhoulys Chacin to give the D.R. the only run it needs. The Dominicans add a couple of insurance runs, with Nelson Cruz also going deep in the 8th, off Arcenio Leon, before Jeurys Familia strikes out the side around a pair of singles in the 9th to close out the win.

TRIVIA

TRIVIA: Pie was a tremendous fielder. He set the record for double plays by a thirdbaseman, games played, assists and putouts. One NL thirdbase man topped him piece by piece over a 4 year period. Who was he?

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: Bobby Bonds hit a grand slam in his first MLB game, from 1871-1968, how many other players accomplished that feat?

TRIVIA ANSWER:

Bill Duggleby (Philadelphia Phillies): April 21, 1898 — Known as the first to do it in his first at-bat.

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