January 25 – In a waiver deal, the Cincinnati Reds trade stalwart southpaw Joe Nuxhall to Lane'sAthletics for right-handers John Briggs and John Tsitouris. Nuxhall first pitched for the Reds at age 15 on June 10, 1944, becoming the youngest man ever to play Major League Baseball. After eight years in the minors, he rejoined the Reds in 1952 and made two NLAll-Star teams (1955, 1956). He will return to Cincinnati in late July 1962 as an effective pitcher, then popular radio broadcaster, and member of the Reds' Hall of Fame.
February 7 – Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Jensen makes a return to the major leagues by signing a $40,000 contract. Jensen had retired in 1960 due to a fear of flying. Jensen will hit .263 with 13 home runs in 1961.
The Chicago Cubs play their first National League game of the experimental "College of Coaches" era and are defeated by the Cincinnati Reds, 7–1, at Crosley Field. Vedie Himsl serves as the Cubs' first-ever "head coach." Three other coaches will rotate as the Cubs' de facto manager in 1961—Himsl and El Tappe each will have three stints in the post—and the team will finish seventh in the eight-team Senior Circuit.
April 16 – Feisty Leo Durocher marks his return to baseball by getting the heave-ho from umpire Jocko Conlan in a wild argument over a foul ball call. During the dispute, Durocher kicks dirt on Conlan, who retaliates by kicking Durocher in the shin, who then kicks the umpire back—an act which earns Durocher a three-game suspension. It's his first ejection since joining the Los Angeles Dodgers as a coach on the staff of manager Walter Alston before the season. He had been out of uniform since quitting as skipper of the New York Giants in September 1955.
April 21 – The Minnesota Twins play their very first home game in franchise history, losing to the team that coincidentally replaced them in the nation's capital, the expansionWashington Senators, 5–3.
April 26 – Mickey Mantle blasts his sixth and seventh home runs of 1961—and Roger Maris hits his first—in the New York Yankees' ten-inning, 13–11 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Briggs Stadium. The torrid Mantle and slow-starting Maris will engage in a record-setting, but friendly, home-run-hitting duel all season.
April 27
The Los Angeles Angels drew a crowd of 11,931 for their home opener against the Minnesota Twins at Los Angeles' Wrigley Field. Ty Cobb, in his last appearance at a ball park, throws out the ceremonial first pitch. Minnesota starter Camilo Pascual spoils the opener by winning, 4–2, sending the Angels to their eighth loss in nine games.
April 30 – San Francisco slugger Willie Mays becomes the ninth player to hit four home runs in a single game as the Giants beat the Braves, 14–4, at Milwaukee during an eventful weekend series.
The New York Yankees trade away veteran relief pitcherRyne Duren to the Los Angeles Angels, along with another reliever, Johnny James, and rookie outfielder Lee Thomas, for pitcher Tex Clevenger and outfielder Bob Cerv. Duren, who will battle alcoholism throughout his playing career, is one of the most intimidating pitchers of the day, throwing a blazing fastball, wearing thick eyeglasses, and often emphasizing his unpredictable control by firing warmup pitches far over his catcher's head.
New York's expansion National League club announces that the team nickname will be "Mets," a natural shortening of the corporate name ("New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, Inc.")
May 31 – Boston Red Sox reserve outfielder Carroll Hardy pinch-hits for rookie Carl Yastrzemski. On September 20, 1960, Hardy pinch hit for Ted Williams, making him the only player to go in for both future Hall of Famers. Hardy also hit his first major league home run pinch-hitting for Roger Maris when both were at Cleveland (May 18, 1958).
June 1 – The Minnesota Twins make two transactions. They trade third baseman Reno Bertoia, pitcher Paul Giel and a "PTBNL" to the Kansas City Athletics for centerfielder Bill Tuttle. (Giel retires from baseball after one game pitched for Kansas City, and is returned to Minnesota on June 10 as the PTBNL in his own trade.) Then the Twins purchase the contract of second baseman Billy Martin from the Milwaukee Braves. Martin will immediately replace incumbent second-sacker Billy Gardner, and Tuttle becomes the Twins' regular third baseman in late June.
Hal Smith, 30, starting catcher of the St. Louis Cardinals and three-time All-Star, enters a St. Louis hospital complaining of chest and abdominal pain. When physicians diagnose a coronary artery condition, Smith is compelled to immediately end his playing career. He remains in the game as a minor-league manager, MLB coach and scout, and is able to briefly return to the field for the Pittsburgh Pirates in July 1965 on an emergency basis to appear in four games and catch 12 innings.
Citing poor health, Bill Veeck sells his controlling interest in the Chicago White Sox to brothers Arthur and John Allyn. Fourteen years later, in 1975, he will repurchase the team to keep it from moving to Seattle.
Former All-Star catcher Sammy White, who retired to run his Boston bowling alley rather than be traded to the Cleveland Indians in March 1960, un-retires when the Milwaukee Braves acquire his contract from the Boston Red Sox. White will hit only .219 in 62 games as a backup receiver for the Braves and Philadelphia Phillies before he retires for good in October 1962.
Trailing the first-year expansion Washington Senators 12–5 going into the bottom of the ninth in the first game of a doubleheader at Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox score eight runs after two men are out to steal a 13–12 victory from Washington. Catcher Jim Pagliaroni delivers the big blow, a grand slam home run that ties the score at twelve. To add insult to injury, Boston sweeps the twin bill with a 13-inning, 6–5 triumph in the nightcap, with Pagliaroni hitting the game-winning solo shot.
June 20 – After releasing him as a player, the Pittsburgh Pirates appoint Gene Baker the player-manager of the Batavia Pirates of the New York-Penn League. The hiring is significant because Baker becomes the first African-American manager of a minor league team with a major league affiliate. Baker leads Batavia to a third-place finish, but they lose in the league finals to the Olean Red Sox.
June 25 – At Cleveland Stadium, a brawl breaks out during the fifth inning of a game between the Indians and Detroit Tigers. It's touched off when Cleveland's Jimmy Piersall charges the mound after being hit by a pitch from Jim Bunning of the Tigers, the future Hall of Famer and U.S. Senator. Piersall and two teammates, Johnny Temple and Bob Hale, along with Detroit's Hank Aguirre, are ejected for fighting. Although spiked by Piersall during the melee, Bunning stays in the game and claims a 6–3 victory.
The traditional midpoint of the MLB season sees the 49–29 Cincinnati Reds in the National League's top spot, two games ahead of the 47–31 Los Angeles Dodgers. The Reds, who finished sixth in 1960, are seeking their first NL pennant in 21 years. In the American League, another surprising contender, the Detroit Tigers (50–28–1), hold a one-game edge over the New York Yankees (48–28–1). Perhaps of equal interest, the Yankees' slugging outfielders Roger Maris (31) and Mickey Mantle (28) are bidding to equal or surpass Babe Ruth's single-season home run record of 60 long balls.
July 5 – The tempestuous 2½-year reign of Solly Hemus as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals ends when he is replaced by third-base coach and former longtime minor-league skipper Johnny Keane. The fiery Hemus leaves with a 190–192 (.497) record, and 12 ejections. Keane will end up piloting the 1964 Cardinals to the club's seventh world championship.
July 11 – Strong winds at Candlestick Park dominate the first All-Star Game of the season. A capacity crowd sees pitcher Stu Miller blown off the mound in the ninth inning resulting in balk being called, and it enables the American League to forge a 3–3 tie before losing 5–4 in 10 innings.
July 17 – Commissioner Ford Frick decrees that Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in a 154-game schedule in 1927 "cannot be broken unless some batter hits 61 or more within his club's first 154 games." Two days later, Frick, an old friend of Ruth, announces that should Ruth's record be beaten after 154 games, the record will carry an asterisk. When asked about the ruling, Roger Maris replies, "A season is a season."
July 19 – All-time hits and batting average king Ty Cobb is laid to rest in Royston, Georgia, two days after his death from cancer at 74. The funereal gathering of 150 includes only three baseball people, two of whom are fellow Hall of Famers Mickey Cochrane and Ray Schalk.
July 25 – In the first game of a doubleheader in The Bronx, Roger Maris belts two home runs, Mickey Mantle hits one, and Whitey Ford improves to 18–2, in the New York Yankees' 5–1 triumph over the Chicago White Sox. Maris and Mantle are now tied with 38 home runs in their chase for Babe Ruth's single-season record. Then, in the nightcap, Maris slugs two more homers (numbers 39 and 40) to retake the AL long-ball lead, in the Yanks' 12–0 rout. With the Detroit Tigers falling to the Los Angeles Angels, the Yanks leapfrog the Tigers to assume a half-game lead in the pennant race.
July 31 – At Fenway Park, the second All-Star Game of the year ends in a 1–1 tie as heavy rain halted play. It is the first tie in All-Star history.
August 6 – Mickey Mantle's 41st and 42nd homers of 1961 help his New York Yankees outlast the visiting Minnesota Twins 7–6 in 15 innings in the first game of a Sunday doubleheader. Mantle's 43rd blast of the season and two runs scored enable the Yanks to sweep by taking the nightcap, 3–2.
August 20 – The Philadelphia Phillies snap a modern-day record 23-game losing streak, defeating the Milwaukee Braves 7–4 in the second game of a doubleheader at Milwaukee County Stadium. Phillie pitcher John Buzhardt goes the distance for the victory; he had also been the winning pitcher in the Phillies' last victory prior to the start of the losing streak, on July 28 against the San Francisco Giants.
August 21 – The Baltimore Orioles purchase the contract of Charley Lau from the Milwaukee Braves.
August 22
Roger Maris becomes the first player to hit his 50th home run of the season in the month of August as the Yankees lose to the Los Angeles Angels 4–3. Angels' pitcher Ken McBride tees up the gopher ball in the sixth inning with one on.
Less than nine months into his tenure as owner of the Kansas City Athletics, Charles O. Finley fires his hand-picked general manager, Frank Lane. Finley names Pat Friday, a 36-year-old employee of his insurance firm, as Lane's successor; Friday has no baseball experience. Finley and Lane will fight each other in court for almost five years over Lane's severance pay. During his seven months as Kansas City's general manager, "Trader" Lane has lived up to his reputation, making 20 deals, not counting amateur free-agent signings.
August 27 – In their second crucial doubleheader in 11 days—this time at Crosley Field—the Cincinnati Reds again sweep the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6–5 and 8–3. Cincinnati's lead in the NL swells to 3½ games.
As a critical three-game series begins in New York, the Detroit Tigers sit 1½ games behind the first-place Yankees. After both clubs battle into the home half of the ninth of a scoreless tie, the Bombers string together three straight singles from Elston Howard, Yogi Berra and Bill Skowron and grab a 1–0 victory. The game starts two streaks: the Tigers lose eight games in a row, while the Yankees win 13 straight. The Yanks' lead balloons to 11½ games by September 12, and they clinch the American League pennant on the 20th.
September 2 – Milwaukee Braves manager Chuck Dressen (71–58, fourth in the eight-team NL) is fired and executive vice president Birdie Tebbetts, who managed Cincinnati between 1954 and 1958, becomes the new Braves' pilot.
Gaining revenge against their old team, Don Demeter smashes three home runs and Charley Smith hits one, to help their last-place Philadelphia Phillies out-slug the Los Angeles Dodgers, 19–10, at the Coliseum. The loss drops the Dodgers 4½ games behind the Cincinnati Reds. The losing pitcher, Sandy Koufax, is knocked out of the box in the second inning after allowing six earned runs and gaining only four outs.
The Chicago Cubs' "College of Coaches" experiment continues, as El Tappe takes over as rotating "head coach" for the third time in 1961. The head-coaching changeover is the Cubs' ninth of the regular season. Tappe's tenure lasts until the season ends and he compiles a 5–11 mark, capping off Chicago's 64–90, seventh-place campaign.
September 14 – At Busch Stadium, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs set a National League record by using 72 players in a double header. The Cardinals prevail with 37 players and sweep the twin bill, 8–7 in a regular nine-inning game and then 6–5 in 11 innings. St. Louis' Ken Boyer posts a 7-for-11 day, hitting for the cycle in the nitecap and completing it by belting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th.
September 22 – Harry Craft, one of four men to rotate as "head coach" during the Chicago Cubs' bizarre "College of Coaches" experiment in 1961, is named the first manager in the history of the Houston Colt .45s, who begin play in the National League the following season. Craft formerly managed the 1957–1959 Kansas City Athletics. He will pilot the Colt .45s from 1962 until September 18, 1964.
September 23 – In the New York Yankees' 8–3 triumph over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, two future Hall-of-Famers, Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle, reach personal bests, with Ford winning his 25th game and Mantle hitting his 54th home run of the 1961 campaign. It's Ford's first of two career 20+-win seasons, while the injury-plagued Mantle will hit no more four-baggers in 1961.
September 30 – The Cleveland Indians fire veteran manager Jimmy Dykes, 64, on the eve of the closing day of their 1961 season. The dismissal ends the colorful Dykes' managerial career, which began in 1934 with the Chicago White Sox and saw him helm six big-league clubs, five in the American League, over 21 seasons. He never won a pennant, and his teams compiled a 1,406–1,541 (.477) record. During the off-season, Mel McGaha, 35, is named Cleveland's skipper for 1962.
October 1 – Before a small home crowd at Yankee Stadium, Roger Maris smacks a 2–0 pitch into the right field stands for his 61st home run of the season—a record that will last until Mark McGwire breaks it in 1998. The historic homer, hit off rookie right-hander Tracy Stallard of the Boston Red Sox, is the Yankees' 240th, which sets a major league single-season record.
October 2 – After spending 1961 in forced "retirement" from the New York Yankees—although he says he has turned down "five or six" overtures to take the helm of a big-league team in the past 12 months—Casey Stengel, 71, returns to baseball as the first manager of the New York Mets, an expansion team poised to enter the National League in 1962. "The Ol' Perfessor," who won ten pennants and seven World Series titles over his 12-year tenure (1949–1960) with the Yankees, becomes the only man to have played for or managed all four 20th century New York-based MLB franchises, and will be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966.
October 9 – In the decisive Game 5 of the World Series, Johnny Blanchard and Héctor López spark a five-run first inning and 13–5 win for the New York Yankees over the Cincinnati Reds and a four-games-to-one Series triumph. Blanchard and López hit home runs, and López drives in five runs. Bud Daley's long relief effort wraps up the Fall Classic, as Ralph Houk becomes the third rookie manager to guide a World Series winner. Whitey Ford is named the Series MVP.
The Philadelphia Phillies sell the contract of six-time 20-game-winner, seven-time NL All-Star and future Hall-of-FamerRobin Roberts to the New York Yankees. Roberts, 35, has gone 234–199 (3.46 ERA) in a 529 games as a Phillie, but was only 1–10 (5.85) in 1961.
The New York Mets purchase the contracts of three players. One of them is former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Billy Loes, ironically acquired from the San Francisco Giants. However, in February 1962, Loes tells the Mets he can no longer pitch because of a sore arm and he's returned to the Giants, who release him on March 2, 1962.
November 16 – The New York Mets logo, designed by sports cartoonistRay Gatto, is unveiled. The insignia, which is round with orange stitching, represents a baseball. A bridge in the foreground symbolizes that the Mets, in bringing back the National League to New York, represent all five boroughs. The skyline in the background includes a church spire, symbolic of Brooklyn, the Williamsburg Savings Bank, the Woolworth Building, the Empire State Building and the United Nations Building. The Mets' colors are Dodger blue and Giant orange, symbolic of the return of National League baseball to New York after the Dodgers and Giants moved to California.
November 22 – Frank Robinson becomes the first Cincinnati Reds player in 21 years to win the National League MVP Award, taking 219 of 224 possible votes.
November 26:
The Professional Baseball Rules Committee votes 8–1 against legalizing the spitball. Only American League supervisor of umpires Cal Hubbard votes in favor.
Lefthander Bo Belinsky is one of 19 players taken in the Rule 5 draft. Selected by the Los Angeles Angels from the Baltimore Orioles, Belinsky will make headlines in 1962—on the field by throwing a no-hitter and, off the field, with his freewheeling, bachelor lifestyle.
Chicago Cubs outfielder Billy Williams, who hit .278 with 25 home runs and 86 RBI, is selected as the National League Rookie of the Year. Catcher Joe Torre of the Milwaukee Braves (.278, 10, 42) and Cubs pitcher Jack Curtis (10 wins, 4.89 ERA) also receive consideration for the honor.
December 2 – MLB clubs vote to curb bonuses. All first-year players not on major-league rosters, except one minor leaguer, can be drafted by any other club for $8,000. Clubs are expected to be unwilling to pay large bonuses for players who will be subject to a draft for just $8,000.
December 8 – The fledgling New York Mets purchase the contract of future Hall-of-Fame centerfielder Richie Ashburn from the Chicago Cubs. In 1962, Ashburn, 35, will bat .306 in 135 games as a Met during his final MLB season.
January 5 – Fred Luderus, 75, Philadelphia Phillies first baseman of the 1910s, captain of the 1915 NL champions.
January 8 – Ray Nelson, 85, second baseman who played in 39 games for the 1921 New York Giants.
January 8 – Schoolboy Rowe, 50, three-time All-Star pitcher who won 158 games, mainly with the Detroit Tigers (1933–1942) and Philadelphia Phillies (1943 and 1946–1949); member of Detroit's 1935 World Series champions.
January 14 – John Cavanaugh, 60, third baseman who played in one game for the Philadelphia Phillies on July 5, 1919.
January 15 – Lefty Capers, 54, pitcher who worked in 15 games for Louisville of the Negro leagues in 1930 and 1931.
January 15 – Joe Price, 63, outfielder who appeared in one game for the New York Giants on September 5, 1928.
January 17 – Bud Tinning, 54, pitcher who appeared in 99 games for the 1932–1934 Chicago Cubs and 1935 St. Louis Cardinals; led National League in winning percentage in 1933 (.684).
January 18 – Gene Woodburn, 74, pitcher who worked in 31 contests for the 1911–1912 St. Louis Cardinals.
January 26 – George Hogreiver, 91, outfielder in 123 games for the 1896 Cincinnati Reds and the 1901 Milwaukee Brewers.
January 28 – Red Kelly, 76, outfielder for 1910 Chicago White Sox and Notre Dame graduate.
January 28 – Red Oldham, 67, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates who worked in 176 games over seven seasons between 1914 and 1926; member of 1925 World Series champion Pirates.
January 30 – Aaron Ward, 64, second baseman on the New York Yankees' first championship team in 1923; played in 1,059 games for the Yankees (1917–1926), Chicago White Sox (1927) and Cleveland Indians (1928).
January 31 – Guy Cantrell, 56, pitcher who worked in 38 career games over three seasons between 1925 and 1930 for the Brooklyn Robins, Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers.
February 2 – Lefty Atkinson, 56, outfielder who appeared in MLB as a pinch runner in one contest (and scored one run) for the 1927 Washington Senators.
February 2 – Red Holt, 66, first baseman in 25 games for the 1925 Philadelphia Athletics.
February 3 – Dana Fillingim, 67, pitcher who appeared in 200 MLB games between 1915 and 1925, 187 of them for the Boston Braves.
February 4 – Parke Carroll, 56, former newspaper sports editor who became a baseball executive; business manager of the Kansas City Athletics from 1955 to 1958, then general manager in 1959 and 1960.
February 4 – Jim Elam, 40, pitcher/first baseman for the 1943 Newark Eagles of the Negro National League.
February 8 – Bert Yeabsley, 67, minor-league outfielder who appeared in MLB in three games as a pinch hitter or pinch runner for the 1919 Philadelphia Phillies.
February 11 – Pete Shields, 69, first baseman who played 23 games for the Cleveland Indians in April and May 1915.
February 15 – Joe Bean, 86, shortstop who played 50 games for the 1902 New York Giants.
February 16 – Dazzy Vance, 69, Hall of Fame pitcher who led the National League in strikeouts seven years in a row, captured 197 MLB victories (190 for Brooklyn) and won the 1924 MVP award.
February 17 – Doc Johnston, 73, first baseman in 1,056 games over 11 seasons between 1909 and 1922 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Naps/Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Athletics.
February 19 – Art Loudell, 78, pitcher for 1910 Detroit Tigers.
February 19 – Epp Sell, 63, pitcher who appeared in 12 games for the 1922–1923 St. Louis Cardinals.
February 19 – Red Smith, 61, shortstop who played 20 games for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1925.
February 20 – Otto "Oom Paul" Krueger, 84, shortstop and third baseman in 507 games between 1899 and 1905 for Cleveland, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, all of the National League.
February 23 – Davey Crockett, 85, first baseman who played 28 games for the 1901 Detroit Tigers.
February 26 – Happy Smith, 77, outfielder and pinch hitter for the 1910 Brooklyn Superbas.
March 1 – Alex Malloy, 74, pitcher who went 0–6 (2.56) in seven games and six starts for the 1910 St. Louis Browns.
March 13 – Joe Berry, 88, catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies for one game in 1902; his son Joe Jr. played second base for the 1921–1922 New York Giants.
March 13 – Simon Pauxtis, 75, University of Pennsylvania graduate who appeared in four games as a catcher for the 1909 Cincinnati Reds; later, a college football coach (Dickinson College, Widener University).
March 13 – Speed Whatley, 46, outfielder for five Negro leagues clubs (notably the Homestead Grays) between 1937 and 1944; led Negro American League in slugging percentage (.692) as a rookie.
March 28 – Jack Coveney, 80, catcher who played four games for 1903 St. Louis Cardinals.
March 28 – Powel Crosley Jr., 74, industrialist, inventor and entrepreneur; owner of the Cincinnati Reds from 1934 until his death.
March 28 – Jim Hackett, 83, first baseman and pitcher who played in 105 games for the 1902–1903 St. Louis Cardinals.
March 30 – Alonzo Longware, 70, third baseman for the Indianapolis ABCs and Detroit Stars in 1920, the maiden season of the Negro National League.
April 8 – Fred Brickell, 54, outfielder who appeared in 501 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies between 1926 and 1933; father of Fritz Brickell.
April 9 – Lefty York, 68, pitcher who hurled in 68 games for the 1919 Philadelphia Athletics and 1921 Chicago Cubs.
April 10 – Jim Kelly, 77, outfielder for the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates (1914) and Boston Braves (1918), and Federal League's Pittsburgh Rebels (1915).
April 10 – Branch Rickey Jr., 47, vice president and farm system director of the Pirates since 1951; farm director and assistant general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939 to 1950; son of the Hall of Fame baseball executive.
April 15 – Nick Cullop, 73, pitcher for the Cleveland Naps, New York Yankees and St. Louis Browns, who also won 22 games for the 1915 Kansas City Packers in the outlaw Federal League.
April 15 – Jess Doyle, 63, pitcher in 55 big-league games between 1925 and 1931, all but one of them for the Detroit Tigers.
April 15 – Cy Falkenberg, 81, pitcher who won 130 games over a 12-season career in the American, National and Federal leagues between 1903 and 1917, including 23 for the 1913 Cleveland Naps.
April 21 – Lum Davenport, 60, Chicago White Sox southpaw who pitched in 25 games over all or part of four seasons from 1921 to 1924.
April 23 – Jack Barry, 73, shortstop of the Philadelphia Athletics' "$100,000 infield", coach since 1921 at Holy Cross, where he won the 1952 College World Series and posted the highest career winning percentage (.806) in collegiate history.
April 27 – Frank Gibson, 70, catcher and first baseman in 471 games for the 1913 Detroit Tigers and the 1921–1927 Boston Braves.
April 28 – Tommy Connolly, 90, Hall of Fame umpire from 1898 to 1931 who worked the first American League game ever, as well as the first contests at Comiskey Park, Shibe Park, Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium.
April 28 – Curtis Ricks, 68, pitcher/outfielder for the 1922 Cleveland Tate Stars and 1923 Chicago American Giants of the Negro National League.
May 1 – Jim Hanley, 75, left-handed pitcher who worked in one game for the 1913 New York Yankees.
May 4 – Frank Jude, 76, Native American (Ojibwe) outfielder and classmate of Jim Thorpe's at Carlisle Indian School who appeared in 80 games for the 1906 Cincinnati Reds.
May 8 – Weldon Wyckoff, 70, Philadelphia Athletics right-hander who pitched for the 1913 World Series champions, the 1914 American League champions, and the 1915 A's, who fell all the way into the AL basement with a 43–109 record; Wyckoff went 10–22 for that team; he also appeared briefly for 1916 Athletics and 1916–1918 Boston Red Sox.
May 11 – Lee Dunham, 58, first baseman and pinch hitter in five games for the 1926 Philadelphia Phillies.
May 11 – Jack Marshall, 68, pitcher and part-time first baseman who played in the Negro leagues from 1920 to 1924 and in 1928–1929.
May 13 – Al Humphrey, 75, outfielder in eight games for the 1911 Brooklyn Dodgers.
May 13 – Binky Jones, 61, shortstop who played in ten games for the 1924 Brooklyn Robins.
May 15 – John Taff, 70, pitcher who appeared in five games for the 1913 Philadelphia Athletics.
May 16 – Dick Harley, 86, pitcher who worked in nine games for Boston of the National League in 1905.
May 17 – Otto Knabe, 76, second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1907 to 1913; also played briefly for Pittsburgh and Chicago of the National League; player-manager for the Baltimore Terrapins of the "outlaw" Federal League.
May 17 – Barney Slaughter, 76, pitcher in eight games for the 1910 Phillies.
May 21 – Ben Koehler, 84, outfielder and native of Germany who appeared in 208 games for the 1905–1906 St. Louis Browns.
May 22 – Mike Regan, 73, pitcher who appeared in 55 games for the Cincinnati Reds between 1917 and 1919.
May 28 – Fred Smith, 69, infielder who played 438 career games as a member of the 1913 Boston Braves and 1917 St. Louis Cardinals, as well as for Buffalo and Brooklyn of the Federal League in 1914 and 1915.
June 4 – Iron Davis, 71, pitcher in 36 games for the New York Highlanders and Boston Braves between 1912 and 1915; threw a no-hit, no-run game against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 9, 1914, the first no-hitter at two-year-old Fenway Park, the Braves' occasional home field that season.
June 5 – Syd Smith, 77, catcher who appeared in 146 games between 1908 and 1915 for the Philadelphia Athletics, St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Naps and Pittsburgh Pirates.
June 10 – LaRue Kirby, 71, centerfielder who played three games with 1912 New York Giants and 113 games with St. Louis Terriers (Federal League).
June 11 – Frank Woodward, 67, pitcher in 42 games for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox between 1918 and 1923.
June 16 – Benny Bowcock, 81, second baseman for 1903 St. Louis Browns who appeared in 14 games and batted .320 in 50 at bats.
June 16 – Mack Hillis, 59, infielder who played 12 MLB games as a member of 1924 New York Yankees and 1928 Pittsburgh Pirates.
June 16 – Tullie McAdoo, 76, light-hitting first baseman who appeared in 253 games in the Negro National League, primarily for St. Louis, from 1920 to 1924.
June 16 – Chuck Miller, 71, outfielder and pinch hitter in 40 games for 1913–1914 St. Louis Cardinals.
June 17 – Ollie Johns, 81, left-hander who pitched in four games for the 1905 Cincinnati Reds.
June 18 – Eddie Gaedel, 36, 3 ft 7 in (1.09 m) player who, as part of a Bill Veeck stunt promotion, made one official MLB appearance as a pinch hitter for the St. Louis Browns on August 19, 1951.
June 21 – Al "Big Dutch" Bergman, 71, second baseman and Notre Dame alumnus who appeared in eight games for 1916 Cleveland Indians.
June 23 – Connie Day, 63, second baseman whose playing career in the Negro leagues extended over ten seasons between 1920 and 1932.
June 26 – Bill Collins, 79, outfielder for Boston, Brooklyn and Chicago of the National League and Buffalo of the Federal League in 1910–1911 and 1913–1914.
June 30 – Dizzy Dismukes, 71, pitcher in 86 games in Negro leagues over nine seasons between 1920 and 1932; played first base and the outfield in six more career contests and managed eight Negro leagues teams.
July 3 – Bill Finneran, 83, umpire in National League (1911–1912 and 1923) and Federal League (1915).
July 4 – Jake Hehl, 61, pitcher who appeared in one game at age 18 for the Brooklyn Robins on June 20, 1918.
July 16 – Mike Mitchell, 81, outfielder who played 1,124 games for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Senators between 1907 and 1914.
July 17 – Ty Cobb, 74, the Detroit Tigers' Hall of Fame center fielder (1905–1926) widely recognized during his lifetime as the greatest player in the sport's history, and holder of more records than any other player, including highest lifetime batting average (.367) and most career hits (4,191), runs (2,245), steals (892), games (3,033) and at bats (11,429); as player-manager of Tigers from 1921 to 1926, he compiled a 479–443 (.520) record, then finished his baseball career as a player only with Philadelphia Athletics (1927–1928).
July 17 – Ed Reulbach, 78, pitcher who starred for the Chicago Cubs from 1905 to 1913, winning 182 career games.
July 18 – Hod Eller, 67, pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds from 1917 to 1921, including a 1919 World Series game which saw him strike out six Chicago White Sox batters in a row.
July 25 – Carlton Molesworth, 85, pitcher in only four games for Washington of the National League in 1895 who went on to a long career as a minor-league manager and scout.
July 27 – Jack Little, 78, centerfielder and Baylor graduate who played in three games for 1912 New York Highlanders.
July 28 – John Grim, 93, 19th-century catcher who appeared in 708 games for Philadelphia, Louisville and Brooklyn of the National League and Rochester and Milwaukee of the American Association between 1888 and 1899 .
July 31 – Bud Weiser, 70, outfielder in 41 games for 1915–1916 Philadelphia Phillies.
August 2 – Harry Gardner, 74, pitcher in 14 games for the 1911–1912 Pittsburgh Pirates.
August 2 – Walter Morris, 81, shortstop in 23 games for the 1908 St. Louis Cardinals, later a longtime minor-league manager and executive who helped to organize 12 different leagues.
August 3 – Tom Downey, 77, infielder for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs (1909–1912), then the Buffalo Bisons of the Federal League (1914–1915).
August 4 – Chuck Rose, 75, outfielder, first baseman and southpaw pitcher who hurled in three games for the St. Louis Browns in 1909.
August 14 – Harry Colliflower, 92, pitcher and outfielder for the 1899 Cleveland Spiders who spent one year, 1910, as an American League umpire.
August 17 – Jack McCandless, 70, outfielder in 128 games for Baltimore of the Federal League in 1914 and 1915.
August 18 – John Leary, 70, first baseman and catcher in 219 games for the 1914–1915 St. Louis Browns.
August 29 – Bill Schwartz, 77, first baseman in 24 games for the 1904 Cleveland Naps.
September 9 – Jesse Barnes, 69, pitcher who won 152 games for the Boston Braves, New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers between 1915 and 1927, including a no-hitter on May 7, 1922, against the Philadelphia Phillies.
September 9 – Rube Oldring, 77, outfielder who played mainly for the Philadelphia Athletics, including four pennant winners (1910, 1911, 1913, 1914).
September 11 – Bill "Chink" Outen, 56, lefty-swinging catcher and pinch hitter who appeared in 93 games for the 1933 Brooklyn Dodgers.
September 15 – Leon Carlson, 66, relief pitcher who made three appearances for 1920 Washington Senators.
September 20 – Jim McGinley, 82, pitcher for the 1904–1905 St. Louis Cardinals.
September 23 – Ted Jourdan, 66, first baseman who played in 75 games for the Chicago White Sox (1916–1918 and 1920).
September 26 – Vern Hughes, 68, southpaw who twirled in three contests for the 1914 Baltimore Terrapins (Federal League).
September 27 – Bick Campbell, 63, umpire who worked 936 career games in American League (1928–1931) and National League (1938–1940).
November 1 – Tom Hughes, 77, pitcher for the New York Highlanders (1906–1907 and 1909–1910) and Boston Braves (1914–1918); threw a no-hit, no-run game against Pittsburgh on June 16, 1916.
November 3 – Freddie Maguire, 62, second baseman who played in 618 games for New York Giants, Chicago Cubs and Boston Braves over six seasons between 1922 and 1931.
November 4 – Kid Mohler, 90, whose playing career lasted 24 seasons spanning 1890 to 1914 but appeared in only three games in majors as a rare, left-handed-throwing second baseman for Washington of the National League in 1894; head baseball coach, U.S. Naval Academy, 1929 to 1932; member, Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame.
November 6 – Roy Hartzell, 80, outfielder, third baseman and shortstop who appeared in 1,290 games for the St. Louis Browns and New York Highlanders/Yankees between 1906 and 1916.
November 17 – Benny Kauff, 71, "the Ty Cobb of the Feds", outfielder who won back-to-back batting (.370 and .342) and stolen base (75 and 55) titles in the 1914–1915 Federal League, then considered an "outlaw" circuit but now recognized as a major league; also played for New York Highlanders of the American League and New York Giants of the National; banned from baseball by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis after he was tried and found innocent on charges of car theft in 1920.
November 23 – Nick Carter, 82, pitcher in 14 games for the 1908 Philadelphia Athletics.
November 24 – John Mohardt, 63, outfielder/pinch runner for 1922 Detroit Tigers.
November 27 – Bob Harmon, 74, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1909 to 1918; won 23 games for 1911 Cardinals.
November 28 – Earl Moore, 84, pitcher who won 163 games between 1901 and 1914 in the American, National and Federal leagues; posted a 20–8 won–lost mark for the 1903 Cleveland Naps, and led the American League in ERA (1.74); also won 22 games for the 1910 Philadelphia Phillies.
December 5 – Judge Emil Fuchs, 83, cash-strapped owner of the Boston Braves from 1922 to July 31, 1935; managed the Braves himself to a last-place 56–98 record in 1929; one of his final acts as owner was the ill-fated 1935 purchase of Babe Ruth, who batted only .181 with six home runs in 28 games, and retired on May 30.
December 5 – Frank Mahar, 83, amateur outfielder pressed into emergency service by Philadelphia Phillies on August 29, 1902, for match against the New York Giants; according to SABR, he was hit in the mouth by a fly ball in warmups and was forced to leave the game after playing only a single inning in left field.[1]
December 8 – Coonie Blank, 69, catcher for the 1909 St. Louis Cardinals.
December 8 – Lou Koupal, 62, pitcher who worked in 101 games over six seasons between 1925 and 1937 for four big-league clubs.
December 10 – Bert Maxwell, 75, pitched in 21 games over four widely dispersed seasons for 1906 Pittsburgh Pirates, 1908 Philadelphia Athletics, 1911 New York Giants and 1914 Brooklyn Tip-Tops (Federal League).
December 15 – William "Dummy" Hoy, 99, center fielder for seven clubs, primarily Cincinnati, over 14 seasons between 1888 and 1902, who scored over 100 runs nine times, and was the game's most accomplished deaf player; he had thrown out the first ball of the 1961 World Series' third game on October 7.
December 17 – Ping Bodie, 74, outfielder in 1,050 games for the Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Athletics and New York Yankees between 1911 and 1921; one of first Italian-Americans to play in the major leagues.
December 25 – Frank Foutz, 84, first baseman who played 20 games for the 1901 Baltimore Orioles of the American League.
December 25 – Don Savage, 42, third baseman who played in 105 games for the 1944–1945 Yankees.
December 31 – Dutch Lieber, 51, relief pitcher for the 1934–1935 Philadelphia Athletics; in 21 games, posted a 1–2 won–lost mark with two saves.
