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1957 in baseball

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The following are the baseball events of the year 1957 throughout the world.

Champions

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Major League Baseball

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Other champions

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Winter Leagues

Awards and honors

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MLB statistical leaders

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  American League National League
Type Name Stat Name Stat
AVG Ted Williams BOS .388 Stan Musial STL .351
HR Roy Sievers WSH 42 Hank Aaron MIL 44
RBI Roy Sievers WSH 114 Hank Aaron MIL 132
Wins Jim Bunning DET &
Billy Pierce CHW
20 Warren Spahn MIL 21
ERA Bobby Shantz NYY 2.45 Johnny Podres BKN 2.66
Ks Early Wynn CLE 184 Jack Sanford PHI 188

Major league baseball final standings

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Nippon Professional Baseball final standings

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Central League final standings

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Central League G W L T Pct. GB
Yomiuri Giants 130 74 53 3 .581
Osaka Tigers 130 73 54 3 .573 1.0
Chunichi Dragons 130 70 57 3 .569 4.0
Kokutetsu Swallows 130 58 68 4 .462 15.5
Hiroshima Carp 130 54 75 1 .419 21.0
Taiyo Whales 130 52 74 4 .415 21.5

Pacific League final standings

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Pacific League G W L T Pct. GB
Nishitetsu Lions 132 83 44 5 .648
Nankai Hawks 132 78 53 1 .595 7.0
Mainichi Orions 132 75 52 5 .587 8.0
Hankyu Braves 132 71 55 6 .561 11.5
Toei Flyers 132 56 73 3 .436 28.0
Kintetsu Pearls 132 44 82 6 .356 38.5
Daiei Unions 132 41 89 2 .318 43.5

Events

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January

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February

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Walter O'Malley (right) with Chuck Dressen in November 1950

March

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April

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May

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June

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July

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August

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September

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October

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Lew Burdette of the Milwaukee Braves in 1954

November

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December

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Movies

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Births

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January

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February

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March

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April

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May

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June

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July

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August

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September

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October

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November

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December

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Deaths

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January

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  • January   6 – Ed Abbaticchio, 79, middle infielder who played with four teams in three different leagues over nine seasons between 1897 and 1910, most prominently for the 1909 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates.
  • January   6 – Gil Gallagher, 60, shortstop for the 1922 Boston Braves.
  • January   7 – Ches Crist, 74, backup catcher who played in 1906 for the Philadelphia Phillies.
  • January   9 – Billy Gleason, 62, second baseman who played with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1916 to 1917 and for the St. Louis Browns in 1921.
  • January 12 – Victor Starffin, 40, Hall of Fame Japanese Baseball League pitcher
  • January 17 – Carl Sawyer, 66, middle infielder and third baseman who played from 1915 to 1916 for the Washington Senators.
  • January 17 – Tom Stanton, 82, catcher for the 1904 Chicago Cubs.
  • January 19 – Slim Branham, 56, pitcher whose career included hurling for seven teams in the Negro National League and Eastern Colored League between 1920 and 1927.
  • January 19 – Larry Strands, 71, outfielder who played for the Newark Pepper of the outlaw Federal League in 1915, and later spent six seasons in the Minor Leagues from 1911 through 1916.
  • January 22 – Petie Behan, 69, pitcher who spent time with the Guelph Maple Leafs of the Ontario-based Intercounty Baseball League in the early 1910s, before joining the Philadelphia Phillies from 1921 to 1923.
  • January 31 – Chick Maynard, 60, shortstop for the 1922 Boston Red Sox.

February

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  • February   8 – Lee McElwee, 62, third baseman for the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics.
  • February 16 – Cap Clark, 60, backup catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1938 season.
  • February 19 – Red Munson, 73, catcher who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1905.
  • February 20 – Dixie Leverett, 62, pitcher whose major league career spanned five season from 1922 to 1929 for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Braves.
  • February 22 – Jim Begley, 54, second baseman who made two game appearances for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1924 season.
  • February 24 – Bugs Reisigl, 69, pitcher for the 1911 Cleveland Naps.

March

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  • March   2 – Frank Hafner, 89, 19th century pitched who played two games for the 1888 Kansas City Cowboys of the American Association.
  • March 10 – Erskine Mayer, 67, left-handed pitcher for the 1912–1918 Philadelphia Phillies, 1918–1919 Pittsburgh Pirates and 1919 Chicago White Sox, who posted a 91–70 record and 2.96 ERA in 245 games, while collecting back-to-back 21-wins seasons for Philadelphia in 1914 and 1915;[2] appeared in 1915 and 1919 Word Series.
  • March 12 – Dick Niehaus, 64, pitcher who played from 1913 through 1915 with the St. Louis Cardinals and for the Cleveland Indians in 1920.
  • March 20 – Ezra Midkiff, third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds in 1909 and New York Highlanders/Yankees from 1912 to 1913.
  • March 22 – Charlie Babington, 61, backup outfielder for the New York Giants in the 1915 season.
  • March 31 – Billy Meyer, 64, catcher and manager who played with the Chicago White Sox in 1913 and Philadelphia Athletics from 1916 to 1917; longtime, successful minor-league manager who helmed the Pittsburgh Pirates over five seasons from 1948 to 1952; his uniform #1 was retired by the Pirates in 1954.[3]

April

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  • April   5 – Art Bader, 70, backup outfielder for the 1904 St. Louis Browns.
  • April   7 – Jim Scott, nicknamed "Death Valley Jim", 68, two-time 20-game-winner for the Chicago White Sox who compiled 107 victories with a 2.30 earned run average in nine seasons from 1909 to 1917; member of the 1917 World Series champions who remains one of the leading pitchers in White Sox annals, with his career ERA ranking 19th all-time in MLB history as of 2019;[4] spent 25 years in majors and minors as a pitcher and umpire.
  • April 15 – Jack Coombs, 74, key member of the Philadelphia Athletics pitching staff, along with Chief Bender and Eddie Plank, on the 1910–1911 World Series champions; posted a 31–6 record with 13 shutouts and 1.30 ERA in 1910, then defeated the Chicago Cubs three times in the 1910 World Series; in 1911, he went 28–12, then won two games (losing none) against the New York Giants in the 1911 World Series; in his rookie season, he hurled a 24-inning, 4–1 complete game victory over the Boston Americans on September 1, 1906;[5] also hurled for the 1916 National League champion Brooklyn Robins and won his only decision, to raise his Fall Classic record to 5–0 (2.70) in six games; his 13 shutouts still stand as a single season record in American League;[6] managed Philadelphia Phillies for first 63 games of the 1919 season.
  • April 15 – Ernie Padgett, 58, third baseman and middle infielder for the Boston Braves and Cleveland Indians in parts of five seasons spanning 1923–1927, who is best known for turning the fourth unassisted triple play in Major League Baseball history on October 6, 1923.
  • April 15 – Rube Schauer, 66, Russian pitcher who played for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Athletics over five seasons from 1913 through 1917.
  • April 15 – George Watkins, 30, third baseman for the 1946 Philadelphia Stars of the Negro National League.[7]
  • April 18 – Zearlee Maxwell, 54, third baseman for the 1937–1938 Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League.
  • April 18 – Wally Reinecker, 66, third baseman who played for the Baltimore Terrapins of the outlaw Federal League in 1915.
  • April 18 – Bill Sweeney, 52, first baseman for the Detroit Tigers in 1928 and Boston Red Sox from 1930 to 1931, and coach for the Tigers in 1946–1947; managed for 19 seasons in the Pacific Coast League, winning pennants with the Portland Beavers in 1936 and the Los Angeles Angels in 1943 and 1944; incumbent manager of the Beavers at the time of his death;[8] member, PCL Hall of Fame.
  • April 22 – Joe Benz, 71, spitball and knuckleball specialist who pitched from 1911 through 1919 for the Chicago White Sox and was a member of two American League champion teams in 1917 and 1919; threw a no-hitter against the Cleveland Naps in 1914.[9]
  • April 25 – Lázaro Salazar, 45, Cuban outfielder, first baseman, southpaw pitcher, and manager; played in the Negro National League (Cuban Stars West, New York Cubans) and Eastern Colored League (Pollock's Cuban Stars) between 1930 and 1936; known especially as a legendary figure in Cuban Winter League, Venezuelan Winter League, and Mexican League baseball; member of the Baseball Halls of Fame of all three nations; manager of defending champion Mexico City Reds when he was stricken by a fatal cerebral hemorrhage in his team's dugout during a game; won four batting titles in three countries and, as a pitcher, over 150 games, and managed his teams to 14 titles in four countries.[10]

May

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  • May   6 – Ralph Judd, 55, pitcher who played with the Washington Senators in 1927 and for the New York Giants from 1929 to 1930.
  • May 12 – Fred Bennett, 55, right fielder who played with the St. Louis Browns in 1928 and for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1931.
  • May 17 – Dummy Deegan, 82, deaf-mute pitcher who posted a 0–1 record and 6.35 ERA in two appearances for the 1901 New York Giants.
  • May 20 – Roy Hutson, 55, fourth outfielder for the Brooklyn Robins in 1925.

June

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  • June   1 – Pete Schneider, 61, hard-throwing pitcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds from 1914 to 1918 and the New York Yankees in 1919, whose best season was in 1917, when he won 20 games and finished sixth in the National League with a 2.10 ERA.
  • June   4 – Paul Krichell, 74, French catcher for the St. Louis Browns in parts of two season from 1911 to 1912, who later became head scout for the New York Yankees for 37 years, signing over 200 players, including future Baseball Hall of Famers Lou Gehrig, Phil Rizzuto, Whitey Ford and Tony Lazzeri.[11]
  • June   5 – Pete Wilson, 71, pitcher for the New York Highlanders from 1908 to 1909.
  • June 10 – George Rohe, 82, reserve infielder for the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox over parts of four seasons spanning 1901–1907, who unexpectedly became a postseason hero after going 7-for-27 with two triples, a double and four RBI, helping the Hitless Wonders White Sox defeat the highly favored Chicago Cubs in six games of the 1906 World Series for one of the greatest upsets in Series history.[12]
  • June 10 – John Slappey, 58, pitcher for the 1920 Philadelphia Athletics.
  • June 11 – Fred Raymer, 81, middle infielder and third baseman who played with the Chicago Orphans in 1901 and for the Boston Beaneaters from 1904 to 1905.
  • June 15 – Rip Wade, 59, fourth outfielder for the 1923 Washington Senators.
  • June 18 – Milo Allison, 66, backup outfielder who played for the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians in a span of four seasons from 1913 to 1917.
  • June 20 – Cy Warmoth, 64, pitcher who played with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1916 and for the Washington Senators from 1922 to 1923.
  • June 24 – Jack Burns, 77, second baseman who played for the Detroit Tigers in 1903 and 1904.
  • June 26 – Tom Whelan, 63, first baseman for the 1920 Boston Braves.
  • June 28 – Johnny Ray, 45, outfielder for four Negro American League clubs (principally Cincinnati and Jacksonville) between 1937 and 1945.
  • June 29 – Deacon Van Buren, 86, left fielder who played for the Brooklyn Superbas and Philadelphia Phillies during the 1904 season.

July

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  • July   3 – Dolf Luque, 66, Cuban pitcher whose Major League Baseball career included stints for the Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Robins and New York Giants over twenty seasons from 1914 through 1935; posted a 194–179 record and 3.24 ERA in 550 pitching appearances, and led the National League with 27 wins in 1923 and twice in ERA in 1923 (1.93) and 1925 (2.63); won World Series rings with the Reds in 1919 and the Giants in 1933, and later became a successful manager in the Cuban Winter League, where he won eight pennant titles,[13] and a coach for the New York Giants.
  • July 11 – Red Bradley, 48, pitcher for the 1927 Baltimore Black Sox of the Eastern Colored League.
  • July 12 – Farmer Brady, 67, southpaw who hurled for the Cleveland Tate Stars (1920), a barnstorming team, and the 1924 Cleveland Browns of the Negro National League.
  • July 15 – Rip Wade, backup outfielder for the 1923 Washington Senators.
  • July 16 – L. D. Livingston, 52, outfielder for the 1928–1930 Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro National League.
  • July 25 – Frank Welch, 59, outfielder who played from 1919 through 1927 for the Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox.
  • July 29 – Tommy Thevenow, 53, an elite defensive shortstop who played for five teams in 15 seasons from 1924 to 1938, compiling a solid .952 fielding average while hitting a subpar .247 average with just two inside-the-park home runs in 4,164 at-bats; most remembered as an unsung hero for hitting .417 (10-for-24) for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1926 World Series, including an inside-the-park homer in Game 2 and the two winning RBI in the decisive Game 7 against the New York Yankees.[14]

August

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  • August 14 – Tim Hendryx, 66, outfielder who played for the Cleveland Naps, New York Yankees, St. Louis Browns and Boston Red Sox over eight seasons spanning 1911–1921, whose most productive season came with the Red Sox in 1920 as a replacement for departed Babe Ruth at right field, when he posted a .328/.400/.413 batting line with 54 runs scored, 119 hits and 73 RBI, all career-highs, while appearing in 99 games.[15]
  • August 15 – Ed Baecht, 50, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Browns over all or parts of six seasons from 1926 to 1937.
  • August 21 – Harry Damrau, 66, third baseman for the 1915 Philadelphia Athletics.
  • August 25 – Ivy Griffin, 60, first baseman who played from 1919 through 1921 for the Philadelphia Athletics.

September

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  • September   2 – Don Hanski, 41, first baseman and left-handed pitcher who played for the Chicago White Sox from 1943 to 1944.
  • September   9 – Ed Karger, 74, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox over six seasons spanning 1906–1911, who was given credit for a seven inning perfect game against the Boston Doves while pitching for St. Louis in 1907.[16]
  • September   9 – Bill Miller, 78, German outfielder who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in its 1902 season.
  • September 12 – Homer Thompson, 66, backup catcher for the 1912 New York Highlanders.
  • September 15 – Max Butcher, 46, pitcher who played from 1936 through 1945 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates.
  • September 25 – Marty Becker, 63, center fielder for the 1915 New York Giants.

October

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  • October   2 – Andy Harris, 61, infielder for the 1926 Newark Stars and 1927 New York Lincoln Giants of the Eastern Colored League; served as player-manager for Newark in 1926.
  • October   6 – Billy Campbell, 83, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds over parts of four seasons spanning 1905–1909.
  • October   6 – Phil Cooney, 75, third baseman who made one game appearance for the 1905 New York Highlanders.
  • October   8 – Paul Russell, 86, utility man who played with the St. Louis Browns in its 1894 season.
  • October   9 – Butch Henline, 62, catcher and umpire; appeared in 740 games and batted .291 lifetime for the New York Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, Brooklyn Robins and Chicago White Sox from 1921 to 1931; began his umpiring career in the Southeastern League in 1939 and moved to the International League from 1940 to 1944; promoted to National League arbiter crew in 1945, where he worked in 606 league games and the 1947 All-Star Game through 1948.
  • October 15 – Neal Ball, 76, shortstop for the New York Highlanders, Cleveland Naps and Boston Red Sox from 1907 through 1912, who was a member of the 1912 World Series Red Sox champion team and was the first player to turn an unassisted triple play in Major League Baseball history on July 19, 1909.[17]
  • October 22 – Larry Pezold, 64, third baseman for the 1914 Cleveland Naps.
  • October 26 – Erwin Renfer, 65, pitcher who made a one-game appearance for the 1913 Detroit Tigers.
  • October 30 – Fred Beebe, 77, pitcher whose career included stints for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians over seven seasons between 1906 and 1916, who as a rookie in 1906, posted 15 wins with a 2.93 ERA and led the National League with 171 strikeouts.[18]

November

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  • November   1 – Charlie Caldwell, 56, pitcher for the 1925 New York Yankees, who later coached three sports at Williams College between 1925 and 1946, receiving AFCA Coach of the Year Award honors in 1950 and an induction to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1961.[19]
  • November   5 – Deke White, 85, 19th century pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in its 1895 season.
  • November   8 – Fred Anderson, 71, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, Buffalo Blues and New York Giants over seven seasons spanning 1909–1918, posting a 53–57 record and 2.86 earned run average in 178 games, while leading the National League with a 1.44 ERA in 1917.[20]
  • November   8 – Joe Connor, 82, backup catcher for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Beaneaters, Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Blues and New York Highlanders in parts of four seasons between 1895 and 1905.
  • November 19 – Frank Foreman, 94, well-traveled pitcher who was one of 19 men who played in four Major Leagues – the original Union Association, the American Association, the National League, and the American League in its inaugural season, pitching for 11 different clubs over eleven seasons from 1884 to 1902 while posting a 96–93 record and 3.97 ERA in 229 games, and whose Minor League career took him through seven leagues, primarily in the Northeast and Midwest circuits.[21]
  • November 21 – Bugs Bennett, 65, pitcher who played for the St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox during three seasons between 1918 and 1921.
  • November 27 – Chuck Wolfe, 60, pitcher for the 1923 Philadelphia Athletics.
  • November 28 – Ed Donnelly, 78, pitcher who played from 1911 to 1912 for the Boston Rustlers and Braves teams.

December

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  • December   3 – Jack Ness, 72, first baseman who had short stints with the Detroit Tigers in 1911 and the Chicago White Sox in 1916, whose career highlight came as a member of the Triple-A Oakland Oaks in 1915, while establishing a new standard for Organized Baseball when he hit safely in 49 consecutive Pacific Coast League games.[22]
  • December   4 – Jimmy Jordan, 49, middle infielder who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers over four seasons from 1933 to 1936.
  • December   5 – Alex Ferson, 91, 19th century pitcher who played for the Washington Nationals, Buffalo Bisons and Baltimore Orioles in parts of three seasons spanning 1889–1892.
  • December 10 – Hal Kleine, 34, pitcher who played from 1944 to 1945 for the Cleveland Indians.
  • December 12 – George Daly, 70, pitcher who played for the New York Giants in its 1909 season.
  • December 17 – Fritz Ostermueller, 50, pitcher whose 14-season career included stints with the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns, Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1934 to 1948, being portrayed in the 2013 film 42 as a pitcher who feared Jackie Robinson at the plate.
  • December 21 – Marty Berghammer, 69, shortstop who played with the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Rebels in a span of four seasons from 1911 to 1915.
  • December 24 – Hal Reilly, 63, left fielder for the 1919 Chicago Cubs.
  • December 26 – Tom Fleming, 84, center fielder who played for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies in three seasons between 1899 and 1904.

References

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  1. ^ Margolick, David (June 22, 2020). "63 Years Later, A Confession in a Legendary Yankees Scandal". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  2. ^ Erskine Mayer. Article written by Lyle Spatz. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on July 22, 2019.
  3. ^ Billy Meyer. Article written by Denis Repp. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on July 22, 2019.
  4. ^ Jim Scott - 50 Greatest Chicago White Sox. ESPN. Retrieved on August 8, 2019.
  5. ^ "Top Performances for Jack Coombs". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  6. ^ Jack Coombs. Article written by C. Paul Rogers III. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on July 23, 2019.
  7. ^ "George Watkins". baseball-reference.com. Baseball Reference. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  8. ^ Bill Sweeney. Article written by Bill Nowlin. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on August 5, 2019.
  9. ^ Joe Benz. Article written by Bill Lamb. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on August 5, 2019.
  10. ^ Gerard, Joseph. "Lázaro Salazar". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research Biography Project. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  11. ^ Paul Krichell. Article written by Daniel R. Levitt. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on August 9, 2019.
  12. ^ George Rohe. Article written by Bill Johnson. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on August 9, 2019.
  13. ^ Dolf Luque Archived 2019-04-14 at the Wayback Machine. Article written by Peter C. Bjarkman. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on August 10, 2019.
  14. ^ Tommy Thevenow. Article written by Warren Corbett. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on August 10, 2019.
  15. ^ Tim Hendryx. Article written by Bill Nowlin]. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on August 12, 2019.
  16. ^ Ed Karger. Article written by John F. Green. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on August 12, 2019.
  17. ^ Neal Ball. Article written by John McMurray. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on August 12, 2019.
  18. ^ Fred Beebe. Article written by Bill Lamb. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on August 12, 2019.
  19. ^ College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved on November 13, 2019.
  20. ^ Fred Anderson. Article written by Bill Nowlin. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on November 13, 2019.
  21. ^ Frank Foreman. Article written by James Elfers. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on August 13, 2019.
  22. ^ Jack Ness. Article written by Bill Lamb. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on August 14, 2019.
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