1961
Changes- Release random prospect - Juan Marichal (Cubs), the #1 prospect in baseball, becomes a free agent, but elects to re-sign with Chicago.
- Contraction - The Louisville Colonels and Montreal Expos are removed from the National League.
- Random playoff rule - The Wildcard Game and Division Series will be replaced by a four-team double round robin in each league. The top two teams will make the League Championship Series.
Off-Season
- Boston trades third baseman Dick Gray to the Royals for closer Hersh Freeman and outfielder Joe Christopher.
- Ace Russ Meyer moved from the Red Sox to the Orioles.
- Catcher Joe Torre signed with the Cubs, having formerly been on Louisville.
- Slugger Vic Wertz signed with the Dodgers.
American League East
Baltimore Orioles (92-62)
Philadelphia Athletics (88-66)
Boston Red Sox (84-70)
New York Yankees (70-84)
American League Central
Chicago White Sox (88-66)
Detroit Tigers (81-73)
Cleveland Indians (79-75)
Washington Senators (75-79)
American League West
Kansas City Royals (87-67)
California Angels (71-83)
Minnesota Twins (60-94)
Seattle Mariners (49-105)
AL MVP: Al Kaline (Kansas City)
AL CYA: Jim O'Toole (Kansas City)
AL ROY: Bob Hendley (Boston)
AL RMA: Roy Face (Detroit) (2nd award)
AL MOY: Red Howell (Chicago)
National League East
Philadelphia Phillies (92-62)
Brooklyn Dodgers (85-69)
New York Giants (80-74)
National League Central
Cincinnati Reds (64-90)
Pittsburgh Pirates (57-97)
Durham Bulls (52-102)
National League West
Milwaukee Brewers (98-56)
Atlanta Braves (92-62)
St. Louis Cardinals (84-70)
Chicago Cubs (66-88)
NL MVP: Willie Mays (Milwaukee) (3rd award, 2nd in NL)
NL MOP: Jim Perry (Milwaukee)
NL ROY: Carl Yastrzemski (Pittsburgh)
NL RMA: Claude Osteen (St. Louis)
NL MOY: Joe Kiefer (Philadelphia) (3rd award)
Statistical Leaders
Batting Average: Al Kaline (Kansas City) .318, Earl Battey (Atlanta) .328
Home Runs: Joe Adcock (Chicago) 8, Roy Sievers (Milwaukee) / Duke Snider (Philadelphia) 9
Runs Batted In: Billy Williams (California) 101, Duke Snider (Philadelphia) 126
Stolen Bases: Maury Wills (Baltimore) 64, Orlando Cepeda (Pittsburgh) 47
WAR: Al Kaline (Kansas City) 8.0, Willie Mays (Milwaukee) 9.0
Wins: Jim O'Toole (Kansas City) / Jack Sanford (Chicago) 21, Jack Fisher (St. Louis) / Jim Perry (Milwaukee) 22
ERA: Bob Gibson (Cleveland) 1.76, Jim Perry (Milwaukee) 1.74
Strikeouts: Sandy Koufax (New York) 124, Herb Score (Philadelphia) 173
Saves: Roy Face (Detroit) 36, Don Gross (Milwaukee) 44
WAR: Bob Gibson (Cleveland) 6.7, Juan Marichal (Chicago) 9.3
Notes
- The Orioles surged to the AL East title with fine seasons from Jim Piersall, Maury Wills, Russ Meyer, and Curt Simmons.
- Billy Goodman, Dick Groat, Vada Pinson, and Frank Robinson powered the White Sox to the AL Central title.
- The three NL Central teams had the worst records in the league.
- The Mariners traded veteran ace Warren Spahn to Cincinnati for third baseman Bill Serena.
Achievements & Milestones
- Curt Flood (Brooklyn) and Clint Courtney (Boston) had six-hit games.
- Vinegar Bend Mizell (Milwaukee) and Bob Gibson (Cleveland) threw no-hitters.
- Joe Adcock (White Sox) moved past 400 home runs.
- Robin Roberts (Atlanta) won his 200th game.
Division Series
-
Philadelphia and Chicago (four wins) advanced. Baltimore (three wins) and Kansas City (one win) were eliminated.
- Baltimore started the round robin with a bang - scoring five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Royals, 7-6. Felix Mantilla scored Maury Wills for the walk-off hit.
- Whitey Ford (Philadelphia) threw a shutout in the A's first game, downing Chicago 3-0.
- The White Sox beat the Royals in twelve innings, with Billy Goodman driving home Vada Pinson for a 5-4 win.
- Felix Mantilla (Baltimore) had five hits in a 9-8 O's loss to Philadelphia.
- Harmon Killebrew (Kansas City) had two singles and a triple as KC beat Baltimore 12-7.
- Wes Covington (Philadelphia) hit the crucial thirteenth inning sacrifice fly which allowed the A's to beat the Royals 4-3.
- Harry Hooper Jr. (Baltimore) was a homer short of the cycle and scored three times in a 12-5 win over the White Sox.
-
Atlanta and Philadelphia (four wins) advanced. Milwaukee (three wins) and Cincinnati (one win) were eliminated.
- Four Reds pitchers combined to shutout the Braves in a tight 1-0 win.
- Don Drysdale (Atlanta) came up big for the Braves, hurling a shutout in a 4-0 win over Milwaukee.
- Milwaukee was defeated twice by division rival Atlanta, and were eliminated despite having the best regular season record.
ALCS
-
Chicago defeated Philadelphia, 4 games to 1.
- Dick Groat had thirteen hits and nine RBI in the series.
- Vada Pinson (Chicago) went 4-5 in Game One, which the White Sox won 6-5.
- Bob Hazle (Chicago) clipped the walk-off hit in Game Four, scoring Pinson for an 8-7 White Sox win. Hazle was 4-6 on the day.
- Groat was 5-5 in the series clincher, a 5-2 win for the Pale Hose.
- Pinson was 11-28.
NLCS
-
Atlanta defeated Philadelphia, 4 games to 3.
- Felipe Alou picked up twelve hits to win series MVP.
- Don Drysdale (Atlanta) pitched a shutout in Game One, and also drove in the only run of the game, as the Braves won 1-0.
- Ralph Terry (Atlanta) was the shutout man in Game Three, keeping Chicago off the scoreboard despite allowing eleven hits.
- Billy Hoeft (Philadelphia) fired back in Game Four, allowing just one hit over eight innings, as the Phillies won 2-0.
- Duke Snider (Philadelphia) singled, tripled, and homered in a 3-2 Game Six win.
- Ralph Terry threw seven strong innings for the Braves as they won Game Seven 3-1.
- Four consecutive pennants for Atlanta.
World Series
- [B]Chicago defeated Atlanta, 5 games to 4.
- Johnny Edwards was the MVP. The catcher was 10-28 with seven RBI.
- Lou Brock (Atlanta) scored the winning run in the tenth inning of Game One, as the Braves took it, 3-2.
- Robin Roberts (Atlanta) went the distance in Game Four, a 5-2 Atlanta win.
- Dick Groat (Chicago) cracked three doubles for a 6-5 Chicago win in Game Five.
- Jim Bunning (Chicago) threw seven strong innings, winning Game Eight 3-2, and forcing a deciding game back in the Windy City.
- Ray Herbert (Chicago) threw a shutout in the final game, with Bob Hazle (Chicago) scoring the only run, after reaching by being hit by a pitch. Don Drysdale (Atlanta) took the loss despite only allowing three hits and a single run.
- Frank Robinson (Chicago) had twelve hits.
- Herbert and Ted Abernathy (Chicago) both won two games.
- Chicago came back from 4-2 down to win the series.
Retirements
- Ewell Blackwell. 1950, 1953, 1954 NL MOP. One of the dominant pitchers of his generation, leading the NL in strikeouts six times. 11-time All-Star, with rings with Brooklyn in 1945 and the White Sox in 1957. 271-155, 180 ERA+.
- Roy Campanella. Catcher who starred for San Francisco Seals. Nine All-Stars and Silver Sluggers with a ring in 1956. 433 homers and 194 career OPS+, outstanding for a backstop.
- Joe Haynes. Veteran workhorse who pitched for ten big league teams. 305-195 record, with a 136 ERA+. Rings with Minnesota in 1939 and Durham in 1951. Won 25 games for the Seals in 1954.
- Johnny Hetki. 1949 and 1955 NL RMA. 281 career saves, 251 ERA+. Had 0.13 ERA in 71.2 IP in 1957. Nine-time All-Star. Rings in 1954 and 1961.
- Howie Pollet. 1946 NL MOP. Two rings with Giants, one with Seals. 308-206 career record, with a 137 ERA+.
Hall of Fame
FREDERICK CHARLES "FRED" HUTCHINSON
Starting Pitcher
Cleveland Indians 1939-1950, Houston Astros 1951-1952, Brooklyn Dodgers 1953-1957
NL MOP, 8x AS
253-207, 2.22 ERA, 4592.2 IP, 2172 K, 139 ERA+, 152.9 WAR
WALTER JAMES VINCENT "RABBIT" MARANVILLE
Shortstop
Chicago White Sox 1912-1916, Boston Braves 1917-1930
AL MVP, 6x WS, NLCS MVP, 4x AS, 6x GG, 3x SS
.256/.331/.343, 2430 H, 327 2B, 159 3B, 60 HR, 1019 RBI, 1091 BB, 126 SB, 101 OPS+, 107.7 WAR
JOHN ALEXANDER "BID" MCPHEE
Manager
Cincinnati Reds 1901-1903, Chicago White Sox 1905-1924
2x WS, 2x AL MOY
1838-1396, .568 PCT
ZACHARIAH DAVIS "ZACK" WHEAT
Left Fielder
Louisville Colonels 1909-1916, Boston Braves 1917-1923, Providence Angels 1924-1927
NL MOP, NL ROY, 2x WS, 7x AS, 8x SS
.325/.379/.460, 3126 H, 456 2B, 132 3B, 191 HR, 1467 RBI, 800 BB, 188 SB, 148 OPS+, 73.2 WAR
Draft
- The Mariners chose Willie Stargell with the first pick.
- Gaylord Perry went second to Durham.
- Tony Oliva was Pittsburgh's pick at three.
- Tommie Agee went to Minnesota at #4.
Ray Herbert was the winning pitcher in Game Nine of the World Series.
Zack Wheat was elected to the Hall of Fame.