1961 American League
| 1961 in baseball |
|---|
| 1961 American League |
| Japanese baseball |
| National League |
| Negro Leagues |
| << 1960 1962 >> |
The 1961 season of the American League was the sixty-first 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 | New York Yankees | 163 | 109 | 53 | 1 | .669 | -.- | 827 (5.07) | 612 (3.75) | 0.263 | 0.328 | 0.442 | 3.46 | 0.980 |
| 2 | Detroit Tigers | 163 | 101 | 61 | 1 | .620 | 8.0 | 841 (5.16) | 671 (4.12) | 0.266 | 0.346 | 0.421 | 3.55 | 0.976 |
| 3 | Baltimore Orioles | 163 | 95 | 67 | 1 | .583 | 14.0 | 691 (4.24) | 588 (3.61) | 0.254 | 0.326 | 0.390 | 3.22 | 0.980 |
| 4 | Chicago White Sox | 163 | 86 | 76 | 1 | .528 | 23.0 | 765 (4.69) | 726 (4.45) | 0.265 | 0.332 | 0.395 | 4.06 | 0.980 |
| 5 | Cleveland Indians | 161 | 78 | 83 | 0 | .484 | 30.5 | 737 (4.58) | 752 (4.67) | 0.266 | 0.325 | 0.406 | 4.15 | 0.977 |
| 6 | Boston Red Sox | 163 | 76 | 86 | 1 | .466 | 33.0 | 729 (4.47) | 792 (4.86) | 0.254 | 0.333 | 0.374 | 4.29 | 0.977 |
| 7 | Minnesota Twins | 161 | 70 | 90 | 1 | .435 | 38.0 | 707 (4.39) | 778 (4.83) | 0.250 | 0.324 | 0.397 | 4.28 | 0.971 |
| 8 | Los Angeles Angels | 162 | 70 | 91 | 1 | .432 | 38.5 | 744 (4.59) | 784 (4.84) | 0.245 | 0.330 | 0.398 | 4.31 | 0.969 |
| 9 | Washington Senators | 161 | 61 | 100 | 0 | .379 | 35.5 | 618 (3.84) | 776 (4.82) | 0.244 | 0.315 | 0.367 | 4.23 | 0.975 |
| 10 | Kansas City Athletics | 162 | 61 | 100 | 1 | .377 | 47.5 | 683 (4.22) | 863 (5.33) | 0.247 | 0.320 | 0.354 | 4.74 | 0.972 |
League leaders[edit]
- Bold indicates league record, Italics indicate all-time record
Batting[edit]
Pitching[edit]
All-Star Game[edit]
The 1961 season featured two All-Star Games. In the first game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, CA on Tuesday, July 11, 1961, the American League lost by a score of 5 to 4 in 10 innings. The second game at Fenway Park in Boston, MA on Monday, July 31, 1961 ended in a 1-1 tie after 9 innings when it was called due to rain. For both games, the league's manager was Paul Richards.
Postseason[edit]
In the World Series, the American League champion New York Yankees defeated the National League's Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 1.
Award winners[edit]
The winner of the league's Most Valuable Player Award, given its Most Valuable Player, was Roger Maris, an outfielder with the New York Yankees. In the award's voting, he had 202 out of a possible 280 points and 7 first place votes.
The winner of the Cy Young Award, given to the best pitcher in Major League Baseball irrespective of league, was Whitey Ford of the New York Yankees (AL). In the award's voting, he had 9 out of a possible 18 points and 9 first place votes.
The winner of the league's Rookie of the Year Award, given its best rookie player, was Don Schwall, a pitcher with the Boston Red Sox. In the award's voting, he had 7 out of a possible 20 points and 7 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.
Hall of Fame Game[edit]
The twentieth annual Hall of Fame Game was played on July 24 at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, NY near the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In the game, the American League's Baltimore Orioles lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League by a score of 6 to 2.
Notable events[edit]
Umpires[edit]
- Charlie Berry
- Sam Carrigan
- Nestor Chylak
- Cal Drummond
- Red Flaherty
- Bill Haller
- Jim Honochick
- Eddie Hurley
- Bill Kinnamon
- Joe Linsalata
- Bill McKinley
- Larry Napp
- Joe Paparella
- John Rice
- Ed Runge
- Al Salerno
- Harry Schwarts
- Al Smith
- Hank Soar
- Johnny Stevens
- Bob Stewart
- Frank Umont
Further Reading[edit]
- Donald Honig: 1961: The Year That Was, Bantam Books, New York, NY, 1989. ISBN 0553282743
- Jim Sargent: The Tigers and Yankees in '61: A Pennant Race for the Ages, the Babe's Record Broken and Stormin' Norman's Greatest Season, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2016. ISBN 978-0-7864-9862-8
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