The bizarre, bitter and ongoing feud between George Steinbrenner and his All-Star (and future Hall-of-Fame) outfielder Dave Winfield flares again when Winfield's foundation, to which the New York Yankees' owner is contractually bound to contribute, sues Steinbrenner in U.S. District Court for failure to make $450,000 in payments since September 1, 1987. The suit is the third that Winfield's foundation has filed since against Steinbrenner, who reveals that he has initiated a private investigation of the organization's practices.[2] The owner will also file a countersuit against Winfield on January 9.
The Texas Rangers re-sign relief pitcher Cecilio Guante, 28, and veteran catcher Jim Sundberg, 37, both of whom had been granted free agency on November 4, 1988.
January 10 – The New York Yankees trade veteran starting pitcher Rick Rhoden to the Astros for outfielder John Fishel and minor league pitchers Pedro DeLeón and Mike Hook. Rhoden, 35, made 30 starts and won 12 games for the 1988 Yankees.
January 13 – The Detroit Tigers bring back 38-year-old right-hander Doyle Alexander, who won 14 games for them last season. Alexander had been granted "new look" free agency last October 24 by an arbitrator in the "Collusion II" grievance settlement.
January 17 – The California Angels sign former Yankees' outfielder Claudell Washington, 34, also granted "new look" free agency on October 24, 1988, in the Collusion II finding. The Angels' three-year, $2.63 million offer doubles Washington's annual pay.
January 18 – Outgoing U.S. President Ronald Reagan pardons Yankees owner George Steinbrenner relating to his conviction for illegally contributing to the campaign of Richard Nixon in 1972.
January 27 – The Philadelphia Phillies purchase the contract of shortstop Dickie Thon, 30, from the San Diego Padres. Former NL All-Star Thon has battled back from a beaning that compromised his vision to have a productive big-league career. He had filed for arbitration earlier this month, forcing the Padres to trade him.
February 20 – Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose is called to New York City from the club's Floridaspring training camp by Commissioner of BaseballPeter Ueberroth and NL president Giamatti for "questioning." Although the details of the meeting are meant to be secret, it proves to be the start of an investigation into Rose's gambling habits and allegations that he is betting on baseball.[4][5]
The Yankees' Byzantine front office gains another strong personality and opinionated voice when owner George Steinbrenner—known for making most baseball decisions on his own—hires recently fired Pittsburgh Piratesgeneral managerSyd Thrift as vice president, baseball operations, to work under, over or alongside incumbent GM Bob Quinn. Thrift, 60, rebuilt the Pirates' roster between and , but was sacked by the Bucs' board of directors for his brazen management style last October. He'll last only five months with the Bombers before he resigns, August 29.
The Yankees remain on the back page of New York's tabloids when star right-fielder Dave Winfield, publicly battling with Steinbrenner, undergoes successful surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back. Winfield, 37, will be sidelined for the entire 1989 season.
March 27 – DH Steve "Bye Bye" Balboni is reacquired by the New York Yankees from the Seattle Mariners for minor-league hurler Dana Ridenour. The free-swinging Balboni, 32, has averaged 28 homers and 76 runs batted in over the past five seasons, primarily for the Kansas City Royals, since the Yanks traded him on December 8, 1983.
Dave Stieb of the Toronto Blue Jays fires the third one-hitter in his last four starts—a first in major-league history[9]—allowing only a third-inning single to Jamie Quirk in an 8–0 blanking of the New York Yankees in The Bronx. Stieb had tossed one-hitters in his final two outings of , with both those potential no-hitters spoiled with two out in the ninth inning.
At Jack Murphy Stadium, Bruce Hurst of the San Diego Padres permits only one hit in his second National League start, with Lonnie Smith's third-inning, two-run homer the only knock recorded by the Atlanta Braves in Hurst's 5–2 complete-game victory.[10] Hurst and Stieb's one-hit efforts today will be followed by nine similar outings by MLB hurlers this season; there will be no no-hit games in the majors this year.[11]
April 18 – Tommy Gregg of the Atlanta Braves becomes the first of 17 MLB players to collect five hits in a game this season,[11] in a 5–4 victory over the visiting Houston Astros.
Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola and the Minnesota Twins seemingly end their contentious contract negotiations when the 24-game-winner signs a three-year extension worth $7.9 million. But he drops his third straight decision of 1989, losing a 3–2 heartbreaker when he surrenders a two-run, ninth-inning homer to the Detroit Tigers' Matt Nokes.
April 21 – The Seattle Mariners trade former starting shortstop Rey Quiñones and relief pitcher Bill Wilkinson to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitchers Mike Dunne and Mike Walker and outfielder Mark Merchant. Quiñones, once a top prospect,[12] will drop out of professional baseball completely after this season at age 25. Dunne, 26, runner-up in 's NL Rookie of the Year balloting, is struggling to regain his effectiveness on the mound.
April 29 – In the first Saturday night game at Wrigley Field, the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs combine to make 11 errors: six by the Padres, five by the Cubs. San Diego wins 5–4.
May 11 – The Houston Astros release catcher Alan Ashby, 37, who has appeared in 965 games for the team since and was its longest-tenured player.
May 14 – Expected to contend for the AL East crown but saddled with a 12–24 record, second-worst in the league, the Toronto Blue Jays fire fourth-year manager Jimy Williams and name batting coach Cito Gaston, 45, interim skipper.[15] Given permanent status on May 31, Gaston will lead a Toronto turnaround—a 77–49 record that will deliver the Jays the second division title in their 13-year history.
May 16 – The New York Yankees release veteran utilitymanJamie Quirk. The 34-year-old will sign with the Oakland Athletics on May 27, spend two months on their roster, then draw another unconditional release July 24 before finishing the 1989 campaign as a member of the Baltimore Orioles.
At the urging of the Detroit Tigers' team physician, future Hall-of-Fame manager Sparky Anderson takes a leave of absence for exhaustion and returns to his Thousand Oaks, California, home to rest. The 1989 Tigers have lost 24 of their first 37 games, although they're only five games behind in the AL East, where all seven teams have losing records. Coach Dick Tracewski takes the reins until Anderson, 55, rejoins the club on June 4.[16]
The Tigers release third baseman Chris Brown. The 27-year-old Brown was a 1986 National League All-Star but off-season shoulder surgery has since curtailed his productivity. Although the Pittsburgh Pirates will sign him to a free-agent contract in June, they do not call him up from Triple-A, and Brown's MLB career is over.
May 20 – The Minnesota Twins score late and often, piling up 19 runs (tied for tops in an American League or MLB game this season), 15 of them in the final four innings, and defeating the host Texas Rangers, 19–3. Randy Bush's two home runs and eight RBI power the Twins' onslaught.[13][17]
May 22 – The Baltimore Orioles, who lost 107 games in 1988, defeat the Chicago White Sox, 5–1, to improve this season's record to 19–21. But the victory kicks off a 23–7 hot streak over the next month, and by June 22, the Orioles, now 41–28, will lead the AL East by seven full games.
May 29 – Future Hall-of-Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies tearfully announces his retirement, effective immediately, after 2,404 games played, 548 home runs, three MVP Awards, ten Gold Gloves, and a World Series ring and MVP award. Despite his retirement, fans will vote him to the NL All-Star team—his 12th such selection—and he'll be permitted to appear in uniform at July's Midsummer Classic.
May 30 – The New York Yankees release 46-year-old pitcher Tommy John, bringing an end to an MLB career that started in 1963. John retires with 288 victories, winning 164 of them after coming back from ground-breaking 1974 elbow surgery that now bears his name.
June 3–4 – The longest continuously played night game in MLB history ends in the Astrodome at 2:50 a.m. after seven hours, 14 minutes, and 212⁄3 innings with third baseman Jeff Hamilton on the mound, hurler Fernando Valenzuela playing first base, and a game-winning hit from Rafael Ramírez, as the Houston Astros defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5–4. Sixteen pitchers are used, nine by the Dodgers, who waste a scoreless, seven-inning relief stint from Orel Hershiser.[13][19][20]
Just eight days after leaving Exhibition Stadium, the Toronto Blue Jays open their new home: "SkyDome" (now known as Rogers Centre), the first stadium in major league history with a functioning retractable roof. As he did in the final game at his old ballpark, Toronto slugger George Bell hits a home run. The Blue Jays, however, fall 5–3 to the Milwaukee Brewers before 48,378 fans.[21]
June 8:
At Veterans Stadium, the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates score ten runs in the top of the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies, three of them on a Barry Bonds home run. As Philadelphia comes to bat in the bottom of the first, Pirates broadcaster Jim Rooker says on the air, "If we lose this game, I'll walk home." Then, two home runs each from the Phils' Von Hayes and Steve Jeltz trigger a comeback; the light-hitting Jeltz, who will homer only five times in his 727-game MLB career, becomes the first Phillie to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game. The Phils finally tie the game in the eighth on a wild pitch, then take the lead on Darren Daulton's two-run single and go on to win 15–11;[22] they become the first team to win a game after allowing ten runs in the first inning. Beginning October 5, Rooker will lead a 23-day, 320-mile charity walk from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.[23]
July 1 – Days after he's released by the New York Yankees, free-agent pitcher Richard Dotson signs with the Chicago White Sox, returning to the team he played for before joining the Bombers.
There are three races among MLB's four divisions at the season's half-way point. Three of the NL East's six teams are within 3½ games of first-place Montreal (46–37); in the NL West, the San Francisco Giants (48–34) lead by 1½ over the Houston Astros (47–36). In the American League, the defending league champion Oakland Athletics (50–33) are being challenged by the California Angels (48–32), who are just a half-game behind in the West; in the East, the surprising Baltimore Orioles (46–34) remain the only above-.500 outfit and enjoy a 6½-length cushion.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder Paul O'Neill kicks a ball to the infield to prevent Steve Jeltz of the Philadelphia Phillies from scoring the game winning run. Moments later Jeltz scores the winning run on a wild pitch as the Phillies defeat the Reds 3–2.
July 11 – Bo Jackson's elite power and speed gives the American League a 5–3 victory over the National League in the All-Star Game at Anaheim Stadium. In the bottom of the first, lead-off man Jackson bashes a 448 ft (137 m), tape-measure home run to center field off Rick Reuschel. Then, in the second, the Kansas City Royals' star beats out a double-play grounder to enable the AL to take the lead, 3–2, then swipes second base. His performance earns Jackson MVP honors.[26]
July 13:
A game between the Montreal Expos and Los Angeles Dodgers at Olympic Stadium is rained out because the roof, ripped by 62 mile per hour winds on June 27, cannot be lowered from its retracted position. Zambonis are used in an attempt to remove the water.
After missing just over half the season with a broken wrist, Jose Canseco returns to the Oakland Athletics' lineup; he homers and drives in three runs in an 11–7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
July 16 – When he takes his lineup card to home plate before a game against the Baltimore Orioles, California Angels manager Doug Rader is ejected by burly umpire Ken Kaiser for continuing his argument from the night before that Mike Devereaux's disputed game-ending home run was a foul ball.
July 18:
Donnie Moore, the Angels' former All-Starcloser, shoots and critically wounds his wife, then turns his gun on himself and ends his own life at the family home near Anaheim. Mrs. Moore survives and the couple's three children, who witness the shootings, are not injured.[27] Moore, 35, had been released by the Triple-AOmaha Royals on June 12, seemingly ending his baseball career. Moore's widow, while citing over a decade of physical violence she suffered from Moore, will later blame fan abuse stemming from his role in the Angels' losing the 1986 American League Championship Series for his actions;[28] others cite Moore's financial and legal woes, and his battles with depression and substance abuse, as contributing factors.[29][30]
In two separate transactions, the Toronto Blue Jays, still below .500 at 51–53 and four games behind Baltimore in the AL East, obtain outfielders Mookie Wilson and Lee Mazzilli from the Mets. Wilson, who will patrol right field for Toronto during the pennant stretch, costs the Blue Jays pitchers Jeff Musselman and Mike Brady; Mazzilli, who will DH for the Jays, is claimed off waivers.
August
August 3 – The Cincinnati Reds score 14 first inning runs in an 18–2 rout of the Houston Astros, just missing the major league record of 15, which ironically was set against the Reds by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1952.
August 4 – Dave Stieb, pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays, loses a perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning when Roberto Kelly doubles, and later scores. Stieb wins a 2–1 two-hitter, but it is the third no-hitter that he has lost in the ninth inning in the past 11 months.
August 10:
A little over 10 months removed from surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his pitching arm, Dave Dravecky of the San Francisco Giants starts and beats the Cincinnati Reds 4–3, pitching eight innings.
For the fifth time in his career, five-time no-hit pitcher Nolan Ryan has a no-hitter broken up in the ninth. His Texas Rangers leading the Detroit Tigers 4–0 at Arlington Stadium, Ryan has the bid broken up by a Dave Bergman single with one out. After Matt Nokes doubles home Bergman, Ryan is relieved by Jeff Russell, who retires the two batters he faces, striking out Doug Strange for the final out. Ryan had four other no-hit bids broken up in the ninth in , , , as well as April 23 of this season; coincidentally, all four had also been broken up with one out in the ninth. Ryan will go on to pitch two more no-hitters, in and .
August 15 – After his miraculous comeback game against the Reds, Dave Dravecky starts against the Montreal Expos and, in the sixth inning, the humerus bone in his pitching arm snaps, ending his season. While celebrating the Giants' clinching the NL West division title, Dravecky would break the arm once again. Doctors would later discover that the cancer in his arm had returned. Eighteen days later, Dravecky would retire from baseball.
August 23 – The Los Angeles Dodgers edge the Montreal Expos 1–0 in 22 innings, the longest game in Expos franchise history. During the game, Expos mascot Youppi! is ejected by umpireBob Davidson after manager Tommy Lasorda complains that the furry creature is pounding on the top of the dugout. Rick Dempsey hit a solo home run off of Dennis Martínez for the game's winning and only run.
August 24 – Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti announces in a press conference that Pete Rose is banned from baseball for life, in the wake of evidence that has come to light regarding Rose's alleged gambling history.
September
September 1 – The sudden death of CommissionerA. Bartlett Giamatti—exactly five months into the job—stuns baseball. Giamatti, 51, a heavy smoker, succumbs to a heart attack at his vacation home on Martha's Vineyard.[32] Twelve days from now, his top aide, Francis "Fay" Vincent, also 51, will be officially named Giamatti's successor.[33]
September 12 – The slumping Cleveland Indians, losers of 11 of their last 35 games, fire manager Doc Edwards. Special assignment scout John Hart, 41, the future front-office executive, takes the team's reins for the remainder of the regular season. Cleveland is 66–78, sixth in the AL East.
September 14 – Jeff Reardon of the Minnesota Twins earns his 30th save of the season in a 2–0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. He becomes the first pitcher to save 30 games in five consecutive seasons.
October 3 – Kirby Puckett wins an unlikely, at the time, batting title taking advantage of an off year by Wade Boggs due to marital issues. Puckett would clinch the title in Seattle on a double in the final game of the season.
October 9 – After 43 years on the air, NBC concludes its run (coinciding with the San Francisco Giants defeating the Chicago Cubs in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series to insure their first trip to the World Series since 1962) as the number one over-the-air network television broadcaster for Major League Baseball games.
October 17 – Game 3 of the World Series is postponed due to the Loma Prieta earthquake, which struck immediately before the game was set to begin. It would be rescheduled for ten days later, October 27.
October 28 – The Oakland Athletics complete a four-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants in the 1989 World Series. It's the first WS sweep since 1976. Oakland pitcher Dave Stewart, who won two games, is named MVP. It is also the latest in the calendar year that a World Series game has ever been played up to this point. This was also ABC's final Major League Baseball telecast until July 1994, when The Baseball Network was launched. ABC, who had broadcast Major League Baseball games since 1976 was like NBC was about to lose the television rights to CBS.
The Cincinnati Reds appoint fiery Lou Piniella their manager for , replacing interim skipper Tommy Helms. Lifelong American Leaguer Piniella, 46, skippered the New York Yankees to a 224–193 (.537) record over two terms between and , working during that time with new Cincinnati general managerBob Quinn. He had spent 1989 as a broadcaster and special advisor for the Yankees.[37]
The other MLB franchise in Ohio, the Cleveland Indians, select veteran pilot John McNamara as its 1990 skipper, succeeding interim boss John Hart. For McNamara, 57, Cleveland is the sixth stop in a big-league managerial career that began in . He last helmed the Boston Red Sox to a 297–273 (.521) mark from through July 10, 1988—winning the 1986 AL pennant.[37]
Tomorrow, Chicago Cubs center fielder Jerome Walton (22 of 24 first-place votes and 116 points) and left fielder Dwight Smith (two of 24, 68) finish one–two in National League "ROTY" voting.[36] They're the first teammates to top the rookie voting together since Jack Sanford and Ed Bouchee in .[38]
November 15 – Bret Saberhagen of the Kansas City Royals wins his second career AL Cy Young Award, capturing 27 of a possible 28 first-place votes. Saberhagen, 25, led the AL in victories (23), earned run average (2.16) and innings pitched (2621⁄3).[36]
November 20 – Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Robin Yount wins his second American League MVP Award. With his award coming during his career as a shortstop, Yount becomes the second player (after Hank Greenberg) to win two MVP awards while playing different positions. This year, Yount (eight of 28 first place votes, 256 points) edges runners-up Rubén Sierra (six, 228), Cal Ripken Jr. (six, 216) and incumbent AL MVP George Bell (four, 205).[36]
November 22 – Free agent outfielder Kirby Puckett re-signs with the Minnesota Twins for $9 million over three years, making him the first MLB player to sign a contract for an average salary of $3 million per year.[39]
December 25 – Five-time New York Yankees manager and former second baseman Billy Martin is killed in a pickup truck accident near his home in upstate New York. Martin was 61.
January 9 – Bill Terry, 90, Hall of Fame first baseman for the New York Giants from 1923 to 1936 and a .341 career hitter, who was the last National League player to hit .400 (.401 in 1930); succeeded legendary John McGraw as manager on June 4, 1932, and led Giants to 1933 World Series title, NL pennants in 1936 and 1937, and an 822–661 (.554) overall record through 1941.
January 12 – Clise Dudley, 85, pitcher who posted a 17–33 record for the Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Chicago National League teams from 1929 to 1933.
January 13:
Pat Ankenman, 76, backup second baseman who played for the 1936 St. Louis Cardinals and the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943 and 1944.
Ray Morehart, 89, backup infielder for the Chicago White Sox in 1924 and 1926, also a member of the "Murderers' Row" 1927 New York Yankees.
January 16 – Frank Trechock, 73, shortstop for the 1937 Washington Senators; in lone MLB game on September 19, he went two-for-four (.500).
January 18:
Buster Clarkson, 72, batted .308 in major-league career that included five seasons in the Negro leagues (1938–1940, 1942, 1945) and 14 games as a utility infielder for the 1952 Boston Braves.
Jim Odom, 67, American League umpire, 1965 to 1974; also worked the 1968 MLB All-Star Game and the 1971 World Series.
January 21 – Carl Furillo, 66, All-Star right fielder who played from 1946 through 1960 for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, who hit over .300 five times and over .290 five other times, winning the National League batting crown in 1953, and owner of a strong arm in the outfield that earned him the name The Reading Rifle.
January 22 – Willie Wells, 83, Negro leagues All-Star in a 22-season career between 1928 and 1948, as well as a flashy shortstop and forceful slugger, who also played four seasons in the Mexican League, won two Cuban League MVP Awards, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1997.
January 23 – George Case, 73, four-time All-Star outfielder for the Washington Senators (1937–1945, 1947) and Cleveland Indians (1946); led the American League in stolen bases six times (1939–1943, 1946), and in runs scored (1943); after playing career, head baseball coach of Rutgers University (1950–1960), coach for expansion Senators (1961–1963) and Minnesota Twins (1968), and minor league manager.
January 24 – Earl Jones, 69, relief pitcher for the 1946 St. Louis Browns.
January 28 – Stan Partenheimer, 66, pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox in 1945 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1946.
February
February 3 – Dick Bass, 82, pitcher for the 1939 Washington Senators.
February 10 – Dan Kelly, 52, Canadian sportscaster who, though known best as a legendary hockey announcer, spent five seasons (1980 to 1984) on the broadcast team of the St. Louis Cardinals.
February 12 – Euel Moore, 80, pitcher who played from 1934 through 1936 with the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Giants.
February 17 – Lefty Gómez, 80, Hall of Fame pitcher for the New York Yankees from 1930 to 1943, who had four 20-win seasons and a .649 career winning percentage, while leading the American League in strikeouts three times, in wins and ERA twice each, and also posted a 6–0 record with a 2.86 ERA in five World Series.
February 21 – Chet Ross, 70, backup outfielder who hit .241 with 34 home runs and 170 RBI in 413 games for the Boston Bees/Braves from 1939 to 1944.
February 24 – Sparky Adams, 94, middle infielder/third baseman and a .286 career hitter in 1,424 games, who played from 1922 to 1934 for the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds; led the National League second basemen in putouts and assists in the 1925 season.
March
March 3 – Bill Harvey, 80, southpaw pitcher, first baseman and outfielder who played between 1932 and 1946, chiefly for the Pittsburgh/Toledo Crawfords and Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro National League.
March 8 – Dale Coogan, 58, first baseman who played 53 games for the 1950 Pittsburgh Pirates.
March 13 – Tice James, 74, infielder for four Negro American League teams (1941–1942, 1946).
March 19 – Joe Malay, 83, backup first baseman for the New York Giants in the 1933 and 1935 seasons.
March 21 – Otis Douglas, 77, college and professional American football player who spent the 1961 and 1962 seasons in MLB as conditioning and morale coach for the Cincinnati Reds.
March 28
Nick Bremigan, 43, American League umpire since 1974 through the time of his death, who officiated in the 1980 World Series, four ALCS, and the All-Star games of 1979 and 1985.
William D. Cox, 79, New York businessman and briefly the owner of the Philadelphia Phillies from March 15 through November 23, 1943, when he was suspended for life by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis for betting on his own team.
April
April 6 – Carlos Bernier, 62, Puerto Rican outfielder who hit .213 in 105 games for the 1953 Pittsburgh Pirates.
April 8:
Andy Karl, 75, pitcher who posted an 18–23 record and a 3.51 ERA for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Braves from 1943 to 1946.
Bus Saidt, 68, sportswriter who covered the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and New York Yankees for the Trentonian and the Trenton Times for a long time, which made him a recipient of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award in 1992.
April 9 – Otto Huber, 75, backup infielder for the 1939 Boston Bees.
April 12 – Arnold Carter, 71, pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds from 1944 to 1945, one of many players who only appeared in the majors during World War II, who posted a 13–11 record with a 2.72 ERA in 46 games.
April 14 – Carr Smith, 88, backup outfielder for the Washington Senators from 1923 to 1924.
April 16 – Jocko Conlan, 89, outfielder (Chicago White Sox, 1934–1935) turned Hall-of-Fame umpire who worked in the National League from 1941 to 1964, including 3,621 NL games, five World Series, and six All-Star contests; began career as an arbiter in American League by working two July 1935 games while still an active White Sox player.
April 19 – Gale Staley, 89, backup second baseman who hit .429 in seven games for the 1925 Chicago Cubs.
April 23 – Howie Krist, 73, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals in 128 games over six seasons between 1937 and 1946; member of World Series championship teams in 1942 and 1946; fashioned a 37–11 career record for winning percentage of .771.
May
May 3 – Virgil Stallcup, 67, shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals from 1947 through 1953, who led all National League players at his position in fielding percentage during the 1950 and 1951 seasons.
May 5 – Joe Batchelder, 90, southpaw pitcher who got into 11 games for the Boston Braves between 1923 and 1925.
May 7 – Howie Moss, 69, backup outfielder/third baseman for the New York Giants, Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians in parts of two seasons spanning 1942–1946, also a prodigious slugger in the minor leagues, who is the only player in International League history to lead the circuit in home runs four times, including 53 in 1947, to set a single-season mark not reached since then.
May 13 – Al Reiss, 80, shortstop for the 1932 Philadelphia Athletics.
May 17 – Specs Toporcer, 90, middle infielder and third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1921 to 1928, who is regarded as the first position player to wear corrective eyeglasses in major league history; later a minor league manager and MLB farm system director.
May 20 – Mike Reinbach, 39, corner outfielder who hit .250 in 12 games for the 1974 Baltimore Orioles.
May 21 – Harry Cozart, 72, pitcher/outfielder in 11 games for Newark Eagles (Negro National League, 1939 and 1944).
June
June 6 – Whitey Glazner, 95, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies from 1920 to 1924, who led the National League with a .737 Win–loss % in the 1921 season.
June 8:
Bibb Falk, 90, sure-handed outfielder who hit a .314 average for the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians, and later coached Texas to two College World Series titles.
Glenn McQuillen, 74, reserve outfielder who hit .274 for the St. Louis Browns (1938, 1941–1942, 1946–1947), and later spent 10 years playing and managing in the minor leagues.
Emil Verban, 73, three-time All-Star second baseman for four National League teams from 1944 to 1950 and the batting hero of the 1944 World Series with a .412 average, leading the St. Louis Cardinals over the St. Louis Browns in the historic Trolley Series; played all or part of three years (1948–1950) with the Chicago Cubs, "lending" his name to the Emil Verban Memorial Society, a long-standing club for Cubs' fans who live in Washington, D.C.
June 10 – Joe Stripp, 86, fine defensive third baseman and a .294 hitter during 11 seasons with four National League teams from 1928 through 1938.
June 14 – Pat Capri, 70, second baseman and pinch runner in seven games for the 1944 Boston Braves; fanned in his only MLB at bat.
June 15 – Judy Johnson, 89, Negro leagues All-Star third baseman who eventually was able to apply his baseball knowledge in the majors, becoming the first African American to coach in Major League Baseball and one of the most accomplished talent scouts in baseball, being inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1975, as the sixth Negro leaguer honored that way.
June 18 – Steve Senteney, 33, relief pitcher for the 1982 Toronto Blue Jays.
June 23 – Rick Anderson, 35, relief pitcher for the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners from 1979 to 1980, who in 1979 was named International League Pitcher of the Year, after going 13–3 with a 1.63 ERA and a league-leading 21 saves.
July
July 13 – Vern Olsen, 71, pitcher who posted a 30–26 record and a 3.40 ERA in 112 games for the Chicago Cubs over five seasons spanning 1939–1946.
July 15 – Naomi Meier, 62, fine outfielder for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League who collected over 25 stolen bases in five of her eight seasons in the league.
July 18 – Donnie Moore, 35, All-Star relief pitcher for five teams between 1975 and 1988, most prominently with the California Angels, who is best remembered for giving up a pivotal home run in the 1986 ALCS. (See Events for this date, above.)
July 19 – Joe Greene, 77, three-time All-Star catcher in the Negro American League for the Kansas City Monarchs, for whom he played from 1939 to 1943 and in 1946–1947; U.S. Army combat veteran of World War II.
July 24 – Wally Kimmick, 92, backup infielder who hit .261 in 163 games with the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies from 1919 to 1926.
August
August 1 – Don Heffner, 78, who spent two decades in the majors between 1934 and 1968 as an infielder, coach and manager; notably, skipper of the Cincinnati Reds from Opening Day to July 10, 1966.
August 4 – Wayne LaMaster, 82, southpaw pitcher who won 19 games for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1937 to 1938; led National League in games lost (19) in 1937.
August 5 – Max Macon, 73, pitcher, first baseman and outfielder who posted a 17–18 record and hit .265 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves in parts of six seasons from 1938 to 1947.
August 8 – Bob Harris, 74, pitcher who won 30 games for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Browns and Philadelphia Athletics from 1938 to 1942.
August 10 – Tom Hughes, 82, backup outfielder who hit .373 in 17 games for the 1930 Detroit Tigers.
August 17 – Fred Frankhouse, 85, National League All-Star pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers from 1927 to 1939, collecting a 106–97 record and a 3.92 ERA, who outpitched New York Giants ace and future Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell in 1937, snapping Hubbell's historical 24-game winning streak.
August 21 – Ted Wilks, 73, relief pitcher who posted a 59–30 record with a 3.26 ERA and 46 saves for the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians from 1944 through 1953.
August 25 – Jim Brideweser, 62, backup shortstop who hit .252 in 329 games for the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers from 1951 through 1956.
August 27 – Hal Kelleher, 76, pitcher who posted a 4–9 record with the Philadelphia Phillies in part of four seasons from 1935 to 1938.
August 28 – Fred Waters, 62, relief pitcher who went 2–2 with a 2.89 ERA in 25 games for the 1955–1956 Pittsburgh Pirates; longtime minor-league manager.
August 29 – Buddy Dear, 83, second baseman and pinch-runner who appeared in two games for the 1927 Washington Senators.
August 30:
Buddy Burbage, 82, outfielder whose career in black baseball extended from 1929 to 1943; hit .438 for 1934 Newark Dodgers to capture Negro National League batting title.
Joe Collins, 66, first baseman for the New York Yankees from 1950 to 1957 and a member of five world champion teams, who hit four home runs and drove in 10 runs in 36 World Series games.
August 31 – Skeeter Newsome, 78, shortstop for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies in 12 seasons from 1935 to 1947; later became a successful minor league manager from 1949 through 1960, with a won–lost record of 806–645 and four championship titles.
September
September 1 – A. Bartlett Giamatti, 51, incumbent Commissioner of Baseball since April 1 whose five-month term (ended by a fatal heart attack) was known for the banishment of Pete Rose on gambling allegations; previously National League president from June 10, 1986 to March 31, 1989; former Yale University president and author of numerous writings on baseball.
September 3 – Rip Sewell, 82, four-time All-Star pitcher credited with inventing the eephus pitch, who posted a 143–97 record and a 3.48 ERA in 390 games for the 1932 Detroit Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1938 through 1949, while leading the National League pitchers with 21 wins in 1943 and a .833 winning percentage in 1948.
September 4 – Hal Lee, 84, outfielder for the Brooklyn Robins, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Braves from 1930 to 1936, who replaced Babe Ruth in Braves left field in what turned out to be Ruth's last game on May 30, .
September 17 – Leon Culberson, 71, outfielder for the Washington Senators and Boston Red Sox from 1943 to 1948, who led American League center fielders with 13 assists and six double plays in 1945, while collecting a .313 average in 1946 to help the Red Sox win its first American League pennant in 28 years.
September 21 – Murry Dickson, 73, All-Star pitcher who spent 18 major league seasons with six teams from 1939 to 1959; member of 1946 St. Louis Cardinals and 1958 New York Yankees World Series champions (as well as for last-place teams for most of his career); won 20 games for 1951 Pittsburgh Pirates and twice lost 20 games; overall, posted a 172–181 record and 3.66 ERA in 625 pitching appearances.
September 29 – August A. Busch Jr., 90, brewery magnate who owned St. Louis Cardinals from 1953 until his death; oversaw three World Series (1964, 1967, 1982) titles and credited with keeping the Redbirds from moving to Houston by purchasing them in 1953.
September 30 – Roy Weir, 78, pitcher who posted a 6–4 record for the Boston Bees/Braves from 1936 to 1939.
October
October 11 – Bill Phebus, 80, pitcher who posted a 3–2 record and a 3.31 ERA in 13 games for the Washington Senators from 1936 through 1938.
October 12 – Joe Foy, 46, third baseman for the Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, New York Mets and Washington Senators from 1966 to 1971, who also won the International League batting title, MVP award and Rookie of the Year during the 1965 season.
October 15 – Lou Guisto, 94, backup first baseman who hit .196 in 156 games for the Cleveland Indians in five seasons from 1916 to 1923.
October 17 – John Mackinson, 65, pitcher who played briefly for the 1953 Philadelphia Athletics and the 1955 St. Louis Cardinals.
October 24 – Ollie O'Mara, 98, shortstop/third baseman for the Detroit Tigers and the Brooklyn Robins in parts of six seasons spanning 1912–1919, and also a member of the Brooklyn National League champion team that faced the Boston Red Sox in the 1916 World Series.
October 30 – Willie Cornelius, 83, pitcher who hurled in black baseball between 1929 and 1946, chiefly for Chicago American Giants; in 1938, led Negro American League in wins (going 9–1), complete games (8) and saves (3).
November
November 1 – Elise Harney, 64, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League All-Star pitcher and one of the sixty founding members of the circuit in 1943.
November 2 – Steve Simpson, 41, relief pitcher who posted a 0–2 record in nine games for the 1972 San Diego Padres.
November 4 – Pancho Coimbre, 80, native of Puerto Rico and two-time Negro National League All-Star outfielder who batted .337 lifetime for the New York Cubans (1940–1941, 1943–1944).
November 7 – Tommy Tatum, 70, center fielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds in two seasons spanning 1941–1947, who served in World War II and later managed in the minor leagues.
November 8 – Johnny Lanning, 79, pitcher who posted a 58–60 record and a 3.58 ERA in 278 games for the Boston Bees/Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates in a span of 11 seasons from 1936 to 1947.
November 9 – Clemente Carreras, 75, Havana-born infielder for the 1940–1941 New York Cubans of the Negro National League; managed in the Mexican League for five seasons between 1962 and 1976.
November 15 – Rocky Ellis, 78, pitcher and occasional outfielder for the Philadelphia Stars (1934–1940) and Homestead Grays (1940) of the Negro National League.
November 17 – Jack Cusick, 61, shortstop for the Chicago Cubs and Boston Braves from 1951 through 1952.
November 20 – Dolan Nichols, 59, relief pitcher for the 1958 Chicago Cubs, who had one career save and surrendered only one home run in 41.0 innings.
November 26 – Lew Fonseca, 90, valuable and versatile fielder as well as a solid hitter, who played from 1921 through 1933 for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox, topping the .300 mark six times and winning the American League batting crown with a .369 average in 1929; manager of White Sox from 1932 to May 8, 1934; his long-term contribution to baseball was pioneering the use of film to analyze and promote the game.
November 27 – Ray Boggs, 84, relief pitcher who appeared in four games for the 1928 Boston Braves.
November 28 – "Barnacle Bill" Posedel, 83, pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves between 1938 and 1946 who posted a 41–43 mark; served in U.S. Navy before his baseball career and during World War II; later pitching coach for six big-league clubs between 1949 and 1974 who was instrumental in developing stellar Oakland Athletics' mound staff; coach for 1972 World Series champions.
December
December 4 – Steve Lembo, 63, backup catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1950 and 1952 seasons.
December 6 – Art Parks, 78, outfielder who hit .275 in 78 games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1937 and 1939 seasons.
December 17 – Zeb Eaton, 69, relief pitcher for the Detroit Tigers from 1944 to 1945, and also a member of the Tigers 1945 World Champions.
December 21 – Ralph Schwamb, 63, pitcher for the 1948 St. Louis Browns, who later became the first major league player to ever be convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
December 22 – Archie Campbell, 86, relief pitcher who posted a 2–6 record with a 4.50 ERA and six saves for three teams from 1928 to 1930, being also a member of the Yankees 1928 World Champions.
December 25 – Billy Martin, 61, All-Star second baseman for the New York Yankees and member of five world championship teams between 1950–1957, who appeared in 1,021 MLB games for seven teams in all through 1961; known for his tempestuous behavior off the field, he managed Yankees on five occasions between 1975 and 1988, leading the team to the 1976 AL pennant and the 1977 World Series title; also guided the 1969 Minnesota Twins, 1972 Detroit Tigers and 1981 Oakland Athletics to playoff appearances, and received four Manager of the Year awards.
December 26 – Roy Joiner, 83, pitcher for the Chicago Cubs from 1934 to 1935 and the New York Giants in 1940, who pitched another 15 minor league seasons and also served during World War II.