1996 in baseball

Deaths

• February 8 - Del Ennis, 70, a slugging outfielder who became the first Philadelphia Phillies rookie ever to made the All-Star team, and was a star on the 1950 National League pennant-winning team dubbing the Whiz Kids.
• March 8 - Bill Nicholson, 86, an All-Star right fielder who played for the Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, who twice led the National League in home runs, and just one of four players in major league history to receive an intentional walk with the bases loaded.
• April 1 - John McSherry, 51, a popular and well-respected umpire who worked in the major leagues for 21 years.
• May 19 - Johnny Berardino, 79, an infielder for the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates between 1939 and 1953, who was also credited during his acting career as John Beradino in the role of Dr. Hardy on the soap opera General Hospital.
• May 26 - Mike Sharperson, 34, who played for the Blue Jays, Dodgers and Braves, and made the NL All-Star team in 1992.
• July 8 - Jim Busby, 69, an All-Star center fielder and a coach in major league who played with the White Sox, Senators, Indians, Orioles, Red Sox and Houston Colt .45?s, and coached for the Colt 45?s, Astros, Orioles and Braves.
• September 4 - Babe Dahlgren, 84, the man who replaced Lou Gehrig at first base to end Gehrig's 2,130 consecutive games played streak (May 2, 1939).
• October 4 - Joe Hoerner, 60, an All-Star reliever for the St. Louis Cardinals? championship teams of the 1960s.
• October 29 - Ewell Blacwell, 74, a six-time All-Star pitcher of the late 1940s and early 1950s, who came within two outs of throwing consecutive no-hit games for the Cincinnati Reds.
• November 11 - Luman Harris, 81, who pitched with the Phillies and Senators, and later managed the Astros, Orioles and Braves.
• December 27 - Gene Brabender, 55, a pitcher who spent five major league seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Pilots and Milwaukee Brewers.