The proposed sale of theChicago White Sox presents opportunities forCharlie Finley'sOakland Athletics. A group fromSeattle is ready to purchase the White Sox and move them there. WithChicago the site of Finley's insurance business headquarters, he is prepared to move his Athletics there to take the White Sox' place. But, due to his 20-year stadium lease with the city of Oakland (to expire in 1987), Finley is blocked. In December,Bill Veeck buys the ChiSox from ownerJohn Allyn and keeps them in Chicago.[1]
Meanwhile, plunging attendance and cash flow problems create an ownership crisis for theSan Francisco Giants. The financial woes facing club presidentHorace Stoneham—who moved the Giants toCalifornia in1958, and whose father purchased the team in 1919 when it was based inNew York—force him to put the team on the market during the summer. By the end of 1975, the most likely outcome sees the team being sold to aCanadian group that plans to move them toToronto.
January 5 – Tragedy strikes theHouston Astros when starting pitcherDon Wilson, 29, and his five-year-old son die by accidentalcarbon monoxide poisoning at their Houston home. His wife and nine-year-old daughter are hospitalized but survive.[2] Author of two no-hitters and a 1971National LeagueAll-Star, Wilson has posted double-digit victory seasons in each of his eight full MLB seasons; a workhorse, he also exceeded 180 innings pitched in each of those campaigns. The Astros retire Wilson's #40 when the 1975 season begins. (SeeDeaths entry for this date below.)
February 28 – TheNew York Mets purchase the contract of right-handed sluggerDave Kingman, 26, from theSan Francisco Giants for $150,000. He will bash 73 home runs for them over the next two full seasons and make the1976NL All-Star team during his first term as a Met.
March 4 - The Baltimore Orioles signed pitcher and current fugitive from justiceByron McLaughlin.
March 5 – TheBoston Red Sox signTony Conigliaro as a free agent. Conigliaro, 30, returns to the hometown team where he starred during the 1960s until an August 18, 1967beanball compromised his vision, sidelined him for the full1968 season, and drove his early retirement from theCalifornia Angels in July of1971. Conigliaro is trying to make a comeback for the 1975 Red Sox as theirdesignated hitter.
March 21 –Georgia Tech shuts outEarlham, 41–0, setting anNCAA record for scoring and for winning margin.
March 27 – ThePittsburgh Pirates release their former top starting pitcher,Steve Blass. A 103-game winner in a Pittsburgh uniform, a hero of the Bucs'1971 World Series triumph (two complete game victories, no losses, 1.00 earned run average), and the1972 runner-up for theNL Cy Young Award, Blass suddenly and inexplicably developedsevere control problems in1973, forcing his retirement at age 32. He will go on to spend 34 years as a member of the Pirates' broadcasting team.
March 29 – TheNew York Yankees release former ace starting pitcherMel Stottlemyre, who won 164 games for them over an 11-year (1964–1974) career.
April 4 – ThePittsburgh Pirates release infielderTony La Russa, 30, from his minor league contract. He signs a Triple-A pact three days later with theChicago White Sox and will continue his playing career into 1977 in the organizations of the ChiSox and theSt. Louis Cardinals—two teams he will later manage during his Hall-of-Fame career.
TheAtlanta Braves sell the contract of pitcherJoe Niekro to theHouston Astros for $35,000. Niekro, 30, will pitch for Houston for almost 11 full seasons; he will rack up two 20-win campaigns (1979,1980), and capture 144 victories in his 397 games in an Astro uniform.
Lyman Bostock makes his MLB debut for theMinnesota Twins, getting one hit in four at bats against theTexas Rangers.[5] Bostock will become a star, batting .311 in 526 games, before his life comes to a tragic end in late September 1978 when he is shot while sitting in a parked car at age 27.
May 1 –Hank Aaron goes 4-for-4, driving in two runs in theMilwaukee Brewers' 17–3 win over theDetroit Tigers. This brings his career RBI total to 2,211, breakingBabe Ruth's published record of 2,209. On February 3,1976, the Records Committee will revise Ruth's total to 2,204, meaning that in actuality, Aaron set the record on April 18.
At 5 a.m., theNew York Mets'Cleon Jones is arrested forindecent exposure inSt. Petersburg, Florida after police find him naked in a van with a teenaged girl who is holding a stash ofnarcotics. Although the charges are later dropped, Mets board chairmanM. Donald Grant fines Jones $2,000, four times as much as a Met has ever been assessed before, and forces Jones to publicly apologize during a press conference held in New York, with his wife, Angela, by his side.
May 5 – TheOakland Athletics release pinch runnerHerb Washington, the world-classsprinter who played in 104 major league games without batting, pitching or fielding. On the bases, Washington stole 31 bags and scored 33 runs. His 1975 trading card (#407) is the onlyTopps card ever issued showing the player's position as "pinch runner".
May 9 – TheSan Francisco Giants deal former ace left-handerRon Bryant to theSt. Louis Cardinals for outfielderLarry Herndon and minor-league southpaw Tony González. Bryant won 24 games for the 1973 Giants, but he will pitch in only ten more games for the 1975 Redbirds before exiting the majors.
May 10 – In a triumphant return to theEast Bay,Catfish Hunter of theNew York Yankees shuts out the three-time defending world championAthletics, his former team, on two hits, 3–0, at theOakland Coliseum. Hunter faces 28 hitters, only one over the minimum, in winning his third game against four defeats. He had departed the Athletics as a free agent thanks to an arbitrator's ruling in December 1974, then signed a multi-year, multi-million-dollar contract with the Yankees.
May 15 – After a curfew halts their 2–2 tie in the 14th inning atArlington Stadium earlier today, theMilwaukee Brewers eke out a one-run victory over theTexas Rangers when the game resumes in the top of the 15th. The winning run crosses the plate when Milwaukee'sDon Money is hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
May 31 –César Tovar gets theTexas Rangers' only hit inCatfish Hunter's 6–0 victory. It's the fifth time in his career that Tovar has spoiled no-hitters by getting his club's lone safety. Future Hall-of-Famer Hunter, in his first season with theNew York Yankees, improves his record to7–5 (3.05) and ninecomplete games.
June 13 – TheRangers add future Hall-of-FamerGaylord Perry to their starting rotation, acquiring the 36-year-old hurler from theIndians for pitchersJim Bibby,Jackie Brown andRick Waits and $100,000. Perry is 6–9 with ten complete games in 15 appearances for Cleveland.
June 14
TheBoston Red Sox acquire second basemanDenny Doyle from theCalifornia Angels for cash and aPTBNL (minor-league pitcher Chuck Ross). The left-handed-hitting Doyle homers in his first at bat for Boston the next day. He will platoon withDoug Griffin and bat .310 during the regular season, then start at second base for each of Boston's ten postseason games.
June 18 – RookieFred Lynn drives in ten runs with three home runs, a triple and a single duringBoston's 15–1 drubbing of theTigers inDetroit. Lynn's 16 total bases tie an American League record.
June 23 – Injury-plaguedBoston Red Sox catcherCarlton Fisk appears in an official game for the first time in almost a calendar year in an 11–3Cleveland Indians victory atFenway Park. Future Hall-of-Famer Fisk has been sidelined since June 28, 1974—first with knee surgery that ended his 1974 season after 52 games, then with a broken forearm suffered duringspring training that kept him out of the lineup for the Bosox' first 63 games of 1975. He will stay healthy, however, throughout the rest of this season, theALCS, and all seven games of the1975 World Series.
July 1 – ThePhiladelphia Phillies sign veteran free-agent catcherTim McCarver, released by theBoston Red Sox on June 23. McCarver's second tour of duty in Philadelphia will see him play a valuable role through the rest of the 1970s as a left-handed pinch hitter andSteve Carlton's personal catcher; Carlton will win 81 of 126 decisions (.643) with McCarver behind the plate.
July 2 – For the second time in less than a month, anAmerican League pitcher has ano-hitter broken up with two out in the ninth after having pitched one in theNational League. In the first game of a doubleheader atMilwaukee County Stadium,Boston Red Sox pitcherRick Wise has the bid foiled by aGeorge Scott two-run home run. Wise gives up another home run toBobby Darwin one batter later, but holds on to win, 6–3. LikeKen Holtzman, whose bid for a third career no-hitter was foiled with two out in the ninth on June 8, Wise had no-hit theCincinnati Reds atRiverfront Stadium in1971. In the same game, Boston'sJim Rice hits a home run that comes within four rows of exiting the stadium.Cecil Fielder will become the only player to hit a home run completely out of the stadium, in1991.
July 11 – The nightmare season for the last-placeHouston Astros (32–57) continues when creditors force ownerRoy Hofheinz, one of twoNL West magnates in financial straits (Horace Stoneham is the other), to surrender day-to-day-control of the team.Sidney Shlenker becomes club president, and he fires general managerSpec Richardson. Assistant GMJohn Mullen becomes acting front-office boss.
In the midsummer MLB owners' meeting, held concurrently inMilwaukee, the National League triumphs again. This time, it beats back an attempt by three American League owners—Jerry Hoffberger,Charlie Finley andGeorge Steinbrenner—to unseatCommissioner of BaseballBowie Kuhn. The "Dump Bowie" coup ultimately falters when Steinbrenner changes his vote, and Kuhn is re-elected to a second, seven-year term as baseball's "czar."
July 17 – For the second consecutiveChicago White Sox game,Wilbur Wood is the starter, and he tosses his second consecutive shutout, beating theDetroit Tigers 5–0. The two starts were separated by the All-Star game.
A May 15 game between theMontreal Expos andAtlanta Braves that was initially called off because of rain during the fourth inning (with the Braves leading 4–1) is resumed from that point after Atlanta managerClyde King successfully protests the cancellation, claiming the umpiring crew did not wait long enough or test theFulton County Stadium field before sending everyone home. Today, with a different crew in place, the May 15 game ends with the Braves hanging on to win, 5–4, in nine innings as part of a Sunday doubleheader.Phil Niekro, who started the May contest, returns to the Braves' mound and goes 41⁄3 more innings to secure the victory.[9]
Not even a year since leading theTexas Rangers to a surprising 84–76, second-place finish, managerBilly Martin is fired with the Rangers 44–51 and in fourth place, 15½ games behind in theAL West. Third-base coachFrank Lucchesi, formerPhiladelphia Phillies' pilot, replaces him. It's the third time Martin has been fired (by three different clubs) since October 1969.
July 21 –Félix Millán of theNew York Mets has four consecutive singles but is wiped out each time whenJoe Torre grounds into four consecutive double plays, tying a major league record. New York loses 6–2 to theHouston Astros. Torre is the first National Leaguer to do so.
July 23 – Another managerial firing rocks theAL West, when theKansas City Royals (50–46) dismiss third-year pilotJack McKeon and replace him withWhitey Herzog, who had been third-base coach of theCalifornia Angels. For Herzog, the Royals' job represents a career-saving opportunity after his dismal1973 season at the helm of theTexas Rangers. Restoring batting coachCharley Lau to his former role, Herzog leads Kansas City to a 41–25 mark for the rest of 1975, then three consecutive division championships from1976 through1978.
Left-handersBill Lee andRoger Moret each spin complete-game shutouts, enabling theBoston Red Sox to sweep theNew York Yankees atShea Stadium, 1–0 and 6–0, pushing the Yankees to eight full games behind them in theAL East. Rookie sensationFred Lynn scores Game 1's only run in the ninth inning, then, in the bottom half of the frame, robsGraig Nettles of anextra-base hit with a spectacular, full-extension leaping catch of Nettles' drive to left-center. In Game 2,Ron Guidry, later to be known as "Louisiana Lightning," makes his Yankee debut. He pitches two innings of relief and gives up three hits in Boston's one-sided triumph, and strikes out three.
TheNew York Mets release longtime left fielderCleon Jones, who had been suspended by managerYogi Berra for refusing to enter a July 18 game as a defensive replacement after a pinch-hitting appearance.[10]
PitcherBill Bonham of theChicago Cubs gives up seven consecutive hits to the first seven batters he faces in a game against thePhiladelphia Phillies. He fails to record a single out before he's pulled for relief pitcherKen Crosby. Crosby proceeds to give up a hit toJohnny Oates as the Phillies defeat the Cubs, 13–5.
Reserve catcherDuffy Dyer of thePittsburgh Pirates leads off the home half of the 15th inning by homering offBob Apodaca, giving the first-place Bucs a 5–4 triumph over theNew York Mets, Dyer's former longtime team.
August 6 – In the throes of a five-game losing streak, including a doubleheader loss to theMontreal Expos by twin 7–0 shutouts today, the 56–53New York Mets fire managerYogi Berra and replace him with coach and interim skipperRoy McMillan. Berra has managed the Mets since April 7, 1972, leading them to the1973 National League pennant and a 292–296 (.497) regular-season record. After the Mets go only 26–27 under McMillan, they hire veteran minor-league managerJoe Frazier as their1976 skipper on October 4.
August 15 – TheDetroit Tigers lose their 19th consecutive game, falling to theCalifornia Angels andFrank Tanana, 8–0 inAnaheim. The Tigers haven't won since July 28; they're now 46–74 and 26 games from first place.
August 18 –Tal Smith, the new general manager of the 47–80Houston Astros, releases managerPreston Gómez and replaces him withBill Virdon, fired by theNew York Yankees only 17 days earlier. Virdon will helm the Astros for all or part of eight seasons and pilot them to the first two postseason berths in the club's relatively brief history in1980 and1981. Gómez, meanwhile, leaves Houston with a 128–161 (.443) won–lost mark.
August 21 – Pitching brothersRick Reuschel andPaul Reuschel combine to hurl theChicago Cubs to a 7–0 victory over the Dodgers — the first time brothers have collaborated on a shutout. Paul takes over when Rick is forced to leave in the 7th inning because of a blister on his finger.
August 25 – A group of Japanese businessmen are reported to be nearing the purchase of the financially strugglingSan Francisco Giants, entering the final months ofHorace Stoneham's 39-year-long ownership tenure. While today's transaction never materializes, the Giants will endure over six months of turmoil that threatens their future in theBay Area, with rampant speculation about potential moves toToronto and even theNew Jersey Meadowlands.
August 29 –Clyde King's 198-game tenure as manager of theAtlanta Braves ends when he is replaced by interim skipperConnie Ryan for the remainder of 1975. King compiled a record of 96–101–1 (.487) over parts of two seasons. After Ryan finishes the season, the Braves hire formerCincinnati Reds pilotDave Bristol as their1976 manager on October 10, 1975.
TheSan Francisco Giants'Johnny LeMaster sets a major league record by hitting an inside-the-park home run in his first at bat, during a 7–3 win over the Dodgers.Brian Downing, two years earlier, was the first major league player to hit his first homer inside-the-park, but not in his first at bat.
Tony Conigliaro's comeback bid ends when he is released by theBoston Red Sox. Conigliaro went only seven-for-57 (.123) with two home runs in a Boston uniform, last appearing in a game June 12, and also struggled atTriple-APawtucket.
September 8 – Torrential rains wash out theTexas League playoffs with theLafayette Drillers andMidland Cubs tied at two games each. With theLafayette field unplayable and its infield a mass of mud, league presidentBobby Bragan cancels the deciding game and suggests that the co-champions settle matters with atug of war.
September 16 –Rennie Stennett of thePittsburgh Pirates tiesWilbert Robinson's major league record, set June 10,1892, by going 7-for-7 in a nine-inning game. He collects two hits each in the first and fifth innings, and scores five of his club's runs in a 22–0 massacre of the Cubs, a major league record for the biggest score in a shutout game in the 20th century.John Candelaria pockets the easy win, whileRick Reuschel is the loser.
September 21 –Vern Ruhle of theDetroit Tigers breaksJim Rice's left hand with an inside pitch in the second inning of the first-placeBoston Red Sox' 6–5 victory atTiger Stadium. Although Rice tries to stay in the game, he leaves in the seventh inning, and is lost to the Bosox for the season and postseason. Rice, a future Hall-of-Famer, has formed withFred Lynn the "Gold Dust Twins" rookie duo that has powered the Red Sox toward theAL East title (.309BA, 22home runs, 102RBI, .841OPS).
The red-hotBaltimore Orioles win their 15th game in their last 18, besting the visitingDetroit Tigers 8–1 behindJim Palmer's 22nd victory. By winning, the Orioles (89–66) creep within 3½ games of division-leadingBoston (93–63).
TheNew York Yankees sweep aShea Stadium doubleheader from theOrioles, 3–2 (ten innings) and 7–3, giving the 95–64Boston Red Sox theAL East title on the penultimate day of the regular season. In the opener,Catfish Hunter wins his 23rd and throws his 30th complete game of 1975. The Yankees'Bobby Bonds homers in each game, his 31st and 32nd of the season.
TheMilwaukee Brewers fire managerDel Crandall after a disastrous 90-day stretch that sees them go 28–60 from July through September. Crandall's managerial term, which began May 30, 1972, produces a 271–338 (.445) record. After coachHarvey Kuenn handles the Brewers on closing day, the Brewers hireCincinnati Reds third-base coachAlex Grammas as their1976 skipper on November 7, 1975.
It takes ten innings inPittsburgh, but the "Big Red Machine" continues its demolition of the Senior Circuit, scoring two runs in the top of the tenth to sweep away thePirates to return to the Fall Classic for the first time since1972. In winning, Cincinnati overcomes a brilliant performance by Pirates' rookie southpawJohn Candelaria, 21, who strikes out 14 in 72⁄3 innings.
October 18 –Alvin Dark, manager of theAL West championOakland Athletics, is fired by ownerCharles O. Finley after the devoutly religious Dark calls Finley a "sinner" at aPentecostal church gathering near Oakland. It is the second time in eight years that Finley has fired Dark, having previously done so on August 22, 1967.
October 21 – Delayed a day by rain, Game 6 of theWorld Series will be among the most memorable.Bernie Carbo of theRed Sox hits a three-run, pinch-hithome run in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game. Boston loads the bases with no outs in the ninth but cannot score untilCarlton Fisk leads off the twelfth with his memorablewalk-off home run, which deflects off the left field foul pole for a7–6 victory to tie the series.
October 22 – AtFenway Park, theCincinnati Reds win Game 7 of theWorld Series over theBoston Red Sox, 4–3. Cincinnati has come from behind in all four of their victories.Pete Rose is named the World Series MVP. The Reds win their third Fall Classic, and their first since1940.
November 19 –Joe Morgan of theCincinnati Reds, who led his team to its first World Series title in 35 years, is named the National League'sMost Valuable Player, winning 21 of 23 first-place votes. (The other two go to teammatePete Rose.)
November 20 – The financially strugglingSan Francisco Giants, who finished third in theNL West and drew only 522,919 fans toCandlestick Park in 1975 (worst in MLB), fire managerWes Westrum. They will not name a replacement until March 3, 1976, after the team has been sold byHorace Stoneham toBob Lurie and Arthur "Bud" Herseth, when they coax former Giant skipperBill Rigney out of retirement.
November 25 – TheMinnesota Twins hire veteran formerNational League skipperGene Mauch as their manager for1976. He fills a vacancy created on September 29 whenFrank Quilici was dismissed following 3½ years at the Twins' helm, a term which produced a 280–287 (.494) mark since July 7, 1972.
November 26 –Boston Red Sox center fielderFred Lynn becomes the first rookie ever to be namedAmerican League MVP. Lynn, who hit .331 with 21 home runs and 105 RBI, also posted league-leading figures in runs (103), doubles (47), and slugging (.566), helping Boston to the American League East title. He also won Rookie of the Year honors.
December 4 –Ted Turner, 37, at this point the owner of a regionalUHF TV station and outdoor billboard advertising business, enters a tentative purchase agreement to buy theAtlanta Braves fromWilliam Bartholomay. Reports estimate the sale price to be between $10 million and $12 million, with Turner intending to use Braves' telecasts as programming content forWTCG-TV, Channel 17, his Atlanta outlet soon to become "Superstation WTBS."
A deal to move theChicago White Sox toSeattle, and theOakland Athletics toChicago's South Side, is nixed whenBill Veeck repurchases the White Sox (which he previously owned between March 1959 and June 1961) and keeps them in Chicago. Veeck's group pays a reported $9.75 million toJohn Allyn for 80 percent of the White Sox. In 1976, Seattle will be awarded with an expansion franchise, called theMariners. Showman Veeck sets up a table in the lobby of the principal hotel for baseball's Winter Meetings and posts a sign reading "Open for Business."
In the second, theYankees trade 3x All-Star and 2x Gold-Glove-winning outfielderBobby Bonds to theCalifornia Angels for pitcherEd Figueroa and outfielderMickey Rivers. Right-hander Figueroa will go 55–30 over the next three seasons, which see the Bombers win three AL pennants and the1977 and1978 World Series. The speedy Rivers will take over as the Yankees' centerfielder, bat over .300 twice, and steal 90 bases over the same span.
NewWhite Sox ownerBill Veeck fires managerChuck Tanner, who has three years remaining on his contract. Tanner has skippered the club since September 18, 1970 and compiled a 401–414 (.492) record. Veeck immediately lures 67-year-oldPaul Richards out of retirement to pilot the1976 Pale Hose. Richards last managed in the majors in 1961 before becoming a full-time executive, but began his MLB managing career with a highly successful 1951–1954 tenure at the White Sox' helm.
December 23 – Arbitrator Peter Seitz announces alandmark decision in favor of thePlayers' Association, making pitchersAndy Messersmith andDave McNallyfree agents. Seitz is immediately fired by John Gaherin, chairman of the owners' Player Relations Committee. McNally, who retired on June 8, will not return to the majors, finishing with a 184–119 career record.
January 2 –Jim Poole, 79, first baseman in 283 games for 1925–1927 Philadelphia Athletics; active in Organized Baseball as a player or player-manager for 28 years between 1914 and 1946.
January 5 –Don Wilson, 29, Houston Astros' starting pitcher who had won 104 games for them since breaking into the majors September 29, 1966, and thrown two no-hitters (on June 18, 1967 against Atlanta, and May 1, 1969 against Cincinnati); National League All-Star (1971); in 1974, he was still in the prime of his career, winning 11 games and posting a 3.08 ERA in 2042⁄3 innings pitched.
January 9 –Walton Cruise, 84, outfielder who played in 736 career games for the St. Louis Cardinals (1914 and 1916–1919) and Boston Braves (1919–1924).
January 9 –Curt Fullerton, 76, pitcher in 115 games for the Boston Red Sox (1921–1925 and 1933).
January 12 –Frank Kalin, 57, outfielder/pinch hitter who made brief appearances with the 1940 Pittsburgh Pirates and the 1943 Chicago White Sox; went hitless in nine at bats over seven MLB games.
January 17 –Jim Canada, 63, first baseman for Birmingham, Jacksonville, Atlanta and Memphis of the Negro American League between 1937 and 1943.
January 21 –Pat Tobin, 58, pitcher who worked only one game (and one inning) in the majors, on August 21, 1941, as member of the Philadelphia Athletics.
January 23 –Clarence "Heinie" Mueller, 75, outfielder and first baseman who appeared in 693 career games over 11 years between 1920 and 1935 for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, Boston Braves and St. Louis Browns.
January 24 –Bobby Anderson, 75, second baseman/shortstop who appeared in 26 games for the 1920 Chicago Giants of the Negro National League.
January 24 –Doc Dudley, 81, first baseman for the St. Louis Giants/Stars of the Negro National League from 1920 to 1923.
January 26 –Astyanax Douglass, 77, catcher who played 11 games for the Cincinnati Reds over two seasons (1921 and 1925).
January 29 –Steve White, 90, right-hander who pitched briefly for the 1912 Washington Senators (one game) and Boston Braves (four games).
February 5 –Ad "Doc" Swigler, 79, graduate of the University of Pennsylvania dental school who threw six innings for the New York Giants in his only MLB game on September 25, 1917.
February 12 –Dutch Mele, 60, minor-league slugger who had a six-game "cup of coffee" with the 1937 Cincinnati Reds.
February 17 –George Twombly, 82, outfielder who appeared in 150 total games in five seasons spanning 1914 to 1919 for the Reds, Boston Braves and Washington Senators.
February 21 –Steve Filipowicz, 55, outfielder who played in 57 total games for the MLB New York Giants and Cincinnati Reds between 1944 and 1948; previously a running back with the NFL New York Giants in 1943.
February 27 –Otis Henry, 71, third baseman/outfielder who played in the Negro leagues with Memphis and Indianapolis between 1932 and 1937.
March 11 –Lefty Clarke, 79, pitcher whose only MLB appearance came on October 2, 1921, with the Cincinnati Reds; he allowed seven hits and seven runs (only oneearned) to theChicago Cubs in five full innings, and absorbed the loss, but was credited with acomplete game when the game was called off because of darkness after it had become "official."
March 12 –Dick Lanahan, 63, southpaw pitcher who appeared in 56 career games for the Washington Senators (1935, 1937) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1940–1941).
March 13 –Red Marion, 60, outfielder in 18 games for the 1935 and 1943 Washington Senators, then a longtime minor-league manager; brother ofMarty Marion.
March 14 –Tracy Baker, 83, University of Washington graduate who appeared in one MLB game on June 19, 1911 as a member of the Boston Red Sox and went hitless in one at bat.
March 17 –Diamond Pipkins, 67, left-hander who pitched for the Birmingham Black Barons and Cleveland Cubs between 1929 and 1942; led 1942 Negro American League hurlers in games won.
March 18 –Whitey Ock, 63, catcher who played in one game for the Brooklyn Dodgers on September 29, 1935 and went hitless in three at bats.
March 21 –Joe Medwick, 63, nicknamed "Ducky" and "Ducky-Wucky," Hall of Fame left fielder and 10-time All-Star who in 1937 became the most recent National League player to win theTriple Crown, also winning the MVP; lifetime .324 hitter, who had six 100-RBI seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals; also played for Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants and Boston Braves during a 17-year (1932–1948) MLB career.
March 25 –Tommy Holmes, 71, sportswriter who covered the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1924 until the team's move to Los Angeles in 1958.
March 26 –Harley Young, 91, pitcher in 14 total games for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Doves of the National League in 1908.
March 27 –Oscar Fuhr, 81, pitched in 63 contests for the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox between 1921 and 1925.
March 28 –Hy Gunning, 86, first baseman who played four games for the 1911 Boston Red Sox.
April 3 –Merritt "Sugar" Cain, 67, pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics (1932–1935), St. Louis Browns (1935–1936) and Chicago White Sox (1936–1938) who appeared in 178 career MLB games.
April 8 –Jim Peterson, 66, pitcher who hurled in 41 MLB games for the Philadelphia Athletics and Brooklyn Dodgers between 1931 and 1937.
April 11 –Fay Washington, 60, pitcher for St. Louis–New Orleans, Birmingham and Cincinnati–Indianapolis of the Negro American League between 1940 and 1945.
April 16 –Frank Wayenberg, 76, pitched in two games for the 1924 Cleveland Indians.
April 18 –Jack Burns, 67, first baseman for the St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers, 1930 to 1936, appearing in 890 games; later a coach and scout for the Boston Red Sox.
April 19 –Wes Kingdon, 74, infielder who played 20 years in the minor leagues and batted .324 in 18 games in his only MLB trial with the 1932 Washington Senators.
April 25 –Bruce Edwards, 51, catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1946–1951), Chicago Cubs (1951–1952, 1954), Washington Senators (1955) and Cincinnati Redlegs (1956); two-time National League All-Star.
May 6 –Les Burke, 72, second baseman for the Detroit Tigers from 1923 to 1926.
May 10 –Harold Kaese, 66, sportswriter for theBoston Transcript andThe Boston Globe from 1933 to 1973.
May 15 –Johnny Gooch, 77, catcher who played in 11 MLB seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1921–1928), Brooklyn Robins (1928–1929), Cincinnati Reds (1929–1930) and Boston Red Sox (1933); member of 1925 World Series champions.
May 16 –Al Helfer, 63, play-by-play announcer for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Colt .45s, Oakland Athletics, and Mutual's "Game of the Day" during a sportscasting career that stretched from 1933 to 1970.
May 17 –Sig Broskie, 64, catcher in 11 games for 1940 Boston Bees.
May 22 –Lefty Grove, 75, Hall of Fame pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox who became the second left-hander to win 300 games, leading AL in ERA nine times and in winning percentage five times, both records; won the pitching triple crown twice, also winning MVP in 1931 after 31–4 campaign; also led AL in strikeouts seven consecutive years.
May 25 –Bruce Hartford, 83, shortstop in eight games for the 1914 Cleveland Naps.
May 30 –Bert Cole, 78, left-handed pitcher who worked in 177 career games for the Detroit Tigers (1921–1925), Cleveland Indians (1925) and Chicago White Sox (1927).
June 2 –Spoke Emery, 78, outfielder in five games for 1925 Philadelphia Phillies; collected two hits in his three MLB at bats (.667).
June 9 –Ownie Carroll, 72, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers between 1925 and 1934, who later coached at Seton Hall University for 25 years.
June 16 –Clint Courtney, 48, catcher for five American League teams between 1951 and 1961 and the first major leaguer at his position to wear eyeglasses; manager of Triple-A Richmond Braves at the time of his death.
June 17 –Sid Gordon, 57, All-Star left fielder and third baseman, primarily for the New York Giants (1941–1943, 1946–1949 and 1955) and Boston/Milwaukee Braves (1950–1953), who had five 20-HR seasons.
June 23 –Marty Callaghan, 75, outfielder who appeared in 295 career games for the Chicago Cubs (1922–1923) and Cincinnati Reds (1926 and 1928).
July 5 –Joe Kiefer, 75, pitcher in 15 games for the Chicago White Sox (1920) and Boston Red Sox (1925–1926).
July 18 –Ted Wingfield, 75, pitcher who played in 113 games from 1923 to 1927 for the Washington Senators and Boston Red Sox.
July 23 –Art Mills, 72, pitcher in 19 games for the 1927–1928 Boston Braves; coach for the Detroit Tigers from 1944 to 1948, including service on 1945 World Series champion.
July 27 –Fred Sherry, 86, pitcher who went 0–4 (4.30 ERA) in ten games for the 1911 Washington Senators.
July 31 –Max Flack, 85, right fielder for the Chicago Whales of the Federal League (1914–1915), Chicago Cubs (1916–1922) and St. Louis Cardinals (1922–1925) who batted over .300 three times.
August 5 –Bill Morrell, 82, pitcher for the 1926 Washington Senators and 1930–1931 New York Giants who worked in 48 career games.
August 11 –Rollin Cook, 84, pitcher who appeared in five contests for the 1915 St. Louis Browns.
August 12 –Lew Riggs, 65, third baseman for St. Louis Cardinals (1934), Cincinnati Reds (1935–1940) and Brooklyn Dodgers (1941–1942 and 1946); 1936 National League All-Star and member of 1940 World Series champions.
August 20 –Daniel Canónico, 59, pitcher who led the Venezuelan team to the1941 Amateur World Series title, winning five of the team's games including the series-tying and deciding games against Cuba.
August 20 –Jake Miller, 77, pitched in an even 200 games over nine seasons in the American League, eight of them for the Cleveland Indians (1924–1931).
August 26 –Eddie Snead, 65, pitcher who won three of four decisions for the 1940 Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League.
September 3 –Irv Medlinger, 48, left-handed relief pitcher who got into nine games for the 1949 and 1951 St. Louis Browns.
September 9 –Ken Jungels, 59, relief pitcher who appeared in 25 total games over five seasons between 1937 and 1942 for the Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates.
September 10 –Lance Richbourg, 77, right fielder who played 629 of his 698 MLB games for the Boston Braves (1927–1931); batted .308 lifetime.
September 12 –Augie Johns, 76, southpaw who pitched in 36 games for the 1926–1927 Detroit Tigers.
September 28 –Moose Solters, 69, left fielder with four AL teams between 1934 and 1943 who batted .300 and drove in over 100 runs three times, before his eyesight gradually failed after he was hit with a ball during a 1941 warmup.
September 29 –Casey Stengel, 85, Hall of Fame manager who won a record ten pennants (tied with John McGraw) in 12 seasons leading the Yankees (1949–1960), capturing seven World Series titles (tied with Joe McCarthy); also managed Dodgers, Braves and Mets, applying his trademark humor to the Mets in their woeful first season; in 25 years as an MLB manager, posted a record of 1,899–1,835 (.509); in his playing days, an outfielder for five NL clubs from 1912 to 1925; batted .393 in 28 World Series at bats (1916, 1922, 1923), hitting two game-winning home runs for the New York Giants (against the Yankees) in the 1923 Fall Classic.
October 1 –Larry MacPhail, 85, Hall of Fame executive who introduced night games, plane travel and pensions to the major leagues while running the Cincinnati Reds (1933–1936), Brooklyn Dodgers (1938–1942) and New York Yankees (1945–1947); won 1941 National League pennant in Brooklyn and 1947 World Series with Yankees, then left baseball; father ofLee, also a Hall of Fame executive, and grandfather ofAndy MacPhail, high-level executive for multiple teams between 1986 and 2020.
October 3 –Elmer Knetzer, 90, pitcher who won 38 games for the Pittsburgh Rebels of the "outlaw" Federal League in 1914–1915; also pitched for Brooklyn, Boston and Cincinnati of the National League from 1909 to 1912 and 1916–1917.
October 4 –Joan Whitney Payson, 72, founding principal owner of the New York Mets from 1961 until her death; former stockholder in New York Giants who, in 1957, voted against their transfer to San Francisco.
October 13 –Swede Risberg, 81, shortstop for the 1917–1920 Chicago White Sox, and member of 1917 world champions and 1919 AL champions; last survivor among the eight players barred from baseball for their involvement in the Black Sox Scandal.
October 15 –Mickey Grasso, 55, catcher and World War II POW who resumed his baseball career in 1946; played in 322 MLB games for the Washington Senators (1950–1953), Cleveland Indians (1954) and New York Giants (1946 and 1955).
October 19 –Hod Kibbie, 72, second baseman and shortstop who had an 11-game stint with the 1925 Boston Braves.
November 8 –Les Backman, 87, right-hander who pitched in 47 games for the 1909 and 1910 St. Louis Cardinals.
November 8 –Vern Morgan, 47, third baseman who appeared in 31 games for the 1954–1955 Chicago Cubs; coach for the Minnesota Twins from 1969 until his death.
November 8 –Ray Shepardson, 78, catcher in three games for 1924 St. Louis Cardinals.
November 14 –Garland Buckeye, 78, southpaw pitcher who appeared in 108 MLB games between 1918 and 1928, 106 of them for the 1925–1928 Cleveland Indians.
November 25 –Red Sheridan, 79, infielder in five games for the Brooklyn Robins (1918, 1920).
November 26 –Laymon Yokely, 69, stalwart Negro leagues pitcher between 1926 and 1946, notably for the Baltimore Black Sox; led Eastern Colored League in victories, strikeouts, innings pitched and complete games in 1928; won 17 games in 1929.
November 27 –Eddie Dwight, 70, outfielder/second baseman who played for three Negro leagues teams, notably the Kansas City Monarchs, between 1925 and 1937.
November 27 –Gene Osborn, 53, play-by-play announcer who described games for the Mutual Network "Game of the Day" and the Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals between 1959 and 1975.
November –Claudio Manela, 81, first Filipino to play in major leagues; a left-hander who pitched in 21 games for the 1921 Cuban Stars of the Negro National League.
December 1 –Nellie Fox, 47, Hall of Fame second baseman and 12-time All-Star for the Chicago White Sox (1950–1963) who formed half of a spectacular middle infield withLuis Aparicio; batted .300 six times, led AL in hits four times, and was 1959 MVP; overall played in 19 MLB seasons (1947–1965) with Philadelphia Athletics, White Sox and Houston Astros, and made 2,663 hits.
December 1 –Dave Koslo, 55, left-handed pitcher who won over 90 games for the New York Giants (1941–1942 and 1946–1953), missing 1943–1945 seasons due to wartime service; started and won Game 1 of the 1951 World Series.
December 8 –Fred Blackwell, 84, reserve catcher for the 1917–1919 Pittsburgh Pirates.
December 8 –Johnny Couch, 84, pitcher for Detroit Tigers (1917), Cincinnati Reds (1922–1923) and Philadelphia Phillies (1923–1925) who worked in 147 career games.
December 9 –Jeff Heath, 60, Canadian-born, two-time All-Star left fielder (1941 and 1943) with the Cleveland Indians (1936–1945); also played with Washington Senators (1946), St. Louis Browns (1946–1947) and Boston Braves (1948–1949); led American League in triples twice (1938, 1941); helped lead Boston to 1948 National League pennant, but broke his ankle late in September and missed 1948 World Series, played against Cleveland; later a broadcaster for Seattle of the Pacific Coast League; posthumously elected to Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (1988).
December 12 –Julie Wera, 75, backup third baseman who played in 38 games as a member of the 1927 World Series champion New York Yankees.
December 13 –Alex Herman, 76, Negro leagues outfielder during the 1920s and 1930s; Tuskegee Institute graduate who became the first African-American elected to office in Alabama sinceReconstruction; in 1925, while a player, he recommended that his club sign a youngSatchel Paige, kick-starting Paige's long, Hall of Fame career.
December 15 –Buster Chatham, 73, third baseman-shortstop in 129 games for Boston Braves during 1930 and 1931; longtime scout and minor-league manager.
December 17 –Kerby Farrell, 62, manager of the 1957 Cleveland Indians; first baseman and left-handed pitcher in 188 games for 1943 Boston Braves and 1945 Chicago White Sox; coach for White Sox and Indians between 1966 and 1971; won three Minor League Manager of the Year awards during his long career as a skipper in minors.
December 23 –Rae Blaemire, 64, catcher in two games for 1941 New York Giants.
December 23 –Jim McGlothlin, 32, pitcher for the California Angels (1965–1969), Cincinnati Reds (1970–1973) and Chicago White Sox (1973); American League All-Star (1967); appeared in 1970 and 1972 World Series.
December 24 –Russ Lyon, 62, catcher who appeared in seven games with the 1944 Cleveland Indians.
December 27 –Lou Lowdermilk, 88, left-handed pitcher who played in 20 career games for the 1911–1912 St. Louis Cardinals.
^Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman, p.229, G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius. Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2010,ISBN978-0-8027-1745-0
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