January 10 –Chicago Cubs ownerPhilip K. Wrigley creates the position ofathletic director, and hires ex-Air Force Academy director Robert Whitlow. Whitlow's lack of experience lead to him being ignored by general managerJohn Holland and managerBob Kennedy, and he resigns in January 1965.[1]
February 20 – On the eve ofspring training and Year 3 of theChicago Cubs' "College of Coaches" era, ownerPhilip K. Wrigley appoints formerAmerican League outfielder and native ChicagoanBob Kennedy "head coach." But in a departure from the coaching rotations of 1961–1962, it is announced that Kennedy is expected to serve in the post for the full 1963 season. In fact, Kennedy leads the Cubs to an 82–80 mark, their first above-.500 season since1946, and will hold the head coaching job through June 13, 1965.
March 8 – The second-yearNew York Mets, who finished last in theNational League with a 40–120 record in their inaugural season, release veteranGene Woodling, closing the book on the outfielder's playing career. Known as a key member of five ofCasey Stengel's championshipNew York Yankees teams (1949–1953), Woodling, 40, batted .274 in 81 games for the Mets in1962.
April 2 – Another veteran outfielder and future Hall of Famer,Minnie Miñoso, changes teams when theSt. Louis Cardinals ship the 39-year-old to theWashington Senators. Miñoso's lone season as a Redbird was ruined by a fractured wrist, limiting him to only 39 games.
April 4 – ThePittsburgh Pirates andHouston Colt .45s swap outfielders, with Pittsburgh obtainingManny Mota forHowie Goss. Mota, 24, will establish himself as a major-leaguer after the Pirates recall him fromTriple-A in July, and go on to play into1982 while setting pinch-hitting records.
April 8:
In the seventh inning of theNational League's traditional Opening Day contest atCincinnati'sCrosley Field,Reds southpawJim O'Toole commits the firstbalk of the 1963 season with the slow-runningBob Bailey of thePittsburgh Pirates on first base. Two batters later, Bailey scores an inconsequential run in O'Toole's 5–2 complete-game victory.[2] But the balk call signals an approaching controversy: prior to the season, NL presidentWarren Giles has instructedumpires to strictly enforce Rule 8.05(m), which demands that pitchers stop their motions for a full second with a runner on base; as a result, 96 balks will be called in the Senior Circuit over the next four weeks.[3]
In his thirdAmerican League game since being acquired over the winter from thePittsburgh Pirates, catcherDon Leppert of theWashington Senators slugs three home runs against theBoston Red Sox, leading his team to an 8–0 rout atD.C. Stadium. His battery-mate,Tom Cheney, fires a one-hitter (a fourth-inning single byEddie Bressoud) and fans ten. Leppert is one of seven batters who will enjoy three-homer days in 1963; Cheney's one-hitter is the first of ten one-hitters thrown in MLB this year.[6]
TheNational League'sbalk craze reaches its peak when umpires call five balks onMilwaukee Braves right-handerBob Shaw in 41⁄3innings pitched in a 7–5Chicago Cubs victory atCounty Stadium.[6][9][10] A rattled Shaw alsowalks six hitters and is ejected by arbiterAl Barlick after facing only 25 batters. His five balks set an MLB record, and when a sixth infraction is called on on relieverDenny Lemaster in the eighth, Milwaukee establishes a new all-time MLB record for most balks by a team in a single game; when Chicago'sPaul Toth also commits the same offense, the two clubs tie the record of most balks (seven) in one game, set only three weeks ago.[7]
At thePolo Grounds, theGiants—who abandoned the Manhattan ballyard six years ago for San Francisco—make themselves right at home, scoring an NL-season-high[9] 17 runs and bashing six homers in thrashing theNew York Mets 17–4.Orlando Cepeda (four RBI) andEd Bailey (three RBI) each hit two long balls;Jim Davenport drives in five runs and adds a homer himself.[11]
May 5 – TheDetroit Tigers release veteran first baseman and pinch hitterVic Wertz, 38, who later signs with theMinnesota Twins to close out his 17-year career.
May 7 – Reacting to the spate ofbalks called in the National League this season—96 in less than a month—CommissionerFord Frick, NL presidentWarren Giles and American League bossJoe Cronin meet in emergency session to simplify Rule 8.05m. While insisting on pitchers' coming to a full stop when a runner is on base, the new rule removes the "one second" minimum stipulation.[12] Under the re-written rule, 51 balks will be called for the last five months of the NL campaign.
May 14 – Veteran right-handerRay Herbert of theChicago White Sox fires his fourth straight complete-game shutout, defeating theDetroit Tigers 3–0 atComiskey Park. The 33-year-old, a 20-game winner in1962, gives up a total of 15 hits and three walks during the four-game stretch, which began May 1. Herbert's scoreless-innings-pitched streak will reach 38 innings, best in MLB in 1963,[6] before it's snapped by theBaltimore Orioles on May 19 in the third frame.
May 21 –Jim Maloney, theCincinnati Reds' flame throwing 22-year-old, strikes out 16Milwaukee Braves in 81⁄3 innings in today's 2–0 road victory—the most strikeouts recorded in a 1963 contest in the majors.[6]
Willie Kirkland of theCleveland Indians hits a home run in the 11th inning to tie the game 2–2. In the 19th inning, he hits the game-winning home run to defeat theWashington Senators. Kirkland joinsVern Stephens as the only player to hit two extra-inning home runs. The contest is the majors' longest, as measured in innings, of 1963.[9]
An era ends for theMilwaukee Braves when they trade 36-year-old right-handerLew Burdette to theSt. Louis Cardinals for catcher/outfielderGene Oliver and young hurlerBob Sadowski. A three-time All-Star, Burdette had formed a formidable one-two pitching tandem with southpawWarren Spahn since the Braves moved to Wisconsin in 1953, and had carried the team to its1957 World Series championship with three complete-game victories.
June 18 – Veteran managerChuck Dressen is called back into harness when he replacesBob Scheffing as pilot of the strugglingDetroit Tigers, who are 24–36 and 11½ games from first place. For Dressen, 68, the Tigers' job represents his fifth MLB managerial assignment since 1934.
June 21 – PitcherEarly Wynn, 43, in search of his 300th career victory, returns to theCleveland Indians as a free agent. He had been released by theChicago White Sox on November 20, 1962.
June 23 – ColorfulJimmy Piersall hits his 100th career home run in a 5–0New York Mets victory over thePhiladelphia Phillies at thePolo Grounds. In celebration, he runs backwards around the bases (although he touches each bag in the correct, counter-clockwise order); still photos of the stunt make coast-to-coast news but Piersall draws scorn from baseball traditionalists.
In a sparsely attended, weekend-afternoon game, right-fielderAl Luplow of theCleveland Indians makes one of the most spectacular catches inFenway Park history, catchingDick Williams' long drive as he leaps over the fence and tumbles into theBoston Red Sox' bullpen. The catch comes in the eighth inning with the tying runs on base, and preserves the Tribe's 6–4 victory over Boston.[17][18]
July 2 – TheSan Francisco Giants'Juan Marichal pitches a 16-inning shutout against theMilwaukee Braves, outduelingWarren Spahn, who hurls15+1⁄3 scoreless innings beforeWillie Mays wins the contest 1–0 with a home run in the bottom of the 16th. In the ninth inning, when the Giants' manager suggests Marichal should come out for a pinch hitter, he angrily replies, "I am not going to come out of that game as long as that old man is still pitching." Later, when the Braves' manager suggests to Spahn that it's time he leaves the game, the 42-year-old Spahn replies that if that young kid can still pitch, so can he. When it's over, Marichal has thrown 227 pitches and Spahn 201.
July 7 – TheAll-Star break sees two clear league leaders at the season's midpoint: theNew York Yankees (50–31), who boast a five-game advantage over theChicago White Sox (47–38); and theLos Angeles Dodgers (50–33), up by three lengths over the defending NL champions, the rivalGiants (48–37).
July 9 – AtCleveland Municipal Stadium, theNational League defeats theAmerican League 5–3 in the1963 Major League Baseball All–Star Game, as the annual Midsummer Classic returns to a single-game format. The Americans out-hit the Nationals 11–6, but MVPWillie Mays puts on a one-man show. Although he's held to a single, Mays collects two runs, two RBI and two stolen bases, and makes a running catch that deprivesJoe Pepitone of an extra base hit in the eighth inning. The game marks the 24th and final All-Star appearance ofStan Musial, who pinch hits in the fifth inning. He lines out to right field, leaving behind a .317 batting average (20-for-63) and an All-Star Game record of six home runs.
July 13 –Cleveland Indians pitcherEarly Wynn finally wins his 300th game thanks to a little help from his bullpen. After going winless in six straight starts dating to September 1962, then struggling through five innings against theKansas City Athletics today, Wynn, 43, is replaced by relief manJerry Walker, whose four scoreless frames save the future Hall of Famer's 7–4 triumph.
July 27 – TheLos Angeles Angels sign outfielderJim Piersall the same day he is unconditionally released by theNew York Mets. Piersall, 33, will continue his MLB career as a backup outfielder with the Angels until he's released on May 2, 1967.
July 30 – In one in a series of trades theLos Angeles Dodgers will make with theWashington Senators, the Dodgers send their ace1962 right-handed relief pitcher,Ed Roebuck, to Washington for infielderMarv Breeding. On June 24, Los Angeles had sold the contract of veteran infielderDon Zimmer to the Senators. The two teams have become interleague trading partners since ex-Dodger standoutGil Hodges became Washington's manager earlier this season.
August 29 – Helped by a league-record-tying eight home runs,[9] theMinnesota Twins amass a team-record forty-seventotal bases in the first game of adouble-header atD.C. Stadium.Harmon Killebrew andVic Power both strike for two homers in the 14–2 victory. In the second game, a 10–1 Minnesota win, the Twins hit four more homers for a team-record even dozen on the day.
September 10 – The Alous become the first brother trio to bat consecutively in one game, during the eighth inning of aSan Francisco Giants' 4–2 loss to theNew York Mets at thePolo Grounds.Jesús pinch-hits in his Major League debut and grounds out to shortstopAl Moran;Matty, also pinch-hitting, strikes out, andFelipe ends the inning by grounding out to pitcherCarl Willey, who goes the distance for the victory.
The red-hotSt. Louis Cardinals, now 91–61, win their 19th game in their last 20, sweeping a twin bill against theMilwaukee Braves by taking the second game, 5–0, atBusch Stadium behindRay Sadecki's five-hitter. Since August 30, when the streak began, the Cards have leapfrogged theSan Francisco Giants to move into second place in the NL and made up 6½ games on the front-runningLos Angeles Dodgers (91–59), whom they now trail by only one game, two in the loss column. The Cardinals and Dodgers will square off in a three-game series tomorrow in St. Louis with the pennant on the line.
Playing in his first MLB game,Los Angeles Dodgers first basemanDick Nen clubs a ninth-inning, game-tying home run over the roof atBusch Stadium offRon Taylor of theSt. Louis Cardinals. The Dodgers go on to win in the 13th, 6–5,[20] completing a three-game road sweep of the Redbirds and effectively wrecking St. Louis' pennant drive.
In the final regular-season game ever played at thePolo Grounds, thePhiladelphia Phillies defeat theNew York Mets 6–1. New York gets its only run onJim Hickman's fourth-inning home run, the last home run to be hit at Upper Manhattan's venerable stadium.
OutfielderJimmie Hall of theMinnesota Twins hits his 33rd and final home run of the year. No other rookie without previous-year at bats has hit more. Hall tops the current record-holder, Boston'sTed Williams, who hit 31 in1939.
September 27 – ManagerHarry Craft of theHouston Colt .45s fields the "Baby Colts", a starting lineup with an average age of nineteen years, against theNew York Mets atColt Stadium. The oldest player used by Houston all game is 26-year-oldDick Drott, who pitches the ninth inning.[21]
John Paciorek makes his MLB debut for theHouston Colt .45s at age 18, lashing three hits, driving in four runs, and drawing two walks. He reaches base in all five plate appearances for a batting average of 1.000 and anOPS of 2.000. However, this will be Paciorek's only appearance in a major league game, after he suffers an injury in the minors that ends his career by the time he's 24.
September 30 – The off-season, and trade season, begin for the 18 clubs not playing in the upcoming World Series. In the first major transaction, theCleveland Indians purchase the contract of 33-year-old relief pitcherDon McMahon from theHouston Colt .45s.
October 2 – In Game 1 of the1964 World Series—and his first and only official appearance on theYankee Stadium mound—ace southpawSandy Koufax sets a new Fall Classic record, striking out 15 (breaking ex-teammateCarl Erskine's ten-year old mark), and giving hisLos Angeles Dodgers the jump on theNew York Yankees with a 5–2 victory. The Dodgers' four-run second inning, keyed by a mammothFrank Howard drive overMickey Mantle's head in centerfield (it lands for a double), an RBI single by ex-YankeeBill Skowron, and a three-run homer from catcherJohn Roseboro, provides all the support Koufax needs; he holds the Yanks off the scoreboard untilTom Tresh reaches him for a two-run homer in the eighth, allows six hits, and walks three in his complete-game triumph.[22][23]
October 4 – Among the veteran players receiving career-ending unconditional releases during early October isSherm Lollar, 39, nine-timeAll-Star and 3xGold Glove Award-winning catcher, who is cut loose by theChicago White Sox.
October 6 – AtDodger Stadium in Game 4,Sandy Koufax again defeats theNew York Yankees, 2–1, completing a shocking World Series sweep for theLos Angeles Dodgers.Whitey Ford gives up only two hits, both byFrank Howard, who belts a long home run in the fifth inning to start the Dodgers' scoring. The Yankees are swept in a World Series for the first time; they bat just .171 and score only four runs, second-lowest in World Series history. Curiously, the Dodgers will set the mark for fewest runs scored in a World Series onlythree years later, falling victim to a decisive sweep at the hands of theBaltimore Orioles.
October 10 – Reacting to the poor performances of its two1962expansion teams—especially theNew York Mets, who have posted a ghastly 91–231 (.283) record and finished a combined 108½ games out of first place during their two-year lifespan so far—theNational League holds a special, one-of-a-kind "assistance" draft to supplement their rosters. The eight pre-1962 NL franchises offer up a total of 32 players available to the Mets andHouston Colt .45s for $30,000 each, but only three are chosen in the draft, which is conducted by phone and lasts a mere five minutes:
The Colt .45s—who have fared better than the Mets, with a two-year mark of 130–192 (.404)—select relief pitcherClaude Raymond, 26, from theMilwaukee Braves.[24]
October 14 – TheCleveland Indians release 300-game-winner and future Hall-of-FamerEarly Wynn, 43, and name him their new pitching coach.
October 29 – TheNew York Yankees release catcher and playing coachYogi Berra, 38, so he can manage the 1964 Bombers. He succeedsRalph Houk, who moves up to general manager, replacing the retiringRoy Hamey.
October 30 – Capping a brilliant 1963 season and a sweep of major awards during the month of October,Sandy Koufax breezes to the National League'sMost Valuable Player Award. Today, he captures 14 of a possible 20 first place votes and 237 points to bestDick Groat of theSt. Louis Cardinals (four, 190). Six days earlier, he was unanimously voted winner of theCy Young Award—then given to only one hurler across both major leagues; and 24 days ago, he was selectedWorld Series MVP. Before winning two games in theWorld Series, and setting a new, single-game strikeout record in Game 1, Koufax led the NL (and all of MLB) in games won (25), strikeouts (306), earned run average (1.88) and shutouts (11).[26][27]
November 19 –United States Marine Corps veteran and formerNew York Yankees outfielderHank Bauer signs a one-year contract to manage theBaltimore Orioles. Bauer succeedsBilly Hitchcock, fired September 29, and is expected to bring greater discipline to the Orioles' culture. Bauer's term will last into July 1968, during which the Birds narrowly miss the1964 pennant, but take home the 66-year-old franchise's first-everWorld Series championship in1966.
November 26
Second basemanPete Rose is a landslide winner of National League Rookie of the Year honors, taking 17 of 20 first place votes, with the others going toRon Hunt (2) andRay Culp (1). Rose becomes the secondCincinnati Reds player to win the award, joiningFrank Robinson.
TheReds sell the contract of former starting third basemanGene Freese to thePittsburgh Pirates. A key member of Cincinnati's1961 NL champions, Freese, 29, suffered a badly broken ankle in spring training the following season and was able to appear in only 84 total games during1962 and 1963.
November 27:
Chicago White Sox pitcherGary Peters, who posted a 19–8 record with 189 strikeouts and a 2.33 ERA, edges teammate third basemanPete Ward (.295 BA, 22 HR, 84 RBI) andMinnesota Twins outfielderJimmie Hall (.260, 33, 80) for American League Rookie of the Year honors. Peters takes 10 of 20 first-place votes, Ward six and Hall four.
December 14 – TheBaltimore Orioles acquire leftyHarvey Haddix from thePittsburgh Pirates for minor-league shortstop Richard Yencha and cash. Famous for throwing 12 perfect innings for the Pirates as a starter in May 1959, Haddix, now 38, has become a relief specialist and will join the Baltimore bullpen in1964.
December 27 – TheHouston Colt .45s purchase the contract of hard-hitting outfielder/first basemanWalt Bond from theCleveland Indians. Diagnosed withleukemia in1962, the 26-year-old Bond is examined by a Houston's team physician before the deal is made; his findings determine that the disease is in remission.
January 4 –Sam Covington, 68, first baseman who played in 40 games over three seasons for the 1913 St. Louis Browns and 1917–1918 Boston Braves.
January 5 –Rogers Hornsby, 66, Hall of Fame second baseman (1915–1937), mainly for the St. Louis Cardinals, who posted the highest lifetime batting average (.358) of any right-handed batter, also a seven-time batting champion including a .424 mark in 1924, twice MVP, and the first National League player to hit 300 home runs; as player-manager, led 1926 Cardinals to the franchise's first World Series title; also played for New York Giants, Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Browns and managed Braves, Cubs, Browns and Cincinnati Reds.
January 7 –Harl Maggert, 79, outfielder who appeared in 77 total games for the 1907 Pittsburgh Pirates and 1912 Philadelphia Athletics; hisson played for the 1938 Brooklyn Dodgers.
January 16 –Tommy Thompson, 73, pitcher in seven games for 1912 New York Highlanders.
January 20 –Jimmy Wiggs, 86, pitcher who worked in 13 MLB games, two for the 1903 Cincinnati Reds and 11 for 1905–1906 Detroit Tigers; as of 2023, one of three big-league players born in Norway.
January 29
Win Ballou, 65, pitcher in 99 games over four seasons between 1925 and 1929 for Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns and Brooklyn Robins.
Lee Meadows, 68, pitcher who won 188 games for the Cardinals, Phillies and Pirates, as well as the first modern major leaguer to wear glasses.
January 31 –Ossie Vitt, 73, third baseman for the 1912–1918 Detroit Tigers and 1919–1921 Boston Red Sox; longtime minor-league manager known for piloting 1937 Newark Bears, one of the strongest clubs in history of minors; managed 1938–1940 Cleveland Indians to a 262–198–2 (.570) record, but his tenure was marred by a player revolt.
February 2 –Emil Planeta, 54, pitcher who worked in two games for the New York Giants in September 1931.
February 9 –Ray Starr, 56, All-Star pitcher who pitched for six teams—most prominently the 1941–1943 Cincinnati Reds—and won 37 career games.
February 10 –Bunny Brief, 70, outfielder/first baseman who batted only .223 in 184 MLB games for the 1912–1913 St. Louis Browns, 1915 Chicago White Sox and 1917 Pittsburgh Pirates, but a feared minor-league slugger who led the American Association in homers five teams between 1920 and 1926 and amassed seasons of 191, 151, 164, and 175 runs batted in over the same span.
February 15
Bump Hadley, 58, pitcher who worked in 528 games over 16 years (1926–1941) for six MLB teams (going 161–165, 4.24); endedMickey Cochrane's career with a 1937 pitch that fractured his skull; later a broadcaster in Boston.
Harlin Pool, 54, outfielder who appeared in 127 games for the 1934–1935 Cincinnati Reds.
February 17 –Lee Thompson, 64, left-hander who pitched in four games for the 1921 Chicago White Sox.
February 20 –Bill Hinchman, 79, outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds (1905–1906), Cleveland Naps (1907–1909) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1915–1918, 1920) who twice (1915, 1916) batted over .300 and led National League in triples (16 in 1916); later, a scout.
February 22 –Harry Schwarts, 44, American League umpire from September 8, 1960, until his death; worked in 338 AL games and the first of 1962's two All-Star games.
February 25 –Bill Hughes, 66, pitcher who went 302–249 in 761 minor-league games over 20 consecutive seasons (1920–1939), but made only one MLB appearance — on September 15, 1921, as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
February 27 –Lefty Schegg, 73, pitcher who worked in two games for 1912 Washington Senators.
February 28
Eppa Rixey, 71, pitcher elected to the Hall of Fame just one month earlier; winningest left-hander in NL history (until 1959) with 266 victories for Philadelphia Phillies (1912–1917 and 1919–1920) and Cincinnati Reds (1921–1933); won 20 games four times and lost 20 games twice.
Charlie Spearman, 71, catcher/first baseman for the 1923–1926 Brooklyn Royal Giants and 1928–1929 New York Lincoln Giants of the Eastern Colored League and American Negro League.
March 1 –Irish Meusel, 69, left fielder for four MLB teams over 11 seasons between 1914 and 1927, principally the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Giants; member of 1921 and 1922 world champion Giants; batted .310 lifetime and led NL in RBI in 1923; older brother ofBob Meusel.
March 4 –Jess Cortazzo, 58, diminutive shortstop — listed as 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m), 142 pounds (64 kg) — who had only one at-bat for the 1923 Chicago White Sox, but fashioned a 15-year career in the minor leagues.
March 5 –Lefty Lorenzen, 70, pitcher who threw two innings in his only appearance in the majors, on September 12, 1913, for the Detroit Tigers.
March 11
Joe Judge, 68, first baseman who batted over .300 nine times for Washington Senators (1915–1932); went 10-for-26 (.385) with five bases on balls to help lead his team to 1924 World Series title; also played for Brooklyn Dodgers (1933) and Boston Red Sox (1933–1934); later, head baseball coach at Georgetown for 20 years.
Robert "Farmer" Ray, 76, pitcher who appeared in 21 games for 1910 St. Louis Browns.
March 14 –Charlie Harris, 85, third baseman for the 1899 Baltimore Orioles of the National League.
March 16 –Tom Walsh, 78, catcher with 1906 Chicago Cubs who appeared in two games.
March 27 –Fritz Knothe, 59, third baseman and shortstop who played in 174 games for the Boston Braves and Philadelphia Phillies in 1932–1933.
March 29 –Wilcy Moore, 65, New York Yankees' ace relief pitcher who in 1927 saved 13 games and won 19 (he made 12 starts among his 50 appearances), and AL earned run average title (2.28); in addition, he won clinching Game 4 of 1927 World Series and was a member of Yanks' 1928 and 1932 world champs; also pitched briefly for Boston Red Sox in his six-season (1927–1929 and 1931–1933) and 261-game career.
April 1 –Ladd White, 45, pitcher for 1947 Memphis Red Sox and 1948 Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League.
April 7 –Jim Ball, 79, catcher who appeared in 16 games for the 1907–1908 Boston Doves of the National League.
April 11 –Jim Wright, 62, pitcher and U.K. native who appeared in four games for the 1927–1928 St. Louis Browns.
April 14 –Earl Kunz, 64, pitcher who worked in 21 games for the 1923 Pittsburgh Pirates.
April 19 –Pryor McBee, 61, southpaw who appeared in one game for the Chicago White Sox on May 22, 1926.
April 23 –Harry Harper, 67, pitched from 1913 through 1923 for the Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Brooklyn Robins.
April 25 –Hal Elliott, 63, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher who worked in 120 games from 1929 to 1933; posted a dreadful 6.95 career ERA in 3221⁄3 innings pitched, playing his home games at the Phils' bandbox stadium,Baker Bowl.
April 27
Johnny Hutchings, 47, pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Braves who worked in 155 games over six seasons between 1940 and 1946.
Lou Manske, 78, left-hander who hurled in two games for the 1906 Pittsburgh Pirates.
Dickie Kerr, 69, pitcher who as a 1919 rookie won two World Series games for the Chicago White Sox, as one of the players not involved in fixing the Series; later helped a struggling pitcher-turned-hitter,Stan Musial.
Pat McNulty, 64, outfielder who played in 308 games for the Cleveland Indians (1922, 1924–1927).
Ray Pierce, 65, left-handed pitcher who worked in 66 career games for the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies from 1924 to 1926.
May 6 –Larry Woodall, 68, backup catcher who played 548 games for 1920–1929 Detroit Tigers; later, a longtime employee of Boston Red Sox as coach (1942–1948), director of public relations, and scout—when he famously took a pass on signing a teenagedWillie Mays.
May 8 –Ben Glaspy, 67, outfielder for the 1926 Dayton Marcos of the Negro National League.
May 16 –Don Hankins, 61, pitcher who worked in 20 games, 19 in relief, for the 1927 Detroit Tigers.
May 22 –Dave Shean, 79, second baseman and captain of the World Series champion 1918 Boston Red Sox.
May 23 –Gavvy Cravath, 82, right fielder and "dead-ball era" slugger, who won six home runs titles with Phillies between 1913 and 1919; managed Phils from July 8, 1919, through 1920 season.
May 24 –Hi West, 78, pitcher in 19 games over two stints (in 1905 and 1911) with Cleveland Naps.
May 27 –Dave Jolly, 38, knuckleball relief pitcher for the Milwaukee Braves from 1953 to 1957.
May 28 –Paddy Mayes, 78, outfielder/pinch hitter who went 0-for-5 with one base on balls in eight games for the 1911 Philadelphia Phillies.
May 29 –Fred Herbert, 76, pitcher who posted a 1–1 (1.06 ERA) with one complete game in two appearances, both starts, for the New York Giants in September 1915.
May 30 –Joe McDonald, 75, third baseman in ten games for the 1910 St. Louis Browns.
May 31 –Ernie Sulik, 52, outfielder for the 1936 Philadelphia Phillies.
May –Connie Rector, 70, Negro leagues pitcher between 1920 and 1944; went 18–1 for the New York Lincoln Giants in 1929.
June 1 –Henry Gillespie, 66, Negro leagues pitcher between 1921 and 1932.
June 6 –Charlie Mullen, 74, first baseman for the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees in the 1910s.
June 8 –Earl Smith, 66, good-hitting catcher who batted .303 over 860 career games for 1919–1923 New York Giants, 1923–1924 Boston Braves, 1924–1928 Pittsburgh Pirates and 1928–1930 St. Louis Cardinals; played for five National League champions (1921, 1922, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1930), and three World Series champs (1921, 1922, 1925); batted .350 for Pittsburgh in 1925 World Series.
June 10 –Mike Simon, 80, catcher who appeared in 379 games from 1909 to 1915 for Pittsburgh of the National League, then St. Louis and Brooklyn of the "outlaw" Federal League; member of 1909 World Series champion Pirates.
June 18 –Ben Geraghty, 50, infielder who played in 70 total games for the 1936 Brooklyn Dodgers and 1943–1944 Boston Braves; legendaryminor league manager who played a key role in the early career ofHenry Aaron; at his death, incumbent skipper of theJacksonville Suns of theInternational League.
June 24
George Trautman, 73, president of the minor leagues since 1947; previously president of the American Association (1933–1945) and general manager of Detroit Tigers (1946).
Jud Wilson, 69, Hall of Fame and All-Star third baseman of the Negro leagues who batted .352 lifetime in 900 games between 1923 and 1945, and three times (1927, 1929, 1941) eclipsed the .400 mark.
June 28 –Frank "Home Run" Baker, 77, Hall of Fame third baseman, a lifetime .307 hitter and four-time home run champion, as well as the last surviving member of Philadelphia Athletics' "$100,000 infield".
July 1 –Earl Moseley, 75, pitcher who starred in the Federal League, winning 19 games for Indianapolis in 1914 and ERA championship (1.91) for Newark in 1915; also pitched for 1913 Boston Red Sox and 1916 Cincinnati Reds.
July 2 –Pat Flanagan, 70, radio voice of the Chicago Cubs from 1929 to 1943 onWBBM, calling games for three National League champions and handling play-by-play for the first MLB All-Star Game in 1933; also described White Sox games.
July 5 –Ben Demott, 74, pitcher for the Cleveland Naps from 1910 to 1911.
July 8 –Roy Sanders, 69, pitcher who worked in 14 career contests for the 1918 New York Yankees and 1920 St. Louis Browns.
July 12 –"Happy Jack" Cameron, 78, Canadian outfielder/pitcher who appeared in 18 games for Boston of the National League in 1906.
July 14 –Bill Lindsay, 82, third baseman in 19 games for the 1911 Cleveland Naps.
July 19 –Charlie Hanford, 81, native of the United Kingdom who appeared in 232 games as an outfielder for Buffalo and Chicago of the Federal League in 1914 and 1915,
July 24 –Luther Roy, 60, pitcher who appeared in 56 career contests for the Cleveland Indians (1924–1925), Chicago Cubs (1927), Philadelphia Phillies (1929) and Brooklyn Robins (1929).
July 25 –Rags Roberts, 67, outfielder/catcher for 1923 Baltimore Black Sox of the Eastern Colored League.
July 27 –Hooks Dauss, 73, pitcher won 222 games, all for Detroit, for whom he played from 1912 through 1926.
August 2 –Pete Standridge, 71, pitcher who appeared in 31 total games for 1911 St. Louis Cardinals and 1915 Chicago Cubs.
August 4 –Bob Fisher, 76, shortstop and second baseman who played 503 games in the National League for Brooklyn, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis over seven seasons spanning 1912 to 1919.
August 5 –Herb Crompton, 51, catcher who played 38 career games in the majors as a member of the 1937 Washington Senators and 1945 New York Yankees.
August 6 –Frank Ray, 54, outfielder in 26 games for the 1932 Montgomery Grey Sox of the Negro Southern League.
August 10 –William Kinsler, 95, outfielder who appeared in one game for the New York Giants on June 8, 1893.
August 12 –Dick Braggins, 85, pitcher during the American League's inaugural season, appearing in four games for Cleveland between May 16 and June 26, 1901.
August 15 –Karl Drews, 43, pitcher who worked in 418 games for four MLB teams between 1946 and 1954, including 1947 champion New York Yankees.
August 17 –Coco Ferrer, 48, Puerto Rican infielder for the 1946–1948 Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League.
August 19 –Carl Zamloch, 73, pitcher who went 1–6 (2.45 ERA) in 17 games for the 1913 Detroit Tigers.
August 21 –Tom Asmussen, 84, catcher who appeared in two games for the 1907 Boston Doves of the National League.
August 24
Ren Kelly, 63, who pitched one game for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1923.
Arnold Waites, 48, pitcher/outfielder who played for the Homestead Grays (1936–1937) and Washington Elite Giants (1937) of the Negro National League.
September 3 –Tony DeFate, 68, infielder/pinch hitter who got into 17 total games with the St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers in 1917.
September 4 –Grant "Home Run" Johnson, 90, shortstop and slugger who played in Black baseball from 1893 to 1923, before organization of the Negro leagues; fell short of entry into National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.
September 8
Bill Knickerbocker, 51, infielder for five different teams from 1933 to 1942, and a member of 1938 and 1939 Yankees champion teams as a backup infielder.
September 11 –Ham Hyatt, 78, reserve outfielder/first baseman who appeared in 465 career games for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1909–1910, 1912–1914), St. Louis Cardinals (1915) and New York Yankees (1922).
September 15
Ray Miner, 66, southpaw who hurled in one MLB game for the Philadelphia Athletics on September 15, 1921.
Isadore Muchnick, 55, Boston city councilor who in 1945 pressured his city's Braves and Red Sox to break the baseball color line by offering tryouts to black players Jackie Robinson, Sam Jethroe and Marvin Williams. The Braves ignore Muchnick and the Red Sox hold apro forma tryout. Later in 1945, Robinson will sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers' organization and become the pioneer in "Baseball's Great Experiment."
September 16
Johnny Niggeling, 60, one of four knuckleballers in starting rotation of 1945 Washington Senators; also pitched for Boston Bees/Braves, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Browns between 1938 and 1946.
Ollie Waldon, 52, outfielder/third baseman for the 1944 Chicago American Giants of the Negro American League.
September 19 –Slim Harriss, 66, pitcher who went 95–135 (4.25) for mostly struggling Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox teams from 1920 to 1928.
September 24 –Daff Gammons, 87, who appeared in 28 games—primarily as an outfielder—in 1901 for Boston of the National League.
September 27 –Andy Coakley, 80, pitcher who won 18 games for 1905 Athletics, later coach at Columbia for 37 years.
September 30 –Jack White, 85, outfielder who played almost two decades (1895–1913) in minors but appeared in only one big-league game, with Boston of the National League on June 26, 1904.
Eddie Bacon, 68, pitcher/pinch hitter who appeared in three games for the 1917 Philadelphia Athletics.
Cy Perkins, 67, catcher for 17 seasons in the American League, mostly with the Athletics (1917–1930); also a coach for New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies for 15 seasons between 1932 and 1954; member of four World Series champions (1929, 1930, 1932, 1935).
October 5 –George Curry, 74, pitcher who went 0–3 (7.47 ERA) in three games and three starts for the 1911 St. Louis Browns.
October 9 –Maywood Brown, 67, pitcher for the 1921 and 1925 Indianapolis ABCs of the Negro National League.
October 18
Frank Emmer, 67, Cincinnati Reds shortstop who played in 122 career games over two seasons spaced over a decade (1916, 1926).
Stu Flythe, 51, Philadelphia Athletics pitcher who worked in 17 games during 1936 and led American League with 16 wild pitches.
October 25 –Jim Lindsey, 64, pitcher who hurled 177 career games, mostly in relief, for the Cleveland Indians (1922 and 1924), St. Louis Cardinals (1929–1934), Cincinnati Reds (1934) and Brooklyn Dodgers (1937); member of 1931 world champion Redbirds.
October 26 –Newt Hunter, 83, first baseman in 65 games for 1911 Pittsburgh Pirates; coach for 1920 Cardinals and 1928–1930 and 1933 Phillies.
November 2 –Luis Pillot, 46, native of Puerto Rico who appeared as a pitcher/outfielder for the New York Black Yankees (1941, 1946) and Cincinnati Clowns (1943) of the Negro leagues.
November 6 –Clarence Mitchell, 72, spitball pitcher who won 125 games over 18 seasons between 1911 and 1932 — most notably for the Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Robins — for six MLB clubs; hit into unassisted triple play in 1920 World Series.
November 12 –Ed Connolly, 54, catcher for the Boston Red Sox between 1929 and 1932; hisson pitched for 1964 Red Sox.
November 13 –Muddy Ruel, 67, catcher for 19 seasons for six American League teams, including 1924 World Series champion Washington Senators (when he scored the Series-deciding run); held law degree from Washington University in St. Louis; later a coach with the Chicago White Sox (1935–1945) and Cleveland Indians (1948–1950), assistant toCommissioner of BaseballHappy Chandler (1945–1946), manager of St. Louis Browns (1947), and general manager of Detroit Tigers (1954–1956).
November 14 –Oscar "Ski" Melillo, 64, second baseman in 1,377 games for St. Louis Browns (1926–1935) and Boston Red Sox (1935–1937); interim manager of 1938 Browns; later a longtime coach associated with manager Lou Boudreau.
November 17
Merito Acosta, 67, Cuban outfielder for the Washington Senators (1913–1916, 1918) and Philadelphia Athletics (1918); broke into majors at 17 as one of first Cuban ballplayers in American League; hisbrother was an MLB pitcher.
Lewis Means, 64, catcher who played for the Birmingham Black Barons and the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants of the Negro leagues between 1920 and 1928.
November 20 –Marty Hopkins, 56, second-string third baseman who played in 136 career games for 1934 Philadelphia Phillies and 1934–1935 Chicago White Sox.
November 21
Ed Hock, 64, outfielder/pinch runner for 1920 St. Louis Cardinals and 1923–1924 Cincinnati Reds, getting into 19 MLB games.
Jimmy Shields, 58, pitcher/second baseman for Atlantic City who led the Eastern Colored League in earned run average (1.51) in 1928.
November 22 –John F. Kennedy, 46, President of the United States who threw out the ceremonial first pitch of the 1961 MLB season and became only the 2nd president to attend an All-Star Game in 1962.
November 25 –Rube Parnham, 69, pitcher for 1916–1917 Philadelphia Athletics who worked in six career games; compiled a 2–1 won–lost mark in four contests for the abysmal 1916 Athletics to become the sole pitcher with a winning record for a team that lost 117 of 153 games.
November 29 –Arch Reilly, 72, third baseman who played three innings of one MLB game for the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 1, 1917.
December 3 –Nellie Pott, 64, southpaw who pitched in two games for the 1922 Cleveland Indians.
December 8 –Red Worthington, 57, left fielder for Boston Braves from 1931 to 1934.
December 10 –Carl Fischer, 55, left-handed hurler who appeared in 191 games for five American League teams (principally the Washington Senators and Detroit Tigers) between 1930 and 1937.
December 12 –Myles Thomas, 66, pitcher for 1926–1929 New York Yankees and 1930 Senators who worked in 105 MLB games; member of World Series champions in 1927 and 1928 but did not appear in either Fall Classic.
December 13 –Joe Jaeger, 68, pitcher who played in two games for the 1920 Chicago Cubs.
December 14 –Gacho Torres, 67, outfielder/first baseman and Puerto Rico native who appeared for the 1926 Newark Stars of the Eastern Colored League.
December 16 –Jimmy Cockerham, 53, catcher/first baseman for the 1937 Indianapolis Athletics and 1943 Cleveland Buckeyes of the Negro American League.
December 20 –Dinny McNamara, 58, outfielder/pinch runner who played in 20 games for the 1927–1928 Boston Braves.
December 21
Lefty Ross, 60, who pitched for five Negro National League teams in four seasons (1924 to 1927).
Happy Townsend, 84, pitcher who went 34–82 (with a 3.59 ERA) in 153 games for three clubs between 1901 and 1906, notably posting a 22–69 mark for execrable Washington Senators teams from 1902 to 1905.
Harry Williams, 73, first baseman who played 86 total games for 1913–1914 New York Yankees.
December 24 –Skipper Roberts, 75, lefty-swinging catcher and pinch hitter who appeared in 82 games for the 1913 St. Louis Cardinals and the 1914 Pittsburgh Rebels and Chicago Chi-Feds of the Federal League.
December 28 –Ray Keating, 70, pitcher who appeared in 130 career games for the New York Highlanders/Yankees (1912–1916, 1918) and Boston Braves (1919).
December 30 –Wilbur Good, 78, outfielder who played in 749 games for six teams, primarily the Chicago Cubs, over 11 seasons between 1905 and 1918.
December 31
Junie Barnes, 52, left-hander who pitched to only two batters in his two MLB games, on September 12 and 21, 1934, as a member of the Cincinnati Reds.
Bill Batsch, 71, who appeared in one game in professional baseball as a pinch hitter (and drew a base on balls) for the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 9, 1916.
