Cleveland and Pittsburgh pair up on a swap, as the Indians send young outfielder Brian Giles to the Pirates for reliever Ricardo Rincon.
Giles, who had spent parts of four seasons in the Tribe outfield, would explode onto the scene at Three Rivers Stadium, slugging four consecutive 30+ home run seasons, including a career-high 39 in 1999 while batting .315. He repeated his stellar numbers in 2000 with a .315 average, 35 home runs, and a career-best 123 RBI while making his first of two All-Star teams. He ended his 15-year MLB career with seven seasons in San Diego.
The left-handed Rincon was 0-2 with a 2.91 ERA for the Pirates in 1998 with 14 saves. He spent parts of four straight seasons in Cleveland, posting a 7-8 record with a 3.73 ERA before being dealt to the Oakland Athletics.
Also on this date in Tribe history:
1958 – Hank Greenberg and other Indians minority stockholders sell their shares to the majority stockholder, William Daley.
1959 – Jim Perry finishes second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting to Washington Senators outfielder Bob Allison. Perry was 12-10 with a 2.65 ERA in his first season in the Majors.
1994 – The Cleveland Indians send pitchers Dave Mlicki, Jerry Dipoto, Paul Byrd, and a player to be named later to the New York Mets for outfielder Jeromy Burnitz and pitcher Joe Roa. Jesus Azuaje, a minor league infielder, will complete the trade three weeks later.
1997 – Cleveland’s Brian Anderson is the first selection of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 1997 expansion draft.
