Baseball – 1957

Baseball in 1957

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January


January 4The Dodgers buy a 44-passenger twin-engine airplane for $775‚000‚ which they will use to transport the club during the season. They are the first team to own their own plane.
January 5Jackie Robinson retires‚ voiding the December deal with the Giants.
January 10Commissioner Ford Frick rules that singer Bing Crosby can keep his “token” stock in the Detroit Tigers‚ even though he owns part of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
January 15The Brooklyn Dodgers extend their 5-year lease on Ebbets Field by signing a new 3-year lease with real estate developer Marvin Kratter‚ who bought the field in 1953.
January 26Joseph F. Cairnes succeeds Lou Perini as president of the Braves.
January 29With the advent of coast-to-coast air travel‚ ML baseball weighs a plan for a player pool to be used in the event of an air disaster.

February


February 1Club owners approve a new 5-year player pension plan‚ effective April 1st. It offers more liberal benefits and includes all players‚ coaches‚ and trainers eligible for the 1947 plan. The owners reject the players’ request to raise the minimum salary from $6‚000 to $7‚500.
February 4The BBWAA elects manager Joe McCarthy and Detroit’s Wahoo Sam Crawford to the Hall of Fame
February 14The Georgia Senate unanimously approves Senator Leon Butts’ bill barring blacks from playing baseball with whites. Religious gatherings are the only exceptions to this bill.
February 15A Boston newspaper claims that Ted Williams never paid his $5‚000 fine for spitting at the crowd. It refers to him mockingly as the “Splendid Spitter.”
February 19The Kansas City Athletics ship pitchers Art Ditmar‚ Bobby Shantz‚ and Jack McMahan‚ and infielders Clete Boyer‚ Curt Roberts and Wayne Belardi to the Yankees. In return they receive pitchers Maury McDermott‚ Tom Morgan‚ Gary Coleman‚ and Jack Urban‚ OF Irv Noren‚ plus infielders Billy Hunter and Milt Graff. Roberts didn’t go to NYC till May 4‚ while Boyer went a month later. Hunter and Urban don’t switch until April 5. The veteran Shantz and Boyer will be valuable pickups for New York‚ with Shantz leading the AL in ERA this year‚ and Boyer a tough defensive 3B for 8 years in pinstripes. The A’s will eventually admit that when they signed Boyer for a $40‚000 bonus in 1955‚ it was on behalf of the Yankees‚ with the understanding that they’d later ship him to NY.
February 21In an ominous development for Brooklyn‚ Walter O’Malley “trades” minor league franchises with Phil Wrigley of the Cubs‚ giving up the Dodgers’ Ft. Worth (Texas) club in return for the Cubs’ Los Angeles Angels (PCL).
February 22Walter O’Malley says the Dodgers may play 10 exhibitions in California in 1958.
February 25The U.S. Supreme Court decides 6-3 that baseball is the only professional sport exempt from antitrust laws. The issue arises when pro football seeks similar protection from the laws.
February 26The New York Giants ship knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm to the Cardinals and reacquire 1B Whitey Lockman‚ who went to St. Louis in June‚ 1956.

March

March 6The Dodgers Walter O’Malley confers with Los Angeles Mayor Norris Poulson and other officials of the city.
March 11Representative Emanuel Celler‚ whose committee investigated baseball‚ calls Ford Frick a “czar” who wishes to “gag” officials; Frick had cautioned ML owners about commenting on the recent Supreme Court decision on pro football coming under antitrust rules.
March 18In what is believed to be the largest offer for a player ever made‚ the Indians reject a million-dollar offer for lefty Herb Score from Red Sox GM Joe Cronin. Cleveland GM Hank Greenberg refuses‚ saying that the team is interested in building for the future‚ not in selling its best ballplayers.
March 21Television Age reports that the major leagues will get $9.3 million for TV-radio rights in 1957.
March 23At LA’s Wrigley Field‚ Willie Mays belts two homers to lead the Giants to a 9-3 Cactus League win over the Indians. Bill Rigney fines Hank Thompson $150 for missing last night’s exhibition win over the Indians in San Diego.

April


April 1Like kissing your sister. At West Palm Beach‚ the Athletics and Pirates play 18 innings without a score before the game is called.
April 5The Phils ship Ron Negray‚ Tim Harkness‚ Elmer Valo‚ Ben Flowers‚ minor leaguer Mel Gaho‚ and $75‚000 to Brooklyn for the promising Chico Fernandez. Fernandez will be the first black player for the Phils when he plays on the 16th‚ five days before ex-Negro Leaguer John Kennedy makes his appearance for the Phils. Fernandez will enjoy his best season with the Detroit Tigers in 1961, when he hits a career-best 20 homeruns (his only season with more than six homers).
April 8In a harbinger of games to come‚ the Braves beat the Dodgers‚ 8-5‚ for the 4th straight time in spring training. The win at Oklahoma City leaves the Braves (18-8) atop the Grapefruit League ahead of the Pirates (17-8).
April 15In the opener in Washington‚ the Baltimore Orioles top the Senators‚ 7-6‚ in 11 innings.
April 16The Phillies set an Opening Day record at Connie Mack Stadium as 37‚667 fans pay to see the Dodgers Gino Cimoli hit a 12-inning HR to win the game 7-6.

At Yankee Stadium‚ Andy Carey‘s bases-loaded fly ball single in the 9th gives the Yankees a 21 win over the Senators‚ as Whitey Ford bests Chuck Stobbs. Yogi Berra accounts for the other Yankee run with a 7th inning homer. The 0-2 Senators will lose 16 of their next 20 games.

The Giants pack off P Dick Littlefield and OF Bob Lennon to the Cubs for 2 veterans named Ray-Katt and Jablonski.

In the season opener at Cincinnati‚ Stan Musial raps out 4 hits‚ including 2 doubles‚ to lead the Cardinals to a 13-4 win. Cards’ rookie B.G. Smith debuts with a HR and a single to back former Reds P Herm Wehmeier’s win.

Braves ace Warren Spahn retires the last 14 Cubs enroute to a 4-1 Opening Day victory over host Chicago. The loss win spoils the managerial debut of Cubs skipper Bob Scheffing as well as the debut of the Cubs new blue pinstriped uniforms‚ their first pin stripes in 25 years.

In a duel of ace southpaws‚ Cleveland’s Herb Score gives up 2 walks and a single in the 11th to lose to Chicago’s Billy Pierce‚ 3-2. Score walks 11.
April 17At Yankee Stadium‚ Mickey Mantle leads New York to a 3-1 win over the Red Sox. Mantle hits his first homer of the year‚ off Tom Brewer. Then when Pete Daley lines a ball off the wall in left center‚ Mantle plays the carom perfectly and throws the runner out at 2B.
April 18At Detroit‚ Cleveland rookie Roger Maris hits his first ML homer‚ a grand slam in the 11‚ to pace the Tribe to an 8-3 win over the Tigers. Jack Crimian walks 3 before Maris connects.

About 150 black fans reject seats in the segregated section of Durham Athletic Park in the Carolina League after being denied seats in the non-segregated section.

New York’s Mark Baldwin surrenders only 3 hits‚ but is out dueled by Ed Stein‚ who pitches his 2nd one-hitter of the season to lead Brooklyn to a 3-0 victory.

Portalnd manager Bill Sweeney‚ a PCL skipper for 17 seasons‚ dies in a San Diego hospital following an operation for a perforated stomach ulcer. Sweeney took ill during last night’s Padres game but refused to leave the coach’s box till the game was over.
April 19Harvey R. Hansen succeeds Fred Knorr as president of the Detroit Tigers.
April 20In a slugfest at Fenway‚ the Yankees top the Sox‚ 10-7. Moose Skowron drills two homers‚ one a tape-measure shot to the right of the CF flag pole out of the park. Mantle is 3-for-6 with two doubles and two RBIs.

The Cubs send OF Jim King to the Cards for OF Bobby Del Greco and P Ed Mayer.
April 21Don Hoak‚ the Reds’ baserunner on 2B‚ breaks up a DP by fielding a Wally Post ground ball and flipping it to Braves SS Johnny Logan. The umpire calls Hoak out for interference but Post is given a single on the play. The major leagues will subsequently rule that both the runner and batter are out in this situation. The Braves still win 3-1. In yesterday’s 5-4 loss to the Braves‚ baserunner Johnny Temple let Gus Bell’s ground ball hit him with the same result; Temple out for interfering and Bell awarded a single.

White Sox P Earl Wilson comes within 2 outs of pitching his 2nd no-hitter‚ but his bid is spoiled by Hector’s Lopez’s single in the 9th. He yields 2 more singles but wins‚ 1-0‚ in 10 innings over the A’s Tom Morgan. Lollar‚ batting for Wilson‚ hits a game-winning sac fly.

At Baltimore‚ a power failure ends the nitecap between the Orioles and Senators after five innings. With the Senators leading 2-1‚ a short circuit prevents the lights from being turned on. It is a first in ML history. The Orioles win the lidlifter‚ 11-9‚ in 10 innings. Bob Boyd hits a pinch triple‚ then stays at 1B and adds a homer and double‚ to pace the offense.
April 22John Irwin Kennedy becomes the first African-American to play for the Philadelphia Phillies‚ making them the last NL team to integrate. (Black Cuban Chico Fernandez debuted on the 16th) Kennedy pinch runs for Hemus in the 5-1 loss to Brooklyn in the Jersey City Opener at Roosevelt Field before 11‚629. He will play only briefly in 5 games‚ 2 at 3B‚ and will go hitless.

At the Polo Grounds‚ Willie Mays has a 3-run homer and Ruben Gomez has his 2nd CG win as the Giants beat the Pirates‚ 3-1. Hank Foiles has a 425-ft triple and a 258-ft homer which hits the RF foul pole.

The Reds notch their first victory of the year‚ beating the Cards‚ 10-6. For the 3rd game in a row a Redleg runner is called out when hit by a batted ball: Bailey’s liner nicks Wally Post.

The visiting Yankees overwhelm the Senators‚ 15-6‚ with Mantle hitting his first homer of the year‚ off lefty Chuck Stobbs. Hank Bauer belts a grand slam in the 7-run 6th inning‚ which also features a triple steal by Martin (on the front end)‚ Berra‚ and Skowron. The Senators strand 16 while the Yankees have 10 LOB.
April 23At Fenway‚ Ted Williams belts a CF homer and a single to drive in 2 runs as the Red Sox beat the Orioles‚ 3-1. Frank Sullivan allows 4 hits in winning. The Sox Gene Mauch hits into an unusual DP with Dick Gernert on 3B. Mauch grounds to 1B George Kell‚ who steps on 1B and throws home. Mauch throws up his hands and deflects the throw. Gernert is ruled out on the interference call.
April 24Chicago Cub pitchers walk 9 Reds in the 5th inning‚ an NL record‚ as Cincinnati wins 9-5. Moe Drabowsky starts with 4 walks‚ Jackie Collum adds 3 and Jim Brosnan has 2 passes. The Reds plate 7 runs with just one hit‚ a two-run single by George Crowe.

At the Stadium‚ Mantle drills an 8th inning solo shot off Baltimore’s Connie Johnson to give the Yankees a 3-2 win. He earlier scored on a Yogi Berra homer.

The NY Board of Estimates fails to act on the Robert Moses plan as outlined by Mayor Wagner.
April 25Ted Williams raises his average to .455 with a double‚ 2 singles‚ and 3 walks‚ to pace the Red Sox to a 12-7 victory over the Senators.

ML baseball hastily adopts a rule that prohibits a base runner from interfering with a batted ball in any way. This is a result of the recent Reds’ actions in a May 20-21 games against the Braves.
April 26Walter “Spike” Briggs of the Detroit Tigers resigns as executive vice-president‚ GM and director after a row with the front office. He is the last member of the Briggs family to hold an official position with the team.
April 27The AL finally concedes and suspends the game of April 21 when the Senators and Orioles are interrupted by a power failure at the end of the 5th inning.
April 28The Tigers Al Aber goes 1-1 against the Indians today‚ winning the opener‚ 2-0‚ with 2 innings of relief. The loser is Early Wynn‚ who allows one hit in the first 8 innings as he matches rookie Don Lee (7 IP) 0-0. Wynn‚ who homered off Lee’s father‚ is 0-for-2 at the plate. Aber loses the nitecap‚ 3-2‚ when House makes an error in the 10th inning‚ juggling the ball at the plate with Busby scoring. Aber had made the putout at 1B on a 3-1 play and 3B coach Stanky waved Busby around from 2B. Avila and Colavito homer for the Tribe while Bolling connects for Detroit.
April 29The Senators trade pitchers Dean Stone and Bob Chakales to the Red Sox for OF Faye Throneberry‚ 2B Milt Bolling‚ and P Russ Kemmerer.
April 30At Brooklyn‚ Don Zimmer caps a battle homers by connecting in the 10th for Brooklyn’s 5th dinger of the game. The Dodgers win over the Cubs‚ 10-9‚ with all of Chicago’s scores coming by way of homers. Gene Baker homers‚ Walt Moryn hits a grand slam and Bob Lennon hits a 3 run homer‚ off Sal Maglie. For Lennon‚ who hit 64 homers for Nashville in 1954‚ it will be his only ML round tripper. Campanella adds a pair for the Brooks‚ and Hodges and Amoros hit HRs as well.

May


May 1Wally Post laces a 2-run single in the 16th to give the Reds an 8-6 win over the host Phillies.

The Cubs send 1B Dee Fondy and 2B Gene Baker to Pittsburgh for 1B Dale Long and OF Lee Walls. Fondy hits .300 but will be traded‚ while Walls and Long will knock out 45 HRs for the Cubs this season.
May 2Robin Roberts strikes out 13 Cubs enroute to a 4-2 Phillies win. No Phils infielders record an assist in the game.

At the Polo Grounds‚ Don Hoak drives in 5 runs to lead the Reds to a 9-7 win over the Giants.
May 3At Jersey City‚ Brooklyn’s Don Newcombe shuts out the Cards‚ 6-0‚ for his 9th straight win over St. Louis stretching back to 1951.

Reds pinch hitter Pete Whisenant pops a 3-run homer in the 9th to beat the Giants‚ 11-10
May 5In the 2nd game of a 3-1 and 4-1 doubleheader sweep of the Phils‚ the Cardinals Wally Moon begins a 24-game hitting streak‚ the longest of the season in the NL.
May 7Gil McDougald of the Yankees hits a wicked line-drive that strikes Cleveland’s Herb Score in the right eye. Score‚ with a broken nose and lacerations‚ is carried off the field on a stretcher. Lemon relieves and wins the game‚ 2-1. Score will return the following year but his pitching will not be the same.
May 8At Comiskey‚ Boston slugger Ted Williams hits 3 HRs‚ all off Bob Keegan‚ and drives in all the runs as the Red Sox stop Chicago‚ 4-1.

The Indians clout 3 homers to back Early Wynn‘s 10-4 win over the Yankees. Mantle has a homer and 3 RBIs for New York.
May 10Mayor George Christopher of San Francisco confers with Horace Stoneham on a possible shift of the Giants franchise to the West Coast.
May 11The Cards and Phils trade outfielders‚ St. Louis getting Glenn Gorbous and Philley taking Chuck Harmon.
May 12At Baltimore‚ 3B Andy Carey hits 2 homers for New York‚ while Mantle’s tie breaking clout in the 8th gives them a 4-3 win over the O’s.

The Reds win their 12th straight on the road‚ defeating the Cubs‚ 7-1 as Don Gross fires a 4-hitter. The win streak‚ all on the road‚ has taken Cincinnati from 6th place to the top of the NL.
May 14Winners of 12 straight on the road‚ the Reds‚ return home and lose to the Phillies‚ 10-8. Ed Bouchee hits a 2-run HR in the 9th to give the Phils their winning margin. Bob Thurman‚ who made his ML debut 2 years ago at the age of 37‚ hits a 3-run homer for the Reds in the 5th inning. Thurman is the first ML player to homer on his 40th birthday.

.15th At Baltimore‚ the Indians rap Mike Fornieles for 5 hits and 3 runs in the 16th to defeat the Orioles‚ 11-8. The Tribe had scored 3 in the 8th after an error by Gardner and 3 more in the 14th after an error by Causey. Gardner steals home in the 14th for one Bird run and the 3rd run scores on Nixon’s wild throw.

The Yankees top Kansas City‚ 30‚ behind Tom Sturdivant. Tomorrow is supposed to be an off day‚ but a rained out game with the A’s is rescheduled. But a group of Yankees go ahead anyway with a planned party and celebrate Billy Martin‘s 29th birthday in a raucous fashion. An ensuing fight at Manhattan’s Copacabana Club leads to $5‚500 in fines and the eventual trade of Billy to Kansas City. Hank Bauer allegedly starts the fight by hitting a patron‚ although Bauer denies it. The Yanks fine Ford‚ Bauer‚ Berra‚ Mantle and Martin $1‚000 each and Johnny Kucks $500.

With the May 15 deadline to cut rosters to 25 players‚ a number of veterans are handed their walking papers. Among them are: pitchers Ellis Kinder and Jim McDonald‚ OF Bob Kennedy (White Sox)‚ 1B Preston Ward (Indians)‚ 1B Eddie Robinson (Tigers).
May 16The Yankees top Kansas City 3-0 behind Bob Turley’s four-hit shutout. Mantle has a single‚ two walks‚ and a homer to back Bob Turley’s 4-hit 3-0 shutout over the A’s. Turley helps his cause by starting a triple play. The Yanks now trail the White Sox by a half game.
May 18Seconds before the 10:20 p.m. curfew will end the White Sox-Orioles game‚ the Birds Dick Williams cracks a game-tying homer off Paul LaPalme. The game ends 4-4.
May 19At Yankee Stadium‚ New York knocks out Bob Lemon and tops Cleveland 6-3. Mantle hits a homer in the 6th inning rally‚ his 6th off the future Hall of Famer.

In the first of two at Baltimore‚ Tito Francona has a pair of homers and drives in 5 runs to lead the Orioles to a 10-5 win over Kansas City. George Kell also homers for the Birds. Game 2 is a 5 1/2 scoreless duel between the O’s Hal Brown and Rip Coleman of KC. Coleman will receive credit for a shutout‚ though his record for the season will be 0-7.

The Reds Tom Acker wins a pair from the Pirates‚ pitching an inning of relief in the first game and two more in the nitecap. The Reds win 8-7 and 5-4 to extend their win streak over the Pirates to 15 games.
May 21Boston baseball writers reaffirm their decision to bar women from the press box and refuse to allow Doris O’Donnell‚ a Cleveland feature writer traveling with the Indians‚ to sit in the Fenway Park press area.

For his part in the Copacabana incident‚ Yankee OF Hank Bauer is arraigned. He is eventually cleared and threatens to sue the alleged victim‚ Edward Jones‚ who suffered a concussion and a broken jaw. In today’s game‚ Berra‚ Martin‚ and Ford are benched‚ while Bauer bats 8th. The White Sox win‚ 3-1.
May 22The Red Sox set an AL record by smashing 4 HRs in the 6th inning in an 11-0 win over Cleveland. Gene Mauch‚ Ted Williams‚ Dick Gernert‚ and Frank Malzone do the honors. All of these come on the first 16 pitches from Cal McLish. Williams had set the record with Jimmie Foxx‚ Joe Cronin‚ and Jim Tabor in l940.
May 23At Ebbets Field‚ the Yanks top the Dodgers‚ 10-7‚ in the Mayor’s Trophy game. Al Cicotte allows 2 hits in 6 innings‚ and smacks two himself. Mantle is 4-for-5.
May 24In his first two ML at-bats‚ Cubs rookie Frank Ernaga hits a solo HR in the 2nd inning and follows with a run-scoring triple in the 4th‚ both against Warren Spahn. The Cubs beat the Braves 5-1 at Wrigley Field. Ernaga is the second NL rookie to debut with a triple and homer; he will add just one more HR to his ML career total.
May 25White Sox pitcher Dick Donovan stops Detroit‚ 4-0‚ on one hit.
May 26At Wrigley Field‚ rookie Dick Drott‚ 20‚ of the Cubs strikes out 15 Braves‚ including Hank Aaron and Billy Bruton 3 times‚ en route to a 7-5 victory in game one. Drott’s 15 K’s is a Cubs 20th C. mark for 9 innings (to be broken by Kerry Wood) and one shy of John Clarkson‘s 1886 club mark. His 15 wins this year are the most for a Cub rookie since Pat Malone won 18 in 1928. Chicago sweeps‚ winning the nitecap‚ 5-4.

The Senators build a 6-0 lead over the Yankees and hold on to win 9-7. Mantle hits his 2nd homer in two days at the Stadium.

Reds relief pitcher Hal Jeffcoat snaps a 6-6 tie with an 8th inning homer to beat the Cards‚ 7-6. Jeffcoat reached the majors as an outfielder before converting to the mound.
May 28The NL approves the proposed moves of the Dodgers and the Giants to the West Coast‚ provided both clubs make their request before October 1st and move at the same time.

Reds pitcher Don Gross has his no-hitter snapped in the 8th inning when Milwaukee’s Bobby Thomson triples. Frank Torre singles home Thomson and the Braves win‚ 1-0.
May 29Tough talking NY Mayor Robert Wagner says he plans to confer with the Giants and Dodgers about the proposed move‚ but that the city will not be “blackjacked” into anything.

Four PCL teams may seek as much as $6.7 million in indemnities if both the Los Angeles Angels and the San Francisco Seals withdraw from the league.

At Washington‚ Camilo Pascual gives up two solo homers‚ to Mantle and Bauer‚ but the Senators win 6-2. Pascual will groove 43 gopher balls this year.
May 30Before a crowd of 40‚944 at Briggs Stadium‚ the Tigers sweep a pair from the A’s‚ winning 6-5 and 3-2. Pitcher Lou Sleater wins the opener with his first ML homer‚ a game-ending homer off Burnette. Kuenn opened with a HR‚ but homers by Gus Zernial and Mickey McDermott gave the A’s a 5-3 lead going into the 9th. Bolling has a pair of homers in the nitecap.

Walter O’Malley rejects a Queens group’s offer to buy the Dodgers.

The Ohio legislature passes a bill to aid the Cincinnati Redlegs in building a new stadium.

June


June 1Braves pitchers Warren Spahn and Gene Conley stop Wally Moon‘s 24-game streak‚ but Cards 40-year-old Murry Dickson wins 7-1.

The Reds pummel the Cubs‚ winning 22-2 behind 7 home runs. Frank Robinson (2)‚ Ed Bailey‚ Gus Bell‚ Don Hoak‚ Hal Jeffcoat‚ and Wally Post wield the lumber.
June 2Moe Drabowsky of the Cubs ties a NL record by hitting 4 batters in the first game of a doubleheader against the Reds. Cubs lose 6-4. Bob Rush gives the Cubs a 4-2 win in the nitecap.

In game 2 at New York‚ Mantle and Berra‚ back to back off Skinny Brown‚ and Elston Howard all homer in the first inning for a 4-0 lead over Baltimore. The fans could’ve left then‚ because that’s the way the game ends.
June 3In the 8th inning at Washington‚ Ted Williams wallops a 3-run homer off starter Pedro Ramos to carry the Red Sox to a 5-3 win over the Senators. An inning earlier‚ Jackie Jensen hit a solo homer. As researched by David Vincent‚ Ramos will give up 17 homers this June‚ a ML record for homers served up in one month.
June 4In Chicago‚ Billy Pierce of the White Sox wins 1-0 in a 10-inning masterpiece before 38‚490‚ against the Red Sox. Chicago maintains its 5-game lead over New York.
June 5In Jersey City‚ Don Drysdale pitches the first of his 49 ML shutouts‚ as the Dodgers win 4-0 over the Cubs.

Behind Gil McDougald‘s two homers and Mantle’s solo shot‚ the 2nd place Yankees storm by the Indians‚ 13-3 in Cleveland.
June 6Umpires wait in vain for fog-drenched Ebbets Field to clear. With the Dodgers ahead 1-0‚ Cubs LF Bob Speake loses sight of a ?y ball‚ and batter Charlie Neal gets a double. After a delay of an hour and 26 minutes the game is called‚ the first time ever because of fog.
June 7Phillies rookie Jack Sanford strikes out 13 Cubs to win 1-0.
June 10Frank Lary gives up a 3rd-inning homer to Mantle in Detroit‚ but still beats the Yankees‚ 9-4. Mantle now leads the AL with 13 homers: Williams is 2nd with 10.

In Jersey City‚ the Braves Bob Buhl beats Brooklyn’s Don Newcombe‚ 3-1.
June 11In a 7-2 loss to the Braves‚ Dodger C Roy Campanella hits his 237th career HR‚ surpassing career marks of Gabby Hartnett and Yogi Berra. The Braves move 1?2 game behind the leading Reds.
June 12At Comiskey Park‚ Mickey Mantle again hits HRs from both sides of the plate‚ and drives in 4 runs‚ but the Yankees lose to Chicago 7-6. Jack Harshman is the winner‚ after losing 6 straight to New York. Chicago now leads the Yankees by 5 games.

The University of California wins the NCAA championship‚ defeating Penn State 1-0 in the final game.

Cardinal Stan Musial plays in his 823rd game for a new NL consecutive-game streak‚ beating Gus Suhr’s record. Larry Jackson beats the Phils 4-0 to improve his record to 8-2; he has now beaten every NL team this season.
June 13For the 2nd time this year‚ Ted Williams hits 3 HRs-off Early Wynn and Jim Lemon-in a 9-2 Boston win over the Indians. Williams is the first to do this in the AL. Ted was so disgusted with his pregame hitting that he tossed his bat 50 feet in the air.

The Tigers send 1B Earl Torgeson to the White Sox in exchange for OF Dave Philley and cash.

The Indians send CF Jim Busby to the Orioles for OF Dick Williams.
June 14The Red Sox send two-time batting champ Billy Goodman to the Orioles for P Mike Fornieles‚ who will develop into a fine relief P in Boston.

With the bases loaded. Jim Gilliam swipes home with the winning run in the 10th inning to give to Dodgers a 2-1 win over the Cardinals. Don Newcombe wins his 11th straight over the Cards stretching back to 1951.
June 15At Kansas City‚ the Yankees win 9-2 over the A’s‚ beating Virgil Trucks. In more fallout over the Copacabana incident‚ the Yankees then trade Billy Martin to Kansas City with SS Woodie Held and OF Bob Martyn for P Ryne Duren‚ 2B Milt Graff and outfielders Harry Simpson and Jim Pisoni.

The Giants send 2B Red Schoendienst to the Braves and receive OF Bobby Thomson‚ infielder Danny O’Connell‚ and P Ray Crone. A fine trade for Milwaukee‚ as Schoendienst will lead the NL in hits while anchoring the infield.
June 16In the 2nd game of a twinbill‚ the White Sox rally to defeat the Senators 8-6‚ as relief P Dixie Howell clubs 2 HRs in 3 1/3 innings.

In Philadelphia‚ Braves P Lew Burdette gives up just one hit‚ but loses 1-0 to the Phils in the nitecap of 2. Curt Simmons is the winner on Joe Lonnett’s double and score in the 6th. The Braves win the opener‚ 3-2‚ as Schoendienst makes his Braves debut with a triple and single. Juan Pizarro is the winner allowing 5 hits‚ including 2 homers. The Braves club Roberts for 7 hits in 2.2 innings‚ but the loss goes to Miller.

In the Indians‚ 6-0 loss to the Red Sox‚ Roger Maris gets hit in the eye in the 9th inning when the return throw by Sox C Sammy White hits him. Maris is lifted and Eddie Robinson finishes his at bat by striking out. White and Piersall homer to back Frank Sullivan‘s 4-hitter.
June 20In a 4-1 loss to the Orioles‚ the first place White Sox lose C Sherm Lollar when he is hit on the wrist by a Billy Loes‘ pitch. The broken wrist will sideline the All-Star catcher for 6 weeks and the Sox will ultimately finish 2nd.
June 21One month after graduating from high school‚ Cardinals P Von McDaniel‚ 18‚ 2-hits the Dodgers in his first ML start‚ 2-0. He holds the Dodgers hitless until the 6th inning.
June 22The Yankees win their 9th game in a row‚ topping the White Sox‚ 6-5‚ at Yankee Stadium. Mantle’s homer in the first starts the scoring‚ and Berra’s homer in the 13th ends it.

At St. Louis‚ Stan Musial homers in the 8th to tie the score‚ but the Dodgers score 2 in the 9th on back to back triples by Reese and Snider off Mizell to win‚ 6-4. Gil Hodges has a 3-run homer for the Brooks. Don Newcombe holds on for his 12th straight win over the Cards going back to 1951‚ but the Cards hold on to 1st place by a game.

At Wrigley Field‚ Sacramento pitcher Roger Osenbaugh gives up a PCL-record 9 homeruns in a 22-5 loss to Los Angeles (as noted by John Spalding). Osenbaugh had not pitched due to illness and his manager Tommy Heath explained‚ “I figured a stiff workout would sharpen him up.”
June 23Prime Minister Kishi of Japan‚ wearing a Yankees cap‚ is one of 63‚787 fans at Yankee Stadium to see New York split with Chicago‚ winning the first 9-2 behind bobby Shantz (9-1)and dropping the 2nd game 4-3. Mickey Mantle goes 6-for-9 as the Yankees maintain their 1?2 game lead over Chicago. Mantle is leading the AL in hitting‚ HRs and is one behind the Senators’ Roy Sievers in RBIs.

Oriole Skinny Brown blanks the Tigers 6-0 to start a string of 4 shutouts for the O’s staff.

Wally Post‘s 3-run homer in the bottom of the 11th gives the Reds a 6-3 win over the Pirates.
June 28By stuffing the ballot box‚ Cincinnati fans elect 8 Redlegs as starters in the All-Star Game. Over protests from Reds fans‚ Commissioner Ford Frick names Stan Musial‚ Willie Mays‚ and Hank Aaron to replace Reds Gus Bell‚ George Crowe‚ and Wally Post in the starting lineup. In the final vote tally‚ Musial is the only non-Redleg who would have started. Bell will be added as a substitute.

Ray Moore blanks Cleveland 6-0 as the Orioles pitching staff hurls its 4th consecutive shutout‚ for a new AL mark.

Ponca City and Greenville (Sooner State League) turn triple plays in successive half innings. Greenville turns theirs in the bottom of the first‚ while Ponca City follows with one in the top half of the 2nd.
June 29NL President Warren Giles proposes that fan All-Star voting be limited to those actually attending a game.
June 30The Braves sweep a doubleheader from Pittsburgh 7-4 and 6-5 to take a 1?2 lead over the 2nd-place Reds.

July


July 1Cincinnati fans threaten to sue Commissioner Ford Frick unless Bell‚ Crowe‚ and Post are restored to the All-Star team.

With 45‚276 on hand in Baltimore for “George Kell Night‚” the O’s tie the Yankees 2-2 in the 9th when Billy Goodman singles in a run against Whitey Ford. In the 10th‚ Mantle greets the new “Z” battery of P George Zuverink and teen catcher Frank Zupo with his 22nd homer of the year to give Ford his first win since April. The Z-duo will team up one more time.
July 2At Wrigley Field‚ Cubs OF Lee Walls hits for the cycle‚ but the Reds win in the 10th inning‚ 8-6‚ on a grand slam by Wally Post.

The Women’s Christian Temperance Union charges that baseball has become “beerball‚” since so many broadcasts are sponsored by breweries.
July 3At Yankee Stadium‚ the Yankees win a 10-0 laugher over the Red Sox‚ as Yogi Berra drives in eight runs. Yogi has a homer and two singles; the second single is his 1‚000th hit.
July 4George Crowe of the Reds goes 5-for-5 and drives in 6 runs against his old Braves teammates‚ but Milwaukee wins 10-7.

At Kansas City‚ the A’s go into the 9th down 4-0 against the White Sox‚ then score 5 runs to win‚ 5-4. Joe DeMaestri slides across home with the winner. The A’s won’t duplicate this until 2005.

At Yankee Stadium‚ pinchhitter Mickey Vernon hits a 2-out‚ 2-run homer to give the Red Sox a 3-2 win in game 1. Vernon’s homer in game 2‚ off Don Larsen‚ is the Bosox only score as the Yankees win‚ 4-1.
July 8The owners decide to re-elect Commissioner Ford Frick to another 7-year term when his present contract is up in 1958.
July 9At Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis‚ the AL nips the NL 6-5 in the 24th All-Star Game. Both teams score 3 in the 9th inning‚ but Minnie Minoso‘s running catch with the bases loaded chokes off the NL’s last-half rally.
July 11In Pittsburgh‚ Braves IF Felix Mantilla and OF Billy Bruton collide while chasing a pop ?y. Mantilla will miss 19 games while Bruton will suffer knee damage and be out almost a year. Logan replaces Mantilla and knocks in 3 runs in Milwaukee’s 7-2 win.

At Kansas City‚ Mantle scores the tying run in the 9th‚ then wins it in the 11th with an opposite field homer off righty Tom Morgan. Mantle now has 23 homers‚ and is hitting ‚370 for the first-place Yanks. Chicago trails by 3 1/2 games. The Yankees will lose tomorrow‚ 4-2‚ with Mantle hitting another homer.

In a 5-4 Dodger win at Ebbets Field‚ a brawl takes place in the 7th when Jim Gilliam is decked by a pitch from Reds pitcher Raul Sanchez. The 2 start trading punches and when Reds 3B Don Hoak rushes over‚ he is felled by Brooklyn’s Charlie Neal. The 4 get tossed and Acker‚ who replaces Sanchez‚ then walks Roseboro‚ batting for Gilliam. Snider follows with his 2nd homer of the game. With Gilliam out of the game‚ Gil Hodges plays 2B for the first time in 13 years.

Red Sox lefty Mel Parnell retires on the day he becomes a 10-year man.
July 12At Jersey City‚ Gino Cimoli hits a 2-run triple in the 8th on a 3-0 pitch from Klippstein and the Dodgers‚ win‚ 3-1. The Reds have lost 7 straight and Brooklyn replaces them in 4th place.
July 14Bill Skowron of the Yanks hits an ML-record 2nd pinch-hit grand slam of the season‚ off Jim Wilson of the White Sox‚ in the 2nd game of a doubleheader. Skowron’s hit comes in the 9th as the Yanks score 6 runs to win 6-4. The White Sox take the first game 3-1.

P Billy Hoeft of the Tigers hits 2 HRs and a single against the Orioles Skinny Brown‚ as Detroit wins 10-2. Hoeft will hit one more HR‚ his last‚ this year for a career total of 3.

In a game featuring 6 home runs‚ Willie Mays hits a 3-run shot in the 12th to give the Giants an 8-6 win over the visiting Cubs. Lockman has a pair‚ along with a solo by Bobby Thomson‚ while Dale Long and PH Bob Speake go deep for the Cubs.
July 15At Philadelphia‚ the Phils top the Cardinals 6-2 and take over first place in the N.L.
July 17After losing 12 straight to the Dodgers’ Don Newcombe‚ the Cards end the righty’s domination‚ beating him‚ 7-3. Jones is the victor allowing the Cards to slip back into 1st place. Only 2 games separate the first five teams. The Cards last beat Newk on August 23‚ 1951.
July 18In what will later be revealed as false testimony‚ Kansas City A’s owner Arnold Johnson denies before the Celler committee that he had any ties to the Yankee ownership or has favored them in any trades.

Ernie Banks and Chuck Tanner of the Cubs both hit inside-the-park homers at spacious Forbes Field. The Cubs still lose to Pittsburgh‚ 6-5.

Horace Stoneham says that the Giants will quit New York after the season. He says he has not heard anything more from San Francisco and that his move is not contingent on that of the Dodgers. He sees a new stadium or joint occupancy with the Yankees as the only reason for the Giants to stay in New York.

Dodger slugger Gil Hodges hits his 12th career grand slam to tie the NL record of Rogers Hornsby and Ralph Kiner‚ as the Dodgers edge the Cards‚ 10-9. St. Louis remains a game behind the Phils. The slam comes against the Cardinals Wilmer Mizell.

Gene Woodling of the Indians throws out 2 Washington runners from LF in the first inning‚ tying a ML record. Washington wins 4-0.
July 19Chicago’s Dick Donovan tosses his 2nd one-hitter of the year‚ beating the Red Sox‚ 4-0.

Testifying before the Celler committee‚ PCL President Leslie O’Connor holds that 90 percent of all good ballplayers are monopolized through the farm teams. He adds that the major leagues may control as many as 1‚098 players.
July 20With Bruton‚ Aaron and Pafko out with injuries‚ the Braves use catcher Del Crandall in RF against the Giants. He drops an 8th inning fly ball and the Giants score 5 unearned runs‚ but Milwaukee wins 7-5‚ when Wes Covington hits a 2-run HR in the 9th.

Brooklyn also wins 7-5‚ over the Cubs‚ as Duke Snider hits his 300th homer and his 8th in 10 games since the All-Star break. Drysdale is the winner‚ with Labine in relief‚ despite giving up a pair of homers to Ernie Banks. The Dodgers stay a game in back of the Braves.
July 21In the nitecap of two‚ Cubs relief P Jim Brosnan falls on the mound while warming up‚ injuring his Achilles tendon. He leaves the game without throwing a single pitch to a batter. The Cubs lose‚ 7-2‚ to the Dodgers with Bob Rush taking the loss.

At Cleveland‚ the Yankees split‚ winning the opener and losing the nitecap‚ 7-4. Mantle pops out in the 7th of the nitecap after reaching base 10 straight times. He has a single‚ walk and homer off Ray Narleski in game 2‚ after collecting a single and four walks in the opener. He concluded yesterday’s game with two walks.
July 23Before 42422 at Yankee Stadium‚ Mickey Mantle hits for the cycle‚ the first in the AL since 1952‚ and adds a stolen base‚ against Chicago’s Bob Keegan. His homer is a 465-foot clout into the second-to-last row in the right-center bleachers. The Yankees win 10-6. Bobby Murcer in 1972 will be the next Yankee to cycle.

At Wrigley‚ the Cubs 20-year-old flame-thrower Dick Drott fans 14 enroute to a 4-0 shutout of the Giants.
July 26Jim Bunning of the Tigers 2-hits New York 3-2‚ but one of the hits is Mickey Mantle‘s 9th left-handed HR‚ his 33rd of the season and the 200th HR of his career.
July 28Ted Williams is 4-for-4 with a homer‚ double and 2 singles in a 9-8 win against the Indians. His 3rd hit is the 2‚300 of his career. Wertz (5) and Colavito (3) account for all the Cleveland runs‚ as both hit homers.
July 30The Phils sign Ron Northey in the afternoon and that night the veteran hits a 2-run 8th inning pinch homer to help give the Phils an 8-5 win over the Reds. For Northey‚ it is his 9th career pinch homer‚ which ties the ML record.
July 31The Pirates lose to the Braves‚ in first place by 1/2 game‚ and Bob Buhl 4-2. Bucs manager Bobby Bragan is ejected in the bottom of the 5th for making obscene gestures. Before he departs‚ he strolls onto the field sipping an orange drink through a straw and offers the umpires a sip. Two days later Bragan will be fired by the Pirates.

In the first of two game at Kansas City‚ Bob Turley doesn’t allow a runner past 2B in pitching New York to a 2-0 win. Mantle hits a 3rd inning solo shot‚ off Wally Burnette‚ for an insurance run.

The Dodgers Ed Roebuck wins a deuce‚ beating the Cubs 3-2 and 2-1. Roebuck beats Bob Rush in the opener with two innings of relief‚ then tops Don Elston with another inning in the nightcap.

Pinch hitter Joe Nuxhall singles home the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Reds a 6-5 win over the Phillies.

August


August 1Gil Hodges hits his 13th career grand slam to establish a new NL record as the Dodgers wallop the Cubs‚ 12-3‚ at Wrigley. This is the last grand slam in the history of the Brooklyn Dodgers franchise. Koufax fans 11 and gives up 4 hits‚ including a 3-run homer to Ernie Banks.

Stan Musial hits 2 homers and 2 singles to drive in 4 runs as the Cards defeat the Giants‚ 80. Jones is the winner over Antonelli. The homers give Musial 1‚140 extra base hits‚ moving him into 3rd place on the all-time list behind Ruth and Gehrig.

Former ML OF Glen Gorbous of Omaha breaks Don Grate’s record toss with a heave of 445 feet 10 inches before a home game. Gorbous has a 6-step running start and earns $200 for his effort. Sheldon LeJeune of the Reds reached 426 feet 9 1/2 inches in 1910.
August 2At Yankee Stadium‚ Cleveland’s Don Mossi take a no hitter into the 7th inning before McDougald and Mantle hit one-out back-to-back homers to tie the game at 2 apiece. The Yanks score another run in the 8th and Bob Grim saves the win for Tom Sturdivant.
August 3The news that Danny Murtaugh will succeed Bobby Bragan as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates is leaked to the press‚ and Bragan hears it on the radio before Joe L. Brown can inform him.

Washington defeats Detroit 4-3 when the Senators Roy Sievers hits his 30th HR in the 17th inning‚ It is his 6th HR in 6 games‚ to tie an AL record held by Ken Williams and Lou Gehrig.
August 4For the second consecutive game, Willie Mays hits two homers, and adds a triple, as the Giants down the Cincinnati Reds, 7-6 in 14 innings. Ray Katt‘s DP grounder in the 14th scores the go ahead run. Mays’s second homer of the game comes in the 12th inning, but Reds catcher Ed Bailey matches him. Frank Robinson and Wally Post hit back-to-back homers in the 5th. The Reds take the second game of the doubleheader, 3-2.
August 5The Brooklyn Sports Authority gets an engineering report on a 50‚000-seat stadium in the downtown area. It will cost an estimated $20.7 million‚ including the land site. Indications are that there will be trouble finding a market for the bond issue.

Denver Bear (American Association) Rance Pless slugs his 4th grand slam in a little over a month. In his debut with Denver on July 3rd‚ he connected for a slam‚ then repeated the feat on July 6th and July 30th.
August 6At St. Louis‚ Bob Rush wins his 2nd game against 12 losses‚ as the Cubs beat the Cards‚ 8-2‚ to knock them out of first place. Rush allows 6 hits‚ including a HR by Musial to beat former teammate Sam Jones. Chicago will win the next 2 in St. Louis to dent the Cards pennant hopes.
August 7Hank Bauer of the Yanks hits his 2nd consecutive lead-off HR‚ against Washington‚ as the first-place Yankees lose 3-2. The Yankees’ other score is Mantle’s 3rd inning homer to RF off starter Tex Clevenger.

In front of 23‚472 at Jersey City‚ the Giants outslug the Dodgers‚ 8-5‚ when veteran Hank Sauer clubs a 3-run homer in the 9th inning.
August 9The red-hot Braves top the Cardinals 13-2. Bob Hazle‚ brought up in late July to replace the injured Bruton‚ goes 4-for-5 with 2 RBI.
August 10The Braves roll over the Cards‚ 9-0‚ as Hurricane Bob Hazle knocks in 3 runs on 3 hits.

At Baltimore‚ Mantle hammers his 31st homer and adds 3 singles to lead the Yanks to a 6-3 win over the O’s. Mantle’s homer is the first to clear the CF hedge‚ some 30 feet beyond the 425 foot sign in center. Mantle is now hitting .380‚ and the Yanks are leading Chicago by 5 games.
August 11The Red Sox take a pair from the Senators‚ winning 8-5 and 4-3 in 11 innings. In the nitecap‚ starter Dick Hyde intentionally walks pinch hitter Ted Williams‚ the 27th time this year the slugger has been handed a free base. Williams will be intentionally walked 33 times this year‚ the highest AL total since the league started compiling this statistic in 1955.

At St. Louis‚ the Braves complete a 3-game sweep of the reeling Cards with a 5-1 win by Gene Conley. The Braves now lead the Cards by 5 1/2 games. Eddie Mathews completes the Braves scoring with a CF homer in the 5th‚ off reliever Schmidt‚ and Boyer accounts for the Cards score with a HR in the 9th.

At the Polo Grounds, the Giants and Phils trade shutouts. New York takes the opener, 5-0, behind Curt Barclay‘s 3-hitter. Danny O’Connell hits a three-run homer off Harvey Haddix, and Willie Mays bangs two triples. Willie has 15 so far and will top the 20 mark this year in doubles, triples and homers, just the 4th player in history to accomplish that. George Brett will join the list in 1979, the last 20th century player to do so. In second game, Mays has two of the three hits off Jack Sanford, who stops the Giants, 2-0.
August 13Pitcher Lew Burdette of the Braves hits his first 2 career homers and beats the Redlegs 12-4. He’ll have a 2nd two-homer game next July 10.

Before Boston’s largest crowd of the season‚ 35‚647‚ Mickey Mantle goes 3-for-3 and drives in 3 runs as the Yankees edge the Red Sox 3-2. Mantle improves his average to .384 while Ted Williams‚ with 1-for-2‚ is at .388. A week later Mantle will injure himself when he angrily swings a golf club at a branch and gouges his shinbone. This will effectively take him out of the running for a 2nd-straight triple crown.
August 14The first place Braves roll over the Redlegs‚ 13-3‚ as Bob Hazle goes 3-for-4.
August 15In Chicago‚ the Cubs complete their 2nd three-game sweep of the Cardinals in the past 9 days by whipping the Red Birds‚ 4-1‚ behind Moe Drabowsky. The Cards‚ in first place on August 5‚ have now lost 9 straight.

Hazle has another 3 hits‚ including a homer‚ as Milwaukee tops Cincy again‚ 8-1. Aaron has a pair of homers and Eddie Mathews a solo shot as the Braves extend their winning streak to 10 games and their lead to 8 1/2. It is Milwaukee’s 14th win in 16 games with the Reds and‚ for Warren Spahn‚ it extends his record to 44-14 over the Reds. Cincy’s only run is unearned.
August 16At Jersey City‚ Johnny Podres beats the Pirates‚ 4-1 for the Dodgers.

In front of 45‚537 at County Stadium‚ the Cards defeat the Braves‚ 8-2‚ snapping their 9-game losing streak‚ and ending the Braves skein at 10 games. St. Louis was in 1st place on August 4.
August 17In the Phils 3-1 win over New York‚ Richie Ashburn‚ known for his ability to foul pitches off‚ hits spectator Alice Roth twice in the same at bat. The first foul breaks her nose‚ and the 2nd one hits her while she is being removed from her seat on a stretcher. Ironically‚ she is the wife of Earl Roth‚ the sports editor of the Philadelphia Bulletin.
August 19As Horace Stoneham cites poor attendance as the reason for the Giants’ move‚ the Giants board of directors votes 8-1 to move to California in 1958‚ as San Francisco promises a new stadium in the Bayview area. The only dissenting vote is by M. Donald Grant.
August 20Using a new slow delivery‚ 35-year-old Bob Keegan of the White Sox pitches a 6-0 no-hitter over Washington‚ walking just 2. Chuck Stobbs loses his 16th game en route to a league-leading 20 losses. The Sox lose the opener‚ 5-4‚ to the last place Nats‚ but pick up a half game on New York‚ now 7 games ahead of Chicago.

Yankee Bob Turley pitches a 2-hitter against Kansas City‚ but loses 1-0‚ to former Yank Ralph Terry. Both A’s hits come in the 6th when Tim Thompson drives in Held with a single. Thompson won yesterday’s 1-0 game with a single.

Mantle suffers a severe gash to his left leg that will hamper his run for the Triple Crown. The cause is attributed to any number of reasons‚ and only years later does the truth come out: after losing in golf to Tom Sturdivant‚ Mantle is so angry he bashes his putter over a tree limb and it comes around and gouges his leg almost to the bone. He will hit just .268 with one homer the rest of the year.
August 21In the Tigers 9-3 loss to the Orioles‚ Detroit pitcher Lou Sleater hits a solo homer in what will be his only at bat for Detroit this year. Sleater had 3 homers last year.
August 22Stan Musial‚ swinging at a 4th-inning pitch‚ tears a muscle and chips a bone‚ ending his consecutive-game streak. Four days later he will pinch-run in a game suspended on July 21st‚ officially giving him 895 consecutive games played. The Redbirds win today‚ 6-5‚ with the win being given to Cards reliever Billy Muffett 4 innings of shut out ball. Jackson was leading when replaced by Muffett‚ who pitches brilliantly and is rewarded by the scorer with the win. NL Prexy Giles will reverse the ump’s decision and give the win back to Jackson.
August 23Angel Macias‚ a 12-year-old righthander from Monterrey‚ Mexico‚ hurls a perfect 12-inning game over La Mesa‚ striking out 11 to win the Little League Championship in Williamsport‚ PA. In the tourney before Williamsport‚ Macias pitched a game lefthanded.
August 24The Dodgers use 8 pitchers in one game‚ tying the NL record‚ in a 13-7 loss to first-place Milwaukee‚ as the Braves take two of the three games in Brooklyn. Johnny Podres leaves after giving up 3 HRs in the 4th. Hank Aaron hits the first grand slam of his career.
August 25The Braves top the Phillies 7-3 behind the Warren Spahn. The ace left hander posts his 219th career win and cracks his 18th career homer‚ good for 6th (tie with Schoolboy Rowe) on the career list. The Braves are also paced by the hitting of Bob Hazle‚ who contributes two 3-run HRs and a single in the win. Since being recalled from Wichita‚ “Hurricane” Hazle is hitting .526.

A baseball game is played in Little America‚ Antarctica (as reported by Paul Dalyrumple). A team of Seabees tops a team of civilians‚ 11-6‚ in 2 innings. The temperature at game time is minus 40 degrees.
August 26For the 2nd time this season‚ the Red Sox hit 4 HRs in an inning. They hit the 4 in the 7th scoring 10 runs and go on to rip the Athletics 16-0. Willard Nixon is the beneficiary of the blasts by Frank Malzone.‚ Norm Zauchin‚ Ted Lepcio and Jim Piersall.

In New York‚ Yankee-killer Frank Lary stops New York as Detroit wins 5-2. Lary allows just a 2-run homer in the first inning to Mantle that reaches the upper deck in CF. The New York lead is now down to 31?2 games‚ as they start a crucial series in Chicago. They will win all 3 games with the Sox.
August 28At the Polo Grounds‚ the Giants top the Braves 12-6‚ with an 8-run 3rd inning. The loss leaves the Braves 7 games in front of the Dodgers‚ who take 2nd place ahead of the Musial-less Cards.
August 29In New York‚ Hank Bauer hits Dick Donovan‘s first pitch of the game for a homer‚ but the Sox tie the game at 1-1 and send it into extra innings. Then Donovan’s first pitch to Enos Slaughter in the 11th inning is hammered for the game winner‚ New York winning‚ 2-1.
August 30At Yankee Stadium‚ Chuck Stobbs stops the Yanks to give Washington a 4-2 victory. Mantle hits his 34th homer and scores both New York runs. Mick is a half point behind Williams‚ 39 today‚ in hitting at .3764‚ and tied with Washington’s Roy Sievers at 90 RBIs. Sievers has an RBI today.
August 31At Memorial Stadium‚ the Orioles top the Red Sox‚ 4-1 behind Gus Triandos’ inside-the-park homer‚ the only one of his career. Triandos lines an apparent single over 3B in the 5th inning‚ and when the ball caroms off the wall past Ted Williams‚ Gus lumbers around to score the first run of the game.

Steve Dalkowski‚ legendary minor league fastballer pitching for Kingsport (Appalachian League)‚ strikes out 24‚ walks 18‚ hits 4 batters‚ and throws 6 wild pitches in a row. He loses 9-8.

September


September 1The Yankees purchase Sal “the Barber” Maglie from the Dodgers‚ but he is ineligible for WS play. Maglie is the last to play for all three New York teams.
September 2The Braves sweep the Cubs‚ 23-10 and 4-0‚ collecting a franchise record 26 hits in the opening win. The 23 runs is also a franchise mark‚ as is the 33 runs for 2 clubs. Milwaukee takes the 2nd game‚ 4-0‚ behind Bob Trowbridge‘s 3-hitter. The Braves’ Bob Hazle‚ who started the game at .500 (35-for-70) is 4-for-7 in the first game‚ and teammate Frank Torre scores 6 runs to tie the ML record. The Braves score 13 in the 1st 3 frames but starter Burdette gets knocked out and the win goes to Johnson. Rush appears in game 2 after losing the opener with a 1/3 inning of work.
September 3The Dodgers play their last game in Jersey City‚ as Don Drysdale loses to Philadelphia 3-2 in 12 innings. Brooklyn ends with an 11-4 mark in New Jersey.

Warren Spahn of the Braves hurls his 41st shutout‚ the most by a NL lefthander‚ as he beats Chicago‚ 8-0.
September 5Stengel allows pitcher Bob Grim to hit with 2 out and 2 on in the bottom of the 9th‚ and Grim comes through with his first hit of the season‚ a 3-run game-ending home run. The Yankees beat the Red Sox‚ 5-2. Russ Nixon takes the loss.

Minor league baseball in Los Angeles comes to an end as the Hollywood Stars close out their season with a 6-0 win over the San Francisco Seals. A friendly crowd of 6‚354 is on hand at Gilmore Field to watch Jayne Mansfield‚ Miss Hollywood Stars‚ present president Bob Cobb with a new car before the game.
September 6In Milwaukee‚ the Cubs edge the Braves‚ 5-4‚ handing the league leaders their 3rd straight defeat. the Braves still lead by 6 1/2 games.

In St. Louis‚ Pirate pinch hitter Jerry Lynch swats a 6th inning 2-run homer off Cards reliever Willard Schmidt to give Pittsburgh a 5-3 win. The loss ends Schmidt’s 10-game winning streak.
September 7Warren Spahn wins his 10th in a row as the Braves overwhelm the Cubs‚ 7-2.
September 10Tied at the end of regulation‚ the Cards strand 11 runs in extra innings before Boyer singles in a run in the 14th. St. Louis wins‚ 4-3‚ tagging reliever Robin Roberts with his 20th loss.
September 12The first-place Braves are beneficiaries of 2 disputed DPs to defeat the Dodgers‚ 2-1. Joe Adcock returns to action for the first time since June 23. Covington hits into a DP in the 9th but ump Boggess had called time. He then singles.
September 14The Cubs split a doubleheader with the O’Brien twins‚ primarily infielders throughout their careers. In the opener‚ Eddie pitches a complete game victory‚ a 3-1 Pirate win‚ for his only ML decision. In the nitecap‚ a 7-3 win for the Cubs‚ Johnny O pitches one inning in relief and is charged with the loss‚ his last ML decision (1-3 lifetime).
September 15The slumping Braves drop their 8th in 11 games‚ losing to the Phillies‚ 3-2‚ in 10 innings. The Braves lead in the NL is down to 2 1/2 games.
September 16The Los Angeles City Council approves a 300-acre site in Chavez Ravine for a Dodger stadium if the club will finance a public recreation area.
September 17Making his first appearance since being sidelined with a heavy chest cold September 1‚ Ted Williams clouts an 8th inning pinch homer off Tom Morgan for the Red Sox to start a streak of 16 consecutive times on base. The Sox win 9-8 over the A’s.
September 18A news wire story suggests that‚ if the Dodgers remain in Brooklyn‚ the Indians might move to L.A. Hank Greenberg denies the story saying‚ “as far as I know‚ there has been absolutely no talk in league councils about anybody moving anywhere.”
September 20The Yankees top the Red Sox‚ 7-4‚ despite a pinch homer by Ted Williams in the 9th inning‚ off Bob Grim. In his last at bat‚ Williams hit an 8th inning solo shot on the 17th‚ both times pinch hitting for Murray Wall.

At Chicago‚ Warren Spahn and the Braves defeat the Cubs‚ 9-3. Spahn wins his 20th‚ and will lead the NL in winning percentage with .667.
September 21At the Stadium‚ Ted Williams makes his first start in a month and poles a second inning grand slam‚ his 3rd homer in three consecutive games. Williams walks in his other 3 at bats as the Red Sox win‚ 6-3. Williams is hitting .380‚ 13 points ahead of Mantle‚ who has a single and a walk before being lifted for rest. Mickey Vernon also homers to back Russ Nixon‘s 12th win.

Gail Harris is the last player to hit a HR as a New York Giant‚ as they beat the Pirates 9-5 in the 2nd game of a doubleheader. Ruben Gomez gains the last New York Giants‘ victory.

Jerry Lynch hits a 2-out pinch homer in the 9th to tie the game‚ and Roy McMillan hits his only HR of the year with 2 out in the 10th to enable the Reds to beat the Cards‚ 9-8. The Cardinals tie a record by using 8 pitchers in the game‚ and slip 5 games off the pace. The Redlegs set the NL mark with their 11th pinch-hit HR of the year.

The Indians purchase Hoyt Wilhelm (1-4) from the Cardinals.
September 22In the 4th inning‚ Ted Williams hits his 4th HR in 4 games and four at bats to tie the ML record for consecutive homers He adds a single‚ going 2-for-2 with two walks‚ but the Yankees top the Red Sox at the Stadium‚ 5-1‚ as starter Tom Sturdivant (15-6) is the winner over Dave Sisler (7-7). With the victory‚ the Yanks clinch a tie for the pennant.

Duke Snider’s 39th and 40th HRs are the last that will be hit at Ebbets Field. The Duke of Flatbush ties Ralph Kiner‘s NL mark of hitting at least 40 HRs in 5 consecutive seasons and is the first major leaguer to reach the 40-homer mark without driving in 100 runs: he’ll finish with 94‚ Phillie Robin Roberts‚ who has a penchant for throwing HR balls‚ is the loser‚ 7-3.

In Chicago‚ the Braves close in on the pennant by topping the Cubs‚ 9-7‚ in the 10th inning on Bob Hazle‘s HR. Hazle has 21 RBIs since hitting his first on July 31st. Turk Lown gives up the homer and takes the loss. Don McMahon is the winner.
September 23The Milwaukee Braves clinch the pennant by beating the Cardinals 4-2 on Hank Aaron‘s 11th-inning HR. Billy Moffett serves up the HR pitch‚ his only gopher ball all season. The homer‚ Aaron’s 43rd‚ comes with 2 outs and Johnny Logan on base.

At Washington‚ with VP Nixon in attendance‚ Ted Williams reaches base 5 times to run his consecutive on base streak to record 16 in the Red Sox 9-4 win. He has two singles‚ 4 consecutive (at bat) homers‚ 9 walks‚ and a hit by pitch in the skein. Williams is near the end of a second-half batting spree where he will hit .453. The Splinter engages in a pre-game hitting contest with AL homer leader Roy Sievers.
September 24Hal Griggs of the Senators gets Ted Williams to ground out in the 1st‚ breaking the Red Sox slugger’s streak of reaching base 16 consecutive times. Williams homers off Gregg in the 4th to help win the game‚ 2-1.

In the last game at Ebbets Field‚ 6‚702 fans watch Dodgers lefty Danny McDevitt prevail over the Pirates 2-0. Gil Hodges has the last RBI. Sandy Koufax‚ in relief‚ gets a chance to hit for the 12th time this year and strikes out for the 12th straight time‚ a NL record.

The Yankees clinch their 23rd pennant and 8th under Casey Stengel‚ as Kansas City tips the White Sox 6-5. The Athletics will have no pitchers who qualify for the ERA title; the next team to match that will be the 1995 Cardinals.

In a 6-1 win over St. Louis‚ the Braves Hank Aaron hits his first grand slam.
September 27Walter O’Malley says he will waive the oil rights to Chavez Ravine.

In a desperate move‚ New York City Council President Abe “Hit Sign‚ Win Suit” Stark says the Dodgers should be urged to enlarge and modernize Ebbets Field.

Owner Paul I. Fagan agrees to rent Seals Stadium to the Giants until Candlestick is ready. Fagan will pay $125‚000 in annual taxes‚ in exchange for the parking concession‚ against 5 percent of the gross revenue.

Ernie Banks goes 5-for-5 against the Cardinals in a 3-2 Cub victory. Jim Brosnan is the winner for Chicago‚ while loser Lynn Lovenguth records his only decision of the year.
September 28Ed Roebuck gets the last Brooklyn victory‚ an 8-4 win over the hometown Phils. Randy Jackson hits the last Brooklyn Dodgers home run. Phils backup 1B Marv Blaylock gets his first hit since June 15th‚ a pinch homer in the 6th against Brooklyn’s Rene Valdez. The HR comes in Marv’s last ML at bat.

Johnny Klippstein of the Reds one-hits the Braves 6-0‚ with Bob Hazle getting the only safety-a single with 2 outs in the 9th inning.
September 29With 1895 manager Jack Doyle among the 11‚606 looking on‚ the Giants lose their last game at the Polo Grounds 9-1. Pirate P Bob Friend defeats Johnny Antonelli. Bucs rookie Johnny Powers hits a HR in the top of the 9th‚ the last homer and RBI at the Polo Grounds.

The Brooklyn Dodgers lose their final game before moving west‚ a 2-1 loss to host Philadelphia. Roger Craig starts and Koufax relieves as Gilliam scores the only Dodger run.

Ernie Banks has 5 hits‚ including 3 doubles‚ as the Cubs complete a 3-game sweep of the Cardinals‚ 8-3. Chicago finishes in a tie for 7th.

The Phillies Ed Bouchee‚ TSN’s rookie of the year‚ ended his freshman season with a 2-run homer as the Phils edge Brooklyn‚ 2-1. Rookie Seth Morehead wi ns his first ML victory in his only start this year.

Bobby Bragan signs with Cleveland to replace manager Kirby Ferrell‚ released two days ago.

October


October 2Whitey Ford wins 3-1 over Warren Spahn in Game 1 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium.

NL President Warren Giles says that the 1958 schedule has no provision in it for a New York team.
October 3In Game 2 Lew Burdette defeats Yankee Bobby Shantz 4-2.
October 5The Yankees score 5 in the 7th to cap a 12-3 win‚ as Don Larsen‚ in relief of Bob Turley‚ defeats Bob Buhl. Tony Kubek of the Yankees becomes only the 2nd rookie in WS history to hit 2 HRs in a WS game.
October 6With the score tied at 5-5‚ Eddie Mathews of the Braves evens the WS at 2 games with a 2-run HR in the bottom of the 10th. In the WS first famous “shoeblack incident‚” pinch hitter Nippy Jones convinces umpire Augie Donatelli that Tommy Byrne‘s pitch hit him on the foot.
October 7Lew Burdette wins his 2nd against New York-a brilliant 1-0 shutout-to give Milwaukee a 3-2 Series lead.

The Los Angeles City Council approves the Chavez Ravine site for Dodger Stadium by a vote of 10 to 4.
October 8The Yankees stay alive as Hank Bauer homers off the foul pole in LF to give the Yankees a 3-2 win behind the 4-hit pitching of Bob Turley. The WS is even at 3 apiece.
October 9With Warren Spahn stricken by the ?u‚ Lew Burdette‚ pitching with 2 days rest‚ achieves his 3rd complete game and 2nd shutout to beat New York 5-0 The Braves win their first WS championship since the “Miracle Braves” of 1914 beat Connie Mack‘s Athletics.
October 15The Giants trade their Minneapolis franchise to the Red Sox for the San Francisco Seals-franchises only‚ not the players.
October 16Bill Rigney signs a 2-year deal to manage the San Francisco Giants.

In Cleveland‚ Hank Greenberg is fired by the owners of the Indians. Greenberg‚ one of the architects of the strong Cleveland teams of the early 1950s‚ will be replaced by Frank “Trader” Lane‚ but will continue as a minority shareholder in the team.
October 21The Giants purchase the Class A Phoenix team and will convince the PCL to accept the city as a location for the Seals.

The Senators reject the initial overtures of Minneapolis and St. Paul to move the team there.
October 22The National Association turns down a request by the Florida State League to allow them to reduce the 3 strikes-4 balls rule to 2 strikes-3 balls.
October 24The Cincinnati Redlegs decline to move their franchise to Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City.
October 28Crooner Bing Crosby seeks to sell his stock in the Pirates to his son‚ while he investigates purchasing additional stock in the Detroit Tigers.
October 29The Dodgers sign former manager Charley Dressen as a coach.
October 31Yogi Berra says that the Yankees returned the money collected in fines to the players involved in the Copacabana fight.

November


November 1The Nishitetsu Lions sweep the Yomiuri Giants in the Japanese WS.
November 7The AP poll names Phillies P Jack Sanford its NL Rookie of the Year with 16 votes‚ beating out teammate 1B Ed Bouchee.
November 12Frank Lane resigns as GM of the Cardinals‚ who replace him with Bing Devine.
November 14The AP names Hank Aaron as the 1957 NL MVP with 239 votes. Stan Musial is a close 2nd with 230‚ and Red Schoendienst is 3rd with 221.
November 20Shigeo Nagashima‚ a star at Rikkyo University‚ signs with the Yomiuri Giants for a record bonus of $69‚000. He will go on to have one of the great careers in Japanese baseball.

The Kansas City Athletics trade INF Billy Martin‚ OFs Gus Zernial and Lou Skizas‚ Ps Mickey McDermott and Tom Morgan‚ and C Tim Thompson to Detroit. In exchange‚ the Tigers send OFs Bill Tuttle‚ Jim Small‚ Ps Duke Maas and John Tsitouris‚ C Frank House‚ SS Kent Hadley‚ and a player to come later.
November 22Mickey Mantle edges Ted Williams 233 to 209 votes to win the AL MVP. Williams‚ at 39 years of age‚ led the league in hitting with a .388 average‚ hit 38 HRs‚ and compiled a slugging average of .731. Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey brands the voting “incompetent and unqualified‚” noting that 2 Chicago writers listed Williams in the 9th and 10th places on their ballots.

NL umpire Larry Goetz is unwillingly “retired” after 36 seasons in the ML.
November 26Yoshio (Kaiser) Tanaka‚ an American citizen of Japanese descent‚ is named manager of the Hanshin Tigers. He is the first American to manage a Japanese ML team.
November 28Warren Spahn of the Braves wins the Cy Young Award as ML Pitcher of the Year almost unanimously. His only competition for the title is the White Sox‚ Dick Donovan‚ who received one vote.
November 29Mayor Robert Wagner forms a 4-member committee to find a replacement for the Dodgers and Giants in New York City.

December


December 2The Hollywood‚ (PCL) franchise moves to Salt Lake City‚ and the Los Angeles (PCL) team moves to Spokane. The San Francisco franchise (PCL) transfers to Phoenix‚ AZ.
December 3Al Lopez‚ who traded Larry Doby when he was managing‚ Cleveland‚ does it again in Chicago. The Orioles swap P Ray Moore‚ Billy Goodman‚ and OF Tito Francona to the White Sox for Doby‚ Ps Jack Harshman and Russ Heman‚ and INF Jim Marshall.
December 4The White Sox send fan-favorite Minnie Minoso and INF Fred Hatfield to the Indians for P Early Wynn and OF Al Smith. Wynn coming off his 1st losing season‚ will rebound with the White Sox‚ topping the AL in wins and innings in 1959. The trade was the first for the new Indians’ GM Frank Lane.

ML baseball kills the bonus rule and raises the minimum salary to $7‚000.
December 5The minor leagues threaten to sue ML baseball if it televises Sunday games in their territory.

The AL purchases a $1.8 million group accident policy to help clubs buy new players in case of a major disaster.

The Cubs send veteran Bob Rush and 2 players to the Braves for C Sammy Taylor and P Taylor Phillips.

The Cards turn down the Phillies offer of Richie Ashburn and Harvey Haddix for Ken Boyer‚ trusting that Boyer will turn into a good 3B. Then‚ in one of their best trades ever‚ the Cardinals acquire outfielders Curt Flood and Joe Taylor from the Reds for pitchers Marty Kutyna and Ted Wieand. The 19-year-old Flood‚ who appeared in 8 games for Cincinnati over the past 2 seasons‚ will anchor the St. Louis OF for the next 12 years.
December 7The AP votes Tony Kubek of the Yanks as the Rookie of the Year . Frank Malzone of the Red Sox‚ who was declared ineligible‚ receives one vote. Malzone‚ with better offensive numbers‚ will later claim that he was robbed by New York writers‚ when the BBWA changes the minimum number of at-bats during the season‚ thus excluding him.
December 11U.S. Congressman Emanuel Celler and Senator Kenneth Keating‚ both of New York‚ hint that there might be antitrust action against ML baseball if it televises games as planned‚ because it jeopardizes the minor leagues.

The Phillies purchase veteran OF Dave Philley from Detroit.
December 16The Reds land their 5th pitcher of the month when they acquire Harvey Haddix from the Phillies for OF Wally Post. A week ago they swapped pitchers with the Pirates‚ picking up veteran Bob Purkey for Don Gross.
December 17The Pasadena City Board confers with the Dodgers on the possible temporary use of the Rose Bowl.
December 19In a continuing family squabble‚ Charles Comiskey‚ Jr. denies his sister’s‚ Mrs. Dorothy Comiskey Rigney‚ allegation that he used the “rule or ruin” tactic to gain control of the club.
December 25With the backing of Representatives Keating and Celler‚ the minor league executives urge that ML baseball compensate them for this infringement on their territorial rights.
December 28In a swap of first basemen‚ the Pirates trade Dee Fondy to the Reds for oft-injured slugger Ted Kluszewski.

CBS states that it will not broadcast baseball into any area at the time a minor league game is scheduled.