1960s Timeline

Nov. 22, 1961 - Frank Robinson (pictured at his wedding last month), crack outfielder of the Cincinnati Reds, today was named the winner of the National League’s most valuable player award for 1961. Unlike the American League vote, which saw only 4 points separate Roger Maris, the winner, from Mickey Mantle, the runner-up, the Reds’ star, whose slashing bat played a major role in bringing the first pennant in 21 years to Cincinnati, scored an overwhelming victory. The committ

Oct. 26, 1961 - The New York City Mayor’s Committee on Baseball was honored today for “outstanding accomplishments in preserving the pre-eminence of New York as the sports capital of the world” — or, to be specific, for bringing a National League baseball team back to the city. The new team, the Metropolitans, or “Mets,” will play at the Polo Grounds in 1962 but will move to a new stadium in Flushing Meadow Park for the 1963 season. William A. Shea, chairman of the committee,

Oct. 25, 1961 - Joey Jay was named the National League pitcher of the year today by UPI’s board of baseball experts. The 26-year-old 21-game winner of the Reds beat Warren Spahn of the Braves, 19 votes to 16. Jay, a 6-foot-4-inch righty, helped pitch the Reds to their first pennant since 1940. He capped his fine campaign by scoring the Reds’ only victory over the New York Yankees in the World Series. #MLB #baseball #baseballcap #baseballlife #baseballislife #baseballplayer #b

Oct. 19, 1961 - Al Kaline (pictured right with Mickey Mantle and Norm Cash) of the Detroit Tigers, who increased his batting average 46 points after having had his poorest season in 1960, was named the American League’s comeback player of 1961 today. Kaline hit .324 in 1961, with 19 homers. He had a 22-game hit streak from July 6 through Aug. 1. In Detroit today, Kaline said of the award: “I’m happy I won it, but I didn’t think I had that bad a year in 1960.” #MLB #baseball #

Oct. 11, 1961 - Walt Alston (pictured with Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley) was signed today to a new one-year contract to manage the Dodgers despite his failure to win the National League pennant with the club that had been ranked as the preseason favorite. The rehiring of Alston at a reported $40,000 salary was a vote of confidence. Alston boasts the longest tenure with the same team of any major league manager. “We are making the announcement at this time instead of November

Oct. 10, 1961 - At a combined cost of $3,650,000, the New York Mets and the Houston Colts today fished 45 players out of the 136-player pool made available to them by the 8 established National League clubs. The players they picked provide the Mets and Colts with basic rosters from which to start organizing teams. New York and Houston will become playing members of the National League next season. That will make the National a ten-team league. The first player named by George

Oct. 6, 1961 - Casey Stengel, who will manage the New York Mets next season, expounded today on matters ranging from the 1964 World's Fair to the world series. On the World's Fair: "The Mets and the Fair are a great thing for New York City. Every merchant will get rich. The people will be coming from Alaska, wearing their fur coats." On the world series: "The Cincinnatis will win if they get some pitching." On the Mets chances: "We'll do all right if they just get me some men

Oct. 6, 1961 - The New York Mets, who will play their first National League season in the Polo Grounds next year, signed a 30-year lease with the City of New York today for use of the proposed $19 million sports stadium in Flushing Meadow. The Queens stadium is expected to be ready for the 1963 baseball season. In another action, Harry Wismer, president of the New York Titans of the American Football League, signed an agreement to occupy the proposed ballpark for 15 years. #M

Oct. 5, 1961 - The Cincinnati Reds turned on the high and mighty Yankees at the Stadium today and thrashed the American League champions in the second game of the world series, 6-2. Brilliant four-hit pitching by Joey Jay, the first graduate of Little League baseball ever to appear in a world series, shackled Ralph Houk's Bombers. Three Yankee errors and a passed ball stunned a gathering of 63,083. The series now stands squared at one victory each as it moves to Cincinnati, w

Oct. 5, 1961 - Jimmy Piersall (pictured left) was traded to the Washington Senators today. In return for the centerfielder, the Cleveland Indians received Dick Donovan, Gene Green, and Jim Mahoney. At 31, Piersall enjoyed his most successful season in baseball. Always a brilliant fielder, he batted above .300 for the first time in the majors. His .322 average made him the fourth best hitter in the American League. Nonetheless, Piersall had a typically stormy season, so the tr