1968 National League
| 1968 in baseball |
|---|
| 1968 National League |
| Cuban National League |
| Japanese baseball |
| American League |
| << 1967 1969 >> |
The 1968 season of the National League was the ninety-third 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 | St. Louis Cardinals | 162 | 97 | 65 | 0 | .599 | -.- | 583 (3.60) | 472 (2.91) | 0.249 | 0.297 | 0.346 | 2.49 | 0.978 |
| 2 | San Francisco Giants | 163 | 88 | 74 | 1 | .540 | 9.0 | 599 (3.67) | 529 (3.25) | 0.239 | 0.304 | 0.341 | 2.71 | 0.975 |
| 3 | Chicago Cubs | 163 | 84 | 78 | 1 | .515 | 13.0 | 612 (3.75) | 611 (3.75) | 0.242 | 0.295 | 0.366 | 3.41 | 0.981 |
| 4 | Cincinnati Reds | 163 | 83 | 79 | 1 | .509 | 14.0 | 690 (4.23) | 673 (4.13) | 0.273 | 0.318 | 0.389 | 3.56 | 0.978 |
| 5 | Atlanta Braves | 163 | 81 | 81 | 1 | .497 | 16.0 | 514 (3.15) | 549 (3.37) | 0.252 | 0.304 | 0.339 | 2.92 | 0.980 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 163 | 80 | 82 | 1 | .491 | 17.0 | 583 (3.58) | 532 (3.26) | 0.252 | 0.305 | 0.343 | 2.74 | 0.979 |
| 7 | Philadelphia Phillies | 162 | 76 | 86 | 0 | .469 | 21.0 | 543 (3.35) | 615 (3.80) | 0.233 | 0.294 | 0.333 | 3.36 | 0.980 |
| 8 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 162 | 76 | 86 | 0 | .469 | 21.0 | 470 (2.90) | 509 (3.14) | 0.230 | 0.289 | 0.319 | 2.69 | 0.977 |
| 9 | New York Mets | 163 | 73 | 89 | 1 | .448 | 24.0 | 473 (2.90) | 499 (3.06) | 0.228 | 0.277 | 0.315 | 2.72 | 0.979 |
| 10 | Houston Astros | 162 | 72 | 90 | 0 | .444 | 25.0 | 510 (3.15) | 588 (3.63) | 0.231 | 0.294 | 0.317 | 3.26 | 0.975 |
League leaders[edit]
- Bold indicates league record, Italics indicate all-time record
Batting[edit]
Pitching[edit]
All-Star Game[edit]
The National League won the thirty-ninth midsummer classic at Astrodome in Houston, TX on Tuesday, July 9, 1968 by a score of 1 to 0. The league's manager was Red Schoendienst.
Postseason[edit]
In the World Series, the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals were defeated by the American League's Detroit Tigers, 4 games to 3.
Award winners[edit]
The winner of the league's Most Valuable Player Award, given its Most Valuable Player, was Bob Gibson (gibsobo01), a pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals. In the award's voting, he had 242 out of a possible 280 points and 14 first place votes.
The winner of the league's Cy Young Award, given its best pitcher, was Bob Gibson (gibsobo01) of the St. Louis Cardinals. In the award's voting, he had 20 out of a possible 20 points and 20 first place votes.
The winner of the league's Rookie of the Year Award, given its best rookie player, was Johnny Bench, a catcher with the Cincinnati Reds. In the award's voting, he had 10 out of a possible 20 points and 10 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 its managers and coaches, at their respective position.
Monthly Awards[edit]
- Player of the Month Award
- April: none
- May: Don Drysdale, Los Angeles Dodgers
- June: Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals
- July: Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals
- August: Pete Rose, Cincinnati Reds
- September: Steve Blass, Pittsburgh Pirates
Hall of Fame Game[edit]
The twenty-sixth annual Hall of Fame Game was played on July 22 at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, NY near the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In the game, the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates lost to the Detroit Tigers of the American League by a score of 10 to 1.
Notable events[edit]
Umpires[edit]
- Al Barlick
- Ken Burkhart
- Nick Colosi
- Shag Crawford
- Frank Dezelan
- Augie Donatelli
- Bob Engel
- Tom Gorman
- Doug Harvey
- Bill Jackowski
- John Kibler
- Stan Landes
- Andy Olsen
- Chris Pelekoudas
- Paul Pryor
- Frank Secory
- Mel Steiner
- Dick Stello
- Ed Sudol
- Ed Vargo
- Tony Venzon
- Harry Wendelstedt
- Lee Weyer
- Bill Williams
Further Reading[edit]
- William J. Ryczek: Baseball on the Brink: The Crisis of 1968, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2017. ISBN 978-1-4766-6848-2
- Tim Wendel: Summer of '68: The Season That Changed Baseball, and America, Forever, Da Capo Press, Cambridge, MA, 2012.
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