This Date in Phillies (and MLB) History: December 30

Not a lot of Phillies events for This Date in Phillies History, so once again, we expanded it to include all of Major League Baseball. We have had to do that a lot lately and we are wondering if we should continue to do that or not. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below today’s post. Thanks for your input.

Philadelphia Phillies Events for December 30

December 30, 1925: The New York Giants trade pitchers Jack Bentley and Wayland Dean to the Philadelphia Phillies for pitcher Jimmy Ring, a straight-up “arms for arms” swap in the live-ball era.

December 30, 1943: 82 years ago today, the Phillies got rid of one Babe and picked up a different Babe. First baseman Babe Dahlgren was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for catcher Babe Phelps and cash. Dahlgren, who had spent part of the 1943 season with the Phillies, was sent to Pittsburgh in this so-called “Babe-for-Babe” deal during the World War II era; Phelps never actually played for the Phillies after the trade.

Important MLB events on December 30

December 30, 1907: The Mills Commission issues its report claiming baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown in 1839, a conclusion that later drew heavy skepticism but became deeply woven into baseball lore.

December 30, 1926: The Chicago Tribune runs a story alleging the Tigers threw games to help the White Sox in 1917; Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis convenes a hearing but dismisses the charges for lack of corroboration.

December 30, 1995: Free-agent lefty Kenny Rogers signs a four-year deal with the Yankees, one of the more notable late-December pitching signings of the 1990s.

December 30, 2002: Roger Clemens agrees to a one-year, $10.1 million contract with the Yankees, explicitly framing it as likely to be his final season.

Phillies-connected birthdays on December 30 (players and current Phillies minor leaguers included)

Ray Prim (born 1906): Left-handed pitcher nicknamed “Pop” who pitched in 29 games for the Phillies in 1935 and would go on to lead the NL in ERA ten years later with a 2.40 mark.

Frank Torre (born 1931): A first baseman who played for the Phillies in 1962–63 after earlier seasons with Milwaukee; he was also Joe Torre’s older brother.

Tyler Bowen (born 2002): Taken by the Phillies in the 12th round of the 2025 MLB Draft, but did not sign until the latter part of July and did not pitch in the minors in 2025.

Cristhian Espinosa (born 2002): Signed as an international free agent, Espinosa pitched in 17 games in the Dominican Summer League with a 2-4 record and 3.24 ERA.

A DEEPER DIVE… The Mills Commission

In 1905, baseball’s leadership decided it wanted a clean, all-American story of the sport’s origins. At the time, the game was growing rapidly in popularity and cultural importance, and many people were uncomfortable with the idea that baseball evolved from older English bat-and-ball games like rounders. To settle the question, the league formed what became known as the Mills Commission, chaired by former National League president Abraham G. Mills. Its stated goal was simple: determine who invented baseball and when.

The commission relied almost entirely on correspondence. Mills and his colleagues asked fans, historians, and former players to submit memories or documents that would help to clarify baseball’s beginnings. There was no formal cross-examination of evidence, no archival deep dive, and no attempt to reconstruct the game’s early evolution through rule books or newspaper accounts. The process reflected early-20th-century historical methods more than modern scholarship.

The Abner Doubleday Claim

The commission’s final report, released in December 1907, concluded that Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839. This claim came primarily from a single source, Abner Graves, who wrote to the commission saying he had witnessed Doubleday draw up the game and organize play as a boy. The report stated that Doubleday laid out the diamond, defined the rules, and created a game distinct from rounders.

Supporters of the commission’s finding point out that the claim fit the available testimony the commission chose to trust. Graves’ account was detailed and confident, and there was no competing eyewitness testimony presented to the commission at the time. Doubleday was also a West Point graduate and later a Civil War general, which made him an appealing and respectable founding figure for a national pastime. From this perspective, the commission believed it had done its job by weighing the submissions it received and selecting what it felt was the most credible narrative.

Early Skepticism and Structural Flaws

Even when the report was released, skepticism followed quickly. One of the most obvious issues was that Doubleday himself never mentioned inventing baseball in any letters, diaries, or personal papers. He was also documented as being at West Point in 1839, calling into question whether he would have been in Cooperstown at the time described by Graves.

Critics also noted that the Mills Commission did not seriously investigate alternative explanations. Evidence already existed showing that baseball-like games were played earlier than 1839, including references to “base ball” in American newspapers from the 1820s and 1830s. The commission largely dismissed these references or treated them as unrelated games without offering detailed justification.

Another major concern was Abner Graves himself. Later research revealed that he had inconsistencies in his recollections and eventually spent time in a mental institution. While that alone does not automatically invalidate his testimony, it raised questions about the reliability of the commission’s primary witness and the lack of corroboration for his story.

Arguments in Defense of the Commission

Defenders of the Mills Commission argue that it should be judged by the standards of its era. Historical methodology in the early 1900s often relied heavily on personal testimony, and the commission was not designed as a modern academic body. Its members believed they were acting in good faith and did not have access to the vast digitized archives historians use today.

There is also an argument that the commission was trying to define a symbolic starting point rather than a literal invention moment. Baseball, like many sports, evolved over time, and the commission may have been attempting to identify when the game became recognizable as something distinct. From that viewpoint, Cooperstown and Doubleday became a convenient representation of baseball’s American identity rather than a precise historical claim.

The Modern Historical Consensus

Most modern baseball historians reject the Mills Commission’s conclusion while acknowledging its cultural impact. Research has shown that baseball developed gradually from multiple bat-and-ball traditions, including English games and earlier American variations. The New York Game, played in the 1830s and 1840s, is now widely viewed as a key predecessor to modern baseball, with no evidence tying it directly to Doubleday.

At the same time, historians also caution against replacing one oversimplified story with another. Baseball did not spring fully formed from a single inventor, but it was not merely copied wholesale from rounders either. The truth lies in a messy, incremental evolution shaped by players, clubs, and communities.

Legacy and Meaning

The Mills Commission’s findings are no longer taken as factual history, but they remain enormously influential. They helped cement Cooperstown as a symbolic home of baseball and contributed directly to the establishment of the National Baseball Hall of Fame there decades later. In that sense, the commission succeeded in shaping baseball’s mythology, even if it failed as rigorous history.

Today, the Mills Commission is best understood as a reflection of its time, revealing as much about early-20th-century American identity and nationalism as it does about baseball’s origins.

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