| 1961 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | American League (AL) National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Games | 162 (AL) 154 (NL) |
| Teams | 18 total: 10 (AL) 8 (NL) |
| TV partner(s) | NBC,CBS,ABC |
| Regular season | |
| SeasonMVP | AL:Roger Maris (NYY) NL:Frank Robinson (CIN) |
| AL champions | New York Yankees |
| AL runners-up | Detroit Tigers |
| NL champions | Cincinnati Reds |
| NL runners-up | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| World Series | |
| Champions | New York Yankees |
| Runners-up | Cincinnati Reds |
| World SeriesMVP | Whitey Ford (NYY) |
| MLB seasons | |
The1961 major league baseball season began on April 10, 1961. The regular season ended on October 1, with theCincinnati Reds andNew York Yankees as the regular season champions of theNational League andAmerican League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the58th 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 in1958. The season is best known for Yankee teammatesRoger Maris' andMickey Mantle's pursuit ofBabe 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 defendingWorld Series champions were thePittsburgh Pirates from the1960 season.
For the third year, there were two separate All-Star Games played. The first, the30th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, was held on July 11 atCandlestick Park inSan Francisco,California, home of theSan Francisco Giants. TheNational League won, 5–4. The second, the31st Major League Baseball All-Star Game, was held on July 31 atFenway Park inBoston,Massachusetts, home of theBoston 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 proposedContinental League, the American League expanded by two teams in the first MLB expansion since 1901, ushering in theexpansion era. The originalWashington Senators moved to theMinneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area inMinnesota and became theMinnesota Twins, being the sixth teamsince 1953 to relocate, and the third of American League teams since then. The American League therefore placed a new team inWashington, D.C., also called theWashington Senators. Also, the American League placed a team in Los Angeles called theLos Angeles Angels.
The 1961 schedule was the first time that the American and National Leagues did not follow the same scheduling format. Due toexpansion of the American League, the AL schedule consisted of 162 games for all ten 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 the1904 season (except for1919). 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 theirown expansion thefollowing season.
American League Opening Day took place on April 10, featuring theChicago White Sox and newly enfranchisedWashington 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. TheWorld Series took place between October 4 and October 9.
The 1961 season saw the following rule changes:
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 109 | 53 | .673 | — | 65–16 | 44–37 |
| Detroit Tigers | 101 | 61 | .623 | 8 | 50–31 | 51–30 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 95 | 67 | .586 | 14 | 48–33 | 47–34 |
| Chicago White Sox | 86 | 76 | .531 | 23 | 53–28 | 33–48 |
| Cleveland Indians | 78 | 83 | .484 | 30½ | 40–41 | 38–42 |
| Boston Red Sox | 76 | 86 | .469 | 33 | 50–31 | 26–55 |
| Minnesota Twins | 70 | 90 | .438 | 38 | 36–44 | 34–46 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 70 | 91 | .435 | 38½ | 46–36 | 24–55 |
| Kansas City Athletics | 61 | 100 | .379 | 47½ | 33–47 | 28–53 |
| Washington Senators | 61 | 100 | .379 | 47½ | 33–46 | 28–54 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds | 93 | 61 | .604 | — | 47–30 | 46–31 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 89 | 65 | .578 | 4 | 45–32 | 44–33 |
| San Francisco Giants | 85 | 69 | .552 | 8 | 45–32 | 40–37 |
| Milwaukee Braves | 83 | 71 | .539 | 10 | 45–32 | 38–39 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 80 | 74 | .519 | 13 | 48–29 | 32–45 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 75 | 79 | .487 | 18 | 38–39 | 37–40 |
| Chicago Cubs | 64 | 90 | .416 | 29 | 40–37 | 24–53 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 47 | 107 | .305 | 46 | 22–55 | 25–52 |
The postseason began on October 4 and ended on October 9 with theNew York Yankees defeating theCincinnati Reds in the1961 World Series in five games.
| World Series | ||||
| AL | New York Yankees | 4 | ||
| NL | Cincinnati Reds | 1 | ||
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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) | |
| The Sporting NewsAwards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Award | National League | American League |
| Player of the Year[8] | — | Roger Maris (NYY) |
| Pitcher of the Year[9] | Warren Spahn (MIL) | Whitey Ford (NYY) |
| Fireman of the Year[10] (Relief pitcher) | Stu Miller (SF) | Luis Arroyo (NYY) |
| Rookie of the Year[11] (Player) | Billy Williams (CHC) | Dick Howser (KCA) |
| Rookie of the Year[11] (Pitcher) | Ken Hunt (CIN) | Don Schwall (BOS) |
| Manager of the Year[12] | — | Ralph Houk (NYY) |
| Executive of the Year[13] | — | Dan Topping (NYY) |
| Month | National League |
|---|---|
| May | Joey Jay (CIN) |
| June | George Altman (CHC) |
| July | Frank Robinson (CIN) |
| August | Warren Spahn (MIL) |
| September | Jim O'Toole (CIN) |
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers[14] | 89 | 8.5% | 1,804,250 | −19.9% | 23,432 |
| New York Yankees[15] | 109 | 12.4% | 1,747,725 | 7.4% | 21,577 |
| Detroit Tigers[16] | 101 | 42.3% | 1,600,710 | 37.1% | 19,521 |
| San Francisco Giants[17] | 85 | 7.6% | 1,390,679 | −22.5% | 18,061 |
| Minnesota Twins[18] | 70 | −4.1% | 1,256,723 | 69.0% | 15,515 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[19] | 75 | −21.1% | 1,199,128 | −29.7% | 15,573 |
| Chicago White Sox[20] | 86 | −1.1% | 1,146,019 | −30.3% | 14,148 |
| Cincinnati Reds[21] | 93 | 38.8% | 1,117,603 | 68.4% | 14,514 |
| Milwaukee Braves[22] | 83 | −5.7% | 1,101,441 | −26.5% | 14,304 |
| Baltimore Orioles[23] | 95 | 6.7% | 951,089 | −19.9% | 11,599 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[24] | 80 | −7.0% | 855,305 | −22.0% | 10,965 |
| Boston Red Sox[25] | 76 | 16.9% | 850,589 | −24.7% | 10,373 |
| Cleveland Indians[26] | 78 | 2.6% | 725,547 | −23.7% | 8,957 |
| Kansas City Athletics[27] | 61 | 5.2% | 683,817 | −11.8% | 8,548 |
| Chicago Cubs[28] | 64 | 6.7% | 673,057 | −16.9% | 8,629 |
| Los Angeles Angels[29] | 70 | 603,510 | 7,360 | ||
| Washington Senators[30] | 61 | 597,287 | 7,561 | ||
| Philadelphia Phillies[31] | 47 | −20.3% | 590,039 | −31.6% | 7,565 |
The 1961 season saw two new teams in theAmerican League, and with it, one new venue and one returning venue:
TheMinnesota Twins, newly relocated from their long-time home inWashington, D.C. as theWashington Senators, leaveGriffith Stadium after playing there for 50 seasons, moving intoMetropolitan Stadium where they would play for 21 seasons through1981.
Briggs Stadium, home of theDetroit Tigers, is renamed toTiger Stadium.
TheLos Angeles Dodgers would play their final game atLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 20 against theChicago Cubs, moving intoDodger Stadium for the start of the1962 season.
CBS andNBC continued to air weekendGame of the Week broadcasts, whileABC televised several games in prime time. One of ABC's prime time games occurred asRoger Maris[32][33] was poised to tie and subsequently breakBabe Ruth's regular season home run record of 60. As with all MLB games in those days, the action was totallyblacked out[34] of major league markets. As a matter of fact, as documented in theHBO film61*, the Maris family was welcomed into ABC'sKansas City, Missouri affiliateKMBC-TV so they could watch the in-house feed of the game, which was blacked out of Kansas City.
TheAll-Star Game andWorld Series aired on NBC.
