1975 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1975 throughout the world.

List of years in baseball

Champions

Major League Baseball

  League Championship Series NBC World Series NBC
                 
East Boston Red Sox 3  
West Oakland Athletics 0  
    AL Boston Red Sox 3
  NL Cincinnati Reds 4
East Pittsburgh Pirates 0
West Cincinnati Reds 3  

Other champions

Winter Leagues

Awards and honors

Statistical leaders

American League National League
AVGRod Carew MIN.359Bill Madlock CHC.354
HRReggie Jackson OAK &
George Scott MLW
36Mike Schmidt PHI38
RBIsGeorge Scott MLW109Greg Luzinski PHI120
WinsCatfish Hunter NYY &
Jim Palmer BAL
23Tom Seaver NYM22
ERAJim Palmer BAL2.09Randy Jones SDP2.25
KsFrank Tanana CAL269Tom Seaver NYM243

Major league baseball final standings

Events

  • The proposed sale of the Chicago White Sox presented opportunities for the Oakland Athletics. A group from Seattle was ready to purchase the White Sox and move them to Seattle. As Charlie Finley had business interests in Chicago, he was prepared to move the Athletics to Chicago. Due to his 20-year lease with the city of Oakland (to expire in 1987), Finley was blocked. In the end, White Sox owner Arthur Allyn sold to Bill Veeck, who kept the White Sox in Chicago.[1]

January

February

March

  • March 21 – Georgia Tech shuts out Earlham, 41–0, setting an NCAA record for scoring and for winning margin.

April

May

  • May 1 – Hank Aaron goes 4-for-4, driving in two runs in the Milwaukee Brewers' 17–3 win over the Detroit Tigers. This brings his career RBI total to 2,211, breaking Babe Ruth's published record of 2,209. On February 3, 1976, the Records Committee will revise Ruth's total to 2,204, meaning that in actuality, Aaron set the record on April 18.
  • May 4 :
    • At 5:00 AM, the New York Mets' Cleon Jones is arrested for indecent exposure in St. Petersburg, Florida after police find him naked in a van with a white, teenage girl who is holding a stash of narcotics. The charges are later dropped, however, chairman of the New York Mets M. Donald Grant fines Jones $2,000, four times as much as a Met has ever been assessed before, and forces Jones to publicly apologize during a press conference held in New York, with his wife, Angela, by his side.
    • The San Francisco Giants beat the Houston Astros 8–6 in the first game of a doubleheader at Candlestick Park. In the second inning, Houston's Bob Watson scores what is calculated as the major leagues' one-millionth run of all time, as Milt May hits John Montefusco's first pitch to drive him home. Meanwhile, Dave Concepción of the Cincinnati Reds hits a home run at about the same moment and races around the bases, but Watson, running from second base, scores first. Cincinnati lose to Atlanta, 3-2. (On April 22, 1876, the opening game of the National League's first-ever season, the Boston Red Caps came out ahead of the Philadelphia Athletics by the score of 6-5. Athletics first baseman Wes Fisler scored the very first run in major league history.)
  • May 5 – The Oakland Athletics release pinch runner Herb Washington. Washington, who played in 104 major league games without batting, pitching, or fielding, compiled 31 stolen bases and scored 33 runs. His 1975 trading card (no. 407) is the only Topps card ever issued showing the player's position as 'pinch runner'.
  • May 25 :
  • May 30 – Willie McCovey pinch-hits a grand slam to lift the San Diego Padres over the New York Mets, 6–2. It is McCovey's 3rd career pinch slam, tying the major league record held by Ron Northey and Rich Reese. It is also his 16th lifetime bases-loaded homer, tying the National League record held by Hank Aaron.
  • May 31 – César Tovar gets the only hit for Texas, the fifth time in his career he has had his team's lone hit in a game. Yankees newly acquired pitcher Catfish Hunter hurls the one-hit 6–0 victory.

June

July

August

  • August 2 – At Shea Stadium, the New York Yankees defeat the Cleveland Indians 5-3 in Billy Martin's debut as Yankee manager. This will be the first of five stints as Yankee manager for Martin, who had played for the Yankees from 19501953 and 19551957. Martin had replaced the fired Bill Virdon as Yankee skipper the day before. (The Yankees played at Shea Stadium for the 1974 and 1975 seasons while Yankee Stadium was being renovated.)
  • August 6 – The 56-53 Mets fire manager Yogi Berra and replace him with Roy McMillan.
  • August 9 – Davey Lopes steals his 32nd consecutive base for the Dodgers without being caught, in a 2–0 win over the Mets. This breaks the major league record set by Max Carey in 1922. Lou Brock gets his 2500th hit versus the San Diego Padres, a single in the 6th off of Dave Freisleben at Busch Stadium.
  • August 21 – Pitching brothers Rick Reuschel and Paul Reuschel combine to hurl the Cubs to a 7–0 victory over the Dodgers — the first time brothers have collaborated on a shutout. Paul takes over when Rick is forced to leave in the 7th inning because of a blister on his finger.
  • August 24 – In the second game of a doubleheader at Candlestick Park, Ed Halicki of the San Francisco Giants no-hits the New York Mets 6-0.

September

October

November

  • November 10 – The Kansas City Royals release slugger Harmon Killebrew, ending a 22-year career marked by 573 home runs, good for fifth place on the all-time list.
  • November 12 – Tom Seaver of the New York Mets wins his third Cy Young Award, after led the National League pitchers with 22 victories and 243 strikeouts while posting a 2.38 ERA. Seaver had previously won the award in 1969 and 1973.
  • November 20 – The San Francisco Giants fire manager Wes Westrum, coaxing Bill Rigney out of retirement to replace him
  • November 26 – Boston Red Sox center fielder Fred Lynn becomes the first rookie ever to be named American League MVP. Lynn, who hit .331 with 21 home runs and 105 RBI, also posted league-leading figures in runs (103), doubles (47), and slugging (.566), helping Boston to the American League East title. He also won Rookie of the Year honors.

December

Births

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Deaths

January–March

  • January 5 – Don Wilson, 29, All-Star pitcher who won 104 games for the Houston Astros, including two no-hitters
  • January 9 – Curt Fullerton, 76, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox between 1921 and 1933
  • February 21 – Steve Filipowicz, 55, outfielder for the MLB New York Giants and Cincinnati Reds between 1944 and 1948, previously a running back with the NFL New York Giants in 1943
  • March 10 – Clint Evans, 85, coach at the University of California from 1930 to 1954 who led team to the first College World Series title in 1947
  • March 15 – Johnny Gooch, 77, catcher for the 1925 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates, who also played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox, and later became a successful minor league manager
  • March 21 – Joe Medwick, 63, Hall of Fame left fielder and 10-time All-Star who was the last NL player to win the triple crown, also winning the MVP in 1937; lifetime .324 hitter had six 100-RBI seasons for the Cardinals
  • March 25 – Tommy Holmes, 71, sportswriter who covered the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1924 until the team's move to Los Angeles in 1958
  • March 26 - Harley Young, 91, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Doves in 1908
  • March 27 – Oscar Fuhr, 81, pitched for the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox between 1921 and 1925
  • March 28 – Hy Gunning, 86, first baseman for the 1911 Boston Red Sox

April–June

  • April 25 – Bruce Edwards, 51, All-Star catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs
  • May 6 – Les Burke, 72, second baseman for the Detroit Tigers from 1923 to 1926
  • May 10 – Harold Kaese, 66, sportswriter for the Boston Transcript and The Boston Globe from 1933 to 1973
  • May 15- Johnny Gooch, 77, Catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, a member of their 1925 World Series squad.
  • May 22 – Lefty Grove, 75, Hall of Fame pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox who became the second left-hander to win 300 games, leading AL in ERA nine times and in winning percentage five times, both records; won the pitching triple crown twice, also winning MVP in 1931 after 31-4 campaign; also led AL in strikeouts seven straight years
  • June 9 – Ownie Carroll, 72, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers between 1925 and 1934, who later coached at Seton Hall University for 25 years
  • June 16 – Clint Courtney, 48, catcher for five AL teams who became the first major leaguer at his position to wear eyeglasses
  • June 17 – Sid Gordon, 57, All-Star left fielder and third baseman, primarily for the Giants and Braves, who had five 20-HR seasons
  • June 28 – Audrey Bleiler, 42, infielder for two All-American Girls Professional Baseball League champion teams

July–September

  • July 5 – Joe Kiefer, 75, pitcher for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox in the 1920s
  • July 18 – Ted Wingfield, 75, pitcher who played from 1923 to 1927 for the Washington Senators and Boston Red Sox
  • July 31 – Max Flack, 85, right fielder for the Cubs and Cardinals who batted .300 three times
  • August 12 – Lew Riggs, 65, All-Star third baseman, mainly for the Cincinnati Reds
  • August 20 – Daniel Canónico, 59, pitcher who led the Venezuelan team to the 1941 Amateur World Series title, winning five of the team's games including the series-tying and deciding games against Cuba, while placing Venezuela for the very first time among the world baseball elite
  • September 10 – Lance Richbourg, 77, right fielder for the Boston Braves who batted .308 lifetime
  • September 28 – Moose Solters, 69, left fielder with four AL teams who batted .300 three times, before his eyesight gradually failed after being hit with a ball during a 1941 warmup
  • September 29 – Casey Stengel, 85, Hall of Fame manager who won a record ten pennants in twelve seasons leading the Yankees (1949–1960), capturing a record seven titles; also managed Dodgers, Braves and Mets, applying his trademark humor to the Mets in their woeful first season

October–December

  • October 1 – Larry MacPhail, 85, executive who introduced night games, plane travel and pensions to the major leagues while running the Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees, winning pennants with the latter two teams
  • October 13 – Swede Risberg, 81, shortstop for the 1917-20 White Sox, and the last survivor among the eight players barred from baseball for their involvement in the Black Sox Scandal
  • December 1 – Nellie Fox, 47, Hall of Fame second baseman, 12-time All-Star for the Chicago White Sox who formed half of a spectacular middle infield with Luis Aparicio; batted .300 six times, led AL in hits four times, and was 1959 MVP
  • December 1 – Dave Koslo, 55, pitcher who won over 90 games for the New York Giants
  • December 9 – Jeff Heath, 60, All-Star left fielder, mainly with the Cleveland Indians, who led the AL in triples twice and batted .300 three times; later a broadcaster
  • December 12 – Julie Wera, 75, a member of the 1927 World Champions NY Yankees
  • December 23 – Jim McGlothlin, 32, All-Star pitcher for the California Angels and Cincinnati Reds

References

  1. Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman, p.229, G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius. Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2010, ISBN 978-0-8027-1745-0
  2. "1975 Cleveland Indians Schedule". Baseball Almanac. Baseball-Almanac. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  3. Kates, Maxwell. "Frank Robinson". Society for American Baseball Research. SABR. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  4. "New York Mets 4, Philadelphia Phillies 3". Baseball-Reference.com. 1975-07-04.
  5. "Kansas City Royals 4, Minnesota Twins 3". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
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