Dfyjkt

The following are the baseball events of the year 1945 throughout the world.

Champions

Major League Baseball

• 
  World Series: Detroit Tigers over Chicago Cubs (4-3)


• 
  All-Star Game cancelled due to flight restrictions. However, inter-league games were played during the All-Star break.

Other champions

• 
  Amateur World Series: Venezuela
  


• 
  Negro League World Series: Cleveland Buckeyes over Homestead Grays (4-0)


• 
  Negro League Baseball All-Star Game: West, 9-6


• 
  All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: Rockford Peaches
  

Awards and honors

• 
  Baseball Hall of Fame
  
  • Roger Bresnahan
  
  
  • Dan Brouthers
  
  
  • Fred Clarke
  
  
  • Jimmy Collins
  
  
  • Ed Delahanty
  
  
  • Hugh Duffy
  
  
  • Hughie Jennings
  
  
  • King Kelly
  
  
  • Jim O'Rourke
  
  
  • Wilbert Robinson
  
  


• 
  Most Valuable Player
  
  • 
    Hal Newhouser (AL) – P, Detroit Tigers
  
  
  • 
    Phil Cavarretta (NL) – 1B, Chicago Cubs
  
  


• 
  The Sporting News Player of the Year Award
  
  • 
    Hal Newhouser – P, Detroit Tigers


• 
  The Sporting News Most Valuable Player Award
  
  • 
    Eddie Mayo (AL) – 2B, Detroit Tigers
  
  
  • 
    Tommy Holmes (NL) – OF, Boston Braves
  
  


• 
  The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award
  
  • 
    Hal Newhouser (AL) – Detroit Tigers
  
  
  • 
    Hank Borowy (NL) – Chicago Cubs
  
  


• 
  The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award
  
  • 
    Ossie Bluege – Washington Senators

MLB statistical leaders

Major league baseball final standings

American League final standings

National League final standings

Negro league baseball final standings

Negro American League final standings

Negro National League final standings

Events

January–July

• April 17 – Amputee Pete Gray makes his major league debut with the St. Louis Browns.


• May 17 – For the fourth time in four days, every American League game was postponed due to rain.


• July 21 – The Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia A's battle for 24 innings, ending the game tied at one. Tigers starter Les Mueller pitches 19.2 innings, while his A's counterpart, Russ Christopher, lasts thirteen.

August–September

• August 1 – Mel Ott hits the 500th home run of his major league career.


• August 4
  
  • World War II amputee Bert Shepard pitches in a game for the Washington Senators.
  
  
  • 
    Tom McBride of the Boston Red Sox ties a major league record with 6 RBI in the 4th inning of a game with the Washington Senators.
  
  
  • Senators pitcher Joe Cleary becomes the last native of Ireland as of today to appear in a major league game.
  
  


• September 9 – Cleveland Indians first baseman Mickey Rocco leads the way to a doubleheader sweep of the New York Yankees with two home runs, two doubles, and two singles. A crowd of 72,252 is on hand at Yankee Stadium to see their team lose 10-3 and 4-3.


• September 9 – In the second game of a doubleheader, Dick Fowler pitches a no-hitter as the Philadelphia Athletics defeat the St. Louis Browns, 1-0.


• September 29 – Chicago Cubs catcher Paul Gillespie homers in his final major league at bat. In 1942 he homered in his first major league at bat. He was the first player in MLB history to do both. John Miller was the second, in 1966 and 1969.

October–December

• October 10 – The Detroit Tigers defeat the Chicago Cubs, 9-3, in Game 7 of the World Series to win their second World Series, four games to three. Their next trip to the World Series occurred on 22 October 2016.


• October 23 – Jackie Robinson is signed by the Dodgers; he is later assigned to the Montreal Royals for the 1946 season.

Date unknown

• The Mexican Winter League is born with the name Liga Invernal de Sonora
  

Births

January

• January 3 – Larry Barnett
  


• January 7 – Tony Conigliaro
  


• January 8 – Jesús Hernáiz
  


• January 12 – Paul Gilliford
  


• January 12 – Bob Reed
  


• January 18 – Tom Harrison
  


• January 18 – Rich Severson
  


• January 20 – Dave Boswell
  


• January 22 – Jophery Brown
  


• January 25 – Wally Bunker
  


• January 29 – Dick Mills
  

February

• February 9 – Jim Nash
  


• February 11 – John Paciorek
  


• February 12 – Don Wilson
  


• February 14 – Bob Terlecki
  


• February 15 – Ross Moschitto
  


• February 21 – Tom Shopay
  


• February 24 – Gary Moore
  


• February 26 – Steve Hertz
  

March

• March 1 – Jim Panther
  


• March 5 – Dave Bakenhaster
  


• March 11 – Dock Ellis
  


• March 12 – Don O'Riley
  


• March 12 – Horacio Piña
  


• March 25 – Jim Ellis
  


• March 30 – Dick Woodson
  

April

• April 2 – Mike Kekich
  


• April 2 – Reggie Smith
  


• April 2 – Don Sutton
  


• April 4 – Nick Bremigan
  


• April 9 – Jerry Hinsley
  


• April 11 – Mike Kilkenny
  


• April 15 – Ted Sizemore
  


• April 17 – Dennis Paepke
  


• April 18 – Mike Paul
  


• April 19 – Tommy Gramly
  


• April 23 – Jorge Rubio
  


• April 30 – Ray Miller
  

May

• May 3 – Davey Lopes
  


• May 4 – Rene Lachemann
  


• May 5 – Jimmy Rosario
  


• May 25 – Bill Dillman
  


• May 26 – Al Yates
  


• May 29 – Clyde Mashore
  


• May 29 – Blue Moon Odom
  

June

• June 5 – Chip Coulter
  


• June 6 – Larry Howard
  


• June 7 – George Mitterwald
  


• June 12 – Gary Jones
  


• June 20 – Ray Newman
  


• June 25 – Dick Drago
  


• June 30 – Jerry Kenney
  


• June 30 – Otis Thornton
  

July

• July 1 – Billy Rohr
  


• July 2 – Ron Slocum
  


• July 7 – Chuck Goggin
  


• July 7 – Bill Melton
  


• July 8 – Jim Ollom
  


• July 10 – Hal McRae
  


• July 17 – Greg Riddoch
  


• July 29 – Roy Foster
  

August

• August 4 – Mike Davison
  


• August 6 – Andy Messersmith
  


• August 15 – Duffy Dyer
  


• August 15 – Bobby Treviño
  


• August 16 – Jan Dukes
  


• August 21 – Jerry DaVanon
  


• August 30 – Tommy Dean
  

September

• September 8 – Ossie Blanco
  


• September 13 – Rick Wise
  


• September 14 – Curtis Brown
  


• September 16 – Bob Chlupsa
  


• September 16 – Ed Sprague
  


• September 16 – Héctor Torres
  


• September 20 – Mike Jurewicz
  


• September 25 – Steve Arlin
  


• September 25 – Bill Hepler
  


• September 26 – Dave Duncan
  


• September 28 – Gene Ratliff
  

October

• October 1 – Rod Carew
  


• October 4 – John Duffie
  


• October 7 – Dick Bates
  


• October 11 – Bob Stinson
  


• October 12 – Herman Hill
  


• October 14 – Tom Silverio
  


• October 15 – Jim Palmer
  


• October 17 – Bob Christian
  


• October 18 – Don Young
  


• October 19 – Al Gallagher
  


• October 19 – Gary Taylor
  


• October 27 – Mike Lum
  


• October 30 – Roe Skidmore
  

November

• November 1 – Bobby Brooks
  


• November 3 – Ken Holtzman
  


• November 3 – Jim Johnson
  


• November 7 – Dave Bennett
  


• November 10 – Bill Southworth
  


• November 12 – Rafael Batista
  


• November 17 – Bill Harrelson
  


• November 19 – Bobby Tolan
  


• November 20 – Jay Johnstone
  


• November 20 – Rick Monday
  


• November 20 – John Sanders
  


• November 22 – Denny Riddleberger
  


• November 25 – Wayne Redmond
  

December

• December 3 – Steve Huntz
  


• December 3 – Lou Marone
  


• December 6 – Larry Bowa
  


• December 6 – Jay Dahl
  


• December 12 – Ralph Garr
  


• December 14 – Greg Goossen
  


• December 15 – Gil Blanco
  


• December 19 – Art Kusnyer
  


• December 19 – Geoff Zahn
  


• December 20 – Vince Colbert
  


• December 20 – Keith Lampard
  


• December 30 – Tom Murphy
  

Deaths

January

• January   3 – George Stone, 68, left fielder for the Boston Americans and St. Louis Browns during seven seasons spanning 1903–1910, who led the American League in his 1905 rookie season with 187 hits, and topped the league in 1906 with a .358 batting average, total bases (291), on-base percentage (.417) and slugging percentage (.501), while finishing second in hits (208) and triples (20), third in RBI (71), and seventh in home runs (6).


• January   5 – Bill Hobbs, shortstop who played with the Cincinnati Reds in the 1913 and 1916 seasons.


• January 11 – Harry McNeal, 67, pitcher for the 1901 Cleveland Bluebirds of the American League.


• January 14 – Ted Blankenship, 43, a hard throwing pitcher who played from 1922 through 1930 for the Chicago White Sox.


• January 17 – Roy Radebaugh, 63, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1911 season.


• January 17 – Rube Ward, 65, backup outfielder for the 1902 Brooklyn Superbas of the National League.


• January 18 – Mike Fitzgerald, 53, outfielder who played for the New York Highlanders in 1911 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 1918.


• January 18 – Gene Lansing, 47, pitcher who played briefly for the 1922 Boston Braves of the National League.

February

• February   1 – Tubby Spencer, 61, backup catcher who played for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers in all or parts of nine seasons spanning 1905–1918.


• February 11 – Ham Iburg, 71, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1902, who later posted three 20-win consecutive seasons at the Pacific Coast League from 1903–1905.


• February 13 – Jocko Halligan, 76, backup outfielder who played from 1890 through 1892 in the National League for the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds and Buffalo Bisons.


• February 14 – Jim Curtiss, 83, outfielder who divided his playing time between the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Statesmen from 1891 to 1892.


• February 15 – Steve Behel, 84, backup outfielder who played with the Milwaukee Brewers of the Union Association in 1884 and for the New York Metropolitans of the American Association in 1886.


• February 18 – John Munyan, 84, catcher who played for the Cleveland Blues, Columbus Solons and St. Louis Browns of the National League in a span of three seasons from 1887–1891.


• February 20 – Charlie Heard, 73, pitcher and outfielder who played for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys of the National League during the 1890 season.


• February 21 – Paul Radford, 83, outfielder and shortstop for nine different teams in a 12-season career from 1883–1894, who collected 1206 hits and 346 stolen bases in 1361 games, while being a member of the 1884 World Champion Providence Grays and three pennant-winning teams.

March

• March   6 – Harry O'Neill, 27, catcher for the 1939 Philadelphia Athletics, whose name is linked forever to that of Elmer Gedeon as the only two major leaguers that were killed during World War II.


• March 11 – Sam Mertes, 72, left fielder for five clubs in 10 seasons spanning 1896–1906, who was a member of the 1905 World Champions New York Giants and led the National League with 32 doubles and 104 RBI in 1903.


• March 29 – Ray Tift, 60, pitcher for the 1907 New York Highlanders of the American League.


• March 29 – Jim Hughey, 76, pitcher who played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Colts, St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Spiders and St. Louis Cardinals in a span of seven seasons from 1891–1900.

April

• April   4 – Dick Cotter, 55, catcher who played from 1911 to 1912 for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs.


• April   9 – Ted Cather, 55, outfielder who played from 1912 through 1915 for the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Braves, as well as a member of the 1914 World Champion Cardinals Team.


• April 13 – Joe Kutina, 60, first baseman who played in 1911 and 1912 with the St. Louis Browns of the American League.


• April 16 – Chick Fewster, 49, second baseman who played from 1917 through 1927 for the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians and Brooklyn Robins, perhaps best known for being one of those involved in one of the most famous flubs in MLB history, the three men on third incident occurred in the 1926 season.^[1]


• April 25 – Jim Murray, 67, outfielder who played for the Chicago Orphans, St. Louis Browns and Boston Braves in parts of three seasons spanning 1902–1914.

May

• May   2 – Joe Corbett, 69, pitcher who played for the Washington Senators, Baltimore Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals National League clubs during four seasons between 1895 and 1904.


• May   3 – Bill Stemmyer, 79, fireball pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters and Cleveland Blues from 1885 to 1898, who in 1886 led the National League in SO/9IP (6.17), but threw 63 wild pitches which is still the highest single-season total in MLB history.


• May   6 – Eddie Zimmerman, 62, third baseman who played for with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1906 and for the 1911 Brooklyn Dodgers in 1911.


• May 18 – Pete Cregan, 70, backup outfielder for the 1899 New York Giants and the 1903 Cincinnati Reds.


• May 22 – Jake Atz, 65, middle infielder who played with the Washington Senators in the 1902 season and for the Chicago White Sox from 1907 to 1909.


• May 25 – Charlie Frye, 30, pitcher for the 1940 Philadelphia Phillies.


• May 27 – Walter Carlisle, 63, English left fielder for the 1908 Boston Red Sox, who entered the records books as the only outfielder ever to make an unassisted triple play in organized baseball, while playing for the 1911 Vernon Tigers of the Pacific Coast League.

June

• June   5 – Fred Lewis, 86, outfielder who played from 1881 through 1886 for the Boston Red Caps, Philadelphia Quakers, St. Louis Browns, St. Louis Maroons, and Cincinnati Red Stockings National League clubs.


• June   8 – Bill Kemmer, 71, third baseman for the 1895 Louisville Colonels of the National League.


• June 17 – Joe Visner, 85, catcher and outfielder who played with the Baltimore Orioles, Brooklyn Bridegrooms, Pittsburgh Burghers, Washington Statesmen and St. Louis Browns in a span of four seasons from 1885–1891, being also a member of the Brooklyn club that won the 1889 American Association pennant title.


• June 18 – Sid Mercer, 64, Hall of Fame sportswriter who covered mostly boxing and baseball in St. Louis, Missouri and in New York City, and also served as an official with the St. Louis Browns from 1903 through 1905.


• June 19 – Bob Gandy, 51, outfielder for the 1916 Philadelphia Phillies.


• June 25 – Jack Mercer, 56, pitcher who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1910.


• June 29 – Clarence Winters, 45, pitcher for the 1924 Boston Red Sox.

July

• July   2 – Frank Grube, 40, catcher who played from 1931 through 1941 for the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Browns.


• July   7 – Cal Crum, 55, pitcher who played for the Boston Braves in the 1917 and 1918 seasons.


• July 10 – Bill Barnes, 87, outfielder who played in 1887 for the St. Paul Saints of the Union Association.


• July 16 – Tuck Turner, 72, outfielder who played from 1893 through 1898 for the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Browns of the National League, a .320 career hitter who accomplished a rare feat by hitting an inside-the-park grand slam in 1897, whose .418 batting average posted in 1894 is ninth all-time for a single-season in MLB history, as well as the highest for a switch hitter.^[2]


• July 18 – Frank Butler, 85, backup outfielder for the 1895 New York Giants.


• July 31 – Snapper Kennedy, 66, outfielder who played in 1902 with the Chicago Orphans of the National League.

August

• August   7 – Bobby Veach, 57, left fielder for the Detroit Tigers who batted .310 lifetime, while leading the American League in RBI three times and in doubles twice.


• August   9 – Art Nichols, 74, catcher, first baseman and outfielder who played from 1898 through 1903 for the Chicago Orphans and the St. Louis Cardinals.


• August 14 – Tommy Clarke, 57, a fine defensive catcher who spent ten years from 1909 to 1918 for the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs, and also served as a coach on the 1933 World Championship Giants team.

September

• September   4 – William Fischer, 54, catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers/Robins, Chicago Whales, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates during five seasons from 1913–1917, who led the Whales to the 1915 Federal League pennant.


• September 12 – Cy Pieh, 58, pitcher who played from 1913 to 1915 with the New York Yankees.


• September 12 – Dave Zearfoss, 77, backup catcher for the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals in parts of five seasons spanning 1896–1905.


• September 13 – Cy Blanton, 37, All-Star pitcher and one of the mainstays of the Pittsburgh Pirates rotation in the 1930s, who won 18 games and led the National League in earned run average (2.58) and shutouts (4) in his 1935 rookie season, while leading again the league in shutouts in 1936 (4) and starts in 1937 (34).


• September 18 – Ducky Holmes, 63, fine outfielder and smart base runner for seven different teams from 1895 through 1905, who posted a .281 career average and stole 236 bases in 933 games, and also managed 13 seasons in the Minor Leagues.


• September 21 – Bert Humphries, 64, pitcher who played from 1910 through 1915 for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies.


• September 27 – Lou Nordyke, 69, first baseman who played for the St. Louis Browns of the American League in 1906.


• September 29 – George Van Haltren, 79, center fielder, primarily with the New York Giants, who hit a .316 lifetime average and ranked sixth all-time in both hits (2500+) and runs upon retirement; led the National League in triples and stolen bases once each, and also won 40 games as pitcher, including a six-inning no-hitter.

October

• October   9 – Bob Ganley, 70, outfielder who played from 1905 through 1909 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Senators and Philadelphia Athletics.


• October 12 – Henry Oxley, 87, a Canadian catcher who played in 1884 with the New York Gothams and the New York Metropolitans.


• October 14 – Fred Tyler, 53, catcher for the 1914 Boston Braves.


• October 16 – Hack Eibel, 51, outfielder and pitcher who played in 1912 with the Cleveland Naps and for the Boston Red Sox in 1920.


• October 18 – Monty Pfyl, 59, first baseman for the New York Giants in the 1907 season.


• October 25 – Ernie Baker, 70, pitcher for the 1905 Cincinnati Reds.


• October 26 – Ernie Gust, 57, first baseman who played in 1911 for the St. Louis Browns of the American League.


• October 27 – Jack Hannifin, 62, infielder who played for the Philadelphia Athletics, New York Giants and Boston Doves in a span of three seasons from 1906 through 1908.


• October 27 – Taylor Shafer, 79, second baseman and outfielder who divided his playing time between the Altoona Mountain City, Kansas City Cowboys and Baltimore Monumentals of the Union Association in 1883, and later played for the Philadelphia Athletics of the National League in 1890.

November

• November   1 – George Hale, 51, backup catcher for the St. Louis Browns in four seasons from 1914–1918.


• November   3 – Mike Smith, 77, left fielder and pitcher who posted a .310 career batting average and a 75-57 pitching record with six teams from 1886 through 1901, while leading the American Association pitchers with a 2.94 ERA in 1887.


• November 16 – Jake Northrop, pitcher for the Boston Braves from 1918 to 1919.


• November 18 – Morrie Rath, 58, speedy and skilled second baseman for four teams in a span of six years from 1909–1920, who led both the American and National Leagues in fielding percentage, putouts, assists and double plays, and also was a member of the 1919 World Champion Cincinnati Reds.


• November 22 – Dick Carroll, 61, pitcher for the 1909 New York Highlanders of the American League.


• November 25 – Ham Patterson, 68, first baseman and outfielder who played for the St. Louis Browns and the Chicago White Sox during the 1909 season.

December

• December   3 – Bill Kay, 67, outfielder who played in 1907 for the Washington Senators of the American League.


• December   8 – Henry Fournier, 80, pitcher for the 1894 Cincinnati Reds.


• December 14 – Connie Murphy, 75, catcher who played from 1893 to 1894 for the Cincinnati Reds.


• December 15 – Tom Hess, 70, catcher for the 1892 Baltimore Orioles of the National League.


• December 22 – Bill Crouch, 59, pitcher who played in 1910 with the St. Louis Browns of the American League.


• December 24 – Hughie Miller, 59, first baseman who played with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1911 and from 1914 to 1915 for the St. Louis Terriers of the Federal League.


• December 26 – Frank Lange, 62, pitcher for the 1910 Chicago White Sox.


• December 27 – Gene Cocreham, pitcher who played from 1897 to 1898 for the Washington Senators of the National League.


• December 27 – Hugh Fullerton, 72, Chicago sportswriter who helped break the story of the Black Sox Scandal and, as an early advocate of the value of baseball statistics, gained wide attention for correctly predicting the White Sox' upset of the Cubs in the 1906 World Series, even getting right the winner of each game and the day of a rainout.


• December 27 – Cy Swaim, 71, pitcher who played with the Washington Senators of the National League in the 1897 and 1898 seasons.

Sources

External links

• Baseball Reference – MLB Players born in 1945

• Baseball Reference – MLB Players died in 1945

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1945 in baseball.