1961 Milwaukee Braves season
Encyclopedia
Offseason
- October 14, 1960: Red SchoendienstRed SchoendienstAlbert Fred "Red" Schoendienst is an American Major League Baseball coach, former player and manager, and 10-time All-star. After a 19-year playing career with the St...
was released by the Braves. - October 14, 1960: Stan LopataStan LopataStanley Edward Lopata was an American professional baseball player. Lopata played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for parts of 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Braves...
was released by the Braves. - December 3, 1960: Billy MartinBilly MartinAlfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
was purchased by the Braves 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....
. - December 14, 1960: Joe AzcueJoe AzcueJosé Joaquín Azcue López is a former Cuban professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, California Angels and Milwaukee Brewers. Nicknamed "The Immortal Azcue", he was known for his...
was purchased by the Braves 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....
. - Prior to 1961 season (exact date unknown)
- Jim CampbellJim Campbell (catcher)James Robert Campbell is a former professional baseball player who played catcher in the Major Leagues for the Houston Colt .45s in 1962 and 1963.-External links:*...
was traded by the Braves to the Houston Colt .45sHouston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
for Morrie MartinMorrie MartinMorris Webster Martin was a former left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched in the major leagues from 1949–1959, appearing in 250 games for several different teams....
. - Clay CarrollClay CarrollClay Palmer Carroll is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball with a 15-year career from 1964 to 1978. He pitched for the Milwaukee Braves & Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, St...
was signed by the Braves as an amateur free agent.
- Jim Campbell
Regular season
On April 28, Warren SpahnWarren Spahn
Warren Edward Spahn was an American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in the National League. He won 20 games each in 13 seasons, including a 23-7 record when he was age 42...
threw a no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
.
On June 8, against the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The 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....
, four consecutive Braves batters hit home runs off pitchers Jim Maloney
Jim Maloney
James William Maloney is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Cincinnati Reds and California Angels...
(two) and Marshall Bridges
Marshall Bridges
Marshall Bridges was an American professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1959-1965 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees and Washington Senators. He was born in Jackson, Mississippi.A strong left-handed pitcher blessed with an excellent...
(two more) in the seventh inning. The batters who accomplished this feat were Eddie Mathews
Eddie Mathews
Edwin Lee "Eddie" Mathews was an American Major League Baseball third baseman. He is regarded as one of the greatest third basemen ever to play the game.-Early life:...
, Hank Aaron, Joe Adcock
Joe Adcock
Joseph Wilbur "Billy Joe" Adcock was an American first baseman and right-handed batter in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the powerful Milwaukee Braves teams of the 1950s, whose career included numerous home run feats...
, and Frank Thomas. Oddly, both Adcock and Thomas were former players for the Reds.
Notable transactions
- April, 1961: Morrie Martin was released by the Braves.
- May 9, 1961: Mel RoachMel RoachMelvin Earl Roach was a utility player for the Milwaukee Braves , Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies .He helped the Braves win the 1958 National League Pennant....
was traded by the Braves to the Chicago CubsChicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
for Frank Thomas. - May 10, 1961: Wes CovingtonWes CovingtonJohn Wesley Covington , was a left fielder in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Milwaukee Braves, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers...
was selected off waivers from the Braves by the Chicago White SoxChicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. - June 1, 1961: Billy Martin was traded by the Braves to the Minnesota TwinsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
for Billy ConsoloBilly ConsoloWilliam Angelo Consolo was an American shortstop and coach in Major League Baseball who played for five different teams between and , most notably the Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins....
.
Roster
| 1961 Milwaukee Braves | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 152 | 562 | 160 | .285 | 35 | 108 | |
| 3B | 152 | 572 | 175 | .306 | 32 | 91 | |
| LF | 124 | 423 | 120 | .284 | 25 | 67 | |
| CF | 155 | 603 | 197 | .327 | 34 | 120 | |
| RF | 110 | 373 | 101 | .271 | 14 | 41 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 63 | 14 | .222 | 0 | 5 | |
| 36 | 41 | 10 | .244 | 0 | 3 | |
| 13 | 36 | 6 | .167 | 1 | 6 | |
| 9 | 21 | 4 | .190 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | 6 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 272.1 | 18 | 11 | 4.00 | 92 | |
| 38 | 262.2 | 21 | 13 | 3.02 | 115 | |
| 32 | 188.1 | 9 | 10 | 4.11 | 77 | |
| 19 | 97 | 5 | 7 | 3.90 | 44 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 84 | 7 | 2 | 5.25 | 51 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4.62 | 5 | |
| 12 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3.47 | 16 | |
| 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7.59 | 8 | |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5.14 | 5 | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 0 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18.00 | 1 |