On this date in Major League Baseball history: March 4th

MLB History

1884 – National League owners decide to introduce separate team benches to discourage socializing between opposing players during games.

1886 – The National League officially adopts the stolen base and establishes the four-foot by seven-foot pitcher’s box. Additionally, the league maintains the rule of seven balls for a walk and rejects the proposal to award a batter first base after being hit by a pitch.

1912 – Groundbreaking begins for a new baseball stadium in Brooklyn, New York, initially planned to be named “Washington Park” but ultimately named after Brooklyn Dodgers president Charles Ebbets. Ebbets Field opened on April 9, 1913, serving as the Dodgers’ home until 1957.

1913 – The New York Yankees pioneer spring training outside the United States by conducting their spring training in Bermuda.

1941 – Grace Comiskey assumes the presidency of the Chicago White Sox after the passing of her husband, J. Louis Comiskey.

1948 – Stan Musial resolves his contract dispute with the St. Louis Cardinals and signs a one-year deal worth $31,000.

1972 – The Texas Rangers trade Denny McLain, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for two minor league pitchers. McLain’s stint with Oakland is brief as he is soon traded to the Atlanta Braves for Orlando Cepeda.

1984 – The Special Veterans Committee elects Pee Wee Reese and Rick Farrell to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1994 – Michael Jordan makes his first plate appearance in a Chicago White Sox uniform, hitting a ground ball back to Rangers pitcher Darren Oliver.

2004 – Commissioner Bud Selig announces that Major League Baseball will commemorate “Jackie Robinson Day” in all ballparks on April 15, the anniversary of Robinson’s MLB debut.

2009 – Manny Ramirez agrees to a lucrative two-year, $45 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

2021 – Commissioner Rob Manfred declares June 2 as Lou Gehrig Day in Major League Baseball.

The content for this piece was sourced from Baseball-Reference, NationalPastime.com, and Today in Baseball History.