February 9, 1920
The Joint Rules Committee decides to ban all foreign substances and alterations to the ball by pitchers. This includes banning resin, saliva, paraffin, talcum powder, and the emery and shine balls.
Any pitcher caught cheating will be banned for 10 days. The A.L. allows each team to name two pitchers who can use the pitch for one more season in 1920. It would be completely banned in 1921.
The N.L. allows the teams to name all spitball pitchers. Only those designated can use the pitch in 1920. Nobody can use it in 1921.
February 9, 1951
The St. Louis Browns sign Satchel Paige who hadn’t pitched in the Major Leagues since 1949 with Cleveland. Paige would go on to pitch in three seasons for the Browns winning 18 games and saving 26 becoming an All-Star twice.
Born on this day:
1925 Vic Wertz
1956 Mookie Wilson
1958 Pete O’Brien
1961 John Kruk
1976 Vladimir Guerrero
This post was written by
Eric Bynum is Managing Editor here at Baseball de World and an ESL teacher in South Korea. He has played and/or written about baseball for the past 30 years and is an avid Atlanta Braves fan. Eric also writes for Braves Baseball World and for Call to the Pen.
