1966 in baseball

Last updated March 17, 2025

The following are the baseball events of the year 1966 throughout the world.

Champions

Major League Baseball

World Series: Baltimore Orioles over Los Angeles Dodgers (4–0); Frank Robinson, MVP
All-Star Game, July 12 at Busch Stadium: National League, 2–1 (10 innings); Brooks Robinson, MVP

Other champions

College World Series: Ohio State
Japan Series: Yomiuri Giants over Nankai Hawks (4–2)
Little League World Series: Westbury American, Houston, Texas
Senior League World Series: East Rochester, New York

Awards and honors

Baseball Hall of Fame
- Ted Williams
- Casey Stengel (manager)

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards
BBWAA Award	National League	American League
Rookie of the Year	Tommy Helms (CHC)	Tommie Agee (CWS)
Cy Young Award	Sandy Koufax (LA)	—
Most Valuable Player	Roberto Clemente (PIT)	Frank Robinson (BAL)
Gold Glove Awards
Position	National League	American League
Pitcher	Bob Gibson (STL)	Jim Kaat (MIN)
Catcher	John Roseboro (LA)	Bill Freehan (DET)
1st Base	Bill White (PHI)	Joe Pepitone (NYY)
2nd Base	Bill Mazeroski (PIT)	Bobby Knoop (CAL)
3rd Base	Ron Santo (CHC)	Brooks Robinson (BAL)
Shortstop	Gene Alley (PIT)	Luis Aparicio (BAL)
Outfield	Roberto Clemente (PIT)	Tommie Agee (CWS)
	Curt Flood (STL)	Al Kaline (DET)
	Willie Mays (SF)	Tony Oliva (MIN)

Statistical leaders

	American League		National League
Stat	Player	Total	Player	Total
AVG	Frank Robinson ¹ (BAL)	.316	Matty Alou (PIT)	.342
HR	Frank Robinson ¹ (BAL)	49	Hank Aaron (ATL)	44
RBI	Frank Robinson ¹ (BAL)	122	Hank Aaron (ATL)	127
W	Jim Kaat (MIN)	25	Sandy Koufax ² (LA)	27
ERA	Gary Peters (CWS)	1.98	Sandy Koufax ² (LA)	1.73
K	Sam McDowell (CLE)	225	Sandy Koufax ² (LA)	317

¹ American League Triple Crown batting winner
² Major league Triple Crown pitching winner

Major league baseball final standings

American League final standings

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t
e
American League
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Baltimore Orioles	97	63	.606	—	48‍–‍31	49‍–‍32
Minnesota Twins	89	73	.549	9	49‍–‍32	40‍–‍41
Detroit Tigers	88	74	.543	10	42‍–‍39	46‍–‍35
Chicago White Sox	83	79	.512	15	45‍–‍36	38‍–‍43
Cleveland Indians	81	81	.500	17	41‍–‍40	40‍–‍41
California Angels	80	82	.494	18	42‍–‍39	38‍–‍43
Kansas City Athletics	74	86	.463	23	42‍–‍39	32‍–‍47
Washington Senators	71	88	.447	25½	42‍–‍36	29‍–‍52
Boston Red Sox	72	90	.444	26	40‍–‍41	32‍–‍49
New York Yankees	70	89	.440	26½	35‍–‍46	35‍–‍43

Orioles

Red Sox

Angels

White Sox

Indians

Tigers

Athletics

Twins

Yankees

Senators

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Locations of teams for the 1966–1967 American League seasons

American League

National League final standings

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t
e
National League
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Los Angeles Dodgers	95	67	.586	—	53‍–‍28	42‍–‍39
San Francisco Giants	93	68	.578	1½	47‍–‍34	46‍–‍34
Pittsburgh Pirates	92	70	.568	3	46‍–‍35	46‍–‍35
Philadelphia Phillies	87	75	.537	8	48‍–‍33	39‍–‍42
Atlanta Braves	85	77	.525	10	43‍–‍38	42‍–‍39
St. Louis Cardinals	83	79	.512	12	43‍–‍38	40‍–‍41
Cincinnati Reds	76	84	.475	18	46‍–‍33	30‍–‍51
Houston Astros	72	90	.444	23	45‍–‍36	27‍–‍54
New York Mets	66	95	.410	28½	32‍–‍49	34‍–‍46
Chicago Cubs	59	103	.364	36	32‍–‍49	27‍–‍54

Braves

Cubs

Reds

Astros

Dodgers

Mets

Phillies

Pirates

Giants

Cardinals

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Locations of teams for the 1966–1968 National League seasons

National League

Nippon Professional Baseball final standings

Central League final standings

Central League	G	W	L	T	Pct.	GB
Yomiuri Giants	134	89	41	4	.685	—
Chunichi Dragons	132	76	54	2	.585	13.0
Hanshin Tigers	135	64	66	5	.492	25.0
Hiroshima Carp	136	57	73	6	.438	32.0
Taiyo Whales	130	52	78	0	.400	37.0
Sankei Atoms	135	52	78	5	.400	37.0

Pacific League final standings

Pacific League	G	W	L	T	Pct.	GB
Nankai Hawks	133	79	51	3	.608	—
Nishitetsu Lions	138	75	55	8	.577	4.0
Toei Flyers	136	70	60	6	.538	9.0
Tokyo Orions	134	61	69	4	.469	18.0
Hankyu Braves	134	57	73	4	.438	22.0
Kintetsu Buffaloes	133	48	62	3	.369	31.0

Events

January

January 3 – The Baltimore Orioles release veteran left-hander Harvey Haddix. The 40-year-old hurler, famed for throwing 12 perfect innings (before giving up a baserunner, a hit, and the game itself in the 13th) on May 26, 1959, is beginning a new career as a pitching coach for the 1966 New York Mets.
January 10 – The Philadelphia Phillies send Wes Covington to the Chicago Cubs for fellow outfielder Doug Clemens.
January 14 – The New York Yankees trade backup catcher Doc Edwards to the Cleveland Indians for outfielder Lou Clinton.
January 15 – The California Angels purchase the contract of veteran catcher Ed Bailey from the Chicago Cubs.
January 20 – The Baseball Writers' Association of America voters elect Ted Williams to the Hall of Fame. Williams receives 282 of a possible 302 votes.

February

February 22 – Slugger Dick Stuart's tenure in Philadelphia ends after only one season when the Phillies deal the indifferent-fielding first baseman to the New York Mets for catcher Jimmie Schaffer, second baseman Bobby Klaus and third baseman Wayne Graham.
February 24 – The Orioles fly their starting catcher, Dick Brown, from their spring training camp to Baltimore to undergo tests to determine the cause of his severe headaches. Two weeks later, the 31-year-old Brown undergoes surgery to remove a brain tumor. Although he recovers from the operation, Brown's career is ended and he will ultimately succumb to the malady in April 1970.
February 28 – Seeking an unprecedented three-year $1.05 million to be divided evenly, the Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale begin a joint holdout.

March

March 5 – In what will prove to be one of the more influential off-the-field events in Major League history, United Steelworkers union official Marvin Miller is elected the Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). Under Miller's guidance, the players' union will make major gains such as salary increases, improvements in pension benefits, and the advent of free agency and salary arbitration. Miller will occupy his position from 1966 to 1982, as the players' union was transformed into one of the strongest unions in the United States.
March 8 – The Special Veterans Committee waives Hall of Fame election rules and inducts Casey Stengel, 75, who managed the New York Yankees to ten American League pennants and seven World Series titles between 1949 and 1960. Stengel had retired from the New York Mets on August 30, 1965.
March 10 – The Cleveland Indians trade backup catcher Cam Carreon to the Baltimore Orioles for minor-league outfielder Lou Piniella, coming off a .249, 11-homer season with Double-A Elmira (where he is managed by Earl Weaver). At this point in his career, the 22-year-old Piniella has been given only one at bat in the major leagues.
March 17 – Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale escalate their threat of retirement by signing movie contracts. On March 30, they will end their 32-day holdout, signing for $130,000 and $105,000 respectively.
March 30
- The Houston Astros activate veteran right-hander Robin Roberts. The 39-year-old future Hall-of-Famer had signed a coach's contract after the 1965 season, and he'd been given the opportunity to pitch himself back onto the Houston mound staff over spring training.
- The Baltimore Orioles pick up left-handed-hitting backup catcher Vic Roznovsky from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for outfielder Carl Warwick. Roznovsky, Cam Carreon and Larry Haney will play behind rookie Andy Etchebarren, elevated to first-string catcher by Dick Brown's career-ending brain surgery.

April

April 3
- University of Southern California pitcher Tom Seaver signs with the New York Mets. He had been drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the January 1966 Major League Baseball draft, but Atlanta signed him to a minor league contract while he was still in college and rendered him ineligible to play for the Trojans. Commissioner of Baseball William Eckert voids the contract, with the Mets winning a special lottery over Cleveland and Philadelphia to win the right to sign him.
- The Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox swap veteran infielders, with the Astros getting former AL All-Star Félix Mantilla for Eddie Kasko.
April 6 – The Kansas City Athletics trade left-hander John O'Donoghue to the Cleveland Indians for righty Ralph Terry, a former 20-game winner (23–12) and World Series MVP for the 1962 New York Yankees.
April 7 – The St. Louis Cardinals sell the contract of veteran pitcher Bob Purkey to his original team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Purkey, too, won 20+ games (23–5) in 1962 when he was with the Cincinnati Reds.
April 11 – At the traditional Presidential Opener at D.C. Stadium, Emmett Ashford officiates at third base in the Washington Senators' 5–2 win over the Cleveland Indians to become the first African-American umpire in MLB history. Ashford, 51, spent 12 years in the Pacific Coast League before being promoted to the American League umpiring staff over the winter. Vice President Hubert Humphrey throws out the first ball of the season.
April 12
- MLB officially enters the Southeastern U.S., as 50,671 fans show up at Atlanta Stadium to watch the Braves' first home game. In 13 innings, the Braves fall to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3–2. Atlanta's Joe Torre hits the first homer in the ballpark, but the decisive blow is Willie Stargell's two-run blast off starting pitcher Tony Cloninger in the top of the 13th. Torre's second homer of the day, a solo shot in the home half, narrows the margin of defeat to one run.
- On Opening Day at Fenway Park, the Baltimore Orioles' Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson go a combined five for ten, score three runs and collect four RBI to spearhead a 13-inning 5–4 triumph over the Boston Red Sox. Each "Robby" hits a home run off Boston starter Earl Wilson. It's Frank Robinson's first American League game after ten seasons in Cincinnati and by the end of 1966, he'll be a Triple Crown winner, an AL MVP, and World Series champion.
April 19 – The California Angels play their first regular-season game in their new ballpark, Anaheim Stadium, in front of 31,660 fans. The Angels' Rick Reichardt scores the first run, with a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the second inning. The Angels fall to the Chicago White Sox and Tommy John, 3–1, with Marcelino Lopez taking the loss for the home side.
April 21 – The Chicago Cubs make one of the most successful trades of the 1960s, acquiring 23-year-old rookie right-hander Ferguson Jenkins from the Philadelphia Phillies, along with first baseman John Herrnstein and centerfielder Adolfo Phillips, for veteran pitchers Bob Buhl, 37, and Larry Jackson, 34. The trade helps transform the Cubs into a first division team in 1967, when Jenkins will begin a skein of six consecutive seasons of 20 or more victories, earning the 1971 National League Cy Young Award along the way. In two stints as a Cub, Jenkins will go 167–132 over ten seasons, and in 1991 he will be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
April 26 – The Los Angeles Dodgers place coach and veteran infielder Jim Gilliam on their 28-man roster. Gilliam will start 52 games at third base during the 1966 season and help the Dodgers win the NL pennant in his last year as an active player.
April 28
- Sonny Siebert and reliever Bob Allen scatter five hits and Leon Wagner hits a game-deciding sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to lead the Cleveland Indians to their tenth consecutive victory of 1966 (without a loss), 2–1 over the California Angels.
- The Chicago Cubs trade minor-league third baseman Bobby Cox to the Atlanta Braves for spare outfielder Billy Cowan. Cox, 24, never plays for the MLB Braves but he will return to the team to become their Hall-of-Fame manager over 25 seasons between 1978 and 2010.
April 30 – The California Angels erase a 9–3, eighth-inning deficit by scoring 12 runs, as they defeat the Boston Red Sox, 16–9 at Fenway Park. During the 11-hit, late-game uprising, Rick Reichardt hits two home runs and drives in four.

May

May 1 – "Sudden Sam" McDowell, the Cleveland Indians' fireballing, 23-year-old left-hander, one-hits the visiting Chicago White Sox and earns his fourth win of the year (without a loss) with a 1–0 victory. Don Buford's third-inning double spoils the no no. McDowell himself singles twice in his three at bats off hard-luck loser Tommy John. Cleveland's record improves to 11–1, but, incredibly, the Indians are a half game behind the first-place, 12–1 Baltimore Orioles.
May 4
- At Yankee Stadium, Indians shortstop Larry Brown and left-fielder Leon Wagner collide while chasing a fourth-inning pop fly hit by Roger Maris. Wagner sustains a concussion but misses only one game of action; however, Brown suffers a broken nose and fractured skull and he doesn't return to the Cleveland lineup until June 16. Maris's popup lands for a double, but Sonny Siebert fires a complete-game, 2–1 Tribe victory.
- The San Francisco Giants' Willie Mays hits his 512th career home run, breaking the existing National League and topping another Giant, the late Mel Ott. San Francisco beats the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6–1, at Candlestick Park.
May 6 – In a head-to-head matchup between the Indians (now 14–1 and back in first place) and Orioles (who've fallen to 12–3) at Memorial Stadium, it takes 15 innings for Baltimore to outlast Cleveland, 3–2. The Tribe take a 2–1 lead in the visitors' half of the 15th, but the Orioles tie the game on rookie Davey Johnson's home run and win it on a "walk-off," RBI single by Boog Powell.
May 7 – One day after the New York Yankees' record falls to 4–16, general manager Ralph Houk fires Johnny Keane as manager and returns to manage the team himself. Dan Topping, Jr. replaces Houk as general manager. Houk had managed the Yankees to three consecutive American League pennants from 1961 to 1963 and a World Series title during the first two of those years, but his second stint will have a far less than successful beginning. Their talent and farm system both depleted, the Yankees, after finishing in sixth place in 1965, will finish dead last—their first time doing so since 1912.
May 8
- The San Francisco Giants trade first baseman/outfielder Orlando Cepeda to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Ray Sadecki. Cepeda will go on to win the National League Most Valuable Player award in 1967 on the Cardinals' World Championship team. That same day, the Giants defeat the Cardinals 10–5 in the final game at the old Busch Stadium.
- Frank Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles hits what will be the only home run hit out of Memorial Stadium. The shot comes against Luis Tiant in the first inning of the Orioles' 8–3 victory in the second game of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians.
May 10
- In a clash of the National League's two top teams at Forbes Field, the visiting San Francisco Giants edge the Pittsburgh Pirates 2–1 in 15 innings. The winning run scores on a fielder's choice. With the victory, the Giants improve to 19–7 on the year, and the Bucs fall to 14–9, 3½ games behind.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers send left-hander Johnny Podres to the Detroit Tigers for "future considerations." Podres, 33, is a Dodger immortal thanks to his Game 7 shutout victory in the 1955 World Series that delivered Brooklyn's only world championship. He went 136–104 (3.66) in 13 seasons with the club, led the National League in ERA (2.66) (1957) and winning percentage (18–5, .783) (1961), was a four-time NL All-Star, and a 4x World Series champion, going 4–1 (2.11 ERA) in six World Series games spanning 11 seasons (1953, 1955, 1959, 1963).
May 12 – With 46,048 spectators in attendance for the first game at the new Busch Memorial Stadium, the St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Atlanta Braves in 12 innings, 4–3, behind a single RBI by Lou Brock. Braves outfielder Felipe Alou delivers a pair of home runs.
May 13 – At Shea Stadium, Jim Davenport's 17th-inning home run is the difference as the San Francisco Giants defeat the New York Mets, 5–4.
May 16 – Detroit Tigers manager Chuck Dressen is hospitalized with his second heart attack in as many seasons. Third-base coach Bob Swift takes over as interim manager for the second consecutive year while Dressen recuperates.
May 18 – Boston Red Sox right-hander Earl Wilson, one of the best-hitting pitchers in the American League, homers off Jim Palmer to give himself a ten-inning, 2–1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Memorial Stadium.
May 27 – The Kansas City Athletics trade infielder Wayne Causey to the Chicago White Sox for first baseman Danny Cater.

May 31
- San Francisco Giants' staff ace and future Hall-of-Famer Juan Marichal improves to 10–0 in 11 starts with a 5–3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field. Marichal has thrown nine complete games and four shutouts—including a 14-inning, complete game blanking of the Philadelphia Phillies May 26—and the three earned runs he allows today "balloon" his ERA from 0.59 to 0.80.
- The Cleveland Indians (28–14) maintain their three-game lead in the American League with a 17-inning, 7–5 victory over the California Angels at Anaheim Stadium. Steve Hargan throws ten innings of one-run relief to get the win, and Luis Tiant gets the save.

June

June 2 – The Cleveland Indians acquire former two-time All-Star and American League saves leader Dick Radatz from the Boston Red Sox for fellow hurlers Don McMahon and Lee Stange. The hulking 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), 230 lb (100 kg) Radatz, 29, known as "The Monster," is struggling unsuccessfully to regain his form since his effectiveness began to diminish in 1965.
June 4 – The once-proud New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, lodged in eighth and ninth place in the ten-team American League, use 11 pitchers in all and battle for 16 innings at Fenway Park before the Red Sox' Jim Gosger blasts a walk-off home run with two men on base off Dooley Womack, giving Boston a 6–3 win.
June 7 – In the second annual MLB June amateur draft, the Kansas City Athletics use the second overall pick to draft Arizona State outfielder Reggie Jackson. With the first pick overall, the New York Mets select high-school catcher Steve Chilcott, whose career will be derailed by injuries before he can reach the major leagues.
June 9 – At Metropolitan Stadium, the Minnesota Twins rock the Kansas City Athletics, 9–4, with five home runs off the bats of Rich Rollins, Zoilo Versalles, Tony Oliva, Don Mincher and Harmon Killebrew in the seventh inning. These five home runs still stand as a Major League record for the most home runs batted in a single inning (tied several times since then), and were hit off starter Catfish Hunter (two), reliever Paul Lindblad (two), and reliever John Wyatt.
June 10
- Sonny Siebert of the Cleveland Indians no-hits the Washington Senators 2–0 at Cleveland Stadium. The no-hitter is the first by an Indian since Bob Feller's third career no-hitter, in 1951.
- The New York Yankees trade pitchers Bill Stafford and Gil Blanco and outfielder Roger Repoz to the Kansas City Athletics for pitcher Fred Talbot and backup catcher Billy Bryan.
June 13
- The Baltimore Orioles bolster their bullpen by picking up knuckleballer Eddie Fisher from the Chicago White Sox for infielder Jerry Adair and minor-league outfielder John Riddle.
- The Kansas City Athletics keep dealing, sending pitchers Rollie Sheldon and John Wyatt and outfielder José Tartabull to the Boston Red Sox for pitchers Guido Grilli and Ken Sanders and outfielder Jim Gosger. Wyatt and Tartabull will play key roles for the Red Sox in their 1967 "Impossible Dream" season.
June 14
- The Baltimore Orioles (38–20) defeat the New York Yankees 2–1, while the Cleveland Indians (35–19) split a double-header, enabling the Orioles to take sole possession of first place in the American League standings by one game. They will remain the AL front-runner through the rest of the season.
- The Detroit Tigers acquire starting pitcher Earl Wilson from the Red Sox, along with backup outfielder Joe Christopher, for outfielder Don Demeter and pitcher Julio Navarro "(PTBNL)." Wilson will win 60 games for the Tigers over the next 3½ seasons, including a 22-win campaign in 1967.
June 15 – The scuffling (28–35) Atlanta Braves shake up their pitching staff through two trades, sending Hank Fischer to the Cincinnati Reds for former 2x 20-game-winner Joey Jay, and southpaw Billy O'Dell to the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-hander Don Schwall.
June 22 – The St. Louis Cardinals sell the contract of 37-year-old lefty Curt Simmons, an erstwhile "Whiz Kid," to the Chicago Cubs.
June 30 – Gaylord Perry of the San Francisco Giants improves his record to 11–1 by defeating the Atlanta Braves 3–1 at Candlestick Park, striking out 12 men. Perry and Juan Marichal have combined for a 24–4 won–lost record and account for 50% of the first-place Giants' 48 wins.

July

July 3 – At Candlestick Park, Atlanta Braves pitcher Tony Cloninger hits two grand slams in a game against the Giants; he thus becomes the first National League player and only pitcher in major league history to do so. His nine RBI in a game also is a record for pitchers. The Braves win 17–3 and Cloninger improves his record to 9–7.
July 4 – After a doubleheader split, the San Francisco Giants (50–31) continue to hold first place in the National League standings at the season's customary half-way point, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates (46–32) by 2½ games. The Los Angeles Dodgers (43–34) are third, five games out. In the American League, the Baltimore Orioles (55–26) have opened up a seven-game lead, over the Detroit Tigers (46–31).
July 5 – Sandy Koufax wins his 15th game of 1966 (against three losses), shutting out the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium 1–0, with third baseman John Kennedy knocking in the winning run. Searching for right-handed thump off their bench, Los Angeles today also signs veteran slugger Dick Stuart, 33, released by the New York Mets on June 15.
July 9 – Astroturf is finally installed in the Astrodome outfield.
July 12 – At St. Louis, Maury Wills' tenth-inning single scores Tim McCarver, as the National League wins 2–1 over the American League in the All-Star Game, but the Americans' Brooks Robinson's stellar game (three hits, eight fielding chances) earns him the MVP honors.
July 13
- Struggling at 37–46, the Cincinnati Reds replace first-year manager Don Heffner with third-base coach Dave Bristol. At 33, Bristol becomes the youngest manager in the majors.
- The last-place Chicago Cubs sign free-agent future Hall-of-Famer Robin Roberts, released July 4 by the Houston Astros. Roberts, 39, joins fellow ex-"Whiz Kid" Curt Simmons, 37, on the Cubbies' roster.
July 14 – Detroit Tigers' interim manager Bob Swift, at the helm since May 16 when Chuck Dressen took a medical leave for treatment of a heart attack, is hospitalized with inoperable lung cancer; Frank Skaff, a Tiger coach, becomes the club's second interim manager of the 1966 season. The 51-year-old Swift, a former Tiger catcher, succumbs to cancer October 17.
July 21 – Against the Washington Senators in D.C., Minnesota Twins pitcher Jim Merritt strikes out 12 in a 1–0 shutout win. Seven of the dozen strikeouts are consecutive, in the middle innings, to set an American League record. The final out in Merritt's string is his mound opponent Jim Hannan, who ironically had struck out Merritt just prior to the strikeout streak beginning.
July 25 – During his Hall of Fame induction speech, Ted Williams publicly calls on baseball to induct former great players from the Negro leagues. He specifically calls for the induction of Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige. Williams' wish becomes true five years later when Paige is inducted into the Hall of Fame.
July 27 – At Dodger Stadium, Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers faces Jim Bunning of the Philadelphia Phillies in the first matchup of perfect-game pitchers. The Dodgers defeat the Phillies 2–1 in 12 innings with neither pitcher involved in the decision; both pitchers had worked 11 innings, with Koufax giving up four hits and striking out 16 and Bunning six hits and striking out 12.
July 28 – Rick Reichardt, the hard-hitting, 23-year-old California Angels left-fielder, is forced to the sidelines by kidney disease. After having one kidney removed in August, Reichardt misses all but one game for the rest of 1966—returning to pinch hit in the Halos' final regular season game on October 2. Fully recovered by 1967, he goes on to play in the majors through April 9, 1974, bashing 116 home runs in 997 career games.
July 29 – When Mickey Mantle homers against Bruce Howard of the Chicago White Sox, it is his 494th career home run, enabling him to pass Lou Gehrig for sixth place on the all-time list. The Yankees and Al Downing beat the White Sox, 2–1.

August

August 1 – Jimmy Wynn, the Houston Astros' standout young centerfielder, breaks his arm crashing into the Connie Mack Stadium outfield wall chasing a long drive hit by the Philadelphia Phillies' Dick Allen. The drive stays in the yard, but Allen legs out an inside-the-park home run, delivering a "walk-off," ten-inning 6–5 Philadelphia victory. Worse yet, Wynn is sidelined for the remainder of the season and the Astros drop 35 of their last 58 games.
August 4 – The Pittsburgh Pirates thrash the Los Angeles Dodgers at Forbes Field 8–1 behind veteran hurler Vern Law to take the lead in the National League from the San Francisco Giants, who fall to the lowly New York Mets. The Giants have led the NL since early May, but have been playing only .500 ball since July 1.
August 9 – With the Atlanta Braves sitting at 52–59, seventh in the ten-team National league, fourth-year skipper Bobby Bragan is replaced by coach Billy Hitchcock at the team's helm. Under Hitchcock, the Braves recover to win 33 of their last 51 games and squeak into fifth place and the first division in their debut season in Georgia.
August 10 – Chuck Dressen, the Detroit Tigers' manager on medical leave since May 16 after suffering a heart attack, dies in a Detroit hospital at age 71.
August 11 – Because of air-travel plans, both the visiting Houston Astros and home-side Chicago Cubs agree that—in today's doubleheader at Wrigley Field—no inning can begin after 5:30 p.m. The teams play seven full innings of the second game, and Houston leads 8–5, when the game is suspended. Because the Astros will not visit Chicago again during the 1966 season, the game will be resumed in the eighth inning at the Astrodome on August 26 with new umpires, and the Astros the "visiting" team. Houston will hold on to win, 9–8.
August 12
- At Crosley Field, the Cincinnati Reds' Art Shamsky bashes three home runs, but the Pittsburgh Pirates prevail in 13 innings, 14–11. The teams combine to hit 11 long balls in the contest.
- Gaylord Perry of the San Francisco Giants wins his 18th game (against two losses) and Willie Mays provides the game's only scoring with a solo home run off Mike Cuellar (Mays' 27th of the year), enabling the Giants to defeat the visiting Houston Astros 1–0. The Giants trail the Pirates by two games in the National League pennant race, with the Los Angeles Dodgers now four games back.
August 15 – The Baltimore Orioles' left-handed slugger Boog Powell hits three opposite-field homers over the left-field Green Monster at Fenway Park. Powell has 13 total bases in the game, won by Baltimore, 4–2, in 11 innings.
August 19 – Birdie Tebbetts resigns as manager of the Cleveland Indians and coach George Strickland finishes the year as interim skipper. Cleveland had started the season by winning 14 of its first 15 games, but had gone only 52–56 under Tebbetts since May 5. The book closes on the former catcher's MLB managerial career with a record of 748–705 (.515) for three teams over 11 seasons between 1954 and 1966.
August 23 – The San Francisco Giants retake first place in the National League behind Juan Marichal (18–5) with a 7–3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Candlestick Park. The Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom the Giants have been lodged in a virtual tie for the past week, lose at home to the Philadelphia Phillies 5–4. The Los Angeles Dodgers remain in third, three games behind San Francisco.
August 28 – Kansas City Athletics rookie right-hander Jim Nash throws a complete game, 2–1 victory over the California Angels at Anaheim Stadium, improving his won–lost mark to 9–1 (2.50) since his MLB debut July 3. The 21-year-old will finish the year 12–1 (2.06 ERA) and help lead the Athletics to a seventh-place record and 74 wins, the team's best since moving to Kansas City in 1955. Nash will finish second to Tommie Agee in American League Rookie of the Year voting.
August 29 – The Detroit Tigers' Denny McLain wins his 16th start of the season, even though he doesn't do it the easy way. He throws 229 pitches, walks nine, and allows eight hits. However, he strikes out 11 in a 6–3 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
August 31 – Veteran baseball man Paul Richards, 57, is named director of player personnel of the Atlanta Braves, effectively supplanting John McHale as general manager. McHale remains as club president, but will depart for the Commissioner's office early in 1967.

September

September 5 – Labor Day action concludes with the National League endowed with another pennant race. The Pittsburgh Pirates (82–57) hold the top spot, but the surging Los Angeles Dodgers (79–57) are now the runners-up by 1½ games and the San Francisco Giants (79–59) are third, 2½ back. There is no pennant suspense in the American League, however, with the Baltimore Orioles (87–51) 10½ games ahead of the Detroit Tigers, and rampaging towards the second AL title in franchise history and first ever representing Baltimore.
September 9 – Billy Herman is fired as manager of the 64–82 Boston Red Sox with his club in ninth place. Coach Pete Runnels will serve as interim pilot over the season's final 16 games. Herman, 57, a future inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame for his stellar career as a second baseman, has compiled a 128–182 record as the Bosox' skipper since October 3, 1964.
September 11
- The Los Angeles Dodgers jump into first place in the National League race by a full game when they sweep the Houston Astros in a Sunday doubleheader at Dodger Stadium with two shutout wins, 4–0 and 1–0. In Game 1, Sandy Koufax improves to 23–8 by throwing a six-hitter; in the nightcap, three Los Angeles hurlers hold Houston scoreless, while the only run of the game comes on John Roseboro's seventh-inning RBI single. Meanwhile, both the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants drop one-run games.
- Atlanta Braves pitcher Pat Jarvis becomes the first strikeout victim of Nolan Ryan's MLB career in Ryan's debut game. The 19-year-old Texan has been recalled by the New York Mets after going 17–4 (2.36 ERA) with 307 strikeouts in 202 minor league innings.
September 12 – Dodgers reliever Ron Perranoski fans the first six batters he faces and earns a 3–2 win over the New York Mets. With the help of second baseman Ron Hunt, Mets rookie shortstop Bud Harrelson picks off Lou Johnson with the hidden ball trick in the sixth.
September 16 – A Friday night game between the Kansas City Athletics and Washington Senators at District of Columbia Stadium is suspended in the third inning when the arc lights shut down at the five-year-old facility. The game is scoreless at the time; when it's resumed on Sunday, September 18, Athletics' starting pitcher Lew Krausse Jr. returns to the mound and pitches into the eighth inning to secure his 14th victory of 1966, 3–0.
September 18 – At Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees fall to last place after losing to the Minnesota Twins 5–3 in ten innings on pinch-hitter Bob Allison's three-run home run. The Yankees will stay in the cellar for the remainder of the season, finishing there for the first time since 1912.
September 22 – The Baltimore Orioles beat the host Kansas City Athletics, 6–1, to clinch their first American League pennant since the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954. Both Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson have two runs batted in. Frank Robinson will end the year as the Triple Crown winner, the first to achieve the feat since Mickey Mantle in 1956, after hitting a .316 batting average with 49 home runs and 122 RBI.
September 23 – Phil Regan, ace short reliever of the Los Angeles Dodgers, improves his won–lost record to 14–1, throwing 22⁄3 perfect innings and enabling his first-place club to improve its NL lead to 2½ games over the Pittsburgh Pirates by sweeping a doubleheader against the last-place Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Although he's been jokingly given the nickname of "The Vulture" by Sandy Koufax for picking up "easy wins" during 1966,^[1] Regan will have an almost-flawless stretch run starting September 1, appearing in 15 games, and going 2–0 with seven saves, 20 strikeouts, and an earned run average of 1.46 over 242⁄3 innings.
September 25 – In a battle of Jewish-American left-handers, Ken Holtzman of the Cubs has a no-hitter against the Dodgers' Sandy Koufax broken up on a Dick Schofield single leading off the ninth. Schofield later scores on a Maury Wills single; the two hits are all Holtzman allows in a 2–1 victory in what will be Koufax's final regular-season loss. The Cubs score their runs in the first when lead-off man Don Kessinger walks and scores on Glenn Beckert's triple one batter later, then Beckert scores when Jim Lefebvre drops Ernie Banks' pop-up for what would have been the third out.
September 26 – Willie McCovey hits his 200th career home run, helping the San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves, 8–2.
September 28
- Left-hander Larry Jaster, in his first full season with the St. Louis Cardinals, throws his fifth consecutive shutout victory over the pennant-bound Los Angeles Dodgers. In those 45 innings pitched, he permits 24 hits and eight walks. They are the only shutouts he tosses during 1966, and the five blankings tie him with five other hurlers for the NL lead.
- The Boston Red Sox, ninth-place finishers in the American League, sign 37-year-old Dick Williams to a one-year contract as manager for 1967. The former MLB outfielder had led their Triple-A club, the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League, to two straight playoff championships. Williams will manage the "Impossible Dream" 1967 Red Sox to their first pennant in 21 years, kicking off a 21-year Hall of Fame career that includes two World Series titles as skipper of the 1972 and 1973 Oakland Athletics.
September 30 – Three teams remain in the running for the National League pennant. The Dodgers, who have gone 20–9 on the month to take the lead, are 1½ games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates and three in front of the San Francisco Giants, who play each other in a three-game weekend series at Forbes Field.

October

October 2 – In the second game of a doubleheader at Connie Mack Stadium, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 6–3 to clinch the National League pennant in their final regular-season game. In a battle of future Hall-of-Famers, Sandy Koufax bests Jim Bunning. The last victory of Koufax's career enables him to win his 27th game of 1966, the third time in four seasons in which he's won 25 or more games. Despite giving up three runs in the ninth, Koufax goes the distance and strikes out Jackie Brandt for the final out.
October 3 – Mayo Smith, 51, former skipper of the Philadelphia Phillies (1955–1958) and Cincinnati Reds (1959), is named the Detroit Tigers' manager for 1967, becoming the Bengals' fourth pilot of calendar year 1966; Smith will lead Detroit to the 1968 World Series championship.
October 4 – Veteran first baseman Joe Adcock, 38, of the California Angels ends his 17-year playing career to become manager of the Cleveland Indians for 1967.
October 9
- In Game 4 of the World Series, Dave McNally wraps up a brilliant pitching display, and the first World Series championship for the Baltimore Orioles, with a four-hit, 1–0 shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Series MVP Frank Robinson hits a home run off Don Drysdale for the only run of the game and gave Baltimore a sweep of the defending World Series champions.
- The shutout completes a World Series record 332⁄3 scoreless innings pitched by Oriole hurlers, beginning with Moe Drabowsky throwing 62⁄3 innings in relief of McNally in Game 1, followed by shutouts by Jim Palmer and Wally Bunker—neither of whom had pitched a shutout during the regular season. The Orioles (who played from 1902–1953 as the St. Louis Browns) are the last of the original eight American League franchises to win their first World Series.
- The Dodgers collect only 17 hits in the four games, and bat .142 as a team.
October 12 – The Chicago White Sox obtain southpaw knuckleballer Wilbur Wood from the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named later (fellow lefty hurler Juan Pizarro, added to the deal November 28). Wood will flourish in Chicago, winning 163 games for the ChiSox over the next dozen seasons.
October 14 – Lee MacPhail leaves his high-ranking job in the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball to become the New York Yankees' executive vice president/general manager. MacPhail will head the Yanks' front office until December 31, 1973, when he becomes the fifth president of the American League en route to a plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame (elected 1998).

November

November 8 – Frank Robinson of the world-champion Baltimore Orioles wins the American League Most Valuable Player Award, becoming the first man to gain MVP recognition by the BBWAA in each major league; he had won the NL award in 1961.
November 12 – The Los Angeles Dodgers complete an 18-game tour of Japan with a 9–8–1 record. The eight losses are the most for an MLB club touring the Far East.
November 14 – George Weiss retires as president of the New York Mets and is succeeded by his top aide, Bing Devine. Weiss will be elected to the Hall of Fame in 1971 for his prior accomplishments as an executive with the New York Yankees, while Devine makes significant contributions to the 1969 "Miracle Mets" during his brief term as president/GM.
November 16 – Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates (202 hits, 29 HR, 119 RBI, and a Gold Glove right fielder in 1966) is selected the Most Valuable Player of the National League by the BBWAA. The future Hall-of-Famer is the first Puerto Rican and second Latin American to capture an MLB MVP award.
November 18 – Sandy Koufax announces his retirement from baseball due to arthritis in his left elbow. Six years later he would become the youngest player elected to the Hall of Fame.
November 23 – Chicago White Sox outfielder Tommie Agee is voted American League Rookie of the Year, gathering 16 of the 18 votes. Kansas City Athletics pitcher Jim Nash gets the other two votes. Agee had been brought up briefly the past four seasons before finding a permanent spot in 1966.
November 25 – Cincinnati Reds infielder Tommy Helms is voted National League Rookie of the Year with 12 of 20 first place votes, with the others going to Sonny Jackson (3), Tito Fuentes (2), Randy Hundley (1), Larry Jaster (1) and Cleon Jones (1).
November 28 – Veteran reliever Ted Abernathy, 33, who had a poor 1966 as a member of the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves, is selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the Rule 5 draft. In 1967, the "submariner" will lead the National League in games pitched (70) and saves (28), while posting a microscopic 1.27 earned run average.
November 29
- The New York Yankees deal veteran, slick-fielding third baseman Clete Boyer to the Atlanta Braves for relief pitcher Chi-Chi Olivo and outfielder Bill Robinson.
- The New York Mets trade outfielder Jim Hickman and second baseman Ron Hunt to the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielders Tommy Davis and Derrell Griffith. Hickman had been the last of the Original Mets. Davis, 27, is a three-time All-Star and two-time National League batting champion.
November 30 – The Washington Senators trade centerfielder Don Lock to the Philadelphia Phillies for left-hander Darold Knowles and cash.

December

December 1 – The Los Angeles Dodgers send six-time National League stolen base king Maury Wills to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for third baseman Bob Bailey and shortstop Gene Michael. Wills, 34, holds the MLB record for stolen bases in a season (104 in 1962 and 165 games played), but he had angered Dodger management when he left the team during its recent tour of Japan.
December 2 – The Minnesota Twins acquire 1964 MLB Cy Young Award-winning right-hander Dean Chance, along with shortstop Jackie Hernández ("PTBNL"), from the California Angels for pitcher Pete Cimino, first baseman Don Mincher and centerfielder Jimmie Hall. Chance will win 20 games for the 1967 Twins.
December 3 – Camilo Pascual, ace starting pitcher during the final years of the pre-1961, "old" Washington Senators, returns to the U.S. capital when he's obtained by the post-1961, "new" Senators from the Twins, with second baseman Bernie Allen, for pitcher Ron Kline. Pascual, 32, is a six-time AL All-Star who twice won 20 games after the franchise moved to Minnesota.
December 5 – Bill DeWitt Sr. sells the Cincinnati Reds to a local consortium of businessmen led by Francis L. Dale, an attorney and the publisher of The Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper. The reported sale price is $8 million. Members of the new ownership group will guide the fortunes of the team through its "Big Red Machine" 1970s dynasty.
December 6 – The New York Mets trade pitcher Dennis Ribant and outfielder Gary Kolb to the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-hander Don Cardwell and outfielder Don Bosch.
December 7 – The Philadelphia Phillies trade right-hander Ray Culp to the Chicago Cubs for lefty Dick Ellsworth.
December 8 – The St. Louis Cardinals acquire right fielder Roger Maris, holder of MLB's single-season home run record, from the New York Yankees for third baseman Charley Smith. Maris, 32, a seven-time All-Star, two-time American League Most Valuable Player, five-time AL champion, and two-time World Series champion, will play two seasons for the Redbirds, winning a 1967 World Series ring and two National League titles.
December 13 – The San Francisco Giants reacquire southpaw Mike McCormick in a trade with the Washington Senators for right-hander Bob Priddy and outfielder Cap Peterson. McCormick, a former Giants' "bonus baby" who's now 28 years old, will win 22 games and the NL Cy Young Award in 1967.
December 14 – The Chicago White Sox send veteran catcher Johnny Romano and minor league pitcher Lee White to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Don Dennis and outfielder Walt Williams.
December 15
- The White Sox acquire left-hander Jim O'Toole, a native Chicagoan, from the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Floyd Robinson. O'Toole is a former 19-game-winner and NL All-Star, and Robinson batted over .300 three times during the early 1960s.
- The world-champion Baltimore Orioles trade veteran relief pitcher Dick Hall to the Philadelphia Phillies for left-hander John Morris.
December 20 – The Cleveland Indians trade shortstop Dick Howser to the New York Yankees for minor-league hurler Gil Downs and cash. Howser, 30, will spend over a dozen seasons with the Yanks as a player (1967–1968), third-base coach (1969–1978) and manager (1980).
December 31 – The Atlanta Braves make a trade with the Houston Astros. The Braves send Houston infielder Sandy Alomar Sr., pitcher Arnie Umbach and third baseman Eddie Mathews in exchange for outfielder Dave Nicholson and pitcher Bob Bruce. The trade ends Mathews' 15-year tenure as the Braves' third baseman; he is the only man who played for the franchise in Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta.