March 2 – The Brooklyn Dodgers sell the contract of left-handed pitcher Tommy Lasorda to the Kansas City Athletics. Although a mainstay for the Dodgers' Triple-AMontreal Royals farm team, Lasorda, 28, has appeared in only eight games for Brooklyn in 1954–1955. After an 18-game trial with the 1956 Athletics and a brief stint in the New York Yankees' system, Lasorda will return to the Dodgers' organization in May 1957 and eventually become their Baseball Hall of Fame manager in September 1976.
March 3 – In an effort to keep the New York Giants in Manhattan, borough presidentHulan Jack makes plans for a new 110,000-seat stadium over the New York Central railroad tracks on a 470,000-foot site stretching from 60th to 72nd streets on Manhattan's West Side. The estimated cost of $75 million for the ballpark eventually dooms the project and will be a major factor in Giants owner Horace Stoneham's decision to move his club to San Francisco in 1957.
May 19 – Dale Long, first baseman of the Pittsburgh Pirates, hits his seventh home run of 1956 in the eighth inning of a 7–4 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The two-run blast is the first of Long's MLB-record eight home runs in eight consecutive games.
Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees narrowly misses hitting the first home run ever hit completely out of Yankee Stadium. With Hank Bauer and Gil McDougald on base in the fifth inning of Game One of a doubleheader against the Washington Senators, Mantle, batting left-handed against Pedro Ramos, hits a towering drive above the level of the stadium roof. However, a stiff wind cuts down the ball, which strikes the right-field facade, 18 inches (460 mm) above the level of the roof. The home run gives the Yankees a 3–1 lead; they go on to win 4–3.
June 19 – In New Jersey, the city of Hoboken dedicates a plaque honoring the achievements of Alexander Cartwright in organizing early baseball games at Elysian Fields, at ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of the first game played using modern rules.[1]
July 1 – At Busch Stadium, the slugging Cincinnati Redlegs sweep the homestanding St. Louis Cardinals in a doubleheader, 19–15 (ten innings) and 7–1, to climb into a virtual first-place tie with the Milwaukee Braves. The Redlegs are actually outhit by the Redbirds, 30 to 29, on the day, but Cincinnati smashes seven homers—including three by first baseman Ted Kluszewski in the opening contest. The Redlegs will belt 221 homers in 155 games in 1956, tying the National League and MLB records.
July 29 – The Cleveland Indians sell the contract of 11-year veteran outfielder/pinch hitter Dale Mitchell to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Mitchell, 34, batted .312 in 1,127 games in a Cleveland uniform.
August 7 – Fenway Park fans boo Boston Red Sox left-fielder Ted Williams for dropping Mickey Mantle's "routine" fly ball for a two-base error in the 11th inning of a scoreless tie against the New York Yankees. Williams then makes a difficult catch of a Yogi Berra line drive to keep Mantle from scoring and end the threat. As Williams trots off the field after the third out, he spits at the fans seated behind the Red Sox dugout, then spits at the reporters in the press box above home plate. Owner Tom Yawkey fines Williams $5,000 for what the press term the slugger's "Great Expectorations." That the Red Sox win the contest 1–0 on Williams' bases-loaded walk in the home half of the 11th is almost an afterthought.
August 25 – The New York Yankees claim veteran outfielder and future Hall-of-Famer Enos Slaughter, 40, on waivers from the Kansas City Athletics. Slaughter will appear in three consecutive World Series (1956–1958) for the Yanks. On the same day, they release Hall of Fame shortstop Phil Rizzuto, a 13-year veteran.
Days after criticizing the booing of veteran third baseman Al Rosen by hometown fans—and apparently at odds with general managerHank Greenberg—Al López resigns as manager of the Cleveland Indians. In six seasons, López has won one pennant and finished second five times, compiling the best winning percentage in Indians' history (570–354, .617). During the next six seasons, through 1962, the team will employ six different managers as it sinks in the American League standings.
October 9 – The Dodgers bounce back. Brooklyn's Clem Labine comes out of the bullpen to pitch a 1–0 victory in Game 6 of the World Series. Yankee Enos Slaughter misjudges Jackie Robinson's fly ball, and Jim Gilliam scores from second base; it turned out to be Robinson's last major league hit. The series is tied at three games apiece.
October 11 – Chicago Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley accepts the resignations of VP/player personnel Wid Matthews, business manager James T. Gallagher and field manager Stan Hack. Their replacements are three veterans of the Chicago organization: Charlie Grimm, two-time Cubs' manager (1932–1938, 1944–1949) who also played first base for them (1926–1937), and John Holland, general manager of the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League, who are named vice presidents; and former Cub catcher and coach Bob Scheffing, who is named 1957's field manager. Like Holland, Scheffing is promoted from the PCL Angels, who won 107 games and a pennant in 1956.
October 17 – The Detroit Tigers promote first-base coach Jack Tighe to manager for 1957. Tighe, 43, never played in the majors but is a former catcher and manager in the Tiger farm system.
October 26 – The New York Giants sign veteran slugger Hank Sauer, released by the St. Louis Cardinals. Sauer, at age 40, will make a comeback with the Giants in 1957, hitting 26 homers, tenth in the National League.
November 19 – The Philadelphia Phillies trade veteran left-fielder Del Ennis to the St. Louis Cardinals for infielder Bobby Morgan and outfielder Rip Repulski. Native Philadelphian, three-time All-Star and former "Whiz Kid" Ennis has played 11 seasons and smashed 259 homers for the Phillies, but has fallen out of favor with his hometown fans.
November 27
NL MVP Don Newcombe, who posted a 27–7 record with 139 strikeouts and a 3.06 ERA for the National League champion Brooklyn Dodgers, adds to his trophy case, becoming the first winner of the MLB Cy Young Award. Only one hurler will be selected each season for this prestigious pitching award until 1967, when each league will have its own winner.
Outfielder Charlie Peete, expected to get a good shot at becoming the first Black starter on the St. Louis Cardinals, is killed in a plane crash in Caracas, Venezuela. Peete, 27, who hit .192 in 23 games for St. Louis in 1956, was playing winter ball. His wife and three young children also die in the crash.
December 10 – A new generation assumes ownership of the Chicago White Sox upon the death of Grace Reidy Comiskey. Her will leaves 54 percent of the club to daughter Dorothy Comiskey Rigney, 39, and the remaining 46% to son Chuck, 31. Unhappy with his minority stake, Chuck takes his sister to court in 1957—but he fails to gain control of the team. In 1959, investors led by Bill Veeck acquire Dorothy's majority share; then, in 1961, a separate investor group buys Chuck's 46% share, ending the Comiskey family's ownership of the franchise, which predates the founding of the American League in 1901.
December 13 – Shocking fans in New York City and around the sporting world, the Brooklyn Dodgers trade future Hall-of-FamerJackie Robinson, 37, to their biggest rivals, the New York Giants, for journeyman left-handed pitcher Dick Littlefield and $30,000. Robinson's offensive production (.266, 18 HR, 79 RBI) has declined in his two most recent seasons and he has been moved to third base and left field in Brooklyn's lineup. Slightly more than three weeks later, the trade will be cancelled when Robinson announces his retirement as an active player.
January 2 – Russ Dedeaux, 42, pitcher/outfielder who appeared for the Newark Eagles and New York Black Yankees (1941, 1946).
January 4 – John Beckwith, 55, All-Star shortstop and manager in the Negro leagues, who spent over 20 years in baseball, ranking among the Negro leagues' career leaders in batting average, home runs, RBI and slugging percentage.[2]
January 7 – Davey Claire, 58, shortstop who appeared in three games for the Detroit Tigers in 1920.
January 10 – Algie McBride, 86, outfielder for the Chicago Colts, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Giants from 1896 to 1901.
January 22 − Ralph Mitterling, 65, outfielder for the Philadelphia Athletics during the 1916 season.
January 23 – Billy Evans, 71, youngest umpire in MLB history when he joining the American League staff in 1906 at age 22; officiated in six World Series between 1909 and 1923; in 1927 retired from umpiring and became a front office executive, serving as general manager of the Cleveland Indians (1927–1935) and Detroit Tigers (1946–1951).
January 26 – Dave Howard, 66, second baseman who played with the Washington Senators in the 1912 season and for the Brooklyn Tip-Tops in 1915.
January 28 – Barry McCormick, 81, MLB player and umpire; versatile infielder who played in 989 games between 1895 and 1904 for four teams; as an umpire, officiated in three circuits: the 1914–1915 Federal League (then considered an "outlaw"), 1917 American League, and 1919–1929 National League, working in 1,981 regular season games and both the 1922 and 1925 World Series.
January 31 – Buck Weaver, 65, shortstop and third baseman who played his entire career for the Chicago White Sox from 1912 to 1920, also a member of the 1917 World Series champion White Sox, then was one of the eight players banned from the Major Leagues for his connection to the 1919 Black Sox scandal.[3]
Connie Mack, 93, whose 65 years in baseball began as a catcher with the Washington Nationals in 1886, later a manager and owner of the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901 through 1950, retiring with nine American League pennants, five World Series titles and a record 3,731 victories – a feat that is unlikely to ever be matched, being inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1937.[4]
February 11 – Joseph Myers, 73, pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics during the 1905 season.
February 13 – Fred Holmes, 77, first baseman and catcher who played with the New York Highlanders in the 1904 season and for the Chicago Cubs in 1904.
February 14 – Bill Bishop, 55, pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Athletics during the 1921 season.
February 17 – Kip Selbach, 83, solid defensive outfielder who played for six different teams in a span of 13 seasons from 1894 to 1906, posting an overall batting line of .293/.377/.412 and 334 stolen bases, while leading the National League with 22 triples in 1895.[5]
February 19 – Ray Demmitt, 72, backup outfielder who played with five teams in part of seven seasons spanning 1909–1919.
February 23 – Pete Loos, 77, pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League in its 1901 season.
February 25 – Jack Lewis, 72, second baseman who played with the Boston Red Sox in 1911 and for the Pittsburgh Rebels of the outlaw Federal League from 1914 to 1915.
Ed Heusser, 46, pitcher for four teams in nine seasons between 1935 and 1948, who led the National League pitchers with a 2.38 ERA in 1944.
Walt Miller, 72, pitcher who appeared in three games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1911 season.
March 2 – Fred Merkle, 67, slugging first baseman and part-time outfielder who was in the major leagues from 1907 through 1926, playing with the New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees, being best remembered for his famous and controversial baserunning blunder as a 19-year rookie in 1908 that likely cost the Giants the National League pennant.[6]
March 4 – Frank Kelliher, 56, pinch-hitter who appeared in just one game with the Washington Senators in 1919.
March 5 – Bruce Ogrodowski, 44, backup catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals in part of two seasons from 1936 to 1937.
March 6 – Joe Berger, 69, part-time infielder for the Chicago White Sox in the 1913 and 1914 seasons.
March 7 – Shorty Desjardien, 62, pitcher for the Cleveland Indians in 1916, who is regarded as one of the best all-around athletes ever produced by the University of Chicago, while playing on Western Conference championship teams in both football and baseball, and competing also in basketball and track and field tournaments.
March 10 – Solly Hofman, 73, an above-average center fielder and one of the Deadball Era's finest utility men, who spent 14 seasons with five Major League teams between 1903 and 1916, while garnering attention as a timely hitter, his speed on the bases, and spectacular catches in outfield.[7]
March 14 – Lena Styles, 56, catcher who played with the Philadelphia Athletics and Cincinnati Reds over parts of five seasons from 1919 to 1931.
March 20 – Ed Smith, 77, pitcher for the St. Louis Browns during the 1906 season.
March 25 – Steel Arm Johnny Taylor, 76, standout pitcher in Black baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century, before the organization of the Negro leagues; one of four baseball-playing brothers.
April 9 – John Quinn, 70, backup catcher for the 1911 Philadelphia Phillies.
April 10
Ginger Beaumont, 79, outfielder for Pittsburgh, Boston and Chicago of the National League (1899–1910) who hit .311 in 1,463 games; 1902 NL batting champion (.357) who led Senior Circuit in hits four times (1902–1904, 1907).
Bill Brady, 66, relief pitcher for the 1912 Boston Braves.
April 16 – George Puccinelli, 48, outfielder who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Browns and Philadelphia Athletics over parts of four seasons spanning 1930–1936.
April 18
Claude Davidson, 59, second baseman in 33 total games for 1918 Philadelphia Athletics and 1919 Washington Senators; president of New England League (1926–1930, 1946–1949).
John Heydler, 86, ninth full-time president of the National League (1916–1934); former umpire and sportswriter.
Patsy O'Rourke, 75, shortstop for the 1908 St. Louis Cardinals.
April 20 – Sam Brenegan, 65, backup batcher for the 1914 Pittsburgh Pirates.
April 26 – Cliff Blankenship, 76, catcher and first baseman who played with the Cincinnati Reds in 1905 and for the Washington Senators in 1907 and 1909.
J. C. Segraves, 44, centerfielder for the 1937 Indianapolis Athletics of the Negro American League.
May 4 – Gus Dorner, 79, pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters, Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Naps in a span of six seasons between 1902 and 1909.
May 5 – John Godwin, 79, infield/outfield utility man for the Boston Americans in the 1905 and 1906 seasons.
May 6 – Harry Ostdiek, 75, backup catcher who played with the Cleveland Naps in the 1904 season and for the Boston Red Sox in 1908.
May 7 – Tommy Atkins, 68, pitcher who played from 1909 to 1910 for the Philadelphia Athletics.
May 10 – Jimmy Slagle, 82, outfielder who played for four National League clubs in 10 seasons from 1899 to 1908, winning two World Series rings with the Chicago Cubs in 1907 and 1908.
May 20 – Rayford Finch, 31, southpaw who hurled for the 1945 Cleveland Buckeyes of the Negro American League.
May 22 – Harry Howell, 79, notorious spitballer who pitched with six teams from 1898 to 1910, helping the Brooklyn Superbas win the 1900 National League pennant and becoming the best pitcher of the St. Louis Browns (now Baltimore Orioles) during the Deadball Era, establishing a franchise record for career ERA (2.06) that has never been equaled.[8]
May 26 – Al Simmons, 54, slugging Hall of Fame left fielder for seven clubs from 1924 to 1944, most prominently for Connie Mack and his fearsome Philadelphia Athletics of the late 1920s and early 1930s, who topped the American League with a .387 batting average, 24 home runs and 129 runs batted in and 253 hits in 1925, expanding his production in the next three seasons with averages of .341, a league-best .392, and .351, driving in 109, 108 and 107 runs, respectively, while guiding the Athletics to the American League pennant from 1929 through 1931, and World Series titles the first two of those years, ending his career with a .334 batting average, 2,927 hits, 307 home runs and 1,827 RBI, all with an unconventional batting stance that earned him the nickname 'Bucketfoot Al' because his stride took him toward third base.[9]
May 27 – Freddy Sale, 54, pitcher who appeared in just one game with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1924.
July 2 – Roy Wilkinson, 63, pitcher for the 1918 Cleveland Indians and 1919–1922 Chicago White Sox; appeared in two games of the infamous 1919 World Series as a reliever; after the Black Sox Scandal decimated his team, went 4–20 (5.13 ERA) for 1921 ChiSox.
July 9 – Budd Ryan, 70, catcher in 166 total games for 1912–1913 Cleveland Naps; longtime Pacific Coast League player and manager.
July 10 – Joe Giard, 56, left-handed pitcher who worked in 68 games for 1925–1926 St. Louis Browns and 1927 New York Yankees.
July 13 – Glenn Liebhardt, 73, pitcher who posted a 36–35 record with a sparkling 2.17 ERA in 90 games for the 1906–1909 Cleveland Naps; his son and namesake pitched in the majors in the 1930s.
July 18 – Hank Perry, 69, centerfielder/pinch hitter who got into 13 games for the 1912 Detroit Tigers.
July 25 – John Kane, 56, infielder who played in 14 games in September 1925 for the Chicago White Sox.
July 26 – Dad Clark, 83, first baseman who played a dozen games for the 1902 Chicago Orphans (now the Cubs).
July 30 – Tommy Sewell, 50, scion of famous Alabama baseball family, who had one MLB at bat as a pinch hitter for the 1927 Cubs; brother of Hall of Famer Joe and All-Star catcher and manager Luke Sewell, and cousin of hurler Rip Sewell.
August 5 – Paddy Siglin, 64, second baseman and pinch hitter who appeared 23 games over three seasons (1914–1916) for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
August 7 – Hughie Tate, 76, who appeared in four games for the 1904 Washington Senators as a leftfielder and pinch hitter.
August 12 – Warren Miller, 71, outfielder who got into 47 career games over two stints (1909, 1911) with the Washington Senators.
August 14
Frank Dupee, 79, Vermont native and Chicago White Stockings hurler who, in his lone game pitched on August 24, 1901, walked the only three MLB batters he ever faced; all scored, saddling Dupee with a career earned run average of infinity.
Wilfredo Salas, 33, Cuban pitcher in independent, Negro league, and minor league baseball between 1946 and the year of his death, spent with the Rojos del Aguila de Veracruz of the Mexican League.
August 24 – Art Fromme, 72, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants between 1906 and 1915.
August 31 – Frank Watt, 53, pitcher who went 5–5 (4.84) with three saves in 38 games for the 1931 Philadelphia Phillies.
September 4 – Pat Ragan, 72, pitcher who appeared for seven big-league teams (primarily Brooklyn and Boston of the National League) in 11 seasons spanning 1909 to 1923; went 77–104 with a 2.99 career ERA in 283 career gams pitched.
September 6 – Stubby Magner, 68, Cornell graduate and 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m), 135 lb (61 kg) shortstop who appeared in 13 games for 1911 New York Highlanders.
September 10 – Eddie Brown, 65, outfielder who batted .303 in 790 MLB games with New York Giants (1920–1921), Brooklyn Robins (1924–1925) and Boston Braves (1926–1928); led National League in hits, with 201, in 1926.
September 11 – Marty Herrmann, 63, southpaw who hurled one inning for the Brooklyn Robins in his lone MLB appearance on July 10, 1918.
September 12 – Tod Sloan, 65, outfielder/pinch hitter who played in 143 games over three seasons (1913, 1917, 1919) with the St. Louis Browns.
September 18 – Jim Rutherford, 69, outfielder and Cornell alumnus who appeared in one game (and four innings) in centerfield for the Cleveland Naps on July 12, 1910, going one-for-two (.500).
September 20 – Tom Gastall, 24, "bonus baby" catcher for 1955–1956 Baltimore Orioles; one day after playing in his 52nd career game, he was killed when the single-engine aircraft he was piloting crashed into Chesapeake Bay.
September 22 – Jesse Tannehill, 82, turn-of-20th-century mound star for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Americans/Red Sox and New York Highlanders (1894, 1897–1909, 1911) who won 20 games six times and 197 games overall; led NL pitchers in ERA (2.18) in 1901.
September 24 – Walt Marbet, 66, pitcher who twirled in three games for the 1913 St. Louis Cardinals.
September 25 – John McMakin, 78, southpaw who made four appearances, all starts, for the 1902 Brooklyn Superbas, throwing four complete games and going 2–2, with a 3.09 ERA in 32 innings pitched.
September 27 – Babe Didrikson Zaharias, 45, multi-sport American female athlete—she was a Gold medalist in track during the 1932 Olympics, an All-American in basketball, and a winner of ten LPGA golfing championships—who also made her mark in baseball; she pitched four innings in spring training against MLB hitters (1934), toured with the "House of David" barnstorming team, and is still recognized as the record-holder of the longest-ever baseball throw by a woman.
October 4 – Jake Gettman, 80, outfielder and first Russian-born MLB player who appeared in 197 games from 1897 to 1899 for the National League's Washington Senators; his professional baseball career lasted for 18 seasons.
October 7 – Tom Stouch, 86, second baseman who played in four games for the 1898 Louisville Colonels (NL).
October 13 – George Dumont, 60, pitcher who compiled a 10–23 (2.85) record in 77 games for the Washington Senators and Boston Red Sox between 1915 and 1919.
October 22
Frank Scheibeck, 91, shortstop who played in three major leagues (NL, AL and 19th-century American Association) for seven franchises in eight seasons interspersed between 1887 and 1906, appearing in 390 career games overall.
John Jackson, 47, pitcher signed off the University of Pennsylvania campus who appeared in ten contests for the 1933 Philadelphia Phillies.
October 26 – Red Nelson, 70, pitcher who worked in 39 career games for the St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds between 1910 and 1913.
October 30 – Dick Midkiff, 42, pitcher for the 1938 Boston Red Sox.
October 31 – John Leighton, 95, centerfielder who played in seven games for Syracuse (American Association) in 1890.
November 1 – Limb McKenry, 68, pitcher who compiled a 6–6 (3.10) record in 27 games for the Cincinnati Reds in 1915 and 1916.
November 3 – John Jones, 55, outfielder and Penn State graduate who played five total games for the Philadelphia Athletics—one contest in 1923, then, after nine years in the minors, four in 1932.
November 9 – Lem Hunter, 93, who appeared in one game for the Cleveland Blues(NL) in 1883. starting in the outfield, then shifting to the pitchers' mound after two innings.
November 14 – Ed Hilley, 77, third baseman who played one game for the Philadelphia Athletics on September 29, 1903.
November 20 – Bub Kuhn, 57, who pitched a single inning for the 1924 Cleveland Indians, taking the loss in relief September 1 against the St. Louis Browns.
November 22 – Roy Carlyle, 55, outfielder who hit .312 in 174 games the Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in 1925–1926.
November 27 – Charlie Peete, 27, St. Louis Cardinals' rookie centerfielder, who appeared in 23 games in 1956; killed, along with his wife and three children, in a plane crash in Venezuela while reporting to his winter baseball team.
November 30 – John Shea, 51, southpaw who hurled in one game for the Boston Red Sox on June 30, 1928.
December 6 – Jim Mullen, 79, second- and first baseman for the Philadelphia Athletics and Washington Senators who played 118 MLB games in 1904 and 1905.
December 10 – Grace Reidy Comiskey, 63, owner of the Chicago White Sox from July 18, 1939 until her death.
December 12 – Bill Malarkey, 78, pitcher who appeared in 15 games for the 1908 New York Giants.
December 16 – Ziggy Sears, 64, National League umpire from 1934 through 1945; worked 1935 and 1944 World Series, 1938 and 1944 All-Star Games, and 1,649 NL contests.
December 17 – Ona Dodd, 70, second baseman who went hitless in nine at bats in five games for the 1912 Pittsburgh Pirates.
December 24 – Del Howard, 79, outfielder/first baseman who appeared in 536 games for the Pirates, Boston Beaneaters/Doves and Chicago Cubs from 1905 to 1909; member of the 1907–1908 World Series champion Cubs.
December 26 – John Tapley, 45, third baseman for the 1933 Akron Grays of the Negro National League.
December 27 – Hob Hiller, 63, infielder who played 18 total games for the Boston Red Sox in 1920 and 1921.
