Phillies Events on January 13
January 13, 1954 – The Philadelphia Phillies complete a significant roster move by acquiring veteran right-handed pitcher Murry Dickson from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for pitcher Andy Hansen, infielder Jack Lohrke, and $70,000 cash. Dickson was an all-star in 1953 and pitched for the Phillies for three seasons with a 22-34 record and a 3.71 ERA in Philly.
January 13, 1959 – John J. Quinn resigns as general manager of the Milwaukee Braves to become the general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, replacing Roy Hamey; this front-office leadership change shapes the club’s direction for the following decade.
MLB Events on January 13 (Chronological)
January 13, 1922 – Former Chicago White Sox star Buck Weaver petitions for reinstatement to organized baseball following his lifetime ban related to the 1919 Black Sox scandal; the request is denied.
January 13, 1972 – Bernice Gera wins her suit against organized baseball, enabling her to become the first female to umpire in professional baseball. She umpired one game between the short-season Auburn Phillies and Geneva Senators in the New York-Penn League.
January 13, 1982 – Baseball’s Hall of Fame elects Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson in their first year of eligibility, honoring two of the game’s legendary figures.
January 13, 1995 – Major League Baseball’s executive council approves the use of replacement players during the labor impasse, a controversial step in baseball history.
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Phillies Birthdays on January 13
Bama Rowell (born 1916) – Played for the Phillies in 1948 after earlier years with the Boston Bees/Braves; he’s also remembered in baseball lore for the famous Ebbets Field “clock” moment in 1946.
Heath Hembree (born 1989) – Right-handed reliever who pitched for the Phillies in 2021 as part of a long MLB bullpen career that included a World Series ring with Boston.
Hoby Milner (born 1991) – Left-handed pitcher who made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 2017, later carving out a career as a ground-ball-heavy reliever with multiple clubs.
Justin Crawford (born 2004) – Top Phillies outfield prospect drafted in the first round in 2022, known for elite speed/defense and fast development through the system.
MLB Birthdays on January 13
Kevin Mitchell (born 1962) – Former MLB outfielder and 1989 National League MVP with the Giants, remembered for huge power production and a standout peak.
A DEEP DIVE… The Ebbets Field Clock Incident
In the summer of 1946, Ebbets Field — home of the Brooklyn Dodgers — featured a large, elevated outfield scoreboard with two prominent clock faces mounted above the left-center field wall. These clocks were visible to fans and players alike, and over time they became a quirky but beloved part of the ballpark’s character.
On June 23, 1946, Boston Braves outfielder Bama Rowell, playing in his first season after four years of military service, stepped to the plate against the Dodgers. Rowell, known as a gritty hitter with solid gap power, squared up a pitch and drove a deep fly ball into the left-center field area. The crack of the bat suggested a towering extra-base hit, and the crowd stood up in anticipation.
Instead of bouncing off the grass or clearing the wall for a home run, Rowell’s drive struck one of the clock faces mounted high above the wall. The impact sent the baseball spinning back toward the infield, leaving fielders and fans alike stunned. It also rained down broken glass on Dodgers outfielder Willie Davis. Under the rules of the day, a ball that lodged in the stadium’s structure was often declared a ground-rule double, though interpretations varied depending on where the ball hit.
In this case, the umpires ruled that Rowell’s batted ball — having struck the clock and deflected — was a ground-rule double. The quirky outcome cemented the play in baseball lore, and the “clock incident” became one of the most oft-repeated oddities of the Ebbets Field era. Dodger Stadium would later inherit its own legendary wall moments, but Rowell’s hit remains a singular snapshot of mid-20th-century ballpark character and the unpredictable nature of baseball’s old ballparks.
The incident inspired the famous scene in the movie The Natural where lights explode when hit by a home run off the bat of Roy Hobbs. Bulova had a promotion at the time that would give any player who hit a ball off of one of the clocks a free watch. It took 40 years for Rowell to get the watch which was presented to him at a ceremony in his hometown of Citronelle, Alabama in 1987.
A DEEPER DIVE… A Strange Pitching Change for the Phillies
The Phillies were only two games into the 2018 season when one of the strangest managerial decisions in recent memory unfolded. On March 31 in Atlanta, new manager Gabe Kapler was still getting his feet wet in his first regular-season series with the club. The Phillies had jumped out to an early lead against the Braves and were trying to protect it late in the game when the bullpen carousel began to spin.
Kapler turned to left-hander Hoby Milner in a key spot, intending to use him for a matchup against the heart of the Braves’ order. That part wasn’t unusual. What shocked nearly everyone inside SunTrust Park was that Milner had not been warming up in the bullpen before being summoned into the game. Cameras caught him scrambling to get loose near the mound as the situation suddenly became very real.
Players on the field looked confused. The broadcast crew immediately questioned what they were seeing. Even the Braves hitters seemed surprised by the delay and awkwardness of the moment.
What Actually Happened on the Field
Milner was forced to throw a few hurried warm-up pitches on the game mound instead of the normal bullpen routine pitchers rely on to properly prepare their arms. Catcher Andrew Knapp made a brief visit to try to buy Milner a few extra seconds, but there was no true substitute for a full warm-up session.
Once play resumed, the results were rough. Milner struggled to find his command and soon gave up a home run to Freddie Freeman that flipped the momentum of the game. The Phillies ultimately lost, and the storyline immediately shifted away from the final score and toward the decision that put Milner in such an uncomfortable spot.
Within minutes, social media erupted. Fans questioned player safety, competitive fairness, and whether the rookie manager had made a rookie mistake in a key situation.
Kapler Owns the Mistake
After the game, Kapler addressed the situation directly and did not dodge responsibility. He explained that there had been a miscommunication between himself, the bullpen, and the coaching staff. He believed Milner was already warming when the call was made, only realizing too late that the pitcher was cold. Kapler acknowledged that the situation should never happen and that the process would be corrected immediately.
Major League Baseball reviewed the incident but did not issue formal discipline. The league emphasized the importance of proper warm-up protocols and communication, reinforcing that player health must always come first.
For Milner, it was an unfair position to be placed in. Relievers depend heavily on routine and preparation, especially when entering high-leverage situations. Being rushed into live competition without a full warm-up puts both performance and arm health at risk.
Why the Moment Still Gets Remembered
The incident became an early defining moment for Kapler’s tenure in Philadelphia. It fed into a larger conversation about analytics, process-driven managing, and the growing pains that sometimes come with modern baseball decision-making. While Kapler would go on to refine his systems and communication, this game lingered as a cautionary tale.
For Phillies fans, the Milner moment remains one of those “you had to see it to believe it” chapters. It was awkward, uncomfortable, and completely avoidable. More than anything, it underscored how thin the margin is between preparation and chaos in a major league dugout, especially when a new staff is still learning how to operate together under game pressure.
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