2002 in baseball

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 Minnesota Twins Oakland Athletics Anaheim Angels
National League Atlanta Braves St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Diamondbacks San Francisco Giants
  • World Series Champion – Anaheim Angels
  • Postseason – October 1 to October 27
  Division Series
TV: ESPN/ABC Family/FOX		 League Championship Series
TV: FOX		 World Series
TV: FOX
                           
  1 New York Yankees 1  
4 Anaheim Angels 3  
  4 Anaheim Angels 4  
American League
  3 Minnesota Twins 1  
2 Oakland Athletics 2
  3 Minnesota Twins 3  
    AL4 Anaheim Angels 4
  NL4 San Francisco Giants 3
  1 Atlanta Braves 2  
4 San Francisco Giants 3  
  4 San Francisco Giants 4
National League
  3 St. Louis Cardinals 1  
2 Arizona Diamondbacks 0
  3 St. Louis Cardinals 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.
The American League Champion has home field advantage during World Series as a result of the pre-2003 "alternating years" rule.

Other champions

Awards and honors

MLB statistical leaders
  American League National League
TypeNameStatNameStat
AVGManny Ramírez BOS.349Barry Bonds SFG.370
HRAlex Rodriguez TEX57Sammy Sosa CHC49
RBIAlex Rodriguez TEX142Lance Berkman HOU128
WinsBarry Zito OAK23Randy Johnson ARI24
ERAPedro Martínez BOS2.26Randy Johnson ARI2.32
KsPedro Martínez BOS239Randy Johnson ARI334

Major league baseball final standings
  • The asterisk denotes the club that won the wild card for its respective league.

Events

January
  • January 8 – Ozzie Smith is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Smith, named on 91.7 percent of the ballots, became the 37th player in baseball history in being elected to be elected to the hall in his first year on the ballot.

February
  • February 11 – Major League Baseball owners approve the sales of the Florida Marlins and Montreal Expos clubs. Marlins owner, John Henry, is selling the team to Jeffrey Loria for $158.5 million, while Loria is selling the Expos to Baseball Expos LP, a limited partnership owned by the other 29 MLB teams, for $120 million.
  • February 12 – New York Mets assistant general manager Omar Minaya is named general manager of the Montreal Expos, Minaya, a native from the Dominican Republic, becomes the first Hispanic by accepting the GM position in Major League Baseball history. Hall of Fame player-manager Frank Robinson is also announced as the manager of the Expos, which will be run by MLB during the 2002 season.
  • February 27 – The sale of the Boston Red Sox to a group headed by John Henry becomes official.

March

April

May
  • May 2 – The Seattle Mariners rout the Chicago White Sox, 15–4, as outfielder Mike Cameron becomes the thirteenth player in Major League history to slug four home runs in a single game, all solo shots. In doing so, he becomes the first American League player in 43 years to accomplish the feat. Cameron is also hit by a pitch and flies out to deep right field in a bid for a 5th homer. Cameron and second baseman Bret Boone also become the first teammates in history to hit back–to–back home runs twice in the same inning, performing the feat in Seattle's 10–run 1st inning. The Mariners also tie a team record with seven homers in the game. James Baldwin is the easy winner, with seven innings pitched. There had only been 39 previous occasions of a player hitting two home runs in an inning, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Eric Karros was last to do it, on August 22, 2000, for the Dodgers. Mark McGwire was the previous AL player to do it, on September 22, 1996, for Oakland.
  • May 4 – Barry Bonds hits his 400th home run as a Giant, leading his team to a 3–0 win over Cincinnati. Bonds is the first player to hit 400 homers for one team and 100 with another.
  • May 10 – The Anaheim Angels crush the White Sox 19–0. The Angels join the 1923 Indians, 1939 Yankees and 1950 Red Sox as the only teams to beat two opponents by 19 or more runs in the same season. Earlier this year, the Angels beat the Indians 21–2. The Anaheim victory over Chicago is just the 11th since 1901 in which a team scored 19 or more runs while shutting out its opponent, and the first such shutout in the AL since 1955 when Cleveland beat Boston 19–0.
  • May 17 – With the New York Yankees trailing the Minnesota Twins by three runs in the bottom of the 14th inning, Jason Giambi hits a walk-off grand slam to give the Yankees a 13-12 victory.
  • May 18 — During a rehab start with the triple A Pawtucket Red Sox, Manny Ramirez loses his $15,000 diamond earring while sliding into third base. About half his teammates on their hands and knees, along with the Syracuse grounds crew, are unable to recover it despite combing the third base area after the game.
  • May 23
Shawn Green
    • At Miller Park, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Shawn Green becomes the 14th man in major league history to hit four home runs in a game and sets a big league record with 19 total bases. He goes 6-for-6, scores six runs (both Dodgers records), and gets seven RBI in a 16-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Green is the second player this year to hit four home runs in a game. He also surpasses Joe Adcock's former mark of 18 total bases, set in 1954. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, six players have produced 17 or more total bases in a game, with the last being Mike Schmidt in 1976. Green also is the first major league player to collect six hits while hitting four homers, and his four homers plus a double ties the NL mark for extra base hits. The Dodgers hit eight homers in the game, another franchise record. Before today's power display, Green had gone 0-for-15, and had been benched May 18.
    • The Gary SouthShore RailCats played their first Northern League game on the road versus the Sioux Falls Canaries.
  • May 24 – The Los Angeles Dodgers lose to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 14–3, despite Shawn Green's fifth home run in two games, tying a major league record. Green also hits two singles to tie another mark with 25 total bases in the two games.
  • May 25
  • May 29 – In an article in Sports Illustrated, former National League MVP Ken Caminiti says that about 50 percent of current major league players use some form of steroids.
  • May 31 – Carlos Beltrán, Mike Sweeney and Joe Randa hit consecutive home runs in the top of the 11th inning to pace the Kansas City Royals to a 10–7 victory over the Texas Rangers.[1] The Royals became just the second team in MLB history to hit at least three consecutive home runs in extra innings. On May 2, 1964, the Minnesota Twins hit four consecutive home runs, also in the top of the 11th inning, as Tony Oliva, Bob Allison, Jimmie Hall and Harmon Killebrew went deep in a 7–3 victory against the Kansas City Athletics.[2]

June
  • June 2 – Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Robert Person puts on one of the best offensive displays by a pitcher in Major League history. In his team's 18-2 victory over the Montreal Expos at Veterans Stadium, he hits two home runs and drives in seven runs. The first home run is a grand slam and comes off Bruce Chen in the first inning; the second comes in the fifth off Masato Yoshii with two men on base. In between, in the third inning, he barely misses joining Tony Cloninger in 1966 as the only pitchers to hit two grand slams in the same game; he strikes out to end the inning. With the second grand slam, Person, the first Phillie pitcher to hit two home runs in one game since Randy Lerch in 1978, would also have broken Cloninger's record of nine RBIs in one game by a pitcher, as well as become only the second pitcher to hit three home runs in one game, joining Jim Tobin in 1942.
  • June 4 – The Minnesota Twins score 10 runs in the 7th inning to close out the scoring in a 23–2 win over the Indians, the largest margin of victory in Twins history. They stroke a franchise-record 25 hits (the team hit 24 five times while playing as the Washington Senators) in the contest, and tie their club record for total RBI with 22. They also tie the AL record as four players have four or more hits – Jacque Jones, Dustan Mohr, A. J. Pierzynski and Luis Rivas. Rivas scores five times to tie a club record. The Indians tie their team record for biggest loss, tying the mark set in a 21-0 loss to the Tigers on September 15, 1901. Cleveland also becomes the first team since the 1969 San Diego Padres to lose two games in the same season by 19 or more runs.
  • June 10 – In an interleague game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Yankee Stadium, Marcus Thames of the New York Yankees becomes the first player ever to hit a home run off a defending Cy Young Award winner in his very first Major League at-bat. The home run comes in the third inning off defending National League Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson in the Yankees' 7-5 victory.[3]
  • June 18 – Jack Buck, Hall of Fame Broadcaster for the St. Louis Cardinals, passes away after months of hospitalization. He worked football games and playoff games as well—noted for his call in the 1988 World Series following the game-winning home run by Kirk Gibson and the 1991 World Series game winning "And we'll see you tomorrow night" home run by Kirby Puckett. On the date of his death, Darryl Kile pitched the Cardinals into a tie for first place, their first time at the top of the division since early April. It would be his final start before his sudden death.
  • June 20
    • The Florida Marlins beats the Cleveland Indians, 3–0, as the Marlins' Luis Castillo extends his hitting streak to 34 games, the longest ever by a second baseman.
    • The St. Louis Cardinals drop a 3-2 decision to the Anaheim Angels at Busch Stadium following a memorial service for Jack Buck.
  • June 22 – St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile dies suddenly in his hotel room in downtown Chicago. When he didn't arrive at the ballpark, his room was checked. Kile had died in his sleep from 90% blockage of his arteries. He was 33. The game was postponed after the fans waited in the dark for an hour. Chicago Cubs catcher Joe Girardi (who later played for the Cardinals) made the announcement to the crowd that the game was canceled due to a "tragedy in the Cardinal family." The game was rescheduled for August 31 with the Cardinals winning 10–4.
    • In the 2002 College World Series, Texas defeats South Carolina 12-6 to win their 5th NCAA baseball title. It is the last College World Series championship to be decided by a single game before moving to a three-game format the following year.
  • June 27 – Montreal Expos GM Omar Minaya sends P Cliff Lee, 2B Brandon Phillips, OF Grady Sizemore and 1B Lee Stevens to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Ps Bartolo Colón and Tim Drew. Colón will win 10 of 17 starts for Montreal, but Sizemore with Cleveland and Phillips in Cincinnati will have solid careers for the rest of the decade.
  • June 28
    • The Tampa Bay Devil Rays defeat their cross-state rival Florida Marlins, 4–0 behind Wilson Álvarez and two relievers. Kevin Millar of the Marlins hits a towering fly that lands on one of the catwalks that hang from the stadium's dome. It never comes down and is ruled a double. It's the second time a ball has gotten stuck in a catwalk at Tropicana Field. In 1999, José Canseco hit a home run drive that lodged there. Millar joins Ruppert Jones, Ricky Nelson, Dave Kingman, Álvaro Espinoza and Canseco as the only players in major league history to hit a fair ball that got stuck in a stadium obstruction; Jones and Nelson both had hits get caught in the overhead speakers at the old Kingdome, while the balls hit by Kingman and Espinoza were at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, with Kingman's getting stuck in a drainage valve and Espinoza's lodging in an overhead speaker.
    • The Chicago Cubs take an 8–0 lead over the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park behind Kerry Wood. After Wood hits Paul Konerko, the White Sox collect thirteen runs before allowing the Cubs to score one run late. Konerko had four hits, two of which were home runs in the 13–9 win for the Sox.

July
  • July 2 – A combined total of 62 home runs are hit in today's games, breaking the old major league mark of 57 set on April 7, 2000. A record 9 players have multiple home run games, breaking the previous mark of 8 set on May 19, 1999.
  • July 6 – Daryle Ward of the Houston Astros hits the first home run ever to exit PNC Park and land in the Allegheny River on the fly. The shot comes off Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher Kip Wells in the fifth inning of a 10-2 Astro victory.
  • July 9 – In a controversial finish, the 2002 All-Star Game held at Miller Park ends in a 7–7 tie after 11 innings as both the National and American Leagues run out of pitchers. Both managers discuss it with commissioner Bud Selig, who calls the game.
  • July 23 – Nomar Garciaparra hits three home runs with eight RBI on his birthday as the Boston Red Sox defeat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 22–4, in the opener of a day–night doubleheader. The round–trippers give him five in two games to tie a major league record. Garciaparra also becomes the only player in major league history to hit three home runs in two back-to-back innings.

August
  • August 7 – In a historic movement, major league players end their long-held opposition to mandatory drug testing by agreeing to be tested for illegal steroids beginning in 2003.
  • August 8 – Braves pitcher John Smoltz reaches 40 saves in a season faster than any pitcher in major league history.
  • August 9
  • August 10 – Sammy Sosa hits 3 home runs, helping the Chicago Cubs the beat the Colorado Rockies 15-1.
  • August 11 – Sammy Sosa hits a grand slam and drives in five runs in the Chicago Cubs' 12-9 victory over Colorado to set an NL record for RBIs in consecutive games with 14.
  • August 17 – The Yankees defeat the Mariners 8–3, as Alfonso Soriano hits a home run to become the first second baseman ever to join the 30–30 club.
  • August 26 – New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter scores his 100th run of the season, joining Ted Williams (1939–49) and Earle Combs (1925–32) as the only players in modern history to score at least 100 runs in their first seven seasons. Jeter scored again in the bottom of the eighth as the Yankees routed the visiting Texas Rangers 10-3.
  • August 28 – Éric Gagné earns a save in a Los Angeles victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. It is the first of his Major League record 84 consecutive save opportunities that he will convert.
  • August 29 – First baseman Mark Bellhorn becomes the first player in NL history to homer from both sides of the plate in the same inning, doing so in the Cubs' 10–run 4th inning at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Chicago wins 13–10 over the Brewers. Bellhorn also ties a team record with five RBI in the inning.
  • August 30 – Major league players and owners agree to a historic contract that prevents the players from going out on strike, marking the first time in over 30 years that a collective bargaining negotiation in baseball was met without a work stoppage.
  • August 31 – The New York Mets are shut out by the Philadelphia Phillies 1–0, to mark their 13th consecutive home defeat. In doing so, they become the first NL team to lose all their home games over the course of a month.

September

October
  • October 2 – Seibu Lions first baseman Alex Cabrera hits his 55th home run of the season, off Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes pitcher Akira Okamoto, to tie the Japanese League record set by Sadaharu Oh in 1964 and matched by Tuffy Rhodes last year. Like Rhodes, Cabrera will see few good pitches for the remaining games.
  • October 10 – The San Francisco Giants take a 2–games–to–0 lead in the NLCS with a 4–1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Jason Schmidt pitches shutout ball into the eighth inning while shortstop Rich Aurilia hits a pair of home runs with three RBI.
  • October 13 – Adam Kennedy of the Anaheim Angels becomes the first player since Reggie Jackson in 1977 to hit three home runs in a single postseason game as the Angels defeat the Minnesota Twins to claim their first American League title in their 42-year existence.
  • October 26 – The Anaheim Angels stage one of the great comebacks in World Series history to force a seventh game. With one out in the 7th inning, the Giants are leading 5-0 and are just 8 outs from their first World Series title since moving to San Francisco. But after two singles, Scott Spezio fouls off several pitches before hitting a 3 run homer to get the Angels close. In the bottom of the 8th, Darin Erstad led off with a home run to make it 5-4. After two singles, the Giants brought in their ace reliever Rob Nen. Series MVP Troy Glaus greeted him with a 2 run double to give the Angels a 6-5 lead. Reliever Troy Percival pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for the save.
  • October 27 – The Anaheim Angels win their first World Series as they defeat the San Francisco Giants 4–1 in Game Seven. Pitcher John Lackey (with relief help from Brendan Donnelly, Francisco Rodríguez, and Troy Percival) becomes the first rookie to win a 7th game of a World Series since 1909. Garret Anderson's bases-loaded double in the third inning scores three runs for Anaheim to break a 1-1 tie and provide the margin of victory. Troy Glaus is named Series MVP.
  • October 28 – Lou Piniella asks to be released from his managerial contract with the Seattle Mariners so that he may sign with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

November

December

Books

Movies

Deaths

January
  • January   2 – Bob Stevens, 85, sportswriter for the San Francisco Chronicle for over 40 years
  • January   3 – Al Smith, 73, three-time All-Star outfielder who spent 12 seasons in the majors with four different clubs, as well as a member of the Cleveland Indians team that won a then-American League record 111 games en route to the pennant title.
  • January   4 – Adrián Zabala, 85, Cuban pitcher who played for the New York Giants in the 1945 and 1949 seasons, and also one of the players barred from organized baseball in 1946 by Commissioner of Baseball Happy Chandler for jumping to the Mexican League.
  • January   6 – Fred Taylor, 77, first baseman who played from 1950 through 1952 for the Washington Senators.
  • January   7 – Hal Marnie, 83, backup infielder who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in part of three seasons spanning 1940–1942.
  • January 24 – Irene Kotowicz, 82, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League pitcher.
  • January 26 – Ray Yochim, 79, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1948 to 1949.
  • January 27 – Reggie Sanders, 52, first baseman for the 1974 Detroit Tigers, who hit a home run off pitcher Catfish Hunter in his first major league at bat.
  • January 31 – Harry Chiti, 69, catcher for the Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Athletics, Detroit Tigers and New York Mets in a span of ten seasons from 1950–1962, who was regarded as a knuckleball specialist catcher.

February
  • February   2 – Andy Hansen, 77, pitcher who played for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies over part of nine seasons from 1944–1953.
  • February   3 – Mel McGaha, 75, manager for the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Athletics, and also a coach for the Houston Astros.
  • February   8 – Steve Roser, 84, pitcher who played from 1944 to 1946 for the New York Yankees and Boston Braves.
  • February 10 – Chet Clemens, 84, outfielder who played for the Boston Bees and Boston Braves in a span of two seasons from 1939–1944.
  • February 10 – Jim Spencer, 54, All-Star first baseman who played for five American League teams, earning Gold Gloves with the California Angels in 1970 and the Chicago White Sox in 1977, while winning a 1978 World Series ring with the New York Yankees.
  • February 11 – Frankie Crosetti, 91, All-Star shortstop and later a longtime coach for the New York Yankees, who spent a record 37 seasons with the team, while scoring 100 runs four times and leading the American League in stolen bases in 1938.
  • February 11 – Les Peden, 78, backup catcher for the 1953 Washington Senators, who later spent ten seasons as a playing manager in the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Athletics minor league systems.
  • February 15 – Mike Darr, 25, outfielder for the San Diego Padres from 1999 until the time of his death, when he was killed in a car accident during spring training in Arizona.
  • February 21 – Bill Faul, 61, pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants in a span of six seasons from 1962–1970.
  • February 27 – Dykes Potter, 91, pitcher for the 1938 Brooklyn Dodgers.

March
  • March   5 – Clay Smith, 87, pitcher who played with the Cleveland Indians in the 1938 season and for the Detroit Tigers in 1940.
  • March   7 – Mickey Haslin, 92, middle infielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Bees and New York Giants during six seasons from 1933–1938.
  • March   8 – Ted Sepkowski, 78, infield/outfield utility man who appeared in 19 games for the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees in part of three seasons from 1942–1947.
  • March   9 – Jack Baer, 87, coach who led the Oklahoma team to the 1951 College World Series title.
  • March 11 – Al Cowens, 50, right fielder for four American League teams, who batted .312 and won a Gold Glove for the 1977 Kansas City Royals, and was also the AL MVP runnerup.
  • March 11 – Genevieve George, 74, Canadian catcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
  • March 12 – Steve Gromek, 82, All-Star pitcher who won 19 games for the 1945 Cleveland Indians and hurled a 2–1 victory against the Boston Braves in Game 4 of the 1948 World Series, won by Cleveland in six games.
  • March 17 – Lefty Bertrand, 93, pitcher who appeared in one game for the 1936 Philadelphia Phillies.
  • March 23 – Minnie Rojas, 68, Cuban relief pitcher for the California Angels who led the American League in saves in 1967.
  • March 24 – Mace Brown, 92, All-Star relief pitcher who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Red Sox in a span of ten seasons from 1935–1946, serving later for a long time as a pitching coach and scout in the Rex Sox organization.
  • March 26 – Whitey Wietelmann, 83, backup infielder for the Boston Bees, Boston Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1939 through 1947.

April
  • April   3 – Roy Nichols, 81, infielder for the 1944 New York Giants.
  • April   3 – Karl Swanson, 101, second baseman for the Chicago White Sox in the 1928 and 1929 seasons, who at the time of his death was the oldest living major leaguer.
  • April   5 – Paul Erickson, 86, pitcher who appeared in 207 games for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Giants between 1941 and 1948, being a contributor to the Cubs in their run for the 1945 National League championship, going 7–4 with 3.32 ERA in 28 games while compiling three complete games and three saves, then working in four of the seven games of the 1945 World Series, including the decisive Game 7 against the Detroit Tigers, lost by Cubs pitching star Hal Newhouser.
  • April   6 – Tom Sunkel, 89, pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, and Brooklyn Dodgers in part of six seasons spanning 1937–1944, even though his left eye was damaged when he was a child which caused him to lose all sight in this eye in 1941.
  • April 21 – Sam Dente, 79, reliable shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox, as well as a member of the 1954 American League Champions Cleveland Indians.
  • April 26 – John Davis, 86, third baseman for the 1941 New York Giants, who later managed in the minor leagues during 27 years.
  • April 27 – Jerry Witte, 86, first baseman who played for the St. Louis Browns in part of two seasons from 1946 to 1947.

May
  • May 11 – Steve Rachunok, 85, pitcher for the 1940 Brooklyn Dodgers.
  • May 13 – Bill Rodgers, 79, backup outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1944–1945, who was one of many ballplayers who only appeared in the major leagues during World War II.
  • May 17 – Joe Black, 78, Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher who was named National League Rookie of the Year in 1952, while becoming the first black pitcher to win a World Series game, doing it in his rookie season.
  • May 21 – Bob Poser, 92, who played with the Chicago White Sox in the 1932 season and for the St. Louis Browns in 1935, whose nine-game major league career emerged from oblivion when Chris Resop appeared in the majors, as Poser and Resop became the third pair of big leaguers with reversed surnames.
  • May 22 – Fritz Ackley, 65, pitcher for the Chicago White Sox during two seasons from 1963–1964.
  • May 22 – Joe Cascarella, 94, pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, and Cincinnati Reds in the 1930s, and the last surviving member of the 1934 U.S. All-Star team which toured Japan.
  • May 22 – Faye Dancer, 78, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League center fielder, who served as inspiration for the character portrayed by Madonna in the 1992 film A League of Their Own.
  • May 22 – Paul Giel, 69, relief pitcher who played from 1954 through 1962 for the New York Giants, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Athletics and Minnesota Twins.
  • May 22 – Warren Hacker, 77, pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox from 1948 through 1961.
  • May 28 – Wes Westrum, 79, All-Star catcher for the New York Giants in 11 seasons from 1947 to 1957, who later managed the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants.
  • May 29 – Sam Page, 86, pitcher for the 1939 Philadelphia Athletics.

June
  • June 12 – Hank Boney, 98, relief pitcher for the 1927 New York Giants.
  • June 17 – Bill Adair, 89, longtime coach and manager in the minor leagues who briefly served as interim manager for the Chicago White Sox in 1970.
  • June 18 – Jack Buck, 77, broadcaster who worked for the St. Louis Cardinals for nearly 50 years, whose play-by-play work earned him recognition from numerous Halls of Fame, such as the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the National Radio Hall of Fame.
  • June 18 – Jack Jenkins, 59, pitcher who played with the Washington Senators in the 1962 and 1963 seasons and for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1969.
  • June 22 – Darryl Kile, 33, three-time All-Star pitcher for the Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals from 1991 through 2002, who threw a no-hitter for the Astros in 1993, won 20 games for St. Louis in 2000, and died of coronary disease in Chicago, where he and the Cardinals were staying for a weekend series against the Chicago Cubs.
  • June 22 – Ron Kline, 70, pitcher for nine teams, primarily with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who led the American League in saves while pitching for the 1965 Washington Senators.
  • June 24 – June Schofield, 76, Canadian infielder who played from 1948 to 1949 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
  • June 25 – Joe Antolick, 86, backup catcher for the 1954 Philadelphia Phillies, who later served as a player/manager in the minor leagues from 1946 to 1951.
  • June 27 – Ralph Erickson, 100, relief pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1929 and 1930, who upon the April 3 death of Karl Swanson became baseball's oldest living player, dying two days after his 100th birthday.
  • June 30 – Pete Gray, 87, outfielder who played in the major leagues for the 1945 St. Louis Browns despite having lost his right arm in a childhood accident.
  • June 30 – Raúl Sánchez, 71, Cuban pitcher for the Washington Senators and Cincinnati Redlegs/Reds during three seasons from 1952–1960, who also played for the Havana Sugar Kings of the International League.

July
  • July   3 – Earl Francis, 66, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals during six seasons from 1960–1965.
  • July   5 – Ted Williams, 83, Hall of Fame and 17-time All-Star left fielder for the Boston Red Sox, widely regarded as the greatest hitter in the sport's history, who won two Triple Crowns, two MVP awards and six batting titles, including a .406 season in 1941, the last .400 mark in the major leagues, while posting a .344 lifetime average (7th highest ever), a .634 slugging average mark (2nd to Babe Ruth), including 521 home runs with four AL titles and a.482 on-base percentage {MLB all-time record).
  • July 17 – Lee Maye, 67, journeyman outfielder who played 13 seasons from 1959 through 1971 for the Milwaukee Braves, Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox who also who led the major leagues with 44 doubles in 1964.
  • July 18 – Del Wilber, 83, catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox in parts of 8 seasons from 1946 to 1954 who was also a manager, scout and coach after his playing days.
  • July 19 – Spec Shea, 81, All-Star pitcher who played for the New York Yankees and Washington Senators in parts of 8 seasons from 1947–1955 who also won a World Series championship in his rookie season of 1947.
  • July 24 – Pete Coscarart, 87, All-Star second baseman who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates in nine seasons from 1938–1946.
  • July 24 – Al Silvera, 66, outfielder for the Cincinnati Redlegs during the 1955 and 1956 seasons.
  • July 24 – Barney White, 79, infielder for the 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers.
  • July 25 – Bob Barr, 94, relief pitcher for the 1935 Brooklyn Dodgers.
  • July 25 – Izzy León, 91, Cuban pitcher for the 1945 Philadelphia Phillies, and one of many ballplayers who only appeared in the majors during World War II.
  • July 26 – Ed Runge, 87, American League umpire from 1954 to 1970 who worked in three World Series, while his son Paul and grandson Brian also became umpires.
  • July 28 – Steve Souchock, 83, outfielder and first baseman who played for played for three teams, most notably the Detroit Tigers in parts of 8 seasons from 1946–1955.
  • July 28 – Hal Spindel, 89, backup catcher for the St. Louis Browns and Philadelphia Phillies in parts of 3 seasons from 1939 to 1946.

August
  • August   1 – Jack Tighe, 88, manager of the Detroit Tigers from 1957 to 1958.
  • August   4 – Mike Payne, 40, pitcher for the 1984 Atlanta Braves.
  • August   5 – Willis Hudlin, 96, pitcher who won 158 games in 16 seasons in the majors with almost all of them coming with the Cleveland Indians from 1926 through 1940.
  • August   5 – Darrell Porter, 50, All-Star catcher who overcame drug and alcohol addiction to become the Most Valuable Player of the 1982 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals.
  • August 12 – Enos Slaughter, 86, Hall of Fame right fielder who spent 13 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and was a 10-time All-Star, batting a .300 lifetime and leading the National League in triples twice and in doubles, hits and RBI once each, best known for his famed "mad dash" to score from first base on a Harry Walker single to win Game 7 of the 1946 World Series over the Boston Red Sox.
  • August 13 – Jack Creel, 86, pitcher for the 1945 St. Louis Cardinals.
  • August 15 – Arnie Moser, 87, pinch hitter for the 1937 Cincinnati Reds.
  • August 16 – John Roseboro, 69, six-time All-Star catcher and two-time Gold Glove Award winner, who won three World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, being also involved in a major altercation with pitcher Juan Marichal during a game between the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park in 1965.
  • August 17 – Jimmy Bloodworth, 85, second baseman for the Washington Senators, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies in parts of 11 seasons from 1937 to 1951.
  • August 23 – Hoyt Wilhelm, 80, Hall of Fame knuckleball pitcher, who in 1985 became the first reliever so honored, while setting records for career games (1,070) and saves (227) over 21 seasons. Despite ending rookie year at age 30, Wilhelm pitched a no-hitter in a rare 1958 start, leading also the National League in ERA and games pitched in his season debut with the New York Giants. Besides, he led the American League in ERA in 1959, while posting a career 2.52 ERA for the lowest of any modern pitcher with 2,000 innings.

September
  • September 4 – Jim Constable, 69, pitcher for the New York/San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators and Milwaukee Braves in parts of 5 seasons from 1956 to 1963.
  • September 14 – Jim McKee, 55, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1972 and 1973 seasons.
  • September 14 – Eddie Shokes, 82, first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds in parts of two seasons from 1941–1946.
  • September 22 – Don Carlsen, 75, pitcher for the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates in parts of 3 seasons from 1948 to 1952.
  • September 25 – Ray Hayworth, 98, the last surviving teammate of Ty Cobb, who worked in baseball for more of 50 years in different roles, spending 15 seasons in the majors as a catcher, almost all of it with the Detroit Tigers, including Detroit's World Series teams in 1934 and 1935, while setting an American League record for most consecutive without committing an error at 439 between 1931 and 1932, later broken by Yogi Berra.
  • September 26 – Al Kvasnak, 81, outfielder for the 1942 Washington Senators.
  • September 30 – Eddie McGah, 81, catcher for the Boston Red Sox from 1946 to 1947, who later became a minority owner of the AFL-NFL Oakland Raiders from 1959 to 2002.

October
  • October   4 – Edgar Munzel, 95, sportswriter for the Chicago Herald-Examiner and Sun-Times from 1929 to 1973.
  • October   8 – Jodie Beeler, 81, infielder for the 1944 Cincinnati Reds.
  • October 10 – Joe Wood, 86, son of the legendary Smoky Joe Wood, who pitched briefly for the Boston Red Sox in their 1944 season.
  • October 20 – Mel Harder, 93, who spent 36 seasons overall with the Cleveland Indians, as a pitcher from 1928 to 1947 and as one of the game's most highly regarded pitching coaches from 1948 to 1963, managing also the team from 1961–1962, also appearing in four All-Star games from 1934 to 1937 and posting a record with 13 consecutive shutout innings, while setting franchise records for wins (223), games started (433) and innings pitched (3,426⅓) that were later broken by Bob Feller, and holding the club record of 582 career games pitched.

November
  • November 10 – Ken Raffensberger, 85, All-Star pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs during 14 seasons spanning 1939–1954, being noted for his pinpoint control, as he hurled four one-hitters and led National League in shutouts twice.
  • November 15 – Ed Freed, 83, outfielder who played briefly with the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1942 season.

December
  • December   1 – Dave McNally, 60, three-time All-Star pitcher and member of two World Series championship teams with the Baltimore Orioles, who had four consecutive 20-win seasons from 1968 to 1971, pitched a 1–0 shutout in Game 4 of the 1966 World Series to swept the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, and batted a grand slam in Game 3 of the 1970 World Series, to become the only pitcher to hit a slam in Series history.
  • December   2 – Ben Wade, 80, pitcher who played for the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates in a span of five seasons between 1948 and 1955, as well as a distinguished scout and then director of scouting for the Los Angeles Dodgers, supplying the club with players that would lead it to eight National League championships and four World Series titles during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
  • December   3 – Jug Thesenga, 88, pitcher who appeared in five games for the Washington Senators in the 1944 season.
  • December   6 – Clarence Beers, 83, relief pitcher for the 1948 St. Louis Cardinals.
  • December   9 – Johnny Lazor, 90, outfielder who provided four years of good services for the Boston Red Sox while left fielder Ted Williams and center fielder Dom DiMaggio were in the military service from 1943 to 1946.
  • December 10 – Earl Henry, 85, pitcher who played from 1944 to 1945 for the Cleveland Indians.
  • December 10 – Mike Kosman, 85, second baseman for the 1944 Cincinnati Reds.
  • December 10 – Homer Spragins, 82, relief pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1947 season.
  • December 11 – Bob Loane, 88, center fielder who played with the Washington Senators in the 1939 season and for the Boston Bees in 1940.
  • December 14 – Hank Arft, 80, first baseman who played from 1948 through 1952 for the St. Louis Browns.
  • December 15 – Dick Stuart, 70, two-time All-Star first baseman who played for six different clubs from 1958–1969, most prominently with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox, as well as a member of the 1960 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates, hitting at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in each league while ranking among the top-ten home run hitters in five seasons.
  • December 19 – Claude Crocker, 78, pitcher for the 1944 Brooklyn Dodgers, and one of several players who only appeared in the major leagues during World War II.
  • December 19 – Bob Rinker, 81, catcher for the 1950 Philadelphia Athletics.
  • December 23 – George Bullard, 74, shortstop for the 1954 Detroit Tigers.
  • December 26 – Frank Reiber, 93, backup catcher who appeared in 44 games for the Detroit Tigers in three seasons spanning 1933–1936, including the team that won the 1935 World Series.

Sources
  1. Baseball Reference – May 31, 2002, Royals at Rangers Box Score and Play by Play
  2. Baseball Reference – May 2, 1964, Twins at Athletics Box Score and Play by Play
  3. Retrosheet
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