This was the sixteenth and final season of theNegro National League. Homestead and Baltimore each won a half of the season. As such, they were matched against each other in the postseason. In the playoffs, Homestead won Games 1 and 2 before a curfew called Game 3 in the ninth inning. Game 4 went to Baltimore, but Homestead had protested that Game 3 should be played from where Game 3 had been stopped (8–4, bases loaded) rather than the start of the ninth inning (tied). The league agreed, but Baltimore refused to play and therefore forfeited.[2]
1948 was the 23rd and final time that there was a "Playoff Series" held between black baseball teams. 1913 is retroactively the only one not in the major league era ofNegro league baseball (1920–1948). 1948 is the only time that saw both the American and National League hold a postseason series to determine the pennant (Major League Baseball would not hold such a format for 21 years).[3][4]
Negro American League Championship Series: Birmingham Black Barons over Kansas City Monarchs 4–3 (one tie).
Negro National League Championship Series: Homestead Grays over Baltimore Elite Giants 2–1 (one forfeit).
March 6 – TheBraves obtain starting second basemanEddie Stanky from theBrooklyn Dodgers for infielder/outfielderBama Rowell, first basemanRay Sanders, and $40,000. When it's determined that Sanders was injured when the deal was made, he's returned to Boston on April 18, and the Braves compensate Brooklyn with $60,000 in additional cash. Until an ankle fracture sidelines him July 8, the combative Stanky will spark the 1948 Braves into contention for theNational Leaguepennant.
March 27 – Recently retired slugger and futureHall of FamerHank Greenberg joins theCleveland Indians as minority owner, vice president andfarm system director. Greenberg, 37, spent 12 of his 13 major league seasons as a member of theDetroit Tigers, "tormenting" the Cleveland pitching staff.
TheSt. Louis Cardinals re-sign outfielderJoe Medwick. The future Hall-of-Famer, 37, had spent1947 with the Redbirds, his second tour of duty with the club, batting .307 in 75 games as a backup outfielder and pinch-hitter, but was released October 14. Medwick will appear as a pinch hitter in 20 games this season for the Cardinals until July 25, when he opts to retire.
April 20 –George Vico of theDetroit Tigers hits a home run off the very first pitch he sees in the majors. In doing so, he became the fifth player in major league history to accomplish the feat.
April 29 –Ted Wilks suffers his first loss in 77 consecutive appearances. Wilks, a relief pitcher for theSt. Louis Cardinals, hadn't lost a game since September 8, 1945. His record during that time was 12–0, with four of those wins coming as a spot starter.
May 3 – TheBrooklyn Dodgers release third basemanCookie Lavagetto, ending his MLB playing career. Lavagetto, 35, hasn't appeared in an official game for the 1948 Dodgers, but he leaves behind an indelible memory in his final MLB hit: his pinch double againstBill Bevens that spoiled Bevens' no-hitter and delivered a 3–2 Brooklyn victory in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the1947 World Series.
May 23 – When the 12–19Cincinnati Reds, who've been theNational League's cellar-dwellers since May 9, defeat the defending NL championBrooklyn Dodgers 6–5 atEbbets Field, they drop the 11–18 Dodgers into last place in the Senior Circuit. It's Brooklyn's eighth straight loss. The Dodgers will once again fall into the NL basement May 26 at 12–19 before a four-game win streak boosts them into seventh place, but their early-season struggles bode ominously for the future of managerLeo Durocher.
June 13 – Appearing atYankee Stadium just nine weeks before his death, the legendaryBabe Ruth is honored by theNew York Yankees in an emotionalpre-game ceremony and hisjersey number 3 is retired. This will be his final appearance at "The House That Ruth Built", which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
June 14 – Allowing three inherited runners to score, then two more runs of his own making, in only one-third of an inning—and costing thePhiladelphia Athletics a ballgame to the lowlySt. Louis Browns—Philadelphia relief pitcherNels Potter is "fired" by his livid, 85-year-old manager,Connie Mack, in front of his teammates in the clubhouse.[7] With his unconditional release, free-agent Potter takes his services to theBoston Braves, whom he helps win the 1948National Leaguepennant.
June 15 – The first-placeCleveland Indians swap left-handers with the poverty-stricken, seventh-placeBrowns, acquiringSam Zoldak from St. Louis forBill Kennedy and $100,000. Zoldak will win nine games for Cleveland through season's end, including four during the heat of September's pennant race.
June 29 – TheBoston Braves sign teenaged "bonus baby"Johnny Antonelli, a left-handed pitcher out of aRochester, New York, high school. His $50,000 bonus means that Antonelli must be kept on the Braves' MLB roster—and it rankles established Boston pitchers likeJohnny Sain whose salaries are puny by comparison.[8]
July 4 – Scoring 14 runs in the eighth inning, theBoston Red Sox break a five-all tie to overwhelm thePhiladelphia Athletics 19–5 atFenway Park. The win lifts the talented but slow-starting Red Sox to 33–32; they had been 15–24 as recently as June 2.
July 8 –Boston Braves second basemanEddie Stanky breaks his right ankle sliding into third base in the third inning of a 7–4 victory over theBrooklyn Dodgers atEbbets Field. Batting .325 as a key contributor to the Braves' first-place showing so far, Stanky will not be able to return to the regular lineup until September 28.
Mel Ott, a futureHall-of-Fame slugger who has worn a Giant uniform since his debut at age 17 in1926, steps down from the managing post he has held since Opening Day1942. Ott, now 39, has skippered the Giants through a rare period of mediocrity in their so-far illustrious history. When he quits, his 1948 team is 37–38 (.493), tied for fifth place, and 8½ games behind the NL-leadingBoston Braves. Ott departs with a 464–530–10 (.467) mark over 6½ seasons—and two last-place finishes. He moves into a front-office job, and never again manages in the majors.[12]
In an even greater shock, Brooklyn’s pilot,Leo Durocher, is let out of his two-year contract to take Ott’s place at thePolo Grounds, where he has been reviled as an implacable foe. Despite his recent, year-long suspension for “conduct detrimental to baseball” that sidelined him during1947, Durocher, 42, has been the face of the Dodgers’ rise to hard-playing pennant contender since he became player-manager in1939. He has led the Dodgers to a 738–565–15 (.566) overall record and the1941 NL championship, but his 1948 club, expected to defend its1947pennant, was a disappointing 35–37 (.486) under his command.[13] In his last game in a Brooklyn uniform, he directed the1948 NL All-Stars to a 5–2 defeat on July 13. Under Durocher, this year’s Giants will show only slight improvement, with a 41–38 mark, but by1951—after a roster makeover inspired by Durocher's brand of aggressive baseball—they will battle the Dodgers in one of the greatest late-season pennant races in baseball annals.
The Dodgers replace Durocher by callingBurt Shotton, 63, a longtime associate of Brooklyn president and general managerBranch Rickey, back into harness as their skipper. As acting manager of the1947 Dodgers during Durocher’s suspension, Shotton presided over a team that won 92 of the 152 games on his watch, captured the NL pennant by five games, and pushed theNew York Yankees to seven games in the1947 World Series. The colorful Durocher’s polar opposite—for example, because Shotton refuses to wear a uniform, he must remain in the Brooklyn dugout during games and can't take the field to disputeumpires' decisions—he will revive the 1948 Dodgers, who finish third. Then they win another pennant under him in1949, and just miss a third title in1950, before he’s fired in the wake of Rickey’s ouster from the team’s front office.[14]
ThePhiladelphia Phillies, 37–42 (.468) and seventh in the National League, also change managers, firingBen Chapman and putting coachDusty Cooke in charge on an interim basis. Chapman, former Yankees' outfielder of the 1930s, has compiled a 196–276–2 record since becoming the club's skipper June 30, 1945. His Philadelphia tenure will become notorious from an April 1947 series atEbbets Field when Chapman led the Phillies inrace baiting to ruthlesslybench-jockeyJackie Robinson.[15]
July 22 – Two weeks after losingEddie Stanky to a broken ankle for at least 60 days, the NL-leadingBoston Braves absorb another blow when regular centerfielderJim Russell is hospitalized inCincinnati, suffering from unexplained weight loss and a high fever. Eventually diagnosed withsubacute bacterial endocarditis, Russell appears in only seven more games in 1948, and none after August 10. He recovers over the winter, however, and is able to appear in 130 games in1949.[16]
July 24 – Four members of theDuluth Dukes of theClass CNorthern League are killed and 14 are injured when the team bus collides with a truck on a highway nearSt. Paul, Minnesota. The driver of the truck is also killed. Injured players includeMel McGaha, a future major league manager, and Elmer Schoendienst, younger brother ofSt. Louis Cardinals second basemanRed Schoendienst. The tragedy recalls the 1946 bus crash involving theSpokane Indians, which took the lives of nine players.[17]
July 25 –Joe Dobson tosses a six-hitter andDom DiMaggio andBobby Doerr provide the runs batted in, as the scorchingBoston Red Sox shut down theCleveland Indians 3–0 to grab a share of first place in the American League. The Bosox have won 39 of their last 51 games dating to June 3, and will remain in the pennant hunt for the rest of the AL campaign.
August 3 – TheChicago Cubs acquire veteran second basemanEmil Verban from thePhillies onwaivers. Verban, 32, will bat .280 in 199 games with the Cubs through September 12, 1950, and gain a measure of immortality in 1975 when a group of Chicago fans inWashington, D.C., christen themselves "the Emil Verban Society".
August 12 – In the second game of a doubleheader, theCleveland Indians rap out 29 hits in a 26–3 win over theSt. Louis Browns. The Indians set a major league record as 14 different players hit safely. Rookie knuckle-ballerGene Bearden improves hispitching record to 11–3 (2.56ERA); he also goes four-for-six at the plate, including a homer, scores four runs and knocks in four.[19] The Tribe's split of the twin bill puts them a half-game behind the front-runningPhiladelphia Athletics.
August 16 –Babe Ruth, arguably the greatest player in baseball history,dies from cancer inNew York City at the age of 53. On August 17, his open casket is placed on display in the rotunda ofYankee Stadium, where it remains for two days; 77,000 people file past to pay him tribute.
August 20 – TheCleveland Indians notch their fourth straight shutout victory, asLeroy "Satchel" Paige blanks the visitingChicago White Sox on three hits atCleveland Stadium. It's Paige's second complete-game shutout of the streak—the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer's first two shutouts as an American Leaguer. The Cleveland staff's consecutive innings scoreless skein will reach 471⁄3 until the White Sox tally three ninth-inning runs on homers fromAaron Robinson andDave Philley in tomorrow afternoon's contest.[20]
August 25 – AtForbes Field, the visitingBrooklyn Dodgers lead thePittsburgh Pirates 11–9 in the bottom of the ninth, two out, and two men on.RelieverCarl Erskine enters the game to face Bucs' pinch hitterEddie Bockman. With the count three balls, one strike, the Dodgers replace Erskine withHank Behrman, and Bockman grounds out to seemingly end the game in a Brooklyn triumph. But Pirates' managerBilly Meyer protests that the Dodgers have violated Rule 17, Section 4, which mandates that a non-injured hurler (Erskine) must face at least one hitter for a fullat bat before he can be removed from the game.[21] His protest is upheld by NL presidentFord Frick. When the game is resumed September 21 atEbbets Field, Bockman takes ball four from Behrman, loading the bases, before Pirate shortstopStan Rojek clears them with atriple, and Pittsburgh claims a 12–11 victory. Erskine is charged with walking Bockman, and the loss.[22]
August 26 – TheBoston Red Sox take the "rubber match" of a three-game series atFenway Park, defeating theCleveland Indians, 8–4, behindMel Parnell's tenth victory and future Hall-of-FamerBobby Doerr's eighth-inning, tie-breaking three-run homer. In winning, the Red Sox take a half-game lead over the Indians and a one-game advantage over theNew York Yankees in theAmerican League race; all three clubs are tied in loss column with 47 setbacks.
August 29–30 — Disrupting theNational League's pennant race, the visitingDodgers sweep consecutive-daydoubleheaders from theSt. Louis Cardinals atSportsman's Park. Brooklyn's four victories, coupled with theBoston Braves' three straight defeats at the hands of thePirates in Pittsburgh, enable the Dodgers (68–51) to leapfrog both Boston (69–55) and St. Louis (67–57) to take the lead in the Senior Circuit. UnderBurt Shotton, who returned to the manager's post July 16, Brooklyn has gone 32–14.
In the opening game of August 29's twin bill,Jackie Robinsonhits for the cycle to power theDodgers' 12–7 victory. It will be the only "cycle" in the Hall of Famer's ten-year NL career.[6]
September 1 – After a poor (14–17) August that costs them theNational League lead, then dropping the opening game of today'sCrosley Fielddoubleheader against theCincinnati Reds, theBoston Braves capture the nightcap, 11–1, behind pitchersGlenn Elliott andClyde Shoun. The victory kicks off a 16–2 run that boosts the Braves back into first place on September 3; by the time the hot streak ends on September 22, Boston holds a commanding 7½-game lead in the NL.
September 13 –Cleveland Indians pitcherDon Black, 32, is rushed toSt. Vincent Charity Hospital after he suffers acerebral hemorrhage while batting during the second inning of a home game against theSt. Louis Browns. Collapsing to his knees, he loses consciousness after teammates assist him to the dugout.[24] On September 22, Cleveland ownerBill Veeck organizes "Don Black Night" atMunicipal Stadium. Black's teammates pay for their own tickets to the contest, over 76,000 attend and $40,000 is raised for the pitcher's medical care.[25] After being hospitalized for a month, Black recovers from the ordeal and attends spring training in 1949, but he will never pitch again in the majors.
September 16 –New York Yankees general managerGeorge Weiss denies persistent reports that he is at odds with field managerBucky Harris over the issue of minor-league player call-ups. Harris, who led the1947 Bombers to their 11th world championship and 15th AL pennant, also issues a denial, and says he's focusing on guiding the 1948 Yankees, who today are only one game out of first place, to anotherWorld Series. He adds: "If, after the season is over, regardless of the outcome,Mr. Topping,Mr. Webb and Mr. Weiss decide not to re-engage me as manager, that is OK with me."[26] After his Yankees win 94 games but finish 2½ games out of the lead when the 1948 campaign ends October 3, Harris' contract is not renewed.
September 22:
En route to the finest season of hisHall-of-Fame career,Stan Musial of theSt. Louis Cardinals posts his fourth five-hit game of 1948 in an 8–2 victory over league-leadingBoston atBraves Field. In those four games (April 22, May 19, June 22, and today), Musial has lashed 20 hits in 21 at bats (for abatting average of .952) with four doubles, a triple, and two homers, scored 11 runs, and driven in ten. In today's game, Musial swings at only five pitches—and racks up a homer, a double, and three singles; he also tiesTy Cobb's record for most five-hit games in a single season, set in1922.[27]
On "Don Black Night," the homestandingCleveland Indians score three first-inning runs and never look back, as they pay tribute to their stricken teammate by defeating theBoston Red Sox and climbing into a tie with the Bosox for the American League lead.Ken Keltner's two-run homer is the big blow,Bob Feller goes the distance for his 17th victory, and Cleveland wins its seventh in a row.
September 24 – Inthe Bronx,Billy Johnson clouts a three-run pinch homer to help hisNew York Yankees defeat theBoston Red Sox, 9–6. WithCleveland falling to theDetroit Tigers, 4–3, there's now a three-way tie among the Yankees, Red Sox and Indians for the AL pennant. Each team sports a 91–56 record with seven to play.
September 29 – Only one day after gettingEddie Stanky back into their lineup after he fractured his right ankle July 8, the National League championBoston Braves suffer another major injury. Left fielderJeff Heath is lost for theWorld Series when he sustains a compound fracture of hisleft ankle; like Stanky's, Heath's injury comes at Brooklyn'sEbbets Field during a slide. Heath had batted .319 with 20 home runs in 115 games for Boston; in the Series, his place will be taken by lefty-swingingMarv Rickert and the right-handedMike McCormick.
October 1–3 – The final weekend of theAmerican League's intensepennant race sees the second-placeBoston Red Sox catch the front-runningCleveland Indians on the season's final day to force the first tie-breaker game in the AL's 48-year history.
On Friday, October 1, Cleveland (95–56 to begin the day) falls to the visitingDetroit Tigers, 5–3, while the Red Sox andNew York Yankees (both 94–58) are idle. The Indians' 57th loss of the year cuts their lead to one full game.
On October 2, the Red Sox eliminate the Yankees from contention with a 5–1 victory atFenway Park;Jack Kramer earns the win, andTed Williams' 25th home run is the winning blow. Meanwhile, Cleveland maintains its one-game lead whenGene Bearden throws his second-straight shutout in an 8–0 blanking of the Tigers.
On Sunday, October 3, the Red Sox trounce the Yankees, 10–5, to end the regular season 96–58. Meanwhile, Detroit'sHal Newhouser, a futureHall of Famer, holds the Indians to five hits and a single run, and their 7–1 setback drops the Tribe, now 96–58, into a dead heat with the Red Sox for the AL pennant. Boston wins a coin toss and will host a single-game playoff the next day.
October 3 – The AL's cellar-dwellers, theChicago White Sox, dismiss former pitching greatTed Lyons as their manager and appoint longtime baseball manJack Onslow, 59, their new pilot for1949. Lyons, who won 260 games over 21 years in a White Sox uniform, had compiled a 185–245–4 (.430) record since taking the club's helm May 26, 1946.
October 4:
Shortstop-managerLou Boudreau goes four-for-four with two solo home runs and three runs scored,Ken Keltner adds a two-run shot, andGene Bearden wins his 20th game, pitching a complete game with one day of rest, as theCleveland Indians defeat theBoston Red Sox, 8–3, in aone-game showdown atFenway Park. The Indians win the second AL pennant in their history and first since1920. The Red Sox' defeat disappoints local fans who have been rooting for an "All-Boston" World Series matchup with theNational LeagueBraves. It's the second time such an event has been thwarted: in1891, the NL championBoston Beaneaters refused to meet theAmerican Association championBoston Reds in a proposed "world series" due to inter-league squabbling over player contracts.
October 6 – The1948 World Series opens atBraves Field with theCleveland Indians'Bob Feller throwing a two-hitter—but he loses the contest, 1–0, whenBoston'sPhil Masi is ruled safe at second base on a disputed pick-off play in the eighth inning. Masi then scores the game's only run on a single byTommy Holmes. A still photo of the pick-off later reveals Masi is "out by a foot".[28]Johnny Sain hurls a complete game four-hitter.
October 8 – TheSt. Louis Cardinals release centerfielderTerry Moore, a fixture in their lineup since1935 (excluding his three years ofWorld War II service). Moore, 35, will remain with the Cardinals as a member ofEddie Dyer's coaching staff.
TheChicago White Sox nameFrank Lane general manager, succeedingLeslie O'Connor. Lane, 53, a former farm system director of theCincinnati Reds, has largely been a minor-league executive over his career and spent 1948 as president of theTriple-AAmerican Association. He will soon earn the nicknames "Frantic Frank" and "Trader Lane" for his penchant for constant roster-churning, but his transactions will revitalize the White Sox.
October 11:
TheCleveland Indians defeat theBoston Braves, 4–3, in Game 6 to capture the secondWorld Series in team history, four games to two.Bob Lemon earns his second win of the series, with rookie sensationGene Bearden, who threw a complete-game shutout victory in Game 3, gaining asave in relief. Through2024, the Indians have yet to win another Fall Classic.
November 4 – Former MLB outfielderJake Powell, arrested byWashington, D.C., police for passing bad checks, draws a weapon on officers at the police station, only to turn the gun on himself and commitsuicide.[31] Powell, 40, earned four world-championship rings as a member of theNew York Yankees (1936–1939), and batted .455 (10-for-22) in their six-game1936 Fall Classic triumph over theNew York Giants.
November 10 – In a move that will give them their pitching ace for the next decade, theChicago White Sox acquire left handerBilly Pierce from theDetroit Tigers in exchange for formerAll-Star catcherAaron Robinson. Detroit sweetens the deal by adding $10,000 in cash. Pierce, 21, will win 186 games for the White Sox over the next 13 years and make seven All-Star teams, while Robinson will last fewer than three seasons in Detroit.
November 26 –National League presidentFord Frick steps in and pays $350 for funeral services, including the cost of a coffin, for the unclaimed body of formerChicago Cubs sluggerHack Wilson, who led the NL in home runs four times between1926 and1930, and in the latter year bashed 56 homers (an NL record that stood for 68 years) and drove in 191 runs (still the MLBRBI all-time record). An alcoholic, Wilson died penniless at age 48 on November 23 after a fall at his Baltimore home; his body lies unidentified for three days in a mortuary.[32]
Braves shortstopAlvin Dark wins theBBWAA's secondMLB Rookie of the Year Award, winning 27 of 48 possible first-place votes to outdistanceGene Bearden andRichie Ashburn. It's the last year that a single "ROTY" award will be given across the 16 big-league teams: in 1949, separate NL andAL winners will be selected.
TheNew York Yankees release veteran shortstopFrankie Crosetti, ending his 17-year playing career. He will remain with the team as third-base coach through the1968 season.
December 7 – AtMinor League Baseball's annual winter meetings in Minneapolis, 54 leagues vote unanimously to ban major league telecasts to markets located beyond 50 miles from the originating station; the vote is taken after attendance plunges in 1948 for teams located in the Northeast and Middle Atlantic regions where big-league franchises are clustered and TV broadcasts proliferate. At the major-league winter meetings a week later in Chicago, MLB magnates reject the ban.[33]
December 13 – In one of their rare missteps, theNew York Yankees acquire right-handerFred Sanford and catcherRoy Partee from theSt. Louis Browns for pitchersRed Embree andDick Starr, catcherSherm Lollar and $100,000. The Yankees believe that Sanford, a hard thrower who'd lost 21 games for the lowly Browns, will transform into a consistent winner in1949, but the pitcher quickly loses new managerCasey Stengel's confidence.[34] Lollar, 24, has been stuck behindYogi Berra in New York, but given the chance to play regularly in St. Louis, thenChicago, he will join Berra as one of the American League's top catchers of the 1950s.
December 14:
The world-championCleveland Indians add to their starting pitching strength by obtaining future Hall-of-Fame right-handerEarly Wynn from theWashington Senators, along with first baseman and former AL batting kingMickey Vernon, for pitchersJoe Haynes andEd Klieman and first basemanEddie Robinson. Playing for mostly poor teams, Wynn has compiled a 72–87won–lost mark and 3.94earned run average in 191 games for Washington since his1939 debut; over the next nine years in Cleveland, he will win 20 or more games five times and average 18 victories a season.
December 15 –"Pistol Pete" Reiser's once-brilliant tenure as the centerfielder of theBrooklyn Dodgers comes to an end when he's traded to theBoston Braves for infielderNanny Fernandez and outfielderMike McCormick. Reiser was one of the game's brightest young stars of the pre-World War II era, but a series of serious injuries, most of them caused by his fearless outfield play, have taken a heavy, career-altering toll on him.[35]
January 2 –Gordon Zeigler (also known asWilliam "Doc" Zeigler), 49, 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) southpaw who pitched for the 1920 Detroit Stars of the Negro National League.
January 4 –Biff Schlitzer, 63, who pitched from 1908 through 1914 for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Buffalo Blues.
January 8 –Howdy Caton, 53, shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates over parts of four seasons from 1917 to 1920.
January 9 –Art Jahn, 52, part-time outfielder who played for the Chicago Cubs, New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies during two seasons spanning 1925 to 1928.
January 14:
Art Benedict, 85, second baseman who appeared in three games with the Philadelphia Quakers in 1883.
George Carr, 53, switch-hitting first- and third baseman who saw service with six Negro leagues teams—primarily the Hilldale Club and Kansas City Monarchs—between 1920 and 1934.
January 23 –Frank Doljack, 40, outfielder who played for the Detroit Tigers from 1930 through 1934 and the Cleveland Indians in 1943.
January 30 –Herb Pennock, 53, Hall of Fame pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in a span of 22 seasons from 1912 to 1934, who during his career posted a lifetime record of 240–161 with a 3.60 ERA in 617 games; collected a perfect 5–0 with a 1.95 ERA in six World Series trips—five with the Yankees, including their first World Series championship; general manager of Philadelphia Phillies from 1944 until his death.
January 31 –Clarence Lehr, 61, who played some outfield and infield utility positions with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1911.
February 1 –Jim McCormick, 79, infielder who played three games for the National League St. Louis Browns in 1892.
February 10 –Bill Clancy, 68, first baseman for the 1905 Pittsburgh Pirates.
February 14 –Mordecai Brown, 71, Hall of Fame pitcher whose loss of two fingers in a childhood accident gave him remarkable movement on pitches, winning 20 games six straight years for the Chicago Cubs, while posting a career record of 239–130 with a 2.06earned run average; thethird best ERA in Major League Baseball history amongst pitchers inducted into the Hall of Fame, as well as thebest in MLB history for any pitcher with more than 200 wins.[36]
February 16 –Percy Coleman, 71, pitcher who played from 1897 to 1898 for the St. Louis Browns and Cincinnati Reds.
February 19 –Bob Groom, 63, pitcher for the Washington Senators, St. Louis Terriers, St. Louis Browns and Cleveland Indians during 10 seasons from 1909 to 1918, who also hurled ano-hitter in 1917 against theeventual World Champion Chicago White Sox.[37]
February 21 –Irv Ray, 84, shortstop who played with the Boston Beaneaters of the National League in 1888 and 1889, and the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association from 1889 to 1891.
March 1 –Rebel Oakes, 64, center fielder who played from 1909 through 1913 with the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals, and later served as aplayer-manager for thePittsburgh Rebels of the outlawFederal League in the 1914 and 1915 seasons.
March 10 –Stub Brown, 77, pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles from 1893 to 1894 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1897.
March 17 –Ike Butler, 74, pitcher for the 1902 Baltimore Orioles.
March 18 –Fritz Von Kolnitz, 54, third baseman who played for the Cincinnati Reds from 1914 to 1915 and the Chicago White Sox in 1916.
March 23 –Dutch Meier, 68, outfielder and shortstop who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1906.
March 24 –Jimmy Bannon, 76, outfielder for the St. Louis Browns in 1893 and the Boston Beaneaters from 1894 to 1896.
March 30 –Charlie Krause, 76, second baseman for the 1901 Cincinnati Reds.
April 1 –Heinie Jantzen, 57, outfielder for the 1912 St. Louis Browns.
April 2 –Joe Hewitt, 62, infielder who played in the Negro National League (NNL) between 1920 and 1931, chiefly for St. Louis and Detroit.
April 3 –Candy Jim Taylor, 64, third baseman who appeared for multiple Negro leagues clubs between 1920 and 1935; longtime manager, especially for St. Louis Stars and Homestead Grays, winning three NNL pennants combined, plus two Negro World Series titles as manager of the Grays of 1942–1943.
April 16 –Dick Kauffman, 59, first baseman who played for the St. Louis Browns in the 1914 and 1915 seasons.
April 17 –Pat Deisel, 71, catcher for the 1902 Brooklyn Superbas and the 1903 Cincinnati Reds.
April 19 –Hen Jordan, 54, catcher for Baltimore and Harrisburg of the Eastern Colored League from 1923 to 1925.
April 25 –Bertrum Hunter, 42, Negro leagues pitcher who led the East–West League (10–2) and Negro National League (11–3) in games won in back-to-back seasons (1932, 1933).
April 27 –Ad Yale, 78, who appeared in four games with the Brooklyn Superbas in the 1905 season.
May 2 –Dick Cogan, 76,two-way player for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Orphans and New York Giants over part of three seasons spanning 1897–1900.
May 4 –John Dolan, 80, pitcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds, Columbus Solons, Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns and Chicago Colts in a span of five seasons between 1890 and 1895.
May 7 –Hi Ladd, 78, backup outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Beaneaters in the 1898 season.
May 18 –Frank Schneiberg, 68, pitcher for the 1910 Brooklyn Superbas.
May 19 –Frank Browning, 65, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers in its 1910 season.
May 26 –Bill Sweeney, 62, valuablemiddle infielder andthird baseman whose eight-year National League career began and ended with Chicago (1907, 1914) but was largely spent with the Boston Doves/Rustlers/Braves (1907–1913); stellar 1912 season included .344 batting average, third in NL, with 204 hits, second in the circuit; also set an NL record in 1912 with 425putouts by asecond baseman that would stand for 21 years, while leading the NL both inassists (475) anddouble plays (75).[38]
June 5 –Jack McCarthy, 78, left fielder who played for five teams in 12 seasons between 1893 and 1907, whose career batting average of .287 in 1,092 games was achieved during the hard hitting era of the late 1890s and thedead-ball era of the early 1900s, as his .321 average with theCleveland Blues in 1901 was ninth best in the American League.
June 7 –Tom Glover, 35, left-hander who hurled primarily for the Columbus/Washington/Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro National League between 1934 and 1945.
July 5 –Ed Smith, 84, Canadian pitcher who played in 1884 for the Baltimore Monumentals of the Union Association.
July 11 –Bert Hall, 58, for the 1911 Philadelphia Phillies.
July 18 –Chick Hartley, 67, outfielder who played for the New York Giants in the 1902 season.
July 19 –Charlie See, 51, outfielder who played from 1919 through 1921 for the Cincinnati Reds.
July 26 –Homer Davidson, 63, catcher and right fielder who appeared in four games for the Cleveland Naps in 1914.
July 27 –Joe Tinker, 68, Hall of Fame shortstop who along second basemanJohnny Evers and first basemanFrank Chance anchored a famed infielddouble play combination, which is memorialized in the legendary poemBaseball's Sad Lexicon, as the trio led the Chicago Cubs during the glory years of 1906–1910 to four National League pennants and two World Series titles.
July 29 –Arnie Stone, 55, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1923 and 1924 seasons.
August 7 –Jimmy Wacker, 64, pitcher who played with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1909 season.
August 9:
Chick Bowen, 51, backup outfielder for the 1919 New York Giants.
Harry Lord, 66, third baseman who played from 1907 through 1910 for the Boston Americans and Red Sox, before joining the Chicago White Sox from 1910 to 1914 and the Buffalo Blues in 1915.
August 13 –Nig Perrine, 63, backup infielder for the 1907 Washington Senators.
August 14 –Phil Collins, 46, pitcher who posted an 80–85 (4.66) record in 292 games for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals over eight seasons between 1923 and 1935; his home park for most of his career wasBaker Bowl, a notorious batter-friendly stadium in the lively ball era.
August 16 –Babe Ruth, 53, Hall of Fame right fielder and left-handed pitcher, who is considered the greatest star in baseball history, setting enduring records for most home runs in a season (60) and lifetime (714), as well as most career RBI (2,213); lifetime .342 hitter also posted a 94–46 record and 2.28 ERA as a pitcher while playing for seven World Series champions, first with Boston Red Sox (1915, 1916, 1918), then New York Yankees (1923, 1927, 1928, 1932); won 1923 MVP award, at a time when AL rules prohibited winning it more than once; batted .326 with 42 hits (15 homers and 33 RBI) in 41 World Series games, after going 3–0 (0.87 ERA) in three Fall Classic starts (1916, 1918), setting a record for consecutive shutout innings pitched (292⁄3) that lasted for 43 years.
August 19 –Fred Odwell, 75, outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds during four seasons from 1904 to 1907, who led the National league in home runs in 1905.
August 20 –Walter Blair, 64, catcher for the New York Highlanders from 1907 through 1911, who later played and managed for theBuffalo Buffeds/Blues of theFederal League during their only two seasons in 1914 and 1915.
August 26 –Rip Cannell, 68, outfielder who played from 1904 to 1905 for the Boston Beaneaters of the National League.
August 29 –Charlie Graham, 70, catcher for the 1906 Boston Red Sox, before becoming manager and owner of the PCLSan Francisco Seals.
September 3 –Bert Husting, 60, two-star athlete in the 1890s University of Wisconsin teams, who later pitched in the majors for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Americans and Philadelphia Athletics from 1900 to 1902.
September 8 –Bill Byers, 70, backup catcher for the 1904 St. Louis Cardinals.
September 18 –Art Devlin, 68, third baseman who played from 1904 through 1911 with the New York Giants and the Boston Braves from 1912 to 1913, also a member of the1905 World Series champion team.
September 23 –Rich Durning, 55, pitcher for the Brooklyn Robins from 1917 to 1918.
September 26:
Hosea Allen, 29, pitcher for three Negro American League clubs between 1941 and 1947.
September 27 –Fred Wilson, 40, outfielder/pitcher for the Newark Eagles, New York Cubans and Cincinnati Clowns of the Negro leagues between 1939 and 1945.
October 1 –Lew Camp, 80, 19th-century Major League Baseball infielder who played with the St. Louis Browns in 1892 and for the Chicago Colts from 1893 to 1894.
October 7 –Doc Imlay, 59, pitcher for the 1913 Philadelphia Phillies.
October 8 –Al Orth, 76, softly thrower butcurveball specialist, who pitched with the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Senators and New York Highlanders in a span of 15 seasons from 1895 to 1909, winning 204 games for them, yetstruck out just 948 batters in 3,354 innings of work, while remaining an effective pitcher during the early years of the American League, posting career season-highs with 27 wins and 133 strikeouts for the Highlanders in 1906.[39]
October 12 –Bill Gardner, 82, pitcher who played three games for the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association in 1887.
October 20 –Ed Kusel, 62, pitcher for the 1909 St. Louis Browns.
October 24:
Harry Grabiner, 57, minority owner and vice president of the Cleveland Indians since 1946; previously served for 30 years (1915–1945) in the front office of the Chicago White Sox.
Jack Thoney, 68, well-traveled outfielder and infielder who played from 1902 through 1911 for the Cleveland Bronchos, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators, New York Highlanders and Boston Red Sox.
October 25 –Jerry Kane, 83, catcher and first baseman for the 1890 St. Louis Browns of the American Association.
October 28 –Roy Ellam, 62, shortstop who played with the Cincinnati Reds in the 1909 season and for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1918.
October 31 –Dick Redding, 58, star pitcher of the Negro leagues who set numerous strikeout records and pitched several no-hitters.
November 1 –Fred Mollenkamp, 58, first baseman who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1914 season.
November 4 –Jake Powell, 40, outfielder for the Washington Senators, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies in a span of 11 seasons from 1930 to 1945, who helped the Yankees win the World Series every year from 1936 to 1939, and hit a .455 average in the 1936 series.
November 7 –Jake Smith, 61, pitcher who appeared in two games for the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1911 season.
November 15 –Joe Wagner, 59, second baseman for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1915 season.
November 18 –Joe Regan, 76, outfielder for the 1898 New York Giants.
November 22 –Bob Emmerich, 57, center fielder for the Boston Braves in the 1923 season.
November 23 –Hack Wilson, 48, Hall of Fame center fielder for four different clubs during 12 seasons from !923–1934, most prominently with the Chicago Cubs between 1926 and 1931, who finished his career with a lifetime .307 batting average, 244 home runs, 1,063 RBI and four home run titles, hitting 56 long balls in 1930, to set a National League record that stood for 68 years, while driving in 191 runs in the same season, which still the all-time major league record.
November 30 –Frank Bowerman, 79, catcher and battery-mate forChristy Mathewson on the New York Giants, who also played for the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates, and later managed the 1909 Boston Doves.
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