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March 23
⚾ The Baby Bull Orlando Cepeda March 23
TODAY ON THE DAILY HIGHLIGHT
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March 23, 1959, the San Francisco Giants clear space for future Hall of Famers Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey by trading first baseman Bill White to the St. Louis Cardinals. Cepeda won the National League’s Rookie of the Year Award in 1958 after batting .312 with 25 home runs and 96 RBIs. McCovey, a top prospect in San Francisco’s farm system, will make his major league debut in 1959.
Best Season: 1961Cepeda led the NL in homers (46), and RBI (142), and finished in the top ten in batting (.311), slugging (.609), OPS, games, at-bats, runs, hits, total bases, doubles, and steals. He finished second in MVP voting to Cincinnati's Frank Robinson.
NicknamesCha Cha, Baby Bull
He was both "Cha-Cha" and "Baby Bull," the latter a nickname he inherited because his father was a great baseball player known as "Bull."
Family TreeCepeda's father, Perucho, was one of the greatest players in Puerto Rican baseball history.
TransactionsAfter his first seven ML seasons, in which he hit .309 and averaged 32 homers and 107 RBI, fans expected Cepeda to be the greatest Latin player in history. But a knee injury cost him most of 1965, and the next spring he was dealt to the Cards, where he rebounded and was named Comeback Player of the Year. In '67 he won his only MVP award, to the chagrin of Giant fans it came in a Redbird uniform.
Home Run Facts182 at home, 197 on the road; 220 solo-shots, 102 two-run Hr, 48 three-run HR, and nine grand slams; hiot two HR in one game 22 times, three in a game once; blasted five homers in extra-innings, two inside-the-park, and two as a pinch-hitter; hit 258 off RHP and 121 off LHP. In all, Cepeda homered in 26 different parks.
Game of the DayOctober 15, 1962 New York Yankees vs San Francisco Giants
The Bull has a day!
Did you know?
March 23, 1938 -- Commissioner Landis frees 74 St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, among them Pete Reiser, in yet another attempt to halt the farm system cover-up. Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Larry MacPhail makes a pact with his St. Louis counterpart, Branch Rickey, to take the as-yet unknown Reiser and swap him back in the future, but the young outfielder's ability is too great to hide..
🎙️ Classic Baseball Moment of the Day! 🎙️
Don Larsen(1956), Sandy Koufax(1965), Bob Gibson (64,67 and 68), Mantle, DiMaggio, Williams (1941), Clemente 1971, Brooks 1970, Oakland Three Peat and so many others!
With Classic Baseball Broadcasts, you can relive these legendary moments through the actual radio calls that made history!
Relive baseball history, one play at a time. Dive into the archives and feel the magic of baseball’s golden era.
Trivia:
Who hit the first homerun in a west coast game?
Hint: The answer is below
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
Born March 23, 1926 in Endicott, NY . . . Johnny Logan was a shortstop for 18 years (1947-1964) - 13 in the Majors (1951-1963); six in the minors (1947-1952); and one in Japan (1964). After graduating from High School in 1945, he served in the U.S. Armed Forces (GB) and attended Harpur College one year.
Born: March 23, 1928 in Covington, VA Combining power, speed, and an exceptional arm, Jim Lemon joined the Indians in 1950 but lost 1951 and 1952 to the Korean War. Sold to the Senators in May 1954, in 1956 he hit 27 home runs and led the AL in triples and in double plays by an outfielder. That August 31 he became the first Senator to hit three consecutive home runs. Lemon led the AL in strikeouts three years in a row (1956-58); his 138 strikeouts in 1956 (in a 154-game season) set a record. On September 5, 1959 he tied two ML records by hitting two homers and driving in six runs in one inning. He had 100 RBI in both 1959 and 1960. In 1960 he chased Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris for the AL home run crown, losing to Mantle 40 to 38. Slowed by injuries in 1961 and 1962, he attempted a comeback as a first baseman with the Phillies in 1963. He coached for the Twins from 1965 to 1967 and managed the Senators to their usual last-place finish in 1968. Replaced by Ted Williams for 1969, he remained in baseball as a batting coach, mainly with the Twins
March 23, 1936, Dizzy Dean ends his well-publicized holdout and signs a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. Dean agrees to a one-year deal that will pay him $24,000 for the upcoming season.
Born: March 23, 1944 in Greenville, MS Likable and colorful George Scott, with his well-spaced gold teeth and sometimes bulging waistline, was a fan favorite in Boston. A flashy fielder, he collected eight Gold Gloves, a record for first basemen. He was the Eastern League Triple Crown winner and MVP in 1965, then tied a rookie record by playing 162 games with the Red Sox in 1966.
March 23 1962 - William DeWitt buys the Cincinnati Reds from the Crosley Foundation for $4.625 million.
March 23, 1978 - The New York Mets trade popular shortstop Bud Harrelson to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor leaguer Fred Andrews.
March 23, 1990 -- Gambler Howard Spira is arrested for extorting money from New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who paid Spira $40,000 in January, to dig up dirt on Future Hall of Fame outfielder Dave Winfield. Winfield was dubbed "Mr. May" by the Boss after he failed to carry the team to a championship.
Quote of the day:
"He’s annoying every pitcher in the league. He is strong, can hit both ways and makes all the plays real good." - Willie Mays
"He was the toughest hitter I ever faced." - Lew Burdette
MILESTONES
Birthday Boys
Bo Diaz, George Scott, Jim Lemon, Johnny Logan, Lee May, Pat Bourque and Sam Bowens
Debuts
Final Games
None Today
Passings
Ed Bailey, Hal King, Joe Garagiola, Oris Hockett and Virgil Trucks
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Trivia Answer: In the 5th inning with the NEW SF Giants up 6-0, Orlanda Cepeda launched the second official HR on the left coast off Don Bessent, Daryl Spencer took Dandy Don Drysdale deep in the 4th
