1960 in baseball
{{Year in baseball | this year = 1960 |
Major League Baseball
*
World Series:
Pittsburgh Pirates over
New York Yankees (4-3);
Bobby Richardson, MVP
*
All-Star Game (#1),
July 11 at
Municipal Stadium: National League, 5-3
*
All-Star Game (#2),
July 13 at
Yankee Stadium: National League, 6-0
Other champions
*
Caribbean World Series: Cienfuegos (Cuba)
*
College World Series:
Minnesota*
Japan Series:
Taiyo Whales over
Daimai Orions (4-0)
*
Little League World Series: American,
Levittown, Pennsylvania*
Most Valuable Player**
Roger Maris,
New York Yankees (AL)
**
Dick Groat,
Pittsburgh Pirates (NL)
*
Cy Young Award**
Vern Law,
Pittsburgh Pirates *
Rookie of the Year **
Ron Hansen,
Baltimore Orioles (AL)
**
Frank Howard,
Los Angeles Dodgers (NL)
*
The Sporting News Player of the Year Award**
Roger Maris,
New York Yankees*
The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award**
Chuck Estrada,
Baltimore Orioles (AL)
**
Vern Law,
Pittsburgh Pirates (NL)
*
The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award**
Danny Murtaugh,
Pittsburgh PiratesAmerican League final standings
National League final standings
January-February
*
January 5 - The
Continental League, a proposed third major league, gets an assurance of
Congressional support from New York Senator
Kenneth Keating.
*
February 4 - For the second straight election, the BBWAA voters fail to elect a new member to the
Baseball Hall of Fame member.
Edd Roush gets 146 votes, but 202 are necessary for election.
Sam Rice (143) and
Eppa Rixey (142) are next in line.
*
February 15 - Cienfuegos completes a 6â€"0 sweep to give
Cuba the
Caribbean World Series championship for the fifth straight year. Pitcher
Camilo Pascual wins two games, including the Series clincher against
Puerto Rico.
*
February 18 -
Walter O'Malley, owner of the
Los Angeles Dodgers, completes the purchase of the
Chavez Ravine area in
Los Angeles by paying $494,000 for property valued at $92,000.
*
February 20 -
Branch Rickey meets with officials of the proposed Western Carolinas League about pooling talent for Continental League clubs.
*
February 23 - Demolition of
Ebbets Field begins. Lucy Monroe sings the National Anthem, and
Roy Campanella is given an urn of dirt from behind home plate.
March-April
*
March 13 - The
Chicago White Sox unveil new road uniforms with the players' names above the number on the back, another innovation by Sox owner
Bill Veeck.
*
March 24 - Commissioner
Ford Frick says he will not allow the Continental League to pool players in the Western Carolinas League as it would violate existing major-minor league agreements.
*
March 26 - A
Baltimore Orioles-
Cincinnati Reds series scheduled for
Havana, Cuba, is moved to
Miami, Florida by Baltimore chief
Lee MacPhail. The Reds, with a farm club in Cuba, want the trip, but the Orioles fear increased political unrest in the area.
*
March 31 - By a vote of 8â€"1, the Professional Baseball Rules Committee turns down a PCL proposal to use a
designated hitter for the pitcher.
*
April 4 - The
Chicago White Sox send catcher
Earl Battey and first baseman
Don Mincher plus cash to the
Washington Senators for first baseman
Roy Sievers.
*
April 5 - The
San Francisco Giants purchase first baseman
Dale Long from the
Chicago Cubs.
*
April 12:
**With 42,269 fans in attendance, the
San Francisco Giants edge the
St. Louis Cardinals, 3â€"1, in the first game at San Francisco's
Candlestick Park.
Sam Jones pitches a three-hitter, and Cardinals outfielder
Leon Wagner hits the first home run in the $15 million stadium.
**
Chuck Essegian bats an 11th-inning pinch-hit home run as the
Los Angeles Dodgers beat the
Chicago Cubs, 3â€"2, before a record Opening Day crowd (67,550) at Los Angeles. The home run is Essegian's third straight as a pinch hitter, including two in the
1959 World Series.
Don Drysdale pitches all the way, striking out 14, for the win over
Bob Elston.
**In a deal that will haunt the
Cleveland Indians, GM
Frank Lane sends
Norm Cash to the
Detroit Tigers for third baseman
Steve Demeter. Cash will be Detroit's regular first baseman for the next 14 years and will hit 373 home runs for them. Demeter will play four games for Cleveland.
*
April 17:
**On Easter Sunday, GM Frank Lane brings AL batting champ
Harvey Kuenn to the
Cleveland Indians and sends co-home run champ
Rocky Colavito to the
Detroit Tigers. Colavito, an unparalleled fan favorite in Cleveland, will hit 173 home runs before returning to Cleveland in
1965. Kuenn will report to Cleveland, pull a muscle, and never be the same hitter. He'll be traded after one season.
**
Eddie Mathews of the
Milwaukee Braves hits his 300th home run, off
Robin Roberts, plus a double and a triple, as Milwaukee beats the
Philadelphia Phillies, 8â€"4. To date, only
Jimmie Foxx hit his 300th at a younger age.
*
April 18:
**In the
American League opener at
Washington, D.C., a week later than the
National League start, President
Dwight D. Eisenhower throws out the first ball, then watches the
Senators'
Camilo Pascual strike out 15
Boston Red Sox batters to tie
Walter Johnson's team record. Boston's only run in a 10â€"1 loss is a
Ted Williams home run.
**Trader Frank Lane continues to swap, sending Cleveland favorite
Herb Score to the
Chicago White Sox for
Barry Latman. Score and
Rocky Colavito, traded three days ago, were the last two players to pre-date Lane's arrival in Cleveland.
*
April 19:
**Before a home crowd of 41,661,
Minnie Miñoso celebrates his return to the
Chicago White Sox with a fourth-inning
grand slam against the
Kansas City Athletics. Leading off the bottom of the 9th with the score tied 9â€"9, Miñoso hits a solo homer for his sixth RBI.
**On
Patriot's Day at
Fenway Park,
Roger Maris makes his debut with the
New York Yankees as he goes 4-for-5, including two home runs with four RBI. The Yankees spoil the
Boston Red Sox opener with an 8â€"4 win.
*
April 29 - At home, the
St. Louis Cardinals crush the
Chicago Cubs, 16â€"6.
Stan Musial plays his 1,000th game at first base, becoming the first major league player ever with that many at two positions (1,513 games in the outfield). A bright spot for the Cubs is
Ernie Banks hitting two home runs to break
Gabby Hartnett's club record of 231 homers.
May
*
May 1 -
Skinny Brown of the
Baltimore Orioles pitches a 4â€"1 win over the
Yankees. Brown allows just one hit, a first inning home run by
Mickey Mantle. Rookie
Ron Hansen matches Mantle to up his RBI total to an
American League high 32.
*
May 4:
**The
Chicago Cubs make a trade with
WGN plucking
Lou Boudreau out of the broadcast booth to replace
Charlie Grimm (6-11) as Cubs manager. "Jolly Cholly" replaces Boudreau behind the mike. The Cubs win, 5â€"1, over the
Pirates as pitcher
Dick Ellsworth gains his first ML victory.
**
Baltimore Orioles catcher
Gus Triandos sets a pair of
American League records with three
passed balls in one inning (6th) and four in one game, but knuckleballer
Hoyt Wilhelm, making a rare start, goes seven innings and gets credit for a 6â€"4 Baltimore win over the
Chicago White Sox.
Early Wynn records his 2,000th strikeout in a no-decision effort for Chicago. Triandos' PB mark for an inning will be tied by reserve backstop
Myron Ginsberg in six days, and
Tom Egan will collect five PBs in
1970 to erase Triandos' name of the list.
*
May 6 - The
Dodgers send veteran outfielder
Sandy Amorós to
Detroit for first baseman
Gail Harris.
*
May 7:
**Pitcher
Larry Sherry and catcher
Norm Sherry of the
Dodgers become the 10th sibling battery in ML history. Norman belts an 11th-inning home run to give his reliever brother Larry a 3â€"2 win against the
Phillies.
**
Boston Red Sox pitcher
Bill Monbouquette allows just one hit in beating the visiting
Detroit Tigers, 5â€"0.
Neil Chrisley's double is the only Tigers hit.
**
Takehiko Bessho becomes the winningest pitcher in
Japanese baseball as his
Tokyo Giants beat the
Hanshin Tigers 6â€"3. Bessho has 302 wins in the league, one more than
Victor Starfin.
*
May 10:
**Catcher
Joe Ginsberg of the
Orioles loses a struggle with
Hoyt Wilhelm's knuckleball facing the
Athletics, and ties the record set six days earlier by teammate
Gus Triandos with three
passed balls in one inning.
**
Grand slams by
Boston Red Sox teammates
Vic Wertz and
Rip Repulski at
Fenway Park give Boston a 9â€"7 win over the
Chicago White Sox. A former
National League veteran, Repulski's eighth-inning shot off
Don Ferrarese comes on his first
American League at bat.
*
May 11:
**
Sam Jones pitches a two-hitter and draws a bases loaded walk for the only run, as the
Giants edge the visitors
Phillies, 1â€"0.
Jim Owens is the loser.
**The Phillies announce a trade of first baseman
Ed Bouchee and pitcher
Don Cardwell to the
Chicago Cubs for second baseman
Tony Taylor and catcher
Cal Neeman.
*
May 12 - Duplicating
Sam Jones' effort of yesterday, the
Giants'
Jack Sanford pitches a two-hit, 1â€"0 win over the
Phillies. Sanford matches Jones by striking out 11 and walking three.
*
May 13:
**
Mike McCormick's shutout of the
Los Angeles Dodgers is the third straight by
San Francisco Giants pitchers, following two-hitters against the
Philadelphia Phillies by
Sam Jones and
Jack Sanford. The first-place Giants have seven straight wins.
**
Dick Groat of the
Pittsburgh Pirates becomes the first
National League player since
Connie Ryan in
1953 to hit 6-for-6 as Pittsburgh beats the
Milwaukee Braves, 8â€"2.
**The
Philadelphia Phillies suffers its third straight 1â€"0 shutout, losing to the hosts
Cincinnati Reds. The Phillies, losers of back-to-back 1â€"0 games in
San Francisco, tie the major-league record for straight 1â€"0 losses.
Jim O'Toole's win is Cincinnati's ninth straight.
**Two days after being traded from the Phillies to the
Cubs,
Don Cardwell pitches a
no-hitter against the
St. Louis Cardinals. A brilliant, leaping catch of
Carl Sawatski's line drive by
George Altman in the eighth inning saves Cardwell's gem.
Ernie Banks' home run paces the 4â€"0 win, the first no-hitter against the Cards since May 11,
1919.
*
May 19 - The
New York Yankees send shortstop
Andy Carey to the
Kansas City Athletics for slugger
Bob Cerv. Cerv had been with the Yankees for five years before going to KC where he hit 38 home runs in
1958 and was chosen as the
American League left fielder in the All-Star game over
Ted Williams. Cerv will be claimed in the
1960 expansion draft and the Yankees will again reacquire him.
*
May 25 -
George Crowe of the
St. Louis Cardinals set a major league record with his 11th pinch-hit home run, off
Don McMahon, as the Cardinals win, 5â€"3, over the
Braves. Crowe began the season tied with
Smoky Burgess and
Gus Zernial in most career pinch home runs.
*
May 27:
**Since there is no rule limiting the size or shape of the catcher's mitt,
Baltimore manager
Paul Richards combats the team passed-ball problem while catching
Hoyt Wilhelm (38 in
1959; 11 so far this year) by devising an oversized
mitt to gather in Wilhelm's fluttering knuckleball. It is half again as large as the standard glove and 40 ounces heavier. Wilhelm goes the distance in beating
New York, 3â€"2, at
Yankee Stadium. Catcher
Clint Courtney has no passed balls behind the plate.
**
Camilo Pascual strikes out 13 but the
Washington Senators loses to the
Boston Red Sox, 4â€"3, his third loss to Boston this year.
*
May 28 - Manager
Casey Stengel is hospitalized with a virus and high fever and will miss 13 games. The
Yankees goes 7-6 under interim manager
Ralph Houk.
June
*
June 12 - In a record-tying three hour and 52 minute, 9-inning game,
Willie McCovey's pinch-hit
grand slam, the first slam of his career, and
Orlando Cepeda's three-run double pace the
Giants to a 16â€"7 rout of the
Braves.
*
June 15 - Mexico City and Poza Rica combine to hit 12 home runs in one game, a
Mexican League record.
*
June 19 - In a brilliant pair of pitching performances,
Orioles pitchers
Hoyt Wilhelm and
Milt Pappas threw shutouts to beat the host
Detroit Tigers. Wilhelm allowed two hits in winning the opener, 2â€"0, over
Jim Bunning, and Pappas allows three hits in winning the nitecap, 1â€"0, over
Don Mossi.
Jim Gentile and
Ron Hansen collected home runs as catcher
Clint Courtney, using the big glove designed by manager
Paul Richards, is twice charged with batter interference, the first loading the bases in the 4th inning.
*
June 24 -
Willie Mays belted two home runs and made 10 putouts to lead the Giants in a 5â€"3 win at Cincinnati. Mays added three RBI, three runs scored, a single and stole home.
*
June 26 - Hoping to speed up the election process, the
Hall of Fame changes its voting procedures. The new rules allow the Special Veterans Committee to vote annually, rather than every other year, and to induct up to two players a year. The
BBWAA is authorized to hold a runoff election of the top 30 vote getters if no one is elected in the first ballot.
*
June 30 -
Dick Stuart blasts three consecutive home runs, as the
Pirates split with the
Giants. Stuart drives in seven runs and joins
Ralph Kiner as the second Pirates player to hit three home runs in a game at
Forbes Field.
July
*
July 4 -
Mickey Mantle's three-run first-inning home run off
Hal Woodeshick is the 300th of his career. Mantle becomes the 18th major leaguer to join the 300-HR club, but the
Yankees drop a 9â€"8 decision to the
Senators.
*
July 8 = The
Cuban revolution led by
Fidel Castro brought an end to Havana's International League team. The Sugar Kings relocate in
Jersey City, marking that city's return to the
International League after a 10-year absence. Poor attendance at
Roosevelt Stadium prompts the parent
Cincinnati Reds to cease the minor league operation there following the 1960 season.
*
July 9 -
Jim Coates suffered his first loss after nine straight wins, and 14 straight over two seasons, as the
Boston Red Sox beat the
Yankees, 6â€"5. The Sox are lead by
Vic Wertz, who hit a home run, double and single to drive in four runs. Coates' major-league career-record is 17â€"2.
*
July 11 - At
KC Municipal Stadium, one-hit three-innings shutout pitching by
Bob Friend and home runs by
Ernie Banks and
Del Crandall paced the
National League to a 5â€"4 win over the
American League in the first of two All-Star Games. Friend, of the
Pittsburgh Pirates, has notched two of the NL's last three All-Star wins.
*
July 13 - At
Yankee Stadium,
Vern Law became the second
Pirates pitcher to win a 1960 All-Star Game, working two scoreless innings.
Stan Musial came off the
National League bench and hit his record sixth and last All-Star Game home run.
Willie Mays,
Ken Boyer and
Eddie Mathews also homered in the 6â€"0 NL win, the third shutout in All-Star Game history. Law (1st, 2nd) combined the eight-hit shutout along with
Johnny Podres (3rd),
Stan Williams (5th, 6th),
Larry Jackson (7th),
Bill Henry (8th) and
Lindy McDaniel (97h).
Whitey Ford was the loser.
*
July 18 - The
National League votes to expand to 10 clubs if the
Continental League does not join organized baseball. The new NL clubs would invade CL territories.
*
July 19:
**In a spectacular ML debut,
Juan Marichal of the
San Francisco Giants pitches no-hit ball until
Clay Dalrymple pinch-hit singles with two out in the 7th inning. Marichal winds up with 12 strikeouts and a one-hit 2â€"0 win against the
Phillies, becoming the first
National League pitcher since
1900 to debut with a one-hitter.
**
Roy Sievers' 21-game
hitting streak, the longest for any player in the season, ends, but
Chicago White Sox teammate
Luis Aparicio's
inside-the-park home run and
Billy Pierce's shutout beat
Boston, 6â€"0.
*
Senators ace
Pedro Ramos pitches a one-hitter 5â€"0 shutout over
Detroit.
Rocky Colavito's leadoff single in the eighth inning, a grounder that eludes shortstop
José Valdivielso, is the lone safety.
*
July 20 - At
Cleveland Municipal Stadium,
Mickey Mantle golfs a
Gary Bell pitch over the auxiliary scoreboard into the distant upper deck in right field, matching
Luke Easter as the only major league players to reach that spot. Cleveland holds on for an 8â€"6 win over the
Yankees.
*
July 21 -
Robin Roberts pitches his third career one-hitter, and the 3rd one-hitter of the season in new
Candlestick Park.
Felipe Alou spoils Roberts' no-hit bid in the fifth inning of a 3â€"0
Phillies victory. Third baseman
Joe Morgan fields the hit, but falls down and cannot make a throw.
*
July 22 - At
Fenway Park, the
Boston Red Sox down the
Cleveland Indians, 6â€"4.
Vic Wertz has a three-run home run and four RBI.
Ted Williams also homers, and in the 7th inning, steals second base. Williams sets a major league record as the only player to steal bases in four consecutive decades. He'll be match by
Rickey Henderson in
2000. Indians
Jimmy Piersall homers twice, both off winner
Ike Delock.
*
July 23-
Kansas City outfielder
Whitey Herzog hits into the only All-Cuban Triple Play in ML history. The action goes from
Washington Senators starting pitcher
Pedro Ramos, to first baseman
Julio Bécquer, to shortstop
José Valdivielso. The victory, however, goes to reliever
Chuck Stobbs (7-2) as the Senators take an 8â€"3 decision.
Harmon Killebrew has a two-run home run.
*
July 27 -
William Shea, chairman of Mayor Robert Wagner's New York baseball committee, announces the formation of the
Continental League. The five founding cities are
New York City,
Houston,
Toronto,
Denver and
Minneapolis/St. Paul.
*
July 30 - Just as he predicts,
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher
Art Mahaffey picks off the first batter to get a hit against him. Then with the next batter to get a hit, he does it again.
Curt Flood and
Bill White of the
St. Louis Cardinals are the base runner victims, but St. Louis still wins, 6â€"3. In his next game, the first batter to get a hit off Mahaffey will be
Jim Marshall, and Mahaffey will pick him off as well.
August
*
August 2 - In an agreement with the major leagues, the
Continental League abandons plans to join the
American League and
National League.
Walter O'Malley, chairman of the NL Expansion Committee, says, "We immediately will recommend expansion and that we would like to do it in
1961."
Milwaukee Braves owner
Lou Perini proposes a compromise that four of the CL territories be admitted to the current majors in orderly expansion.
Branch Rickey's group quickly accepts. The Continental League ends without playing a game.
*
August 3 - In an unusual move,
Cleveland Indians GM
Frank Lane trades managers with
Detroit Tigers GM
Bill DeWitt. The Indians'
Joe Gordon (49-46) is dealt to the Tigers for
Jimmy Dykes (44-52). For one game, until the pair can change places,
Jo-Jo White pilots the Indians and
Billy Hitchcock guides the Tigers.
*
August 7 - The
Chicago White Sox win a pair from the
Washington Senators, with reliever
Gerry Staley picking up two victories. Staley will be 13â€"8, all in relief, with both wins and losses topping the
American League relievers.
*
August 8 - Before a day crowd of 48,323, the largest day crowd ever at
Comiskey Park, cheer
White Sox pitcher
Billy Pierce four-hit victory over the
Yankees, 9â€"1. Pierce faces just 31 batters.
*
August 9 - With fine relief pitching of
Lindy McDaniel in the opener and a five-hitter by
Curt Simmons in the nitecap, the
St. Louis Cardinals sweep the
Philadelphia Phillies, 5â€"4 and 6â€"0. Phillies
Tony Taylor ties a major league record for a second baseman by going the entire doubleheader (18 innings) without a putout â€" the first to achieve the feat since
Connie Ryan, of the Phillies, on June 14,
1953.
*
August 10 -
Ted Williams blast a pair of home runs and a double to pace the
Red Sox to a 6â€"1 win over the
Cleveland Indians. Williams has 21 homers for the season. The first of the two today, #512, moves him past
Mel Ott into fourth place on the all-time list. After the game, Williams announces that he will retire at the end of the season.
*
August 18 - Almost a
perfect game. Facing just the minimum 27 batters,
Lew Burdette of the
Milwaukee Braves pitches a 1â€"0
no-hitter against the
Phillies.
Tony González, the only Phillies base runner, reached first base in the fifth inning after being hit by a pitch and was wiped out in a double play. The Milwaukee pitcher also scores the only run of the game.
*
August 20 -
Ted Williams draws the 2,000th walk of his career in the
Red Sox' split of a twi-night doubleheader with the
Orioles. Williams joins
Babe Ruth as the only major leaguers to collect 2,000 walks.
Rickey Henderson in
2000, and
Barry Bonds in
2003, will join the select 2,000 walks group.
*
August 23 - Following up his no-hitter,
Lew Burdette fires his third shutout in a row, pitching the
Milwaukee Braves to a 7â€"0 win over the
Los Angeles Dodgers.
*
August 27 - After pitching 32 2/3 shutout innings,
Braves pitcher
Lew Burdette gives up a
Felipe Alou home run as
San Francisco defeats the Braves 3â€"1.
*
August 30 -
Boston Red Sox second baseman
Pete Runnels goes 6-for-7, as Boston edge the
Tigers in the 15-inning opener of a twin bill. Runnels' 15th-inning double brings
Frank Malzone home with the winning run to win, 5â€"4. Runnels has three more hits in the nightcap victory, 3â€"2 in 10 innings. His six hits are the most in an
American League game since July 8,
1955. With 9-for-11 in the doubleheader, Runnels ties the major league record.
September
*
September 2 -
Boston Ted Williams hit a home run off
Don Lee of the
Senators. Williams had homered against Lee's father,
Thornton, 20 years earlier.
*
September 3:
**A battle of lefthanders pitchers features
Sandy Koufax of the
LA Dodgers against
Mike McCormick of the
SF Giants.
Felipe Alou's home run gives McCormick a 1â€"0 win, his second 1â€"0 win against Los Angeles in 1960.
**In the
International League,
Al Cicotte of the Toronto Maple Leafs pitches an 11-inning
no-hitter against Montreal.
*
September 6 - In his final game at
Yankee Stadium,
Ted Williams hit his 518th career home run in a
Red Sox 7â€"1 win.
*
September 10 - In
Detroit,
Yankees Mickey Mantle hit a home run in the 6th inning, the ball clearing the right field roof and landing in the Brooks Lumber Yard across Trumbull Avenue. In
June 1985, Mantle's blow was retroactively measured at 643 feet, and will be listed in the
Guinness Book of World Records at that distance.
*
September 13 - 18-year-old outfielder
Danny Murphy becomes the youngest
Chicago Cubs player to hit a home run when he clouts a three-run homer off
Bob Purkey of the
Cincinnati Reds, as the Reds win 8â€"6 at home. Murphy will play just 49 games for the Cubs from 1960-62. He will come back as a pitcher for the
Chicago White Sox in 1969-70.
*
September 15 -
Willie Mays ties the modern major league record with three triples in a game against the
Phillies. The last
National League player to hit three triples in a game was
Roberto Clemente, in
1958.
*
September 16:
**At the age of 39,
Warren Spahn notches his 11th 20-win season with a 4â€"0
no-hitter against the
Phillies. Spahn also sets a
Milwaukee club record with 15 strikeouts in handing the last-place Phils their 90th loss of the year.
**The
Baltimore Orioles (83-58) and
New York Yankees (82-57) open a crucial four games series with the Orioles just .002 in back of New York. Three days later, during a doubleheader, the Yankees will sweep Baltimore. The faltering Birds, now four back, will end up in second place, eight games back.
*
September 18 - At
Wrigley Field,
Ernie Banks sets a record by drawing his 27th intentional walk of the season.
*
September 19 - The
Chicago White Sox pennant hopes are damaged with a nitecap 7â€"6 loss to the
Detroit Tigers, after they win the opener, 8â€"4. Pinch hitter
Norm Cash scores the decisive run in game two. Cash thus ends the season by grounding into no double plays, becoming the first
American League player since league records on this were started in
1940. Teammates
Dick McAuliffe and
Roger Repoz will duplicate this in
1968.
*
September 20 -
Boston Red Sox outfielder
Carroll Hardy pinch-hits for
Ted Williams, who is forced to leave the game after fouling a ball off his ankle and grounds into a double play. On May 31,
1961, Hardy will pinch hit for rookie
Carl Yastrzemski, making him the only player to go in for both future Hall of Famers. Hardy also hit his first major league home run pinch-hitting for
Roger Maris when both were at
Cleveland (May 18,
1958).
*
September 25:
**For the first time since
1927, the
Pittsburgh Pirates are headed for the
World Series.
**
Ralph Terry clinches the
New York Yankees 25th pennant with a 4â€"3 win over the
Boston Red Sox.
Luis Arroyo saves the win. It is
Casey Stengel's 10th pennant in 12 years at New York.
*
September 28 - In his last major league at bat,
Ted Williams picks out a 1-1 pitch by
Baltimore's
Jack Fisher and drives it 450 feet into the right-center field seats behind the
Boston bullpen. It is Williams' 521st and last career home run, putting him third on the all-time list. Williams stays in the dugout, ignoring the thunderous ovation at
Fenway Park, and refused to tip his hat the hometown fans.
October
*
October 3 - The
New York Yankees head into the
World Series with a 15-game winning streak, the 8th longest streak in the
American League this century, after
Dale Long's two-run 9th-inning home run gives them an 8â€"7 win over the
Boston Red Sox. The 193 home runs are an AL season record, three better than the
1956 Yankees. RBI leader
Roger Maris drives in three runs, but falls one home run short of
Mickey Mantle's league-high 40.
*
October 5 - In a portent of things to come,
Bill Mazeroski's two-run 5th-inning home run off
Jim Coates is the difference as
Pittsburgh beats the
Yankees 6â€"4 in its first
World Series win since
1925.
Roy Face survives a two-run 9th-inning
Elston Howard home run to preserve
Vern Law's victory.
*
October 6 -
Mickey Mantle hit two home runs in a
Yankees 16â€"3 victory at
Forbes Field, evening the
World Series. A seven-run 6th inning overwhelms
Pittsburgh.
*
October 8 - At
Yankee Stadium,
Bobby Richardson collects six RBI, including a
grand slam off reliever
Clem Labine in a six-run first inning, and
Whitey Ford pitches a four-hitter 10â€"0 shutout to give the Yankees a 2-1
World Series lead, spoiling
Pittsburgh manager
Danny Murtaugh's 43rd birthday.
*
October 9 -
Vern Law wins again, thanks to his own RBI single and
Bill Virdon's two-run hit.
Roy Face retires the final eight batters in order. The
Pittsburgh Pirates 3â€"2 win evens the
1960 World Series.
*
October 10 -
Bill Mazeroski stars again. His two-run double stakes
Harvey Haddix to a 3â€"0 lead.
Roy Face is called on once more for another hitless effort to preserve a 5â€"2 win over the
Yankees and 3-2
World Series lead for the surprising
Pirates.
*
October 12 - In Game Six of the
World Series,
Whitey Ford preserves the
Yankees hopes with a seven-hit shutout at
Forbes Field.
Bob Friend is bombed again as the Yankees coasts 12â€"0.
Bobby Richardson's two run-scoring triples give him a WS record of 12 RBI.
*
October 13 - In a 9â€"9 tie,
Bill Mazeroski leads off the last of the ninth inning and hits what is arguably the most dramatic home run in WS history, off
Yankees Ralph Terry, to give the
Pittsburgh Pirates a 10â€"9 win and the
World Series Championship. An oddity in this game â€" it is the only World Series game this century with no strikeouts recorded. Despite Mazeroski's heroics,
Bobby Richardson is named the
Series MVP, as the Yankees outscore Pittsburgh, 55 to 27.
*
October 17 - The
National League votes to admit
Houston and
New York teams to the league in
1962, the first structural change since
1900, and to go to a 10-team league.
*
October 18 - Instituting a mandatory retirement age of 65,
New York Yankees co-owners Dan Topping and Del Webb relieve
Casey Stengel as the team manager. Stengel says "I wasn't retiredâ€"they fired me." Veteran skipper has a 1,149-696 career record.
*
October 20 - Coach
Ralph Houk, at 41 age, is named to succeed
Casey Stengel as the
Yankees manager. Houk briefly led the Yankees in 1960 when Stengel was hospitalized.
*
October 27 - Trying to jump ahead of the
National League, the
American League admits
Los Angeles and
Minneapolis teams to the league with plans to have the new clubs begin competition in
1961 in the new 10-team league.
Calvin Griffith is given permission to move the existing
Washington Senators franchise to Minneapolis/
St. Paul. American League president
Joe Cronin says the league will play a 162-game schedule, with 18 games against each opponent. The
National League will balk, saying the two expansions are not analogous and that the American League was not invited to move into LA.
November-December
*
November 2 -
Hank Greenberg asks for
American League dates at the
Los Angeles Coliseum, home of the
National League Dodgers. Greenberg and
Bill Veeck are expected to run the new
club in the AL. On November 17th, Greenberg will drops out of the bidding to run the new franchise.
*
November 22 - The
American League proposes that both leagues expand to nine teams in
1961 and begin
interleague play. It will delay entering the
Los Angeles market if the
National League agrees.
*
November 26 -
Twins is the appropriate new name chosen for the club transplanted from
Washington, D.C. to the Twin Cities of
Minneapolis/St. Paul.
*
December 5 -
American League president
Joe Cronin suggests that if the
National League starts its new
New York franchise in
1961, the AL will stay out of
Los Angeles until
1962. The NL turned down the suggested compromise of November 22nd because
Houston will not be ready in 1961.
*
December 6 - A group headed by movie star
Gene Autry and former football star
Bob Reynolds is awarded the new
American League Los Angeles Angels.
Charlie Finley withdraws his bid for Los Angeles and offers to purchase control of the
Kansas City Athletics. On December 20th, Finley will buys the 52 percent of the A's in the late Arnold Johnson's estate.
*
December 21 -
Chicago Cubs owner
P.K. Wrigley says his team will have no manager, but will use a college of coaches.
January-June
{|valign="top"|
*
January 4 -
Paul Gibson*
January 12 -
Mike Marshall *
January 17 -
Chili Davis*
January 21 -
Andy Hawkins*
January 29 -
Steve Sax *
February 1 -
Cecilio Guante*
February 24 -
Nick Esaskyvalign="top"|
*March 3 - Neal Heaton
*March 7 - Joe Carter
*March 14 - Kirby Puckett
*March 15 - Mike Pagliarulo
*April 16 - Curt Young
*April 19 - Frank Viola
*April 28 - Tom Browning
*April 28 - John Cerutti (d. 2004) | valign="top"|
*May 1 - Charlie O'Brien
*May 9 - Tony Gwynn
*May 21 - Kent Hrbek
*May 26 - Rob Murphy
*June 3 - Steve Lyons
*June 23 - Jim Deshaies
*June 27 - Jackie Gutiérrez
*June 30 - Al Newman | 
