The asterisk denotes the club that won the wild card for its respective league.
Events
January–April
January 8 – For only the seventh time in history, and the first time since, the Baseball Writers' Association of America fails to select a player for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
March 5 – The Veterans Committee elects four new members to the Hall of Fame, and just misses naming a fifth. The group elected includes Earl Weaver, Baltimore Orioles manager for 17 seasons; pitcher Jim Bunning, who wins 100 games in each league; 19th-century manager Ned Hanlon, who wins pennants in Baltimore and Brooklyn, and Bill Foster, the Negro Leagues' winningest pitcher. Second baseman Nellie Fox receives the necessary 75% of the Committee's votes, but the rules allow for election of only one modern player, and Bunning has more votes.
April 1
*Seven pitches into the first game of the season, at Cinergy Field in Cincinnati, home plate umpire John McSherry collapses on the field and dies of a massive heart attack. The game between the Cincinnati Reds and Montreal Expos is postponed, along with the rest of the games scheduled for that day. Reds owner Marge Schott later comes under fire for wanting the game in Cincinnati to continue despite the events, saying that she feels "cheated" when it's canceled.
*For the first time since the 1977 season, Alan Trammell takes the field in a Detroit Tigers uniform without Lou Whitaker on the roster. Whitaker and Trammell were teammates for 19 seasons, a record for a shortstop/second base combination.
April 9 – In a wild Opening Day game at Tiger Stadium, the Detroit Tigers defeat the Seattle Mariners 10-9, scoring their 10 runs on just 4 hits. Alan Trammell hits a 3rd-inning home run, the final one of his career.
April 11 – Atlanta Braves pitcher Greg Maddux ends his major league record for consecutive road victories with a 2–1 loss to the San Diego Padres. Maddux is 18-0 with an 0.99 earned run average in 20 regular-season road starts since losing to the Montreal Expos on June 27, 1994.
April 16 – Cecil Fielder hits three home runs helping the Detroit Tigers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 13–8.
April 27 – Barry Bonds hits 300th career home run.
April 30 – At Cinergy Field, Jeff King of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits two home runs in the fourth inning of a 10-7 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. King, who had hit two home runs in the second inning of the Pirates' August 8, game against the San Francisco Giants, becomes the third player to hit two home runs in one inning on two occasions, joining Willie McCovey and Andre Dawson.
May 14 – New York Yankee pitcher Dwight Gooden pitches the first Yankee Stadium no-hitter in 3 years as his Yankees beat the Seattle Mariners 3-0.
May 17 – At Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Chris Hoiles, batting with the bases loaded and his Baltimore Orioles trailing the Seattle Mariners 13-10, hits a grand slam home run off Norm Charlton for a 14-13 Oriole victory. Hoiles' home run, one of only 29 "ultimate grand slams" in Major League history, occurs on a full count with two outs. Hoiles becomes only the second player in Major League history to do so after Alan Trammell in 1988.
May 21 – Ken Griffey Jr. hits 200th career home run helping Seattle Mariners beat the Boston Red Sox 13-7.
May 24 – Ken Griffey Jr. hits 3 home runs helping Seattle Mariners beat the New York Yankees 10-4.
May 28 – Cal Ripken hits 3 home runs helping Baltimore Orioles beat the Seattle Mariners 12-8.
June 23 – The Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium by a score of 4-3. It is the last game and victory in Tommy Lasorda's career. The next day he checks himself into a hospital with abdominal pains which he learns are the symptoms of a heart attack. He retires formally on July 29 with 1,599 wins.
June 29 – Mike Piazza hits 3 home runs helping the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 13-10.
July 9 – At Veterans Stadium, the National League defeats the American League 6-0 in the All-Star Game. Ken Caminiti and Mike Piazza hit home runs for the winners. The game is the first All-Star contest in which no walks are issued by either team. The Orioles' Cal Ripken, Jr. starts the game, despite suffering a broken nose when he accidentally catches a forearm from White Sox reliever Roberto Hernández when the latter slips on the tarp during the AL team photo shoot.
July 12 – After the failure of two operations to repair the glaucoma-induced damage that blinded him in his right eye, the Minnesota Twins' much loved outfielder Kirby Puckett announces his retirement effective immediately.
September 2 – At the Kingdome, Mike Greenwelldrives in all nine Boston Red Sox runs in his team's 9-8, 10-inning victory over the Seattle Mariners. The nine RBIs are the most by one player accounting for all of his team's runs in one game. Greenwell, whose evening includes two home runs, singles in the tenth to score Wil Cordero for the winning run.
September 6 – Eddie Murray of the Baltimore Orioles becomes the 15th player in major league history to hit 500 home runs. He homers off Felipe Lira in the seventh inning of the Orioles' 5-4, 12-inning loss to the Detroit Tigers at Camden Yards. Murray also joins Hank Aaron and Willie Mays as the only big leaguers to reach both this milestone and also the 3,000 hit mark.
September 6 – Brett Butler returns to the Los Angeles Dodgers line-up four months after having surgery for throat cancer. The 39-year-old center fielder scores the decisive run in a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
September 14 - The New York Mets' Todd Hundley hit his 41st home run of the season in a 6-5 win at home against the Braves to set a Major League record for home runs in a season by a catcher.
September 16 – Paul Molitor of the Minnesota Twins becomes the first DH with 3,000 career hits. He is the first player in history to reach the milestone by collecting a triple.
September 17 – Hideo Nomo pitches a no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 9-0 victory. Nomo walks four batters and strikes out eight.
September 18 – Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox ties his own Major League record for a nine inning game by striking out twenty Detroit Tigers en route to a 4-0 win.
September 27 – Barry Bonds steals his 40th base of the season, becoming the second member of Major League Baseball's 40–40 club. Bonds' San Francisco Giants defeat the Colorado Rockies, 9-3.
September 29 – Against the Toronto Blue Jays at the SkyDome, Brady Anderson of the Baltimore Orioles hits his 50th home run of the season. The home run, leading off the game, breaks Frank Robinson's single-season franchise record of 49 home runs in. Anderson also becomes the first player to hit 50 home runs in one season and steal 50 bases in another, having stolen 52 in. However, the Blue Jays give up no more runs and defeat the Orioles 4-1 for Pat Hentgen's 20th victory of the season. Hentgen, the eventual American League Cy Young Award winner, becomes only the second 20-game winner in Jays history, after Jack Morris winning 21 games in.
October 26 – The New York Yankees take their fourth victory in a row from the Atlanta Braves, 3-2, giving them the 1996 World Series and their 23rd World Championship. Starter Jimmy Key gets the win with help from closer John Wetteland, whose four saves earn him the MVP trophy.
November 12 – Pat Hentgen of the Toronto Blue Jays edges Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees for the Cy Young Award in the closest American League voting since when Gaylord Perry tops Wilbur Wood by six points. Hentgen, who posts a 20-10 record with a 3.22 ERA and leads the Major Leagues in complete games, outpoints Pettitte by the narrow margin of 110-104. Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera, who goes 8-3 with a 2.09 ERA and five saves in 61 appearances, finishes third in the ballot and receives one first-place vote.
November 26 – Less than three weeks after major league owners vote 18-12 against ratification of baseball's new collective bargaining agreement, owners vote again and this time approve it by a vote of 26-4. The landmark agreement brings interleague play to the regular season for the first time as well as revenue sharing among owners and a payroll tax on players.
November 30 – Ken Caminiti of the San Diego Padres is the unanimous choice as National League Most Valuable Player. In 2002, he would be the first player of his era to admit that he uses steroids, specifically during this season, and dies in 2004 at age 41 of a heart attack thought to be drug-related. Mike Piazza is the runner-up for the award.
January 3 – Connie Ryan, 75, All-Star second baseman who played for five different clubs in span of 12 seasons from 1942–1954, spending much of his baseball career with the Braves franchise, working as a player in Boston for the 1948 National League champions, later as a coach in Milwaukee for the 1957 World Series champion team, while managing the Atlanta team in 1975, before joining the Texas Rangers as a manager in 1997 and as their coach through 1979.
January 5 – Elmer Singleton, 77, relief pitcher for the Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Senators in all or part of eight seasons spanning 1945–1959.
January 8 – Dutch McCall, 75, pitcher for the 1948 Chicago Cubs.
January 9 – Roger Freed, 49, outfielder who played from 1970 through 1979 with the Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, Montreal Expos and St. Louis Cardinals.
January 9 – Overton Tremper, 89, outfielder for the Brooklyn Robins in the 1927 and 1928 seasons.
January 10 – Joe Schultz, 77, backup catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Browns in eight seasons between 1939 and 1948, who in 1969 became the manager for the American League expansion franchise Seattle Pilots in their inaugural and only season.
January 21 – Dan Monzon, 49, middle infielder and third baseman for the Minnesota Twins during the 1972 and 1973 seasons.
January 22 – Dick Rand, 64, backup catcher who played with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1953 and 1955 seasons and for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1957.
January 25 – Mike Clark, 73, a highly touted pitching prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system in the 1940s, whose career was interrupted by three years of service during World War II, finally joining the Cardinals as a relief pitcher from 1952 to 1953, being undefeated in three decisions while recording one save in 35 relief appearances.
January 25 – Chuck Coles, 64, left fielder who played with the Cincinnati Redlegs in 1958.
February
February 7 – Red Webb, 71, pitcher for the New York Giants in the 1948 and 1949 seasons.
February 8 – Del Ennis, 70, three-time All-Star outfielder who finished in the top-20 in hits in the National League eight times with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1946–1956, as well in the top-10 in home runs, nine times, leading the league with 126 RBI in 1956 while batting.311 and hitting 31 home runs.
February 16 – Hank Gornicki, 86, pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates in a span of four seasons from 1941–1946.
February 17 – Andy Lapihuska, 73, pitcher who played from 1942 to 1943 for the Philadelphia Phillies.
February 19 – Charles O. Finley, 77, controversial and colorful owner of the Oakland Athletics, who brought innovations to Major League Baseball likes the night time games at the World Series, the designated hitter rule, and the brightly-colored uniforms and white spikes for his players, while pushing the Athletics to three straight World Series titles from 1972–1974.
February 23 – Gordon Goldsberry, 68, first baseman who spent three seasons with the Chicago White Sox from 1949 through 1951 before being traded to the St. Louis Browns in 1952.
February 27 – Vic Janowicz, 66, backup catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1953–1954.
March
March 8 – Bill Nicholson, 81, five-time All-Star slugging right fielder for the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, who twice led the National League in home runs and RBI, finished 3rd in the MVP voting in 1943 and 2nd the next year, and collected 20 or more home runs seven times, including a career-high 30 homers in 1944.
March 13 – Dick West, 80, catcher over parts of six seasons from 1938–1943 with the Cincinnati Reds.
March 20 – Jim Pendleton, 72, Negro American League and Double-A American Association outfielder, who later enjoyed a 10-year major league career from 1953-1962 with the Milwaukee Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Houston Colt.45s, becoming just the second rookie to hit three homers in a major league game, as Eddie Mathews did it in 1952.
March 22 – Pete Whisenant, 66, outfielder and utility man who played for eight teams in eight seasons spanning 1952–1961, primarily with the Cincinnati Reds and Redlegs.
March 24 – Ray Pepper, 90, outfielder who played from 1932 through 1936 for the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Browns.
March 24 – Jerry Robertson, 52, pitcher who played with the Montreal Expos in 1969 and for the Detroit Tigers in 1970.
March 28 – Don Ross, 81, versatile infield-outfield utility who played for the Detroit Tigers, Brooklyn Dodgers and Cleveland Indians during eight seasons spanning 1938–1946.
April
April 1 – John McSherry, 51, National League umpire from 1971 until the time of his death, who umpired in the World Series in 1977 and 1987, and also officiated in eight NL Championship Series, two NL Division Games, and three All-Star Games, for which the umpiring crew consisted of three AL umpires and three NL umpires between 1949 and 1999.
April 14 – Clyde McNeal, 67, shortstop in the Negro leagues.
April 17 – Bill Serena, 71, third baseman who played from 1949 through 1954 for the Chicago Cubs.
April 20 – Hank Biasatti, 74, Italian first baseman for the 1949 Philadelphia Athletics.
April 21 – Walker Cress, 79, pitcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds in 1948 and 1949.
April 22 – Bob Brady, 73, catcher who played from 1946 to 1947 for the 1946 Boston Braves.
April 24 – Gary Geiger, 59, outfielder for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros in twelve seasons between 1958 and 1970.
April 25 – Tommy Irwin, 83, shortstop for the Cleveland Indians in 1938.
April 26 – Milt Gaston, 100, pitcher for five American League clubs in eleven seasons from 1924 through 1934, who had 18 Hall of Fame teammates and managers, more than any player in Major League Baseball history.
April 28 – Johnny Bucha, 71, backup catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers in part of three seasons spanning 1948–1953.
April 28 – Al Hollingsworth, 88, pitcher who played with the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Brooklyn Dodgers, Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns and the Chicago White Sox between 1935 and 1946, also a member of the Browns team that faced the Cardinals in the All-St. Louis 1944 World Series.
May
May 1 – Jim Gleeson, 84, outfielder for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds in five seasons between 1936 and 1942, who later managed in the minor leagues, coached for the New York Yankees, and worked as a coach and scout for the Kansas City Athletics.
May 2 – Pinky Jorgensen, 81, outfielder for the 1937 Cincinnati Reds.
May 3 – Alex Kellner, 71, an All-Star pitcher who played for the Athletics, Reds and Cardinals between 1948 and 1959.
May 4 – Gus Keriazakos, 64, pitcher who played for the Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators and Kansas City Athletics in a span of three seasons from 1950–1955.
May 10 – Joe Holden, 82, catcher who played from 1934 through 1936 for the Philadelphia Phillies.
May 19 – Johnny Berardino, 79, middle infielder and third baseman for the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates in eleven seasons spanning 1939–1952, who later became a prolific actor, being best known for his role of Dr. Steve Hardy on the soap opera General Hospital.
May 26 – Mike Sharperson, 34, versatile infield/outfield utility man mostly used at third base and second, who was selected for the 1992 All Star Game and won World Series rings with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988 and for the Atlanta Braves in 1995.
June
June 2 – Gene Snyder, 65. pitcher for the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers.
June 7 – Buddy Blair, 85, third baseman for the Philadelphia Athletics during the 1942 season.
June 13 – Al Piechota, 82, pitcher who played from 1940 to 1941 for the Boston Bees and Braves.
June 16 – Mel Allen, 83, legendary broadcaster who spent over 35 years with the New York Yankees, still promoted as having been The Voice of the Yankees, while in his later years he gained a second professional life as the first host of the syndicated TV series This Week in Baseball.
June 26 – Buck Frierson, 78, outfielder for the 1941 Cleveland Indians.
June 30 – Jerry May, 52, catcher who played from 1964 through 1973 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals and New York Mets.
July
July 8 – Jim Baumer, 65, second baseman who played with the Chicago White Sox in the 1949 season and for the Cincinnati Reds in 1961, working later as a general manager for the Seattle Pilots and the Milwaukee Brewers.
July 8 – Jim Busby, 69, All-Star and speedy center fielder who played from 1950 through 1962 for the Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and Houston Colt.45's, ranking among the top five in stolen bases four times and leading the American League in putouts twice, while recording three of the top 20 single-season outfield putout totals in major league history.
July 14 – Hank Camelli, 81, backup catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Braves in part of three seasons from 1943–1947, who later spent 16 seasons in the minor leagues as a player and playing/manager.
July 19 – Dan Lewandowski, 68, pitcher who played for the 1951 St. Louis Cardinals.
July 21 – Walt Moryn, 70, All-Star corner outfielder who played from 1954 through 1961 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, also a member of the 1955 World Series Champion Dodgers.
July 23 – Clara Cook, 75, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League pitcher, member of the 1944 Milwaukee Chicks champion team.
July 23 – Red Munger, 77, three time All-Star pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates during ten seasons spanning 1943–1956, while helping the Cardinals clinch two National League pennants and the 1946 World Series.
July 23 – Ed Wineapple, 90, pitcher for the 1929 Washington Senators.
July 31 – Howie Goss, 61, center fielder who played with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Colt.45s from 1962 to 1963.
August 13 – Ray Shore, 75, pitcher for the St. Louis Browns in a span of three seasons between 1946 and 1949, who later became one of the most respected scouts in baseball while working for the Cincinnati Reds, serving as both the advance scout analyzing upcoming opponents and as a special assignment scout who evaluated playing talent at the Major League level for potential acquisition in trades.
August 24 – Ethel Boyce, 79, Canadian ballplayer who performed in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
August 28 – Al Zarilla, 77, All-Star right fielder who played for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox in all or part of ten seasons from 1943–1953, being also a member of the Browns team that won the 1944 American League pennant.
August 31 – Gil English, 87, third baseman who played for the New York Giants, Detroit Tigers, Boston Bees and Brooklyn Dodgers during six seasons spanning 1931–1944.
September
September 2 – Wes Livengood, 88, pitcher for the 1939 Cincinnati Reds.
September 4 – Babe Dahlgren, 84, All-Star and slick fielding first baseman who played for eight teams in a 12-year career from 1939–1953, best remembered for replacing Lou Gehrig in the New York Yankees roster in 1939, ending his 14-year consecutive games streak at 2,130.
September 6 – Barney McCosky, 79, outfielder who posted a.312 average for four teams in an 11-season career, leading the American League with 200 hits and 19 triples while helping the Detroit Tigers to the 1940 pennant.
September 7 – Willy Miranda, 70, Cuban slick fielding shortstop who played from 1951 through 1959 for the Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Browns and Baltimore Orioles.
September 9 – Harry Hanebrink, 68, backup second baseman and left fielder who played for the Milwaukee Braves and Philadelphia Phillies in four seasons spanning 1953–1959, also a member of the Braves team that lost the 1958 World Series to the New York Yankees in seven games.
September 22 – Joanne Winter, 71, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League All-Star pitcher and later a master teacher of golf for 30 years.
September 9 – Johnny Pramesa, 71, catcher who played from 1949 to 1952 for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds.
September 15 – Andy Pilney, 83, who made three appearances as a pinch hitter for the Boston Bees in 1936.
September 17 – Billy Bowers, 74, outfielder for the 1949 Chicago White Sox.
September 19 – Nanny Fernandez, 77, third baseman who played with the Boston Braves in 1942 and for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1946-1947.
September 24 – Red Embree, 79, pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and St. Louis Browns in a span of eight seasons from 1941–1949.
September 27 – Bruce Konopka, 77, first baseman who played for the Philadelphia Athletics over part of three seasons from 1942–1946.
October
October 2 – Tom Hafey, 83, third baseman who played with the New York Giants in the 1939 season and for the St. Louis Browns in 1944.
October 2 – Les Tietje, 86, pitcher who played with the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Browns in six seasons between 1933 and 1938.
October 4 – Joe Hoerner, 59, All-Star left handed reliever who played for seven teams in a span of 14 seasons from 1963-1977, most prominently for the 1967 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals.
October 5 – Joe Walsh, 79, backup infielder for the 1938 Boston Bees.
October 15 – Mike Balas, 86, pitcher who played for the Boston Bees in the 1938 season.
October 15 – Tom Ferrick, 81, relief pitcher who played for five clubs in a span of nine seasons from 1941–1952, as well as a member of the New York Yankees team that won the World Series championship in 1950.
October 18 – Elmer Klumpp, 90, catcher who played with the Washington Senators in 1934 and for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1937.
October 23 – Bob Grim, 66, All-Star pitcher who played for five teams in eight seasons from 1954–1962, the last American League rookie to win 20 games, after going 20-6 with a 3.26 ERA for the New York Yankees en route to winning the 1954 AL Rookie of the Year Award; also a member of the 1956 World Series champion Yankees, as well as earning a save after retiring the final out of the 1957 MLB All-Star Game, with the American League leading 6–5, and getting pinch-hitter Gil Hodges on a game-ending fly out to left field.
October 25 – Harry Shuman, 81, pitcher who played from 1942 through 1944 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies.
October 28 – Joe Samuels, 91, pitcher for the 1930 Detroit Tigers.
October 29 – Ewell Blackwell, 74, six-time All-Star with the Cincinnati Reds and also the starting pitcher in the 1947 MLB All-Star Game, who posted in that season a 22-8 record with a National League-high 193 strikeouts and 2.47 ERA, winning 16 consecutive games and pitching a no-hitter against the Boston Braves on June 18, coming within two outs of the ninth inning of throwing consecutive no-hitters, earning a two-hit shutout win over the Brooklyn Dodgers, as he came close to matching Johnny Vander Meer's feat of back-to-back no-no's.
October 30 – Bob Thorpe, 69, right fielder who played with the Boston Braves in 1951 and for the Milwaukee Braves from 1952 to 1953.
November
November 7 – Eddie Lukon, 76, outfielder who played for the Cincinnati Reds during four seasons between 1941 and 1947.
November 11 – Luman Harris, 81, pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Washington Senators in all or part of six seasons spanning 1941–1946, who later coached for the Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Houston Colt.45's, serving also as the interim manager for the Orioles in 1961 and for the Colts.45's in 1962, while managing the Atlanta Braves in 1968 and leading the club to the postseason for the first time in Atlanta history in 1969.
November 13 – Roger McCardell, 64. catcher for the 1959 San Francisco Giants.
November 14 – Jim Baxes, 68, third baseman who spent the 1959 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cleveland Indians.
November 18 – Charlie Neal, 65, three-time All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner at second base, whose career included stints with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds in a span of eight seasons from 1956–1963, while hitting.370 for the Dodgers in their 1959 World Series victory over the Chicago White Sox, and driving in the first Met run in their inaugural season of 1962.
November 18 – John Michaels, 89, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in the 1932 season.
November 20 – Bill Sayles, 79, pitcher who played with the Boston Red Sox in the 1939 season, and for the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943.
November 21 – Earl Cook, 87, Canadian pitcher who played for the 1941 Detroit Tigers.
November 30 – Ted Petoskey, 85, three-sport All-American athlete and coach at the University of Michigan, who also played in the majors as an outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds from 1934 to 1935.
December
December 3 – John Bateman, 56, catcher for the Houston Colt.45s and Astros, Montreal Expos and Philadelphia Phillies in 12 seasons from 1963 to 1972, who in 1963 caught the first no-hitter in Houston franchise history, a 4–1 gem by Don Nottebart over the Phillies.
December 5 – Cliff Mapes, 74, outfielder who played from 1948 through 1952 for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers, while winning World Series rings with the Yankees in and.
December 9 – Dottie Schroeder, 68, amazing shortstop, and the only girl to play in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for its twelve full seasons.
December 12 – George Jumonville, 79, shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1940 to 1941.
December 22 – Fred Green, 63, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Senators in a span of four seasons from 1959–1962, also a member of the 1960 Pirates World Series Champions.
December 27 – Gene Brabender, 55, pitcher who played from 1966 through 1970 for the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Pilots and Milwaukee Brewers, winning a World Series with the 1966 Orioles, and earning 13 victories for the 1969 Pilots in their inaugural and only season.
December 31 – Sam Narron, 83, catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals over part of three seasons spanning 1935–1943, including the 1942 World Series champion Cardinals, who was also the uncle of player and manager Jerry Narron and coach Johnny Narron, as well as the grandfather of pitcher Sam Narron.
