On This Day in Baseball

May 31

24 notable birthdays · 13 in memoriam

Born on May 31

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

  1. 01
    Jake Peavy b. 1981
    152-126, 3.63 ERA 2002–2016 Mobile, USA
  2. 02
    Shane Bieber b. 1995
    71-36, 3.31 ERA 2018– Orange, USA
  3. 03
    Kenny Lofton b. 1967
    .299 avg, 130 HR 1991–2007 East Chicago, USA
  4. 04
    Dupee Shaw b. 1859
    83-121, 3.10 ERA 1883–1888 Charlestown, USA
  5. 05
    Tippy Martinez b. 1950
    MLB player 1974–1988 La Junta, USA
  6. 06
    Spencer Schwellenbach b. 2000
    15-11, 3.23 ERA 2024– Saginaw, USA
  7. 07
    Andrew Bailey b. 1984
    MLB player 2009–2017 Voorhees, USA
  8. 08
    Matthew Bowman b. 1991
    .000 avg, 0 HR 2016– Chevy Chase, USA
  9. 09
    Ray Washburn b. 1938
    72-64, 3.53 ERA 1961–1970 Pasco, USA
  10. 10
    Peaches Davis b. 1905
    27-33, 3.87 ERA 1936–1939 Glen Rose, USA
  11. 11
    Robert Gasser b. 1999
    7-7, 3.59 ERA 2024– El Dorado Hills, USA
  12. 12
    Joe Orsulak b. 1962
    .273 avg, 57 HR 1983–1997 Glen Ridge, USA
  13. 13
    Grant Holman b. 2000
    MLB player 2024– Kirkland, USA
  14. 14
    Dwight Bernard b. 1952
    .200 avg, 0 HR 1978–1982 Mount Vernon, USA
  15. 15
    Dave Roberts b. 1972
    .266 avg, 23 HR 1999–2008 Naha, Japan
  16. 16
    Dylan Cozens b. 1994
    .154 avg, 1 HR 2018–2019 Scottsdale, USA
  17. 17
    Greg Deichmann b. 1995
    .133 avg, 0 HR 2021–2021 Metairie, USA
  18. 18
    Gerson Bautista b. 1995
    MLB player 2018–2019 San Juan, D.R.
  19. 19
    Edgar Ibarra b. 1989
    MLB player 2015–2015 Valencia, Venezuela
  20. 20
    Greg Erardi b. 1954
    MLB player 1977–1977 Syracuse, USA
  21. 21
    Rabe Bassham b. 1897
    .200 avg, 0 HR Prospect, USA
  22. 22
    John Sullivan b. 1894
    .000 avg, 0 HR 1919–1919 Chicago, USA
  23. 23
    Dutch Fehring b. 1912
    .000 avg, 0 HR 1934–1934 Columbus, USA
  24. 24
    Bill Leith b. 1873
    .000 avg, 0 HR 1899–1899 Matteawan, USA

Remembered on May 31

Baseball figures lost on this date.

  1. 01
    Mike Marshall 1943–2021
    97-112, 3.14 ERA 1967–1981
  2. 02
    John Reilly 1858–1937
    .289 avg, 69 HR 1880–1891
  3. 03
    Willie Jefferson 1904–1972
    22-24, 3.94 ERA
  4. 04
    Jimmie Wilson 1900–1947
    .284 avg, 32 HR 1923–1940
  5. 05
    Jake Early 1915–1985
    .241 avg, 32 HR 1939–1949
  6. 06
    Jimmy Hill 1918–1993
    29-26, 4.36 ERA
  7. 07
    Ernie Sulik 1910–1963
    .287 avg, 6 HR 1936–1936
  8. 08
    Grover Lewis 1903–1989
    .333 avg, 4 HR
  9. 09
    Henry Jones 1857–1955
    .220 avg, 0 HR 1884–1884
  10. 10
    Norm Brown 1919–1995
    .000 avg, 0 HR 1943–1946
  11. 11
    Robert Maloney 1856–1908
    .273 avg, 0 HR 1876–1877
  12. 12
    Mike Smith 1904–1981
    .143 avg, 0 HR 1926–1926
  13. 13
    Dixie McArthur 1892–1986
    MLB player 1914–1914

May 31 in the record

24 baseball figures born on May 31 are listed, led by Jake Peavy. The oldest May 31 birthday on the list is Dupee Shaw's, in 1859; the youngest is Spencer Schwellenbach, born in 2000. Behind Jake Peavy come Shane Bieber (b. 1995, 71-36, 3.31 ERA) and Kenny Lofton (b. 1967, .299 avg, 130 HR). Not every May 31 birthday is American-born: the list also covers Japan, D.R., and Venezuela. The highest-ranked hitter born on May 31, Kenny Lofton, carries a .299 avg, 130 HR line, and the highest-ranked pitcher, Jake Peavy, went 152-126, 3.63 ERA. The span for Shane Bieber, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Matthew Bowman ends in a dash, meaning no last game is recorded. 13 baseball figures died on May 31; Mike Marshall is listed first. Also remembered on May 31: John Reilly (1858–1937) and Willie Jefferson (1904–1972). Deaths on the list run from Robert Maloney's in 1908 to Mike Marshall's in 2021. The May 31 order reflects the site's career-impact ranking, and every name opens the player's profile.