This day in baseball ● On this day
February 28
The record for February 28 in baseball history — 56 births and 32 deaths.
No milestones or firsts are on record for February 28 — but the players below were born and lost on it.
Born on this day
b. February 28, 1872 · Catcher for the Boston Beaneaters, 1904 to 1904.
b. February 28, 1875 · Pitcher for the St. Louis Browns, 1898 to 1898.
b. February 28, 1879 · Third baseman who batted .213 across seven clubs, 1906 to 1925.
b. February 28, 1881 · Played shortstop and third base for Cleveland across fifteen seasons and stole 256 bases doing it.
b. February 28, 1881 · Left fielder who batted .285 across three clubs, 1904 to 1913.
b. February 28, 1886 · Center fielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers, 1911 to 1911.
b. February 28, 1894 · Batted .352 across twenty-one seasons, the sixth-highest average of anyone with 2,000 at-bats in a league now counted as major.
b. February 28, 1896 · Third baseman who batted .264 across two clubs, 1923 to 1925.
b. February 28, 1900 · Shortstop for the Philadelphia Athletics, 1923 to 1923.
b. February 28, 1906 · Pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, 1938 to 1938.
b. February 28, 1928 · Right fielder who batted .263 across two clubs, 1948 to 1954.
b. February 28, 1929 · Pitcher for the St. Louis Browns, 1949 to 1950.
b. February 28, 1930 · Pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, 1958 to 1958.
b. February 28, 1930 · Third baseman who batted .274 across two clubs, 1955 to 1966.
b. February 28, 1933 · Left fielder for the Kansas City Athletics, 1962 to 1962.
b. February 28, 1951 · Outfielder who played fifteen seasons for four clubs and reached the postseason with Kansas City and Milwaukee.
b. February 28, 1958 · Left fielder across two clubs, 1981 to 1983.
b. February 28, 1976 · Pitcher for the Seattle Mariners, 2004 to 2005.
b. February 28, 1978 · Pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, 2001 to 2004.
b. February 28, 1981 · Pitcher across two clubs, 2006 to 2010.
b. February 28, 1987 · Pitcher across two clubs, 2011 to 2015.
b. February 28, 1988 · Left-handed reliever with 367 saves across seven clubs, still adding to a career on record.
b. February 28, 1989 · Pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, 2017 to 2018.
b. February 28, 1995 · Left fielder who took the 2020 ALCS MVP award, hitting 118 home runs on the record so far.
56 players were born on February 28; these are the 24 best known.
Died on this day
d. February 28, 1894 · Pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, 1893 to 1893.
d. February 28, 1914 · Right fielder for the Boston Reds, 1884 to 1884.
d. February 28, 1917 · Second baseman who batted .262 across three clubs, 1888 to 1895.
d. February 28, 1934 · Third baseman who batted .246 across six clubs, 1882 to 1891.
d. February 28, 1935 · Third baseman who batted .271 across two clubs, 1871 to 1878.
d. February 28, 1947 · Pitcher across two clubs, 1886 to 1891.
d. February 28, 1947 · Catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, 1898 to 1898.
d. February 28, 1954 · Shortstop who batted .244 across five clubs, 1910 to 1925.
d. February 28, 1958 · Shortstop for the St. Louis Browns, 1912 to 1912.
d. February 28, 1963 · Won 266 games, the most by a left-hander in National League history until Warren Spahn passed him in 1959.
d. February 28, 1971 · Second baseman who batted .277 across two clubs, 1934 to 1939.
d. February 28, 1972 · Won 27 games in 1944 and lost the Most Valuable Player award to his own teammate by four points.
d. February 28, 1977 · Catcher for the New York Black Yankees, 1946 to 1947.
d. February 28, 1988 · American League Rookie of the Year in 1953 with 209 hits, the most in the league, and the leader in hits three more times.
d. February 28, 1997 · Pitcher across two clubs, 1934 to 1936.
d. February 28, 1999 · Pitcher across two clubs, 1995 to 1997.
d. February 28, 2003 · Left fielder across three clubs, 1952 to 1958.
d. February 28, 2009 · Pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, 1950 to 1952.
d. February 28, 2013 · Second baseman for the Philadelphia Blue Jays, 1944 to 1944.
d. February 28, 2015 · Left fielder who batted .288 across eight clubs, 1964 to 1976.
d. February 28, 2020 · Pitcher who won 126 games with a 3.34 ERA across five clubs, 1948 to 1961.
d. February 28, 2022 · Pitcher across two clubs, 1952 to 1963.
d. February 28, 2023 · First baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, 1953 to 1953.
d. February 28, 2024 · Catcher across two clubs, 1998 to 2002.
32 players died on February 28; these are the 24 best known.