2011 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 2011 throughout the world.

• February 26: Mandatory Spring Training reporting date for all players.

• March 2-11: Contracts of unsigned players May be renewed.

• March 15: Last day to assign an injured player to a minor league club until the close of the championship season (outright or optionally) provided that:
  

a) The player has less than 3 years of Major League service;

b) The assignment would not be the player's second (or subsequent) career outright since March 19, 1990;

c) The player had no Major League service the prior season; and

d) The player was not selected by the assignor Major League club in the immediately preceding Rule 5 Draft.

• March 22: The earliest date a club May backdate a placement on the Major League 15-day disabled list.

• March 31: Opening Day 2011. All clubs are required to reduce rosters to 25 players.

• April 6: First date a player placed on the 15-day disabled list during Spring Training May be reinstated (if placed on or backdated to March 22).

• April 10: First date a player optioned during Spring Training May be recalled.

• April 15: Jackie Robinson Day

• May (Date TBD): Civil Rights Game at Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia.

• May 8: Mother's Day.

• May 15: Earliest date clubs May re-sign players that they unconditionally released between August.31, 2010 and March 31.

• May 27: Play Sun Smart.

• May 30: Start of Closed Period -- First-Year Player Draft.

• June 6-8: First-Year Player Draft, Secaucus, New Jersey.

• June 16: First day clubs May trade an eligible free agent player who was signed after electing free agency. A club May assign the contract prior to this date for other player contracts and/or a cash consideration of no more than $50,000 if the player gives his written consent.

• June 19: Father's Day.

• July 12: All-Star Game at Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona.

• July 24: Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Clark Sports Center, Cooperstown, New York.

• July 31: Non-waiver Trade Deadline, 4 p.m. ET.

• August 15: Last day for teams to sign 2011 First-Year Player Draft selections who have remaining college eligibility. Deadline is midnight.

• August 31: Postseason eligibility lists are established at midnight.

• September 1: Active rosters expand from 25 to 40 players.

• September 11: 9/11 Remembrance.

• September 14: Roberto Clemente Day.

• September 28: Official closing of the 2011 season.

• October:

American League and National League playoffs (TBD).

2011 World Series (TBD).

Last day to request outright waivers to assign player prior to Rule 5 Draft (TBD).

• December 5: Last time to outright a player prior to the Rule 5 Draft – 5 p.m. ET.

• December 7: Last date for player who declared free agency to accept an arbitration offer from former club. Deadline is midnight ET.

• December 5-8: Baseball Winter Meetings at Dallas, Texas.

• December 8: Major League Rule 5 Draft at Dallas, Texas.

• December 12: Last date to tender contracts is midnight ET.

Source: MLB.com

The 2010-11 Australian Baseball League season is currently in progress as of November 27, 2010. It began on November 6, 2010, and will end February 5, 2011.

The LLWS will take place August 19-28 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

• January 1 - Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Alfredo Simon is arrested in connection to the shooting death of his cousin, Michael Castillo Almonte, 25, in the city of Luperon in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Almonte's 17-year-old younger brother Starlling Castillo is also injured in the incident. According to Simon, he was firing celebratory shots in the air as part of the New Year’s custom in the Dominican Republic. He is denied bail on February 1.

• January 3 - Former National League Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb joins the American League champion Texas Rangers, signing a one-year contract worth $3 million with another $5 million in incentives.

• January 5
  • Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven are elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Barry Larkin is the highest vote recipient not to receive the 75% requirement. He was named on 62.1% of the ballots.
  • Third baseman Adrian Beltre joins the Texas Rangers, signing a six-year deal worth $96 million.

• January 6 - First baseman Derrek Lee signs with the Baltimore Orioles for one year.

• January 8
  • During an open house for constituents hosted by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, 22-year-old gunman Jared Lee Loughner kills six people, including U.S. District Judge John Roll, Giffords' aide Gabe Zimmerman and 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green, daughter of Los Angeles Dodgers scout John Green, and granddaughter of former big league manager Dallas Green.
  • The Tampa Bay Rays trade Matt Garza, Fernando Perez and Zach Rosscup to the Chicago Cubs for Christopher Archer, Brandon Guyer, Hak-Ju Lee, Robinson Chirinos and Sam Fuld.

• January 10 - After four injury plagued seasons, 1996 Major League Baseball Draft number one overall pick Kris Benson announces his retirement.

• January 11 - Trevor Hoffman, the all-time saves leader (602), announces his retirement.

• January 18
  • Seattle Mariners outfielder Milton Bradley is arrested in Los Angeles for allegedly making criminal threats against a woman.
  • Kansas City Royals pitcher Gil Meche announces his retirement.

• January 21 - The Los Angeles Angels acquire outfielder Vernon Wells from the Toronto Blue Jays for catcher Mike Napoli and outfielder Juan Rivera. The Jays then sent Napoli to the Texas Rangers for reliever Frank Francisco and cash considerations on January 25.

• January 22 - Detroit Tigers team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski announces that the club will be retiring former manager Sparky Anderson's number 11. The team will wear a blue patch on the right sleeve of their uniforms, bearing "Sparky" and number 11.

• January 24 - The Detroit Tigers send pitcher Armando Galarraga, who rose to national stardom on June 2, 2010 when he was denied a perfect game by an errant call by umpire Jim Joyce, to the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor leaguers Kevin Eichhorn and Ryan Robowski.

• January 29 - The Yaquis de Obregon beat the Algodoneros de Guasave in Game 7 of the Mexican Pacific League championship series, Obregon won it's fifth title.

• February 4
  • Irving Picard's lawsuit seeking up to about $1 billion against Fred Wilpon, Jeff Wilpon, Saul Katz and various affiliated entities affiliated with the New York Mets and Sterling Equities Associates to recover money for the victims of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme is unsealed by a Manhatten court. The civil suit alleges that the partners in Sterling knew or should have known that Madoff's investment operation was a fraud.
  • After months of speculation, New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte announced his retirement at Yankee Stadium.

• February 7 - Wake Forest University baseball coach Tom Walter donates a kidney to freshman outfielder Kevin Jordan. Jordan was diagnosed in April 2010 as suffering from ANCA csculitis. Walter was tested in December to see if he would be a match, and learned January 28 that he was. Jordan was drafted by the New York Yankees in the nineteenth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft, and has yet to play for Wake Forest.

• February 15 - St. Louis Cardinals legend Stan Musial is honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. Also receiving the award is President George Bush, John. H. Adams, Maya Angelou, Warren Buffet, Jasper Johns, Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissmann Klein, Congressman John Lewis, Dr. Thomas Emmett Little, Yo-Yo Ma, Sylvia Mendez, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, NBA star Bill Russell, Jean Kennedy Smith and John Sweeney. Little, who was murdered last year in Afghanistan, was represented by his wife.

• February 17 - Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera is arrested in the early morning hours for a DUI. Cabrera's car was discovered parked on the side of a road in Fort Pierce, Florida with Cabrera inside, allegedly intoxicated with a .26 blood alcohol level. When police arrived, he began drinking from a bottle of Scotch he had on the front seat, and later resisted arrest. He issues an apology upon arrival at training camp on February 24, and announces that he will be undergoing treatment set up by doctors administered by management and its players' union.

• February 21 - Justine Siegal throws batting practice to Lou Marson, Paul Phillips, Juan Apodaca and five prospects at the Cleveland Indians' Spring training camp in Goodyear, Arizona. She is the first woman to ever throw batting practice to professional hitters.

• February 24 - St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak announces that Cy Young Award candidate Adam Wainwright will require Tommy John surgery to replace the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and thus will miss the entire 2011 season and part of 2012.

• January 1 - John Rice, 92, American League umpire from 1955 through 1973, who worked in four World Series and three All-Star Games.

• January 6 - Francisco de la Rosa, 44, Dominican relief pitcher for the 1991 Baltimore Orioles.^[1]

• January 6 - Ryne Duren, 81, All-Star relief pitcher who played with seven MLB teams from 1954 to 1965, and a key contributor for New York Yankees teams that won the American League Championship in the 1958 and 1960 seasons.^[1]

• January 7 - Red Borom, 95, the oldest living former Detroit Tigers player, who was on the Tigers' 1945 World Series champion team.^[1]

• January 7 - José Vidal, 70, Dominican outfielder for the Cleveland Indians, Seattle Pilots and Nishitetsu Lions from 1966 to 1971, and a California League MVP winner in 1963.^[1]

• January 9 - Dave Sisler, 79, pitcher who posted a 38-24 record with a 4.33 ERA in 247 games while playing for the Red Sox, Tigers, Senators and Reds.^[1]

• January 15 - Roy Hartsfield, 85, manager of the Toronto Blue Jays during their first three Major League seasons (1977-79).^[1]

• January 17 - Perry Currin, 82, shortstop for the 1947 St. Louis Browns of the American League.^[1]

• January 18 -George Crowe, 89, first baseman who spent nine seasons in the majors with the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee/Boston Braves, being selected to the National League All-Star team in 1958.^[1]

• January 20 - Gus Zernial, 87, All-Star outfielder who played for three teams during an 11-year career and led the American League with 33 home runs and 129 RBI in 1951.^[1]

• February 3 - Ron Piché, 75, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, who posted a 10-16 record and a 4.19 ERA in 134 games for the Milwaukee Braves, California Angels and St. Louis Cardinals from 1960 to 1966.^[1]

• February 4 - Woodie Fryman, 70, All-Star pitcher who posted a 141-155 record and a 3.77 ERA for the Pirates, Phillies, Tigers, Reds and Expos from 1966 to 1983.^[1]

• February 8 - Cliff Dapper, 91, catcher for the 1942 Brooklyn Dodgers, who made history after being traded in 1948 by the Dodgers to the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association for broadcaster Ernie Harwell, to become the only player in major league baseball history traded for a broadcaster.^[2]

• February 8 - Tony Malinosky, 101, infielder for the 1937 Brooklyn Dodgers, who was the oldest-living major league player.^[1]

• February 11 - Chuck Tanner, 81, who managed the Pittsburgh Pirates to the World Series championship in 1979.^[1]

• February 12 - Gino Cimoli, 81, first player to bat for the Dodgers after their move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958; later an outfielder on the Pittsburgh Pirates' 1960 World Series championship team.^[1]

• February 14 - Cecil Kaiser, 94, oldest living Negro Leagues star.

• February 15 - Joe Frazier, 88, outfielder who spent parts of four seasons in the majors and later managed the New York Mets.

• February 18 - Len Gilmore, 93, pitcher for the 1944 Pittsburgh Pirates.^[3]

• February 18 - Spook Jacobs, 85; second baseman who played from 1954 through 1956 for the Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics and the Pittsburgh Pirates.^[4]

• February 18 - Buddy Lewis, 94, All-Star third baseman/outfielder who hit .297 in 1349 games for the Washington Senators between 1935 and 1949.^[1]

• February 20 - Andrew ″Drew″ Baur, 66, co-owner and treasurer of the St. Louis Cardinals.