March 22 – The New York Mets, who finished last in the National League with a 40–120 record in their inaugural season, purchase pitcher Carlton Willey from the Milwaukee Braves. Willey will boost a pitching rotation that includes Roger Craig, Al Jackson and Tracy Stallard. The Mets will improve to 51–111 in 1963.
April 11 - Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves becomes the all-time winningest left-handedpitcher in Major League Baseball history. His 6–1 victory over the New York Mets gives him 328 career wins, moving him ahead of Eddie Plank as the all-time winningest left-hander. Except for Duke Snider's home run, no Mets get past second base.
April 13: After 11 hitless at bats, Cincinnati Reds second baseman Pete Rose records his first major league hit, a triple off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bob Friend. Increased enforcement of the balk rule produces a Major League record seven in the Pirates' 12–4 trouncing of the Reds at Crosley Field. Friend commits four of the balks.
July 9 – At Municipal Stadium, the National League wins 5–3 over the American League in the All-Star Game. After four years, MLB had decided to return to the original single-game format. The American League out-hit the National League 11–6, but the effort went in vain as MVP Willie Mays put on a one-man show. Although he was held to a single, Mays collected two runs, two RBI, two stolen bases and made the defensive play of the game — a running catch that deprived Joe Pepitone of an extra base in the eighth inning. This game also marked the 24th and final All-Star appearance of Stan Musial, who pinch-hit in the fifth inning. He lined out to right field, leaving behind a .317 batting average (20-for-63) and an All-Star Game record of six home runs.
September 5 – Willie McCovey hits 100th career home run.
September 10 – The Alous become the first brother trio to bat consecutively in one game, the eighth inning of the San Francisco Giants' 4–2 loss to the New York Mets at the Polo Grounds. Jesús pinch-hits in his Major League debut and grounds out to shortstop Al Moran; Matty, also pinch-hitting, strikes out, and Felipe ends the inning by grounding out to pitcher Carl Willey, who goes the distance for the victory.
September 18 – In the final regular-season game ever played at the Polo Grounds, the Philadelphia Phillies defeat the New York Mets 6–1. New York gets its only run on Jim Hickman's 4th-inning home run, the last home run to be hit at the park.
September 27 – Manager Harry Craft of the Houston Colt 45s fields the "Baby Colts," a starting line-up with an average age of nineteen years old, against the New York Mets at Colt Stadium. The oldest player used by Houston all game was 26-year-old Dick Drott, who pitched the ninth inning.[2]
October 6 – At Dodger Stadium, Sandy Koufax defeats the New York Yankees, 2–1, completing a shocking World Series sweep for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Whitey Ford gives up only two hits, both by Frank Howard, who belts a long home run in the fifth inning to start the Dodgers' scoring. In the Series, the Yankees bat just .171 and score only four runs, the second-lowest total in World Series history. Curiously enough, the Dodgers would set the mark for the least runs scored in a World Series only three years later, falling victim to a decisive sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles.
November 26 – Second baseman Pete Rose is a landslide winner of National League Rookie of the Year honors, taking 17 of 20 first place votes, with the others going to Ron Hunt (2) and Ray Culp (1). Rose becomes the second Cincinnati Reds player to win the award, joining Frank Robinson.
November 27:
Chicago White Sox pitcher Gary Peters, who posted a 19–8 record with 189 strikeouts and a 2.33 ERA, edges teammate third baseman Pete Ward (.295 BA, 22 HR, 84 RBI) and Minnesota Twins outfielder Jimmie Hall (.260, 33, 80) for American League Rookie of the Year honors. Peters takes 10 of 20 first-place votes, Ward six and Hall four.
January 2 – Al Mamaux, 68, pitcher who twice won 20 games for Pittsburgh
January 5 – Rogers Hornsby, 66, Hall of Fame second baseman who posted the highest lifetime batting average (.358) of any right-handed batter, 7-time batting champion including a .424 mark in 1924; twice MVP, and the first NL player to hit 300 home runs
January 29 – Lee Meadows, 68, pitcher won 188 games for the Cardinals, Phillies and Pirates, was first modern major leaguer to wear glasses
January 31 – Ossie Vitt, 73, third baseman for the Tigers and Red Sox, manager of the Indians (1938–1940) and a longtime minor league skipper
February 9 – Ray Starr, 56, All-Star pitcher who pitched for six teams and won 37 games
February 15 – Bump Hadley, 58, pitcher who ended Mickey Cochrane's career with a 1937 pitch that fractured his skull; later a broadcaster
February 20 – Bill Hinchman, 79, outfielder twice batted .300 for Pittsburgh, later a scout
February 28 – Eppa Rixey, 71, pitcher elected to the Hall of Fame just one month earlier, until 1959 was winningest left-hander in NL history with 266 victories for Phillies and Reds
March 1 – Irish Meusel, 69, left fielder batted .310 lifetime, led NL in RBI in 1923
March 11 – Joe Judge, 68, first baseman batted .300 nine times for Senators, later coach at Georgetown for 20 years
March 29 – Wilcy Moore, 65, relief pitcher who won last game of 1927 World Series for Yankees
April 23 – Harry Harper, 67, pitched from 1913 through 1923 for the Senators, Red Sox, Yankees and Robins
May 4 – Dickie Kerr, 69, pitcher who as a 1919 rookie won two World Series games for the White Sox, as one of the players not involved in fixing the Series; later helping a struggling pitcher-turned-hitter, Stan Musial
May 22 – Dave Shean, 79, second baseman and captain of champion 1918 Red Sox
May 23 – Gavvy Cravath, 82, right fielder who won six home runs titles with Phillies
May 27 – Dave Jolly, 38, knuckleball relief pitcher for Milwaukee Braves from 1953–1957
June 6 – Charlie Mullen, 74, first baseman for White Sox and Yankees in 1910s
June 8 – Earl Smith, 66, catcher for five NL champions, batted .350 in 1925 World Series
June 24 – George Trautman, 73, president of the minor leagues since 1946
June 24 – Jud Wilson, 69, All-Star third baseman of the Negro Leagues
June 28 – Frank "Home Run" Baker, 77, Hall of Fame third baseman, lifetime .307 hitter and 4-time home run champion, last surviving member of Philadelphia Athletics' "$100,000 infield"
July 27 – Hooks Dauss, 73, pitcher won 222 games, all for Detroit
August 15 – Karl Drews, 43, pitcher for four teams including 1947 champion Yankees
August 24 – Ren Kelly, 63, pitched one game for the Philadelphia A's in 1923.
September 4 – Home Run Johnson, 88, early shortstop of the Negro Leagues
September 8 – Bill Knickerbocker, 51, infielder for five different teams from 1933–42, and a member of two Yankees champion teams as a backup for 2B Joe Gordon and 3B Frankie Crosetti
September 19 – Slim Harriss, 66, pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox in the early 1920s
September 27 – Andy Coakley, 80, pitcher won 18 games for 1905 Athletics, later coach at Columbia for 37 years
October 2 – Cy Perkins, 67, catcher for 16 seasons, most with Athletics, later a coach for many years
November 6 – Clarence Mitchell, 72, spitball pitcher won 125 games, hit into unassisted triple play in 1920 World Series
November 12 – Ed Connolly, 54, catcher for the Boston Red Sox between 1929 and 1932
November 13 – Muddy Ruel, 67, catcher for 19 seasons including 1924 champions Senators, later a coach, manager, front-office executive and assistant to the Commissioner of Baseball
November 14 – Oscar Melillo, 64, second baseman for Browns and Red Sox
December 8 – Red Worthington, 57, left fielder for Boston Braves from 1931–1934
December 30 – Wilbur Good, 78, outfielder for six teams, primarily the Cubs
