1958 in baseball

Major League Baseball

• World Series: New York Yankees over Milwaukee Braves (4-3); Bob Turley, MVP
• All-Star Game, July 8 at Memorial Stadium: American League, 4-3

Other champions

• College World Series: USC
• 1958 Japan Series: Nishitetsu Lions over Yomiuri Giants (4-3)
• Little League World Series: Industrial, Monterrey, Mexico

Winter Leagues

• 1958 Caribbean Series: Tigres de Marianao
• Cuban League: Tigres de Marianao
• Dominican Republic League: Leones del Escogido
• Mexican Pacific League: Venados de Mazatlán
• Panamanian League: Carta Vieja Yankees
• Puerto Rican League: Criollos de Caguas
• Venezuelan League: Industriales de Valencia

January

• January 21 - For one season, the Philadelphia Phillies held an exclusive National League Television deal in New York City. As baseball in New York City was still reeling over the loss of their teams the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants, fans were able to see the Phillies on WOR television for half of their games (77 games).
• January 28 – Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella suffers a broken neck in an early morning auto accident on Long Island. His spinal column is nearly severed and his legs are permanently paralyzed. Campanella will never play for the Dodgers after their move to Los Angeles, although a newspaper story (showing a picture of him wearing a Brooklyn cap) describes him as being of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

February

• February 4 – The Baseball Hall of Fame fails to elect any new members for the first time since 1950.
• February 6 – Ted Williams signs a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox. Reports on the worth of the contract estimate from $135,000 to $150,000. Either way, Williams becomes the highest paid player in major league history.

April

• April 15 – In the first Major League Baseball game played on the West Coast, Rubén Gómez of the San Francisco Giants hurls an 8–0 shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Giants' shortstop Daryl Spencer hits the first Major League home run on the Pacific Coast. A park-record 23,192 fans pack Seals Stadium to witness the historic game.
• April 17 – Eddie Mathews hit two home runs and drove in five runs, to led the Milwaukee Braves to a 6–1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee County Stadium. Mathews also hit a pair of homers against the Pirates to start the season, as he becomes the first player in Major League Baseball history to begin a season with consecutive two-homer games.The mark will be matched by Barry Bonds, who also hit a pair of homers in each of the San Francisco Giants first two games against the Los Angeles Dodgers to start the 2002 season.^[1]
• April 25 – The Los Angeles Dodgers beats the St. Louis Cardinals, 5–3, setting a record for the most fans at a regular season night game, as 60,635 attend the game at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

May

• May 11 – The St. Louis Cardinals set a National League record by using ten pinch hitters during a double header. Despite walking fourteen batters in game one, St. Louis managed to top the Chicago Cubs, 8–7, and followed in game two with another 6–5 win. Amazingly, the Cardinals would tie their own record two months later against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 13.
• May 12 – Willie Mays hits the first grand slam in San Francisco Giants history. Mays also belts another home run in a 12–3 victory over the rival Los Angeles Dodgers.
• May 13
  • San Francisco Giants teammates Willie Mays and Daryl Spencer each have four extra-base hits as San Francisco beats the Dodgers in Los Angeles, 16–9. Mays hits two home runs, two triples, a single and drives in four runs, while Spencer has two home runs, a triple, a double and six RBI for a combined 28 total bases.
  • Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals collects his 3,000th career hit when he pinch hit a double off Chicago Cubs pitcher Moe Drabowsky at Wrigley Field. The Cardinals win, 5–3.
• May 23 – Willie Mays hit his 200th career home run, helping the San Francisco Giants beat the Milwaukee Braves, 5–3.
• May 31 – Milwaukee Braves sluggers Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews and Wes Covington hit one home run apiece on three consecutive pitches against Pittsburgh Pirates starter Ron Kline, as Milwaukee wins, 8–3.

June

• June 12 – In a shortstops transaction, the Cleveland Indians send Chico Carrasquel to the Kansas City Athletics in exchange for Billy Hunter.^[2]
• June 15 – Chico Carrasquel went 5-for-6 with four runs batted in and scored two times, as the Kansas City Athletics edged the Boston Red Sox, 17–6, at Fenway Park. Héctor López collected four RBI, while Bob Cerv and Frank House added two runs and three RBI a piece. Ralph Terry was the winning pitcher and Jack Urban earned the save, while Willard Nixon got the loss. For Carrasquel, it was the fifth five-hit game of his career.
• June 27 – Against the Washington Senators at Comiskey Park, Billy Pierce of the Chicago White Sox has a perfect game broken up with two out in the ninth—by inches. Pinch-hitter Ed Fitz Gerald hits Pierce's first pitch down the right field line, the ball landing just inside the foul line for a double, the only hit Pierce allows in a 3-0 White Sox victory. The perfect game would have been the first in regular season play since that of another White Sox, Charlie Robertson, in 1922.

July

• July 8 – At Memorial Stadium, home of the Baltimore Orioles, the American League defeated the National League, 4-3, in the All-Star Game. This was the first All-Star Game without an extra-base hit.
• July 20 – In the first game of a doubleheader at Fenway Park, Jim Bunning of the Detroit Tigers no-hits the Boston Red Sox 3-0.
• July 28 – For the sixth time in his career, Mickey Mantle hits home runs from both sides of the plate. New York beats the Athletics, 14-7.

August

• August 14 – Vic Power of the Cleveland Indians steals home twice during a ten-inning, 10–9 win over the Detroit Tigers. Power's second swipe of home is the game-winner, as he steals only one other base all season long. Accomplished numerous times during the deadball era, no player other than Power has twice stolen home in a game since the 1927 season.
• August 23 – At Yankee Stadium, Nellie Fox of the Chicago White Sox strikes out against Whitey Ford in the first inning of the White Sox' 7-1 victory over the New York Yankees. The strikeout ends Fox's streak of 98 consecutive games without striking out; he had last struck out on May 16 against Dick Tomanek of the Cleveland Indians.

September

• September 13 – Milwaukee Braves ace Warren Spahn became the first left handed pitcher to win twenty or more games, nine times, after beating the St. Louis Cardinals 8–2. Previously, Eddie Plank and Lefty Grove each won twenty or more games, eight times.
• September 14 – The New York Yankees sweep a doubleheader against the Kansas City Athletics, 5-3 and 12-7 (14 innings), clinching their fourth straight American League pennant.
• September 20 – At Memorial Stadium, Hoyt Wilhelm of the Baltimore Orioles no-hits the New York Yankees 1-0, striking out eight along the way. It is the first no-hitter since the franchise's move to Baltimore. Wilhelm had pitched exclusively in relief prior to this season; this was only his ninth career start.
• September 21 – The Milwaukee Braves clinch their second consecutive National League pennant with a 6-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, thus ensuring a Yankees-Braves World Series for the second straight year.

October

• October 9 – The New York Yankees defeat the Milwaukee Braves, 6–2, in the decisive Game 7 of the World Series to win their eighteenth World Championship title. Yankees 1B Moose Skowron's three-run home run off Milwaukee pitcher Lew Burdette in the 8th inning puts the game on ice. The Yankees became only the second team to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series (the 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates were the first to do it). Milwaukee's Eddie Mathews strikes out for the 11th time, a record that will stand until 1980, when broken by Willie Wilson of the Kansas City Royals. The Braves' 53 strikeouts are also a new Series record. This is the seventh World Series title for manager Casey Stengel, tying him with Joe McCarthy for the most Series won. Yankees P Bob Turley is named the Series MVP.

November

• November 12 – New York Yankees pitcher Bob Turley, who posted a 21-7 record with 168 strikeouts and a 2.97 earned run average, is named the MLB Cy Young Award. With only one award given for the two leagues, Turley gathers five votes to four for the previous winner, Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves, who went 22-11 with 150 SO and a 3.07 ERA.
• November 25 – Chicago Cubs slugger Ernie Banks, who hit a .313 average with 47 home runs and 129 RBI, is named National League MVP. Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants is the runner-up, after going .347, 29, 96.
• November 26 – Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Jensen, who hit .286 with 31 home runs and 122 RBI, is named American League MVP, winning over New York Yankees pitcher Bob Turley (21-7, 2.94 ERA), and Cleveland Indians outfielder Rocky Colavito (.303, 41, 113).
• November 28 :
  • The American League announces that its Opening Day will be April 9 making it earliest date ever to open the junior circuit's regular season.
  • The Boston Red Sox sign teenage sensation Carl Yastrzemski to a reported bonus of $100,000. The future Hall of Famer will make his major league debut with Boston in the 1961 season.
• November 30 – Italian baseball commissioner Prince Borghese visits the United States to seek aid in organizing Italian teams.

December

• December 2 :
  • International League President Frank Shaughnessy reports that club owners are sympathetic to player demands for a pension plan, but says there is no way that $250,000 can be raised to start one.
  • National League President Warren Giles says he doubts New York City will get a franchise for several years. He says the NL will reject expansion now, even if assured of a stadium and financial backing.
  • The Cleveland Indians send 2B Bobby Ávila to the Baltimore Orioles for P Russ Heman and cash consideration. In a separate trade, Cleveland sends 1B Vic Wertz and OF Gary Geiger to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for OF Jimmy Piersall.
• December 4 – The American Association expands to 10 teams by admitting the Houston Buffaloes, Dallas Rangers and Fort Worth Cats from the Texas League. This effectively denudes the Texas League, leaving it with five teams and a vacancy.

January

• January   3 – Brian Allard
• January   5 – Ron Kittle
• January   7 – Carlos Diaz
• January   9 – Bill Bordley
• January 10 – Pat Keedy
• January 12 – Rod Craig
• January 13 – Gene Roof
• January 19 – Rick Adair
• January 20 – Bill Scherrer
• January 24 – Neil Allen
• January 24 – Atlee Hammaker
• January 26 – Mike Patterson
• January 31 – Rafael Santana

February

• February   2 – Pat Tabler
• February   6 – Bill Dawley
• February   7 – Ralph Citarella
• February   9 – Pete O'Brien
• February 12 – Jim Beswick
• February 12 – Ken Smith
• February 13 – Frank Williams
• February 17 – Mike Hart
• February 17 – Alan Wiggins
• February 18 – Rafael Ramírez
• February 20 – Brian Snyder
• February 21 – Alan Trammell
• February 23 – Juan Agosto
• February 23 – John Shelby
• February 26 – Bob Hegman
• February 26 – Darrell Miller
• February 28 – Dallas Williams

March

• March   2 – Jeff Stember
• March   4 – Lorenzo Gray
• March   7 – Albert Hall
• March   8 – Nick Capra
• March   9 – Brian Butterfield
• March 10 – Steve Howe
• March 11 – Larry Ray
• March 24 – Bruce Hurst
• March 26 – Chris Codiroli
• March 29 – Domingo Ramos

April

• April   1 – Mike Kinnunen
• April   2 – Mike Howard
• April   3 – Gary Pettis
• April   6 – Leo Sutherland
• April 11 – Jeff Calhoun
• April 16 – Rick Grapenthin
• April 19 – Ed Hodge
• April 22 – Stefan Wever
• April 24 – Bill Krueger
• April 24 – Herman Segelke
• April 25 – Dave Owen
• April 26 – Bill Lyons
• April 29 – Steve Crawford

May

• May   5 – Dave Gumpert
• May   6 – Keefe Cato
• May   9 – Doug Loman
• May 11 – Mark Huismann
• May 11 – Walt Terrell
• May 18 – Andre David
• May 19 – Fritzie Connally
• May 21 – Paul Runge
• May 23 – Nelson Norman
• May 24 – Mike Richardt
• May 28 – Bill Doran
• May 28 – Ed Olwine
• May 29 – Jamie Allen
• May 29 – Mike Stenhouse

June

• June   2 – Jack O'Connor
• June   4 – Ricky Jones
• June   7 – Tim Laudner
• June   8 – Carmen Castillo
• June 15 – Wade Boggs
• June 19 – Butch Davis
• June 20 – Phil Huffman
• June 20 – Dickie Thon
• June 23 – Marty Barrett
• June 24 – Tom Klawitter
• June 28 – Clay Christiansen
• June 28 – Rafael Vásquez

July

• July   7 – Glenn Hoffman
• July   7 – Tim Teufel
• July 11 – Mike Fuentes
• July 21 – Dave Henderson
• July 25 – Marc Sullivan
• July 26 – Marty Bystrom
• July 30 – Scott Fletcher

August

• August   5 – Reid Nichols
• August   8 – Alan Fowlkes
• August   9 – Matt Young
• August 11 – Dorn Taylor
• August 12 – Rusty McNealy
• August 15 – Joe Cowley
• August 15 – Tom Dodd
• August 15 – Bob James
• August 15 – Randy Johnson
• August 16 – Jim Maler
• August 18 – Don Crow
• August 19 – Luis DeLeón
• August 19 – Gary Gaetti
• August 23 – Julio Franco
• August 31 – Von Hayes

September

• September   4 – Rod Booker
• September   4 – Paul Householder
• September   7 – Bill Schroeder
• September 11 – Brad Lesley
• September 11 – Don Slaught
• September 16 – Orel Hershiser
• September 17 – Tom Waddell
• September 18 – Scott Holman
• September 18 – Roger Mason
• September 20 – Jim Siwy
• September 22 – Dave Sax
• September 24 – Jim Acker
• September 25 – Ron Mathis
• September 25 – Larry White
• September 28 – Pete Filson
• September 28 – Jerry Layne
• September 28 – Rob Manfred
• September 28 – Ronn Reynolds

October

• October   3 – Daryl Sconiers
• October   5 – Randy Bush
• October   5 – Brent Gaff
• October 25 – Tom Romano
• October 25 – Dave Von Ohlen
• October 26 – Ed Vande Berg
• October 26 – Frank Wills
• October 31 – Ray Soff
• October 31 – Paul Zuvella

November

• November   1 – Rich Thompson
• November   2 – Willie McGee
• November   5 – Mike Bishop
• November   5 – Tom Wiedenbauer
• November   7 – Reggie Patterson
• November   8 – Bobby Moore
• November   8 – Paul Wilmet
• November 13 – Dan Petry
• November 16 – Paul Serna
• November 18 – Cliff Pastornicky
• November 19 – Mike Winters
• November 21 – Mike Mason
• November 22 – Lee Guetterman
• November 22 – Ricky Wright
• November 25 – Chico Walker
• November 27 – Mike Scioscia
• November 28 – Pat Murphy
• November 28 – Dave Righetti
• November 30 – Toby Hernández
• November 30 – Steve Shields

December

• December   3 – Mike Martin
• December   5 – Scott Munninghoff
• December 16 – Rondin Johnson
• December 16 – Ted Wilborn
• December 18 – Scott Nielsen
• December 22 – Glenn Wilson
• December 22 – George Wright
• December 23 – Tim Leary
• December 25 – Gerry Davis
• December 25 – Rickey Henderson

January

• January 10 – John Terry
• January 12 – Lefty Webb
• January 23 – Harry Baldwin
• January 23 – Walter Lonergan
• January 23 – Al Tedrow
• January 24 – Admiral Schlei
• January 31 – Harry O'Donnell

February

• February   1 – Mysterious Walker
• February   4 – Ted Turner
• February   9 – Cowboy Jones
• February 10 – Elmer Jacobs
• February 28 – Henry Smoyer

March

• March   9 – Skel Roach, 86, German-born pitcher for the Chicago Orphans during the 1899 season, who also spent nine seasons in the Minors Leagues between 1895 and 1905, and was hired as baseball coach by the University of Michigan in 1903.^[3]
• March 10 – Leon Cadore, 68, starting pitcher for the Brooklyn Robins, Chicago White Sox and New York Giants over ten seasons from 1915–1924, who shares an MLB record for the most innings pitched in a single game while pitching for Brooklyn in 1920, when he joined fellow Boston Braves starter Joe Oeschger to pitch 26 innings without relief, which eventually ended in darkness and a 1–1 tie.^[4]
• March 10 – Earl Williams, 55, backup catcher for the 1928 Boston Braves.
• March 17 – Bob Blewett, 80, pitcher who played with the New York Giants in its 1902 season.
• March 20 – Gene Dale, 68, who pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds in a span of four seasons from 1911–1916.
• March 23 – Harry Kelley, pitcher who played for the Washington Senators and Philadelphia Athletics in part of six seasons between 1925 and 1939.
• March 25 – Al Shaw, 84, English-born catcher who played for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Americans, Chicago White Sox and Boston Doves, in part of four seasons spanning 1901–1909.
• March 25 – Clarence Kraft, 70, first baseman who appeared in three games for the Boston Braves in the 1914 season.
• March 28 – Chuck Klein, 53, Hall of Fame slugging right fielder and two-time All-Star, primarily with the Philadelphia Phillies, who collected a career .320 batting average with 300 home runs and 1,201 runs batted in and is the only player in 20th century to collect 200 or more hits in each of his first five full MLB seasons, while winning the National League MVP award in 1932 and a Triple Crown in 1933, to accompany his four home run titles, four home runs in one game, two RBI titles, a stolen base title and leading in runs scored three years in a row, setting a modern National League record with 158 runs in 1930 and leading all outfielders in assists three times, establishing in 1930 a Major League record for outfield assists with 44 which, like his runs scored mark, this record still stands as of the 2017 season.^[5]
• March 28 – Gus Thompson, 80, who pitched with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1903 and for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1906.
• March 29 – Jimmy Archer, 74, Irish-born catcher who spent his career with six different teams, primarily for the Chicago Cubs from 1909 through 1917.

April

• April 10 – Hod Leverette
• April 14 – John Freeman
• April 14 – Red Smyth
• April 20 – Chet Nourse

May

• May   3 – Al Maul
• May 14 – Billy Clingman
• May 20 – Frank Bird
• May 20 – Cotton Minahan
• May 26 – Dwight Wertz
• May 28 – Kid Nance

June

• June   6 – Bert Daniels
• June   9 – John Fick
• June 10 – John Vann
• June 13 – Tom Stankard
• June 16 – Jack Phillips
• June 23 – George Boehler

July

• July   2 – Carlos Moore
• July   2 – Yip Owens
• July   3 – Paul Smith
• July   7 – John Sullivan
• July   8 – Bill McAfee
• July 22 – Grover Land
• July 24 – Virgil Barnes
• July 25 – Dizzy Nutter
• July 26 – Walter Bernhardt
• July 27 – Art Corcoran
• July 27 – Phil Page
• July 28 – Lu Blue

August

• August   1 – Ike Boone, 61, an outfielder for the New York Giants, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Brooklyn Dodgers between 1922 and 1932, who posted an ML career average of .321, compiled a .370 BA for the highest minor league all-time, and set a professional baseball record in 1929 collecting 553 total bases while playing in the Pacific Coast League.
• August   4 – Bob Gamble
• August   8 – Fred Winchell
• August 18 – Archie Stimmel
• August 21 – George Quellich
• August 22 – Dummy Taylor
• August 23 – Bill Breckinridge
• August 28 – Jean Dubuc
• August 28 – Eddie Stack
• August 28 – Sid Womack
• August 30 – Frank Demaree

September

• September   4 – Red Killefer
• September   4 – Ward Miller
• September   6 – Tommy de la Cruz
• September   6 – Hugh Hill
• September   7 – Wally Gilbert
• September 10 – Arlas Taylor
• September 15 – Snuffy Stirnweiss
• September 23 – Bill Mundy
• September 24 – Bill Jackson
• September 26 – Raleigh Aitchison
• September 27 – Joe Berry

October

• October   2 – Bill Forman
• October   7 – Chick Brandom
• October 11 − Ira Thomas
• October 20 – Rex Dawson
• October 21 – Lep Long
• October 26 – Erwin Renfer

November

• November   3 – Heinie Sand
• November   3 – John Eubank
• November   6 – Ernie Diehl
• November   6 – Al Mattern
• November   9 – Walt Meinert
• November 13 – Heinie Elder
• November 14 – Jack Owens
• November 15 – Harry Riconda
• November 17 – Mort Cooper
• November 20 – Bill Lathrop
• November 21 – Mel Ott
• November 24 – Roy Corhan

December

• December   4 – Red Murray, 74, right fielder for three National League clubs from 1906–1917, whose combination of power, fielding and speed on the bases guided the New York Giants to three pennants from 1911–1913, while leading all outfielders in assists in 1909 and 1910, becoming the only outfielder in the modern era to accumulate more than 100 assists during the period of 1907 to 1910, and also one of only three players in the same period to finish twice among the top five in home runs and stolen bases during the same season (1908–1909), joining Honus Wagner (1907–1908) and Ty Cobb (1909–1910).^[6]
• December   8 – Bernie Friberg, 59, valuable utility man who was able to play all nine defensive positions in a 14-season career for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox between 1919 and 1933.
• December   8 – Tris Speaker, 70, Hall of Fame center fielder highly regarded for both his batting and his fielding in a 22-year career, who earned American League MVP honors in 1912 and led the Boston Red Sox to a World Series title, then another World Series title in 1915, also carrying the Cleveland Indians to its first World Series championship in 1920 as a player/manager, while compiling 3,514 hits and posting a .345 career average –sixth on the all-time list– including 792 doubles –a career record that nobody has surpassed–, and leading the league in putouts seven times and in double plays six times, as his career totals in both categories are still major-league records at his position.^[7]
• December   9 – Rube Vickers, 80, pitcher who played from 1902 through 1909 for the Brooklyn Superbas, Cincinnati Reds, and Philadelphia Athletics.
• December 10 – Cozy Dolan, 68, who came up as a pitcher in 1895 and returned as mainly an outfielder and first baseman in the early 1900s, while playing for the Cincinnati Red, New York Highlanders, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants.
• December 15 – Harry Heitmann, 62, pitcher for the 1918 Brookyn Robins.
• December 16 – Les Scarsella, 45, first baseman and left fielder who played with the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Bees in part of four seasons between 1935 and 1940.
• December 24 – Jim Boyle, 54, catcher for the New York Giants, who has the distinction of having one of the shortest known Major League Baseball careers, while catching for only one inning in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 20, 1926, without registering an at bat appearance.
• December 30 – Jim Hickman, 66, backup outfielder for the Baltimore Terrapins and Brooklyn Robins in four seasons from 1915–1919.
• December 30 – Glenn Spencer, 53, pitcher who played from 1928 to 1933 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants.
• December 31 – Jack Doyle, 89, Irish-born first baseman whose solid 17-year playing career includes a National League Championship with the Baltimore Orioles in 1896 and two stints as manager of the New York Giants in 1895 and the Washington Senators in 1898, while leading the National League first basemen with 96 assists in 1900 and 1.418 putouts in 1903, and collecting a career slash line of .299/.351/.385 with 971 runs batted in and 518 stolen bases in 1,569 games.^[8]