April 17
Stats of players who were born this day | |
Stats of players who died on this day | |
Standings on this day | |
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Today in Baseball History |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on April 17.
Events[edit]
- 1820 - Alexander Cartwright, considered by many the father of the national pastime, is born in New York City. This pioneer banker, who is given credit for establishing three strikes for an out and three outs for each half inning, will be elected into the Hall of Fame in 1938 after a review of his journals reveals his many contributions in developing and promoting the sport of baseball.
- 1869 - The first professional baseball game ever played sees the Cincinnati Red Stockings defeat the rival Cincinnati Amateurs, 24 - 15.
- 1892 - In the first Sunday game in National League history, the Cincinnati Reds defeat the St. Louis Browns, 5 - 1.
- 1904 - The Brooklyn Superbas play their first Sunday game at home, beating the Boston Beaneaters, 9 - 0. To circumvent Sunday Blue Laws, no admission is charged, but fans must buy scorecards to enter the grandstand and box seats.
- 1911 - The New York Giants pick up four stolen bases in a 3 - 1 victory against the Brooklyn Dodgers, the start of a post-1900 record 347 steals for the year. Eight Giants will steal 19 bases or better, topped by Josh Devore's 61 and Larry Doyle's 38.
- 1923 - In the longest National League opener to date, the Brooklyn Robins and Philadelphia Phillies battle to a 14-inning, 5 - 5 tie. Dutch Ruether, who beat the Phillies seven straight in 1922, goes the distance.
- 1929 - New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth marries actress and model Claire Merritt Hodgson. The ceremony is held at five o'clock in the morning on Opening Day to avoid crowds.
- 1932 - New York Giants first baseman Bill Terry ties a National League record with 21 putouts as the Giants beat the Boston Braves, 5 - 0, behind Hal Schumacher's two-hit shutout.
- 1934 - At Ebbets Field, Casey Stengel makes his managerial debut, but his Brooklyn Dodgers lose, 8 - 7, to the Boston Braves.
- 1939 - On the morning of Opening Day in Washington, DC, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New York Yankees visit Abner Doubleday's grave at Arlington National Cemetery. Roosevelt is also scheduled to throw out the first pitch at Griffith Stadium, but the game is rained out and Vice President John Nance Garner will do the honors four days later.
- 1945 - Pete Gray, a one-armed outfielder, plays his major league debut game with the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman's Park. Gray hits a single off Les Mueller in four at-bats, and handles no chances in the outfield. St. Louis beats the Detroit Tigers, 7 - 1, for their ninth straight Opening Day win, setting a major league record that the 1975-1983 New York Mets will tie. Gray, one of many players recruited to perform during World War II, will hit .218 (51 for 254) in his only major league season.
- 1947 - The Brooklyn Dodgers win 12 - 6 over the Boston Braves at Ebbets Field, as Jackie Robinson gets his first major league hit, a bunt single, off Glenn Elliott. Robinson will bunt 42 times, collecting 19 hits, during the season. The Brooklyn offense is led by fellow rookie Spider Jorgensen, who drives in six runs.
- 1951:
- The Philadelphia Athletics and the Washington Senators play the first home Opening Day night game in American League history. Washington wins, 6 - 1, behind the solid pitching of 40-year-old Connie Marrero as his batterymate Mickey Grasso hits a home run.
- Golf great Sam Snead tees off from home plate and hits the center field scoreboard at Wrigley Field before the Cubs' home opener. The Associated Press reports: "Sammy Snead settled a long-standing argument today over whether a golf ball could be driven from home plate over the towering scoreboard at Wrigley Field. It can, by a golfer like Sam. Wearing street clothes, Snead sent a ball zooming well over the scoreboard with a No. 2 iron after hitting the board with a swing with a No. 4 iron. Snead calculated the carry was 175 yards. The scoreboard rises 89 feet in the air some 50 feet behind the 400-mark on the centerfield wall."
- 1953 - New York Yankees outfielder Mickey Mantle clears the bleachers at Griffith Stadium with a 565-foot home run off Chuck Stobbs. The shot comes in the 5th inning of a 7 - 3 Yankees victory over the Washington Senators. It is believed to be the longest home run in Griffith Stadium history.
- 1954 - At County Stadium, utility man Nino Escalera becomes the first black player to appear in a Cincinnati uniform. A native of Puerto Rico, Escalera pinch-hits a single in the Redlegs' 5 - 1 loss to the Milwaukee Braves. In the 7th inning, another black rookie, Chuck Harmon, follows him, pinch-hitting for Corky Valentine and pops out. Escalera, who will bat .159 and collect 11 hits in his only major league season, will eventually become a scout for the Oakland Athletics.
- 1955:
- At Forbes Field, the Pittsburgh Pirates' 20-year-old rookie Roberto Clemente makes his major league debut, playing both ends of a doubleheader, ironically but perhaps fittingly, against the Brooklyn Dodgers, the team that first signed him but left him unprotected in the 1954 Rule V draft. In his first at-bat, the future Hall of Famer rifles one back through the originator, Johnny Podres, and off the glove of shortstop Pee Wee Reese, for the first of his 3,000 career hits. The "Bums" sweep the Bucs to stretch the latter's losing streak to six, but the Pirates' highly-touted prospect is far from done for the day. He will also make, in the words of Jack Hernon of the Post Gazette, "a heart-stopping catch of Junior Gilliam's long fly in the 4th inning of the opener, leaping high to grab the ball." In the much more competitive nightcap, Clemente is stranded after his one-out, 6th-inning double but, two innings later, his aggressive baserunning will wreak havoc and reap rewards. With one on and none out, writes Hernon, "Clemente's short fly fell safely in center and when the kid rounded first and had to come back in a hurry, Don Zimmer's throw hit him on the leg and went into the dugout. That put Dick Smith over and Clemente on third. Dick Cole scored him with a single." This narrows the Dodgers' lead to one but, one inning later, the game will end with Clemente in the on-deck circle and the tying and winning runs on base.
- Al Kaline of the Detroit Tigers hits three home runs in Briggs Stadium, including a pair in the 6th inning, to drive in six runs. The Tigers rout the A's, 16 - 0, behind Steve Gromek's strong pitching.
- 1956:
- Three future Hall of Fame members make their major league debuts. Luis Aparicio of the Chicago White Sox, Don Drysdale of the Brooklyn Dodgers and Frank Robinson of the Cincinnati Redlegs all play the first games of their brilliant careers.
- Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees hits a pair of tape measure home runs against Camilo Pascual at Griffith Stadium. Both long balls are estimated at over 500 feet. New York and the Washington Senators combine for six home runs in a 10 - 4 Opening Day victory for the Yankees.
- 1959 - After his 8th-inning, game-tying solo shot off the Braves' Bob Rush, Pittsburgh's Roberto Clemente is facing compatriot Juan Pizarro in the top of the 10th when the skies open up, bringing a tense confrontation to an abrupt and unsatisfying conclusion as the game will ultimately have to be replayed in its entirety.
- 1960 - Cleveland Indians general manager Frank Lane, notorious for his multiple transactions, sends American League home run king, Rocky Colavito, to the Detroit Tigers for the league's defending batting champion, Harvey Kuenn. The trade is especially unpopular with Indians fans, who regard Colavito as their most popular player and best hitter.
- 1964 - The New York Mets lose their first game at Shea Stadium to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4 - 3. Pittsburgh's Willie Stargell hits the first home run ever at Shea.
- 1968 - The Orioles defeat the Oakland Athletics, 4 - 1, behind the pitching of Dave McNally and homers by Boog Powell, Mark Belanger and Brooks Robinson in the A's first home game at the Oakland Coliseum since their relocation from Kansas City over the winter. Lew Krausse is the loser.
- 1969 - At Connie Mack Stadium, Bill Stoneman of the Montreal Expos pitches a 7 - 0 no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies in only the ninth game of the Expos' existence. Rusty Staub hits a home run with three doubles and three RBI to pace Stoneman's gem.
- 1970 - Bud Harrelson of the New York Mets hits a home run in the 1st inning of a 6 - 0 win over the Phillies. The homer is one of only seven in Harrelson's 16-year career and the only one he will ever hit at Shea Stadium.
- 1971 - Atlanta rookie Earl Williams, starting his second straight game in place of ailing third baseman Clete Boyer, hits a double and his first two big league home runs in a 6 - 2 win over Philadelphia.
- 1974 - C George Mitterwald has a career day in leading the Cubs to an 18 - 9 win over the Pirates. He goes 4-for-4 with a walk, a double, three homers, and eight RBI. The next Cub catcher to hit three homers in a game will be Dioner Navarro, in 2013.
- 1976 - At Wrigley Field, Mike Schmidt leads a Philadelphia Phillies assault with a single, four home runs in consecutive at-bats, and eight RBI to overcome a 12 - 1 deficit after three innings and beat the Chicago Cubs in 10 innings, 18 - 16. Chicago ties the game in the 9th after the Phillies have taken a 15 - 13 lead. Hitting .167 going into the game, Schmidt connects for two homers off Rick Reuschel, one off Mike Garman, and the last, a two-run shot off Reuschel's brother Paul in the 10th inning. Schmidt also becomes the first National League player in modern times to hit four home runs in a row.
- 1983 - Nolan Ryan strikes out seven Expos in a 6 - 3 Houston victory to become only the second pitcher in major league history to record 3,500 career strikeouts.
- 1988 - After ten consecutive losses, the Atlanta Braves win their first game of the season, 3 - 1, over the Dodgers. Zane Smith is the winning pitcher. Atlanta's 0-10 start is the worst in National League history until now; the 1997 Chicago Cubs will do even worse, losing their first 14 games before recording their first win. Meanwhile, over in the American League, the Orioles lose their 12th straight, 4 - 1 to the Indians, on their way to setting the all-time record of 21 straight losses to open a season.
- 1993:
- The Detroit Tigers score 20 runs in a game for the second time this week, beating the Seattle Mariners, 20 - 3. Rob Deer is 1 for 2 and scores four runs, while Travis Fryman has four hits and scores five times. Chad Kreuter adds four hits and three runs and Gary Thurman paces the Tigers with four RBI.
- In the Baltimore Orioles' 7 - 5 loss to the Angels, Baltimore winds up with three runners on third base in a rare display of dumb baseball. With the bases loaded and one out, Mike Devereaux hits a fly ball which is trapped by Angels center fielder Chad Curtis, who throws home. Jeff Tackett, the baserunner on third, returns to the base after running halfway home. Brady Anderson, who was on second, advances to third. Chito Martinez, the baserunner on first base, rounds second and heads for third. Angels catcher John Orton walks to third base where he tags all three runners. Tackett is called out on a force, and Martinez is also called out, completing the rare inning-ending double play.
- 2000 - Major League Baseball owners vote to approve the $96 million sale of the Kansas City Royals to team chairman David Glass.
- 2001 - Barry Bonds becomes the 17th major leaguer, as well as the fourth Giant, to join the 500 home run club. Bonds' two-run, 8th-inning homer off Terry Adams goes into San Francisco Bay to lead the Giants over the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3 - 2. Bonds is joined at home plate by two other members of the elite fraternity, Willie Mays (660) and Willie McCovey (521), for a brief ceremony.
- 2006:
- Detroit's Chris Shelton and St. Louis' Albert Pujols hit their major league-leading ninth home runs, joining Mike Schmidt (1976), Larry Walker (1997) and Luis Gonzalez (2001) as the only players in major league history with at least nine home runs in their team's first 13 games. Pujols also ties a major league record by homering in four consecutive at-bats (over two games) when he connects in the 1st inning in St. Louis' 2 - 1 win at Pittsburgh.
- At Shea Stadium, the Mets continue their strong start to the season with a 4 - 3 victory over Atlanta as Pedro Martinez collects his 200th win with relief help from Duaner Sanchez and Billy Wagner. Martinez, from the Dominican Republic, improves his record to 200-84 and joins Dennis Martinez of Nicaragua (245-193), Dominican Juan Marichal (243-142) and Cuban Luis Tiant (229-172), as the only Latin American pitchers to reach the 200-win major league mark.
- 2008 - The Padres and Rockies begin a marathon game at PETCO Park. The game goes 6 hours and 16 minutes and 22 innings, the longest major league contest in 15 years. 15 pitchers throw a combined 658 pitches. It is the third straight Padres-Rockies contest to go at least 13 innings. Kip Wells gets the victory. Neither starter Jake Peavy nor Jeff Francis allow a run; the game is scoreless through 12. In the 13th, coach Glenn Hoffman waives Paul McAnulty home but Brad Hawpe and Clint Barmes make fine throws to get McAnulty at home. In the 14th, Hawpe coaxes a bases-loaded walk from Kevin Cameron for the first run of the game. In the bottom of the 14th, though, Manuel Corpas allows a run when Josh Bard drives in Kevin Kouzmanoff. SS Troy Tulowitzki makes a game-saving throw home to prevent the Padres from winning the game in that inning. In the 22nd, CF Willy Taveras reaches on a Khalil Greene error. Taveras steals second and moves to third on Bard's throwing error. Tulowitzki then singles off Glendon Rusch to finally end the game.
- 2009 - Gary Sheffield becomes the 25th member of the 500 home run club. He delivers a pinch-hit homer off the Brewers' Mitch Stetter in the 7th inning of a game at Citi Field, still in its first month of operation. It is Sheffield's first home run for the New York Mets, after having been released in spring training by the Detroit Tigers while sitting on 499 home runs. The Mets win the game, 5 - 4, on Luis Castillo's 9th inning two-out single.
- 2010:
- Ubaldo Jimenez pitches the first no-hitter in Colorado Rockies history. He disposes of the Atlanta Braves, 4 - 0, at Turner Field to improve to 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA for the year. Jimenez is helped by a spectatular diving catch of a Troy Glaus line drive by Dexter Fowler in the 7th inning.
- The Mets need 20 innings to beat the Cardinals, 2 - 1, in the longest game since this date in 2008. Jose Reyes drives in the winning run with a sacrifice fly after going 0 for 7 for the day in a game dominated by the pitchers. Both starters, Johan Santana for New York and Jaime Garcia for St. Louis, pitch seven innings without giving up a run and the game is still scoreless after 17 frames, but the Cardinals eventually run out of able-bodied pitchers. 2B Felipe Lopez is sent out to the mound and pitches a scoreless 18th inning, while P Kyle Lohse goes out to play left field, but their teammate, OF Joe Mather, gives up a run in the top of the 19th. However, Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez gives the run right back, but the Mets score again off Mather in the 20th. Mather is saddled with the loss, while Rodriguez gets the win and starter Mike Pelfrey comes out in the bottom of the 20th to record the save for the Mets.
- 2011:
- The Angels' Dan Haren joins teammate Jered Weaver as the major leagues' only four-game winners with a 4 - 2 victory over the White Sox. Weaver recorded win number four the previous day in the Halos' three-game sweep of the Pale Hose. Haren's ERA is now 1.16.
- For the first time since their move to Washington, DC in 2005, the Nationals sweep a doubleheader at home. David Espinosa and Ivan Rodriguez bang three-run homers and Ian Desmond adds a solo shot in an 8 - 4 win over the Brewers in the opener; Livan Hernandez then allows only one run in seven innings and Espinosa caps his great day with a three-run triple, for a 5 - 1 win in the nitecap.
- Grady Sizemore homers in his return to action after undergoing knee surgery last year, leading the Indians to a 4 - 2 win over the Orioles. The homer comes off Brad Bergesen after almost a full year on the sidelines for the former All-Star CF and sends Baltimore to its seventh straight loss. Carlos Santana and Travis Hafner also homer for Cleveland.
- 2012:
- Jamie Moyer becomes the oldest pitcher to record a win in Colorado's 5 - 3 victory over the San Diego Padres at Coors Field. At 49 years and 150 days of age, he eclipses Jack Quinn, who recorded the last win of his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers on September 13, 1932. It is career win number 268 for Moyer, tying him with Hall of Famer Jim Palmer; he pitches seven innings and is helped by Dexter Fowler's two-run homer.
- The Rangers bang out six homers in crushing the Red Sox, 18 - 3, at Fenway Park. Josh Hamilton hits the most spectacular of the long balls, a 469-foot shot into the right field bleachers which lands a dozen rows shy of the longest homer hit at Fenway, by Ted Williams on June 9, 1946. Mike Napoli hits a pair of two-run homers, while Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz and Michael Young complete the fireworks. Jon Lester is charged with the loss, giving up seven runs in two innings, and Mark Melancon gives up six runs without recording an out to bring his season ERA to 49.50. Colby Lewis is the beneficiary of the offensive outburst.
- The Indians sign veteran outfielder Johnny Damon to a minor league contract to provide some punch to their lifeless offense, but he will not be ready to play immediately after missing all of spring training waiting for a contract offer. Damon, who is only 277 hits short of the magic mark of 3,000, found no takers in the off-season in spite of very solid production with Tampa Bay last year.
- Isla de la Juventud tops Pinar del Rio, 6 - 3. Danni Aguilera goes the final three innings, allowing one run, for his 27th and final save of the 2011-2012 season. This ties Duniel Ibarra's single-season Cuban record.
- 2013:
- The Reds need only nine minutes to record a win, as Jay Bruce singles with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th for a 1 - 0 victory over the Phillies. The game was suspended by rain while still scoreless after 8 1/2 innings the previous night. Two hours later, after the few spectators who made the trip to witness the end of the suspended game have been cleared, the regularly scheduled game starts, and Cincinnati completes a sweep with an 11 - 2 win over Philly. Mike Leake is the hero, pitching seven scoreless innings while collecting three hits and scoring three runs.
- Author of a no-hitter when he was a raw youth of 24, the now 36-year-old A.J. Burnett comes close to another one while leading the Pirates to a 5 - 0 win over the Cardinals. Carlos Beltran breaks up the no-no with a double with two outs in the 7th. Burnett's eight strikeouts on the night include the 2,000th of his career, Beltran being the victim in the 2nd inning.
- The Tigers and Mariners combine for 40 strikeouts in 14 innings, three short of the major league record set by the Angels and A's on July 9, 1971, in 20 innings. Among batters, Prince Fielder leads the pack with five strikeouts, while Austin Jackson and Franklin Gutierrez both earn golden sombreros. Starting pitchers Max Scherzer and Felix Hernandez post almost identical pitching lines, both striking out 12 and giving up a single run in eight innings of work. The Tigers top the M's, 2 - 1, with the game ending when Justin Smoak is tagged out at home by the Bengals' Brayan Pena while trying to score the tying run from first base on Dustin Ackley's double.
- 2014 - The 2014 Hoofdklasse season kicks off, one of the later summer leagues to get going. Rain cuts one game short and cancels another. DOOR Neptunus opens with a 9 - 0 thumping of the ADO Lakers, Diegomar Markwell allowing one hit in five innings before rain ends it. Newcomer Ricardo Hernandez, in his third European league, wins his opener for the Vaessen Pioniers over Mr. Cocker HCAW, 6 - 2. Finally, Kinheim kicks off with a ten-inning, 2 - 1 win as new addition Dashenko Ricardo hits a sacrifice fly off Kevin van Veen to score Quintin de Cuba.
- 2015 - Alfredo Despaigne becomes the first player to win four Serie Nacional Most Valuable Player awards in Cuba; Martin Dihigo had been a four-time MVP in the Cuban Winter League prior to the Revolution. Despaigne, who led in average (.406) and slugging (.762) and was second with 17 homers, breaks a tie with Wilfredo Sánchez and Omar Linares. The Rookie of the Year is Isla de la Juventud shortstop Alfredo Rodríguez.
- 2016 - Ciego de Ávila becomes the first Cuban Serie Nacional team in eight years to repeat as titlist and avoids becoming the first team to blow a 3-0 lead in the finals, romping past Pinar del Río in Game 7, 8 - 0. Dachel Duquesne is named postseason MVP (3-0, 0.44) with another strong outing, throwing seven shutout frames, while Yunier Cano gets the last six outs. Guillermo Aviles homers and Erlis Casanova takes the defeat. It is the third time Roger Machado has guided Ciego de Ávila to the title in this decade.
- 2017 - Eric Thames, back from starring in the Korea Baseball Organization, ties a team record by homering in his fifth straight game as the Brewers defeat the Cubs, 6 - 3. Thames hit 124 long balls over his three seasons in Korea and now has seven in 14 games this season.
- 2018:
- Puerto Rican native Francisco Lindor hits an emotional two-run home run to lead the Indians to a 6 - 1 win over the Twins in the first game of a two-game series played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The series is particularly important given the devastation wreaked on the island by Hurricane Maria last September.
- To celebrate the 50th anniversary of their first ever game in Oakland, CA, the A's stage a game featuring free admission to anyone registering in advance. The birthday party is a huge success as over 46,000 spectators show up at the Coliseum to see Oakland defeat the White Sox, 10 - 2.
- Patrick Corbin spins a gem for the Diamondbacks as he shuts out the Giants, 1 - 0, on a one-hitter. He keeps the Giants hitless until two are out in the 8th when Brandon Belt hits a squibbler to third base to defeat a defensive shift. The game is still scoreless at that point, but in the bottom of the inning, Arizona scores the only run it needs on a walk by Jarrod Dyson, a sacrifice bunt by Corbin and a single by David Peralta. It is Corbin's first career shutout.
- In the opener of the 2018 South American Championship, host Argentina routs Bolivia, 17 - 0, in a mercy rule win. Federico Schultze and Agustín Tanco combine on a no-hitter, fanning nine and walking two, while Mauro Schiavoni drives in five (including a three-run homer) to lead the offense.
- 2019 - In a 3 - 2 win over the Reds, the Dodgers homer in a 32nd consecutive home game at Dodger Stadium, dating back to August 21st last season, courtesy of A.J. Pollock. This ties the all-time record set by the 1999 Rockies.
- 2021:
- Jimmy Smiley of the Jablonec Blesk throws a 130-pitch complete game to give the franchise its first-ever win in the Czech Republic’s top professional league, the Extraliga.
- Having made his last major league appearance in September of 2008, 36-year-old Sean Kazmar is used as a pinch-hitter by the Braves, having gone 12 full seasons without a major league appearance. While this is not a record, it is the longest such gap since Ralph Winegarner in 1949.
- 2024 - Tanner Houck of the Red Sox tosses a three-hit shutout of the Guardians, needing just 1 hour and 49 minutes - the fastest nine-inning game in the majors since 2010 - more specifically the game in which Armando Galarraga would have pitched a perfect game were it not for umpire error. Houck does not allow a walk in the 2 - 0 win, the first shutout by a Boston pitcher since 2022.
Births[edit]
- 1820 - Alexander Cartwright, baseball pioneer; Hall of Famer (d. 1892)
- 1852 - Cap Anson, infielder, manager; Hall of Famer (d. 1922)
- 1862 - Henry Mullin, outfielder (d. 1927)
- 1863 - Charlie Ferguson, pitcher (d. 1888)
- 1864 - Jersey Bakely, pitcher (d. 1915)
- 1867 - Walter Fisher, outfielder (d. 1921)
- 1869 - John Grimes, pitcher (d. 1964)
- 1870 - Ad Yale, infielder (d. 1948)
- 1875 - Charlie Jaeger, pitcher (d. 1942)
- 1876 - Mike Jacobs, infielder (d. 1949)
- 1879 - Tom Needham, catcher (d. 1926)
- 1891 - Scott Perry, pitcher (d. 1959)
- 1892 - Morrie Schick, outfielder (d. 1979)
- 1894 - Leo Mackey, minor league catcher and manager (d. 1963)
- 1903 - Elmer Miller, pitcher (d. 1987)
- 1903 - Bob Osborn, pitcher (d. 1960)
- 1906 - Eddie Delker, infielder (d. 1997)
- 1907 - Henry Nears, outfielder (d. 1974)
- 1907 - Bobby Stevens, infielder (d. 2005)
- 1909 - Chuck Sheerin, infielder (d. 1986)
- 1911 - Lester Rodney, writer (b. 2009)
- 1912 - Adolph Arlitt, minor league infielder and manager (d. 1992)
- 1912 - Koichi Yamashita, NPB outfielder (d. 1997)
- 1913 - Zack Clayton, infielder (d. 1997)
- 1914 - Clyde Smoll, pitcher (d. 1985)
- 1916 - Ed Kobesky, minor league outfielder and manager (d. 1952)
- 1917 - Stan Andrews, catcher (d. 1995)
- 1917 - Harry Cozart, pitcher (d. 1989)
- 1917 - Yuko Minamimura, NPB outfielder (d. 1990)
- 1919 - Clinton Wise, minor league pitcher (d. ????)
- 1923 - Solly Hemus, infielder, manager (d. 2017)
- 1928 - Robert Quirk, minor league pitcher (d. 2010)
- 1937 - Roberto Pena, infielder (d. 1982)
- 1943 - Katsuji Kawashima, Japanese national team manager; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
- 1945 - Dennis Paepke, catcher
- 1947 - Marlan Murphy, minor league outfielder
- 1947 - Tsuneo Nozaki, NPB pitcher
- 1947 - Antonio Pollorena, minor league pitcher
- 1947 - John Thorn, researcher
- 1947 - Tsutomu Wakamatsu, NPB outfielder; manager
- 1950 - Pedro Garcia, infielder
- 1952 - Steve Hamrick, minor league pitcher
- 1954 - Denny Walling, infielder
- 1955 - Terry Alexander, college coach
- 1955 - Tom Runnells, infielder, manager
- 1957 - Dave Huppert, catcher
- 1959 - Dan Wickham, umpire
- 1959 - Tetsuji Yamaguchi, NPB pitcher
- 1962 - Roland Nazar, minor league manager
- 1963 - Mike Rojas, minor league catcher and manager
- 1964 - Ken Daneyko, minor league designated hitter
- 1965 - Craig Worthington, infielder
- 1967 - Manny Alvarez, minor league outfielder
- 1967 - Glen Braxton, minor league outfielder
- 1967 - Marquis Grissom, outfielder; All-Star
- 1967 - Paul Nanne, Hoofdklasse pitcher
- 1968 - Wen-Chung Chang, CPBL infielder and manager
- 1969 - Jeff Ball, infielder
- 1971 - Chen-Hsing Han, CPBL infielder
- 1971 - Keith Johnson, infielder
- 1971 - Sung-han Kim, KBO pitcher
- 1972 - Gary Bennett, catcher
- 1972 - Juan Thomas, minor league infielder
- 1973 - Angel Lopez, minor league catcher
- 1973 - Elton Pollock, college coach
- 1973 - Noriyuki Shiroishi, NPB infielder
- 1979 - Jorge Piedra, outfielder
- 1980 - Max St. Pierre, catcher
- 1980 - Sebastián Tesouro, Division Honor outfielder
- 1981 - Wayne Lydon, minor league outfielder
- 1981 - John McCurdy, minor league infielder
- 1981 - Ryan Raburn, infielder
- 1982 - Scott Feller, minor league infielder (d. 2018)
- 1982 - Cesar Nicolas, minor league infielder and manager
- 1984 - Jed Lowrie, infielder; All-Star
- 1985 - Mario Mujica, Hoofdklasse pitcher
- 1986 - Krissada Heebthong, Thai national team pitcher
- 1986 - Iresh Kosala, Sri Lankan national team infielder
- 1986 - Jim Lomis, Greek national team outfielder
- 1987 - Makoto Chinen, Peruvian national team catcher
- 1987 - Austin Fleet, minor league pitcher
- 1987 - Dan Jennings, pitcher
- 1987 - Jeffrey Lachman, scout
- 1988 - George Carroll, minor league infielder
- 1989 - Austin Chubb, minor league catcher and manager
- 1989 - Leo Ferrini, minor league infielder
- 1989 - Ryan Pineda, minor league infielder
- 1989 - Rudy van Heydoorn, minor league infielder
- 1990 - Chris O'Grady, pitcher
- 1991 - Takeru Imamura, NPB pitcher
- 1992 - Xin Li, China Baseball League pitcher
- 1992 - Ryosuke Miyaguni, NPB pitcher
- 1992 - Ronny Rodriguez, infielder
- 1993 - Dechinsuren Bat Ochir, Mongolian national team outfielder
- 1993 - Greg Mahle, pitcher
- 1995 - Kean Wong, infielder
- 1996 - Lukáš Ercoli, Extraliga pitcher
- 1996 - Mauricio Llovera, pitcher
- 1997 - Logan Gillaspie, pitcher
- 1997 - José Salas, minor league infielder
- 1998 - Edwin Sarkar, Colombian national team player
- 2001 - Atif Ahmad, Pakistani national team pitcher
- 2002 - Gabriel Hernández, Colombian national team pitcher
- 2002 - Gabriel Hernández, Peruvian national team infielder (the two Gabriel Hernandezes played in the same event and their birthdates may have been conflated)
- 2003 - Dylan Dreiling, college outfielder
Deaths[edit]
- 1883 - John Bergh, catcher (b. 1857)
- 1893 - Joe Farrell, infielder (b. 1857)
- 1898 - Bobby Mathews, pitcher (b. 1851)
- 1909 - Oscar Westerberg, infielder (b. 1882)
- 1912 - Ace Stewart, infielder (b. 1869)
- 1913 - Jerry Harrington, catcher (b. 1869)
- 1923 - Frank Keffer, pitcher (b. 1861)
- 1933 - Thomas Griffin, infielder (b. 1857)
- 1937 - Bill Foxen, pitcher (b. 1884)
- 1938 - Alex Beam, pitcher (b. 1869)
- 1946 - Jack Quinn, pitcher (b. 1883)
- 1948 - Pat Deisel, catcher (b. 1876)
- 1959 - Fred Brainerd, infielder (b. 1892)
- 1960 - Ricardo Torres, catcher (b. 1891)
- 1964 - Kid Willson, outfielder (b. 1895)
- 1967 - Dutch Rudolph, outfielder (b. 1882)
- 1968 - Bill Engeln, umpire (b. 1898)
- 1970 - Dick Brown, catcher (b. 1935)
- 1972 - Jimmy Rattlesnake, amateur pitcher; Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1909)
- 1973 - Vic Aldridge, pitcher (b. 1893)
- 1973 - Bret Wagner, minor league pitcher
- 1973 - Lefty Weinert, pitcher (b. 1902)
- 1975 - Kirk Presley, minor league pitcher
- 1976 - Clay Hopper, minor league player/manager (b. 1902)
- 1979 - Joe Conzelman, pitcher (b. 1885)
- 1980 - Ed Miller, infielder (b. 1888)
- 1983 - Dutch Leonard, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1909)
- 1984 - Sanford Jackson, outfielder (b. 1900)
- 1990 - Yuko Minamimura, NPB outfielder (b. 1917)
- 1991 - Les Mallon, infielder (b. 1905)
- 1994 - Don Jefferson, catcher (b. 1895)
- 1994 - Mitsuo Uno, NPB infielder and manager (b. 1917)
- 1994 - Walter Wilson, pitcher (b. 1913)
- 1995 - Sonny Boy Jeffries, pitcher (b. 1914)
- 1996 - Bill Serena, infielder (b. 1924)
- 2001 - Ted Rasberry, Negro League owner (b. 1913)
- 2002 - Al Krupski, minor league pitcher (b. 1916)
- 2012 - Choichi Aida, college coach; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1921)
- 2012 - Stan Johnson, outfielder (b. 1937)
- 2012 - John Masuga, minor league pitcher (b. 1928)
- 2012 - Merrill Merkle, minor league pitcher (b. 1926)
- 2012 - Dom Valentino, broadcaster (b. 1928)
- 2015 - Ray Nemec, researcher (b. 1929)
- 2015 - Bill Theunissen, college coach (b. 1925)
- 2020 - Bobby Winkles, manager (b. 1930)
- 2023 - Dave Frost, pitcher (b. 1952)
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