Notable Farewells – Society for American Baseball Research

October 14, 1862: The Martyrdom of Jim Creighton

October 22, 2014

He has been called baseball’s first superstar, its first professional,…

September 29, 1871: Chicago beats Boston in last baseball game before the Great Fire

August 29, 2018

The Chicago Tribune described the Chicago White Stockings as…

October 30, 1875: Dominant Red Stockings close out National Association season with 71st win

September 6, 2018

The final day of the 1875 base ball season was one of those rare…

June 29, 1909: Pirates bid farewell to Exposition Park in Pittsburgh

February 13, 2019

The Pittsburgh Pirates came home from a six-game road trip to…

September 22, 1911: Boston’s Cy Young blanks Pirates in Forbes Field for 511th career win

August 6, 2020

Cy Young won 511 games during his singular career, 94 more victories…

October 6, 1911: Cy Young pitches his final game

August 13, 2019

Boston’s 1911 National League team was not a good ballclub.…

October 3, 1915: Chicago Whales clinch final Federal League title

November 26, 2019

A Rebel without a glove of glue allowed the Chicago Whales to…

A promotional poster advertising the September 4, 1916 matchup between Mordecai Brown and Christy Mathewson. This game would be the last of 24 matchups in which the two future Hall of Famer pitchers would face each other. (National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

September 4, 1916: Pitching legends Mordecai Brown, Christy Mathewson duel for the final time

September 22, 2020

A promotional poster advertising the September 4, 1916 matchup…

August 16, 1920: Ray Chapman suffers fatal blow to his skull on pitch from Carl Mays

December 4, 2018

The 1920 American League pennant race was as tight as one could…

May 25, 1935: Babe Ruth smashes three homers in final hurrah

July 18, 2014

The bedraggled Boston Braves were already in their familiar abode—the…

April 30, 1939: Lou Gehrig plays his final game with Yankees

May 3, 2017

Baseball’s greatest streak ended on a cloudy spring afternoon…

May 2, 1939: Lou Gehrig's streak ends in Detroit

October 1, 2014

Detroit’s Briggs Stadium, renamed after 1935 for new owner…

August 27, 1949: Tiny Bonham's last game

February 6, 2019

The Pittsburgh Pirates were firmly entrenched in sixth place…

September 14, 1952: Dramatic Eddie Mathews homer gives Boston Braves final home win

June 3, 2020

The Boston Braves played 2,811 regular-season home games at Braves…

September 21, 1952: Braves bid adieu to Boston in home finale

June 6, 2017

The last home game of the 1952 season at Braves Field was played…

September 22, 1953: Satchel Paige, Don Larsen lead St. Louis Browns to their final win

May 26, 2020

Satchel Paige and Don Larsen earned baseball immortality in dramatically…

September 27, 1953: St. Louis Browns depart for Baltimore after 100th loss of the season

November 21, 2018

When Duane Pillette took the mound for the woeful St. Louis Browns…

September 29, 1957: End of an era as Giants play final home game in New York

May 26, 2020

The New York Giants played their first game on May 1, 1883, and…

May 7, 1959: Roy Campanella Night

January 18, 2018

They numbered more than 90,000. To be precise, 93,103 people…

September 28, 1960: Ted Williams bids adieu to Boston fans with 521st home run

January 30, 2018

It was meant to happen. At least, it seemed that way.Triggering…

August 13, 1963: Dave DeBusschere pitches shutout in next-to-last major-league start

August 13, 2018

As White Sox pitcher Dave DeBusschere headed to the mound at…

September 29, 1963: Fleeting fame and enduring memories for Houston's John Paciorek, Jim Umbricht