On This Day in Baseball

January 31

25 notable birthdays · 25 in memoriam

Born on January 31

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

  1. 01
    Nolan Ryan ⭐ HOF b. 1947
    324-292, 3.19 ERA 1966–1993 Refugio, USA
  2. 02
    Ernie Banks ⭐ HOF b. 1931
    .274 avg, 512 HR 1953–1971 Dallas, USA
  3. 03
    Jackie Robinson ⭐ HOF b. 1919
    .313 avg, 141 HR 1947–1956 Cairo, USA
  4. 04
    Josh Johnson b. 1984
    58-45, 3.40 ERA 2005–2013 Minneapolis, USA
  5. 05
    George Burns b. 1893
    .307 avg, 72 HR 1914–1929 Niles, USA
  6. 06
    Caleb Thielbar b. 1987
    MLB player 2013– Northfield, USA
  7. 07
    Zach Neto b. 2001
    .244 avg, 85 HR 2023– Miami, USA
  8. 08
    Tim Hendryx b. 1891
    .276 avg, 6 HR 1911–1921 Le Roy, USA
  9. 09
    Alex Claudio b. 1992
    MLB player 2014– Juncos, P.R.
  10. 10
    Matt Svanson b. 1999
    MLB player 2025– Lake Zurich, USA
  11. 11
    Tex McDonald b. 1891
    .298 avg, 13 HR 1912–1915 Farmersville, USA
  12. 12
    Ted Power b. 1955
    68-69, 4.00 ERA 1981–1993 Guthrie, USA
  13. 13
    Pinky Hargrave b. 1896
    .278 avg, 39 HR 1923–1933 New Haven, USA
  14. 14
    Hank Aguirre b. 1931
    75-72, 3.24 ERA 1955–1970 Azusa, USA
  15. 15
    Tyler Kinley b. 1991
    .000 avg, 0 HR 2018– Plantation, USA
  16. 16
    Bob Apodaca b. 1950
    16-25, 2.86 ERA 1973–1977 Los Angeles, USA
  17. 17
    Tommy La Stella b. 1989
    .266 avg, 40 HR 2014– Westwood, USA
  18. 18
    Bob Ferguson b. 1845
    .265 avg, 1 HR 1871–1884 Brooklyn, USA
  19. 19
    Joshua Kuroda-Grauer b. 2003
    .366 avg, 1 HR 2026– New Brunswick, USA
  20. 20
    Kyle Backhus b. 1998
    MLB player 2025– New Waverly, USA
  21. 21
    Carter Baumler b. 2002
    MLB player 2026– Des Moines, USA
  22. 22
    Rudy Martin b. 1996
    .000 avg, 0 HR 2026– Memphis, USA
  23. 23
    Jimmy Zinn b. 1895
    13-16, 4.30 ERA 1919–1929 Benton, USA
  24. 24
    Rasty Wright b. 1863
    .282 avg, 0 HR 1890–1890 Birmingham, USA
  25. 25
    Alva Williams b. 1882
    .265 avg, 2 HR 1911–1918 Carthage, USA

Remembered on January 31

Baseball figures lost on this date.

  1. 01
    Henry Larkin 1860–1942
    .303 avg, 53 HR 1884–1893
  2. 02
    Oscar Gamble 1949–2018
    .265 avg, 200 HR 1969–1985
  3. 03
    Al McBean 1938–2024
    67-50, 3.13 ERA 1961–1970
  4. 04
    Fred Whitfield 1938–2013
    .253 avg, 108 HR 1962–1970
  5. 05
    Johnny Kling 1875–1947
    .272 avg, 20 HR 1900–1913
  6. 06
    José Leblanc 1894–1922
    28-21, 2.64 ERA
  7. 07
    Buck Weaver 1890–1956
    .272 avg, 21 HR 1912–1920
  8. 08
    Steve Yerkes 1888–1971
    .268 avg, 6 HR 1909–1916
  9. 09
    Ernest Burke 1924–2004
    4-4, 3.84 ERA
  10. 10
    Norm Zauchin 1929–1999
    .233 avg, 50 HR 1951–1959
  11. 11
    Ed Phelps 1879–1942
    .251 avg, 3 HR 1902–1913
  12. 12
    Ed Head 1918–1980
    27-23, 3.48 ERA 1940–1946
  13. 13
    John Huber 1908–1964
    7-15, 5.05 ERA
  14. 14
    Dave Elder 1975–2023
    MLB player 2002–2003
  15. 15
    Lou Bierbauer 1865–1926
    .267 avg, 34 HR 1886–1898
  16. 16
    Harry Chiti 1932–2002
    .238 avg, 41 HR 1950–1962
  17. 17
    Pat Donahue 1884–1966
    .211 avg, 3 HR 1908–1910
  18. 18
    Tony Pierce 1946–2013
    4-6, 3.25 ERA 1967–1968
  19. 19
    Jesse Williams 1923–1996
    .196 avg, 1 HR
  20. 20
    Jim Gray 1862–1938
    .304 avg, 1 HR 1884–1893
  21. 21
    Clarence Lehr 1886–1948
    .148 avg, 0 HR 1911–1911
  22. 22
    Dan Mahoney 1864–1904
    .182 avg, 0 HR 1892–1895
  23. 23
    John Dowd 1891–1981
    .194 avg, 0 HR 1912–1912
  24. 24
    Harry O'Donnell 1894–1958
    .062 avg, 0 HR 1927–1927
  25. 25
    Lee Carter 1920–2011
    .125 avg, 0 HR

January 31 in the record

The birthday list for January 31 has 25 names, headed by Nolan Ryan. Hall of Famers among them: Nolan Ryan, Ernie Banks, and Jackie Robinson. Birth years range from 1845 (Bob Ferguson) to 2003 (Joshua Kuroda-Grauer). Next on the January 31 birthday list are Ernie Banks (b. 1931, .274 avg, 512 HR) and Jackie Robinson (b. 1919, .313 avg, 141 HR). P.R. is also represented among the January 31 births. Career lines shown range from Ernie Banks's .274 avg, 512 HR to Nolan Ryan's 324-292, 3.19 ERA on the mound. The span for Caleb Thielbar, Zach Neto, and Alex Claudio ends in a dash, meaning no last game is recorded. Remembered on January 31: 25 names, starting with Henry Larkin. The memorial list continues with Oscar Gamble (1949–2018) and Al McBean (1938–2024). Dan Mahoney (1904) and Al McBean (2024) bracket the memorial list. Ranking on the January 31 page follows career impact, with Hall of Fame membership weighted heavily.