2006 in baseball
Encyclopedia

Headline Event of the Year

  • The 2006 World Baseball Classic
    2006 World Baseball Classic
    ---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...

     final 4 teams are Japan, Cuba, Korea and the Dominican Republic, with the United States at 3–3 failing to qualify for the semi-finals. Under the leadership of manager Sadaharu Oh
    Sadaharu Oh
    Sadaharu Oh, or Wang Chenchih , is a retired Japanese-Taiwanese baseball player and manager. He batted and threw left-handed and primarily played first base. Oh, who was born in Sumida, Tokyo the son of a Taiwanese father and a Japanese mother, had originally signed with the powerhouse Yomiuri...

     and veterans Ichiro Suzuki
    Ichiro Suzuki
    , usually known simply as is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro has established a number of batting records, including the sport's single-season record for hits with 262...

     and Daisuke Matsuzaka
    Daisuke Matsuzaka
    is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball in the United States. He previously played for the Seibu Lions in Japan's Pacific League. He was selected the MVP of the inaugural and the second World Baseball Classic, and is an Olympic bronze...

    , Japan (5–3) wins the Classic, defeating Cuba (5–3) in the single championship game. Korea at 6–1 has the best overall Classic record.

Major League Baseball

  • Regular Season Champions

League Eastern Division Champion Central Division Champion Western Division Champion Wild Card Qualifier
American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...

Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

  • World Series Champion – St. Louis Cardinals
    St. Louis Cardinals
    The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

  • Postseason – October 3 to October 27

Click on any series score to link to that series' page.

Higher seed had home field advantage during Division Series and League Championship Series.

The American League champion had home field advantage during the World Series as a result of the AL victory in the 2006 All-Star Game.

  • Postseason MVPs
    • World Series
      2006 World Series
      The 2006 World Series, the 102nd edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, began on October 21 and ended on October 27, and matched the American League champion Detroit Tigers against the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals won the Series in five games, taking...

       MVP – David Eckstein
      David Eckstein
      David Mark Eckstein is a former American professional baseball player who was an infielder in Major League Baseball for ten seasons. He played college baseball for the University of Florida, and has played professionally for the Anaheim Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona...

    • ALCS
      2006 American League Championship Series
      -Game 1:Tuesday, October 10, 2006 at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland was 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position, while Detroit turned four double plays...

       MVP – Plácido Polanco
      Plácido Polanco
      Plácido Enrique Polanco is a Major League Baseball player who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies and has also played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers. He is a third baseman, but in the past has played second base and shortstop...

    • NLCS
      2006 National League Championship Series
      The National League Championship Series , the second round of the 2006 National League playoffs, began on October 12 and ended on October 19; it was scheduled to begin on October 11, but was postponed a day because of inclement weather. The St...

       MVP – Jeff Suppan
      Jeff Suppan
      Jeffrey Scot Suppan , is a Major League Baseball pitcher, who is currently a free agent.-Baseball career:Suppan was drafted out of high school by the Boston Red Sox in the second round of the 1993 amateur draft, and rapidly ascended to the Majors making his debut at the age of 20...

  • All-Star Game
    Major League Baseball All-Star Game
    The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...

    , July 11 at PNC Park
    PNC Park
    PNC Park is a baseball park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It opened during the 2001 Major League Baseball season, after the controlled implosion of the Pirates' previous home, Three Rivers Stadium...

     – American League, 3–2; Michael Young
    Michael Young (baseball player)
    Michael Brian Young is a Major League Baseball All Star designated hitter and utility infielder for the Texas Rangers....

    , MVP
    • Century 21 Home Run Derby
      Home Run Derby
      The Home Run Derby is an event played prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It is a contest among the top home run hitters in Major League Baseball to determine who can hit the most home runs. The event is currently sponsored by State Farm Insurance...

      , July 10 – Ryan Howard
      Ryan Howard
      Ryan James Howard is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. Nicknamed "The Big Piece", Howard stands and weighs . He bats and throws left-handed....

      , Philadelphia Phillies
      Philadelphia Phillies
      The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...


Other champions

  • Minor League Baseball
    Minor league baseball
    Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

    • Triple-A Championship: Tucson Sidewinders
      Tucson Sidewinders
      The Tucson Sidewinders were a minor league baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona. The team, which played in the Pacific Coast League, was the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks major-league club....

       (Diamondbacks
      Arizona Diamondbacks
      The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...

      ) def. Toledo Mud Hens
      Toledo Mud Hens
      The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based approximately 50 miles to the north of Toledo. The current team is one of several...

       (Tigers
      Detroit Tigers
      The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

      )
      • International League
        International League
        The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...

        : Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers) def. Rochester Red Wings
        Rochester Red Wings
        The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...

         (Twins
        Minnesota Twins
        The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

        )
      • Pacific Coast League
        Pacific Coast League
        The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...

        : Tucson Sidewinders (Diamondbacks) def. Round Rock Express
        Round Rock Express
        The Round Rock Express is a class Triple-A Pacific Coast League minor league baseball team in Round Rock, Texas, owned by RSR Sports and founded by Reid Ryan, son of Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. The team is affiliated with the Texas Rangers, for whom Nolan Ryan serves as the president and...

         (Astros
        Houston Astros
        The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...

        )
      • Mexican League: Leones de Yucatán
        Leones de Yucatán
        The Leones de Yucatán are a AAA-level baseball team playing in the Mexican League. Their homefield is the Estadio De Béisbol Kukulkán in Mérida, Yucatán.Former Major League Baseball player Oscar Azócar played for Yucatán in 2001....

    • AA
      • Eastern League
        Eastern League (U.S. baseball)
        The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League...

        : Portland Sea Dogs
        Portland Sea Dogs
        The Portland Sea Dogs are the Double-A minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Established in 1994 and based in Portland, Maine, the Sea Dogs play in the Northern Division of the Eastern League....

      • Southern League
        Southern League (baseball)
        The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...

        : Montgomery Biscuits
        Montgomery Biscuits
        The Montgomery Biscuits are a minor league baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. The team is the Class AA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and plays in the Southern League. The 2004 season was the team's first in Montgomery...

      • Texas League
        Texas League
        The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...

        : Corpus Christi Hooks
        Corpus Christi Hooks
        The Corpus Christi Hooks are a minor league baseball team of the Texas League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team's ownership group is headed by Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan...

    • A
      • California League
        California League
        The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...

        : Inland Empire 66ers
      • Carolina League
        Carolina League
        The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic Coast of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...

        : Kinston Indians
        Kinston Indians
        The Kinston Indians were a minor league baseball team of the Carolina League , and the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. They were located in Kinston, North Carolina, and were named for their parent club...

      • Florida State League
        Florida State League
        The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...

        : St. Lucie Mets
        St. Lucie Mets
        The St. Lucie Mets are a minor league baseball team based in Port St. Lucie, Florida.The team, which plays in the Florida State League, is the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club.The team plays at Digital Domain Park...

      • Midwest League
        Midwest League
        The Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort...

        : West Michigan Whitecaps
        West Michigan Whitecaps
        The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Detroit Tigers, that plays in the Midwest League. Their home games are played in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids.-Franchise history:...

      • South Atlantic League
        South Atlantic League
        The South Atlantic League is a minor league baseball league based chiefly in the Southeastern United States, with the exception of three teams in the Mid-Atlantic States...

        : Lakewood BlueClaws
        Lakewood BlueClaws
        The Lakewood BlueClaws are a minor league baseball team that currently plays in the South Atlantic League, a Class Single-A baseball league. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Park located in Lakewood Township, New Jersey...

      • New York-Penn League: Staten Island Yankees
        Staten Island Yankees
        The Staten Island Yankees are a minor league baseball team, located in the New York City borough of Staten Island. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers," the Yankees are a Short-Season A classification affiliate of the New York Yankees and play in the New York - Penn League at Richmond County Bank Ballpark...

      • Northwest League
        Northwest League
        The Northwest League of Professional Baseball is a Class A-Short Season minor baseball league. The league is the descendant of the Western International League which ran as a class B league from 1937-1951 and class A from 1952-1954...

        : Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
        Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
        The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a minor league baseball team in Keizer, Oregon, United States. They are a Short-Season Class A team in the Northwest League, and have been an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants since the Volcanoes' inception in 1997...

    • Rookie
      • Appalachian League
        Appalachian League
        The Appalachian League is a Rookie-class minor league that began play in 1937 with one year of inactivity in 1956. From 1937 to 1962, it was a Class D League. Teams are located in the Appalachian regions of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee...

        : Danville Braves
        Danville Braves
        The Danville Braves are a minor league baseball team in Danville, Virginia, USA. They are an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League and have been a farm team of the Atlanta Braves since 1993. The Braves play home games at American Legion Post 325 Field...

      • Gulf Coast League
        Gulf Coast League
        The Gulf Coast League is a minor league baseball league which operates in Florida. It is a Rookie League, with a season running from mid-June to late August. The season is 60 games long and teams in the league are divided into three divisions, East, North and South...

        : GCL Red Sox
      • Pioneer League: Missoula Osprey
        Missoula Osprey
        The Missoula Osprey is a minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Arizona Diamondbacks in Missoula, Montana. The team plays its home games at Ogren Park at Allegiance Field. The club is a member of the Pioneer League, a short-season league which is designated Rookie Advanced.The Osprey...

  • Independent baseball leagues
    Independent baseball
    Independent baseball leagues are professional baseball organizations located in the United States and Canada. They are not operated in conjunction with either a Major League Baseball team or an affiliated minor league team. Being independent allows teams to be located close to major-league teams...

    • Alaska Baseball League
      Alaska Baseball League
      The Alaska Baseball League is an amateur collegiate summer baseball league, with six teams located in four Alaskan cities. Players in the league must have attended one year of college and must have one year of NCAA eligibility remaining....

      : Peninsula Oilers
      Peninsula Oilers
      The Peninsula Oilers are a college summer baseball club in the Alaska Baseball League. The Oilers are based in Kenai, Alaska, and their name refers to the Kenai Peninsula region...

    • American Association
      American Association (21st century)
      The American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, based in Durham, North Carolina, is a professional baseball league founded in 2005 and independent of Major League Baseball...

      : Fort Worth Cats
      Fort Worth Cats
      The Fort Worth Cats are a professional baseball team based in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States. The Cats are a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 2002 season the Cats...

    • Atlantic League
      Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
      The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...

      : Lancaster Barnstormers
      Lancaster Barnstormers
      The Lancaster Barnstormers is an American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the Freedom Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...

    • Canadian-American Association
      Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball
      The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, based in Durham, North Carolina, is a professional, independent baseball league located in the Northeastern United States and the Canadian province of Quebec. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is...

      : Quebec Capitales
      Quebec Capitales
      The Québec Capitales are a professional baseball team based in Quebec City, in Canada. The Capitales are a member of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...

    • Frontier League
      Frontier League
      The Frontier League, based in Sauget, Illinois, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States, Western Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. It operates mostly in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either...

      : Evansville Otters
      Evansville Otters
      The Evansville Otters are a professional baseball team based in Evansville, Indiana, in the United States. The Otters are a member of the West Division of the Frontier League, an independent baseball league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...

    • Golden Baseball League
      Golden Baseball League
      The Golden Baseball League, based in San Ramon, California, was an independent baseball league. It later merged with the Northern League and the United Baseball League to form the North American League in the western United States, western Canada and Mexico....

      : Reno Silver Sox
      Reno Silver Sox
      The Reno Silver Sox were a professional baseball team based in Reno, Nevada, in the United States. They were a member of the North Division of the independent Golden Baseball League, which is not affiliated with either Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball...

    • Northern League: Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks
      Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
      The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks are a professional baseball team based in Fargo, North Dakota, in the United States. The RedHawks are a member of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...

    • United League Baseball
      United League Baseball
      United League Baseball was an independent baseball league that operated in Texas. It later merged with the Northern League and the Golden Baseball League to form the North American League.- History :...

      : Alexandria Aces
      Alexandria Aces
      This article is about the Alexandria Aces of the Texas Collegiate League, who are based in Alexandria, LA. For the Alexandria Aces of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, see Alexandria Aces ...


  • Amateur
    • College World Series
      2006 College World Series
      The 2006 College World Series was held June 16-26 in Omaha, Nebraska; it was the 60th College World Series and the 57th series held in Omaha. Eight NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having advanced through a 64-team bracket to play at historic Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium...

      • Division I: Oregon State
        Oregon State University
        Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...

         def. North Carolina
        University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
        The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...

      • Division II: Tampa
        University of Tampa
        The University of Tampa , is a private, co-educational university in Downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 2006, the University celebrated its 75th anniversary...

         def. Cal State Chico
        California State University, Chico
        California State University, Chico is the second-oldest campus in the twenty-three-campus California State University system. It is located in Chico, California, about ninety miles north of Sacramento...

      • Division III: Marietta
        Marietta College
        Marietta College is a co-educational private college in Marietta, Ohio, USA, which was the first permanent settlement of the Northwest Territory. The school offers 42 majors along with a large number of minors, all of which are grounded in a strong liberal arts foundation...

         def. Wheaton (MA)
        Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
        Wheaton College is a four-year, private liberal arts college with an approximate student body of 1,550. Wheaton's residential campus is located in Norton, Massachusetts, between Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1834 as a female seminary, it is one of the oldest...

      • NAIA: Lewis-Clark State
        Lewis-Clark State College
        Lewis–Clark State College is a public undergraduate college located in Lewiston, Idaho. It was founded in 1893, and has an annual enrollment of approximately 3,500 students. The college offers over 83 degrees and is well-known for its Criminal Justice, Education, Nursing, and Technical programs.-...

         def. Cumberland
        Cumberland University
        Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1842, though the current campus buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896.-History:...

    • Little League World Series
      2006 Little League World Series
      -Pool play:The top two teams in each pool moved on to their respective semifinals. The winners of each met on August 27 to play for the Little League World Championship. Teams marked in green qualified to the knockout stage, while teams marked in red were eliminated. Ties are broken based on...

      : Columbus National, Columbus, Georgia
      Columbus, Georgia
      Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...

    • Cape Cod Baseball League
      Cape Cod Baseball League
      The Cape Cod Baseball League is a collegiate summer baseball league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, in which many college baseball stars play during the summer. Many future Major League Baseball players have started there during their college years; MLB has provided...

      : Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox
      Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox
      The Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox, or Y-D Red Sox, is a collegiate summer baseball team based in South Yarmouth, MA. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League and plays in the league's Eastern Division...

       def. Wareham Gatemen
      Wareham Gatemen
      The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, MA. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League and plays in the league's Western Division...

    • Valley Baseball League
      Valley Baseball League
      The Valley Baseball League is an NCAA-sanctioned collegiate summer baseball league in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. Each Valley Baseball League season consists of 44 games played during summer. Many Valley Baseball League players have continued on to play in Major League Baseball.The...

      : Luray Wranglers
      Luray Wranglers
      The Luray Wranglers are a collegiate summer baseball team in Luray, Virginia. They play in the central division of the Valley Baseball League and are the reigning Valley League Baseball Champions.-History:...


  • International
    • World Baseball Classic
      2006 World Baseball Classic
      ---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...

      : Japan
      Japan national baseball team
      The Japan national baseball team is the national baseball team representing Japan in international competitions. They are one of the more successful baseball teams in the world, having won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009...

      ; Daisuke Matsuzaka
      Daisuke Matsuzaka
      is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball in the United States. He previously played for the Seibu Lions in Japan's Pacific League. He was selected the MVP of the inaugural and the second World Baseball Classic, and is an Olympic bronze...

      , MVP
    • Intercontinental Cup: Cuba
      Cuba national baseball team
      The Cuba national baseball team is the national team of Cuba. The team is made up of amateur players from the Cuban national baseball system, as there are no professional sports leagues in Cuba...

    • Asian Games
      2006 Asian Games
      The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia to host the games...

      : Chinese Taipei
    • Caribbean World Series
      Caribbean World Series
      The Caribbean Series , also called the Caribbean World Series is the highest baseball tournament at club level in Latin America. The league winners from the Winter Leagues of Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela participate in the tournament...

      : Leones del Caracas
      Leones del Caracas
      The Leones del Caracas is a Venezuelan baseball team that plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Since its inception, the team has played in the Estadio Universitario in Caracas...

       (Venezuela
      Venezuela
      Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

      )
    • European Cup
      European Cup (baseball)
      The European Cup is an annual baseball tournament, sanctioned and created by the Confederation of European Baseball . The tournament features the top teams of the professional baseball leagues in Europe....

      : San Marino
      San Marino (baseball team)
      San Marino Baseball Club is a professional baseball team based in the city of San Marino, in the Republic of San Marino. The current commencial name is T & A San Marino because the main sponsor of the club is currently Tecnologie e Ambiente S.A.....

       (San Marino
      San Marino
      San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...

      /Italy
      Italy
      Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

      )
    • Konami Cup Asia Series: Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
      Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
      The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at the Sapporo Dome. The Fighters also host a select number of regional home games in cities across Hokkaidō,...

       (Japan
      Japan
      Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

      )
    • China Baseball League
      China Baseball League
      The China Baseball League or Chinese Baseball League or CBL is a professional baseball league under the administration of Chinese Baseball Association, founded in 2002.-Teams:...

      : Tianjin Lions
      Tianjin Lions
      The Tianjin Lions or Tianjing Fierce Lions are a team in the China Baseball League that began play in 2002. Their home field is Tian Ti Dodger Stadium in Tianjin....

    • Cuban National Series
      2005-06 Cuban National Series
      The 45th season of the Cuban National Series ended with another title for Industriales. Though the Lions failed to win their division, they won close-fought series throughout the playoffs and won their 11th championship.-West:-East:-Playoffs:...

      : Industriales
      Industriales
      Industriales is a baseball team in the Cuban National Series. One of the two teams based in the city of Havana, Industriales is historically the most successful team in the National Series, the main domestic competition in post-revolutionary Cuban baseball...

       def. Santiago de Cuba
    • Dominican Winter League: Tigres del Licey
      Tigres del Licey
      Tigres del Licey is a professional baseball team founded in 1907 based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It is one of the two franchises of the Capital city of the country, the oldest and one of the most successful teams in the Dominican league, having won 22 Dominican titles and 10 Caribbean...

       def. Águilas Cibaeñas
      Águilas Cibaeñas
      The Águilas Cibaeñas are a team in the Dominican Republic's winter baseball league. Founded in and based in Santiago, they have won 5 Caribbean Series and 20 national titles. The Águilas have a large fan base in the Dominican Republic...

    • Holland Series
      2006 Holland Series
      The 2006 Holland Series were held from 21 September to 1 October 2006 between the two Dutch play-off winners Corendon Kinheim and Konica Minolta Pioniers. The first team to win 3 games in the best-of-five-games series would become Dutch champions...

      : Corendon Kinheim
      Kinheim
      Kinheim is a baseball and softball team based in Haarlem, the Netherlands. The title sponsor of the club is currently Corendon so that the official name of the team is Corendon Kinheim. They are current Dutch champions....

    • Italian Serie A1 Scudetto
      Serie A1 (baseball)
      The Italian Baseball League is a professional baseball league that is governed by FIBS , which has its headquarters in Rome...

      : Telemarket Rimini
    • Japan Series
      Japan Series
      , or is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a seven-game series between the winning clubs of the league's two circuits, the Central League and the Pacific League....

      : Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
      Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
      The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at the Sapporo Dome. The Fighters also host a select number of regional home games in cities across Hokkaidō,...

    • Korean Series
      Korean Series
      The Korean Series is the championship series of the Korea Baseball Organization. It has been held since the KBO's first season in and is the final series of in the post-season play-offs. From , the winner of the Korean Series goes on to play in the Asia Series....

      : Samsung Lions
      Samsung Lions
      Samsung Lions Baseball Club is a Korea Professional Baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in Daegu and are members of the Korean Baseball Organization. Their home stadium is Daegu Baseball Stadium...

    • Mexican Pacific League
      Liga Mexicana del Pacífico
      The Mexican Pacific League is a winter minor baseball league in Mexico. The eight-team league's regular season runs from October to December and is followed by a playoff series in January to determine the league champion...

      : Venados de Mazatlán
      Venados de Mazatlán
      Venados de Mazatlán are a baseball team in the Mexican Pacific League. In 2005, the team won the Mexican Pacific League Championship and went on to win their first Caribbean Series, which was played in Mazatlán.-2004-2005 Season:...

    • Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League
      Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League
      The Puerto Rico Baseball League formerly known as Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico or LBPPR, is the main professional baseball league in Puerto Rico. In 2007, the LBPPR recessed for the first time since its creation...

      : Gigantes de Carolina
      Gigantes de Carolina (baseball)
      The Gigantes de Carolina are a baseball team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League . Based in the city of Carolina, Puerto Rico, the Gigantes are the reigning back to back champions of the LBPPR..They play at Roberto Clemente Stadium...

    • Taiwan Series
      Taiwan Series
      Taiwan Series is the championship series of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. It is usually played in October, after the regular season. It was formerly known as the CPBL Seasonal Championship Series , and was renamed the Taiwan Series after the merger of the Chinese Professional Baseball...

      : La New Bears
      La New Bears
      The Lamigo Monkeys , formerly First Financial Holdings Agan and then the La New Bears , are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan...

       over Uni-President Lions
      Uni-President Lions
      The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions are a professional baseball team based in Tainan City, Taiwan. The organization is named after the Uni-President Corporation, one of Taiwan's largest conglomerate whose sub-company Uni-President Baseball Team Company oversees operations of the team...

       (4–0)
    • Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
      Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
      The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional is the highest level baseball league in Venezuela.-Brief history:Baseball exploded in Venezuela in 1941, following the world championship in Havana....

      : Leones del Caracas
      Leones del Caracas
      The Leones del Caracas is a Venezuelan baseball team that plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Since its inception, the team has played in the Estadio Universitario in Caracas...


Awards and honors

  • Baseball Hall of Fame inductions
    Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 2006
    Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2006 proceeded in keeping with rules enacted in 2001, augmented by a special election; the result was the largest class of inductees in the Hall's history, including the first woman elected. The Baseball Writers Association of America held an election to...

    • Bruce Sutter
      Bruce Sutter
      Howard Bruce Sutter is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He was arguably the first pitcher to make effective use of the splitter....

       is selected by the BBWAA.
    • In a special election by the Committee on African-American Baseball, seventeen Negro League
      Negro league baseball
      The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...

       figures are elected (all posthumously): Ray Brown, Willard Brown
      Willard Brown
      Willard Jessie Brown , nicknamed "Home Run" Brown, was an American outfielder in the Negro Leagues, Major League Baseball, and inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame.- Negro league :...

      , Andy Cooper
      Andy Cooper
      Andrew Lewis Cooper , nicknamed "Lefty," was an American left-handed pitcher, who hit right-handed, in baseball's Negro Leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006....

      , Frank Grant
      Frank Grant
      * , Personal profiles at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. – identical to Riley -External links:* – unknown content, URL confirmed 2010-04-16...

      , Pete Hill
      Pete Hill
      * , Personal profiles at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. – identical to Riley -External links:* – unknown content, URL confirmed 2010-04-16...

      , Biz Mackey
      Biz Mackey
      James Raleigh "Biz" Mackey was an American catcher and manager in Negro league baseball. He came to be regarded as black baseball's premier catcher in the late 1920s and early 1930s...

      , Effa Manley
      Effa Manley
      Effa L. Manley was an American sports executive, and the first woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. She co-owned the Newark Eagles baseball franchise in the Negro leagues with her husband Abe from 1935 to 1946 and was sole owner through 1948 after his death...

      , José Méndez
      José Méndez
      José de la Caridad Méndez was a Cuban right-handed pitcher and manager in baseball's Negro Leagues. Born in Cárdenas, Matanzas, he died at age 41 in Havana. Known in Cuba as El Diamante Negro , he became a legend in his homeland. He was one of the first group of players elected to the Cuban...

      , Alex Pompez
      Alex Pompez
      Alejandro "Alex" Pompez was an American executive in Negro league baseball who owned the Cuban Stars and New York Cubans franchises from 1916 to 1950. His family were cigar manufacturers who had immigrated from Cuba. Outside of baseball and numbers he was educated as an attorney and he had owned...

      , Cum Posey
      Cumberland Posey
      Cumberland Willis "Cum" Posey, Jr. was an American baseball player, manager, and team owner in the Negro leagues, as well as a star professional basketball player and team owner....

      , Louis Santop
      Louis Santop
      * , Personal profiles at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. – identical to Riley -External links:* – unknown content, URL confirmed 2010-04-16*...

      , Mule Suttles
      Mule Suttles
      George "Mule" Suttles was an American first baseman and outfielder in Negro league baseball, most prominently with the Birmingham Black Barons, St. Louis Stars and Newark Eagles...

      , Ben Taylor
      Ben Taylor (Negro Leagues)
      Benjamin Harrison Taylor was an American first baseman and manager in baseball's Negro leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006....

      , Cristóbal Torriente
      Cristóbal Torriente
      Cristóbal Torriente was a Cuban outfielder in Negro league baseball with the Cuban Stars, All Nations, Chicago American Giants, Kansas City Monarchs and Detroit Stars over a career that lasted from 1914 to 1928, plus a single game in 1932.-Negro league career:Torriente was born in Cienfuegos, Cuba...

      , Sol White
      Sol White
      * , Personal profiles at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. – identical to Riley * , by Sol White. Compiled and with an introduction by Jerry Malloy -External links:...

      , J.L. Wilkinson, and Jud Wilson
      Jud Wilson
      Ernest Judson Wilson , nicknamed "Boojum," was an American third baseman, first baseman, and manager in Negro league baseball. Born in Remington, Virginia, he served in World War I, and during his career played primarily for the Baltimore Black Sox , Homestead Grays , and Philadelphia Stars...

      . Manley is the first woman ever elected to the Hall. Including Sutter, the 18 inductees are the largest class in the Hall's history.
    • Gene Elston
      Gene Elston
      Gene Elston is a former Major League Baseball broadcaster, primarily with the Houston Astros.-Early life and career:A native of Fort Dodge, Iowa. Elston's first job in announcing was high school basketball in 1941. From there he progressed to minor league baseball starting in 1946...

       is selected to receive the Ford C. Frick Award
      Ford C. Frick Award
      The Ford C. Frick Award is presented annually by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the United States to a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball." It is named for Ford Christopher Frick, former Commissioner of Major League Baseball...

      . During his 47 years in the broadcast booth, the former Astros announcer brought a no-nonsense approach to reporting the happenings on the diamond.
    • Tracy Ringolsby
      Tracy Ringolsby
      Tracy Ringolsby is a columnist with Baseball America and foxsports.com, who also handles pre-game and post-game shows for Root Sports telecasts of the Colorado Rockies, and is an occasional analyst on MLB Network. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, Colorado, until its closure during...

      , longtime columnist for the Rocky Mountain News
      Rocky Mountain News
      The Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427...

      , is awarded the J. G. Taylor Spink Award.
      Award National League
      National League
      The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

      American League
      American League
      The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

      Most Valuable Player
      MLB Most Valuable Player Award
      The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...

      Ryan Howard
      Ryan Howard
      Ryan James Howard is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. Nicknamed "The Big Piece", Howard stands and weighs . He bats and throws left-handed....

      , PHI
      Philadelphia Phillies
      The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

      Justin Morneau
      Justin Morneau
      Justin Ernest George Morneau is a Canadian Major League Baseball first baseman for the Minnesota Twins. At 6 feet 4 inches and 225 lbs, Morneau was originally drafted as a catcher by the Twins in 1999. He converted to first base in the minor leagues and made his MLB debut in 2003...

      , MIN
      Minnesota Twins
      The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

      Cy Young
      Cy Young Award
      The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...

      Brandon Webb
      Brandon Webb
      Brandon Tyler Webb is a Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the 2006 National League Cy Young Award winner.-High school:Webb attended Paul G...

      , ARI
      Arizona Diamondbacks
      The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...

      Johan Santana
      Johan Santana
      Johan Alexander Santana Araque is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher who is currently playing for the New York Mets. He is a native of Venezuela....

      , MIN
      Minnesota Twins
      The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

      Manager of the Year
      Manager of the Year Award
      In Major League Baseball, the Manager of the Year Award is an honor given annually since 1983 to the best managers in the American League and the National League . The winner is voted on by 28 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America . Each places a vote for first, second, and third...

      Joe Girardi
      Joe Girardi
      Joseph Elliott Girardi is a former Major League Baseball catcher and current manager of the New York Yankees. During a 15-year playing career, he played from 1989–2003 for the Chicago Cubs, the Colorado Rockies, the New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals...

      , FLA
      Florida Marlins
      The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...

      Jim Leyland
      Jim Leyland
      James Richard "Jim" Leyland is a Major League Baseball manager, currently with the Detroit Tigers.He led the Florida Marlins to a World Series championship in 1997, and previously won three straight division titles with the Pittsburgh Pirates...

      , DET
      Detroit Tigers
      The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

      Rookie of the Year
      MLB Rookie of the Year Award
      In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is annually given to one player from each league as voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America . The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA, which selected an annual winner from 1940 through 1946...

      Hanley Ramirez
      Hanley Ramirez
      Hanley Ramirez is a shortstop in Major League Baseball for the Miami Marlins. Ramírez was named 2006 NL Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. In 2009, Ramírez won the NL batting title and is a three-time All-Star starter...

      , FLA
      Florida Marlins
      The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...

      Justin Verlander
      Justin Verlander
      Justin Brooks Verlander is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball....

      , DET
      Detroit Tigers
      The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

      Batting title Freddy Sanchez
      Freddy Sanchez
      Frederick Phillip "Freddy" Sanchez, Jr. is a Major League Baseball second baseman for the San Francisco Giants. Sanchez has previously played for the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants...

      , PIT
      Pittsburgh Pirates
      The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

      Joe Mauer
      Joe Mauer
      Joseph Patrick Mauer is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins. He is the only catcher in Major League history to win three batting titles...

      , MIN
      Minnesota Twins
      The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...


January–March

  • February 2 – Ramón Hernández
    Ramón Hernández
    Ramón José Hernández Marin is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher who plays for the Colorado Rockies. Previously, he played with the Oakland Athletics , San Diego Padres , Baltimore Orioles , and Cincinnati Reds .-Career:Hernández is a career .263 hitter with 144 home runs, 651 RBI, and 455...

     hit for the cycle and drove in
    Run batted in
    Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...

     five runs, leading the Leones del Caracas
    Leones del Caracas
    The Leones del Caracas is a Venezuelan baseball team that plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Since its inception, the team has played in the Estadio Universitario in Caracas...

     of Venezuela
    Venezuela
    Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

     to a 17–1 rout of Mexico
    Mexico
    The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

    's Venados de Mazatlán
    Venados de Mazatlán
    Venados de Mazatlán are a baseball team in the Mexican Pacific League. In 2005, the team won the Mexican Pacific League Championship and went on to win their first Caribbean Series, which was played in Mazatlán.-2004-2005 Season:...

     in the Caribbean Series opener. Alex Cabrera
    Alex Cabrera
    Alex Cabrera is a Venezuelan first baseman and right-handed batter who played in Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball...

     added a home run with four RBI, and starting pitcher Geremi González
    Geremi González
    Geremis Segundo González Acosta was a Venezuelan right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs , Tampa Bay Devil Rays , Boston Red Sox , New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers . In his rookie season he led the Cubs with 11 wins, but he was unable to continue that...

     struck out seven in seven innings. In the other Series opener, Anderson Hernández
    Anderson Hernández
    Anderson Hernández is a middle infielder in Anderson Hernández is a middle [[infielder]] in Anderson Hernández is a middle [[infielder]] in [[Major League Baseball]...

     hit a tiebreaking single in the 11th inning to help the Dominican Republic
    Dominican Republic
    The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

    's Tigres del Licey
    Tigres del Licey
    Tigres del Licey is a professional baseball team founded in 1907 based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It is one of the two franchises of the Capital city of the country, the oldest and one of the most successful teams in the Dominican league, having won 22 Dominican titles and 10 Caribbean...

     beat the Gigantes de Carolina
    Gigantes de Carolina (baseball)
    The Gigantes de Carolina are a baseball team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League . Based in the city of Carolina, Puerto Rico, the Gigantes are the reigning back to back champions of the LBPPR..They play at Roberto Clemente Stadium...

     of Puerto Rico
    Puerto Rico
    Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

    , 5–4. Miguel Tejada
    Miguel Tejada
    Miguel Odalis Tejada was a Major League Baseball infielder who has played for the San Francisco Giants, the San Diego Padres, the Houston Astros, the Baltimore Orioles and the Oakland Athletics...

     drove in two runs in the third inning, giving the Dominicans a 2–0 lead. According to baseball historians, Hernandez's feat was the first in Caribbean Series play dating back to the 1949 Series
    1949 Caribbean Series
    The first edition of the Caribbean Series was played in 1949. It was held from February 20 through February 25 with the champions teams from Cuba , Panama , Puerto Rico and Venezuela...

    .

  • February 7 – Venezuela
    Venezuela
    Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

    , represented by Leones del Caracas
    Leones del Caracas
    The Leones del Caracas is a Venezuelan baseball team that plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Since its inception, the team has played in the Estadio Universitario in Caracas...

    , wins its first Caribbean Series championship since 1989 by rallying for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Tigres del Licey
    Tigres del Licey
    Tigres del Licey is a professional baseball team founded in 1907 based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It is one of the two franchises of the Capital city of the country, the oldest and one of the most successful teams in the Dominican league, having won 22 Dominican titles and 10 Caribbean...

     Dominican Republic
    Dominican Republic
    The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

    's team, 5–4. Álex González singles in the tying run off Jorge Sosa
    Jorge Sosa
    Jorge Bolivar Sosa is a Major League Baseball pitcher, who is currently a free agent. Sosa stands at 6'2" tall and reportedly weighs 218 pounds...

     and scores the game-winning run on Henry Blanco
    Henry Blanco
    Henry Ramón Blanco is a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He currently plays in Major League Baseball as a catcher and is currently a free agent...

    's pop-fly double. Series MVP Ramón Hernández
    Ramón Hernández
    Ramón José Hernández Marin is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher who plays for the Colorado Rockies. Previously, he played with the Oakland Athletics , San Diego Padres , Baltimore Orioles , and Cincinnati Reds .-Career:Hernández is a career .263 hitter with 144 home runs, 651 RBI, and 455...

     also hits a home run for Venezuela's, who finish 6–0 in the Series.

  • March 3 – In the first-ever World Baseball Classic
    World Baseball Classic
    The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world...

     game, Jae Weong Seo
    Jae Weong Seo
    Jae Weong Seo , usually referred to as simply Jae Seo and pronounced "Jay So", is a Korean professional baseball player...

     pitches two-hit ball and Chan Ho Park works three effective innings for a save to lead South Korea
    South Korea
    The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

     past Taiwan
    Taiwan
    Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

     2–0. The first game of the 16-nation tournament starts at 11:30 a.m. local time and is played before a sparse crowd of 5,193 at Tokyo Dome
    Tokyo Dome
    Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...

    . In the second game, playing before a crowd of 15,869, Tsuyoshi Nishioka
    Tsuyoshi Nishioka
    is a professional baseball infielder who currently plays for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball. He also played in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Chiba Lotte Marines from 2003–10....

     and Kosuke Fukudome
    Kosuke Fukudome
    is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder.Prior to arriving in the United States, Fukudome played nine seasons for the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Central League...

     hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning to lead Japan
    Japan
    Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

     to an 18–2 rout of China.

  • March 10 – In the World Baseball Classic, Giants minor leaguer Shairon Martis
    Shairon Martis
    Shairon B. Martis is a Dutch-Antillean professional baseball pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He pitched for The Netherlands in the 2006 World Baseball Classic...

     pitches a no-hitter
    No-hitter
    A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...

     for the Netherlands
    Netherlands national baseball team
    The Netherlands national baseball team is the national baseball team of the Netherlands. They are currently the top team in Europe and currently the sixth ranked men's baseball team in the IBAF World Rankings....

     in a 10–0 victory over Panama
    Panama national baseball team
    The Panama national baseball team is the national team of Panama. They are currently the 16th ranked baseball team in the world.- Roster :PitchersManuel Acosta,Albenis Castillo,Bienvenido Cedeno,Bruce Chen,Manuel Corpas,Jorge Cortez,...

     that ends after seven innings because of the mercy rule
    Mercy rule
    A mercy rule, also well known by the slightly less polite term slaughter rule , brings a sports event to an early end when one team has a very large and presumably insurmountable lead over the other team...

    .

  • March 14 – In the World Baseball Classic, Hee-Seop Choi
    Hee-Seop Choi
    Hee-Seop Choi is a professional baseball player who has played in the MLB for the Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is a first baseman who bats and throws left-handed. Choi currently plays for the Kia Tigers in the South Korean pro baseball league.-Amateur career:Choi...

     hits a 3-run pinch hit home run to help Team Korea stun the United States.

  • March 19 – After 19 seasons, two-time NL All-Star pitcher Al Leiter
    Al Leiter
    Alois Terry "Al" Leiter is a former Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher. He is now a studio analyst for MLB Network, and a color commentator for the YES Network.-Early career :Leiter attended Central Regional High School....

     retires after his first 2006 spring training appearance for the Yankees.

  • March 20 – Japan
    Japan national baseball team
    The Japan national baseball team is the national baseball team representing Japan in international competitions. They are one of the more successful baseball teams in the world, having won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009...

     defeats Cuba
    Cuba national baseball team
    The Cuba national baseball team is the national team of Cuba. The team is made up of amateur players from the Cuban national baseball system, as there are no professional sports leagues in Cuba...

     10–6 in the championship game of the 2006 World Baseball Classic
    2006 World Baseball Classic
    ---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...

    . After falling behind 6–1 early in the game, Cuba pulls back to within one run entering the ninth inning before Japan closes the door. The championship game of the first international baseball tournament open to players from Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

     features teams that, combined, have only two players on a Major League roster.

  • March 28 – Marquis Grissom
    Marquis Grissom
    Marquis Deon Grissom is a former Major League Baseball player. He excelled in baseball at Lakeshore High School, under the tutelage of baseball coach Mike Juenger. He currently resides in College Park, Georgia...

     announces his retirement after a 17-year career. The MVP of the 1997 ALCS, a four-time Gold Glove winner and two-time All-Star, Grissom retires as one of seven players with 2,000 hits, 200 home runs and 400 stolen bases.

  • March 30 – Commissioner Bud Selig
    Bud Selig
    Allan Huber "Bud" Selig is the ninth and current Commissioner of Major League Baseball, having served in that capacity since 1992 as the acting commissioner, and as the official commissioner since 1998...

     appoints Red Sox
    Boston Red Sox
    The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

     director and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell
    George J. Mitchell
    George John Mitchell, Jr., is the former U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace under the Obama administration. A Democrat, Mitchell was a United States Senator who served as the Senate Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995...

     to head a probe into the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in the major leagues. The investigation is initially limited to events since September 2002, when such drugs were banned in the majors, but Mitchell has the authority to expand its scope.

April–June

  • April 6:
    • In the Phillies' 4–2 loss to the Cardinals, Jimmy Rollins
      Jimmy Rollins
      James Calvin "Jimmy" Rollins , nicknamed "J-Roll", is an All-Star and former MVP shortstop, who most recently played for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball's National League....

       goes 0–4, ending his multi-season hitting streak at 38 games.
    • R.A. Dickey of the Rangers ties a post-1900 major league record by giving up six home runs in 3 1/3 innings in Texas' 10–6 loss to the Tigers. Dickey had converted to throwing knuckleball
      Knuckleball
      A knuckleball is a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. The pitch is thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. This causes vortices over the stitched seams of the baseball during its trajectory, which in turn can cause the pitch to change direction—and even...

      s the previous season, and after this game he was sent to the Rangers' AAA team to work on it. Chris Shelton
      Chris Shelton (baseball player)
      Christopher Bob Shelton is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the New York Mets organization.-Amateur career:...

       led the charge with two home runs. Magglio Ordóñez
      Magglio Ordóñez
      Magglio José Ordóñez Delgado is a Venezuelan Major League Baseball right fielder. He has played for the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers . Ordóñez is six feet, one inch tall and weighs .-Professional career:...

       also hit two home runs, but only one off Dickey.

  • April 9 – Cory Sullivan
    Cory Sullivan
    Cory Sullivan is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played for the Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Houston Astros, and Philadelphia Phillies organizations.-Personal life:...

     of the Rockies becomes only the eleventh player in major league history to triple twice in the same inning. It is the first time the feat had been accomplished in over fifty years. The two triples came against Padres pitchers Jake Peavy
    Jake Peavy
    Jacob Edward Peavy is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Chicago White Sox. He bats and throws right-handed...

     and Chan Ho Park.

  • April 10 – The Cardinals play their first official game at the New Busch Stadium, a 6–4 victory over the Brewers.

  • April 11 - Japan
    Japan
    Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

    ese outfielder Tomoaki Kanemoto
    Tomoaki Kanemoto
    is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder with the Hanshin Tigers in Nippon Professional Baseball.The Tigers' current cleanup hitter, Kanemoto is regarded as one of the most accomplished hitters in Japanese professional baseball history and has hit more home runs in his career than any other...

     sets a new world record for playing every inning in the most consecutive games, 904, breaking Cal Ripken, Jr.
    Cal Ripken, Jr.
    Calvin Edwin "Cal" Ripken, Jr. , nicknamed "Iron Man", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and third baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles ....

    's mark of 903.

  • April 12 - San Francisco Giants outfielder Brett Butler
    Brett Butler
    Brett Butler may refer to:*Brett Butler , American center fielder who, during 1981–97, played for Braves, Indians, Giants, Dodgers, Mets and, again, Dodgers...

     ties a major league mark by walking
    Base on balls
    A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...

     five times in a 13–4 win over the Atlanta Braves.

  • April 13 - The first sellout in Seattle Mariners history occurs when 54,597 fans attend the season opener at Safeco Field.

  • April 14 - Baltimore Orioles infielder Mike Bordick
    Mike Bordick
    Michael Todd Bordick is an American retired professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball from 1990 to 2003 with four different teams: the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays.-Early life:Bordick's father, Michael, was in the Air Force,...

     begins a streak which leads to a Major League record for the most errorless games [95] and total chances [431] by a shortstop.

  • April 18 - A sellout crowd of 42,191 watch the Chicago White Sox play their first game at new Comiskey Park and sees the home team get crushed by the Detroit Tigers, 16–0.

  • April 17 – Pedro Martínez
    Pedro Martínez
    Pedro Jaime Martínez is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He is an eight-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and 2004 World Series champion...

     of the Mets becomes the 103rd major league pitcher in the modern era (and the 131st overall, including the pre-1900 era) to win 200 games in his career with a 4–3 victory over the Braves at Shea Stadium
    Shea Stadium
    William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...

    .

  • April 22 – The Brewers hit a record-tying five home runs in the fourth inning, scoring seven runs, as they defeat the Reds 11–0. Bill Hall, Damian Miller
    Damian Miller
    Damian Donald Miller is a former Major League Baseball catcher who last played for the Milwaukee Brewers.-High school years:...

    , Brady Clark
    Brady Clark
    Brady William Clark is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Brady is a class of 1991 graduate of Sunset High School in Portland, Oregon and 1996 graduate of the University of San Diego...

     and J. J. Hardy all hit their home runs off of Brandon Claussen
    Brandon Claussen
    Brandon Allen Falker Claussen is a currently inactive Major League Baseball starting pitcher. He bats right-handed and throws left-handed....

     before the first out is recorded in the inning. Prince Fielder
    Prince Fielder
    Prince Semien Fielder is a Major League Baseball free agent who plays first base. He is currently listed at 5' 11" and . He was selected by the Brewers in the first round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft out of Eau Gallie High School in Melbourne, Florida.He is the son of former Detroit...

     hits the fifth homer off of Chris Hammond
    Chris Hammond
    Christopher Andrew Hammond is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball.Hammond was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth round of the amateur draft. Hammond had not sustained considerable success until his revival as a relief pitcher with the Atlanta Braves...

     with two out. Miller's and Clark's are two-run homers, while the rest are solo.

  • April 26 – Mike Piazza
    Mike Piazza
    Michael Joseph "Mike" Piazza ; born September 4, 1968) is an American former Major League Baseball catcher. He played in his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and the Oakland Athletics....

     hits 400th career home run.

  • April 28:
    • In a 6–2 victory over the Brewers, Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux
      Greg Maddux
      Gregory Alan Maddux , nicknamed "Mad Dog" and "The Professor", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the first pitcher in major league history to win the Cy Young Award for four consecutive years , a feat matched only by Randy Johnson...

       earns the victory with 6 strikeouts and 2 ER over 6.0 IP, earning the first 5–0 start of his career.
    • Two home run records are tied or broken: Kevin Mench
      Kevin Mench
      Kevin Ford Mench is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent.-High school and college career:...

       of the Rangers becomes the first right-handed batter in major league history to hit home runs in seven consecutive games, and Albert Pujols
      Albert Pujols
      José Alberto Pujols Alcántara , better known as Albert Pujols , is a Dominican-American professional baseball player, who is currently a free agent...

       of the Cardinals ties a record with his 13th home run in the month of April. Mench failed to homer in his next game, falling short of tying the all-time record of eight consecutive games with a homer. Pujols would go on to break the record with 14 homers in April.

  • May 3 – 4 – The Washington Nationals
    Washington Nationals
    The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...

     are bought by Theodore N. Lerner, who has agreed to pay Major League Baseball's price of $450 million for the franchise; the following day, they break ground on their new ballpark.

  • May 13 – Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

     introduces a new Mothers' Day tradition around the league. All players and umpires wore bright pink wristbands, and several players used bright pink bats, which were auctioned off following the day's play. $350,000 was raised for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure
    Susan G. Komen for the Cure
    Susan G. Komen for the Cure, formerly known as The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, often referred to as simply Komen, is the most widely known, largest and best-funded breast cancer organization in the US....

     breast cancer
    Breast cancer
    Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...

     charity.

  • May 15 – The annual Hall of Fame Game between the Reds and the Pirates is cancelled due to rain with the Reds leading 3–0 in the third inning; it is the fifth rainout in the game's history, and the first since 1993.

  • May 20 — Barry Bonds
    Barry Bonds
    Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...

     ties Babe Ruth
    Babe Ruth
    George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...

     for second place on the career list, and first place among left-handed hitters, with his 714th home run during the Giants' road game against the Athletics.

  • May 21 – The Minnesota Legislature
    Minnesota Legislature
    The Minnesota Legislature is the legislative branch of government in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is a bicameral legislature located at the Minnesota Capitol in Saint Paul and it consists of two houses: the lower Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate...

    , on the last full day of the 2006 session, approves a new ballpark
    Target Field
    Target Field is a baseball park located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the home ballpark of the Minnesota Twins, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It is the franchise's sixth ballpark and third in Minnesota. The Twins moved to Target Field for the 2010 Major League Baseball...

     for the Minnesota Twins
    Minnesota Twins
    The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

    , scheduled to open for the 2010
    2010 in baseball
    -Major League Baseball:*Regular Season Champions*World Series Champions - San Francisco Giants**American League Champions - Texas Rangers**National League Champions - San Francisco Giants*Postseason - October 7 to November 4...

     season. Under the bill, the Twins are prohibited from being folded by Major League Baseball or moved from the state of Minnesota for the 30-year duration of the initial lease. The bill was signed into law by Governor Tim Pawlenty
    Tim Pawlenty
    Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...

     at the Twins' May 23 home game vs. the Indians.

  • May 24 – In the Cardinals' 10–4 victory at San Francisco, pitcher Adam Wainwright
    Adam Wainwright
    Adam Parrish Wainwright is a right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was drafted 29th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2000 amateur draft. He made his major league debut for the St...

     becomes the seventh player in history to hit a home run on the first major league pitch he sees.

  • May 27 – Curt Schilling
    Curt Schilling
    Curtis Montague "Curt" Schilling is a former American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in and won World Series championships in with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in and with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling retired with a...

     of the Red Sox becomes the 104th major league pitcher in the modern era (and the 132nd overall, including the pre-1900 era) to win 200 games in his career with a 6–4 victory over the Devil Rays at Fenway Park
    Fenway Park
    Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...

    .

  • May 28 – Barry Bonds hits his 715th career home run off Rockies pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim
    Byung-Hyun Kim
    Byung-Hyun Kim is a South Korean professional baseball pitcher for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball. He is best known for his years with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Boston Red Sox. In 2001, Kim took over mid-season as the Diamondbacks' closer and saved 19...

     in a 6–3 loss at AT&T Park
    AT&T Park
    AT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....

    . With the home run, Bonds passes Babe Ruth for second place on the career list and sets a new record for home runs by a left-handed hitter.

  • June 6 – It is reported that U.S. federal officials have raided Diamondbacks pitcher Jason Grimsley
    Jason Grimsley
    Jason Alan Grimsley is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He made his debut on September 8, , and pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians, Anaheim Angels, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles, and most recently, the Arizona Diamondbacks.-Major league...

    's home looking for evidence that he was a distributor of human growth hormone and other performance-enhancing drugs. They found he had received a package. A day later he quits the Diamondbacks, and it is announced that he has given authorities names of people he knew that took steroids and HGH.

  • June 18 – Kenny Rogers of the Tigers becomes the 105th major league pitcher in the modern era (and the 133rd overall, including the pre-1900 era) to win 200 games in his career with a 12–3 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field
    Wrigley Field
    Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...

    .

  • June 21:
    • Mets shortstop José Reyes becomes the ninth player in team history to hit for the cycle
      Hitting for the cycle
      In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...

      .
    • The Alaska Goldpanners of the Alaska Baseball League
      Alaska Baseball League
      The Alaska Baseball League is an amateur collegiate summer baseball league, with six teams located in four Alaskan cities. Players in the league must have attended one year of college and must have one year of NCAA eligibility remaining....

       beat Omaha in Fairbanks
      Fairbanks, Alaska
      Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...

       in the 100th annual Midnight Sun Game
      Midnight Sun Game
      The Midnight Sun Game is a baseball game played every summer solstice at Growden Memorial Park in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. Because the sun is out for almost 24 hours a day, the game starts at about 10:30 at night and completes around 1:30 the next morning...

      .

  • June 30 – Adam Dunn
    Adam Dunn
    Adam Troy Dunn , nicknamed "Big Donkey", is an American Major League Baseball first baseman, outfielder, and designated hitter for the Chicago White Sox. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed....

     hits a walk-off grand slam
    Walk-off home run
    In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...

     with 2 outs in the ninth for a 9–8 Reds victory over the Indians, becoming only the 14th player ever to hit a walk-off grand slam for a 1-run win with two out in the ninth inning.
  • The Atlanta Braves
    Atlanta Braves
    The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

     finish the month of June with a 6–21 record, spelling the end of their division title streak at 14.

July

  • July 1 – Baltimore's Miguel Tejada
    Miguel Tejada
    Miguel Odalis Tejada was a Major League Baseball infielder who has played for the San Francisco Giants, the San Diego Padres, the Houston Astros, the Baltimore Orioles and the Oakland Athletics...

     plays in his 1,000th consecutive game in a 7–4 win over the Braves.

  • July 2
    • Cubs outfielder Ángel Pagán
      Angel Pagán
      Ángel Anthony Pagán is a Puerto Rican professional baseball player. He currently plays outfield for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball. Pagan's original contract in Major League Baseball was with the Mets, but he was transferred to the Chicago Cubs when they bought his contract...

       becomes the first player in major league history to hit his first two career home runs on his birthday with a pair of homers in a game against the White Sox at Wrigley Field
      Wrigley Field
      Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...

      .
    • The Twins become the first team in baseball history to collect all three monthly player awards as Joe Mauer
      Joe Mauer
      Joseph Patrick Mauer is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins. He is the only catcher in Major League history to win three batting titles...

       is named Player of Month, Johan Santana
      Johan Santana
      Johan Alexander Santana Araque is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher who is currently playing for the New York Mets. He is a native of Venezuela....

       earns Pitcher of the Month and Francisco Liriano
      Francisco Liriano
      Francisco Liriano y Casillas is a left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins.-Professional career:...

       is selected as Rookie of the Month for June .

  • July 4 – The Indians defeat the Yankees 19–1, the second time the Indians have routed the Yankees in significant fashion. The Indians hit 6 homers in the game and have a 9-run 5th inning. Jake Westbrook
    Jake Westbrook
    Jacob Cauthen "Jake" Westbrook is an American Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher currently with the St. Louis Cardinals. He is known as a sinker ball pitcher and has also hit a grand slam home run....

     is the winner after also winning the first rout of the Yankees.

  • July 5 – In an 11–3 win over the Indians, Yankees starting pitcher Mike Mussina
    Mike Mussina
    Michael Cole Mussina , nicknamed Moose, is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played for the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees ....

     becomes the first pitcher in AL history to win 10 or more games for 15 consecutive seasons .

  • July 7 – Cleveland designated hitter Travis Hafner
    Travis Hafner
    Travis Lee Hafner is a left-handed hitting designated hitter for the Cleveland Indians of the American League Central Division. His nickname, "Pronk", was given to him by former teammate Bill Selby during spring training of when people sometimes referred to him as "The Project" and other times...

     hits his fifth grand slam of the season in the Indians' 9–0 win over the Orioles. Hafner becomes the first player in major league history to hit five grand slams before the All-Star break .

  • July 9 – The White Sox and the Red Sox play a 19-inning game spanning 6 hours and 19 minutes at U.S. Cellular Field
    U.S. Cellular Field
    U.S. Cellular Field is a baseball ballpark in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, it is the home of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball's American League. The park opened for the 1991 season, after the White Sox had spent 81 years at old Comiskey Park...

     in Chicago. The teams use a combined 16 pitchers, who throw a combined 570 pitches. The White Sox win 6–5.

  • July 10 – Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard
    Ryan Howard
    Ryan James Howard is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. Nicknamed "The Big Piece", Howard stands and weighs . He bats and throws left-handed....

     hits 23 home runs on his way to winning the Home Run Derby
    Home Run Derby
    The Home Run Derby is an event played prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It is a contest among the top home run hitters in Major League Baseball to determine who can hit the most home runs. The event is currently sponsored by State Farm Insurance...

    , beating Mets third baseman David Wright
    David Wright (baseball player)
    David Wright is an American baseball player, who plays third base for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball.He was drafted by the Mets in 2001, and made his Major League debut in 2004. Wright is a five-time All-Star, and won the Gold Glove Award and the Silver Slugger Award in 2007 and 2008...

     .

  • July 11
    • Major League Baseball announces that FOX Sports
      Fox Sports (USA)
      Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...

       has signed on to a new seven-year contract to continue airing Major League Baseball on Fox, ensuring that the World Series will air on FOX through the 2013 season. They will also be airing their Saturday Game of the Week
      Major League Baseball Game of the Week
      The Major League Baseball Game of the Week is the de facto title for over-the-air, nationally televised coverage of regular season Major League Baseball games...

       and alternating League Championship Series throughout the contract. TBS Sports
      Turner Broadcasting System
      Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. is the Time Warner subsidiary managing the collection of cable networks and properties started and acquired by Robert Edward "Ted" Turner starting in the mid-1970s. The company has its headquarters in the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. TBS, Inc...

       also signs a contract that will give them 28 nationwide MLB games a year beginning in , all Division Series and wild-card tiebreaker games beginning this year, and a reduction in their nationwide contract on Atlanta Braves
      Atlanta Braves
      The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

       games from 70 a year to 45 a year starting in 2008. The other LCS contract is still being negotiated at this date.
    • The American League wins the All-Star Game
      Major League Baseball All-Star Game
      The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...

       3–2 when Michael Young
      Michael Young (baseball player)
      Michael Brian Young is a Major League Baseball All Star designated hitter and utility infielder for the Texas Rangers....

       hits a 2-RBI triple against Trevor Hoffman
      Trevor Hoffman
      Trevor William Hoffman is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. During his 18-year career from 1993 to 2010, he pitched for the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, and the Milwaukee Brewers, spending years of his career with the Padres. A long-time closer, he is the Major...

       with two outs in the top of the ninth to secure the AL's ninth consecutive victory; Young also makes a fine catch of a short fly ball to end the game with the tying run on second base. Vladimir Guerrero
      Vladimir Guerrero
      Vladimir Alvino Guerrero is a free agent Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter.In , he was voted the American League MVP...

       and David Wright
      David Wright (baseball player)
      David Wright is an American baseball player, who plays third base for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball.He was drafted by the Mets in 2001, and made his Major League debut in 2004. Wright is a five-time All-Star, and won the Gold Glove Award and the Silver Slugger Award in 2007 and 2008...

       had exchanged home runs early in the game, with Carlos Beltrán
      Carlos Beltrán
      Carlos Iván Beltrán is a Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:In his youth, Beltrán excelled in many sports, with volleyball and baseball being his favorites. At his father's urging, he gave up volleyball to concentrate on baseball when he was seventeen...

       later scoring for the NL on a wild pitch.
    • Jim Eriotes of the Sioux Falls Canaries becomes, at age 83, the oldest player ever to bat in a professional baseball game. A former minor league outfielder, he strikes out as the leadoff hitter, fouling off one pitch.

  • July 13 – In the Cardinals' first game after the All-Star break, Albert Pujols
    Albert Pujols
    José Alberto Pujols Alcántara , better known as Albert Pujols , is a Dominican-American professional baseball player, who is currently a free agent...

     hits a walk-off home run in the 14th inning to beat the Dodgers 3–2.

  • July 15 – For the first time since 1978, all major league games in a single day finish without a single save being recorded .

  • July 16
    • Cliff Floyd
      Cliff Floyd
      Cornelius Clifford Floyd, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early years:Floyd was born to parents Cornelius Clifford Floyd, Sr. and Olivia Floyd. After spending 13 years as an only child, Floyd was joined by brother Julius...

       and Carlos Beltrán
      Carlos Beltrán
      Carlos Iván Beltrán is a Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:In his youth, Beltrán excelled in many sports, with volleyball and baseball being his favorites. At his father's urging, he gave up volleyball to concentrate on baseball when he was seventeen...

       of the Mets both hit grand slams
      Grand slam (baseball)
      In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...

       during a club-record 11-run sixth inning in a 13–7 victory over the Cubs; eight of the 11 runs are unearned following a pair of errors by Todd Walker
      Todd Walker
      Todd Arthur Walker is a former Major League Baseball infielder.-College:Walker attended LSU where he led the Tigers to the 1993 national championship. He also earned the 1993 College World Series Most Outstanding Player award. In 2006, Walker was elected to the LSU Hall of Fame...

      . It is also the first time the Mets have hit two grand slams in one inning, or even an entire game. It is the first time that two grand slams were hit in one inning by a team since Fernando Tatis
      Fernando Tatis
      Fernando Tatís, Jr. is a Major League Baseball utility player, who is currently a free agent. He previously played for the Texas Rangers , St. Louis Cardinals , Montreal Expos , Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets...

       hit two in one inning for the Cardinals on April 23, 1999.
    • With a two-run home run against the Padres at Petco Park
      PETCO Park
      Petco Park is an open-air ballpark in downtown San Diego, California, USA. It opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium as the home park of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres. Before then, the Padres shared Qualcomm Stadium with the NFL's San Diego Chargers...

      , Chipper Jones
      Chipper Jones
      Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones, Jr. is a Major League baseball player for the National League's Atlanta Braves. Although initially a shortstop, he has spent most of his career as the starting third baseman for the Braves...

       of the Braves ties a major league record with an extra base hit in his 14th straight game. The record was set in by the Pirates' Paul Waner
      Paul Waner
      Paul Glee Waner , nicknamed "Big Poison", was a German-American Major League Baseball right fielder.-Pittsburgh Pirates:...

      .
    • Mariano Rivera
      Mariano Rivera
      Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian right-handed baseball pitcher who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Nicknamed "Mo", Rivera has served as a relief pitcher for most of his career, and since 1997, he has been the Yankees' closer...

       of the Yankees becomes the fourth pitcher ever to record 400 saves when he pitches two shutout innings. The Yankees beat the White Sox 6–4.

  • July 18 – At the age of 94, former Negro League
    Negro league baseball
    The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...

     legend Buck O'Neil
    Buck O'Neil
    John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil was a first baseman and manager in the Negro American League, mostly with the Kansas City Monarchs. After his playing days, he worked as a scout, and became the first African American coach in Major League Baseball...

     becomes the oldest player to play in a professional baseball game, leading off for both teams (by means of an unorthodox mid-game "trade") in the Northern League All-Star Game in Kansas City, Kansas
    Kansas City, Kansas
    Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...

    . He is intentionally walked in both plate appearances.

  • July 20 – The Brooklyn Cyclones
    Brooklyn Cyclones
    The Brooklyn Cyclones is a minor league baseball team in the Short-Season A classification New York - Penn League, affiliated with the New York Mets. The Cyclones play at MCU Park just off the Coney Island boardwalk in the New York City borough of Brooklyn....

     and Oneonta Tigers
    Oneonta Tigers
    The Oneonta Tigers were a minor league baseball team located in Oneonta, New York. They were members of the New York - Penn League. The Tigers were the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, and played their home games at Damaschke Field...

     play the longest game in the history of the New York-Penn League with a 26-inning match, beating the previous record set in when the Batavia Muckdogs
    Batavia Muckdogs
    The Batavia Muckdogs are a minor league baseball team based in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. The Muckdogs are the current Short-Season A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals...

     and Auburn Doubledays
    Auburn Doubledays
    The Auburn Doubledays are a minor league baseball team in Auburn, New York, USA, that is owned and operated by Auburn Community Baseball. They are a member of the Short-Season Class A New York-Penn League and have been a farm team of the Houston Astros , the Toronto Blue Jays , and Washington...

     played for 22 innings. The Tigers defeated the Cyclones, 6–1, thanks to scoring five runs in the top of the 26th inning off Brooklyn outfielder Mark Wright, who had entered the game to pitch despite having not pitched in any games during his college career. Oneonta center fielder and leadoff hitter Deik Scram was hitless in his first 11 at-bats, but his single in the 26th inning scored the go-ahead run for the Tigers. Brooklyn manager George Greer was ejected in the first inning for arguing a call and watched the rest of the game from the clubhouse. The two teams combined used 14 pitchers, struck out 38 batters, issued 14 walks, and got 34 hits .

  • July 28 – Luke Scott becomes the first Houston rookie to hit for the cycle
    Hitting for the cycle
    In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...

     in the Astros' 11-inning 8–7 loss to the Diamondbacks.

August

  • August 1 – Tigers shortstop Carlos Guillén
    Carlos Guillén
    Carlos Alfonso Guillén is a Major League Baseball second baseman and switch-hitter....

     hits for the cycle
    Hitting for the cycle
    In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...

     against the Devil Rays at Tropicana Field
    Tropicana Field
    Tropicana Field is a domed stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida, which has been the home of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays since the team's inaugural season in 1998, when they were the Devil Rays. It has also served as the host stadium for the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, an NCAA-sanctioned college...

    , becoming the first Tigers player to do so since Damion Easley
    Damion Easley
    Jacinto Damion Easley is a former Major League Baseball player who is currently Executive Director of Warrior Baseball Academy. He is also an assistant coach for the Peoria Padres.-Biography:...

     in .

  • August 3 – In his Dodgers debut, Greg Maddux
    Greg Maddux
    Gregory Alan Maddux , nicknamed "Mad Dog" and "The Professor", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the first pitcher in major league history to win the Cy Young Award for four consecutive years , a feat matched only by Randy Johnson...

     pitches six hitless innings before departing due to a rain delay in a 3–0 win at Cincinnati.

  • August 13 – Indians designated hitter Travis Hafner
    Travis Hafner
    Travis Lee Hafner is a left-handed hitting designated hitter for the Cleveland Indians of the American League Central Division. His nickname, "Pronk", was given to him by former teammate Bill Selby during spring training of when people sometimes referred to him as "The Project" and other times...

     hits his sixth grand slam
    Grand slam (baseball)
    In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...

     of the season, tying Don Mattingly
    Don Mattingly
    Donald Arthur "Don" Mattingly is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicknamed "The Hit Man" and "Donnie Baseball", he played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...

     for the major league season record.

  • August 14 – Yankees pitcher Randy Johnson
    Randy Johnson
    Randall David Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams....

     tallies his 4,500 career strikeout, retiring Angels designated hitter Tim Salmon
    Tim Salmon
    Timothy James Salmon is a former Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter who played his entire career with the California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels...

     in the 4th inning.

  • August 15 – Braves outfielder Matt Diaz
    Matt Diaz
    Matthew Edward Diaz is a Major League Baseball outfielder who plays for the Atlanta Braves. He grew up in Lakeland, Florida.-Amateur career:...

     tallies his tenth hit in ten plate appearances, tying the NL record for consecutive hits in consecutive appearances. A ninth inning ground out against Washington reliever Chris Schroder
    Chris Schroder
    Christopher Keith Schroder is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently in the Florida Marlins organization. He attended Oklahoma City University. Bob Carpenter coined him one of the 'er boys' along with Chris Booker and Ryan Wagner.-Baseball career:Always a big strikeout pitcher,...

     ends Diaz's streak two hits away from the major league record of twelve.

  • August 18 to August 19 – The Yankees and Red Sox play two games lasting for a total of eight hours and 40 minutes and set the record for the longest major league game by time for a 9-inning game (4 hours and 45 minutes). The record for longest doubleheader
    Doubleheader (baseball)
    A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...

     consisting of two 9-inning games of 7 hours and thirty-nine minutes was not considered to be broken because separate admission was required to each of the day's two games .

  • August 22 – Carlos Delgado
    Carlos Delgado
    Carlos Juan Delgado Hernández is a retired Puerto Rican professional baseball player. With 473 home runs and 1,512 RBI, he holds the all-time home run and RBI records among Puerto Rican players....

     of the Mets hits two home runs against the Cardinals. The second, a grand slam, is the 400th of his career. The Mets came back from 7–1 to win 8–7, thanks to a Carlos Beltran
    Carlos Beltrán
    Carlos Iván Beltrán is a Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:In his youth, Beltrán excelled in many sports, with volleyball and baseball being his favorites. At his father's urging, he gave up volleyball to concentrate on baseball when he was seventeen...

     walk-off home run
    Walk-off home run
    In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...

    .

  • August 29 – Mariners relief pitcher Rafael Soriano
    Rafael Soriano
    Rafael Soriano is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the New York Yankees. He bats and throws right-handed...

     receives a concussion
    Concussion of the brain
    Concussion, from the Latin concutere or the Latin concussus , is the most common type of traumatic brain injury...

     after being struck by a line drive hit by Vladimir Guerrero
    Vladimir Guerrero
    Vladimir Alvino Guerrero is a free agent Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter.In , he was voted the American League MVP...

     of the Angels. There is no fracture, however, and the injury is not serious. The ball caroms off Soriano's head behind his left ear, and goes into the Mariners dugout. It is ruled a base hit because it touched a player before going foul. The Mariners win the game 6–4.

  • August 30 – Curt Schilling
    Curt Schilling
    Curtis Montague "Curt" Schilling is a former American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in and won World Series championships in with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in and with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling retired with a...

     of the Red Sox becomes the 14th pitcher to record 3000 strikeouts
    3000 strikeout club
    In Major League Baseball , the 3,000 strikeout club is a term applied to the group of pitchers who have struck out 3,000 or more batters in their careers. Walter Johnson was the first to reach 3,000, doing so in 1923, and was the only pitcher at this milestone for 50 years until Bob Gibson recorded...

     with a first-inning strikeout of Oakland's Nick Swisher
    Nick Swisher
    Nicholas Thompson "Nick" Swisher is an outfielder for the New York Yankees. Swisher is a switch hitter who throws left-handed....

    . He is only the third pitcher to record his 3,000th strikeout with fewer than 1,000 walks.

  • August 31 – Ryan Howard
    Ryan Howard
    Ryan James Howard is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. Nicknamed "The Big Piece", Howard stands and weighs . He bats and throws left-handed....

     hits his 49th home run of the season in the Philadelphia Phillies
    Philadelphia Phillies
    The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

    ' 6–5 10-inning loss at Washington, breaking Mike Schmidt
    Mike Schmidt
    Michael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....

    's team record.

September

  • September 2 – At Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Kevin Kouzmanoff
    Kevin Kouzmanoff
    Kevin Kouzmanoff is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent.Kouzmanoff had trouble with various sports in high school. He got special help for batting practice, just to learn how to swing a bat for three years, implementing a swing...

     of the Cleveland Indians
    Cleveland Indians
    The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...

     becomes the first player to hit a grand slam on the very first pitch he sees. The shot comes off Edinson Volquez
    Edinson Volquez
    Edinson Volquez [VOL-kez] , is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds. He bats and throws right-handed....

     of the Texas Rangers
    Texas Rangers (baseball)
    The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...

     in the first inning of a 6–5 Indians victory.
  • September 4 – Ramon Ortiz
    Ramón Ortiz
    Ramón Diógenes Ortiz is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher. He has previously pitched in Major League Baseball for the Anaheim Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs as well as the Orix...

     of the Nationals pitches 8 no-hit innings and hits his first career home run before an Aaron Miles
    Aaron Miles
    Aaron Wade Miles is a Major League Baseball infielder who is currently a free agent.-Houston Astros:Miles was originally drafted by the Houston Astros in the 19th round of the 1995 amateur draft...

     hit breaks up the no-hit bid in the ninth inning. Washington tops St. Louis 4–1.
  • September 6
    • Rookie Aníbal Sánchez
      Aníbal Sánchez
      Aníbal Alejandro Sánchez, Jr. [a-NEE-bal] is a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher with the Miami Marlins. He is listed as 6 feet tall and 180 pounds...

       of the Marlins pitches the first no-hitter
      No-hitter
      A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...

       since May 18, 2004. He beats the Diamondbacks 2–0, ending one of the longest streaks without a no-hitter since the World War II
      World War II
      World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

       era.
    • The Americas Olympic Qualifying
      Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics
      Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing was held from August 13 to August 23. All games were played at Wukesong Baseball Field, a temporary venue constructed at the Beijing Wukesong Culture & Sports Center...

       tournament concludes. The USA
      United States national baseball team
      The United States National Baseball team represents the United States in international baseball competition. The United States has won the previous two Baseball World Cups, having lost this title to the Netherlands in 2011, and is currently second in the IBAF World Rankings, behind Cuba.The team...

       and Cuba
      Cuba national baseball team
      The Cuba national baseball team is the national team of Cuba. The team is made up of amateur players from the Cuban national baseball system, as there are no professional sports leagues in Cuba...

       qualify for the baseball tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing
      Beijing
      Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

      .
  • September 12 – The Mets' 6–4 win over the Marlins mathematically eliminates the Atlanta Braves
    Atlanta Braves
    The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

     from winning the NL East, finally ending the Braves' record streak of consecutive division titles at 14.
  • September 18
    • The New York Mets
      New York Mets
      The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

       become the first team to clinch a playoff spot for the 2006 postseason by clinching the NL East with a 4–0 win over the Marlins.
    • Jeff Kent
      Jeff Kent
      Jeffrey Franklin Kent is a retired Major League Baseball second baseman. Kent won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 2000 with the San Francisco Giants, and is the all-time leader in home runs among second basemen...

      , J.D. Drew, Russell Martin
      Russell Martin
      Russell Nathan Jeanson Coltrane Martin, Jr is a Canadian Major League Baseball catcher for the New York Yankees.Martin became the everyday catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers immediately upon his Major League debut, and continued in that role for nearly 5 years...

      , and Marlon Anderson
      Marlon Anderson
      Marlon Ordell Anderson is a former Major League Baseball utility player. He was widely known for his clutch hits, and writers for publications including The New York Times and Newsday had referred to him as one of the best pinch-hitters in the game...

       of the Los Angeles Dodgers
      Los Angeles Dodgers
      The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

       hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs in the 9th inning to tie their game against the Padres (The last two were given up by closer
      Closer (baseball)
      In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...

       Trevor Hoffman
      Trevor Hoffman
      Trevor William Hoffman is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. During his 18-year career from 1993 to 2010, he pitched for the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, and the Milwaukee Brewers, spending years of his career with the Padres. A long-time closer, he is the Major...

      ). It is only the fourth time in history that four players homer consecutively, and the first such occurrence in over forty years. (Nomar Garciaparra
      Nomar Garciaparra
      Anthony Nomar Garciaparra is a former Major League Baseball player. After playing parts of 9 seasons as an All-Star shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, he played third base, first base, and designated hitter for the Oakland Athletics, first base and third base for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and...

       hit a walk-off home run
      Walk-off home run
      In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...

       in the 10th inning)
  • September 20
    • Dontrelle Willis
      Dontrelle Willis
      Dontrelle Wayne Willis , nicknamed "The D-Train", is an American professional baseball pitcher. Willis is notable for his success during his first few years in the league and for his unconventional pitching style, which includes a high leg kick and exaggerated twisting away from the batter...

       of the Florida Marlins becomes the first pitcher in franchise history to hit a multiple-home run game in his 8⅓-inning win over the New York Mets at Shea Stadium
      Shea Stadium
      William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...

      .
    • Despite a 3–2 loss in Toronto, the New York Yankees
      New York Yankees
      The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

       clinch their ninth straight AL East title when the Twins defeat the Red Sox 8–2.
  • September 21 – David Ortiz
    David Ortiz
    David Américo Ortiz Arias , known as David Ortiz, nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican American professional baseball player who is currently a free agent. Previously, Ortiz played with the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox...

     hits his 51st home run, breaking the Red Sox single-season record set by Jimmie Foxx
    Jimmie Foxx
    James Emory "Jimmie" Foxx , nicknamed "Double X" and "The Beast", was a right-handed American Major League Baseball first baseman and noted power hitter....

     in . Later in the game he hits his 52nd.
  • September 22
    • Alfonso Soriano
      Alfonso Soriano
      Alfonso Guilleard Soriano is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs....

       hits his 40th double, and becomes the first person ever to reach 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases and 40 doubles all in one season. Six days earlier, he stole his 40th base, to become the fourth player to join the 40–40 Club joining José Canseco
      José Canseco
      José Canseco Capas, Jr. is a Cuban-American professional baseball manager, outfielder, and designated hitter for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League and former Major League Baseball player. He is the identical twin brother of former major league player and current teammate Ozzie Canseco...

      , Barry Bonds
      Barry Bonds
      Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...

      , and Alex Rodriguez
      Alex Rodriguez
      Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...

      .
    • At Petco Park
      PETCO Park
      Petco Park is an open-air ballpark in downtown San Diego, California, USA. It opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium as the home park of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres. Before then, the Padres shared Qualcomm Stadium with the NFL's San Diego Chargers...

      , Chris Young has what would have been the first no-hitter
      No-hitter
      A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...

       in San Diego Padre
      San Diego Padres
      The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...

       history broken up in the ninth inning of a 6–2 Padre victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates
      Pittsburgh Pirates
      The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

      . Joe Randa
      Joe Randa
      Joseph Gregory Salvatore Randa is a former Major League Baseball player. He was primarily a third baseman during his career. His nickname is "The Joker" due to his resemblance to the comic book character in Batman and his ever-present smile, especially during his plate appearances...

       hits a two-run home run with one out in the ninth, the only hit Young will allow.
  • September 23 – Barry Bonds
    Barry Bonds
    Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...

     hits his 734th home run, breaking the NL record set by Hank Aaron. He still trails Aaron in total career home runs.
  • September 24
    • The Detroit Tigers
      Detroit Tigers
      The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

       beat the Royals on the road by a score of 11–4 to clinch a spot in the postseason for the first time since 1987.
    • Padres closer Trevor Hoffman
      Trevor Hoffman
      Trevor William Hoffman is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. During his 18-year career from 1993 to 2010, he pitched for the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, and the Milwaukee Brewers, spending years of his career with the Padres. A long-time closer, he is the Major...

       records his 479th career save
      Save (sport)
      In baseball, a save is credited to a pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain prescribed circumstances. The number of saves, or percentage of save opportunities successfully converted, is an oft-cited statistic of relief pitchers...

      , breaking the record held by Lee Smith
      Lee Smith (baseball)
      Lee Arthur Smith is an American right-handed former baseball pitcher who played 18 years in Major League Baseball for eight teams. Pitching primarily for the Chicago Cubs, with whom he spent his first eight seasons, Lee served mostly as a relief pitcher during his career...

       since 1993.
  • September 25 – The Minnesota Twins
    Minnesota Twins
    The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

     beat the Royals by a score of 8–1 to clinch a spot in the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. Incidentally, the Royals are witness to opposing teams' celebrations in consecutive games after watching the Tigers clinch against them the previous day.
  • September 26 – A 12–3 victory by the Oakland Athletics
    Oakland Athletics
    The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

     in Seattle coupled with a loss by the Angels gives Oakland its first AL West title and playoff spot since .
  • September 27 – Aníbal Sánchez
    Aníbal Sánchez
    Aníbal Alejandro Sánchez, Jr. [a-NEE-bal] is a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher with the Miami Marlins. He is listed as 6 feet tall and 180 pounds...

     recorded his tenth win of the year for the Marlins, joining Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen
    Scott Olsen
    Scott Matthew Olsen is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher who is a free agent.-Early life:Olsen was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan...

    , and Ricky Nolasco
    Ricky Nolasco
    Carlos Enrique "Ricky" Nolasco is an American Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher for the Miami Marlins. He is listed as 6'2" and 220, and made his major league debut on April 5,...

     to give the Marlins four rookie pitchers with ten or more wins, the first such occurrence in major-league history . With Dontrelle Willis
    Dontrelle Willis
    Dontrelle Wayne Willis , nicknamed "The D-Train", is an American professional baseball pitcher. Willis is notable for his success during his first few years in the league and for his unconventional pitching style, which includes a high leg kick and exaggerated twisting away from the batter...

    ' win total, this also marked Florida's first-ever set of five ten-game winners .
  • September 30 – Both the Los Angeles Dodgers
    Los Angeles Dodgers
    The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

     and San Diego Padres
    San Diego Padres
    The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...

     clinch playoff berths by winning their respective games.

October–December

  • October 1
    • A loss by the Astros on the season's final day allows the St. Louis Cardinals
      St. Louis Cardinals
      The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

       to clinch their third straight National League Central
      National League Central
      The National League Central Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the Western Division and three teams from the Eastern Division of the National League...

       title, despite St. Louis losing nine of their last twelve games after leading the division by seven games.
    • The Detroit Tigers
      Detroit Tigers
      The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

      ' fifth consecutive loss allows the Minnesota Twins
      Minnesota Twins
      The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

       to overtake them for the American League Central
      American League Central
      The American League Central Division is one of six divisions in Major League Baseball. This division was formed in the realignment in 1994, and its teams are all located in the Midwestern United States...

       title. The Tigers earn the Wild Card berth instead.
    • Though both teams win their final games to finish with identical records, the San Diego Padres
      San Diego Padres
      The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...

       win the National League West
      National League West
      The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...

       by virtue of a tiebreaker, and the Los Angeles Dodgers
      Los Angeles Dodgers
      The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

       become the Wild Card qualifier.
    • Joe Mauer
      Joe Mauer
      Joseph Patrick Mauer is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins. He is the only catcher in Major League history to win three batting titles...

       of the Twins becomes the first catcher to win the AL batting championship, with a .347 average.
    • The Toronto Blue Jays
      Toronto Blue Jays
      The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....

       defeat the New York Yankees
      New York Yankees
      The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

       7–5 to finish with a final record of 87–75, good enough for second place in the American League East. Up until this point, the Yankees and Boston Red Sox
      Boston Red Sox
      The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

       had finished 1–2 in the AL East each year since .
    • Corendon Kinheim
      Kinheim
      Kinheim is a baseball and softball team based in Haarlem, the Netherlands. The title sponsor of the club is currently Corendon so that the official name of the team is Corendon Kinheim. They are current Dutch champions....

       claims the 2006 Holland Series
      2006 Holland Series
      The 2006 Holland Series were held from 21 September to 1 October 2006 between the two Dutch play-off winners Corendon Kinheim and Konica Minolta Pioniers. The first team to win 3 games in the best-of-five-games series would become Dutch champions...

       title after winning the fifth and final match 13–5. Kinheim was trailing opponents Konica Minolta Pioniers
      Pioniers
      Pioniers is a baseball and softball team based in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands. The club is currently sponsored by Raamsdonkveer-based construction company Vaessen BV and the team is officially known as the Vaessen Pioniers....

       1–0 and 2–1 in the best-of-five series, but managed to come back twice and clinch the victory at home, ending a seven-year reign by Neptunus
      Neptunus
      Neptunus is the baseball team of the Neptunus Sporting Club in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The title sponsor of the club is currently DOOR Training so that the official name of the team is DOOR Neptunus....

      .
  • October 3 – Frank Thomas
    Frank Thomas (AL baseball player)
    Frank Edward Thomas, Jr. , nicknamed "The Big Hurt", is a former Major League Baseball designated hitter and first baseman....

    , 38, becomes the oldest player to have a multi-homer game in the postseason, hitting two home runs to lead the Athletics past the Twins by a score of 3–2 in Game 1 of the AL Division Series
    2006 American League Division Series
    -Game 1, October 3:Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkA five-run third inning by the Yankees put the game out of reach for the Tigers. Bobby Abreu doubled to score Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter . Gary Sheffield then singled in Abreu, and Jason Giambi launched a two-run home run for a commanding 5–0...

    . Additionally, he becomes the player to go the longest between postseason home runs, having spanned 13 years since his previous postseason home run with the White Sox in .
  • October 6 – The Oakland Athletics
    Oakland Athletics
    The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

     complete a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins
    Minnesota Twins
    The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

     in the ALDS, ending a run of six consecutive postseason series defeats.
  • October 7
    • The Detroit Tigers
      Detroit Tigers
      The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

       defeat the New York Yankees
      New York Yankees
      The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

       winning the ALDS three games to one. The Yankees have now lost three consecutive postseason series.
    • The New York Mets
      New York Mets
      The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

       complete a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers
      Los Angeles Dodgers
      The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

       in the NLDS despite losing two of their top starting pitchers to injury less than a week before the start of the postseason.
  • October 8 – The St. Louis Cardinals
    St. Louis Cardinals
    The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

     defeat the San Diego Padres
    San Diego Padres
    The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...

    , winning the NLDS three games to one and reaching the NLCS for the third consecutive season.
  • October 11 – Days after his Yankees are eliminated from the baseball postseason, pitcher Cory Lidle
    Cory Lidle
    Cory Fulton Lidle was an Americanright-handed baseball pitcher who spent nine seasons in the major leagues with seven different teams. His twin brother Kevin Lidle also played baseball, as a catcher for several minor league teams...

     is killed when the plane he is piloting crashes into a Manhattan apartment building.
  • October 14 – The Detroit Tigers
    Detroit Tigers
    The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

     complete a 4-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics
    Oakland Athletics
    The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

     and head to the World Series
    World Series
    The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...

     for the first time since 1984
    1984 World Series
    The 1984 World Series began on October 9 and ended on October 14, 1984. The American League champion Detroit Tigers played against the National League champion San Diego Padres, with the Tigers winning the series four games to one....

    . Detroit's Magglio Ordóñez
    Magglio Ordóñez
    Magglio José Ordóñez Delgado is a Venezuelan Major League Baseball right fielder. He has played for the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers . Ordóñez is six feet, one inch tall and weighs .-Professional career:...

     hits a three-run walk-off home run
    Walk-off home run
    In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...

     in the bottom of the ninth of Game 4 for the win and the AL pennant.
  • October 19 – The St. Louis Cardinals
    St. Louis Cardinals
    The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

     clinch the National League pennant, defeating the New York Mets
    New York Mets
    The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

     four games to three. Yadier Molina's
    Yadier Molina
    Yadier Benjamin Molina known affectionately by fans as "Yadi", is a Major League Baseball catcher who plays for the St. Louis Cardinals.Molina was the third catcher to play in two World Series before age 25, along with Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra. He is considered one of the best defensive...

     two-run home run in the top of ninth inning ends a heart-rending seven game series. The Cardinals, returning to the World Series after last appearing in 2004
    2004 World Series
    The 2004 World Series was the Major League Baseball championship series for the 2004 season. It was the 100th World Series and featured the American League champions, the Boston Red Sox, against the National League champions, the St. Louis Cardinals...

    , will face the Detroit Tigers
    Detroit Tigers
    The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

     in the World Series
    2006 World Series
    The 2006 World Series, the 102nd edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, began on October 21 and ended on October 27, and matched the American League champion Detroit Tigers against the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals won the Series in five games, taking...

    ; a rematch of the 1934
    1934 World Series
    The 1934 World Series matched the St. Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers, with the Cardinals' "Gashouse Gang" winning in seven games for their third championship in nine years....

     and 1968
    1968 World Series
    The 1968 World Series featured the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers, with the Tigers winning in seven games for their first championship since 1945, and the third in their history...

     series.
  • October 26 – The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
    Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
    The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at the Sapporo Dome. The Fighters also host a select number of regional home games in cities across Hokkaidō,...

     win their fourth straight game over the Chunichi Dragons
    Chunichi Dragons
    The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...

    , winning the Japan Series
    Japan Series
    , or is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a seven-game series between the winning clubs of the league's two circuits, the Central League and the Pacific League....

     4–1.
  • October 27 – The St. Louis Cardinals
    St. Louis Cardinals
    The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

     defeat the Detroit Tigers
    Detroit Tigers
    The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

     4–2, winning the World Series
    2006 World Series
    The 2006 World Series, the 102nd edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, began on October 21 and ended on October 27, and matched the American League champion Detroit Tigers against the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals won the Series in five games, taking...

     4–1. Their 83 regular-season victories is a new record for the fewest by a Series champion.

  • November 15 – The Boston Red Sox
    Boston Red Sox
    The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

     file the highest bid, US$51.1 million, in the posting system
    Posting system
    The is a baseball player transfer system that operates between Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball and the United States' Major League Baseball . Despite the drafting of the United States – Japanese Player Contract Agreement in 1967 designed to regulate NPB players moving to MLB, problems...

     and win the rights to negotiate with Seibu Lions
    Seibu Lions
    The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based west of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Prince Hotels, which in turn is owned by the Seibu Group...

     pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka
    Daisuke Matsuzaka
    is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball in the United States. He previously played for the Seibu Lions in Japan's Pacific League. He was selected the MVP of the inaugural and the second World Baseball Classic, and is an Olympic bronze...

    . Matsuzaka has a gyroball
    Gyroball
    A gyroball is a type of baseball pitch used primarily by players in Japan.-Overview:The gyroball pitch was first identified by the Japanese scientist Ryutaro Himeno , and later developed into a specific throwing technique by baseball instructor Gitau Kimani , who used computer simulations to create...

     among his arsenal of pitches and, while playing for champions Japan, was MVP at the 2006 World Baseball Classic
    2006 World Baseball Classic
    ---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...

    .
  • November 19 – The Chicago Cubs
    Chicago Cubs
    The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

     reportedly sign free agent
    Free agent
    In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....

     Outfielder/Second Baseman Alfonso Soriano
    Alfonso Soriano
    Alfonso Guilleard Soriano is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs....

     to an 8-year, $136 million deal. The signing is the largest in Cubs' history.

  • December 13 – The Boston Red Sox
    Boston Red Sox
    The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

     and Daisuke Matsuzaka
    Daisuke Matsuzaka
    is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball in the United States. He previously played for the Seibu Lions in Japan's Pacific League. He was selected the MVP of the inaugural and the second World Baseball Classic, and is an Olympic bronze...

     agree to a six-year, US$51.11 million contract, just ahead of the one month deadline following the Red Sox' winning bid for the Japanese pitcher in the international posting system.
  • December 26 – The Israel Baseball League
    Israel baseball league
    The Israel Baseball League was a six-team professional baseball league in Israel. The first game was played on June 24, 2007...

     reveals the names of the six inaugural teams: Bet Shemesh Blue Sox
    Bet Shemesh Blue Sox
    The Beit Shemesh Blue Sox are an Israeli baseball team from Bet Shemesh.It is one of the inaugural teams in the Israel Baseball League. They had the best regular season record , and won the inaugural championship August 19, 2007, in Petach Tikva, shutting out Art Shamsky’s Modi’in Miracle 3-0 in...

    , Haifa Stingrays, Jerusalem Lions, Netanya Tigers
    Netanya Tigers
    The Netanya Tigers is an Israeli baseball team from Netanya in the Israel Baseball League.The Tigers finished the inaugrual 2007 season in fourth place, 19-21 , and were defeated by the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox in the semifinals of the 2007 championship, 6-3.-History:The team's Manager is Israeli Ami...

    , Petach Tikva Pioneers
    Petach Tikva Pioneers
    The Petach Tikva Pioneers is an Israeli baseball team from Petah Tikva in the Israel Baseball League.They finished the inaugrual 2007 regular season in last place , and lost to the Modi'in Miracle in the quarterfinals of the 2007 championship....

    , Tel Aviv Lightning
    Tel Aviv Lightning
    The Tel Aviv Lightning is an Israeli baseball team from Tel Aviv in the Israel Baseball League.The Lightning finished the inaugrual 2007 season in second place with a 26-14 record, and lost to the Modi'in Miracle in the semifinals of the 2007 IBL championship.6' 5" lefthander Aaron Pribble was...

  • December 29 – The San Francisco Giants
    San Francisco Giants
    The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

     announce the signing of much sought-after lefty Barry Zito
    Barry Zito
    Barry Zito is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. He previously played seven seasons with the Oakland Athletics, where he won the 2002 American League Cy Young Award and made three All-Star teams....

    . The seven-year, $126 million contract is the largest ever for a pitcher, and includes a club option for 2014.


January–March

  • January 1 – Paul Lindblad
    Paul Lindblad
    Paul Aaron Lindblad was an American Major League Baseball left-handed middle-relief pitcher. During his career, he pitched primarily for the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics. At the time of his retirement in , he had recorded the seventh-most appearances of any left-hander in history.Lindblad...

    , 64, relief pitcher for the Athletics who retired with the seventh most appearances (655) among left-handers
  • January 5 – Rod Dedeaux
    Rod Dedeaux
    Raoul Martial "Rod" Dedeaux was an American college baseball coach who compiled what is arguably the greatest record of any coach in the sport's amateur history....

    , 91, baseball coach at the University of Southern California from 1942 to 1986 who won a record 11 College World Series titles, twice as many as any other coach, and 1,332 games, a record until 1994; played major role in baseball's acceptance in the Olympics, and coached the U.S. team in 1964 and 1984
  • January 8 – Merv Connors
    Merv Connors
    Mervin James Connors , was a former professional baseball player who played 52 games as an infielder in the Major Leagues from 1937-1938 for the Chicago White Sox....

    , 91, corner infielder for the Chicago White Sox in 1937 and 1938; hit 3 home runs in one game September 19, 1938; hit more than 400 home runs while playing in more than 2100 minor league games from 1934 to 1953
  • January 14 – Wycliffe "Bubba" Morton
    Bubba Morton
    Wycliffe Nathaniel "Bubba" Morton was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers , Milwaukee Braves and California Angels...

    , 74, right fielder, mainly with the Tigers, Angels and Japanese Toei Flyers, who in 1972 became the first black head coach in any sport at the University of Washington
  • January 16 – Willie Smith
    Willie Smith (outfielder)
    Willie Smith was a left-handed pitcher for the Detroit Tigers , and, after he converted to outfielder at the Major League Baseball level, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels/California Angels , Cleveland Indians , Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds...

    , 66, left fielder and pitcher for five major league clubs and Japanese Nankai Hawks
  • January 16 – Bob Repass, 88, reserve infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals (1939) and Washington Senators (1942)
  • January 17 – Seth "Moe" Morehead
    Seth Morehead
    Seth Marvin "Moe" Morehead was a left-handed specialist reliever in Major League Baseball. He was born in Houston, Texas.Morehead was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1952...

    , 71, relief pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and Milwaukee Braves between 1957 and 1961
  • January 24 – Carlos (Café) Martínez
    Carlos Martínez (baseball infielder)
    Carlos Alberto Escobar Martínez was a Venezuelan first baseman and third baseman in Major League Baseball. From through 1995, he played for the Chicago White Sox , Cleveland Indians and California Angels...

    , 41, infielder for three AL teams who batted .300 for the 1989 White Sox
  • January 28 – Frank Campos
    Frank Campos
    Francisco José Campos Lopéz was a Cuban-born professional baseball player, an outfielder who appeared in 71 games played over three Major League seasons with the Washington Senators between –. He threw and batted left-handed, stood tall and weighed .Born in Havana, Campos played in organized...

    , 81, Cuban-born outfielder for the Washington Senators from 1951 to 1953
  • February 1 – "Whistling" Jake Wade
    Jake Wade (baseball)
    Jacob Fields Wade was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers , Boston Red Sox , St. Louis Browns , Chicago White Sox, , New York Yankees and Washington Senators . Wade batted and threw left-handed. He was nicknamed "Whistlin' Jake"...

    , 93, pitcher for six AL teams who had been the oldest living Chicago White Sox player
  • February 4 – Joe McGuff
    Joe McGuff
    Joseph T. McGuff was an American journalist, author, and newspaper editor.Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he attended Marquette University and served briefly in the United States Army before being discharged due to asthma. After first working for the Tulsa World, he joined the staff of The Kansas City...

    , 79, sportswriter and editor for The Kansas City Star from 1948 to 1992 who covered the Athletics and later the Royals, playing an instrumental role in the latter franchise being awarded in 1969 and retained in the 1990s
  • February 11 – Robert W. Peterson, 80, author of the 1970 book Only the Ball Was White, which focused attention on the Negro Leagues; member of the 2006 Hall of Fame committee responsible for electing Negro Leaguers
  • February 20 – Curt Gowdy
    Curt Gowdy
    Curtis Edward "Curt" Gowdy was an American sportscaster, well known as the longtime "voice" of the Boston Red Sox and for his coverage of many nationally-televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:The son of a manager for the Union Pacific railroad,...

    , 86, broadcaster whose voice was the soundtrack of 13 World Series and 16 All-Star games, as well as the Red Sox from 1951–1966 and ten years with NBC
  • February 21 – Mark Freeman
    Mark Freeman
    Mark Freeman was an Austrian-born American artist, "whose prints and paintings from the 1930s chronicle a seminal period of New York City’s architectural growth in a style that has been described as a beautiful blend of the poetic and historical."-Biography:Freeman was born in 1908 in...

    , 75, pitcher for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics and Chicago Cubs in 1959 and 1960
  • February 26 – Ace Adams
    Ace Adams
    Ace Townsend Adams was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Giants . Adams batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Willows, California....

    , 94, All-Star pitcher for the New York Giants who led the National League in saves in 1944 and 1945
  • March 6 – Kirby Puckett
    Kirby Puckett
    Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases...

    , 45, Hall of Fame center fielder for the Twins who batted .318 lifetime and won six Gold Gloves; 1989 batting champion; led AL in hits four times, total bases twice and RBI once; MVP of 1991 ALCS, his 11th-inning walk-off home run
    Walk-off home run
    In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...

     won Game 6 of the 1991 World Series
    1991 World Series
    The 1991 World Series pitted the Minnesota Twins of the American League against the Atlanta Braves of the National League. The series was played from Saturday, October 19 to Sunday, October 27....

  • March 28 – Paul "Lefty" Minner
    Paul Minner
    Paul Edison Minner , is a former professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1946-1956. He would play for the Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Dodgers.He surrendered the first home run in Frank Robinson's career. Robinson hit a two-run home run on April 28, 1956...

    , 82, pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1946, 1948, 1949) and Chicago Cubs (1950–1956); won 69 major league games; first player to pitch under artificial light in the World Series (1949)
  • March 29 – Thornton Kipper
    Thornton Kipper
    Thornton John Kipper was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1953 through 1955 for the Philadelphia Phillies. Listed at 6' 3", 190 lb., Kipper batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Bagley, Wisconsin....

    , 77, a standout pitcher in college and an All-American in 1950, who also pitched for the Phillies from 1953–55

April–June

  • April 3 – Royce Lint
    Royce Lint
    Royce Lint was a left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954.-Early career:...

    , 85, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954; won 154 games in 15 seasons in the minor leagues
  • April 9 – Billy Hitchcock
    Billy Hitchcock
    William Clyde Hitchcock was an American infielder, coach, manager and scout in Major League Baseball. He also served as president of the class AA Southern League from 1971-80...

    , 89, infielder for five AL teams who later managed Orioles and Braves, was minor league executive
  • April 9 – Jimmy Outlaw
    Jimmy Outlaw
    James Paulus Outlaw was an outfielder and third baseman who played in Major League Baseball between the and season...

    , 93, outfielder and third baseman, primarily for the Tigers, who was the left fielder on the 1945 World Series champions
  • April 13 – Bill Baker
    Bill Baker (baseball)
    William Presley Baker was a catcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Cincinnati Reds , Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals . Baker batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Paw Creek, North Carolina.Baker was a .247 hitter with two home runs and 68 RBI in 263 games played...

    , 95, back-up catcher for the Reds (1940–1941), Pirates (1941–1946) and Cardinals (1948–1949); played in 1940 World Series
  • April 19 – Oscar Acosta
    Óscar Acosta
    Óscar Acosta is a Honduran writer, critic, politician and diplomat. Acosta started as a journalist in Peru for Tegucigalpa Magazine....

    , 49, Latin American coordinator for the Yankees and manager of their Gulf Coast League franchise; former pitching coach for the Cubs and Rangers
  • April 24 – Sebastian "Sibby" Sisti
    Sibby Sisti
    Sebastian Daniel "Sibby" Sisti , was an American Major League Baseball utility player.-Playing career:Sisti stood 5' 11" tall and weighed 175 pounds...

    , 85, who spent 13 seasons with the Braves and also appeared in the film The Natural
    The Natural
    The Natural is a 1952 novel about baseball written by Bernard Malamud. The book follows Roy Hobbs, a baseball prodigy whose career is sidetracked when he is shot by a woman who seeks to kill arrogant athletes to "better the world"...

  • April 26 – Billy Queen
    Billy Queen (baseball)
    William Eddleman Queen was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball. Listed at , , he batted and threw right-handed....

    , 77, outfielder for the 1954 Milwaukee Braves
  • April 26 – Russ Swan
    Russ Swan
    Russell Howard Swan was a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1989 to 1994 for the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, and Cleveland Indians...

    , 42, relief pitcher from 1989–94, primarily for the Seattle Mariners
  • April 28 – Steve Howe
    Steve Howe (baseball player)
    Steven Roy Howe was an American left-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees....

    , 48, All-Star relief pitcher, mainly with the Dodgers and Yankees, who was the 1980 NL Rookie of the Year but was suspended from baseball seven times and eventually barred from the sport due to drug abuse
  • April 30 – Dave Bartosch
    Dave Bartosch
    Dave Robert Bartosch was an American Major League Baseball outfielder born St. Louis, Missouri who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1945.- References :...

    , 89, outfielder for the Cardinals in 1945; long-time scout for the Cardinals and Padres
  • May 4 – Jim Delsing
    Jim Delsing
    James Henry Delsing was an American Major League Baseball outfielder who is most remembered for having been the pinch runner for -tall Eddie Gaedel on August 19,...

    , 80, outfielder for five AL teams best remembered as the pinch runner for Eddie Gaedel
    Eddie Gaedel
    Edward Carl Gaedel was an American with dwarfism who became famous for participating in a Major League Baseball game....

  • May 7 – Jeff "Jesse" James
    Jeff James
    Jeffrey Lynn James was an American Major League Baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who appeared in 35 games from – for the Philadelphia Phillies. He won six games, including one shutout. A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, he attended Indiana State University.-External links:...

    , 64, pitcher for the Phillies in 1968 and 1969
  • May 9 – Betty Wagoner
    Betty Wagoner
    Betty Ann Wagoner was a right fielder and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...

    , 75, All-Star outfielder and a member of two championship teams of the AAGPBL
  • May 14 – Jim Lemon
    Jim Lemon
    James Robert Lemon was an American right and left fielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. A powerful, right-handed hitting and throwing outfielder, Lemon teamed with first baseman Roy Sievers to form the most formidable home run-hitting tandem in the 60-year history of the...

    , 78, All-Star outfielder for the Senators/Twins who led AL in triples in 1956, had two seasons of 30 HR and 100 RBI; later a coach
  • June 4 – Bill Fleming
    Bill Fleming
    Leslie Fletchard Fleming was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs . Fleming batted and threw right-handed...

    , 92, pitcher for Red Sox and Cubs from 1940 to 1946; led 1940 Pacific Coast League in strikeouts with Hollywood
  • June 4 – Ron Jones
    Ron Jones (baseball)
    Ronald Glen Jones was a promising baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies during the late 1980s.Born Ronald Glen Jones in Seguin, Texas, Jones went undrafted in 1984, but signed with the Phillies' farm system. His power at the plate and good defense eventually earned him a spot with the big...

    , 41, outfielder for the Phillies from 1988 to 1991
  • June 5 – Eric Gregg
    Eric Gregg
    Eric Eugene Gregg was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1975 to 1999...

    , 55, NL umpire from 1975 to 1999 who worked in the 1989 World Series and four NLCS, noted for weight problems and a wide strike zone
  • June 10 – Moe Drabowsky
    Moe Drabowsky
    Myron Walter Drabowsky was a Polish-American right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs , Milwaukee Braves , Cincinnati Reds , Kansas City Athletics , Baltimore Orioles , Kansas City Royals , St...

    , 70, Polish-American relief pitcher for several teams from 1955 to 1972 who won Game 1 of the 1966 World Series with the Orioles
  • June 10 – Charles Johnson
    Charles Johnson (Negro League)
    Charles Johnson was a baseball player in the Negro League who later pushed major league baseball to offer pensions to former Negro League players....

    , 96, pitcher and outfielder for the Negro League Chicago American Giants; worked to push Major League Baseball to offer former Negro League players pensions
  • June 20 – Billy "Bull" Johnson
    Billy Johnson (baseball player)
    William Russell Johnson was a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played with the New York Yankees in the 1940s and later with the St. Louis Cardinals. Johnson was born in Montclair, New Jersey on August 30, 1918....

    , 87, All-Star third baseman for the Yankees (1943, 1946–1951) and Cardinals (1951–1953); played on four World Series Championship teams with the Yankees (1943, 1947, 1949, 1950); finished fourth in league MVP balloting his rookie year (1943)
  • June 22 – Paul Campbell
    Paul Campbell (baseball)
    Paul McLaughlin Campbell was a Major League baseball player with the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, a former scout and traveling secretary for the Cincinnati Reds. He spent 57 continuous years in professional baseball....

    , 88, a pitcher for the Red Sox and Tigers and later a coach with Cincinnati
  • June 23 – Leo Wells
    Leo Wells
    Leo Donald Wells played in 80 games for the Chicago White Sox in two seasons separated by a three-year stint in the military during World War II....

    , 88, third baseman and shortstop for the White Sox in 1942 and 1946
  • June 26 – Jack Urban
    Jack Urban
    Jack Elmer Urban is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1957 to 1959 for the Kansas City Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals....

    , 77, pitcher for the Athletics (1957–1958) and Cardinals (1959); traded to Kansas City by the Yankees in the deal that brought Art Ditmar
    Art Ditmar
    Arthur John Ditmar is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Athletics and the New York Yankees . He batted and threw right-handed.A finesse control pitcher, Ditmar divided his career between the Athletics and Yankees...

     and Clete Boyer
    Clete Boyer
    Cletis Leroy "Clete" Boyer was a Major League Baseball player.A third baseman who also played shortstop and second base occasionally, Boyer played for the Kansas City Athletics , New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves...

     to New York
  • June 27 - Margaret Russo
    Margaret Russo
    Margaret Russo [née Jones] was a shortstop who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 130 lb., she batted and threw right handed....

    , 74, All-Star shortstop in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
    All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
    The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.-History:...


July–September

  • July 11 - Phyllis Baker
    Phyllis Baker
    Phyllis J. Baker [Wise] was a pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...

    , 69, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League pitcher
  • July 15 – Howdy Groskloss
    Howdy Groskloss
    Howard Hoffman "Howdy" Groskloss was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates . Groskloss batted and threw right-handed....

    , 100, second baseman for the Pirates from 1930 through 1932; had been the oldest living major league player
  • July 17 – Barbara Liebrich
    Barbara Liebrich
    Barbara E. Liebrich [Bobbie] was an infielder, manager and chaperone in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the and seasons. She batted and threw right-handed....

    , 83, player/manager during seven seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
  • August 4 – Elden Auker
    Elden Auker
    Elden le Roy Auker was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball noted for his submarine pitching style....

    , 95, submarine pitcher who won 130 games, mainly with Tigers and Browns; led AL in winning percentage for 1935 Detroit champions
  • August 8 – Dino Restelli
    Dino Restelli
    Dino Paolo Restelli was a Major League Baseball center fielder and right-handed batter who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1949 and 1951....

    , 81, outfielder for the Pirates in 1949 and 1951
  • August 12 – Earl Wooten, 82, outfielder for the Senators in 1947 and 1948
  • August 24 – Gene Thompson
    Gene Thompson
    Eugene Earl Thompson , nicknamed "Junior," was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants....

    , 89, pitcher for the Reds and Giants who later spent 40 years as a scout; was 13–5 as rookie for 1939 NL champion Reds
  • August 30 – Charlie Wagner
    Charlie Wagner
    Charles Thomas Wagner was an American right-handed pitcher and coach in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox . Nicknamed "Broadway," he went on to a 50-year career as a scout and minor league instructor...

    , 93, pitcher who won 32 games for the Red Sox from 1938 to 1946, later a scout and minor league instructor
  • September 1 – Ted Davidson
    Ted Davidson
    Thomas Eugene "Ted" Davidson was an American professional baseball player. He was a left-handed relief pitcher who appeared in Major League Baseball pitcher from 1965 to 1968 for the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves. Davidson stood tall and weighed...

    , 66, pitcher for the Reds (1965–1968) and Braves (1968)
  • September 2 – Victor Bernal
    Victor Bernal
    Victor Hugo Bernal was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for one season. Bernal was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 6th round of the 1975 Major League Baseball Draft. He played for the San Diego Padres for 15 games during the 1977 San Diego Padres season.-External links:...

    , 52, pitcher for the Padres in 1977
  • September 7 – Gordie Mueller
    Gordie Mueller
    Joseph Gordon Mueller was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played briefly for the Boston Red Sox during the season. Listed at 6' 4", 200 lb., Mueller batted and threw right-handed...

    , 83, pitcher for the 1950 Boston Red Sox
  • September 17 – Jack Banta
    Jack Banta (baseball)
    Jackie Kay Banta was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 to 1950....

    , 81, pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 to 1950 who won the 1949 pennant-clincher
  • September 18 – Syd Thrift
    Syd Thrift
    Sydnor W. Thrift Jr. was an American scout and executive in Major League Baseball who served as the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1985 to 1988, and the de facto general manager of the Baltimore Orioles from 1999 to 2002...

    , 77, general manager of the Pirates, Yankees and Orioles, also a longtime scout
  • September 27 – Craig Kusick
    Craig Kusick
    Craig Robert Kusick was an American first baseman and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played nearly his entire career from to for the Minnesota Twins.His son Craig Kusick, Jr...

    , 57, first baseman for the Twins from 1973 to 1979; high school coach for 22 years
  • September 27 – Joe Koppe
    Joe Koppe
    Joseph Koppe , born Joseph Kopchia in Detroit, Michigan, was an American Major League Baseball player for the Milwaukee Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and Los Angeles Angels....

    , 75, shortstop for the Braves (1958), Phillies (1959–1961) and Angels (1961–1965)

October–December

  • October 2 – Clyde Vollmer
    Clyde Vollmer
    Clyde Frederick Vollmer , was an American professional baseball player. An outfielder, he played in 685 Major League games for three teams: the Cincinnati Reds, Washington Senators and Boston Red Sox. During one of his seasons with the Red Sox, his timely hitting earned him the nickname "Dutch the...

    , 85, outfielder for the Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators between 1942 and 1951
  • October 2 – Al Heist
    Al Heist
    Alfred Michael "Al" Heist was a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs , and the Houston Colt .45's...

    , 79, outfielder for the Chicago Cubs (1960–1961) and the Houston Colt 45s (1962); later a coach for Houston and San Diego
  • October 5 – Dick Wagner
    Dick Wagner (baseball)
    Dick Wagner was a sports, entertainment, and broadcasting executive who spent twenty-five years in Major League Baseball. He was best known for running the Cincinnati Reds during the 1970s and the Houston Astros during the 1980s.-Early Life and Careers:Born in Central City, Nebraska, Wagner’s...

    , 78, general manager who helped build Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine" dynasty of the 1970s and also Houston's 1986 NL West champions
  • October 6 – Buck O'Neil
    Buck O'Neil
    John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil was a first baseman and manager in the Negro American League, mostly with the Kansas City Monarchs. After his playing days, he worked as a scout, and became the first African American coach in Major League Baseball...

    , 94, first baseman and manager who won two Negro League batting titles and led the Kansas City Monarchs
    Kansas City Monarchs
    The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro Leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri and owned by J.L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 1930. J.L. Wilkinson was the first Caucasian owner at the time...

     to two championships; became first black coach in the major leagues, and a goodwill ambassador for the sport in his later years
  • October 8 – Ivan Murrell
    Ivan Murrell
    Ivan Augustus Murrell Peters was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played for the Houston Colt .45's & Astros , San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves . A native of Almirante, Panama, Murrell batted and threw right-handed...

    , 63, Panamanian outfielder for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros, San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves between 1963 and 1974
  • October 11- Cory Lidle
    Cory Lidle
    Cory Fulton Lidle was an Americanright-handed baseball pitcher who spent nine seasons in the major leagues with seven different teams. His twin brother Kevin Lidle also played baseball, as a catcher for several minor league teams...

    , 34, pitcher for the Yankees and six other major league teams since 1997, won 13 games for 2001 A's and 2005 Phillies
  • October 11 – Eddie Pellagrini
    Eddie Pellagrini
    Edward Charles Pellagrini was an American infielder in Major League Baseball from to for the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and Pittsburgh Pirates...

    , 88, infielder for five teams from 1946 to 1954; coached Boston College to three College World Series
  • October 12 – Johnny Callison
    Johnny Callison
    John Wesley Callison was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1960 to 1969...

    , 67, All-Star outfielder for the Phillies who won the 1964 All-Star Game with a 3-run home run; led NL in triples twice and assists four times
  • October 16 – Tony Curry
    Tony Curry
    George Anthony Curry was a Bahamian professional baseball player, an outfielder who appeared in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians ....

    , 67, Bahamanian outfielder for the Phillies and Indians who followed Andre Rodgers
    Andre Rodgers
    Kenneth Andre Ian Rodgers was a Major League Baseball shortstop who played for the New York and San Francisco Giants , Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates . He also played one season in Japan for the Taiyo Whales...

     as the second native of his country to play in the major leagues
  • October 17 – Bob Adams, 95, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in the 1925 season
  • October 25 – Edward F. Kenney
    Edward F. Kenney, Sr.
    Edward F. Kenney, Sr. was an American executive and in professional baseball.A native of Massachusetts, Kenney was born in Medford and raised in Winchester where he captained the high school baseball team. He later spent three years as the starting shortstop for the Boston College, where he...

    , 85, who served as a Boston Red Sox executive for over 40 years
  • October 26 – Fred Marsh
    Fred Marsh
    Fred Francis Marsh was an American infielder in Major League Baseball who played from to for the Cleveland Indians, St...

    , 82, infielder for four teams from 1951 to 1956
  • October 27 – Joe Niekro
    Joe Niekro
    Joseph Franklin Niekro was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of Minor League Baseball pitcher Lance Niekro. A native of Blaine, Ohio, Niekro attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio and attended West...

    , 61, All-Star pitcher who won 221 games and was the Astros' all-time leader with 144 victories; brother of Phil Niekro
    Phil Niekro
    Philip Henry Niekro , nicknamed "Knucksie" because of his usage and skill level with the knuckleball, is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997....

     and father of Lance Niekro
    Lance Niekro
    Lance William Niekro is a former Major League Baseball player, nephew of Phil Niekro, and son of Joe Niekro. Niekro currently serves as an assistant coach at Florida Southern College....

  • October 29 – Silas Simmons
    Silas Simmons
    Silas Joseph "Si" Simmons was an American semi-professional and professional baseball player for African-American teams in the pre-Negro League era, and became the longest-lived professional baseball player in history. The previous record was held by Chet Hoff, who died at age 107 in...

    , 109 or 111, Negro League player of the 1920s, believed to be the longest-lived professional baseball player in history
  • October 31 – Glenn "Rocky" Nelson
    Rocky Nelson
    Glenn Richard "Rocky" Nelson was a first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals , Pittsburgh Pirates , Chicago White Sox , Brooklyn Dodgers and Cleveland Indians .A native of Portsmouth, Ohio, Nelson batted and threw left-handed...

    , 81, first baseman for five teams from 1949 to 1961 who hit a home run for the Pirates in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series
  • November 2 – Myron "Red" Hayworth
    Red Hayworth
    Myron Claude "Red" Hayworth was an American baseball player who played in Major League Baseball from -45. He was a catcher, listed at 6' 1.5", 200 lb., Hayworth batted and threw right-handed....

    , 91, catcher for the 1944–1945 St. Louis Browns who played in every game of the 1944 World Series; later a coach and scout, spending 53 years in baseball; brother Ray
    Ray Hayworth
    Raymond Hall Hayworth was a catcher in Major League Baseball. From 1926 through 1945, Hayworth played for the Detroit Tigers, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants and St. Louis Browns. He batted and threw right-handed....

     was also a major league catcher
  • November 7 – John "Buddy" Kerr
    Buddy Kerr
    John Joseph "Buddy" Kerr was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball. From 1943 through 1951, Kerr played for the New York Giants and Boston Braves...

    , 84, All-Star shortstop for the New York Giants and Boston Braves who played 68 consecutive errorless games over the 1946–47 seasons, then a major league record
  • November 7 – Johnny Sain
    Johnny Sain
    John Franklin Sain was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who was best known for teaming with left-hander Warren Spahn on the Boston Braves teams from 1946 to 1951...

    , 89, All-Star pitcher who was the 1948 MVP runnerup for the pennant-winning Boston Braves; later a respected pitching coach
  • November 9 – Garton del Savio
    Garton del Savio
    Garton Orville del Savio was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played 4 games in 1943 for the Philadelphia Phillies, collecting a single in 11 at bats and committing 3 errors. He enlisted in the Coast Guard during World War II. Born in New York City, del Savio was 29 years old at...

    , 92, shortstop who played four games for the 1943 Phillies
  • November 9 – Jimmie Armstead Jr., 87, player for the St. Louis Stars, Philadelphia Stars and Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro Leagues from 1938 to 1951
  • November 14 – Pete "Pecky" Suder
    Pete Suder
    Peter Suder , nicknamed "Pecky," was an American professional baseball player, a utility infielder for the Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics . He was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania....

    , 90, infielder for the Athletics from 1941 to 1955; later worked as a scout and minor league manager
  • November 17 – Bo Schembechler
    Bo Schembechler
    Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler, Jr. was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1989, compiling a career record of 234–65–8...

    , 77, Hall of Fame college football coach and president of the Detroit Tigers from 1990–92; widely criticized for the firing of legendary Tigers radio announcer Ernie Harwell
    Ernie Harwell
    William Earnest "Ernie" Harwell was an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 years, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called the action on radio and/or television...

  • November 19 – Willie "Fireman" Grace, 89, player on the Cleveland Buckeyes and Erie Sailors of the Negro Leagues from 1942 to 1950
  • November 22 – Pat Dobson
    Pat Dobson
    Patrick Edward Dobson, Jr. was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers , San Diego Padres , Baltimore Orioles , Atlanta Braves , New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians...

    , 64, All-Star pitcher who won 20 games for the 1971 Orioles; later a scout and assistant to the general manager with the Giants
  • November 27 – Eddie "Hotshot" Mayo
    Eddie Mayo
    Edward Joseph Mayo , nicknamed "Hotshot" and "Steady Eddie," was a professional baseball infielder...

    , 96, second and third baseman, primarily for the Tigers, who finished second in the MVP vote to teammate Hal Newhouser
    Hal Newhouser
    Harold "Prince Hal" Newhouser was an American pitcher for Major League Baseball who played 17 seasons from 1939 to 1955, mostly with the Detroit Tigers of the American League...

     on the 1945 World Series champions
  • November 28 – Sam Calderone
    Sam Calderone
    Samuel Francis Calderone was an American professional baseball catcher. The native of Beverly, New Jersey, spent three seasons in Major League Baseball as a member of the New York Giants and Milwaukee Braves...

    , 80, reserve catcher for the New York Giants and Milwaukee Braves
  • November 29 – Pete Mikkelsen
    Pete Mikkelsen
    Peter James Mikkelsen was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1964 through 1972 for the New York Yankees , Pittsburgh Pirates , Chicago Cubs , St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers . Mikkelsen batted and threw right-handed...

    , 67, relief pitcher for five teams from 1964–1972 who had 7 wins and 12 saves as a rookie for pennant-winning Yankees
  • December 3 – Billy Klaus
    Billy Klaus
    William Joseph Klaus was a shortstop and third baseman in Major League Baseball who played with the Boston & Milwaukee Braves , Boston Red Sox , Baltimore Orioles , Washington Senators and Philadelphia Phillies . He played the end of the 1963 season in Japan for the Chunichi Dragons...

    , 77, shortstop/third baseman for six teams from 1952 to 1963
  • December 3 – Ernie Oravetz
    Ernie Oravetz
    Ernest Eugene Oravetz was an American professional baseball player. A switch-hitting outfielder who threw left-handed, he played two seasons of Major League Baseball with the – Washington Senators. He was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.Oravetz stood only tall and weighed...

    , 74, outfielder for the Washington Senators in 1955 and 1956
  • December 8 – José Uribe
    Jose Uribe
    José Altagracia González Uribe was a Dominican Major League Baseball shortstop from until . Most of his ten-year career was spent with the San Francisco Giants...

    , 47, Dominican shortstop for the Giants who was a member of the 1987 division champions and 1989 NL pennant winners
  • December 12 – Irv Hall
    Irv Hall
    Irv Hall was a Major League Baseball player. He played four seasons in the Majors, 1943–1946, for the Philadelphia Athletics. In his four seasons as a second baseman and shortstop, Hall had 496 hits in 1,904 at bats for a .261 batting average over 787 games...

    , 88, middle infielder for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1943 to 1946; worked as a manager in the St. Louis Browns minor league system
  • December 16 – Cecil Travis
    Cecil Travis
    Cecil Howell Travis was an American shortstop and third baseman in Major League Baseball from 1933 to 1947 who spent his entire career with the Washington Senators. He led the American League in hits in before missing nearly the next four seasons due to military service in World War II...

    , 93, All-Star shortstop for the Washington Senators who batted .314 lifetime; led AL in hits in 1941 before missing four seasons in World War II
  • December 17 – Larry Sherry
    Larry Sherry
    Lawrence Sherry was an American right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers...

    , 71, relief pitcher for the Dodgers, Tigers, Astros and Angels from 1958 to 1968; was named the MVP of the 1959 World Series while with his hometown Dodgers
  • December 22 – Sam Chapman
    Sam Chapman
    Samuel Blake Chapman was an American two-sport athletic star who played as a center fielder in Major League Baseball, spending nearly his entire career with the Philadelphia Athletics . He batted and threw right-handed, leading the American League in putouts four times...

    , 90, All-Star center fielder for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1938 to 1951; batted .322 in 1941, led AL in putouts four times
  • December 23 – Sol Carter
    Sol Carter
    Solomon Mobley "Buck" Carter was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1931 season...

    , 98, pitcher for the 1931 Philadelphia Athletics who had been the fourth oldest living major league player
  • December 26 – Chris Brown
    Chris Brown (baseball player)
    John Christopher Brown was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball during the 1980s, most notably with the San Francisco Giants.-Early life:...

    , 45, All-Star third baseman who batted .317 for the 1986 Giants; also played for the Padres and Tigers during a 6-year career
  • December 31 – Marv Breeding
    Marv Breeding
    Marvin Eugene Breeding was an infielder who played in Major League Baseball from through . Breeding batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Decatur, Alabama....

    , 72, second baseman for the Orioles, Senators and Dodgers between 1960 and 1963
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