1963 Kansas City Athletics season
Encyclopedia
The Kansas City Athletics
season involved the A's finishing 8th in the American League
with a record of 73 wins and 89 losses.
Oakland Athletics
The 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....
season involved the A's finishing 8th 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 73 wins and 89 losses.
Regular season
- Owner Charlie Finley changed the team’s colors to Kelly green, Fort Knox Gold and Wedding Gown White, and replaced Connie MackConnie MackConnie Mack may refer to:* Connie Mack I , Hall of Fame baseball manager, player, owner* Connie Mack III , U.S. Representative , U.S. Senator from Florida * Connie Mack IV , U.S...
's elephant mascot with a Missouri muleMuleA mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
— not just a cartoon logo, but a real mule, which he named after himself: "Charlie O, the MuleCharlie-OCharlie-O the Mule was the mascot used by the Kansas City Athletics and Oakland A's from 1963 to 1976. The mule was named after Charles O. Finley, the team's owner at the time.The team's original mascot was an elephant...
." In reading the Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, Charlie Finley read about the Missouri Mule, a mule which helped troops in World War I carry ammunition. Finley decided that a mule would become the club’s new mascot.
- He also began phasing out the team name "Athletics" in favor of simply, "A's." In June 1963, Bill BrysonBill Bryson, Sr.William Eugene Bryson was a sports journalist for the Des Moines Register for 50 years. He married Agnes Mary McGuire and had three children: Michael, William, and Mary Elizabeth...
wrote of the uniforms,
Kelly green is the Athletics' accent color. It was more a nauseous green the players wore on their wholesome, clean-cut faces the first few times they had to appear in public looking like refugees from a softball league.
- Owner Charlie Finley was upset about his stadium deal with Kansas City. He had visited Dallas, Texas and Oakland, California as prospective places for relocation. Finley also talked to Atlanta Journal sportswriter Furman BisherFurman BisherFurman Bisher is a columnist for the Gwinnett Daily Post in Gwinnett County, Georgia. He ended his retirement from writing on January 4th, 2010....
about relocating the A's to Atlanta. Later in the season, Finley made threats of moving the club to Louisville, Kentucky and renaming the franchise the Kentucky Colonels. As a sign of protest, Finley relocated the A's offices from the stadium to the garage of team scout J Bowman.
Notable transactions
- May 25, 1963: 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...
and Dick HowserDick HowserRichard Dalton Howser was an American Major League Baseball shortstop, coach and manager. He is best known as the manager of the Kansas City Royals during the 1980s, and for guiding them to the franchise's only World Series title in 1985.-Playing career:A native of Miami, Florida, Howser grew up...
were traded by the Athletics to the Cleveland IndiansCleveland IndiansThe Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
for Doc EdwardsDoc EdwardsHoward Rodney Edwards was a backup catcher with the Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Athletics, New York Yankees, and the Philadelphia Phillies over parts of five seasons spanning eight years...
and $100,000. - May 26, 1963: Sammy EspositoSammy EspositoSamuel Esposito is a retired American professional baseball player. A third Baseman and shortstop, he played Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Athletics and helped the White Sox win the 1959 American League pennant.After graduating from Chicago's Christian...
was signed as a free agent by the Athletics.
Roster
| 1963 Kansas City Athletics | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders |
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 | 71 | 240 | 60 | .250 | 6 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 41 | 8 | .195 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2 | 4 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 174.1 | 7 | 13 | 3.05 | 109 | |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 111.1 | 5 | 7 | 4.45 | 67 | |
| 3 | 7.2 | 0 | 0 | 11.74 | 4 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 6 | 4 | 21 | 3.13 | 81 | |
Awards and honors
All-Star Game1963 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1963 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 31st playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held in Cleveland, Ohio, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, home of the American...
- Norm SiebernNorm SiebernNorman Leroy Siebern was a Major League Baseball player for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, California Angels, San Francisco Giants, and Boston Red Sox from to . His best season came in with the A's, when he hit 25 home runs, had 117 runs batted in and a .308...
, reserve