1939 In his second exhibition game, Dodger Pete Reiser homers in his first at-bat against the Cardinals to begin a streak of 10 consecutive hits.
1962 Roger Maris declines to pose with Mets coach Rogers Hornsby because the Hall of Famer had criticized him in the Rajah's' book, My Wars with Baseball.
1962 In the first meeting between the two clubs, the Mets defeat the World Champion Yankees in a spring training game. Casey Stengel, the former skipper of the Bronx Bombers, now the manager of the new National League expansion team in New York, clearly wanting to beat his old club, calls upon veteran outfielder Richie Ashburn, who delivers a ninth-inning pinch-hit single giving the Amazins' the dramatic walk-off 4-3 victory at Al Lang Field.
1972 The Yankees trade first baseman Danny Cater to the Red Sox for lefty reliever Albert Walter Lyle. Over the next seven years, Sparky will pitch in 420 games in relief with 57-40 record and a 2.41 ERA notching 141 saves as he helps the Bronx Bombers to appear in three World Series.
1986 Yankee pitcher Britt Burns, an 18-game winner with the White Sox last season, will miss the entire season due to a degenerative hip condition.
1993 In a tragic accident, Indian pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews are killed when their motorboat strikes a pier. Bob Ojeda is severely injured, but will return to play major league baseball.
2002 After a poor spring trying to make the Dodgers as a bench player, 38-year-old Dante Bichette (.299, 274, 1,141) announces his retirement. The four-time All-Star played with the Angels, Brewers, Rockies, Reds and Red Sox during his 14-year major league career.
2005 Eleven home runs shy of passing Babe Ruth on the all-time list, Giants' slugger Barry Bonds indicates he may not play this season. The 40-year old National League MVP, who has two knee operations and has been implicated in the sport's steroids scandal, cites being physically and mentally "done" and blames the media for much of his unhappiness.
