1896 in baseball

Champions

• National League : Baltimore Orioles over Cleveland Spiders
• *NL pennant: Baltimore Orioles

  Statistical leaders

• Batting: Jesse Burkett.410
• Home Runs: Ed Delahanty & Bill Joyce 13
• Wins: Kid Nichols 30
• ERA: Billy Rhines 2.46

  National League final standings

Events

• April 7 - A broken wrist that refuses to heal Impels Louisville first baseman Pete Cassidy to be the first MLB player to try a newfangled medical breakthrough called the "x-ray".
• May 9
• *Shortstop Herman Long hits for the cycle to give the Boston Beaneaters a 17–5 victory over the Louisville Colonels.
• *The Washington Senators defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 14–9, in a beanball battle. Senators pitcher Win Mercer hits three Pittsburgh batters while Pirate Pink Hawley plunks three Washington batters in a disastrous 11-run seventh inning, tying a mark he set on July 4,. Hawley retires in 1900 after only nine seasons of play with a still-standing National League record of 195 hit batters. All told, eight batters are plunked in the contest, a National League-record five by Hawley. The five Washington batters hit by pitches ties the NL mark and won't be matched until July 2,.
• *Hughie Jennings of the Baltimore Orioles knocks down Cincinnati Reds third baseman Charlie Irwin before he can catch Bid McPhee's throw. Jennings scores afterward to give the Orioles a controversial 6–5, 10-inning win over Cincinnati. Umpire Bob Emslie is escorted out of the ballpark by Cincinnati police.
• May 30 – Washington Senators third baseman Bill Joyce hits for the cycle in an 8–1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• July 13 – Philadelphia Phillies left-fielder Ed Delahanty becomes the second Major Leaguer to hit four home runs in a game, two of them being inside-the-park home runs. It wasn't enough, as the Phillies lose to the Chicago Colts, 9–8. He is the only member of the "four home runs in a game" club to have an inside-the-park home run as part of his feat and he is the first player to do so in a losing effort.

  Births

January

• January 17 – Harry Hanson
• January 18 – Bill McGowan
• January 18 – Babe Twombly
• January 19 – Ollie Hanson
• January 22 – Frank Fahey
• January 23 – Billy Mullen
• January 24 – Jim Lindsey
• January 25 – Ray Schmandt
• January 27 – Milt Gaston
• January 31 – Pinky Hargrave
• January 31 – Charlie Robertson

  February

• February 3 – Chicken Hawks
• February 4 – Andy Woehr
• February 10 – Bill Whaley
• February 11 – Charles Johnston
• February 17 – Frank Emmer
• February 20 – Muddy Ruel
• February 21 – Turkey Gross
• February 21 – Dick McCabe
• February 22 – Ferdie Moore
• February 26 – Rip Collins
• February 27 – Will Koenigsmark
• February 27 – Cy Perkins
• February 28 – Homer Ezzell
• February 29 – Ralph Miller
• February 29 – Roy Parker

  March

• March 3 – Bert Griffith
• March 5 – Bernie Hungling
• March 8 – Lefty Clarke
• March 9 – Rube Yarrison
• March 16 – Arlas Taylor
• March 22 – Chick Holmes

  April

• April 15 – Dutch Distel
• April 18 – Rip Conway
• April 20 – Harland Rowe
• April 23 – Elam Vangilder
• April 24 – Pug Griffin
• April 24 – Ken Penner
• April 25 – Fred Haney
• April 25 – Marty Shay
• April 27 – Rogers Hornsby
• April 29 – Johnnie Heving

  May

• May 1 – Heinie Meine
• May 2 – Bill Piercy
• May 3 – Bob Hasty
• May 7 – Tom Zachary
• May 16 – Red Ostergard
• May 18 – George Edmondson
• May 19 – Merito Acosta
• May 19 – Bud Culloton
• May 24 – Leo Mangum
• May 28 – Warren Giles
• May 31 – Socks Seibold

  June

• June 1 – Johnny Mostil
• June 1 – Joel Newkirk
• June 5 – Wade Lefler
• June 5 – Ray Richmond
• June 7 – Toussaint Allen
• June 11 – Charlie Hollocher
• June 18 – Newt Halliday
• June 25 – Earl Howard

  July

• July 1 – Bert Cole
• July 3 – Curt Walker
• July 4 – Charles Wesley
• July 5 – Buck Freeman
• July 5 – Hank Thormahlen
• July 7 – John Jenkins
• July 8 – Roy Crumpler
• July 9 – Carl Holling
• July 10 – Bill Schindler
• July 19 – Joe Boley
• July 19 – Bob Meusel
• July 20 – Ollie Fuhrman
• July 20 – Mutt Wilson
• July 27 – Rube Walberg
• July 31 – Chick Sorrells

  August

• August 4 – Chick Galloway
• August 4 – Cliff Lee
• August 6 – Ray Blades
• August 15 – Ben Rochefort
• August 15 – Bill Sherdel
• August 17 – Doug McWeeny
• August 23 – Cedric Durst
• August 24 – Bevo LeBourveau
• August 28 – Aaron Ward

  September

• September 2 – Paul Johnson
• September 2 – Harry Shriver
• September 5 – Gil Gallagher
• September 6 – Mack Eggleston
• September 6 – Frank McCrea
• September 6 – Paul Zahniser
• September 8 – Val Picinich
• September 8 – Johnny Schulte
• September 10 – Sammy Hale
• September 13 – Pat Collins
• September 13 – Art Stokes
• September 13 – Roy Wilson
• September 21 – Herschel Bennett
• September 24 – Kewpie Pennington

  October

• October 2 – Sid Womack
• October 5 – Charlie Pechous
• October 5 – Danny Silva
• October 6 – Harry Heitmann
• October 8 – Tim Murchison
• October 13 – Claude Davidson
• October 13 – Charlie See
• October 14 – Oscar Charleston
• October 15 – Mule Watson
• October 16 – John Brock
• October 19 – Bob O'Farrell
• October 20 – Wid Matthews
• October 22 – Sam Bohne
• October 27 – Frank Okrie
• October 28 – Roxy Snipes
• October 30 – Clyde Manion
• October 31 – Leo Dickerman

  November

• November 2 – Chick Maynard
• November 8 – Bucky Harris
• November 10 – Jimmy Dykes
• November 14 – Red Sheridan
• November 15 – Babe Ellison
• November 16 – Ivy Griffin
• November 17 – Sam Post
• November 18 – Bill Hughes
• November 20 – Larry Duff
• November 22 – Bill Hollahan
• November 23 – Dick Reichle
• November 27 – John Singleton
• November 29 – Joe DeBerry

  December

• December 2 – Gene Bedford
• December 2 – Mike Wilson
• December 4 – Allen Conkwright
• December 6 – Bob Larmore
• December 6 – Frank Luce
• December 10 – Spoke Emery
• December 11 – Johnny Walker
• December 13 – Denny Williams
• December 14 – Charlie Hargreaves
• December 17 – Jim Mattox
• December 26 – Herman Pillette

  Deaths

• January 4 – Tom Foley, 49, outfielder.
• January 22 – George Heubel, 47, outfielder for two seasons in the National Association, 1871–1872, and one in the National League, 1876.
• March 16 – Kid Madden, 28, pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters, Boston Reds, and Baltimore Orioles from 1887 to 1891.
• May 3 – George McVey, 30, first baseman/catcher.
• July 23 – Jack Beach, 34, outfielder.
• August 5 – Ben Stephens, 28, pitcher.
• August 29 – Curt Welch, 34, center fielder in the American Association who led league in doubles with 1889 Athletics and scored 100 runs five times.
• September 20 – Ed Crane, 34, pitcher/outfielder for nine seasons, most prominently for the New York Giants.
• September 23 – John Crowley, 34, catcher for the 1884 Philadelphia Quakers.
• September 26 – John Curran, 44, appeared in three games for the 1876 Philadelphia Athletics.
• November 10 – Jim Ritz, 22, third baseman.
• December 30 – Dave Birdsall, 58, outfielder.