1958 Major League Baseball season

Summary

The 1958 Major League Baseball season was played from April 14 to October 15, 1958. It was the first season of play in California for both the Los Angeles Dodgers (formerly of Brooklyn) and the San Francisco Giants (formerly of New York City); in turn, this marked the first teams to ever play on the West Coast. Three teams had relocated earlier in the decade: the Milwaukee Braves, Baltimore Orioles, and Kansas City Athletics. New York went without a National League team for four seasons, until the expansion New York Mets began play in 1962.

1958 MLB season
LeagueMajor League Baseball
SportBaseball
DurationApril 14 – October 15, 1958
Number of games154
Number of teams16
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

Awards and honors edit

MLB statistical leaders edit

  American League National League
Type Name Stat Name Stat
AVG Ted Williams BOS .328 Richie Ashburn PHI .350
HR Mickey Mantle NY 42 Ernie Banks CHC 47
RBIs Jackie Jensen BOS 122 Ernie Banks CHC 129
Wins Bob Turley NY 21 Bob Friend PIT
Warren Spahn MIL
22
ERA Whitey Ford NY 2.01 Stu Miller SF 2.47
SO Early Wynn CWS 179 Sam Jones STL 225
SV Ryne Duren NY 20 Roy Face PIT 20
SB Luis Aparicio CWS 29 Willie Mays SF 31

Standings edit

Postseason edit

Bracket edit

World Series
   
AL New York Yankees 4
NL Milwaukee Braves 3

Managers edit

American League edit

Team Manager Comments
Baltimore Orioles Paul Richards
Boston Red Sox Pinky Higgins Finished 3rd
Chicago White Sox Marty Marion Finished 2nd
Cleveland Indians Bobby Bragan and Joe Gordon
Detroit Tigers Jack Tighe and Bill Norman
Kansas City Athletics Harry Craft
New York Yankees Casey Stengel Won 4th straight pennant and World Series
Washington Senators Cookie Lavagetto

National League edit

Team Manager Comments
Chicago Cubs Bob Scheffing
Cincinnati Reds Birdie Tebbetts and Jimmy Dykes
Los Angeles Dodgers Walter Alston
Milwaukee Braves Fred Haney Won second consecutive pennant
Philadelphia Phillies Mayo Smith and Eddie Sawyer
Pittsburgh Pirates Danny Murtaugh Finished 2nd
St. Louis Cardinals Fred Hutchinson and Stan Hack
San Francisco Giants Bill Rigney Finished 3rd in inaugural season in SF

Home field attendance edit

Team name Wins Home attendance Per game
Milwaukee Braves[1] 92 -3.2% 1,971,101 -11.0% 25,599
Los Angeles Dodgers[2] 71 -15.5% 1,845,556 79.5% 23,968
New York Yankees[3] 92 -6.1% 1,428,438 -4.6% 18,313
Pittsburgh Pirates[4] 84 35.5% 1,311,988 54.2% 17,039
San Francisco Giants[5] 80 15.9% 1,272,625 94.6% 16,528
Detroit Tigers[6] 77 -1.3% 1,098,924 -13.6% 14,272
Boston Red Sox[7] 79 -3.7% 1,077,047 -8.8% 13,988
St. Louis Cardinals[8] 72 -17.2% 1,063,730 -10.1% 13,815
Chicago Cubs[9] 72 16.1% 979,904 46.1% 12,726
Philadelphia Phillies[10] 69 -10.4% 931,110 -18.8% 12,092
Kansas City Athletics[11] 73 23.7% 925,090 2.7% 11,860
Baltimore Orioles[12] 74 -2.6% 829,991 -19.4% 10,641
Chicago White Sox[13] 82 -8.9% 797,451 -29.8% 10,357
Cincinnati Redlegs[14] 76 -5.0% 788,582 -26.4% 10,241
Cleveland Indians[15] 77 1.3% 663,805 -8.1% 8,734
Washington Senators[16] 61 10.9% 475,288 4.0% 6,093

Events edit

January–March edit

  • 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 edit

July–September edit

October–December edit

Television coverage edit

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 edit

Births edit

Deaths edit

  • 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 edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  2. ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  4. ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  5. ^ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  6. ^ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  7. ^ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  8. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  9. ^ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  10. ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  12. ^ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  13. ^ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  14. ^ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  15. ^ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  16. ^ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.

External links edit

  • 1958 Major League Baseball season schedule