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1962 Major League Baseball season

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This article is about the 1962 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 1962 in baseball.
1962 MLB season
LeagueAmerican League (AL)
National League (NL)
SportBaseball
DurationRegular season:
  • April 9 – September 30, 1962 (AL)
  • April 9 – October 3, 1962 (NL)
World Series:
  • October 4–16, 1962
Number of games162
Number of teams20 (10 per league)
TV partner(s)NBC, CBS
Regular season
Season MVPAL: Mickey Mantle (NYY)
NL: Maury Wills (LAD)
AL championsNew York Yankees
  AL runners-upMinnesota Twins
NL championsSan Francisco Giants
  NL runners-upLos Angeles Dodgers
World Series
ChampionsNew York Yankees
  Runners-upSan Francisco Giants
World Series MVPRalph Terry (NYY)
MLB seasons
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Locations of teams for the 1962–1964 American League seasons
American League
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Locations of teams for the 1962–1963 National League seasons
National League

The 1962 major league baseball season began on April 9, 1962. The regular season ended on October 3, with the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in a regular season best-of-three tiebreaker, for the National League title in three games, after both teams finished their 162-game schedules with identical 101–61 records. This was the fifth regular season tie-breaker. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 59th World Series on October 4 and ended with Game 7 on October 16. The Yankees defeated the Giants, capturing their 20th championship in franchise history.

For the fourth and final year, there were two separate All-Star Games played. The first, the 32nd Major League Baseball All-Star Game, was played on July 11, hosted by the Washington Senators in Washington, D.C., with the National League winning, 3–1. The second, the 33rd Major League Baseball All-Star Game, was played on July 31, hosted by the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Illinois, with the American League winning, 9–4.

In response to the proposed Continental League, the National League announced expansion during the 1960 World Series, with a new team in Houston, Texas and a new team in New York, New York. The 1962 season would see the Houston Colt .45s and New York Mets enfranchised, the latter being the National League's return to New York City after a four-year absence.

Schedule

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See also: Major League Baseball schedule

The 1962 schedule consisted of 162 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had ten teams. Each team was scheduled to play 18 games against the other nine teams of their respective league. The 162-game, 18 games per team format had previously been used by the American League since the previous season due to expansion and was the first season that the National League used it due to their own expansion. The format would be used until 1969.

Opening Day took place on April 9, featuring the four teams. The final day of the scheduled regular season was on October 1, which saw all 20 teams play, the first time all existing teams played on the final day since 1960. Due to the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants finishing with the same record of 101–61, a best-of-three tie-breaker was scheduled, to be considered an extension of the regular season, and took place between October 1 and October 3. The World Series took place between October 4 and October 16.

Teams

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League Team City Stadium Capacity Manager
American League Baltimore Orioles Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Memorial Stadium 49,373 Billy Hitchcock
Boston Red Sox Boston, Massachusetts Fenway Park 33,357 Pinky Higgins
Chicago White Sox Chicago, Illinois White Sox Park 46,550 Al López
Cleveland Indians Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland Stadium 73,811 Mel McGaha, Mel Harder
Detroit Tigers Detroit, Michigan Tiger Stadium 52,850 Bob Scheffing
Kansas City Athletics Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Stadium 34,165 Hank Bauer
Los Angeles Angels Los Angeles, California Dodger Stadium[a] 56,000 Bill Rigney
Minnesota Twins Bloomington, Minnesota Metropolitan Stadium 39,525 Sam Mele
New York Yankees New York, New York Yankee Stadium 67,337 Ralph Houk
Washington Senators Washington, D.C. District of Columbia Stadium 43,500 Mickey Vernon
National League Chicago Cubs Chicago, Illinois Wrigley Field 36,755 College of Coaches
Cincinnati Reds Cincinnati, Ohio Crosley Field 30,322 Fred Hutchinson
Houston Colt .45s Houston, Texas Colt Stadium 32,601 Harry Craft
Los Angeles Dodgers Los Angeles, California Dodger Stadium 56,000 Walter Alston
Milwaukee Braves Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee County Stadium 43,768 Birdie Tebbetts
New York Mets New York, New York Polo Grounds 56,000 Casey Stengel
Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Connie Mack Stadium 33,608 Gene Mauch
Pittsburgh Pirates Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Forbes Field 35,500 Danny Murtaugh
San Francisco Giants San Francisco, California Candlestick Park 42,553 Alvin Dark
St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis, Missouri Busch Stadium 30,500 Johnny Keane


Standings

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American League

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American League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Yankees 96 66 .593 — 50‍–‍30 46‍–‍36
Minnesota Twins 91 71 .562 5 45‍–‍36 46‍–‍35
Los Angeles Angels 86 76 .531 10 40‍–‍41 46‍–‍35
Detroit Tigers 85 76 .528 10½ 49‍–‍33 36‍–‍43
Chicago White Sox 85 77 .525 11 43‍–‍38 42‍–‍39
Cleveland Indians 80 82 .494 16 43‍–‍38 37‍–‍44
Baltimore Orioles 77 85 .475 19 44‍–‍38 33‍–‍47
Boston Red Sox 76 84 .475 19 39‍–‍40 37‍–‍44
Kansas City Athletics 72 90 .444 24 39‍–‍42 33‍–‍48
Washington Senators 60 101 .373 35½ 27‍–‍53 33‍–‍48

National League

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National League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
San Francisco Giants 103 62 .624 — 61‍–‍21 42‍–‍41
Los Angeles Dodgers 102 63 .618 1 54‍–‍29 48‍–‍34
Cincinnati Reds 98 64 .605 3½ 58‍–‍23 40‍–‍41
Pittsburgh Pirates 93 68 .578 8 51‍–‍30 42‍–‍38
Milwaukee Braves 86 76 .531 15½ 49‍–‍32 37‍–‍44
St. Louis Cardinals 84 78 .519 17½ 44‍–‍37 40‍–‍41
Philadelphia Phillies 81 80 .503 20 46‍–‍34 35‍–‍46
Houston Colt .45s 64 96 .400 36½ 32‍–‍48 32‍–‍48
Chicago Cubs 59 103 .364 42½ 32‍–‍49 27‍–‍54
New York Mets 40 120 .250 60½ 22‍–‍58 18‍–‍62

Postseason

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Bracket

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World Series
         
AL New York Yankees 6 0 3 3 5 2 1
NL San Francisco Giants 2 2 2 7 3 5 0

Managerial changes

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Off-season

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Team Former Manager New Manager
Baltimore Orioles Lum Harris Billy Hitchcock
Cleveland Indians Mel Harder Mel McGaha

In-season

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Team Former Manager New Manager
Cleveland Indians Mel McGaha Mel Harder

League leaders

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American League

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Hitting leaders
Stat Player Total
AVG Pete Runnels (BOS) .326
HR Harmon Killebrew (MIN) 48
RBI Harmon Killebrew (MIN) 48
R Albie Pearson (LAA) 115
H Bobby Richardson (NYY) 209
SB Luis Aparicio (CWS) 31
Pitching leaders
Stat Player Total
W Ralph Terry (NYY) 23
L Chuck Estrada (BAL)
Ed Rakow (CWS)		 17
ERA Hank Aguirre (DET) 2.21
K Camilo Pascual (MIN) 206
IP Ralph Terry (NYY) 298.2
SV Dick Radatz (BOX) 24

National League

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Hitting leaders
Stat Player Total
AVG Tommy Davis (LAD) .346
HR Willie Mays (SF) 49
RBI Tommy Davis (LAD) 153
R Frank Robinson (CIN) 134
H Tommy Davis (LAD) 230
SB Maury Wills (LAD) 104
Pitching leaders
Stat Player Total
W Don Drysdale (LAD) 25
L Roger Craig (NYM) 24
ERA Sandy Koufax (LAD) 2.54
K Don Drysdale (LAD) 232
IP Don Drysdale (LAD) 314.1
SV Roy Face (PIT) 17

Awards and honors

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National League MVP Maury Wills

Regular season

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Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards
BBWAA Award National League American League
Rookie of the Year Ken Hubbs (CHC) Tom Tresh (NYY)
Cy Young Award Don Drysdale (LAD) —
Most Valuable Player Maury Wills (LAD) Mickey Mantle (NYY)
Gold Glove Awards
Position National League American League
Pitcher Bobby Shantz (STL/HOU) Jim Kaat (MIN)
Catcher Del Crandall (MIL) Earl Battey (MIN)
1st Base Bill White (STL) Vic Power (MIN)
2nd Base Ken Hubbs (CHC) Bobby Richardson (NYY)
3rd Base Jim Davenport (SF) Brooks Robinson (BAL)
Shortstop Maury Wills (LAD) Luis Aparicio (CWS)
Outfield Bill Virdon (PIT) Jim Landis (CWS)
Roberto Clemente (PIT) Al Kaline (DET)
Willie Mays (SF) Mickey Mantle (NYY)

Other awards

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The Sporting News awards

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Monthly awards

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Player of the Month

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Main article: Major League Baseball Player of the Month Award
Month National League
May Bob Purkey (CIN)
June Sandy Koufax (LAD)
July Frank Howard (LAD)
August Jack Sanford (SF)

Baseball Hall of Fame

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Main article: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Further information: 1962 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting

Home field attendance

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Team name Wins %± Home attendance %± Per game
Los Angeles Dodgers[4] 102 14.6% 2,755,184 52.7% 33,195
San Francisco Giants[5] 103 21.2% 1,592,594 14.5% 19,422
New York Yankees[6] 96 −11.9% 1,493,574 −14.5% 18,670
Minnesota Twins[7] 91 30.0% 1,433,116 14.0% 17,477
Detroit Tigers[8] 85 −15.8% 1,207,881 −24.5% 14,730
Los Angeles Angels[9] 86 22.9% 1,144,063 89.6% 14,124
Chicago White Sox[10] 85 −1.2% 1,131,562 −1.3% 13,970
Pittsburgh Pirates[11] 93 24.0% 1,090,648 −9.0% 13,465
Cincinnati Reds[12] 98 5.4% 982,095 −12.1% 12,125
St. Louis Cardinals[13] 84 5.0% 953,895 11.5% 11,776
Houston Colt .45s[14] 64 924,456 11,274
New York Mets[15] 40 922,530 11,532
Baltimore Orioles[16] 77 −18.9% 790,254 −16.9% 9,637
Milwaukee Braves[17] 86 3.6% 766,921 −30.4% 9,468
Philadelphia Phillies[18] 81 72.3% 762,034 29.1% 9,525
Boston Red Sox[19] 76 0.0% 733,080 −13.8% 9,279
Washington Senators[20] 60 −1.6% 729,775 22.2% 9,122
Cleveland Indians[21] 80 2.6% 716,076 −1.3% 8,840
Kansas City Athletics[22] 72 18.0% 635,675 −7.0% 7,848
Chicago Cubs[23] 59 −7.8% 609,802 −9.4% 7,528

Television coverage

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CBS and NBC continued to air weekend Game of the Week broadcasts. CBS dropped its Sunday broadcasts once the NFL season started in mid-September, dropping the option clause for affiliates to carry baseball or football in place since 1957.[24]

The All-Star Game, the National League tie-breaker series, and the World Series aired on NBC.

Retired numbers

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Dodger Stadium was referred to as "Chavez Ravine Stadium" by the Angels during their tenure.

References

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  1. ^ "Maury Wills Baseball Almanac Awards". Baseball Almanac.
  2. ^ a b "Don Drysdale Baseball Almanac Awards". Baseball Almanac.
  3. ^ a b "Don Drysdale Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  4. ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers 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. ^ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  7. ^ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  8. ^ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  9. ^ "Los Angeles Angels Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  10. ^ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  12. ^ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  13. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  14. ^ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  15. ^ "New York Mets Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  16. ^ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  17. ^ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  18. ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  19. ^ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  20. ^ "Texas Rangers 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. ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  23. ^ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  24. ^ Brulia, Tim. "A CHRONOLOGY OF PRO FOOTBALL ON TELEVISION: Part 1" (PDF). Pro Football Researchers.
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