Yogi Berra was looking up at the scoreboard on Old Timers' Day, saw the list of Yankee greats who had recently died, and said, "Boy, I hope I never see my name up there." The research below, by Baseball Almanac, allows you to "check the scoreboard" and see every ballplayer who died during any given year.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The list of baseball players who died are sorted by default in alphabetical order, using the player's last name. However, you can sort the data to meet your needs. Click where it says "Died In" and the data will be sorted by the place of death. Click "Date of Death" and see it listed chronologically, for the given year. Debut Year and Final Year (in the majors) are also sortable.
"If anybody talks about a dead guy during a broadcast, I'll sack 'em. I'm sick of dead guys. Whenever I turn on baseball, all I hear about is dead guys. If I hear a name, I'm going to ask: 'Is he dead?' And if he is, you're fired." - Fox Sports President David Hill in The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball (Jonathan Fraser Light, 2005)
Major League Baseball Players Who Died in 1988MLB Players Who Died in 1988 | Return To Players by Year of Death |
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Player | Died In | Date of Death | Debut Year | Final Year |
Mel Almada | Caborca, Sonora, Mexico | 08-13-1988 | 1933 | 1939 |
Jack Aragon | Clearwater, Florida | 04-04-1988 | 1941 | 1941 |
Jim Bagby | Marietta, Georgia | 09-02-1988 | 1938 | 1947 |
Belve Bean | Comanche, Texas | 06-01-1988 | 1930 | 1935 |
Clyde Beck | Temple City, California | 07-15-1988 | 1926 | 1931 |
Wally Berger | Redondo Beach, California | 11-30-1988 | 1930 | 1940 |
Bob Berman | Bridgeport, Connecticut | 08-02-1988 | 1918 | 1918 |
Bob Boken | Las Vegas, Nevada | 10-06-1988 | 1933 | 1934 |
Red Bullock | Pascagoula, Mississippi | 06-27-1988 | 1936 | 1936 |
Bill Burgo | Morgan City, Louisiana | 10-19-1988 | 1943 | 1944 |
Ralph Buxton | San Leandro, California | 01-06-1988 | 1938 | 1949 |
Glenn Chapman | Richmond, Indiana | 11-05-1988 | 1934 | 1934 |
Walt Chipple | Tonawanda, New York | 06-08-1988 | 1945 | 1945 |
Len Church | Richardson, Texas | 04-22-1988 | 1966 | 1966 |
Andy Cohen | El Paso, Texas | 10-29-1988 | 1926 | 1929 |
Syd Cohen | El Paso, Texas | 04-09-1988 | 1934 | 1937 |
Bill Cox | Charleston, Illinois | 02-16-1988 | 1936 | 1940 |
John Daley | Mansfield, Ohio | 08-31-1988 | 1912 | 1912 |
Dom Dallessandro | Indianapolis, Indiana | 04-29-1988 | 1937 | 1947 |
Art Daney | Phoenix, Arizona | 03-11-1988 | 1928 | 1928 |
Bob Daughters | Southbury, Connecticut | 08-22-1988 | 1937 | 1937 |
Pete Donohue | Fort Worth, Texas | 02-23-1988 | 1921 | 1932 |
Tom Drake | Birmingham, Alabama | 07-02-1988 | 1939 | 1941 |
Tom Earley | Nantucket, Massachusetts | 04-05-1988 | 1938 | 1945 |
Hank Edwards | Anaheim, California | 06-22-1988 | 1941 | 1953 |
Frank Ellerbe | Latta, South Carolina | 07-08-1988 | 1919 | 1924 |
Al Flair | New Orleans, Louisiana | 07-26-1988 | 1941 | 1941 |
Wes Flowers | Wynne, Arkansas | 12-31-1988 | 1940 | 1944 |
Boob Fowler | Dallas, Texas | 10-08-1988 | 1923 | 1926 |
Johnny Gee | Cortland, New York | 01-23-1988 | 1939 | 1946 |
Sam Gentile | Everett, Massachusetts | 05-04-1988 | 1943 | 1943 |
John Happenny | Coral Springs, Florida | 12-29-1988 | 1923 | 1923 |
Joe Hatten | Redding, California | 12-16-1988 | 1946 | 1952 |
George Hennessey | Princeton, New Jersey | 01-15-1988 | 1937 | 1945 |
Albie Hood | Chesapeake, Virginia | 10-14-1988 | 1925 | 1925 |
Carl Hubbell | Scottsdale, Arizona | 11-21-1988 | 1928 | 1943 |
Bob Kahle | Inglewood, California | 12-16-1988 | 1938 | 1938 |
Willie Kamm | Belmont, California | 12-21-1988 | 1923 | 1935 |
Dutch Kemner | Quincy, Illinois | 01-16-1988 | 1929 | 1929 |
Ted Kluszewski | Cincinnati, Ohio | 03-29-1988 | 1947 | 1961 |
Lew Krausse | Sarasota, Florida | 09-06-1988 | 1931 | 1932 |
Harvey Kuenn | Peoria, Arizona | 02-28-1988 | 1952 | 1966 |
Jerry Lane | Chattanooga, Tennessee | 07-24-1988 | 1953 | 1955 |
Lou Legett | New Orleans, Louisiana | 03-06-1988 | 1929 | 1935 |
Ed Linke | Chicago, Illinois | 06-21-1988 | 1933 | 1938 |
Luis Marquez | Aguadilla, Puerto Rico | 03-01-1988 | 1951 | 1954 |
Ralph Michaels | Monroeville, Pennsylvania | 08-05-1988 | 1924 | 1926 |
Ed Montague | Daly City, California | 06-17-1988 | 1928 | 1932 |
Earl Mossor | Batavia, Ohio | 12-29-1988 | 1951 | 1951 |
Ernie Nevel | Springfield, Missouri | 07-10-1988 | 1950 | 1953 |
Bob O'Farrell | Waukegan, Illinois | 02-20-1988 | 1915 | 1935 |
Tom Oliver | Montgomery, Alabama | 02-26-1988 | 1930 | 1933 |
Tony Ordenana | Miami, Florida | 09-29-1988 | 1943 | 1943 |
Joe Orengo | San Francisco, California | 07-24-1988 | 1939 | 1945 |
Reggie Otero | Hialeah, Florida | 10-21-1988 | 1945 | 1945 |
Charlie Perkins | Salem, Oregon | 05-25-1988 | 1930 | 1934 |
Red Phillips | Wichita, Kansas | 02-01-1988 | 1934 | 1936 |
Ken Polivka | Aurora, Illinois | 07-23-1988 | 1947 | 1947 |
Vic Raschi | Groveland, New York | 10-14-1988 | 1946 | 1955 |
Dick Ricketts | Rochester, New York | 03-06-1988 | 1959 | 1959 |
Ray Rohwer | Davis, California | 01-24-1988 | 1921 | 1922 |
Ramon Romero | Bronx, New York | 10-13-1988 | 1984 | 1985 |
Edd Roush | Bradenton, Florida | 03-21-1988 | 1913 | 1931 |
Al Rubeling | Baltimore, Maryland | 01-28-1988 | 1940 | 1944 |
Ed Sauer | Thousand Oaks, California | 07-01-1988 | 1943 | 1949 |
Hank Schenz | Cincinnati, Ohio | 05-12-1988 | 1946 | 1951 |
Merle Settlemire | Russells Point, Ohio | 06-12-1988 | 1928 | 1928 |
Frank Skaff | Towson, Maryland | 04-12-1988 | 1935 | 1943 |
Ron Slocum | Los Angeles, California | 08-25-1988 | 1969 | 1971 |
Charlie Snell | Reading, Pennsylvania | 04-04-1988 | 1912 | 1912 |
Jigger Statz | Corona Del Mar, California | 03-16-1988 | 1919 | 1928 |
Ben Steiner | Venice, Florida | 10-27-1988 | 1945 | 1947 |
Dick Strahs | Las Vegas, Nevada | 05-26-1988 | 1954 | 1954 |
Lefty Sullivan | Scottsdale, Arizona | 11-01-1988 | 1939 | 1939 |
Zeb Terry | Los Angeles, California | 03-14-1988 | 1916 | 1922 |
Tommy Thomas | Dallastown, Pennsylvania | 04-27-1988 | 1926 | 1937 |
Jocko Thompson | Olney, Maryland | 02-03-1988 | 1948 | 1951 |
Bob Trice | Weirton, West Virginia | 09-16-1988 | 1953 | 1955 |
Dave Tyriver | Oshkosh, Wisconsin | 10-28-1988 | 1962 | 1962 |
Bernie Walter | Nashville, Tennessee | 10-30-1988 | 1930 | 1930 |
Bob Weiland | Chicago, Illinois | 11-09-1988 | 1928 | 1940 |
Hugh Willingham | El Reno, Oklahoma | 06-15-1988 | 1930 | 1933 |
Ralph Winegarner | Wichita, Kansas | 04-14-1988 | 1930 | 1949 |
Whitey Witt | Salem County, New Jersey | 07-14-1988 | 1916 | 1926 |
Player | Died In | Date of Death | Debut Year | Final Year |
MLB Players Who Died in 1988 | Research by Baseball Almanac |
Who was the first Major League player to commit suicide? Which baseball suicide occurred in an Asylum? Which one took place inside a police station? Find out by reading through our list of baseball suicides.
Did you know that the fewest number of baseball deaths occurred during the month of June? For a comprehensive chart check out our Baseball Player Obituaries & Death by Month Chart.
If a player passes away and we haven't updated their page in 24 hours, please contact us immediately so we can make the appropriate changes to their page.