January 7th in 1990s Baseball
Happy 1990s Birthday to Jeff Montgomery, who debuted with the Reds in 1987 and became a star with the Royals, racking up 304 saves and leading the AL in 1993 with 45. Jeff was a three-time All-Star.
Happy 1990s Birthday to Craig Shipley, who was just the second Australian born player to reach the big leagues (Joe Quinn) when he debuted in 1986. Craig spent 11 years in the bigs, primarily with the Padres. He also worked in the front office of the Red Sox and the Diamondbacks and was inducted into the Baseball Australia Hall of Fame in 2005.
Happy 1990s Birthday to Allan Anderson, who pitched for the Twins from 1986 through 1991 and led the A.L. in E.R.A. in 1988. He later became a pitching coach.
Happy 1990s Birthday to Rob Maurer, who played in 21 games for the Rangers in 1991 and 1992 before suffering a knee injury that essentially ended his career.
Happy 1990s Birthday to Chris Hatcher, who appeared in eight games for the 1998 Royals. Chris was a slugger in the minor leagues, hitting more than 200 homers. Before being called up to KC in 1998 he had 46 homers at Triple-A Omaha.
Happy 1990s Birthday to Frank Menechino, who was a 45th round draft pick of the White Sox in 1993. Frank debuted with Oakland in 1999 and spent seven years in the bigs and later became a hitting coach.
Happy 1990s Birthday to Jorge Toca, who played in 25 games for the Mets between 1999 and 2001.
Happy 1990s Birthday to Rob Radlosky, who appeared in seven games for the 1999 Twins.
Happy 1990s Birthday to Eric Gagne, who debuted with the Dodgers in 1999 was perhaps the best closer in baseball between 2002 and 2004. Over those three seasons, he went 13-7 with 152 saves and an E.R.A. of 1.79 with a WHIP of 0.82, made three All-Star teams and won a Cy Young.
Happy 1990s Birthday to Alfonso Soriano, who hit 412 homers over 16 years in the bigs, primarily with the Yankees and Cubs.
1/7/90
The Reds ink Eric Davis to a three-year $9.3 million contract with incentives that could make him the highest-paid player in the major leagues. Davis would hit .260 in 127 games in 1990 with 24 homers, 86 RBI, and 21 SBs and lead the Reds to a World Series title but injuries scuttled his career after that.
1/7/91
The A’s sign Vance Law as a free agent as insurance after Carney Lansford’s knee injury.
Law plays in 74 games but Ernie Riles gets the majority of the time at third base.
1/7/92
The Yankees sign Mike Gallego to a three-year $5.1 million free agent deal.
Gallego hit .247 in 1991 with career highs in doubles, triples, homers, and RBI but the signing gives the Yankees three second basemen. Gallego joins Steve Sax and Pat Kelly.
1/7/93
The Cardinals sign Rob Murphy to a one-year free agent contract.
Murphy spent 1991 in Houston and goes 9-10 with three saves for the Cards in 1993 and ’94.
1/7/94
The Rockies sign Walt Weiss to a two-year $2.2 million free agent contract.
He was said to have been offered a three-year deal worth $5.6 million from the Marlins but opted for Colorado.
1/7/94
The Rangers sign Jack Armstrong to a one-year $1.5 million free agent contract.
He appears in two games before shoulder problems end his career.
1/7/98
The Padres sign Mark Langston to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training as a free agent.
Langston appeared in just 27 games in 1996 and 1997 while battling injuries. He makes 16 starts for the Pads in 1998 and goes 4-6.
1/7/90
Roy Howell goes 5-for-5 with an RBI to lead the St. Pete Pelicans to a 9-4 win over the Gold Coast Suns.
1/7/91
Pete Rose is released from prison after being convicted of tax evasion.
1/7/92
Tom Seaver and Rollie Fingers are elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA.
Seaver receives a record 98.8% of the vote while FIngers earns 81%.
1/7/99
Southwest Airlines unveils a 737 called the Nolan Ryan Express. Ryan autographs both sides of the aircraft’s nose on two specially designed decals each featuring a baseball with airplane wings and a Southwest colored tail. Ryan takes the plane to Cooperston in July.
We lost Tommy Lasorda OTD in 2021
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