On This Day in Baseball

December 4

25 notable birthdays · 25 in memoriam

Born on December 4

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

  1. 01
    Jesse Burkett ⭐ HOF b. 1868
    3-11, 5.56 ERA 1890–1905 Wheeling, USA
  2. 02
    Lee Smith ⭐ HOF b. 1957
    71-92, 3.03 ERA 1980–1997 Jamestown, USA
  3. 03
    Blake Snell b. 1992
    85-63, 3.10 ERA 2016– Seattle, USA
  4. 04
    Harvey Kuenn b. 1930
    .303 avg, 87 HR 1952–1966 West Allis, USA
  5. 05
    Joe Musgrove b. 1992
    66-62, 3.73 ERA 2016– El Cajon, USA
  6. 06
    Ray Sanders b. 1916
    .274 avg, 42 HR 1942–1949 Bonne Terre, USA
  7. 07
    Bob Shawkey b. 1890
    196-150, 3.09 ERA 1913–1927 Sigel, USA
  8. 08
    Carlos Gomez b. 1985
    .252 avg, 145 HR 2007–2019 Santiago, D.R.
  9. 09
    Joe Corbett b. 1875
    32-18, 3.42 ERA 1895–1904 San Francisco, USA
  10. 10
    Jake Bird b. 1995
    MLB player 2022– Newhall, USA
  11. 11
    Shano Collins b. 1885
    .264 avg, 22 HR 1910–1925 Charlestown, USA
  12. 12
    Jackson Holliday b. 2003
    .229 avg, 29 HR 2024– Austin, USA
  13. 13
    John Farrell b. 1876
    .261 avg, 4 HR 1901–1905 Covington, USA
  14. 14
    Tadahito Iguchi b. 1974
    .268 avg, 44 HR 2005–2008 Tokyo, Japan
  15. 15
    Pat Sheridan b. 1957
    .253 avg, 51 HR 1981–1991 Ann Arbor, USA
  16. 16
    Ed Mars b. 1867
    9-5, 4.67 ERA 1890–1890 Chicago, USA
  17. 17
    David Green b. 1960
    .268 avg, 31 HR 1981–1987 Managua, Nicaragua
  18. 18
    Billy Bryan b. 1938
    .216 avg, 41 HR 1961–1968 Morgan, USA
  19. 19
    Paul Blackburn b. 1993
    29-34, 4.45 ERA 2017– Antioch, USA
  20. 20
    Daniel Duarte b. 1996
    MLB player 2022– Huatabampo, México
  21. 21
    Jake Cave b. 1992
    .236 avg, 45 HR 2018– Hampton, USA
  22. 22
    William Sumrall b. 1916
    .083 avg, 0 HR Deering, USA
  23. 23
    Victor Schlitzer b. 1884
    10-15, 3.60 ERA 1908–1914 Rochester, USA
  24. 24
    Barbaro Garbey b. 1956
    .267 avg, 11 HR 1984–1988 Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
  25. 25
    Dick Strahs b. 1923
    .000 avg, 0 HR 1954–1954 Evanston, USA

Remembered on December 4

Baseball figures lost on this date.

  1. 01
    Roger Bresnahan ⭐ HOF 1879–1944
    4-1, 3.93 ERA 1897–1915
  2. 02
    Red Murray 1884–1958
    .270 avg, 37 HR 1906–1917
  3. 03
    Fats Jenkins 1898–1968
    .338 avg, 21 HR
  4. 04
    Johnny Rizzo 1912–1977
    .270 avg, 61 HR 1938–1942
  5. 05
    Ben Cantwell 1902–1962
    76-108, 3.91 ERA 1927–1937
  6. 06
    John Henry Russell 1898–1972
    .280 avg, 30 HR
  7. 07
    Ken Lehman 1928–2010
    14-10, 3.91 ERA 1952–1961
  8. 08
    Mike Mansell 1858–1902
    .239 avg, 9 HR 1879–1884
  9. 09
    Al Fitzmorris 1946–2024
    77-59, 3.65 ERA 1969–1978
  10. 10
    Dick Luebke 1935–1974
    MLB player 1962–1962
  11. 11
    Frank Duncan 1901–1973
    .255 avg, 14 HR
  12. 12
    Pepper Sharpe 1918–1997
    2-5, 5.08 ERA
  13. 13
    Aggie Turner 1893–1916
    .231 avg, 0 HR
  14. 14
    Joe Peitz 1869–1919
    .423 avg, 0 HR 1894–1894
  15. 15
    Mike Page 1940–2021
    .179 avg, 0 HR 1968–1968
  16. 16
    Austin Davis 1922–2000
    .143 avg, 0 HR
  17. 17
    Bert Delmas 1911–1979
    .250 avg, 0 HR 1933–1933
  18. 18
    Stu Locklin 1928–2016
    .167 avg, 0 HR 1955–1956
  19. 19
    Steve Lembo 1926–1989
    .182 avg, 0 HR 1950–1952
  20. 20
    Dan McGee 1911–1991
    .136 avg, 0 HR 1934–1934
  21. 21
    Steve Hertz 1945–2025
    .000 avg, 0 HR 1964–1964
  22. 22
    Abel Lizotte 1870–1926
    .103 avg, 0 HR 1896–1896
  23. 23
    Gideon Applegate 1927–2016
    .111 avg, 0 HR
  24. 24
    Walter Ockey 1920–1971
    MLB player 1944–1944
  25. 25
    Eddie Popowski 1913–2001
    MLB player

December 4 in the record

25 baseball figures born on December 4 are listed, led by Jesse Burkett. Hall of Famers among them: Jesse Burkett and Lee Smith. From Ed Mars in 1867 to Jackson Holliday in 2003, the births cover a long stretch of the game. The December 4 list continues with Lee Smith (b. 1957, 71-92, 3.03 ERA) and Blake Snell (b. 1992, 85-63, 3.10 ERA). Not every December 4 birthday is American-born: the list also covers D.R., Japan, Nicaragua, and México. For December 4, the best-placed batter is Harvey Kuenn at .303 avg, 87 HR; the best-placed pitcher, Jesse Burkett, shows 3-11, 5.56 ERA. Recent names on the December 4 list, Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, and Jake Bird, show careers still open. The December 4 memorial list names 25 figures, beginning with Roger Bresnahan. Among those remembered, Roger Bresnahan was a Hall of Famer. Red Murray (1884–1958) and Fats Jenkins (1898–1968) follow Roger Bresnahan on the list. Deaths on the list run from Mike Mansell's in 1902 to Steve Hertz's in 2025. Jesse Burkett tops the page on the site's career-impact scale; each name links to a full profile.