PEOPLE KNOWN FOR: baseball

176 Biographies
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Babe Ruth
American baseball player
Babe Ruth was chosen as one of the first five members of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936, a year after he finished his career. He transformed baseball through his home-run hitting, which produced an...
Shoeless Joe Jackson
American baseball player
Shoeless Joe Jackson was an American professional baseball player, by many accounts one of the greatest, who was ultimately banned from the game because of his involvement in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal....
Jackie Robinson
American athlete
Jackie Robinson was the first Black baseball player to play in the American major leagues during the 20th century. On April 15, 1947, Robinson broke the decades-old “color line” of Major League Baseball...
Ted Williams
American baseball player and manager
Ted Williams was an American professional baseball player who compiled a lifetime batting average of .344 as an outfielder with the American League Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960. He was the last player...
Ramirez, Manny
Dominican American baseball player
Manny Ramirez is a Dominican American professional baseball player who is considered one of the greatest right-handed hitters in the history of the game. Ramirez left the Dominican Republic in 1985 for...
Alex Rodriguez
American baseball player
Alex Rodriguez is an American professional baseball player, a noted power hitter who was considered one of the greatest talents in the history of the sport but whose career was in many ways overshadowed...
Roberto Clemente
American baseball player
Roberto Clemente was a professional baseball player who was an idol in his native Puerto Rico and one of the first Latin American baseball stars in the United States (see also Sidebar: Latin Americans...
American baseball player
Curt Schilling is an American professional baseball player who emerged as a leading pitcher in the 1990s and helped both the Arizona Diamondbacks (2001) and the Boston Red Sox (2004 and 2007) win the World...
Bud Selig
American sports executive
Bud Selig is an American businessman who served as the de facto (1992–98) and official (1998–2015) commissioner of Major League Baseball (MLB). After earning a bachelor’s degree in history and political...
Suzuki, Ichiro
Japanese baseball player
Ichiro Suzuki is a Japanese baseball player who amassed the most total hits across all professional baseball leagues in the history of the sport. He was notably also the first non-pitcher to shift from...
Albert Pujols
American baseball player
Albert Pujols is a Dominican-born American professional baseball player who was one of the most prolific hitters of the early 21st century. Pujols was introduced to baseball early in life by his father,...
Satchel Paige
American baseball player
Satchel Paige was an American professional baseball pitcher whose prowess became legendary during his many years in the Negro leagues; he finally was allowed to enter Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1948...
Deion Sanders
American football and baseball player
Deion Sanders is an American gridiron football player, baseball player, and football coach who is the only person to have played in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. Known for his flashy personality...
Tony La Russa
American baseball player and manager
Tony La Russa is a former professional baseball manager who led his teams to three World Series titles (1989, 2006, and 2011) and is one of the winningest managers in major league history. La Russa’s managerial...
Joe DiMaggio
American baseball player
Joe DiMaggio was an American professional baseball player who was an outstanding hitter and fielder and one of the best all-around players in the history of the game. DiMaggio was the son of Italian immigrants...
Mark McGwire
American baseball player
Mark McGwire is an American professional baseball player, considered one of the most powerful hitters in the history of the game. In 1998 he set a major league record for most home runs in a season (70),...
Guillen, Ozzie
American baseball player, coach, and manager
Ozzie Guillen is a Venezuelan-born American professional baseball player, coach, and manager, known for being outspoken and unpredictable and, as manager of the American League (AL) Chicago White Sox,...
Bo Jackson
American baseball and football player
Bo Jackson is an American athlete who starred for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball and the Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) during his short but storied professional...
Japanese baseball player
Oh Sadaharu is a professional baseball player who played for the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants in the Japanese Central League for 22 seasons between 1959 and 1980 and who holds the record for the most home runs...
Miguel Cabrera
Venezuelan baseball player
Miguel Cabrera is a Venezuelan professional baseball player who was one of the premier hitters of his era. As a teenager Cabrera was one of the most sought-after baseball prospects in South America. He...
George Steinbrenner
American businessman
George Steinbrenner was an American businessman and principal owner of the New York Yankees (1973–2010). His exacting methods and often bellicose attitude established him as one of the most controversial...
Eddie Collins, c. 1911.
American baseball player
Eddie Collins was an American professional baseball player who was one of the most proficient hitters and base stealers in the sport’s history. Collins was raised in affluent circumstances in the suburbs...
Yogi Berra
American baseball player
Yogi Berra was an American professional baseball player, manager, and coach who was a key player for the New York Yankees for 18 years (1946–63), during which he played in a record 14 World Series (1947,...
Maddux, Greg
American baseball player
Greg Maddux is an American professional baseball player who was one of the game’s most successful pitchers, known for his accuracy and his ability to read opponents. He was the first pitcher to win four...
Charles Comiskey
American baseball player, manager and owner
Charles Comiskey was a baseball player, manager and owner during the formative years of professional baseball, and one of the founders of the American League. Comiskey began playing semiprofessional baseball...
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Japanese baseball player
Daisuke Matsuzaka is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher who became a star player in both Japan and the United States. In 2007, his first season of Major League Baseball (MLB), he helped the Boston...
Pete Rose
American baseball player
Pete Rose was a professional baseball player who in 1985 exceeded Ty Cobb’s record for career hits (4,189). During his career, Rose was noted for his all-around ability and enthusiasm. He was named Player...
Derek Jeter
American baseball player
Derek Jeter is an American professional baseball player who, as a shortstop for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB), was selected to multiple American League (AL) All-Star teams and was...
Ted Turner
American entrepreneur
Ted Turner is an American broadcasting entrepreneur, philanthropist, sportsman, and environmentalist who founded a media empire that included several television channels that he created, notably CNN. (Read...
Ken Griffey, Jr.
American baseball player
Ken Griffey, Jr. is an American professional baseball player who was one of the iconic athletes of the 1990s and ranked among the best power hitters and defensive outfielders of all time. In 1987 Griffey...
American lawyer and businessman
Jerry Reinsdorf is an American lawyer and businessman who was the majority owner of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox sports franchises. After graduating from George Washington University (B.A.,...
A baseball legend
American baseball player
Ty Cobb was a professional baseball player who is considered one of the greatest offensive players in baseball history and generally regarded as the fiercest competitor in the game. Cobb took to baseball...
Grover Cleveland Alexander, 1929
American baseball player
Grover Cleveland Alexander was an American professional baseball player, one of the finest right-handed pitchers in the history of the game, frequently considered the greatest master of control. From 1911...
Jim Thorpe
American athlete
Jim Thorpe was one of the most accomplished all-around athletes in history who in 1950 was selected by American sportswriters and broadcasters as the greatest American athlete and the greatest gridiron...
Barry Bonds
American baseball player
Barry Bonds is an American professional baseball player, a great all-around player who broke the major league home run records for both a career (762) and a single season (with 73 home runs in 2001). See...
Halladay, Roy
American baseball player
Roy Halladay was an American professional baseball player who twice won the Cy Young Award (2003, 2010) as the best pitcher in first the American and then the National League and threw the second postseason...
Japanese baseball player
Nomo Hideo is a professional baseball player. In 1995, Nomo became the first Japanese citizen to join an American major league team after having played professionally in the Japanese major leagues. (The...
Nolan Ryan
American baseball player
Nolan Ryan is an American professional right-handed baseball pitcher who in 1983 became the first pitcher to surpass Walter Johnson’s record of 3,508 career strikeouts, set in 1927. Ryan retired in 1993...
“The Say Hey Kid”
American baseball player
Willie Mays was an American professional baseball player considered by many to be the greatest all-around player in the history of the game. Mays ranks among the all-time leaders in home runs, hits, runs...
Randy Johnson, 2009.
American baseball player
Randy Johnson is an American professional baseball player who—with five career Cy Young Awards (1995, 1999–2002) as the best pitcher in either the American or National League—is considered one of the greatest...
Rickey Henderson
American baseball player
Rickey Henderson is a professional baseball player who in 1991 set a record for the most stolen bases in major league baseball and in 2001 set a record for the most career runs scored. Henderson was an...
Roger Clemens
American baseball player
Roger Clemens is an American professional baseball player who was one of the most successful power pitchers in history, thus earning his nickname, “Rocket.” He was the first pitcher to win the Cy Young...
Martínez, Pedro
Dominican [republic] baseball player
Pedro Martínez is a professional baseball player who was one of the greatest pitchers of all time. Martínez began his journey to the major leagues by signing with the National League Los Angeles Dodgers...
American baseball executive
Bill Veeck was an American professional baseball club executive and owner, who introduced many innovations in promotion. Veeck grew up with baseball management. His father, a Chicago sportswriter, became...
Greenberg, Hank
American baseball player
Hank Greenberg was an American professional baseball player who, as one of the game’s best hitters, won two American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards (1935, 1940) and became the sport’s first...
Foxx, 1940
American baseball player
Jimmie Foxx was an American professional baseball player, the second man in major league history to hit 500 home runs. (Babe Ruth was the first.) A right-handed hitter who played mostly at first base,...
The “father of Black baseball”
American baseball player
Rube Foster was an American baseball player who gained fame as a pitcher, manager, and owner and as the “father of Black baseball” after founding in 1920 the Negro National League (NNL), the first successful...
Stan Musial
American baseball player
Stan Musial was an American professional baseball player who, in his 22-year playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals, won seven National League (NL) batting championships and established himself as...
Duke Snider
American baseball player
Duke Snider was an American professional baseball player who was best known for playing centre field on the famed “Boys of Summer” Brooklyn Dodgers teams of the 1950s. Snider was raised in Compton, California,...
Sandy Koufax
American baseball player
Sandy Koufax is an American professional baseball player who, despite his early retirement due to arthritis, was ranked among the sport’s greatest pitchers. A left-hander, he pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers...