The following are the baseball events of the year 1967 throughout the world.
Overview of the events of 1967 in baseball
Champions
Major League Baseball
Other champions
Awards and honors
- Baseball Hall of Fame
- Most Valuable Player
- Cy Young Award
- Rookie of the Year
- Gold Glove Award
- (P) Jim Kaat, Minnesota Twins (AL); Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals (NL)
- (C) Bill Freehan, Detroit Tigers (AL); Randy Hundley, Chicago Cubs (NL)
- (1B) George Scott, Boston Red Sox (AL); Wes Parker, Los Angeles Dodgers (NL)
- (2B) Bobby Knoop, California Angels (AL); Bill Mazeroski, Pittsburgh Pirates (NL)
- (3B) Brooks Robinson, Baltimore Orioles (AL); Ron Santo, Chicago Cubs (NL)
- (SS) Jim Fregosi, California Angels (AL); Gene Alley, Pittsburgh Pirates (NL)
- (OF) Paul Blair, Baltimore Orioles (AL); Roberto Clemente, Pittsburgh Pirates (NL)
- (OF) Al Kaline, Detroit Tigers (AL); Curt Flood, St. Louis Cardinals (NL)
- (OF) Carl Yastrzemski, Boston Red Sox (AL); Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants (NL)
Statistical leaders
1American League Triple Crown batting winner.
Major league baseball final standings
American League final standings
National League final standings
Nippon Professional Baseball final standings
Central League final standings
Pacific League final standings
Events
January–March
April
- April 11 – In their season opener, the Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4–2 before 16,642 at Wrigley Field. Ferguson Jenkins tosses a complete game and Glenn Beckert hits a home run.
- April 14 – In his Major League debut, Billy Rohr of the Boston Red Sox has a no-hitter broken up with two out in the ninth inning—and one strike to go—of a 3–0 victory over the New York Yankees and Whitey Ford at Yankee Stadium. A single by Elston Howard breaks up the bid; this will be the only hit Rohr will allow. Exactly one week later, Rohr again defeats the Yankees in a complete game victory, this time at Fenway Park—the second of: 1) the only two games Rohr will win this season and 2) the only three he will win as a Major Leaguer.
- April 16 – At Busch Memorial Stadium, in the St. Louis Cardinals' fourth game of the season, Lou Brock hits two home runs in an 11–8 victory over the Houston Astros. With two home runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers the day before and a fifth against the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day, he becomes the first player to hit five home runs in his team's first four games of the regular season.
- April 20 – Tom Seaver earns his first major league victory, 6–1, over the Chicago Cubs.
- April 30 – Steve Barber and Stu Miller combine for a no-hitter, but the Detroit Tigers score twice in the ninth on walks, a wild pitch and an error for a 2–1 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
May
June
- June 7 – Willie Stargell hits his 100th career home run helping Pittsburgh Pirates beat New York Mets 3–0.
- June 9 – Less than two years removed from leading the Minnesota Twins to the 1965 American League pennant, Sam Mele is replaced by veteran minor-league manager Cal Ermer as Minnesota's pilot. Under Ermer, the slow-starting, 25–25 Twins will rebound to join a furious, four-team 1967 pennant race that isn't decided until the final day of the regular season.
- June 15 – At the Astrodome, Jimmy Wynn becomes the first Houston Astro to hit three home runs in one game. The shots, all with the bases empty, come in the 4th, 6th and 8th innings of the Astros' 6–2 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
- June 18 – At the Astrodome, Don Wilson of the Houston Astros no-hits the Atlanta Braves 2–0, the first no-hitter ever pitched either in a domed stadium or on artificial turf. Along the way, he records 15 strikeouts, including Hank Aaron for the final out.
July
- July 2 – The surprising Chicago Cubs move into a tie for first place with the St. Louis Cardinals by defeating the Cincinnati Reds 4–1 before 40,464 at Wrigley Field. After the game, many in the crowd wait until the flags of the ten National League teams flying over the scoreboard are rearranged to show the Cubs' flag at the top. It's the first time the Cubs are in first place this late in a season since 1945, when they won the NL title.
- July 4 – The Niekro brothers face each other for the first time, with Phil Niekro pitching for the homestanding Atlanta Braves and Joe Niekro hurling for the Chicago Cubs. Phil beats Joe, 8–3, in the first game of a double-header. The Braves also take the second game, 4–2.
- July 11 – At Anaheim Stadium, Tony Pérez decides the longest All-Star Game (15 innings, three hours and 41 minutes) with a home run off Catfish Hunter in a 2–1 National League victory over the American League. Solo homers by Richie Allen and the AL's Brooks Robinson account for the other runs, as Pérez is named MVP.
- July 14 – Future Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews, now with the Houston Astros, becomes the seventh member of the 500 home run club. Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants, also a future Hall of Famer, serves up the "gopher ball".
- July 15 – In a battle between two other future Baseball Hall of Famers, a line drive off the bat of the Pittsburgh Pirates' Roberto Clemente breaks the right fibula of St. Louis Cardinals' pitcher Bob Gibson in the fourth inning of a game at Busch Memorial Stadium. After a visit from the team trainer, Gibson doesn't leave the game immediately; he faces three more batters before collapsing in pain. Gibson misses almost eight weeks of the season before returning to the mound September 7. He will make four more September starts, as the Cardinals run away with the National League race. Then, in the 1967 World Series, he dominates the Boston Red Sox with three complete game triumphs to give St. Louis a seven-game Series championship.
- July 18 – The disappointing Pirates, expected to contend for the NL pennant but sitting at 42–42 and in sixth place, fire skipper Harry Walker and replace him with former Buc manager Danny Murtaugh. In the second of what will be four separate terms as the Pirates' manager, Murtaugh leads them to a 39–39 mark in 1967, then returns to the front office.
- July 25 – The Chicago Cubs lose 4–3 to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Memorial Stadium in a battle between two teams deadlocked at the top of the National League standings. The Cardinals grab, and hold onto, undisputed possession of first place in the Senior Circuit; the Cubs drop out of the lead and ultimately finish third, 14 games in arrears of St. Louis. Nevertheless, with 87 victories in 161 games, 1967 stands as their most successful season since 1945.
August
- August 2 – The Boston Red Sox obtain Elston Howard from the New York Yankees for cash and two players to be named later. The 38-year-old Howard will play a part in the Red Sox winning the 1967 American League pennant.
- August 8 – Johnny Callison's two-out single in the tenth inning scores John Briggs from third base and gives the Philadelphia Phillies a 5-4 win over the San Francisco Giants, extending the Phillies winning streak to eight, their longest since 1963.
- August 18:
- Tony Conigliaro of the Boston Red Sox is beaned by the California Angels' Jack Hamilton. Hit on the left cheekbone, just below the eye socket, Conigliaro will miss the rest of 1967 and all of 1968. He was hitting .287 with 20 home runs and 67 RBIs in 95 games in 1967, and had been selected an American League All-Star. Despite the loss of "Tony C", the Red Sox will sweep the four-game series with the Angels. The four losses extend the Halos' losing streak to seven games, effectively knocking them out of the pennant race, and leaves the Minnesota Twins in first place, with Boston, the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago White Sox all within two games.
- Kansas City Athletics owner Charles O. Finley suspends pitcher Lew Krausse for alleged misconduct on a team flight. The suspension kicks off a chain reaction of events in which Krausse's teammates formally and publicly protest Finley's decision (August 19), Finley fires manager Alvin Dark for failing to fully back the suspension (August 22), and then releases hard-hitting first baseman and Dark supporter Ken Harrelson for calling the owner "a menace to baseball" (August 25). Meanwhile, batting coach Luke Appling, the Hall-of-Fame former shortstop, takes over the managerial reins of the last-place Athletics.
- August 20 – In the first game of a double header, Al Kaline hits his 300th career home run helping the Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 4–2. Kaline has another home run in the second game with Detroit winning, 4–0.
- August 25 – Minnesota Twins pitcher Dean Chance no-hits the Cleveland Indians. He walks five and allows one run. Nineteen days earlier, Chance had thrown five perfect innings against the Red Sox in a game shortened by rain.
- August 28:
- The Philadelphia Phillies rise to second place in the National League after another winning streak—eight straight games—with a 3-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds. The Phillies capture 21 of their last 29 games in 1967 to finish with 82 wins, their last winning season until 1975.
- After a three-day bidding war for his services, free agent Ken Harrelson signs a $75,000 contract to join the contending Boston Red Sox—a 600 percent salary increase from his pre-August 25 annual salary. Boston will plug Harrelson into Tony Conigliaro's right field position during the pennant drive.
September
- September 10 – Joe Horlen of the Chicago White Sox no-hits the Detroit Tigers 6–0, in the first game of a doubleheader at Comiskey Park. The White Sox also shut out the Tigers in the nightcap, with Cisco Carlos gaining his first Major League victory, and pull into a third-place tie with the Tigers and within 1+1⁄2 games of the first-place Minnesota Twins.
- September 20:
- St Louis Cardinals' pitcher Steve Carlton struck out sixteen Phillies batters in 8 innings, but the Phillies beat Cardinals 3-1.
- Wes Westrum resigns as manager of the last-place New York Mets with 11 games remaining in the regular season.
- September 27:
- In the tight AL pennant race, the possibility of a four-way tie is eliminated as the Twins and Red Sox both lose (5–1 to California and 6–0 to Cleveland, respectively). Minnesota now has a 91–69 won-lost record and Boston is 90–70, and the only games left for those two teams are two games against each other.
- In what will be their last-ever home games in Kansas City, the last-place Athletics sweep the contending Chicago White Sox in a twinight doubleheader, 5–2 and 4–0; the two defeats ignite a five-game, end-of-season losing streak that wrecks the ChiSox' pennant chances.
- September 28 – The Atlanta Braves fire second-year manager Billy Hitchcock with three games remaining in the 1967 campaign. He is succeeded during the offseason by Lum Harris, skipper of Triple-A Richmond and a close associate of new general manager Paul Richards.
- September 29:
- The White Sox lose 1–0 to the Washington Senators and are eliminated from the AL pennant race. Chicago is now 89–71, and can win a maximum of 91 games, and must finish behind the Twins or the Red Sox (those two teams only have the two games against each other left to play). The only remaining tie possibilities are Twins-Tigers or Red Sox-Tigers.
- Ferguson Jenkins wins his 20th game of the 1967 season with a 4–1 decision over the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati. It was the first of seven 20-win seasons for Jenkins in his career, six of which were with the Cubs.
October
- October 1:
- One of the closest American League pennant races ever enters the season's final day with the Red Sox and Twins tied for first place and the Tigers one-half game back. The Red Sox and Twins play a game against each other, with the winner clinching a tie for the pennant and the loser being eliminated. In that game, eventual American League MVP Carl Yastrzemski goes 4 for 4 as the Red Sox beat the Twins 5–3. The Tigers can tie the Red Sox if they sweep a doubleheader from the California Angels in Detroit. The Tigers win the first game 6–4, but their bullpen fails in the finale and the Angels win 8–5 to give the Red Sox the pennant with no playoff.
- Today's doubleheader is the second in as many days for the Tigers and the Angels. The doubleheaders are the result of earlier postponements of games which are needed in the deciding of the pennant race. Many years later, also in the AL, there will be a case of a day doubleheader scheduled on the day after a twi-night doubleheader; there will be a player protest to AL president Bobby Brown, who will rule that there will be only one game on the second day.
- For the first time since 1937 both Chicago teams succeed in winning at least 85 games during the regular season. For the Cubs it was only their 2nd winning season (1963 being the other one) since 1946.
- In the Minnesota Twins' loss today (to Boston), their third baseman, César Tovar, sets an American League season record by playing in 164 games. Maury Wills holds the NL record at 165 (1962).
- October 2 – Alvin Dark, fired by the Kansas City Athletics on August 22, signs a two-year contract as manager of the Cleveland Indians, replacing Joe Adcock.
- October 5 – In Game 2 of the World Series, Boston's Jim Lonborg is brilliant as he retires the first 19 Cardinals before walking Curt Flood with one out in the seventh inning. His no-hit bid is broken up with two out in the eighth by a Julián Javier double. Lonborg has to settle for pitching the fourth one-hitter in World Series history as the Red Sox even the series with a 5–0 win.
- October 12 – In Game Seven of the World Series, the St. Louis Cardinals earn their second World Championship of the decade with a 7–2 victory over pitcher Jim Lonborg and the Boston Red Sox. Pitcher Bob Gibson notches his third win in the Series with a three-hitter, in which he records 10 strikeouts and a fifth-inning home run, while outfielder Lou Brock has two hits and three stolen bases for a record seven steals in a seven-game World Series.
- October 13 – The Pittsburgh Pirates name Larry Shepard their manager for 1968. Shepard, a former minor-league pitcher, spent 14 seasons managing in the Pirates' farm system.
- October 18 – City officials from Kansas City, Oakland and Seattle are invited by American League president Joe Cronin to discuss the Athletics' relocation plans. United States Senator Stuart Symington of Missouri attends the meeting and threatens to revoke baseball's antitrust exemption if the A's are allowed to leave Kansas City. The owners began deliberation and after the first ballot, only six are in favour of relocation, Baltimore voting against, while Cleveland, New York and Washington abstain.[1] In the second ballot, the Yankees vote in favour of relocation. To appease all interested parties, the league announces that it will expand to Kansas City and Seattle no later than the 1971 MLB season—later accelerated to 1969.[2]
- October 22 – Oakland Athletics owner Charlie Finley hires Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio as the team's vice president. DiMaggio will also serve as a coach for the newly transplanted team. DiMaggio needed two more years of baseball service to qualify for the league's maximum pension allowance.[3]
November
December
- December 6 – Bing Devine returns to the St. Louis Cardinals as general manager, succeeding Stan Musial, who resigns. A major builder of the Redbirds' 1964 and 1967 world champions, Devine had been prematurely fired by owner Gussie Busch in mid-August 1964. He then spent three years with the New York Mets, including one as president/general manager, positioning them for their remarkable 1969 season. Johnny Murphy succeeds Devine as the Mets' front-office boss.
- December 15:
Births
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Deaths
January
- January 1 – Lindsay Brown, 55, shortstop who appeared in 48 games for the 1937 Brooklyn Dodgers.
- January 4 – Estel Crabtree, 63, outfielder who appeared in 489 total games for the Cincinnati Reds (1929; 1931–1932; 1943–1944) and St. Louis Cardinals (1933; 1941–1942); stalwart member of 1930s Rochester Red Wings teams; elected to the International League Hall of Fame (1953).
- January 6 – Joe Haynes, 49, pitcher who hurled in 379 career games for the Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox from 1939 through 1952; American League earned-run average champion (1947) and All-Star (1948); from 1953, a coach and executive with Washington and the Minnesota Twins; brother-in-law of Calvin Griffith.
- January 6 – Johnny Keane, 55, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals (July 6, 1961 through 1964) and New York Yankees (1965 to May 6, 1966) who won the 1964 World Series with the Cardinals, then joined the opposing Yankees immediately afterward; previously, longtime minor league infielder and manager before his promotion to Cardinals as a coach in 1959.
- January 6 – Joe Walsh, 80, catcher who appeared in five games for the New York Highlanders in 1910 and 1911.
- January 13 – Charlie Gelbert, 60, shortstop/third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators and Boston Red Sox (1929–1932, 1935–1937, 1939–1940) whose promising career was ruined by a severe leg wound suffered in a hunting accident that cost him the 1933–1934 seasons; his stellar play as starting shortstop for the champion 1931 Cardinals during the World Series helped St. Louis defeat the favored Philadelphia Athletics.
- January 17 – Charlie Maloney, 80, pitcher who worked in one game for Boston of the National League on August 10, 1908.
- January 18 – Goose Tatum, 45 or 48, legendary basketball player for the Harlem Globetrotters who also was a first baseman/outfielder for Birmingham, Cincinnati and Indianapolis of the Negro American League between 1941 and 1948.
- January 25 – Jud Daley, 82, outfielder in 80 games for the 1911–1912 Brooklyn Dodgers.
- January 25 – George Gibson, 86, catcher in 1,213 games over 14 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1905–1916, including 1909 world champions) and New York Giants (1917–1918); manager of Pirates (1920–1922 and 1932–1934) and interim pilot of Chicago Cubs (1925); one of the first Canadians to manage in MLB and elected to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
February
- February 4 – Earle Mack, 77, son of Connie Mack; first baseman, third baseman and catcher in five total games for the Philadelphia Athletics (1910, 1911, 1914); minor league player and player-manager (1910–1917, 1920–1923); coach and assistant manager (to his father) for the Athletics from 1924 to May 1950; co-owner of the Athletics with his brother Roy from August 1950 to November 1954, when the Mack brothers sold the team to industrialist Arnold Johnson, who moved it from Philadelphia to Kansas City in 1955.
- February 7 – Joe Vitelli, 58, pitcher who worked in four contests for the wartime 1944 Pittsburgh Pirates.
- February 9 – Billy Burke, 77, left-handed pitcher in 22 games for Boston of the National League in 1910 and 1911.
- February 10 – Betty Whiting, 41, who played at first base for seven different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in a span of nine years.
- February 12 – Dutch Distel, 70, played in eight games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1918, mostly as a second baseman.
- February 12 – Bob Rhoads, 87, pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and St. Louis Cardinals in the early 20th century, who won 22 games and posted a 1.80 ERA for Cleveland in 1906.
- February 14 – Jimmy Johnston, 77, infielder-outfielder in 1,377 games for the Chicago White Sox (1911), Chicago Cubs (1914), Brooklyn Robins (1916–1925), Boston Braves (1926) and New York Giants (1926); played for Brooklyn's 1916 and 1920 NL champions; later a coach with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
- February 18 – Ralph Miller, 68, pitcher who appeared in one game for the Washington Senators on September 16, 1921.
- February 21 – Lou Tost, 55, left-handed pitcher who worked in 38 games for the 1942–1943 Boston Braves and one contest for the 1947 Pittsburgh Pirates.
- February 23 – Chaney White, 72, outfielder who played in 598 games in the Negro leagues over 11 seasons between 1920 and 1936, batting .321 lifetime.
- February 24 – Jake Propst, 71, infielder who appeared in one game as a pinch hitter for the Washington Senators on August 7, 1923.
- February 26 – Tommy Heath, 53, catcher in 134 games for St. Louis Browns (1935; 1937–1938); later a minor league manager and MLB scout.
- February 26 – George Yantz, 80, catcher for the 1912 Chicago Cubs who went one-for-one (1.000) during his one-game MLB tenure.
March
- March 1 – Claude Grier, 62, left-hander who pitched in 72 career games for Washington, Wilmington and Atlantic City of the Eastern Colored League between 1924 and 1927; led 1926 ECL in complete games with 19 in 20 games started.
- March 4 – Bullet Rogan, 73, standout pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs, elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998; went 120–52 (2.65) over 12 seasons between 1920 and 1935; twice led Negro National League in games won and shutouts, and also led NNL in complete games three times and winning percentage and earned run average once each.
- March 6 – Vince Castino, 49, catcher who appeared in 88 games for the Chicago White Sox from 1943 to 1945.
- March 6 – Jack Meyer, 34, pitcher who worked in 202 games for the 1955–1961 Philadelphia Phillies.
- March 7 – Johnie Scott, 53, outfielder for the Birmingham Black Barons and Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League between 1944 and 1948, appearing in 165 games.
- March 7 – Al Shealy, 66, pitcher who hurled in 47 total games for 1928 New York Yankees and 1930 Chicago Cubs; member of 1928 world champions.
- March 10 – Billy Orr, 75, shortstop in 40 games for the 1913–1914 Philadelphia Athletics.
- March 14 – Eddie Hunter, 62, Cincinnati Reds third baseman who played one game as a defensive replacement on August 5, 1933, and never recorded a big-league plate appearance.
- March 21 – Pat Parker, 73, who appeared in three games as an outfielder and pinch hitter for the St. Louis Browns in August 1915.
- March 26 – George F. Wilson, 77, catcher who appeared in five games for the 1911 Detroit Tigers and one contest for the 1914 Boston Red Sox.
- March 30 – Ivan Howard, 84, infielder in 102 games for the 1914–1915 St. Louis Browns and 1917–1918 Cleveland Indians.
April
- April 1 – Halley Harding, 62, shortstop/outfielder who played in 380 Negro National League games (1926–1931 and 1937), primarily for the Kansas City Monarchs and Detroit Stars.
- April 7 – Shanty Hogan, 61, hard-hitting, heavyweight catcher for the Boston Braves, New York Giants and Washington Senators, who played in 989 games between 1925 and 1936.
- April 13 – Tommy Griffith, 77, outfielder who appeared in 1,401 games between 1913 and 1925 for the Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Robins and Chicago Cubs; played in all seven games of the 1920 World Series, starting six as the Robins' right fielder.
- April 13 – Herb Welch, 66, shortstop who played 13 games for the 1925 Boston Red Sox.
- April 16 – Jim Tennant, 60, pitcher who worked in one inning of one game for the New York Giants on September 28, 1919.
- April 17 – Dutch Rudolph, 84, outfielder/pinch hitter who got into three total MLB games for the 1903 Philadelphia Phillies and 1904 Chicago Cubs.
- April 22 – Fritz Maisel, 77, third baseman and second baseman for New York Yankees (1913–1917) and St. Louis Browns (1918); led American League in stolen bases (74) in 1914.
- April 22 – Bill Salkeld, 50, catcher who hit for the cycle as a rookie for the 1945 Pittsburgh Pirates and was also a member of the 1948 National League champion Boston Braves.
- April 27 – "John McGraw," né Roy Elmer Hoar, 76, pitcher for the 1915 Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the "outlaw" Federal League; Carnegie Mellon alumnus who, to preserve amateur status, pitched under an alias matching the name of the Hall of Fame baseball manager.
- April 29 – Johnny Butler, 74, shortstop-third baseman in 375 games for the Brooklyn Robins, Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals between 1926 and 1929.
- April 29 – Walt Smallwood, 74, pitcher who worked in eight total games for the New York Yankees (1917, 1919).
May
- May 8 – Ossie Orwoll, 66, first baseman and left-handed pitcher who played in 94 games for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1928 and 1929.
- May 13 – Eddie Pick, 68, played in 66 games, primarily as a third baseman, for the 1923–1924 Cincinnati Reds and 1927 Chicago Cubs.
- May 13 – Jim Walsh, 72, southpaw who pitched for the 1921 Detroit Tigers.
- May 14 – Vic Saier, 76, first baseman for the Chicago Cubs from 1911 to 1917 and Pittsburgh Pirates in 1919; led National League in triples with 21 in 1913.
- May 19 – Jiggs Parson, 81, pitcher with Boston of the National League who worked in 17 games in 1910 and 1911.
- May 20 – Senaida Wirth, 40, All-Star shortstop in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
- May 26 – Bud Davis, 71, pitcher in 17 games for horrible (43–109) Philadelphia Athletics of 1915; became full-time outfielder after 1920 in minor leagues, where he batted .331 lifetime, including .400 in 1924.
June
- June 4 – Henry Benn, 77, pitcher for the 1914 Cleveland Naps of the American League.
- June 6 – Otis Brannan, 68, second baseman in 158 career games for the 1928–1929 St. Louis Browns.
- June 8 – Art Jacobs, 64, southpaw who pitched one inning of one game for the Cincinnati Reds on June 18, 1939—and earned a save in the Reds' 12–6 victory over the Boston Bees.
- June 10 – Pete Fahrer, 77, relief pitcher who worked in eight innings over five games for Cincinnati in 1914.
- June 13 – Doug Baird, 75, outfielder-third baseman who appeared in 617 games between 1915 and 1920 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Brooklyn Robins and New York Giants.
- June 13 – Dick Reichle, 70, outfielder who played in 128 games in 1922 and 1923 for the Boston Red Sox; first visiting player to hit a home run at Yankee Stadium (April 20, 1923, off Waite Hoyt)—and it was Reichle's only MLB homer.
- June 15 – Ollie Welf, 78, outfielder by trade whose only MLB appearance came as a pinch runner for Cleveland on August 30, 1916.
- June 15 – Rip Wade, 59, outfielder in 59 games for the 1923 Washington Senators.
- June 16 – Dutch Holland, 63, outfielder who appeared in 102 career games for the Boston Braves and Cleveland Indians between 1932 and 1934.
- June 23 – Al Bashang, 78, outfielder who played in 18 MLB games for the 1912 Detroit Tigers and 1918 Brooklyn Robins.
- June 23 – Tookie Gilbert, 38, first baseman and minor-league slugger who appeared in 183 games during 1950 and 1953 stints with the New York Giants; his father and brother also played in the major leagues.
- June 24 – Roy Castleton, 81, southpaw who pitched in 11 total games divided amongst the 1907 New York Highlanders and the 1909–1910 Cincinnati Reds.
- June 30 – Fred Liese, 81, pinch hitter who had five plate appearances for Boston of the National League in April 1910.
- June 30 – Hap Myers, 80, first baseman for the 1910–11 Boston Red Sox, 1911 St. Louis Browns, 1913 Boston Braves and 1914–1915 Brooklyn Tip-Tops (Federal League); appeared in 377 games in all.
July
- July 6 – Jim Asbell, 53, outfielder who played 17 games for the 1938 Chicago Cubs.
- July 6 – Cotton Knaupp, 77, shortstop who played in 31 games for the 1910–1911 Cleveland Naps.
- July 7 – Joe Weiss, 73, first baseman for the 1915 Chicago Whales (Federal League).
- July 10 – Art "Skinny" Graham, 57, outfielder who got into 21 games for the Boston Red Sox in 1934 and 1935.
- July 13 – Art "The Great" Shires, 60, colorful first baseman (and would-be prizefighter) who batted .291 in 290 career games for the Chicago White Sox (1928–1930), Washington Senators (1930) and Boston Braves (1932).
- July 14 – Bill Dalrymple, 76, who appeared in three games as a third baseman, pinch hitter and pinch runner for the St. Louis Browns in July 1915.
- July 21 – Jimmie Foxx, 59, Hall of Fame first baseman (Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies) between 1925 and 1945, who retired with more career home runs (534) than any player except Babe Ruth; a 3-time MVP and the AL's 1933 triple crown winner, he hit .325 lifetime and played in the first nine All-Star games.
- July 25 – Mike Chartak, 51, outfielder and first baseman who got into 256 career games for the New York Yankees (1940 and 1942), Washington Senators (1942) and St. Louis Browns (1942–1944); played for the Browns in the 1944 World Series.
- July 29 – Ray Kolp, 72, pitcher who logged 383 appearances in a 12-season MLB career with the St. Louis Browns (1921–1924) and Cincinnati Reds (1927–1934).
August
- August 3 – Ed Young, 54, first baseman, catcher and third baseman who played eight seasons in the Negro American League for the Chicago American Giants between 1938 and 1947; also played for 1947 Homestead Grays.
- August 13 – Mike Hechinger, 77, catcher in 13 games for Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Superbas in 1912–1913.
- August 15 – Karl Meister, 76, Cincinnati Reds outfielder who appeared in four games in August and September 1913.
- August 17 – Ray Caldwell, 79, spitball pitcher who won 134 games over 12 seasons spent with the New York Highlanders/Yankees (1910–1918), Boston Red Sox (1919) and Cleveland Indians (1919–1921); knocked unconscious on the pitcher's mound when he was struck by lightning during the ninth inning of an August 24, 1919, game while with Cleveland, but he stayed in the contest after being revived and hurled a complete-game, 2–1 victory;[4] no-hit the Yankees two weeks later, on September 10; won 20 games the following year as a member of the 1920 World Series champion Indians.
- August 19 – George Walker, 52, pitcher in the Negro leagues between 1937 and 1943, most prominently for the Kansas City Monarchs; led Negro American League in wins and winning percentage in 1939 and in earned run average in both 1940 and 1941.
- August 21 – Slim McGrew, 68, a 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)-tall, 235 lb (107 kg) pitcher who took the mound for ten games over three seasons (1922–1924) for the Washington Senators.
- August 25 – Emmett Nelson, 62, pitcher in 25 total games for 1934–1935 Cincinnati Reds.
- August 29 – Joe Fitzgerald, 70, minor league catcher who became a coach for the Washington Senators (1944–1957); scouted for the Senators and Minnesota Twins from 1958 until his death.
September
- September 2 – Jack Ryan, 62, outfielder who appeared in two games for the 1929 Boston Red Sox.
- September 3 – Floyd Kranson, 54, pitcher/outfielder in 46 total games for three Negro American League clubs, principally the Kansas City Monarchs, between 1937 and 1940.
- September 4 – Hugh Canavan, 70, left-hander who pitched in 11 games for the 1918 Boston Braves.
- September 4 – George Loepp, 65, center fielder who appeared in 65 career games for the 1928 Boston Red Sox and 1930 Washington Senators.
- September 4 – Clyde Manion, 70, catcher who appeared in 477 games over 13 seasons for the Detroit Tigers (1920–1924 and 1926–1927), St. Louis Browns (1928–1930) and Cincinnati Reds (1930–1934).
- September 5 – Jack Tising, 63, pitcher in 19 pro seasons between 1924 and 1946 who played only ten games in the majors for the 1936 Pittsburgh Pirates.
- September 12 – Rollie Zeider, 83, infielder for three Chicago franchises (White Sox, Whales and Cubs), as well as the New York Yankees, from 1910 to 1918; played in 941 career big-league contests.
- September 13 – Ralph LaPointe, 45, shortstop and second baseman who played 143 total games for 1947 Philadelphia Phillies and 1948 St. Louis Cardinals; head baseball coach of the University of Vermont from 1952 until his death.
- September 13 – Joe Stanley, 86, outfielder for four major-league teams over seven seasons between 1897 and 1909, including both the National League (1897) and American League (1902 and 1905–1906) versions of the Washington Senators.
- September 14 – Walt Bond, 29, outfielder who played 365 career games in all or part of six seasons for the Cleveland Indians, Houston Colt .45s/Astros and Minnesota Twins between April 1960 and May 1967, when leukemia forced him to retire.
- September 16 – Lee King, 74, outfielder in 411 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Giants from 1916 to 1922; in his final MLB at bat, in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the 1922 World Series, drove in an insurance run with a single to cap a three-run rally in the Giants' clinching, 5–3 victory over the New York Yankees.
- September 17 – Karl Adams, 76, pitcher who worked in 30 career games for the 1914 Cincinnati Reds and 1915 Chicago Cubs.
- September 23 – Mose Offutt, 67, southpaw who pitched in 20 games in 1925 for Indianapolis of the Negro National League.
- September 24 – John Allen, 76, pitcher who appeared in one game for the Baltimore Terrapins of the Federal League on June 2, 1914.
- September 25 – Phil Geier, 90, outfielder who played for five teams between 1896 and 1904, appearing in 349 games.
- September 27 – Frank Barnes, 67, left-handed hurler who worked in six total games for the 1929 Detroit Tigers and 1930 New York Yankees.
- September 28 – Bill Powell, 82, pitcher in 17 games for three National League clubs, primarily the Pittsburgh Pirates, between 1909 and 1913.
October
- October 2 – Orville Armbrust, 59, pitcher who fashioned a spotless 1–0 record and a 2.13 ERA over three games in his only MLB trial with the Washington Senators in September 1934.
- October 2 – Jackie Price, 54, professional baseball shortstop during the 1930s and 1940s who became famous for sideline comedy, stunts and clowning that entertained fans before and during games; signed as a fan attraction by Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck in 1946 and activated for seven August and September games; his clowning skills were showcased in the MGM film Diamond Demon (1947).
- October 2 – Bull Wagner, 79, stocky relief pitcher who appeared in 24 games for Brooklyn of the National League in 1913–1914.
- October 3 – Fritz Mollwitz, 77, German-born first baseman who played in 634 games between 1913 and 1917 for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals.
- October 4 – Ed Barney, 77, outfielder in 88 career games for the 1915 New York Yankees and 1915–1916 Pittsburgh Pirates.
- October 13 – Joe Cates, 62, infielder who played in 28 games for the 1931 Louisville White Sox of the Negro National League.
- October 17 – Louise Clapp, 33, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League pitcher.
- October 19 – Art Garibaldi, 60, third baseman and second baseman who played in 71 games for the 1936 St. Louis Cardinals; a fixture in the Pacific Coast League, playing 11 PCL seasons in the 12 years from 1931 to 1942.
- October 22 – Oscar Givens, 45, infielder who played in 19 games over three seasons (1939, 1946, 1948) for the Newark Eagles of the Negro National League.
- October 22 – Rube Wiggins, 46, southpaw who hurled for the 1938 New York Black Yankees of the NNL.
- October 27 – Bill Bailey, 85, outfielder who appeared in five games for 1911 New York Highlanders.
November
- November 1 – Frank Gabler, 55, pitcher who worked in 113 games for the New York Giants, Boston Bees and Chicago White Sox between 1935 and 1938; later, longtime scout and pitching instructor.
- November 2 – Clem Clemens, 81, catcher who appeared in 34 career games for the 1914–1915 Chicago Whales (Federal League) and the 1916 Chicago Cubs.
- November 2 – Frank Wickware, 79, fireballing pitcher in the Negro leagues whose career extended from 1909 to 1925 and who wore the uniforms of over a dozen teams.
- November 4 – Tom Lanning, 60, left-handed hurler who appeared in three games for the 1938 Philadelphia Phillies.
- November 12 – Cleo Carlyle, 65, outfielder who played in 95 games for the Boston Red Sox in 1927.
- November 18 – Mike Prendergast, 78, pitcher for Chicago of the "outlaw" Federal League (1914–1915), Chicago Cubs (1916–1917) and Philadelphia Phillies (1918–1919) who worked in 180 career games.
- November 24 – Joe Kelly, 67, outfielder, first baseman and pinch hitter who played in 97 games for 1926 and 1928 Chicago Cubs.
- November 24 – Rusty Saunders, 61, outfielder and pinch hitter in five games for the 1927 Philadelphia Athletics; also a professional basketball player.
December
- December 2 – Dennis Graham, 71, outfielder for the Homestead Grays of Black baseball between 1924 and 1930; also played for the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1921) and Pittsburgh Crawfords (1931).
- December 4 – Monchile Concepción, 62, native of Puerto Rico who was a pitcher/shortstop for the 1934 Philadelphia Bacharach Giants of the Negro National League.
- December 5 – Jack Lively, 82, pitcher who posted a 7–5 record in 18 games for 1911 Detroit Tigers.
- December 6 – Claude Sullivan, 42, member of the Cincinnati Reds' radio broadcast team since 1964, and lead play-by-play announcer from 1966 until his death.
- December 7 – George V. McLaughlin, 80, banker; as president of the Brooklyn Trust Company and trustee of the Dodgers, played a pivotal behind-the-scenes role in the fate of the franchise in the 1930s and 1940s; brought Larry MacPhail, Branch Rickey and Walter O'Malley into management/ownership posts, with O'Malley ultimately becoming the majority owner who masterminded the Dodgers' transfer to Los Angeles after the 1957 season.
- December 19 – Walter Tappan, 77, shortstop/third baseman in 18 games for the 1914 Kansas City Packers (Federal League).
- December 27 – Paul Lehner, 47, outfielder in 540 games for the St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox between 1946 and 1952.
- December 28 – James M. Johnston, 72, co-owner and board chairman of the Washington Senators from January 29, 1963 until his death.
- December 28 – Bill Pertica, 69, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox (1918) and St. Louis Cardinals (1921–1923); appeared in 74 career games, 73 as a Cardinal.
- December 31 – Shovel Hodge, 74, Chicago White Sox pitcher from 1920 to 1922, who worked in 75 MLB games.
References
- ^ Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman, p.113, G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius. Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2010, ISBN 978-0-8027-1745-0
- ^ Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman, p.114, G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius. Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2010, ISBN 978-0-8027-1745-0
- ^ Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman, p.119, G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius. Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2010, ISBN 978-0-8027-1745-0
- ^ August 24, 1919: Ray Caldwell struck by lightning, sparks Indians to win Society for American Baseball Research
