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1961 Major League Baseball season

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1961 MLB season
LeagueAmerican League (AL)
National League (NL)
SportBaseball
DurationRegular season:
  • April 10 – October 1, 1961 (AL)
  • April 11 – October 1, 1961 (NL)
World Series:
  • October 4–9, 1961
Games162 (AL)
154 (NL)
Teams18 total:
10 (AL)
8 (NL)
TV partner(s)NBC, CBS, ABC
Regular season
Season MVPAL: Roger Maris (NYY)
NL: Frank Robinson (CIN)
AL championsNew York Yankees
  AL runners-upDetroit Tigers
NL championsCincinnati Reds
  NL runners-upLos Angeles Dodgers
World Series
Venue
ChampionsNew York Yankees
  Runners-upCincinnati Reds
World Series MVPWhitey Ford (NYY)
MLB seasons
Locations of teams for the 1961 American League season
American League
Locations of teams for the 1960–1961 National League seasons
National League

The 1961 major league baseball season began on April 10, 1961. The regular season ended on October 1, with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 58th World Series on October 4 and ended with Game 5 on October 9. In the second iteration of this World Series matchup, the Yankees defeated the Reds, four games to one, capturing their 19th championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1958. The season is best known for Yankee teammates Roger Maris' and Mickey Mantle's pursuit of Babe Ruth's prestigious 34-year-old single-season home run record of 60. Maris ultimately broke the record when he hit his 61st home run on the final day of the regular season, while Mantle was forced out of the lineup in late September due to a hip infection and finished with 54 home runs. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the Pittsburgh Pirates from the 1960 season.

For the third year, there were two separate All-Star Games played. The first, the 30th All-Star Game, was held on July 11 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California, home of the San Francisco Giants. The National League won, 5–4. The second, the 31st All-Star Game, was held on July 31 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, home of the Boston Red Sox. The game ended in a 1–1 tie, due to a rainout following the end of the ninth inning.

In response to the proposed Continental League, the American League expanded by two teams in the first MLB expansion since 1901, ushering in the expansion era. The original Washington Senators moved to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota and became the Minnesota Twins, being the sixth team since 1953 to relocate, and the third of American League teams since then. The American League therefore placed a new team in Washington, D.C., also called the Washington Senators. Also, the American League placed a team in Los Angeles called the Los Angeles Angels.

Schedule

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The 1961 schedule was the first time that the American and National Leagues did not follow the same scheduling format. Due to expansion of the American League, the AL schedule consisted of 162 games for all 10 teams. Each team was scheduled to play 18 games against the other nine teams. Meanwhile, the National League, still consisting of eight teams, continued the 154-game format in place since the 1904 season (except for 1919). Each team was scheduled to play 22 games against the other seven teams. 1961 would mark the last 154-game season in professional baseball history, as the National League itself would copy the American League 162-game format following their own expansion the following season.

American League Opening Day took place on April 10, featuring the Chicago White Sox and newly enfranchised Washington Senators, while National League Opening Day took place the following day, featuring all eight teams. The final day of the regular season was on October 1, and saw sixteen teams play. The World Series took place between October 4 and October 9.

Rule changes

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The 1961 season saw the following rule changes:

  • A sacrifice fly is no longer limited to fair balls.[1]
  • A rule preventing leagues of all levels of major and minor league baseball from drafting college players during a school year was implemented.[2]

Teams

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League Team City Ballpark Capacity Manager[3]
American League Baltimore Orioles Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Memorial Stadium 49,375 Paul Richards
Lum Harris
Boston Red Sox Boston, Massachusetts Fenway Park 33,357 Pinky Higgins
Chicago White Sox Chicago, Illinois Comiskey Park 46,550 Al López
Cleveland Indians Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland Stadium 73,811 Jimmy Dykes
Mel Harder
Detroit Tigers Detroit, Michigan Tiger Stadium 52,904 Bob Scheffing
Kansas City Athletics Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Stadium 34,165 Joe Gordon
Hank Bauer
Los Angeles Angels Los Angeles, California Wrigley Field (Los Angeles) 20,457 Bill Rigney
Minnesota Twins Bloomington, Minnesota Metropolitan Stadium 30,022 Cookie Lavagetto
Sam Mele
New York Yankees New York, New York Yankee Stadium 67,337 Ralph Houk
Washington Senators Washington, D.C. Griffith Stadium 27,500 Mickey Vernon
National League Chicago Cubs Chicago, Illinois Wrigley Field (Chicago) 36,755 College of Coaches
Cincinnati Reds Cincinnati, Ohio Crosley Field 30,322 Fred Hutchinson
Los Angeles Dodgers Los Angeles, California Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 94,600 Walter Alston
Milwaukee Braves Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee County Stadium 43,768 Chuck Dressen
Birdie Tebbetts
Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Connie Mack Stadium 33,608 Gene Mauch
Pittsburgh Pirates Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Forbes Field 35,500 Danny Murtaugh
San Francisco Giants San Francisco, California Candlestick Park 42,553 Alvin Dark
St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis, Missouri Busch Stadium 30,500 Solly Hemus
Johnny Keane

Standings

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American League

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American League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Yankees 10953 .673 — 65‍–‍16 44‍–‍37
Detroit Tigers 10161 .623 8 50‍–‍31 51‍–‍30
Baltimore Orioles 9567 .586 14 48‍–‍33 47‍–‍34
Chicago White Sox 8676 .531 23 53‍–‍28 33‍–‍48
Cleveland Indians 7883 .484 30½ 40‍–‍41 38‍–‍42
Boston Red Sox 7686 .469 33 50‍–‍31 26‍–‍55
Minnesota Twins 7090 .438 38 36‍–‍44 34‍–‍46
Los Angeles Angels 7091 .435 38½ 46‍–‍36 24‍–‍55
Kansas City Athletics 61100 .379 47½ 33‍–‍47 28‍–‍53
Washington Senators 61100 .379 47½ 33‍–‍46 28‍–‍54

National League

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National League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Cincinnati Reds 9361 .604 — 47‍–‍30 46‍–‍31
Los Angeles Dodgers 8965 .578 4 45‍–‍32 44‍–‍33
San Francisco Giants 8569 .552 8 45‍–‍32 40‍–‍37
Milwaukee Braves 8371 .539 10 45‍–‍32 38‍–‍39
St. Louis Cardinals 8074 .519 13 48‍–‍29 32‍–‍45
Pittsburgh Pirates 7579 .487 18 38‍–‍39 37‍–‍40
Chicago Cubs 6490 .416 29 40‍–‍37 24‍–‍53
Philadelphia Phillies 47107 .305 46 22‍–‍55 25‍–‍52

Tie games

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7 tie games (4 in AL, 3 in NL), which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again) occurred throughout the season.

American League

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The Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, and New York Yankees had one each.

National League

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The Chicago Cubs had two tie games. The Milwaukee Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals had one each.

Postseason

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The postseason began on October 4 and ended on October 9 with the New York Yankees defeating the Cincinnati Reds in the 1961 World Series in five games.

Bracket

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World Series
   
AL New York Yankees 4
NL Cincinnati Reds 1

Managerial changes

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Off-season

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Team Former Manager New Manager
Chicago Cubs Lou Boudreau College of Coaches
Detroit Tigers Joe Gordon Bob Scheffing
Kansas City Athletics Bob Elliott Joe Gordon
Los Angeles Angels Team enfranchised Bill Rigney
New York Yankees Casey Stengel Ralph Houk
San Francisco Giants Tom Sheehan Alvin Dark
Washington Senators Team enfranchised Mickey Vernon

In-season

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Team Former Manager New Manager
Baltimore Orioles Paul Richards Lum Harris
Cleveland Indians Jimmy Dykes Mel Harder
Kansas City Athletics Joe Gordon Hank Bauer
Milwaukee Braves Chuck Dressen Birdie Tebbetts
Minnesota Twins Cookie Lavagetto Sam Mele
St. Louis Cardinals Solly Hemus Johnny Keane

League leaders

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American League

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Hitting leaders[11]
Stat Player Total
AVG Norm Cash (DET) .361
OPS Norm Cash (DET) 1.148
HR Roger Maris (NYY) 61
RBI Jim Gentile (BAL)
Roger Maris (NYY)		 141
R Roger Maris (NYY) 132
H Norm Cash (DET) 193
SB Luis Aparicio (CWS) 53
Pitching leaders[12]
Stat Player Total
W Whitey Ford (NYY) 25
L Pedro Ramos (MIN) 20
ERA Dick Donovan (WAS) 2.40
K Camilo Pascual (MIN) 221
IP Whitey Ford (NYY) 283.0
SV Luis Arroyo (NYY) 29
WHIP Dick Donovan (WAS) 1.026

National League

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Hitting leaders[13]
Stat Player Total
AVG Roberto Clemente (PIT) .351
OPS Frank Robinson (CIN) 1.015
HR Orlando Cepeda (SF) 46
RBI Orlando Cepeda (SF) 142
R Willie Mays (SF) 129
H Vada Pinson (CIN) 208
SB Maury Wills (LAD) 35
Pitching leaders[14]
Stat Player Total
W Joey Jay (CIN)
Warren Spahn (MIL)		 21
L Bob Friend (PIT)
Art Mahaffey (PHI)		 19
ERA Warren Spahn (MIL) 3.02
K Sandy Koufax (LAD) 269
IP Lew Burdette (MIL) 272.1
SV Roy Face (PIT)
Stu Miller (SF)		 17
WHIP Warren Spahn (MIL) 1.142

Milestones

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Batters

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Four home runs in one game

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Cycles

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Other batting accomplishments

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Pitchers

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No-hitters

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  • Warren Spahn (MIL):
    • Spahn threw his second career no-hitter and 11th no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the San Francisco Giants 1–0 on April 28. Wilson walked two and struck out five.[23]

Other pitching accomplishments

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Miscellaneous

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Awards and honors

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Regular season

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Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards
BBWAA Award National League American League
Rookie of the Year Billy Williams (CHC) Don Schwall (BOS)
Cy Young Award — Whitey Ford (NYY)
Most Valuable Player Frank Robinson (CIN) Roger Maris (NYY)
Babe Ruth Award
(World Series MVP)		 — Whitey Ford (NYY)
Gold Glove Awards
Position National League American League
Pitcher Bobby Shantz (PIT) Frank Lary (DET)
Catcher John Roseboro (LAD) Earl Battey (MIN)
1st Base Bill White (STL) Vic Power (CLE)
2nd Base Bill Mazeroski (PIT) Bobby Richardson (NYY)
3rd Base Ken Boyer (STL) Brooks Robinson (BAL)
Shortstop Maury Wills (LAD) Luis Aparicio (CWS)
Outfield Vada Pinson (CIN) Jim Landis (CWS)
Roberto Clemente (PIT) Al Kaline (DET)
Willie Mays (SF) Jimmy Piersall (CLE)

Other awards

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The Sporting News Awards
Award National League American League
Player of the Year[25] — Roger Maris (NYY)
Pitcher of the Year[26] Warren Spahn (MIL) Whitey Ford (NYY)
Fireman of the Year[27]
(Relief pitcher)		 Stu Miller (SF) Luis Arroyo (NYY)
Rookie of the Year[28]
(Player)		 Billy Williams (CHC) Dick Howser (KCA)
Rookie of the Year[28]
(Pitcher)		 Ken Hunt (CIN) Don Schwall (BOS)
Manager of the Year[29] — Ralph Houk (NYY)
Executive of the Year[30] — Dan Topping (NYY)

Monthly awards

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Player of the Month

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Month National League
May Joey Jay (CIN)
June George Altman (CHC)
July Frank Robinson (CIN)
August Warren Spahn (MIL)
September Jim O'Toole (CIN)

Baseball Hall of Fame

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Home field attendance

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Team name Wins %± Home attendance %± Per game
Los Angeles Dodgers[31] 89 8.5% 1,804,250 −19.9% 23,432
New York Yankees[32] 109 12.4% 1,747,725 7.4% 21,577
Detroit Tigers[33] 101 42.3% 1,600,710 37.1% 19,521
San Francisco Giants[34] 85 7.6% 1,390,679 −22.5% 18,061
Minnesota Twins[35] 70 −4.1% 1,256,723 69.0% 15,515
Pittsburgh Pirates[36] 75 −21.1% 1,199,128 −29.7% 15,573
Chicago White Sox[37] 86 −1.1% 1,146,019 −30.3% 14,148
Cincinnati Reds[38] 93 38.8% 1,117,603 68.4% 14,514
Milwaukee Braves[39] 83 −5.7% 1,101,441 −26.5% 14,304
Baltimore Orioles[40] 95 6.7% 951,089 −19.9% 11,599
St. Louis Cardinals[41] 80 −7.0% 855,305 −22.0% 10,965
Boston Red Sox[42] 76 16.9% 850,589 −24.7% 10,373
Cleveland Indians[43] 78 2.6% 725,547 −23.7% 8,957
Kansas City Athletics[44] 61 5.2% 683,817 −11.8% 8,548
Chicago Cubs[45] 64 6.7% 673,057 −16.9% 8,629
Los Angeles Angels[46] 70 603,510 7,360
Washington Senators[47] 61 597,287 7,561
Philadelphia Phillies[48] 47 −20.3% 590,039 −31.6% 7,565

Venues

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The 1961 season saw two new teams in the American League, and with it, one new venue and one returning venue:

The Minnesota Twins, newly relocated from their long-time home in Washington, D.C. as the Washington Senators, leave Griffith Stadium after playing there for 50 seasons, moving into Metropolitan Stadium where they would play for 21 seasons through 1981.

Briggs Stadium, home of the Detroit Tigers, is renamed to Tiger Stadium.

The Los Angeles Dodgers would play their final game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 20 against the Chicago Cubs, moving into Dodger Stadium for the start of the 1962 season.

Media

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Television

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CBS and NBC continued to air weekend Game of the Week broadcasts, while ABC televised several games in prime time. One of ABC's prime time games occurred as Roger Maris[49][50] was poised to tie and subsequently break Babe Ruth's regular season home run record of 60. As with all MLB games in those days, the action was totally blacked out[51] of major league markets. As a matter of fact, as documented in the HBO film 61*, the Maris family was welcomed into ABC's Kansas City, Missouri affiliate KMBC-TV so they could watch the in-house feed of the game, which was blacked out of Kansas City.

The All-Star Game and World Series aired on NBC.

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Rules History". www.retrosheet.org. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  2. ↑ Henry, Alan P.; Kritzler, David. "1960 Winter Meetings: The Missouri Compromise – Society for American Baseball Research". Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  3. ↑ "1961 Major League Baseball Managers". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Retrosheet Boxscore: Baltimore Orioles 5, New York Yankees 5 (2)". www.retrosheet.org. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Retrosheet Boxscore: Detroit Tigers 4, Kansas City Athletics 4". www.retrosheet.org. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Retrosheet Boxscore: Boston Red Sox 4, Los Angeles Angels 4 (2)". www.retrosheet.org. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Retrosheet Boxscore: Minnesota Twins 3, Chicago White Sox 3". www.retrosheet.org. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Retrosheet Boxscore: St. Louis Cardinals 3, Chicago Cubs 3 (2)". www.retrosheet.org. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Retrosheet Boxscore: Philadelphia Phillies 7, San Francisco Giants 7". www.retrosheet.org. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Retrosheet Boxscore: Chicago Cubs 7, Milwaukee Braves 7 (2)". www.retrosheet.org. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  11. ↑ "1961 American League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  12. ↑ "1961 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  13. ↑ "1961 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  14. ↑ "1961 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  15. ↑ "San Francisco Giants vs Milwaukee Braves Box Score: April 30, 1961". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2026. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  16. ↑ Reichler, Joe (May 1, 1961). "Giants' Slugging Sets or Ties a Flock of Records". The Hour. Associated Press. p. 14. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  17. ↑ "St. Louis Cardinals 6, Chicago Cubs 5 (2)". Retrosheet.org. September 14, 1961. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  18. ↑ "May 9, 1961 Baltimore Orioles at Minnesota Twins Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. May 9, 1961. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  19. ↑ Eagle, Ed. "Teams that have hit four straight home runs". MLB.com. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  20. ↑ Eagle, Ed. "Most consecutive games with a home run". MLB.com. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Most home runs hit by a team in one inning of a Major League Baseball (MLB) game". Guinness World Records. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  22. ↑ "San Francisco Giants vs Cincinnati Reds Box Score: August 23, 1961". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  23. ↑ "San Francisco Giants vs Milwaukee Braves Box Score: April 28, 1961". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  24. ↑ Randhawa, Manny (May 10, 2020). "300-game winners in MLB history". MLB.com. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Major League Player of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Pitcher of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Fireman of the Year Award / Reliever of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  28. 1 2 "Rookie of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  29. ↑ "Manager of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  30. ↑ "MLB Executive of the Year Award | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  31. ↑ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  32. ↑ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  34. ↑ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  35. ↑ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  36. ↑ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  37. ↑ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  38. ↑ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  39. ↑ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  40. ↑ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  41. ↑ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  42. ↑ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  43. ↑ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  44. ↑ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  45. ↑ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  46. ↑ "Los Angeles Angels Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  47. ↑ "Texas Rangers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  48. ↑ "Philadelphia Phillies Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  49. ↑ Adams, Val (September 19, 1961). "NETWORKS PLAN WIDE U.N. REPORT". New York Times. p. 71.
  50. ↑ "ABC-TV to Film Tilt 154". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Associated Press. September 19, 1961.
  51. ↑ "ABC Lands a 3-Sport TV Contract". The Milwaukee Sentinel. March 27, 1960. p. 2T.
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