1966 in baseball

Year in baseball
this year = 1966

Champions

Major League Baseball

*World Series: Baltimore Orioles over Los Angeles Dodgers (4-0); Frank Robinson, MVP
*All-Star Game, July 12 at Busch Stadium: National League, 2-1 (10 innings); Brooks Robinson, MVP

Other champions

*College World Series: Ohio State
*Japan Series: Yomiuri Giants over Nankai Hawks (4-2)
*Little League World Series: Westbury American, Houston, Texas

Awards and honors

*Most Valuable Player
**Frank Robinson (AL)
**Roberto Clemente (NL)
*Cy Young Award
**Sandy Koufax
*Rookie of the Year
**Tommie Agee (AL)
**Tommy Helms (NL)

tatistical Leaders

National League final standings

Events

*January 20 - The Baseball Writers Association of America voters elect Ted Williams to the Hall of Fame. Williams receives 282 of a possible 302 votes.

*February 28 - Seeking an unprecedented 3-year $1.05 million to be divided evenly, the Dodgers' Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale begin a joint holdout.

*March 5 - In what will prove to be one of the more influential off-the-field events in Major League history, representatives of the players elect Marvin Miller to the post of Executive Director of the Major League Players Association (MLPA).

*March 8 - The Special Veterans Committee waives Hall of Fame election rules and inducts Casey Stengel, recently retired manager of the New York Mets.
*March 17 - Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale escalate their threat of retirement by signing movie contracts.

*March 30 - Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale end their 32-day holdout, signing for $130,000 and $105,000 respectively.

*April 3 - USC pitcher Tom Seaver signs with the New York Mets. He had been drafted by the Braves, but they had signed him to a minor league contract while he was still in college. This voided Seaver's remaining eligibility, and voided the contract. The Mets won a special lottery over Cleveland and Philadelphia to win the right to sign him.

*April 11 - Emmett Ashford takes the field in Washington to officiate a 5-2 Washington Senators win over the Cleveland Indians. He is the first African-American umpire in Major League history.

*April 12 - Over 50,000 fans show up at Fulton County Stadium to watch the Braves first home game in Atlanta. The Braves fall to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 13 innings, 3-2.

*May 14 - The San Francisco Giants' Willie Mays hits his then National League record 512th home run - topping another Giant, Mel Ott. The Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-1 at San Francisco's Candlestick Park.

*June 7 - The Athletics use the second overall pick to draft Arizona State outfielder Reggie Jackson.

*June 10 - Sonny Siebert of the Cleveland Indians no-hits the Washington Senators 2-0 at Cleveland Stadium. The no-hitter is the first by an Indian since Bob Feller's third career no-hitter, in by|1951.

*July 3 - Atlanta pitcher Tony Cloninger hits two grand slams in a game against the Giants; the first National League player and first pitcher in history to do so. His nine RBI in a game is a record for pitchers.

*July 12 - At St. Louis, Maury Wills' 10th-inning single scores Tim McCarver, as the National League wins 2–1 over the American League in the All-Star Game, but AL Brooks Robinson's stellar game (three hits, eight fielding chances) earns him the MVP honors.

*July 25 - During his Hall of Fame induction speech, Ted Williams publicly calls on baseball to induct former great players from the Negro Leagues. He specifically calls for the induction of Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige.

*September 22 - The Baltimore Orioles beat the host Kansas City A's 6-1 to clinch their first American League pennant since moving to Baltimore. Both Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson have two RBIs. Frank Robinson will end the year as the Triple Crown winner, the first to achieve the feat since Mickey Mantle in 1956. He clinches with a batting average of .316, 49 home runs and 122 RBIs.

*September 26 - Willie McCovey hits his 200th career home run, helping the San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves 8-2.

*October 9 - In Game Four of the World Series, Dave McNally wrapped up a brilliant pitching display, and the first World Championship for the Baltimore Orioles, with a four-hit, 1–0 shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Series MVP Frank Robinson hits a home run off Don Drysdale for the only run of the game and gave Baltimore a surprising sweep of the defending World Champion Dodgers. The shutout completes a World Series record 33 2/3 scoreless innings pitched by Orioles pitchers, beginning with Moe Drabowsky pitching 6 2/3 innings in relief of McNally in Game One, followed by shutouts by Jim Palmer and Wally Bunker. The Orioles are the last of the original eight American League franchises to win their first World Series.

Births

January-March

*January 19 - Anthony Young
*January 21 - Chris Hammond
*January 25 - Richie Lewis
*January 16 - Jack McDowell
*February 1 - Eduardo Zambrano
*February 12 - Jeff Pico
*February 13 - Jerry Browne
*February 15 - Mélido Pérez
*February 24 - René Arocha
*February 27 - Pete Smith
*March 2 - Leo Gómez
*March 5 - Kevin L. Brown
*March 6 - Anthony Telford
*March 10 - Mike Timlin
*March 22 - Sean Berry
*March 23 - Mike Remlinger
*March 25 - Tom Glavine
*March 29 - Eric Gunderson

April-June

*April 13 - Wes Chamberlain
*April 14 - David Justice
*April 14 - Greg Maddux
*April 14 - Greg Myers
*April 21 - Chris Donnels
*April 22 - Mickey Morandini
*April 25 - Erik Pappas
*April 28 - Jim Poole
*April 29 - John Vander Wal
*May 1 - Armando Reynoso
*May 5 - Reggie Williams
*May 11 - Trenidad Hubbard
*May 12 - Rafael Bournigal
*May 22 - José Mesa
*May 25 - Bill Haselman
*May 25 - Dave Hollins
*May 27 - John Jaha
*May 28 - Mike Maksudian
*June 6 - Bill Spiers
*June 7 - Heathcliff Slocumb
*June 7 - Trevor Wilson
*June 14 - Randy Tomlin
*June 17 - Shawn Abner
*June 18 - Sandy Alomar, Jr.
*June 26 - Jeff Conine
*June 29 - Peter Hoy

July-September

*July 2 - Tim Spehr
*July 3 - Moisés Alou
*July 7 - Dave Burba
*July 7 - Jeff Shaw
*July 19 - David Segui
*August 2 - Tim Wakefield
*August 6 - Stan Belinda
*August 8 - John Hudek
*August 9 - Bob Scanlan
*August 10 - Gerald Williams
*August 15 - Scott Brosius
*August 16 - Terry Shumpert
*August 18 - Bob Zupcic
*August 19 - Woody Williams
*August 21 - John Wetteland
*August 25 - Albert Belle
*August 31 - Jeff Frye
*September 23 - Pete Harnisch
*September 24 - Bernard Gilkey

October -December

*October 6 - Archi Cianfrocco
*October 6 - Darrin Fletcher
*October 10 - Francisco Cabrera
*October 11 - Gregg Olson
*October 18 - Alan Mills
*October 19 - Dave Veres
*October 25 - Mike Harkey
*October 28 - Tim Bogar
*October 28 - Juan Guzmán
*October 29 - Pat Combs
*November 2 - Orlando Merced
*November 7 - Andy Tomberlin
*November 14 - Curt Schilling
*November 17 - Jeff Nelson
*November 18 - Ron Coomer
*November 25 - Mark Whiten
*December 1 - Greg McMichael
*December 1 - Larry Walker
*December 10 - Mel Rojas
*December 19 - Joe Slusarski
*December 20 - Jeff Mutis

Deaths

January-April

*January 15 - Walt Walsh, 66, Pinch runner for two games with the Philadelphia Phillies
*January 29 - Homer Summa, 67, right fielder who collected a .302 average over 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Athletics
*February 14 - Jack Coffey, 79, infielder who played from 1909 to 1918 for the Boston Doves, Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox
*March 18 - Frank Bennett, 61, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in the 1920s
*April 5 - Sam Dodge, 76, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in the 1920s
*April 12 - Joe Harris, 84, pitched with the Boston Americans in the early 20th century

May-August

*May 4 - Bob Elliott, 49, 7-time All-Star third baseman who won the NL's 1947 MVP award
*May 27 - Rip Collins, 72, a four-sport star at Texas A&M University, who pitched in the majors for the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Browns from 1920 to 1931
*June 27 - Marty Krug, 77, third baseman who played for the Boston Red Sox (1912) and Chicago Cubs (1922)
*July 9 - Mule Suttles, 66, All-Star first baseman of the Negro Leagues who hit the first home run in the East-West All-Star game
*July 16 - Les Howe, 80, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in the mid 1920s
*August 1 - Hank Gowdy, 76, catcher and first baseman who won the 1914 World Series and is the only player to have served in both World Wars.
*August 10 - Chuck Dressen, 67, manager of five teams who led the Dodgers to pennants in 1952-53
*August 15 - George J. Burns, 76, left fielder, primarily with the New York Giants, who led the NL in runs and walks five times each
*August 29 - Al DeVormer, 75, catcher for the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and New York Giants between 1918 and 1927

eptember-December

*September 12 - Bill Summers, 70, American League umpire from 1933 to 1959 who worked in eight World Series and a record seven All-Star games
*September 13 - Ralph Comstock, 75, pitched in the 1910s for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Rebels, and Pittsburgh Pirates
*October 11 - Red Smith, 76, solid third baseman for multiple Dodgers and Braves teams in the 1910s, including the 1914 World Champions Boston Braves
*October 30 - Dick Barrett, 60, pitcher from 1933-45 for the Athletics, Braves, Cubs and Phillies, who was named Minor League Player of the Year by "The Sporting News" in 1942
*November 7 - Rube Bressler, 72, one of only a few players in major league baseball history to successfully convert from a pitcher to a position player as a first baseman/outfielder, who played for the Philadelphia Athletics & Phillies, Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals between 1914 and 1931
*December 20 - Doc Farrell, 64, utility infielder for six different teams between 1925 and 1935, including the Yankees 1932 World Champions