In Major League Baseball, the trend throughout the 1960s was of increased pitching dominance.[1][2] After the record home run year by Roger Maris in 1961, the major leagues increased the size of the strike zone from the top of the batter's shoulders to the bottom of his knees.[3] A significant "power shortage" culminated in 1968, with far fewer runs scored than in the early 1960s.[1]
Pitchers including Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals and Denny McLain of the Detroit Tigers dominated hitters, producing 339 shutouts in 1968, almost double the number of shutouts thrown in 1962.[1] Individually, Gibson set a modern earned run average record of 1.12, the lowest in 54 years, and set a World Series record of 17 strikeouts in Game 1. McLain won 31 regular season games, the only player to reach the 30 win milestone since Dizzy Dean in 1934.[4]Mickey Lolich won three complete games in the World Series, the last player as of 2015 to do so. Luis Tiant of the Cleveland Indians had the American League's lowest ERA at 1.60 and allowed a batting average of only .168, a major league record.[1]Don Drysdale of the Los Angeles Dodgers threw a record 58 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, and Catfish Hunter of the Oakland Athletics was the first American League pitcher to record a perfect game since Don Larsen in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.[1]
Hitting was anemic as Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox would be the only American League hitter to finish the season with a batting average higher than .300.[1] Yastrzemski's batting average of .301 was the lowest batting average of any league batting champion. The American League's collective slugging average of .340 remains the lowest since 1915 (when the game was still in the so-called dead-ball era), while the collective batting average of .231 is the all-time lowest. As a result of the dropping offensive statistics, Major League Baseball Rules Committee took steps to reduce the advantage held by pitchers by lowering the height of the pitchers mound from 15 inches to 10 inches, and by reducing the size of the strike zone for the 1969 season.[5] 1969 batting averages climbed back to their historical averages and never again would pitching have as large a statistical average over batting in the major leagues.
1968 was the final year when baseball had no divisions within the two leagues, with the only post-season competition being the World Series itself. Four expansion teams would join baseball for the season following in 1969. This was also the first season that the Athletics franchise played in Oakland, California, after their departure from Kansas City, Missouri.
February 6 – Voters in King County, Washington, approve by 62 percent a $40 million bond issue to build a domed, multipurpose stadium. The Kingdome will be built between 1972 and 1976 and operate from 1976 until its demolition in 2000.
The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers execute a four-player trade when catcher Tom Haller and minor-league hurler Fran Kasheta go to Los Angeles for second baseman Ron Hunt and utility infielder Nate Oliver. The trade is the first between the two rivals since their move to the West Coast, and the first since the December 1956 deal that would have sent Jackie Robinson from the Brooklyn Dodgers to the New York Giants—which was nullified by Robinson's retirement one month later.
March 31 – Pacific Northwest Sports, owners of Seattle's expansion team, announces that it has chosen Pilots as the club's nickname. The moniker is suggested by a local resident to recognize Seattle's maritime heritage and its status as the home of aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
April 11 – Denny McLain gets the ball in the Detroit Tigers' second game of the 1968 campaign. He goes seven innings against the defending American League champion Boston Red Sox, allows six hits (including two homers), and leaves for a pinch hitter with the game tied, 3–3. Although the Tigers triumph, 4–3, the victory goes to reliever Jon Warden. McLain gives little evidence he's in store for an historic season, but by September 19 his record will be 31 wins, five defeats—MLB's first 30+-game winner since Dizzy Dean in 1934—and, like Dean, he is driving his team towards a World Series.
April 15 – At the Astrodome, the Houston Astros defeat the New York Mets 1–0 in a 24-inning, six-hour, six-minute marathon. In the bottom of the 24th, Astro Bob Aspromonte's bases-loaded ground ball goes through the legs of Met shortstop Al Weis for an error (the only one committed by the Mets all game) that plates Norm Miller for the winning run. To date, the game is the longest to end in a shutout in terms of both innings and duration.
April 25 – The Chicago White Sox lose their tenth consecutive game to start the 1968 campaign, stretching their two-season losing streak to 15 contests dating to September 1967.
May 2 – At Shea Stadium, pitcher John Boozer of the Philadelphia Phillies is ejected from a game without having thrown a pitch. His Phillies trailing the New York Mets by what will be the final score of 3–0, Boozer, after a 13-minute rain delay, enters the game in the seventh inning in relief of Woodie Fryman and repeatedly goes to his mouth while warming up in contravention of the anti-spitball rule that had been introduced this year. Home plate umpire Ed Vargo gives Boozer two warnings and awards three balls to batter Bud Harrelson—the last resulting in Boozer's ejection, as well as that of Phillie manager Gene Mauch.
June 3 – The New York Yankees turn a triple play in the eighth inning of a 4–3 loss to the Minnesota Twins. It will be the team's last triple play until 2010.
June 28 - The Chicago Cubs sweep the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8–3 and 1–0, in front of 42,261 the largest Wrigley Field crowd in over 20 years. Randy Hundley catches both games off a doubleheader and drove in four of the Cubs' nine runs.
July
July 1 – As a part of the season that will see him post a 1.12 ERA, Bob Gibson's streak of 47 and two-thirds inning of scoreless pitching is broken.
July 13 – The Chicago White Sox fire third-year manager Eddie Stanky and replace him with his predecessor, Al López, the future Hall of Fame catcher who had managed the ChiSox to nine winning seasons between 1957 and 1965, including the 1959 American League pennant.
July 30 – Washington Senators' shortstop Ron Hansen, playing in Cleveland, completes the eighth unassisted triple play in history, and the first since 1927. Cleveland wins, 10–1.
August
August 8 – Rick Wise of the Philadelphia Phillies one-hits the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning 1–0 at Chavez Ravine. Dick Allen provides the razor-thin winning margin with a solo homer in the ninth inning off Bill Singer. Light-hitting Bart Shirley spoils the no-hitter with a third-inning infield single. Wise will successfully throw a no-no in 1971 against Cincinnati, and fire three other one-hitters during his 18-season MLB career.
August 23 – The Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees play to a 19-inning, 3–3 tie at Yankee Stadium, the game halted by a 1 a.m. curfew on August 24. Detroit's John Hiller tosses nine shutout innings of relief, while the Yanks' Lindy McDaniel posts seven scoreless frames out of his bullpen. The stats count, but the game is replayed in its entirety on Sunday, August 25 as part of a doubleheader.
August 26 – The Chicago White Sox fall to the Tigers 3–0 before 42,808 fans at Milwaukee County Stadium in the ninth and final game in the season-long experiment that saw the ChiSox play one home contest against each of their nine American League foes in Milwaukee, which is trying to lure an expansion or relocated franchise. The White Sox, who will finish ninth in 1968, go 1–8 in these games, but draw 265,552 total fans, an average of 29,500 fans per game. They attract only 538,323 people over their 59 home dates at Comiskey Park, or about 9,125 per date. They decide to continue the Milwaukee experiment in 1969, playing one game against each of their 11 foes in the expanded AL at County Stadium.
August 31 – In a game versus the Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcherSteve Blass retires the first batter he faces. Manager Larry Shepard comes out, and shifts Blass to left field, replacing Willie Stargell. Shepard then brings in Roy Face to face Félix Millán, who grounds out to shortstop. Face's appearance breaks Walter Johnson's record of most games pitched by a hurler with a single team, which had been 802. Blass then returns to the mound, relieving Face, and the Pirates go on to win 8–0. After the game, the Bucs announce that Face's contract has been sold to the Detroit Tigers.
September
September 7 – Fred Haney, 72, general manager of the California Angels since the team's inception in December 1960, announces his retirement, effective at the end of the season. His successor will be Dick Walsh, former assistant GM of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
September 14 – Denny McLain becomes MLB's first 30-game winner since Dizzy Dean in 1934 as the Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics, 5–4, at Detroit's Tiger Stadium. Reggie Jackson's home run in the fourth puts the A's ahead 2–0, but Norm Cash answers with a three-run shot. Jackson hits another in the sixth, but the Tigers push across two in the ninth to win. Al Kaline, pinch hitting for McLain, walks and scores the tying run. McLain, who posted a 31–6 record in the regular season, gives up six hits and strikes out ten.
September 16 – American League president Joe Cronin fires veteran umpires Al Salerno and Bill Valentine, allegedly for poor performance; however, union organizing soon surfaces as the actual reason for the terminations. Cronin's tactics backfire, as AL arbiters—previously not unionized—vote to join with their National League brethren in a new Major League Baseball Umpires Association on September 30. The union considers and rejects calling a strike for the 1968 World Series to force Salerno's and Valentine's reinstatement, but the two fired arbiters never regain their jobs.
September 17 – Gaylord Perry of the San Francisco Giants hurls a no-hitter at Candlestick Park as the Giants edge the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and Bob Gibson, 1–0. Ron Hunt's first-inning home run (the second of the only two he will hit on the season and one of only 11 Gibson will allow in 3042⁄3 innings) backs Perry, who evens his record at 14–14.
September 18 – Sixteen hours after Perry's feat, Ray Washburn of the St. Louis Cardinals makes major league history by hurling a second consecutive no-hitter in the same park. Run-scoring hits by Mike Shannon and Curt Flood down the Giants, 2–0. This is the first time in history back-to-back no hitters have been pitched between the same two teams on two consecutive days.
September 22 – Minnesota Twinsutility playerCésar Tovar plays all nine positions, an inning each, against the Oakland Athletics. Duplicating the feat that Bert Campaneris performed three years earlier, Tovar tops Campaneris by starting as pitcher and allows no hits or runs, for a 0.00 earned run average. In the inning, the first man to face Tovar was Campaneris, who fouled out. Tovar then struck out Reggie Jackson. Tovar was charged with a walk and a balk in the scoreless inning; his other contributions to the 2–1 Minnesota win included a single, a walk, a stolen base and a run scored. He mades five putouts and an assist, with no fielding errors.
September 24 – Gil Hodges, 44-year-old manager of the New York Mets, suffers a "small" coronary thrombosis in Atlanta during a game against the Braves. Hospitalized, he will miss the final four games of the 1968 regular season and the National League expansion draft, but will return to the Mets' helm in 1969.
September 28 – Mickey Mantle plays in his 2,401st and final game, eight days after hitting his last home run ending his career with 536.
September 29
Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox goes 0-for-5 but maintains a .3005 batting average, to win his second straight American League batting crown with the lowest winning average. Yastrzemski is the league's only .300 hitter. Danny Cater of the Oakland Athletics ends second with a .290 average.
In the franchise's first over-.500 season since 1952, when it played in Philadelphia, the Oakland Athletics finish 82–80 and one game out of the first division. Owner Charles O. Finley celebrates by firing first-year pilot Bob Kennedy and replacing him with Hank Bauer. It's Finley's eighth managerial change in eight full seasons as the Athletics' owner—and it marks the second time he has hired Bauer, who managed for him from June 19, 1961 through 1962.
October
October 2 – For the first time in history, two soon-to-be-named MVPs oppose each other in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series. St. Louis Cardinals' Bob Gibson is nearly untouchable with a Series-record 17 strikeouts and a 4–0 win over Denny McLain and the Detroit Tigers. Detroit manager Mayo Smith moves Gold Glove outfielder Mickey Stanley to shortstop, improving his offense by opening a spot for Al Kaline.
October 10 – In Game 7 of the World Series, Mickey Lolich of the Detroit Tigers, pitching on two days rest, wins his third game of the Series as he beats Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals, 4–1. Lolich brings Detroit its first World Championship since 1945. Lolich hurls a five-hitter, and is named Series MVP. Key moments came in the 6th inning when Lolich picks Lou Brock and Curt Flood off first base to keep the score 0–0. With the game scoreless in the 7th, the Tigers have two on and two out when Jim Northrup hits a line drive to center field. Gold-glover Flood misjudges the ball and starts in, allowing the ball to sail over his head for a triple. Northrup then scores on Bill Freehan's double for a 3–0 lead. Each team adds a ninth-inning run to account for the 4–1 final score. It is the first time the Cardinals have lost a seventh game of a World Series. The Tigers become only the third team (after the 1925 Pirates and 1958 Yankees) to rally from a 3–1 deficit to win the Series, four games to three. The Tigers also become the last team to win a Fall Classic between two first-place teams from leagues without division play where the pennant is automatically awarded to the team with the best won-lost record in its league.
The San Francisco Giants appoint former MLB pitcher and pitching coach Clyde King, 44, as their new manager. He succeeds Herman Franks, whose Giants finished second in the National League during each of his four seasons as their pilot.
CatcherElston Howard, a 12-time All-Star and four-time World Series champion as a member of the New York Yankees, announces his retirement after almost 1½ seasons with the Boston Red Sox. He soon rejoins the Yankees as their first Black coach and spends 11 more seasons with them, winning two more World Series rings.
The Montreal Expos purchase the contract of third baseman Bob Bailey from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bailey will be a mainstay in the Montreal lineup during the club's first seven years of existence.
October 28 – The world-champion Detroit Tigers release veteran third baseman Eddie Mathews, ending the future Hall-of-Famer's 17-year MLB career. During that time, Mathews socked 512 homers, 493 as a member of the Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves.
November 10 – The Mexico City tournament concludes, with the U.S. team, managed by MSU coach Danny Litwhiler, defeating Cuba to win the championship
November 19 – New York Yankees pitcher Stan Bahnsen, who posted a 17–12 record with 162 strikeouts and a 2.05 ERA, is named American League Rookie of the Year. Bahnsen easily outdistances outfielder Del Unser of the Washington Senators.
November 20 – Al Campanis succeeds the late Fresco Thompson as head of baseball operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers. His official title is vice president, player personnel, but Campanis will function as the team's general manager until April 1987.
With the 1968 season already famous as "The Year of the Pitcher"—also called the "second Dead Ball Era"—major league owners vote to lower the pitching mound by 5 inches (130 mm) to a height of 10 inches (250 mm) and tighten the strike zone, as they attempt to stimulate offense and run-scoring.
In the most impactful trade of the winter meetings, the Baltimore Orioles acquire southpaw pitcher Mike Cuellar from the Houston Astros for outfielder Curt Blefary in a five-player transaction; as an Oriole, Cuellar will win 20 or more games four times, and 18 games twice, between 1969 and 1974.
The New York Yankees acquire left-hander Mike Kekich from the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder Andy Kosco. Kekich, 23, will put up mediocre numbers (31–32, 4.31 in 125 games) with the Yankees, and will become more famous off the field when, in 1973, he and teammate Fritz Peterson announce they have "swapped" families.
January 2 – Tommy Warren, 50, left-handed pitcher and pinch hitter who appeared in 41 total games (22 on the mound) for the wartime 1944 Brooklyn Dodgers.
January 3 – Rich Gee, 73, catcher in the Negro leagues between 1923 and 1929, mainly as a member of the New York Lincoln Giants of the Eastern Colored League.
January 5 – Julius Osley, 52, pitcher for the 1937–1938 Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League.
January 9 – Ed Strelecki, 62, pitcher in 42 games for the 1928–1929 St. Louis Browns and 1931 Cincinnati Reds.
January 11 – George Hunter, 80, outfielder and left-handed pitcher who appeared in 45 games for the 1909 Brooklyn Superbas.
January 13 – Ernie Herbert, 80, pitcher in six games for the 1913 Cincinnati Reds and 29 games for the 1914–1915 St. Louis Terriers of the Federal League, then considered an "outlaw" circuit but now classified as a major league.
January 13 – Marty Lang, 62, left-handed pitcher who had a two-game "cup of coffee" with 1930 Pittsburgh Pirates.
January 13 – Art Schwind, 78, third baseman who appeared in one game for the Boston Braves on October 3, 1912.
January 14 – Bill Black, 68, pinch hitter and second baseman in five games for the 1924 Chicago White Sox.
January 16 – Elias "Liz" Funk, 63, outfielder and pinch hitter in 123 career games for the 1929 New York Yankees, 1930 Detroit Tigers and 1932–1933 Chicago White Sox.
January 23 – Patsy Flaherty, 91, left-handed spitball pitcher between 1899 and 1913 with Louisville, Pittsburgh, Boston and Philadelphia of the National League (NL) and Chicago of the American League (AL); led AL in games lost (25) in 1903, then posted a 19–9 mark for the NL Pirates the following season.
January 26 – John Kobs, 69, head baseball coach of Michigan State University from 1925 through 1963; his Spartans teams won 576 games during his tenure.
January 26 – Eddie Phillips, 66, catcher in 312 games for the Boston Braves, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Washington Senators and Cleveland Indians between 1924 and 1935; member of 1932 World Series champion Yankees.
February
February 3 – Jake Pitler, 73, Brooklyn Dodger coach (1947 to 1957) who in 11 seasons was part of six National League pennant-winners and 1955 World Series champions; former minor league manager; in his playing days, second baseman who appeared in 111 games for the 1917–1918 Pirates.
February 6 – Leroy Matlock, 60, southpaw hurler and three-time All-Star who twice led the Negro National League in winning percentage (1931, 1935) and once in games won (1936), playing primarily for the Pittsburgh Crawfords and St. Louis Stars; also appeared as an outfielder and first baseman.
February 7 – Ollie Marquardt, 65, second baseman in 17 games for the 1931 Boston Red Sox; later a successful minor league manager.
February 8 – Joe Matthews, 69, southpaw who pitched in three games for the Boston Braves in September 1922.
February 9 – Lou Bruce, 91, Native American of the Mohawk people who appeared in 30 games for the 1904 Philadelphia Athletics.
February 11 – Dorothea Downs, 50, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player.
February 12 – Johnny Siegle, 93, outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds who played 39 games in 1905 and 1906.
February 14 – Bill Lelivelt, 83, Dutch-born pitcher who appeared in five total games for the Detroit Tigers of 1909 and 1910.
February 18 – Ben Egan, 84, backup catcher for Philadelphia (1908 and 1912) and Cleveland (1914–1915) of the American League who played in 122 career games.
February 23 – Hank Schreiber, 76, infielder who played a total of 36 games over five abbreviated trials with five teams: the 1914 White Sox, 1917 Braves, 1919 Reds, 1921 Giants and 1926 Cubs.
February 28 – Lena Blackburne, 81, weak-hitting infielder who played 228 games with five MLB clubs between 1910 and 1928; manager of the Chicago White Sox from July 6, 1928 through 1929; coach for 17 years with three teams, notably the Philadelphia Athletics; scout and minor league manager; originated the practice of rubbing special Delaware River mud on new baseballs to remove their slippery finish; in 1938, he formed a company that as of 2020 still supplied the major and minor leagues with this product.
March
March 2 – Phil Slattery, 75, southpaw who hurled eight scoreless innings over three games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in September 1915.
March 4 – Duke Reilley, 83, outfielder for the 1909 Cleveland Naps who played in 20 games.
March 7 – LeRoy Taylor, 65, outfielder who played in the Negro leagues and for barnstorming black teams from 1925 to 1936 for six clubs, most prominently the Kansas City Monarchs.
March 9 – Jim Callahan, 87, outfielder who appeared in one game for the New York Giants on May 25, 1902.
March 14 – Paul Carpenter, 73, pitcher who worked in five games for the 1916 Pittsburgh Pirates.
March 15 – Allie Watt, 68, Washington Senators second baseman who doubled in his only MLB at bat (and game played) on October 3, 1920.
March 18 – Heinie Meine, 71, nicknamed "The Count of Luxemburg", pitcher who played all but one of his 165 MLB games for the 1929–1934 Pittsburgh Pirates; tied for the National League lead in games won (19) in 1931.
March 20 – Clyde "Hardrock" Shoun, 56, left-handed hurler in 454 games for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves and Chicago White Sox between 1935–1944 and 1946–1949; on May 15, 1944, as a Red, he authored a no-hit, no-run game against the Braves.
March 24 – Ovid Nicholson, 79, outfielder who went 5-for-11 (.455) in his six-game cup of coffee with the 1912 Pittsburgh Pirates.
March 29 – Buddy Napier, 78, pitcher in 39 total games for the 1912 St. Louis Browns, 1918 Chicago Cubs and 1920–1921 Cincinnati Reds.
March 30 – Bernie Hungling, 72, catcher for the Brooklyn Robins (1922–1923) and St. Louis Browns (1930) who appeared in 51 games.
March 31 – Grover Lowdermilk, 83, pitcher who appeared in 122 games for six clubs between 1908 and 1920, chiefly the St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox.
April
April 1 – Tom Cantwell, 79, Cincinnati Reds pitcher who appeared in eight games in 1909 and 1910; brother of Mike Cantwell.
April 7 – Mahlon Higbee, 68, outfielder for the 1922 New York Giants who played in three late-season contests, going four-for-ten (.400) with a home run in his only opportunity in the majors.
April 7 – Jesse Houston, 58, pitcher who led the Negro American League in complete games in 1937 as a member of the Cincinnati Tigers; also played for the Chicago American Giants and Homestead Grays through 1941.
April 8 – Bob Pepper, 72, who pitched in one game for the Philadelphia Athletics on July 23, 1915.
April 12 – Frank Sigafoos, 64, infielder who played 55 career games for the 1926 Athletics, 1929 Detroit Tigers, 1929 Chicago White Sox and 1931 Cincinnati Reds.
April 14 – Al Benton, 57, pitcher who won 98 games for four American League teams over 14 seasons between 1934 and 1952, principally for the Tigers; only pitcher to face Babe Ruth (1934) and Mickey Mantle (1952).
April 16 – John Michaelson, 74, the only native of Finland to play in the majors (as of 2023); pitched in two games for the Chicago White Sox in August 1921.
April 17 – Bill Engeln, 69, National League umpire from 1952 to 1956, working 751 regular-season games and 1953 All-Star game.
April 19 – Tommy Bridges, 61, six-time All-Star pitcher who won 194 games for the Detroit Tigers (1930–1943 and 1945–1946), including three 20-win seasons; posted a 4–1 World Series record and won rings in 1935 and 1945.
April 19 – Allan Travers, 75, one of the Tigers' replacement players hastily recruited on May 18, 1912, to face the Philadelphia Athletics during the wildcat strike by Detroit players protesting the suspension of teammate Ty Cobb; Travers was the starting pitcher for his all-amateur makeshift squad, going eight innings and allowing 26 hits and 24 runs (only 14 earned); ordained as a Jesuit priest in 1926, thus becoming the only Roman Catholic clergyman to appear in an MLB game.
April 21 – Fred Applegate, 88, pitcher who appeared in three games for the 1904 Athletics.
April 22 – Melvin Coleman, 57, shortstop/catcher for the 1937 Birmingham Black Barons and 1944 Atlanta Black Crackers.
April 25 – Billy Kelsey, 88, catcher who went two-for-five (.400) in two games played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in October 1907.
April 27 – Paul Kardow, 52, relief pitcher who made two appearances for the 1936 Cleveland Indians.
April 29 – Terris McDuffie, 59, Negro league pitcher in a long career that spanned from 1930 through 1954, playing for several teams in different leagues across the United States, Canada and Latin America.
May
May 3 – Ray Gardner, 66, shortstop who played 115 games for the Cleveland Indians in 1931–1932.
May 15 – Bill Drescher, 46, catcher who appeared in 46 games for the New York Yankees from 1944 to 1946.
May 16 – Bill Brandt, 53, pitcher who worked in 34 career games for the 1941–1943 Pittsburgh Pirates.
May 23 – Hubert Lockhart, 69, southpaw who pitched for the 1923–1928 Atlantic City Bacharach Giants of the Eastern Colored League and 1929 Chicago American Giants of the Negro National League; led ECL in winning percentage (.778) in 1923.
May 24 – Lloyd Russell, 55, star Baylor University athlete and a shortstop in baseball, whose MLB tenure consisted of two games as a pinch runner for the 1938 Cleveland Indians.
May 26 – Chippy Gaw, 76, pitcher in six games for the 1920 Chicago Cubs.
May 26 – Doc Ayers, 77, spitball pitcher who worked in 299 games for the Washington Senators and Detroit Tigers between 1913 and 1921.
May 27 – Herman Bronkie, 83, third baseman and second baseman who played in only 122 games over seven seasons spread over 13 years for four teams, most notably for the 1919 and 1922 St. Louis Browns.
May 27 – Rip Collins, 72, four-sport star at Texas A&M University and pitcher in the American League from 1920 to 1931; won 108 career games for the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Browns; member of the 1921 AL champion Yankees.
May 27 – Charlie Jackson, 74, outfielder in one game for 1915 Chicago White Sox and 41 contests for 1917 Pittsburgh Pirates.
June
June 6 – C. B. Burns, 89, pinch hitter who went one-for-one (1.000) in his only at bat as a member of the American League's original edition of Baltimore Orioles on August 19, 1902.
June 10 – Curly Brown, 79, left-handed pitcher who made 28 total appearances for the 1911–1913 St. Louis Browns and 1915 Cincinnati Reds.
June 11 – Dan Boone, 73, pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics, Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians who appeared in 42 games from 1920 through 1923.
June 11 – Bill Regan, 69, second baseman for the Boston Red Sox (1926–1930) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1931), who became the first player in Red Sox history to hit two home runs in the same inning (1928), a mark only matched by one man, Ellis Burks, 62 years later.
June 12 – Clarence Orme, 69, second baseman for the 1920 Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro National League.
June 15 – Sam Crawford, 88, Hall of Fame right fielder for the Cincinnati Reds (1899–1902) and Detroit Tigers (1903–1917), a lifetime .309 hitter who hit a record 312 triples, led both leagues in home runs, and retired with the fifth-most RBI in history and 2,961 career hits.
June 18 – Lloyd Bishop, 78, pitcher in three games for the 1914 Cleveland Naps of the American League.
June 25 – Grant Bowler, 60, pitcher who worked in 17 contests for the Chicago White Sox in 1931 and 1932.
June 25 – Dan Dugan, 61, left-handed pitcher who worked in 20 games for the White Sox in 1928 and 1929.
June 29 – Paddy Driscoll, 73, second baseman who batted only .107 in 13 games for the 1917 Chicago Cubs, but became well-known as a player and coach in the National Football League for over forty years.
June 30 – Ned Porter, 62, pitcher who worked in three games for the 1926–1927 New York Giants.
July
July 1 – Dave Barbee, 63, outfielder who appeared in 116 career games for the 1926 Philadelphia Athletics and 1932 Pittsburgh Pirates.
July 3 – Pat Simmons, 59, pitcher who played from 1928 to 1929 for the Boston Red Sox.
July 4 – John Quinn, 70, American League umpire from 1935 to 1942 who officiated in 1,247 league contests and 1937 All-Star game.
July 6 – Albert Youngblood, 68, Washington Senators relief pitcher who worked in two games during the 1922 season.
July 8 – Dusty Boggess, 64, National League umpire for 18 seasons (1944–1948 and 1950–1962) who worked in four World Series, five All-Star games, and 2,591 NL tilts.
July 8 – Nap Shea, 94, diminutive catcher (he stood 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) tall and weighed 155 pounds (70 kg)) who appeared for two games for the Phillies in September 1902.
July 9 – Hap Collard, 69, pitcher in 35 career games for the 1927–1928 Cleveland Indians and 1930 Philadelphia Phillies.
July 12 – Kettle Wirts, 70, catcher who appeared 49 games over four seasons (1921 to 1924) for the Chicago Cubs and the crosstown White Sox.
July 15 – Eddie Kearse, 52, catcher who played in 11 games for 1942 New York Yankees.
July 17 – Norm Lehr, 67, pitcher who worked in four games for the 1926 Cleveland Indians.
July 17 – Ken Sears, 51, catcher who appeared in 60 games for 1943 Yankees and seven more for 1946 St. Louis Browns; son of NL umpire Ziggy Sears.
July 21 – Ham Wade, 88, outfielder who appeared in one game and had one at-bat (he was hit by a pitch) on September 9, 1907, as a member of the New York Giants.
July 27 – Babe Adams, 86, pitcher who won 194 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates; the only member of their championship teams in both 1909 and 1925, he won three games in the 1909 World Series.
July 27 – Jack Redmond, 57, catcher with 1936 Washington Senators who played in 22 games.
July 27 – Howie Storie, 57, backup catcher who appeared in a dozen games with the Boston Red Sox in 1931 and 1932.
July 27 – Dave Thomas, 63, brilliant defensive first baseman who played in the Negro leagues between 1929 and 1946, most prominently for the New York Cubans and Birmingham Black Barons.
July 29 – Bill Hart, 55, third baseman and shortstop who appeared in 95 games for the Brooklyn Dodgers during the wartime seasons of 1943 to 1945.
August
August 3 – John Jenkins, 72, infielder and pinch hitter in five contests for 1922 Chicago White Sox.
August 10 – Charlie Boardman, 75, pitcher in a total of seven games over three seasons (1913 to 1915) for the Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns.
August 13 – Lefty Guise, 59, knuckleball-throwing pitcher who appeared in two September games for pennant-bound 1940 Cincinnati Reds.
August 17 – Forrest More, 86, pitcher who went 2–10 (4.74 ERA) in 25 games for St. Louis and Boston of the National League in 1909.
August 22 – Heinie Groh, 78, third baseman who played in 1,676 games for the New York Giants, Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates between 1912 and 1927; led the National League in hits, runs and walks once each and in doubles twice, widely known for his "bottle bat".
August 23 – Dutch Henry, 66, left-handed pitcher who appeared in 164 career games between 1921 and 1930 for the St. Louis Browns, Brooklyn Robins, New York Giants and Chicago White Sox.
August 24 – Dolly Stark, 70, NL umpire for 12 seasons (1928–1935 and 1937–1940) who worked in two World Series, and later became a broadcaster.
August 26 – John Kroner, 59, infielder who played 223 total games for the 1935–1936 Boston Red Sox and 1937–1938 Cleveland Indians
August 29 – Paul Howard, 84, outfielder who played in six games for the 1909 Boston Red Sox.
August 31 – Jay Kirke, 80, legendary minor-league hitter who batted .301 in 320 major-league games with the Detroit Tigers (1910), Boston Rustlers/Braves (1911–1913), Cleveland Naps/Indians (1914–1915), and New York Giants (1918).
September
September 2 – Lee Meyer, 80, shortstop who played nine games for the 1909 Brooklyn Superbas.
September 2 – Nish Williams, 64, catcher/outfielder who had a ten-year career (1930–1939) in the Negro leagues; stepfather of Donn Clendenon.
September 3 – Tony DeFate, 68, infielder for both the St. Louis Cardinals (14 games) and Detroit Tigers (three games) in 1917.
September 4 – Ernie Orsatti, 65, outfielder in 701 career games, all with the Cardinals (1927–1935); batted .306 lifetime; regular center fielder for the 1934 "Gashouse Gang"; appeared in four World Series (1928, 1930, 1931 and 1934), winning rings in 1931 and 1934.
September 8 – Bill Kalfass, 52, southpaw who hurled in three games for the 1937 Philadelphia Athletics.
September 12 – Charles Conway, 82, outfielder who appeared in two games for Washington of the American League in April 1912.
September 12 – Don Rudolph, 37, left-handed pitcher who appeared in 124 games for the Chicago White Sox (1957–1959), Cincinnati Reds (1959), Cleveland Indians (1962) and Washington Senators (1962–1964).
September 14 – Hans Lobert, 86, third baseman for five National League clubs from 1903 to 1917; later a coach (1934–1941 and 1943–1944), manager (of the 1942 Philadelphia Phillies), and scout (1945–1967).
September 16 – Henry Bostick, 73, third baseman who played two games for the Philadelphia Athletics in May 1915.
September 17 – Elmer Pence, 68, outfielder who played one inning of one game for the Chicago White Sox on August 23, 1922.
September 18 – Rip Wheeler, 70, pitched in 34 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs from 1921 to 1924.
September 25 – Ken Holloway, 71, pitcher who worked in 285 games for the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees between 1922 and 1930.
September 26 – Bud Clancy, 68, first baseman who played in 522 contests over nine seasons between 1924 and 1934 for the Chicago White Sox, Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies.
October
October 5 – Hal Bevan, 37, third baseman and pinch hitter in 15 career games for the Boston Red Sox (1952), Philadelphia (1952) and Kansas City Athletics (1955), and Cincinnati Reds (1961); despite his brief tenure with 1961 Reds, featured in relief pitcher Jim Brosnan's classic memoir, Pennant Race.
October 14 – Lynn Brenton, 79, pitcher who appeared in 34 total games for both of Ohio's MLB teams: Cleveland (1913, 1915) and Cincinnati (1920–1921).
October 16 – Ellis Kinder, 54, pitcher who fashioned a 102–71 record in 484 appearances for the St. Louis Browns (1946–1947), Boston Red Sox (1948–1955), St. Louis Cardinals (1956) and Chicago White Sox (1956–1957); excelled as both a starter (won 23 games in 1949) and reliever (led American League in saves in 1951 and 1953).
October 20 – Turner Barber, 75, outfielder who played in 491 games for the Washington Senators, Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Robins between 1915 and 1923.
October 21 – Jack Killilay, 81, pitcher in 14 games for the 1911 Boston Red Sox.
October 23 – Jack Bliss, 86, catcher for St. Louis Cardinals who appeared in 251 games between 1908 and 1912.
October 23 – Mike Kelly, 72, minor-league catcher, first baseman and manager who spent seven years as a major-league coach for the Chicago White Sox (1930–1931), Chicago Cubs (1934), Boston Bees (1938–1939) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1940–1941).
October 28 – Bullet Campbell, 72, pitcher for the Hilldale Club of the Eastern Colored League (1924–1927) and New York Lincoln Giants of the ECL (1928) and American Negro League (1929).
October 29 – Bill Hohman, 64, Philadelphia Phillies outfielder who played in seven games during August and September of 1927.
October 31 – Ralph Glaze, 87, pitcher in 61 games for the Boston Americans between 1906 and 1908; later a head football coach at several prominent U.S. colleges.
October 31 – Hub Perdue, 86, pitcher who appeared in 161 career games between 1911 and 1915 for Boston and St. Louis of the National League.
November
November 4 – Vern Stephens, 48, eight-time All-Star shortstop for the St. Louis Browns (1941–1947 and 1953), Boston Red Sox (1948–1952), Chicago White Sox (1953 and 1955) and Baltimore Orioles (1954–1955) who led or co-led the American League in RBI three times (1944, 1949 and 1950) and led the AL in home runs once (1945).
November 5 – Wally Mattick, 81, center fielder in 169 career games for the Chicago White Sox from 1912 to 1913, and briefly with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1918; father of Bobby Mattick.
November 6 – Earl Gurley, outfielder, first baseman and southpaw pitcher for seven clubs in the Negro leagues, chiefly the Memphis Red Sox, between 1922 and 1932.
November 12 – Dutch Schirick, 78, pinch hitter in one game for the 1914 St. Louis Browns who later became a politician and judge in New York state.
November 14 – "Wee Willie" Sherdel, 72, left-handed pitcher who won 165 games (losing 146) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1918–1930 and 1932) and Boston Braves (1931–1932); member of 1926 world champions.
November 17 – Earl Hamilton, 77, pitcher who appeared in 410 games in MLB between 1911 and 1924, mostly with the St. Louis Browns and Pittsburgh Pirates; later a minor league team owner.
November 20 – George Maisel, 76, outfielder for the 1913 St. Louis Browns, 1916 Detroit Tigers and 1921–1922 Chicago Cubs; brother of Fritz Maisel.
November 20 – Fresco Thompson, 66, second baseman and front-office executive; played 669 games between 1925 and 1934 for Pittsburgh, New York, Philadelphia and Brooklyn of the National League, then became a minor league manager; in 1946, began a 23-year executive career with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers as assistant farm system director until his promotion to vice president and farm director in 1950; after almost 18 years in that job, he served as Dodgers' executive vp and general manager from June 4, 1968 until his death.
November 24 – Dearie Mulvey, 70, co-owner of the Dodgers from 1938 until her death; with her husband, retained a 25 percent share after Walter O'Malley obtained controlling interest in 1950; daughter of Stephen McKeever.
November 27 – Ed Fernandes, 50, catcher who appeared in 42 MLB games for 1940 Pittsburgh Pirates and 1946 Chicago White Sox.
December
December 2 – Pete Sims, 77, pitcher who appeared in three games in September 1915 for the St. Louis Browns.
December 4 – Emil Yde, 68, pitcher in 141 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1924–1927) and Detroit Tigers (1929); led National League in winning percentage (16–3, .842) and shutouts (four) as a rookie in 1924; member of 1925 World Series champions.
December 6 – Fats Jenkins, 70, outfielder who played in Negro leagues and for barnstorming teams between 1920 and 1940; two-time All-Star who, despite nickname, weighed 165 pounds (75 kg); also played professional basketball.
December 8 – Benn Karr, 75, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox (1920–1922) and Cleveland Indians (1925–1927) who appeared in 177 career games.
December 12 – Ty Tyson, 80, broadcaster and legendary early play-by-play voice of the Detroit Tigers, calling games on radio (1927–1942 and 1951–1953) and television (1947–1950).
December 15 – Jim McLaughlin, 66, third baseman who went hitless in his lone MLB at bat for the St. Louis Browns on April 18, 1932.
December 17 – Hank Severeid, 77, catcher for the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators and New York Yankees between 1911 and 1926, hitting .289 in 1,390 games.
December 22 – Benny Bengough, 70, catcher who played 411 games for the New York Yankees (1923–1930) and St. Louis Browns (1931–1932) and member of three World Series champions (1923, 1927, 1928); later spent 20 years as a coach in the majors, 14 of them for the Philadelphia Phillies.
December 22 – Ike Powers, 62, pitcher who appeared in 20 games for the 1927–1928 Philadelphia Athletics.
December 24 – Johnnie Heving, 72, catcher for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Athletics between 1920 and 1932 who appeared in 399 career contests.
December 25 – Roosevelt Tate, 57, outfielder who played in the Negro Southern League (1932) and Negro American League (1937) in 41 games for five teams.
December 28 – Roosevelt Davis, 64, pitcher for over a dozen teams in four different Negro leagues between 1924 and 1945; led Negro National League in games won (16) in 1925 and winning percentage (8–0, 1.000) in 1928, and the Negro American League in earned run average (1.65) in 1945.
December 30 – Dick Marlowe, 39, pitcher who worked in 98 games between 1951 and 1956, all but one of them as a member of the Detroit Tigers.
December 31 – Anastasio Santaella, versatile Cuban-born infielder/outfielder for the 1935–1936 New York Cubans of the Negro National League; although some sources list his date of death as "unknown," it is reported by Baseball Reference as occurring on this date in Mexico City at age 65.[7]
