Portal:Baseball/Anniversaries/April 16

Events

• 1929 - The New York Yankees become the first team in Major League baseball to permanently feature numbers on the backs of their uniforms, allowing fans and broadcasters to more easily identify the players.
• 1929 - Cleveland Indians rookie Earl Averill becomes the first American League player to hit a home run in his first Major League at-bat when he blasts an 0-and-2 pitch off Detroit Tigers pitcher Earl Whitehill in the Indians' 5 - 4, 11-inning victory.
• 1935 - In his National League debut, Boston Braves outfielder Babe Ruth, at age 40, hits a single and home run off New York Giants pitcher Carl Hubbell.
• 1938 - The St. Louis Cardinals trade Dizzy Dean to the Chicago Cubs for Curt Davis, Clyde Shoun and $200,000.
• 1940 - Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller hurls the first and only Opening Day no-hitter in Major League history, out-dueling Chicago White Sox pitcher Eddie Smith 1 - 0 at Comiskey Park.
• 1946 - On Opening Day at the Polo Grounds, New York Giants veteran Mel Ott his 511th and final career home run.
• 1948 - The super station WGN-TV televises a Major League game for the first time.
• 1972 - Chicago Cubs rookie Burt Hooton hurls a 4 - 0 no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field.
• 1978 - St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Forsch no-hits the Philadelphia Phillies, 5 - 0.
• 1983 - Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey appears in his 1,118th straight game, breaking the National League mark held by Billy Williams.
• 1984 - Oakland Athletics slugger Dave Kingman hits three home runs, including a grand slam, in his first three at-bats.
• 2000 - Cleveland Indians pitcher Chuck Finley strikes out four batters in one inning for the third time in his career; no other pitcher has completed the feat more than once.
• 2002 - Houston Astros slugger Lance Berkman hits three home runs in his first three at-bats to lead the Astros 8 - 3 victory over Cincinnati.

Births

• 1866 - Jim Devlin, pitcher (d. 1900)
• 1867 - Piggy Ward, outfielder (d. 1912)
• 1870 - Pop Swett, catcher (d. 1934)
• 1880 - Crese Heismann, pitcher (d. 1951)
• 1880 - Phil Stremmel, pitcher (d. 1947)
• 1883 - Ed Gagnier, infielder (d. 1946)
• 1892 - Dutch Leonard, pitcher (d. 1952)
• 1903 - Paul Waner, outfielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1965)
• 1916 - Pete Suder, infielder (d. 2006)
• 1938 - Rich Rollins, infielder; All-Star
• 1939 - Bernie Allen, infielder
• 1940 - Garry Roggenburk, pitcher
• 1942 - Jim Lonborg, pitcher; All-Star
• 1943 - Frank Fernández, catcher
• 1944 - Bob Montgomery, catcher
• 1946 - Sergio Robles, catcher
• 1954 - Bruce Robinson, catcher
• 1955 - Bruce Bochy, catcher, manager
• 1955 - Rick Jones, pitcher
• 1958 - Rick Grapenthin, pitcher
• 1960 - Curt Young, pitcher
• 1969 - Fernando Viña, infielder; All-Star
• 1971 - Marc Sagmoen, outfielder
• 1972 - Antonio Alfonseca, pitcher
• 1975 - Kelly Dransfeldt, infielder
• 1979 - Justin Huisman, pitcher
• 1979 - Justin Wayne, pitcher

Deaths

• 1910 - Tom Loftus, outfielder, manager (b. 1856)
• 1916 - Jim McTamany, outfielder (b. 1863)
• 1941 - Howard Wakefield, catcher (b. 1884)
• 1945 - Chick Fewster, infielder (b. 1895)
• 1946 - Pete Allen, catcher (b. 1868)
• 1953 - Sam Gray, pitcher (b. 1897)
• 1964 - Charlie Case, pitcher (b. 1879)
• 1964 - Gus Williams, outfielder (b. 1888)
• 1965 - Chick Tolson, infielder (b. 1898)
• 1968 - John Michaelson, pitcher (b. 1893)
• 1970 - Mal Eason, pitcher (b. 1879)
• 1971 - William Eckert, commissioner (b. 1909)
• 1971 - Ron Northey, outfielder (b. 1920)
• 1972 - Lou Perini, owner (b. 1903)
• 1975 - Frank Wayenberg, pitcher (b. 1898)
• 1981 - Effa Manley, Negro League owner; Hall of Famer (b. 1897)
• 1985 - Benny Zientara, infielder (b. 1918)
• 1989 - Jocko Conlan, outfielder; Hall of Famer (b. 1899)
• 1991 - Al Verdel, pitcher (b. 1921)
• 2001 - Hank Riebe, catcher (b. 1921)