April 2025 – RIP Baseball
10 posts published by Sam Gazdziak during April 2025| RIP Baseball
RIP to Joe Coleman, part of a three-generation pitching tradition and a 2-time 20-game winner. His son Casey reported that his father had died in his sleep on July 9 in Jamestown, TN. He was 78 yea…| RIP Baseball
There was a time during the 2000s when Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, when he needed to make a pitching change, didn’t signal for a righty or a lefty. Instead, he put his arms in fr…| RIP Baseball
The last St. Louis Browns game took place on September 27, 1953, and saw the Browns fall to the Chicago White Sox 2-1 in 11 innings. Seventy-two years later, the last two surviving players from tha…| RIP Baseball
RIP to former outfielder Hosken Powell, who played for 6 seasons in the American League in the 1970s and ’80s. He died on June 27 at the age of 70. Powell played for the Minnesota Twins (1978…| RIP Baseball
By Al Doyle If pitching is 70 percent or more of baseball success, then the 1952 Miami Sun Sox of the Class B Florida International League had what it took to win. The 104-48 Sun Sox needed ev…| RIP Baseball
Within the span of a week, the last two surviving members of the St. Louis Browns both passed away. The first was Ed Mickelson, a first baseman whose 11-year career in professional baseball include…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Bob Heffner, who pitched for 5 seasons in the major leagues in the 1960s. He died at his home in Allentown, PA, on June 25, at the age of 86. Heffner pitched for the Boston Red Sox (1963-65)…| RIP Baseball
RIP to former Second Round draft pick Matt Murray, who pitched in 6 games in the major leagues in 1995. The resident of Calhoun, GA, died on June 22 at the age of 54 after complications from surger…| RIP Baseball
Diego Segui holds a unique distinction in baseball history. He is the only player to appear for both professional Seattle franchises, the Pilots and the Mariners. He pitched in the inaugural game f…| RIP Baseball
In his first baseball career, Ron Taylor was an 11-year reliever in the major leagues, playing a role on two championship teams. In his second, he was “Dr. Baseball,” a medical professi…| RIP Baseball
There have been 10 sets of twins who both played in the major leagues, but only four sets have been teammates — none with the Minnesota Twins, oddly. There were Joe and Red Shannon of the 191…| RIP Baseball
Here lies Satchel Paige, one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. Even though he was prevented from playing Major League Baseball until late in his career, his legend was large enough that…| RIP Baseball
RIP to outfielder Horace Speed, who played for parts of three seasons in the 1970s. And yes, he was pretty quick on the bases and was used frequently as a pinch-runner. Speed died on May 26 at the …| RIP Baseball
RIP to Verle Tiefenthaler, who had an 8-year career in professional baseball during the 1950s and ’60s. He died on May 28 at St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll, IA, surrounded by his fa…| RIP Baseball
RIP to right-handed pitcher Scott Klingenbeck, who appeared in 39 games in the major leagues during the 1990s with three teams. He died on May 20 at the age of 54. Klingenbeck played for the Baltim…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Rod Nichols, a pitcher for three major-league teams in the 1990s and the owner of three World Series rings, accumulated as a player and coach. The resident of Helena, MT, died on May 14 at t…| RIP Baseball
Betsy “Sockum” Jochum was one of the earliest stars of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and the last surviving player from the league’s inaugural 1943 season. She was an Al…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Mark Esser, who pitched in 2 games for the Chicago White Sox in 1979. Esser, a former high school star in Poughkeepsie, NY, and resident of Jupiter, FL, died on May 12 at the age of 69. Mark…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Jason Conti, who made the unlikely career change from baseball player to executive chef. The Arizona resident had worked as a chef for the last decade, most recently at The Craftsman Cocktai…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Marshall Edwards, one of three brothers who reached the major leagues in the 1970s and ’80s. It was recently announced that Edwards died on April 15 in Union City, GA, at the age of 72…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Chito Martinez, a long-time minor-league outfielder who briefly became a sensation when he got his first chance to play in the minor leagues. He died at his home in Lake Cormorant, MS, on Ap…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Nate Oliver a versatile infielder for the Dodgers, among other teams, in the 1960s. He died on April 5 in Oakland at the age of 84. Oliver played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1963-67), San F…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Tommy Helms, the 1966 National League Rookie of the Year and a 2-time All-Star infielder. The Cincinnati Reds, for whom he both played and managed, announced that Helms died on April 13. He …| RIP Baseball
RIP to Billy Smith, who pitched for the 1981 Houston Astros for 10 games. He died on April 5 in The Woodlands, TX. He was 70 years old. Billy Lavern Smith was born in La Marque, TX, on September 13…| RIP Baseball
Tony Blanco never really had the opportunity to show just what kind of ballplayer he could be in the major leagues — his MLB career consisted of 62 at-bats for the 2005 Washington Nationals. …| RIP Baseball
Octavio Dotel was one of the most well-traveled players in major league baseball history — not because he wasn’t good enough to stick in one place for long. Rather, Dotel was such an ef…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Carl Warwick, an outfielder whose 6-year career in the major leagues included some World Series heroics that are still a part of MLB’s postseason record book. He died on April 5 at the…| RIP Baseball
The roof collapse of the Jet Set Club in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic has killed two former major-league ballplayers and the relative of a third. According to the latest reports, at least 79 p…| RIP Baseball
The St. Louis Browns made it to just one World Series in the franchise’s history, and it happened to be during World War II when teams were depleted of much of their talent. The best pitcher on tha…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Tommie Reynolds, an outfielder for 8 seasons in the majors in the 1960s and ’70s. He was also minor-league manager at a time when the lack of minorities in management roles became a po…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Jose Valdivielso, an infielder for five seasons in the major leagues and a broadcaster for many years. He died on March 4 at the age of 90. Valdivielso played for the Washington Senators/Min…| RIP Baseball
Frank Saucier played in 18 major-league games, and he is probably most famous for the one in which he never even came to bat. Saucier was the batter who was replaced by pinch-hitter Eddie Gaedel, a…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Scott Sauerbeck, a former Rule 5 pick who went on to become one of the busiest left-handed relievers in baseball for the better part of a decade. He died on February 18 at the age of 53 in P…| RIP Baseball
RIP to pitcher Jim Todd, who pitched in nearly 300 games in the 1970s. He died on February 3 at the age of 77. Todd played for the Chicago Cubs (1974, 1977) Oakland Athletics (1975-76, 1979) and Se…| RIP Baseball
RIP Baseball has featured stories about several one-game wonders — who had one and only one game in the big leagues for a variety of circumstances. Jim Lawrence fared a little better than tha…| RIP Baseball
His major-league career amounted to partial seasons with Pittsburgh in the 1950s, but Felipe Montemayor was a star in his native Mexico and is a member of that country’s Hall of Fame. Montema…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Angel Torres, who reached the major leagues in 1977 as a pitcher for Cincinnati. He died on February 1 at the age of 72. Torres played for the Cincinnati Reds in 5 games as part of a 10-year…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Don Secrist, who pitched for the White Sox over parts of two seasons. He died on January 30 at High Point Assisted Living in Centralia, IL. He was 80 years old. Secrist played for the Chicag…| RIP Baseball
For nearly a decade, Rich Dauer anchored second base for the Baltimore Orioles, starting his career with Brooks Robinson and Mike Cuellar as teammates and ending it with Cal Ripken and Eddie Murray…| RIP Baseball
Bobby Cuellar’s major-league career lasted for only 4 games, but that was a mere moment of a baseball career that spanned more than 50 years as a player, coach and minor-league manager. Cuell…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Jeff Torborg, who had a 10-year career as a catcher followed by an extensive and award-winning career as a manager from the 1970s to the 2000s. He died on January 19 in Port Orange, FL, at t…| RIP Baseball
Tommy Brown, who died on January 15, left his mark upon Major League Baseball in several ways. He was the youngest position player to debut in baseball’s modern (post-1900) era when he first …| RIP Baseball
Felix Mantilla first reached the major leagues as a 21-year-old infielder in 1956 with Milwaukee. While his time with the Braves was just 6 years, his connection with the city of Milwaukee lasted u…| RIP Baseball
Bob Uecker, one of baseball’s greatest entertainers, died on January 16 at the age of 90. He had been battling small cell lung cancer for two years, but it was a battle that he never made pub…| RIP Baseball
Fireballing pitcher Bob Veale roared into the majors like few others had before him, with an ERA near 1 in his first full season and a strikeout title in his first year as a starter. Veale, a 2-tim…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Brian Matusz, a former first-round draft pick who pitched in the major leagues for parts of 8 seasons, finding success as both a starter and reliever with Baltimore. He died on January 6 in …| RIP Baseball
RIP to Lenny Randle, a talented and versatile ballplayer who had a knack for generating plenty of headlines in his life — not always for the right reasons. It was reported by his family that …| RIP Baseball
The Cleveland baseball franchise now called the Guardians hasn’t been cursed so much as it has been a victim of some bad ownership, bad rosters and some bad luck. But if a franchise were to b…| RIP Baseball
Here is the fourth and final part of our In Memoriam Series. You can find links to the other three parts below. The numbers after each name indicate their age and date of death. Part 1 | Part 2 | P…| RIP Baseball
When Willie Mays passed away earlier this year, there was much discussion over who had taken on the title of “greatest living ballplayer.” A lot of the usual suspects were mentioned, bu…| RIP Baseball
RIP to long-time player and coach Merv Rettenmund, whose teams reached the playoffs in 6 of his 13 seasons and won the World Series twice. He died at the age of 81 on December 7. Rettenmund played …| RIP Baseball
One of the more interesting quirks of baseball’s history is that the Chicago White Sox, an original American League team that has been around since 1901, never had a 30-homer season until Bil…| RIP Baseball
RIP to pitcher Al Fitzmorris, an original Kansas City Royal and a rare player who was selected in two different expansion drafts. He died on December 4 at the age of 78. Fitzmorris played for the K…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Bob Kelly, a pitcher who played for parts of 4 major-league seasons in the 1950s. He died on November 27 at the age of 97, and days after celebrating his 75th wedding anniversary with his wi…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Gail Henley, who appeared in 14 games for the 1954 Pittsburgh Pirates before going on to a long career as a scout and minor-league manager. The resident of La Verne, CA, died on November 25 …| RIP Baseball
Rico Carty had seven seasons in which he hit over .300, and that includes the year he won the NL batting title. If he is overlooked today, it is because his career was overshadowed by the injuries,…| RIP Baseball
Ray Semproch’s playing career lasted only for four seasons in the majors. But for one of those years, he was the talk of baseball, a late-bloomer who became the top rookie pitcher of 1958. Se…| RIP Baseball
Every kid who has played on some kind of youth baseball team has dreamed of making it all the way to the major leagues. Joey Jay lived that dream. He became the first Little League alumnus to reach…| RIP Baseball
RIP to pitcher Doug Bird, who found success as both a starter and reliever during his 10-year major-league career. Bird died in Asheville, NC, on September 24, at the age of 74. Bird played for the…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Rudy May, a 16-year MLB veteran pitcher. and winner of the 1980 AL ERA title. He died on October 19 at the age of 80. May played for the California Angels (1965, 1969-74), New York Yankees (…| RIP Baseball
There have been relatively few baseball players whose fame has transcended the sport. Ken Griffey Jr. reached that level, as did Bo Jackson, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire at times. Currently, only Sh…| RIP Baseball
RIP Baseball is owned and operated by me, Sam Gazdziak. If you find the content that I write valuable and would like to support the website, there are a few ways to do it, from one-time donations t…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Bud Daley, an All-Star pitcher and a two-time world champion with the Yankees. Daley, a long-time resident of Wyoming, died on October 15 at Help for Health Hospice in Riverton, WY. He had c…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Gaylen Pitts, who managed in the minor leagues for nearly 20 years after his playing career ended. He had two stints in the major leagues, one as an infielder for two seasons and one as a co…| RIP Baseball
While the corkscrew windup of pitcher Luis Tiant may have been memorable, it wasn’t half as impressive as what happened when he let go of the ball. “El Tiante” won two ERA titles …| RIP Baseball
RIP to Bob Speake, a minor-league slugger who played in the major leagues for parts of four seasons during the 1950s. He died on October 3 at Midland Hospice House in Topeka, KS, at the age of 94. …| RIP Baseball
Baseball players are less dependent on size than sports like football and basketball. While the modern sport tends to feature athletes over 6 feet tall, shorter players like Jose Altuve (5’6&…| RIP Baseball
Ozzie Virgil spent so long in Major League Baseball as a player and a coach that it’s hard to remember that he was a pioneer in the game — in a couple of important ways. For one, he was…| RIP Baseball
RIP to John Baumgartner, a third baseman who appeared in 7 games for the Detroit Tigers in 1953. He died on September 25 at the age of 93. The Alabama native had a 6-year career in professional bas…| RIP Baseball
Pete Rose is one of the all-time greats of baseball, and he deserves every laurel his playing career earned. Baseball’s highest official honor — induction into the Hall of Fame — …| RIP Baseball
RIP to former All-Star outfielder Claudell Washington, who died on June 10 at the age of 65. According to his former teammate John D’Acquisto and PastPros, a company that represented him for …| RIP Baseball
RIP to Bobby Winkles, a big-league coach and manager as well as a tremendously successful college baseball coach. He died on April 17 at the age of 90. After a career as an infielder in the minor l…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Pat Corrales, a baseball lifer who spent more than 60 years as a player, coach, manager and executive in the game. He died on August 27 at the age of 82 — he was serving as an assistan…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Brooks Robinson, who simply put, was one of the greatest third baseman in the history of baseball. He is the defensive gold standard by which all other third basemen are judged, as evidenced…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Dick Hall, one of the few players who ever made a successful transition from a position player to a pitcher. His 19-year career began as an outfielder and ended as a reliever, with a couple …| RIP Baseball
RIP to Juan Pizarro, who had one of the greatest pitching careers of any Puerto Rican pitcher. Counting all his work in the major leagues, minor leagues and foreign leagues, he is estimated to have…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Hank Aaron, simply one of the greatest baseball players in the history of the game. His family announced that he died on January 22 at the age of 86. Aaron’s death sent shockwaves thro…| RIP Baseball
R.I.P. to Don Mossi, an All-Star pitcher equally at home in the bullpen or the starting rotation. It has been reported that he died on July 19 at the age of 90. Mossi pitched for the Cleveland Indi…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Lindy McDaniel, who for more than 20 years was one of the game’s top relief pitchers. He died on November 14 at an urgent care center in Carrollton, Texas, from COVID-19. He was 84 yea…| RIP Baseball
Here lies Fred Waterman, the third baseman on the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, baseball’s first openly professional team. He also had a productive career in baseball before and after the Red Stoc…| RIP Baseball
RIP to Mike Ferraro, a New York native who reached the majors with the Yankees in the 1960s. He later served as a major-league coach and manager. He died in Las Vegas on July 20 at the age of 79. F…| RIP Baseball
Here lies John Fogarty… no, not the rock star. His name is Fogerty, and as of this writing, he’s alive and well and probably on tour — and he puts on a great show, by the way. No, the John Fo…| RIP Baseball
RIP to former pitcher and front office executive Jerry Walker, who became the youngest rookie to start an All-Star Game when he was the starting pitcher for one of the two Midsummer Classics played…| RIP Baseball
Like any other sport, baseball isn’t without its hazards. You could be a player, or you could be a fan in the stands, but baseball can kill you. Consider for a moment the case of Blair Hicks, a Pen…| RIP Baseball
RIP to pitcher Nelson Chittum, who played in the major leagues for parts of three seasons in the 1950s. He was a bright spot in an otherwise unremarkable Red Sox team. Chittum died on July 15 in Le…| RIP Baseball
There isn’t a single person who invented baseball; it was a process that took many years and involved many people to evolve and popularize the game. As such, there isn’t a single “father of basebal…| RIP Baseball
RIP to outfielder Jimmy Hurst, a standout athlete in his native Alabama who had a brief career in the majors with the 1997 Detroit Tigers. He died on Saturday, July 6, after being hospitalized with…| RIP Baseball
