1975 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1974 throughout the world.

Major League Baseball

 * World Series: Cincinnati Reds over Boston Red Sox (4-3); Pete Rose, MVP
 * American League Championship Series: Boston Red Sox (East) over Oakland Athletics (West) (3-0)
 * National League Championship Series: Cincinnati Reds (West) over Pittsburgh Pirates (East) (3-0)
 * All-Star Game, July 15 at County Stadium: National League, 6-3; Bill Madlock and Jon Matlack, MVPs

Other champions

 * Caribbean World Series: Vaqueros de Bayamón (Puerto Rico)
 * College World Series: Texas
 * Japan Series: Hankyu Braves over Hiroshima Toyo Carp (4-0-1)
 * Little League World Series: Lakewood, New Jersey

Awards and honors

 * Most Valuable Player
 * Fred Lynn (AL)
 * Joe Morgan (NL)
 * Cy Young Award
 * Jim Palmer (AL)
 * Tom Seaver (NL)
 * Rookie of the Year
 * Fred Lynn (AL)
 * John Montefusco (NL)

January-March

 * January 23 - Ralph Kiner is elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. He earns his HoF membership by a single vote.


 * February 3 - Billy Herman, Earl Averill and Bucky Harris are selected for the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.


 * February 10 - The Special Committee on the Negro Leagues picks Judy Johnson for the Hall of Fame.


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

April-June

 * 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 - 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.


 * May 25:
 * Dennis Eckersley, in his first major league start, hurls a three-hit shutout as the Cleveland Indians beat Oakland 6–0.
 * Mickey Lolich's 200th career victory is a rain-shortened, 4–1 win over the Chicago White Sox. His catcher is Bill Freehan, who also caught him in his first major league start on May 21, 1963.


 * May 30 - Willie McCovey pinch-hits a grand slam to lift the San Diego Padres over the 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 pitcher Catfish Hunter hurls the one-hit 6–0 victory.


 * June 1 - The Angels' Nolan Ryan pitches his fourth career no-hitter, winning 1–0 over the Orioles, to tie the record set by Sandy Koufax. Today's win is his 100th.


 * June 6 - Luis Tiant wins his 100th game with the Boston Red Sox, defeating Kansas City 1–0. Boston's other 100+ winners include Cy Young, Mel Parnell, Smokey Joe Wood, Joe Dobson and Lefty Grove. Carl Yastrzemski draws a walk in the game, his 1,452nd, tying him for 10th on the all-time list with Jimmie Foxx.


 * June 18 - Rookie Fred Lynn drives in 10 runs with three home runs, a triple and a single during a Boston 15–1 drubbing of the Detroit Tigers. Lynn's 16 total bases tie an American League record.

July-September

 * July 15 - At Milwaukee, the National League rallies for three runs in the ninth inning to win the All-Star Game over the American League, 6-3. Bill Madlock and the Mets' Jon Matlack share the MVP award.


 * July 17 - For the second consecutive White Sox game, Wilbur Wood is the starter, and he tosses his seconnd straight shutout, beating Detroit 5–0. The two starts were separated by the All-Star game.


 * July 21 - Félix Millán of the New York Mets has four straight singles but is wiped out each time when Joe Torre grounds into four straight double plays, tying a major league record. New York loses 6–2 to the Houston Astros.


 * 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.


 * 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.


 * September 1 - Mets ace Tom Seaver shuts out the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0, and reaches 200 strikeouts for a major league record eighth straight season.


 * September 2 - The San Francisco Giants' Johnny LeMaster sets a major league record by hitting an inside-the-park home run in his first at bat, during a 7-3 win over the Dodgers. Brian Downing, two years earlier, was the first major league player to hit his first homer inside-the-park, but not in his first at bat.


 * September 3 - On the final pitch of his Hall of Fame career, Cardinals great Bob Gibson gives up a grand slam to Pete LaCock. It will be LaCock's only bases-loaded homer of his career.


 * September 16 - Rennie Stennett ties Wilbert Robinson's major league record, set June 10, 1892, by going 7-for-7 in a nine-inning game. He collects two hits each in the first and fifth innings, and scores five of his club's runs in a 22-0 massacre of the Cubs, a major league record for the biggest score in a shutout game in the 20th century. John Candelaria pockets the easy win, while Rick Reuschel is the loser.


 * September 28 - For the first time in major league history, four pitchers share in a no-hitter, as the Oakland Athletics shut down the Angels 5–0. Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad and Rollie Fingers are the unique quartet.

October-December

 * October 22 - At Fenway Park, the Cincinnati Reds win Game Seven of the World Series over the Boston Red Sox, 4-3. Cincinnati has come from behind in all four of their victories. Pete Rose is named the World Series MVP.


 * December 4 - Ted Turner enters a tentative purchase agreement to buy the Atlanta Braves.


 * December 23 - Arbitrator Peter Seitz announces a landmark decision in favor of the Players' Association, making pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally free agents. Seitz is immediately fired by John Gaherin, chairman of the owners' Player Relations Committee. McNally, who retired on June 8, will not return to the majors, finishing with a 184-119 career record.

Deaths

 * January 5 - Don Wilson, 29, All-Star pitcher who won 104 games for the Houston Astros, including two no-hitters
 * 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
 * April 25 - Bruce Edwards, 51, All-Star catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs
 * May 10 - Harold Kaese, 66, sportswriter for the Boston Transcript and The Boston Globe from 1933 to 1973
 * May 22 - Lefty Grove, 75, Hall of Fame pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox who became the second lefthander 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 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
 * 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
 * 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 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, 12-time All-Star second baseman 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 23 - Jim McGlothlin, 32, All-Star pitcher for the California Angels and Cincinnati Reds