1956 Milwaukee Braves | |
---|---|
League | National League |
Ballpark | Milwaukee County Stadium |
City | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
Record | 92–62 (.597) |
League place | 2nd |
Owners | Louis R. Perini |
General managers | John J. Quinn |
Managers | Charlie Grimm 24–22 (.522) Fred Haney 68–40 (.630) |
Radio | WEMP WTMJ (Earl Gillespie, Blaine Walsh) |
The 1956 Milwaukee Braves season was the fourth in Milwaukee and the 86th overall season of the franchise. The Braves finished in second place in the National League, just one game behind the Brooklyn Dodgers in the league standings, and one game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds. [1] All three teams posted wins on the final day of the season; the Braves had entered the final three games with a game advantage, but dropped the first two at St. Louis while the Dodgers swept the Pirates.
The Braves' led the major leagues in home attendance with 2,046,331; next closest was the New York Yankees of the American League at under 1.5 million. The runner-up in NL attendance was champion Brooklyn at under 1.22 million. [2] The Braves averaged 30,093 for the 68 home dates. [3]
Under opening day manager Charlie Grimm, the Braves got off to a mediocre start at 24–22 (.522). After a loss on Saturday, June 16, the owners dismissed him and replaced him with Fred Haney, [4] [5] who led the Braves to a 68–40 (.630) record for the rest of the season. Finishing at 92–62 (.597), the Braves nearly caught up with the Dodgers, who finished a game ahead at 93–61 (.604). Haney managed the Braves to the World Series in 1957 and 1958, and then to a tie atop the National League standings in 1959, tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In individual performance statistics, outfielder Hank Aaron led the league in hits with 200, in batting average at .328, and in doubles with 34. His 106 runs scored led the Braves. First baseman Joe Adcock led the Braves with 38 home runs and 103 runs batted in. The Braves' other hitting star was their third baseman, Eddie Mathews, who played in 151 games, hit 37 home runs, scored 103 runs, and batted in 95 runs.
The pitching leaders for the Braves were their "big three" starting pitchers (listed with their won-loss records): Warren Spahn (20–11 (.645)), Lew Burdette (19–10 (.655)), and Bob Buhl (18–8 (.692)). Spahn also recorded three saves among the four games in which he was used as a relief pitcher.
Outfielder Bobby Thomson also had his best season, out of three, with the Braves, with 142 games played, 20 home runs, and 74 runs batted in, but just a .235 batting average. Then, the next season, Thomson was traded back to the New York Giants.
National League | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brooklyn Dodgers | 93 | 61 | 0.604 | — | 52–25 | 41–36 |
Milwaukee Braves | 92 | 62 | 0.597 | 1 | 47–29 | 45–33 |
Cincinnati Redlegs | 91 | 63 | 0.591 | 2 | 51–26 | 40–37 |
St. Louis Cardinals | 76 | 78 | 0.494 | 17 | 43–34 | 33–44 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 71 | 83 | 0.461 | 22 | 40–37 | 31–46 |
New York Giants | 67 | 87 | 0.435 | 26 | 37–40 | 30–47 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 66 | 88 | 0.429 | 27 | 35–43 | 31–45 |
Chicago Cubs | 60 | 94 | 0.390 | 33 | 39–38 | 21–56 |
Sources: | |||||||||||||
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Team | BR | CHC | CIN | MIL | NYG | PHI | PIT | STL | |||||
Brooklyn | — | 16–6 | 11–11 | 10–12 | 14–8 | 13–9 | 13–9 | 16–6 | |||||
Chicago | 6–16 | — | 6–16–1 | 9–13 | 7–15 | 13–9 | 10–12–1 | 9–13–1 | |||||
Cincinnati | 11–11 | 16–6–1 | — | 9–13 | 14–8 | 11–11 | 17–5 | 13–9 | |||||
Milwaukee | 12–10 | 13–9 | 13–9 | — | 17–5 | 10–12 | 14–8–1 | 13–9 | |||||
New York | 8–14 | 15–7 | 8–14 | 5–17 | — | 11–11 | 13–9 | 7–15 | |||||
Philadelphia | 9–13 | 9–13 | 11–11 | 12–10 | 11–11 | — | 7–15 | 12–10 | |||||
Pittsburgh | 9–13 | 12–10–1 | 5–17 | 8–14–1 | 9–13 | 15–7 | — | 8–14–1 | |||||
St. Louis | 6–16 | 13–9–1 | 9–13 | 9–13 | 15–7 | 10–12 | 14–8–1 | — |
1956 Milwaukee Braves | |||||||||
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Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
| Catchers
Infielders
| Outfielders
| Manager
Coaches
|
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Pos | Player | G | AB | R | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Del Crandall | 112 | 311 | 37 | 74 | .238 | 16 | 48 |
1B | Joe Adcock | 137 | 454 | 76 | 132 | .291 | 38 | 103 |
2B | Danny O'Connell | 139 | 498 | 71 | 119 | .239 | 2 | 42 |
3B | Eddie Mathews | 151 | 552 | 103 | 150 | .272 | 37 | 95 |
SS | Johnny Logan | 148 | 545 | 69 | 153 | .281 | 15 | 46 |
LF | Bobby Thomson | 142 | 451 | 59 | 106 | .235 | 20 | 74 |
CF | Bill Bruton | 147 | 525 | 73 | 143 | .272 | 8 | 56 |
RF | Hank Aaron | 153 | 609 | 106 | 200 | .328 | 26 | 92 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Del Rice | 71 | 188 | 40 | .213 | 3 | 17 |
Frank Torre | 111 | 159 | 41 | .258 | 0 | 16 |
Wes Covington | 75 | 138 | 39 | .283 | 2 | 16 |
Jack Dittmer | 44 | 102 | 25 | .245 | 1 | 6 |
Andy Pafko | 45 | 93 | 24 | .258 | 2 | 9 |
Chuck Tanner | 60 | 63 | 15 | .238 | 1 | 4 |
Félix Mantilla | 35 | 53 | 15 | .283 | 0 | 3 |
Toby Atwell | 15 | 30 | 5 | .167 | 2 | 7 |
Earl Hersh | 7 | 13 | 3 | .231 | 0 | 0 |
Jim Pendleton | 14 | 11 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Bob Roselli | 4 | 2 | 1 | .500 | 1 | 1 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Warren Spahn | 39 | 281.1 | 20 | 11 | 2.78 | 111 |
Lew Burdette | 39 | 256.1 | 19 | 10 | 2.70 | 110 |
Bob Buhl | 38 | 216.2 | 18 | 8 | 3.32 | 86 |
Ray Crone | 35 | 169.2 | 11 | 10 | 3.87 | 73 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gene Conley | 35 | 158.1 | 8 | 9 | 3.13 | 68 |
Taylor Phillips | 23 | 87.2 | 5 | 3 | 2.26 | 36 |
Bob Trowbridge | 19 | 50.2 | 3 | 2 | 2.66 | 40 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ernie Johnson | 36 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 3.71 | 26 |
Dave Jolly | 29 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 3.74 | 20 |
Lou Sleater | 25 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3.15 | 32 |
Red Murff | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4.44 | 18 |
Chet Nichols Jr. | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6.75 | 2 |
Humberto Robinson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
Phil Paine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | inf | 0 |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Atlanta, Jacksonville, Evansville, Boise, Wellsville
Fred Girard Haney was an American third baseman, manager, coach and executive in Major League Baseball (MLB). As a manager, he won two pennants and a world championship with the Milwaukee Braves. He later served as the first general manager of the expansion Los Angeles Angels in the American League. For years, Haney was one of the most popular baseball figures in Los Angeles. In 1974 he was presented with the King of Baseball award given by Minor League Baseball.
The 1965 New York Mets season was the fourth regular season for the Mets. They went 50–112 and finished tenth and last in the National League. They were managed by Casey Stengel and Wes Westrum. They played home games at Shea Stadium, where they drew 1.77 million paying fans, third in the National League.
The 1965 Cincinnati Reds season consisted of the Reds finishing in fourth place in the National League, with a record of 89–73, eight games behind the NL and World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Reds were managed by Dick Sisler and played their home games at Crosley Field.
The 1961 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. It consisted of the Reds winning the National League pennant with a 93–61 record, four games ahead of the runner-up Los Angeles Dodgers, but losing the World Series in five games to the New York Yankees. The Reds were managed by Fred Hutchinson, and played their home games at Crosley Field. The Reds were also the last team to win the National League in the 154-game schedule era, before going to a 162-game schedule a year later.
The 1957 Cincinnati Redlegs season consisted of the Redlegs finishing in fourth place in the National League, with a record of 80–74, 15 games behind the NL and World Series Champion Milwaukee Braves. The Redlegs were managed by Birdie Tebbetts and played their home games at Crosley Field, where they attracted 1,070,850 fans, fourth in the eight-team league.
The 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers edged out the Milwaukee Braves to win the National League title. The Dodgers again faced the New York Yankees in the World Series. This time they lost the series in seven games, one of which was a perfect game by the Yankees' Don Larsen.
The 1957 Milwaukee Braves season was the 5th season in Milwaukee and the 87th season of the franchise. It was the year that the team won its first and only World Series championship while based in Milwaukee. The Braves won 95 games and lost 59 to win the National League pennant by eight games over the second-place St. Louis Cardinals. This season was the best season for the Milwaukee Braves (1953-1965) in terms of wins (95) and winning percentage (.617).
The 1958 Milwaukee Braves season was the sixth in Milwaukee and the 88th overall season of the franchise. The Braves finished first in the National League with a 92–62 record and returned to the World Series for the second consecutive year, losing to the New York Yankees in seven games. The Braves set a Major League record which still stands for the fewest players caught stealing in a season, with 8.
The 1965 San Francisco Giants season was the Giants' 83rd year in Major League Baseball, their eighth year in San Francisco since their move from New York following the 1957 season, and their sixth at Candlestick Park. The team finished in second place in the National League with a 95–67 record, 2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 1960 Chicago Cubs season was the 89th season of the franchise, the 85th season in the National League and the 45th season at Wrigley Field. The Cubs finished seventh in the eight-team National League with a record of 60–94, 35 games behind the NL and World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs drew 809,770 fans to Wrigley Field, also seventh in the circuit.
The 1956 New York Giants season was the franchise's 74th season. The team finished in sixth place in the National League with a 67–87 record, 26 games behind the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The 1963 San Francisco Giants season was the Giants' 81st year in Major League Baseball, their sixth year in San Francisco since their move from New York following the 1957 season, and their fourth at Candlestick Park. The team finished in third place in the National League with an 88–74 record, 11 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 1947 Boston Braves season was the 77th season of the franchise. They finished in third place with an 86-68 win-loss record, 8 games behind the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The 1948 Boston Braves season was the 78th consecutive season of the Major League Baseball franchise, its 73rd in the National League. It produced the team's second NL pennant of the 20th century, its first since 1914, and its tenth overall league title dating to 1876.
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The 1959 Milwaukee Braves season was the seventh season for the franchise in Milwaukee and its 89th season overall. The season's home attendance was 1,749,112, second in the majors and the eight-team National League, but the lowest to date in Milwaukee and the last over 1.5 million.
The 1960 Milwaukee Braves season was the eighth for the franchise in Milwaukee, and the 90th overall. The Braves finished in second place in the NL with a record of 88–66, seven games behind the NL and World Series Champion Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 1961 Milwaukee Braves season was the ninth in Milwaukee and the 91st overall season of the franchise.
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