What’s Happening in Baseball Today

The First Pitch: December 5, 2023

The Philadelphia Phillies extend manager Rob Thomson’s contract one more year through the 2025 season, after leading the team to its second straight NLCS appearance. The 60-year old, who turned the Phillies around after Joe Girardi’s firing early in the 2022 season, has a 155-118 record thus far in Philadelphia. 

Pitcher Wade Miley is returning to the Milwaukee Brewers for one year and $8.5 million after turning in a solid 2023 effort with a 9-4 record and 3.14 ERA over 23 starts. The 37-year-old southpaw has a career 108-98 mark with a 4.06 ERA.

It Was Whatever-Something Years Ago Today

1973: All-Star third baseman Ron Santo becomes the first player to take advantage of baseball’s recently enacted “10-and-5” rule, giving power to players with 10 years of major league experience and five with one team to veto any trade. The Cubs had hoped to send Santo the California Angels; he later agrees to a trade to the crosstown White Sox.

You Say It’s Your Birthday

2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich is 32; veteran outfielder AJ Pollock is 36; 2010s first baseman Justin Smoak is 37; 17-year outfielder Cliff Floyd is 51. Born on this date is brief Red Sox standout pitcher Boo Ferriss (1921), two-time All-Star catcher Gus Mancuso (1905), 1890s workhorse Pink Hawley (1872), Cleveland infielder of the 1890s Patsy Tebeau (1864) and four-time scorer of 100+ runs Billy Shindle (1860).

A special Bushers Birthday Salute to third baseman Lin Storti, whose .227 career batting average didn’t gel with the high batting times of the early 1930s playing for the St. Louis Browns.

Shameless Link of the Day

Robert DeNiro has been making some noise lately, so let’s check out our review of his best baseball movie—no, not, The Fan, but Bang the Drum Slowly.

To Whom It May Concern

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