From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia List of people banned from Major League Baseball
List of people banned from Major League Base-
ball
A ban from Major League Baseball is a form of punish- 2005, as a result of the findings of the Mitchell Report,
ment levied by the Office of the Commissioner of Major the Major League Baseball Players Association stipulated
League Baseball (MLB) against a player, manager, execu- that multiple violations of the new Major League Baseball
tive, or other person connected with the league as a de- drug policy would result in a lifetime ban.[1]
nunciation of some action that person committed that vi-
olated or tarnished the integrity of the game. A banned
person is forbidden from employment with MLB or its af-
Punishment
filiated minor leagues, and is forbidden from other pro- A person who has been banned from Major League Base-
fessional involvement with MLB such as acting as a sports ball is barred from:
agent for an MLB player. Since 1991, all banned people – • employment with MLB or one of its franchises or
whether living or deceased – have been barred from in- affiliated minor leagues as a player, coach, or
duction to the Baseball Hall of Fame. manager, or in the front office
Major League Baseball has maintained a list of "per- • acting as a sports agent for an MLB player, coach, or
manently ineligible" people since Kenesaw Mountain manager
Landis was installed as the first Commissioner of Baseball • maintaining business ties with MLB or one of its
in 1920. Although the majority of banned persons were franchises, e.g., a banned person must purchase a
banned after the establishment of the Commissioner’s of- ticket in order to attend a game
fice, a few were banned prior to that time. Most per- • The exception to this is if MLB or one of its teams
sons who have been banned (including many who have invites the banned person to participate in an
been reinstated) were banned due to association with event such as a public recognition ceremony.
gambling or otherwise conspiring to fix the outcomes • induction to the Hall of Fame, whether the person is
of games; others have been banned for a multitude of living or deceased
reasons including illegal activities off the field, violating Terms such as "lifetime ban" and "permanent ban" are
some term of their playing contract, or making disparag- misnomers, as a banned person may be reinstated (i.e.,
ing remarks that cast the game in a bad light. have the ban removed) on the decision of the Commis-
sioner of Major League Baseball, and in the case of Hall
of Fame induction the ban can extend beyond a person’s
History lifetime. Additionally, a ban does not forbid a person
Before 1920, players were banned by the decision of a from participating in baseball leagues that are not affili-
committee. There were 14 banned from 1865–1920; of ated with MLB.
those, 12 were banned for association with gambling or
attempting to fix games, one was banned for violating
the reserve clause, and one was banned for making dis-
List of banned people
paraging remarks.
In 1920, team owners established the Office of the People banned before 1920
Commissioner of Baseball, ostensibly to keep the players • Thomas Devyr, Ed Duffy and William Wansley of the
in line and out of corruption’s way. Kenesaw Mountain New York Mutuals were banned in 1865 for
Landis, a federal judge, was the owners’ ideal candidate associating with known gamblers. (Devyr was
for the job and was given unlimited power over the game, reinstated later that year, and Duffy and Wansley were
including the authority to ban people from the game. He reinstated in 1870.)
banned many players and various others, often for very • George Bechtel of the Louisville Grays was banned in
small offenses, and at times almost indiscriminately. In 1876 for conspiring with his teammates to throw
his 24 years as commissioner, Landis banned more people (that is, intentionally lose) a game for $500, equal to
than all of his successors combined. $10,278 today.
Since Landis’ death in 1944, only one person who was • Jim Devlin, George Hall, Al Nichols and Bill Craver of
banned by one of his successors has not been reinstated: the Louisville Grays were banned in 1877 for
Pete Rose. In 1991, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and conspiring to throw two games. (No evidence was ever
Museum voted to bar banned players from induction. In found to suggest that Craver actually had anything to do
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia List of people banned from Major League Baseball
with the conspiracy, but he refused to cooperate with the People banned under Commissioner Ke-
investigators.)
• Oscar Walker was banned in 1877 for "contract
nesaw Mountain Landis
jumping" by signing a contract to play for another
team while still under contract to the team he left.
(This was approximately 100 years prior to the advent of
free agency in sports; Walker was reinstated in 1879.)
Shoeless Joe Jackson, 1919
Jack O’Connor
• Umpire Richard Higham was banned in 1882 for
conspiring to help throw a Detroit Wolverines game
after Detroit’s owner hired a private investigator to
check out Higham’s background and found that he
was an associate of a known gambler. (To date,
Higham is the only umpire banned for life.)
• Joseph Creamer, New York Giants team physician,
was banned in 1908 for bribing umpire Bill Klem
$2,500 (equal to $60,907 today) to conspire against
the Chicago Cubs during a playoff game against the
Giants.
• Jack O’Connor and Harry Howell, manager and coach
of the St. Louis Browns, were banned in 1910 for
attempting to fix the outcome of the 1910 American
League batting title for Cleveland Indians player Nap
Lajoie and against Ty Cobb.
• Horace Fogel, Philadelphia Phillies owner, was
banned in 1912 for publicly asserting that the
umpires favored the New York Giants and were
Lefty Williams
making unfair calls against his team.
• Eight players from the Chicago White Sox were
banned in 1920 for conspiring with gamblers to
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia List of people banned from Major League Baseball
authorities and team ownership; Weaver
successfully sued owner Charles Comiskey for
his 1921 salary.
• Joe Gedeon of the St. Louis Browns was banned in
1920 for allegedly conspiring with the gamblers
behind the Black Sox scandal.
• Eugene Paulette of the Philadelphia Phillies was
banned in 1921 for associating with known gamblers.
• Benny Kauff of the New York Giants was banned in
1920 for selling stolen cars. (Commissioner Landis
considered him "no longer a fit companion for other ball
players," despite Kauff being acquitted of the charges
against him in court)
• Lee Magee of the Chicago Cubs was released just
before the season began. Magee sued the Cubs for his
1920 salary and lost; court testimony proved he had
been involved in throwing games and collecting on
bets.
• Hal Chase of the New York Giants was banned in
1921 for consorting with gamblers, and betting on
his own teams, among other corrupt practices. (Chase
had previously been accused of fixing games as early as
1910, and was reportedly passed over for managerial
opportunities due to the allegations. In 1918 Christy
Chick Gandil Mathewson had suspended Chase mid-season for fixing
games, and John McGraw persuaded Mathewson to trade
throw the 1919 World Series in the Black Sox him to the Giants. At the end of the 1919 season, National
scandal: League president John Heydler found evidence that Chase
• "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. (The precise extent of had indeed taken money from gamblers in 1918. Chase had
Jackson’s involvement is a controversial question, been informally banned from the major leagues)
though it is indisputable that he took $5,000 cash • Heinie Zimmerman of the New York Giants was
(equal to $63,494 today) from the gamblers and never banned in 1921 for encouraging his teammates to fix
told anyone about it until after the conspiracy was games. (He had been benched by McGraw and later sent
exposed. He also told the grand jury that he did not home during the 1919 season, and had been informally
field or hit as well in key situations as he could have) banned from the majors. During the 1917 World Series, he
• Eddie Cicotte. (The story that Cicotte (pronounced chased the winning run across the plate and found himself
Suh-kot-e) had been promised a $10,000 bonus (equal having to deny having helped throw the Series. Despite
to $126,988 today) if he won 30 games and then was some of these allegations, McGraw would not turn him in,
denied two starts at the end of the season is not wanting to be the one responsible for having one of his
unsubstantiated) players banned for life; McGraw would suspend him
• Lefty Williams lost all three of his starts in the indefinitely. Later McGraw would testify in court that
World Series, setting a record that has never Zimmerman conspired to fix games)
been matched. • Joe Harris of the Cleveland Indians was banned for
• Chick Gandil was the mastermind and life in 1920 after he chose to play for an independent
ringleader of the scandal. team rather than the Indians. (Harris’ ban occurred
• Fred McMullin was only a backup infielder. prior to Landis taking office, but he was reinstated by
However, he overheard teammates discussing Landis in 1922 due, in part, to his service during World War
the fix and threatened to report them unless he I)
was included. • Heinie Groh of the Cincinnati Reds was banned for
• Swede Risberg was one of the ringleaders of the two days in 1921 while he held out for a higher
scandal. salary, and Landis gave Groh an ultimatum: play for
• Happy Felsch hit and fielded poorly in the the Reds in 1921, or face lifetime banishment. (Groh
series. chose the former option and played out the 1921 season; he
• Buck Weaver was banned because he knew of retired in 1927)
the conspiracy, but did not report it to MLB
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia List of people banned from Major League Baseball
owners of the Phillies at different times and were both
banned, making them thus far the only owners to be
banned for life)
People banned under Commissioner
Bowie Kuhn
After Landis died in 1944, there was a long lull before the
next banishment; indeed, during Bowie Kuhn’s tenure
(1969–1984), only three players (or former players) were
banned for life.
• Ferguson Jenkins of the Texas Rangers was banned
in 1980 after a customs search in Toronto, Ontario,
found 3 grams (0.11 oz) of cocaine, 2.2 grams
(0.078 oz) of hashish, and 1.75 grams (0.062 oz) of
marijuana on his person. (Jenkins missed the rest of the
1980 season, but was reinstated by an independent arbiter,
and retired following the 1983 season. He was elected to the
Hall of Fame in 1991.)
• Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, both retired and
both in no way involved in baseball anymore, were
banned in 1983 after they were hired by casinos in
Atlantic City, New Jersey, as greeters and autograph
signers.[2] (Kuhn opined that a casino was "no place for a
Heinie Groh baseball hero and Hall of Famer"; Mantle and Mays were
reinstated by Peter Ueberroth in 1985; Mantle died in 1995.)
• Ray Fisher of the Cincinnati Reds was banned in 1921
after he refused to play for the Reds; he had asked People banned under Commissioner A.
for his outright release when the Reds cut his salary Bartlett Giamatti
by $1,000 (equal to $12,272 today), but the Reds
A. Bartlett Giamatti spent less than six months as Com-
refused to release him. (Fisher was hired by the
missioner of Baseball before he died unexpectedly of a
University of Michigan to coach baseball later that year,
heart attack.
and was reinstated by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn in 1980;
His death came a mere eight days after banning Pete
he died in 1982)
Rose, manager of the Cincinnati Reds, for life. Rose was
• Dickie Kerr of the Chicago White Sox was banned for
investigated in 1989 for his alleged ties to gamblers; when
life in 1921 for playing exhibition games with former
new information on Rose’s gambling habits came to light,
banned Black Sox players. Kerr had been a member
Giamatti banned Rose. (While president of the National
of the 1919 Black Sox team, but he won both his
League in 1988, Giamatti suspended Rose for thirty games for
starts in the contested 1919 World Series and was
shoving an umpire during a heated argument)
acquitted of involvement in the conspiracy. (Kerr was
However, Giamatti granted Rose one concession: Rose
reinstated in 1925)
could apply for reinstatement once a year for as long
• Phil Douglas of the New York Giants was banned in
as he lived. Rose has subsequently applied for reinstate-
1922 after notifying an acquaintance on the St. Louis
ment four times; all four reinstatement requests have
Cardinals that he planned to jump the Giants for the
been rejected. After years of denial, Rose admitted that
pennant stretch run to spite McGraw, with whom
"everything" the Dowd Report contained was the com-
Douglas had had a severe falling out during the
plete, unadulterated truth[3].
regular season.
• Jimmy O’Connell of the New York Giants and Giants
coach Cozy Dolan were banned in 1924 for offering
People banned under Commissioner Fay
Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Heinie Sand $500 Vincent
(equal to $6,424 today) to throw a game between the Fay Vincent became commissioner upon the death of Gia-
two teams for O’Connell’s own and his gambler matti.
backers’ financial gain. • George Steinbrenner, New York Yankees owner, was
• William B. Cox, Philadelphia Phillies owner, was banned in 1990 for paying a private investigator
banned in 1943 for betting on his team’s games. (Cox $40,000 (equal to $67,225 today) to "dig up dirt" on
and one of his predecessors, Horace Fogel, were both Yankees player Dave Winfield in order to discredit
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia List of people banned from Major League Baseball
him; much of the information Steinbrenner received banned solely for the content of his or her speech on a
was from a small-time gambler and rackets-runner matter of public concern; she was reinstated in 1998,
named Howard Spira, who had once worked for resigned as owner in 1999 and died in 2004)
Winfield’s charitable foundation. (In Steinbrenner’s
absence, his son took control of the Yankees, and then
relinquished the team back to his father when Bud Selig
See also
reinstated him in 1993; Steinbrenner retired as owner in • Commissioner of Baseball (MLB)
2006, passing control to his sons permanently and died in • Major League Baseball
2010) • Major League Baseball Players Association
• Steve Howe of the New York Yankees was banned in • National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
1992 after receiving seven suspensions related to
drug use, particularly cocaine and alcohol. (An
independent arbiter reinstated Howe shortly after; Howe
References
retired in 1996 and died in 2006) [1] "MLB, MLBPA announce new drug agreement".
MLBPA Official Press Release. 15 November 2005.
People banned under Commissioner Bud http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/releases/
releases.jsp?content=111505. Retrieved 21 July
Selig 2010.
Bud Selig became Commissioner after Fay Vincent’s res- [2] Spokane Spokesman-Review, October 20, 1983, "Kuhn
ignation; he was Acting Commissioner between called off-base for Mantle, Mays bans".
1992–1998, and was elected to the Office of Commissioner [3] Associated Press, March 16, 2007 "Rose admits to
in 1998. betting on Reds ’every night’"
• Marge Schott, Cincinnati Reds owner, was banned in
1996 for bringing Major League Baseball into
disrepute by repeatedly making slurs against External links
African-Americans, Jews, Asians and homosexuals, • Baseball Rules Menu on Baseball Almanac
and showing a sympathetic attitude to Adolf Hitler • Baseball Steroid Suspensions
and the Nazi Party. (Schott was the first, and to date • Major League Baseball’s "permanently ineligible" list
only, woman to be banned, and the only person to be
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/in-
dex.php?title=List_of_people_banned_from_Major_League_Baseball&oldid=454428290"
Categories:
• Lists of Major League Baseball players
• Major League Baseball controversies
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