1956 Major League Baseball season

Last updated

1956 MLB season
League American League (AL)
National League (NL)
Sport Baseball
DurationRegular season:
  • April 17 – September 30, 1956
World Series:
  • October 3–10, 1956
Number of games154
Number of teams16 (8 per league)
TV partner(s) NBC, CBS
Regular season
Season MVP AL: Mickey Mantle (NYY)
NL: Don Newcombe (BKN)
AL champions New York Yankees
  AL runners-up Cleveland Indians
NL champions Brooklyn Dodgers
  NL runners-up Milwaukee Braves
World Series
Champions New York Yankees
  Runners-up Brooklyn Dodgers
World Series MVP Don Larsen (NYY)
MLB seasons
Locations of teams for the 1955–1960 American League seasons
ButtonRed.svg American League
Locations of teams for the 1953–1957 National League seasons
ButtonBlue.svg National League

The 1956 major league baseball season began on April 17, 1956. The regular season ended on September 30, with the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. In a rematch of the previous season, the postseason began with Game 1 of the 53rd World Series on October 3 and ended with Game 7 on October 10. The series is notable for Yankees pitcher Don Larsen's perfect game in Game 5. The Yankees defeated the Dodgers, four games to three, capturing the 17th championship in franchise history. This was the seventh World Series between the two teams.

Contents

The 23rd Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played on July 10, hosted by the Washington Senators in Washington, D.C., with the National League winning, 7–3.

Schedule

The 1956 schedule consisted of 154 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 22 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place since the 1904 season (except for 1919) and would be used until 1961 in the American League and 1962 in the National League.

Opening Day took place on April 17, featuring all sixteen teams, the first time since 1954. The final day of the regular season was on September 30, which also saw all sixteen teams play, continuing the trend from the previous season. This was the first time since 1950 that all sixteen teams played their first and last games on the same days. The World Series took place between October 3 and October 10.

Teams

LeagueTeamCityStadiumCapacityManager
American League Baltimore Orioles Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Memorial Stadium 47,866 Paul Richards
Boston Red Sox Boston, Massachusetts Fenway Park 34,824 Pinky Higgins
Chicago White Sox Chicago, Illinois Comiskey Park 46,550 Marty Marion
Cleveland Indians Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland Stadium 73,811 Al López
Detroit Tigers Detroit, Michigan Briggs Stadium 58,000 Bucky Harris
Kansas City Athletics Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Stadium 30,296 Lou Boudreau
New York Yankees New York, New York Yankee Stadium 67,000 Casey Stengel
Washington Senators Washington, D.C. Griffith Stadium 29,023 Chuck Dressen
National League Brooklyn Dodgers New York, New York Ebbets Field 31,902 Walter Alston
Chicago Cubs Chicago, Illinois Wrigley Field 36,755 Stan Hack
Cincinnati Redlegs Cincinnati, Ohio Crosley Field 29,584 Birdie Tebbetts
Milwaukee Braves Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee County Stadium 43,117 Charlie Grimm, Fred Haney
New York Giants New York, New York Polo Grounds 54,500 Bill Rigney
Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Connie Mack Stadium 33,359 Mayo Smith
Pittsburgh Pirates Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Forbes Field 34,249 Bobby Bragan
St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis, Missouri Busch Stadium 30,500 Fred Hutchinson

Standings

American League

American League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Yankees 9757.630—49‍–‍2848‍–‍29
Cleveland Indians 8866.571946‍–‍3142‍–‍35
Chicago White Sox 8569.5521246‍–‍3139‍–‍38
Boston Red Sox 8470.5451343‍–‍3441‍–‍36
Detroit Tigers 8272.5321537‍–‍4045‍–‍32
Baltimore Orioles 6985.4482841‍–‍3628‍–‍49
Washington Senators 5995.3833832‍–‍4527‍–‍50
Kansas City Athletics 52102.3384522‍–‍5530‍–‍47

National League

National League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Brooklyn Dodgers 9361.604—52‍–‍2541‍–‍36
Milwaukee Braves 9262.597147‍–‍2945‍–‍33
Cincinnati Redlegs 9163.591251‍–‍2640‍–‍37
St. Louis Cardinals 7678.4941743‍–‍3433‍–‍44
Philadelphia Phillies 7183.4612240‍–‍3731‍–‍46
New York Giants 6787.4352637‍–‍4030‍–‍47
Pittsburgh Pirates 6688.4292735‍–‍4331‍–‍45
Chicago Cubs 6094.3903339‍–‍3821‍–‍56

Postseason

Bracket

World Series
         
AL New York Yankees 3 8 56 2 0 9
NL Brooklyn Dodgers 6133 2 0 110*0

*Denotes walk-off

Managerial changes

Off-season

TeamFormer ManagerNew Manager
New York Giants Leo Durocher Bill Rigney
Pittsburgh Pirates Fred Haney Bobby Bragan
St. Louis Cardinals Harry Walker Fred Hutchinson

In-season

TeamFormer ManagerNew Manager
Milwaukee Braves Charlie Grimm Fred Haney

League leaders

American League

Hitting leaders
StatPlayerTotal
AVG Mickey Mantle 1 (NYY).353
OPS Mickey Mantle (NYY)1.169
HR Mickey Mantle 1 (NYY)52
RBI Mickey Mantle 1 (NYY)130
R Mickey Mantle (NYY)132
H Harvey Kuenn (DET)196
SB Luis Aparicio (CWS)21

1 American League Triple Crown batting winner

Pitching leaders
StatPlayerTotal
W Frank Lary (DET)21
L Art Ditmar (KC)22
ERA Whitey Ford (NYY)2.47
K Herb Score (CLE)263
IP Frank Lary (DET)294.0
SV George Zuverink (BAL)16
WHIP Dick Donovan (CWS)1.155

National League

Hitting leaders
StatPlayerTotal
AVG Hank Aaron (MIL).328
OPS Duke Snider (BKN).997
HR Duke Snider (BKN)43
RBI Stan Musial (STL)109
R Frank Robinson (CIN)122
H Hank Aaron (MIL)200
SB Willie Mays (NYG)40
Pitching leaders
StatPlayerTotal
W Don Newcombe (BKN)27
L Ron Kline (PIT)
Robin Roberts (PHI)		18
ERA Lew Burdette (MIL)2.70
K Sam Jones (CHC)176
IP Bob Friend (PIT)314.1
SV Clem Labine (BKN)19
WHIP Don Newcombe (BKN)0.989

Milestones

Batters

Pitchers

Perfect games

  • Don Larsen (NYY)
    • Pitched the sixth perfect game in Major League history and the first in franchise history on October 8, in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. It remains the only perfect game in World Series history. Larsen threw 97 pitches, 71 for strikes, and struck out seven in the 2–0 victory.

No-hitters

  • Carl Erskine (BKN):
    • Erskine threw the 12th no-hitter in franchise history, and the first since 1952 (when Erskine threw his first no-hitter), by defeating the New York Giants 3–0 on May 12. Erskine threw 102 pitches, 66 of them for strikes, while walking two and striking out three. [1]
  • Mel Parnell (BOS):
    • Parnell threw the 11th no-hitter in franchise history, and the first since 1923, by defeating the Chicago White Sox 4–0 on July 14. Parnell walked two and struck out 4. [2]
  • Sal Maglie (BKN):
    • Maglie threw the 13th no-hitter in franchise history, and the Dodgers' second of the season, by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 5–0 on September 25. Maglie threw 110 pitches, 71 of them for strikes, while walking two and striking out three. [3]

Other pitching accomplishments

Miscellaneous

Awards and honors

Regular season

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards
BBWAA AwardNational LeagueAmerican League
Rookie of the Year Frank Robinson (CIN) Luis Aparicio (CWS)
Cy Young Award — Don Newcombe (BKN)
Most Valuable Player Don Newcombe (BKN) Mickey Mantle (NYY)

Other awards

The Sporting News Awards
AwardNational LeagueAmerican League
Player of the Year [8] — Mickey Mantle (NYY)
Pitcher of the Year [9] Don Newcombe (BKN) Billy Pierce (CWS)
Rookie of the Year [10] Frank Robinson (CIN) Luis Aparicio (CWS)
Manager of the Year [11] Birdie Tebbetts (CIN)—
Executive of the Year [12] Gabe Paul (CIN)—

Baseball Hall of Fame

Home field attendance

Team nameWins%±Home attendance%±Per game
Milwaukee Braves [13] 928.2%2,046,3312.0%26,576
New York Yankees [14] 971.0%1,491,7840.1%19,374
Brooklyn Dodgers [15] 93−5.1%1,213,56217.4%15,761
Boston Red Sox [16] 840.0%1,137,158−5.5%14,579
Cincinnati Redlegs [17] 9121.3%1,125,92862.3%14,622
Detroit Tigers [18] 823.8%1,051,182−11.1%13,477
St. Louis Cardinals [19] 7611.8%1,029,77321.3%13,202
Kansas City Athletics [20] 52−17.5%1,015,154−27.1%13,184
Chicago White Sox [21] 85−6.6%1,000,090−14.9%12,988
Pittsburgh Pirates [22] 6610.0%949,878102.4%12,178
Philadelphia Phillies [23] 71−7.8%934,7981.3%12,140
Baltimore Orioles [24] 6921.1%901,2015.8%11,704
Cleveland Indians [25] 88−5.4%865,467−29.2%11,240
Chicago Cubs [26] 60−16.7%720,118−17.8%9,001
New York Giants [27] 67−16.3%629,179−23.7%8,171
Washington Senators [28] 5911.3%431,6471.5%5,606

Television coverage

CBS aired the Saturday Game of the Week for the second consecutive year. The All-Star Game and World Series aired on NBC.

Retired numbers

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "New York Giants vs Brooklyn Dodgers Box Score: May 12, 1956". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Chicago White Sox vs Boston Red Sox Box Score: July 14, 1956". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Philadelphia Phillies vs Brooklyn Dodgers Box Score: September 25, 1956". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  4. ↑ "June 21, 1956 boxscore of double one-hitter from Baseball Reference". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Left on Base – Team Records in a Game". baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  6. ↑ Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.43, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, ISBN   978-0-451-22363-0
  7. ↑ Drebinger, John (December 6, 1956). "Player limit, Interleague Games Top Issues on Majors' Agenda". New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Major League Player of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Pitcher of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Rookie of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Manager of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  12. ↑ "MLB Executive of the Year Award | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  14. ↑ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  19. ↑ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  27. ↑ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
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