This day in baseball ● On this day
February 23
The record for February 23 in baseball history — 49 births and 24 deaths.
No milestones or firsts are on record for February 23 — but the players below were born and lost on it.
Born on this day
b. February 23, 1865 · Proposed the first modern World Series in 1903, and built the first steel and concrete ballpark six years later.
b. February 23, 1874 · Third baseman who batted .260 across three clubs, 1898 to 1903.
b. February 23, 1877 · Pitcher for the Brooklyn Superbas, 1903 to 1904.
b. February 23, 1895 · Catcher for the Cincinnati Reds, 1923 to 1924.
b. February 23, 1908 · Led his league in wins six times, as often as Walter Johnson and Bob Feller, and hit well enough to play 213 games in the outfield.
b. February 23, 1908 · Second baseman across two clubs, 1933 to 1934.
b. February 23, 1916 · Catcher for the New York Yankees, 1942 to 1942.
b. February 23, 1918 · Third baseman for the Washington Senators, 1941 to 1945.
b. February 23, 1929 · The first Black player on the New York Yankees, in 1955, and in 1963 the first Black player in the American League named Most Valuable Player.
b. February 23, 1932 · Left fielder who batted .229 across five clubs, 1950 to 1959.
b. February 23, 1941 · Shortstop across two clubs, 1967 to 1969.
b. February 23, 1944 · Pitcher across four clubs, 1967 to 1972.
b. February 23, 1953 · Pitcher across two clubs, 1977 to 1981.
b. February 23, 1957 · Shortstop who batted .218 across three clubs, 1978 to 1984.
b. February 23, 1959 · First baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates, 1982 to 1984.
b. February 23, 1963 · Hit 287 home runs across sixteen seasons and is paid by the Mets every July 1 until 2035.
b. February 23, 1972 · Batted .284 in fifteen seasons and reached 140 games four times.
b. February 23, 1973 · Pitcher across four clubs, 1999 to 2004.
b. February 23, 1975 · Pitcher across three clubs, 2000 to 2004.
b. February 23, 1979 · Right fielder across two clubs, 2004 to 2008.
b. February 23, 1983 · Pitcher across five clubs, 2003 to 2013.
b. February 23, 1990 · Left fielder across four clubs, 2013 to 2017.
b. February 23, 1998 · Pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, 2025 to 2025.
b. February 23, 1999 · Pitcher for the Athletics, 2025 to 2025.
49 players were born on February 23; these are the 24 best known.
Died on this day
d. February 23, 1900 · Right fielder for the Philadelphia Athletics, 1871 to 1871.
d. February 23, 1914 · Catcher for the Brooklyn Eckfords, 1872 to 1872.
d. February 23, 1922 · Catcher who batted .223 across three clubs, 1917 to 1921.
d. February 23, 1926 · Left fielder for the Brooklyn Gladiators, 1890 to 1890.
d. February 23, 1928 · Pitcher for the Baltimore Terrapins, 1914 to 1914.
d. February 23, 1944 · Pitcher across two clubs, 1884 to 1886.
d. February 23, 1947 · Right fielder for the Philadelphia Athletics, 1913 to 1913.
d. February 23, 1955 · Pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, 1908 to 1908.
d. February 23, 1956 · Pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics, 1901 to 1901.
d. February 23, 1961 · First baseman for the Detroit Tigers, 1901 to 1901.
d. February 23, 1967 · Center fielder who batted .313 across eight clubs, 1920 to 1936.
d. February 23, 1968 · Left fielder across five clubs, 1914 to 1926.
d. February 23, 1969 · Hit .310 across twelve seasons, including a .353 year for Cincinnati in 1926.
d. February 23, 1969 · Pitcher who batted .227 across four clubs, 1932 to 1943.
d. February 23, 1978 · Left fielder and long-serving manager of the Homestead Grays, who won nine pennants in the dugout and hit .307 as a player.
d. February 23, 1981 · Pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, 1922 to 1922.
d. February 23, 1988 · Pitcher who won 134 games with a 3.87 ERA across four clubs, 1921 to 1932.
d. February 23, 1993 · Right fielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers, 1933 to 1933.
d. February 23, 1996 · First baseman who batted .241 across two clubs, 1949 to 1952.
d. February 23, 1998 · Right fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, 1938 to 1938.
d. February 23, 2009 · Left fielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers, 1946 to 1946.
d. February 23, 2015 · Right fielder who batted .240 across six clubs, 1955 to 1967.
d. February 23, 2020 · Third baseman for the Chicago White Sox, 1962 to 1962.
d. February 23, 2025 · Second baseman who batted .215 across three clubs, 1957 to 1962.