Although theNegro American League would last until 1960, 1951 was, notably, the last season in which the Negro American League was considered major-league caliber, which was itself the last majorNegro league baseball organization.
January 26 – TheBBWAA votes retired sluggersJimmie Foxx andMel Ott into theBaseball Hall of Fame. At 534 and 511 career home runs respectively, they are the only men to crack the 500-homer mark—apart fromBabe Ruth and his legendary 714 blows.
March 12 – For the second time in three months,Commissioner of BaseballHappy Chandler loses his bid for a new contract when he fails to secure the required support of 12 of the 16 MLB owners.[3] The final tally is nine for Chandler, seven against. The former U.S. Senator, who became baseball's second permanent "czar" in April 1945, will serve as "lame duck" commissioner until he steps down July 14.
March 21 – During spring training,Pittsburgh Pirates left-handed-throwing first basemanDale Long appears as a catcher in an exhibition game atSan Diego, after Pirates general managerBranch Rickey decides to flout tradition. The experiment goes nowhere, with Long appearing almost exclusively as a pinch hitter and playing seven innings at first base before he's sent to theSt. Louis Browns onwaivers June 1. Long eventually catches catch two innings in1958 as a member of theChicago Cubs, using his first baseman's mitt.[4]
March 30 –Johnny Vander Meer, who had made history as the first and only pitcher in major league history to toss two consecutive no-hitters, is released by theChicago Cubs. He signs as a free agent with theCleveland Indians on April 6.
AtShibe Park, thePhiladelphia Athletics and theWashington Senators play the firstOpening Day night game inAmerican League history.[5] The Senators prevail, 6–1, behind the solid pitching of Cuban 40-year-oldConnie Marrero, as hisbatterymateMickey Grasso hits a three-run home run. Marrero pitches nine strong innings, allowing one earned run on seven hits and two walks while striking out six batters.Bobby Shantz is the losing pitcher.[6] Marking another milestone, this is the Philadelphia AL franchise's first Opening Day with someone other than legendaryConnie Mack at the helm; he had managed the Athletics for 50 years and 7,466 games before his retirement in October 1950 at age 87.Jimmy Dykes, Mack's former stalwart third baseman, runs the Philadelphia bench this season.
May 4 – Leading off today's game at thePolo Grounds,Pete Castiglione of thePittsburgh Pirates triples offSal Maglie, then scores one out later on a fielder's choice. Castiglione's is the only hit Maglie will allow, as he spins a 5–1 complete-game victory for hisNew York Giants.[10] Maglie's will be one of 11 one-hitters thrown by MLB hurlers in 1951.[11]
May 7 – Pitching for theCleveland Indians,Johnny Vander Meer gives up eight hits and six runs, all of them earned, while striking out two and walking one. Vander Meer, a four-time all star, is relieved byJerry Fahr after allowing a single toFrank Sacka in Cleveland's 11-10 loss to Washington. It will be Vander Meer's final appearance in the major leagues.[12]
TheGiants sell the contract of second-year outfielderJack Maguire to thePittsburgh Pirates.Willie Mays, who was originally issued uniform #14 when he was called up fromMinneapolis on May 25, inherits Maguire's #24 and will immortalize the digit for the remainder of hisHall-of-Fame career.
June 22 –Bill Veeck, the flamboyant former owner of theCleveland Indians, announces that he has purchased controlling interest in the downtroddenSt. Louis Browns from ownersBill and Charles DeWitt. Veeck, 37, will complete the transaction July 4 when he acquires additional stock in the Browns to assume 75 percent ownership. He has been out of baseball since 1949, when he sold his share in the Indians during a divorce settlement.
June 30 – TheNew York Giants claim utility infielderHank Schenz onwaivers from thePittsburgh Pirates. Schenz will appear in only eight games while spending the rest of the season on New York's roster; however, decades later, it will be alleged that the spyglass he employs to steal signs will be instrumental in the Giants' white-hot 37–7 late-season winning streak that propels them into the1951 National League tie-breaker series.
Ralph Kiner belts two home runs in the second game of aForbes Field holiday twin bill, enabling hisPittsburgh Pirates to overwhelm theCincinnati Reds 16–4 in a seven-inning official game halted by rain. The Pirates and Reds split the doubleheader, but Cincinnati managerLuke Sewell protests both contests because Kiner remains in the Bucs' lineup despite being suspended by the National League just before the start of Game 1 for a recent dust-up with umpireJocko Conlan.
July 5 – With his estimated $1.5 million purchase completed,Bill Veeck becomes president and 75% owner of theSt. Louis Browns. He promises "sweeping changes" for the last-place team, which has also finished last in MLB team attendance for every year since 1946.
It takes 17 innings to settle a "Battle of the Soxes," but theBoston Red Sox defeat theChicago White Sox, 5–4, atComiskey Park. Boston'sEllis Kinder throws ten innings of shutout relief, and Chicago's starting pitcher,Saul Rogovin, goes all 17 innings and ends up with the loss. The win is the Red Sox' seventh straight and gives them a 1½-game lead in the AL standings.
July 14
Although he had vowed to serve out his term "until the last second" when it expires on April 30, 1952, lame-duckCommissioner of BaseballHappy Chandler resigns, leaving the post temporarily vacant.[19] Prominent names such as retiredGeneral of the ArmyDouglas MacArthur are floated as possible successors, but it's quickly reported that MLB owners wish to promote someone from inside the game to replaceKentucky politician Chandler.
July 19 –Paul Lehner is claimed offwaivers by theCleveland Indians, enabling the veteran outfielder to play for four of the eight American League teams during the 1951 regular season.
July 23 – A "ding-dong" affair atForbes Field sees theBoston Braves score seven runs in the first inning, and thePittsburgh Pirates respond with six tallies of their own. The Bucs take the lead 14–11 after six innings, but Boston battles back with four runs in the seventh and eighth, and pulls out a 15–14 win. Of the Braves' 22 hits, the winning blow is an eighth-inning single byRoy Hartsfield.[20]
July 28
ThePhiladelphia Phillies' starting rotation fires its fourth straight complete-game shutout, all during its mid-summer "Western swing." Today, atWrigley Field,Russ Meyer spins a seven-hitter to defeat theChicago Cubs, 1–0. The defending NL champion Phils, who haven't allowed a run since the ninth inning of their July 24 contest against theSt. Louis Cardinals, will extend their scoreless-innings-pitched streak to an MLB-season-high 421⁄3 into tomorrow, when it's broken by Chicago in the sixth frame of the opening game of a doubleheader.[21]
Clyde Vollmer, who started the month on theBoston Red Sox' bench, continues his slugging fireworks against theCleveland Indians. Vollmer singles in the tying run in the 15th inning and then in the 16th hits a grand slam off relieverBob Feller for an 8–4 Red Sox win. The slam is the latest hit in a game in major-league history.Mickey McDermott pitches all 16 innings for the Sox, striking out 15 and walking one.
August 7 –Dick Sisler'sRBIsingle in the home half of the 15th gives thePhiladelphia Phillies a 1–0 triumph over theBoston Braves. Defending NL champion Philadelphia is 55–51 and, at 13½ games, well out of the 1951 pennant race.
August 9 – TheBrooklyn Dodgers complete a three-game,Ebbets Field series sweep of the second-placeNew York Giants, 6–5.Roy Campanella bashes two homers, including the game-winner in the seventh inning offSheldon Jones, andClyde King picks up his second victory in as many games. The Giants now trail the Dodgers by 121⁄2 games—15 in the loss column—with 45 games left in the regular season.
August 11 –Robin Roberts of thePhiladelphia Phillies beats theGiants, 4–0, briefly dropping the New Yorkers a season-high 131⁄2 games behind the first-placeBrooklyn Dodgers. However, the Dodgers lose a half-game of their lead when they come up short in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader, 8–4, to theBoston Braves.
August 12 – TheGiants sweep thePhillies in aPolo Grounds Sunday twin bill, 3–2 and 2–1. The victories begin the Giants' 16-game winning streak and a phenomenal 37–7 (.841) stretch run that enables them to tie for the NL pennant on the regular season's final day.
August 18 – The last-placeSt. Louis Browns set a record for most runs scored by the home side in venerableSportsman's Park, humbling the visitingDetroit Tigers, 20–9.Hank Arft paces the Brownies with fiveruns batted in. Detroit pitcherHank Borowy faces nine hitters: he allows five hits and four walks and does not retire a man. The Browns will be 1951's lowest scoring American League team, and finish 15th of the 16 MLB clubs in that category. When the 57-year-old ball yard closes in May 1966, the Browns' 20 runs will still stand as the most tallied there by anySt. Louis-based team—even the powerfulCardinals.[22] But the Browns' feat will be obscured within 24 hours on August 19.
August 19 – ShowmanBill Veeck, theBrowns' maverick owner, pulls off one of the greatest stunts in baseball history. In the second game of a doubleheader against theTigers, Veeck sendsEddie Gaedel to the plate as apinch-hitter for leadoff manFrank Saucier in the home half of the first. At 3 feet 7 inches (1.09 m) tall, Gaedel becomes the shortest player in baseball annals. Due to his extremely small strike zone, Gaedelwalks on four consecutive pitches and is immediately replaced by apinch-runner. AL presidentWill Harridge— saying Veeck is making a mockery of the game—voids Gaedel's contract the next day. Detroit goes on to win the game, 6–2.[23]
August 24 – Just five days after theGaedel stunt,Veeck stages another headlining promotion, "Grandstand Managers Night," atSportsman's Park. A select group of 1,000 fans seated in a special section of the ballpark and equipped with YES and NO placards decides game strategy — while theSt. Louis Browns' veteran manager,Zack Taylor, sits in a rocking chair, smoking a pipe, in the Brownie dugout. The "grandstand managers" even help Taylor make out his lineup card. The promotion has mixed results: a paltry 3,925 attend the contest, but the 38–81 Browns defeat the 49–75Philadelphia Athletics, 5–3, withNed Garver improving to 15–8 on the season.[24][25]
August 27 – TheNew York Giants extend their winning streak to 16 games, sweeping theChicago Cubs in aPolo Grounds doubleheader, 5–4 (12 innings) and 6–3. The Giants have now shaved theBrooklyn Dodgers' National League lead to five games, six in the loss column.
August 29
With four-plus weeks remaining in the regular season, there is a torrid pennant race in the American League. TheCleveland Indians andNew York Yankees have been trading blows all this month; today Cleveland, which held a three-game lead as recently as August 23, falls into a dead heat with the Yankees at 80–47, when they fall to thePhiladelphia Athletics, 3–0, and the Yankees overwhelm theSt. Louis Browns, 15–2.
In an attempt to bolster their pitching staff, theYankees acquire four-time 20-game winnerJohnny Sain from theBoston Braves for rookie right-handerLew Burdette, who has spent 1951 pitching inTriple-A. The trade helps both clubs: Sain, 33, contributes to three consecutiveWorld Series championships (1951–1953), while Burdette, 24, blossoms into a top hurler who wins 179 games in a Braves' uniform; his three complete-game victories will lift theMilwaukee Braves to the1957 World Series title over the Yankees themselves.
September 13 – TheSt. Louis Cardinals become the first team in modern Major League history to play two different teams on the same day. Due to a rain-out, the Cardinals are forced to play theNew York Giants in an afternoon game prior to their scheduled night contest against theBoston Braves.[27]
September 17 – A crucial, three-game series between the American League's two top teams inThe Bronx concludes, turning the tide of thepennant race. TheNew York Yankees (now 89–53) defeat theCleveland Indians, 2–1, whenPhil Rizzuto's ninth-inningbuntsingle scoresJoe DiMaggio from third base with the winning run.Eddie Lopat wins his 20th game, defeatingBob Lemon. The Yankees take two out of three from Cleveland (now 90–56) and a one-game lead in the standings. The Indians will go only 3–5 over their final eight games, while the Yankees will finish 9–3, including a humiliating five-game sweep over the visiting, third-placeBoston Red Sox to close the season. They will clinch the pennant September 28.
Allie Reynolds turns in the secondno-hitter of his career, and his second this season, as theNew York Yankees blank theBoston Red Sox, 8–0, in the first game of adoubleheader inThe Bronx. Reynolds' no-no clinches a tie for the American League pennant. Then, in Game 2, the Yankees seal their 18th league title with an 11–3 thumping.
When the clock strikes midnight on the Friday evening of the 1951 season's final weekend, the National League pennant race is dead even. TheBrooklyn Dodgers, only 12–13 so far in September, bow to the hostPhiladelphia Phillies, 4–3, asCarl Erskine is defeated by the Phillie tandem of starterKarl Drews and relieverAndy Hansen.Willie "Puddin' Head" Jones drives home the winning run in the home half of the ninth inning. TheNew York Giants, 18–5 so far this month, have an open date. Both teams boast 94–58 records with two games remaining.
AtShibe Park, theBrooklyn Dodgers overcome an early 6–1 deficit to send their game with thePhiladelphia Phillies into extra innings, 8–8. Neither team scores until the top of the 14th whenJackie Robinson—who in the 12th had saved the Dodgers' season with a brilliant, diving catch ofEddie Waitkus' bases-loaded line drive—belts a solo home run off Phillies' aceRobin Roberts, pitching in relief, to give Brooklyn a 9–8 lead. The Dodgers'Bud Podbielan then holds the Phillies off the scoreboard in the bottom of the 14th. The Brooklyn victory sets up thesecond best-of-three tie-breaker series in the NL's 75-year history.
October 3 – TheGiants had been 131⁄2 games behind theNational League leadingDodgers in mid-August, but underLeo Durocher's guidance and with the aid of a 16-game winning streak, they complete their improbable comeback. In Game 3 of theNL playoffs at thePolo Grounds, Brooklyn leads 4–2 with one out in the bottom of the ninthinning. With Giants' runners on second and third, New York'sBobby Thomson hits relieverBranca's third pitch for aline-drivehome run into the left-field stands to win the game, 5–4. His "shot heard 'round the world" wins the NL pennant in"walk off" style, andWMCA-AM'sRuss Hodges' frantic "The Giants win the pennant!", said four times consecutively, becomes one of the most famous home run calls in baseball history.
TheNew York Yankees defeat theNew York Giants, 4–3, in Game 6 of theWorld Series to win their third consecutive Series championship and 14th overall. The Yanks'Eddie Lopat goes 2–0 (0.50) with two complete games, andGil McDougald drives in seven runs for the victors, whileMonte Irvin (11 hits,.458) andAlvin Dark (ten hits, .417) star in a losing cause. Just before today's game, Giants managerLeo Durocher turns over to newly installedCommissionerFord Frick a letter that offered the Giantsmanager a $15,000 bribe "if the Giants managed to lose the next three games".
October 22 – The third-placeBoston Red Sox, who lost 12 of their last 13 games to finish 87–67 in 1951, replace veteran managerSteve O'Neill with infielderLou Boudreau, who has just completed his first season in a Red Sox uniform. Boudreau, 34, formerly was theplayer-manager of theCleveland Indians from 1942 to 1950, and in his most famous season,1948, led the Indians to aplayoff victory over the Red Sox, and—ultimately—aWorld Series championship.[33]
November 10 – InTokyo, 50,000 fans are on hand as an American All-Star team battles a JapaneseCentral League All-Star team.Joe DiMaggio hits a 400-foot home run in the eighth inning to tie the game at 1–1, then his younger brotherDom laces an RBI-triple in the ninth and later scores to give the Americans a 3–2 victory. The Americans have won 12 games and tied one.
November 23 – TheNew York Yankees send young catcherClint Courtney to theSt. Louis Browns in exchange for pitcherJim McDonald. Courtney, a scrapper despite being the first major-league catcher to wear eyeglasses, had appeared in one game for New York. He'll appear in 945 more American League contests through 1961.
November 24 – TheSt. Louis Cardinals fire managerMarty Marion after only one season at the team's helm. Eight-timeNL All-Star shortstop Marion, 33, led the 1951 Redbirds to an 81–73 mark and third-place finish.
December 5 – ThePittsburgh Pirates reacquire first basemanDale Long onwaivers from theSt. Louis Browns. In March, the Pirates and Long had made headlines when he was briefly auditioned as a left-handed-throwing catcher. When that experiment was abandoned, he returned to his original position. Long will spend 1952 through 1954 in the minor leagues before winning the Pirates' first base job in1955 and setting an MLB record for homers in consecutive games in1956.
January 6 –Harry Camnitz, 66, pitcher who played with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1909 season and for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1911.
January 10 –Tom Delahanty, 78, third baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Spiders, Pittsburgh Pirates and Louisville Colonels of the National League in a span of three seasons between 1894 and 1897.
January 11 –Bill Wagner, 57, catcher who played from 1914 through 1918 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Braves.
January 16 –Pid Purdy, 46, two-sport athlete who played outfield in four Major League seasons with the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds from 1927 to 1929, and was aquarterback in the National Football League for theGreen Bay Packers in 1926 and 1927.
January 26 –Bill Barrett, 50, outfielder who played for the Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators over nine seasons between 1921 and 1930.
February 2 –Bill Sowders, 86, pitcher who played from 1888 through 1890 for the Boston Beaneaters and Pittsburgh Alleghenys clubs of the National League.
February 6 –Gabby Street, 68, who came into prominence as the personal catcher for the legendary pitcherWalter Johnson with the Washington Senators, and as the first man to catch a baseball dropped from the top ofWashington Monument; one of the few Major League managers to capture a World Series title in his first attempt, with theSt. Louis Cardinals in 1930;[36] managed Cardinals from 1930 to July 23, 1933, and St. Louis Browns for 146 games in 1938; late in his career, popular member of radio broadcast team for both St. Louis teams.
February 8 –Harry Ables, 67, pitcher who played for the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Naps and New York Highlanders in part of three seasons spanning 1905–1911.
February 14 –Harry Thompson, 61, pitcher who split his only big-league season between the Washington Senators and the Philadelphia Athletics in 1919.
February 20:
Steamboat Johnson, 70, National League umpire who ejected 12 men in the 66 games he worked between April 26 and October 5, 1914.
Marty Shay, 54, infielder who played with the Chicago Cubs in the 1916 season and for the Boston Braves in 1924.
March 2 –Adam Comorosky, 45, left fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds in a ten-year career from 1926 to 1935, who in 1931 became the only outfielder in National League history to ever perform twounassisted double plays in a single season, joining American League outfieldersTris Speaker (twice),José Cardenal andSocks Seybold.[38]
March 3 –Dan Bickham, 86, pitcher who played in 1886 for the Cincinnati Red Stockings of the National League.
March 13 –Joe Hughes, 71, backup outfielder for the 1902 Chicago Orphans of the National League.
March 20 –Roscoe Coughlin, 83, pitcher who played from 1890 to 1891 for the Chicago Colts and New York Giants.
March 25:
Eddie Collins, 63, Hall of Fame second baseman who played from 1906 through 1930 for the Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White Sox; won the American League MVP Award in 1914, and is the only AL player to steal six bases in a single game, a feat he accomplished twice in September 1912; led the Athletics to four AL pennants and three World Series championships between 1910 and 1914, as well as the White Sox to the 1917 World Series title; ended his career with a .333 average, .424 on-base percentage, 3,314 hits, and 745 stolen bases in 2,826 games;[39] managed White Sox from May 19 through June 18, 1924, and for all of 1925 and 1926, compiling a 174–160 record and a .521 winning percentage; after returning to the Athletics in 1927, became a coach from 1929 to 1932, serving on two more world champion clubs (1929, 1930); after 1932, moved to Boston Red Sox front office as general manager, working with owner Tom Yawkey to rebuild the club and winning 1946 AL pennant before retiring due to ill health after the 1947 season.
Dan Daub, 83, pitcher who played in 1892 with the Cincinnati Reds and for the Brooklyn Grooms and Bridegrooms clubs from 1893 through 1897.
March 28:
Kohly Miller, 77, backup infielder who played for the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns and Philadelphia Phillies in a span of two seasons between 1892 and 1897.
April 14 –Danny Moeller, 66, outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Senators and Cleveland Indians during seven seasons between 1907 and 1916, who is listed as the first big leaguer of thedead-ball era (before 1950) to have at least five home runs and 100-plus strikeouts in consecutive seasons (1912–1913).[41]
April 20 –Roy Brashear, 77, backup infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies in part of two seasons from 1902 to 1903, who laterumpired in thePacific Coast League for several years.
April 22 –Ox Eckhardt, 49, right fielder who played with the Boston Braves in the 1932 season and for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1936.
April 27 –Bill Eagle, 73, outfielder who played in 1898 for the Washington Senators of the National League.
May 4 –Charlie Buelow, 74, third baseman for the New York Giants in its 1901 season.
May 7 –Ezra Lincoln, 82, who pitched for the Cleveland Spiders and Syracuse Stars during the 1890 season.
May 20 –Frank Olin, 91, outfielder for the Washington Nationals and Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association in 1884, and the Detroit Wolverines of the National League in 1885, who after graduating from Cornell University founded theOlin Corporation in 1892, formed theWestern Cartridge Company in 1898, and acquired theWinchester Repeating Arms Company in 1931, besides being a remarkable philanthropist.
May 26 –George Winter, 73, pitcher who won 82 games for the Boston Americans and Red Sox from 1901 to 1908, as well as the only member both of the original 1901 and 1908 Boston clubs.
June 11 –Tom Leahy, 82, backup catcher who played with five different teams in a span of five seasons from 1897 to 1905, mostly for the Washington Senators of the National League between 1897 and 1898.
June 17 –Bill Harper, 62, pitcher who appeared in two games for the St. Louis Browns of the American League in its 1911 season.
June 19 –Wally Gerber, 59, a slick shortstop with good hands and a strong throwing arm, who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Browns and Boston Red Sox over 15 seasons between 1914 and 1929, while setting a Major League record for shortstops with 48fielding chances in four consecutive games during the 1923 season, and leading the American League indouble plays in 1920 and from 1926 to 1927.
July 3 –Hugh Casey, 37, relief pitching ace for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s, whose best season came in 1947 when he won 10 games and led the National League with 18saves, establishing later a World Series record while facing the New York Yankees insix of the seven games of the Series, five consecutively, being credited with a 2–0 record, one save and only one run in10+1⁄3 innings of work.[42]
July 6 –Ted Easterly, 66, catcher for the Cleveland Naps, Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Packers in a span of six seasons from 1909 to 1915, who posted a batting average over .300 over three consecutive seasons with a career-high .324 in 1911, ranking twice among the top ten hitters in the American League and once in the Federal League.
July 9:
Harry Heilmann, 56, Hall of Fame outfielder and Detroit Tigers star, who won four batting titles in the American League between 1921 and 1927, compiling averages of .394, .403, .393 and .398, whose career .342 batting average ranks him 12th in the all-time list;[43][44] later, a sportscaster and radio play-by-play announcer for the Tigers from 1934 until his death.
Huck Wallace, 68, pitcher for the 1912 Philadelphia Phillies.
July 10 –Bobby Messenger, 67, outfielder who played with the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Browns in part of four seasons between 1909 and 1914.
July 14:
Dee Cousineau, 52, catcher who played in five total games for the Boston Braves in three seasons from 1923 to 1925.
Vance Page, 45, pitcher who spent four seasons with the Chicago Cubs from 1938 through 1941.
July 18 –Joe Klugmann, 56, second baseman who played for the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Robins and Cleveland Indians in part of four seasons between 1921 and 1925.
July 19 –Sam Agnew, 64, solid catcher for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators in span of seven seasons from 1913 to 1918, who was also a member of the1918 World Series Champion Red Sox.
July 24 –Ed Fisher, 74, pitcher who appeared in one game for the Detroit Tigers near the end of the 1902 season.
August 1 –Harry Curtis, 68, catcher for the 1907 New York Giants.
August 2 –Guy Cooper, 68, pitcher who played from 1914 to 1915 for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
August 4 –Tony Tonneman, 69, catcher who played briefly for the 1911 Boston Red Sox.
August 7:
Bill Wynne, 82, who pitched in 1894 with the Washington Senators of the National League.
Biff Wysong, 46, pitcher who played from 1930 through 1932 for the Cincinnati Reds.
August 10 –Win Kellum, 75, Canadian pitcher for the Boston Americans, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals during three seasons 1901 and 1905, who in 1901 became the firstOpening Day starting pitcher in Boston American League franchise's history.
August 12 –Paul McSweeney, 84, backup infielder who appeared in three games for the 1891 St. Louis Browns of the National League.
August 17:
Doc Crandall, 63, pitcher who played with six teams in three different leagues between 1908 and 1918, most prominently for the New York Giants from 1908 to 1913, playing for them in three consecutive World Series from 1911 to 1913 and known also for his hitting, as he was often used as apinch-hitter by Giants managerJohn McGraw.
Ren Wylie, 89, center fielder who appeared in just one game for the 1882 Pittsburgh Alleghenys.
August 19 –Ollie Hanson, 55, pitcher who played for the Chicago Cubs in its 1921 season.
August 28:
Billy Lush, 77, very solid center fielder who spent seven seasons in the majors with four teams from 1895 to 1904, enjoying his most productive seasons in 1903 and 1904 with the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Naps, respectively.
Bill Piercy, 55, pitcher who played for the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs during six seasons between 1917 and 1926, including the Yankees team that won the1921 American League pennant.
September 4 –Carl Doyle, 39, pitcher who spent four seasons between 1935 and 1940 with the Philadelphia Athletics, Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals.
September 5 –Jim Keesey, 48, first baseman who played with the Philadelphia Athletics in part of two seasons spanning 1925–1930.
September 9 –Chappie Snodgrass, 81, backup outfielder for the 1901 Baltimore Orioles.
September 10 –Hank DeBerry, 56, catcher who played for the Cleveland Indians and Brooklyn Robins in a span of eleven seasons from 1916 to 1930.
September 12 –Lave Winham, 69, who pitched from 1902 to 1903 for the Brooklyn Superbas and Pittsburgh Pirates.
September 14 –Wally Roettger, 49, outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1927 through 1935, who got the first hit and scored the first run in Game 1 of the1931 World Series for the eventual champion Cardinals; head baseball coach of the University of Illinois from 1935 until his death.
September 16 –Bill Klem, 77, Hall of Fameumpire known as theOld Arbitrator and theFather of Baseball Umpires, who officiated National League games during a 37-year career from 1905 to 1941 and introduced theinside chest protector, while working in 18World Series to set a Major League Baseball record for umpires.[45]
September 23 –Dale Gear, 79, who pitched with the Cleveland Spiders in the 1896 season and for the Washington Senators in 1901.
September 25 –Nolen Richardson, 48, third baseman for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds during six seasons between 1929 and 1939, who also was the shortstop and captain of the1937 Newark Bears, which is widely regarded as the best in Minor League Baseball history.[46]
October 11 –Bob Becker, 76, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1897 and 1898 seasons.
October 12:
Bill Essick, 70, pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds from 1906 to 1907 and later a longtime Minor League manager and New York Yankees scout, who is credited for discovering or signing future Yankees starsJoe DiMaggio,Lefty Gomez,Joe Gordon andRalph Houk, among others.
Pug Griffin, 55, utility outfielder for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1917 and the New York Giants in 1920, who later became a successful manager in the Minor Leagues, guiding theLincoln Links to the 1943 Nebraska State League title, and thePueblo Rollers to the Western League championship in 1941.
Rube Vinson, 72, outfielder who played from 1904 through 1906 for the Cleveland Naps and Chicago White Sox.
October 14 –Henry Zeiher, 89, catcher for the 1886 Washington Nationals of the National League.
October 17 –Al Clancy, 63, third baseman who appeared in three games for the St. Louis Browns in its 1911 season.
October 19 –Emil Haberer, 73, catcher and corner infielder who played for the Cincinnati Reds in a span of three seasons from 1901 to 1909.
October 27:
Pryor McElveen, 69, third baseman who played for the Brooklyn Superbas and Dodgers teams between 1909 and 1911.
John Brock, 55, backup catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1917 and 1918 seasons.
October 30 –Walt Woods, 76, valuable utility man who played all positions except catcher and first base, whose career included stints with the Chicago Orphans, Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates during three seasons from 1898 to 1900.
November 1 –Mickey Doolin, 71, slick fielding shortstop who played for the Philadelphia Phillies,Chicago Whales, Chicago Cubs, New York Giants and Brooklyn Robins in a span of 13 seasons between 1905 and 1918, while leading the National League inputouts four times,assists five times,double plays five times, andfielding percentage once.[47]
November 3 –Joe Hovlik, 67, Hungarian pitcher who played from 1909 to 1911 for the Chicago White Sox and Washington Senators.
November 5 –George Stovall, 73, who played and managed from 1904 through 1913 for the Cleveland Naps and St. Louis Browns of the American League, and for the Kansas City Packers of the outlawFederal League in 1914 and 1915.
November 6 –Carl Husta, 49, shortstop who appeared in six games with the 1925 Philadelphia Athletics.
November 8 –Claude Ritchey, 78, middle infielder and outfielder over 13 seasons for the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Doves and Louisville Colonels, who helped the Pirates win three consecutive National League pennants from 1901 to 1903.
November 11 –Jim Neher, 62, pitcher who appeared in just one game for the Cleveland Naps in their 1912 season.
November 18 –Wally Mayer, 61, catcher who played from 1911 through 1919 for the Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Browns.
November 19:
Marty Griffin, 50, pitcher for the 1928 Boston Red Sox.
Crese Heismann, 71, pitcher who played from 1901 to 1902 with the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles.
Pete Hill, 69, Hall of Fame outfielder whose career from 1889 to the mid-1920s involved some of the pioneer programs of the Negro leagues, being considered to be a great center fielder with a strong arm and excellent glove, while his talents also extended as a consistent line-drive hitter, both for average and power, with outstanding speed on the base paths, closing his career by serving as the player-manager for several teams between 1914 and 1925.[48]
November 20:
Fred Burchell, 72, who pitched with the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1903 season and for the Boston Americans and Red Sox from 1907 to 1909.
Joe Rogalski, 39, pitcher who played in 1938 with the Detroit Tigers.
Jim Duggan, 66, first baseman who played for the St. Louis Browns in its 1911 season.
Shoeless Joe Jackson, 63, left fielder and prominent hitter whose career lasted from 1908 to 1920 with the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Naps and Chicago White Sox, who hit .408 in 1908, the highestbatting average ever by arookie, while hitting aslash line of .408/.468/.590 in 1911 during his first season as a full-time player, and leading the White Sox to the1917 World Series victory against theNew York Giants, ending his career with a .356 average for the third highest in Major League history, before being banished from the sport for his involvement in theBlack Sox scandal.
December 8 –Bobby Lowe, 86, second baseman who joined theBoston Beaneaters in 1890 and remained with them through 1901, winning five National League pennants in that period while completing an outstanding infield that featuredFred Tenney at first,Herman Long at shortstop andJimmy Collins at third, whose claim to fame came when he became the first player in Major League history to hitfour home runs in a single game, which was played on the afternoon of Memorial Day, 1894, against the Cincinnati Reds atCongress Street Grounds.[49]
December 18:
Spencer Abbott, 74, coach for 1935 Washington Senators and longtime minor league player and manager, whose baseball career lasted for 52 years.
December 19 –Bob Lindemann, 70, backup outfielder who played for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1901.
December 27 –Ernie Lindemann, 73, pitcher who appeared in one game for the Boston Doves in 1907.
December 29 –Hiram Bithorn, 35, pitcher who was the first player born in Puerto Rico to play in the Major Leagues when he made his debut with the Chicago Cubs inits 1942 season, leading the National League pitchers with sevenshutouts in 1943, while posting a record of 34–31 and 3.16ERA in 105 games over four seasons.[50]
December 30 –Bob Kinsella, 52, outfielder who spent two seasons with the New York Giants from 1919 to 1920.
