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On this day in 1886, Hall of Famer Bill McKechnie was born in Wilkinsburg, PA. In addition to guiding the Reds to a pennant and a World Series championship, McKechnie also won a World Series as the manager of the Pirates and a pennant with the Cardinals. He was one of the greatest managers of his era, clearly trailing only Joe McCarthy in the American League as a skipper.
McKechnie prided himself on the defense of his teams and was an absolute nut about good glovework. This, in a way, was also his biggest weakness: He stressed defense to the point where the offense began to disintegrate. In his last four seasons in Cincinnati, the Reds had team OPS+ figures of 90 (6th in the NL), 86 (7th), 78 (8th - last), and 82 (last). He joined the Indians as an assistant coach in 1946. Guided by player-manager Lou Boudreau and McKechnie, the Indians won the World Series (their last) in 1948. The Veteran's Committee inducted McKechnie into the Hall of Fame in 1962.
On this day in 1903, Cincinnati's Tommy Corcoran recorded 14 assists in nine innings in a 4-2 victory over St. Louis. That figure remains the major league record in a nine-inning game.
On this day in 1904, the Reds acquired rightfielder Jimmy Sebring from the Pirates as part of a three-way deal with the Giants. As part of the trade, Cincinnati sent "Turkey" Mike Donlin to New York. This was a miserable deal for the Reds, as Donlin was a tremendous hitter (career 144 OPS+ in over 1,000 games) while Sebring's play could be easily confused with Xavier Paul's performance.
On this day in 1927, former Redleg Rocky Bridges was born in Refugio, TX. Bridges was apparently pretty slick with the glove, but was simply an abysmal hitter -- career .247/.310/.313 (68 OPS+). He's also notable for having a big wad of chaw in his mouth in his Baseball-Reference photo.
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On this day in 1954, the Redlegs bought righty Jerry Lane from the Senators.
On this day in 1973, former Red Danny Graves was born in Saigon, Vietnam.
On this day in 1976, former Red Edgar Renteria was born in Barranquilla, Colombia.
On this day in 1991, Marge Schott's beloved St. Bernard, Schottzie, was euthanized.
On this day in 2006, the Reds acquired reliever Ryan Franklin and cash considerations from Philadelphia in exchange for a player to be named later. Cincinnati later sent minor league righty Zac Stott to Philly to complete the transaction.
On this day in 2008, the Reds signed righty Justin Lehr.