1961 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1961 throughout the world.  

Headline event of the year

• Roger Maris hits 61 home runs, breaking Babe Ruth's record.

Champions

Major League Baseball

• World Series: New York Yankees over Cincinnati Reds (4–1); Whitey Ford, MVP
• All-Star Game (#1), July 11 at Candlestick Park: National League, 5-4 (10 innings)
• All-Star Game (#2), July 31 at Fenway Park: 1–1 tie (9 innings, rain)

Other champions

• College World Series: USC
• Japan Series: Yomiuri Giants over Nankai Hawks (4–2)
• Little League World Series: Northern, El Cajon, California

Awards and honors

• Most Valuable Player
  • Roger Maris (AL)
  • Frank Robinson (NL)
• Cy Young Award
  • Whitey Ford, New York Yankees
• Rookie of the Year
  • Don Schwall (AL)
  • Billy Williams (NL)

MLB statistical leaders

Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax

Major league baseball final standings

American League final standings

National League final standings

Events

January–April

President John F. Kennedy throws out first ball in Washington, D.C. at Griffith Stadium on April 10, 1961

• January 29 – Billy Hamilton and Max Carey are voted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

• February 7 – Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Jensen makes a return to the major leagues by signing a $40,000 contract. Jensen had retired in 1960 due to a fear of flying. The layoff will prove detrimental to Jensen, who will hit only .263 with 13 home runs in 1961.

• March – The Cuban government, led by Fidel Castro, abolishes professional baseball and ends the Cuban League, which was started in 1878.

• March 6 – The New York Metropolitan Baseball Club Inc. formally receives a certificate of membership from National League President Warren Giles.

• April 11
  • At Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox rookie Carl Yastrzemski gets a hit off Ray Herbert of the Kansas City Athletics. It is the first of 3,318 hits that Yastrzemski will amass over a 23-year illustrious career
  • The Los Angeles Angels play the first game in franchise history, defeating a strong Baltimore Orioles team, 7–2. For the Angels, Ted Kluszewski hits two home runs while Eli Grba pitches a complete game.
  • At Yankee Stadium, the Minnesota Twins shutout the New York Yankees, 6–0, in their first game since their move from Washington DC. Pedro Ramos is the winning pitcher, helping himself with a two-run single while allowing just three singles in beating Yankees starter, Whitey Ford.
  • Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Robin Roberts ties Grover Cleveland Alexander's National League record with a 12th-straight Opening Day start‚ but Philadelphia loses 6–2 to Don Drysdale and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Roberts is now 5-6 on Opening Day.

• April 21 – The Minnesota Twins play their very first home game in franchise history losing to the Washington Senators 5–3.

• April 22 – The Boston Red Sox snap a 13-game losing streak in Chicago's Comiskey Park by edging the Chicago White Sox 7–6 on Pumpsie Green's 11th inning home run.

• April 27 – The Los Angeles Angels drew a disappointing crowd of 11,931 for their home opener against the Minnesota Twins at Los Angeles' Wrigley Field. Ty Cobb, in his last appearance at a ball park, throws out the ceremonial first pitch. Minnesota starter Camilo Pascual spoils the opener by winning, 4–2, sending the Angels to their eighth loss in nine games.

• April 30 – San Francisco Giants slugger Willie Mays became the ninth player to hit four home runs in a single game as the Giants beat the Milwaukee Braves, 14–4, at Milwaukee's County Stadium.

May–August

• May 8 – New York's expansion National League club announces that the team nickname will be "Mets," a natural shortening of the corporate name ("New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, Inc.")
• May 31 – Boston Red Sox outfielder Carroll Hardy pinch-hits for rookie Carl Yastrzemski. On September 20, 1960, Hardy pinch hit for Ted Williams, 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).
• June 29 – Willie Mays hits 3 home runs helping San Francisco Giants beat Philadelphia Phillies 8-7.
• July 4 – Willie Mays hits 300th career home run.
• July 11 – Strong winds at Candlestick Park dominate the first All-Star Game of the season. A capacity crowd sees pitcher Stu Miller blown off the mound in the ninth inning resulting in balk being called, and it enables the American League to forge a 3–3 tie before losing 5–4 in 10 innings.
• July 17 – Commissioner Ford Frick decrees that Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in a 154-game schedule in 1927 "cannot be broken unless some batter hits 61 or more within his club's first 154 games." Two days later, Frick, an old friend of Ruth, announces that should Ruth's record be beaten after 154 games, the record will carry an asterisk. When asked about the ruling, Roger Maris replies, "A season is a season."
• July 31 – At Fenway Park, the second All-Star Game of the year ends in a 1–1 tie as heavy rain halted play. It is the first tie in All-Star history.
• August 11 – Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves records his 300th career win.
• August 20 – The Philadelphia Phillies snap a modern-day record 23-game losing streak, defeating the Milwaukee Braves 7-4 in the second game of a doubleheader at Milwaukee County Stadium. Phillie pitcher John Buzhardt goes the distance for the victory; he had also been the winning pitcher in the Phillies' last victory prior to the start of the losing streak, on July 28 against the San Francisco Giants.
• August 22 – Roger Maris becomes the first player to hit his 50th home run of the season in the month of August as the Yankees lose to the Los Angeles Angels 4-3. Angels' pitcher Ken McBride tees up the gopher ball in the 6th inning with one on.
• August 23 – At Cincinnati's Crosley Field, the Giants hit five home runs in a 12-run ninth inning, beat the Cincinnati reds 14-0.
• August 24 – Ageless Satchel Paige signs with Portland of the Pacific Coast League. in 25 innings for the Beavers, he will have a 2.88 ERA.

September–December

• September 1 – The Baltimore Orioles' Paul Richards resigned as manager to become the new General Manager of the new Houston National League club. The club would be known as the Houston Colt .45s. Lum Harris takes over as manager of the Orioles.

• September 2 – Milwaukee Braves manager Chuck Dressen (71–58) is fired and executive vice president Birdie Tebbetts becomes the new Braves manager.

• September 26
  • The Cincinnati Reds clinch their first National League pennant since 1940. Home runs by OF Frank Robinson and pinch hitter Jerry Lynch (a tie breaker in the 8th inning) give the Reds an 8–3 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
  • Roger Maris of the New York Yankees hits his major league record-tying 60th home run of the season, a third inning solo shot against Jack Fisher of the Baltimore Orioles.

• October 1 – Before a small crowd at Yankee Stadium, New York Yankees outfielder Roger Maris smacks a 2–0 pitch into right field for his 61st home run of the season (a record that would last until Mark McGwire broke it in 1998).

• October 9 – In Game Five of the World Series, Johnny Blanchard and Héctor López spark a five-run first inning and 13–5 win for the New York Yankees over the Cincinnati Reds. Blanchard and López hit home runs, and López drives in five runs. Bud Daley's long relief effort wraps up the Series, as Ralph Houk becomes the third rookie manager to guide a World Series winner. Whitey Ford is named the Series MVP.

• November 16 – The New York Mets logo, designed by sports cartoonist Ray Gatto, is unveiled. The insignia is round with orange stitching represents a baseball. A bridge in the foreground symbolizes that the Mets, in bringing back the National League to New York, represent all five boroughs. The skyline in the background includes a church spire, symbolic of Brooklyn, the Williamsburg Savings Bank, the Woolworth Building, the Empire State Building and the United Nations Building. The Mets' colors are Dodger blue and Giant orange, symbolic of the return of National League baseball to New York after the Dodgers and Giants moved to California.

• November 22 – Frank Robinson becomes the first Cincinnati Reds player in 21 years to win the National League MVP Award, taking 219 of 224 possible votes.

• November 26 – The Professional Baseball Rules Committee votes 8–1 against legalizing the spitball. Only National League supervisor of umpires Cal Hubbard votes in favor.

• November 27 – The Chicago White Sox again trade Chicago fans favorite Minnie Miñoso, this time to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for OF/1B Joe Cunningham.

• November 30 – Chicago Cubs outfielder Billy Williams, who hit .278 with 25 home runs and 86 RBI, is selected as the National League Rookie of the Year. Catcher Joe Torre of the Milwaukee Braves (.278, 10, 42) and Cubs pitcher Jack Curtis (10 wins, 4.89 ERA) also receive consideration for the honor.

• December 2 – MLB clubs vote to curb bonuses. All first-year players not on major rosters, except one minor leaguer, can be drafted by any other club for $8,000. Clubs are expected to be unwilling to pay large bonuses for players who will be subject to a draft for just $8,000.

Births

January–March

• January 3 – John Leister
• January 5 – Henry Cotto
• January 5 – John Russell
• January 12 – Casey Candaele
• January 29 – Mike Aldrete
• February 9 – John Kruk
• February 21 – Joel Skinner
• March 5 – Steve Ontiveros
• March 8 – Mark Salas
• March 10 – Mike Birkbeck
• March 28 – Glenn Davis
• March 29 – Mike Kingery

April–June

• April 3 – Tim Crews
• April 4 – Brad Komminsk
• April 9 – Kirk McCaskill
• April 19 – Spike Owen
• April 20 – Don Mattingly
• April 22 – Jimmy Key
• April 26 – Curtis Wilkerson
• May 23 – Kevin Romine
• June 8 – Kevin Gross
• June 17 – Mickey Brantley
• June 18 – Andrés Galarraga
• June 18 – Tom McCarthy
• June 20 – Gary Varsho

July–September

• July 23 – Chuck Crim
• July 27 – Nelson Santovenia
• August 15 – Chris Brown
• August 18 – Jack Howell
• August 26 – Jeff Parrett
• August 27 – Mike Maddux
• August 29 - Jeff Kellogg
• September 2 – Jeff Russell
• September 9 – Jim Corsi
• September 16 – Mark Parent
• September 22 – Vince Coleman
• September 22 – Bob Geren
• September 26 – Steve Buechele

October–December

• October 4 – Mike Sharperson
• October 17 – Dan Pasqua
• October 19 – Tim Belcher
• October 23 – Jim Presley
• October 24 – Rafael Belliard
• October 26 – Gus Polidor
• October 27 – Bill Swift
• October 28 – Bob Melvin
• October 30 – Scott Garrelts
• November 4 – Ángel Salazar
• November 5 – Fred Manrique
• November 12 – Greg Gagne
• November 18 – Mike Felder
• November 27 – Randy Milligan
• December 1 – Herm Winningham
• December 4 – Alexis Infante
• December 11 – Mike Henneman
• December 14 – Jeff Robinson
• December 18 – Scott Bailes
• December 26 – Storm Davis
• December 26 – Jim Traber
• December 31 – Rick Aguilera

Deaths

• January 5 – Fred Luderus, 75, Phillies first baseman of the 1910s, captain of the 1915 NL champions
• January 8 – Schoolboy Rowe, 50, 3-time All-Star pitcher who won 158 games, mainly with the Tigers and Phillies
• January 30 – Aaron Ward, 64, second baseman on the Yankees' first championship team in 1923
• February 16 – Dazzy Vance, 69, Hall of Fame pitcher who led the NL in strikeouts seven years in a row and won the 1924 MVP award
• February 19 – Red Smith, 61, shortstop for the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1920s
• March 13 – Joe Berry, 88, catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies for one game in 1902
• April 15 – Nick Cullop, 73, pitcher for the Cleveland Naps, New York Yankees and St. Louis Browns, who also won 22 games for the 1915 Kansas City Packers in the outlaw Federal League
• April 23 – Jack Barry, 73, shortstop in the Athletics' "$100,000 infield", coach since 1921 at Holy Cross, where he won the 1952 College World Series and posted the highest career winning percentage (.806) in collegiate history
• April 28 – Tommy Connolly, 90, Hall of Fame umpire from 1898 to 1931 who worked the first American League game ever, as well as the first contests at Comiskey Park, Shibe Park, Fenway Park, and Yankee Stadium
• May 17 – Otto Knabe, 76, Second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies for many years, and was the player-manager for the Baltimore Terrapins of the Federal League.
• June 18 – Eddie Gaedel, 36, 3'7" player who made one appearance for the 1951 Browns in a stunt promotion
• July 17 – Ty Cobb, 74, Hall of Fame center fielder widely recognized during his lifetime as the greatest player in the sport's history, and holder of more records than any other player including highest lifetime batting average (.367) and most career hits (4,191), runs (2,245), steals (892), games (3,033) and at bats (11,429)
• July 17 – Ed Reulbach, 78, pitcher who starred for the Cubs from 1905 to 1913, winning 182 career games
• July 18 – Hod Eller, 67, pitcher for the Reds from 1917–1921, including a 1919 World Series game which saw him strike out 6 in a row
• August 3 – Thomas Edward Downey, 77, played from 1909 to 1915 for the Reds, Phillies, Cubs, and Bisons.
• September 9 – Jesse Barnes, 69, pitcher who won 152 games for the Braves, Giants and Dodgers, including a no-hitter
• September 9 – Rube Oldring, 77, outfielder who played mainly for the Athletics, including 4 pennant winners
• October 21 – Harry Gleason, 86, infielder/outfielder who played from 1901 through 1905 for the Boston Americans and St. Louis Browns
• December 15 – Dummy Hoy, 99, center fielder who scored over 100 runs nine times, and the game's most accomplished deaf player; he threw out the first ball of the 1961 World Series' third game on October 7