Birthdays today
There are no Hall of Fame players on today’s birthday list, which allows me to highlight a personal favorite from the 1980s.
While he played on one of the better teams in the 1980s, Willie Wilson had an incredible run from 1976-1994 that didn’t seem ever to get recognized enough for just how well he played. Wilson finally established himself as a regular in the Royals outfield in 1979 after stealing 46 bases in part time duty in 1978. His first year as a regular, he hit .315, legged out 13 triples, and led the league with 83 stolen bases.
Wilson would go on to lead the league in triples four times, though his best season was really overshadowed by his teammate George Brett, as in the same season that Brett was chasing .400, Wilson led the league with 230 hits, 15 triples, and 133 marks, all tops in both leagues, while hitting .326 and stealing 79 bases at the top of the Royals lineup.
Wilson would finish his career as a .285 career hitter with 147 triples and 668 stolen bases. He had a knack for using his speed well in the right time as well, tallying 3 steals in the 1985 World Series for the Royals against the Cardinals and stealing an astonishing 7 bases for the Oakland A’s as they fell to the Blue Jays in 1992 when Wilson was 36 years old. He still ranks 12th in stolen bases all-time.
Wilson was an All-Star twice, won a Gold Glove, won 2 Silver Sluggers, and received votes for MVP 4 times. Sadly, when he got to the Hall of Fame ballot in 2000, he only got 2%.
Active MLB players born today: Rusney Castillo, Jace Fry, Miguel Montero
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Notable events on this day
Joe DiMaggio hit the first of his two career cycles on this day in 1937 against the Senators, getting a single, double, triple, and a pair of home runs. It’d be over a decade before his second cycle.
The Chicago writer that pushed hard for the origination of the All-Star game, Arch Ward passes away at age 58 on this day in 1955.
The BBWAA chooses to establish the Cy Young Award on this day in 1955. The votes were very close, 14-12.
Because of the New York Yankees fans, the Yankees traded Ed Whitson on this day to San Diego for Tim Stoddard in 1986. Whitson would pitch 5 more seasons, posting a 3.53 ERA and 1.19 WHIP and tossing 945 1/3 innings. Stoddard put up a 3.50 as a reliever in 1987, but in 1988, he was blown up for a 6.38 ERA.
Next: Scouting report on Brewers prospect Burnes
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