2016 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 2016 throughout the world.

Champions

Other champions

• International
  • International club team competitions
    • Caribbean Series : Venados de Mazatlán (Mexico)
  • Domestic leagues
    • Australian Baseball League: Brisbane Bandits
    • Cuban National Series: Ciego de Ávila
    • Dominican League: Leones del Escogido
    • Mexican Pacific League: Venados de Mazatlán
    • Puerto Rican League: Cangrejeros de Santurce
    • Venezuelan League: Tigres de Aragua

Major League Baseball Upcoming Events

• May 8: Mother's Day events, all host ballparks

• May 31: Roberto Clemente Day

• June 9–11: 2016 MLB Draft

• June 19: Father's Day events, all host ballparks

• July 12: The 87th All-Star Game will be played at Petco Park in San Diego, California

• July 24: Hall of Fame Induction Day

• August 1: MLB Trade Deadline

• September 1: Rosters Expand

• September 5: Labor Day

• October 2: Final Day of the Regular Season

• October 4: NL Wild Card Game

• October 5: AL Wild Card Game

• October 6: NLDS Begins

• October 7: ALDS Begins

• October 14: NLCS Begins

• October 15: ALCS Begins

• October 25: World Series Begins

^[1]

Minor League Baseball calendar

• June 17:
  • New York–Penn League season begins
  • Northwest League season begins
  • Pioneer League season begins
• June 18: Florida State League All-Star Game at Fort Myers, Florida
• June 20: Arizona Rookie League season begins
• June 21:
  • California League/Carolina League All-Star Game at Lake Elsinore, California
  • Midwest League All-Star Game at Cedar Rapids, Iowa
  • South Atlantic League All-Star Game at Lexington, Kentucky
  • Southern League All-Star Game at Pearl, Mississippi
• June 23: Appalachian League season begins
• June 24: Gulf Coast League season begins
• June 28: Texas League All-Star Game at Springfield, Missouri
• July 10: All-Star Futures Game will be held at Petco Park in San Diego, California
• July 13:
  • Eastern League All-Star Game at Akron, Ohio
  • International League/Pacific Coast League All-Star Game at Charlotte, North Carolina
• August 2: Northwest League/Pioneer League All-Star Game at Ogden, Utah
• August 16: New York–Penn League All-Star Game at Fishkill, New York
• September 20: International League/Pacific Coast League Triple-A Championship Game at Memphis, Tennessee

^[2]

Events

January

• January 6 - Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza are voted into the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. In his first year on the ballot, Griffey receives a record 99.3 percent of the vote, being named on all but three of the 440 ballots, to surpass the 98.84 percent Tom Seaver received in 1992. Piazza, in his fourth year on the ballot, receives 83.0 percent of the votes, up from the 69.9 percent he received in 2015. Besides, Griffey becomes the first player drafted #1 overall (1987) to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, while Piazza becomes the lowest draftee to be inducted, having been selected in the 62nd round, 1390th overall (1988).^[3] A player needs 75 percent to gain election. This time, the vote total dropped by 109 from last year, due to the new rules writers who have not been active for 10 years lost their votes. Falling shy of enshrinement was Jeff Bagwell (71.6%). The other players to be named on more than half the 440 ballots were Tim Raines (69.8%), Trevor Hoffman (67.3%) and Curt Schilling (52.3%).^[4]

February

• February 12 - Relief pitcher Jenrry Mejía of the New York Mets is permanently banned from Major League Baseball for a third failed drug test. Mejía had received an 80-game suspension in April, 2015 after testing positive for use of stanozolol. On July 28, three weeks after serving the suspension, he failed a test for stanozolol again as well as boldenone, and was suspended for 162 games. Mejía is allowed to apply for reinstatement after one year of the ban, but must be out of Major League Baseball for a minimum of two years if he is to be reinstated.^[5]

March

• March 15 - The United States Department of the Treasury announced that American employers would be allowed to hire Cuban citizens to work in the United States. This announcement theoretically means that Major League Baseball teams would be able to sign Cuban baseball players directly instead of requiring them to defect from Cuba and establish residence in another country before signing.^[6]

April

• April 5 - At Petco Park, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the San Diego Padres 15-0 in the most lopsided shutout on Opening Day. According to STATS, the previous record was the Pittsburgh Pirates' 14-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in 1911. The game also marks the managerial debut of the Dodgers' Dave Roberts (a former Dodger and Padre player, and a Padre coach for the previous five seasons) and the Padres' Andy Green, the first Opening Day meeting of two rookie managers since Florida's Fredi González and Washington's Manny Acta in 2007.^[7]

• April 8 - At Coors Field, rookie Trevor Story of the Colorado Rockies becomes the fifth player in Major League history to hit home runs in each of his team's first four games of a season. He hits two home runs, his fifth and sixth of the season, in the Rockies' 13-6 loss to the San Diego Padres, off starter Colin Rea in the fourth inning and reliever Ryan Buchter in the ninth. Story, who had already made history by becoming the first player to hit two home runs in his Major League debut in an Opening Day game, and hit three in each of his first three Major League games, joins Willie Mays (1971), Mark McGwire (1998), Nelson Cruz (2011) and Chris Davis (2013) as players who have homered in each of their team's first four games of a season. He also breaks the record of five home runs in his team's first four games, held jointly by Lou Brock in 1967 and Barry Bonds in 2002.^[8]

• April 21 - At Great American Ball Park, Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs no-hits the Cincinnati Reds 16-0. He walks four and strikes out six and is backed by five home runs: two by Kris Bryant, including a grand slam, and one each by Ben Zobrist, Anthony Rizzo and Arrieta's catcher, David Ross. Arrieta, who no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 30, 2015, joins Ken Holtzman as the only Cubs pitchers to throw multiple no-hitters in modern history. The Arrieta no-hitter is also the first against the Reds in regular season play since the Philadelphia Phillies' Rick Wise on June 23, 1971, though Roy Halladay had no-hit them during the 2010 National League Division Series. It also sets a modern-day record for most lopsided score in a no-hitter, topping the 15-0 score in Frank Smith's no-hitter on September 6, 1905. Previously, Pud Galvin had pitched an 18-0 no-hitter on August 4, 1884.^[9]

• April 29 - At Chase Field, Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story hit his 10th home run of the season, tying the Major League Baseball rookie record for most home runs in the month of April, set by Chicago White Sox slugger José Abreu in 2014. Story belted a two-run shot off pitcher Robbie Ray in the fifth inning, helping the Rockies cruise to a 9–0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. In hitting his 10th home run in 21 games, Story tied Boston Red Sox first baseman George Scott in 1966 as the fastest player in major league history to reach that home run total.^[10]

Deaths

January

• January 6 – Jay Ritchie, 80, durable long reliever for the Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds in a span of five seasons from 1964 to 1968, who over a stretch of six appearances in May 1967 for the Reds, tossed 11⅔ hitless innings, including retiring 28 consecutive batters.
• January 9 – Lance Rautzhan, 63, left-handed reliever for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1977 to 1979, who was the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the 1977 NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies, after the Dodgers came back from a two-out, 5-3 deficit in the top of the 9th inning thanks to key pinch hits by Vic Davalillo and Manny Mota, and later faced the New York Yankees in the 1977 and 1978 World Series.
• January 10 – Alton Brown, 90, pitcher for the 1951 Washington Senators, who never played organized baseball at any level until he was with an Army team during World War II.
• January 11 – Monte Irvin, 96, Hall of Fame left fielder who played a significant role in the integration of MLB while mentoring many of the African-American players who were breaking into the big leagues in the 1950s, whose playing career spanned almost 18 seasons, from his debut in the Negro Leagues with the Newark Eagles in 1938 to seven seasons with the New York Giants from 1949 to 1955 and one with the Chicago Cubs in 1956, leading the Giants to the 1951 National League pennant, after hitting .312 with 24 home runs and a league-best 121 RBI, en route to a third-place finish in the MVP voting behind Roy Campanella and Stan Musial.
• January 13 – Luis 'Tite' Arroyo, 88, a two-time All-Star relief pitcher who was the first Puerto Rican-born player to appear for the New York Yankees, joining them in 1960 to become a key part of their American League pennant-winning staff that year, while posting a 15-5 record with a 2.19 ERA in 119 relief innings in 1961, en route to the World Series championship.
• January 19 – Frank Sullivan, 85, two-time All-Star pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins from 1953 to 1963, and also topped the American League with 18 wins and 260 innings in 1955.
• January 23 – Marie Mahoney, 91, outfielder who played from 1947 to 1948 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, as well as the only Houston-born ballplayer to perform in the league during its twelve years of existence.
• January 23 – Walt Williams, 72, corner outfielder and solid hitter best known for his hustle during his six seasons with the Chicago White Sox from 1967 to 1972, while hitting .304 in 1969 for the sixth-best average in the American League.
• January 24 – Clyde Mashore, 70, outfielder who played from 1969 through 1973 for the Cincinnati Reds and Montreal Expos.
• January 25 – Ron Stillwell, 76, middle-infielder for the Washington Senators in the 1961 and 1962 seasons, who also coached at Thousand Oaks, Cal Lutheran and Moorpark College, and was co-captain of USC's national championship baseball team in 1961.
• January 27 – Barbara Berger, 85, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League catcher.
• January 30 – Betty Francis, 84, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League slugging outfielder who played with four teams in a span of six seasons from 1949–1954.

February

• February   6 – James Moore, 99, Negro League first baseman and member of three All-Star teams.

• February 15 – Virgil Jester, 88, pitcher who beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in the last game of the 1952 Boston Braves season and remained with the team after it moved to Milwaukee the next year.

• February 16 – Alcibíades Colón, 96, Dominican Republic right fielder and member of the 1950 national team, who in 1955 made history as the first player to connect a hit and score a run in the Estadio Quisqueya of Santo Domingo.

• February 17 – Brock Pemberton, 62, first baseman who played from 1974 to 1975 for the New York Mets.

• February 17 – Tony Phillips, 56, valuable utility man who spent 18 seasons in the majors from 1982–1999, mostly with the Oakland Athletics, playing also for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Anaheim Angels, New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays, while winning a 1989 World Series ring with the Athletics.

• February 18 – Jim Davenport, 82, two-time All-Star infielder who played his entire career with the San Francisco Giants from 1958 through 1970, leading the National League third basemen in fielding percentage in 1960 and 1961, while winning a Gold Glove in 1962.

• February 20 – Kevin Collins, 69, third baseman for the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, and Detroit Tigers in a span of six seasons from 1965–1971, and a member of the 1969 Miracle Mets.

• February 23 – Jacqueline Mattson, 87, catcher who played from 1950 to 1951 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

• February 24 – Eddie Einhorn, 80, baseball executive, minority owner and Vice Chairman of the Chicago White Sox.

• February 27 – Bob Spicer, 90, relief pitcher for the Kansas City Athletics in in the 1955 and 1956 seasons.

March

• March   7 – Steve Kraly, 86, starting pitcher for the 1953 New York Yankees World Series champions, who later became a fixture in the press box as the official scorer for Binghamton Mets games, since the franchise’s inaugural season in 1992 until 2015.

• March 12 – Annastasia Batikis, 88, center fielder who played for the Racine Belles of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the 1945 season.

• March 12 – Bill Whitby, 72, pitcher for the 1964 Minnesota Twins.

• March 13 – Trent Baker, 25, Australian pitcher for the Brisbane Bandits, who also spent time in the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves Minor League systems.

• March 14 – June Peppas, 86, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League pitcher, a two-time All-Star who hurled and won the decisive game of the 1954 AAGPBL Championship Series for the Kalamazoo Lassies, during what turned out to be the final game in the league's history.

• March 15 – Alice Pollitt, 86, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League infielder, who was a member of three championship clubs and two All-Star teams.

• March 18 – Fred Richards, 88, first baseman for the 1951 Chicago Cubs.

• March 23 – Joe Garagiola, Sr., 90, catcher for four teams in a span of nine seasons from 1946 to 1954, who later became a broadcaster, most prominently for NBC. Winner of the Ford C. Frick Award in 1991.

• March 31 – Orlando Álvarez, 64, Puerto Rican backup outfielder who played from 1973 to 1976 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and California Angels.

• March 31 – Tom Butters, 77, relief pitcher who played from 1962 through 1965 for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

April

• April   1 – Marjorie Peters, 97, one of the sixty original players to join the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for its inaugural season in 1943, who also earned the distinction of having pitched in the first game ever played in the league.

• April   4 – Mike Sandlock, 100, catcher for the Boston Braves, Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates in part of five seasons spanning 1942–1953 who, at the time of his death, was the oldest living former major league ballplayer.

• April 12 – Paul Carey, 88, radio announcer who teamed with Ernie Harwell to call Detroit Tigers games from 1972 to 1991.

• April 12 – Spec Richardson, 93, who served as general manager for the Houston Astros from 1967 through 1975 and for the San Francisco Giants from 1976 to 1980, being named MLB executive of the year while with the Giants in 1978.

• April 19 – Milt Pappas, 76, two-time All-Star pitcher in 17 Major League seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs, who came within one pitch of a perfect game on September 2, 1972 against the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field, giving a walk to Larry Stahl in a 3-2 count with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, before retiring the next batter to complete the no-hitter.

• April 20 – Harry Perkowski, 93, Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs pitcher and World War II veteran, who hurled a 12-inning, three-hit shutout against the New York Giants at Crosley Field in 1953, led the National League in fielding average as a pitcher in 1951 and 1953, and was also noted as a good-hitting pitcher.

• April 28 – Joe Durham, 84, speedy outfielder for the Chicago American Giants Negro League club, who in 1954 became the first African-American player to hit a home run in Baltimore Orioles history, and later spent over 40 years in the Orioles organization working as the team's batting practice pitcher, as well as serving as a front office executive as community coordinator for baseball operations.

May

• May 2 – Gordie Sundin, 78, relief pitcher for the 1956 Baltimore Orioles.

Sources

1. Important Dates – Upcoming events on the Major League Baseball Calendar. MLB.com. Retrieved on November 12, 2015.
2. Minor League Baseball important dates. MiLB.com. Retrieved on March 7, 2016.
3. Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mike Piazza elected-to Baseball Hall of Fame. Sports Yahoo. Retrieved on January 7, 2016.
4. 2016 National Baseball Hall of Fame balloting. BBWAA Official Website. Retrieved on January 7, 2016.
5. Mets' Mejia handed permanent suspension. MLB.com. Retrieved on February 12, 2016.
6. Strauss, Ben (March 15, 2016). "New Work Rules Reshape M.L.B.’s Relationship With Cuban Prospects". New York Times. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
7. "Kershaw brilliant as Dodgers embarrass Padres, 15-0". Yahoo Sports. 5 April 2016.
8. "Rockies rookie Story hits 2 more HRs in 13-6 loss to Padres". Yahoo Sports. 9 April 2016.
9. Arrieta throws 2nd career no-hitter as Cubs beat Reds 16-0. Yahoo Sports. 21 April 2016.
10. Story time: Rookie ties record with 10 April HRs. MLB.com. Retrieved on April 30, 2016.

External links

• Major League Baseball official website
• Minor League Baseball official website
• Baseball Almanac – Major League Baseball Players Who Died in 2016