January 7 – The rupturedAchilles tendon ofCincinnati Reds centerfielderBobby Tolan brings an end to two sports seasons. Tolan suffers the injury while playing basketball for the Reds' offseason squad. He will miss the 1971 season because of the injury and the Cincinnati front office orders the basketball team to be disbanded.
January 11 –Detroit Tigers pitcherJohn Hiller suffers a heart attack at age 27. He'll miss the 1971 season but will make a full recovery and remarkable comeback.
January 23 – TheMilwaukee Brewers hireFrank "Trader" Lane as general manager, replacingMarvin Milkes. Eight days from his 76th birthday, Lane is the former GM of four MLB teams between 1948 and 1961, and is known for his relentless roster-churning and player transactions. By the time he retires after the 1972 season, Lane will have made more than 400 deals during his MLB career.
February 9 – FormerNegro leagues pitcherSatchel Paige is nominated for the Hall of Fame. On June 10, the Hall's new Veterans Committee will formally select Paige for induction.
March 20 –Alex Johnson's season-long troubles withCalifornia Angels' management begin when managerLefty Phillips removes the reigning American Leaguebatting champion from an exhibition game for failure to run out a ground ball and lackadaisical play on defense. The following day, Johnson also is pulled from a game for not running out a grounder.
April 13 – An unusual arrangement sees twoDouble-A circuits, theSouthern League andTexas League, temporarily merge into one loop, called theDixie Association, for the 1971 season. The union is necessary because each league begins the year with only seven teams. After theCharlotte Hornets, aMinnesota Twins affiliate, win the 1971 championship in September, the constituent leagues each gain an eighth team, rebalancing their schedules, and they resume their separate identities in 1972.
May 6 –NBC Sports andMajor League Baseball agree to a four-year, $72 million contract, running through 1976, for 26 Saturday"Game of the Week" telecasts, ten Monday night games, theMajor League Baseball All-Star Game, both the AL and NL League Championship Series, and theWorld Series. Part of the agreement stipulates that all World Series games played during the workweek be played at night.
Alex Johnson, voted theCalifornia Angels' Player of the Month for April, is held out of the lineup for failure to hustle during the previous day's game againstMilwaukee atAnaheim Stadium. He will be benched four more times for similar reasons over the next six weeks.
PitcherLuis Tiant, struggling to regain his form atTriple-ARichmond, is released by theAtlanta Braves just one month after signing with them. Two days later, free-agent Tiant signs with theBoston Red Sox and is assigned to their Triple-A club, theLouisville Colonels, where he continues his comeback efforts.
TheCleveland Indians are involved in a bizarre play against theWashington Senators atRobert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. The Senators'Tommy McCraw leads off the bottom of the fourth inning with a 140-foot pop fly (some sources say it was 250 feet) into short left-center for what should be an out. Instead, Indians shortstopJack Heidemann, left fielderJohn Lowenstein and center fielderVada Pinson collide as they go for the ball, which falls amongst the three players. Before the ball can be recovered, McCraw circles the bases for aninside-the-park home run; meanwhile, Heidemann, Lowenstein and Pinson are all injured and have to be replaced. Despite their embarrassing moment, the Indians defeat the Senators 6–3.
May 29 – TheCincinnati Reds acquire 22-year-old outfielderGeorge Foster from theSan Francisco Giants for pitcherVern Geishert and shortstopFrank Duffy. A powerful, right-handed hitter, Foster has been unable to crack the Giants' lineup. But given an opportunity to play by Cincinnati, he becomes the Reds' regular left-fielder (1975), leads theNational League inruns batted in three consecutive years (1976–1978), smashes 52 homers to lead MLB and become his league's Most Valuable Player (1977), makes five NL All-Star teams, and wins twoWorld Series rings (1975,1976).
June 14 – TheCalifornia Angels are engulfed in controversy whenAlex Johnson charges that teammateHiraldo "Chico" Ruiz pulled a gun on him in the Angels' clubhouse the previous day. There are no witnesses to the incident, which will be confirmed by Angels' general managerDick Walsh in September.[2] Johnson and Ruiz, formerly friends, have become bitter enemies.
June 21 – Struggling at the plate (.199 with only 32 hits in 52 games played),Cleveland Indians first basemanKen Harrelson, 29, announces his retirement from baseball and his intention to qualify for theprofessional golf tour. However, he will return to baseball as a colorful analyst and play-by-play announcer in 1975, and forge a 40-year broadcasting career that culminates with aFord C. Frick Award.
Vida Blue, the electrifying 22-year-oldOakland Athletics left-hander, wins his 16th game of 1971 (against two losses), firing a five-hit, 7–0 shutout against the visitingKansas City Royals while fanning 12 hitters; the blanking lowers hisearned run average to 1.37. In Oakland's 70th game of 1971, Blue records his 16th complete game, sixth shutout, and the sixth time he has reached double-digits in strikeouts.
Willie Stargell of thePittsburgh Pirates hits what will be the longest home run ever hit atVeterans Stadium. In the second inning of the Pirates' 14–4 victory over thePhiladelphia Phillies, his shot offJim Bunning strikes above an exit in the 600 level of the upper deck. The spot where the ball struck will eventually be marked with a yellow star with a black "S" inside a white circle until Stargell's 2001 death, after which the white circle will then be painted black. The star will remain until the stadium's 2004 demolition.
June 29 – TheAtlanta Braves release 48-year-old knuckleball artistHoyt Wilhelm. He signs as a free agent with theLos Angeles Dodgers on July 10, 1971 and finishes his Hall of Fame career in a Dodger uniform exactly one year later after 1,070 games pitched over 21 seasons.
June 30 –American League owners meet behind closed doors for over eight hours in Detroit to discuss the fate of theWashington Senators franchise, after it's revealed that ownerBob Short has not paid rent forRobert F. Kennedy Stadium since the end of the 1969 season. During the meeting, Short begins to campaign for support to move the ten-year-old expansion team toDallas–Fort Worth for the 1972 season.
July 7 –Commissioner of BaseballBowie Kuhn announces that players from theNegro leagues elected to theHall of Fame will be given full membership in the museum. It had been previously announced that they would be honored in a separate wing.
July 9:
TheOakland Athletics beat theCalifornia Angels 1–0 in 20 innings—the longest shutout inAmerican League history.Vida Blue strikes out 17 batters in 11 innings for Oakland, while the Angels'Billy Cowan ties a major league record by fanning six times. Both teams combine for 43 strikeouts, a new major league record.
July 10 – In the wake of his team's marathon loss the day before,California Angels outfielderTony Conigliaro announces his retirement at age 26, asserting that his vision, initially compromised when he was struck in the face by a pitch on August 18, 1967, is deteriorating and he cannot see well enough to play. A medical examination later confirms Conigliaro's statement. Batting only .222 with four homers in 74 games in 1971, Conigliaro will sit out three full seasons before attempting a final comeback in 1975 with his original team, theBoston Red Sox.
July 30 – TheCleveland Indians fire general manager/field managerAlvin Dark. Club presidentGabe Paul resumes his former role as GM, and coachJohnny Lipon takes over as interim pilot through season's end. The Tribe are 43–61, sixth and last in theAmerican League East, and have recently been fined for including illegal performance incentives in player contracts.
InTexas League action,Tom Walker pitched a 15-inningno-hitter for theDallas-Fort Worth Spurs to beat theAlbuquerque Dodgers, 1–0, which is considered the second longest no-hitter pitched in American professional baseball history. Walker struck out 11 batters and walked four to complete the gem. His manager,Cal Ripken Sr., left him in the game until he finally picked the victory after throwing 176 pitches. OnlyFred Toney, who hurled 17 no-hit innings in theBlue Grass League in1909, has pitched a longer no-hitter in baseball history.
August 7 –Ken Boswell belts his first career grand slam home run and a run-scoring double as theNew York Mets explode for 21 hits and crush the Atlanta Braves, 20–6. The 20 runs are a Mets record, breaking the mark of 19 set against theChicago Cubs on May 6, 1964.
August 14 – Ten days after his 200th victory,St. Louis Cardinal pitcherBob Gibsonno-hits thePittsburgh Pirates 11–0, the first no-hitter ever pitched atThree Rivers Stadium. He strikes out 10 batters along the way; three of those Ks belong toWillie Stargell, including the final out. The no-hitter is the first to be pitched inPittsburgh in 64 years; none had been pitched in the 62-year (mid-1909 to mid-1970) history of Three Rivers Stadium's predecessor,Forbes Field.
August 23 – A clubhouse meeting called byChicago Cubs pilotLeo Durocher after a frustrating, 4–3 loss the day before to theHouston Astros backfires when several players, includingJoe Pepitone andRon Santo, respond by criticizing Durocher's managing. When news of the rift hits the sports pages, ownerPhilip K. Wrigley takes out a full-page newspaper ad on September 3 backing his skipper and blasting the "Dump Durocher clique." On the field, the Cubs lose 15 of their next 21 games after the clubhouse ruckus.
August 25 - The Cincinnati Reds signed free agent infielderDoug Flynn.
August 28 – Phillies pitcherRick Wise hits two home runs, including agrand slam offDon McMahon, in the second game of a doubleheader, duplicating his feat in his June no-hitter. Wise beats theSan Francisco Giants, 7–3.
September 3 –Ron Cey makes his MLB debut, pinching hitter for pitcher Jose Pena in the Dodgers 6–5 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Cey would go on to be the Dodgers regular starting third baseman for the next 12 seasons.
September 9 – The Chicago Cubs signBruce Sutter as an amateur free agent.
September 10 –Ferguson Jenkins breaksCharlie Root'sChicago Cubs club record for career strikeouts during an 8–7, 12-inning loss to the Cardinals at Wrigley Field.
PitcherLarry Yount, elder brother ofRobin, theBaseball Hall of Fame shortstop/centerfielder, is called upon to make his MLB debut for theHouston Astros in relief in the ninth inning of a game against theAtlanta Braves. But Yount injures his arm in thebullpen, and once on the mound, the pain gets worse as he warms up. Astros managerHarry Walker pulls the injured hurler from the game before he throws a single pitch. Yount, then 21, never appears in another major-league game.
September 21 – Meeting in Boston,American League owners approve the transfer of theWashington Senators toDallas–Fort Worth, after an 11th-hour bid from a local ownership group falls apart. The vote is 10–2, with onlyBaltimore andChicago opposed. The move will end the AL's presence inWashington, D.C. after 71 consecutive years (and two different "Senators" franchises). It's the ninth franchise shift in MLB since March 1953, and will be the last such transfer until 2005, whenWashington joins theNational League as the new home of the formerMontreal Expos.
An independent arbitrator rules that theCalifornia Angels must pay suspended outfielderAlex Johnson $29,970 in back salary, because Johnson should have been placed on the disabled list for "emotional incapacitation" rather than suspended without pay. The Angels are permitted to keep the $3,750 in the 29 fines the team levied against Johnson before his June 26 suspension.
Philadelphia Phillies pitcherJim Bunning, 39, announces his retirement as an active player after 224 victories, nine All-Star selections, and aperfect game; he will be elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame in 1996. Bunning will manage in the Phillies'farm system for four seasons before beginning a successful career in politics.
September 29 – TheMontreal Expos'Ron Hunt is hit by a pitch for the 50th time of the season.
October 20 – The fallout from theCalifornia Angels' disastrous 1971 season continues when the club fires general managerDick Walsh, who has four years remaining on a seven-year contract.
November 2 –Pat Dobson of theBaltimore Orioles pitches ano-hitter against theYomiuri Giants, winning 2–0. It is the first no-hitter inJapanese-American baseball exhibition history. The Orioles compile a record of 12–2–4 on the tour.
November 9 – TheCleveland Indians, who finished last in theAL East and lost 101 games in 1971, promote former infielderKen Aspromonte to manager. Aspromonte, 40, spent the past two seasons at the helm ofTriple-AWichita.
November 17 – At age 22,Oakland Athletics pitcherVida Blue becomes the youngest player ever to win the Most Valuable Player Award and only the fourth to capture both the Cy Young Award and the MVP in the same season.
November 22 –Cleveland Indians first basemanChris Chambliss receives 11 of 24 first place votes to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award.
November 23 – Just weeks after winning his secondWorld Series championship,Pittsburgh Pirates managerDanny Murtaugh announces his retirement. The 53-year-old Murtaugh has a history of health issues and was briefly hospitalized during 1971 for chest pain; his decision ends the third of four terms he will serve as the team's manager. The Pirates name coach and former centerfielderBill Virdon as Murtaugh's successor.
November 24 – Catcher-infielderEarl Williams, who hit 33 home runs and 87 RBI for theAtlanta Braves, wins the National League Rookie of the Year honors. Williams gets 18 of 24 first place votes, with the others going toWillie Montañez of thePhiladelphia Phillies.
December 1 – TheChicago Cubs release longtime star and future Hall of FamerErnie Banks, ending his 19-year major league career. The Cubs also announce that Banks will serve as a coach on managerLeo Durocher's staff in 1972. "Mr. Cub" finishes his illustrious playing career with 512 home runs and 1,636 RBI.
December 2 – Eight trades are announced today during the 1971 Winter Meetings, including:
December 6 – When news leaks out that local investors led byCleveland shipping magnateGeorge M. Steinbrenner III have reached a handshake deal to buy theIndians for $8.5 million, enraged ownerVernon Stouffer pulls out of the transaction. Stouffer believes that the reported sale price is an attempt to force him to sell the cellar-dwelling team for at least $1.5 million below his target asking price of $10-million-plus. Fourteen months later, Steinbrenner's group successfully bids for theNew York Yankees, buying them fromCBS in a deal worth only $8.8 million.
December 10 – TheAngels acquire future Hall-of-FamerNolan Ryan from theNew York Mets, along with pitcherDon Rose, catcherFrancisco Estrada and outfielderLeroy Stanton, in exchange for six-timeAll-Star shortstopJim Fregosi. Fireballer Ryan will throw four of his record seven career no-hitters and record five seasons of 300 or more strikeouts over his eight seasons in an Angel uniform.
December 13 – ThePhiladelphia Phillies acquire outfielderBill Robinson, 28, from theChicago White Sox organization for a minor-league catcher. After a disappointing stint with the 1967–1969New York Yankees, Robinson has not played in the majors since September 25, 1969. But he will successfully revive his career over the next 12 seasons as a member of the Phillies andPittsburgh Pirates.
Joe Lotz, 79, pitcher who worked in 12 games for the 1916 St. Louis Cardinals.
Harry Rice, 69, outfielder noted for his defense who also hit .300 five times; played in 1,034 games between 1923 and 1933 for five clubs, principally the St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers.
January 7
Dud Lee, 71, infielder for the St. Louis Browns and Boston Red Sox in the 1920s.
Hal Rhyne, 71, shortstop who played from 1926 to 1933 for the Pirates, Red Sox and White Sox.
January 9 –Elmer Flick, 94, Hall of Fame right fielder and lifetime .313 hitter who led AL in triples three times, steals twice, and batting and runs once each.
January 12 –Cy Malis, 63, pitcher who threw 32⁄3 innings of relief for the Philadelphia Phillies in his only MLB game, on August 17, 1934.
January 22 –Dorothy Comiskey Rigney, 54, granddaughter ofCharles Comiskey and principal owner of the Chicago White Sox from December 10, 1956 to February 7, 1959, when she sold her controlling interest toBill Veeck.
January 27 –Bruce Connatser, 68, first baseman for 1931–1932 Cleveland Indians; later a longtime scout.
January 31 –Steve Yerkes, 82, second baseman who played in 711 games over seven seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Rebels of the "outlaw" Federal League, and Chicago Cubs between 1909 and 1916; played all eight games of the 1912 World Series for champion Boston.
January –Bob Clarke, 67 or 68, Negro leagues catcher whose career extended from 1923 to 1948; member, Negro National League 1940 All-Star team.
February 8 –Bobby Burke, 64, left-handed pitcher who appeared in 254 MLB games in ten seasons between 1927 and 1937, mostly for the Washington Senators; threw a no-hitter against Boston on August 8, 1931.
February 16 –Cedric Durst, 74, outfielder for the St. Louis Browns, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox between 1922 and 1930; member of the 1927–1928 world–champion Yankees.
February 18 –Chuck Hostetler, 67, outfielder who appeared in 132 games for the Detroit Tigers after his 40th birthday during the wartime 1944 and 1945 seasons; member of Detroit's 1945 World Series champions.
February 20 –Vidal López, 52, three-time Triple Crown Pitching winner and slugging outfielder who played in the professional leagues of Cuba, México, Puerto Rico and Venezuela, throughout a career that lasted 21 years between the 1930s and 1950s.
February 28 –Lou Chiozza, 60, infielder-outfielder who appeared in 616 games from 1934 to 1939 for the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Giants; first player to bat in the major leagues' first night game on May 24, 1935, at Cincinnati.
March 2 –Johnny Podgajny, 50, pitcher in 115 games for the Philadelphia Phillies (1940–1943), Pittsburgh Pirates (1943) and Cleveland Indians (1946).
March 8 –Tripp Sigman, 72, outfielder who appeared in 62 games for the 1929–1930 Phillies.
March 10 –Bill James, 78, pitcher for the Boston Braves (1913–1915 and 1919); compiled a 26–7 won–lost record for the "Miracle Braves" of 1914 and won two games in the 1914 World Series, throwing 11 shutout innings, as Boston swept the Philadelphia Athletics.
March 11
Clyde Barfoot, 79, pitcher for the St.Louis Cardinals (1922–1923) and Detroit Tigers (1926) who worked in 86 major league contests.
Pelayo Chacón, 82, Cuban shortstop and manager in the Negro leagues whose playing career extended from 1908 to 1930.
March 16 –Ralph Birkofer, 62, left-handed pitcher who appeared in 132 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brooklyn Dodgers from 1933 to 1937.
March 18 –Tony Welzer, 71, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox from 1926 to 1927, who was the first player born in Germany to appear in an American League game.
March 24 –Verlon Walker, 42, coach for the Chicago Cubs from 1961 until his death, and former minor-league catcher and manager; younger brother ofRube Walker.
March 31 –Sam Post, 74, first baseman who appeared in nine games for the 1922 Brooklyn Robins.
April 3 –Jack Boyle, 81, third baseman, shortstop and pinch hitter in 15 games for the 1912 Philadelphia Phillies.
April 4 –Carl Mays, 79, underhand pitcher who won 20 games five times with three teams, but was best remembered for his pitch which struckRay Chapman in the head for the only field fatality in major league history.
April 9
Elmer Eggert, 69, pitcher for the 1927 Boston Red Sox.
Will Harridge, 87, president of the American League from 1931 to 1958.
April 12 –Ed Lafitte, 85, pitcher who worked in 33 games for the Detroit Tigers between 1909 and 1912, followed by 73 appearances for the Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the "outlaw" Federal League in 1914 and 1915.
April 15 –Mickey Harris, 54, All-Star pitcher who won 17 games for the 1946 Red Sox, led AL in saves with 1950 Senators.
April 16
William Eckert, 62, Commissioner of Baseball from December 15, 1965 to February 3, 1969; retired United States Air Force general.
Ron Northey, 50, outfielder with a powerful arm for five MLB teams between 1942 and 1957; hit a record three pinch-hit grand slams in his career.
April 19 –Russ Hodges, 60, broadcaster for the New York/San Francisco Giants from 1946 until his 1970 retirement; previously handled play-by-play for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox (1935–1938) and Washington Senators (1943–1945); also teamed with Mel Allen on New York Yankees' broadcasts from 1946 until the Bombers and Giants ended their joint radio/TV arrangement after the 1948 season; known for his legendary call ofBobby Thomson'spennant-winning home run during Game 3 of the1951 National League tie-breaker series.
April 26 –Joe Agler, 83, first baseman who played 232 games of his 234-game MLB career in the short-lived Federal League, with Buffalo (1914–1915) and Baltimore (1915).
May 4 –Billy Mullen, 75, third baseman who appeared in 36 total games over five seasons for the St. Louis Browns (1920–1921 and 1928), Brooklyn Robins (1923) and Detroit Tigers (1926).
May 10 –Eddie Edmonson, 81, first baseman/outfielder in two games for 1913 Cleveland Naps.
May 12 –Heinie Manush, 69, Hall of Fame left fielder and career .330 hitter who won 1926 batting title with Detroit, led AL in hits and doubles twice each.
May 15 –Goose Goslin, 70, Hall of Fame left fielder who starred for five pennant winners in Washington and Detroit, batting .316 lifetime with eleven 100-RBI seasons; one of the first ten players to hit 200 home runs, he retired with the 7th-most RBIs in history.
May 20 –Martín Dihigo, 65, Cuban star in the Negro leagues who excelled at all positions, particularly as a pitcher and second baseman.
May 24
Charlie Grover, 80, pitcher who worked in two games for the Detroit Tigers in September 1913.
Rupert "Tommy" Thompson, 61, outfielder who appeared in 397 games for the Boston Braves, Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Browns.
May 26 –Judge Nagle, 91, pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox during the 1911 season.
May 27 –Jack Doscher, 90, left-handed pitcher for Chicago, Brooklyn and Cincinnati of the National League (1903–1906, 1908).
June 3 –Vern Spencer, 77, New York Giants outfielder who appeared in 45 games during the 1920 season.
June 8 –Ed Rile, 70, first baseman and pitcher whose career in the Negro leagues spanned 1918 to 1936; batted .306 lifetime in 454 games in the Negro National League.
June 19
Gene Bremer, 54, All-Star pitcher of the Negro leagues between 1937 and 1948 who principally played for the Cleveland Buckeyes and Memphis Red Sox.
Bert Graham, 85, first- and second-baseman (and pinch hitter) who got into eight games for the 1910 St. Louis Browns.
June 24 –Tom "Shaky" Kain, 63, longtime minor league manager and scout, influential to early career ofYogi Berra.
July 1 –Walt Kinney, 77, left-hander who pitched in 63 career games for the Boston Red Sox (1918) and Philadelphia Athletics (1919–1920 and 1923).
July 2
Chester Emerson, 81, outfielder for the 1911–1912 Philadelphia Athletics.
Frank Mack, 71, pitcher who appeared in 27 games over three seasons (1922–1923, 1925) for the White Sox.
July 7 –Ray Phelps, 67, pitcher in 126 games for the Brooklyn Robins and Dodgers (1930–1932) and Chicago White Sox (1935–1936).
July 8 –Ed Doherty, 71, longtime baseball executive and the first general manager of the expansion Washington Senators (1960–1962).
July 12
Wally Judnich, 54, center fielder who twice batted .300 for the St. Louis Browns; backup outfielder for 1948 World Series champion Cleveland Indians.
Ed Weiland, 56, pitcher who appeared in ten career games for the Chicago White Sox in 1940 and 1942.
July 16
Earl McNeely, 73, outfielder and first baseman who played 683 games for the Washington Senators and St. Louis Browns between 1924 and 1931; his single that bounced over the head of New York Giants' third baseman Fred Lindstrom in the 12th inning of Game 7 won the 1924 World Series for Washington.
Harry Pattee, 89, second baseman who played 80 games for the 1908 Brooklyn Superbas.
July 25 –John "Chief" Meyers, 90, catcher for New York Giants, Brooklyn Robins and Boston Braves (1909–1917); led National League catchers in put outs five straight seasons (1910–1914) and in on-base percentage (1912); batted .291 in 992 career games, enjoying three over-.300 campaigns.
July 28 –Myril Hoag, 63, outfielder for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians over 13 seasons between 1931 and 1945 who recovered from a brutal 1936 collision to become an All-Star three years later.
August 4 –Frank Lamanske, 64, left-handed pitcher who made two MLB appearances out of the bullpen for the 1935 Brooklyn Dodgers.
August 11 –Rusty Pence, 71, pitcher in four games for the 1921 Chicago White Sox.
August 12 –Shorty Dee, 81, Canadian-born 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) shortstop who played one game in the majors on September 14, 1915 as a member of the St. Louis Browns.
August 16 –Walter Mueller, 76, outfielder who played in 121 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1922–1924 and 1926); father ofDon Mueller.
August 18 –Jim McCloskey, 61, southpaw who pitched in four contests for the 1936 Boston Bees.
August 24 –Mitch Chetkovich, 54, World War II-era pitcher for the 1945 Philadelphia Phillies who appeared in four early-season games.
August 27 –Bill Clarkson, 72, pitcher who appeared in 51 games for the New York Giants and Boston Braves between 1927 and 1929.
September 4 –Joe Hassler, 66, shortstop who played in 37 MLB games for the 1928 and 1929 Philadelphia Athletics and 1930 St. Louis Browns.
September 6 –Artie Dede, 76, catcher in one game for the 1916 Brooklyn Robins who became a longtime scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees.
September 11 –Rube Melton, 54, pitcher who worked in 162 career games for the Philadelphia Phillies (1941–1942) and Brooklyn Dodgers (1943; 1946–1947).
September 14 –Bill Holden, 82, outfielder who played in 79 career games for the 1913–1914 New York Yankees and the 1914 Cincinnati Reds.
September 15 –Roberto Ortiz, 56, outfielder for the Washington Senators and Philadelphia Athletics who logged all or portions of six years in MLB between 1941 and 1950.
September 17 –Hack Miller, 77, outfielder who batted .323 in 349 career games, 334 of them for the Chicago Cubs of 1922–1925; played briefly for the 1916 Brooklyn Robins and 1918 Boston Red Sox.
September 20 –Tony Venzon, 56, National League umpire from 1957 until May 25, 1971, when he retired due to ill health; worked 2,226 league games, three World Series and three All-Star games.
October 7 –Les Barnhart, 66, pitcher who had two brief trials with the Cleveland Indians in 1928 and 1930.
October 8 –Murray Wall, 45, relief pitcher for the Boston Braves, Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators between 1950 and 1959.
October 14 –Doc Prothro, 78, licensed dentist; third baseman for the Senators (1920; 1923–1924), Red Sox (1925) and Cincinnati Reds (1926); manager of Philadelphia Phillies (1939–1941); influential minor league manager and club owner; father ofTommy Prothro.
October 16 –Dave Coble, 58, catcher who played in 15 games for 1939 Philadelphia Phillies.
October 17 –Mike Massey, 78, infielder in 31 games for the 1917 Boston Braves.
October 21 –William R. Daley, 79, principal owner of the Cleveland Indians (1956–1962) and Seattle Pilots (1969, their only year of existence).
October 23
Jesse Petty, 76, left-handed pitcher who worked in 207 games for the Cleveland Indians (1921), Brooklyn Robins (1925–1928), Pittsburgh Pirates (1929–1930) and Chicago Cubs (1930).
Woody Upchurch, 60, left-handed pitcher who appeared in ten games for the 1935–1936 Philadelphia Athletics.
Logan Hensley, 71, ace pitcher for the St. Louis Stars of the Negro National League between 1922 and 1931; twice led NNL in games won (1926, 1930).
Howard "Polly" McLarry, 80, infielder for the Chicago White Sox (1912) and Chicago Cubs (1915).
Bud Messenger, 73, pitcher who won his only two decisions in five games pitched for the 1924 Cleveland Indians.
November 5
Toothpick Sam Jones, 45, pitcher who began career in the Negro leagues and appeared in 322 MLB games, principally with the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants, over 12 seasons between 1951 and 1964; led National League in strikeouts (1955, 1956, 1958), games won (21 in 1959) and earned run average (2.83 in 1959); threw a no-hitter (1955) and a seven-inning no-no (1959, in a game shortened by rain); two-time NL All-Star.
Joe Palmisano, 68, backup catcher who played in 19 games for the 1931 AL champion Philadelphia Athletics.
November 9 –Bill Dreesen, 67, third baseman who played 48 games for 1931 Boston Braves.
November 21 –Norm Branch, 56, relief pitcher who worked in 37 career games for 1941–1942 New York Yankees; member of 1941 World Series champions.
November 24 –Ed Fallenstein, 62, pitcher in 33 total games, 29 in relief, for 1931 Philadelphia Phillies and 1933 Boston Braves.
November –Ameal Brooks, 64, catcher/outfielder in the Negro leagues who played from 1928 to 1947.
December 4 –Walter Ockey, 51, relief pitcher who worked in two games in May 1944 for the wartime-era New York Giants.
December 12
George Dunlop, 83, infielder who appeared briefly for 1913–1914 Cleveland Naps.
Bill Kellogg, 87, first- and second baseman who appeared in 75 games for the 1914 Cincinnati Reds.
Nip Winters, 72, standout Negro leagues left-hander of the 1920s who led the Eastern Colored League in games won for four consecutive seasons (1923–1926).
December 13 –Mike Ryba, 68, pitcher (in 240 games) and catcher (in ten games) who toiled for the St. Louis Cardinals (1935–1938) and Boston Red Sox (1941–1946); later a coach, minor league manager and longtime scout.
December 16 –Ferdie Schupp, 80, pitcher who won 21 games for the 1917 New York Giants but whose career faltered after service in World War I.
December 20 –Tom Fitzsimmons, 81, third baseman who got into four games for the 1919 Brooklyn Robins.
December 26 –Cliff Daringer, 86, infielder who appeared in 64 games for 1914 Kansas City Packers (Federal League).
December 30 –Tetelo Vargas, 65, Dominican All-Star outfielder who played in the Negro leagues between 1927 and 1944; batted .471 in 131 plate appearances for 1943 New York Cubans.
^Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman, p.146, G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius. Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2010,ISBN978-0-8027-1745-0
^Foster, Chris (September 22, 1990)."The Misery of His Company".washingtonppst.com. THe Washington Post. RetrievedMay 9, 2024.
