1961

1961 in baseball
Japanese baseball
American League
National League
Negro Leagues
<< 1960 1962 >>

Championships, events, culture, births, and deaths that occurred in 1961.

Club competitions

Professional

Asia and Australia

• Nippon Professional Baseball
  • Nippon Series: Yomiuri Giants (CL) over the Nankai Hawks (PL), 4 - 2 - 0 (Details)
    • Central League: Yomiuri Giants (Details)
    • Pacific League: Nankai Hawks (Details)
• Claxton Shield: South Australia

Europe

• Baseball-Bundesliga: TB Germania Mannheim
• Hoofdklasse Honkbal: Schoten Haarlem
• Serie A1: Europhon Milano

North America

• Major League Baseball
  • World Series: New York Yankees (AL) over the Cincinnati Reds (NL), 4 - 1 (Details)
    • American League: New York Yankees (Details)
    • National League: Cincinnati Reds (Details)

• Minor League Baseball
  • Junior World Series: Buffalo Bisons (IL) over the Louisville Colonels (AA), 4 - 0 (Details)
  • Alabama-Florida League: Selma Cloverleafs
  • American Association: Louisville Colonels (Details)
  • Appalachian League: Middlesboro Senators
  • California League: Reno Silver Sox
  • Carolina League: Wilson Tobs
  • Eastern League: Springfield Giants
  • Florida State League: Tampa Tarpons
  • International League: Buffalo Bisons (Details)
  • Mexican Center League: Aguascalientes Tigres
  • Midwest League: Quincy Giants
  • New York-Penn League: Olean Red Sox
  • Northern League: Aberdeen Pheasants
  • Northwest League: Lewiston Broncs
  • Pacific Coast League: Tacoma Giants (Details)
  • Pioneer League: Great Falls Electrics
  • Sophomore League: Hobbs Pirates
  • South Atlantic League: Asheville Tourists
  • Southern Association: Chattanooga Lookouts
  • Texas League: San Antonio Missions
  • Three-I League: Topeka Reds
  • Western Carolina League: Shelby Colonels

• Liga Mexicana de Béisbol: Aguila de Veracruz

• Negro Leagues
  • East-West Game: The team representing the West defeated the team representing the East by a score of 7 - 1 at Yankee Stadium (Details)

Winter Leagues

• Cuban Winter League: Cienfuegos
• Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana: Leones del Escogido defeated the Águilas Cibaeñas in the league's finals, 5 - 2
• Winter League of Sonora: Naranjeros de Hermosillo
• Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico: Senadores de San Juan
• Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional: Industriales de Valencia defeated the Oriente in the finals, 3 - 2

Amateur

• College World Series (National Collegiate Athletic Association): The University of Southern California defeated Oklahoma State University in the best-of-three finals, 1 - 0 (Details)
• NAIA College World Series: East Carolina University over the California State University, Sacramento, 13 - 7 in the finals
  • NJCAA Baseball World Series: Wilmington College
• Community College League of California: Fresno City College over Cerritos College in the finals
• National Baseball Congress World Series: Ponchatoula Athletics (Details)
• All-Japan University Baseball Championship Series: Nihon University defeated the Kansai University in the final, 10 - 2 (Details)
• Japan High School Baseball Federation
  • National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament: Hosei University Daini High School (Kanagawa) defeat Takamatsu Commercial High School (Kagawa), 4 - 1 in the championship (Details)
  • National High School Baseball Championship: Naniwa Shogyo High School (Osaka) defeat Wakayama Toin High School (Wakayama), 1 - 0 in the championship (Details)
• Little League
  • Little League World Series: Northern (El Cajon, CA) defeat El Campo (El Campo, TX), 4 - 2 in the championship (Details)

International competitions

• Baseball World Cup in Costa Rica (Details)
  • Cuba (Gold); Mexico (Silver); Venezuela (Bronze)
• South American Championship in Peru (Details)
  • Venezuela (Gold); Brazil (Silver); Peru (Bronze)

Events

Strat-O-Matic Baseball Game Company, producing a tabletop simulation game, founded.

Culture

Literature

• My Life In Baseball: The True Record, by Ty Cobb and Al Stump

Song

• The First Baseball Game, by Nat King Cole

Births

Further information: Births in 1961

Deaths

Further information: Deaths in 1961

Further Reading

• Jim Brosnan: Pennant Race, HarperCollins Publishers, New York, NY, 2017. ISBN 978-0062667069. Originally published in 1962