The following are thebaseball events of the year1946 throughout the world.

• Negro League World Series:Newark Eagles overKansas City Monarchs (4–3)
• World Series:St. Louis Cardinals overBoston Red Sox (4–3)
• All-Star Game, July 9 atFenway Park: American League, 12–0
• Negro League Baseball All-Star Game: East, 5–3 (first game, atGriffith Stadium); West, 4–1 (second game, atComiskey Park)

• Japanese Baseball League:Great Ring
• Mexican League:Alijadores de Tampico
• All-American Girls Professional Baseball League:Racine Belles

• Cuban League:Elefantes de Cienfuegos
• Mexican Pacific League:Venados de Mazatlán
• Puerto Rican League:Senadores de San Juan
• Venezuelan League:Sabios de Vargas

• Interamerican Series:Brooklyn Bushwicks

• Baseball Hall of Fame
  • Jesse Burkett
  • Frank Chance
  • Jack Chesbro
  • Johnny Evers
  • Clark Griffith
  • Tommy McCarthy
  • Joe McGinnity
  • Eddie Plank
  • Joe Tinker
  • Rube Waddell
  • Ed Walsh
• Most Valuable Player
  • Ted Williams (AL) – OF, Boston Red Sox
  • Stan Musial (NL) – 1B, St. Louis Cardinals
• The Sporting News Player of the Year Award
  • Stan Musial (NL) – 1B, St. Louis Cardinals
• The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award
  • Eddie Dyer (NL) – St. Louis Cardinals
• The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award
  • Del Ennis (NL) – OF, Philadelphia Phillies

v t e American League Team W L Pct. GB Home Road Boston Red Sox 104 50 .675 — 61‍–‍16 43‍–‍34 Detroit Tigers 92 62 .597 12 48‍–‍30 44‍–‍32 New York Yankees 87 67 .565 17 47‍–‍30 40‍–‍37 Washington Senators 76 78 .494 28 38‍–‍38 38‍–‍40 Chicago White Sox 74 80 .481 30 40‍–‍38 34‍–‍42 Cleveland Indians 68 86 .442 36 36‍–‍41 32‍–‍45 St. Louis Browns 66 88 .429 38 35‍–‍41 31‍–‍47 Philadelphia Athletics 49 105 .318 55 31‍–‍46 18‍–‍59

Red Sox White Sox   Indians Tigers Athletics Browns Yankees Senators Locations of teams for the 1942–1953American League seasons American League

v t e National League Team W L Pct. GB Home Road St. Louis Cardinals 98 58 .628 — 49‍–‍29 49‍–‍29 Brooklyn Dodgers 96 60 .615 2 56‍–‍22 40‍–‍38 Chicago Cubs 82 71 .536 14½ 44‍–‍33 38‍–‍38 Boston Braves 81 72 .529 15½ 45‍–‍31 36‍–‍41 Philadelphia Phillies 69 85 .448 28 41‍–‍36 28‍–‍49 Cincinnati Reds 67 87 .435 30 35‍–‍42 32‍–‍45 Pittsburgh Pirates 63 91 .409 34 37‍–‍40 26‍–‍51 New York Giants 61 93 .396 36 38‍–‍39 23‍–‍54

Braves Dodgers Cubs Reds Giants Phillies Pirates Cardinals Locations of teams for the 1943–1952National League seasons National League

All Negro leagues standings below are per Seamheads.^[1]

vs. Negro American League vs. Major Black teams Negro American League W L T Pct. GB W L T Pct. Kansas City Monarchs 56 19 2 .740 — 66 29 2 .691 Birmingham Black Barons 39 33 1 .541 15½ 51 39 3 .565 Cleveland Buckeyes 37 35 3 .513 17½ 45 44 5 .505 Memphis Red Sox 40 50 3 .446 23½ 46 62 5 .429 Cincinnati–Indianapolis Clowns 35 44 1 .444 23 38 56 2 .406 Chicago American Giants 35 61 2 .367 31½ 40 68 3 .374

Black Barons American Giants Clowns    Buckeyes Monarchs Red Sox Locations of teams for the 1946Negro American League season Negro American League Note: Clowns play in bothIndianapolis andCincinnati.

vs. Negro National League vs. Major Black teams Negro National League W L T Pct. GB W L T Pct. Newark Eagles 53 21 2 .711 — 60 24 3 .707 New York Cubans 36 31 1 .537 13½ 37 37 2 .500 Baltimore Elite Giants 38 34 3 .527 14 43 35 3 .549 Homestead Grays 38 35 2 .520 14½ 52 40 4 .563 Philadelphia Stars 31 37 2 .457 19 33 40 4 .455 New York Black Yankees 10 48 0 .172 35 16 53 0 .232

Elite Giants Grays    Black Yankees Cubans Eagles Stars Locations of teams for the 1944–1947Negro National League seasons Negro National League Note: Homestead Grays played in bothWashington, D.C. andPittsburgh, with the majority in Washington, D.C.

• 1946 Negro World Series: Newark Eagles over Kansas City Monarchs 4–3.

• January 1
  • After the end of hostilities inWorld War II'sPacific Theatre on August 15, 1945, the first full peacetime season since1939 anticipates a flood of returning and new players intoNorth America's "Organized" andindependent baseball in the coming year.^[2] Over 500 major-league and 4,000 minor-league players from the prewar era had entered the military, most of them after theAttack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941; three MLB players and "at least" 150 minor-leaguers lost their lives.^[3]
    • American andNational league rosters are expanded for 1946: the off-season roster grows from 40 to 48 players; early-season squads grow to 36 players, and the cutdown date is delayed to June 15; and the normal active roster swells from 25 to 30 players.^[2]
  • TheNegro American League andNegro National League will each field six teams and meet in theNegro World Series; a third black circuit, the startup, six-teamWest Coast Baseball Association, will disband before its first season is completed.
  • TheAll-American Girls Professional Baseball League, established in 1943, will feature eight clubs playing a 112-game schedule.
  • TheJapanese Baseball League sets a 105-game schedule for 1946; an estimated 72 Japanese baseball players had died performing World War II service.
• January 3 – TheBoston Red Sox acquire slugger/first basemanRudy York from thereigning world championDetroit Tigers for shortstopEddie Lake. York, 32, will be selected to theAmerican League's1946 All-Star team for the sixth time in his ten-season career.
• January 5
  • TheSt. Louis Cardinals sell the contract of three-timeNational League All-Star catcherWalker Cooper to theNew York Giants for $175,000—the highest price the Giants have ever paid for a player. Cooper, who will turn 31 on January 18, is still serving in theUnited States Navy, and has been battling Redbird ownerSam Breadon over his salary. He will be selected to his fourth All-Star team as a Giant this coming season.^[4]
  • TheBoston Braves acquire 22-year-old first-base prospectEarl Torgeson from theSeattle Rainiers of thePacific Coast League for two"players to be named later" (PTBNL): first basemanTony York and outfielderBill Ramsey. The Braves, who have signed a working agreement with Seattle, will keep Torgeson on the Rainiers' roster all season before calling him up to the National League in1947.
• January 12
  • Boston Red Sox starTed Williams receives his discharge from theU.S. Marine Air Corps after a three-year stint serving inWorld War II. Despite his long absence from competitive baseball, Williams will return to the majors by hitting .342 with 38 home runs and 123 RBI in 1946.
  • The first official professional game is played inVenezuela, launching the newly constituted four-teamLiga de Béisbol Profesional de Venezuela. The league is composed of four teams:Caracas BBC,Magallanes BBC,Vargas BBC andVenezuela BBC. The inaugural game is won by Magallanes over Venezuela, 5–2, behind strong pitching fromAlex Carrasquel, who gives up 11 hits in a complete game effort.
• January 20 – In a classic pitching matchup played inCaracas, Venezuela,Alex Carrasquel of Magallanes beatRoy Welmaker and Vargas club, 3–2, in 17 innings. In the six-and-a-half-hour marathon, Carrasquel is good enough to silence the bats ofRoy Campanella andSam Jethroe. Both pitchers go the distance in one of the greatest matchups ever.
• January 29 – TheBrooklyn Dodgers announce the signing of right-handerJohnny Wright, 29, of theHomestead Grays, one of the top pitchers in theNegro National League. He becomes the second Black player to participate inBranch Rickey's plan tointegrate all-white "Organized Baseball".

• February 4–5 – Faced with the surge ofWorld War II military veterans returning to baseball and a surplus of players, theSt. Louis Cardinals sell the contracts of pitcherAl Jurisich and outfielderJohnny Wyrostek to thePhiladelphia Phillies, and trade outfielderJohnny Hopp to theBoston Braves for shortstopEddie Joost and $40,000.
• February 10 –Jackie Robinson, signed to aMontreal Royals contract, marries the formerRachel Isum inLos Angeles. After their honeymoon in Northern California, they will embark on a cross-country journey to theBrooklyn Dodgers' minor-leaguespring training camp inDaytona Beach, Florida, where Robinson will begin his struggle to break "Organized Baseball's"color barrier.^[5]
• February 19 –New York Giants outfielderDanny Gardella becomes the first United States-born major leaguer to "jump" his contract and itsreserve clause and defect to the "outlaw"Mexican League, the first shot in the series of events that will dominate baseball headlines in 1946. The Mexican loop, operating outside the purview of Organized Baseball, also signs 1945 big-leaguersNap Reyes andAdrián Zabala, both nativeCubans, away from the Giants, andLuis Olmo, who hails fromPuerto Rico, away from theBrooklyn Dodgers.^[6]
• February 26 – The war between theMexican League and Organized Baseball intensifies when Gerardo Pasquel, brother of league presidentJorge Pasquel, says his circuit has set aside USD $40 million to lure American players. "We have the money to pay them ... If American club owners think they have lost some players, they will be in for a big surprise in March."^[7]

• March 7 –Negro leaguerMarvin Williams, playing for theSabios de Vargas against theNavegantes del Magallanes, sets a still-standing Venezuelan League mark bydriving in eight runs on two home runs and two singles, while leading Vargas to a 16–9 victory.
• March 17 – Four thousand fans cram intoCity Island Park,Daytona Beach, to witnessJackie Robinson make baseball history by appearing in the lineup for hisMontreal Royals against the parentBrooklyn Dodgers—the first time in the 20th century in which a black ballplayer will take the field with and against whites in an exhibition game for which admission is charged. He goes hitless but steals a base and scores a run.^[5]
• March 29
  • A rejuvenatedMinor League Baseball begins its first post-World War II season with 43 active leagues ranging fromClass D toTriple-A, the most since 1940. By contrast, only 12 leagues had competed in1945, the last wartime season.
    • The new Triple-A classification reflects a change in nomenclature, with theDouble-A level of 1912–1945 given a new identity and its three circuits—theAmerican Association,International League andPacific Coast League—elevated to the new level. Similarly, the 1946-and-beyond Double-A classification is a renaming of theClass A1 level of 1936–1945.
    • Established leagues that were dormant during the war, such as theTexas League (now Double-A),Sally League (now Class A), andThree-I League (Class B), spring back into life. The postwar boom is especially strong year-over-year in Class B, which quadruples in membership from two leagues (1945) to eight (1946); Class C, which grows from one member league to 11; and Class D, which also quadruples, from four to 17 leagues.
• March 30
  • The upstartMexican League appears to score its biggest coup yet when theSt. Louis Browns' holdout slugger/shortstop,Vern Stephens, signs with theAzules de Veracruz, owned by the league's president,Jorge Pasquel. Stephens, only 25, is already a two-timeAll-Star coming off leading theAmerican League in home runs (1944), then runs batted in (1945). Stephens has been offered $13,000 by the cash-poor Brownies, well short of his salary demand of $17,500. Pasquel's counter-offer: $175,000.^[8]
  • The 16 big-league clubs continue to pare down their rosters to prepare for the mid-April start of their season. Under special rules created for this firstpost-war campaign, teams can keep 36 men on their varsity squads until June 15, then 30 through August 31. The month of March sees 20 MLB and ex-MLB players handed their unconditional releases.
    • One of six players released today is the real-lifeLawrence "Crash" Davis, 26, an infielder andDuke University alumnus who appeared in 148 games between1940 and1942 for thePhiladelphia Athletics before spending 1943–1945 serving in theUnited States Navy. His MLB career over, Davis will find a job with theLawrence Millionaires of theNew England League in 1946—but "Crash Davis" will be immortalized when his name is borrowed by ex-ballplayer turned film directorRon Shelton and bestowed on leading manKevin Costner in the hit, baseball-themed, romantic comedyBull Durham (1988).^[9]
• March 31 – Three American-born members of theNew York Giants join the exodus to theMexican League: pitcherSal Maglie, 28, first basemanRoy Zimmerman, 32, and second basemanGeorge Hausmann, 29. All "jump" their existing contracts in search of higher compensation; each sign for "a $5,000 bonus and twice as much pay."^[10]

• April 4 – TheBrooklyn Dodgers assign the contracts of their third and fourth African-American players, pitcherDon Newcombe, 19, and catcherRoy Campanella, 24, to their newly foundedNashua affiliate in theClass BNew England League. Campanella, called by the Dodgers the "best catcher in theNegro leagues", had signed with Brooklyn March 18 after playing for theBaltimore Elite Giants last season; Newcombe, whose signing is revealed today, was3–3 (2.60) for theNewark Eagles in1945.^[11]
• April 5 – After only two games with theAzules de Veracruz, unhappy shortstopVern Stephens "re-defects" to his old team, theSt. Louis Browns, when Browns' scoutJack Fournier and Stephens' father meet him in hisMonterrey hotel lobby and drive him back over the border. He signs with St. Louis for $17,000 and returns the moneyJorge Pasquel had advanced to him. By signing, Stephens avoids punishment from "Organized Baseball," whereCommissionerHappy Chandler is already vowing to impose heavy suspensions on "contract jumpers."^[8][12]
• April 7 – InSanford, Florida, an exhibition game between theBrooklyn Dodgers' twoTriple-A affiliates, theMontreal Royals andSt. Paul Saints, is interrupted in the third inning when the local sheriff orders Montreal managerClay Hopper to removeJackie Robinson from his lineup. Robinson's playing among whites violatesJim Crow laws. To avoid possible arrests, Hopper complies.^[5]
• April 12 – Unlike Vern Stephens, another high-profileMexican League defector, catcherMickey Owen, affirms his decision to join the outlaw circuit after nearly returning to his old team, theBrooklyn Dodgers. Owen, 30, is a 4xNational League All-Star (1941–1944). Arriving inMexico City today, Owen says he has been subjected to intense pressure to remain in Organized Baseball—including threats from Dodger presidentBranch Rickey to make him a "whipping boy" to discourage other American players from following Owen's example.^[13]
• April 15 – TheSt. Louis Cardinals continue to shed excess playing talent, selling the contract of first basemanRay Sanders to theBoston Braves for $25,000. With ex-Redbird managerBilly Southworth now in charge of the Braves, his penchant for acquiring former players causes local sportswriters to nickname Boston's NL club "the Cape Cod Cardinals."^[14]
• April 16 – A full slate of games opens the1946 big-league season and thepost-war "Baseball Boom" begins. Almost 239,000 fans attend the eight contests, an average of 29,840, with the reigningworld championDetroit Tigers raising their banner atBriggs Stadium before the day's largest reported crowd (52,900). By season's end, total MLB attendance will soar to a new record of 18.5 million, shattering the old mark of 11 million set in1945.^[15]
  • The Tigers defeat theSt. Louis Browns, 2–1, behind last year'sAmerican League MVP, future Hall of FamerHal Newhouser.
  • Bob Feller of theCleveland Indians marks the six-year anniversary of his Opening Day1940no-hitter against theChicago White Sox by shutting out the Pale Hose on three hits atComiskey Park, 1–0. "Rapid Robert" walks one and fans ten.^[16]
  • Boston'sBraves Field opens to the public after a winter of renovations, costing over $500,000 ($8 million in 2025), ordered by theteam's new ownership. Among them, the 31-year-old stadium is equipped with arc lights for night baseball—surpassing nearbyFenway Park, which won't install them until1947—and its grandstand seats are given a fresh coat of dark green paint. The home team celebrates Opening Day by defeating theBrooklyn Dodgers, 5–3, behindJohnny Sain before 19,482. However, the game is marred when 13,000 spectators complain that their clothes have been stained from the freshly painted seats, which haven't dried in the chilly, dampNew England weather. The Braves pay the cleaning bills for all who submit them, which adds another $6,000 ($99,000 in 2025) to the renovation project's cost.^[17]
  • Player–managerMel Ott of theNew York Giants hits his 511th and final career home run offOscar Judd of thePhiladelphia Phillies in the first inning of New York's 8–4 win at thePolo Grounds.

• April 18 –Jackie Robinson makes his first appearance for theMontreal Royals of theInternational League, breaking thecolor barrier in theminor leagues. Against theJersey City Giants atRoosevelt Stadium, he lashes four hits, including a three-run homer, in five at bats, scores four runs, and steals two bases; Montreal wins, 14–1. The official paid attendance—51,873—is more than twice the stadium's capacity of 24,500.^[5][18][19]
• April 21 – In the first game ofdoubleheader atFenway Park, theBoston Red Sox erase 7–0 and 10–5 deficits to defeat thePhiladelphia Athletics, 12–11, in ten innings. The second game is called by darkness after five full innings at the still-light-less ballpark with the Athletics ahead 3–0; the defeat is the Bosox' first of 1946.
• April 23
  • Ed Head pitches ano-hitter as theBrooklyn Dodgers blank theBoston Braves, 5–0, atEbbets Field. Head walks three and fans two.^[20]
  • A special "Committee on Old Timers" names 11 men to theBaseball Hall of Fame inCooperstown. The honorees include the threeimmortalized members of theChicago Cubs'early-century infield—Joe Tinker,Johnny Evers andFrank Chance—plus pitcher/manager/ownerClark Griffith and fellow hurlersJack Chesbro,Joe McGinnity,Eddie Plank,Rube Waddell andEd Walsh, and outfieldersJesse Burkett andTommy McCarthy.^[15]
• April 24 –Cleveland Indians catcherFrankie Hayes's MLB record for consecutive games caught ends at 312 when rookieSherm Lollar starts behind the plate in Cleveland's 5–1 victory over theSt. Louis Browns atSportsman's Park. Hayes's skein had begunOctober 2, 1943, ironically when he played for the Browns; he then started 155 out of 155 games in1944 for thePhiladelphia Athletics, 151 of 151 contests in1945 for the Athletics and Indians, and Cleveland's first four games of 1946. Of those 312 games started, Hayes registered 267 complete games and 2,6392⁄3 innings caught.^[21]
• April 30 –Bob Feller tosses the secondno-hitter of his career in a 1–0Cleveland win over theNew York Yankees inthe Bronx. Feller walks five and fans 11; catcherFrankie Hayes' solo homer in the ninth offBill Bevens is the game's only run.^[22] Feller also will fire two one-hitters in 1946, on July 31 and August 8, and compile a stretch of 33 consecutive scoreless innings pitched.^[23]

• May 1 – TheSt. Louis Cardinals obtain well-traveled catcherClyde Kluttz from thePhiladelphia Phillies for infielderEmil Verban. In a separate trade earlier today, Kluttz, 28, had been acquired by the Phils from theNew York Giants for outfielderVince DiMaggio.
• May 5 – AtWrigley Field, eight hits, two errors, a walk and a hit batsman enable theChicago Cubs to score 11 seventh-inning runs, and go on to a 13–1 thumping of thePhiladelphia Phillies in the first game of a doubleheader.
• May 10
  • The fast-startingBoston Red Sox win their 15th consecutive game, defeating theNew York Yankees, 5–4, inThe Bronx.Dominic DiMaggio drives in the winning run in the seventh inning in the come-from-behind victory. Boston is now 21–3, 5½ games ahead of New York in the early weeks of theAmerican League season.
  • AtShibe Park, a 1 a.m. curfew lowers the curtain on a 15-inning, five-all deadlock between theWashington Senators andPhiladelphia Athletics. The contest goes into the books as a tie (one of nine stalemates to be recorded in MLB this season) and individual statistics will count; however, the game must be replayed in its entirety later in the season.^[24]
• May 11 –Braves Field's eventful season continues when it hostsBoston's first-ever night baseball game. A crowd of 35,945 fans—theBraves' largest since1933—sees the home side drop a 5–1 decision to theNew York Giants.^[25] Boston players introduce experimental satin uniforms, designed to shimmer under the lights during night contests.
• May 14 – TheMontréal Royals send pitcherJohnny Wright to Class CTrois-Rivières of theCanadian–American League, and sign formerPhiladelphia Stars hurlerRoy Partlow, 34, as a free agent. Wright and Partlow are both African-Americans who are briefly teammates ofJackie Robinson's on theTriple-A Royals. Partlow, like Wright, will pitch infrequently for Montréal and spend most of 1946 with Trois–Rivières, where they go a combined 22–9 to help win the Can–Am League pennant and playoff title. Both will return to theNegro leagues in 1947.^[26][27]
• May 18
  • ThePhiladelphia Athletics trade 23-year-old third basemanGeorge Kell to theDetroit Tigers for outfielderBarney McCosky, 29. In Detroit, Kell will blossom into a star, making theAL All-Star team five consecutive years (1947–1951), winning a batting title (1949), and burnishing his credentials for theHall of Fame (elected1983); then, after his career, he'll become a beloved member of the Tigers' broadcasting team.
  • TheChicago Cubs become the first team in Major League history to score sixruns in the first and ninthinnings of a game, when defeating theNew York Giants 19–3.^[28]
• May 19
  • To make room forKell, theTigers sell the contract of veteran third basemanPinky Higgins to the first-placeBoston Red Sox. Higgins, 35, formerly played for Boston in1937–1938, batting over .300 each season and driving in 212 runs. Although 1946 will be his final MLB season, he'll help the Red Sox break their 28-year pennant drought, hitting .275 in 64 games, then become an influential friend of ownerTom Yawkey's, and eventually the Red Sox' manager (1955–1959,1960–1962) and general manager (1962–1965).^[29]
  • Mickey Vernon of theWashington Senatorshits for the cycle in a 7–1 Washington victory atComiskey Park over theChicago White Sox. It's the first of two "cycles" in the majors in 1946;Ted Williams will author the second on July 21 atFenway Park.^[23] Coincidentally, Vernon (.353) and Williams (.342) will finish 1–2 in the contest for the ALbatting title.

• May 23
  • The insurgentMexican League deals anotherhaymaker to "Organized Baseball" when, five weeks into theNational League season, three members of the pennant-contendingSt. Louis Cardinals (who today are 19–10 and tied with theBrooklyn Dodgers for first place) abandon them and head "South of the Border" in search of higher pay. The three—who will face punitive suspensions fromCommissioner of BaseballHappy Chandler—are:
    • Left-handed starting pitcherMax Lanier, 31, who in six starts had delivered six complete-game victories, including two shutouts, with anERA of 1.93.^[30]
    • InfielderLou Klein, 27, a standout1943 rookie who is losing his starting second-base job to futureHall of FamerRed Schoendienst.^[31]
    • Starter/relieverFred Martin, a 30-year-old rookie who is2–1 (4.08) with two complete-game victories and two games finished in six games.
  • Eventually, Chandler levies five-year suspensions on the 22 players who've "jumped" to the Mexican loop:Ace Adams,Alex Carrasquel,Bobby Estalella,Harry Feldman,Moe Franklin,Danny Gardella,Roland Gladu, José "Chili" Gómez,George Hausmann,Red Hayworth,Salvador "Chico" Hernández, Klein, Lanier,Sal Maglie, Martin,René Monteagudo,Luis Olmo,Roberto Ortiz,Mickey Owen,Nap Reyes,Adrián Zabala andRoy Zimmerman.^[32]
• May 24
  • FutureHall-of-Fame managerJoe McCarthy, 59, resigns from theNew York Yankees after his 15-plus seasons have produced eight ALpennants, sevenWorld Series titles, and a 1,460–867–21 (.627) regular-season record. Veteran catcherBill Dickey, 38, a future Hall of Famer himself, is immediately named McCarthy's successor. His letter of resignation cites ill health (reported to be a gall-bladder condition) as the "sole reason" for McCarthy's retirement,^[33] but "meddling" by new Yankees co-ownerLarry MacPhail and a serious alcohol binge will also be suggested as causes for his decision. The Yanks are 22–13 and five games behind theBoston Red Sox when the change is made.
  • Another veteran AL manager,Jimmy Dykes of theChicago White Sox, steps down today, withTed Lyons, a Hall-of-Fame pitcher still active at age 45, taking over the team. Dykes, 49, has helmed the White Sox sinceMay 9, 1934, compiling a 899–940–11 (.489) record. The 899 triumphs are most in team history, but his club is only 10–20 this season and only had five over-.500 seasons during Dykes' 13-year reign.
• May 28 – TheWashington Senators defeat theNew York Yankees, 2–1, in the first night game ever played atYankee Stadium. Before 49,917 fans,knuckleball artistDutch Leonard throws a complete-game victory, and knocks in the visitors' winning run with a fourth-inning single.^[34]

• June 7 — ThePittsburgh Pirates' 36 active players vote 20–16 to authorize astrike rather than take the field against theNew York Giants after club presidentWilliam Benswanger refuses to negotiate with theAmerican Baseball Guild, a nascent trade union. However, the union needs a two-thirds "yes" vote (24 players with 1946's expanded rosters) to legally authorize a job action. Thus the strike vote falls short, dealing the Guild a lethal blow. In August, owners will offer minor concessions to players and effectively stave off the creation of a union until 1966.^[35]
• June 8 – AtSportsman's Park, rookieDel Ennis's eighth-inning single is the only blemish on what would have beenRed Barrett'sperfect game as theSt. Louis Cardinals blank thePhiladelphia Phillies, 7–0. Barrett fans three.^[36]
• June 9
  • Ted Williams blasts a pitch from theDetroit Tigers'Fred Hutchinson over the bullpens inFenway Park's right field that's hit so far that, when it returns to earth—502 feet (153 m) from home plate—it breaks the hat of a startled fan fromAlbany, New York, who's taking in the game. Williams calls the homer "as long as I've ever hit one." The seat will be painted red in the park's bleachers to commemorate its landing spot.^[37]
  • TheBoston Braves purchase the contract of their second 29-year-old outfielder in six days, acquiringDanny Litwhiler from theSt. Louis Cardinals. Earlier, on June 3, the Braves had obtainedMike McCormick from theCincinnati Reds in a cash transaction. Upon Litwhiler's playing retirement, he'll become a celebrated U.S.college baseball coach atFlorida State andMichigan State universities from1955 through1982.
  • Mel Ott of theNew York Giants is the firstmanager to beejected from both games of adoubleheader, when the Giants lose both games to thePittsburgh Pirates.^[38]
• June 14
  • Pitcher–managerTed Lyons of theChicago White Sox is released from his playing contract. The futureHall of Famer, 45, retires with a 260–230record and 3.67ERA in 594 games, all with the ChiSox. This season, as his team's "Sunday pitcher", he's 1–4 (2.32) with five complete games in five starts.
  • ThePhiladelphia Athletics purchase the contract of third basemanHank Majeski from theNew York Yankees. He'll be a key part of the Athletics' brief revival of1947–1949.
• June 15
  • TheBrooklyn Dodgers trade veteran second basemanBilly Herman to theBoston Braves for catcherStew Hofferth.
  • TheWashington Senators trade hard-hitting outfielderJeff Heath to theSt. Louis Browns for pitcherAl LaMacchia and outfielderJoe Grace.
• June 20 –Sam Breadon, owner of theSt. Louis Cardinals, flies toMexico City to meet face-to-face withJorge Pasquel, whoseMexican League has enticed 22 MLB players to flee the reserve clause in their contracts and join his circuit. Among the 22 are three key Cardinals—Max Lanier,Lou Klein andFred Martin—who "jumped" Breadon's team four weeks ago. Breadon, who made the trip without permission from theNational League or the Commissioner's office, refuses to reveal the substance of his talks with Pasquel.^[39]Happy Chandler fines Breadon $5,000 for insubordination.^[12]
• June 22 – The Hall-of-Fame big-league career of showman ownerBill Veeck begins when his syndicate purchases theCleveland Indians of theAmerican League fromAlva Bradley and partners for between $1.6 and $2 million. Veeck leads a largely Chicago-based investor group that also includes entertainer and former ClevelanderBob Hope. Only 32, Veeck formerly owned theMilwaukee Brewers of theAmerican Association, where he was known for his relentless promotions and stunts designed to entertain fans in the grandstands.^[40][41]
• June 24 – The team bus carrying theSpokane Indians of theWestern International League crashes onSnoqualmie Pass inWashington State in the worst transit accident in the history of U.S. professional sports as of June 2025. Nine members of the team, includingplayer–manager Mel Cole, are killed and six are injured. Eight of the victims served inWorld War II.^[42]
• June 25 – Veteran sluggerJoe Medwick, 34, signs as a free agent with theBrooklyn Dodgers, his third team of 1946. On the sidelines since theSt. Louis Browns released him April 5, Medwick shakes off the rust to bat .318 with anOPS of .811 as a pinch-hitter and spare outfielder for the Dodgers.
• June 26 – In one of the American League's longest games of the year, the visitingWashington Senators outlast theChicago White Sox, 4–3, in 16 innings. The winning pitcher,Sid Hudson, scores the winning run on third basemanBob Kennedy's error.

• July 7 – TheAll-Star break, which marks the midpoint of the 1946 season, sees theBrooklyn Dodgers (48–26) five games ahead of theSt. Louis Cardinals (43–31) in theNational League, and theBoston Red Sox (54–23) 7½ lengths ahead of theNew York Yankees (47–31) in theAmerican League.
• July 9
  • AtFenway Park, the American League crushes the National League, 12–0, in theAll-Star Game.Red Sox superstarTed Williams goes four-for-four, including two home runs, scores four times, and knocks in five. One of his blasts comes offRip Sewell of thePittsburgh Pirates—the first and only time Sewell's famed "eephus pitch" is belted for a home run.^[43]
  • The first-place Red Sox bolster their bench strength by purchasing the contract of infielderDon Gutteridge from theSt. Louis Browns. Gutteridge, 34, has spent the early weeks of the 1946 season as the player–manager of the Browns'Triple-A affiliate inToledo.
• July 12 –Johnny Sain of theBoston Braves one-hits theCincinnati Reds atCrosley Field.Grady Hatton's first-inningdouble is Cincinnati's only safety, and Sain sets down the Reds' final 25 hitters in order.Bama Rowell scores Boston's run on an RBI infield single byJohnny Hopp.^[44]
• July 14 – Player-managerLou Boudreau of theCleveland Indians hits four doubles and one home run, butTed Williams wallops three homers and drives in eight runs, as theBoston Red Sox top the Indians, 11–10. In the Sox second-game win, the famousBoudreau Shift is born. Boudreau shifts all his players, except the third baseman and left fielder, to the right side of the diamond in an effort to stop Williams. Ted grounds out and walks twice while ignoring the shift; Boston sweeps the twin bill, 6–4.
• July 15 – TheIndians send former "iron man" catcherFrankie Hayes to theChicago White Sox as the"player to be named later" in an earlier transaction in which Cleveland obtained fellow catcherTom Jordan from Chicago.
• July 18 – The slumpingBrooklyn Dodgers fall to theCincinnati Reds for their eighth loss in nine tilts since the All-Star Game; now 49–34, they drop into second place, a half game behind theSt. Louis Cardinals (50–34), who are 7–3 since the break, including a four-game sweep of Brooklyn atSportsman's Park from July 14–16.
• July 19 – Four players and one coach from the visitingChicago White Sox areejected by umpiresRed Jones andBill Summers for "bench jockeying" in the third inning of a game against theBoston Red Sox. When the heckling of the arbiters continues, the remaining White Sox players on the bench are ordered to the clubhouse—but are eligible to play in the contest if needed. The result leaves leaving only managerTed Lyons, two coaches, and the nine players in the lineup in Chicago'sdugout when the team is batting. The ChiSox bullpen also stays eligible for the game. The Red Sox win, 9–2.^[45]
• July 23 – TheRed Sox strengthen their outfield, purchasing the contract of 12-year veteranWally Moses from theWhite Sox. Left-handed hitter Moses, 35, will start three games of the1946 World Series in right field and go five-for-13 (.385) at the plate.
• July 27 – AtBriggs Stadium, theDetroit Tigers' future Hall-of-Fame southpawHal Newhouser wins his 20th game of 1946, handcuffing thePhiladelphia Athletics, 4–2. He allows eight hits and fans eight in his 20th complete game of the year. Newhouser will lead American League hurlers in games won (26; his third straight campaign with 25 or more victories), earned run average (1.94) and strikeouts per nine innings pitched (8.457).

• August 2 – In what will be a characteristic act during his early career as an owner,Bill Veeck, who bought theCleveland Indians six weeks ago, signs free-agent, minor-league shortstopJackie Price, released by theTriple-AOakland Oaks earlier in 1946 after batting .171. But Price, 33, is more known as a stuntman, acrobat and baseball clown than as a ballplayer. He'll appear in only seven games as a shortstop and pinch hitter through September 20, but entertain Cleveland fans with his unique talents.^[46]
• August 4 –St. Louis Brownsrelief pitcherTom Ferrick earns the win in both games of adoubleheader with thePhiladelphia Athletics.
• August 8 – ThePittsburgh Pirates are sold by the heirs ofBarney Dreyfuss, who owned them from 1900 until his 1932 death, to a four-member group headed by Indiana banker, politician and minor-league team ownerFrank E. McKinney, and including real-estate magnateJohn W. Galbreath, entertainerBing Crosby and Pittsburgh attorneyThomas P. Johnson. The reported purchase price is $2.5 million.
• August 9 – All eight big-league games are played at night for the first time in MLB annals.
• August 15 –Sam Chapman slugs three home runs offJoe Dobson, pacing thePhiladelphia Athletics, tail-enders in the Junior Circuit, to a 5–3 victory over the first-placeBoston Red Sox atShibe Park.^[23]
• August 18 –Paul Erickson of theChicago Cubs one-hits thePittsburgh Pirates 8–0 atWrigley Field. A seventh-inning single byBilly Cox spoils Erickson's no-no. The game features a bizarre dispute in which the Pirates argue thathome-plate umpireLou Jorda forgot the ball-strike count and awarded awalk to a Cubs' hitter after only three balls.^[47]

• August 27
  • A six-member subcommittee, including both league presidents and two owners from each circuit, presents an explosive—and top secret—report to all 16 MLB magnates dealing with highly charged topics such as the shaky legality of thereserve clause, theMexican League raids and recent unsuccessful player unionization effort by theAmerican Baseball Guild, and the threatenedracial integration of the major leagues.
    • The report, nicknamed after the subcommittee chair,Larry MacPhail of theNew York Yankees, warns that the reserve clause must be amended to avoid being overturned in court. It advocates establishment of a pension plan to improve labor relations and fend off future union organizing among MLB players.^[48]
    • It also argues fiercely against breaking thebaseball color line, offering five reasons why the major leagues must remain all-white—including the argument that black fans thronging to MLB games in venues like New York and Chicago will depress the market value of the clubs in those cities.^[49][50]
    • According to some statements from then-CommissionerHappy Chandler and then-Brooklyn Dodgers presidentBranch Rickey, owners will approve the MacPhail Report 15–1.^[51][52] The lone dissenter: Rickey, who signedJackie Robinson to aTriple-A contract last October and other young black players this season.
  • On the field of play, atSportsman's Park, Rickey'sDodgers rack up 16 hits and starting pitcherKirby Higbe wins his 13th game, enabling Brooklyn to tie their arch-rivalSt. Louis Cardinals in the NL pennant race. Both clubs are 75–47, with 32 games to play. TheChicago Cubs are third, eight games out.^[53]
• August 31 –Luke Sewell, who led the1944 St. Louis Browns to the first American Leaguepennant in their history, hands over the team's managerial reins to interim pilotJames "Zack" Taylor. Sewell, 45, steps down with a winning record (432–410–8,.513) over all or part of six seasons; he's one of the few Browns' skippers who will finish above .500 for his tenure there.

• September 2 – After today'sLabor Day doubleheaders, the 81–49St. Louis Cardinals (who sweep theCincinnati Reds) increase theirNational League lead to 2½ games over the 78–51Brooklyn Dodgers (who split with thePhiladelphia Phillies). Meanwhile, in theAmerican League, the 94–40Boston Red Sox sweep the second-place, 77–54New York Yankees to move 15½ games out in front; they're coasting to the club's first AL pennant since1918.
• September 3 –Detroit Tigers starting pitcherVirgil Trucks goes 151⁄3 innings atComiskey Park against theChicago White Sox, but leaves with a 3–2 lead and the tying run on third in the home half of the 16th. RelieverStubby Overmire then allows back-to-back doubles toWhitey Platt andTaffy Wright, and the ChiSox come away with a 4–3 come-from-behind triumph.^[54]
• September 7 – FutureHall-of-Fame catcherErnie Lombardi's second-inning solo homer is the only hit allowed by starterKirby Higbe, and theBrooklyn Dodgers defeat Lombardi'sNew York Giants, 4–1, atEbbets Field to tighten the NL pennant race. The Dodgers now trail theSt. Louis Cardinals by 1½ games.^[55]
• September 11
  • Two marathon games end in ties in the National League.
    • AtEbbets Field, theCincinnati Reds andBrooklyn Dodgers battle to a 19-inning, scoreless stalemate before the game is halted by a curfew. Thesecond-division Reds'Johnny Vander Meer throws 15 shutout innings before leaving for relieverHarry Gumbert. It's the second-longest scoreless tie in history. The game will be fully replayed September 20 in Brooklyn, and the pennant-contending Dodgers will win, 5–3.^[56]
    • AtBraves Field, theChicago Cubs andBoston play to a 17-inning, 3–3 tie.^[57]

• September 12 – Managerial turmoil, unusual for the normally staid franchise, continues for theNew York Yankees, asBill Dickey informs co-owner and club presidentLarry MacPhail that he doesn't want to return for1947. New York is 79–61 and a distant third in American League; they're 57–48 under Dickey. His resignation also ends Dickey'sHall-of-Fame playing career; he has been a pinch hitter for most of his nearly four-month-long managerial stint. He had taken over from legendary skipperJoe McCarthy on May 24 and his departure means the Yanks will have three different managers over the course of 1946.
• September 13
  • TheBoston Red Sox clinch the ALpennant, edging theCleveland Indians, 1–0, at Cleveland'sLeague Park II onTed Williams' inside-the-park home run, the only one of his career. Williams punches the ball over the shift when Cleveland left fielderPat Seerey pulls in behind the shortstop position. It is Boston's seventh league title, and first since1918.
  • Ironically, the arch-rivalNew York Yankees help the Bosox' cause by eliminating their nearest competitor in the race, the second-placeDetroit Tigers, 5–4, atBriggs Stadium inJohnny Neun's first game as the Bombers' interim manager.^[58]
• September 14 – The new owners of thePittsburgh Pirates hireH. Roy Hamey as their general manager, and shift former GMRay Kennedy to farm system director. Hamey, 44, most recently was president of theTriple-AAmerican Association, but is best known for his long service running the front office of theNew York Yankees'Kansas City affiliate.
• September 16 – MLB owners, meeting again in New York only three weeks after their August 27–28 confab, revoke a decision taken at the August sessions to increase the regular season schedule from 154 to 168 games.
• September 21 –Muddy Ruel announces his resignation as assistant toCommissionerHappy Chandler to return to uniform as the field manager of the1947 St. Louis Browns.^[59] Ruel, 50, spent 19 seasons as a catcher for six American League teams and holds a law degree fromWashington University in St. Louis.
• September 25
  • RookieRalph Kiner, 23, drills his 23rd homer of 1946 to help hisPittsburgh Pirates to an eventual, 16-inning victory atWrigley Field. His 23 long balls are enough to lead the National League this season, starting a streak in which Kiner will lead or co-lead the NL in home runs for seven consecutive years. Kiner will be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975.
  • The Hall-of-Fame managerial career ofBill McKechnie ends just prior to the conclusion of his 25th season, when he and theCincinnati Reds end their nine-year relationship. Since1938, McKechnie, 60, has led the formerly hapless Reds to a 744–631–11 (.541) record, consecutive NL pennants (1939–1940), and the1940 World Series title. Cincinnati is 64–86 today afterBucky Walters shuts out theSt. Louis Cardinals 7–0 atSportsman's Park. CoachHank Gowdy, a longtime McKechnie aide, will finish 1946 as acting skipper;Johnny Neun, interim pilot of theNew York Yankees, will be hired to take the Cincinnati helm for1947.
• September 27 – TheSt. Louis Cardinals, sole owners of first place in the National League since August 28, fall into a dead heat with the idleBrooklyn Dodgers by dropping a 7–2 decision to the visitingChicago Cubs. With two games left in the regular season, each team is 95–57. The Dodgers' record in September, so far, is 20–7; the Cardinals' is 17–9.
• September 28 – The month sees another managerial casualty whenFrankie Frisch quits thePittsburgh Pirates with three games remaining in the Bucs' season. CoachSpud Davis is temporarily handed the team's reins. Frisch, 49, has directed the Pirates to a 539–528 record since Opening Day1940.
• September 29
  • The end of the regulation National League season results in the first flat-footed tie in the circuit's 71-year history when both theSt. Louis Cardinals andBrooklyn Dodgers lose their final games and "finish" the year at 96–58. The teams will meet in an unprecedented, best-of-three tiebreaker series to determine thepennant-winner.
  • When the Dodgers win a coin-toss to determine home-field advantage, their risk-taking manager,Leo Durocher, opts to start the series on the road, in St. Louis, with Game 2 and Game 3 (if needed) to be played at Brooklyn'sEbbets Field.^[60] The Cardinals dominated the Dodgers 14–8 during the 154-game "regular" season (8–3 atSportsman's Park), outscoring them 109–80.
• September 30 – Veteran second basemanBilly Herman, pitcherElmer Singleton, infielderWhitey Wietelmann and outfielderStan Wentzel are traded by theBoston Braves to thePittsburgh Pirates for catcherHank Camelli and third basemanBob Elliott. The Pirates' new owners immediately hire the savvy Herman, 37 and a future Hall of Famer, as theirplayer–manager for1947, but they grossly overpay by giving up Elliott, who'll win the1947NL MVP Award and help lead Boston to the1948 National League pennant.

• October 1
  • TheSt. Louis Cardinals and theBrooklyn Dodgers meet in the first-everNational Leaguetie-breaker series. The best-of-three showdown is not a "postseason" event: it's an extension of the 154-game NL schedule, with all statistics counting toward regular-season totals.^[61]
    • Today's "Game 1" (actually #155 for St. Louis and #156 for Brooklyn) at St. Louis'Sportsman's Park sees Redbird southpawHowie Pollet notch his 21st triumph of 1946, throwing a complete-game, 4–2 victory; two third-inning runs give the Cardinals an insurmountable 3–1 advantage and they travel to Brooklyn needing only one victory to seal the pennant.
  • Meanwhile, theAmerican League champions, theBoston Red Sox, concerned about the negative impacts of a three-day layoff during the NL tie-breaker, schedule a three-game, "friendly" exhibition series against a team of AL "All-Stars" atFenway Park, to stay sharp. Their strategy backfires spectacularly today, when, in Game 1, superstarTed Williams is nicked on the right elbow by aMickey Haefner curveball; he's taken to a hospital for X-rays and held out of the rest of the series. His sore elbow will be blamed for Williams' poor showing (five for 25, all singles, one run batted in) in the seven games of the1946 World Series.^[61][62]
• October 3 – After a travel day, the1946 NL tiebreaker resumes atEbbets Field for "Game 2". TheCardinals'Murry Dickson spots theDodgers a run in the bottom of the first, then shuts them out for the next seven innings, while the Redbirds score eight unanswered tallies before Brooklyn's bats awaken, too late, in the final frame. The Cardinals' 8–4 triumph delivers St. Louis's ninth National League flag in 21 years.^[63][64]
• October 4 – AtDelorimier Downs,Montréal, theMontreal Royals,champions of the International League, defeat theAmerican Association championLouisville Colonels, 2–0, to capture the 1946Junior World Series, four games to two. The Royals are this century's firstracially integrated team in "organized"Minor League Baseball and featureJackie Robinson, who—under tremendous pressure—helped his team post a regular-season record of 100–54 and won the International League'sbatting title (.349); then he bats .400 in the Junior Series.^[18] Robinson is given a hero's send-off by Montréal fans, who lift him to their shoulders and sing"Il a gagné ses épaulettes" ("He earned his laurels") after the game.^[5][65]
• October 11 – High-profile ownersBill Veeck andLarry MacPhail share today's spotlight with Game 5 of the1946 World Series when Veeck'sCleveland Indians obtain six-time All-Star second basemanJoe Gordon from MacPhail'sNew York Yankees for starting pitcherAllie Reynolds. Gordon, 31, is a former (1942)AL MVP; he's bound for the Hall of Fame. Reynolds, 29, is only51–47 (3.31) in all or parts of five years in Cleveland; he'll become a cornerstone of six world-champion pitching staffs and a 5x All-Star during his eight seasons in pinstripes.

• October 15 – AtSportsman's Park, theSt. Louis Cardinals defeat theBoston Red Sox, 4–3, in Game 7 of theWorld Series to win their sixth World Series, four games to three.Harry Walker's eighth-inningdouble scoresEnos Slaughterfrom first base with the decisive run, andHarry Brecheen's pitching continues to baffle the Bosox; previously the author of two, complete-game triumphs, "the Cat" wins today's game in relief and posts a dominant 3–0 (0.45) record in the Fall Classic, allowing only one run in three games and 20 innings of work. The Red Sox will not appear in a World Series for another21 years, which, coincidentally, will be a rematch with the Cardinals.
• October 23 – At theEvangeline League (Class D) owners meeting, allegations are made that players from theHouma Indians andAbbeville Athletics had conspired withbookies to throw games during the league's final series.^[66][67]
• October 24 – TheNew York Yankees trade right-handerTiny Bonham to thePittsburgh Pirates for southpawCookie Cuccurullo. Bonham, 33, won 21 games for the1942 Yankees but slumped to a 5–8 (3.70) mark in 18 games for the 1946 Bombers.
• October 26 – In his nationally syndicated newspaper column, influential journalist and commentatorWestbrook Pegler alleges thatLeo Durocher is associating with known gamblers and racketeers through his close friendship with actorGeorge Raft. In a series of columns in the coming weeks, Pegler will continue to attack theBrooklyn Dodgers' manager (and Raft) as "threats to society."^[68]

• November 1 – Among the selections in theRule 5 draft is first basemanFerris Fain, 25, a future two-timebatting champion, acquired by thePhiladelphia Athletics from theSan Francisco Seals of thePacific Coast League.
• November 5 – After weeks of speculation,Bucky Harris is formally announced as manager of the1947 Yankees. Harris, 49, the long-ago "Boy Wonder" as playing skipper of the1924–1925Washington Senators, has been serving as an aide to Yankees' co-owner, president and general managerLarry MacPhail since mid-September. His imminent hiring had been expected since then, but conflicting reports indicating that MacPhail secretly wanted to lureLeo Durocher away from theBrooklyn Dodgers had led to rumors and intrigue in baseball circles, a backdrop to the soon-to-happen public feud that ranges MacPhail against Durocher and Dodger bossBranch Rickey.^[69]
• November 14 –Ted Williams wins his first-everBBWAA American League MVP Award. The 28-year-old "Splendid Splinter" helped hisBoston Red Sox capture their first AL flag since1918—the year of Williams' birth—leading his circuit inruns scored (142),bases on balls received (156),on-base percentage (.497),slugging percentage (.667),OPS (1.164),total bases (343) andbWAR (10.4); and coming in second toMickey Vernon inbatting average (.342), and second toHank Greenberg in bothhome runs (38) andruns batted in (123). Williams receives nine of 24 first-place votes, and outdistancesHal Newhouser (three first-place votes), and teammateBobby Doerr (five).^[70]
• November 22
  • Stan Musial, who turned 26 yesterday, wins the secondNational League MVP Award of his five-year career. He takes 22 of 24 first-place votes, withEnos Slaughter, his teammate on theworld championSt. Louis Cardinals, collecting the other two top nods. Musial led the Senior Circuit in runs scored (124),hits (228),doubles (50),triples (20), batting (.365), slugging percentage (.587), OPS (1.021), total bases (366) and bWAR (9.3).^[70] Musial previously was1943's NL MVP.
  • Commissioner of BaseballHappy Chandler meets one on one withLeo Durocher at anOakland country club to warn theBrooklyn Dodgers' manager to avoidGeorge Raft and gambling and underworld figures such asBugsy Siegel andJoe Adonis or face discipline. Durocher agrees to comply with Chandler's warning; however, he reveals that he's romantically involved with Hollywood starletLaraine Day—who is married to another man.^[68][71] Two weeks later, their adulterous affair hits the headlines when, during her divorce hearing, Day's estranged husband publicly accuses Durocher of stealing his wife's affections.^[72]

• December 4
  • TheBrooklyn Dodgers deal outfielderAugie Galan to theCincinnati Reds for pitcherEd Heusser. Galan, 34, shared Brooklyn's left-field job withPete Reiser during 1946 and batted .310 in 99 games.
  • George Trautman, 56,general manager (GM) of theDetroit Tigers for only 11 months, succeedsWilliam G. Bramham as president of theNational Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the governing body ofminor league baseball.Billy Evans, 62, formerumpire and GM of theCleveland Indians (1927–1935) replaces Trautman in Detroit's front office on December 16.
• December 5 – TheChicago White Sox sign pitcherRed Ruffing as a free agent. Future Hall of Famer Ruffing, 41, was released by theNew York Yankees on September 20 after going321–124 (3.47) in 15 seasons in the Bronx.
• December 6 – TheYankees andCleveland Indians make another off-season trade, with the Bombers sending pitchersGene Bearden andAl Gettel and outfielderHal Peck to Cleveland for catcherSherm Lollar and second basemanRay Mack. Bearden will become key to the Indians'1948world-championship season.
• December 7 –Cleveland remains active in the trade market, obtaining veteran catcherAl López from thePittsburgh Pirates for young outfielderGene Woodling. López, 38, is a formerNational LeagueAll-Star who has caught 1,861 games in the Senior Circuit since 1928.
• December 9
  • TheSt. Louis Cardinals sell the contract of right-handerRed Barrett to theBoston Braves. Barrett, 31, had won 23 games for the1945 Cardinals after St. Louis had acquired him from Boston in a May 23, 1945 trade.
  • ThePhiladelphia Phillies purchase the contract of knuckleball hurlerDutch Leonard from theWashington Senators.
• December 11 – TheNew York Yankees sign veteran National League sluggerJoe Medwick, now a spare outfielder and pinch hitter, as a free agent. Medwick, 35, had been released by theBrooklyn Dodgers on October 9. The Yankees will release the future Hall of Famer on April 29, 1947, without using him in any American League games.
• December 15 – ThePhiladelphia Athletics sign amateur free agent pitcher and war veteranLou Brissie. During hisWorld War II service, the 22-year-old southpaw was badly wounded in action during theItalian campaign on December 7, 1944; he required 40 blood transfusions and 23 operations, including the insertion of a metal plate in his left leg, to repair his injuries. Pitching with the aid of a leg brace, Brissie will win 23 games forSavannah of theSally League in 1947 and make his MLB debut on September 28. He'll appear in 234 games over his seven-season big-league career and be selected to the1949 AL All-Star team.^[73][74]
• December 16 – TheSt. Louis Browns sendFrank Mancuso to theWashington Senators for fellow catcherJake Early.
• December 26 – CatcherClyde Kluttz joins his fourth NL club of calendar year 1946 when theSt. Louis Cardinals sell his contract to thePittsburgh Pirates. Future MLB scout and executive Kluttz, 29, started the season with theNew York Giants and on May 1 was briefly the property of thePhiladelphia Phillies.

• January 2 –Sonny Ruberto
• January 3 –Archie Reynolds
• January 7 –Joe Keough
• January 10:
  • Vern Geishert
  • George Korince
• January 15 –Tom Robson
• January 18 –Billy Grabarkewitz
• January 21 –Johnny Oates
• January 29 –Tony Pierce

• February 5:
  • Vic Correll
  • Norm Miller
• February 8:
  • Oscar Brown
  • Larry Burchart
• February 10 –Bob Spence
• February 23 –Ken Boswell
• February 28 –Marty Perez

• March 4 –Danny Frisella
• March 5 –Les Rohr
• March 14 –Ron Law
• March 15 –Bobby Bonds
• March 18 –Van Kelly
• March 21:
  • Rickey Clark
  • Al Fitzmorris
• March 27:
  • Mike Jackson
  • Bill Sudakis
• March 31:
  • Bill Denehy
  • Gonzalo Márquez

• April 3 –Rod Gaspar
• April 8 –Catfish Hunter
• April 9 –Nate Colbert
• April 10:
  • Phil Hennigan
  • Leroy Stanton
  • Bob Watson
• April 16 –Sergio Robles
• April 18 –Gerry Janeski
• April 20:
  • Chuck Machemehl
  • Tom Hutton
• April 29 –Don Buschhorn

• May 10:
  • Miguel Fuentes
  • Ray Jarvis
• May 17 –Dan Monzon
• May 18 –Reggie Jackson
• May 20:
  • Jim Lyttle
  • Bobby Murcer
• May 22:
  • Jim Colborn
  • Dave Robinson
• May 24 –Ellie Rodriguez
• May 25 –Mike Corkins
• May 28 –Skip Jutze
• May 29 –Dyar Miller
• May 30 –Mike Sadek

• June 2 –Roger Freed
• June 6 –Gaylen Pitts
• June 8 –Jack Lind
• June 9 –Tom Egan
• June 11 –Danny Morris
• June 12 –Jim Strickland
• June 15:
  • Ken Henderson
  • Champ Summers
• June 16 –Tom Ragland
• June 19 –Ozzie Osborn
• June 28 –Greg Sims

• July 4 –Joe Henderson
• July 7 –Rick Kester
• July 9 –George Stone
• July 13 –Jerry Terrell
• July 15 –Ron Diorio
• July 20 –John Lamb
• July 22 –Bill Zepp
• July 27 –Larry Biittner
• July 29 –Harvey Shank

• August 4 –Kevin Collins
• August 9 –Jerry Moses
• August 11:
  • Mike Hedlund
  • Eddie Leon
• August 15:
  • Joe Lis
  • Ernie McAnally
• August 17 –Skip Lockwood
• August 18:
  • Derryl Cousins
  • Jim Magnuson
• August 22 –Gary Boyd
• August 25 –Rollie Fingers
• August 27:
  • Ed Herrmann
  • Ray Peters
• August 28 –Mike Torrez
• August 29:
  • Bill McNulty
  • John Sipin

• September 1 –Monty Montgomery
• September 4:
  • Sal Artiaga
  • Ken Wright
• September 6 –Fran Healy
• September 7:
  • Willie Crawford
  • Joe Rudi
• September 8:
  • Ken Forsch
  • Jeff Pentland
• September 18 –Dave Sells
• September 19:
  • Joe Ferguson
  • Ron Lolich
• September 20 –Roric Harrison
• September 22 –Larry Dierker
• September 24:
  • Lou Camilli
  • Kōichi Tabuchi

• October 1 –Jon Warden
• October 2 –Bob Robertson
• October 6:
  • Gene Clines
  • Gary Gentry
• October 8:
  • Ralph Gagliano
  • Paul Splittorff
  • Mike Wegener
• October 9 –Jim Qualls
• October 10 –Gene Tenace
• October 11 –Jarvis Tatum
• October 13 –John Strohmayer
• October 14:
  • Frank Duffy
  • Al Oliver
• October 15 –Scott Northey
• October 17 –Rich Folkers
• October 18 –George Greer
• October 19 –Warren Bogle
• October 25:
  • Don Eddy
  • Koji Yamamoto
• October 27 –Rick Austin
• October 29 –Frank Baker

• November 1:
  • Dick Baney
  • Jim Kennedy
• November 2 –Tom Paciorek
• November 3:
  • Tom Heintzelman
  • Garry Hill
• November 4 –Danny Godby
• November 5:
  • Jim Bethke
  • Jim Evans
• November 13 –George Theodore
• November 22:
  • Cy Acosta
  • Rich McKinney
• November 25:
  • Wenty Ford
  • Don Leshnock

• December 2 –Pedro Borbón
• December 3 –Greg Washburn
• December 8 –Alan Foster
• December 9 –Rick Bladt
• December 10 –Bobby Fenwick
• December 15 –Art Howe
• December 17 –Michiyo Arito
• December 25 –Gene Lamont
• December 28 –Spaceman Bill Lee
• December 29 –Ken Rudolph

• January 13 –Kid Speer, 59, Canadian pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers during the 1909 season.
• January 18
  • Reeve McKay, 64, pitcher who played briefly for the 1915 St. Louis Browns of the American League.
  • Dave Wright, 70, pitcher who played with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1895 and the Chicago Colts in 1897.
• January 23 –William Matthews, 68, pitcher for the 1909 Boston Red Sox.
• January 28 –Pat Flaherty, 79, third baseman who played for the 1894 Louisville Colonels of the National League.
• January 29 –Ed Merrill, 85, second baseman for the Louisville Eclipse, Worcester Ruby Legs and Indianapolis Hoosiers in span of two seasons from 1882 to 1884.

• February 1 –Dad Hale, 65, pitched 11 games for the Boston Beaneaters and Baltimore Orioles in 1902.
• February 6 –Charlie Knepper, 74, pitcher for the 1899 Cleveland Spiders of the National League.
• February 13 –Marc Campbell, 61, shortstop in two games for the 1907 Pittsburgh Pirates.
• February 14 –Woody Wagenhorst, 82, third baseman in two games for the 1888 Philadelphia Quakers of the National League who later became head coach of the University of Pennsylvania football team from 1888 to 1891.
• February 15 –George Starnagle, 72, played one game at catcher for the Cleveland Bronchos in the 1902 season.
• February 21 –Bill Cunningham, 59, second baseman for the Washington Senators from 1910–1912.

• March 3 –Hick Cady, 60, backup catcher for the Boston Red Sox from 1912 to 1917 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 1919.
• March 6 –Claude Thomas, 55, pitched briefly for the Washington Senators in the 1916 season.
• March 9 –Tom Nagle, 80, catcher for the Chicago Colts of the National League for parts of two seasons from 1890 to 1891.
• March 11 –Ed McDonald, 59, third baseman for parts of three seasons with the Boston Rustlers/Braves and Chicago Cubs from 1911 to 1913.
• March 16 –John Kerin, 71, American League umpire who officiated from 1908 to 1910.
• March 21 –George Wheeler, 76, switch pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1896 to 1899.
• March 25 –Hack Schumann, 61, pitched briefly for the 1906 Philadelphia Athletics.
• March 28
  • Chick Fullis, 45, center fielder who played from 1928 to 1936 for the New York Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals, and a member of the 1934 World Champions Cardinals.
  • Cumberland Posey, 55, Hall of Fame outfielder, manager, executive, and the principal owner of theHomestead Grays, who built a strong barnstorming circuit that made the Grays a perennially powerful and profitable team, one of the best in Negro leagues history.

• April 1 –George Strief, 89, utility man who played all infield and outfield positions for several clubs between 1879 and 1885.
• April 4 –Harry Cross, 64, one of the most accomplished sports journalists in New York City for more than three decades.
• April 5 –Wally Rehg, 57, right fielder for the Boston Red Sox, Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds between 1912 and 1919, later a minor league player and manager from 1910 to 1930
• April 13 –Billy Gumbert, 80, pitcher who played for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys/Pirates and Louisville Colonels in part of three seasons spanning 1890–1893.
• April 15 –Pete Allen, 77, backup catcher for the Cleveland Spiders in the 1893 season.
• April 17 –John Picus "Jack" Quinn, 62, Slovakia-born pitcher who won 247 games with eight different teams from 1909 to 1933, winning his last game when he was 50 years old; setting a record as the oldest Major League pitcher to win a game untilJamie Moyer broke it onApril 17, 2012.
• April 23
  • Joe Birmingham, 61, center fielder and manager for the Cleveland Naps in the early 1900s.
  • Jack Rothfuss, 74, first baseman for the 1897 Pittsburgh Pirates.

• May 6 –Bill Deitrick, 44, outfielder and shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1927 and 1928.
• May 7
  • Bill Fincher, 51, pitcher for the 1916 St. Louis Browns of the American League.
  • Bill Fox, 74, second baseman for the Washington Senators in 1897 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1901, who also spent 13 seasons in the minor leagues as a player/manager between 1894 and 1915.
• May 10 –Harry Swan, 58, who made one pitching appearance for the Kansas City Packers of the "outlaw" Federal League in 1914.
• May 15 –Ed Mayer, 80, third baseman in 188 games for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1890 to 1891.
• May 17 –Billy Stage, 77, National League umpire in 1894–1895 who later became an attorney and politician in Cleveland, Ohio.
• May 19
  • Jack Stafford, 66 or 67, Canadian umpire who worked one game in the National League (1906) and 131 contests in American League (1907).
  • John K. Tener, 82, Ireland-born pitcher and outfielder who played from 1888 through 1890 for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Stockings and Pittsburgh Burghers before becoming president of the National League from 1913 to 1918.
• May 22 –Harry Betts, 64, who pitched one game in 1903 with the St. Louis Cardinals, and then came back to the majors ten years later in 1913 to pitch one more game for the Cincinnati Reds in 1913.
• May 23 –Johnny Grabowski, 46, catcher who played for three teams in a span of seven seasons from 1924 to 1931, and a member of theMurderers' Row New York Yankees clubs that clinched the World Series in 1927 and 1928.
• May 30 –Billy Earle, 78, catcher for five major league teams in five seasons from 1889 to 1894, who continued playing and managing in the minors until 1906, and also managed theAlmendares BBC in 1901 to become the first American manager in Cuban Winter League history.

• June 2 –Malcolm MacDonald, 74, outfielder for the New York Giants in 1902.
• June 4 –Tom Barry, 67, pitcher for the 1904 Philadelphia Phillies.
• June 17 –James Isaminger, 65, sportswriter for Philadelphia newspapers from 1905 to 1940, who played a major role in breaking the story of theBlack Sox Scandal.
• June 26 –Chris Hartje, 31, catcher who played with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1939 season; Hartje was one of nine members of theSpokane Indians of the Class B Western International League who died as the result of a June 24, 1946, bus crash on the Snoqualmie Pass Highway in the Cascade Mountains, the worst transit accident in baseball history.
• June 30 –Sam Hope, 67, pitcher for the 1907 Philadelphia Athletics.

• July 1 –Hub Knolls, 62, pitched two games for the 1906 Brooklyn Superbas.
• July 17
  • John Fluhrer, 52, played briefly in left field for the Chicago Cubs during the 1915 season.
  • Tom Forster, 87, second baseman for the 1882 Detroit Wolverines and from 1884–1886 for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys and New York Metropolitans of the American Association.
• July 18 –James Lehan, 90, played briefly in the outfield for the 1884 Washington Nationals of the Union Association.
• July 22 –Elmer Foster, 84, outfielder for all or parts of five seasons for the New York Metropolitans of the American Association, and the New York Giants and Chicago Cubs of the National League between 1886 and 1891, including the 1888 Giants National League Championship team.

• August 1 –Bert Sincock, 58, pitched one game for the 1908 Cincinnati Reds.
• August 2 –Carl Lind, 42, second baseman from 1927 to 1930 for the Cleveland Indians who led the American League in at-bats in 1928 (659).
• August 6 –Tony Lazzeri, 42, Hall of Fame and All-Star second baseman for the New York Yankees, who won six American League pennants from 1926 through 1937, while batting .300 five times and collecting seven 100-RBI seasons, including two grand slams and 11 RBI in a 1936 game, and a .400 average in the1937 World Series.
• August 7 –Tad Quinn, 64, played parts of two seasons on the mound for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1902 to 1903.
• August 16 –Billy Rhiel, 46, infielder for the Brooklyn Robins, Boston Braves, and Detroit Tigers from 1929 to 1933.
• August 19 –Bob McKinney, 70, played briefly in the infield for the 1901 Philadelphia Athletics.

• September 11 –Cy Morgan, 50, pitcher for parts of two seasons for the Boston Braves in 1921–1922.
• September 13 –Ed Gagnier, 64, French shortstop who played in the Federal League for the Brooklyn Tip-Tops and Buffalo Blues from 1914 to 1915.
• September 15 –Tex Wilson, 45, pitched two games for the 1924 Brooklyn Robins.
• September 16 –Emil Bildilli, 34, southpaw pitcher for five seasons for the St. Louis Browns from 1937 to 1941.
• September 17
  • Frank Burke, 66, played parts of two seasons at outfielder for the 1906 New York Giants and the 1907 Boston Doves of the National League.
  • Chief Chouneau, 57, Chippewa pitcher who played in one game for the Chicago White Sox in 1910.
• September 20 –Wiley Piatt, 72, pitcher for six seasons from 1898 to 1903 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, and Boston Beaneaters, who holds the dubious distinction of being the only pitcher in the 20th century to hurl two complete games in a single day and lose them both.
• September 24 –Jeff Tesreau, 58, spitball ace for the New York Giants from 1912 to 1918 who won three pennants with them (1912, 1913, and 1917), and led the National League in ERA in 1912 and shutouts in 1914, ending his career with a 115–72 record, 2.43 ERA, and 880 strikeouts.
• September 27
  • Benjamin Minor, 81, co-owner or owner of the Washington Senators from 1904 to 1919.
  • Eddie Tiemeyer, 61, infielder/pitcher during three seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Highlanders spanning 1906 to 1909.

• October 4 –John Woods, 48, pitched one game for the 1924 Boston Red Sox.
• October 10
  • Walter Clarkson, 67, pitcher in five seasons with the New York Highlanders and Cleveland Naps from 1904 to 1908.
  • Bill Jones, 59, outfielder who played two seasons with the Boston Rustlers/Braves in 1911–1912.
• October 18 –Jack McCallister, 67, minor league player who became a major league manager and coach; piloted 1927 Cleveland Indians to a 66–87 record, good for sixth in the American League.

• November 3 –Ben Taylor, 57, pitcher for the 1912 Cincinnati Reds.
• November 4 –John Barthold, 64, pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Athletics during the 1904 season.
• November 5 –Alejandro Oms, 51, Cuban center fielder who played in the Negro leagues.
• November 7 –Tom Daly, 54, Canadian catcher for the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs during eight seasons spanning 1913–1921, who later managed theToronto Maple Leafs of the International League, and coached for the Boston Red Sox in 14 seasons (1933–1946), to set the longest consecutive-year coaching tenure in Bosox history.
• November 11 –Art Reinhart, 47, pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in a span of five seasons from 1919 to 1928.
• November 18 –Johnny Lush, 61, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals from 1904 through 1910, who no-hit the Brooklyn Superbas in 1906, which was the last no-hitter by a Phillies pitcher in 57 years untilJim Bunning hurled a perfect game in 1964.
• November 27 –Arlie Tarbert, 42, reserve outfielder for the 1927–1928 Boston Red Sox.
• November 28 –Bill DeLancey, 35, catcher for theGashouse Gang 1934 St. Louis Cardinals, whose promising career was cut short bytuberculosis.
• November 30 –Pete McShannic, 82, third baseman for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys of the National League in the 1888 season.

• December 10
  • Walter Johnson, 59, Hall of Fame pitcher who played from 1907 through 1927 for the Washington Senators, whose 417 career victories ranks second to the 511 achieved byCy Young, while setting an all-time record with 110 shutouts, and collecting 3,509 strikeouts, twelve 20-win seasons, including two 30-win seasons, as well as 11 seasons with an earned run average below 2.00, 5,914 innings pitched, and 531 complete games in 666 starts;^[75] managed Washington (1929–1932) and the Cleveland Indians (1933–1935) to a 529–432 record.
  • Walter Moser, 65, pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Browns in a span of three seasons from 1906 to 1911.
  • Damon Runyon, 62, famed New York sportswriter and author.
• December 14 –Tom Dowse, 80, Irish catcher/outfielder who played in the 1890s for the Cleveland Spiders/Solons, Louisville Colonels, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Senators.
• December 16 –Walter Ball, 68, pitcher in Black baseball who appeared for the 1920–1921 Chicago Giants of the Negro National League; also played on integrated amateur teams in Minnesota and the Dakotas during the turn of the century.
• December 21 –Bill Evans, 53, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in three seasons from 1916 to 1919.
• December 30 –Pat McGehee, 58, pitcher who played for the 1912 Detroit Tigers.

• Baseball Reference – 1946 MLB Season Summary
• Baseball Reference – MLB Players born in 1946
• Baseball Reference – MLB Players died in 1946

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