2010 in baseball


Champions

Major League Baseball

  • Regular Season Champions
LeagueEastern Division ChampionsCentral Division ChampionsWestern Division ChampionsWild Card Qualifier
American LeagueTampa Bay RaysMinnesota TwinsTexas RangersNew York Yankees
National LeaguePhiladelphia PhilliesCincinnati RedsSan Francisco GiantsAtlanta Braves

Major League Baseball

December
Major Leagues
Minor Leagues

January

January

  • January 3 – Bobby Wilkins, 87, shortstop for the 1944 and 1945 Philadelphia Athletics.
  • January 4 – Rory Markas, 54, play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Milwaukee Brewers.
  • January 12 – Hillis Layne, 91, third baseman for the Washington Senators in the 1940s, who also led the Pacific Coast League hitters in 1947 with a.367 average.
  • January 21
  • *Bobby Bragan, 92, shortstop, catcher, manager and coach who spent 73 years in pro baseball; played in 597 games for Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers ; manager of Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves ; successful minor league skipper who served as president of Texas League and of Minor League Baseball between 1969 and 1979; then spent three decades as a goodwill ambassador for Texas Rangers' organization.
  • *Hal Manders, 92, pitcher who worked in 30 career games for the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs between 1941 and 1946.
  • *Curt Motton, 69, outfielder with the Baltimore Orioles when they won three consecutive American League pennants and a World Series from to.
  • January 26 – Ken Walters, 76, backup outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds in the early 1960s.
  • January 27 – Sammy Drake, 75, Negro leagues infielder and a member of the original 1962 New York Mets.
  • January 28 – Frank Baker, 66, outfielder for the Cleveland Indians and a Vietnam War veteran.
  • January 29 – Lenna Arnold, 89, pitcher for the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

    February

  • February 7 – Paul LaPalme, 86, left-handed knuckleball pitcher for the Pirates, Cardinals, Redlegs and White Sox from 1951 to 1957.
  • February 12 – Jerry Fahr, 85, pitcher for the 1951 Cleveland Indians.
  • February 16
  • *Jim Bibby, 65, Major League pitcher from 1972 to 1984; won World Series with Pirates in 1979 and pitched first no-hitter in Senators/Rangers history.
  • *Jim Waugh, 76, pitcher who posted a 5–11 record with a 6.43 ERA for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1952 to 1953.
  • February 17 – Lottie Beck, 81, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League catcher.
  • February 18
  • *Bob Chakales, 82, pitcher for the Indians, Orioles, White Sox, Senators and Red Sox.
  • *John Kibler, 82, National League umpire for 27 years ; worked in 3,630 league games, five league championship series, four All-Star games, and four World Series.
  • February 19 – George Cisar, 99, outfielder for the 1937 Brooklyn Dodgers; the second-oldest former major-league player at the time of his death.
  • February 21 – George Strickland, 84, shortstop for ten seasons between 1950 and 1960 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians; and a coach, interim manager and scout for 11 more.

    March

  • March 3
  • *Frank Bertaina, 65, pitcher for the Senators, Orioles and Cardinals between 1964 and 1970.
  • *Hank Small, 58, first baseman who played for the 1978 Atlanta Braves.
  • March 6 – Jim Roland, 67, left-handed pitcher who played from 1962 through 1972 for the Athletics, Twins, Yankees and Rangers.
  • March 9
  • *Willie Davis, 69, three-time Gold Glove outfielder for the Dodgers, Expos, Rangers, Cardinals, Padres and Angels, member of the Dodgers' 1963 and 1965 World Series champions.
  • *Elizabeth Farrow, 83, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player.
  • March 15 – Ken Holcombe, 91, pitcher who posted an 18–22 record in six seasons with the Yankees, Reds, White Sox, Browns and Red Sox.
  • March 16 – Billy Hoeft, 77, All-Star pitcher whose career spanned 15 seasons, mainly with the Detroit Tigers.
  • March 17 – Van Fletcher, 85, pitcher for the 1955 Detroit Tigers.
  • March 23
  • *Edith Barney, 87, catcher for the Grand Rapids Chicks of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
  • *Jim Colzie, 89, Negro league baseball pitcher.
  • March 28
  • *Joe Gates, 55, former Chicago White Sox player and Gary SouthShore RailCats bench coach.
  • *John Purdin, 67, relief pitcher who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers between the 1964 and 1969 seasons.

    April

  • April 2 – Mike Cuellar, 72, 4-time All-Star pitcher for the Cincinnati Redlegs, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, and California Angels between 1959 and 1977; won 1969 AL Cy Young Award and 1970 World Series; and was one of four 20-game winners on the 1971 Baltimore Orioles.
  • April 3 – Jim Pagliaroni, 72, catcher for the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics and Seattle Pilots for 11 seasons between 1955 and 1969; set a Pirates' all-time, season-record for catchers with 17 home runs in 1965.
  • April 6 – Bob Clear, 82, coach for the California Angels from July 1976 through 1987; longtime minor-league player, manager and instructor.
  • April 7 – Hermina Franks, 95, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player.
  • April 9 – Bill Moisan, 84, relief pitcher for the 1953 Chicago Cubs, who had been a prisoner of war in Germany in early 1945, earning the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
  • April 15 – Takuya Kimura, 37, Japanese player for the Nippon-Ham Fighters, Toyo Carp, and Yomiuri Giants from 1992 to 2009, and a member of the 2009 Japan Series champion.
  • April 20 – Keli McGregor, 48, President of the Colorado Rockies and a former tight end in the National Football League.
  • April 22
  • *Pete Castiglione, 89, third baseman who hit.255 in eight seasons with the Pirates and Cardinals
  • *Dick Kenworthy, 69, backup infielder who hit.215 in 125 games with the Chicago White Sox from 1962 to 1968
  • April 29 – Penny O'Brian, 90, Canadian outfielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

    May

  • May 4 – Ernie Harwell, 92, Ford C. Frick Award winning broadcaster who spent 42 of his 55-year career with the Detroit Tigers, joining Mel Allen, Jack Buck and Harry Caray among the game's most famous play-by-play voices.
  • May 6 – Robin Roberts, 83, Hall of Fame pitcher and a seven-time All-Star in 14 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, who led the National League in wins from 1952 to 1955, innings pitched from '51 to '55 and complete games from '52 to '56.
  • May 8 – George Susce, 78, middle relief pitcher who posted a 22–17 record with a 4.42 ERA and three saves in 117 games for the Red Sox and Tigers from 1955 to 1959; his father was an MLB catcher and longtime coach
  • May 10 – Terry Rukavina, 78, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League infielder/outffielder for three teams in parts of three seasons spanning 1950–1953.
  • May 13 – Jay Schlueter, 60, left fielder for the 1971 Houston Astros.
  • May 17 – Dorothy Kamenshek, 84, seven-time All-Star first basewoman and two-time champion bat in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
  • May 23 – José Lima, 37, All-Star Dominican pitcher who posted an 89–102 record in 13 seasons with the Tigers, Astros, Royals, Dodgers and Mets.
  • May 24
  • *Morrie Martin, 87, pitcher who played for seven different teams from 1949 to 1959, mainly with the Philadelphia Athletics.
  • *Rogelio Martínez, 91, Cuban pitcher for the 1950 Washington Senators.
  • May 27 – Louise Arnold, 87, pitcher for the AAGPBL champion South Bend Blue Sox in 1951 and 1952, who hurled a no-hitter and led the league with a.833 winning percentage in 1951.
  • May 29 – Jeriome Robertson, 33, who won 15 games as a rookie pitcher with the Houston Astros in 2003.

    June

  • June 1 – Freddie Burdette, 73, middle reliever who posted a 1–0 record with a 3.41 ERA and one save in 68 games for the Chicago Cubs from 1962 to 1964.
  • June 6 – Jerry Stephenson, 66, pitcher who posted an 8–19 record in a seven-year career, and a member of the 1967 Impossible Dream Red Sox team; became a longtime scout, notably for the Los Angeles Dodgers; son of Joe Stephenson.
  • June 14 – Oscar Azócar, 45, Venezuelan outfielder for the Yankees and Padres in the early 1990s.
  • June 16 – Bob Hartman, 72, left-handed pitcher who had brief stints with the Milwaukee Braves in 1959 and the Cleveland Indians in 1962.

    July

  • July 1 – Andrew 'Pullman' Porter, 100, Negro leagues pitcher whose 22-year career included stints for several teams all over the country and even outside its borders, in Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela, who at the time of his death was the second oldest living Negro leagues ballplayer after Emilio 'Millito' Navarro.
  • July 8
  • *Clint Hartung, 87, pitcher and outfielder for the New York Giants from 1947 to 1952, who became the 11th player in major league history whose first home run came as a pitcher and later homered as a position player.
  • *Maje McDonnell, 89, Philadelphia Phillies coach from 1951 to 1957, and a World War II veteran who earned five battle stars and a Bronze Star.
  • July 9 – Frank Verdi, 84, shortstop who played briefly for the Yankees in the 1953 season and later managed in the minor leagues.
  • July 10
  • *Ed Palmquist, 77, relief pitcher who played from 1960 to 1961 with the Dodgers and Twins.
  • *Johnny Van Cuyk, 89, relief pitcher who played on the 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers team that won the National League pennant.
  • *Janet Wiley, 76, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League infielder for the 1951 South Bend Blue Sox champion team.
  • July 11 – Bob Sheppard, 99, public address announcer at Yankee Stadium from 1951 to 2007.
  • July 13 – George Steinbrenner, 80, New York Yankees owner since 1973; known as "The Boss" for his imperious manner, he revived fortunes of the Yankees' franchise, which won 11 AL pennants and seven World Series during his 37 years as owner.
  • July 15 – Billy Loes, 80, pitcher who posted an 80–63 record in 12 seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants.
  • July 16 – Kenny Kuhn, 73, backup infielder who hit.210 in 71 games with the Cleveland Indians from 1955 to 1957.
  • July 20 – Jimmy McMath, 60, backup outfielder for the 1968 Chicago Cubs.
  • July 21 – Ralph Houk, 90, third-string catcher for the New York Yankees who went on to win three straight American League pennants and two World Series championships in his first three seasons as their manager; general manager of the Yankees from 1964 to May 1966, then returned to managing with Bombers, Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox.
  • July 22 – Larry Fritz, 61, pinch-hitter for the 1975 Philadelphia Phillies.
  • July 26 – Jake Jacobs, 73, outfielder who played from 1960 to 1961 for the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins.

    August

  • August 7 – Keith Drumright, 55, second baseman for the 1978 Astros and the 1981 Athletics.
  • August 9 – Gene Hermanski, 90, outfielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1943 to 1953, who also was a World War II veteran.
  • August 11 – Nellie King, 82, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1950s and broadcaster of the last Pirates game at Three Rivers Stadium in 2000.
  • August 15 – Joe L. Brown, 91, Pirates' general manager who helped build the 1960 world champions that defeated the slugging New York Yankees and the 1971 and 1979 teams that beat the Orioles twice in the World Series; son of Joe E. Brown.
  • August 16 – Bobby Thomson, 86, whose Shot Heard 'Round the World in 1951 has echoed through baseball history as perhaps the game's most famous home run.
  • August 21 – Satch Davidson, 74, National League umpire who worked behind the plate when Hank Aaron hit his historic 715th career home run as well as when Carlton Fisk hit his memorable homer in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series.
  • August 26 – Cal McLish, 84, All-Star pitcher with a 15-season career for five teams, who set a major league record with 16 consecutive road wins over the 1958 and 1959 seasons, which stood for 36 years until Greg Maddux surpassed it over the 1994 and 1995 seasons; later a longtime pitching coach.

    September

  • September 1 – Don Lang, 95, infielder for the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals.
  • September 9 – Eddie Phillips, 80, pinch-runner who scored four runs in nine games for the 1953 St. Louis Cardinals, but never batted or fielded a ball in the majors.
  • September 15 – Al LaMacchia, 89, relief pitcher for the St. Louis Browns and Washington Senators from 1943 to 1946, who also is credited with having scouted players such as George Bell, Cito Gaston, Dale Murphy, Dave Stieb and David Wells.
  • September 16 – Wayne Twitchell, 62, 1973 NL All-Star pitcher who posted a 48–65 record in ten seasons with the Brewers, Phillies, Expos, Mets and Mariners.
  • September 18 – Ray Coleman, 88, outfielder and World War II veteran, who hit a.258 average in five seasons for the St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White Sox.
  • September 20
  • *Jack Cassini, 90, minor league infielder who six times led his league in stolen bases between 1940 and 1953; appeared in eight games as a pinch runner for 1949 Pittsburgh Pirates, scoring three runs.
  • *Al Pilarcik, 80, outfielder and Korean War veteran, who hit.256 in 668 games for the Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox.
  • September 23 – Bob Shaw, 77, who spent eleven years in the majors pitching for the Tigers, White Sox, Kansas City Athletics, Milwaukee Braves, SF Giants, Mets and Cubs, and beat Sandy Koufax in 1959 World Series.

    October

  • October 3
  • *Maury Allen, 88, sportswriter and former columnist for the New York Post.
  • *Ben Mondor, 85, long time owner of Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox.
  • October 8 – Dale Roberts, 70, relief pitcher for the 1967 New York Yankees.
  • October 16 – Valmy Thomas, 81, first Puerto Rican catcher to play in the majors.
  • October 17
  • *Joe Lis, 64, first baseman who played from 1970 through 1977 for the Phillies, Twins, Indians and Mariners.
  • *Freddy Schuman, 85, Yankee Stadium staple for the last 20 years.
  • October 20
  • *Otey Clark, 95, pitcher who played briefly for the 1945 Boston Red Sox.
  • *Bill Jennings, 85, shortstop for the 1951 St. Louis Browns.
  • *Tony Roig, 82, utility infielder for the Washington Senators from 1953 to 1956.
  • October 25 – Rudy Rufer, 84, shortstop for the New York Giants from 1949 to 1951, who later scouted for the Los Angeles Dodgers during 25 years.
  • October 27 – Gene Fodge, 79, pitcher for the 1958 Chicago Cubs.
  • October 31 – Artie Wilson, 90, Negro leagues All-Star shortstop.

    November

  • November 2 – Clyde King, 86, whose major league baseball career as a player, coach, manager and front-office man spanned six decades.
  • November 4 – Sparky Anderson, 76, Hall of Fame manager; first manager to win the World Series in both leagues with the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers ; in his playing days, a second baseman who played one MLB season for the 1959 Philadelphia Phillies.
  • November 6 – Jay Van Noy, 82, a four-sport standout at Utah State, who later played for the 1951 Cardinals.
  • November 7 – George Estock, 86, pitcher for the 1951 Boston Braves.
  • November 10 – Dave Niehaus, 75, Hall of Fame broadcaster for the Seattle Mariners since their inception in 1977 to their final game of the 2010 season.
  • November 13 – George Binks, 96, outfielder/first baseman who hit.253 in 351 games for the Washington Senators, Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns from 1944 to 1948. Hit.300 for the 1938 Tyler Trojans of the East Texas League.
  • November 14 – Hal Bamberger, 86, outfielder for the 1948 New York Giants.
  • November 15 – Ed Kirkpatrick, 66, outfielder with a 16-year major league career, seven of them for the Los Angeles Angels.
  • November 20 – Danny McDevitt, 78, pitcher who posted a 21–27 record and a 4.40 ERA in six seasons, who is most remembered for starting the Dodgers' last home game in Brooklyn, hurling a 2–0 shutout victory over the Pirates.
  • November 21 – Steve Kuczek, 85, pinch-hitter for the 1949 Boston Braves.
  • November 22
  • *Jean Cione, 82, pitcher who hurled three no-hitters and turned an unassisted triple play in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.
  • *Tom Underwood, 56, pitcher who posted an 86–87 record with a 3.89 ERA for the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Yankees, Athletics and Orioles from 1974 to 1984.
  • November 24 – A. Arthur Giddon, 101, lawyer and World War II veteran, who served as a 13-year-old batboy for the 1922 Boston Braves.
  • November 27 – Bill Werle, 89, who pitched for the Pirates, Red Sox and Cardinals from 1949 to 1954.
  • November 28
  • *Cal Emery, 73, first baseman for the 1963 Phillies, who also played in Japan, managed in the minors, and was a major league coach.
  • * Gil McDougald, 82, All-Star infielder who helped the New York Yankees win five World Series championships during the 1950s.
  • November 30 – R. C. Stevens, 76, first baseman who batted.210 with eight home runs in 104 games for the Pirates and Senators from 1958 to 1961.

    December

  • December 2 – Ron Santo, 70, nine-time National League All-Star third baseman and one of the greatest players in Chicago Cubs history, then a beloved broadcaster for the team; selected posthumously to Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.
  • December 4 – Ken Lehman, 82, left-handed specialist who posted a 14–10 record and a 3.91 ERA in 134 games for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies in five seasons spanning 1952 to 1961.
  • December 7 – Art Mahan, 97, first baseman for the 1940 Phillies.
  • December 15 – Bob Feller, 92, Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame pitcher who threw the only Opening Day no-hitter in MLB history in 1940.
  • December 17 – Walt Dropo, 87, who played 13 seasons in the majors and won the 1950 American League Rookie of the Year award with the Boston Red Sox, after batting.322 with 34 home runs and a league-best 144 RBI in 136 games.
  • December 18
  • *Phil Cavarretta, 94, three-time All-Star first baseman for Chicago Cubs who won the National League MVP in 1945 to lead the team to the World Series; as player-manager, compiled a 169–213 record from July 22, 1951 through end of 1953 campaign.
  • *Ann Cindric, 88, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League pitcher.
  • December 25 – Karl Olson, 80, outfielder who hit.235 with six home runs and 50 RBI in 279 games for the Red Sox, Senators and Tigers from 1951 to 1957.
  • December 28 – Bill Lajoie, 76, former scouting director who became general manager of Detroit Tigers, playing an integral role in building 1984 World Series championship team and 1987 division champions.
  • December 29 – Steve Boros, 74, third baseman, coach and manager who spent more than four decades in baseball; appeared in 422 games between 1957 and 1965 for Tigers, Cubs and Reds; managed Athletics and Padres.
  • December 30 – Tom Vandergriff, 84, former mayor of Arlington, Texas, who helped lure the Texas Rangers to the Dallas/Fort Worth area in 1972.