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This article is about the 1959 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see
1959 in baseball .
Sports season
Yankees – Red Sox game in 1959. The 1959 Major League Baseball season was played from April 9 to October 9, 1959. It saw the Los Angeles Dodgers , free of the strife produced by their move from Brooklyn the previous season, rebound to win the National League pennant after a two-game playoff against the Milwaukee Braves , who themselves had moved from Boston in 1953. The Dodgers won the World Series against a Chicago White Sox team that had not played in the "Fall Classic" since 1919 and was interrupting a Yankees ' dynasty that dominated the American League between 1949 and 1964.
On July 21, the Boston Red Sox became the 16th and final team in professional baseball to break the color line when they fielded Pumpsie Green , 12 years after Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers broke the professional baseball color line in 1947.[ 1] notably resistant to integration due to team owner Tom Yawkey , and only did so following a lawsuit charging Yawkey and general manager Bucky Harris with discrimination and the deliberate barring of black players from the Red Sox.[ 2] NAACP issued charges of "following an anti-Negro policy", and the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination announced a public hearing on racial bias against the Red Sox.[ 3]
The season is notable as the only one between 1950 and 1981 where no pitcher pitched a no-hitter .[ 4] [a]
The 1959 season saw the following rule change:[ 5]
The minimum outfield dimensions for all new ballparks are to be 325 feet down the left and right field foul lines, and 400 feet in center field.[ 6] Statistical leaders [ edit ] Home field attendance [ edit ]
Team name
Wins
%±
Home attendance
%±
Per game
Los Angeles Dodgers [ 7] 88
23.9%
2,071,045
12.2%
26,552
Milwaukee Braves [ 8] 86
−6.5%
1,749,112
−11.3%
22,141
New York Yankees [ 9] 79
−14.1%
1,552,030
8.7%
20,156
Cleveland Indians [ 10] 89
15.6%
1,497,976
125.7%
19,454
Chicago White Sox [ 11] 94
14.6%
1,423,144
78.5%
18,245
San Francisco Giants [ 12] 83
3.8%
1,422,130
11.7%
18,469
Pittsburgh Pirates [ 13] 78
−7.1%
1,359,917
3.7%
17,661
Detroit Tigers [ 14] 76
−1.3%
1,221,221
11.1%
15,860
Boston Red Sox [ 15] 75
−5.1%
984,102
−8.6%
12,781
Kansas City Athletics [ 16] 66
−9.6%
963,683
4.2%
12,515
St. Louis Cardinals [ 17] 71
−1.4%
929,953
−12.6%
12,077
Baltimore Orioles [ 18] 74
0.0%
891,926
7.5%
11,435
Chicago Cubs [ 19] 74
2.8%
858,255
−12.4%
11,146
Philadelphia Phillies [ 20] 64
−7.2%
802,815
−13.8%
10,293
Cincinnati Reds [ 21] 74
−2.6%
801,298
1.6%
10,406
Washington Senators [ 22] 63
3.3%
615,372
29.5%
7,992
Television coverage [ edit ] CBS and NBC aired weekend Game of the Week All-Star Game and World Series also aired on NBC. The rights to air the 1959 National League tie-breaker series were awarded to ABC .[ 24] [ 25]
a 1909 , 1913 , 1921 , 1927 –1928 , 1932 –1933 , 1936 , 1939 , 1942 –1943 , 1949 , 1982 , 1985 , 1989 , 2000 and 2005 .
^ "These players integrated each MLB team" . MLB.com . Retrieved November 14, 2024 .^ New York Times April 7, 1959^ Friend, Harold. "Pumpsie Green and the Boston Red Sox's Racism" . Bleacher Report . Retrieved December 16, 2024 . ^ No-Hitters in chronological Order by Retro Sheet^ "MLB Rule Changes | Baseball Almanac" . www.baseball-almanac.com . Retrieved June 3, 2024 .^ "A guide to rules changes in MLB (and sports) history" . MLB.com . Retrieved June 3, 2024 .^ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020 .^ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020 .^ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020 .^ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020 .^ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020 .^ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020 .^ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020 .^ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020 .^ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020 .^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020 .^ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020 .^ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020 .^ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020 .^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020 .^ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020 .^ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors" . Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020 .^ Wancho, Joseph (2014). Pitching to the Pennant: The 1954 Cleveland Indians . United States: University of Nebraska Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0803245877 ^ Reichler, Joe (September 29, 1959). "Dodgers Confident of National Flag". Times Daily . Associated Press. p. 5. ^ Lowry, Cynthia (September 29, 1959). "Crosby Sings Plenty". Kentucky New Era . Associated Press. p. 18.
American League National League
Pre-modern era
Beginnings Competition NL monopoly
Modern era
See also
