1973 in baseball

: Oakland Athletics over New York Mets (4–3); Reggie Jackson, MVP

World Series

Baseball Hall of Fame

Most Valuable Player

Cy Young Award

Rookie of the Year

Gold Glove Award

January 3 – A group of investors headed by 42-year-old shipping and ship-building magnate George M. Steinbrenner III purchases the New York Yankees from CBS. The entire deal is valued at $10 million and includes parking lots near Yankee Stadium, but when CBS buys those properties back from the Yankees, the purchase price for the team falls to $8.8 million. By the time of Steinbrenner's death 37 years later, the Yankees are valued at over $1.6 billion.

Cleveland

American League

January 18 – Free agent and longtime first baseman , 35, signs with the Boston Red Sox, making the future Hall of Famer the first player signed to serve expressly as a designated hitter.

Orlando Cepeda

January 24 – Left-handed pitcher , with 363 triumphs the winningest southpaw of all time, is elected to the Hall of Fame in his first try on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot, receiving 316 of 380 votes.

Warren Spahn

January 28 – The Hall of Fame Special Veterans Committee selects 19th-century pitcher and Giants first baseman George Kelly, plus umpire Billy Evans, for enshrinement.

Mickey Welch

Bang the Drum Slowly

January 2 –

Mike Metcalfe

January 3 –

Da Rond Stovall

January 5 –

Fred Rath Jr.

January 5 –

Ramón Tatís

January 8 –

Mike Cameron

January 9 –

Aaron Holbert

January 10 –

Gary Rath

January 14 –

Troy Brohawn

January 14 –

Rod Myers

January 15 –

Chris Cumberland

January 15 –

Wayne Gomes

January 18 -

Joe Kehoskie

January 19 –

Chris Stynes

January 20 –

Julio Santana

January 23 –

Nelson Paulino

January 24 –

Mike Glavine

January 25 –

Terrell Wade

January 28 –

Jacob Cruz

January 29 –

Brian Edmondson

January 29 –

Jason Schmidt

January 30 –

Bob Henley

January 3 – , 61, All-Star outfielder and 1938 Negro American League batting champion (.384) whose pro baseball career extended from 1937 to 1941; became a teacher after retiring from the game.

Donald Reeves

January 9 – , 83, third baseman who played one game for the Cleveland Naps on June 27, 1914; later a lawyer and politician in his native Arkansas.

Al Cypert

January 9 – , 66, shortstop for seven MLB teams from 1929 to 1940 who led the American League in steals in 1936; member of 1932 World Series champion New York Yankees.

Lyn Lary

January 11 – , 82, shortstop who appeared in 31 games over three seasons (1912–1914) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Browns and Cleveland Naps.

Rivington Bisland

January 22 – , 82, third baseman/shortstop who played in 257 games for the 1914–1915 Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the Federal League (then labeled an "outlaw" circuit) and 1917 Cleveland Indians.

Al Halt

January 23 – , 81, left-hander who pitched in three games for the Cincinnati Reds in September 1915.

Ray Callahan

January 28 – , 60, who played seven seasons spanning 1936 to 1945 in the Negro leagues, primarily as an outfielder.

Thad Christopher

January 29 – , 61, outfielder who played for the Kansas City Monarchs during their "barnstorming" era (1935–1936), then the 1937–1938 Memphis Red Sox and 1942 Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League.

Bob Madison

January 30 – , 87, third baseman in 54 games for the 1914 Chicago White Sox.

Scotty Alcock