Today in MLB History, April 1st

1911: All National League umpires are asked by league president Tom Lynch to provide evidence of vision tests.

1914: Rude Waddell, who once struck out a record 349 batters in one season, dies of tuberculosis at age 37.

1937: Reds' Babe Herman is sold to the Tigers.

1950: Pacific Coast League Hollywood Stars wear shorts and rayon shirts as their Opening Day uniform.

1962: University of Detroit basketball star, Dave DeBusschere signs with the White Sox as a pitcher.

1963: Duke Snider returns to New York as the Mets purchase him from the Dodgers.

1964: Cleveland's manager Birdie Tebbetts suffers a heart attack.

1982: The Mets trade outfielder Lee Mazzilli to Texas for rookie pitchers Ron Darling and Walt Terrell.

1987: The Cardinals deal three youngsters, outfielder Andy VanSlyke, catcher Mike LaValliere and pitcher Mike Dunne, to get Pirate backstop, Tony Pena.

1987: Mets phenom pitcher Doc Gooden avoids suspension for substance abuse by agreeing to enter a drug rehab facility.

1989: Former Yale University and National League president Bart Giamatti becomes seventh commissioner of major league baseball.

1996: The Opening Day game is postponed when umpire John McSherry suffers a fatal heart attack in the first inning of the season opener in Cincinnati.....Rallying from a 6-0 deficit, the Mets beat the Cardinals, 7-6, making it the biggest Opening Day comeback of the century.

1997: Setting a record for the most runs scored in one inning of an Opening Day contest this century, the Padres score 11 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning en route to a 12-5 rout of Mets. Chris Gomez, Rickey Henderson and Quilvio Veras lead the attack with back-to-back-to-back home runs.

2001: In the first major league game ever played Puerto Rico, the Blue Jays defeat the Rangers, 8-1 in the major league season opener. Making his Texas debut, $252 million shortstop Alex Rodriguez gets the season's first hit and scores the first run, but also makes a throwing error on his first chance.

2005: Albert Pujols does not strike out in any of the 21 Cardinals spring training games. In his 68 plate appearances, the St. Louis first baseman finishes the exhibition season with a .458 batting average, six homers, and 20 RBI.

2006: A day prior to the start of the season, the White Sox ink Jose Contreras (15-7, 3.61 )to a $29 million, three-year contract extension. The 34-year-old Cuban native was the World Champ's most effective pitcher during the team's stretch run to the AL pennant posting an 11-2 mark following the All-Star game.