On this date in 1976

From Baseball-Reference.com, a couple of interesting items from today’s date in baseball history:

• A game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros between was rained out at the Houston Astrodome. Only members of both teams were able to make it to the stadium. The game was postponed when heavy rains and flooding prevented umpires, fans and stadium personnel from arriving at the dome. It was the first rainout in Astrodome history.

• Oakland Athletics owner Charlie Finley sold three of his star players. Joe Rudi and Rollie Fingers were sent to the Boston Red Sox for $1 million apiece and Vida Blue to the New York Yankees for $1.5 million. Three days later, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn will void the moves, saying they are “not in the best interests of baseball.”

And a year later, in an unpopular move, the New York Mets traded franchise pitcher Tom Seaver just moments before the trading line. The Mets sent Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds for four lesser players: infielder Doug Flynn, outfielders Steve Henderson and Dan Norman, and pitcher Pat Zachry.

Seaver will go on to win 75 games for the Reds in five and a half seasons. The same day, New York traded slugger Dave Kingman to the San Diego Padres for utility player Bobby Valentine and a minor league pitcher.

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