The following are thebaseball events of the year1962 throughout the world.

• World Series:New York Yankees overSan Francisco Giants (4–3);Ralph Terry, MVP
• All-Star Game (#1), July 10 atD.C. Stadium: National League, 3–1;Maury Wills, MVP
• All-Star Game (#2), July 30 atWrigley Field: American League, 9–4;Leon Wagner, MVP

• College World Series:Michigan
• Cuban National Series:Industriales
• Japan Series:Toei Flyers overHanshin Tigers (4–2–1)
• Little League World Series: Moreland,San Jose, California
• Senior League World Series: West Hempstead, New York

• Baseball Hall of Fame
  • Bob Feller
  • Jackie Robinson
  • Edd Roush
  • Bill McKechnie (manager)

v t e American League Team W L Pct. GB Home Road New York Yankees 96 66 .593 — 50‍–‍30 46‍–‍36 Minnesota Twins 91 71 .562 5 45‍–‍36 46‍–‍35 Los Angeles Angels 86 76 .531 10 40‍–‍41 46‍–‍35 Detroit Tigers 85 76 .528 10½ 49‍–‍33 36‍–‍43 Chicago White Sox 85 77 .525 11 43‍–‍38 42‍–‍39 Cleveland Indians 80 82 .494 16 43‍–‍38 37‍–‍44 Baltimore Orioles 77 85 .475 19 44‍–‍38 33‍–‍47 Boston Red Sox 76 84 .475 19 39‍–‍40 37‍–‍44 Kansas City Athletics 72 90 .444 24 39‍–‍42 33‍–‍48 Washington Senators 60 101 .373 35½ 27‍–‍53 33‍–‍48

Orioles Red Sox White Sox Indians Tigers Athletics Angels Twins Yankees Senators class=notpageimage| Locations of teams for the 1962–1964American League seasons American League

v t e National League Team W L Pct. GB Home Road San Francisco Giants 103 62 .624 — 61‍–‍21 42‍–‍41 Los Angeles Dodgers 102 63 .618 1 54‍–‍29 48‍–‍34 Cincinnati Reds 98 64 .605 3½ 58‍–‍23 40‍–‍41 Pittsburgh Pirates 93 68 .578 8 51‍–‍30 42‍–‍38 Milwaukee Braves 86 76 .531 15½ 49‍–‍32 37‍–‍44 St. Louis Cardinals 84 78 .519 17½ 44‍–‍37 40‍–‍41 Philadelphia Phillies 81 80 .503 20 46‍–‍34 35‍–‍46 Houston Colt .45s 64 96 .400 36½ 32‍–‍48 32‍–‍48 Chicago Cubs 59 103 .364 42½ 32‍–‍49 27‍–‍54 New York Mets 40 120 .250 60½ 22‍–‍58 18‍–‍62

Cubs Reds Colt .45s Dodgers Braves Mets      Phillies Pirates     Giants Cardinals class=notpageimage| Locations of teams for the 1962–1963National League seasons National League

• January 7 – TheClass BThree–I League, a mainstay mid-level minor circuit in the American Midwest that operated for 55 years between 1901 and 1961, disbands. Many of its member teams will join theMidwest League, a lower-level circuit that is upgraded to a new, consolidatedClass A ranking in 1963.^[1]
• January 23 – In their first year of eligibility,Bob Feller andJackie Robinson are elected members of theHall of Fame by theBaseball Writers' Association of America.
• January 24 – TheDouble-ASouthern Association folds after 61 years of operation, leaving only the six-teamTexas League and the semi-independentMexican League as Double-A circuits for 1962. Only two of the Southern Association's eight teams survive in other leagues in 1962: theAtlanta Crackers andMacon Peaches.^[2] The Association was the final post-1946 minor league to enforceracial segregation, remaining all-white except for the Crackers'brief integration experiment in April 1954.^[3]
• January 20 – TheCleveland Indians purchase the contract of veteran pitcherRubén Gómez from thePhiladelphia Phillies.
• January 28 –Edd Roush andBill McKechnie are added to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.

• February 16:
  • TheexpansionHouston Colt .45s assemble for the first time at their training camp inApache Junction, Arizona.
  • The newbornNew York Mets, whose roster already includesRoger Craig,Gil Hodges,Billy Loes,Charlie Neal andDon Zimmer, sign free-agent pitcherClem Labine, another veteran of theBrooklyn Dodgers' 1950s NL dynasty. Labine, 35, had been released by thePittsburgh Pirates in November 1961. He will appear in only three early-season games for the Mets before drawing his final release on May 1, 1962.
• February 19 – TheMets hold their first workout atHuggins–Stengel Field inSaint Petersburg, Florida, where they're greeted byCasey Stengel, their 71-year-old manager for whom the facility is partly named.

• March 1 –Detroit Tigers pitcherSam Jones, 36, undergoes surgery for the removal of two malignant growths in his neck. He has cobalt treatments during the 1962 season, but appears in 30 games for Detroit between April and September. He will continue to pitch in MLB into 1964, and remain effective in Triple-A into 1967. However, in 1971, four years after he retires from the mound, a recurrence of the cancer takes Jones' life at age 45.
• March 2 – TheNew York Mets return pitcherBilly Loes, who won 50 games for the1952–1955Brooklyn Dodgers, to his previous organization—ironically, theSan Francisco Giants, who release the 32-year-old righthander and end his MLB career.
• March 23 –Cincinnati Reds president and general managerWilliam O. DeWitt Sr. buys the franchise itself from the estate of its late owner,Powel Crosley Jr., who died in March 1961. The reported purchase price is $4.27 million.^[4]
• March 24 – Veteran third basemanAndy Carey finds his way to theLos Angeles Dodgers after he refuses to report to thePhiladelphia Phillies. On December 15, 1961, Carey had been traded by theChicago White Sox to the Phillies with pitcherFrank Barnes for hurlerTaylor Phillips and infielderBo Sadowski. Today, the White Sox send pitcherCal McLish to Philadelphia, and take back Carey's contract. The ChiSox then trade Carey to the Dodgers for infielderRamón Conde and minor-league outfielder Jim Koranda. Carey, 30, a three-timeWorld Series champion with theNew York Yankees, reports to the pennant-contending Dodgers and appears in 53 games for them in 1962, his final MLB season.

• April 2 – TheCleveland Indians acquire hard-throwing right-handerPedro Ramos from theMinnesota Twins for slick-fielding first basemanVic Power and southpawDick Stigman.
• April 3 – TheTwins release second basemanBilly Martin, 33, ending his playing career. However, Martin will remain with the franchise as a scout and coach, and in 1969 he will begin his MLB managing career by leading the Twins to theAmerican League West Division championship.
• April 9 – TheAmerican League's traditional Presidential opener marks the baseball debut ofD.C. Stadium, a multipurpose facility that opened in the autumn of 1961 as the home venue of theWashington Redskins of theNational Football League. WithJohn F. Kennedy throwing out the first ball, the 1962 MLB season commences with the hometownWashington Senators defeating theDetroit Tigers 4–1 before a crowd of 44,383.
• April 10:
  • In the first regular-season game ever atDodger Stadium, theCincinnati Reds spoil theLos Angeles Dodgers' opening-day party by beating them 6–3 before 52,564 fans. Veteran outfielderWally Post breaks a 2–2 tie with a three-run home run in the seventh inning offJohnny Podres, the first official homer to be hit in the new stadium.
  • In their MLB debut, and the first Major League Baseball game played in the state ofTexas, theHouston Colt .45s defeat theChicago Cubs 11–2 behind the slugging of outfielderRomán Mejías, who belts two homers and drives home six runs. The game is played atColt Stadium, a 33,000-seat, temporary facility that will be supplanted by the nearbyAstrodome in 1965; the official attendance is 25,271.^[5][6]
• April 11 – TheNew York Mets play their first official game in franchise history, an 11–4 loss to theSt. Louis Cardinals atBusch Stadium.Gil Hodges andCharlie Neal, formerBrooklyn Dodgers, provide bright spots for the Mets, hitting the team's first-ever home runs.^[7]
• April 12 – In his Major League debut, left-handerPete Richert of theLos Angeles Dodgers tiesKarl Spooner's record by striking out the first six batters he faces. Richert enters the game against theCincinnati Reds atDodger Stadium with two out in the second inning and strikes outVada Pinson for the final out. He then records a four-strikeout third inning; the victims areFrank Robinson,Gordy Coleman (who reaches first on aJohn Roseboro passed ball),Wally Post andJohnny Edwards. To date, Richert is the only pitcher to strike out four batters in one inning in his debut. His record-tying sixth strikeout is ofTommy Harper leading off the fourth inning. The Dodgers defeat the Reds 11–7 with Richert gaining the victory, having struck out seven batters, walking none, and allowing no hits in 31⁄3 innings.
• April 13 –National League baseball returns to New York City, as theMets play their first home game, a 4–3 loss to thePittsburgh Pirates before a modest crowd of 12,447 at the venerablePolo Grounds.^[8]
• April 18 –Ernie Banks hits his 300th career home run, helping theChicago Cubs beat theHouston Colt .45s 3–2.
• April 23 – TheNew York Mets earn their first-ever victory, 9–1 over thePittsburgh Pirates atForbes Field behindJay Hook'scomplete game. The Mets' record now stands at 1–9; the Pirates, having won their first ten games of 1962 (including five triumphs over the Mets), boast a 10–1 mark.
• April 24 –Casey Stengel is fined $500 byCommissionerFord Frick for appearing in aRheingold's beer commercial in full Mets uniform. Appearing in the ad with Stengel was Kathy Kersh, who will achieve fame as Cornelia, one of the Joker's women on the TV seriesBatman.
• April 30 – TheChicago Cubs acquire nine-year veteran pitcherBob Buhl, a two-timeNational League All-Star, from theMilwaukee Braves for sophomore left-handerJack Curtis.

• May 1 – In Year 2 of theChicago Cubs' "College of Coaches" era,El Tappe, who served as the Cubs' rotating "head coach" (orde facto manager) for the month of April, is succeeded byLou Klein after the Cubbies drop 16 of their first 20 games. Klein's tenure will last 30 games until he rotates out of the top job on June 3.
• May 3 – TheCleveland Indians acquire outfielderWillie Tasby from theWashington Senators for two left-handed pitchers,Steve Hamilton andDon Rudolph.
• May 5 – Rookie left-handerBo Belinsky of theLos Angeles Angelsno-hits theBaltimore Orioles 2–0 atDodger Stadium, which the Angels prefer to call "Chavez Ravine". The no-hitter is the first in the history of both the Angels franchise and Dodger Stadium itself.^[9][10]
• May 7 – TheHouston Colt .45s trade southpawBobby Shantz to theSt. Louis Cardinals for right-handerJohn Anderson and outfielderCarl Warwick. Shantz, 36 years old and a 14-year MLB veteran, was Houston's starting pitcher in the Colt .45s' first-ever MLB game four weeks ago.

• May 9
  • The 5–16New York Mets, who in recent days have disposed of veterans likeJoe Ginsberg,Clem Labine,Jim Marshall,Bobby Gene Smith andDon Zimmer, continue to shake up their roster. Today they acquire first basemanMarv Throneberry from theBaltimore Orioles for cash and a "player to be named later," who turns out to be catcherHobie Landrith, their first pick in the October 1961expansion draft. Throneberry will play less than a full calendar year for the Mets, but, as "Marvelous Marv," he will embody the struggling team's futility.^[11]
  • The Mets' expansion counterparts, theHouston Colt .45s, purchase the contract of veteran relief pitcherDon McMahon from theMilwaukee Braves.
• May 12 –Mets relief pitcherCraig Anderson wins both ends of adoubleheader against theMilwaukee Braves. His success will be short-lived, because Anderson will lose his next 16 decisions of 1962 and 19 straight decisions overall. In fact, he will never win another game in the major leagues.
• May 15 – TheLos Angeles Angels release veteran left-handerJoe Nuxhall. The following month, Nuxhall will return to theCincinnati Reds' organization, where he will soon successfully resume his MLB pitching career and eventually become a beloved, long-time member of their broadcast team.
• May 21 – FutureHall-of-FamepitcherRobin Roberts, 35, signs a free-agent contract with theBaltimore Orioles. He had been without a team since April 25, when theNew York Yankees released him without using him in any regular-season games. Roberts will bounce back as an Oriole, making 25 starts, going 10–9, and finishing second in theAmerican League inearned run average (2.78).
• May 22 – In a tense, 12-inning tussle between theLos Angeles Angels andYankees inthe Bronx, Angels managerBill Rigney orders his pitchers tointentionally walk sluggerRoger Maris four times. Although the Yanks strand Maris on base each time, they win the contest, 2–1, on a triple byJoe Pepitone andsacrifice fly byElston Howard.^[9][12]
• May 26 – TheDetroit Tigers' All-Star right fielder,Al Kaline, batting .336 in 36 games so far, breaks his collarbone making a game-saving catch in a 2–1 victory over theNew York Yankees. Kaline doesn't return to the lineup until July 23. The Tigers go 26–31 in his absence and are never a factor in the 1962 pennant race.
• May 27 – The last-placeNew York Mets (12–25) and first-placeSan Francisco Giants (31–14) engage in abrushback-fueled brawl atCandlestick Park. AfterRoger Craig hitsOrlando Cepeda with a pitch in the seventh, the Mets' hurler tries twice to pickWillie Mays off second base. On Craig's second attempt, Mays spikesElio Chacón, who punches the Giants' superstar, who then throws the New York second baseman to the ground. Cepeda, meanwhile, charges the mound from first base and punches Craig, and the benches clear.^[13] Chacón is ejected (his second game eviction in two days), and San Francisco goes on to win, 7–1, in the first game of a twin bill.
• May 29 –Ernie Banks hits three home runs, but hisChicago Cubs still fall to theMilwaukee Braves 11–9 atWrigley Field inChicago.

• June 5 – TheChicago Cubs' "College of Coaches" roulette wheel turns again whenCharlie Metro becomes the team's third "head coach" of 1962. However, unlike his ten rotating predecessors' since 1961, his term will last uninterrupted through 112 games and the end of season.
• June 6 – FutureHall-of-Fame managerTony LaRussa, now a 17-year-old second baseman and recent graduate of aTampahigh school, signs withCharlie Finley'sKansas City Athletics organization, beginning his professional baseball career.
  • Three days later, on June 9, another Tampa product and future manager, 18-year-old outfielderLou Piniella, enters pro ball by signing with theCleveland Indians.
• June 10 –Los Angeles Angels left fielder and pinch hitterEarl Averill Jr. ties a Major League record by reaching base in 17 consecutiveplate appearances, a mark originally set byPiggy Ward 69 years earlier, in1893.^[14] Averill started his streak—which included eighthits and ninebases on balls—on June 3.
• June 15 – TheNew York Mets acquire a familiar face forCasey Stengel's outfield in a cash transaction with theWashington Senators:Gene Woodling, now 39, a member of Stengel's first fiveNew York Yankees teams (1949–1953)—all of which wereWorld Series champions.
• June 17 –Marv Throneberry appears to a triple in the first inning in a game against theChicago Cubs. However, the Cubs protest the play, saying that Throneberry never touched second base. The appeal is confirmed by the second base umpire and Throneberry is declared out. The Mets go on to lose 8–7.
• June 18:
  • At thePolo Grounds,Hank Aaron of theMilwaukee Braves hits a home run over the center field wall. The shot, a grand slam, comes offJay Hook in the Braves' 7–1 victory over theNew York Mets and is the second in back-to-back days, and the third overall, to clear that wall. The day before,Lou Brock of theChicago Cubs had hit one over the center field wall off the Mets'Al Jackson in the first game of a doubleheader.Joe Adcock had been the only other player to hit a home run over the Polo Grounds' center field wall, doing so for the Braves against theNew York Giants on April 29,1953.
  • AtDodger Stadium,Stan Musial of theSt. Louis Cardinals legs out a single off ofSandy Koufax in the second inning, giving him his 5,855th career total base, which breaksTy Cobb's 37-year-old all-time record. The Cardinals would lose to the Dodgers 1–0.
• June 20 –Mike Fornieles of theBoston Red Sox faces 18Cleveland Indians batters andhits four of them in only 32⁄3 innings pitched. No brawl breaks out, but starting pitcher Fornieles (who also throws awild pitch) absorbs the 3–2 defeat atMunicipal Stadium.^[15]
• June 23 –Larry Doby becomes the first former major league player to sign with a team in Japan. Doby signed with theChunichi Dragons of theNippon Professional Baseball League. However, Doby struggles and only hits .225 in what will be his final professional season.
• June 24 – In 1962's longest MLB game,^[16] theNew York Yankees andDetroit Tigers struggle for 22 innings before the visiting Bombers prevail 9–7 on a two-run homer from reserve outfielderJack Reed offPhil Regan. RookieJim Bouton fires seven innings of shutout relief to gain his second MLB career win. The Tigers'Rocky Colavito collects seven hits in ten at bats.^[17]
• June 26 – AtFenway Park,Boston Red Sox pitcherEarl Wilson no-hits theLos Angeles Angels 2–0 and helps his own cause byhomering in the same game. He becomes the third pitcher, afterWes Ferrell in1931 andJim Tobin in1944, to hit a home run supporting his own no-hitter.Rick Wise will join them in1971, homering twice in his no-hitter. Wilson also becomes the first Black pitcher to throw a no-hitter in theAmerican League.^[9][18][19]
• June 27 – InPittsburgh,Richie Ashburn's single in the fourth inning against thePirates'Bob Friend is the futureHall-of-Fame outfielder's 2,500th career hit; he is the 39th player in history to reach that level. The Pirates defeat Ashburn'sMets, 6–5, in ten innings.

• June 30 – At Dodger Stadium,Sandy Koufax no-hits theNew York Mets 5–0. He begins the game by striking out the first three batters (Richie Ashburn,Rod Kanehl andFélix Mantilla) on nine pitches. The no-hitter is the first by a Dodger since the franchise's move fromBrooklyn after the 1957 season, as well as the only one to feature animmaculate inning to date. Koufax will go on to pitch no-hitters in each of the next three seasons, includinghis perfect game in 1965; his record of four career no-hitters will be broken byNolan Ryan in 1981.^[9][20][21]

• July 4 – The season's midpoint sees both ofLos Angeles' MLB teams leading their leagues. The talent-richDodgers, with acesSandy Koufax (12–4) andDon Drysdale (14–4) showing the way, are 56–29 (.659), one-half game in front of their bitter rivals, theSan Francisco Giants (55–29) in theSenior Circuit. Shockingly, the second-yearLos Angeles Angels, one year removed fromexpansion team status, sit atop theAmerican League at 45–34 (.570), also by a half-game, over theNew York Yankees (43–33) andCleveland Indians (44–34). The Angels are led by the less-heralded mound duo ofKen McBride (8–3) andBo Belinsky (7–2).
• July 9 – At a meeting held in conjunction with the All-Star Game, the major league players request a reduced schedule for the1963 season. They also vote unanimously to continue playing two All-Star Games each year.
• July 10 – At newly openedD.C. Stadium,John F. Kennedy becomes the only U.S. president ever to throw the ceremonial first pitch at an All-Star Game, as theNational League beats theAmerican League, 3–1, in the firstAll-Star Game of 1962. Highlights includeMaury Wills scoring two of the NL's three runs,Roberto Clemente rapping three hits, andWillie Mays making an amazing game-ending catch. Wills receives the first All-Star MVP honors.
• July 11:
  • For the first time since1938, whenLloyd andPaul Waner pulled the trick, brothersHank andTommie Aaron hit home runs in the same inning. Both were hit in the last of the ninth, and Hank'sgrand slam provides the winning margin in an 8–6Braves win over theCardinals.
  • TheNew York Yankees reacquire veteran first baseman and pinch hitterDale Long from theWashington Senators in exchange for outfielderDon Lock, 25, on the roster ofTriple-ARichmond. Lock will become a regular in Washington's outfield through the1966 campaign.
• July 13 –Boston Red Sox right-fielderLou Clintonhits for the cycle in a 15–inning, 11–10 triumph over theKansas City Athletics atMunicipal Stadium. It's the only "cycle" in the majors this season.^[9]
• July 14 – Unfortunately forRalph Branca, it is 11 years too late and it doesn't count anyway. In theNew York Mets' first Old-Timers' Game, reliever Branca facesBobby Thomson, who hit thehistoric "walk-off" home run against him to give the oldGiants the1951 pennant. This time, Branca gets Thomson out on a fly ball to center. In the real game itself, theLos Angeles Dodgers thrash the Mets, 17–0.
• July 17 – AtCrosley Field,Sandy Koufax is forced to leave the mound after only one inning against theCincinnati Reds. Suffering from a finger ailment known asRaynauds' Syndrome, which began when he was hit by a pitch in a game on April 28, the futureHall of Famer (14–4, 209 strikeouts and 2.15 ERA going into today) will miss more than two months of action and lose his last three decisions. His absence and subsequent struggle prove costly to his first-placeLos Angeles Dodgers, who will go only 30–26 in August and September and end the 162-game season in a dead heat with their rivals, theSan Francisco Giants.
• July 18 – TheMinnesota Twins become the first major league club in the 20th century to hit twogrand slams in one inning whenBob Allison andHarmon Killebrew connect in a team-record 11-run first inning against theCleveland Indians. PitchersBarry Latman andJim Perry serve the grand gophers in the Twins' 14–3 drubbing of the Tribe.
• July 20 – TheSt. Louis Cardinals'Minnie Miñoso returns to action for the first time since May 11, when he fractured his skull and broke his right wrist running into an outfield wall. On August 19, he'll be hit by a pitch in the sixth and suffer a broken bone in his left forearm.
• July 22 – TheChicago White Sox'Floyd Robinson is six for six – all singles – in a 7–3 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
• July 26 –Warren Spahn of theMilwaukee Braves sets the National League record for home runs by a pitcher, when he hits his 31st offNew York'sCraig Anderson. Spahn also deals the Mets their 11th straight loss in a 6–1 Milwaukee victory.
• July 30 – Home runs byLeon Wagner,Pete Runnels, andRocky Colavito power theAmerican League past theNational League 9–4 in the secondAll-Star Game of 1962. Wagner is selected MVP.

• August 1 –Bill Monbouquette of theBoston Red Soxno-hits theChicago White Sox, 1–0, atComiskey Park, the Red Sox' second no-hitter of the season.Al Smith, who walked in the second inning, is the only baserunner Monbouquette allows. Monbouquette's catcher,Jim Pagliaroni, scores the game's lone run on aLou Clinton single in the eighth inning.^[9][22]
• August 3 – At thePolo Grounds, theNew York Mets blast five home runs—two byFrank Thomas, and one each byChoo Choo Coleman,Charlie Neal andMarv Throneberry—but fall to the visitingCincinnati Reds, 8–6. The Mets are now 26–79 (.248), 45 games behind theLos Angeles Dodgers.
• August 6 – Veteran relief pitcherJohnny Klippstein throws three spotless innings, then smashes his first home run since June 1953 to deliver a 13-inning, 1–0 victory for hisCincinnati Reds over theHouston Colt .45s atColt Stadium.^[23] Klippstein hurls today in relief of starterBob Purkey, who tossed ten scoreless frames, and his feat comes in the middle of the Cincinnati pitching staff's streak of 381⁄3 consecutive shutout innings pitched, most in the majors in 1962.^[16]
• August 10 – At"Chavez Ravine", rookieDean Chance of theLos Angeles Angels outduels futureBaseball Hall of Fame memberJim Kaat, 1–0 in 11 innings.Leon Wagner's RBI single drives home the winning run.
• August 14 – It takes 15 innings, but the visitingPhiladelphia Phillies defeat theNew York Mets, 3–1. Met first basemanMarv Throneberry's error is key to the Phils' winning rally.
• August 19 – With each team belting four homers, the first-placeNew York Yankees humble the ninth-placeKansas City Athletics, 21–7, atMunicipal Stadium. The Yanks amass 20 hits, withElston Howard (two homers, eight RBI) andMickey Mantle (one homer, seven RBI) doing the heaviest damage to the KC mound staff.^[24] New York's 21 runs scored are the most by any MLB team in 1962.^[16]
• August 26 – AtMetropolitan Stadium, southpawJack Kralick of theMinnesota Twinsno-hits theKansas City Athletics, 1–0. Kralick retires the first 25 batters before a walk tothe 26th hitter spoils his bid for aperfect game.^[25] The no-hitter is the first in the franchise's Minnesota history; it had moved fromWashington after the1960 season. It's also the fifth no-no in MLB in 1962.^[9]

• September 3 – The 1962 season's post-Labor Day stretch run will begin with theLos Angeles Dodgers (90–48) leading theSan Francisco Giants (87–50) by 2½ games in theNational League, and theNew York Yankees (82–58) up by three games over theMinnesota Twins (79–61) in theAmerican League, with theLos Angeles Angels (77–62) still a viable contender at 3½ games back. The surprising Twins and Angels finished in the AL'ssecond division in1961.
• September 5 –John Kennedy, a 21-year-old rookie for theWashington Senators, homers in his first MLB at-bat off left-handerDick Stigman atD.C. Stadium. He makes headlines because he shares his name with the35th President of the United States, and both men were born on May 29 (though 24 years apart). Infielder Kennedy will forge a 12-year MLB career with five clubs.
• September 9:
  • FutureHall-of-FamerTony Oliva makes his major league debut, striking out against right-handerBob Humphreys in his only plate appearance in theMinnesota Twins' 10–9 loss to theDetroit Tigers.
  • Boston Red Sox rookie relief aceDick "The Monster" Radatz throws seven innings of one-run, nine-strikeout ball and earns the victory when the Bosox edge the pennant-boundNew York Yankees 5–4 in 16 innings atThe Bronx. Radatz (8–5) is actually out-pitched by Yankee left-handerMarshall Bridges, who goes nine innings of one-run relief, but is defeated byBilly Gardner's successfulsqueeze bunt.
• September 10 –Mickey Mantle hits his 400th career home run, helping theYankees beat theDetroit Tigers 3–1.
• September 12 –Washington Senators right-handerTom Cheneystrikes out 21Baltimore Orioles hitters over 16 innings in a 2–1 triumph atMemorial Stadium. He throws 228 pitches, and may have suffered a career-shortening injury, but Cheney's record still stands for most Ks by a pitcher in a single game.^[26]
• September 16 –Willie Stargell makes his major league debut as apinch hitter going hitless in his lone at bat in thePittsburgh Pirates' 6–4 win over the second-placeSan Francisco Giants atForbes Field. Meanwhile,Chicago Cubs veteranBob Buhl fires a four-hitter and defeats the first-placeLos Angeles Dodgers, 5–0, atWrigley Field. With 12 games left in the regular season, the Dodgers (98–52) lead the Giants (92–56) by four full games in theNational League.
• September 23 – AtBusch Stadium,Maury Wills of theDodgers pilfers two bases against theSt. Louis Cardinals to eclipseTy Cobb's forstolen bases in a season, which had stood at 96 for 47 years. Cobb's and Wills' records were each set over 156 league games. With his season elongated by the three-gameNL tie-breaker series, Wills will purloin 104 bags in 165 games in 1962.
• September 25 – The defendingWorld Series championNew York Yankees clinch the 1962American Leaguepennant by besting theWashington Senators 8–3 behindWhitey Ford (17–8) andMickey Mantle, who goes four for four, with two runs scored and two RBI. It's the Bombers' 27th AL flag since they won their first in1921.
• September 27 – TheexpansionHouston Colt .45s make two seventh-inning runs stand up, as they triumph, 8–6, over first-placeLos Angeles atDodger Stadium. A four-inning, scoreless effort by veteran Houston relieverJim Umbricht earns him the win. The loss is the first of a catastrophic five-game slide that sees the Dodgers fritter away a two-game lead over theSan Francisco Giants by the end of the National League's regular-season schedule.
• September 29 –Hank Bauer quits as manager of the ninth-placeKansas City Athletics before ownerCharles O. Finley can fire him. Bauer's successor is formerNew York Yankees teammateEddie Lopat. Finley will hire Bauer again in1969 to manage his team, by then based inOakland, and fire him that September.
• September 30 –Gene Oliver's solo homer offJohnny Podres supplies the only run that veteranSt. Louis Cardinals leftyCurt Simmons needs, as St. Louis shuts outLos Angeles, 1–0, atDodger Stadium. Meanwhile, atCandlestick Park,Willie Mays slugs an eighth-inning solo shot off theHouston Colt .45s'Turk Farrell to give theSan Francisco Giants a 2–1 victory and a first-place tie with the Dodgers after a full-slate of 162 games. For the fourth time in 17 years, theNational League pennant race will be decided by a best-of-three tiebreaker series. All of them have involved the Dodger franchise, including their classic1951 matchup with the Giants, played when the two teams were still based in New York City.^[27]

• October 3 – Eleven years to the day since theNew York Giants beat theBrooklyn Dodgers for theNational League pennant onBobby Thomson's "Shot Heard Round the World" home run, the visitingSan Francisco Giants score four runs in the top of the ninth to defeat theLos Angeles Dodgers, 6–4, in the decisive third game of the1962 National League tie-breaker series. The Giants'Jim Davenport draws a bases-loadedwalk offStan Williams, scoringFelipe Alou with the winning run, then an insurance marker scores on an error by Los Angeles second basemanLarry Burright. Giants' relieverDon Larsen, famed for hisperfect game during the1956 World Series, earns the victory, with southpawBilly Pierce, who had hurled ashutout in the first game of the tiebreaker, getting thesave by retiring the Dodgers in order in the home half of the ninth. It's the Giants' first pennant since1954, their first since relocating to San Francisco in1958, and 18th overall since the club joined the NL in 1883.^[28]
• October 5 –Birdie Tebbetts, manager of theMilwaukee Braves since September 1961, steps down to take the reins of theCleveland Indians, who fired skipperMel McGaha on September 29. Tebbetts is reunited in Cleveland with general managerGabe Paul; the pair worked together inCincinnati from 1954–1958.
• October 6 – Former shortstop and fan favoriteJohnny Pesky, 43, is promoted to manager of theBoston Red Sox, replacingPinky Higgins, who moves upstairs to general manager. Pesky had been managingTriple-ASeattle, the Bosox' top farm club.
• October 11 – TheNew York Mets purchase the contracts of minor-league infielderRon Hunt from theMilwaukee Braves, and catcherNorm Sherry and outfielderDick Smith from theLos Angeles Dodgers. Hunt, 21, proves to be the most impactful acquisition, becoming the Mets' regular second baseman in1963 en route to a 12-year NL career.
• October 16 – TheNew York Yankees defeat theSan Francisco Giants, 1–0, in the seventh game of theWorld Series to win their second straightWorld Series championship and 20th overall. The Giants, down to their last out, threaten withMatty Alou on third andWillie Mays on second, but Yankees second basemanBobby Richardson snags a screaming line drive byWillie McCovey to preserve the win. New York pitcherRalph Terry is named Series MVP.
• October 17:
  • TheSt. Louis Cardinals obtain All-Star outfielderGeorge Altman and pitcherDon Cardwell from theChicago Cubs for former All-Star pitchersLarry Jackson andLindy McDaniel; two backup catchers,Jimmie Schaffer andMoe Thacker, also swap teams. Altman will have a disappointing 1963 campaign in his only season as a Redbird, and Jackson will win 24 games for the 1964 Cubs, but the Cardwell acquisition gives the Cardinals a key piece in a momentous November 19 transaction.
  • Bobby Bragan fills theMilwaukee Braves' vacant managerial post. He had previously managed thePittsburgh Pirates (1956–1957) andCleveland Indians (1958).
• October 29 – TheNew York Yankees sell the contract of one-time ace right-handerBob Turley to theLos Angeles Angels. Turley, 32, has been struggling with arm woes since his banner1958 season, when he won theCy Young Award and was namedMVP of the1958 World Series.

• November 9 –Chicago Cubs ownerPhilip K. Wrigley announces that the "College of Coaches" concept will be retained for1963 but thatCharlie Metro, who compiled a 43–69 mark as head coach from June 5 through season's end, will not return. The 1962 Cubs (59–103 overall) finished ninth in the new, ten-teamNational League, behind the expansionHouston Colt .45s.
• November 11 –Ken Hubbs of theChicago Cubs becomes the first rookie to win aGold Glove Award.
• November 16 – Principal ownerLouis R. Perini sells theMilwaukee Braves to a syndicate headed byChicago businessmanWilliam Bartholomay for a reported $5.5 million.^[29] Perini originally bought into the Braves in 1944, when they were based in his home city ofBoston, then moved them toMilwaukee in1953. However, after six years of record-setting attendance atMilwaukee County Stadium, declining fan support is endangering the team's future inWisconsin.
• November 19 –St. Louis Cardinals general managerBing Devine sends hurlerDon Cardwell (obtained in October) and shortstopJulio Gotay to thePittsburgh Pirates for All-Star shortstopDick Groat (theNational League MVP for 1960) and relieverDiomedes Olivo. Newly hired Cardinals consultantBranch Rickey, convinced that Groat is too old at age 32, strongly criticizes Devine's trade, but Groat will remain the NL's All-Star shortstop in 1963 and 1964. In the former year, he will bat .319 with 201 hits and 43 doubles and finish #2 in the 1963 MVP race; in the latter year, he is a key team leader during the Cardinals' 1964 pennant drive andWorld Series triumph.

• November 20:
  • Mickey Mantle wins his third and finalAmerican League Most Valuable Player Award. The 31-year-old superstar captures 13 of 20 first-place votes, and out-points teammate and runner-upBobby Richardson, 234 to 152.^[30]
  • TheChicago White Sox release futureBaseball Hall of Fame pitcherEarly Wynn. The 42-year-old veteran right-hander won his 299th MLB game on September 8 and must go for #300 in a different uniform in1963.
• November 21 – Always in search of right-handed power, theBoston Red Sox acquire slugging first basemanDick Stuart from thePittsburgh Pirates, along with relief pitcherJack Lamabe, for pitcherDon Schwall (1961'sAL Rookie of the Year) and 25-year-old catcherJim Pagliaroni. Stuart, 30, will live up to his reputation for home-run power and terrible defensive play during his two seasons in Boston.
• November 23 –Los Angeles Dodgers shortstopMaury Wills, whose 104stolen bases broke a major league season-record set byTy Cobb, wins theNational League Most Valuable Player Award. In a controversial vote, Wills beats out teammateTommy Davis, who led the league with a .346 batting average and 153 RBI.
• November 26:
  • The first-year professional player draft, an early 1960s contrivance designed to curbamateur bonuses, sees significant transactions today. Among them, theChicago Cubs obtain future standout second basemanGlenn Beckert from theBoston Red Sox; theBaltimore Orioles obtain three young outfielders,Paul Blair (from theNew York Mets),Dave May (from theSan Francisco Giants) andCurt Motton (from the Cubs); theWashington Senators pluck outfielderLou Piniella from theCleveland Indians' organization; and theHouston Colt .45s draft future sluggerJim Wynn from theCincinnati Reds.
  • TheNew York Yankees part with their long-time first baseman,Bill Skowron, sending him toLos Angeles Dodgers for hard-throwing right-handerStan Williams.
  • TheBoston Red Sox trade 1962 AL batting-average champPete Runnels (.326) to theHouston Colt .45s forRomán Mejías, who led the first-year expansion team in hits (162), home runs (24), slugging percentage (.445) and runs batted in (76). The veteran players struggle in their new leagues, however, and both are out of the majors by the end of 1964.
  • TheOrioles send their long-time regular catcher,Gus Triandos, and outfielderWhitey Herzog to theDetroit Tigers forDick Brown, the Tigers' #1 catcher.
• November 27:
  • TheMilwaukee Braves trade their veteran first sacker,Joe Adcock, and southpaw pitcherJack Curtis to theCleveland Indians for pitcherFrank Funk and outfieldersDon Dillard andTy Cline ("player to be named later").
  • ThePhiladelphia Phillies acquire future starting second basemanCookie Rojas from theCincinnati Reds for pitcherJim Owens.
• November 28 – ThePhillies acquire pugnacious veteran third basemanDon Hoak, 34, from thePittsburgh Pirates for first basemanPancho Herrera and outfielderTed Savage.
• November 29:
  • After 61 years of continuous operation, theTriple-AAmerican Association folds its tent, along with two of its member teams,Louisville andOmaha. The four remaining Association franchises are absorbed by the surviving Triple-A circuits, theInternational League andPacific Coast League. The PCL addsDallas–Fort Worth,Denver andOklahoma City, and dropsVancouver. The International League addsIndianapolis from the Association and enfranchises a new club, theArkansas Travelers. As a result, both Triple-A circuits become ten-club leagues.
  • MLB officials and player representatives agree to return to a single All-Star Game in1963. The players' pension fund will receive 95 percent of the one game's proceeds (rather than 60 percent of the two games).
• November 30:
  • TheLos Angeles Dodgers pick up pitcherBob Miller from theNew York Mets for first basemanTim Harkness and second basemanLarry Burright. Miller, 23, only 1–12 with the1962 Mets, will be a valuable bullpen arm and occasional starter for the Dodgers through1967.
  • TheHouston Colt .45s, the Mets' expansion counterparts, make two deals. They acquire pitchersDon Nottebart andConnie Grob and outfielderJim Bolger from theMilwaukee Braves for first basemanNorm Larker. Then they send infielderJoey Amalfitano to theSan Francisco Giants for pitcherDick LeMay and outfielderManny Mota.

• December 1 –Minor League Baseball overhauls itsclassification hierarchy below theTriple-A level. TheEastern andSouth Atlantic leagues are promoted fromClass A toDouble-A. Meanwhile, Classes B, C and D are abolished, with those leagues being promoted to a new Class A level. TheClass B leagues were theCarolina andNorthwest leagues; theClass C circuits were theCalifornia,Mexican Center,Northern, andPioneer leagues.Class D comprised theFlorida State,Georgia-Florida,Midwest,New York-Pennsylvania andWestern Carolinas leagues. The short-seasonAppalachian League moves from Class D to a newRookie League classification.
• December 5 – TheWashington Senators trade left-handerPete Burnside and utilitymanBob "Rocky" Johnson to theBaltimore Orioles for leftyArt Quirk, infielderMarv Breeding and outfielderBarry Shetrone.
• December 11 – TheBoston Red Sox trade pitcherTracy Stallard, infielderPumpsie Green and a "player to be named later" (shortstopAl Moran) to theNew York Mets for infielderFélix Mantilla.
• December 13 – TheRed Sox andHouston Colt .45s trade veteran outfielders, with Boston sendingCarroll Hardy to Houston forDick Williams. The 33-year-old Williams will spend two seasons as a Boston reserve, then begin hisHall-of-Fame managerial career in the Red Sox farm system in 1965.
• December 15:
  • A six-player transaction highlights the last day of an active inter-league trading period. In it, theBaltimore Orioles acquire pitchersStu Miller andMike McCormick and catcherJohn Orsino from theSan Francisco Giants for pitchersJack Fisher andBilly Hoeft and catcherJimmie Coker. The Orioles get the upper hand in the deal, as change-up artist Miller anchors the Oriole bullpen for the next five years, leading theAmerican League ingames pitched andsaves in1963. Four years later, the Giants will reacquire southpaw McCormick, a former bonus baby who in1960 led theNational League inERA, and he will win 22 games and the NLCy Young Award for them in1967.
  • TheSt. Louis Cardinals acquire right-handerRon Taylor and shortstopJack Kubiszyn from theCleveland Indians for first basemanFred Whitfield.

• Safe at Home!

• January 3 –Darren Daulton
• January 4 –Jay Tibbs
• January 5 –Danny Jackson
• January 7 –Jeff Montgomery
• January 10
  • Mario Díaz
  • Jim Lindeman
• January 11 –Donn Pall
• January 13 –Kevin Mitchell
• January 14 –Gary Green
• January 19 –Chris Sabo
• January 23 –Benny Distefano
• January 25 –Juan Castillo
• January 26 –Rick Schu

• February 2
  • Pat Clements
  • Paul Kilgus
• February 3 –Joe Klink
• February 4 –Dan Plesac
• February 14 – Bruce Crabbe
• February 15 –Rolando Roomes
• February 16 –Dwayne Henry
• February 18 –Rocky Childress
• February 19 –Álvaro Espinoza
• February 26 –Kelly Gruber
• February 27 –Greg Cadaret

• March 1 –Mark Gardner
• March 2 –Terry Steinbach
• March 7
  • José Canó
  • Germán González
• March 12 –Darryl Strawberry
• March 13
  • Tom Funk
  • Terry Lee
• March 18 –Brian Fisher
• March 19 –Iván Calderón
• March 20 –Kuo Tai-yuan
• March 24 –Ron Robinson
• March 25 –Jeff Kunkel
• March 26 –Kevin Seitzer
• March 29 –Billy Beane

• April 1 –Rich Amaral
• April 3
  • Marty Clary
  • Dave Miley
• April 11 –Tim Fortugno
• April 13 –Jeff Bittiger
• April 21 –Les Lancaster
• April 28
  • Russ Morman
  • Luis Quiñones

• May 2 –Jim Walewander
• May 5 –Ramón Peña
• May 6 –Tom Bolton
• May 8 –Orestes Destrade
• May 9 –Laddie Renfroe
• May 10
  • Joey Meyer
  • Robby Thompson
• May 17 –Greg Mathews
• May 29 –Eric Davis
• May 31 –Joe Orsulak

• June 1 –Jessie Reid
• June 2 –Darnell Coles
• June 8 –John Gibbons
• June 12 –Darrel Akerfelds
• June 16
  • Wally Joyner
  • Calvin Schiraldi
• June 17 –Stu Tate
• June 18 –Dave Leiper
• June 19 –Craig Smajstrla
• June 22 –Bryan Price
• June 23 –Chris Beasley
• June 24 –Charlie Mitchell
• June 30 –Tony Fernández

• July 4 –Johnny Abrego
• July 5 –Jeff Innis
• July 11 –Brian Brady
• July 13 –Robbie Wine
• July 19 –Dick Scott
• July 25 –Doug Drabek
• July 26 –Jody Reed
• July 29 –Randy McCament
• July 30 –Tom Pagnozzi
• July 31 –Ed Hickox

• August 1 –Scott Anderson
• August 3 –Mackey Sasser
• August 4
  • Roger Clemens
  • John Farrell
• August 7 –John Trautwein
• August 10 –Mike Schooler
• August 12
  • Urbano Lugo
  • Dave Pavlas
• August 14 –Mark Gubicza
• August 18 –Scott Arnold
• August 23 –C. B. Bucknor
• August 25 –Oddibe McDowell
• August 31 –Greg Tubbs

• September 2 –Johnny Paredes
• September 3 –Dave Clark
• September 8 –Al Pardo
• September 9 –Joe Strong
• September 19 –Randy Myers
• September 22 –Ray Stephens
• September 24 –Doug Davis
• September 27 –Don Schulze
• September 28
  • Todd Frohwirth
  • Rob Woodward
• September 30 –Dave Magadan

• October 3 –Rich Surhoff
• October 4 –Dennis Cook
• October 4
  • Tony Ferreira
  • Chris James
• October 5 –Tracy Woodson
• October 6 –Rich Yett
• October 12 –Sid Fernandez
• October 14 –Carl Nichols
• October 17 –Glenn Braggs
• October 19 –Oswaldo Peraza
• October 20 –Randy Asadoor
• October 24 –Gene Larkin
• October 27
  • Terry Bell
  • Mike Dunne
• October 30
  • Mark Portugal
  • Danny Tartabull

• November 3 –Sherman Corbett
• November 6 –Leo García
• November 8
  • John Fishel
  • Rey Palacios
• November 9 –Dion James
• November 11 –Cory Snyder
• November 12 –Jeff Reed
• November 12 –Wilfredo Tejada
• November 14 –Steve Peters
• November 16 –Mike Raczka
• November 17 –Ray Chadwick
• November 18 –Jamie Moyer
• November 21 –Dick Schofield
• November 24 –Randy Velarde
• November 26 –Chuck Finley
• November 30
  • Bo Jackson
  • Gary Wayne

• December 1 –Tim Jones
• December 4 –Stan Jefferson
• December 5
  • Alan Cockrell
  • Germán Jiménez
• December 19
  • Clay Parker
  • Bill Wegman
• December 22 –John Hoover
• December 25
  • Marty Pevey
  • Bruce Walton
• December 29 –Devon White

• January 5
  • Dick Lundy, 63, All-Star shortstop, second baseman and manager in the Negro leagues between 1916 and 1940; unofficially batted .484 in 1921, led Eastern Colored League in RBI (with 76) in 1927, and captured batting title of East–West League (.381) in 1932.
  • Frank Snyder, 68, catcher who appeared in 1,392 games for the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Giants from 1912 to 1927, including Giants' 1921–22 World Series champions; spent 1933–1941 as a Giants' coach, including 1933 champs.
• January 6 –Billy Purtell, 76, infielder—chiefly a third baseman—who played in 335 career contests for the Chicago White Sox (1908–1910), Boston Red Sox (1910–1911) and Detroit Tigers (1914).
• January 7
  • Ad Brennan, 74, left-hander who pitched for four clubs, chiefly Philadelphia of the National League and Chicago of the "outlaw" Federal League, from 1910 to 1915 and in 1918.
  • Dutch Lerchen, 72, shortstop for the 1910 Boston Red Sox.
• January 10
  • Fred Bratschi, 69, backup outfielder for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox between 1921 and 1927.
  • Tillie Shafer, 72, infielder and pinch hitter who played in 283 games for the New York Giants (1909–1910, 1912–1913); appeared in both 1912 and 1913 World Series on losing teams.
• January 14
  • Les Mann, 68, outfielder for five NL teams who in the 1914 World Series drove in Game 2's only run in the top of the 9th and scored the winning run in the 12th inning of Game 3 for the "Miracle Braves".
  • Pep Young, 54, second baseman who played in 730 games over ten seasons for three National League clubs, chiefly the Pittsburgh Pirates, between 1933 and 1945.
• January 18 –Bob Barrett, 82, third baseman who played 239 MLB games for the Chicago Cubs (1923–1925), Brooklyn Robins (1925 and 1927) and Boston Red Sox (1929).
• January 22 –Lefty Russell, 71, pitcher who dropped five of six career decisions over 13 games as a member of the 1910–1912 Philadelphia Athletics.
• January 26 –Steve O'Neill, 70, workhorse catcher for the 1911–1923 Cleveland Naps/Indians and member of 1920 World Series champions; later managed the Detroit Tigers to the 1945 title; also skippered Indians, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies between 1935 and 1954; one of four brothers to play in majors.
• January 27
  • Joe Vosmik, 51, All-Star outfielder (1935) for five MLB teams (1930–1941 and 1944), principally his hometown Indians, who hit .307 lifetime and exceeded the .300 mark six times; led American League in hits (216), doubles (47) and triples (20) in 1935; also led AL in hits (201) in 1938.
  • Jim Shaw, 68, reliable starter and reliever on Washington Senators' pitching staff from 1913 to 1921; won 15 or more games four times; led 1919 American League in games pitched, innings pitched, and saves; also led Junior Circuit in saves in 1914.
  • Bob Steele, 67, Canadian southpaw who posted a 16–38 won–lost mark and a 3.05 earned run average in 91 career appearances for the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants from 1916 to 1919.
• January 28 –Steve Melter, 76, pitcher who appeared in 23 games, 22 in relief, for the 1909 St. Louis Cardinals.
• January 30 –Ray Roberts, 66, pitcher who worked in three games for the 1919 Philadelphia Athletics.

• February 6 –Ernest Lanigan, 89, statistician, sportswriter and historian who in the 1890s devised the run batted in and other statistics, in 1922 wrote the sport's first comprehensive biographical encyclopedia; later historian at the Hall of Fame for ten years.
• February 8 –Charlie Meara, 70, outfielder for the 1914 New York Yankees.
• February 9
  • Tex Burnett, 62, catcher/first baseman/outfielder who appeared for nine different Negro leagues clubs over 12 seasons between 1922 and 1941.
  • Bernie Duffy, 68, pitcher for the 1913 Pittsburgh Pirates.
• February 10 –Roy Walker, 68, pitcher who worked in 91 career games for the Cleveland Naps/Indians (1912, 1915), Chicago Cubs (1917–1918) and St. Louis Cardinals (1921–1922).
• February 12 –Dick Wheeler, 64, outfielder and pinch hitter in three games for the 1918 Cardinals.
• February 22 –Paul Speraw, 68, whose 16-year professional career included one game in MLB as a third baseman for the St. Louis Browns on September 15, 1920.
• February 24 –Max Bishop, 62, second baseman for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1924 to 1933, member of Philadelphia's AL pennant winners from 1929 to 1931 and 1929–1930 World Series champions; coach at the U.S. Naval Academy since 1938.
• February 25 –Tink Turner, 72, pitcher who appeared in one game (hurling two innings) for last-place 1915 Philadelphia Athletics; spent 1924 season as a St. Louis Cardinals coach.

• March 1
  • Hal Janvrin, 69, infielder who appeared in 759 games over ten seasons for four clubs between 1911 and 1922, notably the Boston Red Sox, where he was a member of the 1915 and 1916 world championship squads.
  • Horace Jenkins, 70, outfielder who played between 1910 and 1921 for a series of Chicago-based Negro leagues teams.
• March 4 –George Mogridge, 73, left-handed hurler who won 132 games over a 15-year MLB career between 1911 and 1927 with five teams, notably the 1915–1920 New York Yankees and 1921–1925 Washington Senators; key contributor to Senators' 1924 world champions.
• March 12 –Fred Beck, 75, first baseman/outfielder for Boston, Cincinnati and Philadelphia of the National League (1909–1911) and Chicago of the "outlaw" Federal League (1914–1915), whose ten home runs tied him for the NL long-ball championship in 1910.
• March 16
  • Sumpter Clarke, 64, outfielder who played 37 total games for 1920 Chicago Cubs and 1923–1924 Cleveland Indians.
  • Harry Feldman, 42, pitcher who worked in 143 games for the 1941–1946 New York Giants.
  • George Orme, 70, backup outfielder who played for the 1920 Boston Red Sox.
• March 17 –Kay Rohrer, 39, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League catcher for the1945 Rockford Peaches champion team.
• March 18 –Elmer Bliss, 87, pitcher, then outfielder, in two total games for the New York Highlanders; in the former, he threw seven shutout innings against Detroit on September 28, 1903, to earn a relief victory; in the latter, he went 0-for-1 as a batter as a defensive replacement in right field against Cleveland on May 11, 1904.
• March 20 –John Black, 72, first baseman who batted but .151 in 54 games and 186 at-bats for the 1911 St. Louis Browns.
• March 22
  • Lee DeMontreville, 87, shortstop/second baseman for 1903 St. Louis Cardinals.
  • "Oyster Joe" Martina, 72, pitcher who went 349–277 in 833 career games in the minor leagues, but played only 24 games and one season (1924) in the majors as a member of the World Series champion Washington Senators.
  • Red Thomas, 63, outfielder who collected eight hits in 30 at-bats in eight games for the Chicago Cubs in September 1921.
• March 29 –Otto Miller, 72, catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers/Superbas/Robins from 1910 to 1922, including two NL champions (1916, 1920).
• March 30
  • Charlie French, 78, second baseman/shortstop/outfielder who played 105 games for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox in 1909 and 1910.
  • Mutt Williams, 69, pitcher who hurled in six total games for the 1913–1914 Washington Senators.

• April 4 –Snooks Dowd, 64, infielder who appeared in 16 MLB games, chiefly as a pinch runner, for the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Athletics in 1919 and the Brooklyn Robins in 1926.
• April 5 –Vince Shupe, 40, first baseman for the 1945 Boston Braves, and one of many players who only appeared in the majors during World War II.
• April 10 –Milt Watson, 72, right-hander who pitched in 90 games from 1916 to 1919 for the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies.
• April 13 –Bill Akers, 57, infielder for 1929–1931 Detroit Tigers and 1932 Boston Braves who got into 174 career games.
• April 21 –Bill Norman, 51, outfielder for the Chicago White Sox in 1931–1932, longtime minor league pilot, and manager of the Tigers from June 11, 1958 through May 2, 1959.
• April 23 –Bob Turner, 35, centerfielder for the 1944 Newark Eagles of the Negro National League.
• April 30
  • Al Demaree, 77, pitcher who won 80 games for four NL teams, later a noted sports cartoonist.
  • Russ Miller, 62, pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1927 and 1928; went 0–12 (5.42 ERA) in the latter season, and 1–13 (.071 winning percentage) lifetime.

• May 8 –Buster Burrell, 95, 19th-century catcher who played in 122 total games for the 1891 New York Giants and 1895–1897 Brooklyn Bridegrooms.
• May 10 –Lefty Willis, 56, pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1925 to 1927.
• May 23 –Rip Radcliff, 56, All-Star outfielder who batted .311 during his ten-season, 1,081-game career for the Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers; led AL in hits in 1940.
• May 24
  • Barney Morris, 51, two-time All-Star pitcher in the Negro leagues between 1932 and 1948; member of 1947 Negro World Series champion New York Cubans.
  • Rabbit Nill, 80, infielder who appeared in 296 games between 1904 and 1908 for the Washington Senators and Cleveland Naps.
• May 28 –George Anderson, 72, outfielder for 1914–1915 Brooklyn Tip-Tops (Federal League) and 1918 St. Louis Cardinals, appearing in 269 total games.

• June 1 –Jim Faulkner, 62, left-hander who compiled a 10–8 won–lost mark (3.75 ERA) in 43 career games for the 1927–1928 New York Giants and 1930 Brooklyn Robins.
• June 2 –Art Stokes, 65, pitcher who appeared in a dozen games for 1925 Philadelphia Athletics.
• June 7 –George Shively, 69, Negro league baseball left fielder from 1910 to 1924.
• June 11
  • Bert Abbey, 92, 19th-century pitcher who hurled for Washington, Chicago and Brooklyn of the National League between 1892 and 1896.
  • Fred Dewitt, 61, first baseman/centerfielder who appeared for the Kansas City Monarchs, Cleveland Tigers and Memphis Red Sox of the Negro National League between 1927 and 1929.
  • Nap Kloza, 58, Polish-born outfielder for theSt. Louis Browns in the early 1930s, later a manager for theAAGPBLRockford Peaches.
• June 13 –Red Lanning, 67, outfielder and southpaw pitcher who appeared in 19 total games (six on the mound) for the horrendous 1916 Philadelphia Athletics, losers of 117 of 153 games.
• June 24 –Steve Basil, 69, American League umpire from 1936 to 1942 who worked 1,037 regular season games, the 1937 and 1940 World Series, and the 1938 and 1940 All-Star games.
• June 27 –Charlie Schmutz, 71, pitcher who made 19 appearances for the 1914–1915 Brooklyn Robins.
• June 28
  • Mickey Cochrane, 59, Hall of Fame catcher for Philadelphia Athletics (1925–1933) and Detroit Tigers (1934–1937); American League MVP in 1928 and 1934, and batted .320 lifetime; member of Philadelphia's 1929–1930 World Series champions who managed Tigers to the 1934 AL pennant and 1935 World Series title, posting a 348–250 (.582) record before stepping down on August 6, 1938.
  • Cy Morgan, 83, pitcher who spent a decade in the majors between 1903 and 1913 with four clubs, notably the 1909–1912 Athletics, where he was a member of their 1910–1911 World Series champions.

• July 1
  • Sam Mayer, 69, who appeared in 11 games, primarily as an outfielder, for the 1915 Washington Senators.
  • Ewing Waddy, 51, southpaw who went 2–7 hurling for the 1932 Indianapolis ABCs of the Negro Southern League and 1933 Indianapolis–Detroit Stars of the Negro National League.
• July 2 –Josh Clarke, 83, outfielder in 233 games over five major-league seasons between 1898 and 1911 for Louisville, St. Louis and Boston of the National League, and Cleveland of the American League.
• July 3 –Jimmy Walsh, 76, native of Ireland and outfielder for the 1916 Boston Red Sox world champions, who also hit better than .300 ten times in the International League, winning the league batting title in 1925 and 1926.
• July 4 –Abe Kruger, 77, pitcher who hurled in two contests for Brooklyn of the National League in 1908.
• July 9 –Moose McCormick, 81, outfielder who played in 429 games over five National League seasons for New York, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia between 1904 and 1913.
• July 12 –Mary Moore, 40, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League pitcher and member of the1948 Rockford Peaches champion team.
• July 14 –Howard Craghead, 54, pitched for the Cleveland Indians in the 1931 and 1933 seasons.
• July 17 –Sport McAllister, 87, versatile, turn-of-the-century outfielder/infielder who appeared in 418 games, 415 of them with the Cleveland Spiders and Detroit Tigers, between 1896 and 1903.
• July 18 –Carl Holling, 66, pitched for the Detroit Tigers in the 1920s.
• July 20 –Donald Lee Barnes, 68, principal owner of the St. Louis Browns from 1936 to 1945; his 1944 Browns won that franchise's only American League pennant.
• July 23 –Ralph Shinners, 66, outfielder for the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals from 1922 to 1925, and later a manager in theAAGPBL.
• July 29 –Burt Shotton, 77, speedy outfielder who appeared in 1,387 games for the St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators and St. Louis Cardinals between 1909 and 1923; managed Brooklyn Dodgers to National League pennants in 1947 and 1949; also piloted Philadelphia Phillies from 1928 to 1933.

• August 3 –War Sanders, 85, left-handed hurler who went 2–8 (5.64 ERA) over 12 games pitched for the 1903–1904 St. Louis Cardinals.
• August 5 –Marilyn Monroe, 36, actress and former wife of Hall of FamerJoe DiMaggio.
• August 6 –Bob Williams, 78, backup catcher for the 1911–1913 New York Highlanders/Yankees who appeared in 46 career games.
• August 7 –Bill Pierce, 72, first baseman and catcher in Black baseball and the Negro leagues during the period of 1910 to 1924; player-manager of 1922 Baltimore Black Sox.
• August 11 –Jake Volz, 84, pitcher for the Boston Americans, Boston Beaneaters and Cincinnati Reds between 1901 and 1908.
• August 19 –Myron H. Wilson, 74, principal owner of the Cleveland Indians from 1952 to 1956 and club president from 1952 until his death.
• August 25 –Skipper Friday, 64, pitcher who appeared in seven games for 1923 Washington Senators.
• August 30 –Mutt Wilson, 66, pitcher in three games for 1920 Detroit Tigers; that season, he also compiled an unusual 23–21 won–lost record in 53 games in the lower minors.

• September 1
  • Hank Garrity, 54, catcher for the 1931 Chicago White Sox.
  • Duke Shirey, 64, pitcher for the 1920 Washington Senators.
• September 4 –Pete Washington, 59, centerfielder who played in the Negro leagues between 1923 and 1936.
• September 5 –John Potts, 75, appeared in 41 games as an outfielder and pinch hitter for Kansas City of the Federal League in 1914.
• September 10 –Bill Herring, 68, pitcher for the 1915 Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the Federal League.
• September 12 –Spottswood Poles, 74, star outfielder whose prime years (1909–1923) were spent in Black baseball before organization of the Negro leagues began in 1920; credited with a lifetime batting average of over .400, and sometimes called "the BlackTy Cobb," who played during the same era.
• September 18 –Joe Green, 84, player-manager of the 1920–1921 Chicago Giants of the Negro National League.
• September 23
  • Ted Stockard, 59, infielder for Cleveland (1927–1928) and Indianapolis (1931) of the Negro National League.
  • Tom Sullivan, 66, southpaw who pitched in three games for the Philadelphia Phillies in May 1922.
• September 24 –Joe Cambria, 72, Italian-born minor league player and club owner who became a pioneering scout covering Cuba for the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins franchise from the 1930s until his death; signed starsTony Oliva,Camilo Pascual andZoilo Versalles, and many other MLB standouts.
• September 27
  • Johnny Scalzi, 55, minor-league second baseman who appeared in two games as a pinch hitter and pinch runner for 1931 Boston Braves.
  • Stan Sperry, 48, second baseman who played in 80 career games for the 1936 and 1938 Philadelphia Athletics.
• September 30
  • Cap Crowell, 70, pitcher who went 2–11 (5.27 ERA) in 19 total games for terrible Athletics teams of 1915 and 1916.
  • Cecil "Squiz" Pillion, 68, left-hander who also pitched for horrific 1915 Athletics, working in two August games.

• October 2 –Earl Yingling, 73, who appeared in 140 big-league games as a left-handed pitcher, outfielder and pinch hitter for four clubs, chiefly the Brooklyn Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds, over five seasons spanning 1911 to 1918.
• October 3 –Don Songer, 63, left-hander who pitched in 71 career games for the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants from 1924 to 1927.
• October 5 –Jack Cummings, 58, good-hitting, seldom-used catcher/pinch hitter who batted .341 lifetime in 89 games and 151 plate appearances for 1926–1929 New York Giants and 1929 Boston Braves.
• October 6 –Dick Gossett, 72, catcher in 49 contests for the New York Yankees over all or parts of the 1913–1914 seasons.
• October 8 –Ralph Head, 69, right-hander who went 2–9 (6.66 ERA) in 35 games for 1923 Philadelphia Phillies.
• October 11
  • Bill Bell, 28, pitcher who worked in five total games for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1952, 1955); former minor-league phenom who threw three no-hitters in 15 starts for Bristol of the Class D Appalachian League earlier in 1952.
  • Dusty Decker, 50, shortstop/second baseman who played in the Negro leagues (1932, 1937) and was a star college football quarterback—nicknamed "The Human Catapult"—at historically blackFisk University.
• October 12 –Rube Geyer, 78, pitcher for the 1910–1913 St. Louis Cardinals.
• October 13 –Gus Hetling, 76, third baseman who appeared in two games for the Detroit Tigers in October 1906.
• October 15 –Possum Whitted, 72, utility man for 1914 "Miracle Boston Braves" World Series champions; appeared in 1,025 career games, primarily as an outfielder and third baseman, for the Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Brooklyn Robins between 1912 and 1922.
• October 16 –Ray Powell, 73, outfielder for 1913 Detroit Tigers and 1917–1924 Boston Braves; led National League in triples (18) in 1921.
• October 17 –Olaf Henriksen, 74, Boston Red Sox reserve outfielder (1911–1917) who was a member of three World Series champions (1912, 1915, 1916); as of 2022, the only MLB player to have been born in Denmark.
• October 20 –Tim Murchison, 66, southpaw pitcher who appeared in three total games for 1917 St. Louis Cardinals and 1920 Cleveland Indians, allowing only three hits and one unearned run in six innings of work; longtime scout.
• October 23 –Elbert Norman, 65, shortstop for the 1927 Cleveland Elites of the Negro National League.
• October 31 –Larry Goetz, 67, National League umpire from 1936 to 1956, worked in 3,225 NL contests, three World Series and two All-Star Games.

• November 12 –Harvey Smith, 91, third baseman who appeared in 36 games for the 1896 Washington Senators of the National League.
• November 14 –Dick Hoblitzel, 74, first baseman on Red Sox champions of 1915–1916.
• November 16 –Hugh High, 75, outfielder for the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees between 1913–1918; brother ofAndy andCharlie High.
• November 18 –Ed Moyer, 77, pitcher in six games for the 1910 Washington Senators.
• November 21 –Whitey Hilcher, 53, pitcher who appeared in 31 games for the Cincinnati Reds over four seasons spanning 1931 to 1936.
• November 26 –Al Carson, 80, pitcher who appeared in two games for the Chicago Cubs in May 1910.
• November 27 –Bob Peterson, 78, catcher for the Boston Americans between 1906 and 1907.
• November 28 –Harry Moran, 73, left-hander who appeared in 68 games for Buffalo (1914) and Newark (1915) of the "outlaw" Federal League; earlier, hurled in five contests for the 1912 Detroit Tigers.
• November 29 –Red Kress, 55, coach for the 1962 New York Mets; also coached for Detroit Tigers, New York Giants, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels for 14 seasons between 1940 and 1961; previously an AL shortstop during the 1930s.

• December 1 –Owen Smaulding, 65, World War I veteran and standout Black athlete who played on integrated sports teams at theUniversity of Washington andUniversity of Idaho and pitched for the Kansas City Monarchs, Chicago American Giants, Cleveland Tigers and Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro National League in 1927–1928; became a teacher after his playing career.
• December 2
  • Frank Kane, 67, outfielder and pinch hitter for the 1915 Brooklyn Tip-Tops (Federal League) and 1919 New York Yankees.
  • John Scott, 75, shortstop for the 1914 Pittsburgh Rebels of the Federal League.
• December 3 –George Scott, 67, pitcher who worked in two games for the 1920 St. Louis Cardinals.
• December 4
  • Ben Cantwell, 60, pitcher for New York Giants, Boston Braves/Bees, and Brooklyn Dodgers who appeared in 316 games between 1927 and 1937; won 20 games, losing ten, for 1933 Braves squad, then, two years later posted a 4–25 won–lost record pitching for a horrendous Boston club that lost 115 of its 153 games played.
  • John Joseph Coffee,alias Jack Smith, 69, one of the replacement amateur players called into action by the Detroit Tigers when the team staged a wildcat strike in support of the suspendedTy Cobb on May 18, 1912; "Smith" played errorless ball at third base for two innings of Detroit's 24–2 loss to Philadelphia, but did not record a plate appearance.
• December 6 –Dutch Hoffman, 58, Chicago White Sox' centerfielder during the 1929 season, appearing in 107 games.
• December 7
  • Bobo Newsom, 55, colorful, much-traveled All-Star pitcher who won 211 games with nine different teams between 1929 and 1953, including five stints with the Washington Senators; starred in a losing cause for the Detroit Tigers in the 1940 World Series; three-time 20-game winner (1938 through 1940) and three-time 20-game loser (1934, 1941, 1945).
  • J. G. Taylor Spink, 74, publisher and editor ofThe Sporting News since 1914 and a tireless champion of the sport.
• December 8 –Bill Gatewood, 81, Negro leagues pitcher who appeared for as many as 21 teams over a 24-year span (1906–1929); led Negro National League in games won (15) in 1920.
• December 14
  • Bob Katz, 51, pitcher who made six appearances for the wartime-era 1944 Cincinnati Reds.
  • Champ Osteen, 85, infielder who played in 83 career games for the 1903 Washington Senators, 1904 New York Highlanders and 1908–1909 St. Louis Cardinals.
  • Dan Woodman, 69, pitcher who appeared in 18 contests for Buffalo of the Federal League in 1914–1915.
• December 20 –Charlie Luskey, 86, outfielder/catcher in 11 games for the American League's maiden 1901 edition of the Washington Senators.
• December 27 –Jake Flowers, 60, infielder between 1923 and 1934 for three National League teams; later an MLB coach.
• December 29 –Tiny Graham, 70, 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)-tall first baseman who played 25 games for 1914 Cincinnati Reds.
• December 30 –Joe Boley, 66, shortstop for the Philadelphia Athletics (1927–1932) and Cleveland Indians (1932); key contributor to Philadelphia's 1929 and 1930 world championships and 1931 American League title.
• December 31
  • Al Mamaux, 68, pitcher who posted back-to-back 20-plus win seasons for the 1915–1916 Pittsburgh Pirates; also hurled for the Brooklyn Robins and New York Yankees during his 12 seasons in MLB.
  • Del Mason, 79, right-hander who compiled a 5–16 (3.72) career record in 32 total games for the 1904 Washington Senators and 1906–1907 Cincinnati Reds.

• 1962 in baseball

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