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1958 MLB season
LeagueAmerican League (AL)
National League (NL)
SportBaseball
DurationRegular season:
  • April 14 – September 28, 1958 (AL)
  • April 15 – September 28, 1958 (NL)
World Series:
  • October 1–9, 1958
Number of games154
Number of teams16 (8 per league)
TV partner(s)NBC, CBS
Regular season
Season MVPAL: Jackie Jensen (BOS)
NL: Ernie Banks (CHC)
AL championsNew York Yankees
  AL runners-upChicago White Sox
NL championsMilwaukee Braves
  NL runners-upPittsburgh Pirates
World Series
ChampionsNew York Yankees
  Runners-upMilwaukee Braves
World Series MVPBob Turley (NY)
MLB seasons

The 1958 major league baseball season began on April 14, 1958. The regular season ended on September 28, with the Milwaukee Braves and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. In a rematch of the previous season, the postseason began with Game 1 of the 55th World Series on October 1 and ended with Game 7 on October 9. The Yankees defeated the Braves, four games to three, capturing the 18th championship in franchise history.

The 25th Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played on July 8, hosted by the Baltimore Orioles in Baltimore, Maryland, with the American League winning, 4–3.

Following the relocation trend that began in 1953, the National League's Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants moved from New York, New York (Brooklyn and Manhattan, respectively) to California (Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively), becoming the fourth and fifth teams to relocate in the relocation era and leaving New York a one-team city. The moves to California marked the first time major-league teams played on the West Coast. The National League exodus from New York would go on to inspire the proposed Continental League the folloinwg year, which pressured the two existing leagues to begin expansion.[1] New York went without a National League team for four seasons, until the expansion New York Mets began play in 1962.

On June 6, the Detroit Tigers became the 15th team in professional baseball to break the color line when they fielded Ozzie Virgil Sr..[2]

Schedule

The 1958 schedule consisted of 154 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 22 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place since the 1904 season (except for 1919) and would be used until 1961 in the American League and 1962 in the National League.

American League Opening Day took place on April 14, featuring the Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators, while National League Opening Day took place the following day, featuring all eight NL teams. This continued the trend from the previous season which saw both leagues opened on different days. The final day of the regular season was on September 28, which saw fourteen teams play. The World Series took place between October 1 and October 9.

Teams

League Team City Stadium Capacity Manager
American League Baltimore Orioles Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Memorial Stadium 47,778 Paul Richards
Boston Red Sox Boston, Massachusetts Fenway Park 34,819 Pinky Higgins
Chicago White Sox Chicago, Illinois Comiskey Park 46,550 Al López
Cleveland Indians Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland Stadium 73,811 Bobby Bragan, Joe Gordon
Detroit Tigers Detroit, Michigan Briggs Stadium 58,000 Jack Tighe, Bill Norman
Kansas City Athletics Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Stadium 30,296 Harry Craft
New York Yankees New York, New York Yankee Stadium 67,205 Casey Stengel
Washington Senators Washington, D.C. Griffith Stadium 28,669 Cookie Lavagetto
National League Chicago Cubs Chicago, Illinois Wrigley Field 36,755 Bob Scheffing
Cincinnati Redlegs Cincinnati, Ohio Crosley Field 29,584 Birdie Tebbetts, Jimmy Dykes
Los Angeles Dodgers Los Angeles, California Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 93,000 Walter Alston
Milwaukee Braves Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee County Stadium 43,768 Fred Haney
Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Connie Mack Stadium 33,359 Mayo Smith, Eddie Sawyer
Pittsburgh Pirates Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Forbes Field 34,249 Danny Murtaugh
San Francisco Giants San Francisco, California Seals Stadium 22,900 Bill Rigney
St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis, Missouri Busch Stadium 30,500 Fred Hutchinson, Stan Hack

Standings

American League

American League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Yankees 92 62 .597 44‍–‍33 48‍–‍29
Chicago White Sox 82 72 .532 10 47‍–‍30 35‍–‍42
Boston Red Sox 79 75 .513 13 49‍–‍28 30‍–‍47
Cleveland Indians 77 76 .503 14½ 42‍–‍34 35‍–‍42
Detroit Tigers 77 77 .500 15 43‍–‍34 34‍–‍43
Baltimore Orioles 74 79 .484 17½ 46‍–‍31 28‍–‍48
Kansas City Athletics 73 81 .474 19 43‍–‍34 30‍–‍47
Washington Senators 61 93 .396 31 33‍–‍44 28‍–‍49

National League

National League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Milwaukee Braves 92 62 .597 48‍–‍29 44‍–‍33
Pittsburgh Pirates 84 70 .545 8 49‍–‍28 35‍–‍42
San Francisco Giants 80 74 .519 12 44‍–‍33 36‍–‍41
Cincinnati Redlegs 76 78 .494 16 40‍–‍37 36‍–‍41
Chicago Cubs 72 82 .468 20 35‍–‍42 37‍–‍40
St. Louis Cardinals 72 82 .468 20 39‍–‍38 33‍–‍44
Los Angeles Dodgers 71 83 .461 21 39‍–‍38 32‍–‍45
Philadelphia Phillies 69 85 .448 23 35‍–‍42 34‍–‍43

Postseason

Bracket

World Series
         
AL New York Yankees 3 5 4 0 7 410 6
NL Milwaukee Braves 410* 13 0 3 0 3 2

*Denotes walk-off

Managerial changes

Off-season

Team Former Manager New Manager
Chicago White Sox Marty Marion Al López
Cleveland Indians Kerby Farrell Bobby Bragan

In-season

Team Former Manager New Manager
Cincinnati Redlegs Birdie Tebbetts Jimmy Dykes
Cleveland Indians Bobby Bragan Joe Gordon
Detroit Tigers Jack Tighe Bill Norman
Philadelphia Phillies Mayo Smith Eddie Sawyer
St. Louis Cardinals Fred Hutchinson Stan Hack

League leaders

American League

Hitting leaders
Stat Player Total
AVG Ted Williams (BOS) .328
HR Mickey Mantle (NY) 42
RBI Jackie Jensen (BOS) 122
R Mickey Mantle (NYY) 127
H Nellie Fox (CWS) 187
SB Luis Aparicio (CWS) 29
Pitching leaders
Stat Player Total
W Bob Turley (NY) 21
L Pedro Ramos (WSH) 18
ERA Whitey Ford (NY) 2.01
K Early Wynn (CWS) 179
IP Frank Lary (DET) 260.1
SV Ryne Duren (NY)
Dick Hyde (WSH)
19

National League

Hitting leaders
Stat Player Total
AVG Richie Ashburn (PHI) .350
HR Ernie Banks (CHC) 47
RBI Ernie Banks (CHC) 129
R Willie Mays (SF) 121
H Richie Ashburn (PHI) 215
SB Willie Mays (SF) 31
Pitching leaders
Stat Player Total
W Bob Friend (PIT)
Warren Spahn (MIL)
22
L Ron Kline (PIT) 16
ERA Stu Miller (SF) 2.47
K Sam Jones (STL) 225
IP Warren Spahn (MIL) 290.0
SV Roy Face (PIT) 20

Awards and honors

Regular season

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards
BBWAA Award National League American League
Rookie of the Year Orlando Cepeda (SF) Albie Pearson (WSH)
Cy Young Award Bob Turley (NY)
Most Valuable Player Ernie Banks (CHC) Jackie Jensen (BOS)
Gold Glove Awards
Position National League American League
Pitcher Harvey Haddix (CIN) Bobby Shantz (NY)
Catcher Del Crandall (MIL) Sherm Lollar (CWS)
1st Base Gil Hodges (LA) Vic Power (CLE/KC)
2nd Base Bill Mazeroski (PIT) Frank Bolling (DET)
3rd Base Ken Boyer (STL) Frank Malzone (BOS)
Shortstop Roy McMillan (CIN) Luis Aparicio (CWS)
Left field Frank Robinson (CIN) Norm Siebern (NY)
Center field Willie Mays (SF) Jimmy Piersall (BOS)
Right field Hank Aaron (MIL) Al Kaline (DET)

Other awards

The Sporting News awards

Monthly awards

Player of the Month

Month National League
May Willie Mays (SF)
Stan Musial (STL)
June Frank Thomas (PIT)
July Joey Jay (MIL)
August Lew Burdette (MIL)
September Willie Mays (SF)

Home field attendance

Team name Wins Home attendance Per game
Milwaukee Braves[7] 92 −3.2% 1,971,101 −11.0% 25,599
Los Angeles Dodgers[8] 71 −15.5% 1,845,556 79.5% 23,968
New York Yankees[9] 92 −6.1% 1,428,438 −4.6% 18,313
Pittsburgh Pirates[10] 84 35.5% 1,311,988 54.2% 17,039
San Francisco Giants[11] 80 15.9% 1,272,625 94.6% 16,528
Detroit Tigers[12] 77 −1.3% 1,098,924 −13.6% 14,272
Boston Red Sox[13] 79 −3.7% 1,077,047 −8.8% 13,988
St. Louis Cardinals[14] 72 −17.2% 1,063,730 −10.1% 13,815
Chicago Cubs[15] 72 16.1% 979,904 46.1% 12,726
Philadelphia Phillies[16] 69 −10.4% 931,110 −18.8% 12,092
Kansas City Athletics[17] 73 23.7% 925,090 2.7% 11,860
Baltimore Orioles[18] 74 −2.6% 829,991 −19.4% 10,641
Chicago White Sox[19] 82 −8.9% 797,451 −29.8% 10,357
Cincinnati Redlegs[20] 76 −5.0% 788,582 −26.4% 10,241
Cleveland Indians[21] 77 1.3% 663,805 −8.1% 8,734
Washington Senators[22] 61 10.9% 475,288 4.0% 6,093

Events

January–March

  • January 29 – Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella suffers a broken neck in an early morning auto accident on Long Island. His spinal column is nearly severed and his legs are permanently paralyzed. Campanella will never play for the Dodgers after their move to Los Angeles, although a newspaper story (showing a picture of him wearing a Brooklyn cap) describes him as being of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
  • February 4 – The Baseball Hall of Fame fails to elect any new members for the first time since 1950.

April–June

July–September

October–December

Television coverage

CBS and NBC aired weekend Game of the Week broadcasts. NBC began airing a special regional feed of its games in the southeast. The All-Star Game and World Series also aired on NBC.

Movies

Births

Deaths

  • January 23 – Walter Lonergan, 72, shortstop for the 1911 Boston Red Sox
  • March 28 – Chuck Klein, 53, slugging right fielder, primarily with the Philadelphia Phillies, who was named the NL's MVP in 1932 and won the Triple Crown one year later; the 7th player to hit 300 home runs, winning four league titles
  • April 14 – John Freeman, 57, outfielder for the 1927 Boston Red Sox
  • June 9 – John Fick, 37, pitcher for the 1944 Philadelphia Blue Jays
  • August 1 – Ike Boone, 61, an outfielder for the New York Giants, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Brooklyn Dodgers between 1922 and 1932, who posted an ML career average of .321, compiled a .370 BA for the highest minor league all-time, and set a professional baseball record in 1929 collecting 553 total bases while playing in the Pacific Coast League
  • November 21 – Mel Ott, 49, Hall of Fame outfielder and 12-time All-Star for the New York Giants who held National League career record for home runs (511), leading league 6 times
  • November 27 – Harry G. Salsinger, 71, sportswriter for the Detroit News for over 50 years
  • December 8 – Tris Speaker, 70, Hall of Fame center fielder known for spectacular defense as well as superlative batting, becoming the second player to compile over 3,500 hits and posting a .345 career average
  • December 31 – Jack Doyle, 89, 17 year playing career includes a one time stint as manager of the New York Giants.

See also

References

  1. ^ Longley, Neil (December 12, 2013). An Absence of Competition: The Sustained Competitive Advantage of the Monopoly Sports Leagues. New York: Springer Publishing. p. 50. ISBN 9781461494850.
  2. ^ "These players integrated each MLB team". MLB.com. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Bob Turleys Baseball Almanac Awards". Baseball Almanac.
  4. ^ a b "Bob Turley Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  5. ^ "Warren Spahn Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  6. ^ "Warren Spahn Baseball Almanac Awards". Baseball Almanac.
  7. ^ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  8. ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  9. ^ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  10. ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  12. ^ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  13. ^ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  14. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  15. ^ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  16. ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  17. ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  18. ^ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  19. ^ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  20. ^ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  21. ^ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  22. ^ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.