The following are thebaseball events of the year1952 throughout the world.

• World Series:New York Yankees overBrooklyn Dodgers (4–3)
• All-Star Game, July 8 atShibe Park: National League, 3–2 (5 innings)

• All-American Girls Professional Baseball League:South Bend Blue Sox
• College World Series:Holy Cross
• Japan Series:Yomiuri Giants overNankai Hawks (4–2)
• Little League World Series: Norwalk National,Norwalk, Connecticut

Winter Leagues

• 1952 Caribbean Series:Senadores de San Juan
• Cuban League:Leones del Habana
• Dominican Republic League:Águilas Cibaeñas
• Mexican Pacific League:Tacuarineros de Culiacán
• Panamanian League:Carta Vieja Yankees
• Puerto Rican League:Senadores de San Juan
• Venezuelan League:Cervecería Caracas

• Baseball Hall of Fame
  • Harry Heilmann
  • Paul Waner
• MLB Most Valuable Player Award
  • Hank Sauer (CHC, National)
  • Bobby Shantz (PHA, American)
• MLB Rookie of the Year Award
  • Joe Black (BRO, National)
  • Harry Byrd (PHA, American)
• The Sporting News Player of the Year Award
  • Robin Roberts (PHI)
• The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award
  • Robin Roberts (PHI, National)
  • Bobby Shantz (CLE, American)
• The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award
  • Joe Black (BRO, National)
  • Clint Courtney (SLB, American)
• The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award
  • Eddie Stanky (STL)

v t e American League Team W L Pct. GB Home Road New York Yankees 95 59 .617 — 49‍–‍28 46‍–‍31 Cleveland Indians 93 61 .604 2 49‍–‍28 44‍–‍33 Chicago White Sox 81 73 .526 14 44‍–‍33 37‍–‍40 Philadelphia Athletics 79 75 .513 16 45‍–‍32 34‍–‍43 Washington Senators 78 76 .506 17 42‍–‍35 36‍–‍41 Boston Red Sox 76 78 .494 19 50‍–‍27 26‍–‍51 St. Louis Browns 64 90 .416 31 42‍–‍35 22‍–‍55 Detroit Tigers 50 104 .325 45 32‍–‍45 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 Brooklyn Dodgers 96 57 .627 — 45‍–‍33 51‍–‍24 New York Giants 92 62 .597 4½ 50‍–‍27 42‍–‍35 St. Louis Cardinals 88 66 .571 8½ 48‍–‍29 40‍–‍37 Philadelphia Phillies 87 67 .565 9½ 47‍–‍29 40‍–‍38 Chicago Cubs 77 77 .500 19½ 42‍–‍35 35‍–‍42 Cincinnati Reds 69 85 .448 27½ 38‍–‍39 31‍–‍46 Boston Braves 64 89 .418 32 31‍–‍45 33‍–‍44 Pittsburgh Pirates 42 112 .273 54½ 23‍–‍54 19‍–‍58

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

• January 3 – TheChicago Cubs purchase the contract of 34-year-old knuckleballerWillie Ramsdell from theCincinnati Reds. With his 17 losses in1951, Ramsdell tied for theNational League lead in that dubious category withPaul Minner (Cubs) andKen Raffensberger (Reds).
• January 16 – TheBoston Braves releaseoutfielder–managerTommy Holmes, 34, from his players' contract. He hadbatted only .172 in 1951 in 32 games, mostly as apinch hitter.
• January 31 –Harry Heilmann with 203 votes, andPaul Waner with 195, become the newest members of theHall of Fame.

• February 6 – TheCleveland Indians sign veteran outfielderPete Reiser as a free agent. Reiser, 32, was aNational Leaguebatting andstolen base champion and a "five-tool" star for the pre-World War IIBrooklyn Dodgers, but a plethora of serious injuries—shoulder separations, broken bones (including a skull fracture), and concussions, most of them sustained when he ran fearlessly into outfield walls in pursuit of fly balls—has wrecked his career. Released in November 1951 by thePittsburgh Pirates, his third NL team, Reiser will hit only .136 in 34 games for Cleveland in 1952, most of them as a pinch hitter, through July 5 in what is his last year as an active player.
• February 14 – TheSt. Louis Browns andDetroit Tigers make a seven-player trade, in which the Browns send left-handed pitcherDick Littlefield, catcherMatt Batts, first basemanBen Taylor and outfielderCliff Mapes to Detroit for southpawsBob Cain andGene Bearden and first basemanDick Kryhoski. Ironically, in Cain the Browns obtain the Tiger pitcher who faced 3 ft 7 in (1.09 m), 60 lb (27 kg)Eddie Gaedel inBill Veeck's legendary stunt on August 19, 1951.
• February 16 – Hall of FamerHonus Wagner, 77, retires after 40 years as a major league player and coach. He receives a pension from thePittsburgh Pirates, with whom he spent most of those years.
• February 21 & 26 –Thomas Fine ofCuba'sLeones de la Habana hurls the firstno-hitter inCaribbean Series history, a 1–0 masterpiece againstAl Papai andVenezuela'sCervecería Caracas. Through 2013, it has been the only no-hitter pitched in Series history. Five days later, Fine is only three outs from consecutive no-hitters before he allows a single in the ninth inning of the Habana club's 11–3 victory overPanama'sCarta Vieja Yankees. Fine's 17 consecutive hitless innings pitched record remains the longest in Caribbean Series history.

• March 1 – With the opening ofspring training, MLB umpires are sent to the 16 clubs' camps to warn players against fraternizing with fans and opposing players. League presidents institute fines of $5 (initial offense) and $25 (repeat offenses) for violation of the rule. The warning, which is chiefly to combatgambling on game outcomes, is instituted in the wake of the1951–1952 college basketball "point-shaving" scandal.
• March 20 –Philadelphia Phillies managerEddie Sawyer, who took a hard line with his players by imposing an "austerity program" at the club'sspring training camp—banning wives, automobiles, clubhouse card games, and golf (among other things), and enforcing a strict curfew—is so pleased by the Phils' improved performance that he relaxes some (though not all) of the restrictions he had implemented. However, the club gets off to a sluggish 4–7 April start and Sawyer will resign before June is out.
• March 24 – TheChicago White Sox deal third basemanBob Dillinger, 33, a .306 lifetime hitter and three-timeAmerican Leaguestolen base leader, but frequently scorned as an indifferent fielder, to theSacramento Solons of thePacific Coast League for aplayer to be named later and $10,000. He never plays in the major leagues again.^[1]

• April 1 – The 59-year-oldPacific Coast League begins its 180-game regular season as a member of an experimental level withinMinor League Baseball called the "Open Classification." Elevated fromTriple-A status, the PCL's "Open" designation marks its first step in a bid to become the third major league. In addition, the ability of MLB teams to draft PCL players is restricted, and member clubs are discouraged from signing working agreements with big-league "parent" organizations.
• April 4 – PitcherDave Hoskins, a 34-year-old veteran of theChicago American Giants andHomestead Grays of theNegro leagues, becomes the first Black player in theDouble-ATexas League when he takes the mound for theDallas Eagles. Enduring death threats andJim Crow laws during the season, Hoskins will post a22–10 (2.12) record, leading the Dallas franchise to its first TL pennant since 1936.^[2]
• April 8 – TheBoston Braves trade stalwart veteran third basemanBob Elliott to theNew York Giants for pitcherSheldon Jones and $50,000. Known in Boston as "Mister Team" and1947'sNational League MVP, Elliott, 35, is one of the few remaining members of the1948 NL champion Braves.
• April 19 – In their second meeting of 1952, theBrooklyn Dodgers gain their second straight victory over the arch-rivalNew York Giants, 11–6, backed by five Brooklyn home runs. Despite giving up four homers today,Ralph Branca earns the complete-game triumph; it's the first time he's faced the Giants since giving up the pennant-deciding "Shot Heard 'Round the World" home run toBobby Thomson on October 3, 1951. Thomson goes hitless in four at bats, with one base on balls, today.^[3]
• April 22 – AtCrosley Field, three members of theSt. Louis Cardinals are ejected, including managerEddie Stanky, in a 2–1 loss to the home-standingCincinnati Reds. Stanky's third-inning eviction features a shoving match with home plate umpireScotty Robb. NL presidentWarren Giles, present in the stands, rules two weeks later that Robb instigated the physical contact, issues a reprimand, and fines the umpire—and triggers Robb's immediate resignation.^[4]
• April 23 –Bob Cain and theSt. Louis Browns defeatBob Feller and theCleveland Indians, 1–0, in a game in which both pitchers throw a one-hitter. This was only the second double one-hitter in the modern era (since1901).^[5]
• April 29 – AtShibe Park, third basemanAl Rosen of theCleveland Indians socks three home runs and drives in seven and his club lashes 25 hits in all—an MLB high for 1951—as Cleveland thrashes thePhiladelphia Athletics, 21–9.^[6]
• April 30
  • Veteran Negro leagues catcherQuincy Trouppe makes his major league debut with theCleveland Indians. At 39 years of age, he is one of the oldest rookies in major league history. Three days later, Trouppe is behind the plate when relief pitcherToothpick Sam Jones enters the game, forming the first black battery inAmerican League history.
  • In the seventh inning atFenway Park,Ted Williams of theBoston Red Sox hits a game-winning, two-runhome run offDizzy Trout of theDetroit Tigers to break a 3–3 tie on "Ted Williams Day." It is Williams' final game of the season before he departs for theKorean War to serve as aMarine fighter pilot. He plays only six contests in 1952 and goes four-for-ten, with today's blast his only home run of the campaign.

• May 3
  • TheNew York Yankees acquire outfielderIrv Noren and shortstopTom Upton from theWashington Senators for pitcherSpec Shea, infielderJerry Snyder, and outfieldersJackie Jensen andArchie Wilson. Noren becomes a valuable lefthanded-swinging outfielder inCasey Stengel's "platoon" system. Jensen gets to play regularly in his 1½ years as Washington's starting right fielder before he's traded to theBoston Red Sox after the1953 campaign.
  • The Senators also trade outfielderSam Mele to theChicago White Sox for infielderMel Hoderlein and outfielderJim Busby.
• May 9 – TheWhite Sox score three runs in the top of the 16th inning, then hold theDetroit Tigers off the scoreboard in the home half to claim an 8–5 win atBriggs Stadium. Future Hall-of-FamerMinnie Miñoso's triple is the key blow in the ChiSox' triumph.

• May 13 –Ron Necciai of theClass-DBristol Twinsstrikes out 27 batters while firing a 7–0, nine-inningno-hit victory against theWelch Miners in anAppalachian League game. Four of the Welch hitters reach base on awalk, anerror, ahit by pitch, and apassed ball charged to Twins' catcherHarry Dunlop on a swinging third strike. But 27 strikeouts are recorded on the night, including four in the ninth inning, as a result of Dunlop's miscue, while one batter is retired on agrounder in the second inning.^[7]
• May 15 – After pitching four no-hitters in the minors, 33-year-oldVirgil Trucks of theDetroit Tigers pitches his first in the majors, a 1–0 blanking of theWashington Senators.Vic Wertz's two-out home run in the ninth inning offBob Porterfield wins the game atBriggs Stadium.
• May 21 – AtEbbets Field, theBrooklyn Dodgers set a Major League record by scoring 15 runs in the first inning of a 19–1 pounding of theCincinnati Reds. All nine Dodgers in the starting lineup both score a run and bat in a run in that first inning.
• May 23 – TheCincinnati Reds trade left-handerKent Peterson and outfielderJohnny Wyrostek to thePhiladelphia Phillies for pitcherBubba Church.
• May 26 –Ron Necciai's teammate on theClass-DBristol Twins, 18-year-old right-handerBill Bell, throws his second consecutiveno-hit game, striking out 17 and walking 11 in defeatingKingsport. Bell will throw a thirdAppalachian League no-hitter on August 25, a seven-inning triumph overBluefield.^[8] Like Necciai, he will be called up by the parentPittsburgh Pirates in September for a taste of major league competition.^[9]
• May 28 –New York Giants sophomore centerfielderWillie Mays goes hitless in four at bats, dropping his 1952batting average to .236 in 34 games. But his Giants defeat theBrooklyn Dodgers 6–2 atEbbets Field, improving their record to 26–8 (.765) and they extend their lead over Brooklyn to 2½ games. After Mays is called intoKorean War military service the following day, the Giants will finish second in 1952 and fifth in1953 before Mays' return to baseball in1954.
• May 29 –Boston Red Sox pitcherMickey McDermott faces 27 batters and fires a one-hitter to beat the Washington Senators, 1–0, at Fenway Park.Mel Hoderlein's fourth-inning single is the only Washington hit and he is thrown out while trying to stretch his single into a double.
• May 30
  • After theBoston Braves (13–22 and seventh in theNational League) drop aMemorial Daydoubleheader to theBrooklyn Dodgers, they fire second-year managerTommy Holmes. To replace him, they summon veteranCharlie Grimm fromTriple-AMilwaukee to take the reins. Holmes, who went 61–69 (.469) in just under a full calendar year as the Braves' pilot, returns to the playing ranks June 17 when he signs with the Dodgers as a free agent.
  • In an unlikely doubleheader sweep atYankee Stadium, thePhiladelphia Athletics take two from their hosts, the Yankees, 2–1 behindBobby Shantz' 14-inning complete game, and 4–2 behind hurlersBob Hooper andCarl Scheib.
  • The last-placePittsburgh Pirates split their twin bill with theSt. Louis Cardinals atForbes Field, improving their season mark to 9–33 (.214). En route to a 42–112 final record, the Bucs have already endured losing streaks of ten, eight and six games.

• June 1 – AtSportsman's Park, theNew York Giants drop adoubleheader to theSt. Louis Cardinals, 8–7 and 8–2, while theBrooklyn Dodgers defeat theChicago Cubs 3–2 atWrigley Field behind the pitching ofBen Wade andJoe Black. The Dodgers (27–10) move into first place in theNational League by a game over the Giants (27–12).
• June 3 – The second-placeBoston Red Sox (23–18) and last-placeDetroit Tigers (13–27) make a nine-player trade and sports headlines: Boston sends pitcherBill Wight, first basemanWalt Dropo, third basemanJohnny Pesky, infielderFred Hatfield, and outfielderDon Lenhardt to Detroit for pitcherDizzy Trout, third basemanGeorge Kell, shortstopJohnny Lipon, and outfielderHoot Evers. Dropo, Pesky, Trout, Kell and Evers are formerAmerican League All-Stars, and Kell is en route to theBaseball Hall of Fame. However, none of the traded players will make a significant mark with his new club.
• June 4 – TheCleveland Indians'Larry Dobyhits for the cycle in a 13–11 loss to theRed Sox atFenway Park. The future Hall of Famer drives in six runs. On the Boston side, second basemanBilly Goodman goes five for five (all singles), scores four runs, and knocks in three. Doby's is the only "cycle" in the majors this season.^[10]
• June 10
  • Rogers Hornsby's second tour of duty as dugout boss of theSt. Louis Browns ends after only 51 games (and only 22 victories), when ownerBill Veeck replaces him withplayer-managerMarty Marion. The Browns' players celebrate the firing by presenting Veeck with a trophy after tonight's 7–4 victory over theBoston Red Sox to thank the owner for "emancipating" them from the irascible Hornsby's reign.
  • TheRed Sox andWashington Senators do a three-pitcher deal, with Boston sendingRandy Gumpert andWalt Masterson to Washington forSid Hudson.
  • On the strength of home runs fromSam Mele,Héctor Rodríguez andAl Zarilla, theChicago White Sox score 12 runs in the fourth inning atShibe Park and rout thePhiladelphia Athletics 15–4.
• June 11
  • TheBrowns' joy is short-lived. Boston catcherSammy White clouts awalk-off grand slam in the ninth inning offLeroy "Satchel" Paige to give theRed Sox an 11–9 victory over the Brownies atFenway Park.
  • During that uprising, the Red Sox end Paige's personal streak of 272⁄3 innings pitched of scoreless relief, compiled over 12 appearances and dating to May 8, third-longest in MLB in 1952.^[10] Their winning rally is started by rookieJimmy Piersall, who beats out a bunt, then distracts the 45-year-old Paige with "hysterics on the base path [and] a series of pantomimes".^[11][12] Piersall's mocking antics will be among multiple public displays of a serious disorder that result in his treatment in aBoston-area mental hospital later in 1952; his story will be told in amemoir and feature film five years later.^[12]
• June 14
  • TheBoston Braves purchase the contract ofHank Aaron from theIndianapolis Clowns and assign him to theEau Claire Bears, the Braves'Class C farm team in theNorthern League.
  • AtBraves Field, ace left-handerWarren Spahn fans 18Chicago Cubs in 15 innings, but surrenders a game-decidingtriple toHal Jeffcoat and loses the complete game, 3–1. Spahn accounts for Boston's only run with a solo home run in the sixth inning as the Braves gather only four hits.^[13]
• June 15
  • TheSt. Louis Browns acquire shortstopWilly Miranda and outfielderAl Zarilla from theChicago White Sox for third basemanLeo Thomas and outfielderTom Wright. Zarilla, a 33-year-old veteran, returns to St. Louis, where eight years before he was a member of the1944 Browns, the city's onlyAmerican League champion.
  • InfielderTommy Brown, only 24 years old but already in his eighth National League season, changes address for the second time in two years when thePhiladelphia Phillies sell his contract to theChicago Cubs.

• June 16 – Colorful, well-traveled, 44-year-old right-handerBobo Newsom changes uniforms for the final time, when he's released by theWashington Senators and signed by thePhiladelphia Athletics. Since he first arrived in the majors in1929, Newsom has pitched for nine different franchises, playing multiple stints for four of them (the Senators and Athletics included).Retrosheet andBaseball Reference^[14] list 23 different transactions over Newsom's long career, which will finally end in November 1953 with him posting a 211–222 record in 600 MLB games, including three 20-victory and three 20-loss seasons.
• June 19 –Carl Erskine of theBrooklyn Dodgers tosses a 5–0no-hitter against theChicago Cubs atEbbets Field. Erskine will pitch his second career no-hitter on May 12,1956 against theNew York Giants, 3–0, also at Ebbets Field.
• June 20 – In a night game atSportsman's Park, theSt. Louis Browns andWashington Senators play to an 18-inning, 5–5 tie before a curfew halts the game.Satchel Paige of the Browns, age 46, throws ten shutout innings in relief. Each team has 14 hits. While the statistics will count for the players, the game will have to be replayed from scratch.
• June 22 – TheBoston Braves'Sid Gordon hits a two-runhomer over the left-field fence atBraves Field and wins a 100-pound bear cub as the prize for being the first Boston player to homer on "State of Maine Day". After the game, Gordon is presented with the animal in the Braves' clubhouse.^[15]
• June 23 – The fan attendance crisis suddenly plaguingminor league baseball is dramatized when theToledo Mud Hens of theTriple-AAmerican Association—facing bankruptcy—transfer toWest Virginia in midseason and change their name to theCharleston Senators. A Toledo institution since 1916, the Mud Hens have consistently finished among the bottom three teams in the Association's standings during thepost-war period and their attendance has plummeted from 234,000 in 1946 to only 99,000 in 1951.
• June 25 – AtComiskey Park,Chicago White SoxshortstopChico Carrasquel fractures his little finger during a 9–6 loss to theWashington Senators‚ which drops Chicago four games out of first place. Carrasquel will reinjure it on July 9 and be out of the lineup until August 19. The injury to Carrasquel will prove to be a key factor in the team's disappointing third-place finish. The White Sox will reacquire slick-fielding shortstopWilly Miranda from theBrowns on June 28—thirteen days after they traded him—in an effort to plug the gap.
• June 27 –Eddie Sawyer, who managed the1950 "Whiz Kid"Philadelphia Phillies to only the second pennant in club history (and first since1915), resigns after the club's 6–0 triumph over theNew York Giants atShibe Park. Sawyer, 41, remains with the Phils as special assignment scout for ownerR. R. M. Carpenter Jr. In all or parts of his five seasons as their skipper, Sawyer's Phillies went 296–292 (.503). His replacement is veteran formerAmerican League pilotSteve O'Neill, 61, who last managed the1951 Boston Red Sox. Under O'Neill, the 1952 Phillies (now 28–35) will rally to go 59–32 (.648) to finish 87–67 and in theNational League'sfirst division.

• July 1 – After 18 innings of play, theCleveland Indians and visitingSt. Louis Browns remain knotted 2–2. Then, in the top off the 19th, the Browns break through to take a 3–2 lead onJim Delsing's RBI single. But in the bottom of the 19th, the Indians re-tie the game onAl Rosen's double, then win it 4–3 on recently acquiredHank Majeski's pinch single. The decisions go to two notable pitchers: the winner, left-handerLou Brissie, is aWorld War II combat veteran who wears a brace to support his badly wounded left leg; the loser, eventualBaseball Hall of FamerSatchel Page, is a 46-year-old veteran of theNegro leagues. Brissie throws ten innings of one-run relief, while Paige goes 102⁄3 and allows just two runs on eight hits and eight bases on balls.^[16]
• July 4
  • The standings at the end of today's holiday doubleheaders, which mark the midpoint of the MLB season, show the arch-rivalBrooklyn Dodgers andNew York Giants again fighting for supremacy of theNational League, with Brooklyn (49–21) three games in front of the Giants (46–24). In theAmerican League, theNew York Yankees (43–28) hold a 2½-game advantage over theChicago White Sox (43–33).
  • Not even two years removed from battling for the 1950 ALpennant, theDetroit Tigers (23–49) languish in last place in the Junior Circuit, 20½ games behind the Yankees. In response, the Tigers fire managerRed Rolfe, and replace him with an active player, 32-year-old pitcherFred Hutchinson, who has won 95 games for Detroit over his nine years with the team. The move launches Hutchinson's 12-year career as a big-league skipper, which will include recognition asMLB Manager of the Year (1957) and aNational League pennant-winning season (1961).

• July 8 – In a rain-shortened affair atShibe Park, home of thePhiladelphia Phillies, theNational League tops theAmerican League, 3–2 (five innings), in theAll-Star Game.Jackie Robinson andHank Sauer eachhomer for the NL.
• July 15
  • Detroit Tigersfirst basemanWalt Dropo collects seven consecutive hits over the course ofdoubleheader against theWashington Senators. Combined with the five consecutive hits he recorded on July 14, Dropo establishes theAmerican League andMajor League record for consecutive hits in consecutiveplate appearances with twelve base hits.
  • Eddie Joost of thePhiladelphia Athletics becomes the second player (afterBoston'sSammy White on June 11) to hit awalk-offgrand slam againstSt. Louis Browns pitcherSatchel Paige this season, in a 7–6 victory atShibe Park. Paige is the first pitcher in Major League history to surrender two walk-off homers in the same season, according to theElias Sports Bureau. Other pitchers will join Paige in the coming years:Lindy McDaniel in1963,Lee Smith in1995 andFrancisco Rodríguez in2009.
• July 19 –Joe Reliford, the 12-year-oldbatboy for theFitzgerald Pioneers of theClass DGeorgia State League, is allowed by the home-plate umpire to pinch hit in an official game; Fitzgerald is trailing 13–0 in the eighth inning at the time. After grounding out sharply to third base, Reliford plays an inning of defense in centerfield. He becomes the youngest player to ever appear inMinor League Baseball, and also breaks thecolor line in thesegregated GSL. In the aftermath of his appearance, the league fires the umpire, Fitzgerald's manager is suspended for five games, and Reliford is relieved of his batboy job.^[17]
• July 23 – TheWashington Senators, one of the surprise teams of theAmerican League, win their ninth game of their last 11 with a 16-inning, 5–2 triumph over theDetroit Tigers atBriggs Stadium. Starting pitcherSpec Shea allows only one earned run over 14 frames before he's relieved by eventual winnerSandy Consuegra. Washington is now 50–40, in third place and only 5½ games behind theNew York Yankees.
• July 28 – TheChicago White Sox andSt. Louis Browns pull off a four-playerwaiver deal, in which the White Sox acquire catcherDarrell Johnson and outfielderJim Rivera from St. Louis for rookie catcherJay Porter and outfielderRay Coleman. Porter is a 19-year-old "bonus baby" and considered a top prospect.

• August 3 – The woeful (28–76)Pittsburgh Pirates deal the second-placeNew York Giants a shocking Sunday doubleheader setback at thePolo Grounds, taking the twin bill by scores of 7–0 and 10–8 (six innings, called due to darkness). Pittsburgh's winning pitchers,Murry Dickson andHowie Pollet, are both veterans of theSt. Louis Cardinals' contending teams of the 1940s. The two losses, coupled withBrooklyn's doubleheader sweep of theChicago Cubs, drop the Giants (60–37) to 6½ games behind the front-running Dodgers.
• August 5 – Hall-of-Fame hitterRogers Hornsby, whose departure from theSt. Louis Browns' managerial job in June was controversially celebrated by his former players, gets another chance to manage in the major leagues. TheCincinnati Reds, who are 42–61 and seventh in theNational League, name Hornsby, 56, the replacement for former skipperLuke Sewell, who was fired July 30. Hornsby, considered the greatest right-handed hitter in NL history (.358 lifetimebatting average), coaxes the 1952 Reds to a 27–24 record through season's end. Cincinnati will be the seventh and final stop in Hornsby's MLB managerial career.
• August 8 –United States Air ForceMajorBob Neighbors, a former shortstop who played six pro seasons (1936–1941)—including seven September 1939 games with theSt. Louis Browns—before becoming aUSAAF pilot duringWorld War II, does not return from a bombing mission during theKorean War. Missing and presumed killed in action, Neighbors, 34, is believed to be the only MLB player who lost his life during the Korean conflict.^[18] (SeeDeaths entry for this date below.)
• August 10 – In his first MLB appearance, 20-year-old minor-league phenomRon Necciai, called up by thePittsburgh Pirates, gives up five runs in the top of the first inning to theChicago Cubs before settling down to work six full frames. He's tagged with seven earned runs and the 9–5 loss. Necciai had gained fame May 13 by striking out 27 batters in a nine-inning game in theClass DAppalachian League, and 281 hitters in only 169 innings pitched through August 1952. He will win only one of seven MLBdecisions in 12 appearances, then, plagued by ulcers, be out of baseball by 1956.^[19]
• August 14 – The two tail-enders in theAmerican League, the seventh-placeSt. Louis Browns and eighth-placeDetroit Tigers, exchange eight players in a late-seasonwaiver deal. The four-for-four trade sees St. Louis send pitchersBud Black,Ned Garver (a 20-game-winner in 1951) andDave Madison, along with outfielderJim Delsing, to Detroit for hurlersDick Littlefield andMarlin Stuart and outfieldersDon Lenhardt andVic Wertz.
• August 16 – In a game that lasts only 61⁄3 innings before it's halted by rain, theBrooklyn Dodgers pile up 15 runs and 15 hits, put up "crooked numbers" in four innings, and blank the visitingPhiladelphia Phillies, 15–0.
• August 18 – The second-placeCleveland Indians, only two games out of theAmerican League lead, acquire relief pitcherTed Wilks and shortstopGeorge Strickland in awaiver deal with thePittsburgh Pirates for infielderJohn Beradino, $50,000, and a "PTBNL." Wilks is one of theNational League's premier relievers. Beradino, an actor as well as a ballplayer, is destined to become a daytime television star asDr. Steve Hardy ofGeneral Hospital.

• August 23
  • Bob Elliott of theNew York Giants is ejected for arguing a strike call during an at-bat against theSt. Louis Cardinals atSportsman's Park.Bobby Hofman completes Elliott's at-bat. Hofman strikes out and is also ejected for arguing.^[20]
  • TheNew York Yankees break a virtual tie for first place with the visitingIndians whenVic Raschi outduels futureHall-of-FamerEarly Wynn 1–0.Joe Collins provides the Yanks' run with a fourth-inning double and Raschi improves his record to 15–3. The following day, the Bombers increase their margin to two games when they defeatDetroit 4–2 and Cleveland loses a marathon, 16-inning contest toWashington, 9–8.
• August 25 –Tigers pitcherVirgil Trucks fires his secondno-hitter of the season, a 1–0 shutout over the hostNew York Yankees. Previously, Trucks held theWashington Senators without a hit on May 15. Trucks is one of five pitchers to throw two no-hitters in a season, the others beingJohnny Vander Meer (1938),Allie Reynolds (1951),Nolan Ryan (1973) andRoy Halladay (2010, with one of his no-hitters coming in the postseason).^[21] Hurling for the 50–104, cellar-dwelling 1952 Tigers, Trucks will post a career-worst 5–19won–lost record, but two of his five victories will be no-hitters and a third triumph will be a July 22 one-hitter, also against Washington.^[10]
• August 28 – TheYankees make one of their patented, pennant-drive pickups from theNational League, acquiring pitcherEwell Blackwell from theCincinnati Reds for pitchersErnie Nevel andJohnny Schmitz, outfieldersJim Greengrass andBob Marquis, and $35,000. Blackwell is a six-timeNL All-Star and former 22-game-winner.

• September 1 – WithLabor Day games in the books, the home stretch of the 1952 MLB season begins with theBrooklyn Dodgers (83–42) holding a nine-game lead over theNew York Giants (75–52) and theNew York Yankees (77–54) up by 2½ lengths over theCleveland Indians (75–57) in their respective leagues. TheBoston Red Sox (69–59) and the surprisingPhiladelphia Athletics (69–61) are within shouting distance in theJunior Circuit.
• September 6 – AtShibe Park, future Hall-of-FamerRobin Roberts wins his 23rd game of 1952 and goes all 17 innings andDel Ennis hits awalk-off home run, enabling thePhiladelphia Phillies to edge theBoston Braves 7–6.
• September 13 –Buffalo Bisons outfielderFrank Carswell wins theInternational League batting title with a .344 average, also leading the league with 30 home runs while driving in 101 runs and slugging .587.^[22]
• September 16 – In theAmerican League's second-longest contest of 1952, theChicago White Sox outlast theBoston Red Sox 4–3 in 17 innings. The Bosox are in the midst of a horrific 7–20 month of September that drops them two games under .500 by season's end.
• September 21
  • Mired in the midst of a ten-game losing streak, the seventh-placeBoston Braves drop their final home game, 8–2, to the visiting, pennant-boundBrooklyn Dodgers to fall to a 63–85 mark. The contest is witnessed by 8,822 fans atBraves Field, bringing the year's attendance to 281,278—by far the worst in the majors (and over 237,000 fans fewer than the next-worst team, theSt. Louis Browns). Few, if any, know it, but today's spectators have seen the lastNational League game to be played inBoston: the Braves will abruptly relocate toMilwaukee in the midst ofspring training in 1953.
  • TheHollywood Stars win the 1952Pacific Coast League title in the PCL's first season at the "Open Classification" level. One of two clubs inLos Angeles, the Stars finish third in attendance, behind the league-leadingAngels and thePortland Beavers. Its "Open" designation, intended to help the PCL attain major-league status, will last through 1957, when theDodgers andGiants invade California.
• September 23 – TheBrooklyn Dodgers (95–54) clinch their ninth-everNational League championship (since 1890), coming back from a 4–1 deficit to edge thePhiladelphia Phillies 5–4 in the first game of anEbbets Field double-header.Johnny Rutherford is the unsung hero, throwing a complete game in what will be his final regular-season MLB appearance.
• September 26 – TheNew York Yankees (94–58) clinch their fourth straightAmerican Leaguepennant, defeating thePhiladelphia Athletics in 11 innings, 5–2, atShibe Park.Billy Martin's RBI single is the winning blow. It's the Bombers' 19th AL flag in the past 32 seasons. They will face theBrooklyn Dodgers for the fourth time since 1941 in the1952 World Series.
• September 27
  • AtEbbets Field, rookie third basemanEddie Mathews of theBoston Braves slugs three home runs in his club's penultimate game, leading Boston to an 11–3 victory. Mathews, 21, will earn a place in theBaseball Hall of Fame, belting 512 career homers in a 17-year career; he will also be known as the only man to play for the Braves in Boston (1952), Milwaukee (1953–1965) andAtlanta (1966).
  • Billy Meyer, manager of thePittsburgh Pirates since 1948, announces he will retire after the season "for a healthier job." Meyer, 59, won the1948The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award, but his 1952 team is on the verge of a 42–112 debacle. He remains with the Pirates as a scout until his 1957 death, with the team retiring his uniform #1 in 1954.

• October 1 – In Game 1 of the1952 World Series, theBrooklyn Dodgers defeat theNew York Yankees, 4–2, atEbbets Field behind relief aceJoe Black, who started only two games during the regular season.
• October 7 – TheNew York Yankees defeat theBrooklyn Dodgers, 4–2, in the decisive Game 7 of theWorld Series to win their fourth straight World Championship title – tying the mark they set between 1936 and 1939 and fifteenth overall.Billy Martin saves the day by snaring a two-out, bases-loaded infield pop off the bat ofJackie Robinson.Gil Hodges goes hitless again and is 0-for-21 in the Series. This is the Yankees' third defeat of the Dodgers in six years.
• October 14
  • TheCincinnati Reds obtain centerfielderGus Bell from thePittsburgh Pirates for catcherJoe Rossi and outfieldersCal Abrams andGail Henley. Bell will thrive in Cincinnati, making fourNational League All-Star teams and slugging 160 home runs over nine seasons.
  • TheBrooklyn Dodgers trade slick-fielding minor-league shortstopBilly Hunter to theSt. Louis Browns for pitcherBob Mahoney, shortstopStan Rojek, outfielderRay Coleman, and $95,000.
• October 15 – TheBoston Red Sox removeplayer-managerLou Boudreau from their active roster, enabling him to better focus on his managerial duties. Boudreau will remain at the Bosox' helm for two more seasons. His unconditional release ends the playing career of the former star shortstop and playing skipper of theCleveland Indians, a futureBaseball Hall of Famer.
• October 30 – TheSt. Louis Cardinals release longtime star left-handerHarry Brecheen, a two-time NL All-Star and hero of the1946 World Series. Brecheen is immediately named a playing pitching coach by theAmerican LeagueSt. Louis Browns.

• November 12 –Bobby Shantz, who posted a 24–7 record with 152strikeouts and a 2.48ERA for thePhiladelphia Athletics, is selected theAmerican League Most Valuable Player by theBaseball Writers' Association of America and the AL Pitcher of the Year byThe Sporting News.
• November 20 –Hank Sauer, slugging outfielder of theChicago Cubs who is nicknamed "The Mayor ofWrigley Field," wins the 1952National League Most Valuable Player Award. Sauer, 35, tiedRalph Kiner for the Senior Circuit's home-run crown, with 37 blasts, and led the NL in RBI (121).
• November 21 –Joe Black, who posted a 15–4record, 2.15earned run average, and 15saves for the pennant-winningBrooklyn Dodgers, wins theNational League Rookie of the Year Award.
• November 22 –Philadelphia Athletics pitcherHarry Byrd, who won 15 games and posted and a 3.31 ERA, is selectedAmerican League Rookie of the Year. Byrd will be the last Athletics player to win the award untilJose Canseco in1986.
• November 28 –International League presidentFrank Shaughnessy reveals plans to form two new major leagues by merging the top teams in theAmerican Association and the top teams from the IL. Shaughnessy thinks that in five to six years, Major League Baseball will elevate these two leagues, along with thePacific Coast League, which nearly has MLB status now.
• November 30 – On a local New York TV program,Jackie Robinson of theBrooklyn Dodgers charges that theNew York Yankees management is racist for its failure to bring up a black player. Yankees executiveGeorge Weiss denies the allegations.

• December 2 – ThePittsburgh Pirates draft relief pitcherElroy Face from theMontreal Royals, the top minor league affiliate of theBrooklyn Dodgers. During a 15-year career with the Pirates, Face will lead the National League in saves three times and will be a three-time All-Star, as well as his amazing 18 relief wins in1959 remains a major league record.
• December 4
  • TheDetroit Tigers trade hard-throwing pitcherVirgil Trucks, fellow right-handerHal White and outfielderJohnny Groth to theSt. Louis Browns for catcherJay Porter, infielderOwen Friend and outfielderBob Nieman. Trucks, an 11-year Tiger veteran, threw two no-hitters in 1952 but posted only a 5–19 (3.97ERA) record for the last-place Bengals.
  • Brooklyn Dodgers' vice presidentBuzzie Bavasi dismisses theNew York Yankees' reaction to theJackie Robinson racism charges. CommissionerFord Frick plans no action against Robinson. Two days earlier, Robinson had called the Yankees a racist organization for its failure to promote a black player to the parent club.
• December 10 – TheWashington Senators acquire left-handerChuck Stobbs from theChicago White Sox for righty hurlerMike Fornieles.
• December 11 – ThePittsburgh Pirates fill their managerial vacancy by promotingFred Haney, 56, from theHollywood Stars of thePacific Coast League. Haney will fail to lift the Bucs out of theNational League basement, going 163–299 (.353) over three seasons.

• The Pride of St. Louis
• The Winning Team

• January 2 –Greg Heydeman
• January 6 –Bob Adams
• January 7
  • Doug Capilla
  • Bob Gorinski
• January 9
  • Don Hopkins
  • Joe Wallis
• January 13 –Bob Galasso
• January 14
  • Terry Forster
  • Wayne Gross
• January 17
  • Pete LaCock
  • Darrell Porter
• January 21 –Mike Krukow
• January 22 –Ramón Avilés
• January 24 –John Scott
• January 26 –Morris Nettles

• February 2 –Warren Brusstar
• February 3 –Fred Lynn
• February 14 –Will McEnaney
• February 16
  • Barry Foote
  • Jerry Hairston, Sr.
• February 18 –Marc Hill
• February 19 –Dave Cheadle
• February 26 –Dennis Kinney
• February 27 –Henry Cruz
• February 28 –Orlando Álvarez
• February 29 –Al Autry

• March 1 –Bob Davis
• March 5 –Mike Squires
• March 6 –Eduardo Rodríguez
• March 15 –Steve Stroughter
• March 17 –Jerry Tabb
• March 19 –Perry Hill
• March 20
  • Rick Langford
  • Greg Terlecky
• March 21 –Fernando Arroyo
• March 22
  • Eddie Bane
  • Eric Rasmussen
• March 29 –Bill Castro

• April 1 –Mike Bacsik
• April 6 –Steve Waterbury
• April 9 –Ed Plank
• April 20 –Joe Gilbert
• April 24 –Pat Zachry
• April 29
  • Bob McClure
  • Ron Washington

• May 1 –Bob Allietta
• May 4 –Fred Andrews
• May 9 –Sam Mejías
• May 15 –Rick Waits
• May 17 –Porfi Altamirano
• May 19 –Dan Ford
• May 23
  • Pepe Mangual
  • Butch Metzger
• May 29 –Fred Holdsworth
• May 31 –Dwight Bernard

• June 2 –Mike Davey
• June 13 –Ernie Whitt
• June 21 –Dave Downs
• June 22 –Randy Scarbery
• June 26 –Steve Bowling
• June 28 –Joe Sambito

• July 1 –Kerry Dineen
• July 3
  • Ryan Kurosaki
  • John Verhoeven
• July 5 –Don DeMola
• July 6 –Cardell Camper
• July 21 –Steve Smith
• July 24 –Jerry Augustine
• July 27
  • Rich Dauer
  • Bump Wills
• July 30 –Mickey Mahler

• August 1 –Greg Gross
• August 2
  • Art James
  • Bombo Rivera
• August 3
  • Bob Davidson
  • Dan Meyer
• August 8
  • Mike Ivie
  • Greg Mahlberg
• August 16 –Al Holland
• August 19 –Tim Blackwell
• August 20
  • Bobby Cuellar
  • Lance Rautzhan
• August 21 –Chip Lang
• August 22 –Gary Beare
• August 23 –Jerry White
• August 27
  • Marshall Edwards
  • Mike Edwards

• September 2 –Nate Snell
• September 7 –Rick Sweet
• September 8 –Larry McCall
• September 9 –Jerry Mumphrey
• September 15 –Don Collins
• September 18 –Sam Bowen
• September 20 –Jim Wilhelm
• September 21
  • Art Gardner
  • Gary Gray
• September 22 –Dell Alston
• September 23
  • Dennis Lamp
  • Jim Morrison
  • Pat Scanlon
• September 24 –Rod Gilbreath
• September 25
  • Sal Butera
  • Mike Stanton

• October 1 –Bob Myrick
• October 2 –Terry Cornutt
• October 7 –John Caneira
• October 18
  • Allen Ripley
  • Jerry Royster
• October 20 –Dave Collins
• October 23
  • John Poff
  • Randy Tate
• October 24
  • Omar Moreno
  • Angel Torres
  • Reggie Walton
• October 25
  • Rowland Office
  • Roy Smalley
• October 27
  • Gil Flores
  • Bill Travers
  • Pete Vuckovich
• October 30 –Tom Brennan
• October 31 –Joe West

• November 4 –Doug Corbett
• November 5 –Tom Carroll
• November 8
  • John Denny
  • Jerry Remy
• November 9
  • Jim Riggleman
  • Dave Wehrmeister
  • Rick Williams
• November 13 –John Sutton
• November 15 –Tom Donohue
• November 16 –Glenn Burke
• November 17 –Dave Frost
• November 18
  • Dan Briggs
  • Steve Henderson
• November 21 –Bill Almon

• December 1 –Dan Warthen
• December 3 –Larry Anderson
• December 6
  • Chuck Baker
  • Jeff Schneider
• December 9 –Bruce Boisclair
• December 11 –Rob Andrews
• December 15 –Bud Bulling
• December 16 –Tommy Bianco
• December 21 –Joaquín Andújar
• December 23 –Santo Alcalá
• December 25 –Julio González
• December 27
  • Mark Budaska
  • Craig Reynolds
• December 28
  • Ray Knight
  • José Sosa
• December 29 –Dennis Werth

• January 6 –Frank Oberlin, 75, pitcher who played for theBoston Americans andWashington Senators over four seasons spanning 1906–1910.
• January 8 –Art Evans, 40, pitcher for the 1932 Chicago White Sox.
• January 10 –Bones Ely, 88, one of the top defensive shortstops of his generation and also a versatiletwo-way player, whose 19-season professional career included stints with eight major league teams in three different leagues in a span of fourteen seasons between 1884 and 1902.^[23]
• January 14 –Rube Sellers, 70, outfielder who played for theBoston Doves in its 1910 season.
• January 15 –Ben Houser, 68, first baseman who played with thePhiladelphia Athletics during the 1910 season, and for theBoston Rustlers and Braves from 1911 to 1912.
• January 17
  • Walter O. Briggs Sr., 74, industrialist and co-owner of the Detroit Tigers from 1919 to 1935, and sole owner from 1935 until his death.
  • Solly Salisbury, 75, pitcher who played in 1902 with the Philadelphia Phillies.
• January 20 –Ollie Pickering, 81, outfielder for six major league clubs in three different leagues between 1896 and 1908, who entered the record books as the first ever batter in American League history, when he facedChicago White Sox pitcherRoy Patterson as a member of theCleveland Blues on April 24, 1901.^[24][25]
• January 24
  • Ángel Aragón, 61, third baseman for the New York Yankees in three seasons from 1914 to 1917, who was also the first Cuban and Latin American player to wear a Yankees uniform.^[26]
  • Dick Wright, 61, catcher who made four game appearances for theBrooklyn Tip-Tops of the outlawFederal League in 1915.

• February 5
  • Esty Chaney, 61, pitcher who played from 1913 to 1914 for the Boston Red Sox (1913) and Brooklyn Tip-Tops.
  • Mike Hopkins, 79, catcher who appeared in just one game for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1902, hitting asingle and onedouble in twoat-bats to finish his major league career with a 1.000batting average and a 1.500slugging percentage.^[27]
• February 6 –Del Paddock, 64, third baseman who divided his playing time between theChicago White Sox and theNew York Highlanders in the 1912 season.
• February 12 –Charlie Manlove, 89, 19th century catcher who played in 1884 for theAltoona Mountain City of the Union Association and theNew York Gothams of the National League.

• March 11 –Pete Daglia, 46, pitcher for the 1932 Chicago White Sox.
• March 13 –Vincent Maney, 65, shortstop for the Detroit Tigers in the 1912 season.
• March 19 –Lefty Thomas, 48, pitcher who played in eight games in 1925 and 1926 for theWashington Senators.
• March 20 –Harry Bay, 74, outfielder for theCincinnati Reds and theCleveland Bronchos and Naps in a span of eight seasons from 1901 to 1908, who led the American League in stolen bases in 1903 and 1904.
• March 23 –Steve Sundra, 41, pitcher for theNew York Yankees,Washington Senators andSt. Louis Browns over eight seasons spanning 1936–1946, as well as a member of the1938 and1939 World Series champion Yankees teams.
• March 30
  • John Gallagher, 60, second baseman who played in 1915 for theBaltimore Terrapins of the Federal League.
  • Deacon Phillippe, 79, pitcher who played for theLouisville Colonels in 1899 and for thePittsburgh Pirates from 1900 through 1911, whose 13-season career was highlighted by pitching ano-hitter in his seventh career game with the Colonels, winning four National League pennants and the1909 World Series with the Pirates, while winning three games of the1903 World Series against the eventual championsBoston Americans, and prevailing in a pitching duel withCy Young in Game 1 of the best-of-nine series, as his fivedecisions in the World Series are still a record for a pitcher.^[28]

• April 3
  • Dick Harley, 79, left fielder who played from 1897 through 1903 for theSt. Louis Browns,Cleveland Spiders,Cincinnati Reds,Detroit Tigers andChicago Cubs.
  • Phenomenal Smith, 87, whose pitching career lasted eight seasons from 1884 to 1891 while playing for six different clubs,^[29] as he earned the sumptuous nickname when he pitched ano-hitter for theNewark Domestics of theAmerican Association on October 3, 1885, in which hestruck out 16Baltimore Orioles batters.^[30]
• April 5 –Ray Jacobs, 50, infielder who made two pinch-hit appearances for the Chicago Cubs inits 1918 season.
• April 8 –Willie Ludolph, 52, pitcher for the1924 Detroit Tigers.
• April 21 –Sheldon Lejeune, 68, outfielder who played with theBrooklyn Dodgers in 1911 and for thePittsburgh Pirates in 1915.
• April 30 –Frank Madden, 59, catcher who played in two games for thePittsburgh Rebels in 1914.

• May 1 –Ernie Johnson, 64, middle infielder and third baseman whose 10-year career included stints with four teams from 1912 to 1925, being also a contributor to the1923 World Series Champion Yankees,slashing.297/.333/.385 for the club in the regular season, and scoring the series-deciding run as apinch runner in Game 6 against theNew York Giants.
• May 4 –Burt Keeley, 72, pitcher for theWashington Senators in the 1908 and 1909 seasons.
• May 6
  • Rube Dessau, 69, pitcher who played with theBoston Doves in 1907 and for theBrooklyn Superbas in 1910.
  • Harry Berte, 79, middle infielder for the 1903 St. Louis Cardinals.
• May 7 –Red Bluhm, 57, slick fielding first baseman in the minor leagues, who made one appearance as apinch hitter for the Boston Red Sox in 1918.
• May 12 –Charlie Young, 59, pitcher who played for theBaltimore Terrapins of the outlawFederal League in 1915.
• May 14
  • Bert Cunningham, 86, pitcher who played from 1887 through 1901 for theBrooklyn Grays,Baltimore Orioles,Philadelphia Athletics,Buffalo Bisons,Louisville Colonels andChicago Orphans,
  • Red Dooin, 72, catcher (1902–1914) and player-manager (1910–1914) for the Philadelphia Phillies who caught 1,219 games for the team and posted a record of 392–370 (.514) as its skipper; also played for the Cincinnati Reds (1915) and New York Giants (1915–1916).
• May 16 –Sal Campfield, 52, pitcher who played for theNew York Giants inits 1896 season.
• May 18 –Spec Harkness, 64, pitcher who played from 1910 to 1911 for theCleveland Naps.
• May 23 –Bill McGilvray, 69, outfielder for the1908 Cincinnati Reds.
• May 27 –Lew Ritter, 76, catcher who played for theBrooklyn Superbas over seven seasons from 1902 to 1908.
• May 29 –Doc Lavan, 61, shortstop whose 16-year pro career included stints in the major leagues with theSt. Louis Browns,Philadelphia Athletics,Washington Senators andSt. Louis Cardinals in a span of twelve seasons from 1913 to 1924.
• May 30 –Albert Lasker, 72, advertising executive and owner or part-owner of the Chicago Cubs between 1916 and 1925.

• June 5 –Bruno Haas, 61, pitcher for the 1915 Philadelphia Athletics.
• June 9 –Bob McHale, 82, 19th century pitcher who played for theWashington Senators of the National League in 1898.
• June 17
  • Al Atkinson, 91, pitcher who played for thePhiladelphia Athletics,Chicago Browns andBaltimore Monumentals in 1884 and again with Philadelphia from 1886 to 1887; one of the few pitchers to throw twono-hitters in the early days of baseball, first against thePittsburgh Alleghenys on May 24, 1884, and the second on May 1, 1886, against theNew York Metropolitans, but achieved prominence in 1888 when he set a season record with 307strikeouts in theInternational Association, a mark that stood until 1923, whenLefty Grove broke it with 320 SO while pitching for theBaltimore Orioles in the then International League.
  • Julio Bonetti, 40, pitcher who played for the St. Louis Browns and Chicago Cubs over part of three seasons spanning 1937–1940, one of only sevenItalian-born players in Major League Baseball history.
• June 19 –Dick Crutcher, 62, pitcher for the Boston Braves in part of two seasons from 1914 to 1915.
• June 20 –John Kalahan, 73, catcher who appeared in one game with the Philadelphia Athletics during the 1903 season.
• June 21 –Andy Dunning, 80, 19th century pitcher who played with thePittsburgh Alleghenys in 1889 and for theNew York Giants in 1891.

• July 3 –Fred Tenney, 80, first baseman and manager whose career lasted 17 seasons from 1894 to 1911, who was ranked behind onlyHal Chase among first basemen of theDeadball Era, being also considered the originator of the3-6-3 double play, while leading the National League inputouts in 1905 and 1907–1908 as well as inassists each year from 1901 through 1907, setting a major-league record with 152 in 1905 that lasted untilMickey Vernon topped it in 1949, hitting over .300 seven times and retiring with a .294/.371/.358slash line, including 2,231 hits, 1,134 runs scored and 688 runs batted in.^[31]
• July 11 –Dutch Leonard, 60, left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers over eleven seasons from 1913 to 1925, who earned twoWorld Series rings with Boston in1915 and1916, while leading the major leagues with anearned run average of 0.96 in 1914, setting amodern-era season record that still stands.^[32]

• August 1 –Phil Douglas, 62, hard-throwing pitcher who posted a 94–93 record and 2.80earned run average for five teams in a nine-year career, winning 15 games with a 2.08 ERA in the 1921 season and then two wins in the1921 World Series to help theNew York Giants win the series, going 11–4 with a National League leading 2.63 ERA in 1922, before beingbanned for life under Commissioner Landis due to a quarrel with Giants managerJohn McGraw.^[33]
• August 8 –Bob Neighbors, 34, shortstop for the1939 St. Louis Browns, who later served as a pilot in theKorean War and was shot down, making him the most recent major leaguer to be killed in battle.^[34]
• August 13 –Hal Haid, 54, relief pitcher who played with theSt. Louis Browns,St. Louis Cardinals,Boston Braves andChicago White Sox over parts of six seasons spanning 1919–1933.
• August 19 –George McAvoy, 68,pinch hitter who appeared in one game with the1914 Philadelphia Phillies.
• August 20
  • Red Owens, 77, second baseman who played in 1899 with thePhiladelphia Phillies and for theBrooklyn Superbas in 1905.
  • Ned Pettigrew, 71, whopinch-hit in two games for theBuffalo Blues of the outlawFederal League in 1914.
• August 21 –Jack Ryan, 83, big league catcher who played from 1889 through 1913 for six clubs in three different leagues, completing a career that lasted four decades, a feat whichhas been attained by only 29 players in Major League history.
• August 25 –Harry Maupin, 80, 19th century pitcher who played in 1898 with theSt. Louis Browns and for theCleveland Spiders in 1899.
• August 30 –Arky Vaughan, 40, Hall of Fame and nine-time All-Star shortstop, who hit .300 or better in each of his first 10 major league seasons, all with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1932 to 1941, winning the National League batting crown with a .385 average in 1935, while leading the league in runs and triples three years apiece, as well as stolen bases once; died tragically when a sudden storm capsized his fishing boat on Lost Lake, near his Northern California home.^[35]

• September 3 –Bert Daly, 71, backup infielder for the1903 Philadelphia Athletics.
• September 4 –Butch Schmidt, 66, first baseman who played for theNew York Highlanders andBoston Braves in a span of four seasons from 1909 to 1915, being also a member of the1914 Miracle Braves, the first MLB club ever towin a World Series in just four games.
• September 8 –Ed Hearne, 64, shortstop who played briefly with the Boston Red Sox in 1910.
• September 13 –Al Clauss, 61, pitcher for the 1913 Detroit Tigers.
• September 16 –Earl Sheely, 59, first baseman who posted a .300batting average with the Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Braves in nine seasons between 1921 and 1931, serving later as a scout for the Boston Red Sox and general manager for the Triple-ASeattle Rainiers, earning aPacific Coast League Hall of Fame induction for his contributions to the league over the years.^[36]
• September 28 –Zeke Wrigley, 78, 19th century shortstop who played from 1896 through 1899 for theWashington Senators,New York Giants andBrooklyn Superbas.
• September 30 –Jerry Freeman, 72, first baseman for theWashington Senators from 1908 to 1909.

• October 4 –Bill Zimmerman, 65, German outfielder who played for theBrooklyn Robins in 1915.
• October 8 –Joe Adams, 74, pitcher for the 1902 St. Louis Cardinals, who later became a successful manager in the minor leagues, being a mentor for future Hall of FamersFrank Chance andRay Schalk, among others, while earning the nickname of Godfather of theEastern Illinois League, according to the1908 Spalding Guide.^[37]
• October 11 –Roy Beecher, 68, pitcher for the New York Giants from 1907 to 1908.
• October 14 –Jim Banning, 87, 19th century catcher who played for theWashington Nationals of the National League in parts of two seasonsd from 1888 to 1889.
• October 17 –Vince Shields, 51, Canadian pitcher for the 1924 St. Louis Cardinals.
• October 22 –Howard McGraner, 63, pitcher who played with the Cincinnati Reds in 1912.
• October 26
  • Tom Angley, 48, backup catcher for the Chicago Cubs in its 1929 season.
  • Mike Murphy, 64, catcher who played with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1912 and for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1916.
• October 28 –Bob Lawson, 77, pitcher who played with theBoston Beaneaters in 1901 and for theoriginal Baltimore Orioles in 1902.

• November 1
  • Wally Clement, 72, outfielder who played in 1908 with thePhiladelphia Phillies, and for theBrooklyn Superbas in 1909.
  • Ed McNichol, 73, pitcher for the1904 Boston Beaneaters.
• November 3 –Frank Smith, 73, pitcher who played for theChicago White Sox,Boston Red Sox,Cincinnati Reds,Baltimore Terrapins andBrooklyn Tip-Tops during 11 seasons spanning 1904–1915, while pitching twono-hitters and winning over 20 games twice, ending his career with a 139–111 record and 2.59ERA in 2,274 innings.
• November 20 –Fred McMullin, best known for his involvement in the1919 World Series Black Sox Scandal, died inLos Angeles, California, at the age of 61. McMullin, areserve infielder with theChicago White Sox, was one of theeight White Sox players that were banned from baseball for gambling on the series, won by theCincinnati Reds. McMullin began his major league career in 1914, as ashortstop for theDetroit Tigers before making the Chicago club in 1916. Afterwards, he was a member of the1917 World Series Champion White Sox. In his final years, he suffered fromarteriosclerosis, a heart ailment. Just over a month after his 61st birthday, he had a stroke that caused hemorrhaging in the brain and died a day later.^[38]
• November 26 –Warren Gill, 73, first baseman who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in its 1908 season.
• November 29 –Arlie Latham, 92,"The Freshest Man on Earth", who played for theBuffalo Bisons,St. Louis Browns,Chicago Pirates,Cincinnati Reds,Washington Senators andNew York Giants in a span of 17 seasons from 1880 to 1909; known for his practical jokes and setting the MLB career record to date for the mosterrors atthird base, with 822, while rankingseventh on the all-time list for stolen bases with 742, ending his career with a .269 batting average, 1,478 runs scored, 836 hits, 27 home runs and 563 and runs batted in.^[39]

• December 6 –Don Hurst, 47, first baseman who played from 1928 through 1934 for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs, leading the National League with143 RBI in 1932.
• December 14 –Frank Hansford, 77, pitcher for the1898 Brooklyn Bridegrooms.
• December 28 –Deacon Jones, 60, pitcher who played from 1916 to 1918 for the Detroit Tigers.
• December 29 –Bob Meinke, 65, shortstop who appeared in two games for the Cincinnati Reds in 1910.

• Baseball Reference – 1952 MLB season summary
• Baseball Reference – MLB Players born in 1952
• Baseball Reference – MLB Players died in 1952

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