HALL OF FAME: Orlando Cepeda, 1999
ORLANDO CEPEDA "The Baby Bull" Born: September 17, 1937 in Ponce, Puerto Rico Died: June 28, 2024, Concord, California Position: First base, outfield Bats: Right / Throws: Right Hall of Fame Induction: 1999 Teams: San Francisco Giants (1958–1966), St. Louis Cardinals (1966–1968), Atlanta Braves (1969–1972), Oakland Athletics (1972), Boston Red Sox (1973), Kansas City Royals (1974) MLB debut: April 15, 1958, San Francisco Giants Last MLB appearance: August 10, 1974, Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame plaque: A powerful first baseman and consistent run producer for 17 Major League seasons, not withstanding chronic knee problems. his ability to drive the
THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL November 11: Fernando Valenzuela is first Rookie of the Year to win Cy Young
“Fernandomania” continued into baseball’s awards season in 1981 as mega-popular Dodgers phenom Fernando Valenzuela won the NL Cy Young Award on the heels of taking home Rookie of the Year honors and a Silver Slugger on this day in béisbol, November 11. The 20-year-old Mexican native quickly became a fan favorite during the strike-shortened season as he went 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA while hurling 8 shutouts with 180 strikeouts, best in the majors. He was the first rookie to win a Cy Young, and the first pitcher to win both a Rookie of the Year and a Cy Young
THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL November 10: Gimenez, Tatis win 2023 Platinum Glove Award
Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez was named the 2023 Platinum Glove winner in the American League, while Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. won the award for being the NL’s best overall fielder on this day in béisbol, November 10. Gimenez, of Venezuela, earned the top prize for fielding excellence in the same year he won his second career Gold Glove. He also had a solid year at the plate, belting 15 homers, driving in 62 runs and stealing 30 bases while splitting time at shortstop. Tatis, who began his career at shortstop before moving to right, also won a
NEWS: Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz indicted on gambling related charges
Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been indicted on federal charges alleging they accepted bribes to rig individual pitches for gamblers. Clase, 28, considered one of baseball’s elite closers, allegedly began coordinating with bettors at the beginning of the 2025, using inside information on his own pitches and tipping off conspirators about specific outcomes, according to an indictment filed in Brooklyn, New York. The 26-year-old Ortiz is accused of deliberately throwing first pitches of innings as balls to satisfy proposition bets, or prop-bets — wagers on specific events during a game — placed by co-conspirators, according to
HALL OF FAME: Tony Perez, 2000
TONY PEREZ, First Base Born: May 14, 1942 in Camaguey, Cuba Bats: Right / Throws: Right Hall of Fame Induction: 2000 Teams: Cincinnati Reds (1964–1976, 1984–1986), Montreal Expos (1977–1979), Boston Red Sox (1980–1982), Philadelphia Phillies (1983) MLB debut: July 26, 1964, for the Cincinnati Reds Last MLB appearance: October 5, 1986 for the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame plaque: "A clutch performer throughout an illustrious 23-year career, he tormented the opposition with his ability to consistently drive in runs. His composure under pressure led to 379 home runs, 505 doubles and 1652 RBIs, including seven 100 RBI seasons and 954
THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL November 6: Edwin Diaz gets largest contract for a reliever in 2022 deal
Edwin Diaz has no doubt caused plenty of anxiety attacks among Mets fans over the years, considering his roller-coaster career as an elite closer interspersed with some rough years as an unreliable reliever where no lead seemed safe while he was on the mound. But on this day in béisbol, November 6, 2022, New York rewarded the then-28-year-old Diaz with a five-year, $102 million contract that was the highest amount ever for a reliever. Diaz, from Naguabo, Puerto Rico, was coming off an all-star season in ’22, when he placed ninth in Cy Young voting with 32 saves, a career-low
NEWS: Fernando Valenzuela, Carlos Delgado named on Hall of Fame Contemporary Era ballot
Fernando Valenzuela and Carlos Delgado are among eight former MLB stars named this week on the Baseball Hall of Fame's Contemporary Baseball Era ballot. A committee of writers and historians are set to meet in Orlando, Florida on December 7 to determine which one of them will join the game’s immortals in Cooperstown next summer. The ballot also includes Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jeff Kent, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, and Gary Sheffield. Among the notable candidates is Delgado, the slugging first baseman who belted 473 home runs over a 17-year career with the Blue Jays, Marlins, and Mets. One of
THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL November 5: Astros rookie Jeremy Peña named 2022 World Series MVP
The Houston Astros’ young stars Jordan Alvarez and Jeremy Peña gave out-of-this-world performances on this day in béisbol, November 5, 2022 to win Game 6 of the World Series against the Phillies. Alvarez hit a 3-run homer in the 6th that scored Peña and veteran Jose Altuve, giving Houston its second championship in six years. But it was Peña, with 10 hits in the 6 games against Philadelphia for a .400 average, who was named World Series MVP. The 24-year-old Dominican rookie, son of former infielder Geronimo Peña, also won the ALCS MVP award after going 6-for-18 (.333) with 2
