Champions
Major League Baseball
*
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
:
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
over
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
(4β3);
Ray Knight, MVP
*
American League Championship Series MVP:
Marty Barrett
*
National League Championship Series MVP:
Mike Scott
*
All-Star Game, July 15 at the
Astrodome
The NRG Astrodome, formerly and also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, was the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, United States. It seated around 50,000 fans, with a record atte ...
: American League, 3β2;
Roger Clemens, MVP
Other champions
*
Amateur World Series: Cuba
*
Caribbean World Series:
Γguilas de Mexicali (Mexico)
*
College World Series:
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
*
Cuban National Series:
Industriales
*
Japan Series:
Seibu Lions over
Hiroshima Toyo Carp (4-3-1)
*
Korean Series:
Haitai Tigers over
Samsung Lions
*
Big League World Series:
Maracaibo, Venezuela
*
Junior League World Series:
Waldorf, Maryland
*
Little League World Series:
Tainan Park,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
*
Senior League World Series:
Taipei, Taiwan
Awards and honors
*
Baseball Hall of Fame
**
Bobby Doerr
**
Ernie Lombardi
**
Willie McCovey
*
Most Valuable Player
**
Roger Clemens,
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
(AL)
**
Mike Schmidt,
Philadelphia Phillies (NL)
*
Cy Young Award
**
Roger Clemens,
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
(AL)
**
Mike Scott,
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
(NL)
*
Rookie of the Year
**
Jose Canseco,
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
(AL)
**
Todd Worrell,
St. Louis Cardinals (NL)
*
Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award
**
Dave Righetti,
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
(AL)
**
Todd Worrell,
St. Louis Cardinals (NL)
*
Manager of the Year Award
**
John McNamara,
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
(AL)
**
Hal Lanier,
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
(NL)
*
Gold Glove Award
**
Don Mattingly (1B) (AL)
**
Frank White (2B) (AL)
**
Gary Gaetti (3B) (AL)
**
Tony FernΓ‘ndez (SS) (AL)
**
Kirby Puckett (OF) (AL)
**
Gary Pettis (OF) (AL)
**
Jesse Barfield (OF) (AL)
**
Bob Boone (C) (AL)
**
Ron Guidry
Ronald Ames Guidry (; born August 28, 1950), nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Guidry was also the pitch ...
(P) (AL)
MLB statistical leaders
Major league baseball final standings
Draft
Events
January
*January 8 β
Willie McCovey is the only player elected this year to the
Hall of Fame by the
Baseball Writers' Association of America, and becomes the 16th player elected in his first year of eligibility.
Billy Williams falls four votes shy of the 319 needed for election.
** The New York Yankees signed three free agents. Catcher
Butch Wynegar, and the Niekro brothers, pitchers
Phil Niekro and
Joe Niekro.
*January 28 -
Darrell Porter signs with the Texas Rangers after spending much of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals.
February
*February 28 β
Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth suspends 11 players who had testified to
cocaine involvement in the
Pittsburgh drug trials of 1985.
March
*March 10 β
Ernie Lombardi, the National League MVP in 1938, and
Bobby Doerr, a nine-time American League All-Star, are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.
*March 13 β At spring training, the father-and-son team of
Hal and
Brian McRae appears together in an exhibition game for the
Kansas City Royals. Brian, who will be sent back to the minor leagues before the start of the season, will not make his major league debut
until the 1990 season. In 1991, Brian will play for his father, when
he takes over as Royals manager.
*March 28 - In a rare trade between rivals, the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
acquire
Don Baylor from the New York Yankees in exchange for
Mike Easler.
April
*April 2 β An opening day crowd of 52,922, the largest crowd in
Memorial Stadium regular season history goes home disappointed as The Cleveland Indians and their winning pitcher
Ken Schrom beats the Baltimore Orioles and their losing pitcher
Mike Flanagan 6β4.
*April 8 β Former
New York Yankee player
Lou Piniella makes his managerial debut and guides the Yankees to a 4β2 victory over the
Kansas City Royals (for whom Piniella played from β) at
Yankee Stadium.
*April 29 β
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
pitcher
Roger Clemens strikes out 20
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
and becomes the first pitcher in major league history to strike out 20 players in a nine-inning game in a 3β1 Red Sox victory. Meanwhile,
Mario Soto of the
Cincinnati Reds became the 11th pitcher in major league history to surrender four home runs in an inning in a 7β4 loss to the
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...
.
Andre Dawson,
Hubie Brooks,
Tim Wallach, and
Mike Fitzgerald all connected.
May
*May 1 β The Atlanta Braves ended the New York Mets' record tying 11-game winning streak 7β2. Some Braves experts call it the highlight of the Braves' 1986 season. The Braves hit 4 home runs by 3 different players including 1978 NL Rookie of the Year
Bob Horner.
*May 2 β The Texas Rangers beat the New York Yankees 7β4. Even worse, Yankees manager
Lou Pinella was suspended 2 games for his run-in with umpire
Tim Tschida. The Yankees still had a 14β7 record and first place in the Al East.
** The
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
signed
Terry Francona as a free agent.
*May 3 β The Lou Pinella less Yankees beat the Texas Rangers 9-4 as
Don Mattingly tied a major League record with three sacrifice flys, while
Rickey Henderson scored four runs.
June
*June 4 β Pitching at
AtlantaβFulton County Stadium, Atlanta Braves pitcher
Craig McMurtry gives up
Barry Bonds his first major league career home run.
*June 5 -
Cesar Cedeno is released by the
Los Angeles Dodgers, which served to be the end of Cedeno's career.
*June 13 β Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher
Fernando Valenzuela and
catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...
Alex TreviΓ±o form the
first Mexican battery in Major League history.
*June 16 -
Jamie Moyer
Jamie Moyer (born November 18, 1962) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Over his 25-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB), Moyer pitched for the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, Ba ...
makes his major league debut, earning a win in a 7-5 game over the
Philadelphia Phillies. Moyer's career would go on to last 25 seasons, appearing in his final game in 2012.
** The
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...
acquired pitcher
Dennis Martinez from the Baltimore Orioles, in a deal that included two players to be named later. The deal would later be finalized when the Orioles sent catcher
John Stefero to Montreal and the Expos sent infielder
Rene Gonzales to Baltimore.
*June 18 β California Angels pitcher
Don Sutton records his 300th career win.
*June 21 β In a move that shocks many, reigning
Heisman Trophy winner
Vincent "Bo" Jackson announces that he will forego dealing with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had made him the first overall selection of the
National Football League Draft, and signs a contract to play baseball with the Kansas City Royals.
*June 24 - The
Philadelphia Phillies released pitcher
Steve Carlton.
*June 29 - The
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
acquired pitcher
Tom Seaver from the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
in exchange for infielder
Steve Lyons.
July
*July 6 β First baseman
Bob Horner of the
Atlanta Braves becomes the eleventh player in major league history to hit
four home runs in one game. Besides, Horner joined
Ed Delahanty as the second player to do so in a losing effort, as his Braves fall to the
MontrΓ©al Expos, 11β8, at
Fulton County Stadium.
*July 15 β At the
Houston Astrodome, the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
wins the
All-Star Game 3β2, for its second triumph in the last 15 years. AL starter
Roger Clemens pitches three perfect innings to win the Game's MVP Award. The game turns out to be the last major league game ever managed by the defending World Series champion
Kansas City Royals' manager
Dick Howser. Howser, who admitted he felt sick before the game, is diagnosed with a
brain tumor
A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the Human brain, brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign ...
and undergoes surgery.
Mike Ferraro takes over as Royals manager for the remainder of the season.
*July 22 β
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base β the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...
Ray Knight incited a bench-clearing brawl at
Riverfront Stadium against his former teammates, the
Cincinnati Reds.
Eric Davis, pinch-running for Reds player/manager
Pete Rose in the tenth inning, stole second and third base. Knight took the throw from Mets
catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...
Gary Carter late, brought his glove to Davis' face and knocked his helmet off. A stare-off ensued, followed by a right cross from Knight. The benches emptied and as a result of all the ejections from this fight, Mets manager brought back-up catcher
Ed Hearn into the game, and moved Carter from behind the plate to third.
Roger McDowell replaced
Jesse Orosco on the mound, and Orosco went into
right field. They traded positions with two outs in the eleventh, and McDowell traded positions with
left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...
Mookie Wilson with one out in the 12th. This rotation continued for the remainder of the game, which the Mets won in fourteen innings.
*July 29 β
Sparky Anderson of the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
becomes the first in baseball to achieve 600 career wins as a manager in both the American and National League.
August
*August 1 β
Bert Blyleven of the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
records his
3000th career strikeout. In the same game, his teammate
Kirby Puckett hits for the cycle for the only time in his career.
*August 5
**At
Candlestick Park,
San Francisco Giants southpaw
Steve Carlton strikes out
Eric Davis in the third inning of a game against the
Cincinnati Reds. As a result, Carlton accomplished another pitching milestone in his illustrious career, while becoming just the second major league pitcher, after
Nolan Ryan, to reach the
4,000 strikeouts mark.
**Rookie
Jim Traber and
Larry Sheets hit consecutive home runs that capped a five-run third inning and
Storm Davis continued his mastery over
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
as the Baltimore Orioles routed the Texas Rangers, 9-2 and put the team within 2.5 games of first place Boston Red Sox, but that would be the last piece of glory as the Orioles would collapse and finish 73β89,
Earl Weaver's only losing season as Orioles manager.
*August 10 β
Billy Martin has his number 1 retired by the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
.
*August 11 β
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
player-manager
Pete Rose, 45, singled four times and doubled to set an NL record with the 10th five-hit game of his career. Rose drove in three runs in a 13β4 loss to the San Francisco Giants, to move one ahead of
Max Carey for the record.
*August 12 β
Don Baylor of the Boston Red Sox set an AL record when he was hit by a pitch for the 25th time that season, breaking the record he shared with
Bill Freehan (1968) and
Norm Elberfeld (1911).
Kansas City's
Bud Black was the pitcher as the Royals completed a doubleheader sweep with a 6β5 victory.
*August 14 β
Pete Rose enjoys a 3-for-4 day, the last hit being the 4,256th and final hit of his career.
*August 17 β
Pete Rose inserts himself in as a pinch hitter, and takes a called third strike from
San Diego Padres pitcher
Goose Gossage to end a 9β5 loss for the
Cincinnati Reds. It is Rose's final plate appearance (15,890), at-bat (14,503), and game (3,562), all of which are Major League career records; Rose would continue managerial duties for the Reds through 1989.
*August 19 β In a trade that would go on to benefit the Red Sox this season (especially the postseason) the Sox send shortstop
Rey QuiΓ±ones and cash to the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
for outfielder
Dave Henderson and shortstop
Spike Owen.
*August 20 β Two
no-hit bids are broken up in the ninth. Against the
San Francisco Giants at
Candlestick Park,
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher
Don Carman has a
perfect game broken up by a
Bob Brenly double leading off the ninth. The Phillies win 1β0 in 10 innings on a
Juan Samuel home run;
Steve Bedrosian relieves Carman in the bottom of the tenth and retires the Giants in order. Against the
California Angels at
Tiger Stadium hours later,
Walt Terrell of the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
has ''his'' no-hit bid foiled with two outs in the ninth by a
Wally Joyner double, the only hit he will allow in a 3β0 victory. This is the second time this season Joyner has broken up a no-hit bid in the ninth inning; against the
Texas Rangers on June 16, he had foiled
Charlie Hough's bid for a no-hitter with one out in the ninth.
*August 27 β
Darryl Strawberry hits his 100th career home run helping the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
beat the
San Diego Padres 6β5.
*August 29 β A game between the
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...
and
San Diego Padres is postponed after two 200-pound oxygen cylinders explode inside the unfinished
Olympic Stadium
''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports ...
tower.
September
*September 3 β
Billy Hatcher hit a home run in the top of the 18th inning to give the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
an 8β7 victory over the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
. The two teams began with 14 innings one day earlier, and use a major league record 53 players in the game.
*September 6 β After having hit a record 210 career home runs without hitting a grand slam,
Bob Horner of the
Atlanta Braves finally connects for one in the third inning in a 4-2 win over the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
.
*September 14:
**
Bo Jackson slugs his first major league home run β a 475-foot blast believed to be the longest to date at
Royals Stadium β, leading the
Kansas City Royals to a 10β3 victory over the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
.
**
San Francisco Giants third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base β the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...
Bob Brenly, usually a
catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...
, ties a major league record by making four
errors in just one inning. But Brenly redeemed later by hitting two home runs, including the game-winner, as San Francisco beats the
Atlanta Braves, 7β6.
*September 17 β The
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
secure the
National League East title with a 4β2 win over the visiting
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
, for their 95th victory of the season. The Mets would finish the season at 108β54, the best record of any team during the 1980s.
*September 22 β
Fernando Valenzuela of the
Los Angeles Dodgers becomes the first Mexican pitcher to have a 20-win season in the majors, beating the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
, 9β2, while allowing just two hits.
*September 25 β
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
pitching ace
Mike Scott hurls a 2β0
no-hitter against the
San Francisco Giants at the
Houston Astrodome. The victory clinches the
National League West title for the Astros.
*September 26 β An 8β3 win for the
California Angels against the host
Texas Rangers, gives the franchise its third
American League West crown.
*September 28 β The
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
claim the
American League East
The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL). T ...
championship with a 12β3 drubbing of the
Toronto Blue Jays at
Fenway Park.
October
*October 4 β At the
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome,
Greg Gagne of the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
hits two
inside-the-park home runs in a 7β3 victory over the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
. In the same game,
Bert Blyleven β who goes the distance for the victory β gives up his 50th home run of the season (to
Daryl Boston) to set a Major League record. Coincidentally, Blyleven had given up
Dick Allen's two inside-the-park home runs in a July 31, game against the White Sox β the last game prior to this one in which one player hit two inside-the-park home runs. That game had been played in the Metrodome's predecessor,
Metropolitan Stadium.
*October 5 β In the season's final day, The Mets beat The Pittsburgh Pirates 9β0 at Shea Stadium for their 108th win of the year. The team set franchise records for wins, home wins (55), road wins (53), home runs (148) a far cry from a team that hit 61 home runs in 1980, batting average (.263) and attendance (2,762,417) all for a team that this year is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
*October 12 β In Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
, trailing 3 games to 1 to the
California Angels and two outs away from elimination, are rescued when
Don Baylor delivers a two-run home run off
Mike Witt to trim the Angel lead from 5β2 to 5β4. After Witt retires
Dwight Evans for the second out,
Gary Lucas relieves him and promptly hits
Rich Gedman with his first (and only) pitch.
Donnie Moore then relieves Lucas and, with one strike away from elimination,
Dave Henderson crushes a pitch from Moore into the center field stands for a 6β5 lead. The Red Sox win 7β6 in extra innings (a Henderson sacrifice fly providing the winning run) and extend the series to another game.
*October 15:
**In the longest game in post-season history (until the
2005 National League Division Series), the Mets beat the Astros 7β6 in 16 innings to earn their first trip to the World Series since 1973. New York scores three runs in the top of the 9th to force extra innings. The Mets score three more runs in the top of the 16th, and Houston answers with two of its own before
Jesse Orosco fans
Kevin Bass to end the game.
**The Red Sox beat the Angels 8β1 in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series to complete their comeback from trailing 3 games to 1 in the series and win their first American League pennant since 1975.
*October 25 β With the Red Sox leading 5β3 in Game 6 of the World Series, and just one out away from winning their first championship since
1918, the Red Sox give up hits to
Gary Carter,
Kevin Mitchell and
Ray Knight, and pitcher
Bob Stanley throws a wild pitch that allows Mitchell to score. Then
Mookie Wilson hits a slow grounder that keeps bouncing, right between the legs of first baseman
Bill Buckner, allowing Knight to score to give the New York Mets an improbable 6β5 win. Boston's
Calvin Schiraldi absorbs the loss.
*October 27 β At
Shea Stadium, the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
win Game 7 of the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
over the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
, 8β5. Third baseman
Ray Knight is named the Series MVP.
November
*November 5 β Hal Lainer, who guided the Houston Astros to the National League Central Title in his rookie season as a major league manager was named the National League Manager of the Year by the
BBWAA.
*November 12 β
Roger Clemens of the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
wins the American League
Cy Young Award unanimously, joining
Denny McLain () as the only pitchers to do so. Clemens finished with a 24β4 record with 238 strikeouts and a 2.48 ERA.
*November 19 β
Philadelphia Phillies third baseman
Mike Schmidt wins the National League MVP Award, joining
Stan Musial and
Roy Campanella as the only three-time NL award winners. Schmidt led the NL with 37 home runs and 119 RBI while hitting a .290 average.
*November 24:
**The
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
announce interim manager
Tom Kelly will be their new skipper for the 1987 season. Kelly, who replaced
Ray Miller late in the season, will compile a losing record (1140β1244) in his career, but wins two World Championships during his 16-year tenure as the Twins manager.
**
St. Louis Cardinals reliever
Todd Worrell, who led the National League with 36 saves, receives the Rookie of the Year honors. Worrell had helped St. Louis to the
1985 World Series as a late-season call-up but was still a rookie the next season as defined by the
BBWAA.
*November 25 β
Jose Canseco of the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
, who hit .240 with 33 home runs and 117 RBI, wins the American League Rookie of the Year Award with 16 of 28 first place votes, with the others going to
Wally Joyner of the
California Angels (.290, 22, 100). Canseco also becomes the first Athletics franchise player to win the award since pitcher
Harry Byrd in . Canseco's .240 batting average is the lowest ever for a Rookie of the Year position player.
December
*December 16 β
San Diego Padres pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
LaMarr Hoyt is sentenced to 45 days in jail following his third arrest on drug possession charges, this time on the U.S.-
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
border.
Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth bars Hoyt from
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
on February 25, . An arbitrator cut Hoyt's suspension to sixty days in mid-June and ordered the Padres to reinstate him. The Padres, however, gave him his unconditional release the following day.
Births
January
*January 1 β
Nick Hagadone
*January 5 β
J. P. Arencibia
*January 8 β
James Russell
*January 16 β
Reid Brignac
*January 16 β
Mark Trumbo
*January 20 β
David Lough
*January 24 β
Andy Dirks
*January 24 β
Tyler Flowers
*January 24 β
Franklin Morales
*January 27 β
Yohan Flande
*January 28 β
Brandon Guyer
*January 28 β
Nate Jones
*January 29 β
Jair Jurrjens
*January 30 β
Nick Evans
*January 30 β
Jordan Pacheco
*January 30 β
Mark Rogers
February
*February 1 β
Kristopher Negron
*February 1 β
Justin Sellers
*February 3 β
Lucas Duda
*February 4 β
Jordan Smith
*February 5 β
Ryan Webb
*February 6 β
Kanekoa Texeira
*February 7 β
Josh Collmenter
*February 8 β
Matt Bush
*February 9 β
Josh Judy
*February 10 β
Dalier Hinojosa
*February 10 β
Duke Welker
*February 12 β
Brandon Allen
*February 12 β
Todd Frazier
*February 15 β
Johnny Cueto
*February 15 β
Fautino de los Santos
*February 19 β
Michael Schwimer
*February 20 β
Julio Borbon
*February 26 β
Erik Cordier
*February 27 β
Yovani Gallardo
*February 27 β
James Parr
March
*March 3 β
Eric Farris
*March 6 β
Jake Arrieta
*March 6 β
Francisco Cervelli
*March 6 β
Ross Detwiler
*March 11 β
Jeremy Hefner
*March 12 β
Joey Butler
*March 16 β
Mickey Storey
*March 17 β
Chris Davis
*March 21 β
Carlos Monasterios
*March 22 β
Dexter Fowler
*March 27 β
Johnny Monell
*March 28 β
Brad Emaus
*March 28 β
Steve Susdorf
*March 30 β
Barry Enright
April
*April 4 β
Louis Coleman
*April 5 β
Steve Clevenger
*April 7 β
Chia-Jen Lo
*April 8 β
FΓ©lix HernΓ‘ndez
*April 8 β
Eddie Kunz
*April 8 β
Carlos Santana
*April 9 β
Bryan Petersen
*April 10 β
Corey Kluber
*April 11 β
Russ Canzler
*April 11 β
Charlie Furbush
*April 12 β
Brad Brach
*April 13 β
Lorenzo Cain
*April 14 β
Cory Gearrin
*April 18 β
Billy Butler
*April 20 β
Donovan Hand
*April 20 β
Jess Todd
*April 23 β
Luis Durango
*April 24 β
Aaron Cunningham
*April 28 β
Dillon Gee
*April 28 β
Daniel Moskos
May
*May 3 β
Homer Bailey
*May 6 β
Matt Langwell
*May 9 β
Daniel Schlereth
*May 10 β
Luke Putkonen
*May 10 β
Matt Tuiasosopo
*May 13 β
John Ely
*May 14 β
Efren Navarro
*May 14 β
Jackson Williams
*May 15 β
Brandon Barnes
*May 19 β
Joe Paterson
*May 21 β
Matt Wieters
*May 22 β
Collin Cowgill
*May 22 β
Eric Sogard
*May 23 β
Jordan Zimmermann
*May 30 β
Tony Campana
June
*June 2 β
Chris Martin
*June 3 β
Zach Lutz
*June 6 β
Collin Balester
*June 6 β
Junichi Tazawa
*June 8 β
Γngel SalomΓ©
*June 10 β
Al Alburquerque
*June 13 β
Jonathan Lucroy
*June 15 β
Trevor Plouffe
*June 15 β
Sean West
*June 17 β
Quinn Wolcott
*June 18 β
Steve Cishek
*June 18 β
Caleb Joseph
*June 24 β
Phil Hughes
*June 25 β
Bobby LaFromboise
*June 26 β
Michael Kohn
*June 26 β
Lou Marson
*June 29 β
Tom Koehler
*June 30 β
Mike Carp
July
*July 1 β
Charles Blackmon
*July 2 β
Brett Cecil
*July 2 β
Oliver Marmol
*July 2 β
Rene Tosoni
*July 3 β
Tommy Hunter
*July 8 β
Jaime GarcΓa
*July 10 β
Byung-ho Park
*July 11 β
Bryan Augenstein
*July 12 β
Nick Vincent
*July 23 β
Andrew Carignan
*July 24 β
Scott Van Slyke
*July 24 β
Miguel Socolovich
*July 26 β
Elih Villanueva
*July 27 β
Ryan Flaherty
*July 28 β
Darin Ruf
*July 30 β
Scott Diamond
August
*August 4 β
Alex Castellanos
*August 6 β
Jake McGee
*August 7 β
Jordan Danks
*August 11 β
Colby Rasmus
*August 11 β
Pablo Sandoval
*August 16 β
Yu Darvish
*August 16 β
MartΓn Maldonado
*August 18 β
Tony Cruz
*August 18 β
Evan Gattis
*August 18 β
Andrew Taylor
*August 19 β
Austin Adams
*August 21 β
Erik Hamren
*August 24 β
Nick Adenhart
*August 26 β
Xavier CedeΓ±o
*August 26 β
Luis Marte
*August 26 β
Brett Wallace
*August 27 β
Jordy Mercer
*August 28 β
Tommy Hanson
*August 31 β
Juan Nicasio
September
*September 1 β
Brian Broderick
*September 2 β
Evan Crawford
*September 3 β
Brandon Beachy
*September 4 β
Jordan Schafer
*September 4 β
Michael Stutes
*September 8 β
Logan Schafer
*September 9 β
Michael Bowden
*September 11 β
Kyle Blanks
*September 11 β
Andrew Cashner
*September 11 β
Pat Hoberg
*September 12 β
Steve Garrison
*September 12 β
Kyle Weiland
*September 16 β
Gordon Beckham
*September 18 β
Michael Kirkman
*September 19 β
Manabu Mima
*September 19 β
Anthony Vasquez
*September 20 β
A. J. Ramos
*September 21 β
Zach Phillips
*September 22 β
Arcenio LeΓ³n
*September 22 β
Chris Schwinden
*September 23 β
Miguel GonzΓ‘lez
*September 23 β
Chris Volstad
Christopher Kenneth Volstad (born September 23, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He is a 2005 graduate of Palm Beach Gardens Community High School, Palm Beach Gardens High School. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB ...
*September 26 β
Sean Doolittle
*September 27 β
Vin Mazzaro
*September 27 β
Matt Shoemaker
*September 28 β
Zach Stewart
*September 30 β
James Hoyt
*September 30 β
Edward Paredes
October
*October 1 β
Aaron Poreda
*October 4 β
Stephen Fife
*October 5 β
Jeff Bianchi
*October 5 β
Tanner Roark
*October 6 β
Edgmer Escalona
*October 8 β
Adron Chambers
*October 8 β
Erik Davis
*October 9 β
Derek Holland
*October 9 β
David Phelps
*October 9 β
Chaz Roe
*October 10 β
Andrew McCutchen
*October 12 β
Trevor Bell
*October 17 β
Dan Butler
*October 19 β
Daniel Descalso
*October 21 β
C. C. Lee
*October 22 β
Justin Freeman
*October 22 β
Chris Rusin
*October 27 β
Pedro Beato
*October 27 β
Jon Niese
*October 28 β
Josh Thole
*October 30 β
Desmond Jennings
November
*November 1 β
Rhiner Cruz
*November 2 β
Taylor Green
*November 3 β
Alex Wilson
*November 10 β
Aaron Crow
*November 10 β
Eric Thames
*November 13 β
Josh Bell
*November 13 β
Wade Miley
*November 13 β
Juan PΓ©rez
*November 13 β
Bryan Price
*November 17 β
Everth Cabrera
*November 19 β
Michael Saunders
*November 20 β
Alex Guerrero
*November 22 β
Chris Dominguez
*November 23 β
Brandon Snyder
*November 24 β
Dean Anna
December
*December 1 β
A. J. Morris
*December 5 β
Tim Kennelly
*December 5 β
Justin Smoak
*December 6 β
Ryan Tucker
*December 8 β
Jordan Norberto
*December 10 β
Matt Clark
*December 10 β
Pedro FlorimΓ³n
*December 15 β
Nick Buss
*December 16 β
Bryan Anderson
*December 16 β
Alcides Escobar
*December 16 β
Ryan Lollis
*December 17 β
Josh Edgin
*December 18 β
Chris Carter
*December 25 β
Waldis Joaquin
*December 31 β
Nate Freiman
Deaths
January
*January 1 β
Bill Hall, 57, backup catcher who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates over part of three seasons spanning 1954β1958.
*January 2 β
Bob Finley, 70, catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1943 and 1944 seasons.
*January 2 β
Bill Veeck, 71, principal owner of the Cleveland Indians (1946β1949), St. Louis Browns (1951β1953) and Chicago White Sox (1959β1961 and 1976β1980); broke the American League's
color barrier by signing
Larry Doby in 1947 and brought Cleveland its second-ever World Series title in
1948; perhaps best remembered for the wacky promotions he used to draw crowds and entertain fans at the ballpark, which included using midget
Eddie Gaedel in a 1951 Browns game, and installing fireworks in the
Comiskey Park scoreboard; elected to
Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.
*January 3 β
Chico HernΓ‘ndez, 70, Cuban backup catcher who played from 1942 to 1943 for the Chicago Cubs.
*January 4 β
Dave Morey, 96, a five-sport star at
Dartmouth College and Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1913, who later became a prominent coach of football and baseball at the
Lowell Technological Institute,
Middlebury College,
Auburn University
Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...
,
Fordham University
Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...
and
Bates College in the period between 1916 and 1939.
*January 7 β
Joe Burns, 85, catcher who played eight games for the 1924 Chicago White Sox.
*January 10 β
Roy Johnson, 90, pitcher in ten games for 1918 Philadelphia Athletics who became a minor league manager; longtime employee of the Chicago Cubs as a coach (1935β1939, 1944β1953) and scout; interim manager of Cubs for one game (May 3, 1944).
*January 11 β
Grover Resinger, 70, minor-league player and manager who was an MLB coach for the Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers and California Angels for all or part of seven seasons between 1966 and 1976.
*January 12 β
Eddie Solomon, 34, trustworthy relief pitcher who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox over ten seasons spanning 1973β1982.
*January 13 β
Mike Garcia, 62, three-time All-Star pitcher who played for three teams in 14 seasons from 1948 to 1961, mostly with the Cleveland Indians in a span of 12 years, winning 142 games for the Indians, including 20 or more wins and leading the American League in
earned run average twice each, being also a member of their storied 'Big Four' pitching rotation in
its 1954 season, along with
Bob Feller,
Bob Lemon and
Early Wynn, as they started 147 of the 156 games of the team, while posting a collective record of 93β36 and 2.85 ERA, guiding the Indians to the World Series for the first time in six years and the third in 34 years.
*January 15 β
Fred Thomas, 93, third baseman for three American League clubs from 1918 to 1920, who was also a member of the
1918 World Series Champion Red Sox and a
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 β 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
veteran.
*January 24 β
John Boozer, 47, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies over seven seasons between 1962 and 1969, who has the distinction of being one of only four Major League Baseball pitchers to be
ejected from a game for violation of the spitball rule.
*January 28 β
Tom Grubbs, 91, pitcher who played for the New York Giants in its 1920 season.
February

*February 13 β
Ed McGhee, 61,
fourth outfielder who played with the Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White Sox over part of four seasons spanning 1950β1955.
*February 14 β
Fox Blevins, 75, third baseman for the Little Rock Grays, Homestead Grays and Oakland Larks of the Negro leagues between 1932 and 1946.
*February 17 β
Red Ruffing, 80, Hall of Fame and six-time All-Star pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox in a span of 22 seasons from 1924 to 1947, whose 273 career victories included four straight 20-win seasons for the Yankees from 1936 to 1939, also helping the team win six World Series titles and going 7β2 in nine series decisions, while hitting a .269/.306/.389
slash line with 36
home runs and 273
runs batted in in 882 regular games, including at least a .303
batting average eight times.
*February 20 β
Bob Rice, 86, third baseman who played for the 1926 Philadelphia Phillies.
*February 22 β
Duke Lattimore, 81, diminutive catcherβlisted as tall and βwho played for the Birmingham Black Sox and Columbus Blue Birds of the Negro leagues between 1929 and 1933.
*February 25 β
George Susce, 78, backup catcher and longtime coach whose MLB career spanned 44 years; played sporadically (146 career games) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Browns and Cleveland Indians in all or parts of eight seasons between 1929 and 1944; his
son pitched in the American League during the 1950s.
March
*March 2
**
Jocko Collins, 80, longtime scout for six MLB teams who signed players such as
Dick Allen,
Del Ennis and
Tommy Lasorda to their first pro contracts.
**
William D. Mullins, 54, pitcher in the Washington Senators minor league farm system in the 1950s.
*March 3 β
Paul Castner, 89, pitcher for the 1923 Chicago White Sox.
*March 5 β
Andy Love, 78, first baseman/outfielder who played for the Negro leagues' Detroit Stars, Washington Pilots and Harrisburg Stars between 1930 and 1943.
*March 7 β
Jimmy Moore, 82, outfielder who played from 1930 to 1931 for the Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Athletics.
*March 12 β
Fred Hancock, 65, shortstop who played for the Chicago White Sox in 1949.
*March 13 β
Jack Warner, 82, third baseman whose career spanned from 1921 through 1946, including stints in the major leagues with the Detroit Tigers, Brooklyn Robins and Philadelphia Phillies during eight seasons between 1925 and 1932.
*March 15 β
Bill Patton, 73, backup catcher for Philadelphia Athletics in the 1935 season.
*March 24 β
Hank Grampp, 82, pitcher who played for the Chicago Cubs in the 1927 and 1929 seasons.
*March 25 β
George Grant, 83, pitcher who played for the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates in a span of seven seasons from 1923 to 1931.
*March 26 β
Mel Bosser, 72, pitcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1945 season.
April
*April 9 β
Dick Kokos, 58,
fourth outfielder who played for the St. Louis Browns and Baltimore Orioles over part of five seasons spanning 1948β1954.
*April 9 β
Les Pearson, 76, outfielder who played for the 1937 St. Louis Stars of the Negro American League.
*April 10 β
Luther Harvel, 80, whose baseball career spanned nearly five decades, playing
center field for the Cleveland Indians in 1924 and in the minor leagues in 14 seasons between 1929 and 1949,
managing from 1933 to 1949, and later
scouting for the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers in a span of eight years from 1967 through 1974.
*April 14 β
Doc Land, 82, center fielder who played in 1929 for the Washington Senators.
*April 18 β
George Durning, 87, right fielder for the 1925 Philadelphia Phillies.
*April 20 β
Eddie Feinberg, 68, middle infielder/utility player for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1938 and 1939 seasons.
*April 27 β
Marty Karow, 81, one of the finest all-around athletes in
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
history during the early 1920s, who later played at shortstop and third base for the Boston Red Sox in its 1927 season.
*April 28 β
Pat Seerey, 63, strikeout-prone outfielder who played from 1943 through 1949 for the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox; one of a select group of players who have
hit four home runs in a single game, accomplishing the feat on July 18, 1948, at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, against the Athletics.
*April 30 β
Bill Higdon, 62, outfielder who played for the Chicago White Sox in its 1949 season.
May
*May 1 β
Ed Wells, 85, pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and St. Louis Browns in all or part of eleven seasons spanning 1923β1934, posting an overall record of 68β69 and a 4.65 ERA, leading the American League in shutouts in 1926 and winning a
1932 World Series ring while pitching for the Yankees.
*May 4 β
Hugh "Hal" Luby, 72, second and third baseman in 120 games with the Philadelphia Athletics (1936) and New York Giants (1944); a fixture in Pacific Coast League, principally for the
Oakland Oaks and
San Francisco Seals over nine seasons spanning 1938β1948, playing 866 consecutive games between 1939 and 1943; batted .296 in 2,824 minor-league games and amassed 3,165
hits, earning an induction into the
Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame.
*May 4 β
Paul Richards, 77, catcher, manager and executive; played in 523 games over eight MLB seasons between 1932 and 1946 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers; member of
1945 World Series champion Tigers, starting six of the series' seven games behind the plate; managed the Chicago White Sox (1951β1954 and 1976) and Baltimore Orioles (1955β1961); from September 1954 through 1958, doubled as general manager (GM) of the Orioles, helping build the club that
dominated the American League in the late 1960s and early 1970s; also helped build the Houston Colt .45s/Astros franchise as GM of the expansion team from September 1961 through 1965, then served as GM of the Atlanta Braves (1966β1972).
*May 4 β
Johnny Williams, 68, three-time All-Star pitcher for the Birmingham Black Barons and CincinnatiβIndianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League between 1943 and 1948.
*May 6 β
Len Schulte, 69,
middle infielder and
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base β the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...
who played from 1944 through 1946 for the St. Louis Browns; brother of
Ham Schulte.
*May 14 β
Frank O'Rourke, 92, Canadian ballplayer who performed at all
four infield positions, primarily at
third base, while debuting as the third youngest player in the National League at 17 years age, playing for six teams in part of 13 seasons spanning 1912β1931, mostly with the St. Louis Browns of the American League from 1927 to 1931, and later serving as a longtime
scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10β18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
** Scouts BSA, sect ...
for the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
, being inducted posthumously into the
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.
*May 14 β
Joe Sparma, 44, pitcher who posted a 52β52 record and a 3.94 ERA for the Detroit Tigers and Montreal Expos in seven seasons from 1964 to 1970, and also a member of the
1968 World Series champion Tigers.
*May 14 β
Tom Turner, 69, catcher who played with the Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Browns in five seasons from 1940 through 1944.
*May 18 β
Spades Wood, 77, pitcher who played from 1930 to 1931 for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
*May 23 β
Hugh McMullen, 84, part-time catcher for the New York Giants, Washington Senators and Cincinnati Reds over four seasons between 1925 and 1929.
*May 28 β
Taylor Douthit, 85,
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...
who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs in 11 seasons from 1923 to 1933, also a member of the
1926 World Series Champion Cardinals, whose glove is in the
Baseball Hall of Fame for a record he set in 1928, when he made 547
putouts in
center field for St. Louis, the most in a season by an outfielder in Major League Baseball history.
*May 28 β
Paul Florence, 86, backup catcher for the 1926 New York Giants, whose baseball career spanned almost 60 years, while playing 12 seasons in the minor leagues and later working as a scout and executive in the Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros organizations.
*May 31 β
Dixie McArthur, 84, pitcher who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in its 1914 season.
June
*June 5 β
Joe Mulligan, 72, pitcher for the 1934 Boston Red Sox.
*June 5 β
Jesse Winters, 82, pitcher who played from 1919 through 1923 for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies.
*June 6 β
John Carmichael, 83, Chicago sportswriter from 1927 to 1972, primarily for the ''
Chicago Herald-Examiner'' and later for the ''
Chicago Daily News'', where he wrote his famed column, ''The Barber Shop'', winning a
J. G. Taylor Spink Award in 1974.
*June 9 β
Milton Richman, 64, sportswriter who spent 42 years with
United Press International
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...
, being honored with the
J. G. Taylor Spink Award in 1981, while receiving nominations for the
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
in both 1957 and 1981.
*June 11 β
Porter Charleston, 82, pitcher who hurled in four different Negro leagues between 1927 and 1936, notably for the Hilldale club.
*June 21 β
Arnie Portocarrero, 54, pitcher who played with the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics from 1954 to 1957 and for the Baltimore Orioles from 1958 to 1960; as a rookie, was the winningest pitcher for the Athletics, who lost 103 games that year; enjoyed his career-best season in 1958, when he won 15 games for the Orioles, fifth most wins in the American League, finishing tenth in
earned run average (3.25), including three
shutouts and five consecutive
complete game victories.
*June 24 β
Loy Hanning, 68, pitcher who played for the St. Louis Browns over part of two seasons spanning 1939β1942.
*June 29 β
Thomas Albright, 76, Negro leagues pitcher who hurled for the 1929 Atlantic City Bacharach Giants and 1936 New York Cubans.
July
*July 2 β
Peanuts Lowrey, 68, former child actor who became an All-Star
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...
and
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base β the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...
; played for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies through 13 seasons from 1942 to 1955, appearing in 978 games and being regarded as one of the best
utility men and
pinch-hitters of his generation; posted a .310
batting average and .678
OPS for the Cubs in the
1945 World Series; also performed during the 1940s in offseason exhibition games, occasionally playing alongside future Hall of Famers including
Cool Papa Bell,
Jimmie Foxx,
Ralph Kiner,
Bob Lemon,
Buck Leonard,
Satchel Paige and
Ted Williams; spent 18 years as an MLB coach for five teams between 1960 and 1981.
*July 3 β
Bill McCahan, 65, pitcher who posted a 16β14 record and 3.84
ERA in 57 games for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1946 to 1949, including a
no-hitter game against the Washington Senators in 1947.
*July 4 β
Oscar Roettger, 86, first baseman and pitcher who played for the New York Yankees, Brooklyn Robins and Philadelphia Athletics over part of four seasons from 1923 to 1932; brother of
Wally Roettger.
*July 6 β
Eddie Yuhas, 61, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals during two seasons from 1952 to 1953.
*July 8 β
Johnny Cooney, 85, pitcher, outfielder and first baseman for the Boston Bees/Braves, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees in 20 seasons from 1921 to 1944; a longtime coach who also managed the Braves for the final five weeks of 1949 during the medical leave of Billy Southworth;
son and
brother
A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used ende ...
of big-league players.
*July 8 β
Skeeter Webb, 76, middle infielder who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Philadelphia Athletics over part of 12 seasons between 1932 and 1948.
*July 9 β
Red Lucas, 84, solid
two-way pitcher and prolific
pinch-hitter, who played for the New York Giants, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates in a span of 15 seasons from 1923 to 1938, posting a 157β135 record with a 3.72
ERA in 396 pitching appearances and amassing 204
complete games and 22
shutouts, while recording a .280
batting average and 404
hits, 114 of them in pinch-hitting duties, including three
home runs.
*July 10 β
Harl Maggert, 72, outfielder who appeared in 66 games for the 1938 Boston Bees; his
father
A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...
, also an outfielder, had a brief MLB career.
*July 14 β
Wally Holborow, 72, pitched in 21 MLB games for the 1944β1945 Washington Senators and 1948 Philadelphia Athletics.
*July 20 β
Bill Steinecke, 79, catcher who played four games for 1931 Pirates but whose long minor-league career as a player and manager spanned 1925 to 1964.

*July 25 β
Ted Lyons, 85, Hall of Fame and All-Star pitcher who spent his entire 21-year career with the Chicago White Sox, from 1923 through 1942, and again in 1946;
[Ted Lyons article]
''Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum website''. Retrieved on December 26, 2018. served in
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
in the
Pacific during
wartime; compiled a 260β230 record and 3.67
ERA in 594 games for a usually mediocre team, while leading the American League in
wins,
innings pitched,
complete games and
shutouts twice each;
[ went 22β15 with AL-leading totals of 29 complete games and innings for a 62β92 team in 1930; completed every one of his 20 starts in 1942, at the age of 41,][ going 14β6 and leading the league with a 2.10 ERA; threw a no-hitter in 1926 against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, which took just one hour and 45 minutes to complete; managed the White Sox from May 26, 1946, through 1948, posting a 185β245 record; then served as pitching coach of Detroit Tigers and Brooklyn Dodgers between 1949 and 1954.
*July 26 β Webb Schultz, 88, pitcher who played for the 1924 Chicago White Sox.
*July 27 β Bud Hafey, 73, outfielder who played for the Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies in a span of three seasons from 1935 to 1939.
*July 28 β Cliff Melton, 74, left-handed pitcher for the New York Giants over all or part of eight seasons spanning 1937β1944; went 20β9 (2.61) as rookie for pennant-winning Giants.
*July 28 β Joe Oeschger, 94, pitcher known for his durable arm while pitching for six different teams in 12 seasons from 1914 to 1925, who shares an MLB record for the most innings pitched while playing for the Boston Braves in 1920, locked in a pitching duel with Leon Cadore of the Brooklyn Dodgers during 26 innings in a 1β1 tie eventually called because of darkness, as both pitchers had gone the distance.
*July 28 β Carl Whitney, 72, outfielder who played for the New York Black Yankees and Newark Eagles of the Negro National League in 1942.
*July 30 β Mickey Heath, 82, first baseman who played from 1931 to 1932 for the Cincinnati Reds.
]
August
*August 9 β Clarence Maddern, 64, outfielder for the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians over part of three seasons spanning 1946β1951.
*August 11 β Tom Gorman, 67, who pitched for the New York Giants in 1939 and went on to serve as a National League umpire from 1951 to 1976, working in five World Series, five All-Star games, two NL Championship Series and nine no-hitters, before becoming a league supervisor.
*August 17 β Walt Lanfranconi, 69, pitcher who played with the Chicago Cubs in 1941 and for the Boston Braves in 1947.
*August 17 β Sammy Vick, 91, part-time right fielder who played for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox during five seasons between 1917 and 1921.
*August 22 β Lamb Barbee, 70, outfielder for the 1945 CincinnatiβIndianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League.
*August 22 β Charlie Eckert, 89, pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics in a span of three seasons from 1919 to 1922.
*August 23 β William Evans, 87, outfielder for seven Negro leagues clubs, including the Homestead Grays, between 1924 and 1937; great-great-uncle of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.
*August 24 β George Diehl, 68, pitcher for the Boston Braves in the 1942 and 1943 seasons.
September
*September 2 β Jim Wilson, 64, whose career spanned more than four decades as an MLB pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
, scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10β18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
** Scouts BSA, sect ...
and front-office executive; played for five teams in 12 seasons between 1945 and 1958, primarily with the Boston/Milwaukee Braves from 1951 to 1954; selected to the All-Star team three times (representing both leagues) and gained fame by pitching the first no-hitter game in Milwaukee MLB history in 1954; general manager of Milwaukee Brewers (1973β1974) and head of the MLB Scouting Bureau (1974β1985).
*September 4 β Hank Greenberg, 75, Hall of Fame and five-time All-Star first baseman and left fielder who won MVP awards at both positions;[ member of four Detroit Tigers World Series teams which won championships in 1935 and 1945; led the American League in home runs and runs batted in four times each, including career-highs with 58 HR in 1938 and 184 RBI in 1937;][ won the 1945 AL pennant on last day with a grand slam,][ ending his career with a slash line of .313/.412/.605 with 331 homers and 1,276 RBI in 1,134 games;][Hank Greenberg article]
''Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum website''. Retrieved on December 28, 2018. after finishing his playing career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1947, he became a front office executive, serving as farm system director (1948) and general manager (1949β1957) of Cleveland Indians and vice president/GM (1959β1961) of Chicago White Sox; held ownership stakes in Indians (1956β1957) and White Sox (1959β1961 and 1976β1980).
*September 11 β Otho Nitcholas, 77, pitcher who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in its 1945 season.
*September 12 β Jim Shilling, 72, middle infielder and third baseman who divided his playing time between the Cleveland Indians and the Philadelphia Phillies in 1939.
*September 14 β Gordon McLendon, 65, broadcaster and entrepreneur whose Liberty Radio Network carried his "Baseball Game of the Day" broadcastsβmost of them studio recreations and many announced by McLendon, as "The Old Scotchman", himselfβinto small cities and towns across the U.S. between 1949 and 1952.
*September 27 β Chuck Sheerin, 77, part-time infielder for the 1936 Philadelphia Phillies.
*September 29 β Artie Gore, 78, National League umpire from 1947 to 1956; worked in 1,464 contests over his ten NL seasons, plus two World Series and two All-Star games.
October
*October 3 β Vince DiMaggio, 74, oldest brother of Joe and Dom, two-time All-Star center fielder who played for the Boston Bees, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Giants in a span of ten seasons from 1935 to 1946, whose career highlights included batting 21 home runs and 100 runs batted in for the 1941 Pirates, four grand slams for the Phillies from 1945 to 1946, and collecting a home run, triple, single, a pair of runs and one RBI over three at-bats in the 1943 All-Star Game.
*October 3 β Heinie Mueller, 74, who played every infield position for the Philadelphia Phillies in part of four seasons from 1938 to 1941, being best known by hitting a leadoff home run in his first major league at bat.
*October 8 β Max Surkont, 64, pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, Boston/Milwaukee Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Giants over nine seasons from 1949 through 1957, who set a major league record with eight consecutive strikeouts while pitching for the Braves in 1953, as the record stood until 1970, when future Hall of Famer Tom Seaver struck out ten in a row.
*October 9 β Jo-Jo White, 77, starting center fielder for the Detroit Tigers teams that won the American League pennant in 1934 and the 1935 World Series, who also played for the Philadelphia Athletics and Cincinnati Reds and later coached for five teams from 1959 through 1969, including a brief stint as a manager with Cleveland Indians in August 1960; father of Mike White.
*October 10 β Russ Van Atta, 80, pitcher for the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Browns over a seven-season career from 1933 to 1939, who made history in his debut pitching a four-hit shutout against the Washington Senators, 16β0, while recording four hits in four at-bats, becoming the only American League pitcher ever to get four hits in his major league debut, as well as one of only seven players in AL history to do so in a debut game, being the last the Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett, who registered four singles in his first MLB appearance with the Minnesota Twins in 1984.
*October 12 β Norm Cash, 51, first baseman who appeared in just 71 games with the Chicago White White Sox from 1958 to 1959 before becoming a fixture of the Detroit Tigers for the next 15 years, winning the American League batting title with a .361 average in 1961 and gaining a World Series ring in 1968, being selected to five All-Star Games, collecting 40 home runs and 132 RBI in 1961, 30 or more homers four more times and at least 20 in six seasons, as he holds Tigers career defensive records at first base in games (1,912), putouts (14,926), assists (1,303), double plays (1,328) and fielding average (.992), while his 373 home runs with the Tigers rank second in franchise history behind Al Kaline (399).
*October 15 β Larry Kopf, 95, shortstop who played with four different teams in a span of ten seasons from 1913 to 1923, as well as a member of the 1919 World Series Champions Reds, whose greatest single feat came at Weeghman Park in 1917, when he broke up the famous double no-hit game pitched by Hippo Vaughn of the Chicago Cubs and Fred Toney of the Reds, as Kopf hit a one-out single in the 10th inning, advanced to second base on an error
An error (from the Latin , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. βerror (n.), Etymology,β September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement.
In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...
by center fielder Cy Williams, and later scored on an infield hit by legendary Jim Thorpe
James Francis Thorpe (; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete who won Olympic gold medals and played professional American football, football, baseball, and basketball. A citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was ...
, being able to beat the throw to home plate and score the game's only run, while Toney completed his no-hitter in the bottom of the inning for a 1β0 Reds victory.
*October 19 β George Pipgras, 86, American League starting pitcher, umpire and scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10β18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
** Scouts BSA, sect ...
, who played for the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox over 11 seasons spanning 1923β1935, leading the American League with 24 wins, 38 starts and innings in 1928, also winning four World Series rings with the Yankees between 1923 and 1932, while umpiring from 1939 to 1945, including officiating in the 1944 World Series as well as the 1940 All-Star Game, finishing his baseball career supervising umpires from 1946 to 1949 and working as a scout for the Red Sox.
*October 23 β Paul Gehrman, 74, pitcher for the 1937 Cincinnati Reds.
*October 26 β Ed Holley, 87, pitcher who played with the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates over part of four seasons spanning 1928β1934.
November
*November 3 β John Middleton, 86, pitcher for the Cleveland Indians in its 1922 season.
*November 10 β Doc Sykes, 94, pitcher in the Negro leagues and Black baseball between 1914 and 1924; became a dentist and practiced in Alabama and Maryland after his playing career.
*November 12 β Rocky Stone, 68, pitcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds in 1943.
*November 12 β Joe Strong, 84, pitcher/outfielder and graduate of Wilberforce University who appeared for eight Negro leagues teams between 1922 and 1937; twice led his circuit's pitchers in earned run average, and batted .268 lifetime.
*November 13 β Dixie Upright, 60, slugging minor league first baseman who made nine appearances as a pinch-hitter by the St. Louis Browns in 1953, going 2-for-8 with a home run, one RBI and three runs scored.
*November 13 β Les Webber, 71. pitcher who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Cleveland Indians in part of six seasons spanning 1942β1948.
*November 30 β Roy Bruner, 69, one of many ballplayers who interrupted their careers to serve during wartime, pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1939 through 1941 before becoming a bomber pilot with the rank of lieutenant, flying in 50 missions in Europe while being shut down on at least one occasion.Roy Bruner biography
''Baseball in Wartime''. Retrieved on December 30, 2018.
December
*December 3 β Bob Moorhead, 48, original New York Met and the second pitcher in franchise history, relieving starter Roger Craig in the fourth inning on Opening Day, April 11, 1962; appeared in 38 games for the hapless 1962 Mets and nine more for the 1965 edition.
*December 5 β George Abrams, 87, pitcher who made three relief appearances for the Cincinnati Reds in its 1923 season.
*December 7 β John Bogart, 86, pitcher who played with the Detroit Tigers in 1920.
*December 8 β Pip Koehler, 84, part-time outfielder for the 1925 New York Giants.
*December 10 β Si Burick, 77, sportswriter for the '' Dayton Daily News'' for 58 years, who covered the Cincinnati Reds and became the first writer from a non-major league city to be honored by the Hall of Fame with the J. G. Taylor Spink Award.
*December 12 β Johnny Wyrostek, 67, two-time All-Star outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds over 11 seasons between 1942 and 1954.
*December 16 β Jake Caulfield, 69, backup shortstop for the 1946 Philadelphia Athletics.
*December 18 β Bill Shanner, 92, pitcher who made one appearance for the Philadelphia Athletics in its 1920 season.
*December 19 β Al Stokes, 86, catcher who played from 1925 to 1926 for the Boston Red Sox.
*December 20 β Joe DeSa, 27, Puerto Rican first baseman who played with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1980 and for the Chicago White Sox in 1985.
*December 23 β Dan Wilson, 71, five-time All-Star as an outfielder for five Negro leagues clubs between 1936 and 1947; brother of Emmett Wilson.
*December 27 β Jack Wallaesa, 67 part-time shortstop for the Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White Sox in a span of five seasons from 1940 to 1948.
*December 28 β Harry Else, 80, catcher for the Memphis Red Sox, Kansas City Monarchs and Chicago American Giants of the Negro leagues between 1932 and 1940.
*December 31 β Provine Bradley, 79, pitcher/second baseman/outfielder for the Cincinnati Tigers and Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League in 1937β1938.
References
External links
Major League Baseball official website
Minor League Baseball official website
Baseball Almanac β Major League Baseball Players Who Died in 1986
{{DEFAULTSORT:1986 In Baseball