The following are the baseball events of the year 1986 throughout the world.
Champions
Major League Baseball
Other champions
Awards and honors
MLB Statistical Leaders
Major League Baseball final standings
Events
- March 10 - Ernie Lombardi, the National League MVP in 1938, and Bobby Doerr, a nine-time American League All-Star, are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.
- September 3 - Billy Hatcher's home run in the top of the 18th inning gives the Houston Astros an 8-7 victory over the Chicago Cubs. The two teams began with 14 innings one day earlier, and use a major league record 53 players in the game.
- October 12 - In Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, the Boston Red Sox, trailing 3 games to 1 to the California Angels and 1 out away from elimination, are rescued when Don Baylor delivers a 2-run home run to trim the Angel lead from 5-2 to 5-4. Then, 1 strike away from elimination, Dave Henderson crushes a pitch from California's Donnie Moore into the center field stands for a 6-5 lead. The Red Sox win 7-6 in extra innings and extend the series to another game.
- October 15 - In the longest game in post-season history (until the 2005 National League Division Series), the Mets beat the Astros 7–6 in 16 innings to earn their first trip to the World Series since 1973. New York scores three runs in the top of the 9th to force extra innings. The Mets score three more runs in the top of the 16th, and Houston answers with two of its own before Jesse Orosco fans Kevin Bass to end the game.
- October 25 - With the Red Sox leading 5-3 in Game 6 of the World Series, and just one out away from winning their first championship since 1918, the Red Sox give up hits to Gary Carter, Kevin Mitchell and Ray Knight, and pitcher Bob Stanley throws a wild pitch that allows Mitchell to score. Then Mookie Wilson hits a slow grounder that keeps bouncing, right between the legs of first baseman Bill Buckner, allowing Knight to score to give the New York Mets an improbable 6-5 win. Boston's Calvin Schiraldi absorbs the loss.
Births
Deaths
- January 2 - Bill Veeck, 71, executive who owned the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox (twice) at various times, always launching fan-friendly promotions which greatly increased attendance and the sport's popularity; notable stunts included using midget Eddie Gaedel in a 1951 game, and installing fireworks in the Comiskey Park scoreboard
- January 13 - Mike Garcia, 62, All-Star pitcher who won 142 games for the Cleveland Indians, winning 20 games and leading the AL in ERA twice each; member of the Indians' "Big Four", along with Bob Feller, Bob Lemon and Early Wynn
- February 17 - Red Ruffing, 80, Hall of Fame pitcher whose 273 victories included four straight 20-win seasons for the Yankees from 1936-1939, with seven World Series victories helping the team win six championships; batted .300 eight times, and was later a minor league manager
- April 27 - Marty Karow, 81, coach at Texas A&M and Ohio State who won the 1966 College World Series with the Buckeyes; briefly an infielder with the 1927 Red Sox
- April 28 - Pat Seerey, 63, outfielder who hit four home runs in a 1948 game while with the White Sox
- May 4 - Paul Richards, 77, manager and executive, formerly a catcher, who built the Baltimore Orioles team that later dominated the AL in the late 1960s and early 1970s; also manager of the White Sox, and executive with Houston and Atlanta
- June 6 - John Carmichael, 83, Chicago sportswriter from 1927 to 1972
- June 9 - Milton Richman, 64, sportswriter for United Press International since 1944
- July 2 - Peanuts Lowrey, 68, All-Star outfielder, mainly with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, who batted .310 in 1945 World Series
- July 9 - Red Lucas, 84, pitcher who won over 150 games for the Reds and Pirates; had 27 consecutive complete games in 1931-32 and set record with 114 career pinch hits
- July 25 - Ted Lyons, 85, Hall of Fame pitcher who played his entire 21-year career with the Chicago White Sox, collecting 260 victories; led AL in wins, innings, complete games and shutouts twice each, and won 22 games for 62-92 team in 1930
- August 11 - Tom Gorman, 67, NL umpire form 1951 to 1976, briefly a pitcher with the New York Giants, who worked in five World Series and nine no-hitters
- September 4 - Hank Greenberg, 75, Hall of Fame first baseman and left fielder for the Detroit Tigers who won MVP awards at both positions; career .313 hitter led the American League in home runs and RBI four times each despite losing four and a half seasons to military service; 58 homers in 1938 shared record for right-handed batters; first Jewish player elected to Hall of Fame
- October 3 - Vince DiMaggio, 74, All-Star center fielder for five NL teams, and the oldest of the baseball-playing DiMaggio brothers, Joe and Dom
- October 12 - Norm Cash, 51, All-Star first baseman for the Tigers who won the 1961 AL batting title with a .361 mark, but never again hit over .283
- October 19 - George Pipgras, 86, pitcher who led AL with 24 wins for 1928 Yankees; later an AL umpire for nine seasons
- December 10 - Si Burick, 77, sportswriter for the Dayton Daily News since 1928 who covered the Cincinnati Reds and became the first writer from a non-major league city to be honored by the Hall of Fame
- December 12 - Johnny Wyrostek, 67, All-Star outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds