Events
The year will see the two Major League Baseball teams located in the San Francisco Bay Area ponder possible relocation scenarios.
- The proposed sale of the Chicago White Sox presents opportunities for Charlie Finley's Oakland Athletics. A group from Seattle is ready to purchase the White Sox and move them there. With Chicago the site of Finley's insurance business headquarters, he is prepared to move his Athletics there to take the White Sox' place. But, due to his 20-year stadium lease with the city of Oakland (to expire in 1987), Finley is blocked. In December, Bill Veeck buys the ChiSox from owner John Allyn and keeps them in Chicago. [1]
- Meanwhile, plunging attendance and cash flow problems create an ownership crisis for the San Francisco Giants. The financial woes facing club president Horace Stoneham—who moved the Giants to California in 1958, and whose father purchased the team in 1919 when it was based in New York—force him to put the team on the market during the summer. By the end of 1975, the most likely outcome sees the team being sold to a Canadian group that plans to move them to Toronto.
January
- January 5 – Tragedy strikes the Houston Astros when starting pitcher Don Wilson, 29, and his five-year-old son die by accidental carbon monoxide poisoning at their Houston home. His wife and nine-year-old daughter are hospitalized but survive. [2] Author of two no-hitters and a 1971 National League All-Star, Wilson has posted double-digit victory seasons in each of his eight full MLB seasons; a workhorse, he also exceeded 180 innings pitched in each of those campaigns. The Astros retire Wilson's #40 when the 1975 season begins. (See Deaths entry for this date below.)
- January 16 – Harmon Killebrew, 38, is released by the Minnesota Twins. The future Baseball Hall of Famer, a 13-time American League All-Star and the 1969 Most Valuable Player, has hit 559 home runs for the franchise over 21 seasons, and his #3 uniform will be retired. Eight days later, Killebrew signs with the Kansas City Royals.
- January 22 – The New York Mets sign free agent pitcher Juan Berenguer.
- January 23 – Slugger Ralph Kiner, who led or co-led the National League in home runs seven years in a row (1946–1952), is elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He earns his HoF membership by a single vote.
February
- February 3 – Former second baseman Billy Herman, outfielder Earl Averill and manager Bucky Harris are selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.
- February 6 - The Detroit Tigers released outfielder Jim Nettles.
- February 10 – The Special Committee on the Negro Leagues picks Judy Johnson for the Hall of Fame.
- February 25
- The Baltimore Orioles trade pitcher Don Hood and first baseman Boog Powell to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for catcher Dave Duncan and minor leaguer Alvin McGrew. The trade reunites the veteran Powell with his former Baltimore teammate Frank Robinson, now the Indians' player-manager.
- The Indians also acquire southpaw relief pitcher Dave LaRoche, along with outfielder Brock Davis, from the Chicago Cubs for right-hander Milt Wilcox.
- February 28 – The New York Mets purchase the contract of right-handed slugger Dave Kingman, 26, from the San Francisco Giants for $150,000. He will bash 73 home runs for them over the next two full seasons and make the 1976 NL All-Star team during his first term as a Met.
March
- March 4 - The Baltimore Orioles signed pitcher and current fugitive from justice Byron McLaughlin.
- March 5 – The Boston Red Sox sign Tony Conigliaro as a free agent. Conigliaro, 30, returns to the hometown team where he starred during the 1960s until an August 18, 1967 beanball compromised his vision, sidelined him for the full 1968 season, and drove his early retirement from the California Angels in July of 1971. Conigliaro is trying to make a comeback for the 1975 Red Sox as their designated hitter.
- March 6 - The Milwaukee Brewers purchase the contract of Kurt Bevacqua from the Kansas City Royals.
- March 15 – The Los Angeles Dodgers sign future Hall-of-Fame pitcher Juan Marichal, 37-year-old former longtime ace of the arch-rival San Francisco Giants, as a free agent.
- March 21 – Georgia Tech shuts out Earlham, 41–0, setting an NCAA record for scoring and for winning margin.
- March 27 – The Pittsburgh Pirates release their former top starting pitcher, Steve Blass. A 103-game winner in a Pittsburgh uniform, a hero of the Bucs' 1971 World Series triumph (two complete game victories, no losses, 1.00 earned run average), and the 1972 runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award, Blass suddenly and inexplicably developed severe control problems in 1973, forcing his retirement at age 32. He will go on to spend 34 years as a member of the Pirates' broadcasting team.
- March 29 – The New York Yankees release former ace starting pitcher Mel Stottlemyre, who won 164 games for them over an 11-year (1964–1974) career.
April
- April 4 – The Pittsburgh Pirates release infielder Tony La Russa, 30, from his minor league contract. He signs a Triple-A pact three days later with the Chicago White Sox and will continue his playing career into 1977 in the organizations of the ChiSox and the St. Louis Cardinals—two teams he will later manage during his Hall-of-Fame career.
- April 5 – The Pirates obtain veteran outfielder Bill Robinson from the Philadelphia Phillies for right-hander Wayne Simpson. Robinson will be a key contributor to the Bucs' 1979 world-championship season.
- April 6
- The Atlanta Braves sell the contract of pitcher Joe Niekro to the Houston Astros for $35,000. Niekro, 30, will pitch for Houston for almost 11 full seasons; he will rack up two 20-win campaigns (1979, 1980), and capture 144 victories in his 397 games in an Astro uniform.
- The defending world champion Oakland Athletics pick up an important bullpen arm, Jim Todd, from the Chicago Cubs for cash and a "PTBNL" (outfielder Champ Summers, who is added to the deal April 29). Todd will finish with 12 saves and 31 games finished, second only to Oakland's Hall-of-Fame closer, Rollie Fingers.
- April 7 – The Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds, who battled each other for supremacy in the National League West Division in 1974, open the NL season at Riverfront Stadium, with Cincinnati winning 2–1 in 14 innings.
- April 8
- Hall of Fame outfielder Frank Robinson becomes the first African American man to manage a Major League Baseball team, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 5–3 victory over the New York Yankees. [3] [4] Robinson homers in his first at bat as a playing manager; Boog Powell, Robinson's longtime teammate in Baltimore, adds another solo blow in the fourth. Both homers are off Yankee starter Doc Medich. A crowd of 56,715 watch the historic game at Cleveland Stadium.
- Lyman Bostock makes his MLB debut for the Minnesota Twins, getting one hit in four at bats against the Texas Rangers. [5] Bostock will become a star, batting .311 in 526 games, before his life comes to a tragic end in late September 1978 when he is shot while sitting in a parked car at age 27.
- April 11
- Hank Aaron returns to Milwaukee as a member of the Brewers, then in the American League. A crowd of 48,160 fans watches Aaron drive in a run in the Brewers' 6–2 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Aaron starred for the Milwaukee Braves for a dozen years before the franchise moved to Atlanta for the 1966 season.
- At Memorial Stadium, Tony Conigliaro homers off southpaw Mike Cuellar of the Baltimore Orioles in the third game of his comeback attempt. The solo shot helps his Boston Red Sox triumph, 6–5. Conigliaro has been out of baseball for nearly four full years, as he battles vision problems.
- April 14 – Days after he is released by the New York Yankees, pitcher Skip Lockwood is signed by the Oakland A's.
- April 15 – In his final major league appearance, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Juan Marichal gives up six hits in 21⁄3 innings against the Cincinnati Reds before Rick Rhoden relieves him. [6]
May
- May 1 – Hank Aaron goes 4-for-4, driving in two runs in the Milwaukee Brewers' 17–3 win over the Detroit Tigers. This brings his career RBI total to 2,211, breaking Babe Ruth's published record of 2,209. On February 3, 1976, the Records Committee will revise Ruth's total to 2,204, meaning that in actuality, Aaron set the record on April 18.
- May 2 – The Los Angeles Dodgers trade pitchers Eddie Solomon and Geoff Zahn to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for pitcher Burt Hooton, 25. Hooton will win 18 games for the 1975 Dodgers and be a key member of three NL pennant winners, including 1981's world champions.
- 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 loses 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.)
- The Philadelphia Phillies acquire centerfielder Garry Maddox from the San Francisco Giants for first baseman Willie Montañez. Maddox will win eight consecutive Gold Glove Awards, starting this season, patrolling center field for the Phillies as they transform into consistent pennant contenders in the National League.
- At 5 a.m., the New York Mets' Cleon Jones is arrested for indecent exposure in St. Petersburg, Florida after police find him naked in a van with a teenaged girl who is holding a stash of narcotics. Although the charges are later dropped, Mets board chairman M. Donald Grant fines Jones $2,000, four times as much as a Met has ever been assessed before, and forces Jones to publicly apologize during a press conference held in New York, with his wife, Angela, by his side.
- May 5 – The Oakland Athletics release pinch runner Herb Washington, the world-class sprinter who played in 104 major league games without batting, pitching or fielding. On the bases, Washington stole 31 bags and scored 33 runs. His 1975 trading card (#407) is the only Topps card ever issued showing the player's position as "pinch runner".
- May 7 – Paul Owens, the aggressive general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, makes another trade, reacquiring 1960s Phil slugging star Dick Allen and backup catcher Johnny Oates from the Atlanta Braves for catcher Jim Essian, outfielder Barry Bonnell and $150,000.
- May 9 – The San Francisco Giants deal former ace left-hander Ron Bryant to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Larry Herndon and minor-league southpaw Tony González. Bryant won 24 games for the 1973 Giants, but he will pitch in only ten more games for the 1975 Redbirds before exiting the majors.
- May 10 – In a triumphant return to the East Bay, Catfish Hunter of the New York Yankees shuts out the three-time defending world champion Athletics, his former team, on two hits, 3–0, at the Oakland Coliseum. Hunter faces 28 hitters, only one over the minimum, in winning his third game against four defeats. He had departed the Athletics as a free agent thanks to an arbitrator's ruling in December 1974, then signed a multi-year, multi-million-dollar contract with the Yankees.
- May 15 – After a curfew halts their 2–2 tie in the 14th inning at Arlington Stadium earlier today, the Milwaukee Brewers eke out a one-run victory over the Texas Rangers when the game resumes in the top of the 15th. The winning run crosses the plate when Milwaukee's Don Money is hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
- May 25
- Dennis Eckersley, in his first major league start, hurls a three-hit shutout as the Cleveland Indians beat the Oakland Athletics, 6–0.
- Mickey Lolich's 200th career victory is a rain-shortened, 4–1 win for his Detroit Tigers 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 28 – The Atlanta Braves trade ten-year team veteran and former All-Star pitcher Ron Reed and outfielder Wayne Nordhagen ("PTBNL)" to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitchers Ray Sadecki and Elias Sosa.
- May 30 – Willie McCovey pinch-hits a grand slam to lift the San Diego Padres over the New York Mets, 6–2. It is McCovey's third 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 Texas Rangers' only hit in Catfish Hunter's 6–0 victory. It's the fifth time in his career that Tovar has spoiled no-hitters by getting his club's lone safety. Future Hall-of-Famer Hunter, in his first season with the New York Yankees, improves his record to 7–5 (3.05) and nine complete games.
June
- June 1 – The California Angels' Nolan Ryan pitches his fourth career no-hitter, winning 1–0 over the Baltimore Orioles, to tie the record set by Sandy Koufax. Ryan's win is his career win 100th. He walks four and strikes out nine.
- June 3 – The Chicago Cubs select future Baseball Hall of Fame closer Lee Smith in the second round of an otherwise drab June amateur draft. He signs with the Cubs 17 days later.
- June 4 – Center-fielder Willie Davis' stay in the American League lasts only 42 games, when the Texas Rangers send him to the St. Louis Cardinals for shortstop Ed Brinkman and pitcher Tommy Moore. After 14 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Davis has now been traded for the third time in 18 months.
- 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, Smoky 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 7 – The Kansas City Royals sign pitcher Dan Quisenberry as an undrafted free agent.
- June 8
- Against the Detroit Tigers at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Ken Holtzman of the Oakland Athletics has a no-hitter broken up with two out in the ninth on a Tom Veryzer double, the only hit he will allow in a 4–0 victory. Holtzman, having pitched two no-hitters in the National League (as a Chicago Cub in 1969 and 1971), was bidding to join Cy Young and Jim Bunning as the only pitchers to hurl no-hitters in both leagues.
- A 17-inning marathon at Cleveland Stadium sees the Texas Rangers outlast the Indians in the second game of a Sunday doubleheader.
- June 13 – The Rangers add future Hall-of-Famer Gaylord Perry to their starting rotation, acquiring the 36-year-old hurler from the Indians for pitchers Jim Bibby, Jackie Brown and Rick Waits and $100,000. Perry is 6–9 with ten complete games in 15 appearances for Cleveland.
- June 14
- The Boston Red Sox acquire second baseman Denny Doyle from the California Angels for cash and a PTBNL (minor-league pitcher Chuck Ross). The left-handed-hitting Doyle homers in his first at bat for Boston the next day. He will platoon with Doug Griffin and bat .310 during the regular season, then start at second base for each of Boston's ten postseason games.
- Two outfielders change teams when the Milwaukee Brewers swap Johnny Briggs to the Minnesota Twins for Bobby Darwin.
- June 15
- The Oakland Athletics acquire starting pitcher Stan Bahnsen and southpaw reliever Skip Pitlock from the Chicago White Sox for left-hander Dave Hamilton and 20-year-old outfield prospect Chet Lemon.
- The Baltimore Orioles send pitcher Jesse Jefferson to the White Sox for first baseman Tony Muser.
- June 18 – Rookie Fred Lynn drives in ten runs with three home runs, a triple and a single during Boston's 15–1 drubbing of the Tigers in Detroit. Lynn's 16 total bases tie an American League record.
- June 23 – Injury-plagued Boston Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk appears in an official game for the first time in almost a calendar year in an 11–3 Cleveland Indians victory at Fenway Park. Future Hall-of-Famer Fisk has been sidelined since June 28, 1974—first with knee surgery that ended his 1974 season after 52 games, then with a broken forearm suffered during spring training that kept him out of the lineup for the Bosox' first 63 games of 1975. He will stay healthy, however, throughout the rest of this season, the ALCS, and all seven games of the 1975 World Series.
- June 29 – The scorching Cincinnati Reds win their 27th game in their last 34 attempts by defeating the San Diego Padres, 4–1, in the first game of a doubleheader at Riverfront Stadium. The streak, which began May 21, has seen "The Big Red Machine" rise from five games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West to 7½ games in front.
July
- July 1 – The Philadelphia Phillies sign veteran free-agent catcher Tim McCarver, released by the Boston Red Sox on June 23. McCarver's second tour of duty in Philadelphia will see him play a valuable role through the rest of the 1970s as a left-handed pinch hitter and Steve Carlton's personal catcher; Carlton will win 81 of 126 decisions (.643) with McCarver behind the plate.
- July 2 – For the second time in less than a month, an American League pitcher has a no-hitter broken up with two out in the ninth after having pitched one in the National League. In the first game of a doubleheader at Milwaukee County Stadium, Boston Red Sox pitcher Rick Wise has the bid foiled by a George Scott two-run home run. Wise gives up another home run to Bobby Darwin one batter later, but holds on to win, 6–3. Like Ken Holtzman, whose bid for a third career no-hitter was foiled with two out in the ninth on June 8, Wise had no-hit the Cincinnati Reds at Riverfront Stadium in 1971. In the same game, Boston's Jim Rice hits a home run that comes within four rows of exiting the stadium. Cecil Fielder will become the only player to hit a home run completely out of the stadium, in 1991.
- July 4
- At Veterans Stadium, the New York Mets' Jerry Grote steps in as a pinch hitter for starting pitcher Tom Seaver against longtime battery-mate Tug McGraw, who had been traded to the Philadelphia Phillies during the off-season. With the Mets down 3–2, Grote connects for a game-winning two-run home run. Without McGraw to rely on in the Mets' bullpen, Rick Baldwin relieves Seaver, and earns the save. [7]
- The standings after today's holiday action at the unofficial halfway point of the 1975 season see one tight divisional race: the American League East, where the Boston Red Sox (42–35) and Milwaukee Brewers (43–36) are in a virtual tie, with the New York Yankees (41–37) only 1½ games in arrears. In the AL West, the Oakland Athletics (50–29) lead the Kansas City Royals by six; in the NL East, the Pittsburgh Pirates (47–31) lead the Philadelphia Phillies by four; and in the NL West, the Cincinnati Reds (52–29) hold an eight-game margin over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- The Boston Red Sox acquire right-hander Jim Willoughby from the St. Louis Cardinals as the "player to be named later" in an April 4 trade that sent shortstop Mario Guerrero to St. Louis. Willoughby will contribute eight saves and team with Dick Drago to strengthen Boston's bullpen during their pennant run and postseason.
- July 11 – The nightmare season for the last-place Houston Astros (32–57) continues when creditors force owner Roy Hofheinz, one of two NL West magnates in financial straits (Horace Stoneham is the other), to surrender day-to-day-control of the team. Sidney Shlenker becomes club president, and he fires general manager Spec Richardson. Assistant GM John Mullen becomes acting front-office boss.
- July 15
- At Milwaukee County Stadium, 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. The game also marks the last of Hank Aaron's record-tying (along with Stan Musial and Willie Mays) 24th All-Star appearance; he lines out to Dave Concepción as a pinch hitter in the second inning. This appearance, like his first in 1955, was before a home crowd at Milwaukee County Stadium.
- In the midsummer MLB owners' meeting, held concurrently in Milwaukee, the National League triumphs again. This time, it beats back an attempt by three American League owners—Jerry Hoffberger, Charlie Finley and George Steinbrenner—to unseat Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn. The "Dump Bowie" coup ultimately falters when Steinbrenner changes his vote, and Kuhn is re-elected to a second, seven-year term as baseball's "czar."
- July 17 – For the second consecutive Chicago White Sox game, Wilbur Wood is the starter, and he tosses his second consecutive shutout, beating the Detroit Tigers 5–0. The two starts were separated by the All-Star game.
- July 19 – In a game between the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees that starts July 12 at Shea Stadium and ends 16 innings later on July 19 at Metropolitan Stadium in Minnesota (with the Yankees the "home" side), Lou Piniella's RBI single gives the Bombers an 8–7, come-from-behind win over the Twins. [8]
- July 20
- A May 15 game between the Montreal Expos and Atlanta Braves that was initially called off because of rain during the fourth inning (with the Braves leading 4–1) is resumed from that point after Atlanta manager Clyde King successfully protests the cancellation, claiming the umpiring crew did not wait long enough or test the Fulton County Stadium field before sending everyone home. Today, with a different crew in place, the May 15 game ends with the Braves hanging on to win, 5–4, in nine innings as part of a Sunday doubleheader. Phil Niekro, who started the May contest, returns to the Braves' mound and goes 41⁄3 more innings to secure the victory. [9]
- Not even a year since leading the Texas Rangers to a surprising 84–76, second-place finish, manager Billy Martin is fired with the Rangers 44–51 and in fourth place, 15½ games behind in the AL West. Third-base coach Frank Lucchesi, former Philadelphia Phillies' pilot, replaces him. It's the third time Martin has been fired (by three different clubs) since October 1969.
- July 21 – Félix Millán of the New York Mets has four consecutive singles but is wiped out each time when Joe Torre grounds into four consecutive double plays, tying a major league record. New York loses 6–2 to the Houston Astros. Torre is the first National Leaguer to do so.
- July 23 – Another managerial firing rocks the AL West, when the Kansas City Royals (50–46) dismiss third-year pilot Jack McKeon and replace him with Whitey Herzog, who had been third-base coach of the California Angels. For Herzog, the Royals' job represents a career-saving opportunity after his dismal 1973 season at the helm of the Texas Rangers. Restoring batting coach Charley Lau to his former role, Herzog leads Kansas City to a 41–25 mark for the rest of 1975, then three consecutive division championships from 1976 through 1978.
- July 24 – Tom Seaver fans Dan Driessen of the Cincinnati Reds in the second inning for his 2,000th career strikeout. The Reds win, 2–1.
- July 27
- Left-handers Bill Lee and Roger Moret each spin complete-game shutouts, enabling the Boston Red Sox to sweep the New York Yankees at Shea Stadium, 1–0 and 6–0, pushing the Yankees to eight full games behind them in the AL East. Rookie sensation Fred Lynn scores Game 1's only run in the ninth inning, then, in the bottom half of the frame, robs Graig Nettles of an extra-base hit with a spectacular, full-extension leaping catch of Nettles' drive to left-center. In Game 2, Ron Guidry, later to be known as "Louisiana Lightning," makes his Yankee debut. He pitches two innings of relief and gives up three hits in Boston's one-sided triumph, and strikes out three.
- The New York Mets release longtime left fielder Cleon Jones, who had been suspended by manager Yogi Berra for refusing to enter a July 18 game as a defensive replacement after a pinch-hitting appearance. [10]
August
- August 2 – At Shea Stadium, the New York Yankees defeat the Cleveland Indians 5–3 in Billy Martin's debut as Yankee manager. This will be Martin's first of five stints as the Bombers' manager through 1988; he had played for them from 1950–1953 and 1955–1957 as a key part of five World Series champions. Martin had replaced the fired Bill Virdon the day before. Virdon, the reigning 1974 Sporting News Manager of the Year, departs the Bronx with a 142–124 (.534) record; the Yanks are 53–51 and ten games behind the Boston Red Sox when the change takes place.
- August 5
- Pitcher Bill Bonham of the Chicago Cubs gives up seven consecutive hits to the first seven batters he faces in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies. He fails to record a single out before he's pulled for relief pitcher Ken Crosby. Crosby proceeds to give up a hit to Johnny Oates as the Phillies defeat the Cubs, 13–5.
- Reserve catcher Duffy Dyer of the Pittsburgh Pirates leads off the home half of the 15th inning by homering off Bob Apodaca, giving the first-place Bucs a 5–4 triumph over the New York Mets, Dyer's former longtime team.
- August 6 – In the throes of a five-game losing streak, including a doubleheader loss to the Montreal Expos by twin 7–0 shutouts today, the 56–53 New York Mets fire manager Yogi Berra and replace him with coach and interim skipper Roy McMillan. Berra has managed the Mets since April 7, 1972, leading them to the 1973 National League pennant and a 292–296 (.497) regular-season record. After the Mets go only 26–27 under McMillan, they hire veteran minor-league manager Joe Frazier as their 1976 skipper on October 4.
- August 7 – The Houston Astros name a new general manager: former Houston executive Tal Smith, who has been the New York Yankees' EVP/baseball operations since October 1973. Smith will rebuild the Astros into NL West contenders in the coming years.
- August 9
- Davey Lopes steals his 32nd consecutive base for the Los Angeles Dodgers without being caught, in a 2–0 win over the New York Mets. This breaks the major league record set by Max Carey in 1922.
- The St. Louis Cardinals' Lou Brock gets his 2,500th hit. It comes versus the San Diego Padres, a single in the sixth off Dave Freisleben at Busch Memorial Stadium.
- August 15 – The Detroit Tigers lose their 19th consecutive game, falling to the California Angels and Frank Tanana, 8–0 in Anaheim. The Tigers haven't won since July 28; they're now 46–74 and 26 games from first place.
- August 18 – Tal Smith, the new general manager of the 47–80 Houston Astros, releases manager Preston Gómez and replaces him with Bill Virdon, fired by the New York Yankees only 17 days earlier. Virdon will helm the Astros for all or part of eight seasons and pilot them to the first two postseason berths in the club's relatively brief history in 1980 and 1981. Gómez, meanwhile, leaves Houston with a 128–161 (.443) won–lost mark.
- August 21 – Pitching brothers Rick Reuschel and Paul Reuschel combine to hurl the Chicago Cubs to a 7–0 victory over the Dodgers — the first time brothers have collaborated on a shutout. Paul takes over when Rick is forced to leave in the 7th inning because of a blister on his finger.
- August 24 – In the second game of a doubleheader at Candlestick Park, Ed Halicki of the Giants no-hits the New York Mets 6–0.
- August 25 – A group of Japanese businessmen are reported to be nearing the purchase of the financially struggling San Francisco Giants, entering the final months of Horace Stoneham's 39-year-long ownership tenure. While today's transaction never materializes, the Giants will endure over six months of turmoil that threatens their future in the Bay Area, with rampant speculation about potential moves to Toronto and even the New Jersey Meadowlands.
- August 29 – Clyde King's 198-game tenure as manager of the Atlanta Braves ends when he is replaced by interim skipper Connie Ryan for the remainder of 1975. King compiled a record of 96–101–1 (.487) over parts of two seasons. After Ryan finishes the season, the Braves hire former Cincinnati Reds pilot Dave Bristol as their 1976 manager on October 10, 1975.
September
- September 1
- As the season's final month begins, three divisional races remain contested. The only exception, in the NL West, sees the Cincinnati Reds (90–45) 18½ games in front of the runner-up Los Angeles Dodgers. Meanwhile, in the NL East, the Pittsburgh Pirates (75–58) hold a four-game edge over the resurgent Philadelphia Phillies; in the AL East, the Boston Red Sox (79–54) lead the Baltimore Orioles by six lengths; and, in the AL West, the three-time defending World Series champion Oakland Athletics are 7½ games in front of the Kansas City Royals.
- New York Mets ace Tom Seaver shuts out the Pirates at Shea Stadium 3–0, and reaches 200 strikeouts for an MLB-record eighth consecutive 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.
- Tony Conigliaro's comeback bid ends when he is released by the Boston Red Sox. Conigliaro went only seven-for-57 (.123) with two home runs in a Boston uniform, last appearing in a game June 12, and also struggled at Triple-A Pawtucket.
- September 3 – On the second-to-last batter faced of his Hall of Fame career, Cardinals great Bob Gibson gives up a grand slam to Pete LaCock of the Chicago Cubs — the only bases-loaded homer of LaCock's career. Chicago wins 11–3 at Busch Memorial Stadium, with Gibson (3–10) the losing pitcher.
- September 5 – Larry Andersen makes his major league debut for the Cleveland Indians. Anderson would go on to a 20-year career as a relief pitcher
- September 7 – The Cincinnati Reds clinch the National League West Division title, the earliest (by calendar day) a team has ever clinched their division in MLB history.
- September 8 – Torrential rains wash out the Texas League playoffs with the Lafayette Drillers and Midland Cubs tied at two games each. With the Lafayette field unplayable and its infield a mass of mud, league president Bobby Bragan cancels the deciding game and suggests that the co-champions settle matters with a tug of war.
- September 9 - Chet Lemon of the Chicago White Sox makes his major league debut, pinch hitting for outfielder Nyls Nyman. Facing pitcher Jim Brewer, Lemon hits a fly out in his only plate appearance in Chicago's 5-4 loss to the California Angels.
- September 14 – The Boston Red Sox top the Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park, 8–6, as Brewers' 19-year-old shortstop Robin Yount breaks Mel Ott's 47-year-old record by playing in his 242nd game as a teenager.
- September 16 – Rennie Stennett of the Pittsburgh Pirates 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 18 – Released by the Minnesota Twins in January, Harmon Killebrew returns to Metropolitan Stadium a final time with his new team, the Kansas City Royals. He homers off Eddie Bane in the second inning—the final hit, run and home run of his career. [11]
- September 21 – Vern Ruhle of the Detroit Tigers breaks Jim Rice's left hand with an inside pitch in the second inning of the first-place Boston Red Sox' 6–5 victory at Tiger Stadium. Although Rice tries to stay in the game, he leaves in the seventh inning, and is lost to the Bosox for the season and postseason. Rice, a future Hall-of-Famer, has formed with Fred Lynn the "Gold Dust Twins" rookie duo that has powered the Red Sox toward the AL East title (.309 BA, 22 home runs, 102 RBI, .841 OPS).
- September 22 – At Three Rivers Stadium, Richie Zisk and "the Cobra," Dave Parker, drive in four runs each to help the Pittsburgh Pirates clinch their fifth NL East title in six seasons with an 11–3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
- September 24
- In a scoreless game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, Tom Seaver of the New York Mets has a no-hitter broken up with two out in the ninth on a Joe Wallis single. It's the third time Seaver has had a no-hitter foiled in the ninth, including a perfect game bid in 1969, also against the Cubs. Chicago wins the game in the 11th inning 1–0 when Rick Monday scores on Bill Madlock's bases-loaded walk.
- The Oakland Athletics clinch the AL West title for the fifth consecutive year, defeating the Chicago White Sox 13–2. Reggie Jackson belts two homers, his 33rd and 34th of the season, and Vida Blue wins his 21st game.
- The red-hot Baltimore Orioles win their 15th game in their last 18, besting the visiting Detroit Tigers 8–1 behind Jim Palmer's 22nd victory. By winning, the Orioles (89–66) creep within 3½ games of division-leading Boston (93–63).
- September 26 – New York Mets rookie Mike Vail strikes out seven times in a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies, setting a National League record that still stands.
- September 27
- The New York Yankees sweep a Shea Stadium doubleheader from the Orioles, 3–2 (ten innings) and 7–3, giving the 95–64 Boston Red Sox the AL East title on the penultimate day of the regular season. In the opener, Catfish Hunter wins his 23rd and throws his 30th complete game of 1975. The Yankees' Bobby Bonds homers in each game, his 31st and 32nd of the season.
- The Milwaukee Brewers fire manager Del Crandall after a disastrous 90-day stretch that sees them go 28–60 from July through September. Crandall's managerial term, which began May 30, 1972, produces a 271–338 (.445) record. After coach Harvey Kuenn handles the Brewers on closing day, the Brewers hire Cincinnati Reds third-base coach Alex Grammas as their 1976 skipper on November 7, 1975.
- September 28 – For the first time in major league history, four pitchers share in a no-hitter, as the Oakland Athletics shut down the California Angels, 5–0, on the final day of the season. Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad and Rollie Fingers are the unique quartet.
October
- October 1
- The Montreal Expos fire the only manager they have had since entering the National League in 1969: Gene Mauch, 49, who posted a 499–627 (.443) record over seven full seasons. He will be replaced by the Expos' Triple-A manager, Karl Kuehl, for 1976.
- John Holland, wrapping up his 19th season as general manager of the Chicago Cubs, retires at age 65 and is succeeded by longtime Cubs administrator Salty Saltwell, 51.
- October 7 – The Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds win their respective league championship series in three-game sweeps and by identical 5–3 scores—and make a date for what will be a scintillating World Series.
- In Oakland, the Red Sox dethrone the three-time world champion Athletics behind starting pitcher Rick Wise and brilliant defense by 36-year-old left fielder Carl Yastrzemski. Boston wins its first AL pennant since 1967.
- It takes ten innings in Pittsburgh, but the "Big Red Machine" continues its demolition of the Senior Circuit, scoring two runs in the top of the tenth to sweep away the Pirates to return to the Fall Classic for the first time since 1972. In winning, Cincinnati overcomes a brilliant performance by Pirates' rookie southpaw John Candelaria, 21, who strikes out 14 in 72⁄3 innings.
- October 18 – Alvin Dark, manager of the AL West champion Oakland Athletics, is fired by owner Charles O. Finley after the devoutly religious Dark calls Finley a "sinner" at a Pentecostal church gathering near Oakland. It is the second time in eight years that Finley has fired Dark, having previously done so on August 22, 1967.
- October 20 – Willie Davis is on the move again. The veteran center fielder is traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the San Diego Padres for outfielder Dick Sharon. It is Davis' fourth change of address in less than two years.
- October 21 – Delayed a day by rain, Game 6 of the World Series will be among the most memorable. Bernie Carbo of the Red Sox hits a three-run, pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game. Boston loads the bases with no outs in the ninth but cannot score until Carlton Fisk leads off the twelfth with his memorable walk-off home run, which deflects off the left field foul pole for a 7–6 victory to tie the series.
- October 22 – At Fenway Park, the Cincinnati Reds win Game 7 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. The Reds win their third Fall Classic, and their first since 1940.
- October 24 – The rebuilding Houston Astros acquire 22-year-old pitching prospect Joaquín Andújar from the world-champion Reds for two "players to be named later", minor-leaguers Carlos Alfonso and Luis Sánchez. Andújar will begin his colorful, 13-year MLB career in 1976 by winning a spot in Houston's starting rotation.
- October 28 – Don Kessinger, six-time All-Star shortstop of the Chicago Cubs, is traded to the rival St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Mike Garman and a minor-league "PTBNL."
- October 30 – John Montefusco, the San Francisco Giants' right-hander, wins the 1975 National League Rookie of the Year Award. Fred Lynn, the Boston Red Sox center-fielder, had won American League rookie honors two days before.
November
- November 3 – One of baseball's most successful organizations undergoes a major management change when executive vice president Frank Cashen departs the Baltimore Orioles to return to club owner Jerry Hoffberger's Carling National Brewery. Cashen has functioned as the Orioles' top administrator since November 1965, and added general manager responsibilities to his portfolio in November 1971 when Harry Dalton left for the California Angels. Over that decade, Baltimore won four American League pennants, two World Series (1966 and 1970), and five overall AL East titles. He's replaced by longtime executive Hank Peters, most recently the president of Minor League Baseball.
- November 10 – The Kansas City Royals release slugger Harmon Killebrew, ending a 22-year career marked by 573 home runs, good for fifth place on the all-time list.
- November 12 – Tom Seaver of the New York Mets wins his third Cy Young Award, after led the National League pitchers with 22 victories and 243 strikeouts while posting a 2.38 ERA. Seaver had previously won the award in 1969 and 1973.
- November 17
- The Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves pull off a block-buster, four for two trade. The Dodgers acquire outfielder Dusty Baker and infielder Ed Goodson from the Braves for second baseman Lee Lacy, third baseman Jerry Royster, and outfielders Jimmy Wynn and Tom Paciorek. Wynn, 33, is a three-time All-Star on the downside of his 15-year career. Future MLB manager Baker, 26, will be a 3x All-Star and 2x Silver Slugger Award winner and key player on three pennant-winning Dodger teams through 1983, including their 1981 World Series champions.
- The American League champion Boston Red Sox strengthen their starting pitching staff by obtaining future Hall-of-Famer Ferguson Jenkins from the Texas Rangers for pitchers Steve Barr and Craig Skok ("PTBNL") and outfielder Juan Beníquez. A seven-time 20-game-winner and 3x All-Star, and the recipient of the 1971 National League Cy Young Award, Jenkins, 32, went 17–18 for the 1975 Rangers.
- November 19 – Joe Morgan of the Cincinnati Reds, who led his team to its first World Series title in 35 years, is named the National League's Most Valuable Player, winning 21 of 23 first-place votes. (The other two go to teammate Pete Rose.)
- November 20 – The financially struggling San Francisco Giants, who finished third in the NL West and drew only 522,919 fans to Candlestick Park in 1975 (worst in MLB), fire manager Wes Westrum. They will not name a replacement until March 3, 1976, after the team has been sold by Horace Stoneham to Bob Lurie and Arthur "Bud" Herseth, when they coax former Giant skipper Bill Rigney out of retirement.
- November 22 – The Cleveland Indians trade outfielder Oscar Gamble to the New York Yankees in exchange for pitcher Pat Dobson.
- November 25 – The Minnesota Twins hire veteran former National League skipper Gene Mauch as their manager for 1976. He fills a vacancy created on September 29 when Frank Quilici was dismissed following 3½ years at the Twins' helm, a term which produced a 280–287 (.494) mark since July 7, 1972.
- November 26 – Boston Red Sox center fielder Fred Lynn becomes the first rookie ever to be named American League MVP. Lynn, who hit .331 with 21 home runs and 105 RBI, also posted league-leading figures in runs (103), doubles (47), and slugging (.566), helping Boston to the American League East title. He also won Rookie of the Year honors.
December
- December 4 – Ted Turner, 37, at this point the owner of a regional UHF TV station and outdoor billboard advertising business, enters a tentative purchase agreement to buy the Atlanta Braves from William Bartholomay. Reports estimate the sale price to be between $10 million and $12 million, with Turner intending to use Braves' telecasts as programming content for WTCG-TV, Channel 17, his Atlanta outlet soon to become "Superstation WTBS."
- December 6 – The Houston Astros trade pitchers Jim Crawford and Dave Roberts and catcher Milt May to the Detroit Tigers for pitchers Mark Lemongello and Gene Pentz, catcher Terry Humphrey, and outfielder Leon Roberts.
- December 8 – The San Francisco Giants trade left-hander Pete Falcone to the St. Louis Cardinals for former Gold Glove third baseman Ken Reitz. The trade is made by the Giants' acting general manager, Spec Richardson, hired by the National League to oversee the team's operation while it's being sold. In September, the Senior Circuit had advanced $500,000 to embattled longtime owner Horace Stoneham to keep the Giants afloat. Richardson was the GM of the Houston Astros for 8½ years until his ouster in July 1975.
- December 9 – The Philadelphia Phillies trade outfielder Mike Anderson to the St. Louis Cardinals for veteran right-hander Ron Reed. Longtime starting pitcher Reed becomes a valuable member of the Phillies' bullpen over the next eight seasons, when the Phils win five NL East titles, two pennants, and the 1980 World Series—first in franchise history.
- December 10
- A deal to move the Chicago White Sox to Seattle, and the Oakland Athletics to Chicago's South Side, is nixed when Bill Veeck repurchases the White Sox (which he previously owned between March 1959 and June 1961) and keeps them in Chicago. Veeck's group pays a reported $9.75 million to John Allyn for 80 percent of the White Sox. In 1976, Seattle will be awarded with an expansion franchise, called the Mariners. Showman Veeck sets up a table in the lobby of the principal hotel for baseball's Winter Meetings and posts a sign reading "Open for Business."
- Veeck's White Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies immediately get down to business, with Chicago trading future Hall of Fame southpaw and reigning, 14-time American League Gold Glove Award winner Jim Kaat, 37, and shortstop Mike Buskey to the Phillies for pitchers Dick Ruthven and Roy Thomas and shortstop Alan Bannister.
- The California Angels deal pitcher Bill Singer to the Texas Rangers for first baseman Jim Spencer and $100,000.
- Former major league catcher and manager Bobby Bragan becomes president of Minor League Baseball (formally the "National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues"). Most recently president of the Double-A Texas League, Bragan, 58, succeeds Hank Peters, the new general manager of the Baltimore Orioles.
- December 11
- In one of two franchise-altering trades they make today at the Winter Meetings, the New York Yankees send starting pitcher Doc Medich to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitchers Ken Brett and Dock Ellis and rookie second baseman Willie Randolph, a future six-time All-Star.
- In the second, the Yankees trade 3x All-Star and 2x Gold-Glove-winning outfielder Bobby Bonds to the California Angels for pitcher Ed Figueroa and outfielder Mickey Rivers. Right-hander Figueroa will go 55–30 over the next three seasons, which see the Bombers win three AL pennants and the 1977 and 1978 World Series. The speedy Rivers will take over as the Yankees' centerfielder, bat over .300 twice, and steal 90 bases over the same span.
- Bill Veeck and his general manager, Roland Hemond, strike again, sending two veterans, pitcher Steve Dunning and third baseman Bill Melton, from the Chicago White Sox to the Angels for first baseman Jim Spencer (acquired the previous day) and outfielder Morris Nettles.
- The San Diego Padres obtain veteran third baseman Doug Rader from the Houston Astros for pitchers Larry Hardy and Joe McIntosh. Rader is a five-time winner of the National League's Gold Glove Award.
- December 12 – Ten more significant trades are made today, involving 13 of MLB's 24 teams and 27 players. They include these:
- The Houston Astros trade veteran second baseman Tommy Helms to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a "PTBNL" who turns out to be infielder Art Howe, a key piece on Houston's postseason appearances in 1980 and 1981.
- The Cincinnati Reds make three trades, subtracting pitchers Clay Carroll and Clay Kirby and infielder Darrel Chaney, and adding hurler Rich Hinton (from the White Sox), first baseman Bob Bailey (Expos), and outfielder Mike Lum (Braves).
- The Atlanta Braves also make a five-player trade with the Chicago White Sox, trading infielder Larvell Blanks and outfielder Ralph "Roadrunner" Garr to the ChiSox for pitchers Ozzie Osborn and Dick Ruthven and outfielder Ken Henderson.
- The New York Mets trade pitcher Bill Laxton and outfielder Rusty Staub to the Detroit Tigers for veteran southpaw Mickey Lolich and outfielder Billy Baldwin. Staub, 31, is a five-time NL All-Star who will flourish as Detroit's designated hitter. Lolich, 35, has gone 207–175 in 508 games over 13 years for the Tigers, and was the MVP of the 1968 World Series. He will appear in only 31 games for the 1976 Mets.
- December 17
- New White Sox owner Bill Veeck fires manager Chuck Tanner, who has three years remaining on his contract. Tanner has skippered the club since September 18, 1970 and compiled a 401–414 (.492) record. Veeck immediately lures 67-year-old Paul Richards out of retirement to pilot the 1976 Pale Hose. Richards last managed in the majors in 1961 before becoming a full-time executive, but began his MLB managing career with a highly successful 1951–1954 tenure at the White Sox' helm.
- Chuck Tanner is immediately hired by Oakland Athletics owner Charles O. Finley to succeed Alvin Dark as manager of the defending AL West champions.
- Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds is named Sports Illustrated's "Sportsman of the Year".
- 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.