The baseball world was shocked and stunned after news spread that Pittsburgh Pirates icon Roberto Clemente had been killed in an airplane crash on this day in béisbol, December 31, 1972. Clemente, 38, died along with four other passengers and crew on the four-engine DC-7, which slammed into the ocean shortly after 9 p.m. after taking off from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The baseball star, 38, was on a humanitarian mission to bring relief supplies to victims of an earthquake that had recently struck Nicaragua. A lifetime .317 hitter and outstanding right fielder who amassed 12 Gold Glove awards, Clemente

Fireballing Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman was traded to the Yankees for four minor leaguers on this day in béisbol, December 28, 2015. New York already had a formidable late-game bullpen combo in right handers Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances when they brought in Chapman, a lefty whose pitches routinely hit more than 100 mph. The Reds dumped Chapman after he had violated MLB's domestic violence policy. The Cuban-born import, 28, led the Yankees with 20 saves in 2016 despite being traded yet again to the Chicago Cubs at the July 31 trading deadline. New York, which was in the

Moises Alou leveraged an excellent season with the Cubs into a one-year, $7.25 million contract with the San Francisco Giants on this day in béisbol, December 27, 2004. The 37-year-old outfielder had one of his finest seasons in ’04, when he slammed 39 homers with 106 RBI and a .293 average for Chicago. He hit .321 for the Giants in 2005 and .301 the following season when an option year was picked up, but only averaged 20 homers in each season due to injuries. His time in San Francisco was highlighted by playing for his father, Felipe Alou, who also

A rare combination of power and defense behind the plate, Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez was named the American League’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2020 on this day in béisbol after missing the entire previous season with an elbow injury. A tear of the UCL in his right elbow required Tommy John surgery, but Perez bounced back quickly in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He only played in 37 of the team’s 60 games but hit .333 with 11 homers, 32 RBI and a .986 OPS. The Venezuelan native came back stronger in 2021, leading MLB with 48

Carlos Peña has been a familiar face to MLB Network viewers as a vivacious in-studio analyst for more than a decade. But the slugging first baseman was also well known to an inordinate number of fan bases, having played on eight different teams over a 14-year career. On this day in béisbol, December 9, 2010 the Dominican Republic-born, Massachusetts-bred Peña signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Cubs, hoping a monster season in Wrigley Field would lead to a long-term contract and some career stability. The lefty was coming off a four-season stint with the Tampa Bay Rays, where

It was one of the best birthdays ever for Tino Martinez: On the day he turned 28, the Seattle Mariners traded the slugging first baseman to the Yankees, who promptly signed him to a five-year, $20.25 million contract on this day in béisbol, December 7, 1995. He and his wife also welcomed their third child on this day. Martinez had the unenviable task of replacing Yankees icon Don Mattingly, who retired after the 1995 season. But Martinez soon became a fan favorite in the Bronx thanks to numbers close to Donnie Baseball in his prime: 25 homers, 117 RBI and

Mike Cuellar was a 31-year-old middle of the rotation starter for the Houston Astros when a trade to the Baltimore Orioles on this day in béisbol, December 4, 1968 transformed him into a Cy Young winner. The Cuban native was a barely .500 pitcher with a 42-41 record and decent 2.90 ERA over his first five seasons. But joining the powerhouse Birds — which also boasted a formidable rotation led by future Hall of Fame Jim Palmer and Dave McNally — made him a star. Cuellar averaged nearly 21 wins a season with a 2.99 ERA in his first six

Robinson Cano was five seasons into his 10-year, $240,000,000 contract when the Seattle Mariners’ second baseman was traded to the Mets in a salary dump deal that had closer Edwin Diaz also going to New York on this day in béisbol, December 3, 2018. Cano, 35, had some enjoyed some good years in Seattle after putting up Hall of Fame-worthy numbers in nine years with the Yankees, but he was suspended 80 games for PED use in the middle of the 2018 season. The Mariners front office was looking for some salary relief and included him with Diaz in a