April 8
From BR Bullpen
| 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 8.
Events[edit]
- 1909 - While at spring training, Hal Chase of the New York Highlanders contracts smallpox. The entire team is vaccinated and quarantined while traveling north.
- 1914 - An attempt to legalize Sunday baseball in Massachusetts is defeated.
- 1916 - Outfielder Tris Speaker is still a holdout as a reaction to Boston Red Sox owner Joseph Lannin's proposal to cut his salary from $11,000 to $9,000. Speaker wants $15,000. The Red Sox, in anticipation of resolving the contract dispute by trading Speaker, purchase OF Tilly Walker from the St. Louis Browns.
- 1922 - At Sportsman's Park, the St. Louis Cardinals wear their new uniforms, featuring two red birds on a bat with the words "Cardinals" across the front, for the first time in an exhibition contest with the St. Louis Browns. Browns pitcher Urban Shocker tops the Cardinals' Willie Sherdel, 3 - 2, the same result as their matchup a week ago.
- 1927 - Four days before the season opens, recently-traded Rogers Hornsby breaks the impasse by selling his stock in the St. Louis Cardinals for $112,000. He receives $86,000 from owner Sam Breadon, $2,000 from each of the other seven National League clubs, and an extra $12,000 from the New York Giants, his new team.
- 1933 - Prior to a pre-season contest in New York, and exactly one week before Schoolboy Rowe's official major league debut, the highly touted Tigers pitching prospect launches a batting practice bomb into the Polo Grounds' center-field bleachers, a feat never before performed since the stadium's 1923 reconfiguration. It will be more than 15 years — July 18, 1948, to be precise — before Rowe's feat is finally matched in the course of a game, by Negro Leaguer Luke Easter, and roughly 20 — i.e. April 29, 1953 — before its first major league version, courtesy of Joe Adcock.
- 1934 - At Shibe Park, 15,000 fans witness the first legal baseball game between major league teams played on a Sunday in the city of Philadelphia. In a hometown exhibition game, the Phillies defeat the Athletics, 8 - 1.
- 1946 - Jim (Catfish) Hunter is born in Hertford, North Carolina. The pitching ace of three World Series champions in Oakland in the 1970s and a member of two other Championship-winners with the New York Yankees, Hunter will make his major league debut in 1965 and will win election to the Hall of Fame in 1987.
- 1954 - Veteran pitcher Dave Koslo is purchased by the Baltimore Orioles from the New York Giants.
- 1963:
- In his first major league at-bat, Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds works out a walk off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Earl Francis.
- The Detroit Tigers claim little-known pitcher Denny McLain on waivers from the Chicago White Sox, who will regret their decision. After pitching brief stints for the Tigers in 1963 and 1964, McLain will win 108 games from 1965 through 1969.
- 1966 - The Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers play the first major league game ever on artificial turf, developed due to the Astrodome.
- 1968 - The major leagues decide to postpone Opening Day because of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. With 11 black players on their roster, the Pittsburgh Pirates vote not to play games on Monday - the day of the scheduled opener - or Tuesday. The Pirates will open the season on Wednesday.
- 1969:
- Four expansion teams make their debuts. The Kansas City Royals, Seattle Pilots, Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres all win their inaugural games. At Shea Stadium, the Expos defeat the New York Mets, 11 - 10, to keep the Mets winless for openers. Pitcher Dan McGinn hits the Expos' first home run as the key hit, a three-run home run by Coco Laboy, is given up by Canadian-born Mets reliever Ron Taylor.
- After a long recovery following a 1967 beaning, Tony Conigliaro starts his first game for the Boston Red Sox after missing a season and a half. His dramatic two-run 10th-inning home run gives the Red Sox a brief lead, and his 12th-inning run wins it, 5 - 4, over the Orioles.
- 1974 - Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves blasts a historic home run at Fulton County Stadium, breaking Babe Ruth's career all-time record. The 715th home run of Aaron's career comes against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing and results in a game-delaying celebration. Aaron will finish his career with a total of 755 home runs.
- 1975 - Frank Robinson makes his debut as major league baseball's first black manager. Rachel Robinson, the widow of Jackie Robinson, throws out the ceremonial first pitch before a crowd of 56,204. As the player-manager of the Cleveland Indians, Frank Robinson hits a home run in his first at-bat, helping Cleveland to a 5 - 3 victory over the New York Yankees. For Robinson, it is his eighth Opening Day home run, setting a major league record which will later be tied by Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn.
- 1977 - The Seattle Mariners record their first win by defeating the California Angels, 7 - 6, at the Kingdome. Bob Stinson and Larry Milbourne each hit run-scoring doubles in the 9th inning to seal the victory. Bill Laxton is the winning pitcher.
- 1984 - In a 3 - 1 loss to the Mets, Houston Astros shortstop Dickie Thon is hit in the face by a Mike Torrez pitch that breaks the orbital bone around his eye. Thon will be operated on April 11th, but will miss the rest of the season. When he returns, the All-Star SS will be plagued with blurred vision and be relegated to a back-up role for some time.
- 1985 - At Fenway Park, 46-year-old Phil Niekro starts for the New York Yankees, becoming the second oldest pitcher ever to start on Opening Day. Only Jack Quinn, for the Brooklyn Robins in 1931, was older at age 47. The Boston Red Sox chase Niekro after four innings and, behind the pitching of Oil Can Boyd, coast to a 9 - 2 win. Niekro walks four in the 3rd inning, including two with the bases loaded, to lose his seventh opener in a row (six with Atlanta), the worst opening day record ever. Outfielders Tony Armas, Dwight Evans and Jim Rice stroke home runs for Boston.
- 1986 - Facing Nolan Ryan of the Astros, Giants rookie Will Clark hits a home run in his first major league at-bat.
- 1987:
- Cleveland Indians pitchers Phil Niekro and Steve Carlton combine to beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 14 - 3, making it the first time in major league history that two 300-game winners pitch for the same team in the same game. Niekro goes six innings to get his 312th career win and Carlton blanks Toronto for three innings, picking up the save.
- Los Angeles Dodgers vice-president Al Campanis is fired after he made racist remarks on national TV two days earlier. Campanis suggested that blacks lacked the "necessities" to become managers or executives.
- 1989 - One-handed pitcher Jim Abbott makes his major league debut for the California Angels. Born without a right hand, Abbott bypassed the minors completely after starring at the University of Michigan, heading directly to the Angels' starting rotation. He lasts only 4 2/3 innings in a 7 - 0 loss to the Seattle Mariners, but will finish his rookie season with 12 wins and a 3.92 ERA, the most major league wins in a first pro season since St. Louis Browns pitcher Ernie Wingard won 13 in his first professional season, in 1925.
- 1991:
- Starter Nolan Ryan and closer Goose Gossage pitch for the Texas Rangers in a 5 - 4 loss to Milwaukee. It marks the first time in major league history that a 300-game winner hurls in the same contest as a teammate with 300 saves.
- Major league umpires strike on Opening Day, and amateur umpires are used as replacements. The arbiters, whose working agreement expired on December 31st, will settle and return to work the next day. Among the benefits won by the Major League Umpires Association is an increase in starting salaries from $41,000 to $60,000.
- 1993 - Carlos Baerga of the Cleveland Indians becomes the first player in major league history to switch-hit home runs in the same inning. In the 7th inning, Baerga connects against Yankees relievers Steve Howe and Steve Farr. Baerga's outburst helps the Indians to a 15 - 5 win.
- 1994 - Atlanta Braves pitcher Kent Mercker no-hits the Dodgers, 6 - 0, striking out ten in the process. For Mercker, it is his first complete game in the majors. Chan Ho Park comes on to pitch in the 9th inning for the Dodgers, becoming the first Korean player to appear in a major league game.
- 1995 - Free agents signed today include outfielder Larry Walker and pitcher Bill Swift by the Rockies, and pitcher Orel Hershiser by the Indians. In other transactions, the Red Sox trade third baseman Scott Cooper, pitcher Cory Bailey, and a player to be named to the Cardinals, in exchange for outfielder Mark Whiten and pitcher Rhéal Cormier.
- 2000:
- At Ameriquest Field in Arlington, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher David Wells allows nine hits in shutting out the Texas Rangers, 4 - 0. Pitcher Kenny Rogers loses at home, ending his 19-game home winning streak, the third longest in major league history. The streak dates to June 28, 1997 when Rogers was with the Yankees. Since then, Rogers has pitched for Oakland and the Mets.
- The St. Louis Cardinals announce plans for a new $370 million ballpark, possibly to open in time for the 2004 season.
- 2001 - The Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Houston Astros, 9 - 3, as third baseman Aramis Ramirez hits three home runs with six runs batted in.
- 2002:
- Craig Biggio becomes the sixth player in Houston Astros history to hit for the cycle. Biggio also drives in four runs in the Astros' 8 - 4 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
- After opening their season with six straight losses, the Detroit Tigers fire manager Phil Garner and general manager Randy Smith. Coach Luis Pujols takes over the reins on an interim basis while team president Dave Dombrowski assumes the GM's responsibilities.
- 2003:
- On Opening Day at PNC Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates unveil a sculpture of Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner. Kiner, who is depicted in the bronze artwork gripping a Kiner-model Louisville Slugger bat, joins Willie Stargell, Honus Wagner and Roberto Clemente as other former Pirates honored with ballpark statues.
- By going 4 for 4 with three walks, Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton sets a club record by reaching base in all seven plate appearances. Chris Stynes also sets a franchise mark for most plate appearances in a game with eight.
- At Yankee Stadium's home opener, with the fans chanting his name, Hideki Matsui hits his first major league home run, a grand slam, against the Minnesota Twins.
- 2004 - The Padres play their first game at their new downtown ballpark, Petco Park, defeating the Giants, 4 - 3, in front of 41,400 in ten innings. The Padres tie the game in the 9th, then after Antonio Osuna allows a homer to Marquis Grissom to lead off the 10th, they stage another comeback against Matt Herges. Sean Burroughs drives in the tying run in the 9th, and the winning run in the 10th, both times with singles.
- 2005 - Former US President Jimmy Carter attends the Braves' home opener at Turner Field. The former President and his wife Rosalyn, who both stay for the entire game, watch the Braves beat the Mets, 3 - 1.
- 2008:
- Chase Utley ties a major league record by being hit by pitch three times in a game as the Phillies top the Mets, 5 - 2. Utley is hit by an Oliver Perez pitch in the 1st inning and is again plunked by Perez in the 4th. In the 7th, he is hit by Scott Schoeneweis to tie the record.
- Placido Polanco's major league record run of 186 consecutive errorless games and 911 consecutive errorless chances at second base ends. Polanco commits a throwing error that lets Manny Ramirez score on what would have been a triple otherwise. The Tigers lose, 5 - 0, to the Red Sox.
- Top Atlanta Braves prospect Jordan Schafer, who was named the best prospect in the Carolina League in 2007, is suspended 50 games for using Human Growth Hormone. Schafer had hit only .240 in 2006 before leading the affiliated minor leagues in hits last year. He almost won the Braves' centerfield job in spring training.
- Reds rookie Johnny Cueto strikes out eight and walks none; this gives him 18 strikeouts and no walks in his first two major league games. No pitcher has done that since at least 1900.
- 2009:
- Trailing Atlanta, 10 - 3, in the bottom of the 7th inning, the Phillies score eight runs off four pitchers on their way to a 12 - 11 win. Eight consecutive batters drive in a run - four on bases-loaded walks - during the fateful inning. For the Braves, Jordan Schafer and Brian McCann both hit two-run homers and Matt Diaz adds a solo shot in the 9th, but it is not enough to stop Brad Lidge's streak of 52 consecutive successful save opportunities, dating back to 2007.
- Nick Adenhart of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitches six scoreless innings against Oakland in his first start of the season; he will be tragically killed in a car crash a few hours after the game.
- After going 4,044 1/3 innings in the major leagues (a fair portion in the American League, it should be noted), Randy Johnson finally allows a home run to an opposing pitcher. Yovani Gallardo connects for the three-run shot as the Brewers edge Johnson's Giants, 4 - 2.
- 2010:
- Randy Wells, one of the National League's top rookie pitchers in 2009, picks up where he left off, pitching six shutout innings in leading the Cubs to their first win of the season, a 2 - 0 blanking of the Braves and fellow sophomore Tommy Hanson. Tyler Colvin and Marlon Byrd hit solo homers for the game's only runs.
- Dontrelle Willis pitches six solid innings in his return to the major leagues as the Tigers beat Kansas City, 7 - 3. Willis went on the disabled list after pitching poorly last June and was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. Miguel Cabrera goes 4 for 5 with a homer for Detroit.
- The Brewers sign pitcher Yovani Gallardo to a five-year contract extension worth $30.1 million. The 24-year-old was the Brewers' best pitcher in 2009, going 13-12, 3.73 and topping 200 strikeouts, as well as being their opening day starter this year.
- 2011:
- The 2011 Hoofdklasse season opens. Diegomar Markwell, Berry van Driel and Arshwin Asjes team up on a three-hit shutout for DOOR Neptunus against the L&D Amsterdam Pirates. The Pirates also get quality pitching, as Rob Cordemans fans ten in six innings of one-run ball; Neptunus wins, 2 - 0. Jeffrey Arends drives in Benjamin Dille with the first run of the year.
- Slugger Manny Ramirez, who signed with the Tampa Bay Rays in the off-season, announces his retirement after a failure to conform with Major League Baseball's drug policy. After having been suspended for 50 games in 2009 because of PED use, he would have faced an unprecedented 100-game suspension if, as rumored, he has failed another drug test. The retirement under a cloud casts a doubt over his eventual election to the Hall of Fame. He will change his mind in a few months and return to organized baseball in 2012, but fail to make it back to the majors.
- The Red Sox finally record their first win of the season after starting 0-6, defeating their arch-rivals the New York Yankees, 9 - 6, in their home opener. Dustin Pedroia hits a homer in his first at-bat with his team down, 2 - 0, and finishes the day with three hits and as many RBI to lead the Boston attack. John Lackey is the winner in spite of giving up six runs over five innings.
- Jose Tabata doubles off Franklin Morales to end a 14-inning, 5 hour, 11 minute, marathon between the Rockies and Pirates. With the Pirates' bench and bullpen both depleted, the score tied at 3-all with two outs and Josh Rodriguez on first, Rockies' manager Jim Tracy declines to issue an intentional walk to Tabata, who hit a solo homer earlier in the game, in order to face P Garrett Olson, and pays the price. The Pirates bullpen puts together a stellar performance: six pitchers combine to keep Colorado off the scoreboard for 11 1/3 innings after relieving starter Ross Ohlendorf with a 3 - 0 deficit in the 3rd inning.
- 2012:
- The Red Sox and Tigers stage an epic battle on Easter Sunday. Detroit takes an early 5 - 0 lead off Clay Buchholz, but Boston roars back to chase Max Scherzer in the 3rd inning after he has coughed up seven runs. Sox closer Alfredo Aceves takes the mound in the bottom of the 9th with a 10 - 7 lead, but gives up a pair of singles and a three-run homer to Miguel Cabrera without retiring anyone. Boston scores two runs off Joaquin Benoit in the top of the 11th, but this time it's Mark Melancon who can't close the game. After giving up a sacrifice fly to Delmon Young, he has two strikes on Alex Avila with two outs when the Tigers' catcher hits a ball off the top of the railing of the right field fence for a game-winning two-run homer after 4 hours and 45 minutes of baseball.
- For only the second time in the history of the American League, the Yankees and Red Sox are both 0-3. Tampa Bay completes a sweep of the Bronx Bombers at home as Jeremy Hellickson throws a three-hit shutout on his 25th birthday.
- 2013:
- Joe Nathan picks up his 300th career save for the Rangers with a bit of assistance from umpire Marty Foster. With Texas up, 5 - 4, the tying run on third base and a full count on Ben Zobrist of Tampa Bay, Nathan throws a change-up that appears to be both low and outside. Zobrist tosses his bat and begins walking to first base when Foster makes a belated strike call, ending the game, to the disbelief of both Nathan and Rays manager Joe Maddon. Foster later admits he blew the call.
- The Reds spoil the Cardinals' home opener by scoring nine runs in the top of the 9th to break a 4 - 4 tie and win, 13 - 4. Stand-in closer Mitchell Boggs gives up the first seven runs while recording only a single out. Shin-Soo Choo, who committed a couple of errors on dropped fly balls earlier in the game, starts the ball rolling by drawing a lead-off walk off Boggs, then hits a three-run double when the Reds bat around. Before the game, the Cardinals unveil a huge number 6 on the outfield fence at Busch Stadium, in tribute to team great Stan Musial who passed away during the winter.
- 2014:
- Brewers slugger Ryan Braun is greeted by boos in his first appearance in Philadelphia since serving a 65-game suspension for PED use, but he gets his revenge by hitting his first three homers of the year to lead his team to a 10 - 4 win. His first long ball, off Kyle Kendrick in the 3rd, is Braun's first since May 22, 2013, ending the longest drought of his career, while his seven RBIs tie a team record. He also makes a great catch in right field, robbing the Phillies of two runs when he snags Carlos Ruiz's sinking line drive to end the 2nd inning.
- The White Sox explode for six home runs, including the first two of Cuban defector Jose Abreu's career, as they defeat Colorado, 15 - 3, in a game typical of Coors Field. Avisail Garcia also hits two homers, and Tyler Flowers and Alexei Ramirez each go deep once as the White Sox score 11 times over the last three innings to break open what was a close game until then.
- 2015 - Adrian Gonzalez is the first major league hitter to hit three homers in a game this season, as he does the trick against the Padres in a 7 - 4 Dodgers win. The outburst makes him the first player in major league history to hit five home runs in his team's first three games; he also has ten hits over the span, and is the first National League hitter to begin a season with three consecutive games of three or more hits since Orlando Cepeda in 1963. All three long balls are hit against losing pitcher Andrew Cashner, while Brandon McCarthy earns his first win in a Dodgers uniform.
- 2016:
- Trevor Story is definitely the story of the early season: the Rockies SS hits two more homers today, to give him six in first four career games. He is the first player to go deep in his first four games, and he already was the first to do so in his first three. But the Padres, who extend their record for being held scoreless from the start of the season to 30 innings, finally get on the board in the 4th, and eventually break through for a 13 - 6 win, spoiling Colorado's home opener. Matt Kemp and Melvin Upton hit homers, and Kemp and Yangervis Solarte each drive in four runs.
- The Cardinals set a record with three pinch-hit homers in a 7 - 4 win over the Braves. Aledmys Diaz, Greg Garcia and Jeremy Hazelbaker all go deep coming off the bench. For Diaz, it is his first homer in the majors.
- 2017:
- The Phillies have the biggest 1st inning in team history as they score 12 runs on their way to a 17 - 3 rout of the Nationals. A bases-loaded triple by Howie Kendrick highlights the frame which features nine hits and four walks against Jeremy Guthrie and Enny Romero. Washington sets a team mark for most runs allowed in any inning.
- The awards are announced for the 2016-2017 Cuban Serie Nacional. Lázaro Blanco of Granma wins MVP after going 14-3 with a 1.63 ERA, leading in wins, ERA and shutouts (3). Eliecer Griñán is the second straight Pinar del Río player to win Serie Nacional Rookie of the Year, having batted .336/.402/.495.
- 2018:
- The legend of Shohei Ohtani will not stop growing. Today, in his second pitching start for the Angels, he retires the first 19 batters he faces before allowing a single to Marcus Semien of the Athletics with one out in the 7th. He leaves after seven scoreless innings, having struck out 12 batters, and is credited with the 6 - 1 win, his second in as many starts.
- Jameson Taillon of the Pirates pitches a one-hitter in defeating the Reds, 5 - 0. The only hit he allows is a single by his opponent, Tyler Mahle, in the 3rd.
- 2019:
- The Trump Administration cancels an agreement reached the previous December between Major League Baseball and the Cuban Baseball Federation that allows Cuban players to join organized baseball through a formal transfer process, as is the case with South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. The current administration objects to the fact that transfer fees are being paid to the Federation; however, the agreement's demise is likely to lead to a return of danger-fraught defections as the only path for Cuban players to reach the U.S.
- Chris Davis establishes a new futility record: by going 0-for-5 in a 12 - 4 Orioles win over the Athletics, he increases his streak of at-bats without a hit to 49, including 28 since the start of the current season, shattering the previous mark of 46 by Eugenio Velez in 2010-2011.
- 2021 - The Mets win their home opener in controversial fashion: with the bases loaded in the 9th, Marlins P Anthony Bass's pitch grazes the elbow of batter Michael Conforto. Umpire Ron Kulpa rules that he was hit-by-pitch, even though the pitch was in the strike zone and Conforto made no attempt to get out of the way - quite the contrary. The decision pushes the winning run across the plate for a 3 - 2 win. After the game, Kulpa admits that he made a wrong call and should have called the pitch strike three.
- 2022:
- The Blue Jays put together one of the biggest Opening Day comebacks ever to defeat the Rangers, 10 - 8, at the Rogers Centre. Brad Miller leads off the game with a homer off Jose Berrios, who is chased after recording only one out, and eventually build a 7 - 0 lead. However, the Jays score three runs in the 4th and will score in each of their subsequent turns at bat to erase the deficit. Highlights include a three-run homer by Teoscar Hernández and a go-ahead double by Lourdes Gurriel in the 7th, with Hernández scoring from first base on a close play. Only the 1950 New York Yankees had ever put together a larger comeback in their first game.
- Rachel Balkovec makes history when she manages her first game with the Tampa Tarpons of the Florida State League. She is the first female manager in the history of Organized Baseball. The Tarpons defeat the Lakeland Flying Tigers, 9 - 6.
- 2023:
- The final score may not reflect this, but the Chattanooga Lookouts' 7 - 5 win over the Rocket City Trash Pandas in the Southern League comes during a no-hitter - by the losing team. Chattanooga scores all seven of its runs in the top of the 7th and final inning in the first game of a doubleheader after Coleman Crow allows only two walks through the first six innings for Rocket City. However, vaunted hard-throwing prospect Ben Joyce fails to protect the 3 - 0 lead as he walks the bases loaded while recording the first two outs, before walking in a first run. Center fielder Jeremiah Jackson then misses a routine fly ball, clearing the bases. After Joyce departs in favor of Eric Torres, the Lookouts pile on thanks to five hit batsmen, another walk and a wild pitch before the final out is recorded by strikeout. The Trash Pandas come back to score twice in the bottom of the 7th and manage to bring the winning run to the plate, but it's not enough to erase that absolute nightmare of a frame.
- In a NCAA Division III doubleheader, Emory University has no trouble finding hits, winning twice against Brandeis University by scores of 31 - 7 and 31 - 4. Their batters combine for 49 hits and 20 walks on the day, with nine homers. 3B Jack Halloran has a pretty good day, going 9 for 10 with 15 RBIs in the two games.
- 2024 - On the 20th anniversary of the opening of Petco Park, the Padres stage a comeback from an eight-run deficit, tying the record for the biggest in team history. They trail the Cubs, 8 - 0, before scoring seven runs in the 6th inning, then win it, 9 - 8, on a two-run homer by Fernando Tatis Jr. in the 8th.
Births[edit]
- 1845 - Fred Erby, umpire (d. 1918)
- 1845 - Gardner Willard, umpire (d. 1915)
- 1850 - John Peters, infielder (d. 1924)
- 1854 - Ham Avery, umpire (d. 1927)
- 1856 - George Radbourn, pitcher (d. 1904)
- 1857 - Bill Crowley, outfielder (d. 1891)
- 1859 - Lady Baldwin, pitcher (d. 1937)
- 1860 - Charlie Ingraham, catcher (d. 1906)
- 1864 - Pete Daniels, pitcher (d. 1928)
- 1866 - Henry Lynch, outfielder (d. 1925)
- 1870 - John Stafford, pitcher (d. 1940)
- 1873 - Pete Cassidy, infielder (d. 1929)
- 1874 - Bert Myers, infielder (d. 1915)
- 1875 - Reddy Grey, outfielder (d. 1934)
- 1877 - Frank Foutz, infielder (d. 1961)
- 1878 - Pop Foster, outfielder (d. 1944)
- 1881 - Bert Daly, infielder (d. 1952)
- 1883 - Shag Shaughnessy, outfielder (d. 1969)
- 1887 - Bill Jones, outfielder (d. 1946)
- 1888 - Hap Myers, infielder (d. 1967)
- 1890 - Frank Blattner, infielder (d. 1954)
- 1890 - Alvin Gardner, minor league executive (d. 1968)
- 1895 - Eddie Bacon, pitcher (d. 1963)
- 1897 - Dick Attreau, infielder (d. 1964)
- 1897 - Dick Jackson, infielder (d. 1939)
- 1899 - Ted Kleinhans, pitcher (d. 1985)
- 1899 - Lerton Pinto, pitcher (d. 1983)
- 1901 - Carr Smith, outfielder (d. 1989)
- 1902 - Carl Husta, infielder (d. 1951)
- 1903 - Frank Mulroney, pitcher (d. 1985)
- 1908 - Buck Fausett, infielder (d. 1994)
- 1908 - José Ángel Meléndez, minor league pitcher (d. 1985)
- 1910 - Charlie English, infielder (d. 1999)
- 1913 - Manuel Fortes, minor league pitcher/outfielder and manager
- 1914 - Andy Karl, pitcher (d. 1989)
- 1915 - Kirby Higbe, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1985)
- 1916 - Naoto Asahara, NPB outfielder (d. 1987)
- 1918 - Bob Mavis, pinch runner (d. 2005)
- 1920 - Dick Adams, infielder (d. 2016)
- 1920 - Bob Benish, minor league infielder and manager (d. 1999)
- 1920 - Stan Wasiak, minor league manager (d. 1992)
- 1921 - Dee Sanders, pitcher (d. 2007)
- 1924 - Masami Nakamura, NPB player (d. 1945)
- 1927 - Charlie Maxwell, outfielder; All-Star
- 1931 - Jack Stallings, college coach (d. 2018)
- 1933 - Lloyd Merritt, pitcher
- 1934 - Turk Farrell, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1977)
- 1935 - Takao Kajimoto, NPB pitcher and manager (d. 2006)
- 1935 - Dick Luebke, pitcher (d. 1974)
- 1936 - Hajimu Tatsumi, NPB pitcher
- 1938 - Tom Butters, pitcher (d. 2016)
- 1939 - Motoo Ando, NPB player
- 1941 - Shiro Takegami, NPB infielder and manager
- 1942 - Jose Herrera, outfielder (d. 2009)
- 1942 - Lorenzo Lockhart, Bahamas national team player
- 1942 - Dallas Parks, umpire
- 1943 - John Hiller, pitcher; All-Star
- 1943 - Calvin Bailey, college coach (d. 2020)
- 1945 - Tadakatsu Kotani, NPB pitcher
- 1946 - Catfish Hunter, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1999)
- 1949 - Randy Marsh, umpire
- 1949 - Mac Scarce, pitcher
- 1954 - Gary Carter, catcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 2012)
- 1956 - Roger Holt, infielder
- 1958 - Yasuo Kubo, NPB pitcher
- 1959 - Yoshihiro Nakada, NPB pitcher
- 1962 - Tetsuya Nagano, Japanese national team pitcher
- 1963 - Juan José Pacho, minor league infielder and manager; Salon de la Fama
- 1966 - Alex Sanchez, pitcher
- 1967 - Rich Batchelor, pitcher
- 1967 - Tim Dell, minor league pitcher
- 1968 - Albert Bustillos, minor league pitcher
- 1969 - Kirk Dressendorfer, pitcher
- 1969 - Pete Walker, pitcher
- 1970 - Francisco Matos, infielder
- 1970 - Enrico Vecchi, Serie A1 outfielder and manager
- 1971 - Todd Genke, minor league pitcher
- 1973 - Alex Gonzalez, infielder
- 1974 - Jason Mackey, minor league pitcher
- 1974 - Scott Packard, umpire
- 1974 - Eddie Priest, pitcher
- 1974 - Hsien-Wen Yeh, CPBL pitcher
- 1975 - Jeremy Fikac, pitcher
- 1975 - Timo Perez, outfielder
- 1975 - Travis Wade, minor league pitcher
- 1976 - Chia-Hsien Hsieh, CPBL infielder-outfielder
- 1976 - Jae-chul Lim, KBO outfielder
- 1979 - Jeremy Guthrie, pitcher
- 1979 - Dane Sardinha, catcher
- 1980 - Juan Pablo Angrisano, Italian Baseball League catcher
- 1980 - Frederich Cepeda, NPB outfielder
- 1980 - Tim Huson, minor league infielder
- 1981 - Brian Burres, pitcher
- 1981 - Darren Colby, South African national team pitcher
- 1981 - Nai-Wen Cheng, CPBL outfielder-infielder
- 1981 - Mike Hernandez, minor league player
- 1981 - Matt Ford, pitcher
- 1982 - Kason Gabbard, pitcher
- 1983 - Chris Iannetta, catcher
- 1983 - Eric Patterson, outfielder
- 1983 - Bobby Wilson, catcher
- 1984 - Gustavo Ogassawara, Brazilian national team pitcher
- 1985 - Juan Abreu, pitcher
- 1985 - Matt Antonelli, infielder
- 1985 - Jose Ramazzini, Guatemalan national team pitcher
- 1986 - Yi-Chen Chen, CPBL pitcher
- 1986 - Felix Hernandez, pitcher; All-Star
- 1986 - Eddie Kunz, pitcher
- 1986 - Sameera Rathnayake, Sri Lankan national team outfielder
- 1986 - Carlos Santana, infielder; All-Star
- 1987 - Yonder Alonso, infielder; All-Star
- 1987 - Jeremy Hellickson, pitcher
- 1988 - Edison Álvarez, Dominican national team pitcher
- 1988 - Pil-joon Jang, minor league pitcher
- 1988 - Myung-sung Kim, KBO pitcher
- 1988 - Nick Morreale, Italian Baseball League pitcher
- 1988 - Yuta Suyama, NPB umpire
- 1989 - Elys Blanco, minor league designated hitter
- 1989 - Lendy Castillo, pitcher
- 1989 - Muhammad Majeed, Pakistani national team outfielder
- 1990 - Argenis Martinez, minor league infielder
- 1990 - Xiang Zhang, China Baseball League pitcher
- 1992 - Artie Lewicki, pitcher
- 1992 - Jeff McNeil, infielder/outfielder; All-Star
- 1994 - Zach Eflin, pitcher
- 1994 - Brittany Gomez, USA women's national team outfielder
- 1995 - Garrett Totty, minor league catcher and manager
- 1996 - Jacob Latz, pitcher
- 1997 - Cheng-Fei Lin, CPBL infielder
- 1997 - Jimmy Smiley, Extraliga pitcher
- 1999 - Jo Adell, outfielder
- 1999 - Atsushi Endo, NPB pitcher
- 1999 - Jesus Sanchez, minor league pitcher
- 2000 - Sebastián Perrone, minor league pitcher
- 2001 - David Feins, Israeli national team pitcher
- 2003 - Kevin Volarić, Croatian national team outfielder
Deaths[edit]
- 1916 - Bill Moran, catcher (b. 1869)
- 1924 - Jimmy Macullar, infielder, manager (b. 1855)
- 1940 - Bill Abstein, infielder (b. 1883)
- 1940 - Dave Murphy, infielder (b. 1876)
- 1942 - Pat Bohen, pitcher (b. 1891)
- 1950 - Curley Maloney, minor league outfielder and manager (b. 1874)
- 1951 - Whitey Guese, pitcher (b. 1872)
- 1952 - Willie Ludolph, pitcher (b. 1900)
- 1955 - Ed Greer, minor league pitcher (b. 1901)
- 1955 - Alfred Saylor, pitcher/infielder (b. 1911)
- 1961 - Fred Brickell, outfielder (b. 1906)
- 1964 - George Moriarty, infielder, manager (b. 1884)
- 1964 - Mickey O'Neil, catcher (b. 1898)
- 1964 - Jim Umbricht, pitcher (b. 1930)
- 1968 - Bob Pepper, pitcher (b. 1895)
- 1969 - Win Noyes, pitcher (b. 1889)
- 1970 - Lee Handley, infielder (b. 1913)
- 1972 - Gus Fisher, catcher (b. 1885)
- 1975 - Jim Peterson, pitcher (b. 1908)
- 1976 - John King, minor league outfielder and manager (b. 1890)
- 1978 - Ford Frick, commissioner; Hall of Famer (b. 1894)
- 1984 - William Dyke, infielder (b. 1906)
- 1985 - Joe Sullivan, pitcher (b. 1910)
- 1988 - Herman Roth, catcher (b. 1896)
- 1989 - Andy Karl, pitcher (b. 1914)
- 1989 - Bus Saidt, writer (b. 1920)
- 1990 - Bill Kelly, infielder (b. 1898)
- 1997 - Bob Cain, pitcher (b. 1924)
- 1997 - Homer Peel, outfielder (b. 1902)
- 1997 - Alejo Peralta y Diaz de Ceballos, minor league executive (b. 1916)
- 2003 - Bing Russell, minor league player (b. 1926)
- 2003 - Jesse Warren, infielder (b. 1914)
- 2005 - Al Gettel, pitcher (b. 1917)
- 2005 - Eddie Miksis, infielder (b. 1926)
- 2008 - Hersh Lyons, pitcher (b. 1915)
- 2012 - Thomas Hodges, minor league pitcher (b. 1924)
- 2012 - Al Veigel, pitcher (b. 1917)
- 2014 - Bill Burgess, researcher (b. ~1951)
- 2015 - Willie Honicutt, Negro League player (b. 1932)
- 2017 - Melan Borja, Guam national team catcher (b. 1961)
- 2018 - Carl Giuranna, college coach (b. 1928)
- 2022 - Carl Boles, outfielder (b. 1934)
- 2022 - Bob Cawley, college coach (b. 1940)
- 2024 - Don Sneddon, college coach (b. 1952)
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