1959 American League
| 1959 in baseball |
|---|
| 1959 American League |
| Japanese baseball |
| National League |
| Negro Leagues |
| << 1958 1960 >> |
The 1959 season of the American League was the fifty-ninth season of the league.
Season summary[edit]
Standings[edit]
- Bold indicates league champion, Italics indicates World Series champion
| Rank | Team | G | W | L | T | WPCT | GB | RS (RS/G) | RA (RA/G) | AVG | OBP | SLG | ERA | FPCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago White Sox | 156 | 94 | 60 | 2 | .603 | -.- | 669 (4.29) | 588 (3.77) | 0.250 | 0.324 | 0.364 | 3.29 | 0.979 |
| 2 | Cleveland Indians | 154 | 89 | 65 | 0 | .578 | 5.0 | 745 (4.84) | 646 (4.19) | 0.263 | 0.319 | 0.408 | 3.75 | 0.978 |
| 3 | New York Yankees | 155 | 79 | 75 | 1 | .510 | 15.0 | 687 (4.43) | 647 (4.17) | 0.260 | 0.318 | 0.402 | 3.60 | 0.978 |
| 4 | Detroit Tigers | 154 | 76 | 78 | 0 | .494 | 18.0 | 713 (4.63) | 732 (4.75) | 0.258 | 0.333 | 0.400 | 4.20 | 0.978 |
| 5 | Boston Red Sox | 154 | 75 | 79 | 0 | .487 | 19.0 | 726 (4.71) | 696 (4.52) | 0.256 | 0.335 | 0.385 | 4.17 | 0.978 |
| 6 | Baltimore Orioles | 155 | 74 | 80 | 1 | .477 | 20.0 | 551 (3.55) | 621 (4.01) | 0.238 | 0.309 | 0.345 | 3.56 | 0.976 |
| 7 | Kansas City Athletics | 154 | 66 | 88 | 0 | .429 | 28.0 | 681 (4.42) | 760 (4.94) | 0.263 | 0.324 | 0.390 | 4.35 | 0.973 |
| 8 | Washington Senators | 154 | 63 | 91 | 0 | .409 | 31.0 | 619 (4.02) | 701 (4.55) | 0.237 | 0.307 | 0.379 | 4.01 | 0.973 |
League leaders[edit]
- Bold indicates league record, Italics indicate all-time record
Batting[edit]
Pitching[edit]
All-Star Game[edit]
The 1959 season featured two All-Star Games. In the first game at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, PA on Tuesday, July 7, 1959, the American League lost by a score of 5 to 4. In the second game at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA on Monday, August 3, 1959, the American League won by a score of 5 to 3. For both games, the league's manager was Casey Stengel.
Postseason[edit]
In the World Series, the American League champion Chicago White Sox were defeated by the National League's Los Angeles Dodgers, 4 games to 2.
Award winners[edit]
The winner of the league's Most Valuable Player Award, given its Most Valuable Player, was Nellie Fox, a second baseman with the Chicago White Sox. In the award's voting, he had 295 out of a possible 336 points and 16 first place votes.
The winner of the Cy Young Award, given to the best pitcher in Major League Baseball irrespective of league, was Early Wynn of the Chicago White Sox (AL). In the award's voting, he had 13 out of a possible 16 points and 13 first place votes.
The winner of the league's Rookie of the Year Award, given its best rookie player, was Bob Allison, an outfielder with the Washington Senators. In the award's voting, he had 18 out of a possible 24 points and 18 first place votes.
Gold Gloves[edit]
The following players won the Gold Glove Award, given to the league's best fielders as voted upon by sportswriters, at their respective position.
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| P | Bobby Shantz | New York Yankees |
| C | Sherm Lollar | Chicago White Sox |
| 1B | Vic Power | Cleveland Indians |
| 2B | Nellie Fox | Chicago White Sox |
| 3B | Frank Malzone | Boston Red Sox |
| SS | Luis Aparicio | Chicago White Sox |
| LF | Minnie Minoso | Cleveland Indians |
| CF | Al Kaline | Detroit Tigers |
| RF | Jackie Jensen | Boston Red Sox |
All-Star Games[edit]
In the First All-Star Game of 1959, the National League defeated the American League, 5-4, on July 7th at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, PA. In the Second Al-Star Game played on August 3rd at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA, the American League won 5-3 over the National League. In both games, the American League team was managed by Casey Stengel of the New York Yankees.
Hall of Fame Game[edit]
The eighteenth annual Hall of Fame Game was played on July 20 at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, NY near the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The game ended in a 5 - 5 tie between the Kansas City Athletics of the American League and Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League. The game was stopped by rain with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Notable events[edit]
Umpires[edit]
- Charlie Berry
- Nestor Chylak
- Red Flaherty
- Jim Honochick
- Eddie Hurley
- Bill McKinley
- Larry Napp
- Joe Paparella
- John Rice
- Eddie Rommel
- Ed Runge
- Hank Soar
- Johnny Stevens
- Bob Stewart
- Bill Summers
- Frank Tabacchi
- Frank Umont
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