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2005 In Baseball

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2005 In Baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 2005 throughout the world.

Contents

  • Headline events of the year 1
  • Champions 2
    • Major League Baseball 2.1
    • International 2.2
    • Professional 2.3
      • Minor leagues 2.3.1
    • Amateur 2.4
  • Awards and honors 3
  • Events 4
    • January–March 4.1
    • April 4.2
    • May 4.3
    • June 4.4
    • July 4.5
    • August 4.6
    • September 4.7
    • October 4.8
    • November 4.9
  • Books 5
  • Movies 6
  • Deaths 7
    • January 7.1
    • February 7.2
    • March 7.3
    • April 7.4
    • May 7.5
    • June 7.6
    • July 7.7
    • August 7.8
    • September 7.9
    • October 7.10
    • November 7.11
    • December 7.12
  • References 8

Headline events of the year

  • Chicago White Sox swept (4-0) the Houston Astros to win the 2005 World Series.
  • 2005 also marked the inaugural season of the Washington Nationals, who relocated from Montreal and were formerly known as the Expos. This is Washington D.C.'s first time having a baseball team since the Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers following the 1971 season.
  • Chris Burke ended the 2005 NLDS.
  • The Astros went from 15-30 to the 2005 World Series. They also went 22-7 in July.

Champions

Major League Baseball

  • Regular season Champions
League Eastern Division Champion Central Division Champion Western Division Champion Wild Card Qualifier
American League New York Yankees Chicago White Sox Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Boston Red Sox
National League Atlanta Braves St. Louis Cardinals San Diego Padres Houston Astros
  Division Series
TV: ESPN/FOX 		League Championship Series
TV: FOX 		World Series
TV: FOX
                           
  1  Chicago White Sox 3  
4  Boston Red Sox 0  
  1  Chicago White Sox 4  
American League
  2  LA Angels of Anaheim 1  
2  LA Angels of Anaheim 3
  3  New York Yankees 2  
    AL1  Chicago White Sox 4
  NL4  Houston Astros 0
  1  St. Louis Cardinals 3  
3  San Diego Padres 0  
  1  St. Louis Cardinals 2
National League
  4  Houston Astros 4  
2  Atlanta Braves 1
  4  Houston Astros 3  

Click on any series score to link to that series' page.
Higher seed has home field advantage during Division Series and League Championship Series.
American League has home field advantage during World Series as a result of American League victory in 2005 All-Star Game.
National League is seeded 1-3/2-4 as a result of NL regular season champion (St. Louis Cardinals) and NL wild card (Houston Astros) coming from the same division.

International

Professional

Minor leagues

Amateur

Awards and honors

Note: The Comeback Player of the Year Award was voted on for the first time by fans.
Award National League American League
Most Valuable Player Albert Pujols, STL Alex Rodriguez, NYY
Cy Young Chris Carpenter, STL Bartolo Colón, LAA
Manager of the Year Bobby Cox, ATL Ozzie Guillén, CWS
Relief Man of the Year Chad Cordero, WAS Mariano Rivera, NYY
Rookie of the Year Ryan Howard, PHI Huston Street, OAK
Comeback Player of the Year Ken Griffey, Jr., CIN Jason Giambi, NYY

Events

January–March

  • January 3 - Wade Boggs, a five-time batting champion, and Ryne Sandberg, a nine-time Gold Glove winner at second base, are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Boggs receives 474 votes, or 91.9 percent of the 516 ballots cast. Sandberg receives 393 votes, six more than the needed number. Relief pitchers Bruce Sutter (66.7 percent) and Rich "Goose" Gossage (55.2), and outfielders Jim Rice (59.5) and Andre Dawson (52.3), are the only other players to be named on at least half of the ballots cast.
  • January 21 - Roger Clemens and the Houston Astros agree to an $18 million, one-year contract. Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, agrees to a deal that makes him the highest-paid pitcher for the fifth time, following deals with the Boston Red Sox in 1989 ($2.5 million) and 1991 ($5.38 million); with the Toronto Blue Jays before the 1997 season, and with the New York Yankees in 2000 ($15.45 million).
  • February 2 - The trade that sent Sammy Sosa to the Baltimore Orioles from the Chicago Cubs is finalized after commissioner Bud Selig approves the deal and the slugger passes his physical. Chicago receives second baseman Jerry Hairston, Jr. and two minor leaguers, then signs Jeromy Burnitz as a free agent to replace Sosa in right field.
  • February 6 - At Mazatlán, Mexico, Francisco Campos turns in another brilliant outing, and Mexican champion Venados de Mazatlán (Mazatlán Deers) holds on in the final game, edging the Dominican Republic 4-3 to win the 56th Caribbean World Series. The title is just Mexico's fifth since joining the competition in 1970, the second in the last four years, but its first since hosting the series. Campos allows just three hits - two infield hits and a bunt single - and a run over his first eight innings of work, striking out 11. Previously, Campos handcuffed the Venezuelan champion Tigres de Aragua (Aragua Tigers) 4-0 in the series opener. He allowed just three hits over eight innings and struck out 10. Campos is voted the Series MVP.
  • February 16 - The players' union signs an agreement calling for international drug-testing rules during a 16-team World Cup tournament (eventually called the World Baseball Classic) during 2006 spring training. Each team will select a provisional roster of 60 players, 45 days before the start of the tournament, and players will be covered by the drug-testing rules until the end of the competition. The deal, signed by the union, the commissioner's office and the International Baseball Federation, states that IBAF rules will cover the frequency of testing before and during the tournament, the list of prohibited substances, the procedures for taking samples and the laboratories used. More substances are banned by the IBAF than by the major leagues.
  • March 2 - Thirty-two years after his death, Roberto Clemente, Joe Louis and Jesse Owens as the only athletes among about 300 Gold Medal recipients. Following the ceremony, the Boston Red Sox are honored at the White House for winning the 2004 World Series.
  • March 17 - Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro and Jose Canseco appeared before the House Government Reform Committee to discuss the topic of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball. McGwire and Palmeiro were named as steroid users in Canseco's book, Juiced. McGwire declined to answer questions under oath when he appeared before the House Government Reform Committee. Sosa and Palmeiro both denied under oath ever having used PEDs, whereas McGwire never gave a committed answer, simply repeatedly stating, "I'm not here to talk about the past. I'm here to be positive about this subject."

April

President RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 2005.
  • April 14 - On a historic night at George W. Bush, who throws the ceremonial first pitch. Grzenda tossed the final pitch in Senators history against the New York Yankees on September 30, 1971.
  • April 15 - Sammy Sosa hits his first home run at Camden Yards, giving him homers in 42 different ballparks. Currently seventh on the all-time list with 576 home runs, Sosa and Miguel Tejada have three RBI apiece as the Orioles defeat the Yankees 10-1.
  • April 16 - Manny Ramírez knocks in all six Sox runs with a grand slam and a two-run shot, and Matt Clement wins in his Fenway Park debut to lead the Boston Red Sox over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. It is Ramirez's 18th career grand slam, most among active players. The homer ties him for third on the all-time grand slam list with Willie McCovey and Robin Ventura, behind only Eddie Murray (19) and Lou Gehrig (23). It is Ramirez's 40th career multi-homer game (38 two-homer games, two three-homer games).
  • April 26 - At Yankee Stadium, Alex Rodriguez slugs his way to the best performance of his career, hitting three home runs for the third time and driving in a career-high 10 runs as the Yankees win 12-4 over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Rodríguez comes within one RBI of matching the American League record held by Hall of Famer and former Yankee Tony Lazzeri.
  • April 27 - Mark Grudzielanek becomes the first St. Louis Cardinals player to hit for the cycle in nine seasons, and pitcher Chris Carpenter equals his career best with 12 strikeouts, as St. Louis beats the Milwaukee Brewers 6–3. Grudzielanek is only the third Cardinals player to hit for the cycle at 40-year-old Busch Stadium, which was demolished after the season. The others were Ray Lankford on September 15, 1991 against the New York Mets, and Lou Brock on May 27, 1975 against the San Diego Padres.

May

June

  • June 1 - The Houston Astros defeat the Cincinnati Reds 4-1, as pitcher Roy Oswalt takes the major league lead for victories against a team without a defeat, improving to 14-0 against visiting Cincinnati. Oswalt was tied for the lead in victories against one team without a loss with Pedro Martínez, who has a 13-0 record against the Seattle Mariners. Randy Johnson is 12-0 against the Chicago Cubs.
  • June 2 - The New York Yankees are swept by the worst team in baseball, falling 5-2 to the Kansas City Royals for their first five-game losing streak in more than two years. It's been a ball so far for Buddy Bell, the new Royals skipper who is unbeaten after sweeping three games from the visiting Yankees. Kansas City pitchers allow just six runs in the series. It's the third time in their storied history the Yankees have been swept in three games by the team with the worst record in the majors. The other times were in 2000 by the Detroit Tigers and 1937 by the Philadelphia Athletics; in both those seasons, New York won the American League pennant. Kansas City completes its first three-game sweep at home of the Yankees in 15 years. The Royals had gone 78 series without sweeping anyone, the longest drought in the majors since the Philadelphia Phillies went 79 series without a sweep from 1996-97. Despite their three-game sweep, the Royals' record of 16-37 is still the worst in the majors.
  • June 4:
  • June 5 - For the first time since 1933, a team called Washington is in first place late in the season. Ryan Church helps lift the Washington Nationals into first place in the NL East Division with a three-run home run, as the Nationals complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Florida Marlins with a 6-3 triumph. The victory, coupled with Atlanta's loss to Pittsburgh, puts Washington in first place. The Nationals have come from behind for 21 of their 31 victories, including each of its last eight. 75 years ago, the Washington Senators team that won the American League pennant topped the standings this time of year or later.
  • June 7 - Justin Upton, a slugging high school shortstop from Virginia, is taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the No. 1 pick in the 2005 baseball draft. He and his brother B.J., the second pick in 2002 by Tampa Bay, are the highest-drafted siblings.
  • June 8:
    • Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez becomes the youngest member of the 400-home run club when he hits a solo shot in the eighth inning of New York's 12-3 win over host Milwaukee. The home run is the second of the game for the 29-year-old, who becomes the 40th player in major league history to reach 400 homers, with two more than Dale Murphy and one more than Al Kaline and Andrés Galarraga.
    • Minnesota ace Johan Santana improves to 15-0 over his last 17 road starts, when he pitches an 8-0 four-hit, nine-strikeout shutout against Arizona.
  • June 9 - The SF Giants' Omar Vizquel plays in his 2,179th game as a shortstop, passing Dave Concepción for sole possession of sixth place on the career list. Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio holds the record of 2,581.
  • June 10:
    • The 1919 contract that shipped Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees sells at auction for a staggering $996,000, delighting its new owner, Pete Siegel, a die-hard Yankees fan, and a hunger-relief group designated to receive a financial windfall from the sale. The price is nearly double the presale estimate for the December 26, 1919, contract, signed by owners Harry Frazee of the Red Sox and Jacob Ruppert of Yankees, and nearly 10 times the $100,000 cost of purchasing Ruth.
  • June 12 - Acquired in a trade two days before, Junior Spivey hits a two-run home run as the Washington Nationals tie a franchise record with their 10th consecutive win - a 3–2 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Before relocating to the nation's capital this season, the Nationals were known as the Montreal Expos, who won 10 straight games three previous times in 1979, 1980 and 1997. The Nationals have won 13 of their last 14 games overall, with eight of the wins coming by one run, and complete a 12-1 homestand. Tony Armas, Jr. pitches five scoreless innings, allowing five hits, and is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in his last three starts.
  • June 14:
    • The Boston Red Sox honor their Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk and the 12th-inning home run that won Game 6 of the 1975 World Series by naming the left field foul pole where it landed the "Fisk Pole". In a pregame ceremony from the Monster Seats, Fisk is cheered by the Fenway Park crowd while the shot is replayed to the strains of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus. The Red Sox scheduled the ceremony to coincide with an interleague series against the Cincinnati Reds, who make their first trip back to Fenway Park since the '75 Series. Thirty years later, the video of Fisk trying to wave the ball fair remains one of the game's enduring images; Game 6 is often called the best game in major leagues history. Fenway's right field foul pole, which is just 302 feet from the plate, has long been unofficially named the Pesky Pole, for light-hitting former Red Sox shortstop Johnny Pesky, who had a tendency to curve fly balls around it for homers. On the field, Fisk throws out the ceremonial first pitch to former battery-mate Luis Tiant.
    • Commissioner Bud Selig favors reversing use of the designated hitter for interleague games next season. Under Selig's proposal, which will be considered during the offseason, the DH would be used in National League parks instead of in American League stadiums.
  • June 15 - Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners collects his 1,000th career hit, becoming just the third player since 1900 to reach the plateau in fewer than 700 games.
  • June 16:
  • June 17:
  • June 18 - Veteran Julio Franco hits a pair of home runs and Andruw Jones and Johnny Estrada also homer as the Atlanta Braves beat the host Cincinnati Reds 6-1.
  • June 19 - Rafael Palmeiro hits his 560th career home run to give Baltimore a sixth-inning lead, and the Orioles shake off manager Lee Mazzilli's first career ejection to beat the Colorado Rockies 4-2.
  • June 24:
    • At Yankee Stadium, the New York Mets set a National League record by hitting three sacrifice flies in one inning, an oddity accomplished three times by American League teams. Ramón Castro, José Reyes and Mike Cameron each hit one in the second inning, and Reyes adds his second of the game in the ninth, as the Mets defeat the Yankees 6-4.
    • Los Angeles Dodgers closer Éric Gagné has season-ending elbow surgery which goes better than expected. Gagné does not need a ligament replaced and could return by spring training. Originally expected to be out 12-to-14 months, Gagné now faces about six months recovery time, and may start throwing a baseball even earlier.
  • June 27:
    • Julio Franco hits his eighth career grand slam as the Atlanta Braves get past the Florida Marlins. The 46-year-old Atlanta first baseman has shown in June that he clearly can still play the game. In his last seven appearances, Franco is hitting .458 with four home runs and 11 RBI, and is making plenty of entries on those oldest-to-do-whatever lists. Earlier this month, he became the oldest player in major league history to have a two-homer game, the oldest in the last 96 years to steal a base and extended his own mark for being the oldest to hit a grand slam.
    • Baltimore's Rafael Palmeiro gets two more hits in a 6-4 loss to the New York Yankees, moving him past Sam Rice into sole possession of 26th place on the all-time list. Palmeiro is 11 hits shy of becoming the fourth player in major league history with 3,000 hits and 500 homers.

July

August

  • August 1 - Rafael Palmeiro is suspended for 10 days due to testing positive banned substance abuse.
  • August 2 - Ryan Franklin is suspended 10 days for violating Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
  • August 3 - Manny Ramírez of the Boston Red Sox becomes the seventh player in major league history to reach 30 home runs and 100 RBI in at least eight straight seasons. The others are Jimmie Foxx, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Albert Belle, Rafael Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa. Ramírez and Foxx are the only players in Red Sox history with five consecutive 30-homer seasons.
  • August 6 - Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals becomes the first major league player to hit 30 home runs in each of his first five seasons. No. 30 comes in the first inning against John Smoltz, and it helps the Cardinals to an 11-3 victory over the visitors Atlanta Braves.
  • August 7 - In just the fourth meeting of pitchers with the same last name since 2000, Víctor Zambrano of the New York Mets outduels Carlos Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs in front of 40,321 fans at Shea Stadium, pitching the Mets to a 6-1 win and a sweep of the three-game series. Both Zambranos entered with 42 career wins, the second time in major league history that opposing starters with the same last name came in with matching victory totals, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The other was on June 15, 1944, when Red Barrett of the Boston Braves and Dick Barrett of the Philadelphia Phillies each had 19 career wins. Like the Barretts, Víctor and Carlos obviously share a double feat, but the similarities don't end there. The Zambranos were both born in Venezuela, both throw with their right arm, and both wear No. 38. Besides this, it is the fourth time in modern major league history that starting pitchers with a last name beginning with Z faced each other, according to ESPN. Víctor and Carlos Zambrano have both faced Barry Zito of the Oakland Athletics.
  • August 7 - Zach Duke becomes only the second rookie in Pittsburgh Pirates history to win his first five decisions as a starter, as the Pirates pass the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-4. The 22-year-old is the first Pittsburgh rookie since Whitey Glazner in 1921 to start 5-0. No Pirates rookie has been 6-0. Duke is 5-0 with 35 strikeouts and a 1.52 ERA in 46.2 innings pitched. His 0.87 ERA in July was the lowest among all major league pitchers.
  • August 8 - In a doubleheader with the Florida Marlins, the Colorado Rockies start two pitchers with the same surname. This is the first such doubleheader since June 22, 1974, when Gaylord Perry and his brother Jim Perry, both of the Cleveland Indians, accomplished the feat against the Boston Red Sox. Sun-Woo Kim starts the first game, and Byung-Hyun Kim starts the second game. The Rockies win both games of the doubleheader.
  • August 9 - Down 7-2 in the top of the 9th inning, the Cleveland Indians score 11 runs against the Kansas City Royals to win the game 13-7. With 2 outs, the Royals leading by 1 and a man on base, the Indian's Jeff Liefer hits a routine fly ball to left which is dropped by outfielder Chip Ambres, allowing the tying run to score. Kansas City made 3 errors altogether in the 9th inning. To make matters worse for the Royals, it was their 11th straight loss.
  • August 11 - New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera converts his 31st consecutive save, the last in the longest such streak of his career.
  • August 20
  • August 28 - Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees collects his 1500th hit and drives in the 1000th RBI of his major league career in a 10-3 Yankee win over the Kansas City Royals.
  • August 31 - Called up from Double-A Carolina, Jeremy Hermida of the Florida Marlins makes a name for himself by becoming the second player in major league history to belt a grand slam in his first at-bat. But it is too late to rally the Marlins, who lose 10-5 to the St. Louis Cardinals at Dolphins Stadium. Pinch-hitting in the seventh inning, Hermida hits his grand slam off Al Reyes on a 1-1 pitch. The Marlins' No. 1 draft pick in 2002, Hermida is a left-handed-hitting outfielder who was a rising star at Double-A before being brought up. The only other player to accomplish the feat was Bill Duggleby of the Philadelphia Phillies on April 21, 1898; Duggleby was the winning pitcher that day.

September

October

  • October 1 - The New York Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park by a score of 8–4 to clinch their eighth consecutive American League East title. Yankees captain Derek Jeter gets his 200th hit of the season, and teammate Alex Rodriguez breaks a franchise season record for most home runs by a right-hander batter with his 48th blast.
  • October 2:
    • Both wild card berths are clinched on the final day of the regular season. The Boston Red Sox clinch their third straight wild card after the Chicago White Sox defeat the Cleveland Indians 3–1, while the Houston Astros earn their second straight berth with a 6-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Boston wins 10–1 over the Yankees, entering a tie for the first place in the AL East. The Yankees win their season series with the Red Sox ten games to nine, giving New York the division title and Boston the wild card. The last three World Series champions were wild card entries.
    • Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies extends his hitting streak to 36 games, the ninth longest in major league history, with a fourth-inning single in the regular-season finale against the Washington Nationals. The streak is the longest since 1987, when Paul Molitor hit safely in 39 consecutive games. The old Phillies franchise record of 31 was set by Ed Delahanty in 1899.
    • Florida Marlins manager Jack McKeon tells his team before a 7–6, 10-inning victory over the Atlanta Braves that he will not be back as manager in 2006. McKeon led Florida to the 2003 World Series title and a winning record in each of his three seasons as manager of the club. He began his managerial career in the minors 50 years ago and became the 52nd manager to earn 1,000 major-league wins on September 3.
    • Leaders. Atlanta's Andruw Jones wins his first NL home run crown with a major league-best 51, three more than the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, who wins his fourth AL HR title in five seasons. Jones becomes the first player to reach 50 homers since Rodríguez and Jim Thome in 2002. Rodríguez gives the Yankees their first home run champion since Reggie Jackson was co-leader in 1980. Houston's Roger Clemens leads the major leagues in ERA for the first time since 1990 after posting a 1.87 mark. Derrek Lee of the Chicago Cubs and Michael Young of the Texas Rangers win their first batting titles with .335 and .331 respectively. Boston's David Ortiz (148) and Atlanta' Andruw Jones (128) lead in RBI.
  • October 4:
  • October 5:
  • October 6:
    • In his first postseason at-bat, Brian McCann hits a three-run homer off seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, sending John Smoltz and the Atlanta Braves to a 7–1 victory over the Houston Astros, tying their best-of-five NLDS at one game apiece. Another of the 18 rookies to play for the Braves this season, McCann was less than three months old when Clemens made his major league debut for the Boston Red Sox in 1984. Smoltz breaks a one-day tie with Houston's Andy Pettitte to reclaim the title as the major leagues' winningest postseason pitcher, improving to 7-0 in the division series and 15-4 overall.
    • Baseball fans recognize the 2005 accomplishments of Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. and New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi, voting them Comeback Players of the Year. Following four years of serious injuries, Griffey hit .301 with 35 home runs and 92 RBI. Giambi led the American League with a .440 on-base percentage and 108 walks, finishing eighth with a .535 slugging percentage, and hit .271 with 32 homers and 87 RBI. In 2004 Giambi suffered several ailments, and was also dogged by the BALCO steroids scandal. The award was voted on for the first time by fans on MLB.com.[4] This is the first year that the league officially has sanctioned the award. Six players from each league were nominated by the editorial staff at MLB.com and representatives of the league.
  • October 7: The Chicago White Sox complete a three-game sweep of the defending champion Boston Red Sox with a 5-3 victory.
  • October 8: The St. Louis Cardinals chase former teammate Woody Williams before he can get out of the second inning in a 7–3 victory that completes a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres. Matt Morris holds the Padres hitless for 4 1-3 innings, David Eckstein hits his first career postseason home run, and Reggie Sanders drives in two more runs to set an NLDS record with 10. Jason Isringhausen earns his 10th career postseason save as St. Louis advances to the National League Championship Series for the fourth time in six years.
  • October 9: In what will go down as a true classic post-season game, rookie Chris Burke hits a walk-off home run in the 18th inning as the Houston Astros defeat the Atlanta Braves 7–6 in a record-setting NLDS Game Four in extra innings. The game sets several records, including longest postseason game ever at 18 innings, longest postseason game by time (5 hours, 50 minutes), and first postseason game with two grand slams. The Astros' 23 players used tie an all-time post-season record as well. Houston will now advance to the National League Championship Series for the second year in a row to face the 2004 NL Champion St. Louis Cardinals.
  • October 10: Rookie Ervin Santana pitches 51⁄3 strong innings in his postseason debut, Garret Anderson hits a home run and drives in two runs, and Adam Kennedy hits a go-ahead two-run triple, to lead the Angels over the New York Yankees 5–3 in the decisive Game Five of their Division Series.
  • October 11: Well-rested, playing in front of a sold out home crowd and with their top pitcher José Contreras on the mound against a road-weary team, the Chicago White Sox have everything lined up for a quick start in the American League Championship Series, but lose to the Los Angeles Angels 3–2 in Game 1. The Angels traveled about 4,700 miles in a 32-hour span, becoming the first team in major league history to play three games in three cities on successive nights, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Angels lost Game 4 of the American League Division Series in New York on Sunday, won Game 5 in Anaheim on Monday and wiped out the White Sox' home-field advantage in the ALCS on Tuesday.
  • October 12: The Chicago White Sox win Game 2 of the American League Championship Series in controversial fashion to even the series at 1-1. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Chicago catcher A.J. Pierzynski strikes out swinging, seemingly sending the game to extra innings, but home plate umpire Doug Eddings rules that the ball hit the ground before Angels catcher Josh Paul caught it, allowing Pierzynski to run to first base, which he easily is able to do as both Paul and pitcher Kelvim Escobar believed the inning was over and were heading off the field. After a delay while Eddings consulted with third-base umpire Ed Rapuano, the call was upheld and Pablo Ozuna was sent in to pinch-run for Pierzynski. Joe Crede then doubled to drive in Ozuna with the winning run.
  • October 15: In the ALCS, Freddy García continues the powerful pitching parade that has guided the Chicago White Sox to a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series by tossing a complete game as the Los Angeles Angels are defeated 8–2. Paul Konerko has a three-run home run off Ervin Santana in the first inning, the second straight game in which he had gone deep in the first. García joins Jon Garland and Mark Buehrle to give the White Sox a formidable streak of three consecutive complete games. It is the first time a team had pitched three consecutive complete games in the postseason since Tom Seaver, Jon Matlack and Jerry Koosman did it for the New York Mets during the 1973 NLCS against the Cincinnati Reds.
  • October 16: The Chicago White Sox clinch the American League pennant with a 6–3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels in Game 5 of the ALCS. José Contreras becomes the fourth consecutive White Sox pitcher to throw a complete game, the first time that has happened since the 1956 New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers behind five straight complete games from Whitey Ford, Tom Sturdivant, Don Larsen (who pitched a perfect game), Bob Turley and Johnny Kucks. Paul Konerko is named ALCS MVP. This is the White Sox' first trip to the World Series since 1959.
  • October 19 - In Game Six of the NLCS, the Houston Astros earn their first World Series berth in 44 years of team history with a 5–1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. For the Cardinals, the loss marks the end of the season for the team that led the majors with 100 wins. It also is the final game at Busch Stadium, scheduled to be demolished by a wrecking ball to make room for St. Louis' new ballpark.
  • October 25 - In the first World Series game played in the state of Texas, former Astro Geoff Blum wins the longest game in WS history with a tiebreaking two-out solo home run as the Chicago White Sox beat the Houston Astros 7–5 at Minute Maid Park to move within a win of a sweep and their first title since 1917. The 14-inning marathon lasts a total of five hours and 41 minutes. The previous longest game was 4:51 when the New York Yankees beat the New York Mets in 12 innings in Game One in 2000. This matches the longest by innings, a Babe Ruth complete game for the Boston Red Sox against the Brooklyn Robins in Game Two of the 1916 WS (at 2:32). The 43 players used by both teams also are a Series record, as are the combined 17 pitchers and 30 runners left on base.
  • October 26 - In the World Series, the Chicago White Sox complete a sweep of the Houston Astros with a 1–0 victory in Game Four. Freddy García pitches seven shutout innings, and Series MVP Jermaine Dye connects an RBI single off Brad Lidge in the eighth for the only run of the game, as Juan Uribe adds strong defensive support at shortstop. García becomes the first Venezuelan starting pitcher to win a World Series game. He also accomplishes the feat with good friend and fellow countryman Ozzie Guillén at the helm, who manages the White Sox to earn their first World Championship since 1917.

November

Books

Movies

Deaths

January

  • January   4 - Marguerite Pearson, 72, shortstop who played from 1948 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
  • January 4   – Jack Sanford, 88, reserve first baseman for the Washington Senators in the 1940s.
  • January 10 – Bob Mabe, 75, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles 1958–1960.
  • January 10 – Tommy Fine, 90, pitcher, briefly with the Red Sox and Browns, who in 1952 threw the only no-hitter in Caribbean World Series history.
  • January 22 - César Gutiérrez, 61, Venezuelan shortstop who with the 1970 Tigers became one of three players in major league history with a 7-for-7 game.
  • January 31 – Bill Voiselle, 86, All-Star pitcher for the Giants and Braves who won 21 games and led the NL in strikeouts and innings as a 1944 rookie.

February

  • February 4  – Luis Sánchez, 51, Venezuelan relief pitcher for the Angels who led the team in saves in 1983 and 1984.
  • February   6 – Mutsuo Minagawa, 69, submarine pitcher for the Nankai Hawks in Nippon Professional Baseball from 1954 to 1971, who was the last Japanese pitcher to win 30 or more games in a single season.
  • February 10 – Ruth Williams, 78, pitcher who played from 1946 through 1953 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
  • February 13 – Nelson Briles, 61, pitcher who won 19 games for the 1968 St. Louis Cardinals and pitched a two-hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1971 World Series, and later a broadcaster.
  • February 22 – Ben Huffman, 90, long-time scout for the Chicago White Sox who signed Minnie Miñoso and Harold Baines, being elected to Major League Baseball Scouts Association Hall of Fame in 1990.

March

  • March   2 – Rick Mahler, 51, pitcher for the Braves who won 17 games in 1985 and threw three Opening Day shutouts.
  • March   6 – Danny Gardella, 85, left fielder for the 1944–45 Giants who was the first major leaguer to challenge baseball's reserve clause in court.
  • March 6   – Chuck Thompson, 83, broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles for nearly 50 years, who also worked with the Washington Senators, Philadelphia Athletics and Philadelphia Phillies.
  • March 10 – Kent Hadley, 70, first baseman for the Kansas City Athletics and New York Yankees 1958–1960, and one of the player who was part of the trade that brought Roger Maris to the Yankees.
  • March 13 – Frank House, 75, catcher, primarily for the Detroit Tigers, who peaked with 15 home runs and 53 RBI in 1955.
  • March 16 – Dick Radatz, 67, All-Star relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox who had over 20 saves in each of his first four seasons, leading the American League twice.
  • March 22 - Theresa Kobuszewski, 84, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player and World War II veteran.
  • March 26 – Marius Russo, 90, All-Star pitcher for the New York Yankees who had 2-1 victories in both the 1941 and 1943 World Series.
  • March 27 - Bob Casey, 79, Minnesota Twins public address announcer for all of their 44 years.

April

  • April 7 - Bob Kennedy, 84, outfielder and third baseman who became manager and general manager of the Cubs; hit the first grand slam in Orioles history and was also the Oakland Athletics' first manager
  • April 8 - Al Gettel, 87, pitched in seven seasons for six teams from 1945 to 1955
  • April 8 - Eddie Miksis, 78, infielder for 14 seasons from 1944 to 1958, primarily with the Dodgers and Cubs; debuted with the Dodgers at age 17
  • April 13 - Don Blasingame, 73, All-Star second baseman who later managed Hiroshima and Hanshin teams in Japan
  • April 18 - Agapito Mayor, 89, Cuban professional pitcher who won more than 250 games while playing in Cuba, Mexico and the minor leagues, as well as a record holder in international tournaments
  • April 23 - Earl Wilson, 70, pitcher for the Red Sox and Tigers who won 22 games in 1967; first black pitcher to throw a major league no-hitter (1962)
  • April 28 - Pancho Herrera, 70, Cuban-born first baseman for the 1958–1961 Phillies; hit .281 with 17 home runs and 71 RBI in 1960

May

  • May 6 - Lee Stine, 91, pitcher, mainly for the 1936 Reds, who gave up Lou Gehrig's 14th career grand slam while with the White Sox
  • May 10 - John Jachym, 87, the second-largest shareholder in the Washington Senators from December 1949 through June 22, 1950
  • May 10 - Vic Johnson, 84, pitcher for the Red Sox (1944–1945) and Indians (1946)
  • May 10 - Hal Griggs, 76, pitcher for the Senators 1956–1959; ended Ted Williams' streak of reaching base in 16 consecutive plate appearances on September 24, 1957
  • May 22 - Steve Reich, 34, pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system who was killed in action while on a rescue mission in Afghanistan.
  • May 26 - Chico Carrasquel, 77, Venezuelan shortstop for the White Sox and Indians who became the first Latin American All-Star; later a broadcaster in his native country
  • May 30 - Alma Ziegler, 87, three-time All-Star second basewoman and pitcher who set several records in the [[All-American Girls Professional Baseball League].]
  • May 30 - Juan Pedro Villamán, 46, Spanish-language Red Sox broadcaster since 1995

June

  • June 14 - Bob Lennon, 76, outfielder who played briefly for the Giants (1954, 1956) and Cubs (1957); hit 64 home runs for Nashville of the Southern Association in 1954
  • June 14 - Carroll Sembera, 63, relief pitcher for the Astros (1965–1967) and Expos (1969–1970)
  • June 22 - Roberto Olivo, 91, legendary Venezuelan umpire who worked in 29 Venezuelan league seasons, two Baseball World Cups, and 11 Caribbean Series
  • June 24 - Lyman Bostock, 87, first baseman in the Negro Leagues for the Brooklyn Royal Giants and Birmingham Black Barons in the 1930s and 1940s, and father of former Major League outfielder Lyman Bostock.
  • June 28 - Dick Dietz, 63, All-Star catcher for the Giants who was controversially denied first base after being hit by a Don Drysdale pitch in 1968, extending Drysdale's streak of scoreless innings.
  • June 30 - Al Milnar, 91, pitcher for the Indians, Browns, and Phillies between 1936 and 1946; went 18-10 with a 3.27 ERA in 1940 and was named to the American League all-star team

July

  • July 13 - Mickey Owen, 89, All-Star catcher for three NL teams, best known for a dropped third strike in the 1941 World Series; jumped to the Mexican League as a player-manager in 1946, and later became a coach and scout
  • July 14 - Dick Sipek, 82, outfielder for the 1945 Reds; one of only four deaf players to play Major League Baseball
  • July 30 - Ray Cunningham, 100, reserve third baseman for the 1931–32 Cardinals, and the oldest living major leaguer

August

  • August 8 - Gene Mauch, 79, winningest manager (1,901 victories) in major league history who never won a pennant, falling achingly short with the Phillies in 1964 and the Angels in 1982 and 1986; known for emphasis on fundamentals, also managed Expos and Twins
  • August 11 - Ted Radcliffe, 103, All-Star pitcher and catcher of the Negro Leagues who played for more than 15 teams between the late 1920s and the early 1950s
  • August 17 - Dottie Hunter, 89, Canadian first basewoman and chaperone, who participate in all 12 seasons for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League

September

  • September 10 - Charlie Williams, 61, umpire from 1982 to 2000, mainly in the National League, who in 1993 became the first black umpire to work home plate in the World Series
  • September 16 - John McMullen, 87, owner of the Houston Astros from 1979 to 1992, during which time the team made its first three playoff appearances
  • September 17 - Donn Clendenon, 70, first baseman for four NL teams who was the MVP of the Mets' 1969 World Series victory, hitting three home runs
  • September 18 - Marv Grissom, 87, pitcher for the Giants (1946, 1953–1958) and four other teams; he was 10-7 with 19 saves and 2.35 ERA and an all-star for the world champion 1954 Giants
  • September 20 - Joe Bauman, 83, first baseman in the minor leagues whose 72 home runs for the 1954 Roswell Rockets were an organized baseball record until 2001; retired with 337 career HRs
  • September 22 - Monty Basgall, 83, second baseman for the Pirates (1948, 1949, 1951); served as infield coach for the Dodgers from 1973 to 1986
  • September 24 - Byron "Mex" Johnson, 94, shortstop for the 1937–1940 Negro League Kansas City Monarchs and Satchel Paige All-Stars
  • September 24 - Frank Smith, 77, relief pitcher for the Reds (1950–1954, 1956) and Cardinals (1955)

October

  • October 2 - Pat Kelly, 61, All-Star outfielder for five AL teams who stole 30 bases three times and batted .364 in the 1979 ALCS with the Orioles
  • October 9 - Tom Cheek, 66, Toronto Blue Jays play-by-play announcer from the team's formation in 1977 through 2004
  • October 12 - Mike Naymick, 89, relief pitcher for the Indians (1939, 1940, 1943, 1944) and Browns (1944)
  • October 13 - Theda Marshall, 80, who played first base from 1948 to 1948 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
  • October 15 - Al Widmar, 80, pitcher for the Red Sox, Browns and White Sox; became a minor league manager and pitching coach with the Phillies and Blue Jays
  • October 18 - Bill King, 78, radio voice of the Oakland Athletics for 25 years (1981–2005)
  • October 18 - Hal Lebovitz, 89, sportswriter for the Cleveland News and Plain Dealer for over 40 years; also wrote for The Sporting News
  • October 19 - Bob Carpenter, 87, starting pitcher for the Giants (1940–1942, 1946–1947) and Cubs (1947); went 11-10 with a 3.15 ERA for the 1942 Giants
  • October 22 - Ted Bonda, 88, former owner of the Indians who hired Frank Robinson as Major League Baseball's first African American manager
  • October 23 - Harry Dalton, 77, general manager of the Baltimore Orioles, California Angels and Milwaukee Brewers from 1966 to 1991; five of his teams played in the World Series
  • October 28 - Bob Broeg, 87, sportswriter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and The Sporting News from 1945 to 1995
  • October 30 - Al Lopez, 97, Hall of Famer who set a major league record for career games as a catcher (1,918), almost entirely in the NL, and managed the Cleveland Indians (1954) and Chicago White Sox (1959) to the only non-Yankee AL pennants between 1949 and 1964

November

  • November 16 - Sandalio (Sandy) Consuegra, 85, Cuban-born pitcher for the Senators (1950–1952), White Sox (1953–1956), Orioles (1956–1957) and Giants (1957); posted a 16-3 record as an all-star with the White Sox in 1954
  • November 29 - Vic Power, 78, Puerto Rican All-Star first baseman for the Athletics, Indians, Twins, Angels and Phillies who won seven Gold Gloves, batted .300 three times and led AL in triples in 1958; stole home twice in one game for the Indians against the Tigers in 1958

December

  • December 3 - Herb Moford, 77, pitcher for four teams, most notably the 1958 Tigers
  • December 14 - Stew Bowers, 80, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox from 1935 through 1937
  • December 21 - Elrod Hendricks, 64, catcher and coach for the Orioles from 1968 through 2005 who batted .364 and made a disputed defensive play in the 1970 World Series
  • December 24 - Xavier (Mr. X) Rescigno, 92, pitcher for the 1943–1945 Pirates

References

  1. ^ ESPN - Maria Pepe sees fruits of playing in 1971 - MLB
  2. ^ a b "In the News: Katie Brownell". Retrieved 2008-03-23. 
  3. ^ "President Bush Welcomes Perfect Game Pitcher". Retrieved 2008-03-23. 
  4. ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=comebackplayersyear&prov=st&type=lgns
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