January 3 – A group of investors headed by 42-year-oldCleveland shipping and ship-building magnateGeorge M. Steinbrenner III purchases theNew York Yankees fromCBS. The entire deal is valued at $10 million and includes parking lots nearYankee Stadium, but when CBS buys those properties back from the Yankees, the purchase price for the team falls to $8.8 million. By the time of Steinbrenner's death 37 years later, the Yankees are valued at over $1.6 billion.
January 11:
American League owners vote 8–4 to adopt thedesignated hitter position for a three-year trial period, after which (in 1975) it will be accorded permanent status. The DH, which futureCommissioner of BaseballBud Selig will call "the biggest rule change in the history of baseball to that point," is rejected byNational League magnates and will not be adopted by the Senior Circuit until 2023.
TheNew York Yankees reveal that veteran MLB executiveGabe Paul has resigned as president and general manager of theCleveland Indians and joined the 15-member ownership syndicate headed byGeorge Steinbrenner that purchased the Bombers eight days earlier. Paul will occupy a senior executive post on the Yankee organization chart, but insists he will not displace incumbent presidentMichael Burke (also a minority owner) or general managerLee MacPhail.
TheIndians promote Paul's assistant,Phil Seghi, 63, to succeed his former boss as general manager.
January 18 – Free agent and longtime first basemanOrlando Cepeda, 35, signs with theBoston Red Sox, making the future Hall of Famer the first player signed to serve expressly as adesignated hitter.
January 28 – The Hall of Fame Special Veterans Committee selects 19th-century pitcherMickey Welch and Giants first basemanGeorge Kelly, plus umpireBilly Evans, for enshrinement.
February 1 – CommissionerBowie Kuhn announces the selection ofMonte Irvin for the Hall of Fame by the Special Committee on theNegro Leagues.
February 14 – A column in theMinneapolis Tribune reveals thatMinnesota Twins shortstopDanny Thompson, 26, has been diagnosed withleukemia. He will be able to play four more full MLB seasons, enduring aggressive anti-cancer therapies, before the disease claims his life ten weeks after appearing in his final game on October 2, 1976.[1]
March 20 – In a special election held by theBaseball Writers' Association of America, the lateRoberto Clemente receives 393 of 424 votes to earn entry into the Hall of Fame, less than three months after his death in a plane crash during a humanitarian mission toearthquake-ravaged Nicaragua. The Hall's board of directors had earlier waived the five-year-wait rule for Clemente.
March 26 –Denny McLain, who won 31 games for theDetroit Tigers in1968, becoming the last MLB pitcher to win 30 games, is released by theAtlanta Braves. His career tarnished by his 1970 suspension for association with known gamblers, McLain never pitches in the major leagues again.
Philadelphia Phillies pitcherDick Ruthven, the first player selected in the secondary phase of the January 1973amateur draft out ofFresno State, makes his major league debut without playing in the minors. He starts against theMontreal Expos, allowing four runs in less than two innings, but does not figure in the decision as the Phillies win 9–6.
April 29 –Michael Burke, president of theNew York Yankees since 1966, resigns amid rumors of disagreements with general partnerGeorge Steinbrenner. Burke remains a limited partner in the Yanks' ownership group, which took control of the club on January 3.
April 30 – All 24 teams are off. It will be the last time all teams would receive a day off during the regular season (except for All-Star breaks and labor stoppages) until June 29,1998.
May 4 –José Pagán'ssacrifice fly in the bottom of the 20th inning gives thePhiladelphia Phillies a 5–4 victory over theAtlanta Braves. Both managers are ejected during the marathon contest: the Phillies'Danny Ozark during the 17th inning, and the Braves'Eddie Mathews in the 20th, when he argues the decisive "safe" call at home plate.
In a 9–7 losing effort against theSan Francisco Giants,St. Louis Cardinals aceBob Gibson makes his 242nd consecutive start. It is a new 20th-century record, passing that ofRed Ruffing, who never pitched in relief the last ten years of his career.
Whitey Lockman, manager of theChicago Cubs, is ejected byShag Crawford in the 11th inning of a road game against theSan Diego Padres. CoachErnie Banks takes over, unofficially becoming the first black manager in major league baseball. With Banks at the helm, the Cubs push across the winning run in the 12th on a pinch-hit double byJoe Pepitone.
May 17 –California Angels centerfielderBobby Valentine, 23, suffers a career-altering compound leg fracture when he catches his spikes in the outfield fence atAnaheim Stadium trying to flag down a home run by theOakland Athletics'Dick Green. Valentine, considered a potential "five-tool" talent and a centerpiece of the Angels' massive trade with theLos Angeles Dodgers the previous winter, will miss the rest of the season and his MLB playing career will be limited by the serious injury.
Willie Davis of theLos Angeles Dodgers gets six hits, all singles, in a 19-inning, 7–3 loss to theNew York Mets at Dodger Stadium. The record will still stand, as of 2017, for most hits in a game by a Dodger.
May 27 – Beset by financial troubles,C. Arnholt Smith, majority owner of the five-year-oldSan Diego Padres, announces he is selling the team to Joseph Danzansky and two partners for $12 million. Danzansky's group plans to move the franchise toWashington, D.C. The city attorney forSan Diego reacts by filing an $84 million suit for damages against Smith, Danzansky and theNational League seeking payment for the team'sstadium lease, which has 15 years to run, and other anticipated lost revenues.
May 28 –Dick Allen blasts a three-run home in the home half of the 22nd inning to give theChicago White Sox a 6–3 victory over the Cleveland Indians in a game that was suspended May 26 in the 17th inning. Later on this day, in the regularly scheduled game,knuckleball artistWilbur Wood improves to 13–3 by tossing a four-hit shutout. Their 4–0 triumph gives the 26–14 ChiSox a 3½-game lead in theAmerican League West.
June 23 – PitcherKen Brett of thePhiladelphia Phillies tops theMontreal Expos 7–2, and hits a home run for his fourth consecutive game, setting a major league record for a hurler. Previously, Brett hit home runs on June 9, 13, and 18. One of the best-hitting pitchers of the 1970s, Brett will slug ten home runs and bat .262 lifetime in 347 career at bats.
June 27 – Before a packed house of 35,698 atArlington Stadium, 18-year-old southpawstarting pitcherDavid Clyde, the first player selected in the1973 Major League Baseball Draft, makes his professional debut for theTexas Rangers by getting credit for a 4–3 win over theMinnesota Twins. The recent graduate ofHouston'sWestchester High School goes five innings and allows only one hit and two runs, striking out seven but walking eight hitters. He'll enjoy four more impressive outings in 1973, but the combination of being rushed to the big leagues and a shoulder injury will contribute to a mediocre MLB career: 18 wins, 33 losses, and a 4.63 career ERA in 84 games and 4161⁄3 innings pitched.
Bob Bailey's RBI single delivers an 18-inning, 5–4 victory to theMontreal Expos over theChicago Cubs in the completion of a game suspended due to darkness the previous evening atWrigley Field, the only MLB stadium without arc lights. The contest began on June 27 as the second game of a doubleheader and had to be suspended in the 13th frame before it's resumed today. Then, in the regularly schedule game, the Cubs win 4–2 behindMilt Pappas.
July 2 – TheDetroit Tigers sign undrafted free agentRon LeFlore. An outfielder and 25-year-old Detroit native, LeFlore is also an ex-convict who served over three years inJackson State Prison forarmed robbery and first played baseball seriously during his time as an inmate. He goes on to a nine-year career for the Tigers,Montreal Expos andChicago White Sox in which he becomes the first player to lead each of the major leagues in stolen bases, and is selected to the1976American League All-Star team. He never returns to prison.
July 3 – AtCleveland Stadium, brothers and starting pitchersGaylord Perry (Indians) andJim Perry (Tigers) hurl against each other for the only time in their careers. Neither finishes the game, but Gaylord is charged with the 5–4 loss. TwoNorm Cash home runs help the Tigers.
July 4:
TheMinnesota Twins bring their first-round June draft pick, pitcherEddie Bane, straight to the major leagues, in an attempt to boost interest and attendance (the brainchild of ownerCalvin Griffith). Bane brings a 40–4 record with him fromArizona State University, and goes seven innings in his debut, a no-decision start. A crowd of 45,890 is on hand atMetropolitan Stadium.
July 9 – In a record-setting walkathon between theCincinnati Reds andMontreal Expos, 25 bases on balls are handed out as Montreal strolls to an 11–6 win. Well off theAmerican League's two-team mark of 30, this tops theNational League record of 23, last reached on July 7,1911. Six Montreal pitchers walk 16, one short of the record for an NL team, while two Reds pitchers walk nine.Hal King pinch hits agrand slam for the Reds in the 6th inning, his second pinch homer in nine days.
TheNew York Mets sell the contract of third basemanJim Fregosi to theTexas Rangers. The Mets had obtained Fregosi, a six-time All-Star, from theCalifornia Angels in December 1971 forNolan Ryan and three other players. This transaction closes the book on his Mets career: 146 games played, 108 hits, five home runs, 43 runs batted in, and a .233 batting average.
July 20 –Wilbur Wood of theChicago White Sox starts and loses both games of a doubleheader against theNew York Yankees, 12–2 and 7–0. After starting the season 13–3, Wood's won–lost mark is now 18–14.
July 24 – TheNational League wins theAll-Star Game atKansas City, 7–1. A record 54 players are used, includingWillie Mays, who strikes out in his final All-Star appearance, andCatfish Hunter, who sustains a fractured thumb that will sideline him for four weeks. Hunter has a 15–3 record at the time.Johnny Bench,Bobby Bonds andWillie Davis all hit home runs for the NL and Bonds edges out Davis for the game MVP by one vote.
July 31 – TheAthletics sign free-agent veteran second basemanMike Andrews, released 15 days earlier by theChicago White Sox. They also acquire veteran outfieldersJesús Alou andVic Davalillo. All will play significant roles in the postseason to come.
August 5 –Atlanta Braves knuckleballerPhil Niekrono-hits theSan Diego Padres 9–0. He walks three and strikes out four in recording the first no-hitter by the franchise since it moved to Atlanta.
August 6 – An exhibition game between theMilwaukee Brewers and theAtlanta Braves at Milwaukee draws 33,337. The Brewers win, 7–5, in the fourth and last exhibition between the two teams. But the big thrill is provided byHank Aaron, aMilwaukee Brave from 1954 until the franchise moved after the 1965 season, who hits a home run.
August 11 –Chicago White Sox rookieBrian Downing cracks his first major league hit, a home run off Detroit'sMickey Lolich. Downing's debut dinger is a first in the majors since at least1945 – an inside-the-park homer. It'll be matched in two years by the GiantsJohnnie LeMaster, who will do it in his first at-bat.
August 26 -Paul Blair hits an inside-the-park grand slam against theOakland Athletics. A's outfieldersAmos Otis andSteve Hovley collide while both attempted to catch Blair's deep fly. Baltimore went on defeat Oakland 10-1.
August 30 –Detroit Tigers managerBilly Martin is fired with one year left on a reported $65,000 annual contract. Detroit, defendingAmerican League East champion, is 71–63 in 1973, in third place and 7½ games behind the front-runningBaltimore Orioles. Third-base coachJoe Schultz is named acting manager and he will serve out the regular season.
September 2 –Joe Burke resigns as general manager of theTexas Rangers. Although GM only since 1972, Burke has held senior posts in the franchise's front office since its founding as theexpansionWashington Senators in 1961. He is succeeded byDan O'Brien, a Rangers' vice president and former minor-league front-office executive.
September 3 – TheSan Francisco Giants overcome a 7–1 deficit to beat theDodgers 11–8 atCandlestick Park during a nationally televisedMonday Night Baseball game on NBC. Bobby Bonds hits a walk-off grand slam into the right field seats to win the game for the Giants.
September 4 – In the midst of a scorching, month-long streak that sees them win 22 of 28 games between August 25 and September 25, theCincinnati Reds plate five runs in the top of the tenth inning to defeatHouston at theAstrodome, 12–7. The victory enables the Reds to move into undisputed possession of first place in theNL West, one game ahead of theLos Angeles Dodgers.
September 6:
After dropping three of four games to theSt. Louis Cardinals attheir home field, the 67–69Pittsburgh Pirates unexpectedly fire second-year managerBill Virdon, and ask former pilotDanny Murtaugh to return to uniform and take over for the rest of the season and 1974. Murtaugh, 55, will begin his fourth and final term (since August 1957) as the Pirates' manager; he previously led them toWorld Series championships in1960 and1971. He had moved into the Pittsburgh front office in November 1971 because of ongoing health issues.
September 7 – Future Hall of Fame pilotWhitey Herzog is fired from his first MLB managerial assignment by theTexas Rangers with the club in theAL West cellar at 47–91.Del Wilber serves as interim manager for one game before ownerBob Short namesBilly Martin, fired by the Tigers only days earlier, as Herzog's permanent replacement.
September 17 – The five-year-oldMontreal Expos achieve something they have never done before—reaching first place in theNL East this late in a season. It happens after the opening game of a doubleheader, when they beat theSt. Louis Cardinals 5–4 on a two-run, ninth-inning rally. But their time on the throne is short-lived: a 12-inning loss in game two of the twin-bill drops the Expos into the division's runner-up position.
September 19 – ThePittsburgh Pirates lose the first game of a crucial three-game series atShea Stadium for first place 7–3 to theNew York Mets whenCleon Jones registers just the second two home run performance of his 11-season career[2] (the first time was on April 6, in the season opener against thePhiladelphia Phillies).[3]
September 20 – AtShea Stadium, in the top of the 13th inning, withRichie Zisk on first, thePittsburgh Pirates'Dave Augustine belts what appears to be ahome run over theleft field wall.New York Metsleft fielderCleon Jones turns to play the ball off the wall and the ball hits the top of the wall and bounces right into Jones' glove on the fly. Jones turns and throws to relay manWayne Garrett, who throws home tocatcherRon Hodges to nail Zisk at the plate. Following the "Ball on the Wall" play, the Mets win the game in the bottom half of the inning to move within half a game of the first place Pirates.[4] The Mets are now 14–6 during the month of September.
September 29 – In his penultimate game of 1973, 39-year-oldHank Aaron hammers his 713th career regular-season home run in a 7–0 victory over theHouston Astros atAtlanta–Fulton County Stadium. The victim is southpawJerry Reuss. The homer is Aaron's 40th of the season, and leaves him one shy ofBabe Ruth's all-time record, which he will continue to pursue in1974.
September 30:
At the close of the last day of the regular season, theNational League East race still isn't resolved. Three teams remain mathematically eligible, even though only one has an above-.500 record. The "survivors" are theNew York Mets (81–79),St. Louis Cardinals (81–81) andPittsburgh Pirates (80–81). To settle matters, games that had been rained out during 1973 must be played on Monday, October 1: the Mets are scheduled for a doubleheader atWrigley Field to make up games washed out Friday and Saturday, and the Pirates must make up a July 21 rainout against theSan Diego Padres atThree Rivers Stadium. An unprecedented three-way tie looms if the Mets are swept in their doubleheader and the Pirates defeat San Diego.
TheNew York Yankees play their final game in the originalYankee Stadium, losing to theDetroit Tigers 8–5."The House That Ruth Built" will remain closed, and the Yanks will shareShea Stadium with the Mets, until 1976 whileThe Bronx' landmark undergoes major renovations. After 11 years at the helm (944–806, .539, three pennants, twoWorld Series titles),Ralph Houk resigns as the Bombers' manager. His resignation also ends Houk's 35-year career in the Yankee organization.
The controversial—but ultimatelyHall-of-Fame-worthy—managerial career ofLeo Durocher comes to an end when he resigns from theHouston Astros. Now 68, the hyper-competitive and abrasive "Leo the Lip" began that career as the 33-year-oldshortstop–manager of the1939Brooklyn Dodgers, who he immediately led into thefirst division and then, two years later, to the1941 National Leaguepennant. Moving to theNew York Giants in July 1948, he oversaw a turnaround on the field, then coaxed them to an NL pennant in1951 and the1954 World Series championship. However, Durocher's career was tarnished when he was suspended byCommissioner of BaseballHappy Chandler for the entire1947 season for "conduct detrimental to baseball" and, after quitting the Giants in 1955, he was rejected by at least three MLB teams for open managerial jobs. Late in his career, he skippered the 1966–1972Chicago Cubs and 1972–1973 Astros. His final managers' ledger is 2,008–1,709 (.540), three NL pennants and one World Series title over 24 seasons.Preston Gómez, a Houston coach who went 16–5 as the Astros' acting manager during Durocher's two absences for ill health in 1973, is immediately named Leo's successor.
TheDetroit Tigers sign formerNew York Yankees' skipperRalph Houk, 54, to a three-year contract as their manager. The Houk-to-Detroit rumor has been circulating since "The Major" quit the Bombers on September 29. On October 25, the Yankees will ask outgoingAmerican League presidentJoe Cronin to investigate alleged tampering with Houk while he was under contract.
October 14 – In one of the more bizarre incidents in World Series history, theMets defeat theAthletics 10–7 inextra innings in Game 2 by scoring four runs in the top of the 12th; three of those runs result from two errors by Oakland second basemanMike Andrews. After the game, Athletics ownerCharlie O. Finley forces Andrews to sign a false affidavit stating he was disabled, which would render him ineligible for the remainder of the series. Oakland managerDick Williams rallies to Andrews' defense andCommissioner of BaseballBowie Kuhn nullifies the affidavit. Nevertheless, Finley orders Williams to bench Andrews. In defiance, Williams sends Andrews to the plate as a pinch hitter in Game 4 in New York three nights later, and the Mets' home crowd gives him a standing ovation.
Immediately after the game, Oakland managerDick Williams announces his resignation for "personal reasons." Rumors immediately surface that he will joinGeorge Steinbrenner'sNew York Yankees, who still seek a manager afterRalph Houk's September 29 resignation. His consecutiveWorld Series championships in 1972–1973 will be a deciding factor that enables Williams to claim a berth in theBaseball Hall of Fame in 2008.
Athletics ownerCharlie Finley reveals that he will not release managerDick Williams from his contract unless he receives adequate compensation from the team that signs him. Williams had resigned following the World Series victory two days earlier.
October 24 – TheRed Sox continue what will be an extremely active off-season for them by exchanging right-handed pitchers with theKansas City Royals, sendingMarty Pattin to the Royals forDick Drago.
TheNew York Yankees revamp their front office after formergeneral managerLee MacPhail becomes president-elect of theAmerican League. Limited partnerGabe Paul, 63, a longtime baseball executive, becomes club president andde facto GM. Paul recruitsTal Smith, 40, to serve directly under him as executive vice president of baseball operations. Smith is a former GM of theHouston Astros and began his MLB career working under Paul with theCincinnati Reds.
TheMontreal Expos andLos Angeles Dodgers pull off a major one-for-one trade when the Expos send record-setting relief pitcherMike Marshall to Los Angeles for longtime Dodger centerfielderWillie Davis, a two-timeNL All-Star andGold Glove Award winner. In1974, Marshall will shatter his own record forgames pitched with 106 appearances, win 15 games, save 21 others (leading the Senior Circuit for the second straight year), capture the NLCy Young Award (the first reliever to do so), and help the Dodgers win thepennant. Exactly one year from this day, Davis will be traded to theTexas Rangers despite a solid 1974 season with Montreal.
National League owners unanimously approve the transfer of theSan Diego Padres toWashington, D.C., for the 1974 season under new ownership headed by Joseph Danzansky. However, "contingencies" involving the transaction—which center on the liability posed by the pending $84 million lawsuit brought by the city ofSan Diego—must be legally resolved by January 5, 1974, and the possibility exists that the league itself may temporarily take over the Padres, threatening the relocation plans.
December 6:
TheHouston Astros trade centerfielderJimmy Wynn to theLos Angeles Dodgers in exchange for veteran southpaw pitcherClaude Osteen and minor league pitcher David Culpepper. Known as the "Toy Cannon," Wynn, 31, has slugged 223 homers over 11 seasons with Houston. Osteen, 34, is a two-time 20-game winner who compiled 147 victories in nine seasons for the Dodgers, won a1965 World Series ring, and made threeNL All-Star teams.
After parting withWillie McCovey six weeks earlier, theSan Francisco Giants jettison anotherBaseball Hall of Famer, selling the contract of "the Dominican Dandy,"Juan Marichal, to theBoston Red Sox. Ten-time All-Star Marichal, 35, has gone 238–140 (2.84ERA) in 14 seasons with the Giants and won 20+ games six times. The Giants will retire his #27 uniform.
December 13 – TheNew York Yankees defyOakland Athletics' ownerCharles O. Finley's promise to block any team from hiringDick Williams as its 1974 manager by signing the two-timeWorld Series-winning pilot to a three-year contract. The matter will go beforeAmerican League presidentJoe Cronin at a December 19 hearing in Boston. Williams resigned from the Athletics immediately after the club's Series-clinching victory on October 21 with two years left on his contract.
December 20 – With only 11 days remaining before he retires as president of theAmerican League, and only a day after he has conducted hearings on two hiring disputes,Joe Cronin issues rulings against theNew York Yankees on two fronts:
He sides withOakland Athletics ownerCharles O. Finley in the finding that two-timeWorld Series championDick Williams still has a valid contract with Oakland, and that Williams cannot sign to manage another American League team without Finley receiving compensation. The Yankees had named Williams their skipper seven days earlier, signing him to a lucrative three-year pact. Cronin's decision means that the Bombers' managerial chair is still vacant.
In addition, Cronin finds in favor of theDetroit Tigers in a grievance filed by the Yankees that contended that the Tigers had tampered withRalph Houk, the Yanks' former manager who announced his resignation on September 29, then signed a three-year contract, upheld today by Cronin, to take over the Detroit squad on October 11.[6]
December 28 – The fate of theSan Diego Padres remains in limbo. Embattled, financially strapped ownerC. Arnholt Smith announces that his earlier agreement to sell the five-year-old franchise to aWashington, D.C., ownership syndicate has collapsed. As a result, the team will not move to the U.S. capital in 1974, as had been expected. Instead, Smith has accepted an offer from aLos Angeles-based group headed by Marje Lindheimer Everett, owner of theHollywood Park Racetrack. Everett and her partners affirm they intend to keep the Padres inSan Diego pendingNational League owners' approval of the purchase. However, it's reported that some NL owners are firmly opposed to Everett's bid because of her involvement, as anunindicted co-conspirator, in a 1969 attempt to bribeIllinois governorOtto Kerner Jr.[7]
January 3 –Donald Reeves, 61, All-Star outfielder and 1938 Negro American League batting champion (.384) whose pro baseball career extended from 1937 to 1941; became a teacher after retiring from the game.
January 9 –Al Cypert, 83, third baseman who played one game for the Cleveland Naps on June 27, 1914; later a lawyer and politician in his native Arkansas.
January 9 –Lyn Lary, 66, shortstop for seven MLB teams from 1929 to 1940 who led the American League in steals in 1936; member of 1932 World Series champion New York Yankees.
January 11 –Rivington Bisland, 82, shortstop who appeared in 31 games over three seasons (1912–1914) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Browns and Cleveland Naps.
January 22 –Al Halt, 82, third baseman/shortstop who played in 257 games for the 1914–1915 Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the Federal League (then labeled an "outlaw" circuit) and 1917 Cleveland Indians.
January 23 –Ray Callahan, 81, left-hander who pitched in three games for the Cincinnati Reds in September 1915.
January 28 –Thad Christopher, 60, who played seven seasons spanning 1936 to 1945 in the Negro leagues, primarily as an outfielder.
January 29 –Bob Madison, 61, outfielder who played for the Kansas City Monarchs during their "barnstorming" era (1935–1936), then the 1937–1938 Memphis Red Sox and 1942 Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League.
January 30 –Scotty Alcock, 87, third baseman in 54 games for the 1914 Chicago White Sox.
February 8 –Roy Spencer, 72, catcher in 636 games, the bulk of them as a member of the Washington Senators (1929–1932), over a dozen seasons between 1925 and 1938.
February 14 –Paul Johnson, 76, outfielder/pinch hitter who played in 66 games for the 1920–1921 Philadelphia Athletics.
February 21 –Gilly Campbell, 65, lefty-swinging catcher who appeared in 295 games over five seasons for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers between 1933 and 1938.
February 28 –Syl Simon, 75, infielder and pinch hitter for the 1923–1924 St. Louis Browns who played in the minor leagues after losing much of his left hand in an accident.
March 1 –Ray Battle, 54, third baseman for the 1944–1945 Homestead Grays of the Negro National League.
March 11 –Ralph Shropshire, 62, catcher who played ten games for the 1937 St. Louis Stars of the Negro American League.
March 12 –Jesse Altenburg, 80, outfielder who appeared in 19 games for the 1916–1917 Pittsburgh Pirates.
March 12 –Frankie Frisch, 74, Hall of Fame second baseman for the New York Giants (1919–1926) and St. Louis Cardinals (1927–1937) who scored 100 runs seven times, led the NL in steals three times, and was the 1931 MVP; a lifetime .316 hitter, he twice batted .400 in the World Series; managed the "Gas House Gang" Cardinals to the 1934 World Series title and overall a four-time world champion as player and playing manager; helmed the Cardinals (July 25, 1933 to September 11, 1938), Pirates (1940–1946) and Chicago Cubs (June 14, 1949 to July 21, 1951); in broadcasting, he was a radio play-by-play man in Boston for the Bees and Red Sox (1939) and New York for the Giants (1947–1948), a member of the Giants' TV team in the mid-1950s, and a color man on the CBS-TV Game of the Week from 1959 to 1961.
March 19 –Walt Leverenz, 84, pitcher for the St. Louis Browns from 1913 to 1915.
March 22 –Bill McCorry, 85, pitcher who worked in only two games for 1909 Browns, but went on to a long baseball career, spending almost 30 years in the minors as a player and player-manager, then serving as longtime traveling secretary of the New York Yankees.
March 26 –George Sisler, 80, Hall of Fame first baseman for the St. Louis Browns (1915–1922, 1924–1927) who was widely recognized as the best defensive player ever at that position, twice batted over .400, and hit .340 lifetime; the American League's 1922 MVP, he had a record 257 hits in 1920 and also led the league in steals four times; managed Browns from 1924 to 1926, and later served as trusted assistant to general manager Branch Rickey in Brooklyn and Pittsburgh; sonsDick andDave had noteworthy major-league careers.
March 28 –Cap Tyson, 70, catcher who played for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League between 1938 and 1941.
April 5 –Tex Jeanes, 72, outfielder who played in 53 games during five brief MLB trials with the 1921–1922 Cleveland Indians, 1925–1926 Washington Senators and 1927 New York Giants; nephew ofTris Speaker.
April 6 –Ernie Smith, 73, New Jersey native known as the "Kansas City Kid" for his minor-league exploits; shortstop in 24 games for 1930 Chicago White Sox.
April 11 –George Minor, 53, outfielder who played for the Chicago American Giants and Cleveland Buckeyes of the Negro American League between 1944 and 1948.
April 13 –Clarence Blethen, 79, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and Brooklyn Dodgers between 1923 and 1929.
April 17 –Vic Aldridge, 79, pitcher for the Chicago Cubs (1917–1918, 1922–1924), Pittsburgh Pirates (1925–1927) and New York Giants (1928); helped Pittsburgh win two pennants in three years; his two complete-game wins over Washington were crucial to Pirates' 1925 World Series title; two years later, absorbed a 6–2 defeat at the hands of the "Murderer's Row" New York Yankees in Game 2 of Yanks' 1927 four-game sweep.
April 30 –Bill McColgan, 47, play-by-play announcer who, while best known for describing NFL action, was a member of the Cleveland Indians' broadcast team from 1958 to 1960.
May 1 –Bobby Reis, 64, pitcher, outfielder and pinch hitter who got into 175 career games (69 as a pitcher) for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Bees between 1935 and 1938; led National League in games finished in 1936.
May 3 –Ray Perry, 53, minor-league third baseman who, despite smaller stature—5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m), 175 pounds (79 kg)—slugged at least 348 homers in his 18-year career; later a minor league manager and MLB scout.
May 5 –Bert Griffith, 77, outfielder in 191 career games for 1921–1923 Brooklyn Robins and 1924 Washington Senators.
May 7 –Ralph Miller, 100, pitcher who posted a 5–17 (5.15 ERA) record in 29 games for Brooklyn and Baltimore of the National League in 1898 and 1899; first centenarian among MLB players.
May 18 –Herb Kelly, 80, southpaw who pitched in ten games for the 1914–1915 Pittsburgh Pirates.
May 19 –Jim Moore, 69, pitcher who played from 1928 to 1932 for the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.
May 21 –Herm Wehmeier, 46, pitcher who won 92 games in 13 seasons from 1945 to 1958, primarily spent with the Cincinnati Reds.
May 23 –Neil Mahoney, 66, former Northeastern University catcher and Bowdoin College head baseball coach who became chief East Coast scout and then director of player procurement and development of the Boston Red Sox from 1946 until his death.
May 26 –Nelson "Chicken" Hawks, 77, first baseman/outfielder who played in 146 career games for 1921 New York Yankees and 1925 Philadelphia Phillies.
May 30 –Jim Breton, 81, third baseman who appeared in 109 games for the 1913–1915 Chicago White Sox.
June 1 –Fred Heimach, 72, southpaw hurler who appeared in 296 career games for 1920–1926 Philadelphia Athletics, 1926 Boston Red Sox, 1928–1929 New York Yankees, and 1930–1933 Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers; member of 1928 world-champion Yankees.
June 2 –King Bader, 85, pitcher for the 1912 New York Giants and 1917–1918 Boston Red Sox.
June 3 –Jack Mills, 83, Harvard-educated third baseman and pinch runner who played in 13 games for the 1911 Cleveland Naps.
June 11 –Bill Burwell, 78, pitcher for the St. Louis Browns in 1920–1921 and Pittsburgh Pirates in 1928; longtime minor-league manager and scout; served two terms as a Pittsburgh coach, including as pitching tutor for 1960 World Series champions.
June 11 –Tom Padden, 64, catcher in 399 games for three MLB clubs, almost exclusively the 1932–1937 Pirates, over all or part of seven seasons.
June 11 –Kemp Wicker, 66, left-handed pitcher for 1936–1938 New York Yankees and 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers; minor-league manager and longtime scout; member of 1937 World Series champions.
June 12 –Irv Bartling, 58, infielder who played 14 games for the 1938 Philadelphia Athletics.
June 12 –Clint Blume, 74, pitcher who appeared in 13 games during trials with the 1922 and 1923 New York Giants.
June 14 –Fred Johnson, 79, pitcher whose 21-year professional baseball career (1921–1941) included 27 MLB games pitched for the 1922–1923 New York Giants, then, at the ages of 44 and 45, the 1938–1939 St. Louis Browns.
June 17 –Fritz Scheeren, 81, outfielder who appeared in 15 games during two trials with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1914–1915).
June 18 –Gerves Fagan, 57, infielder for five Negro leagues teams during 1942 and 1943.
June 23 –Cliff Aberson, 51, two-sport athlete who was a left fielder for the Chicago Cubs from 1947 to 1949, and a halfback with Green Bay Packers in 1945.
June 30 –Doc Cook, 87, New York Yankees' outfielder who appeared in 288 games from 1913 to 1916.
June 30 –Bunny Downs, 79, infielder (1914–1929) for ten Black baseball and Negro leagues clubs; later, manager of the 1943 Cincinnati Clowns of the Negro American League.
July 2 –Chick Hafey, 70, Hall of Fame left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds, a career .316 hitter who made the first hit in All-Star history and was the first batting champion to wear eyeglasses.
July 2 –George McBride, 92, shortstop who played primarily for the Washington Senators (1908–1920) and known for his defense; managed Senators in 1921.
July 4 –Walter Schmidt, 86, catcher who played in 766 games over ten seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1916–1924) and St. Louis Cardinals (1925).
July 6 –Joe E. Brown, 81, comedian, actor (Some Like It Hot,the baseball-themed filmsAlibi IkeandFireman, Save My Child, and dozens of others) and passionate fan who spent the 1953 season on the Yankees' play-by-play broadcast team; his sonJoe L. was the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates (1955–1976, 1985).
July 6 –Wickey McAvoy, 78, catcher who played in 235 games for the Philadelphia Athletics (1913–1915, 1917–1919).
July 7 –Paul Musser, 84, pitcher for the Washington Senators (1912) and Boston Red Sox (1919).
July 11 –George Edmondson, 77, pitcher who worked in a total of eight games for 1922–1924 Cleveland Indians.
July 12 –Billy Urbanski, 70, shortstop for the Boston Braves from 1931 to 1936.
July 17 –Evar Swanson, 70, outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds (1929–1930) and Chicago White Sox (1932–1934); swiped 33 bases in 1929—but caught stealing 20 times, which led the National League.
August 7 –Wilbur Cooper, 81, first left-handed pitcher in National League history to win over 200 games (with 216 career triumphs); won 202 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates between 1912 and 1924.
August 13 –Ernest Smith, 73, outfielder/catcher who played in the Negro leagues between 1937 and 1942.
August 14 –Claude Willoughby, 74, pitcher who spent all but nine games of his 219-game MLB career as a member of terrible Philadelphia Phillies teams (1925–1930).
August 21 –Ira Hutchinson, 62, pitcher who appeared in 209 games for four MLB clubs, principally the Boston Bees/Braves, between 1933 and 1945; longtime minor-league manager.
August 22 –George Cutshaw, 86, shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers/Superbas/Robins (1912–1917), Pittsburgh Pirates (1918–1921) and Detroit Tigers (1922–1923) who excelled on defense.
August 27 –Herman Layne, 72, outfielder and pinch runner who appeared in 11 games for the 1927 Pirates
September 5 –Chick Davies, 81, pitcher in 46 MLB career games for 1914–1915 Philadelphia Athletics and 1925–1926 New York Giants.
September 5 –Jack Fournier, 83, first baseman who played 1,530 games for five teams—principally the Chicago White Sox, Brooklyn Robins and St. Louis Cardinals—in 15 seasons spanning 1912 to 1927; hit .313 lifetime and led NL in homers (with 27) in 1924; later a scout.
September 10 –Roy Johnson, 70, outfielder of one-quarter Cherokee descent who played 1,155 Major League Baseball games for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Boston Bees in a span of ten seasons from 1929 to 1938; led the American League inat-bats (640) anddoubles (45) in a rookie season when he amassed 201hits; later led AL with 19triples in 1931;[8] compiled at least a .314batting average in four seasons and 100 or moreruns three times,[8] and earned aWorld Series ring with the Yankees in 1936; elder brother ofBob Johnson;[9]
September 11 –Del Baker, 81, catcher (1914–1916), coach (1933–1938) and manager (1938–1942) of the Detroit Tigers, who led them to the 1940 AL pennant and an overall 416–354 (.540) record as skipper; later coached for Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox, and served as interim manager of 1960 Red Sox.
September 12 –Bernie Boland, 81, pitcher for the 1915–1920 Tigers and the 1921 St. Louis Browns; reached double figures in games won from 1915 to 1919.
September 13 –Vince Barton, 65, Canadian outfielder who appeared in 102 games for the Chicago Cubs during the 1931 and 1932 seasons.
September 13 –John MacLean, 52, play-by-play announcer and member of the Washington Senators' broadcast team from 1961 to 1968, then briefly #2 announcer on Boston Red Sox' radio network in 1972.
September 13 –Johnny McCarthy, 63, first baseman who played 542 career games for Brooklyn Dodgers (1934–1935), New York Giants (1936–1941 and 1948) and Boston Braves (1943 and 1946).
September 14 –René Monteagudo, 57, Cuban pitcher–outfielder for the Washington Senators (1938, 1940, 1944) and Philadelphia Phillies (1945).
September 14 –Sloppy Thurston, 74, pitcher who won 89 games over nine seasons between 1923 and 1933 for St. Louis, Chicago and Washington of the American League, and Brooklyn of the National League.
September 15 –Felton Wilson, 65, catcher who played for the Negro leagues' Cleveland Stars, Akron Grays and Detroit Stars during the 1930s.
September 16 –Tom Long, 75, southpaw hurler who appeared in one MLB game, on April 26, 1924, for the Brooklyn Robins.
September 18 –Dave Harris, 73, outfielder (primarily a reserve) who appeared in 542 career games over seven seasons with the Boston Braves, Chicago White Sox and Washington Senators between 1925 and 1934.
September 18 –Doug Smith, 81, pitcher for the 1912 Boston Red Sox.
September 20 –Jim Bishop, 75, pitcher who went 0–4 (6.39) in 22 games for 1923–1924 Philadelphia Phillies.
September 23 –Jesse Fowler, 73, left-handed hurler who appeared in 13 games for the 1924 St. Louis Cardinals; elder brother, by over 23 years, ofArt Fowler.
September 24 –Tommy Nelson, 56, third baseman who played 40 games for 1945 Boston Braves.
September 24 –Bruce Sloan, 58, backup outfielder who appeared in 59 games for 1944 New York Giants.
September 30 –Reb Russell, 84, southpaw pitcher for the 1913–1919 Chicago White Sox who won 22 games as a rookie and 18 more in 1916; member of 1917 World Series champions but released due to a sore arm in June 1919; became an outfielder and returned to the majors for the 1922–1923 Pittsburgh Pirates, batting .323 with 165 hits in 154 games spanning those two seasons.
October 8 –Raymond Haley, 82, caught from 1915 through 1917 for the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Athletics.
October 12 –Jim Mattox, 76, left-handed-hitting catcher and pinch hitter who appeared in 51 games for the 1922–1923 Pittsburgh Pirates.
October 13 –Icehouse Wilson, 61, college football star (Saint Mary's of California) whose one season of pro baseball (1934) included one game and one at bat as a pinch hitter for the Detroit Tigers on May 31.
October 22 –Ben Van Dyke, 85, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies (1909) and Boston Red Sox (1912).
October 24 –Al Brazle, 60, pitcher who won 97 games for the St. Louis Cardinals (1943 and 1946–1954), also leading the NL in saves twice; 1946 World Series champion.
October 27 –Bennie Tate, 71, lefty-swinging platoon catcher for the Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs who played in 566 games between 1924 and 1934; member of Washington's 1924 World Series champions.
October 27 –Eddie Yount, 57, outfielder and pinch hitter who got into nine total games in brief MLB trials with the 1937 Philadelphia Athletics and 1939 Pittsburgh Pirates.
November 2 –Greasy Neale, 81, outfielder who played 768 games for the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies between 1916 and 1924; batted .357 in 1919 World Series to help Reds win world title; gained fame as a football coach, leading the Philadelphia Eagles to two NFL championships during the 1940s to crown a career he began to fill time between baseball seasons.
November 3 –Harry Kenyon, 79, outfielder, pitcher and manager in the Negro leagues between 1921 and 1929.
November 8 –Bob Chipman, 55, pitcher who spent all or part of 12 years in the National League (1941–1952) with Brooklyn, Chicago and Boston, appearing in 293 games.
November 10 –Denver Grigsby, 72, outfielder who played 199 games for 1923–1925 Chicago Cubs.
November 14 –Gene Bailey, 79, outfielder in 213 games for four big-league clubs, principally the Brooklyn Robins, over five seasons between 1917 and 1924.
November 15 –Phil Todt, 72, fine defensive first baseman who played from 1924 to 1931 for the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Athletics.
November 22 –T. J. Brown, 58, All-Star shortstop in the Negro leagues who played from 1939 to 1950, principally for the Memphis Red Sox.
November 23 –Willie Mitchell, 83, southpaw hurler who pitched in 276 games for the Cleveland Naps/Indians and Detroit Tigers from 1901 to 1919.
November 27 –Ed Holly, 94, shortstop who appeared in 276 games for the 1906–1907 St. Louis Cardinals and 1914–1915 Pittsburgh Rebels (Federal League).
November 27 –Nate Moreland, 59, pitcher/outfielder for the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro National League during the 1940s.
November 29 –Tom Hamilton, 48, outfielder who played in 67 games for the 1952–1953 Philadelphia Athletics; later a minor league manager and college baseball coach.
November 30 –Alex Metzler, 70, outfielder who hit .285 with a .374 OBP in 560 games for the Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, and St. Louis Browns from 1925 to 1930.
December 1 –Kyle "Skinny" Graham, 74, pitcher who appeared in 67 career games for the 1924–1926 Boston Braves and 1929 Detroit Tigers.
December 3 –Bill Holland, 72, pitcher/outfielder who appeared in 15 seasons in the Negro leagues between 1920 and 1941.
December 3 –James Mulvey, 74, motion picture industry executive and co-owner (with his wife, Dearie, until her 1968 death) of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1938 until his death.
December 4 –Frank Duncan, 72, topflight defensive catcher whose playing career in the Negro leagues encompassed 22 seasons spanning 1920 to 1945.
December 5 –Spencer Pumpelly, 80, Yale graduate who appeared in one inning as a Washington Senators' relief pitcher in his only MLB appearance on July 11, 1925.
December 10 –Joe Riggert, 86, outfielder for four seasons in the major leagues; holds the record for career minor league triples.
