1961 Baltimore Orioles season
Encyclopedia
The 1961
Baltimore Orioles
season involved the Orioles finishing 3rd in the American League
with a record of 95 wins and 67 losses, 14 games behind the AL and World Series champion New York Yankees
. The team was managed by Paul Richards
and Lum Harris
, and played their home games at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium
.
of the Yankees hit his 59th and 60th home runs of the season against the Orioles, tying what was at the time Babe Ruth
's single-season record. The 59th was hit on September 20 at Memorial Stadium, and the 60th was hit on September 26 at Yankee Stadium.
Victoria club moved to Ardmore, May 27, 1961
1961 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Cincinnati Reds ; Whitey Ford, MVP*All-Star Game , July 11 at Candlestick Park: National League, 5-4 *All-Star Game , July 31 at Fenway Park: 1–1 tie...
Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
season involved the Orioles finishing 3rd in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
with a record of 95 wins and 67 losses, 14 games behind the AL and World Series champion New York Yankees
1961 New York Yankees season
The New York Yankees season was the 59th season for the team in New York, and its 61st season overall. The team finished with a record of 109-53, eight games ahead of the Detroit Tigers, and won their 26th American League pennant. New York was managed by Ralph Houk. The Yankees played their home...
. The team was managed by Paul Richards
Paul Richards (baseball)
Paul Rapier Richards was an American professional baseball player, manager, scout and executive in Major League Baseball. During his playing career, he was a catcher and right-handed batter with the Brooklyn Dodgers , New York Giants , Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers...
and Lum Harris
Lum Harris
Chalmer Luman Harris was an American right-handed pitcher, coach, manager, and scout in Major League Baseball....
, and played their home games at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)
Memorial Stadium was a sports stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, that formerly stood on 33rd Street on an over-sized block also bounded by Ellerslie Avenue , 36th Street , and Ednor Road...
.
Offseason
- October 13, 1960: Del RiceDel RiceDelbert Rice Jr. was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played for 17 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball from to , most notably for the St. Louis Cardinals...
was released by the Orioles. - October 13, 1960: Dave PhilleyDave PhilleyDavid Earl Philley is a former outfielder who played in Major League Baseball. A switch-hitter who threw right-handed, he debuted on September 6, and played his final game on August 6, . He was born in Paris, Texas....
was released by the Orioles. - January 24, 1961: Bob Boyd, Al PilarcikAl PilarcikAlfred James Pilarcik was an American professional baseball player. An outfielder, he appeared in 668 Major League games between and for the Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox...
, Jim ArcherJim ArcherJames William Archer is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for two seasons with the Kansas City Athletics. He threw left-handed and batted right....
, Wayne CauseyWayne CauseyJames Wayne Causey was an Infielder for the Baltimore Orioles , Kansas City Athletics , Chicago White Sox , California Angels and Atlanta Braves ....
, and Clint CourtneyClint CourtneyClinton Dawdson Courtney was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees , St. Louis Browns , Baltimore Orioles , Chicago White Sox , Washington Senators and Kansas City Athletics . Courtney batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
were traded by the Orioles to the Kansas City AthleticsOakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
for Whitey HerzogWhitey HerzogDorrel Norman Elvert "Whitey" Herzog is a former Major League Baseball manager. Born in New Athens, Illinois, he made his debut as a player in 1956 with the Washington Senators. After his playing career ended in 1963, Herzog went on to perform a variety of roles in Major League Baseball, including...
and Russ SnyderRuss SnyderRussell Henry Snyder was an outfielder for the Kansas City Athletics , Baltimore Orioles , Chicago White Sox , Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers ....
. Clint Courtney was returned to the Orioles on April 14. - January 31, 1961: Dave Philley was signed as a free agent by the Orioles.
- February 9, 1961: Darold KnowlesDarold KnowlesDarold Duane Knowles is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher, and the current pitching coach of the Florida State League's Dunedin Blue Jays...
was signed as an amateur free agent by the Orioles. - February 24, 1961: Frank House was purchased by the Orioles from the Cincinnati RedsCincinnati RedsThe Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
.
Regular season
Roger MarisRoger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...
of the Yankees hit his 59th and 60th home runs of the season against the Orioles, tying what was at the time Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
's single-season record. The 59th was hit on September 20 at Memorial Stadium, and the 60th was hit on September 26 at Yankee Stadium.
Opening Day starters
- Jackie Brandt
- Marv Breeding
- Jim Gentile
- Ron Hansen
- Milt Pappas
- Brooks Robinson
- Russ Snyder
- Gene Stephens
- Gus Triandos
Notable transactions
- April 12, 1961: Chuck EssegianChuck EssegianCharles Abraham Essegian, Jr. is a former backup outfielder who played from through in Major League Baseball. Listed at 5' 11", 200 lb., he batted and threw right-handed....
and Jerry WalkerJerry WalkerJerry Allen Walker is a former right-handed pitcher in American Major League Baseball who performed for the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Athletics and Cleveland Indians between and ....
were traded by the Orioles to the Kansas City Athletics in exchange for Dick HallDick HallRichard Wallace Hall was a Pitcher and part-time Outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Kansas City Athletics , Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies .-Biography:He helped the Orioles win the 1966 and 1970 World Series and 1969 and 1971 American League...
and Dick WilliamsDick WilliamsRichard Hirschfeld "Dick" Williams was an American left fielder, third baseman, manager, coach and front office consultant in Major League Baseball. Known especially as a hard-driving, sharp-tongued manager from 1967–69 and 1971–88, he led teams to three American League pennants, one National...
. - May 24, 1961: Walt DropoWalt DropoWalter Dropo , nicknamed "Moose", was an American college basketball standout and a professional baseball first baseman...
was released by the Orioles. - June 8, 1961: Gene StephensGene StephensGlen Eugene Stephens was an Outfielder for the Boston Red Sox , Baltimore Orioles , Kansas City Athletics and Chicago White Sox...
was traded by the Orioles to the Kansas City AthleticsOakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
for Marv ThroneberryMarv ThroneberryMarvin Eugene Throneberry was an American Major League Baseball player, best remembered as the starting first baseman for the 1962 New York Mets, a team which set the modern record for most losses in a season with 120....
. - July 21, 1961: Frank House was traded by the Orioles to the Detroit TigersDetroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
for Harry ChitiHarry ChitiHarry Chiti was an American catcher in Major League Baseball. From 1950 through 1962, he played for the Chicago Cubs , Kansas City Athletics , Detroit Tigers and New York Mets . A native of Kincaid, Illinois, Chiti batted and threw right-handed...
.
Roster
| 1961 Baltimore Orioles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 115 | 397 | 97 | .244 | 17 | 63 | |
| 1B | 148 | 486 | 147 | .302 | 46 | 141 | |
| 2B | 133 | 386 | 102 | .264 | 9 | 37 | |
| 3B | 163 | 668 | 192 | .287 | 7 | 61 | |
| SS | 155 | 533 | 132 | .248 | 12 | 51 | |
| LF | 103 | 310 | 64 | .206 | 8 | 24 | |
| CF | 139 | 516 | 153 | .297 | 16 | 72 | |
| RF | 113 | 323 | 94 | .291 | 5 | 35 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 115 | 312 | 91 | .292 | 1 | 13 | |
| 90 | 244 | 51 | .209 | 1 | 16 | |
| 96 | 222 | 59 | .266 | 8 | 30 | |
| 99 | 144 | 36 | .250 | 1 | 23 | |
| 43 | 124 | 34 | .274 | 6 | 19 | |
| 56 | 96 | 20 | .208 | 5 | 11 | |
| 75 | 89 | 23 | .258 | 0 | 6 | |
| 32 | 58 | 11 | .190 | 0 | 2 | |
| 17 | 47 | 8 | .170 | 1 | 4 | |
| 22 | 45 | 12 | .267 | 0 | 4 | |
| 14 | 27 | 7 | .259 | 1 | 2 | |
| 4 | 13 | 1 | .077 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3 | 7 | 1 | .143 | 0 | 1 | |
| 5 | 4 | 2 | .500 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 248.1 | 18 | 12 | 3.33 | 150 | |
| 33 | 212 | 15 | 9 | 3.69 | 160 | |
| 36 | 196 | 10 | 13 | 3.90 | 118 | |
| 26 | 177.2 | 13 | 9 | 3.04 | 89 | |
| 27 | 166.2 | 10 | 6 | 3.19 | 61 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 138 | 7 | 4 | 2.02 | 100 | |
| 29 | 122.1 | 7 | 5 | 3.09 | 92 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 2.30 | 87 | |
| 35 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3.01 | 47 | |
| 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5.57 | 15 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5.40 | 4 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18.00 | 3 |
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: AberdeenVictoria club moved to Ardmore, May 27, 1961