1999 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1999 throughout the world.

Champions

Major League Baseball

• World Series: New York Yankees over Atlanta Braves (4-0); Mariano Rivera, MVP

• American League Championship Series MVP: Orlando Hernández
  • American League Division Series:
• National League Championship Series MVP: Eddie Pérez
  • National League Division Series
• All-Star Game, July 13 at Fenway Park: American League, 4-1; Pedro Martínez, MVP

Other champions

• Caribbean World Series: Tigres del Licey (Dominican Republic)
• College World Series: Miami (Florida)
• Cuban National Series: Santiago de Cuba over Industriales
• European Championship: Netherlands over Italy (3-0)
• Japan Series: Fukuoka Daiei Hawks over Chunichi Dragons (4-1)
• Korean Series: Hanwha Eagles over Lotte Giants (4-1)
• Little League World Series: Hirakata, Osaka, Japan
• Pan American Games: Cuba over USA (5-1)

Awards and honors

• Most Valuable Player
  • Iván Rodríguez (AL) Texas Rangers
  • Chipper Jones (NL) Atlanta Braves
• Cy Young Award
  • Pedro Martínez (AL) Boston Red Sox
  • Randy Johnson (NL) Arizona Diamondbacks
• Rookie of the Year Award
  • Carlos Beltrán (AL) Kansas City Royals
  • Scott Williamson (NL) Cincinnati Reds
• Manager of the Year Award
  • Jimy Williams (AL) Boston Red Sox
  • Jack McKeon (NL) Cincinnati Reds
• Woman Executive of the Year (major or minor league): Judy Ellis, Missoula Osprey, Pioneer League

MLB statistical leaders

¹American League Triple Crown Pitching Winner

Major League Baseball final standings

• The asterisk denotes the club that won the wild card for its respective league. The New York Mets defeated the Cincinnati Reds 5-0 in a one-game playoff to determine the NL wild card.

Events

January–February

• January 5 – Nolan Ryan, George Brett and Robin Yount are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. It is the first time since 1936 that three players are elected simultaneously on their first try. Carlton Fisk finishes 4th in the voting, missing election by 43 votes.
• February 5 – MLB honors each league's best hitter with an award named after Hank Aaron. The all-time home run king learns about the honor on his 65th birthday at an event which includes US President Bill Clinton and Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Reggie Jackson.
• February 15 – The Cincinnati Reds announce that they are dropping their long-standing policy of no facial hair for players. The change is the result of a talk between Reds owner Marge Schott and newly acquired outfielder Greg Vaughn.
• February 18 – The U.S. Postal Service issues a Jackie Robinson stamp as part of their "Celebrate the Century" program. Robinson is selected to represent the 1940s, and is the second baseball player chosen. Babe Ruth, chosen in May 1998, represents the 1920s.
• February 18 – The Yankees end the trade rumors by acquiring Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for pitchers David Wells and Graeme Lloyd, and infielder Homer Bush.
• February 21 – Florida Marlins rookie third baseman Mike Lowell, acquired from the New York Yankees on February 1, undergoes surgery for testicular cancer after a small mass is found during a routine exam.

March–April

• March 2 – Orlando Cepeda, Frank Selee, Smokey Joe Williams and Nestor Chylak are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.
• March 7 – In a historic agreement, it is announced that the Baltimore Orioles travel to Cuba for a March 28 exhibition game against the Cuban national team in Havana. The Cuban team travels to the US for a return contest at a future date. It is the first time in 40 years that Americans play a professional game in Cuba.
• March 10 – Yankees manager Joe Torre is diagnosed with prostate cancer. While he is undergoing treatment, the team is run by coach Don Zimmer.
• March 28 – The Orioles make the first visit to Cuba by major leaguers since 1959, and defeat a team of Cuban amateurs by a score of 3–2 in 11 innings. Pitcher José Contreras hurls eight innings of 2–hit, 10–K ball in relief for the Cubans, while catcher Charles Johnson hits a two–run home run, and DH Harold Baines drives in the winning run for the Orioles. The two teams play a rematch at Camden Yards in Baltimore on May 3.
• April 4 – In the first season opener ever played outside of the United States or Canada, the Colorado Rockies defeat the San Diego Padres, 8–2, before an overflow crowd of 27,104 in Monterrey, Mexico. Outfielder Dante Bichette has four hits, including a home run, and four RBI for the winners. Local hero Vinny Castilla also has four hits for the Rockies, while Darryl Kile picks up the victory.
• April 11 – The Tampa Bay Devil Rays defeat the Boston Red Sox‚ 5–4‚ as pitcher Scott Aldred picks up the win in relief. The victory ends Aldred's major league record streak of 50 appearances without a win‚ loss or save.
• April 19 – The Baltimore Orioles' Cal Ripken, Jr. is placed on the disabled list for the first time in his 19–year career because of irritation in his lower back. Ripken's record consecutive game streak ends in September 1998 at 2,632.
• April 20 – Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott agrees to sell her controlling interest in the Reds to a group headed by Carl H. Lindner, ending her 14–year tenure. The group pays a total of $67 million.
• April 20 – The Nolan Ryan Museum opens in Alvin, Texas.
• April 23 – The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 12–5, as third baseman Fernando Tatís sets a major league record by hitting two grand slams in a single inning. His two homers come in St. Louis' 11–run third inning. Tatís, with eight runs batted in, shattered the mark for an inning set 109 years before by Ed Cartwright, who drove seven runs in an inning while playing for the 1890 St. Louis Browns. After that, the modern-day six RBI mark for an inning was shared by Fred Merkle (NY Giants, 1911), Indian Bob Johnson (Philadelphia A's, 1937) and Jim Ray Hart (SF Giants, 1970). Besides, Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park becomes the first 20th century pitcher – and only the second ever – to surrender two grand slams in a single frame. The first is Bill Phillips of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who does so in 1890. Park is the 36th major-leaguer to serve up two grand slams to the same player in his career.
• April 23 – The Milwaukee Brewers sink the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9–1, as pitcher Steve Woodard hurls the complete game victory. The win ends Milwaukee's NL record streak of 113 games without a complete game.
• April 28 – Larry Walker hits three home runs helping the Colorado Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 9–7.

May–June

• May 3

In a 12-11, 10-inning loss to the Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox rookie Creighton Gubanich becomes only the fourth player to hit a grand slam for his first major league hit.

The Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the San Francisco Giants, 9–8. In a losing effort, Jeff Kent collects five hits for the Giants while hitting for the cycle. Kent is just the second player to do so in Three Rivers Stadium, joining Joe Torre, who did it on June 27, 1973.

• May 9

The New York Yankees defeat the Seattle Mariners 6–1. Reliever Mike Stanton makes his first major league start for the Yankees, ending his major league record streak of 552 consecutive relief appearances prior to his first start. The previous record of 443 is set by San Francisco Giants pitcher Gary Lavelle.

Florida St. junior second baseman Marshall McDougall goes 7-for-7, with an NCAA-record six consecutive home runs and 16 runs batted in, as the Seminoles defeat Maryland 26-2. McDougall opens the game with a single. His mark breaks the home run record set by Henry Rochelle of Campbell, who hit five homers in a game in 1985. The RBI mark was previously held by Jim LaFountain of Louisville, who scored 14 runs batted in against Western Kentucky in 1976.

• May 10 – The Boston Red Sox defeat the Seattle Mariners, 12-4, as shortstop Nomar Garciaparra leads the way with three home runs, including two grand slams. Garciaparra drives home 10 of Boston's runs as he slugs a bases-loaded grand slam in the 1st inning, a two-run shot in the 3rd, and another grand slam in the 8th. Garciaparra is the first Red Sox since Jim Tabor in 1939 to hit two slams in a game, and just the ninth in major league history. Fernando Tatís is the last player to do it, almost a month earlier. Before that, Robin Ventura hit two in 1995.
• May 12

Pedro Martínez strikes out 15 batters for the second consecutive game in a Boston Red Sox 9–2 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

The Anaheim Angels shut out the New York Yankees, 1–0, behind the combined three-hit pitching of Chuck Finley and Troy Percival. Finley strikes out 11 Yankees in his eight innings of work, including four in the third inning. He is the 33rd pitcher in major league history to strike out four batters in a single frame.

• May 17 – At The Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the Texas Rangers, 13-3, as Rays' first baseman Fred McGriff extends his major league record by hitting a home run in his 35th big league stadium.
• May 19 – In a record-setting outing, the Cincinnati Reds beat the Colorado Rockies, 24–12, stroking 28 hits in the process. Seven players in the Reds lineup get three or more hits apiece and the 36 runs scored sets a Coors Field record. Cincinnati's Jeffrey Hammonds hits three home runs, while Sean Casey hits a pair of three-run homers to drive in six runs and reaches base in all seven plate appearances, tying a 20th-century record. In addition, teammate Mike Cameron ties a major league mark with eight plate appearances in a nine-inning game. The 36 runs scored in the contest represents the third-highest total in the major leagues since the turn of the 20th century, while the 81 total bases set a new major league standard. With 28 hits, the Reds tie a mark originally set on May 13, 1902, while tying the National League record with seven players with three or more hits matching the 1928 Pittsburgh Pirates (June 12) and the 1989 Cincinnati Reds (August 3). The Rockies are also the first team to score 12 or more runs in a game and lose by the same difference in the same game since the New York Giants beat the Reds, 25–13, in 1901. Colorado's Larry Walker extends his hitting streak to 20 games and raises his average to .431.
• May 20 – The New York Mets sweep the Milwaukee Brewers in a doubleheader, winning the first game 11–10, and the second 10–1. Robin Ventura hits a grand slam in each contest, becoming the first player in major league history to do so in both ends of a doubleheader. Ventura also becomes the first player to hit a pair of grand slams on the same day on two separate occasions.
• June 9 – New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine is ejected in the 12th inning of a 14 inning marathon with the Toronto Blue Jays when Mike Piazza gets called for catcher's interference on Craig Grebeck. An inning later, Valentine returns to the dugout in a disguise. Unamused, Major League Baseball fines Valentine $10,000 and suspends him three games. The Mets go on to win the game 4-3.
• June 25 -The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks,1–0, as rookie pitcher José Jiménez hurls the first no-hitter of the season. The Cardinals score the lone run on a broken bat single with two outs in the ninth inning. Jiménez posts eight strikeouts in the contest, while losing pitcher Randy Johnson strikes out 14, including the 2500th of his career. Jiménez walks two and hits a batter in becoming the first rookie to toss a no-hitter since Wilson Álvarez in 1991.
• June 25 – Jesse Orosco of the Baltimore Orioles makes his 1,051st relief appearance to break Kent Tekulve's major league record.
• June 26 – Sammy Sosa hits his 300th career home run.
• June 27 – The Seattle Mariners defeat the Texas Rangers, 5–2, in the final game played at the Kingdome. Ken Griffey, Jr. hits the final home run in the stadium's history.
• June 28 – Hack Wilson ups his runs batted in total for the 1930 season to 191. 69 years after the event, an RBI is added by the commissioner's office, which also gives Babe Ruth six additional walks, raising his career-record total to 2,062. "There is no doubt that Hack Wilson's RBI total should be 191", commissioner Bud Selig says. "I am sensitive to the historical significance that accompanies the correction of such a prestigious record, especially after so many years have passed, but it is important to get it right." The missing RBI comes from the second game of a doubleheader between Wilson's Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds on July 28, 1930, where Charlie Grimm is credited with two RBI in the game and Wilson with none. Ted Williams ranks second in walks behind Ruth, trailing by 43, while Rickey Henderson is third, 134 behind Ruth.

July–August

• July 5 – The Cardinals defeat the Diamondbacks 1-0, as José Jiménez hurls a two-hitter to defeat Randy Johnson. Jiménez no-hit the Diamondbacks in his last appearance against them (June 25). Johnson loses his 3rd game in a row, during which Arizona does not score a run and only make three hits. He strikes out 12 Cardinals to tie Dwight Gooden's NL mark of 43 strikeouts over three starts. He also reaches 200 strikeouts for the year and ends St. Louis rookie Joe McEwing's 25-game hitting streak, the 5th-longest ever for a rookie.
• July 6 – The White Sox lose to the Royals 8-7. Chicago outfielder Chris Singleton hits for the cycle, becoming the first rookie to do so since Oddibe McDowell in 1985 and just the 16th since 1900.
• July 9 – The uniform Lou Gehrig wore when he made his famous "luckiest man on earth" speech on July 4, 1939 is sold for $451,541 at auction. Leland's spokesman Marty Appel says the flannel pinstripe uniform worn by the Hall of Fame first baseman is purchased by a South Florida man who does not want his name to be made public. The winning bid is made over the phone. The previous day, Carlton Fisk's home run ball that won Game Six of the 1975 World Series for the Boston Red Sox is sold for $113,273.
• July 13 – The Major League Baseball All-Century Team is announced prior to the All-Star game. Many members of the team, including Bob Gibson, Mike Schmidt, Willie Mays, Brooks Robinson, and Ted Williams, are on the field for the festivities.
• July 13 – The American League defeats the National League 4-1, to win the All-Star Game at Fenway Park in Boston. Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martínez is named the game's MVP as he strikes out the first four hitters to bat against him, and five of the six he faces in his two innings of work. The game begins 15 minutes late as Hall of Fame outfielder Ted Williams rides out in a cart for the first-pitch ceremony. Players from both teams surround the former Red Sox star in a spontaneous display of homage.
• July 15 – In the Seattle Mariners' first-ever game at Safeco Field, the San Diego Padres defeat the Mariners 3-2, scoring two runs in the top of the ninth to win. Safeco Field is the first MLB stadium to open with an inter-league game.
• July 18 – David Cone pitches a perfect game for the New York Yankees in a 6-0 win over the Montreal Expos. Don Larsen delivered the game's ceremonial first pitch in celebration of Yogi Berra Day at Yankee Stadium.
• July 25 – George Brett, Robin Yount, Nolan Ryan and Orlando Cepeda are inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
• August 5 – The San Diego Padres defeat the Cardinals 10-3, despite a pair of home runs by Mark McGwire, including the 500th of his career. McGwire becomes the first player in history to hit his 400th and 500th homers in successive seasons.
• August 6 – San Diego's Tony Gwynn records his 3000th career hit, becoming the 22nd player to do so. Dan Smith of the Montréal Expos gives up the historic hit as Gwynn goes 4-for-5 in a 12-10 San Diego victory.
• August 6 – Carlos Delgado hits 3 home runs, helping the Toronto Blue Jays beat Texas Rangers 5-4.
• August 7 – Just one day after Tony Gwynn reaches the historic milestone, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' Wade Boggs also gets the 3000th hit of his career in Tampa Bay's 15–10 loss to Cleveland. He becomes the first player in history to hit a home run for his 3,000th hit.
• August 9 – A total of five grand slams are hit on the day, marking the first time it happens in 129 years of major league baseball. The bases-loaded pokes are hit by Fernando Tatís (St. Louis, against Philadelphia), José Vidro (Montreal, against San Diego), Mike Lowell (Florida, against San Francisco), Bernie Williams (Yankees, against Oakland) and Jay Buhner (Seattle, against the White Sox).
• August 15 – In the first inning of a 10-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium, Chuck Finley of the Anaheim Angels becomes the first pitcher to strike out four batters in one inning more than once. After Kimera Bartee leads off with a single, Finley strikes out Deivi Cruz; a wild pitch allows Bartee to advance to second base. Juan Encarnación and Dean Palmer fan next, the latter reaching base on Finley's second wild pitch, and finally, Finley strikes out Tony Clark to end the inning. Finley strikes out four batters in the third inning of a 1-0 victory over the New York Yankees on May 12 of this season; against the Texas Rangers on April 16, 2000, he records a third four-strikeout inning (the 3rd inning) while with the Cleveland Indians.
• August 17 – Sic transit Gloria mundi ("Thus passes the glory of the world"). St. Louis sends José Jiménez down to AAA Memphis less than two months after his no-hitter against Arizona. He joins Bobo Holloman as the only pitcher to go to the minors in the same year he pitched a no-hitter.
• August 26 – Randy Johnson reaches 300 strikeouts in record time, notching nine in seven innings to help the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Florida Marlins 12–2.
• August 30 – The Mets roll over the Astros 17–1, as Edgardo Alfonzo goes 6-for-6, a club record, with a double, three home runs, five RBI and six runs scored. The six runs scored ties the modern major league mark. Alfonzo is only the fifth player ever to hit three home runs while going 6-for-6.
• August 30 – Former player Billy Bean comes out of the closet and announces his homosexuality. He is the first living player to publicly acknowledge that he is gay.

September–October

• September 2 – Cal Ripken hits 400th career home run helping the Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 11-6.
• September 3 – Terry Collins resigns as manager of the Anaheim Angels. He is replaced by bench coach Joe Maddon.
• September 4 – In a 22-3 blowout over the Philadelphia Phillies, the Cincinnati Reds tie an NL record by hitting nine home runs in the contest: two by Eddie Taubensee, and one apiece by Aaron Boone, Dmitri Young, Jeffrey Hammonds, Greg Vaughn, Pokey Reese, Brian Johnson and Mark Lewis.
• September 7 – Two native Canadian pitchers oppose each other as starters for the first time in 26 years. Florida Marlins pitcher Ryan Dempster, from British Columbia, faces off against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Éric Gagné, from Quebec. The two go together while competing on Canada's national baseball team. The battle is a draw with neither pitcher getting the decision, but the Marlins win 2–1.
• September 9 – In a game between the Expos and the Padres, umpires nearly allow 4 outs to be recorded in the 7th inning. Reggie Sanders of the Padres strikes out for the third out, but the umpires, the fans, and the Expos allow the Padres' Phil Nevin to come up to the plate and pitcher Ted Lilly to reach a 2-1 count before someone alerts home plate umpire Jerry Layne to the mistake. (Padres win 10-3)
• September 10 – The Red Sox trip the Yankees 3-1, as Pedro Martínez hurls an impressive one-hitter for his 21st victory of the year. Martinez strikes out 17 batters, the most Yankees ever fanned in a single game. Chili Davis' 2nd-inning home run is NY's only safety. Chuck Knoblauch, hit by pitch leading off the game, gives the Yankees their only other baserunner; he is caught stealing, so Martínez faces just one over the minimum.
• September 11 – The Twins defeat the Angels 7-0, as left-handed Eric Milton hurls the third no-hitter of the season.
• September 14 – Kansas City loses a doubleheader to the Angels, 8-6 in the opener and 6-5 in the nightcap. In the second game, KC outfielder Mark Quinn makes a memorable major league debut. After making out in his first at bat, Quinn doubles in his next trip to the plate, then hits home runs in his last two times up. He becomes just the third player in history to hit two home runs in his first big league game. Bob Nieman (1951) and Bert Campaneris (1964) are the only others to accomplish the feat.
• September 14 – Bernie Williams hits an eighth-inning grand slam off Toronto Blue Jay pitcher Billy Koch to tie the game and Paul O'Neill hits a ninth-inning slam off Paul Spoljaric to give the New York Yankees a 10-6 win over The Blue Jays.
• September 18 – The Brewers beat the Cubs, 7-4, as Sammy Sosa hits his 60th home run of the year. He becomes the first major leaguer to hit 60 homers twice.
• September 18 – Jim Morris of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays is called in to pitch relief against the Texas Rangers at The Ballpark in Arlington, striking out Royce Clayton. Just months earlier, Morris was a high school science teacher and baseball coach. His autobiography is the basis for the 2002 film The Rookie starring Dennis Quaid as Morris.
• September 21 – The Red Sox defeat the Blue Jays, 3-0, as Pedro Martínez fans 12 for his 22nd win. He joins Randy Johnson as the only pitchers to strike out at least 300 in both leagues, and breaks Roger Clemens' club mark of 291 strikeouts.
• September 26 – The Cardinals lose to the Reds 7-5, despite Mark McGwire's 60th home run of the season. McGwire joins Sammy Sosa as the only players in history to reach the 60 homer mark twice.
• September 27 – The Tigers defeat the Royals 8-2 in the final game ever played at Tiger Stadium.
• September 30 – The Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the San Francisco Giants 9-4, in the final game ever played at Candlestick Park.
• October 2 – In a 3–2 Yankees victory over Tampa Bay, Bernie Williams draws his 100th walk of the season. He is the second player (after John Olerud in 1993) since Stan Musial (1949 and 1953) to reach 200 hits, 100 runs, 100 RBI and 100 walks in a season. Williams finishes with 202, 116, 115 and 100, respectively.
• October 3 – The Cardinals defeat the Cubs, 9-5, as both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa homer in their last game of the season. McGwire takes Steve Trachsel deep in the first inning and finishes with 65 home runs, with Sosa next in line with 63, homering in the third. McGwire's home run is his 522nd, moving him past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 10th place on the all-time list. He ends the season with 147 runs batted in on 145 hits, the only player in major league history (with 100 hits in a season) to have more RBI than hits. Jay Buhner, in 1995, comes closest with 121 RBI and 123 hits.
• October 3 – At the Astrodome, Jeff Bagwell of the Houston Astros becomes a two-time member of the 30–30 club. In the fifth inning of the Astros' 9-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bagwell, who has 42 home runs at this point, leads off with a base on balls, then steals second base for his 30th steal of the season. The only full-time first baseman to join the 30–30 club, Bagwell had also accomplished this feat in 1997.
• October 4 – The New York Mets defeat the Cincinnati Reds 5-0 in a one-game playoff to win the National League wild card berth. As is the custom with Major League Baseball tie-breaking playoff games, the tie-breaking game is included in the clubs' season won-loss record. Consequently, the Mets will finish the regular season with a 97-66 record and the Reds with a 96-67 record, one game more than the traditional 162-game regular-season schedule.
• October 10 – The Houston Astros play their last game at the historic Houston Astrodome as they prepare to move into Enron Field, located in downtown Houston, for the 2000 season.
• October 17 – In the top of the 15th inning of the National League Championship Series' Game 5, the Atlanta Braves take a 3-2 lead over the New York Mets. The Mets later come back to tie the game at three. Robin Ventura hits a grand slam home run to win the game, but the hit is credited as a single after the on-field celebration prevented Ventura from advancing past first.
• October 27 – The New York Yankees defeat the Atlanta Braves, 4-1, to win their 25th World Series. Roger Clemens gets the win, hurling 4-hit ball before leaving the game in the 8th inning. Mariano Rivera gets the save, his second of the Series. Jim Leyritz hits a solo home run in the 8th inning to finish the NY scoring. Rivera wins the Series MVP award.

November–December

• November 1 – The Cubs hire Atlanta Braves coach Don Baylor as their new manager.
• November 1 – The Indians hire hitting coach Charlie Manuel as their new manager.
• November 17 – The Angels hire Mike Scioscia as their new manager.
• November 26 – Arbitrator Alan Symonette rejects the owners' attempt to dismiss the umpires' grievance, giving the 22 booted umps a chance to get their jobs back. Symonette will hear the grievance beginning December 13.
• November 30 – Members of the umpires association vote 57-35 to form a new union, with one vote voided because a member signs his ballot. The NLRB certifies the election results in seven days, if there are no objections. But, Jerry Crawford, the president of the old union, says objections are likely to be filed.
• December 5 – Major League Baseball and ESPN agree to settle their lawsuit by signing a new 6-year, $800 million deal. The suit involves ESPN's decision to give National Football League games priority over late-season Sunday night baseball games on its main channel.

Movies

• For Love of the Game

Deaths

January–April

• January 11 – Jim Dyck, 76, left fielder/third baseman for the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds between 1951 and 1956
• January 28 – Larry Loughlin, 57, pitcher for the 1967 Philadelphia Phillies
• January 31 – Norm Zauchin, 69, first baseman for the Red Sox and Senators who had 93 RBI as a 1955 rookie
• February 3 – Leo Schrall, 91, player/manager in Minor leagues and a famed head coach at Bradley University
• February 12 – Jimmy Dudley, 89, broadcaster for the Indians from 1948 to 1967
• February 21 – Vinegar Bend Mizell, 68, All-Star pitcher who won 90 games for the Cardinals and Pirates; later a Congressman
• February 24 – Johnnie Wittig, 84, pitcher who played from 1938 to 1949 for the New York Giants and Boston Red Sox
• March 8 – Joe DiMaggio, 84, Hall of Fame center fielder for the New York Yankees who batted .325 lifetime, won three MVP awards (1939, 1941, 1947) and had record 56-game hitting streak in 1941; 13-time All-Star, on nine World Series champions, had seven years of 30 home runs and nine with 100 RBI, led AL in batting, slugging, home runs and RBI twice each, runs and triples once each; 361 HRs were 5th-most upon retirement, .579 slugging average ranked 6th all-time
• March 8 – William Wrigley, 66, owner of the Cubs from 1977 to 1981 who sold the team to the Tribune Company, ending 60 years of family operation
• March 24 – Birdie Tebbetts, 86, All-Star catcher for the Tigers and Red Sox noted for his outspokenness; managed three teams and was AP Manager of the Year with 1956 Reds; scout for 28 years
• March 25 – Cal Ripken, Sr., 63, longtime coach and manager in the Orioles' system, and father of star shortstop/third baseman Cal, Jr.
• April 4 – Early Wynn, 79, Hall of Fame pitcher for Senators, Indians and White Sox who won 300 games, top mark for AL in his generation; 1959 Cy Young season was among five 20-win campaigns; led AL in innings three times, strikeouts twice and ERA once
• April 9 – Jerold Hoffberger, 80, chairman and principal owner of the Baltimore Orioles from 1965 to 1979. The team won 4 AL pennants and 2 World Series during his tenure, plus a fifth pennant just after he sold control to Edward Bennett Williams
• April 26 – Faye Throneberry, 67, outfielder for the Red Sox and Senators who was 5th in the AL in steals as a rookie

May–August

• May 3 – Joe Adcock, 71, All-Star first baseman, mainly for the Milwaukee Braves, who twice hit 35 home runs; had four home runs and a double in a 1954 game, and ruined Harvey Haddix' epic 1959 no-hit bid with a 13th-inning homer
• June 3 – Charlene Pryer, 77, AAGPBL All-Star infielder who set several records in a seven-season career and also served during World War II
• June 6 – Eddie Stanky, 82, All-Star second baseman for five NL teams who led league in walks three times and runs once; managed Cardinals and White Sox
• June 26 – Tim Layana, 35, former Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants pitcher and member of 1990 World Series Champion Reds team
• July 8 – José Antonio Casanova, 80, the most successful manager in Venezuelan baseball history, who won five Venezuelan league titles and led his teams to several international titles in a career that spanned more than three decades
• July 13 – Irene Ruhnke, 79, AAGPBL infielder/outfielder 1943 through 1947
• August 8 – Harry Walker, 80, "Harry the Hat", All-Star center fielder for the Cardinals and Phillies who won the 1947 batting title; manager for 20 years, mostly in the minor leagues, also a coach and scout
• August 14 – Evelyn Adams, 75, shortstop in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
• August 14 – Pee Wee Reese, 81, Hall of Fame shortstop, leadoff hitter and captain of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers who led NL in runs, walks and steals once each and in putouts four times; retired with career record for double plays (1246) and 5th-most games at shortstop (2014) despite missing three years in World War II; played on seven pennant winners, three times hitting over .300 in World Series
• August 17 – Randy Heflin, 80, pitched for the Boston Red Sox in the early 1940s
• August 19 – Dee Fondy, 84, first baseman for the Pirates, Reds and Cubs from 1951 to 1958, who was the last major league player to bat at Ebbets Field
• August 28 – Dave Pope, 78, outfielder in the Negro Leagues, later with the Indians and Orioles

September–December

• September 9 – Jim "Catfish" Hunter, 53, Hall of Fame pitcher who had five straight 20-win seasons for the A's and Yankees and won 1974 Cy Young; among the first free agents, he had over 200 wins at age 30; pitched perfect game in 1968, was 4-0 with 2.19 ERA in three World Series with Oakland.
• September 12 – Joe Rossi, 77, catcher for the 1952 Cincinnati Reds.
• September 16 – Paul Gregory, 91, pitcher for the Chicago White Sox in 1932 and 1933; later a successful coach at Mississippi State University.
• September 30 – Nels Potter, 79, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns and Boston Braves from 1936 to 1949, who posted a 19-7 record with a 2.83 ERA in 1944 to lead the Browns to their only American League title.
• October 19 – Ray Katt, 72, catcher for the Giants and Cardinals, later a coach at Texas Lutheran for 22 years.
• October 20 – Calvin Griffith, 87, owner of the Twins franchise from 1955 to 1984 who moved the team from Washington, D.C. in 1961.
• October 20 – Earl Turner, 76, catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates between 1948 and 1950.
• October 30 – Max Patkin, 79, "Clown Prince of Baseball" who entertained fans for over 50 years.
• November 25 – Twila Shively, 79, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League outfielder from 1945 through 1950.
• November 29 – Tom Herrin, 70, pitched for the 1954 Boston Red Sox.
• November 30 – Al Schroll, 67, pitcher for the Red Sox, Phillies, Cubs and Twins from 1958 to 1961.
• December 9 – Whitey Kurowski, 81, a five-time All-Star third baseman who played for the Cardinals from 1941–49.
• December 31 – Larry Bearnarth, 58, relief pitcher for the Mets from 1963–66; later the Expos' pitching coach.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1999 in baseball.