This day in baseball ● On this day
December 5
The record for December 5 in baseball history — 63 births and 29 deaths.
No milestones or firsts are on record for December 5 — but the players below were born and lost on it.
Born on this day
b. December 5, 1860 · Third baseman who batted .269 across six clubs, 1886 to 1898.
b. December 5, 1868 · Catcher who caught for John McGraw's New York Giants through the pennant years of 1904 and 1905.
b. December 5, 1871 · Pitcher across three clubs, 1897 to 1900.
b. December 5, 1888 · Pitcher for the Buffalo Buffeds, 1914 to 1914.
b. December 5, 1901 · Second baseman across two clubs, 1929 to 1932.
b. December 5, 1905 · Caught Carl Hubbell through three Giants pennants and was called Blackie by everyone in the league.
b. December 5, 1911 · Pitcher for the Washington Senators, 1945 to 1945.
b. December 5, 1911 · Right fielder who batted .288 across four clubs, 1937 to 1948.
b. December 5, 1915 · Shortstop who batted .233 across two clubs, 1938 to 1942.
b. December 5, 1921 · Pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, 1945 to 1950.
b. December 5, 1922 · Right fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, 1944 to 1945.
b. December 5, 1938 · Shortstop for the New York Mets, 1963 to 1964.
b. December 5, 1938 · Second baseman who batted .240 across two clubs, 1964 to 1971.
b. December 5, 1941 · Pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, 1961 to 1961.
b. December 5, 1948 · Pitcher for the Houston Astros, 1970 to 1971.
b. December 5, 1956 · Pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, 1983 to 1986.
b. December 5, 1956 · First baseman for the Oakland Athletics, 1983 to 1983.
b. December 5, 1962 · Right fielder for the Colorado Rockies, 1996 to 1996.
b. December 5, 1970 · Catcher for the Kansas City Royals, 1997 to 1997.
b. December 5, 1972 · Hit 233 home runs between injuries and was the best player on the 1997 Florida champions nobody remembers.
b. December 5, 1987 · Center fielder who batted .273 across five clubs, 2012 to 2023.
b. December 5, 1987 · Pitcher for the San Diego Padres, 2015 to 2015.
b. December 5, 1991 · Won the 2018 Most Valuable Player award and had the best average in the National League two years running.
b. December 5, 1993 · Pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2022 to 2022.
63 players were born on December 5; these are the 24 best known.
Died on this day
d. December 5, 1930 · Catcher for the Detroit Wolverines, 1883 to 1884.
d. December 5, 1937 · Pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, 1903 to 1903.
d. December 5, 1942 · Caught 935 games while playing eighteen consecutive major-league seasons from 1916 through 1933.
d. December 5, 1942 · Pitcher across two clubs, 1890 to 1891.
d. December 5, 1950 · Hit in 42 straight games in 1894, stole 548 bases, and has been considered by eighteen Hall of Fame committees.
d. December 5, 1951 · First baseman for the St. Louis Browns, 1911 to 1911.
d. December 5, 1957 · Pitcher across three clubs, 1889 to 1892.
d. December 5, 1959 · Catcher for the Boston Braves, 1925 to 1926.
d. December 5, 1961 · Baseball figure for the Philadelphia Phillies, 1902 to 1902.
d. December 5, 1964 · Catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics, 1920 to 1920.
d. December 5, 1967 · Pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, 1911 to 1911.
d. December 5, 1969 · Left fielder for the Cleveland Indians, 1922 to 1922.
d. December 5, 1970 · Right fielder for the Cleveland Indians, 1924 to 1924.
d. December 5, 1974 · Pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, 1927 to 1928.
d. December 5, 1978 · Pitcher for the Cincinnati Clowns, 1943 to 1943.
d. December 5, 1986 · Pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, 1923 to 1923.
d. December 5, 1995 · Center fielder who batted .273 across two clubs, 1953 to 1964.
d. December 5, 1996 · Right fielder who batted .242 across three clubs, 1948 to 1952.
d. December 5, 2003 · Center fielder across two clubs, 1941 to 1943.
d. December 5, 2005 · Second baseman for the Boston Braves, 1952 to 1952.
d. December 5, 2011 · Catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, 1956 to 1959.
d. December 5, 2014 · Center fielder for the Cleveland Indians, 1958 to 1958.
d. December 5, 2018 · Center fielder for the California Angels, 1968 to 1968.
d. December 5, 2024 · Third baseman who batted .253 across three clubs, 1968 to 1977.
29 players died on December 5; these are the 24 best known.