This day in baseball ● On this day
December 20
The record for December 20 in baseball history — 62 births and 37 deaths.
No milestones or firsts are on record for December 20 — but the players below were born and lost on it.
Born on this day
b. December 20, 1869 · Shortstop for the Washington Senators, 1895 to 1895.
b. December 20, 1878 · Third baseman across three clubs, 1904 to 1905.
b. December 20, 1881 · Signed Jackie Robinson, invented the farm system, and had 82 hits of his own across four scattered seasons as a catcher.
b. December 20, 1888 · Failed to touch second base at nineteen and carried it for fifty years, having been a good player the whole time.
b. December 20, 1894 · Catcher who batted .291 across four clubs, 1921 to 1931.
b. December 20, 1900 · He caught nineteen years for the Cubs and left the game with more home runs than any catcher before him.
b. December 20, 1902 · Pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, 1924 to 1925.
b. December 20, 1904 · Catcher who batted .308 across sixteen seasons and caught for the Cardinals' Gashouse Gang.
b. December 20, 1908 · Shortstop for the New York Giants, 1932 to 1932.
b. December 20, 1910 · Second baseman for the Cincinnati Reds, 1935 to 1936.
b. December 20, 1936 · Pitcher for the Kansas City Athletics, 1961 to 1964.
b. December 20, 1949 · Batted .352 in 1980 and finished nearly forty points behind George Brett.
b. December 20, 1949 · Hit 31 home runs in 1977 and had the largest afro the game has seen.
b. December 20, 1957 · Pitcher across three clubs, 1982 to 1988.
b. December 20, 1974 · Shortstop who batted .234 across three clubs, 2000 to 2010.
b. December 20, 1976 · Third baseman who batted .278 across five clubs, 2000 to 2012.
b. December 20, 1979 · Center fielder who batted .275 across six clubs, 2003 to 2015.
b. December 20, 1981 · Pitcher across three clubs, 2006 to 2016.
b. December 20, 1982 · Has more hits and more runs batted in than anyone else who has played for the Mets, and stopped at thirty-three.
b. December 20, 1990 · Catcher for the Oakland Athletics, 2016 to 2018.
b. December 20, 1994 · Pitcher across three clubs, 2020 to 2025.
b. December 20, 1996 · Third baseman who batted .223 across five clubs, 2019 to 2025.
b. December 20, 1997 · Pitcher across four clubs, 2018 to 2025.
b. December 20, 1998 · Pitcher for the Houston Astros, 2025 to 2025.
62 players were born on December 20; these are the 24 best known.
Died on this day
d. December 20, 1924 · Right fielder across two clubs, 1884 to 1884.
d. December 20, 1944 · Center fielder across two clubs, 1910 to 1910.
d. December 20, 1950 · Pitcher across two clubs, 1927 to 1933.
d. December 20, 1962 · Left fielder for the Washington Senators, 1901 to 1901.
d. December 20, 1963 · Center fielder for the Boston Braves, 1927 to 1928.
d. December 20, 1965 · Pitcher across three clubs, 1944 to 1948.
d. December 20, 1966 · Shortstop who batted .260 across six clubs, 1925 to 1935.
d. December 20, 1972 · He caught nineteen years for the Cubs and left the game with more home runs than any catcher before him.
d. December 20, 1984 · Shortstop for the New York Giants, 1932 to 1932.
d. December 20, 1986 · First baseman across two clubs, 1980 to 1985.
d. December 20, 1987 · Pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, 1944 to 1944.
d. December 20, 1991 · Pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, 1963 to 1963.
d. December 20, 1991 · Catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, 1931 to 1936.
d. December 20, 1993 · Third baseman for the Memphis Red Sox through the 1930s and 1940s, named to two All-Star squads.
d. December 20, 1993 · Center fielder who batted .259 across three clubs, 1941 to 1947.
d. December 20, 1994 · First baseman for the Philadelphia Athletics, 1948 to 1950.
d. December 20, 1999 · Catcher who batted .250 across two clubs, 1960 to 1967.
d. December 20, 2015 · Pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, 1946 to 1946.
d. December 20, 2020 · Second baseman across two clubs, 1968 to 1969.
d. December 20, 2021 · Second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, 1976 to 1977.
d. December 20, 2021 · Pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, 1971 to 1971.
d. December 20, 2022 · Won 20 games at thirty-two and threw seven shutouts the following season.
d. December 20, 2022 · Second baseman who batted .250 across three clubs, 1970 to 1977.
d. December 20, 2024 · 1,406 stolen bases and 2,295 runs, both records, across 25 seasons and nine clubs.
37 players died on December 20; these are the 24 best known.