October 26, 1934: The Joe Cronin Trade

October 26, 1934: Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith sells his shortstop and manager, Joe Cronin, to the Boston Red Sox for shortstop Lyn Lary and $225‚000 (about $4.9 million in 2022 money). Recently married to Mildred Robertson‚ Griffith's niece and adopted daughter‚ Cronin is signed by the Red Sox to a 5-year contract, a real rarity in those days.

This trade not only helps return the Red Sox to contention for the first time since Harry Frazee sold off several stars to the Yankees from 1919 to 1923, but it also helps wreck the Senators franchise, which had won the Pennant just 1 year earlier: For 77 years, from 1934 to 2011, only once, in 1945, had a Washington baseball team been in a major league Pennant race; only twice had they finished as high as 2nd, only 3 times as high as 3rd, and only 5 times had they had winning seasons.

This includes the "old Senators," from 1935 to 1960, when they moved to become the Minnesota Twins; the "new Senators," from 1961 to 1971, when they moved to become the Texas Rangers; the Washington Nationals, who had been terrible with flashes of fun since arriving in 2005; and the 1972-2004 interregnum when D.C.-area fans either had to go up to Baltimore, go to only the occasional exhibition game at RFK Stadium, check out minor-league teams (the Maryland cities of Salisbury, Frederick and Hagerstown, or Virginia teams like nearby Prince William), or stick to TV and go without live major league ball. It took the Nats until 2019 to finally bring D.C. its 1st Pennant since 1933 -- 86 years.

And yet, in spite of all the money that Yawkey spent from his 1933 purchase of the team until his death in 1976, the Red Sox didn't fare a lot better, as the New York Yankees kept winning Pennants. Cronin managed the Sox to a Pennant in 1946, then they didn't win another one until 1967, another in 1975, and another under Yawkey's widow Jean in 1986. It took until 2004 for the Red Sox to win their 1st World Series since 1918 -- also, 86 years.

Cronin served as Red Sox manager from 1934 to 1947, their general manager from 1948 until 1958, and as President of the American League from 1959 to 1973. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Red Sox retired his Number 4, and the Nationals elected him to their Ring of Honor.

Cronin's 1st major league team was the Pittsburgh Pirates. On April 1, 1928, they sold him to the Kansas City Blues of the American Association. On July 18, the Senators bought him from the Blues. The Pirates had won the National League Pennant in 1925 and 1927, but didn't win it again until 1960. So selling him was a really dumb transaction for them, right?

Not really: The Pirates stayed in contention the next 3 seasons, before having a losing record in 1931. The next season, they called up Joseph "Arky" Vaughan, who became one of the best shortstops of all time. He helped them come close to the Pennant in 1932, '33 and '38. Whatever prevented the Pirates from winning the Pennant for the remainder of Cronin's playing career, it wasn't the lack of a Hall of Fame shortstop.

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October 26, 1934 was a Friday. Basketball player turned broadcaster Rod Hundley was born.

The baseball season had ended 17 days earlier, when the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. The NBA hadn't been founded yet. The NHL season started 13 days later. There were some college football games played that night, but only one was between two teams that are now in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A): New Mexico State and Arizona played to a 0-0 tie at Arizona Stadium in Tucson.