1985 in baseball

Deaths

• February 2 - Van Mungo, 73, a hard thrower pitcher whose fiery off-field antics delighted Brooklyn Dodgers fans in the 1930s.
• February 26 - George Uhle, 86, a pitcher who is credited to have developed the slider pitch in the 1920s and a 200-game winner, who spent most of his 17-year major league career with the Cleveland Indians, and compiled one of the all-time highest batting averages for a pitcher.
• March 10 - Bob Nieman, 58, a fine outfielder who spent 12 years in the majors with eight teams and hit .295 in 1113 games, and the first player to hit two home runs in his first two major league at-bats.
• July 2 - Guy Bush, 83, who pitched for the Red Sox, Cubs, Reds, Cardinals and Pirates in a 17-season majors career, and who is remembered as the pitcher that gave up Babe Ruth?s last home run.
• July 27 - Smokey Joe Wood, 95, who pitched for the Red Sox and Indians from 1908 through 1922, posted a 34-5 record with an 1.91 ERA in 1912, and went on to win three games in the World Series against the New York Giants.
• May 6 - Kirby Higbe, 70, who pitched for five major league teams during a 12-year career and helped the Brooklyn Dodgers win the National League pennant in 1941.
• November 23 - Sam West, 81, an outfielder who played for the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox in a 16-year career, batting .300 or better in eight seasons, and was a member of the American League team in the first All-Star Game in 1933.
• November 25 - Ray Jablonski, 59, an All-Star third baseman who spent eight seasons in the major leagues with the Cardinals, Reds, Giants and Kansas City A?s.
• December 6 - Burleigh Grimes, a Hall of Fame pitcher, whose major league career as player, manager and coach spanned six decades.
• December 8 - Bill Wambsganns, 91, a member of the 1920 World Series champion Cleveland Indians, and the player who has made the only unassisted triple play in World Series history.
• December 15 - Roger Maris, 51, who hit 61 home runs in 1961 to break Babe Ruth?s cherised record.