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The 1961 Minnesota Twins season was the 61st in franchise history and its first in Minneapolis–Saint Paul after it transferred from Washington following a six-decade tenure in late October 1960. The maiden edition of the Twins finished 1961 with a record of 70–90, good for seventh place in the American League, which had expanded from eight to ten teams during the 1960–61 offseason. The Twins played their home games at Metropolitan Stadium, where they set a franchise record for home attendance.
The 1962 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 81st season in St. Louis, Missouri and its 71st season in the National League. The Cardinals went 84–78 during the season and finished sixth in the National League, 17+1⁄2 games behind the San Francisco Giants. Also in 1962, the Cardinals became the first NL club to wear names on the backs of their uniforms that season.
The 1954 Washington Senators won 66 games, lost 88, and finished in sixth place in the American League. They were managed by Bucky Harris and played home games at Griffith Stadium.
The 1957 Washington Senators won 55 games and lost 99 in their 57th year in the American League, and finished in eighth place, attracting 457,079 spectators to Griffith Stadium, last in the major leagues. Chuck Dressen began the year as their manager, but after the Senators dropped 16 of their first 20 games, Dressen was replaced by Cookie Lavagetto on May 7. Lavagetto, a longtime aide to Dressen, went 51–83 for the rest of the year, but would remain at the club's helm into June 1961, its first season as the Minnesota Twins.
The 1960 Washington Senators won 73 games, lost 81, and finished in fifth place in the American League. They were managed by Cookie Lavagetto and played home games at Griffith Stadium, where they drew 743,404 fans in 1960, last in the eight-team league but an increase of almost 25 percent over 1959. This was the "original" Senators' 60th and final season in Washington, as they moved to Minnesota and became the Twins in 1961, which they have been named ever since. Griffith Stadium was demolished after the second Washington Senators franchise played its inaugural season there.
The 1961 Los Angeles Angels season ended with the Angels finishing eighth in the American League with a record of 70–91, 38+1⁄2 games behind the World Champion New York Yankees. It was the Angels' first season in franchise history, and their only season at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. Gene Autry owned the franchise, which was created as a counterpart to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the two teams would even share the same stadium the following year when the Angels moved to Dodger Stadium.
The 1968 Washington Senators season was the eighth in the expansion team's history, and it saw the Senators finish tenth and last in the ten-team American League with a record of 65 wins and 96 losses. The club also finished 20th and last in MLB attendance, with a total of 564,661 fans, a decrease of about 206,000 from 1967. Civil unrest in Washington, D.C., resulting from the April 4 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., caused a two-day postponement of the traditional Presidential opener, which had been scheduled for D.C. Stadium on April 8.
The 1967 Washington Senators season involved the Senators finishing sixth in the American League with a record of 76 wins and 85 losses.
The 1965 Washington Senators season involved the Senators finishing eighth in the American League with a record of 70 wins and 92 losses.
The 1962 Washington Senators season involved the Senators finishing tenth in the American League with a record of 60 wins and 101 losses, 35+1⁄2 games behind the World Champion New York Yankees. 1962 was the first season in which the Senators played their home games at D.C. Stadium.
The 1952 Philadelphia Athletics season saw the A's finish fourth and in the first division of the American League with a record of 79 wins and 75 losses. They finished 16 games behind the eventual World Series champion New York Yankees. Managed by Jimmy Dykes, they attracted 627,100 fans to Shibe Park, seventh among the Junior Circuit's eight teams.
The 1961 Los Angeles Dodgers finished in second place in the National League with a record of 89–65, four games behind the Cincinnati Reds. 1961 was the fourth season for the Dodgers in Los Angeles. It was also the Dodgers final season of playing their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, since they moved to their new stadium the following season.
The 1960 Los Angeles Dodgers finished the season at 82–72, in fourth place in the National League race, 13 games behind the NL and World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 1961 Detroit Tigers won 101 games but finished in second place, eight games behind the Yankees. The team's 1961 record tied the 1934 Tigers team record of 101 wins, and only twice in team history have the Tigers won more games: 1968 and 1984.
The 1962 Houston Colt .45s were an expansion team in American Major League Baseball's National League, and 1962 was the first season in franchise history. Harry Craft was Houston's first manager. The .45s finished eighth among the National League's ten teams with a record of 64–96, 36+1⁄2 games behind the league champion San Francisco Giants.
The 1962 Pittsburgh Pirates season involved the team's 93–68 season, good for fourth place in the National League, eight games behind the NL Champion San Francisco Giants.
The 1960 Detroit Tigers season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Tigers' sixth-place finish in the American League with a 71–83 record, 26 games behind the AL Champion New York Yankees.
The 1962 Detroit Tigers season was a season in American baseball. The team finished tied for third place in the American League with a record of 85–76, 10+1⁄2 games behind the New York Yankees.
The 1969 Cleveland Indians season was a season in American baseball. The club finished in last place in the newly established American League East with a record of 62 wins and 99 losses. The 1969 season seemed hopeful before the season started, based on the Indians' modest 86–75 record the previous season, along with their solid pitching. However, a 1–15 start shattered any illusions of a successful season. Not helping, was that the Indians strong pitching the previous season fell apart. Luis Tiant fell to 9–20 in 1969 and didn't look like the same pitcher from 1968, when he went 21–9, with a 1.60 ERA. Sam McDowell stayed solid at the very least, going 18–14, with a 2.94 ERA.
The 1961 Cleveland Indians season was a season in American baseball. The team finished fifth in the newly expanded 10-team American League with a record of 78–83, 30+1⁄2 games behind the New York Yankees. Although the 1961 season ended up being a disappointment, the Indians had a brief flurry of pennant fever early in the 1961 season. After starting 12–13, the Indians started to streak, going 22–4 over their next 26 games to reach a record of 34–17. However the Indians cooled off afterwards and were quickly knocked out of first place, as they went 44–66 the rest of the year. For the second year in a row, the Indians had held first place in June, only to slump to a losing record. This would happen again in 1962 as well.
References
- ↑ Baseball Reference 1961 Miscellaneous Team Records
- ↑ Bobby Shantz page at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Rockies, Marlins Are Gearing Up : Expansion: Lessons of the past indicate that drafting young players is the key to success, Associated Press (Los Angeles Times), Nov. 14, 1992.
- ↑ Ray Semproch page at Baseball-Reference
- ↑ Jim King page at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Coot Veal page at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Retrosheet box score, 1961-04-10
- ↑ "1961 Washington Senators Roster by Baseball Almanac".