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

Other Champions

Calendar

Major League Baseball

December
  • December 4–7: Baseball winter meetings, Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
  • December 12: Last day for teams to offer 2011 contracts to unsigned players.

Awards and honors

Others

Major Leagues
Minor Leagues

Events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

  • July 1 – The Arizona Diamondbacks fire manager A. J. Hinch and general manager Josh Byrnes. Kirk Gibson takes over as interim manager and Jerry Dipoto becomes interim general manager.
  • July 3 – At Target Field, Jim Thome of the Minnesota Twins hits two home runs in an 8–6 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. The home runs give Thome 574 on his career, moving him past Harmon Killebrew into 10th place on the all-time home run list.
  • July 6
  • *Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton and Seattle Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee earn American League Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for June. Hamilton led all Major League batters with a.454 average. That, combined with 10 doubles, nine homers a club-record 49 hits and a 23-game hitting streak, secured the honor for Hamilton. He capped his monster month by officially hitting the longest home run in the history of Rangers Ballpark, in a June 27 game against the Astros. Lee, who posted a 4–1 record with a 1.76 ERA, struck out 36 batters while walking only two. At one point, he completed a streak of innings without giving up a walk.
  • *New York Mets third baseman David Wright and Florida Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson are voted National League Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for June. Wright led the league with a.404 average and 29 RBI, placed second in slugging and on-base percentage, and was tied for third in doubles, while hitting six home runs and swiping four bases in 26 games. He also became the first player in Mets history to hit at least.400 with 25 or more RBI in a calendar month while recording a 29-RBI month for the second time in his career. Johnson compiled a 3–1 record in five June starts with a 1.18 ERA, while striking out 38 in 38.0 innings and walking just six. His ERA was second-best among N.L. starters on the month while placing third in strikeouts. Johnson allowed no more than two earned runs in each of his starts this month and has not allowed more than two earned runs in nine-consecutive starts.
  • July 9
  • *The Texas Rangers acquire ace starting pitcher Cliff Lee and reliever Mark Lowe from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for first baseman Justin Smoak and three Minor League pitching prospects.
  • *At Citizens Bank Park, the Philadelphia Phillies overcome a 7–1 deficit in the ninth inning to beat the Cincinnati Reds, 9–7. Cody Ransom hits a two-out, two-run homer to tie the game, and Ryan Howard wins it with a two-run walk-off homer in the 10th inning.
  • July 13 – The National League wins its first All-Star Game since 1996. Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann wins the All Star MVP Award after driving in all 3 of the runs scored for the National League. The score was 3–1 and it was played at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. In the bottom of the first inning Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is introduced by longtime Yankees public address announcer Bob Sheppard who died two days prior at the age of 99.
  • July 16 – In the Texas Rangers' 8–4 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, Bengie Molina becomes the eighth player since 1900, and the first catcher, to hit a grand slam and hit for the cycle in the same game. His triple to complete the cycle comes in the eighth inning; he hits a fly ball to the deepest part of the park in center field, into the triangle, the ball glancing off center fielder Eric Patterson's glove. Molina becomes the first catcher to hit for the cycle since Chad Moeller on April 27,, and the first visiting player to hit for the cycle at Fenway Park since Cleveland's Andre Thornton on April 2,.
  • July 20 – Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is accused of intentionally hitting Aaron Rowand of the San Francisco Giants and ejected from the game. Joe Torre and bench coach Bob Schaefer argue the call and are also ejected. The next day, Kershaw is suspended five games while Torre and Schaefer get one day suspensions.
  • July 23 – Yankee catcher Jorge Posada records his 1,000th career RBI.
  • July 26 – At Tropicana Field, Matt Garza of the Tampa Bay Rays no-hits the Detroit Tigers 5–0, the first no-hitter in Rays history. He faces the minimum 27 batters, yielding only a second-inning walk to Brennan Boesch, who is then retired on Ryan Raburn's double play ground ball. The opposing pitcher, Max Scherzer, also has a no-hitter going in the sixth inning until he walks the bases loaded and Matt Joyce hits a grand slam.
  • July 30
  • *At Coors Field, the Colorado Rockies set a Major League record with 11 consecutive base hits in a 17–2 pounding of the Chicago Cubs. With the Rockies leading 5–2, Clint Barmes opens up the eighth with a double and advances to third on Melvin Mora's pinch-single. After the next two batters, Dexter Fowler and Ryan Spilborghs, strike out, Carlos González singles in Barmes to begin the hit streak, which includes home runs by Chris Iannetta and Fowler. González and Troy Tulowitzki collect two hits during the streak, which ends after the latter's double scored Spilborghs and González for the Rockies' 11th and 12th runs of the inning, a franchise record. Brad Hawpe and Iannetta then walk to load the bases, and finally Ian Stewart flies out to end the inning.
  • *One month after his no-hitter, the Arizona Diamondbacks trade Edwin Jackson to the Chicago White Sox for Daniel Hudson and David Holmberg. Jackson becomes the first pitcher to be traded after pitching a no-hitter earlier in the season since Cliff Chambers in.
  • July 31 – Carlos González hits a game-ending home run to complete the cycle, and the Colorado Rockies rally to beat the Chicago Cubs, 6–5, after blowing a three-run lead in the eighth inning. It is the fourth straight game for González with a homer, while his cycle is the sixth in Rockies history and fourth in the majors this season. Besides González, just four other players in MLB history have completed a cycle with a walk-off home run: Ken Boyer, César Tovar, George Brett and Dwight Evans.

August

  • August 4:
  • *At Yankee Stadium, Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees hits his 600th home run, becoming the seventh player in Major League history to do so, in a 5–1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. The shot comes in the first inning against the Jays' Shaun Marcum and three years to the day of Rodriguez' 500th home run. Rodriguez also becomes the youngest player to hit his 600th home run, at 35 years, 8 days; Babe Ruth had held the previous record at 36 years, 196 days.
  • *San Francisco Giants rookie catcher Buster Posey and Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay are voted the National League Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for July. Posey led the NL with 43 hits and ranked third with a.417 average. His 24 RBI were tied for third-best in the N.L., while his.466 on-base percentage and.699 slugging percentage ranked fourth and fifth in the league, respectively. He belted seven home runs, while his 21-game hitting streak from July 4–29 marked the longest streak in the NL this season. In five July starts, Halladay went 3–1 with a 1.54 ERA. His 39 strikeouts were good for second in the National League while his 41.0 innings pitched ranked fourth. He notched his Major League-leading eighth complete game of the season, while his 158 strikeouts and 2.17 ERA rank second in the Majors and his 13 wins are tied for fourth.
  • *Toronto Blue Jays outfielder José Bautista and Minnesota Twins designated hitter Delmon Young are voted the American League Players of the Month for July, while Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Gavin Floyd has been voted the American League Pitcher of the Month for July. Bautista led the Majors with 11 home runs during July, marking the second time this season he has recorded the most home runs in a single month. He also led the AL with a.765 slugging percentage and ranked third with 29 RBI while posting a.347 batting average with eight doubles and 20 runs scored, including a 10 multi-hit efforts during the month. Young paced the AL with 46 hits during the month, batting.434, and tied for the league-lead with 12 doubles. He also finished second in the league with 30 RBI and collected six home runs with 17 runs scored while slugging.736, hitting safely in 23 of 26 games, and had multi-hit performances in 16 contests. Floyd posted a Major League-leading 0.80 ERA en route to a 3–1 mark over five starts in July. In 33.2 innings pitched, he allowed just three earned runs on 28 hits with seven walks and 25 strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a.228 batting average. He earned victories in back-to-back home starts to begin the month, allowing just one earned run in each start. He later tossed 15 shutout innings and not allowed more than two earned runs in 11 consecutive outings. In addition, his 1.06 ERA since June 8 ranks first in the Majors ahead of San Diego Padres' Mat Latos.
  • August 6 – In Detroit, the Angels' Torii Hunter gets ejected for arguing a strikeout. In a fit of rage, he throws a bag of balls on to the field. The next day, he is suspended four games.
  • August 7 – The Blue Jays hit eight home runs in a 17–11 victory over the Rays. Leading the way is J. P. Arencibia with two in his Major League debut. Arencibia becomes the first player in the modern era to have four hits and two home runs in his major league debut.
  • August 8 – At Rogers Centre, Brandon Morrow of the Toronto Blue Jays tosses his first shutout, first complete game with a career-high 17 strikeouts in a 1–0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. A two-out RBI-single by Vernon Wells in the first inning marks the difference. Morrow only allows a two-out single by Evan Longoria in the ninth inning. It marks the fifth time this season the Rays have taken one or zero hits in a single game, including a perfect game and one no-hitter. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the most such games in a single season in the live ball era. Eleven other teams have four such games in a season. Only twice in the modern era has a team been held to one hit or fewer in more than five games in a season. In 1910, the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Browns both had six such games. To date, Dave Stieb has pitched the only no-hitter in Blue Jays history.
  • August 9 – After accumulating an AL West-worst record of 42–70, the Seattle Mariners fire manager Don Wakamatsu, bench coach Ty Van Burkleo, pitching coach Rick Adair and performance coach Steve Hecht. They are replaced by Daren Brown, Roger Hansen, and Carl Willis, respectively.
  • August 11 – The Arizona Diamondbacks tie a major league record by hitting four consecutive home runs, with Adam LaRoche, Miguel Montero, Mark Reynolds and Stephen Drew connecting in the fourth inning to beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 8–2, at Miller Park. The Diamondbacks became just the seventh team in major league history to accomplish the feat.
  • August 17 – At Target Field, Jim Thome hits a two-run walk-off home run in the tenth inning to lift the Minnesota Twins over the Chicago White Sox, 7–6. It was the 12th walk-off home run of his career, tying him for first all time with Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Frank Robinson, and Babe Ruth.
  • August 18 – At Fenway Park, the Red Sox defeat the Angels, 7–5. By striking out the side in the ninth inning, Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon becomes the first pitcher to notch at least 30 saves in five consecutive major league seasons.
  • August 19 – Former major league pitcher Roger Clemens is indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of lying to Congress over his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
  • August 22 – Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella, who had previously announced that he would retire at the end of the season, announces his immediate retirement in order to care for his ailing mother.
  • August 30 – The Chicago White Sox acquire slugger Manny Ramirez from the Los Angeles Dodgers off waivers.

September

  • September 1 – Nyjer Morgan of the Washington Nationals charges the mound after Florida Marlins pitcher Chris Volstad throws behind him, starting a brawl. Morgan receives an eight-game suspension which he begins serving on September 17, while Volstad begins serving a six-game suspension on September 13.
  • September 2
  • *Toronto Blue Jays outfielder José Bautista and Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz earn the American League Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for August. Bautista led the league in home runs, runs batted in, slugging percentage and total bases, and tied for the lead in extra-base hits. This is the second career monthly award for Bautista, who shared last month's honor with Delmon Young of the Minnesota Twins. Buchholz went 4–0 with a 1.03 earned run average and 28 strikeouts over six August starts. He finished the month second in ERA, tied for second in wins, tied for third in innings pitched, and also led the majors with a 2.21 ERA on the season. This is the first career monthly award for Buchholz.
  • *St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols and Atlanta Braves starter Tim Hudson are voted the National League Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for August. In 26 games last month, Pujols batted.379 and led the circuit with 11 home runs, a.777 slugging and 29 runs scored while driving in 23 runs. On August 26, Pujols clubbed his 400th career home run, his 34th of the season, becoming the first player to reach the 400-homer plateau in his first 10 Major League seasons. This is the fifth career monthly award for Pujols, the most recent being earned in June. Hudson went 4–0 with a 1.71 earned run average in six starts and struck out 35 while walking only nine in 42 innings of work. On August 28, he notched his 1,500th career strikeout and his 600th for Atlanta in a 12–3 victory over the Florida Marlins. This is the second career monthly award for Hudson and his first since winning American League honors in September with the Oakland Athletics.
  • September 4 – At Target Field, Jim Thome of the Minnesota Twins hits two home runs in the Twins' 12–4 victory over the Texas Rangers. The home runs give Thome 584 on his career, moving him past Mark McGwire for ninth place on the all-time list.
  • September 6 – At Yankee Stadium, Alex Rodriguez sets a Major League record by registering 100 runs batted in for the 14th time in his career. After homering in the fourth inning of the New York Yankees' 4–3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, Rodriguez records his 100th RBI in the sixth inning, on a sacrifice fly that scores Nick Swisher. Rodriguez breaks a four-way tie that he had shared with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx with 13 seasons of at least 100 RBIs.
  • September 8 – In the Milwaukee Brewers' 4–2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park, Trevor Hoffman records his 600th save.
  • September 11 – At Progressive Field, Jim Thome of the Minnesota Twins hits a 12th-inning home run for the lone run of the game in the Twins' 1–0 victory over his former team, the Cleveland Indians. The home run gives Thome 587 on his career, passing Frank Robinson for eighth place on the all-time home run list.
  • September 19
  • *Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki hits two home runs in a 12–2 victory against the host Los Angeles Dodgers to tie a major league record with 14 homers in a 15-game stretch. He joins Albert Belle and Barry Bonds as the only major league players since 1900 to homer 14 times in a span of 15 games.
  • *Los Angeles Angels outfielder Bobby Abreu hits two solo home runs in the Angels' 6–3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Abreu now has collected nine seasons with at least 20 homers, 20 stolen bases and 30 doubles, for the third most in major league history. He is surpassed only by Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonds, who accomplished the feat 10 times.
  • September 23 – At Rogers Centre, Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners becomes the first player to record 200 hits in 10 consecutive seasons. His 200th hit, a double, comes off Toronto Blue Jays starter Shawn Hill in the third inning. Suzuki also breaks an American League record he had shared with Ty Cobb of nine seasons with 200 hits, and ties Pete Rose's record of ten 200-hit seasons. However, the Blue Jays defeat the Mariners 1–0 as José Bautista, who had already broken George Bell's single-season franchise record of 47 home runs in, hits number 50 in the first inning off Félix Hernández for the game's only run.
  • September 24 – Cincinnati Reds left-hander Aroldis Chapman throws the fastest pitch ever recorded in a major league game at 105 M.P.H. to the San Diego Padres' Tony Gwynn Jr.
  • September 25 – Texas Rangers' rookie closer Neftalí Feliz acquires his 38th save of the season against the Oakland Athletics, setting a record for most saves by a rookie in a single season. He surpasses the previous record of 37 held by former Seattle Mariners' closer Kazuhiro Sasaki in. Feliz's total for the year is at 40 saves. The win by the Texas Rangers also clinched their first AL West division title since 1999.
  • September 28
  • *Lotte Giants slugger Lee Dae-Ho wins the third Triple Crown in the 29 years of the Korea Baseball Organization, after hitting a.364 average with 44 home runs and 133 runs batted in. Lee also becomes the first multiple Triple Crown winner, having turned the feat in 2006.
  • *The University of California announces that, due to budget cuts, it will eliminate its baseball program after the 2011 season, its 120th.
  • *Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce hits a walk-off home run off Houston Astros pitcher Tim Byrdak to clinch the team's first National League Central division title since 1995.
  • September 30 – MLB players and owners agree to free agency changes. Under the deal announced on this date, players no longer have to file for free agency but automatically are set free. The exclusive period for teams to negotiate with their free agent-eligible players is cut from 15 days to five. The deadline is moved up for clubs to offer salary arbitration to their former players who became free agents, as is the deadline for teams to offer contracts for the following season to players on their 40-man rosters. In addition, teams, players and agents will be restricted in their ability to conduct free-agent negotiations in the media.

October

  • October 3 – On the final day of the regular season, the San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves clinch playoff berths. The Giants defeat the San Diego Padres 3–0 to win the NL West, simultaneously clinching the wild-card berth for the Braves, who had beaten the Philadelphia Phillies earlier in the day.
  • October 4
  • *New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki are selected American League and National League Players of the Month, respectively, for September. Rodriguez provided a bright spot for the Yankees down the final stretch run, leading the American League in RBIs and slugging percentage, while tying for second with nine home runs. He also reached safely in 18 of 22 games for his team, propelling the Yankees to their 15th postseason berth in the last 16 years. Tulowitzki provided plenty of support for Colorado, leading the Majors with 15 home runs, 40 RBIs, 30 runs scored and an.800 slugging percentage. Tulowitzki finished the season ranked first among Major League shortstops in home runs, RBIs, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS, to become the first player to lead all National League shortstops in both slugging percentage and fielding percentage since Jay Bell accomplished the feat in with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
  • *David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays and Derek Lowe of the Atlanta Braves are voted the American League and National League Pitchers of the Month, respectively, for September. Price was instrumental in the Rays winning their second AL East Championship in club history, as he posted a 4–0 record with 33 strikeouts and a 1.67 ERA over six starts. Lowe was equally impressive for the Braves, who secured the NL Wild Card for their first trip to the playoffs since 2005, collecting a perfect 5–0 in five September starts, with a 1.17 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 29:3. Lowe also pitched on three days' rest, winning a critical game against the Florida Marlins on September 29, and finished the regular season with a 16–12 record and a 4.00 ERA, with 136 strikeouts in 193 innings of work.
  • *The New York Mets announce that both manager Jerry Manuel and general manager Omar Minaya would not return for the season.
  • October 5 – In Japanese baseball, former major leaguer Matt Murton breaks Ichiro Suzuki's record for the most hits in a single season. Murton gets his 211th hit of the year with a two-run single to center in the second inning for the Hanshin Tigers against the Yakult Swallows. Suzuki set the record of 210 in 1994 for the Orix BlueWave.
  • October 6 – In Game One of the NLDS at Citizens Bank Park, Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies no-hits the Cincinnati Reds 4–0. A fifth-inning walk to Jay Bruce is the only base runner against Halladay, who had already pitched a perfect game on May 29. The no-hitter is the second in postseason play, joining Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. Halladay also becomes the first pitcher to throw two no-hitters in one season since Nolan Ryan in.
  • October 9 – The New York Yankees defeat the Minnesota Twins 6–1, sweeping the ALDS in three games.
  • October 10 – The Philadelphia Phillies defeat the Cincinnati Reds 2–0, completing a three-game sweep of the NLDS.
  • October 11 – The San Francisco Giants defeat the Atlanta Braves 3–2 to win the NLDS 3 games to 1. All four games in the series are decided by one run.
  • October 12 – The Texas Rangers defeat the Tampa Bay Rays 5–1 in Game 5 of the ALDS to win a postseason series for the first time. Each game in the series is won by the road team.
  • October 22 – The Texas Rangers defeat the New York Yankees 6–1 to win the ALCS four games to two.
  • October 23 – The San Francisco Giants defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 3–2 to win the NLCS four games to two.
  • October 28 – The San Francisco Giants defeat the Texas Rangers 9–0 in Game 2 of the World Series. Texas reliever Derek Holland issues three consecutive walks in the eighth inning on only 13 pitches, including 11 balls in a row. The three consecutive walks tie a World Series record.
  • October 29 – The New York Mets name Sandy Alderson their new general manager.
  • October 31 – In Game 4 of the World Series, Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants become the first all-rookie battery in a World Series game since 1947. Bumgarner combines with Brian Wilson to three-hit the Texas Rangers in a 4–0 San Francisco victory. Combined with a 9–0 loss to the Giants in Game 2, the Rangers become the first team to be shut out twice in a World Series since 1966. It is also the Giants pitching staff's fourth shutout of the postseason, tying a Major League record.

November

December

Deaths

January

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

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.