The1964Kansas City Athletics season was the tenth for the franchise inKansas City and the 64th overall. It involved the A's finishing tenth in theAmerican League with a record of 57 wins, 105 losses and one tie,[1] 42 games behind the American League ChampionNew York Yankees.
In January1964, ownerCharles O. Finley signed an agreement to move the A's toLouisville, promising to change the team's name to the "Kentucky Athletics".[2][3] (Other names suggested for the team were the "Kentucky Colonels" and the "Louisville Sluggers.") By another 9–1 vote by the league owners, his request was denied.[4][5][6] Six weeks later, by the same 9–1 margin, the A.L. owners denied Finley's request to move the team toOakland, where the team would eventually move after the1967 season.
On February 28, Finley signed a four-year lease to remain in Kansas City.[7][8] The club would pay no rent atMunicipal Stadium but the city would get 5% on admission and 7.5% on concessions. The clause was that if the club could not reach a paid attendance of 575,000 fans, then the club owed nothing.[9]
In early April, Finley tried to shorten the rather distant fences at the stadium by creating a 296-foot (90 m)Pennant Porch in right field, fronting a tiny bleacher section, to mock the famed short fence in right field atYankee Stadium, home of the powerfulYankees.[10][11] The move was quickly vetoed by the league,[12] so Finley rebuilt the fence to the bare legal minimum of 325 feet (99 m), and repainted the fence to say "One-Half Pennant Porch".[13][14] Later he tried the ruse of putting a canopy over the little bleacher, which just happened to have an extension that reached out 29 feet (9 m) over the field. The league, not amused by Finley's sense of humor, again ordered him to cease and desist.
The club set a franchise record by hitting 107 home runs during home games, while the A's pitching staff gave up 132 home runs during home games. At the time, it was a major league record.[18]
Eighteen-year-old free agentCatfish Hunter was not able to pitch in 1964. He was sent to theMayo Clinic, as surgeons worked on his right foot, which had been injured in a hunting accident the previous autumn. Hunter recovered at Finley's farm inLa Porte, Indiana.[19]
ShortstopBert Campaneris made his major league debut on July 23 atMinnesota, and hit two home runs offJim Kaat in the first (first pitch) and seventh innings; joining the team earlier that day, he also singled, walked, and stole a base.[20][21][22][23]
On September 5, 19-year-oldBlue Moon Odom made his major league debut against the visitingNew York Yankees. Odom started but lasted just two innings, giving up sixearned runs on six hits with two walks and one strikeout. The A's tied the game in the third inning, so he did not get the loss.[24][25]
On September 17, the A's were away on an eastern road trip andThe Beatles played Municipal Stadium as part of theirfirst U.S. tour.[26] The date was originally supposed to be an off-day for the band between concerts inNew Orleans andDallas, but they agreed to perform when Finley offered their managerBrian Epstein a then-record sum of $150,000 (equivalent to $1.14 million in 2014). The group opened the half-hour Thursday night concert by saluting the host town with their medley of "Kansas City" and "Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey";[27] a month later, they would record the medley for their fourth studio album,Beatles for Sale.
^Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman, p.73, G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius. Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2010,ISBN978-0-8027-1745-0
^Van Valkenburg, Jim (April 10, 1964)."Finley's Pennant Porch set".Lawrence Daily Journal-World. Kansas. Associated Press. p. 11.
^Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman, p.75, G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius. Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2010,ISBN978-0-8027-1745-0
^Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman, p.81, G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius. Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2010,ISBN978-0-8027-1745-0
^abCharlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman, p.79, G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius. Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2010,ISBN978-0-8027-1745-0
^"Pepitone powers Yanks".St. Petersburg Times. Florida. Associated Press. September 6, 1964. p. 1C.
