March 18 has been a fascinating day in MLB history
From segregation to strikes, March 18 has never been a quiet day in the world of baseball, despite a lack of meaningful games on the schedule.
Here are five of the more interesting events that took place on this day in baseball history:
1942: White Sox try out Jackie Robinson
Four years before he broke professional baseball's color barrier, the White Sox offered spring training tryouts to Robinson, then 23, and fellow African-American Nate Moreland, a pitcher. There aren't many details available, but a Chicago Tribune piece from 1997 suggested that manager Jimmie Dykes said Robinson was "quicker than anyone the Sox had in their outfield." Racial lines still controlled baseball, however, and neither man would be offered a contract.
1953: Boston Braves move to Milwaukee
The Braves had represented Boston in the NL and its predecessor league since 1871, but only 281,000 fans came through Braves Field's gates in 1952. With Boston clearly a Red Sox town, owner Lou Perini announced the Braves were moving from Beantown to Milwaukee less than a month before the regular season was to begin. It was the first time an MLB team had relocated since 1903, when the AL moved its Baltimore franchise to New York.
1981: Carlton Fisk signs with White Sox
Fisk grew up in New England and hit one of the most famous home runs ever for the Red Sox, so it made no sense when Boston failed to mail the All-Star catcher his contract, making him a free agent. When the Red Sox lowballed him, Fisk quickly changed the color of his Sox to white, joining Chicago on a $3.5-million deal. He'd spend the final 13 years of his Hall of Fame career in Chicago.
1985: Mays, Mantle have bans lifted
Two of the biggest stars to ever grace the diamond were once banned for life in the midst of their retirements. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn banned the Hall of Famers after they each took jobs at casinos in Atlantic City, N.J. Peter Ueberroth, who took over as commissioner from Kuhn the year before, made reinstating Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle a priority of his first year in office.
1990: MLB lockout ends
The 1990 spring lockout only served to turn a simmering feud between the league and its players to full boil. Baseball's collective bargaining agreement had expired and owners wanted to impose a salary cap. Players wanted more money and were still seething over collusion in the mid-1980s. Commissioner Fay Vincent and the Players' Association would finally reach a four-year agreement to end the brief lockout after just 32 days. Opening Day had to be pushed back a week, but a full 162-game schedule was played.