On This Day in Baseball

December 24

25 notable birthdays · 16 in memoriam

Born on December 24

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

01

Kevin Millwood b. 1974

169-152, 4.11 ERA 1997–2012 Gastonia, USA
02

William Contreras b. 1997

.272 avg, 103 HR 2020– Puerto Cabello, Venezuela
03

Del Howard b. 1877

.263 avg, 6 HR 1905–1909 Kenney, USA
04

Jack Graham b. 1916

.231 avg, 38 HR 1946–1949 Minneapolis, USA
05

Zeke Wilson b. 1869

52-44, 4.03 ERA 1895–1899 Benton, USA
06

Victor Cruz b. 1957

.000 avg, 0 HR 1978–1983 Rancho Viejo, D.R.
07

Gregor Blanco b. 1983

.255 avg, 26 HR 2008–2018 Caracas, Venezuela
08

John Costello b. 1960

.000 avg, 0 HR 1988–1991 Bronx, USA
09

James Norwood b. 1993

.000 avg, 0 HR 2018–2022 New York, USA
10

Thad Christopher b. 1912

.250 avg, 14 HR Tampa, USA
11

Alex Cabrera b. 1971

.262 avg, 5 HR 2000–2000 Caripito, Venezuela
12

Tod Sloan b. 1890

.234 avg, 2 HR 1913–1919 Madisonville, USA
13

Ed McCreery b. 1889

.000 avg, 0 HR 1914–1914 Florence, USA
14

Keith Luuloa b. 1974

.333 avg, 0 HR 2000–2000 Honolulu, USA
15

Nicholas Padilla b. 1996

MLB player 2022– Bronx, USA
16

A. J. Ladwig b. 1992

MLB player 2022–2022 Omaha, USA
17

Evelio Hernandez b. 1930

1-1, 4.45 ERA 1956–1957 Guanabacoa, Cuba
18

Dave Coble b. 1912

.280 avg, 0 HR 1939–1939 Monroe, USA
19

Carlos Diaz b. 1964

.333 avg, 0 HR 1990–1990 Jersey City, USA
20

Bobby Henrich b. 1938

.125 avg, 0 HR 1957–1959 Lawrence, USA
21

Larry Foster b. 1937

MLB player 1963–1963 Lansing, USA
22

Owen Scheetz b. 1913

.000 avg, 0 HR 1943–1943 New Bedford, USA
23

Frank Trechock b. 1915

.500 avg, 0 HR 1937–1937 Windber, USA
24

Bill Otis b. 1889

.059 avg, 0 HR 1912–1912 Scituate, USA
25

George Zackert b. 1884

.000 avg, 0 HR 1911–1912 Horton, USA

Remembered on December 24

Baseball figures lost on this date.

01

George McQuinn 1910–1978

.276 avg, 135 HR 1936–1948
02

Charlie Duffee 1866–1894

.267 avg, 35 HR 1889–1893
03

Del Howard 1877–1956

.263 avg, 6 HR 1905–1909
04

Al Myers 1863–1927

.245 avg, 13 HR 1884–1891
05

Chief Sockalexis 1871–1913

.313 avg, 3 HR 1897–1899
06

Bill Rodgers 1887–1978

.243 avg, 0 HR 1915–1916
07

Jimmy Smith 1874–1960

.193 avg, 0 HR
08

John Doyle 1858–1915

.182 avg, 0 HR 1882–1882
09

Herman Purcell 1923–2005

.333 avg, 0 HR
10

Bob Habenicht 1926–1980

.000 avg, 0 HR 1951–1953
11

Russ Lyon 1913–1975

.182 avg, 0 HR 1944–1944
12

Joe Kracher 1913–1981

.200 avg, 0 HR 1939–1939
13

Jim Boyle 1904–1958

MLB player 1926–1926
14

Wesley Barrow 1900–1965

MLB player
15

Joe Cobb 1895–1947

MLB player 1918–1918
16

Hal Reilly 1894–1957

.000 avg, 0 HR 1919–1919

December 24 in the record

Leading the December 24 birthdays is Kevin Millwood, first of 25 players shown. From Zeke Wilson in 1869 to William Contreras in 1997, the births cover a long stretch of the game. Behind Kevin Millwood come William Contreras (b. 1997, .272 avg, 103 HR) and Del Howard (b. 1877, .263 avg, 6 HR). Not every December 24 birthday is American-born: the list also covers Venezuela, D.R., and Cuba. The highest-ranked hitter born on December 24, William Contreras, carries a .272 avg, 103 HR line, and the highest-ranked pitcher, Kevin Millwood, went 169-152, 4.11 ERA. Open-ended career spans mark December 24 birthdays with no final game on record, such as William Contreras and Nicholas Padilla. The December 24 memorial list names 16 figures, beginning with George McQuinn. Charlie Duffee (1866–1894) and Del Howard (1877–1956) follow George McQuinn on the list. Charlie Duffee (1894) and Herman Purcell (2005) bracket the memorial list. Ranking on the December 24 page follows career impact, with Hall of Fame membership weighted heavily.