The following are thebaseball events of the year1959 throughout the world.

• World Series:Los Angeles Dodgers overChicago White Sox (4–2);Larry Sherry, MVP
• All-Star Game (#1), July 7 atForbes Field: National League, 5–4
• All-Star Game (#2), August 3 atLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum: American League, 5–3

• College World Series:Oklahoma State
• Japan Series:Nankai Hawks overYomiuri Giants (4–0)
• Little League World Series: Hamtramck National,Hamtramck, Michigan
• Pan American Games:Venezuela overPuerto Rico

Winter Leagues

• 1959 Caribbean Series:Alacranes de Almendares
• Cuban League:Alacranes de Almendares
• Dominican Republic League:Tigres del Licey
• Mexican Pacific League:Ostioneros de Guaymas
• Panamanian League:Coclé BBC
• Puerto Rican League:Cangrejeros de Santurce
• Venezuelan League:Indios de Oriente

• Baseball Hall of Fame
  • Zack Wheat

v t e American League Team W L Pct. GB Home Road Chicago White Sox 94 60 .610 — 47‍–‍30 47‍–‍30 Cleveland Indians 89 65 .578 5 43‍–‍34 46‍–‍31 New York Yankees 79 75 .513 15 40‍–‍37 39‍–‍38 Detroit Tigers 76 78 .494 18 41‍–‍36 35‍–‍42 Boston Red Sox 75 79 .487 19 43‍–‍34 32‍–‍45 Baltimore Orioles 74 80 .481 20 38‍–‍39 36‍–‍41 Kansas City Athletics 66 88 .429 28 37‍–‍40 29‍–‍48 Washington Senators 63 91 .409 31 34‍–‍43 29‍–‍48

Orioles Red Sox White Sox   Indians Tigers    Athletics Yankees Senators Locations of teams for the 1955–1960American League seasons American League

v t e National League Team W L Pct. GB Home Road Los Angeles Dodgers 88 68 .564 — 46‍–‍32 42‍–‍36 Milwaukee Braves 86 70 .551 2 49‍–‍29 37‍–‍41 San Francisco Giants 83 71 .539 4 42‍–‍35 41‍–‍36 Pittsburgh Pirates 78 76 .506 9 47‍–‍30 31‍–‍46 Chicago Cubs 74 80 .481 13 38‍–‍39 36‍–‍41 Cincinnati Reds 74 80 .481 13 43‍–‍34 31‍–‍46 St. Louis Cardinals 71 83 .461 16 42‍–‍35 29‍–‍48 Philadelphia Phillies 64 90 .416 23 37‍–‍40 27‍–‍50

Cubs Reds Dodgers Braves      Phillies Pirates     Giants Cardinals class=notpageimage| Locations of teams for the 1959National League season National League

• January 13:
  • TheCalifornia Supreme Court unanimously validates the October 1957 transaction between theCity of Los Angeles andWalter O'Malley that transfers ownership of 300 acres inChavez Ravine to O'Malley in exchange for aminor-league baseball park in South Los Angeles. The decision reverses a lower court ruling against the transfer. O'Malley says he will break ground on what will becomeDodger Stadium within 30 days.^[1]
  • John J. Quinn, 50,general manager of the defendingNational League championMilwaukee Braves, resigns to become GM of the cellar-dwellingPhiladelphia Phillies, replacingRoy Hamey. Quinn has headed the Braves' front office since 1945, when they played in Boston. Hamey rejoins theNew York Yankees as assistant to GMGeorge Weiss.
• January 14 –Baseball Hall of Fame former shortstopJoe Cronin, 52, is chosen to succeedWill Harridge, 75, to become the fourth president of theAmerican League. Harridge, who had spent 28 years as the AL's chief executive, becomes board chairman.^[2] One day later, Hall of Fame field managerBucky Harris, 62, is named to replace Cronin as general manager of theBoston Red Sox.
• January 25 – MLB front-office shuffles continue asJohn McHale, 37, general manager of theDetroit Tigers since April 1957, resigns to take a similar post with theMilwaukee Braves. Former catcher and future Hall-of-FamerRick Ferrell takes over Detroit's GM job.
• January 30 – TheCincinnati Redlegs trade catcherSmoky Burgess, pitcherHarvey Haddix, and third basemanDon Hoak to thePittsburgh Pirates in exchange for third basemanFrank Thomas, pitcherWhammy Douglas, outfieldersJim Pendleton andJohnny Powers, and cash considerations.

• February 7 – Baseball mourns all-time greatNap Lajoie upon his death from pneumonia inDaytona Beach, Florida at 84. Second baseman Lajoie, the third man to exceed 3,000 careerhits, was so famous that theCleveland American League club was known as the "Naps" during his 1902–1914 tenure. He was elected to theHall of Fame in 1937. (SeeDeaths entry for this date below.)
• February 11 – AlthoughCold War tensions remain high, Cincinnati's MLB franchise decides to return to its traditional identity, theCincinnati Reds. The club had changed its official moniker toCincinnati Redlegs in April 1953 to disassociate itself fromCommunism. Fans and media will intermittently refer to the team as the "Redlegs" into the early 1960s, however, and the word "Reds" will not return to the team's logo until a uniform makeover in 1961.^[3]
• February 14 – TheSan Francisco Giants sell the contract ofWhitey Lockman to theBaltimore Orioles.
• February 15:
  • Cuba wins its fourth straightCaribbean Series, defeating second-placeVenezuela, 8–2, behindCamilo Pascual. Represented by its league champions,Almendares, Cuba wins five of the six games they play. The MVP is future MLB All-StarNorm Cash, a member of Venezuela's representative.
  • An important upper-levelminor league closes its doors forever when theWestern League announces it will not operate in 1959. Since 1955, the Western circuit has lost markets likeDenver,Omaha,Wichita andAmarillo to higher-classification loops. Four of its eight clubs stay afloat by joining the lower-classificationThree–I League.
• February 28 –Mickey Mantle of theNew York Yankees ends his holdout after one day. Mantle agrees to a salary of $72,000 and a bonus of $2,000. He had been asking the Yankees for $85,000 after batting .304 with 42 home runs and 97 RBI in 1958.

• March 10 – After five years out of the spotlight,Bill Veeck returns to baseball, purchasing 54 percent majority interest in theChicago White Sox fromDorothy Comiskey Rigney. The transaction caps the long-running feud between Dorothy and her brotherChuck, who owns the remaining 46%. It also marks the end of the Comiskey family's nearly six-decade-long control of the Pale Hose franchise.
• March 21 –Larry Doby, future Hall of Famer and the first African-American to play in theAmerican League, is traded by theCleveland Indians to theDetroit Tigers in exchange forTito Francona.
• March 24 –Milwaukee Braves second basemanRed Schoendienst, hospitalized for four months withtuberculosis, is released from a St. Louissanatorium and will continue his recovery at home. Schoendienst, 36, underwent lung surgery in February as part of his treatment. He was diagnosed with the ailment last November after he started all seven games of the1958 World Series; playing in all 63 innings, he had batted .300 and made only oneerror in 38total chances on defense.^[4]
• March 25 – In a trade that benefits both clubs, theSt. Louis Cardinals obtainBill White andRay Jablonski from theSan Francisco Giants for"Toothpick" Sam Jones andDon Choate. Veteran hurler Jones, 33, will lead theNational League in games won (21), shutouts (four) and earned run average (2.83) in 1959. White, a 25-year-old first baseman who as a Giant was caught between incumbentOrlando Cepeda and prospectWillie McCovey — both future Hall of Famers — becomes a regular and team leader with the Cardinals, who is selected for eightAll-Star Games, wins sixGold Glove Awards, and plays a critical role in the Redbirds'1964 world-championship season and theracial integration of their spring training living quarters.^[5] After his playing days, White achieves further prominence as a broadcaster for theNew York Yankees (1971–1988), then president of the National League (1989–1994).
• March 31 – ThePhiladelphia Phillies andMilwaukee Braves pull off a six-man trade, with the Phils exchanging catcherStan Lopata and infieldersTed Kazanski andJohnny O'Brien for pitcherGene Conley and infieldersHarry Hanebrink andJoe Koppe.

• April 2 – Asspring training draws to an end, theDetroit Tigers return minor-league shortstopMaury Wills to theLos Angeles Dodgers' organization. Wills, 26, had been acquired "conditionally" in October 1958. Assigned toTriple-ASpokane to begin 1959, Wills will become aswitch-hitter,hit .313 in 48 games, then be promoted to the Dodgers and make his debut on June 6, 1959; by1962 he will set a new MLB season record forstolen bases and win theNational League Most Valuable Player Award.
• April 10 –Sal Maglie's major league career comes to an end as theSt. Louis Cardinals release the former 20-game winner right before the start of the season.
• April 11 – On Opening Day,Los Angeles Dodgers pitcherDon Drysdale hits a home run, becoming the only pitcher to hit more than one career homer in opening games. (He will hit 29 long balls over his 14-year career.) Drysdale's historic blast doesn't prevent the Dodgers from losing their game, 6–1, to theChicago Cubs.
• April 17 –Detroit Tigers'Al Kaline belts his 100th career home run.
• April 22 – TheChicago White Sox defeat theKansas City Athletics 20–6 atMunicipal Stadium. The White Sox score 11 of those runs on only one hit in a wild seventh inning.Ray Boone andAl Smith lead off the seventh by reaching on errors.Johnny Callison then collects the hit, a single that scores Boone; on the play, Smith scores and Callison reaches third on aRoger Maris error. Eight of the next nine runs score on ten bases on balls; Callison is hit by a pitch to force in the remaining run. The KC "wild men" are relieversTom Gorman,Mark Freeman andGeorge Brunet.^[6][7][8]

• May 2 –Frank Robinson of theCincinnati Redshits for the cycle, drives in five runs and scores twice in today's 16–4 triumph over theLos Angeles Dodgers atCrosley Field.^[9] Lead-off manJohnny Temple, #2 hitterVada Pinson and third-place hitter Robinson go a combined nine-for-13, with eight runs scored and 12 runs batted in.^[10]
• May 3 – TheDetroit Tigers, losers of 15 of their first 17 games, replace managerBill Norman withJimmy Dykes. For the veteran Dykes, the Tigers are the fourth big-league team he's managed since 1951. In his first day with the Tigers, his club sweeps a doubleheader from theNew York Yankees atBriggs Stadium, with renowned "Sunday slugger"Charlie Maxwell belting four home runs. Under Dykes, Detroit will perk up to go 74–63 for the rest of 1959.
• May 7 – An all-timeMLB record crowd of 93,103 gathers at theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum for "Roy Campanella Night", honoring the formerBrooklyn Dodger catcher who was paralyzed in a January 1958 car accident on the eve of his team's move toLos Angeles. In the exhibition game that follows, the visitingNew York Yankees defeat the Dodgers, 6–2. The event raises $60,000 to help defray Campanella's medical expenses. The attendance record will stand for almost 49 years until 115,300 witness the March 29, 2008, exhibition contest at the Coliseum between the Dodgers andBoston Red Sox that marks the home side's 50th anniversary in Los Angeles.^[11][12]
• May 10 – AtForbes Field,Jim Hearn of thePhiladelphia Phillies gives up two runs to thePittsburgh Pirates before the second game of a Sundaydoubleheader is suspended by curfew. On May 22, the Phillies release Hearn, ending the pitcher's 13-year MLB career. The suspended game is completed July 21, with the Pirates winning 6–4, and Hearn is tagged with the loss almost two months after he retired from baseball.
• May 12 –Yogi Berra of theNew York Yankees commits anerror, as his errorless streak of 148 games for acatcher comes to an end in a New York 7–6 loss to theCleveland Indians atYankee Stadium.

• May 20 – TheNew York Yankees' 13–6 loss to theDetroit Tigers atYankee Stadium drops the New Yorkers to last place in the American League—their first time in the cellar since May 23,1940. The Yankees had won nine pennants over the previous ten years, only missing out in1954 when they finished second but won 103 games. They will battle back in 1959 but finish third, 15 lengths behind the pennant-winningWhite Sox.
• May 26:
  • AtCounty Stadium,Pittsburgh Pirates pitcherHarvey Haddix carries aperfect game into the 13th inning against theMilwaukee Braves, retiring 36 consecutive batters beforeFélix Mantilla reaches on aDon Hoak error. Haddix then loses theno-hitter and the game on the Braves' onlyhit whenJoe Adcock slugs what appears to be a home run, but is later ruled a double when Adcock passes Mantilla on the bases. The final score is Milwaukee 1, Pittsburgh 0. Winning pitcherLew Burdette goes all the way and allows 12 Pirate hits.^[13]
  • TheNew York Yankees acquire right-handed pitcherRalph Terry, 23, and infielder-outfielderHéctor López, 29, from theKansas City Athletics for pitchersJohnny Kucks, 26, andTom Sturdivant, 29, and second basemanJerry Lumpe, 25. Both Terry and López will contribute to the Bombers' early 1960s AL pennants: former Yankee Terry overcomes a crushing defeat in Game 7 of the1960 World Series to become a 23-game winner andWorld Series MVPtwo years later; López will be a key platoon outfielder. Lumpe, meanwhile, will be Kansas City's regular second baseman through1963.
  • TheWashington Senators tradeAlbie Pearson, 24, the reigningAL Rookie of the Year, to theBaltimore Orioles for fellow outfielderLenny Green, 26.

• June 8 – TheSt. Louis Cardinals andCincinnati Reds exchange right-handed pitchers, with Cincinnati obtainingJim Brosnan forHal Jeffcoat. The trade occurs as aspiring writer Brosnan, 29, is working on a breakthrough memoir,The Long Season, the first account of a baseball season as seen through the eyes of a player. Upon publication in 1960, the book is denounced by the baseball establishment, but well-received by critics.^[14]
• June 10 –Cleveland Indians right-fielderRocky Colavito becomes the eighth player in Major League history to hitfour home runs in a game. He hits all four in consecutive at-bats, scoring five runs and knocking in six, as the Indians top theBaltimore Orioles, 11–8, atMemorial Stadium.^[9][15]
• June 12 – TheJapanese Baseball Hall of Fame opens in Tokyo.
• June 14 –Ernie Banks hits 200th career home run helpingChicago Cubs beatMilwaukee Braves 6–0.
• June 18 – AtMemorial Stadium‚Alfonso "Chico" Carrasqueldrives in two runs in both the eighth and ninth innings to give theBaltimore Orioles a 7–6 win over the visitingDetroit Tigers.
• June 21 – AtSeals Stadium,Hank Aaron hits three home runs in theMilwaukee Braves' 13–3 victory over theSan Francisco Giants. For Aaron, Major League Baseball's future home run king, it will be the only three-home run game of his career.
• June 30 – TheSt. Louis Cardinals andChicago Cubs are involved in a bizarre play atWrigley Field in which two balls are in play at the same time. With one out in the fourth inning,Stan Musial is at the plate with a 3–1 count. The next pitch from the Cubs'Bob Anderson evades catcherSammy Taylor and rolls to the backstop. Home plate umpireVic Delmore calls ball four on Musial, much to the chagrin of Anderson and Taylor, both of whom argue that Musial had foul tipped the ball. With the ball still in play and Delmore arguing with both Anderson and Taylor, Musial attempts to run for second. Meanwhile, Cubs third basemanAlvin Dark runs to the backstop and retrieves the ball despite it having ended up in the hands of field announcerPat Pieper. However, Delmore unknowingly pulls out a new ball and gives it to Taylor. Anderson sees Musial attempting to advance to second and throws the ball to second basemanTony Taylor, only for it to sail into the outfield. At the same time, Dark throws the original ball to shortstop Ernie Banks. Musial sees Anderson's ball go over Tony Taylor's head and attempts to advance to third, unaware that Dark's throw has reached Banks, who tags Musial. After a delay, Musial is declared out. Both teams play the game under protest; the Cardinals drop theirs after defeating the Cubs 4–1.

• July 2 –Pinky Higgins, manager of theBoston Red Sox since 1955, is fired with his club 31–42 and ensconced in theAmerican League basement. After coachRudy York handles the club July 3 in Baltimore,Washington Senators coachBilly Jurges, the former standoutNational League shortstop, is named Higgins' replacement.
• July 4 – After today's holiday action, which often marks the midpoint of an MLB season, there are pennant races in each major league. In theNational, theSan Francisco Giants (45–34) lead theMilwaukee Braves (43–33–1) by a half game andLos Angeles Dodgers (45–37) by 1½ lengths. In theAmerican, five games separate the top five teams, withCleveland (43–32) leadingChicago (42–35) by two, followed byBaltimore (41–36),New York (40–37) andDetroit (40–39).
• July 7 – In the season's firstAll-Star Game, held atForbes Field, home of thePittsburgh Pirates, theNational League tops theAmerican League 5–4. The NL rallies for two eighth-inning runs, with key hits fromWillie Mays andHank Aaron, to defeatWhitey Ford.
• July 8 – TheCincinnati Reds fire managerMayo Smith only 80 games into his first year, and replace him with formerDetroit Tigers andSt. Louis Cardinals skipperFred Hutchinson, who had been managing the Reds'Triple-ASeattle affiliate.
• July 16 – Fireballing relief pitcherRyne Duren of theNew York Yankees gives up a run for the first time in 2½ months in the eighth inning of today's 7–5 win over theCleveland Indians inthe Bronx. Duren's scoreless string—longest in the majors this season—began May 10 and encompassed 18 appearances and 312⁄3 innings pitched.^[9]
• July 21 – In his MLB debut,Pumpsie Green pinch-runs for veteranVic Wertz during the eighth inning of aBoston Red Sox 2–1 loss atComiskey Park,Chicago. Green is left stranded at first, then stays in the game and plays an inning of defense at shortstop. He becomes the first Black player to appear in an official game for the Red Sox, the last of the 16 big-league clubs prior to expansion to break thecolor barrier.
• July 25–26 – An extra-inningInternational League game atHavana'sGran Stadium comes to screeching halt in the top of the 12th when impromptu, celebratory gunfire accompanies a fireworks display marking thesixth anniversary of the outbreak of theCuban Revolution.Frank Verdi, third base coach of the visitingRochester Red Wings, andLeo Cárdenas, shortstop of the hostHavana Sugar Kings, are struck by stray bullets but, miraculously, sustain only minor wounds.^[16]
• July 27 –New YorkattorneyWilliam Shea announces the formation of a third major league, theContinental League, to begin play in1961. One of the charter teams for the league would be placed in New York. The Continental League will disband August 2,1960 on promises that four of its franchises would be accepted to theNational League andAmerican League as expansion franchises.
• July 28:
  • TheChicago White Sox defeat theNew York Yankees 4–3 behind southpawBilly Pierce atComiskey Park, enabling them to leapfrog theCleveland Indians into first place in theAmerican League standings. Although Cleveland will challenge them into late September, the White Sox hold on to take their first pennant in 40 years.
  • The Antitrust and Monopoly Subcommittee of theUnited States Senate, headed by Sen.Estes Kefauver ofTennessee, holds hearings in Washington, D.C., for two bills that would change or codify baseball's anti-trust exemption. It is the fifth time in nine years that baseball has been investigated by the U.S. Congress.
• July 30 – The red-hotKansas City Athletics win their tenth straight game—and 14th out of their last 16—by defeating theWashington Senators, 4–1. The streak, which began July 14, enables the chronicsecond-division ball club to climb above .500 at 50–49 and will represent a rare high point in its dismal, 13-season tenure in Kansas City.

• August 3 – At theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum, theAmerican League defeats theNational League 5–3 in the secondAll-Star Game of 1959. The Junior Circuit is powered by home runs fromFrank Malzone,Yogi Berra andRocky Colavito, whileFrank Robinson andJim Gilliam homer for the Nationals. The winning pitcher is 20-year-oldJerry Walker.
• August 5 – TheWashington Senators lose their 18th straight game, 7–3, in the first game of a doubleheader against theCleveland Indians atGriffith Stadium. The Senators rebound to take the nightcap, 9–0, behindTex Clevenger's seven-hitter, but they will drop four more games in a row. Washington is in the midst of a calamitous midsummer collapse that sees them lose 22 of 24 games and plunge from fifth place (July 17) to the basement of the eight-teamAmerican League (August 9).
• August 6:
  • In the third marathon contest between the two teams in 1959—and what will be the longest game of the season in MLB—theChicago White Sox andBaltimore Orioles battle for 18 innings to a 1–1 stalemate atMemorial Stadium before a 12 midnight curfew halts proceedings.^[7]Billy Pierce allows one run over 16 innings for the visitors beforeTurk Lown records two scoreless frames in relief.Billy O'Dell starts for Baltimore and lasts eight innings before turning matters over to knuckleballerHoyt Wilhelm, who preserves the 1–1 tie with ten innings of scoreless relief.^[17] While all statistics from tonight will go into the books, the game will be re-played "from scratch" on September 11.^[18]
  • ThePittsburgh Pirates amass 23 hits against theSt. Louis Cardinals atBusch Stadium. Veteran catcherSmoky Burgess goes five-for-six and knocks in six runs as the Pirates turn an 8–2 rout into an 18–2 "laugher" with ten ninth-inning tallies.^[7]
• August 13 – Led byGeorge Altman's five hits (including two homers) and five runs batted in, theChicago Cubs batter theSan Francisco Giants atWrigley Field, 20–9.^[7][19]
• August 14 – AtConnie Mack Stadium, theCincinnati Reds battle back from a second-inning 8–0 deficit to defeat the home-standingPhiladelphia Phillies, 15–13, on the strength of 23 hits.Vada Pinson andFrank Robinson each go five-for-six; they score a combined seven runs and drive in five. Ex-"Whiz Kid"Willie "Puddin' Head" Jones goes four-for-five and knocks in three runs against his former team.^[7][20]
• August 18 – Hall of Fame executiveBranch Rickey, 77, in semi-retirement since October 1955, sells his minority interest in and resigns as chairman of thePittsburgh Pirates to become president of William Shea'sContinental League. The new loop already has granted franchises toDenver,Houston,Minneapolis–Saint Paul andToronto, as well asNew York City. Rickey and a committee of CL owners hold a summit meeting in New York withCommissioner of BaseballFord Frick, the AL and NL presidents, and a delegation of MLB owners to discuss the possible entry of the Continental circuit into Organized Baseball as a third major league.^[21]
• August 25 – The first-placeChicago White Sox add left-handed power to their batting order by acquiring first basemanTed Kluszewski from thePittsburgh Pirates for outfielderHarry Simpson and a minor leaguer. The trade will enable Kluszewski, nearly 35, to play in his firstWorld Series—in which he will star (.391, 3 HR, 10 RBI in six games) in a losing cause.
• August 30 – In his 50th appearance of the season,Pittsburgh Pirates relief aceRoy Face wins his 17th consecutive decision—without a loss—in a 7–6 triumph over thePhiladelphia Phillies atForbes Field. Face finally loses a game in his 54th outing, against theLos Angeles Dodgers September 11, but logs his 18th and final victory of 1959 on the 19th. His 18–1 mark yields a .947winning percentage, which still stands as the best among hurlers with 13 or more decisions.
• August 31 –Sandy Koufax of theLos Angeles Dodgers equalsBob Feller's record of 18strikeouts in a nine-inning game during a 5–2 triumph over theSan Francisco Giants at theLA Coliseum.^[22] Koufax also breaksDizzy Dean'sNational League standard of 17 Ks, set in 1933. Earlier in 1959, on June 22, Koufax had fanned 16Philadelphia Phillies in a 6–2 triumph at the Coliseum.^[9]

• September 2 – FutureHall-of-Fame second basemanRed Schoendienst of theMilwaukee Braves makes his first appearance of the season after recovering fromtuberculosis and lung surgery. Pinch-hitting forJuan Pizarro atCounty Stadium, he grounds out, pitcher (future Hall of FamerRobin Roberts) to first. Schoendienst, 36, will play in only five games this year, but he'll recover fully and appear in 234 more MLB contests before his 1963 playing retirement.
• September 7:
  • AtCleveland Stadium onLabor Day,Jimmy Piersall's two-run, ninth-inning single scores the tying and winning tallies in theIndians' 15–14 come-from-behind victory over theDetroit Tigers in the opening game of a doubleheader. Then, in the nightcap, the Indians stage another ninth-inning, three-run rally to erase a 5–3 deficit and sweep the twin bill, 6–5. Cleveland's two victories enable the Indians (80–56) to keep pace with theChicago White Sox (85–52–2) and remain 4½ games behind in theAmerican League race; Chicago also sweeps today, taking two from theKansas City Athletics atComiskey Park.
  • The threeNational League contenders all take care of business: theSan Francisco Giants andLos Angeles Dodgers each win single contests, while theMilwaukee Braves sweep their doubleheader. The Giants (77–60) lead the Dodgers (74–63) and Braves (74–63–1) by three with 17 contests remaining to play.
• September 11 –Brooks Robinson's 16th-inning single platesAl Pilarcik with the game's only run, enabling the hostBaltimore Orioles to sweep the visitingChicago White Sox, 3–0 and 1–0, in a doubleheader.^[23] The marathon, a complete-game shutout forJerry Walker, the Orioles' 20-year-old right-hander, is the nightcap of a twin bill scheduled to replay a game in early August that ended in an 18-inning, 1–1 tie; today also marks the fourth time in 1959 that the White Sox and Orioles have needed more than 15 frames to decide a contest.^[7]
• September 12 –Ken Boyer of theSt. Louis Cardinals triples and homers in a 6–4 victory over theChicago Cubs, extending his hitting streak to 29 games, longest in the majors since 1950. The streak ends the next day.
• September 18 – A season-long feud with general manager "Frantic"Frank Lane spursCleveland Indians managerJoe Gordon to announce that he will quit his post after the 1959 season ends.^[24] The Indians are still mathematically in pennant contention, although 51⁄2 games behind theChicago White Sox.
• September 22:
  • AtCleveland Stadium, theWhite Sox defeat theIndians 4–2 to clinch the American League pennant. Back-to-back home runs fromAl Smith andJim Rivera in the sixth inning give eventual Cy Young Award winnerEarly Wynn his 21st victory. The pennant is the first for the White Sox since1919; that team went on to throw theWorld Series in what would come to be known as theBlack Sox Scandal.
  • With Cleveland now eliminated from the race,Frank Lane firesJoe Gordon immediately. It's revealed the Lane has offered the Indians' 1960 managerial job toLeo Durocher, former skipper of theBrooklyn Dodgers andNew York Giants who recently quit as a "color commentator" on"Game of the Week" telecasts.^[25]
• September 23 – When contract negotiations break down betweenLane andDurocher, theIndians' general manager reverses course and rehiresJoe Gordon as his manager, giving him a two-year contract and a raise in salary.^[26] "I made a mistake," Lane tells the press. Gordon returns to the Tribe helm for 1960, but on August 3, Lane will fire Gordon again — part of a bizarre "trade" of managers with theDetroit Tigers.
• September 27 – A wildNational League pennant race comes down to the final day with three teams—theMilwaukee Braves andLos Angeles Dodgers (each 85–68), and theSan Francisco Giants (83–69)—within reach of the championship. A three-way tie is possible, should the Giants win their doubleheader and their foes lose their single games.^[27] But the Giants' hopes are crushed when the Braves and Dodgers win and they're swept by theSt. Louis Cardinals. Los Angeles and Milwaukee will continue their regular season with thethird NL tie-breaker series in 14 years, all of them involving the Dodgers.
• September 28 –Charlie Grimm, known as "Jolly Cholly," is named to replaceBob Scheffing, whose nickname is "Grump," as manager of theChicago Cubs for 1960. For the affable, 61-year-old Grimm, the appointment represents his third term as skipper of the Cubs, for whom he piloted NL champions in 1932, 1935 and 1945.
• September 28–29 – TheLos Angeles Dodgers defeat theMilwaukee Braves in two straight games in abest-of-three playoff series, 3–2 and 6–5, to reach the World Series. In the clinching contest, played inLos Angeles, the Dodgers stage a stirring three-run, ninth-inning rally to tie the score at five, then plate the winning tally in the 12th on a single byCarl Furillo and an error by Braves' shortstopFélix Mantilla.^[28]
• September 30 –Bill DeWitt, 57, former owner and general manager of theSt. Louis Browns and currently a senior member of theCommissioner of Baseball's staff, becomes president andde facto GM of theDetroit Tigers.^[29]

• October 1 – The Go-GoChicago White Sox change character at home and hammer theLos Angeles Dodgers 11–0 in the first game of the1959 World Series, asTed Kluszewski slugs two home runs and drives home five runs. Chicago'sEarly Wynn andGerry Staley combine for the shutout.New York Yankees managerCasey Stengel, sitting out only his second World Series since 1949, covers the game as a reporter.
• October 8 – TheLos Angeles Dodgers defeat theChicago White Sox, 9–3, in Game 6 of theWorld Series to win the franchise's second world championship — and first since moving from Brooklyn in 1958 — four games to two. The Dodgers build an 8–0 lead after four innings and hold on despiteTed Kluszewski's three-run home run. The round-tripper gives the slugger a new six-game RBI record of ten.
  • The Dodgers'Chuck Essegian hits his second pinch homer to establish a new record, later equalled byBernie Carbo of theBoston Red Sox in1975.
  • It's the first World Series in which no pitcher for either team pitches a complete game. Dodgers' relieverLarry Sherry—who wins two games (including today's),saves two others, and allows only one run in 122⁄3 innings of work—is namedMVP.
• October 19 – TheBaltimore Orioles acquire first basemanJim Gentile from theLos Angeles Dodgers for $50,000 and twoplayers to be named later—shortstopWilly Miranda and outfielderBill Lajoie. Gentile, 25, had struggled in two brief stints (1957–1958) as a Dodger, but as an Oriole he will be named to six consecutive AL All-Star teams between1960 and1962 and tieRoger Maris for the Junior Circuit'sRBI crown (1961).
• October 21 – The Players Association approves two All-Star Games in1960, to be held atKansas City Municipal Stadium andYankee Stadium.
• October 24 – TheMilwaukee Braves appointChuck Dressen, 64, their manager for 1960. He replaces another veteran pilot, 63-year-oldFred Haney, who stepped down October 4 after leading the Braves to aWorld Series title (1957),National League pennant (1958), and aflat-footed tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1959) in successive seasons. Haney returns toLos Angeles, where a year later he becomes the first general manager and chief architect of theexpansion Angels.

• November 3 – Exchanging a pair of 26-year-old former top prospects, theBoston Red Sox trade left-handed pitcherFrank Baumann to theChicago White Sox for 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) right-handed-hitting first basemanRon Jackson. Baumann will post theAmerican League's bestearned run average in1960, while Jackson will play only ten early-season games for Boston and be traded away in mid-May.
• November 4 –Ernie Banks of theChicago Cubs wins theNational League Most Valuable Player Award for the second straight year with 232 points.Eddie Mathews (189) andHank Aaron (174) of theMilwaukee Braves finish second and third respectively.
• November 12 –Nellie Fox of theChicago White Sox wins theAmerican League MVP Award with 295 points. TeammatesLuis Aparicio (255) andEarly Wynn (123) finish second and third respectively.
• November 18 – TheKansas City Athletics change managers, replacingHarry Craft withBob Elliott, 43, remembered as "Mister Team" and 1947National League MVP as the third baseman of theBoston Braves.
• November 21 – In the first inter-league trade withoutwaivers, the NLChicago Cubs send first basemanJim Marshall and pitcherDave Hillman to the ALBoston Red Sox in exchange for first basemanDick Gernert. Also today, theKansas City Athletics deal catcherFrank House to theCincinnati Reds for pitcherTom Acker. The new, annual inter-league trading period lasts from November 21 through December 15, parallel to the winter meetings, and it will be the only means for teams to trade players to the other major league without exposing them to waivers until 1973.
• November 30 – TheSan Francisco Giants acquire left-handerBilly O'Dell, along with veteran rightyBilly Loes, from theBaltimore Orioles for right-handerGordon Jones, catcherRoger McCardell and outfielderJackie Brandt.

• December 1 – Another interleague trade sends career National LeaguerBobby Thomson, 36, from theChicago Cubs to theBoston Red Sox for pitcherAl Schroll.
• December 2 – TheBaltimore Orioles deal veteran outfielderBob Nieman to theSt. Louis Cardinals for catcher/oufielderGene Green and minor-league catcher Chuck Staniland.
• December 4 – TheCardinals pick up left-handed-swinging backup catcherCarl Sawatski from thePhiladelphia Phillies for two "Smiths"—southpaw pitcherBill Smith and outfielderBobby Gene Smith.
• December 5 – ThePhillies trade their former starting shortstop,Humberto "Chico" Fernández, along with pitcherRay Semproch, to theDetroit Tigers for infieldersTed Lepcio andAlex Cosmidis and outfielderKen Walters.
• December 6:
  • TheChicago White Sox reacquireComiskey Park favorite and future Hall-of-Fame outfielderMinnie Miñoso, 36, as part of a seven-player trade with theCleveland Indians. In addition to Miñoso, the AL champion White Sox receive pitchersDon Ferrarese andJake Striker and catcherDick Brown and send catcherJohnny Romano, first basemanNorm Cash and third basemanBubba Phillips to Cleveland.
  • TheCincinnati Reds trade third baseman/outfielderFrank Thomas, a three-time NL All-Star, to theChicago Cubs for left-handerBill Henry and outfieldersLou Jackson andLee Walls.
• December 9:
  • ThePittsburgh Pirates trade pitcherDick Hall, catcherHank Foiles and infielderKen Hamlin to theKansas City Athletics for catcher/utilitymanHal Smith, who will play a key supporting role in the Bucs'1960 world championship season and itsGame 7 win.
  • In an effort to shore up their third base position, the defending AL championChicago White Sox trade 20-year-old top prospectJohnny Callison to thePhiladelphia Phillies for veteranGene Freese. Outfielder Callison will blossom into a four-time National League All-Star; Freese spends only one season on the South Side before being traded away.
• December 11 – In a seven-player transaction, theNew York Yankees trade outfieldersHank Bauer andNorm Siebern, pitcherDon Larsen and first basemanMarv Throneberry to theKansas City Athletics in exchange for outfielderRoger Maris, shortstopJoe DeMaestri and first basemanKent Hadley. Maris proceeds to win theAmerican League Most Valuable Player Award in both 1960 and 1961, breakingBabe Ruth's 60-home-run record in the latter year. Maris' acquisition helps the Yankees win the next five AL pennants in a row.
• December 15 – During the final day of the new interleague trading period, theCincinnati Reds andCleveland Indians complete a trade headlined by two veteran second basemen. The Reds send four-timeNational League All-StarJohnny Temple to Cleveland for second-sackerBilly Martin, pitcherCal McLish and first basemanGordy Coleman. The Reds become Martin's fourth team since he was banished from theNew York Yankees on June 15, 1957.
• December 21 – TheSt. Louis Cardinals trade pitcherTom Cheney and outfielderGino Cimoli to thePittsburgh Pirates for pitcherRon Kline.
• December 22 – TheContinental League grows to seven teams with the admission ofDallas–Fort Worth; two weeks earlier,Atlanta had become the CL's sixth franchise.

• January 5 –Milt Thompson
• January 8
  • Craig Gerber
  • Ramón Romero
• January 9 –Otis Nixon
• January 10 –Richard Dotson
• January 11 –Lloyd McClendon
• January 14 –Jeff Keener
• January 16 –Kevin Buckley
• January 17 –T. R. Bryden
• January 21
  • Ricky Adams
  • José Uribe
• January 27 –Greg Bargar
• January 30 –La Schelle Tarver

• February 4
  • Keith Creel
  • Pat Perry
• February 7 –Carlos Ponce
• February 10
  • Jack Fimple
  • Al Jones
• February 14 –Alejandro Sánchez
• February 15 –Joe Hesketh
• February 19
  • Keith Atherton
  • Tim Burke
• February 20 –Bill Gullickson
• February 23 –Eddie Vargas
• February 24 –Bryan Kelly
• February 25 –Ken Dayley

• March 4 –Mike Brown
• March 5 –Andy Rincon
• March 6 –Karl Best
• March 9 –Shooty Babitt
• March 11
  • Phil Bradley
  • Chuck Hensley
• March 13 –Luis Aguayo
• March 15 –Harold Baines
• March 16 –Charles Hudson
• March 17 –Danny Ainge

• April 2 –Al Nipper
• April 4 –Pedro Hernández
• April 13 –Ed Amelung
• April 18
  • Rich Bordi
  • Jim Eisenreich
  • Dennis Rasmussen
• April 19 –R. J. Reynolds
• April 22 –Terry Francona
• April 25 –Tony Phillips

• May 2 –Brick Smith
• May 3 –Tony Arnold
• May 8 –Ricky Nelson
• May 12
  • Kevin Bass
  • Willie Lozado
• May 14 –Brian Greer
• May 16
  • Bob Patterson
  • Mitch Webster
• May 26 –Dann Bilardello
• May 27 –Ron Tingley
• May 28 –Steve Jeltz

• June 6 –Doug Frobel
• June 8 –Britt Burns
• June 11
  • Mike Davis
  • Brian Gorman
• June 25 –Alejandro Peña
• June 27 –Roy Johnson

• July 1 –Tony Walker
• July 3 –Kurt Kepshire
• July 11 –Bert Peña
• July 13 –Mark Brown
• July 21
  • Rich Barnes
  • Mark Williamson
• July 22
  • Bob Porter
  • DeWayne Vaughn
• July 25 –Matt Williams
• July 27 –Joe DeSa
• July 29 –Dave LaPoint
• July 30
  • Ricky Horton
  • Mike Jones
• July 31
  • Mike Bielecki
  • Bob Johnson

• August 3
  • Jim Gott
  • Mike Jeffcoat
• August 8 –Dave Meier
• August 9 –Jim Adduci
• August 13 –Tom Niedenfuer
• August 14
  • Don Carman
  • Dale Scott
• August 17
  • Jeff Moronko
  • Brad Wellman
• August 18 –Terry Blocker

• September 2 –Drungo Hazewood
• September 5 –Jamie Nelson
• September 8 –Glen Cook
• September 9 –Tom Foley
• September 10 –Bruce Robbins
• September 12 –Scotti Madison
• September 16 –Tim Raines
• September 18 –Ryne Sandberg
• September 21 –Danny Cox
• September 22
  • Wally Backman
  • Lee Graham
  • John Stefero
• September 23 –Jim Winn
• September 25 –Geno Petralli
• September 26
  • Rich Gedman
  • J. P. Ricciardi
• September 28 –Todd Worrell

• October 2 –Dave Beard
• October 5 –Rod Allen
• October 6
  • Oil Can Boyd
  • Greg Walker
• October 8
  • Jack Hardy
  • Bryan Little
  • Mike Morgan
• October 9 –Ray Krawczyk
• October 10
  • Don Gordon
  • Les Straker
  • Jim Weaver
• October 11 –Pat Dodson
• October 16
  • Brian Harper
  • Kevin McReynolds
• October 20 –Don Heinkel
• October 21 –George Bell
• October 23 –George Hinshaw
• October 24
  • Mike Brewer
  • Dave Johnson
  • Junior Ortiz
• October 29 –Jesse Barfield
• October 30 –Dave Leeper

• November 5
  • Craig McMurtry
  • Lloyd Moseby
• November 6 –Leo Hernández
• November 7 –Rich Rodas
• November 13 –Dave Shipanoff
• November 17
  • Brad Havens
  • Brian Milner
• November 18 –Jeff Heathcock
• November 21
  • Jeff Barkley
  • Scott Terry
• November 23 –Brook Jacoby
• November 24 –Tom Dunbar
• November 26 –Mike Moore
• November 28 –Jeff Datz
• November 29 –Brian Holton

• December 6 –Larry Sheets
• December 16 –Paul Noce
• December 17
  • Bryan Clutterbuck
  • Marvell Wynne
• December 22 –Orlando Isales
• December 23 –Frank Eufemia
• December 29 –Mike Brown

• January 1 –Neck Stanley, 53, left-hander whose pitching career in the Negro leagues spanned 1928 to 1948 and included 12 seasons as a member of theNew York Black Yankees.
• January 2 –Bert James, 72, outfielder for the1909 St. Louis Cardinals.
• January 8 –Harley Dillinger, 64, pitcher who played for theCleveland Naps inits 1914 season.
• January 14 –John Ganzel, 84, player-manager who played at first base for five major league teams in seven seasons and for several minor league clubs in 14 seasons, managing also the1908 Cincinnati Reds and during 16 seasons in the minors, while being credited as the first player to hit one home run in theNew York Yankees franchise history as a member of the1903 New York Highlanders.^[30]
• January 21 –Hooks Wiltse, 79, crafty left-handedcurveball specialist, who pitched for theNew York Giants andBrooklyn Tip-Tops over twelve seasons from 1904 to 1915, collecting a career record of 139–90 and 2.47ERA in 357 games, including a 12–0 record in his first dozen decisions, two 20-win seasons, 27shutouts, 152complete games, and a 10-inningno-hitter against thePhiladelphia Phillies in 1908.^[31][32]
• January 22 –Ken Williams, 68, left fielder whose 14-season major league career included stints with theCincinnati Reds,St. Louis Browns andBoston Red Sox spanning 1915–1929, leading the American League with 39home runs and 155RBI in 1922, while adding 39stolen bases to become the first big leaguer to reach the30 HR/30 SB plateau in the same season.^[33]
• January 24 –George Payne, 69, pitcher for the1920 Chicago White Sox.
• January 28 –Walter Beall, 59, relief pitcher who played for theNew York Yankees andWashington Senators spanning five seasons from 1924 to 1929, being also a member of Yankees teams that won American League pennants in 1926 and 1927.
• January 30 –Toots Shultz, 70, pitcher who played for thePhiladelphia Phillies in parts of two seasons from 1911–1912.

• February 7 –Nap Lajoie, 84, Hall of Fame second baseman and manager whose 21-year career from 1896 to 1916 included stints with thePhiladelphia Phillies,Philadelphia Athletics andCleveland Bronchos/Naps; posted a .338/.380/.466batting line with 3,243hits and 380stolen bases in his career; won five American League batting crowns, including a modern-era record with a .426batting average in 1901, when he hit 14home runs and collected 125runs batted in to become thefirst Triple Crown winner in American League history; he won two more RBI titles and compiled 17 seasons with a .300 average or better; in the field, he led inputouts five times,assists three times,double plays five times andfielding percentage four times; became player/manager for the Bronchos in 1903, with the team renaming itself theNaps in his honor through 1914.^[34]
• February 12 –Dode Paskert, 77, one of the finest defensive center fielders of the dead-ball era and a reliableleadoff hitter who played from 1907 through 1921 for four National League clubs, battingthird in the lineup in each game of the1915 World Series for thePhiladelphia Phillies against theBoston Red Sox, while battingclean-up for theChicago Cubs in each game of the1918 World Series, also against the Red Sox.
• February 14 –Eddie Higgins, 70, pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1909 to 1910.
• February 15
  • Bruce Caldwell, 53, two-sport athlete who played as an outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball for the1928 Cleveland Indians and1932 Brooklyn Dodgers, as well as arunning back in the National Football League for theNew York Giants in 1928.
  • Lefty Houtz, 83, 19th century third baseman for the1899 Cincinnati Reds.
• February 16 –Ted Reed, 68, third baseman who played for theNewark Pepper of the outlawFederal League in its 1915 season.
• February 20 –William Pierson, 59, pitcher who played with thePhiladelphia Athletics in parts of three seasons spanning 1918–1924.
• February 21 –Hunter Hill, 79, third baseman who played for theSt. Louis Browns andWashington Senators over three seasons from 1903 and 1905.
• February 26 –Howie Fitzgerald, 56, outfielder for the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox in parts of the 1922, 1924, and 1926 seasons.

• March 7 –John Glaiser, 64, pitcher for the1920 Detroit Tigers.
• March 8
  • Don Flinn, 66, backup outfielder for the1917 Pittsburgh Pirates.
  • Ormsby Roy, 54, infielder who appeared for theHomestead Grays andPittsburgh Crawfords of the Negro leagues between 1929 and 1932.
• March 9 –Fin Wilson, 70, pitcher who played from 1914 to 1915 for theBrooklyn Tip-Tops of theFederal League.
• March 11 –Dinty Gearin, 61, pitcher who played with theNew York Giants andBoston Braves in a span of two seasons from 1923 to 1924.
• March 15 –Richard Muckerman, 62, principal owner of theSt. Louis Browns from 1945 through 1948.
• March 16 –Ben Shaw, 65, catcher and first baseman who played from 1917 to 1918 for thePittsburgh Pirates.
• March 17 –Howard Ehmke, 64, pitcher who played for theBuffalo Blues,Detroit Tigers,Boston Red Sox andPhiladelphia Athletics in 15 seasons between 1915 and 1930, while compiling six 15-win seasons with a career-high 20 victories for the Red Sox in 1923, including ano-hitter in the same season, and later starting Game One of the1929 World Series for theConnie Mack's Athletics against theChicago Cubs, throwing acomplete game victory andstriking out a then series record 13 en route to the series championship.^[35]
• March 29 –Johnny Allen, 53, fiercely competitive pitcher for theNew York Yankees,Cleveland Indians,St. Louis Browns,Brooklyn Dodgers andNew York Giants over 13 seasons from 1932 through 1944, who was a member of the1932 World Series champion Yankees, earned the1937 Sporting News Player of the Year Award after a 15–1 season with Cleveland, and was selected to the1938 MLB All-Star Game.^[36]

• April 5 –Frank Bruggy, 67, catcher whose 14-year career included stints with thePhiladelphia Phillies,Philadelphia Athletics andCincinnati Reds spanning five seasons from 1921 to 1925.
• April 7 –Johnson Fry, 65, pitcher for the1923 Cleveland Indians.
• April 14 –Frank Harter, 72, pitcher who played from with theCincinnati Reds from 1912–13 and for theIndianapolis Hoosiers of the outlawFederal League in 1914.
• April 15 –Win Clark, 84, 19th century infielder who played for the1897 Louisville Colonels.
• April 17 –Fred Brainard, 67, corner infielder and shortstop for theNew York Giants in a span of three seasons from 1914–16, who later played and managed for theNewark Bears of the International League.
• April 21
  • Don Black, 41, hard-throwing pitcher for thePhiladelphia Athletics andCleveland Indians over six seasons from 1943 through 1948, whose career ended when he suffered abrain hemorrhage in a ball game, retiring with a 35–54 record, a 3–0 one-hitter game against theSt. Louis Browns in his rookie season,^[37] and a 3–0no-hitter over his former Athletics team in 1947, while defeating fellowBill McCahan, himself a no-hit pitcher in the same season.^[38]
  • Clarence Simpson, 53, outfielder who appeared for theAkron Grays andCleveland Giants of the Negro National League in 1933.

• May 1
  • Fritz Henrich, 59, backup outfielder for the1924 Philadelphia Phillies.
  • Branch Russell, 63, stalwart outfielder whose decade-long tenure (1922–1931) with theSt. Louis Stars of the Negro National League included a stint as playing manager of the 1926 Stars.
• May 3 –Willy Fetzer, 74, three-sport college athlete and head coach during more than a decade, who also played professional baseball with thePhiladelphia Athletics of the American League in 1906, and six seasons in Minor League Baseball spanning 1905–1910.^[39]
• May 5
  • Verne Clemons, 67, backup catcher who played for theSt. Louis Browns andSt. Louis Cardinals over parts of seven seasons between 1916 and 1924.
  • George Harney, 68, pitcher for theChicago American Giants of the Negro National League over eight seasons between 1923 and 1931; led NNL in shutouts (1924) and saves (1926, 1927); player-manager of American Giants for part of 1928.
• May 6
  • Vance McIlree, 61, pitcher for the1921 Washington Senators.
  • Al Scheer, 70, outfielder who played with theBrooklyn Superbas in 1913 and for theIndianapolis Hoosiers andNewark Peppers from 1914 to 1915.
• May 8 –Basilio Cueria, 60, first baseman/outfielder for the 1922Cuban Stars West of the Negro National League.
• May 15
  • Tiny Baldwin, 55, second baseman/shortstop for theIndianapolis ABCs,Cleveland Elites andDetroit Stars of the Negro National League in 1925 and 1926.
  • Jake Hewitt, 88, 19th century pitcher who played for thePittsburgh Pirates inits 1895 season.
  • Fred Johnston, 60, infielder who made four game appearances for the1924 Brooklyn Robins.
• May 18
  • John Hummel, 76, valuableutility man and aggressivebase runner who played for theBrooklyn Superbas, Dodgers, and Robins teams from 1905 through 1915 before joining theNew York Yankees in 1918, compiling a .254/.316/.352batting line career with 991hits and 119stolen bases, while appearing in 548 games atsecond base, 293 in threeoutfield positions, 160 atfirst base, and 74 atshortstop.^[40]
  • Gene Packard, 71, pitcher for theCincinnati Reds,Chicago Cubs,Kansas City Packers,St. Louis Cardinals andPhiladelphia Phillies in a span of eight seasons from 1912 through 1919, a twice 20-game winner in theFederal League with the Packers from 1914–15, who in 1918 allowed 12 runs in a game with St. Louis and did not take the loss, setting a record that was not matched for 90 years, untilScott Feldman of theTexas Rangers did the sameduring the 2008 season.^[41]
• May 21 –Carter Elliott, 65, shortstop for the1921 Chicago Cubs.
• May 22
  • Frank Biscan, 39, pitcher who played for theSt. Louis Browns in parts of three seasons from 1942 to 1949, one of many ballplayers whose career was interrupted by World War II.
  • Tommy Sheehan, 81, third baseman who played for theNew York Giants,Pittsburgh Pirates andBrooklyn Superbas in a span of four seasons from 1900 to 1908.
• May 25 –Dave Brain, 80, English-born third baseman and shortstop whose career spanned only seven years, playing for seven poor clubs and hitting a subpar .252/.292/.363batting line in 679 games, but saving himself from anonymity by leading the National League with 10 home runs in 1907, to become anearly home run king.
• May 26 –Ed Walsh, 78, Hall of Fame pitcher^[42] andspitball specialist who played with theChicago White Sox from 1904 through 1916 and theBoston Braves in 1917, whose finest season came in 1908, when he became thelast pitcher in MLB history to win 40 games,^[42] set an American League record-breaking 11shutouts, and posted a 1.82earned run average, an MLB record that still stands today,^[43] while leading the league ininnings pitched four times (including a career-high 464 in the same season), ingames pitched andsaves five times, instarts four, and in ERA, shutouts andstrikeouts twice,^[43] winning both of his1906 World Series starts in Games 3 and 5, allowing seven hits and six runs (only one earned), and striking out 17Chicago Cubs batters in 15 innings of work, en route to the series championship.^[42]
• May 28 –Ken Penner, 63, pitcher who played with the1916 Cleveland Indians and for theNL-Pennant winning Chicago Cubs in 1929.
• May 29 –Dutch Ussat, 55, third baseman and second baseman who played for theCleveland Indians in the 1925 and 1927 seasons.
• May 30 –Doc Tonkin, 77, pitcher who made only one game appearance in the majors with the1907 Washington Senators.

• June 9 –Frank Huelsman, 85, regarded as the first player in Major League history to play for four different teams in a season, appearing in 112 games with theChicago White Sox,Detroit Tigers,St. Louis Browns, andWashington Senators in 1904, who later gained notoriety as a Minor League star, compiling a .342 careerbatting average over fifteen seasons, including five batting championships, sixruns batted in titles, and twoTriple Crowns between 1911 and 1913, missing a third title in 1912 by a .002 in batting average.^[44]
• June 13 –Irv Higginbotham, 77, pitcher for theSt. Louis Cardinals andChicago Cubs spanning three seasons from 1906 to 1909.
• June 14 –Ed Cotter, 54, third baseman and shortstop who appeared in three games with thePhiladelphia Phillies inits 1926 season.
• June 15 –Charlie Eakle, 71, second baseman who played for theBaltimore Terrapins of the outlawFederal League in 1915.
• June 17
  • Dave Black, 67, pitcher who played with theChicago Whales andBaltimore Terrapins of theFederal League from 1914 to 1915, and for theBoston Red Sox intheir 1923 American League season.
  • Jim McHale, 83, outfielder for the1908 Boston Red Sox.
• June 20 –Speed Walker, 61, first baseman who appeared in two games for theSt. Louis Cardinals in 1923.
• June 22 –Hal Bubser, 63, Minor League first baseman who made threepinch-hit appearances for theChicago White Sox in 1923.
• June 24
  • Jim Hitchcock, 48, regarded as Auburn University's firstAll-American in both football and baseball, who briefly played shortstop for theBoston Bees of the National League toward the end oftheir 1938 season; older brother ofBill Hitchcock.
  • Joe Ogrodowski, 52, pitcher for the1925 Boston Braves.
• June 28 –Joe Sugden, 88, 19th century catcher who played for five teams between 1893 and 1912, being a member of theChicago White Stockings 1901 American League Champion Inaugural Roster, and later aSt. Louis Cardinalsscout for 31 years.
• June 30 –Clarence Berger, 64, backup outfielder for the1914 Pittsburgh Pirates.

• July 3 –Red Barnes, 54, fourth outfielder who played from 1927 through 1930 for theWashington Senators andChicago White Sox.
• July 7 –Norwood Gibson, 82, pitcher for theBoston Americans over four seasons from 1903– 1906, who was part of back-to-back American League pennant-winning teams in 1903 and 1904, but did not pitch at all in the1903 World Series, against thePittsburgh Pirates, and there was no World Series in 1904 because theNew York Giantsrefused to play Boston.
• July 11 –Frank Gilhooley, 77, fourth outfielder for theSt. Louis Cardinals,New York Yankees andBoston Red Sox in parts of nine seasons spanning 1911–1919.
• July 13
  • Nick Kahl, 80, second baseman for the1905 Cleveland Naps.
  • Chick Keating, 67, shortstop who played with theChicago Cubs from 1913 to 1915 and for thePhiladelphia Phillies in 1926.
• July 16
  • Bob Coleman, 68, player, coach and manager whose career included managing in Minor League Baseball for 35 seasons between 1919 and 1957; backup catcher for thePittsburgh Pirates andCleveland Indians in parts of three seasons spanning 1913–1916; coached with theBoston Red Sox in 1926 and 1928,Detroit Tigers in 1932, andBoston Braves in 1943; immediately pressed into service as interim replacement forCasey Stengel as manager of the 1943 Braves before finishing the year as a coach following Stengel's return; then managed Braves full-time from 1944 to July 29, 1945; in 1946, he returned to the minors and win eight pennants and four championships with theEvansville Braves of Class-BThree-I League, retiring with the most victories (2,496) of any manager in minor league history until he was surpassed byStan Wasiak (2,530).^[45]
  • Jimmy Ripple, 49, outfielder who played for theNew York Giants,Brooklyn Dodgers,Cincinnati Reds andPhiladelphia Athletics through seven seasons spanning 1936–1943, being also a member of two Giants teams that won the National League pennant in 1936 and 1937, as well as for the1940 World Series Reds Champion Team.
• July 20 –Morrie Arnovich, 48, All-Star left fielder who played for thePhiladelphia Athletics,Cincinnati Reds andNew York Giants in seven seasons between 1936 and 1946, winning a World Series ring with the1940 World Champions Cincinnati Reds.
• July 21 –Bill Hoffer, 88, 19th century pitcher who played for theBaltimore Orioles,Pittsburgh Pirates andCleveland Blues in a span of six seasons between 1895 and 1901, going 31-6 in his rookie season and leading the National League inW-L% (.838), while the Orioles won the pennant, and followed up with two more good seasons, posting a 25–7 record and a best W-L% (.781) in 1896 and 22-11 in 1897, as Baltimore won the pennant again in 1896 and finished a close second place in 1897.^[46]
• July 22 –Ralph Savidge, 80, pitcher for theCincinnati Reds in the 1908 and 1909 seasons.
• July 25
  • Jim Boyer, 50, American Leagueumpire who worked in 1,025 games from 1944 to 1950, including appearances in the1947 World Series and the1947 MLB All-Star Game.
  • Buck O'Brien, 77, pitcher for theBoston Red Sox andChicago White Sox over three seasons from 1911 to 1913, who went 20-13 for Boston in 1912, being theOpening Daystarter and winner that season,^[47] later starting the first game played atFenway Park on April 20, 1912,^[48] and also a member of the1912 World Series Red Sox champion team.
• July 25 –Joe Schepner, 85, third baseman for the1919 St. Louis Browns.
• July 26 –Otto Miller, 58, third baseman for theSt. Louis Browns andBoston Red Sox in parts of four seasons from 1927 to 1932.
• July 28 –Frank Ragland, 55, pitcher who played with theWashington Senators in 1932 and for thePhiladelphia Phillies in 1933.
• July 29 –Boileryard Clarke, 90, 19th century catcher and first baseman who played from 1893 through 1905 for theBaltimore Orioles,Boston Beaneaters,Washington Senators andNew York Giants, compiling a .256/.310/.326batting line in 950 games, while leading American League backstops in games caught (87) and fielding percentage (.972) in 1902.^[49]

• August 1 –Harvey Young, 38, diminutive (5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)) shortstop for four Negro leagues clubs between 1941 and 1944, including theBaltimore Elite Giants andKansas City Monarchs.
• August 4
  • Chappy Charles, 78, infielder who played from 1908 through 1910 for theSt. Louis Cardinals andCincinnati Reds.
  • Pop Williams, 85, pitcher who played for four National League clubs in parts of three seasons spanning 1898–1903, as most of his appearances were for the1902 Chicago Orphans.
• August 7
  • Ben Dyer, 66, reliableutility man who, besides pitching, played all positions except catcher for theNew York Giants andDetroit Tigers in a span of six seasons from 1914 to 1919.
  • Bill McGill, 79, pitcher for the1907 St. Louis Browns.
• August 8 –Phil Lewis, 75, shortstop who played for theBrooklyn Superbas over four seasons from 1905 to 1908.
• August 12
  • Johnny Burnett, 54, shortstop who played with theCleveland Indians from 1927 through 1934 and for theSt. Louis Browns in 1935.
  • Ed Goebel, 60, outfielder for the1922 Washington Senators.
  • Mike O'Neill, 81, Irish-born starting pitcher, left fielder and pinch-hitter, whose career included stints with theSt. Louis Cardinals from 1901 to 1904 and theCincinnati Reds in 1907, posting a career pitching record of 32–44 with a 2.73ERA in 85 games, while belting the first ever pinch hitgrand slam in Major League history, an inside-the-park homer off fellowTogie Pittinger of theBoston Beaneaters in 1902;^[50] elder sibling ofSteve O'Neill and one of four brothers who played in majors.
• August 27 –Claude Jonnard, 61, pitcher who played for theNew York Giants andSt. Louis Browns over six seasons from 1921 to 1926; member of the Giants teams that won the National League pennants in 1923 and 1924; twin brother ofBubber Jonnard.

• September 3 –Emmett Bowles, 61, who made one pitching appearance for theChicago White Sox inits 1922 season.
• September 6 –John "Yellowhorse" Morris, 57, pitcher for theKansas City Monarchs,Detroit Stars andChicago American Giants of the Negro National League between 1924 and 1930 who won 14 games for the 1928 Stars.
• September 8 –Roy Mitchell, 74, pitcher for theSt. Louis Browns,Chicago White Sox andCincinnati Reds over six seasons spanning from 1910 to 1919, who was a member of the1919 World Series Champion Reds team.
• September 9 –Terry Lyons, 50, first baseman for the1929 Philadelphia Phillies.
• September 14 –Bill Upham, 71, pitcher who played in 1915 with theBrooklyn Tip-Tops of the Federal League and for theBoston Braves of the National League in 1918.
• September 20 –Tilly Walker, 72, strong-armed outfielder for theWashington Senators,St. Louis Browns,Boston Red Sox andPhiladelphia Athletics in a 13-season career from 1911 to 1923, who hit 11 home runs in 1918 to tieBabe Ruth for the American League lead in home runs, ranking amongst the top five in the league every year from 1919 to 1922, when he belted a career-best 37 homers, while leading the league inoutfield assists six times and winning a World Series title with theBoston Red Sox in 1916.
• September 28
  • Art Brouthers, 76, third baseman for the1906 Philadelphia Athletics.
  • Red Corriden, 72, whose career spanned from 1908 through his retirement 1n 1958, playing parts of five seasons in the majors and serving as the regular shorstop for theChicago Cubs in 1914, playing also in the minor leagues during the 1920s, later coaching in the majors from 1932 to 1948 while managing the1950 Chicago White Sox, being a member of five pennant-winning teams and the1947 World Champions New York Yankees, and finally scouting for theBrooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers teams from 1951 to 1958.

• October 10 –Bunny Hearn, 68, pitcher for theSt. Louis Cardinals,New York Giants,Pittsburgh Rebels andBoston Braves in parts of six seasons spanning 1910–1920, who later became a longtime baseballhead coach atUNC, where he guided theNorth Carolina Tar Heels to six Southern Conference titles and two Ration League titles, compiling a record of 214–133–2 while inUNC-Chapel Hill.
• October 13 –Dave Wills, 82, 19th century first baseman who played for theLouisville Colonels intheir 1899 season.
• October 16
  • Sled Allen, 72, catcher for the1910 St. Louis Browns.
  • Herb Bradley, 56, pitcher who played 1927 through 1929 for theBoston Red Sox.
  • Frank Okrie, 62, pitcher for the1920 Detroit Tigers; father ofLen Okrie.
• October 18 –Ralph Bell, 68, pitcher who played for theChicago White Sox intheir 1912 season.
• October 21
  • Jesse Barber, 71, nicknamed "Phantom", outfielder whose career in Black baseball began in 1909, before the formal organization of the Negro leagues, and included multiple seasons for theChicago American Giants.
  • Elmer Rieger, 70, pitcher for the1910 St. Louis Cardinals.
• October 27
  • Elmer Koestner, 73, pitcher who played with theCleveland Naps in 1910 and for theChicago Cubs andCincinnati Reds in 1914.
  • Scott Perry, 68, pitcher who played from 1915 through 1921 for theSt. Louis Browns,Chicago Cubs,Cincinnati Reds andPhiladelphia Athletics.
• October 29 –Dave Fultz, 84, All-American, two-sport athlete atBrown University, who later played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder/infielder with thePhiladelphia Phillies,Baltimore Orioles,Philadelphia Athletics andNew York Highlanders in seven seasons from 1898 to 1905, before becoming a lawyer and unionizing Major League ballplayers in an organization called theFraternity of Baseball Players, which operated during the rockyFederal League era.^[51]

• November 4 –Lefty Williams, 66, curveball specialist pitcher who recorded back-to-back 20-win seasons with theChicago White Sox in 1919 and 1920, whose career was truncated when he and seven of his teammates were expelled from Organized Baseball for their roles in losing the tainted1919 World Series to theCincinnati Reds, an incident known as theBlack Sox Scandal.
• November 15 –Klondike Smith, 72, English outfielder who played for the1912 New York Highlanders.
• November 18 –Wib Smith, 73, backup catcher who played for theSt. Louis Browns inits 1909 season.
• November 20 –Roy Thomas, 85,Philadelphia Phillies speedy center fielder and reliableleadoff hitter who batted .300 five times, leading the National League inwalks in seven of his nine full major-league seasons from 1899 to 1907, scoring at least 100runs four times while leading all outfielders inputouts three times,fielding average andassists once each, andtotal chances per game twice, ending with a career .290/413/.333batting line and 244stolen bases in 1,470 games.
• November 28
  • Ed McFarland, 85, slick-fielding catcher who played for theCleveland Spiders,St. Louis Browns,Philadelphia Phillies,Chicago White Sox andBoston Red Sox in 14 seasons spanning 1896–1908, while helping the White Sox win the1906 World Series over theChicago Cubs in six games, for one of the greatest upsets in Series history.
  • Blondy Ryan, 53, middle infielder and third baseman who played for theChicago White Sox,New York Giants,Philadelphia Phillies andNew York Yankees in parts of seven seasons from 1930 to 1938, whose hitting and fielding hustle led the Giants to the1933 World Series championship.
• November 30 –Jack Scott, 67,knuckleball pitcher who played from 1916 through 1929 for five teams, posting a career record of 103–109 and 3.85ERA, while throwing a four-hitshutout for theNew York Giants in Game 3 of the1922 World Series against theNew York Yankees, en route to the series championship.

• December 5 –Oscar Siemer, 58, catcher who played from 1925 to 1926 with theBoston Braves.
• December 6 –Wid Conroy, 82, valuableutility man who played every infield and outfield position for theMilwaukee Brewers,Pittsburgh Pirates,New York Highlanders andWashington Senators over 12 seasons from 1901 to 1911, being also the first-stringshortstop of the1902 National League Champion Pirates.
• December 7 –Tom McGuire, 67, pitcher who played with theChicago Whales in 1914 and for theChicago White Sox in 1919.
• December 9 –Ferd Eunick, 67, third baseman for the1917 Cleveland Indians.
• December 10 –Joe Harris, 68, first baseman and outfielder whose Major League career included stints with theNew York Yankees,Cleveland Indians,Boston Red Sox,Washington Senators,Pittsburgh Pirates andBrooklyn Robins spanning ten seasons between 1914 and 1928, batting over .300 eight times, including a .323 mark to help the Senators to reach the1925 World Series; became the first player to hit a home run in his first World Seriesat bat, while going 11-for-25 (.440) with three homers, twodoubles, sixruns batted in and three two-hit games for aslugging average of .880 in the seven-game Series loss to Pittsburgh.^[52]
• December 11
  • Jim Bottomley, 59, Hall of Fame first baseman and1928 National League MVP Award winner, who in his 11-season tenure with theSt. Louis Cardinalsdrove in 100 or more runs six years in a row from 1924 to 1929, leading the league twice in RBI,doubles andfielding putouts, and once inhits,triples andhome runs, while establishing Major League records for the mostunassisted double plays in a season by a first baseman with eight in 1936, and for driving in 12 runs in a nine inning game in 1924, which was matched 69 years later by fellow Cardinals outfielderMark Whiten in 1993.^[53]
  • Doc Marshall, 84, backup catcher who played for seven teams over parts of four seasons from 1904 to 1909, being a member of the1908 Chicago Cubs club that won the National League pennant, but he did not play in the World Series.
• December 16 –Lee Dashner, 72, pitcher for the1903 Cleveland Naps.
• December 17 –Del Young, 74, outfielder who played with theCincinnati Reds in 1909, and for theBuffalo Blues of the outlawFederal League from 1914 to 1915.
• December 24 –Bill Friel, 83,infield and outfield utility who debuted with theMilwaukee Brewers of the American League in 1901 and remained with the franchise in 1902–1903 after it moved and became theSt. Louis Browns.
• December 30 –Lew Whistler, 91, 19th century first baseman who played from 1890 through 1893 for theNew York Giants,Baltimore Orioles,Louisville Colonels andSt. Louis Browns.

• Baseball Almanac – Major League Baseball Players Who Were Born in 1959
• Baseball Almanac – Major League Baseball Players Who Died in 1959
• Baseball Reference – 1959 MLB Season Summary
• ESPN – 1959 MLB Season History

• 1959 in baseball

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata