On this date in Giants history—Jan. 5

1925: During the Chicago White Sox and New York Giants European tour, John McGraw, Charlie Comiskey and Hughie Jennings are honored with silver medals by the French Baseball Federation for their efforts of promoting the game in France.

1946: The New York Giants buy catcher Walker Cooper from the St. Louis Cardinals for $175,000. It is the largest amount ever paid for a single player. The Joe Cronin transaction in 1934 and the Dizzy Dean sale in 1938 were larger deals but also involved other players. Cooper was considered the best catcher in the game before his 1945 induction into the Navy following a salary dispute with the team.

1957: Jackie Robinson retires rather than move across New York City from the Brooklyn Dodgers to the New York Giants, voiding last December’s deal between the two teams.

1983: The Cincinnati Reds send pinch-hitter Mike Vail to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for pitcher Rich Gale.

2010: Randy Johnson, who won his 300th game with the San Francisco Giants last season, announces his retirement, ending a 22-year career that began with the Montreal Expos in 1988. The 6’10″ lefthander amassed 4875 strikeouts, the second most in major league history after Nolan Ryan, and pitched both a no-hitter and a perfect game while winning five Cy Young Awards.

(Entries courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com)