On This Day in Baseball

January 20

25 notable birthdays · 25 in memoriam

Born on January 20

Most accomplished baseball figures with this birthday, ranked by career impact.

  1. 01
    Brian Giles b. 1971
    .291 avg, 287 HR 1995–2009 El Cajon, USA
  2. 02
    Camilo Pascual b. 1934
    174-170, 3.63 ERA 1954–1971 Havana, Cuba
  3. 03
    Joe Dobson b. 1917
    137-103, 3.62 ERA 1939–1954 Durant, USA
  4. 04
    Geovany Soto b. 1983
    .245 avg, 108 HR 2005–2017 San Juan, P.R.
  5. 05
    Kevin Maas b. 1965
    .230 avg, 65 HR 1990–1995 Castro Valley, USA
  6. 06
    Carson Benge b. 2003
    .282 avg, 20 HR 2026– Oklahoma City, USA
  7. 07
    Carl Taylor b. 1944
    .266 avg, 10 HR 1968–1973 Sarasota, USA
  8. 08
    Marvin Benard b. 1971
    .271 avg, 54 HR 1995–2003 Bluefields, Nicaragua
  9. 09
    Everett Mills b. 1845
    .284 avg, 2 HR 1871–1876 Newark, USA
  10. 10
    Nate Lavender b. 2000
    MLB player 2026– Hudson, USA
  11. 11
    Ernie Courtney b. 1875
    .245 avg, 5 HR 1902–1908 Des Moines, USA
  12. 12
    Ali Sanchez b. 1997
    .209 avg, 1 HR 2020– Carora, Venezuela
  13. 13
    Sam Hairston b. 1920
    .313 avg, 5 HR 1951–1951 Crawford, USA
  14. 14
    Jesse Hill b. 1907
    .289 avg, 6 HR 1935–1937 Yates, USA
  15. 15
    Earl Smith b. 1891
    .272 avg, 9 HR 1916–1922 Oak Hill, USA
  16. 16
    Jesse Gonder b. 1936
    .251 avg, 26 HR 1960–1967 Monticello, USA
  17. 17
    John Rodriguez b. 1978
    .298 avg, 7 HR 2005–2006 New York, USA
  18. 18
    Gene Stephens b. 1933
    .240 avg, 37 HR 1952–1964 Gravette, USA
  19. 19
    Jimmy Outlaw b. 1913
    .268 avg, 6 HR 1937–1949 Orme, USA
  20. 20
    John Baker b. 1981
    .247 avg, 14 HR 2008–2014 Alameda, USA
  21. 21
    Denny Sothern b. 1904
    .280 avg, 19 HR 1926–1931 Washington, USA
  22. 22
    Ad Lankford b. 1882
    16-8, 4.53 ERA Canton, USA
  23. 23
    David Eckstein b. 1975
    .280 avg, 35 HR 2001–2010 Sanford, USA
  24. 24
    Brad Brink b. 1965
    0-4, 3.56 ERA 1992–1994 Roseville, USA
  25. 25
    C. I. Taylor b. 1875
    .221 avg, 1 HR Anderson, USA

Remembered on January 20

Baseball figures lost on this date.

  1. 01
    Josh Gibson ⭐ HOF 1911–1947
    .364 avg, 197 HR
  2. 02
    Sal Bando 1944–2023
    .254 avg, 242 HR 1966–1981
  3. 03
    Gus Zernial 1923–2011
    .265 avg, 237 HR 1949–1959
  4. 04
    Curt Flood 1938–1997
    .293 avg, 85 HR 1956–1971
  5. 05
    Nick Altrock 1876–1965
    83-75, 2.65 ERA 1898–1933
  6. 06
    Emmet Heidrick 1876–1916
    .300 avg, 16 HR 1898–1908
  7. 07
    Ollie Pickering 1870–1952
    .271 avg, 9 HR 1896–1908
  8. 08
    Dick McBride 1847–1916
    149-78, 2.71 ERA 1871–1876
  9. 09
    Vern Ruhle 1951–2007
    67-88, 3.73 ERA 1974–1986
  10. 10
    Jack Lelivelt 1885–1941
    .301 avg, 2 HR 1909–1914
  11. 11
    Gibby Brack 1908–1960
    .279 avg, 16 HR 1937–1939
  12. 12
    Jumbo Schoeneck 1862–1930
    .283 avg, 2 HR 1884–1889
  13. 13
    Homer Hillebrand 1879–1974
    8-4, 2.51 ERA 1905–1908
  14. 14
    Clyde Golden 1928–2017
    3-4, 4.22 ERA
  15. 15
    Bill Johnson 1960–2018
    MLB player 1983–1984
  16. 16
    Jose Ortiz 1947–2011
    .301 avg, 0 HR 1969–1971
  17. 17
    Herb Goodall 1866–1938
    8-5, 3.39 ERA 1890–1890
  18. 18
    Vern Benson 1924–2014
    .202 avg, 3 HR 1943–1953
  19. 19
    Wally Andrews 1859–1940
    .197 avg, 0 HR 1884–1888
  20. 20
    Bobby Cuellar 1952–2025
    MLB player 1977–1977
  21. 21
    Moose Stubing 1938–2018
    .000 avg, 0 HR 1967–1967
  22. 22
    Waddy MacPhee 1899–1980
    .286 avg, 0 HR 1922–1922
  23. 23
    Mark Filley 1912–1995
    MLB player 1934–1934
  24. 24
    George Ellison 1897–1978
    MLB player 1920–1920
  25. 25
    Pat Lyons 1860–1914
    .053 avg, 0 HR 1890–1890

January 20 in the record

25 baseball figures born on January 20 are listed, led by Brian Giles. From Everett Mills in 1845 to Carson Benge in 2003, the births cover a long stretch of the game. Behind Brian Giles come Camilo Pascual (b. 1934, 174-170, 3.63 ERA) and Joe Dobson (b. 1917, 137-103, 3.62 ERA). The birth list reaches beyond the United States to Cuba, P.R., Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Brian Giles (.291 avg, 287 HR) leads the January 20 hitters and Camilo Pascual (174-170, 3.63 ERA) the pitchers. The span for Carson Benge, Nate Lavender, and Ali Sanchez ends in a dash, meaning no last game is recorded. 25 baseball figures died on January 20; Josh Gibson is listed first. Among those remembered, Josh Gibson was a Hall of Famer. Also remembered on January 20: Sal Bando (1944–2023) and Gus Zernial (1923–2011). Pat Lyons (1914) and Bobby Cuellar (2025) bracket the memorial list. The January 20 order reflects the site's career-impact ranking, and every name opens the player's profile.