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ripmlb.bsky.social
Writing about dead baseball players, visiting gravesites and getting tired of creating more social media profiles. SABR member, card collector, Central PA resident, professional meathead.
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Pitcher Phil Gallivan was born in Seattle on this day in 1907. He pitched for Brooklyn & the White Sox between 1932-34 and had a 5-11 record and 5.95 ERA. He later became an Orioles scout & signed Jim Palmer, among others. He died in 1969 & is buried in Hudson, WI. ripbaseball.com/2019/10/26/g...

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

Rich Rollins was a star in Cleveland's sandlot leagues before beginning a 10-year career in the majors with the Twins, Pilots/Brewers & Cleveland. He was an All-Star 3B, an MVP candidate & part of the Twins' 1965 pennant winners. Rollins died May 13 at age 86. ripbaseball.com/2025/05/28/o...

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

I recall Kelly Paris cards from my early days of collecting because very few ballplayers wore godawful huge eyeglasses like I did. I miss the days when every team had 1-2 players who looked like high school math teachers. Paris died of cancer on this day in 2019. ripbaseball.com/2019/05/28/o...

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

Today was flea market day in Lancaster County, and I stumbled across this box of vintage cards for $15. I will give them a very nice home.

submitted 4 days ago • 1 comment

Marshall Edwards spent much of his major-league career as a pinch-runner & defensive replacement, and his game-saving catch in the 1982 ALCS helped win the Brewers their only pennant. Edwards, who played for the Brewers from 1981-83, died April 15 at age 72. ripbaseball.com/2025/05/25/o...

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

RIP to Frank Johnson, a versatile ballplayer who played every position except pitcher and catcher during his 6-year big-league career. He died on May 7 at the age of 82 in Stockton, CA. Johnson played for the San Francisco Giants from 1966 to 1971. ripbaseball.com/2025/05/23/o...

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

I always loved this card and thought it was a shame that Phil Lombardi had such a short career thanks to multiple knee surgeries. He played for the Yankees & Mets and 43 games in the majors. He died of brain cancer on this day in 2021 at the age of 58. ripbaseball.com/2021/05/25/o...

submitted 10 days ago • 0 comments

Tom Brown won 2 Super Bowls and had a memorable interception against Dallas to give Green Bay an NFL title. But before all that, he was a baseball player with the Washington Senators whose career was given a boost by none other than JFK. Brown died Apr. 24 at age 84. ripbaseball.com/2025/05/19/o...

submitted 11 days ago • 0 comments

Jimmy “Chicken” Wolf was an underrated star of the Louisville American Association team & a lifetime .290 hitter. His fate — a traumatic brain injury suffered while working as a fireman — remains one of the saddest I have encountered in my research. ripbaseball.com/2018/10/23/j...

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

By my count, I’ve been to the graves of 40 Hall of Famers, including broadcasters and writers. Would Shoeless Joe make it 41? I sure hope he makes it in before the… other guy. ripbaseball.com/2021/10/14/g...

submitted 16 days ago • 1 comment

Chet Lemon was one of the game's fiercest competitors during his career, and he worked just as hard to coach and mentor aspiring ballplayers after his 16-year career ended. His legacy continues with the work of the Chet Lemon Foundation. ripbaseball.com/2025/05/14/o...

submitted 16 days ago • 0 comments

Rick Peters was good enough to finish 6th in the AL Rookie of the Year vote in 1980. It was his only full year as a major leaguer, as injuries cut short his career. Peters died on April 23 at age 69. ripbaseball.com/2025/05/07/o...

submitted 22 days ago • 0 comments

Who is the winningest pitcher buried in Utah? That would be Ed Huesser, who was born on May 7, 1909. He was was part of the Gas House Gang Cardinals and won the 1944 NL ERA title with the Reds, and he finished with 56 career wins. ripbaseball.com/2019/01/11/g...

submitted 23 days ago • 0 comments

Chito Martinez was the first major-leaguer ever born in Belize, though he spent most of his childhood in New Orleans. He played in the majors for 1991-93 and was a sensation with the Orioles as a rookie, with 13 homers. Martinez died on April 20 at age 59. ripbaseball.com/2025/04/30/o...

submitted 30 days ago • 0 comments

Mike Shannon, who was part of 2 Cardinals World Champion teams, died two years ago today at age 83. His playing career was cut short because of kidney disease, and he then spent 50 years as a broadcaster. ripbaseball.com/2023/05/11/o...

submitted 31 days ago • 0 comments

RIP to Tom Brown, one of two men (the other has been in the news for v different reasons lately) to win a Super Bowl and hit a home run in MLB: www.newsweek.com/sports/nfl/d...

submitted 32 days ago • 0 comments

Lefty Tom Browning was born on this day in 1960. He was an All-Star pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, threw a perfect game, won 123 games in the majors and watch 1 game (or part of one) on a Wrigley Field rooftop. He died on Dec. 19, 2022, at age 62. ripbaseball.com/2022/12/20/o...

submitted 32 days ago • 0 comments

RIP to Nate Oliver a versatile infielder for the Dodgers, Giants, Yankees & Cubs in the 1960s. He died on April 5 in Oakland at the age of 84. How versatile was he? He could play second base, shortstop AND sing the National Anthem. Read more on RIP Baseball. ripbaseball.com/2025/04/27/o...

submitted 33 days ago • 0 comments

submitted 34 days ago • 0 comments

As a player, Tommy Helms was a 2-time All-Star, a 2-time Gold Glove second baseman, and the 1966 Rookie of the Year, all with the Reds. As a manager, Helms had the difficult task of stepping in for Pete Rose after Rose was banned. Helms died on April 13 at age 83. ripbaseball.com/2025/04/26/o...

submitted 34 days ago • 0 comments

RIP to Steve “Mongo” McMichael, the only seventh-inning stretch singer to get ejected from a ballgame at Wrigley Field. Legend.

submitted 36 days ago • 0 comments

Stefan Wever was born on this day in 1958 in Marburg, Germany. He made one appearance in the majors, pitching 2-2/3 innings for the Yankees against Milwaukee in 1982 and tearing his rotator cuff in the second inning. Wever died in Portland on Dec. 27, 2022. ripbaseball.com/2023/01/06/o...

submitted 38 days ago • 0 comments

RIP to Billy Smith, who pitched for the 1981 Astros for 10 games. He died on April 5 in The Woodlands, TX. He was 70 years old. The native Texan joined the Astros just before the strike and picked up his only major-league win in his only start, against Philadelphia. ripbaseball.com/2025/04/21/o...

submitted 39 days ago • 0 comments

On the bright side Cubs fans, watching this game has taken at least five years off your stay in purgatory.

submitted 42 days ago • 0 comments

Tony Blanco only had 62 at-bats with the Washington Nationals in 2005, but if you combined his stats from pro ball in the US, Japan & Dominican Republic, he has more than 1,500 hits and 300 home runs. Blanco died in the Jet Set Club collapse on April 8. He was 43. ripbaseball.com/2025/04/18/o...

submitted 42 days ago • 0 comments

Octavio Dotel was one of the most well-traveled players in baseball history, not because he wasn't good enough to stay in 1 place. Dotel was so consistent that 13 teams saw him as the solution for their pitching woes. Here’s a long look at an amazing career: ripbaseball.com/2025/04/15/o...

submitted 45 days ago • 0 comments

The Cincinnati Reds have reported that Tommy Helms has died. Helms, 83, was a 2-time All-Star for the Reds, a 2-time Gold Glove second baseman, and the 1966 NL Rookie of the Year. He also played for the Astros, Pirates & Red Sox in a 14-year career.

submitted 47 days ago • 0 comments

Carl Warwick played for 5 teams across 6 seasons in the 1960s & is in the record book for most pinch hits in a World Series — 3 for the Cardinals in 1964. Warwick also played for the Dodgers, Colt .45s, Orioles & Cubs between 1961-66. He died on April 5 at age 88. ripbaseball.com/2025/04/11/o...

submitted 49 days ago • 0 comments

submitted 52 days ago • 5 comments

New Grave Story: The best season in St. Louis Browns history was 1944, when the team won its only AL pennant. The team's best pitcher was Jack Kramer, who was a bit of a fashion plate, a bit of a prima donna, but also a 2-time All-Star and Browns postseason hero. ripbaseball.com/2025/04/07/g...

submitted 53 days ago • 0 comments

St. Louis historian Ed Wheatley has reported that outfielder/pinch-hitter Carl Warwick has died. Warwick, 88, played for the Dodgers, Cardinals, Astros, Orioles & Cubs between 1961-66. He had 3 hits for St. Louis in the 1964 World Series.

submitted 54 days ago • 4 comments

RIP to Tommie Reynolds, an outfielder in the 1960s & '70s with the Athletics, Mets, Angels & Brewers. He was also a minor-league manager when the lack of minorities in management roles became a point of national discussion. Reynolds died on March 19 at age 83. ripbaseball.com/2025/04/02/o...

submitted 58 days ago • 0 comments

It’s appropriate that Rube Waddell, one of baseball’s most famous eccentrics, died on April Fools Day in 1914. He was 37 and is buried in San Antonio. He was often unreliable and occasionally violent, but he was also one of the best pitchers of his era when focused. ripbaseball.com/2019/02/14/g...

submitted 59 days ago • 0 comments

Oakland’s backup catcher Jhonny Pereda is pitching to Cubs reliever Collin Rea, if you want to know how the Cubs-Athletics game is going.

submitted 59 days ago • 0 comments

Carson Bigbee spent 11 seasons with Pittsburgh, batted .287 in his career with 182 stolen bases and was a key part of the team’s 1925 World Series win. But his career ended in 1926 due to, fittingly for the Pirates, a mutiny. Bigbee was born on this day in 1905. ripbaseball.com/2021/01/02/g...

submitted 60 days ago • 1 comment

Jim Breazeale was a Braves 1st Round draft pick who was poised to be the team's starting 1B in 1974. Then a horrific car wreck nearly ended his career and led to a remarkable, but short-lived, comeback with the White Sox. Breazeale died on March 13 at age 75. ripbaseball.com/2025/03/28/o...

submitted 63 days ago • 1 comment

In what’s become an Opening Day tradition, my friend Paul Francis Sullivan has put together his In Memoriam video for 2025. It’s beautiful and touching as ever. Check it out, and it’s okay to have a tissue or two handy. youtu.be/ISl3VGJmjrc?...

submitted 64 days ago • 1 comment

Greetings from Lancaster County. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that your vote doesn’t matter.

submitted 65 days ago • 1 comment

Besides being baseball's oldest living player and a member of the Centenarian Club, Art Schallock was a 3-time world champ, Yogi Berra's comics fetcher and the man who sent Mickey Mantle to the minors. Schallock died at age 100 on March 6. ripbaseball.com/2025/03/25/o...

submitted 66 days ago • 0 comments

Jose Valdivielso was an infielder for 5 seasons with the Senators/Twins & a broadcaster for decades. A native of Cuba, he stood in for Martin Dihigo at his Hall of Fame induction and organized a popular Cuban Old Timers Game for 20 years. He died March 4 at age 90. ripbaseball.com/2025/03/22/o...

submitted 69 days ago • 0 comments

I see that Seiya Suzuki’s strike zone is still a foot larger than it should be. Brand new season, but some things never change. Bring on the robot umps.

submitted 72 days ago • 1 comment

Jim Breazeale, who played for the for the Braves & White Sox between 1969-78, died on March 13 at age 75. A first baseman, he batted .247 with 5 homers in 52 games for Atlanta in 1972. www.taylorbros.net/obituary/jam...

submitted 73 days ago • 0 comments

Frank Saucier played in 18 major-league games, and he is probably most famous for the one in which he never came to bat. He was the batter who was replaced by pinch-hitter Eddie Gaedel in one of Bill Veeck's most famed stunts. Saucier died on March 3 at age 98. ripbaseball.com/2025/03/18/o...

submitted 73 days ago • 0 comments

RIP to Bobby Malkmus, who spent parts of 6 seasons in the major leagues as an infielder during the 1950s and '60s. He was part of the World Champion Milwaukee Braves team of 1957 & an unlikely MVP vote recipient. Malkmus died on February 23 at the age of 93. ripbaseball.com/2025/03/14/o...

submitted 77 days ago • 0 comments